Childhood.

Today's topic for the #blogeverydayinMay blog challenge is "tell a story from your childhood." Well, now to narrow it down to what story to tell..... I have the most vivid memory. I always have. I can remember ridiculously specific details that no one in my family even recalls. My mom often jokes that she must have been in outer space during my childhood because she doesn't even remember some of the stories I tell!! 

I have liked clothes since I was teeny tiny. And not just clothes, but accessories too! I was definitely destined to be a girly girl (although I went through a major tom-boy stage!) There are two specific memories that I remember as a child that I think explain me and my love for clothing so well! 

The first is when I was at the ripe age of three. My parents would be watching television in the living room while I was playing with dolls in my room. I was always easily entertained, all I needed were my dolls and music. I guess that's where I began to *think* I could sing as well...why didn't my parents tell me I was a horrible singer??? Anyway, I recall having my dolls dress up and put on a show. I decided I wanted to do that too! So, I went into my mom's closet, put on her bra, underwear, high heels, pearls, and a top (all huge on me) and went out and sang "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus for my family. We have it on video and any time it is shown at a family event I end up in tears from laughing so hard! (too bad I can't find this picture!)

The second memory was when I was in kindergarten and picture day was coming up. What a big deal that was! The morning of picture day I was adamant about picking out my own clothes, which I loved to do. My mom tried to persuade me as much as she could to get me into a dress she had bought me for "the big day," but I resisted. Instead she finally let me pick my outfit to avoid my fussiness. In the photo below (sorry for the bad quality) you will see that I have a red and white bow in my hair, a top with flowers, bottoms with different flower print on them, yellow socks, and clear jelly shoes. Apparently all of my favorite things as a five year old. Oh, and we can't forget my 101 Dalmatian with me (we were allowed to bring a stuffed animal). I'm still trying to figure out why I have the sad face in the photo....maybe it's because I was made fun of for wearing that ridiculous get up!!  When my parents got these photo proofs they laughed for a solid five minutes about the fact that I had put this outfit together for picture day. 

What is a childhood memory that you recall?

 

FRIDAY FIVE

Happy Friday! It has been one hell of a week for me and I am so ready for this weekend! Brian and I are headed to the condo in Asheville for a weekend away! It's been a few months since the last time we went, so I am excited to relax, eat, drink, and enjoy the beautiful weather!

{one}

Just like every single week, I found myself at Target (I'm not even sure why I originally went in there). There was an underwhelming amount of buzz for the new Sam Edelman collaboration with Target, Sam & Libby. I hadn't even heard of it until I stepped into shoe heaven. I am a huggge fan of Sam Edelman and his collaboration with Target didn't disappoint. I snatched up quite a few pair! Some of the styles resemble his designs so much! It had me even more excited than usual upon leaving Target! 

// one // two // three // four //  five // six //
(I got the first and second ones!)

{two}

Twice a year our Baseball team hosts a "Bark in the Park" night where guest are allowed to bring their dogs to the baseball game. It is so much fun to see the other dogs, watch them interact, and enjoy the game! Last year it occurred on Dingo's first birthday and this year it happened to fall on his second birthday! It was a fun little doggie celebration for him! It was a fun night, he even made it on the big screen,but as the night went on it got pretty chilly!!

{three}

Today's topic for #BlogeverydayinMay is "a favorite photo of yourself an why." I'm not sure I have a "favorite" photo. There are photos that I like, but not one that I would pick out of a bunch. This photo I chose because I am blissfully happy. It's from when we were on our cruise and my parent's surprised me with horseback riding on the beaches of Turks & Caicos. It has always been on my bucket list to ride a horse on the beach. It was an absolute blast!! The best part? We got to ride them in the ocean as well. I was freaking out. The tour guide had my camera and captured this photo. I like it because it's a candid and you can tell just how happy and how excited I am!!! (note: at this point I am like a 7.89 on the Kristen Bell crying scale ;)!!!!)

{four}

I am l-o-v-i-n-g mirrored furniture lately! I have one piece in my living room, but would love to have more throughout my house. I saw these photos on Pinterest and now I can't stop thinking about having a big, mirrored chest of drawers! While obsessing over mirrored furniture on Pinterest I found a great tutorial for a DIY mirrored dresser. Something tells me mine wouldn't turn out as great! 

I also realllly love this coffee table from Target but I'm so afraid that it would get really scratched! Does anyone have mirrored furniture and can tell me if it scratches really easily?

{five}

This week's Friday Fancies is all about stripes. I could go on and on about how much I love stripes, but I'll save you the pain! Stripes are a go-to of mine and I constantly find a new piece to add to my ever-growing stripe collection. This week I am letting the stripes speak for themselves with this outfit.

 

What I Wore: Neon Pink

If you all remember correctly, I was quick to discount the neon trend when it came around. It's not that I didn't like it, but I couldn't seem to find neon pieces that didn't scream "80s!" Well, recently neon things have been popping up all over my radar! Purses, shoes, tops, and denim. You name it, I've seen it (and loved it!) I'm still a little apprehensive about diving in head first with the neon trend, but a few pieces here and there will do just fine!! 

I picked up this neon dot top from J.Crew a few weeks ago and it was a match made in heaven with my pink bag! This outfit was perfect for a day of shopping with my mom last week! It was very comfortable, yet put together! (Is it just me, or do you still like to look put together for a day full of shopping?!?) Cuteness > Comfort. 

