Fall Inspiration

Working in the fashion industry/retail world, July is the time to start looking ahead to fall. Which is fine with me because it is my favorite season of all, especially when it comes to fashion. Today at work we got a fall preview packet and I literally freaked out. It is all so amazing that I've vowed not to spend one more penny on summer clothes (we'll see how that goes). It inspired me so much I immediately had to start putting together some fall looks from the fall-ish merchandise that we already have and this was my favorite! Yes, those are LACE LEGGINGS!! Aaaaaahhhh OBSESSED! And, layering on necklaces is one of my new favorite things. These two look so good together! I can't wait for fall! My birthday is in November and I've already started my wish list :)

Motherhood

For those of you who are totally sick of me talking about Scarlet, I apologize. But, I just love her so much! Ed and I really do feel like we've become parents having her. We are trying to teach her right and wrong, feel discouraged and down on ourselves when she doesn't get it, and she has become our main topic of conversation. I love seeing how puppies' personalities come out and Scarlet has a big one!  Here are a few things we've learned about her so far...

She loves her little toy frog I got her... Which is funny because I got it for her on our way to go get her and turns out she sits like a frog.

She loves to sleep and cuddle.

She LOVES boyfriend (that's what she calls him)

She HATES being left in her kennel

But above all, she loves her mommy. She is so attached she lays on my clothes in the bathroom while I'm in the shower :)

She really has been coming out of her shell these last few days. Her tail has started coming out and wagging and she's even started asserting herself by barking when she hears something strange. She runs up to every stranger as if she expects them to pet her and tell her how adorable she is (which most of the time they do). 

She's not a big fan of being outside... Her dream day would be to cuddle, sleep, eat and repeat.  She's so spoiled that she even prefers ice in her water. But last night we took her to the park by my apartment with Ed's dog, Lilly, and she had so much fun running around and chasing the ball. AND, she went potty outside last night and this morning!!! We've been almost 24 hours without any accidents :) I'm a proud mama!

Words of Wisdom

Scarlet

I have been waiting for this day for SO LONG! Today was Scarlet's first day with her new mommy :) And of course, I have documented everything.... 

When I got her home last night she was kind of nervous and didn't really know what to do, so she followed me around everywhere looking up at me like this :)

Although we didn't get a long nights sleep because I had to be up super early, she slept so well and was ready for her first day at work! I think she likes riding in the car.

She was a little nervous again when we first got to the store, but as you can see, she settled right in after a while :) 

After such an exhausting work day, she is catching up on her beauty sleep right now.

I LOVE HER! She is doing so well and is SO SWEET! She loves to cuddle and give kisses. Right now, we are working on going potty OUTSIDE, not in my apartment... She is used to having a doggy door and fenced-in yard, so getting her to go potty on a leash is taking some getting used to. Like a true "Scarlet" she is quite stubborn. We're also working on getting that sweet little tail un-tucked from between her legs. She has been through a lot of changes within the last 24 hours! Luckily, I have the whole weekend off and can spend it getting her more acquainted with her new home :) 

OB-sessions: Fringe Kimonos

Um, this may be my biggest obsession ever! I saw the first picture yesterday and instantly knew I had to find it and make it MINE! I did find it, but I'm going to have to wait until I have a little extra money before I order it.... Looks like I may be carrying around my broken iPhone for a little while longer.. The new rug and curtains put off buying a new one once already. Oh well, as long as it still works! 


But, honestly, I am so obsessed with all of these fringe kimonos that I don't want to wear anything else now. I want to order all of them and then some and wear one every day. They're so pretty and glamourous and look super comfortable, too! Thoughts? I'm sure my mom will turn her nose up and say they look like robes.... 

Yumminess!!

Healthy Breakfast - Fiber One Cereal with a banana and skim milk

Healthy Lunch - Hummus Trio and pita bread

Somewhat Healthy Snack - yogurt with strawberries and chocolate chips

Best Mexican Food - bean and cheese burrito from Ajo Als

Best Pasta - Four Cheese Pasta from Cheesecake Factory

Best Brunch - Jalapeno cheddar biscuits and sausage gravy from Over Easy

Best Take-Out - Burrito Bowl from Chipotle

Mmmm writing this post is making me hungry!!! Every where I live I always have to find my go-to favorite meals. As you can see, my day-to-day diet is pretty healthy. Fiber One cereal, banana, hummus and yogurt... People often ask if I'm a vegetarian, but I am not. I just prefer carbs and cheeeeeeeeeese! My love for cheese becomes more obvious when you look at my favorite splurge meals here. Basically, everything is floating in a delicious pool of cheesy yumminess! I have yet to find my favorite salad, sandwich and sushi places. I've actually had some pretty good sushi, but I haven't found The One yet. What I'm missing the most is the Shrimp Kodiak roll from Little Tokyo, Black and Bleu Salad from Newks, Chicken Salad Panini from Beagle Bagle, and all things MOE'S. I wish I could just get some shipped out to me every once in a while. Maybe I should look into franchising.....

