4.30.2014

friendship stripes

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top: from my sister, necklace: Nashville Flea Market, skirt: from my sis, shoes: Rite Aid (I think?? super old!)

This outfit partially brought to you by Nicole at Writes Like A Girl (she is killing it with her 30x30, check it out!), partially brought to you by hand-me-ups from my little big sister, Carina.
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Fairly sure this t-shirt was in a giveaway bag via an ex-boyfriend. Is it a little weird that I wear it now? Sure. Is it such a great shirt that I don't care at all? Definitely! If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times; my most loved & worn pieces in my closet are the random ones that I usually inherited.
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And speaking of random, please direct your attention to my shoes. I tried long and hard to think of where and when I bought these. Slip-ons like this had a brief stint of popularity while I was in high school (maybe because they were $6? idk?) well, $6 well spent. Because I still wear them!
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I definitely have to give my Jamberry nails a shout-out or my sister would kill me. While she was in town last weekend  she insisted on giving us both Music City Marathon themed Jamicures (it's a Tupperware type nail decal business venture). Normally I wouldn't wear my nails this crazy, but it was a special occasion. Also she forced me.

I do love that they were instantly dry and instantly very smooth and glossy, being THE most impatient nail-painter ever. Can you tell that they are tiny metallic musical instruments? Pretty cool.
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It is imperative that you meet the eye behind a lot of my photos these days- my dear work (and IRL) friend, Kelley. Here's the story of how I met Kelley: before I even started my new job, I had people who knew her (Nashville is a small city) tell me I would adore her. When I actually started, she was on her sabbatical, but I had a week of people telling me (verbatim) "You will quickly be best friends."

So by the time we finally, finally met, I was just ready to have a new bestie. And it was instantaneous. She is one of the best people I have ever met. She blogged for a while here (and now does occasionally, here) if you want to experience some Kelley!

To further bait you, I've collected some quotes by her for a sad rainy day that I will now share:


(me sorting mail)
P: "Let's play a game called 'Is this a bill or is this junk?'"
K: "I play this game every day at my house."

(when I told her she had Connie Britton hair)
"I don't know what to do when someone gives you the compliment you've been waiting for your whole life."

(commenting on people with terrible eating habits)
"You know when people sound like a vacuum? It's like, worst case scenario, you drop a crumb."

(tasting food out of the microwave)
"This is as hot as fire."

(me sending cards in the mail, I assume?)
"It seems like your brother has a birthday twice a year."

(tentatively suggesting we hang out IRL for the first time)
"And maybe we meet up for brunch on Sunday- I dunno?!"
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Furthermore- she is THE only person I have ever known to look at me and say "it looks like a picture-taking day today" and then willingly take pictures for my blog. All my blogger ladies KNOW what a big deal that is!

Yeah, she's a gem.


So I forgot to mention when I wrote about what was going on in my last post- I am leaving for Canada on Monday! The plans have been back & forth because my mom was having trouble getting work off; but it's all panned out and I will be flying out Monday afternoon to meet my parents in Edmonton. Traveling with a carry-on only. I love a good challenge!

Otherwise: I re-arranged my room, getting my hair ombre-d tonight, got a little baby-sitting coming up tonight and this weekend, and a big event at work tomorrow! That's what's happening. Thanks for reading- talk to you all soon I hope!!


Style Honestly
linked up with Tiffany and Alissa for Beautiful You Wednesday!
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4.28.2014

weekend update: in eight iPhone sized pictures

as we speak my sister Galina is flying back to CA. I'm thankful for a full, long weekend that started Thursday night, and the combo of family + ( new & old) friends I could share it with! 

it was an iPhone pictures only weekend. and sometimes that is so nice! I didn't/couldn't take my camera around, and it worked out just fine. here's a few shots of what we did this weekend:
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left: Friday I met Galina & new friends Anne, Farai, and Tony for lunch at Edley's East AND I found a new Filling Station on the East side! one of my favorite places.

right: my girl Olive cut Galina's hair too! she has now cut all three Pappu sister's hair which is some kind of record or something. thanks Olive! 
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L & R: Saturday was the race! it was a beautiful morning that turned out pretty warm, Galina said the course was tough but fun. I was tired from cheering for thousands of people...so I can't imagine. I actually almost cried because people were being so nice. also Hunter ran the last 10 with Galina so shout-out to him for that. 
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L: I'm just so happy with my friends. it actually worked out for us to have a huge, fun group for a good ol' Saturday night on Broadway. guys, my friend Trace (pictured) moved back in town!

R: my sweeeeeet Roomie (and ex-housie Em, not pictured) came to join us. love 'em. it was a great, warm night on Broadway.
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L: Huntee & Clyde at Sunday brunch. Hunter spent the whole weekend with me AND my sister and didn't go crazy. claps for you, boo. I was quite pleased with him. though- him & my sister (who adores him like, possibly more than me) had a long conversation about how they hate people ranting & raving about their sig others online, so maybe I should say I DON'T like him. 

