Links For Your Weekend

We made it to a nice, long weekend! I have a feeling I'll be working this weekend to get a leg up on my LAST semester of graduate school. Above on the left is a photo of me yesterday on what was my last first day of school ever. To the right is a photo of me on my first day of graduate school last year. I looked so much more excited back then. Truthfully, I'm a little nervous about the next 16 weeks, but at the end is a shiny master's degree, so power on!

Here are 10 links that caught my eye this week...

Five signs that you might need a fall detox.

This video made my tear up.

Great tips on customizing Ikea frames. I think I'll do the striped one soon!

Ever wonder if you should eat before exercising? Here's your answer.

This beach house was made from two barns. I'll be moving in right now.

I always love seeing Kate.

Take 20 percent off full-price clothing at ASOS this weekend.

I love this look from Jillian Harris.

Jared, we're making this pad thai sometime soon.

The manager of my favorite home store gave tips on adding details to your home.

The Last While Via iPhone

Oh summertime in NYC, how I'll miss you!

ShoeMint Loafers

Call me crazy, but I am digging these loafers from ShoeMint for the fall.

The Best Beach Chairs

I'm kicking myself a bit after our trip to the Jersey Shore. Why haven't we gone sooner?! And now summer's over! [Insert pout.]

We had such a great time over the weekend with our friends at the beach. And let me say, parents really know how to pack for a beach day. If it were just me, I would have a towel and sunblock. That's it. But our friends in New Jersey, they know how to do it right. We're talking snacks, beach toys and what I declare the best beach chairs ever. Not only are they comfortable, but when you're carrying your friend's baby on your hip and holding a three-year-old girl's hand as you all cross the street, you don't want to be juggling a beach chair, too.

These bad boys strap right onto your back like a back pack. With that and a few fruit snacks (and mozzarella sticks and drinks and apple sauce for the babes), you're in good shape.

10 Links for Your Weekend

I mentioned to a girlfriend the other night that I have yet to go to the beach this summer. She gasped. Apparently I have not kept up with the Manhattan summer way of living, which includes galavanting off to the beach during the weekends! But no longer, people! I'm off to the Jersey Shore this weekend to soak up the last drops of summer. But before I go, here are 10 links to get this beach weekend started off!

Move over kale. Dandelions are the new must-have greens in town.

A look at Eva Chen, Lucky's editor-in-chief, and how at 33, her success could help keep print magazines trendy for the younger generation.

It amazes me that spaces like this exist in Manhattan. To be wealthy in NYC!

These flats are the shoe to have this fall. I'm seeing them pop up all over the city.

A photographer in Salt Lake City is taking submissions of people with awkward teen photos to show other teens that life - and looks- get better.

Here's a piece I wrote about an eco-friendly perfume that just launched.

I keep checking in on MichelleMoney.com, where you can score amazing deals on jewelry.

I wrote this gallery with 15 cool lunch and back packs for kids, but I want all of them for my 27-year-old self.

I can't get enough of this slideshow of couples getting married at NYC's City Hall. Jared? Lunch break today? Kidding....Kidding...

Six things to do before school starts. 

(Photo: Pinterest)

That One Time I Tried Online Dating: Part 3

Read part one and part two.

Now let's make something clear before going any further. I would not agree to pick up some guy at the airport that I had talked to only via email without doing some background research. I didn't want to make headlines as a missing person and become the main character on an episode of "Dateline." Fortunately, my girlfriend, Chelsey, recognized someone in one of Jared's online pictures (oh gosh, this online dating world sounds so crazy as I type it out). It just so happened to be Chelsey's husband's cousin and after a little investigating, we learned her husband's cousin was Jared's roommate. Following?? On top of that, I have a friend who teaches at Jared's school and he confirmed that Jared was who he said he was. I considered the guy vetted.

The day of the date arrived and oh my goodness, my mind was moving a million miles a minute. I couldn't think a straight sentence! I stopped by Chelsey's house on the way to the airport to get any final words of encouragement. With her son bouncing on her hip, she tried to calm my nerves but nothing was going to stop my mind from racing. It was time to rip the Band-Aid off and do this. I said a quick prayer and off I went to the airport.

Stress Tip

A picture from one of my favorite running paths in Central Park. 

Life is feeling a little bit crazy over here today. My final semester of graduate school is rapidly approaching and I'm trying to get a leg up on my thesis beforehand while also juggling freelance work, prepping for an upcoming project, stretching my tight graduate school budget and gosh, is that it? I feel like there are at least 10 other things going on right now.

I am not an expert at handling stress, but I will say that exercise is essential at times like these. Isn't that kind of terrible? When we have a dozen other things pulling at us, that it's most crucial then to take a time out and go exercise? But even if it's only a walk through the park or a Physique 57 DVD (I am obsessed), I'm so much more efficient if I take the time to exercise and then hop into the madness.

What's most important for you when it comes to dealing with stress?