Rug on the left (West Elm) is $249. Rug on the right (Urban Outfitters)? Just $74.

Sorry, West Elm, looks like I’m going to have to cheat on you with your cheaper and equally trendy friend.

Absolutely in love with this poster done by 21-year-old design student Francesca Ramos. And the best part? You can download an 11×17 PDF to print and hang!

Getting in the holiday spirit!

I ran across the profile of a friend from high school who is in the process of adopting a baby girl from Russia. She had a link to a blog where she has been documenting the whole process — the highs of spending quality time with Little V, a beautiful brown-eyed, blonde hair sweetheart, in an orphanage, as well a the dreadful lows of waiting for the adoption process to go through.

What I read made me so proud of this woman I barely know, and so excited for her to bring her precious baby girl home soon. Little V is so beautiful, but Rachel’s spirit and heart are even more beautiful. It was refreshing to see someone who is doing such a wonderful thing for a little one halfway around the world. Rachel is going to be such a huge blessing for Little V, but she is also a blessing to so many others by showing us how loving others can make such a huge difference in the world.

Please take a moment to visit Rachel’s blog, read her story, and if you feel inclined, make a donation to help with the high costs of the adoption process, travel to Russia and getting ready to bring a little girl into her home and life.

It’s the season for being thankful, and this year I am so grateful that I stumbled across Rachel’s blog and for the reminder of the power of love and compassion for others. This year, as we enjoy our Thanksgiving with our families, Rachel will be halfway around the world preparing to start her family with Little V. Please send good thoughts and prayers her way.

Help me choose a case for my new iPhone 4S. I love them all and can’t decide! :)

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Every week, 52×52.org will highlight a different charity and call on you, those willing and happy to help others, to donate directly to that charity. Don’t feel like donating to one of the featured charities for whatever reason? No problem. Donate to a cause you love. The charities featured will be suggestions and since no money is actually collected, you’re free to donate to whomever you wish. 52×52.org a messenger, not a middle-man. If $52 is too much for you to commit to give, donate $25. If $25 is too much, donate $10. Give whatever you can, each and every week for one year, and together we will make a giant difference.

For any Ohio State fans out there, we are used to waking up early on crisp October mornings to fight the massive crowds as we make our way to Ohio Stadium. But, last weekend, I had the amazing opportunity to go to the ‘Shoe for another reason: a yoga class hosted by LuluLemon.

Om-H-I-O was honestly one of the coolest experiences of my life. Not because it was the largest yoga class in Ohio to date (it was!), or that it was in Ohio Stadium (did you see the picture of me barefoot on the turf?!), but because I got to share in this experience with my community. Looking around and seeing 1,200 other people doing the same pose as you, hearing friends, neighbors, coworkers and fellow Buckeyes share in the solemn “ommmmm” at the end of the class, and spending the morning basking in the beauty of a PERFECT fall day… seriously, there aren’t words.

My favorite part was something the instructor said: “If just one of you, just one, hadn’t shown up today, this would have been a vastly different experience. You could have stayed in bed, blown it off, gone to brunch. But you didn’t, you came, you showed up. And that says something.”

It does. It says something about the kind of person I want to be. I want to be the kind of person who shows up, who makes an effort, who follows through with things I say I’m going to do. I am so grateful for this small reminder that putting in the effort pays off.

Steve Jobs passed away today— October 5, 2011. It also happens to be my 25th birthday. For those who know me, you might know I’ve been stressed out about it. I’ve put high expectations on this birthday, and have said for a long time that once I turn 25, I’ll be in my prime. Somehow, my life is all going to come together and I’m going to look amazing and feel amazing and be so happy socially and professionally.

Don’t get me wrong, I am completely happy. But Steve’s passing today totally brought me back down to reality. Our time here is precious, and we should make the most of every moment, whether we are in our “prime” or not. Trust that everything will work out just as it should. Look forward to many more happy years and remember this piece of Steve’s wisdom:

You can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something, your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well worn path and that will make all the difference.