R: Sunday was super chill after Saturday was the longest, craziest day ever and it was SO nice. we all fell asleep to The Breakfast Club and then went to dinner at Blue Moon Grille, an awesome Marina-front restaurant literally three minutes from my house. here I am with my date. 

toting my family all around town makes me feel pretttty good.



it's only MONDAY and a lot is happening this week! Nashville is having severe (Tornado-like) weather warnings, so we all got to leave work early. I'm rained in for the rest of the night, but happily so, now I can do all my laundry and start my book for my work book club (We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves- anyone read it?)

this afternoon I found out the most amazing news: Beyonce & Jay-Z are OFFICIALLY touring together this summer! the show closest to us is in Atlanta on July 15th, there's a Chase pre-sale at 10am tomorrow, I'm rallying my troops (Huntee, Em, & Shel) and already beyond excited. 

I also got two new dresses from Asos today! I think I mentioned I won a giveaway. one is a total winner so I am very excited indeed.

alright, I'm gonna get my stuff done and most likely be in bed by nine so don't tweet/comment after that ok? this gurl is sleepy. catch up with you soon! 
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4.24.2014

weekend update: #eastersleepoverweekend

whew. it's taken me til THURSDAY to post my weekend update. it's been a busy week at work, and tonight my sister Galina flies into town. I've tried to keep it real chill this week gearing up for another full weekend! really happy to have some family coming to town.

ok- last weekend, of course, was Easter. Hunter was out of town (not that I would have spent Easter with him anyway) but in passing I mentioned I didn't really have Easter plans, and that's when Andrea took me in.

Saturday she had planned a surprise birthday party for her mom that I was invited to anyway; add in the family fish fry on Friday, and I had to stay the weekend. I didn't have a choice!
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Friday: Andrea & her family made a big deal out of this traditional Nicaraguan meal, and I couldn't figure out why. until I got my fish. she said, "they're no Parish fish-sticks." uh, agreed! also- how great is Mr. Mario in his fish fry outfit? the food was spectacular. 
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Saturday: we headed to Arrington Vineyards for Andrea's mom, Tania, 's carefully orchestrated surprise birthday party. I had never been before, but I absolutely loved it! like, so much that I want to take Galina back this weekend.

it was THE most beautiful day, and we got to spend it all outside. here's what our view looked like!
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Andrea did an amazing job hauling everything (secretly!) to the vineyard. 
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how cute is she and her mom & dad? Tania promised us she really was surprised. 
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and I got to hang with the most adorable Latino babies so I was really happy. check out that bracelet one of them made for me!

the little one in the pink [Kiara] came up to me speaking Spanish, and I had to be suuuuper white and say "uhhh, sorry. what?"

the little one that I'm holding [Mia] who we hung out with all weekend told everyone, "Priya speaks really good Spanish." so I'm thinking, take that! then Tania asked, "oh yeah, what does she say in good Spanish?" Mia says, "Mia! it's a Spanish word." thanks, gurl.

Sunday: Easter! started off with Easter Mass, a totally new experience for me.
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Katya, Andrea's super awesome Russian friend from work, brought these eggs with decals on them. btw- Russia like, invented Easter eggs. anyway, I made her cut the egg out of mine so I could keep the decal, because they were so pretty! as was the table set-up for lunch.
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my girl & I in our Easter's best! happy to have a new-ish, great friend like her!
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this was my contribution to Easter lunch. guys, they make WHITE chocolate Reese's eggs. mind. blown.

the Robleto's are the best. what fun, vibrant company. I can't say how thankful I am to have family-like friends away from my family. thank you Robletos for letting me stay the weekend!!


oh- did I mention they are hilarious? since I laughed pretty dang hard a few times this weekend, I jotted down a few quotes to enjoy later, as I do sometimes. enjoy with me:

[discussing ways to leave the house for the surprise party]
Mario: "you can go do some Pi Delta stuff...or whatever it is you girls do."

[concerning a friend who had to leave "early" on Friday night]
Ethan: "why did they have to leave?"
Andrea: "Because Carlos is going to Japan in the morning."

[a conversation with Tania about all the cell phones she's had]
Tania: "ooooh, that phone was my favorite!"
Me: "You just said the 'Chocolate' was your favorite."
Tania: "no."

[Luis greeting us on Sunday]
Luis: "everyone is looking nice! Ethan, you are looking very fresh."
Ethan: "Iiiiii wore this yesterday."
Luis: "no, you are looking fresh!"

[Mario's thoughts post-Mass]
"Father Mark is the bomb."


three cheers for friendship! on that note, Galina touches down in a few hours. I'll be back with more tales from the weekend soon. have a great one, friends! 
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4.22.2014

remix: sweatskirt!

