1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15

Happy Birthday to me tomorrow! I can’t believe another year has gone by and that it’s time for me to share with you a few of my favorite outfits from this past year. Nick and I are spending my birthday at our nation’s capitol, visiting an old friend. Not a bad way to welcome 31.

Looking back, I see that I wore more skirts, dresses, and non-blue denim, which tells me that I’m doing a good job not automatically reaching for my jeans. In May, I graduated from my master’s program and after 6 long months I rejoined the workforce. This coming year, I plan to show my many neglected pencil skirts some much-needed love. And according to my favorite outfits, I seem to be well on my way to creating more office-worthy looks.  I feel like I’m trying to get a good grasp on what my style really is while still trying out new looks and trends. Since things are going to calm down a lot in 2016 – meaning I’ll be finding and maintaining a better routine – I believe this will be the year I really find myself.  So, without further ado, here are my 15 favorite outfits from this year.

Original Post 1: One of the best Pinterest-inspired outfits I’ve created

Original Post 2: A warm breeze in February had me dreaming of warm sunshine.

Original Post 3: For Valentine’s, Nick surprised me with dinner and a show… and I had to decide which look to go with.

Original Post 4: Sunshine and 80 degrees give you shorts weather.

Original Post 5: A gorgeous beaded tank that also *slightly* feels like a suit of armor!

Original Post 6: On Saturday, May 9, 2015, I graduated with my Master of Public Health degree from the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University!

Original Post 7: I loved everything about this fun, spring-y outfit.

Original Post 8: In an attempt to reassess my closet, I found that I’m drawn more and more to neutral colors.

Original Post 9: I found a floral tank that mataches almost every cardigan and balzer in my closet.

Original Post 10: Here, I found a way to use inspiration photos to make the outfit my own.

Original Post 11: This is what I wear for a double date that includes lots of wine and cocktails.

Original Post 12: LBD look for day (and for night!)

Original Post 13: The Grecian-inspired dress that I wore to my friend’s Muslim wedding.

Original Post 14:  A new part-time job allowed me to dress in my office attire.

Original Post 15: I love this shirt, as evidenced by it showing up twice in my list!

I believe that 2016 is going to be the best yearyet for me, and I hope everyone has a happy New Year full of love and fun and whatever else you desire!

<3,
NCsquared

Linking up with Start the Week Stylish | Hello Monday | Trend Spin | Confident Twosday | Garay Treasures Blog

Photo by 2 & 3 Photography

As we do every year, we had beautiful family photos taken for our holiday cards. And, as they do every year, they turned out wonderfully thanks to the talented artists, Thad and Sarah, that make up the awesome duo behind 2 & 3 Photography.

Photo by 2 & 3 Photography

This year we wanted to add a little extra fun to our cards, so we changed into some tacky Christmas sweaters and dressed up as reindeer. We also made sure to get a few poses that were reminiscent of those awesome 80s photos where people stare off into the distance with awkward smiles. Check out the resulting card here, if you haven’t seen it already. Aren’t we adorable?

Photo by 2 & 3 Photography

Linking up with Start the Week Stylish | Mix it Mondays | A Lovely Little a la Mode Linkup | Hello Monday  | Confident Tuesday | The Pleated Poppy

Dear friends,
2015 has seen many ups and downs for NCsquared, but all’s well that ends well! I graduated from my Master’s program and, after 6 long months and several part-time jobs, found full-time work in the nonprofit sector as a grant writer. Nick landed an exciting new role at a leading e-commerce firm, and Chico & Mia continue to be the pampered little pooches that they’ve always been. We wish you all a very happy holiday season for whatever you celebrate and an exciting new year.

With Best Wishes,
Nick, Nikki, Chico & Mia

Our Awesome Wedding Party. We couldn’t ask for better friends!

Thursday, October 1st, was our 4th wedding anniversary. You can read all about it and see more photos on our wedding page here.

My smile was this big the whole day. It really was the best.

It was definitely one of the happiest days of our lives. Things have been a little crazy in our lives lately, however, so we didn’t really get a chance to celebrate. After working most of the day, we went out for celebratory tacos and a small glass of cava from our favorite local taco joint, Nanataco.

Calamari taco, fried oyster taco, rice, beans, and chips. And a litle cava on the side!

Then we came home and cuddled on the couch, watching episodes of Dexter. It was actually kind of perfect, when you think about it. We got to spend some quality time together, and really, isn’t that what really matters?

Happy October, everyone!

Have you ever had a piece of clothing that you love so much that you want to wear it all the time and you almost do but you’re afraid of wearing it too often or  doing something much worse, like staining/ripping/ultimately destroying it so you talk yourself out of it almost every single time? This shirt is that piece of clothing for me. I love it. Like, LOVE IT, and I would wear it every single day if I could (in fact, I often do wear it several days in a row) but I’m *terrified* of messing it up and then I wouldn’t get to wear it ever again. But I got over that fear and wore it to the third day of my part-time office job and nothing terrible happened to the shirt, except that now I have to wash it, which is a whole other cause of anxiety that I’ll save for some other time.

The office environment where I just started working is very casual/relaxed because it’s just a few of us ladies doing some really important women’s rights work. We don’t have to meet with clients or anything like that – and I’m usually only there for about 3 hours a day – so this outfit is very appropriate.

Blouse: Joie via Nordstrom Rack | Cropped Trousers: Banana Republic | Shoes: Brash via Payless | Jewelry: Old Navy & Wal-Mart

Linking up Flashback Fashion Fridays Linkup | What I Wore to Work Linkup