destination: puerto rico!

Away we go! I am so excited to be heading south for a getaway with three friends I've been close with since we were just 12-years-old. How we've managed not to ever plan a girls trip in the past...

young alumni DIY: baby bear blocks

felt lowercase stickers // baby bows // gorilla wood glue // needle & thread // wooden craft blocks Having a new baby in the family has been such an exciting experience, especially looking at it in...

a very gatsby evening

mother's day nautical banners - available in shop!

Happy belated Mother's Day to all the sweet mother's in my life! I am so grateful I was able to spend the day cooking, crafting and relaxing with my own momma and grandma; they are unique and...

breakfast cookies and baking ahead

As a continuation of my pursuit to eat well I wanted to share a magic little baking recipe I picked up on one of my very favorite blogs, Tulips & Flight Suits. Mary has been a source of guidance...

music monday: local natives

A little music to start your week of feeling right. Local Natives, to me, are the Fleet Foxes of the beach, but instead of ringing with the echoes of a mountain landscape there’s liquidity in their...

the part can never be well unless the whole is well. - plato

What a month April has been! I have been making some pretty tough choices about my professional future, as well as dealing with life’s tendency to become outrageously hectic during times that...

boston in our hearts

Today I wrote a post for Boston on the Palm Beach Lately website that really conveys my gratitude for the kidness that has resulted from this horrifying tragedy. I am very far from those affected,...

birthday birthday birthday

Today I am turning 26, but mostly I still feel like this: I'm incredibly overwhelmed by the blessings that have come my way, the family that surrounds me and the friends who support me. I would...

part three

When I returned to Korea for my second year, I made friends with a coworker who, as the trilingual owner of both American and European passports, seemed fully set for a glamorous life abroad, but...

suzanne the plan

Dear Momma, One day during my sophomore year of college I came home and found you grouting your very own ‘low maintenance’ fish tank onto the stairway. It was beautiful and different and I knew you...

nature's first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold.

I roll from a sea of silky cotton sheets into something that lets me move freely, pull on my sneakers and dive through the front door into a curtain of mid-morning vapor. Before I’m down the stairs...

easter on the horizon

Today I hope you are affored the opportunity to concentrate on the simple, lovely details of life. I hope the sun shines brightly, and the sky stays clear and you can hear the grass grow. I hope...

guest post: lauren's korean adventures part two

In continuation to the three part feature about Lauren Bankert's life and lessons while teaching abroad in Korea, I am happy to deliver part two. I hope that it provides insight into an otherwise...

sunrise on the equinox

The alarm buzzes to life in a Marimba on the sill beside my bed, a reminder that breaks the pre-dawn silence and our wide-eyed restlessness. 5:45AM. We have both been up in this contemplative...

guest post: lauren's korean adventures part one

One very big reason why I started Young Alumni almost 2 years ago now (is that even possible?) is because this is a part of life that is very much shrouded in mystery. There is no set plan at this...

butternut squash risotto

It’s the tail end of Butternut Squash season so I need to make sure you all have a chance to make this incredible Risotto! Carving a Butternut Squash is like unveiling a piece of art; it's...

cat tested, mother approved

A little while back I made this post about using Tea Tree Oil as a homemade safe cleaner. I love its natural anti-bacterial qualities, and the pleasant scent it leaves behind on hard surfaces, but...

joyful acts of kindness

I have a spectacular friend whose birthday happens to be today. She's one of those people who is always reminding me that there are so many opportunities to give back. As a perfect example, she...

taking responsibility; taking charge

I have started to make room on my reading list for books like “The Freelancer's Bible”, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” and “Life After School Explained”. Reading is one of my...

balcony container gardening

A few days ago I did something that I’ve never done before, I picked lettuce and tomatoes from my very own garden and made a salad. I didn’t have to wonder where it came from or if it was caked...

music monday: a.c. newman

There has been such an influx of great new music this year that I thought I would bring back my little Music Monday segment. Today I want to share A.C Newman’s new album with you; it’s one you can...

small moments: home cooked valentine's dinner

Bonbon Oiseau Grizzly Bear Tie-Clip for my bear. Kitties enjoying my arranging. …and practicing their gargoyle trick. There really is nothing like homemade Rice Krispies treats. The INCREDIBLE pork...

hey valentine

Holidays really have a way of bringing things full circle. It's hard to believe that around this time two years ago I was sneaking off to the beach to dig a firepit in the shape of a heart. I was...

welcome to the world!

Big things happening over here! My cousin and his absolutely wonderful wife just welcomed their first child into the world. Her name is Caroline and she is absolutely perfect. It’s so exciting to...

the paper reinforcer french manicure

One thing I have learned, as a semi-adult woman in the working world, is the crucial importance of learning to take care of oneself. Keeping up a polished appearance serves as a point of pride, and...

vegetables on the balcony

In August, when I made the move north to a nearby city, I was determined to find a place where I could have chickens and start my own vegetable garden. Call it one of those unexpected nurturing...

centered on sunday

Sunday mornings lead me, more often than not, down a ribbon of highway that wraps the city away from the shore and on down to my parent’s house. Endless spans of beach enveloped ocean blanket my...

novels were the full picture

“I pushed open the glass door and entered a room of enormous tallness. The bookshelves went up up up ten feet, and there was another expanse of ceiling above that, filled with dust motes drifting...

a gift you give yourself

Well hello 2013! Here we are, already nine days into the midst of that critical ‘make or break’ time for most resolution keeping. I’ve really been looking forward to the New Year; there’s nothing...