So forgive me if I am MIA for a few days... :)
What are you doing this weekend?
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I am heading to Shepherdstown, WV this weekend for a conference for work. Isn't this place beautiful? Can you say photo shoot?
So forgive me if I am MIA for a few days... :) What are you doing this weekend?
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I have had this jean jacket in my closet for a while now, it was a gift from my mother for either my birthday, Christmas, or a random Saturday (she likes to give me gifts). The only problem was I had nothing to wear it with! I feel like jean jackets are tough because you really can't wear them with jeans. So I have been on the look out for some khakis or light pants to pair them with. Well, I found them! Pink shirt is from J. Crew and the pants are from Banana Republic. Once again, I am not a model. Repeat, not a model! I actually looooooooove this outfit. My office tends to run very cold, so the jacket was great and I wore it all day! Best part is the pants are machine washable! Yay for fall clothes!
Ok, so I will be the first to admit that I am not a fashionista. Not that I don't have a sense of style, I just don't usually keep in the loop with what is trendy and what is not. I recently came across J's Everyday Fashion blog, and it sort of changed my life. Everyday, she posts a new outfit based on a picture she has seen in a magazine and copies the outfit form her wardrobe. It really is great inspiration, and made me realize that I needed a revamp! Most of my clothes I have had forever, and they have had a good run, but it is time to phase some out and bring in the new and fresh! Which is how I justify my outlet shopping extravaganza that took place a few weekends ago. Soo many clothes bought, but they were each bought for a reason. Either to replace a garment that was falling apart or as part of an ensemble that I had put together. The first outfit I was looking for was the classic gold (mustard yellow) with navy. Now, I saw a navy skirt at the Banana Republic outlet (did I mention i have their credit card?) that I loved. However, I was only going to buy it if I knew I had something in my closet already, or I could find something relatively cheap to go with it. I think that is my biggest problem, buying one piece to an outfit because it looks good, and then not having anything to wear it with! Sadly, I could not find the exact skirt on polyvore to show you what I was working with, but the one above is very similar, minus the bow. So anyways, I remembered reading that mustard yellow looked great with navy blue. So I sought out a mustard yellow top, and lo and behold I found one! I tried it on annnd.... yuck. The color completely washed me out, if you don't know I have pretty light skin, and it made me look even more pale. But I was determined. So I bought the skirt anyway, because I knew I had tops in my closet that would go with it, but I was still in denial that I couldn't wear mustard yellow. So we headed over to Old Navy and I found this top. "Perfect," I thought. "This shirt has some white to it so it will help soften mustard yellow and will look great." Fail. It still did not look right. I was in such distress running around looking for mustard yellow, Jake was just laughing at me the whole time. Finally we reached J Crew. Now I love J Crew, but even their outlet prices are a little high for me, especially since I had already spent a small fortune (more on those clothes later). But, we went in and of course I found a mustard yellow sweater. I thought, "Ugh, here we go again." I tried it on and ta da! It worked! I don't know what it was but something about the outfit made it work, and I now have this super cute work outfit! Works with the sweater buttoned up or open and I just paired it with a white tank! (P.S.- This was definitely an awkward moment for me... I am clearly not a model...)
More to come on other great combos for fall! This past weekend was just crazy, but what else is new? I volunteered on Saturday during the day for the ASPCA walking Lucille, and then babysat for 5 hours. Needless to say I was exhausted when my head finally hit the pillow at 1:30 am. I was actually looking forward to what I had planned for Sunday. On a day when honoring our nation and remembering what is important in life takes front and center, I would be celebrating my grandfather's 75th birthday. I couldn't think of a better way to have spent Sunday. We had a good old fashioned BBQ, filled with hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, fruit salad and baked beans. There was laughter, there was football, and there were gifts. There were balloons, candles, carrot cake and party hats. Lots of smiling, as always. My grandfather is such an amazing man. The things he has done in his life and seen are what he would call, "incredible". What I love about my grandfather the most is how much he loves his family. Especially my grandmother. He still calls her cutie pie after over 50 years of marriage.
