The change of seasons always brings about excitement for new produce at the market, but also an urgency to enjoy the last of what’s currently in season. Grapefruit happens to be a favorite of mine, and I’m always a little sad to see its price rise, so I’m stocking up and enjoying it while I can! Utilizing some bare supplies I already had on hand, I thought I’d try using my favorite citrus fruit in a fresh cocktail perfect for Springtime. This pink grapefruit cocktail is so pretty and subtly sweet, I decided to name it after my favorite Brat Pack member and the star of Pretty in Pink: Molly Ringwald. Turns out, I enjoy it just as much as I do the movie!

• 1 pink grapefruit
• 2 ounces vodka
• 1 ounce Godiva white chocolate liqueur
• zester
• cocktail shaker
• (optional) jigger
• ice cubes

Beginning by zesting your washed grapefruit. You’ll want some longer strands to save for garnish, but you’ll also want to get some zest from past the grapefruit peel and into the rind to shake with the other ingredients. Next, cut the grapefruit in half and squeeze out the juice into the cocktail shaker over one (or two) ice cubes. Dump about a teaspoon of grapefruit zest on top, then using your jigger, measure out 2 ounces of vodka and 1 ounce of Godiva white chocolate liqueur into the cocktail shaker. Shake until the ice cube is almost gone, and pour through the cocktail shaker’s strainer over ice. garnish with some of the reserved grapefruit peel, and enjoy!

Waldo Pepper (Robert Redford) isn’t only devilishly handsome, but he’s also a fearless dare-devil flier during a time when flying was a new and quickly changing freedom. I enjoy any chance to watch Redford on screen during his glory years (Hello, Mister Studly!), but I was especially interested in a period movie about early aviation’s stunt fliers. Also, I wanted to see a young Susan Sarandon. Curiosity piqued. About halfway through The Great Waldo Pepper, during an intensely nerve-wracking stunt scene, I began to remember watching this with my dad when I was a kid. And then I remembered that this movie isn’t the fanfare and fluff that I thought it might be. It’s actually pretty heavy-hitting and metaphorical, if you’re a thoughtful movie-watcher.

The movie begins with Waldo Pepper eeking out a living by flying through Midwestern towns, drawing in crowds with his stunts, and giving people rides in exchange for five dollars. When he has a run in with another pilot stuck in a similar kind of life, they team up and scheme together to create thrilling and death-skirting stunts that will draw bigger crowds and give them the adventurous careers they always dreamed of in the wide open sky.

After World War One, men who trained as pilots didn’t have anywhere to employ their skills except for in circuses and on Hollywood sets. Aviation was a new concept, and commercial flying wasn’t a career in demand, or particularly an appealing prospect for men who had battled in dogfights during the war. Men like the fictitious Waldo Pepper risked their lives just for the thrill of flying, the prestige of conquering a new feat, and the freedom they found in the air. But that freedom was quickly changing, and men like Waldo Pepper fought against it in their own daring ways.

I love the nostalgia of the Midwest during the 1920s, and The Great Waldo Pepper captures its beauty so well with the sweeping scenes of brightly colored planes against the American landscape. The cinematography sweeps you up in the carefree attitude of the fliers, contrasting itself with the tragedy and abandon in the characters’ lives. The Great Waldo Pepper isn’t a light watch, and be careful watching it with kids- I can remember being very agitated at the stunts and crashes that occurred in the story. But it’s a great one to analyze and find a fellow movie geek to pick it apart with after the credits have rolled.

You can rent or buy The Great Waldo Pepper instantly here!

I thought I’d break my blogging hiatus with some self indulgent pictures of my little side-kick, Lucy Jo. It’s pretty difficult to feel glum about life when she’s always smiling back and reaching out affectionately for her mamma… or scratching my face so that it bleeds. But whatever she’s doing, it sure makes what I’m going through so much easier! We’re so thankful she’s here. And yesterday we got to see her bare shoulders in an outfit for the first time! I think we’re going to love Summertime especially this year, with the addition of bare baby legs and squishy baby shoulders. Can’t wait!

T W E N T Y – N I N E   W E E K   O U T F I T   D E T A I L S :

romper: thrifted | tights: Marshalls | purse: vintage