Happy Friday! I was going through our engagement photos this week (42 days until the wedding!) and found the one above and just love it--I don't think I've even seen it before! Ashley really took a bunch of good ones.

We've had some warmer days here and snow is finally melting. I went for a run (my second outdoor Minnesota run of 2014--so sad) yesterday and it was really great.

First, some housekeeping

• As you know, I've moved from Blogger to Squarespace. My posts can now be found at freckleditalian.com/blog; so please update your RSS feeds! (If you use Feedly, you can add this link to your reader).
• I'm going to start responding to comments right in the thread. This allows me to make sure I get to each one and still keep my email under control. So if you leave a comment, check back! My goal is to respond to all of them every day.

Inspiration

• Runner with M.S. feels no pain while racing. This girl is intense.
• No more yes. I love this idea.
• 18 Signs You're Doing Better Than You Think

Wish List

• I'm loving these sparkly earrings, and for $28.00? What a steal!
• This swimsuit is dreamy.
• How comfy does this sexy dress look? I would wear it every day.

Miscellaneous

• Geeked out so hard over this interesting Disney film theory. I love it!
• My friend Sylis is working on a new study and you can help! Just make sure to read the eligibility criteria before taking the survey (it's the third paragraph down).
• 10 Things Highly Intuitive People Do Differently
• Click here to read about and sign the petition to enact the Orca Welfare and Safety Act.
• Did you get a chance to check out some scenes from my bachelorette weekend? We had such a great time.

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Tonight Rob and I are off to happy hour at a new-to-us place before getting into some pretty serious cleaning and laundry. We just got a crock-pot and food processor from our wedding registry, so we have some new recipes on the docket, too. And then on Sunday, I have brunch plans with a couple girlfriends. What are you up to this weekend?

Last weekend, I was in Washington DC with a group of my very best girlfriends for my bachelorette party. It started, like most good things, with brunch. After head massages and blowouts at Drybar, but before a sweet hotel bridal shower with wine provided by La Crema, we headed to Founding Farmers for some amazing food and gorgeous cocktails.

After brunch, we headed back to our hotel for a little bridal shower. My Maid of Honor, Tina, did such a fantastic job putting together decorations and games and even got Rob to answer some questions in a really cute video for us to watch. And La Crema was nice enough to provide us with some of their new Pinot Gris for the party!

We usually drink their Chardonnay at home, but the Pinot Gris is just perfect for a girls' weekend away--first of all (and kind of a silly thing to point out, but whatever), the bottles have screw tops instead of traditional corks, which makes opening them up in a hotel room that much easier. And it's just a great "oh my God, spring is almost here" wine. (You can read more about it here). Tina also put out grapes, gluten-free crackers, cheese, and chocolate-covered strawberries and we all had the best time together.

My mom even came for brunch and the shower! She brought her friend Linda (my friend Patrick's mother) and a homemade veil and fake bouquet. After the party, we explored Georgetown a bit more before getting ready for a fabulous girls' dinner at Del Campo. It was exactly what I had in mind for my bachelorette weekend, and I miss everyone so much already.

This post is sponsored by La Crema. Thank you for your support as I continue to work with such wonderful brands. Visit their blog today--I'm sharing a simple DIY for the party favors I gave out this weekend!

I joke with my mom that soon I'm going to stop packing whenever I come to visit in Virginia. I already stopped bringing too many accessories along because she has the most fantastic jewelry collection. I borrow everything from her, though--tops (especially the thin white one with grey birds printed across it), sweaters, necklaces, sports bras, socks, those gold earrings with the light pink stones and the frilly outline that looks like the edge of a doily.

But there are things I don't borrow. Her class ring from high school, gold with a green stone on top; or her wedding rings, which I used to slip on every now and again in the past and admire from my own hand. And then there are things that I borrowed so much that I now own them myself.

When I was even younger, I used to rummage through her jewelry box, trying things on and imagining them in the places they had been before they found their eventual home, tucked away in a box with other shiny memories. My grandmother's wedding ring was the thing I wore most often, and when I turned eighteen or perhaps graduated from high school (I can't even remember the occasion now), my parents gave it to me as a gift.

It originally had three stones, and a few had been missing, so they had it re-sized and repaired the setting with sapphires, my birthstone. It was my grandmother's, and then it was my mom's, and then it was mine.

Sometimes material things don't matter. But other times, they do.

This post is in response to the following prompt: "Write about your mother's jewelry. Write about her shoes." (From Old Friend from Far Away, page 153.) If you've written a response of your own, please share it below in the comments!

P.S. Visit this post for next week's prompt.