i dream of dresses.

i stumbled upon this darling christmas photoshoot from love me do photography and couldn't resist sharing it with you.

because fur hat + vintage glasses + snow inside = ultimate winter romance.

xoxo julia

xoxo julia

this wonderful mustache wallet was gifted to me by another fabulous friend. i just have the best friends in the world, don't i?

excuse me for showing off all my new toys. i just can't help myself!

xoxo julia

because i sure did.

i'm pretty sure most of my readers already saw this on my facebook page, but...if you're one of the few who didn't, i'm reposting.

and also re-bragging.

on monday, my orchestra had the fantastic opportunity to perform with david archuleta at his christmas concert at abravanel hall in salt lake city. which was absolutely amazing in and of itself. but to top it all off, i can say that i was onstage when david announced that he's planning to serve a full-time mission for the church of jesus christ of latter day saints.

i'm so incredibly proud of him. {because i can definitely be proud of someone i don't know. yep.} he has every reason not to go--fame, a career, and {i'm sure} a fortune. but, like he said, he's not doing it because  someone told him he has to. he's going of his own volition, which makes it all the more amazing.

and which makes him all the more attractive.

you know what else makes him attractive? {besides his hair and his voice and his face and...} well. here's a story for you.

we were told that david wanted to come talk to the orchestra before the show, but then his dad told us that he was overbooked and wouldn't have time to see us. our hopes fell as the "ten minutes 'til showtime" announcement buzzed over the intercom. but then david burst into the room, out of breath. he had broken schedule and sprinted upstairs so he could have a few minutes to talk to us. and he thought the best way to use those few minutes was to join us in prayer.

let's just say, that's the moment i regretted voting for david cook 200+ times.

then when he announced his decision to go on a mission, i cried a little bit gained a ton of respect for him.

way to go, archie.


xoxo julia


{ps, watch the video! like, seriously. not only will you cry of gladness, but if you listen really closely at 8:35, you can hear my flute solo. :) }

a glorious scene from funny face.

does it get better than pink + 1957 + audrey hepburn?

...

i didn't think so.


xoxo julia

my dearest, kindest daddy bought me the michael buble christmas album! and may i just say, it is completely fabulous. jazz and christmas just go so well together.

plus, every track on here is brilliant.

{except "santa baby." which is bad enough in and of itself. have a man sing it and throw in some "santa buddy"s and it makes me cringe.}

creepiness aside, mr. buble certainly makes for a fabulous christmas.


xoxo julia

i've been hoarding this post for a while now and just never got around to posting it. i've {somewhat recently} become obsessed with bikes. {along with mustaches and sequin sweaters. but that's a different story.} they're just so cute and whimsical! especially when there's stuff in the basket. like flowers.

wanna hear a story about bikes?

okay. i'm going to tell you anyway.

when i was ten years old, i had a bike. it was the perfect little girl's bike, complete with white wheels and pink and teal accents. one day, i went to my friend's house for a sleepover. the next morning was our neighborhood garage sale. when i came home from said sleepover, my neighbor told me that my dad had sold my bike. i didn't believe her. turns out, he did. without telling me. for ten dollars.

i didn't even get the money.

luckily, i only had to wait seven years until i got a new one.

oh, hi there.

this is me.

with accidentally frizzy pigtails. who knew that ponytail + twelve hours = frizz? not me.

{but i kind of enjoyed them, not gonna lie.}




this is me and my puppy.

her name is coco. she's a bit of a sissy.

sometimes she likes me to cuddle her.

other times, she does not.

this is one of those times when she does not.

but i love her just the same.


xoxo julia

everyone knows that penguins wear their hearts on their sleeves.

or...erm...tummies.

and i wear my penguins on my sweaters.


{hmm. all the pictures i've taken lately seem to involve wearing my hair up. i really don't wear it up that often. or maybe i'm getting lazy and i actually do. ...shh.}


xoxo julia

my church youth group and i went to temple square last night to see the lights!

{checking that off the list.}

it was f r e e z i n g . and by freezing, i mean we couldn't feel our faces. or our toes. or our legs.

luckily our leaders were kind enough to get us hot chocolate, which warmed us up on the inside for about ten minutes.

then it was back to shivering.

but the lights were gorgeous! {as usual.}

and, as you can see, so are we.


xoxo julia

i found this oh-so-classy picture of nicki minaj and anna wintour on the front row of a fashion show and was rather...erm...what word should i use here?    shocked?     taken aback?    appalled?    embarrassed?

who would wear that when sitting right next to anna wintour?!

{who is, by the way, the ever-so-elegant editor of vogue.}

{if you didn't know that, you have been unfriended.}

{just kidding. i still love you. just maybe a teensy bit less.}


anyway. i'm concerned for nicki. poor girl.

but my main thought is...

i'm cuter than she is! why aren't i sitting next to anna wintour??

{narcissism: diagnosed.}


what would you wear to meet ms. wintour?

xoxo julia

december is upon us! that means the christmas tree is up, festive music is playing, the malls are crowded {oh, the thrill!}, and a warm mug of herbal tea is more delicious than ever.
i've decided to make a list of things i want to accomplish in the midst of the holiday hustle and bustle.
just in case you were wondering what i do in december.


1. bake cookies.

2. visit temple square to see the lights.

3. have a girls' night in, complete with grilled cheese sandwiches, pj's, and chick flicks.

4. play in the snow. hopefully not by myself.

5. acquire both the michael buble and she & him christmas albums.




happy december!


xoxo julia

today, i met benton paul.

{be jealous.}

his big brother is my neighbor. benton popped in with his band and played a concert for us in his brother's living room, complete with christmas lights and a few acoustic encore numbers because we couldn't get enough of him.

i'd never heard his music before. let's just say, i'm smitten.

i'm sure you will be too.

xoxo julia

ps, happy december.