Anyway, time to go eat my hummus! Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum!!!!!!!

Bad Things Happen in Threes

Just when I'm starting to fly, something happens to get me down! Yesterday was my day off, and it wasn't the best... It started out well enough at the pool with my friend, Alex, but it was there where I was stung on the back by a wasp! It hurt SO BAD and is still sore :( Then, Ed had to work late so I spent the whole afternoon at my apartment.... alone. I do love my Leah time, but if I get too much of it I get lonely. And, then to top it all off, I got an email right before bed last night letting me know that my adoption of a Cavalier King Charles puppy (that I thought was a pretty sure thing) wasn't going to work out. I was SO disappointed because of course I had gotten my hopes up! I've been in a funk all day about it. 


But, I'm sure another opportunity will come along. What I've learned from past disappointments is that I always look back and understand why it wasn't meant to be. I think God knows that when I get my heart set on something I won't stop until I get it (I tend to be a bit hard-headed), so sometimes He just shuts doors until it is the right time for them to open. This is why I'm trying not to let it get me down... Luckily, I got some things today that helped cheer me up.....

Ed got me flowers :)

I bought a super cute scarf from work... Retail Therapy is the best!

And, then I got home to find that my Anthro order had arrived! I got my curtains and immediately threw them up to see how they looked. Perfection!

I got a book... City Style, A Field Guide to Global Fashion Capitals. It will come in handy the next time I get the chance to do some traveling!

And, some new, much needed shoes!

And, of course I got it all at such a good deal that it was practically free! My rug is backordered and won't arrive until mid-July, but all of this was enough to make me feel better and remind me that I am a lucky girl! Now, I can get back to flying :)

Walking gets boring when you learn to fly!

You know those personality questions: 1. If you could be any animal, what would you be? and, 2. If you could have any super power, what would it be? Well, my answers have always been: 1. A parrot so I can fly and still be able to talk, and 2. I want to fly!


The other night I had a dream that I was flying. If you know me at all, you know that I dream A LOT and love to analyze my dreams. I feel like they tell me how I am really feeling instead of what I tell myself I am feeling. For instance, during times of high stress, I often dream of tornadoes. And, when I have a really strange recurring dream (for example: that I'm being chased by alligators) I look up the meaning on my favorite dream website: Dream Moods.


The last time I had a flying dream like this was when I lived in New York. In that one, I was soaring really fast and there were tons of huge rocks flying at me and I was just bouncing off of them gaining speed with each one. I decided at the time that it must mean that I felt as if I was flying through life and overcoming obstacles with ease... And, it was true. I did run into a lot of obstacles in New York and it was there that I learned what I was really capable of. 


This most recent flying dream, however, was very peaceful. I was just floating and spinning around having fun. Both dreams were so realistic and amazing. I think these flying dreams are my subconscious' way of telling me that I am happy. The first one was more about excelling and excitement (which was what I was after in New York) while this one was more about peacefulness, contentment and fun. I love being able to fly... Even if it's only in my dreams :)

My Bucket List

I always say that I want to see and experience as much in this world as I can before I die, so I have a loooong bucket list. Here are a few things that I have been able to check off:

Learn to ski

Live in New York

Go for a romantic carriage ride in Central Park :)

See the Eiffel Tower sparkle

Go for a gondola ride in Venice

See the Leaning Tower of Pisa

Go to the Colosseum in Rome

At the top of my list right now is to slide down the Great Wall of China... 

They have a section where you can sit on a little rolling cart and slide down it and it looks like SO much fun! This is one of the many many things left on my bucket list, so I've decided to start sharing some of them here on my blog and hopefully one day I'll be able to share how I check each of them off! Anybody want to go to China with me?

The Burning House

One of the many things I love about working for a company like Free People is the importance they place on inspiration. Not many people can say that they are creatively inspired on a regular basis at work. The latest project we have been assigned draws inspiration from the website The Burning House. It is a website where people can go and upload photos of what they would save from a burning house (which sadly a lot of people here in AZ are having to do right now). So, we've been assigned to take a photo of the items we would save as a way of getting to know everyone better and I have posted mine above. A lot of my special childhood things that I would save aren't here with me in AZ, so I chose items that are absolute necessities in my life along with sentimental items and some pieces that I worked hard for and feel would be hard to replace. We were also told to have atleast 2 clothing items and as you can see, I had trouble narrowing that down to just 2.