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earrings: Wish Memphis, necklace: H&M, top: giveaway win via The Great Society, skirt: Ann Taylor Loft, shoes: super old thrifted Steve Madden 

hi all! I am showcasing a remix of my beloved sweatskirt over on Flock Together today! other than that, I don't have a whole lot to say here...I'm still recovering from my #eastersleepoverweekend (stay tuned for pictures from that), gearing up for my sister Galina to arrive in Nashville in three-ish days, and it's started off as a very busy week at work!
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head on over there for full details about how I styled my sweatskirt for every season.
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aaaand I'm linking this up with Danielle & Nicole for many days, many ways!
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4.18.2014

on enjoying today

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this post has been on my mind and in my drafts folder since…before I started working full-time. that was this past October! it’s funny because when I was writing this post the first time, I said,

“somedays, like when I can ride my bike for hours and the weather is just so perfect, I'm really digging the 'young person's journey of life' phase.

other days, when I don't want to take another [restaurant] order and I'm like oh shoot after I pay our water bill I will be broke, a more adult corporate lifestyle sounds like perfection.”

the whole time I was in the limbo of working part-time post-college, I felt antsy, but I also felt like “I need to enjoy this. I’ll be working soon enough and fondly remember when I could sleep in ‘til 11 EVERYDAY.” here’s another segment from the first draft of this post:

“this is one of those ‘even though my blog is called 'perfectly Priya' I'm actually not perfect’ posts.

I wish I could say I'm enjoying every moment of this time continuum that is between graduating college and working full-time. you know that super cliché quote ‘life is about the journey, not the destination’ (a paraphrased cliché)? as terrible as it sounds, it's been on my mind lately. this time that I'm living in: working part-time, just paying my rent/car payments and nothing else, eating Kroger bologna (btw- I really like bologna) IS my life right now! this is a time period I want to LIVE, it may never be this way again. I'm sure I will be working 9-5 at some point, wishing for days when I sat on my porch and wrote stand-up comedy for fun. my destination may be the 'American dream' or whatever, but my journey is this little continuum of life. this isn't part of my life I should be wishing away, or wishing would hurry up.”

it seems like just when I was starting to embrace these facts of life, I woke up and it was like BAM-welcome to being an adult! and isn’t that just the way it goes?

I guess my point in all this is to give MY two cents on the “living in the moment” sentiment that seems to be echoing everywhere these days. I think it’s great, I really do. but what does that really mean? when I read on someone’s blog “I find happiness in little everyday things” I’m like, that’s great, but how?

but lately, I have been finding happiness in tiny little things. I feel like an adult because I'm realizing that really is what makes life awesome. I think I finally get it. here’s how: when something small, but lovely happens, like my favorite song coming on the radio on a sunny ride home, or that first cup of coffee in the morning, or a group text from my siblings, I have to stop. and recognize it. and in that moment, (even if it sounds silly) I take a second to be truly happy, truly enjoy what I’m doing, and think, “life is really great.”

that might be gag-worthy, but I just wanted to share how I’m actually take that sentiment to heart.

oh yeah, that quote. man I love that. it’s actually a fragment of a larger RWE quote that’s one of my all-time favorites, that I have framed in my room. and I didn’t realize this until I actually looked it up! anyway.

I realized several years ago (like, middle school?) that I live in a constant state of “waiting” or “getting excited for ______”. I still do it. I can’t help it. am I the only one that does this? it’s absolutely fine and normal to be looking forward to things. but at the same time: why not make TODAY the best day? this quote straight up challenges you to do this, and I love it. imagine, if everyday were the best day of your life, how happy you would be!

one more quote to think about: “I wish there was a way to know that you're in ‘The Good Old days’ before you've actually left them…” (this might be from The Office? don’t quote me on that. ha.) those middle school days and high school days were the good old days. my “unemployed” phase were the good old days. today, is gonna be a good old day one day. I’m trying to keep that in mind.


on that note: I'm just about to begin #eastersleepoverweekend with my girl Andrea. wishing you the best Easter weekend, no matter what you're celebrating, and I'll check back in with you Monday! 
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4.15.2014

boyfriend, meet blog.

blog, meet boyfriend.

