Happy Thursday! My parents are in town so we’ve been playing tour guide all week. This also means plenty of walking, a lot of laughter, & multiple late night dinner parties! As difficult as it can be to step away from work for a few days, it’s so necessary — & there’s no better reason than a solid chunk of family time!

I really only get to see my parents once a year, twice if I’m really lucky. It’s such a long flight: an hour from Wellington to Auckland, 12 hours to Los Angeles, & another 5 to NYC. By the time you arrive, after so many hours in a flying tin-can, you want to make the most of it… & we’ve been doing our best!

Here are some photos from my week…

I went a little nuts at a trade-show on Sunday, & bought way more bangles than I could ever wear on my arms! These roses were a one year anniversary gift. Aw!

My mother & I went out to buy accessories for her boutique. This top hat feels very essential, don’t you think? (Sadly also about $2000 wholesale.) This clutch was too insane not to photograph; I thought you’d appreciate it!

On Friday, this little diva dog entertained Isaac & I between takes… & this shot of my mother & I sitting with Alice is from this afternoon!

Little loves this week include… Ridiculous staff meetings at xoJane Big big bags full of cosmetics to review — a major perk of the job! MAC false eyelashes (my favourites) The Real L Word (seriously, if you like reality shows about lesbians & you haven’t seen this, you are totally missing out) Matching sparkly diamonds with Madeline! Supremely good news about Betsey Johnson (phew!) Taking plenty of afternoon naps Listening to Frank Ocean & practically nothing else for weeks on end Yayoi Kusama balloons Hanging out with Batman Air conditioning! Life moving ahead & also, Mercury retrograde is OVER! Wearing my nude Hasbeens almost every day (so comfortable, you would not believe it!) Sharing a bowl of churros & melted chocolate with my father Turquoise teacups Bedazzled sunglasses (just you WAIT!) Watching the Olympics every night (I am loving it SO much!)

I have to share this quote with you, too…

“To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.

What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.

And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”

— Howard Zinn

I love you! Hope you are having a great week so far, & if not… it’s almost over!