When he finished opening his gifts he looked up and said, "We are so blessed." It made me realize, we really are. We are blessed because we are able to do these kind of things with one another. We have the freedom to celebrate and live our lives because we are Americans, protected by those who serve. So on Sunday I celebrated life, family and country, because although we would carry on and never live in fear, there was an American flag waving out front reminding us to never forget. Thank you to all those who serve and protect us, and a big Happy 75th to my grandpa! I just want to apologize for being so lame with my blogging lately.. Life has once again gotten in the way and I am just now getting it back together. I have some great posts coming to you though so be ready for those! It always seems like every summer I get busier, and busier and by the end of it I just want it to be a different season. As if by some magical power, my schedule will suddenly become more clearer, and I will have time to just... breathe. I can just hear it now... "What!! Are you crazy!?! I LOOOOOVE SUMMER!!! I hope it never ends!" Yea, I know summer is great! It is fun and warm and when it isn't 90% humidity outside, I can actually enjoy it! But, I am ready for a change. I realized it when I was standing in front of my closet one morning and I realized, "I am so sick of everything in here. I am sick of these skirts and dresses and I am sick of these blouses." Now, I don't have a huge wardrobe, but I have enough to make multiple outfits from the same items. I have come to the end of my rope though! This made me realize I am ready for fall in more ways than one! Reasons why I am ready for fall: Outfits like this Food like this and like this... Views like this and drinking this.. while watching this Uggggh, so close!
Are you excited about Fall? Yes, I lived through the DC earthquake of 2011, and although I can definitely laugh about it now, it was somewhat terrifying when it all went down... Just sitting at my desk, doing my normal duties, when the shelving unit on my back wall shook. I didn't think much of it since it usually shakes when the A/C unit above my ceiling kicks on, until I noticed the whole room was rocking. Yea, that isn't normal. I looked on my G-Chat and saw one of my friends in Baltimore say "OMG my whole house just shook", that was when I knew this was and earthquake. We all ran out of our offices and realized we should probably get out of the building that was definitely not built to withstand whatever was happening. Down the emergency stairs we went out into the street where everyone had already started to congregate. I immediately went onto my twitter and lo and behold that was all anyone could talk about! Cell phone service was down, but texting, twitter and facebook worked, and it was enough to get a message out and read what was going on. Once we were sure all of our loved ones were ok, I think everyone was able to let out a big sigh and start to laugh it all off. By no means was the situation funny, but I think that's how we were all able to deal with the nerves. Some highlights from twitter: Figures. I had literally just finished building a house of cards.#Earthquake “Breaking: Carole King feels the earth move under her feet.” THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WILL AND JADA ALLEGEDLY BREAK UP ACCORDING TO OK MAGAZINE. don't look for any earthquake babies nine months from now. everyone was tweeting instead... You know the end of the world is near when we experience a frikkin #earthquake and somehow #comcast maintains service! The best part are the "images of the earthquakes wrath" that are going around: Our damage was similar, but more devastating... we are down one tequila bottle: So sad...so sad...
And yes, this is not a situation that should be joked about, because yes, it could have been a lot worse. But everyone is safe and the best way to deal with it is to laugh! The whole west coast is... So I apologize for being MIA this weekend, but I had something very important to attend to... The marriage of my best friend Mandy to her high school sweetheart, Wes. They met through mutual friends back in high school and have been together ever since. I have known Mandy since we were basically born, and have done everything from Girl Scouts to varsity sports together. So this weekend was all about making this day as special for Mandy as possible, and I think we accomplished it! The weekend started off with mani/pedis on Saturday morning, which were awesome and very relaxing for everyone. We then headed over to Mandy's parent's house for a bridal lunch that her mother had put together. It was so beautiful and delicious. Mandy's mom had taken fabric from her wedding dress and made the runner for the table. Next it was onto the rehearsal dinner, which was hosted by Mandy's Aunt and Uncle who lived right next door to the wedding venue. Can you say perfect? After a great night of celebrating, it was time to get down to business. The getting pretty business. Mandy was getting her hair done in the afternoon, and I offered to come and take pictures of her getting all pretty. She looked so great getting all made up, and I couldn't wait to see the final result at the venue. My hair was done by my mother, who always did my hair for my prom and homecoming dances. We basically googled different updos and found one that we really liked. It was super simple (at least for my mom) and only took about 30 minutes to put together. It basically consisted of two loose french braids that came down and we tied together and then tucked up into one another, and then pinned in place. From there it was go, go, go until the wedding! We got there about an hour and a half before and got ready at the vineyard. The wedding was absolutely lovely. Mandy was stunning. Literally took my breath away. The weather that had been threatening the outdoor wedding seemed to completely disappear right as the wedding began, and you couldn't have asked for a better day, and I was so lucky to be part of it. It really was an amazing night full of fun and laughter and definitely some happy tears. I can't wait to see the photos from the actual photographer! Congratulations Mandy! I love you and I am so happy for you and Wes! Thank you for letting me share this special day with you! *Takeaways from being a bridesmaid*