JEANS, that is. tricky, I know!
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necklace: via Amazon, velvet shirt: via Leena, belt: Ann Taylor Loft, jeans: Gap, heels: Blush boutique

boyfriend jeans have become one of those clothing unicorns of the blogging world (let's see, along with the perfect leopard print scarf...well anything, really, blazers, statement necklaces, chambray) and it has been equally hard for me to find a pair that works for me. 
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my legs are super short, and also, "strong" or whatever, so the jeans needed to be the appropriate length and actually NOT tight around my thighs. nearly. impossibly. until, this fateful day! when I went shopping in March I found these at the Gap factory store. 
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oh- rabbit trail- here's my shopping update for the month: I spent it all on stuff for my room. I think I'm ok with that. also, I'm not in desperate need of any clothing or anything. I have a running list, as always, but I think I'm good for now. anyway,

Gap is one of those places I think I consistently shop forever. they make great quality jeans, also, you can often find them on a decent sale/clearance/at a factory store. I think I got these for like $30, and I would buy them again! 
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so enough about my dreamy boyfriend [jeans] blah blah blah, I love them. I understand the hype. I have to wear them with heels/wedges to avoid looking frumpy, but they are SO dang comfortable. I love a good pair of skinny jeans, but they aren't necessarily comfy.

don't have much else to say about this outfit! it's pretty simple, really, but it's one of the outfits I initially put together to try on my new jeans. also, pro tip: it is really dang easy to find cheap statement necklaces from China online. I think I got this one when I was ordering protein powder for Hunter for Valentine's Day. this qualified my package for free shipping #duh. 
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oh, I wore this to church a couple Sunday's ago, which is where Hunter took these pictures for me. the church we've been going to is in THE cutest older building. also, top five most awk places to take outfit pictures, like, right after the service let's out. I just want to scream "this is NOT the REASON I came here TODAY!" so there's that.

and here's my good news of the day: I won a giveaway! to ASOS thanks to Katherine at of corgis & cocktails. uh, YAY! commence panic mode where I'm like sssooo mannnyy pretty dresses.
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that's all today. thanks for being my friend. 
[update: linking this up with Alissa & Tiffany for Beautiful You Wednesday!)
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4.14.2014

weekend update: party animalz

hi! as weird as it sounds, I'm kinda relieved to be back in a normal Monday routine.

after the craziest week at work and a party-hardy start to the weekend, I spent Saturday & Sunday in the deepest chill possible. so, that was nice. I'm so type-A that by Sunday night I start to feel like I should be busy again, which actually makes for a nice ease back in to the week. and now it's back to work & life as normal!

so here's what I was up to last week (I realize Thursday is not technically the weekend but Friday seems like it didn't count as a real day --> I'm tacking it all on to the weekend.):IMG_4700
Thursday evening was our big party at work, we named it the New Folks Fiesta, because a party needs a theme and we wanted to have tacos. Turns out a fiesta themed party is very popular which made decor a breeze! Here's our board of (24!) new employees (in the last 6ish months.) You may spot a familiar face...
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not gonna lie- party planning is a lot of work, but all really fun work. I mean, I got to pick out the pinatas (we had 3) and cactus centerpieces. also confetti is like my new best friend around here.
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we advertised a "getting-to-know-you-game that doesn't suck" and it was super fun! basically we had did a "match the random fact to the person", nothing fancy, but man I work with some spunky folks!

who wants to know my fact? here it is: I had my first run-in with the po-po at the tender age of 3, when I threw a tantrum so spectacular that my concerned neighbors called the cops.

everyone guessed it super easily...not sure what that says about me now ;) I will maintain that I'M A THESPIAN!
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yes we did have a margarita machine and yes it was awesome.
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still learning with this lens, ok? here's proof that I was there wearing a mustache and proof that Kelley is the cutest.
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close-up of our cactus centerpieces & blanket tablecloths that I loved and made fantastic party favors!

and there's the party! I had a blast. love my worky friends.


Friday I was a zombie, then had to absolutely rally for the evening festivities. Andrea, Whitley, and I (plus our counterhearts) headed to a fancccyyyy garden party at Cheekwood called Highballs & Hydrangeas. my favorite part was the getting ready/pre-party at Whitley's house.
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there's not much sweeter than making new, close friends. I love these girls!
p.s. Whitley made us French 75s. I mean, fancymuch?!
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then we aimed for a self-timer group picture...
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I hoped to get some pictures at the actual event and did take my camera...but that didn't happen.
and there you have it, what I've been up to lately!


anyone still reading this post?
like I said, Saturday and Sunday were as chill as possible and so nice. 

Saturday I layed in bed as long as possible, Hunter & I went to an Indian buffet for lunch, and then he diligently accompanied me to Target and World Market for a grand total of about 4 hours. I'm indecisive! And I had to get new sheets and throw pillows and those decisions take forever and last foreverrrrr. I also got the velvet/nailheaded chair of my DREAMZ. can't wait to share.

Sunday we went to church, I went on a run that nearly killed me because it was pretty dang warm, and then Huntee got all theme party excited (and I cannot resist a good themed party) and had a little Masters viewing shindig. The boy just loves sports. We had Arnold Palmers & pimento cheese sandwiches.

ok, that's all for now. can't wait to catch up with you all! here's to a really great week. 
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