Happy Friday, my darling readers! What do you have planned for the weekend? I’m excited because I have my hair and makeup trial for my wedding — which, eek, is about four weeks away! Definitely in the home stretch now. Wishing you a lovely and relaxing weekend ahead. Here, to get it started right, a few happy posts from around the web:

Painted macarons are the prettiest.

This lip sync battle made me LOL.

Hamilton stars in training.

How to vacation with friends.

Doggy portraits taken 10 years apart.

How to apply foundation with your fingers.

Love this dress.

The easiest dessert in the world is also the prettiest.

When do I move in?

An April showers playlist. (Fingers crossed it doesn’t turn into snow.) 😉

(Image via Lynn Chalk)

Lately, I’ve been getting so much reading done on the subway. (There’s nothing better than spotting an empty seat on the F train.) These three books are on my spring reading list:

The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney. This title was endorsed by Amy Poehler, but the story is what caught my eye: It’s about a dysfunctional New York family who is in for a great inheritance when a major mistake happens that knocks the sum from $500K to $50K per kid. Whoops.

Girl Through Glass by Sari Wilson. This book is also set in New York, but the story follows an aspiring 1977 ballerina who’s trying to break into the cutthroat New York City ballet. No easy feat–especially when the girl’s parents are simultaneously going through a brutal divorce.

Modern Lovers by Emma Straub. This novel (Straub’s follow-up to The Vacationers) follows a Brooklyn couple and their friends as they settle into adulthood and watch their kids–and their now gentrified neighborhood–grow up and evolve at the same time.

What’s next on your reading list?

(Photo 1, 2, 3 via Amazon)

Sure, Boston got snow this weekend and the temperatures in New York dipped back into the 20s (yikes), but it was all spring/summer in Brooklyn, mainly due to my favorite warm-weather pasta dish and bottle of rosé.

Let’s discuss the first: This recipe for Pasta with Five Fresh Herbs is one of my favorites. It used to be one of Matt’s go-to’s that he found in Cooking Light before we met. There’s something about the way the goat cheese mixes with the warm pasta and tasty, fragrant herbs. Also, when you sautée cherry tomatoes, it’s basically like you’re snacking on summer in a bowl.

Second, this 2014 rosé from Stobi Winery in Macedonia. I discovered it last year at my local wine shop and it is crisp and dry and delightful — and crazy affordable, too. I stashed a bottle in my fridge after stocking up on the blend last year and was so happy to crack it open this weekend to enjoy with my favorite seasonal pasta dish. It was just as refreshing as I remembered it.

Are there things like this that cue your brain that spring/summer is coming? What are they? Would love to know!

(Image 1)

Happy Friday, my darling readers! What do you have planned? I’m keeping a serious eye on the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and their cherry blossom trees. I wait for peak bloom all year. Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead. Here, to get it started right, a few happy posts from around the web:

Made me LOL.

After the wedding, I want to go to Nashville.

It’s the end of an era.

I definitely need this shirt.

But I actually just bought this one. (Modeled by Brie Larson here.)

13 questions to ask before getting married…and then some.

I kind of can’t wait for this movie.

In defense of Friends.

This sidewalk skirt though.

Home inspo (plus, wallpaper goals).

(Image via Post Grad and Pearls)

You guys, exciting news! I just joined an a cappella group in Brooklyn. It’s a funny story: The wedding caterer we hired actually started the group. She quit the company (they’re still our caterer, we just have a different, equally wonderful rep), but invited me to join her group. We recently had the first practice and it was aca-awesome. (Come on, I had to.)

Since I graduated, I have been singing a lot less (except for a brief and wonderful stint as part of a Christmas group), which made me realize: When I sang a cappella in college, we practiced four nights a week. Research shows that the way you breathe when you sing is rhythmic, much like yoga, and therefore a powerful stress reducer. No wonder I was so chill during exams. 😉

Anyways, this is my chance to get back into things. We’re just beginning to hone our playlists since the group is so new, but we’re singing everything from the Beatles to Spring Awakening to Sia. At the end of the first practice, my vocal cords were exhausted. But it felt amazing. I’m psyched to see what unfolds in the coming weeks.

PS: A clip of me at the 75th reunion of my a cappella group.