Top: J.Crew, similar style here // Denim: Old Navy Rockstar (I swear by these!!!!) // Bag: Target //
Shoes: Old Navy, old // Watch: Michael Kors, similar //
Bracelets: Stella + Dot c/o, J.Crew, David Yurman, Stella + Dot c/o // Nails: Orly Boho Bonnet //

 

Spend a Day in my Life

It's Wednesday; we are officially half way through the work week! Today's topic for the #blogeverydayinMay challenge is "a day in the life." During the work week I have a pretty set schedule of how I do things! It's nothing fabulous, but it's life as a young professional!

I start off my morning around 7:00 a.m. each morning. I am the world's worst at getting up (just ask Brian) and I usually roll out of bed around 7:30 after snoozing my six (yes, six) alarms. *please note: I am working on this.... it's not going very well, but it's down from about ten alarms!!*

I immediately hop into the shower, jam out to Pandora radio while doing so, and pretend like I can sing juuuust like Lady Antebellum (news flash: I can't. I'm sure my neighbors could vouch for that too).

Once I am done showering I prepare my face/hair/clothing for the day. It usually takes me about fifteen minutes for my makeup, two or three minutes to blow dry my hair, and about ten minutes to straighten it. Sometimes each step is quicker than that! Snoozing my alarms is a direct correlation to how much time I have left to get ready!

Being the blogger that I am, I pick out my outfit, Instagram it, and then get dressed! Because really at this point I have absolutely NO time to spare, but do this anyways......

Sometimes, if I have time, I eat breakfast at my apartment, other times I run through Starbucks, and on occassion I just eat my poptart while catching up on morning emails at the office. Glamorous, I know.

Once I get to work I sift through emails, make sure all appointments I have for the day are confirmed, work on my invoicing, and attempt to get caught up on everything that has arrived at my desk over night. (don't get me started on my second desk fiasco!)

I am a busy bee throughout the day. I spend my day returning phone calls, setting up all necessary things for the week, running errands, going to the courthouse, and assigning vendors! I'm non-stop! So, around two I always get that "2 o'clock feeling" where I feel the need for yet another coffee or my reliable Diet Coke!

When the clock strikes 5:00 p.m. I am off!! Usually three days a week I go for a run right after work. Some days I run any errands that I need to cross off my list, and sometimes I just go home to relax, eat dinner and watch some TV on the couch!

Before bed I spend my night making sure I have my blog post for the next day done. If I do, I work on other posts for the week. Charlie is usually pissing me off by this point by stepping on my computer, laying on it, or deleting entire blog posts (don't you want a cat right about now?!?!...such a needy little shit!)

And finally before I hit the hay around 11 p.m. I do some reading to make me sleepy. I used to religiously watch a movie before bed, but reading is so much more enjoyable for me! After that it's lights out and I call it a night. 

So, if you were me, that is how you would spend you days and nights! Not all glamorous as you might have thought, am I right?!? Now you know why I don't bother blogging about every little teensy tiny detail of my life, because most days are tedious and filled with working girl things!

What is your average day like?

 

What Makes Me Happy x10

Today's topic for the #blogeverydayinMay challenge is "10 things that make you happy." Only ten?? Ok, if I have to narrow it down here are the top ten things that make me happy.

Family My family is always there for me. When I am sad they know just how to make me happy. They are so supportive, they give me confidence, and they are with me every step of the way. Having such a large and strong support system makes me happy. 

Friends Having a good friend group is important to me. A group of friends that I'm excited to hang around always makes me happy. I have a great group of friends that I continuously have fun with, can talk to, and are always bringing out the best in me! 

Brian I am lucky enough to have someone that is my significant other as well as my best friend. He keeps me smiling and happy, even when we are two hours away. It also makes me extremely happy that our long distance will come to an end soon....we will be in the same city and that indeed makes me happy!!!

Reading I can think of nothing better after a long day at work than to crack open an easy, girly read! It lets me escape, to relax and to take my mind off everything else. Reading (and books in general) just make me happy! I definitely get that from my mom.

Dingo I have loved many dogs in my life, but Dingo is by far my favorite. I can be in the absolute worst mood and seeing him there, shaking his tail, and excited to see me always puts a smile on my face! He is sweet, gentle, lively, and a huge part of my life!!

Having a Job I am incredibly happy to be employed. When I was searching high and low for a job where I would be happy, I was given a great job. I get to learn so much, I'm given a lot of great opportunities, and the work environment is wonderful. With the high rate of unemployment, especially for young graduates, it makes me happy to know I have a job to go to every day!

Going for a Run Ok, there are days where running doesn't necessarily make me happy, but for the most part it does! I like having a hobby, seeing my progress, and staying healthy! It's always a small feat when I get the notification from RunKeeper that I've set a new distance record or time record! 

Warm Weather There is something about the warm weather that just makes me a little more cheery. I have a little more pep in my step and a big smile on my face in the warmer months! (Warm, beautiful weather always makes me question why I went to school in the cold mountains!) 

Shopping Retail therapy makes me happy. There, I said it. There is something about finding that perfect dress/top/shoes or a fun new item that can put a smile on my face. I get a thrill out of shopping (and that sometimes scares me!) What can I say, I'm a girl who loves to shop and a good sale!

Blogging I look forward to typing out blog posts every day, reading other's blogs, finding new friends, and seeing what my readers have to say! The entire aspect of blogging makes me happy. It brings me joy and allows me to voice my ideas, thoughts, and opinions!