{monday morning with: pursuit of shoes}

Today I'm launching a fun little Monday Morning post series featuring some of my favorite bloggers in a casual "virtual coffee chat."  I always love the little tidbits you uncover with friends over drinks (caffeinated or otherwise!) so why not take the edge off every Monday morning and learn a little more about some of the great ladies behind the blogs.

Starting off with a fabulous fashion/shoe blogger (and real-life friend!), Ashley Torres of Pursuit of Shoes ...

what's your drink/cocktail of choice? 

I'll always say yes to a nice glass of champagne. When I'm out to dinner a glass of Syrah or Malbec always does the trick.  If I'm "out out" or just having drinks with friends then my go-to is vodka soda with a splash of St. Germain.

what's the most recent store you shopped at? care to share what you picked up?
Madwell! I'm a sucker for Madewell and can't walk by without taking a peek inside.  I scooped up a new olive green tomboy shirt - it's going to become my new version of chambray!

do you have a signature scent?
I'm actually pursuing signature scents at the moment. In college I was a Gucci Rush girl. Kenzo's flowerbykenzo is one of my faves, but not sure if it's the signature!

what is the top item on your wishlist right now?

Pretty much anything from FORWARD by Elyse Walker.  Honestly, I'm due for a big closet haul, so right now I'm feeling a bit cluttered and not in the mood to shop (crazy, I know!).

what'd you do this past weekend?
Saturday, I met my friend at Pop Physique for a morning workout then ran errands all day. In the evening the BF and I made pizza for dinner then stopped by ShoreBar for a friend's birthday! Sunday was super mellow and lazy, something I never typically do, but it was a day filled with magical TV: NFL playoffs, Golden Globes and Girls! 


where are you or where would you like to travel to next?
The boy and I have been toying with a European getaway. Not sure exactly when or where, but I would love to take him to Mykonos because we absolutely adore exploring beautiful beaches.


what are you currently reading?
Truth: I need to read more. I've been "currently reading" Dear Girls Above Me for about 3 months now… haha!

favorite quote of the moment?

You are enough. You have enough. You do enough.

whats your new favorite blog discovery? or whats a great unknown blog you care to share with us?
I've really been getting into food and DIY blogs - trying to get more creative in the kitchen and life. There's not one blog in particular, but I pin all my inspo on Pinterest.

tell us a secret or funny fact about yourself…

I love hippos and sleep with a stuffed hippo named Henriette, Henri for short.

{what i loved this week}

on instagram: Seriously how good does grilled grapefruit with honey and cayenne sound!!??!  Chris always says this to me when I'm on my cellphone while we are out- it's become one of my favorite sayings.  Would love to present this beautiful meringue at the end of an awesome dinner.  I have a guilty pleasure obsession with the song "Versace" by Migos and I think I need this sweatshirt in my life because of it. 

on pinterest: These DIY metal side tables would be awesome for an outdoor patio area.  The disco ball planter of my dreams.

on the internets:  Even though it's an older video, I just came across this performance at Glastonbury by Beyonce of her singing both Prince and Kings of Leon.  It's nothing short of amazing as you might expect. You. Are. Welcome.

on the blogs:  This dinner party by Casa de Perin kills me- besides the drop dead gorgeous venue- the flowers are insane and the tableware is out of control amazing. 

on my wishlist:  These Bauble Bar for Anthropologie Earrings- I love the mix of the tortoise shell with the glam rhinestones.  The perfect mint green swimsuit - although if i owned it then I would have three bikinis with this kind of top, but hey who's counting?

{friday cocktail: bbq old fashioned}

While trying to hunt down a few cocktail staples in Paris so that we could stock a little mini bar in our apartment with our faves, we came across this great little specialty spirits store in the 6th called LMDW.  In addition to picking up gin for me and whiskey for Chris, we also purchased a mini sample set of bitters from The Bitter End.  I absolutely love bitters gift sets (this one is a great starter set) because they allow you to try different bitters before you commit to the big bottles which could last you for years!  This set comes with 4 different bitters including Chesapeake Bay, Thai, Mole & Memphis BBQ - all of which have a slight spice to them.  We decided to whip up a BBQ old fashioned using the Memphis BBQ bitters.  Mixed with a dash of the traditional angostura bitters, the bbq element adds a fun flavor to your normal old fashioned- perfect for those summer cookouts we are all surely looking forward to!

Cheers!