1. Muna's table from the 70s she gave to my mom and my mom gave to me.. I just love it!
2. The scarf that Muna splurged on for me because she said I had to have it for my trip to Europe a few years ago
3. Frye boots that need a new sole because I wear them so much
4. Cynthia Rowley bag - my first major splurge on a bag as an adult
5. Henri Bendel Disturbed Stripe Travel Duffle - my most recent major splurge on a bag as an adult
6. Henri Bendel clutch - a must have for special occasions
7. Make-up bag - Duh
8. My Great Grandmother's milk glass vases
9. Macbook - for practical AND sentimental reasons.. I have over 11,000 pictures on that thing!
10. My Question a Day Journal
11. Pradas - they usually stay glued to my face
12. Passport - yes, it can be replaced, but my stamps on it can't.
13. Lip balm - addiction
14. iPhone - another addiction
15. Leather jacket - timeless and fits me perfectly
16. Lace-trimmed tank - the perfect layer under any top
17. Beaded necklace - makes every outfit cuter
18. Black booties - I'm already ready for fall so I can wear them again!
19. Fringe bag - I'm obsessed with fringe!

A New Flare

Ok, so as you can see, having Ed take pictures of my new purchases for me hasn't gotten any less awkward. I wish you could see his face when he's taking them. This time was even worse because he does NOT like these new jeans I bought. They are Leifsdottir and I got an AMAZING deal on them! I've been looking for some flared jeans and I thought these were cute... The only thing is, I'm not used to seeing myself in this silhouette, so I can't decide if they are right for my body-type. The tags are still attached, so I need some honest female opinions, please!

Worth the Splurge? Or Shopaholic Relapse?

I've been waiting for an employee appreciation to get these 2 Anthro items and it is here!!! The only problem is that it ends in a few days and I don't have the funds to buy them. So, to get them I would have to put a few hundred dollars on my credit card..... Hmmm worth it? It's such a good deal and I have been wanting them for several months now. And, it would really make my apartment feel more complete and more like home... I am so so far from home :*( What do I do?!?! Someone tell me what I want to hear!

Life Lessons: Compromise

Ed and I at his sister's wedding almost 5 years ago

Today

Ed and I have an extremely busy summer! He's going to Connecticut for the 4th of July (I will be working) and then to San Francisco for his friend's wedding at the end of August. I would love to go with him to San Francisco (I've never been), but it's the same weekend as Lori's 30th birthday, and I wouldn't miss that for the world! We're also both busy at work and often have different schedules, so finding time to be together has become a little bit of a challenge. 


One of the most important lessons I have learned through all of this growing up I've been doing is the art of compromising and rolling with the punches! I think everyone was curious to see how Ed and I would each adjust to being in the same place after being long distance for our entire 5 year relationship. And, I know there are probably some people out there placing bets on how long we will last, but I have to say that I have more faith in our relationship now than I ever have. We've overcome obstacles that a lot of couples don't ever have to go through. I've found that I care so much about him that his happiness is as important to me as my own. If we're in a dilemma in which 1 option makes me unhappy and the other option makes him unhappy, I see it as a lose/lose situation and often times just give in and give him what he wants or vice versa. We've gotten really good about talking through problems and finding a solution that is fair to both of us. That doesn't mean that we never argue. There are times when we've even had to walk away to cool off and clear our heads. But, I think that is important, too. 


I've only been here for 2 months and I feel like it has been so much longer than that. I think because there has been so much going on and so much around me has been changing. But, I'm finally starting to feel like I'm settling in. Ed and I have come a long way in the last 5 years and even farther these last 2 months. We are figuring things out one day at a time and really appreciating the time that we're spending together. I'm so excited about having the next 2 days off and our date night we have planned for tomorrow night! One of countless more to come :)

Style Crush: Kate Hudson

I recently decided that it had been too long since I had seen Almost Famous, so I ordered it on Netflix and Ed and I watched it last night. Every time I see that movie I love it more and more. Especially now because I'm so into the 70's look. Kate Hudson is the ultimate laid back free spirit, but she still manages to ALWAYS look glamourous. I've already featured that fringe bag back in the first ever OB-sessions post. I'm still obsessed and still see it popping up everywhere I look, yet it is still unavailable! I also would die to have that fringe dress she's wearing in the last pic. That would be so fun to frolick and dance in! But, my all time favorite look of hers is that white backless Emilio Pucci gown in the 2nd and 3rd picture. I've been loving everything Pucci these days! Have you seen the Pucci Fall 2011 Collection? OB-sessed!