There are some really great things that I have come across lately, and I feel compelled to do another installment of "What I am Lovin'". First off, my fellow blogger Janice from This Confetti Life posted this link about a way to curl your hair using a stretchy head band. You know, one of those things that looks like a huge hair tie but fits around your whole head, usually to keep your bangs out of your face? Well, she claimed that by doing the steps in the video, you could get awesome curls without any heat! I love curling my hair. I hate having to curl my hair. So something that takes minimal effort and does the job overnight was right up my ally. So, I tried this out.... It really worked! I had curls all day! No heat needed! I love this new secret, and I am spreading the word! I am also so exited about my August SWEAT challenge brought to you by Two Girls on the Go! These two are awesome. Everyday they post a new workout, healthy living tip or recipe to their site. This month, they have created an entire workout plan for you! Just print off the calendar and the corresponding workout, and you are good to go! I use their workout sheets every time I go to the gym. It isn't too late to join for this month! I am also on a smoothie fix. I don't know if it is a result of all my awesome workouts with SWEAT, but I have had a smoothie for breakfast every morning. I was honestly very intimidated to try to make smoothies, and I am not sure why. They are just fruit! Well, fruit, orange juice, and greek yogurt are the staples in mine. I even snuck in some veggies in the second one I made, and I couldn't even taste em! This is literally my favorite thing to make from now on! The last thing I have to share is a beauty product that I came across while shopping at Target (that place gets me every time) for my Say Yes to Cucumbers face-wash cloths. Sitting next to them was a bunch of lip gloss tubes by Say Yes to Carrots. I had just been thinking how I would love an awesome lip gloss and there it was! I am so excited about this new lip gloss. It goes on smooth, isn't sticky, and gives a hint of color. It is really the best I have used in a long time. They have other great fun colors to choose from too!! So there they are. All my secret things I am loving now out in the open. Is there anything you are lovin'? I hope you all are enjoying my new layout for the website :) I have been playing around in Weebly for a few days, and I think I am liking the new home page better, and the new title of this page. I hear-by decree that this page, now titled Unlisted, will hold all of those things that seem to float around my head and I think "I should write that down somewhere" or "I should tell someone about this" but there is no real list to put them on. So now, they are "unlisted". Let it be so! Did you read that in an Old English accent? I hope so! So there you have it, new design, new page, new fun info! So to start this off, I am admitting that I am now an addict. Yup, that is right. I have an unhealthy addiction to something, and I can't shake it. The drug of choice? Trader Joe's. No I know some of my fellow bloggers, like Jenna from Eat, Live, Run, know exactly what this feels like. You walk-in and immediately get a rush. So many great fresh foods, sandwiches, snacks and breads! And don't forget the cheese! They even have Raclette! However, there are a few things that stand out that I must share with the world, most that were passed on to me someone older and wiser. Once you hear what they are, you may guess who gave them to me... Ginger Cats My first run-in with Ginger Cats came during a road trip to a wildlife refuge. We were on our way when, you guessed it, Alicia whipped out these treats. I had no idea what to expect when I popped one in my mouth, but oh man they were delicious! They have a great kick to them and you can actually taste the real ginger in them! So needless to say, I have been dreaming of these babies ever since and about three weeks ago I started picking them up for myself! Don't take it from just me, my fellow blogger Allie from Live Laugh Eat has also declared her love of ginger cats! Three Layer Hummus I picked up this delicious find on a whim. My family was coming down last Sunday to hear about my trip to Europe and see all the amazing pictures. They also wanted their gifts so I guess that was reason enough... :). Anyways, I swung by Trader Joe's to pick up some appetizers to go with the Glarus cheese we had brought back and I saw this amazing looking dip. I had never had it before, nor did I know so many people swore by this thing. Luckly, I forgot to put it out when my parents came, so I cracked it open this week and wow. Just wow. The three different flavors are just perfect, and they are actually perfect together too! Ginger Chews Ok, once again Alicia has led me to this gingery find. This is something that she swears by, and now I do too. These little treats were designed to help people who have problems with motion sickness settle their stomach, which was how Alicia started eating them. While we were in the process of moving her a few weeks back, I could tell that I had 1) drank too much coffee 2) Eaten nothing all day 3) Was probably motion sick from driving over the Bay Bridge one too many times. So when Alicia popped one of these babies in her mouth, I asked for one too. That was all she wrote folks. I am officially addicted. I ate them on the plane, I ate them in Switzerland, I ate them walking down Las Ramblas, I ate them Sam I am! (Too much?) I didn't even feel sick when I was eating them, I just loooved the taste. They chewey texture and, once again, spicy tang. Ugh. I even whipped them out at happy hour last night. I literally just popped one in my mouth. I have a feeling my obsession with Trader Joe's is only beginning....
What is your favorite item from Trader Joe's? |