I spent some time this weekend putting some outfits together for the coming week, and probably just to have on hand for those days when I don’t really feel like getting dressed. This first one is a great one to wear to the office, but I don’t have one of those yet! That’s why it’s photographed as a flat lay instead of as an outfit that I’m wearing. But it’s super cute and I can’t wait to wear it, whether it’s to an office or some other event. I also paired two different shoes with it. I love having options so that I don’t feel limited, but then having too many options can make me feel overwhelmed. I think I would probably wear the brown sandal with this outfit instead of the snake skin heels.

Blouse: Banana Republic | Skirt: Loft Outlet | Necklace: Banana Republic | Shoes: Banana Republic | Clutch: Coach (gift from MIL)

I did some unexpected shopping at a cute little boutique in Durham and purchased a few things without meaning to. Nick encouraged it so he can’t even get mad at me for spending money! These pieces are by patagonia, which is really cool because patagonia is typically outdoorsy and sporty. But these chambray shorts and 3/4-length sleeve top are perfect for running errands or hanging out.

Shirt & Shorts: Patagonia via Vert & Vogue boutique  | Shoes: X-Appeal 

Because it’s still extremely hot, I’m sticking to shorts. I love these black shorts because they’re the perfect length and fit so comfortably. So I’m going to pair them with this sleeveless top and sandals, which is another outfit that is perfect for hanging out, drinking beer or lemonade or even running errands.

Blouse: Banana Republic Outlet | Shorts: Gap | Shoes: X-Appeal | Necklace: Target | Bracelets: Old Navy

What do you think of these outfits? Maybe you’ll see them again on the blog soon.

Linking up with Molly | More Pieces of Me | Michelle’s Pa(i)ge | Fizz and Frosting

My 30th birthday was on December 31st and to celebrate, Nick and I went for a nice breakfast followed by manicures & pedicures and then out to a fancy dinner. The following weekend, we had a party and invited a few friends. I love entertaining and try to have at least one fun activity for them to do. I wanted to do something fun this year so I gathered a bunch of pictures from my youth and created a collage around black craft paper. I wrote “Cheers to 30 Years” because I was turning 30, and the wrote a nice little quote that I thought really reflected my life: “Old enough to look back, young enough to look forward.” I set out gold sharpies and chalk and invited my friends to write memories and well wishes on the black craft paper. My guests really seemed to like it and I enjoyed reading all of their memories and notes!

I apologize for taking picture of pictures because some of them did turn out a little blurry. But I had a lot of photos and didn’t have the time nor desire to scan them all.

The photo above shows me at my first prom sophore year, my senior photo, Nick and I after we first met almost 12 years ago (we look like babies!), my very first college dorm roommate and me, a school photo from junior year in high school, my first best friend after college, and another senior photo in my dickie.

These are younger photos of me! 4th grade, me at Disney World at age 14 or 15, me in 7th grade, and my brother and me back in the day.

Me in 8th grade, me in 6th grade, and me being sassy having just blown and popped a bubble sometime when I was a kid.

We set up our table with lots of new years decorations and cooked a bunch of yummy food. I wish I had gotten some good photos after we set all of the good out, but our guests arrived and we were having too much fun! And if you’re new to the blog, this is what I wore:

Original outfit post here.

This is Mia and Chico. They’re our furbabies and the apples of our eyes. I obsess over taking pictures of them like parents obsess over taking pictures of their newborn babies. I get lots of videos of them, too, because they’re super funny and entertaining, but we’ll save those for another time. In all honesty, I haven’t gotten any good photos of my outfits lately so I thought I would leave you with these adorable little creatures.

Chico is my oldest at 8 years, but he’s my baby because I got him when he was 6 weeks old. He is my whole world. He isn’t usually very photogenetic but every now and then I can get some pretty good ones. I believe this one was taken while I was still in school and I was home after a long week of classes. He missed me.

Mia is my youngest baby at 4, and she’s a big goofball! Nick took this of her one morning while he was getting ready for work. She really sleeps like this or in some other contorted way that doesn’t look like it could be at all comfortable but she doesn’t seem to mind it.

Chico is pretty much the king of the castle and has claimed the corner of the couch as his thrown.

But he’s a big cuddlebug, which is one of my most favorite things about him.

Ahh, the kitchen/dining room, Mia’s favorite rooms in the house.

The little prince sleeping in his thrown/corner.

We set up an extra bed in the office while my family was in town and Mia thought it was put up for her. The bed is still up and if we can’t find her anywhere else, we know to check in the office. Since she’s usually in there, we’ve started calling it “Mia’s room.”

Sometimes they sleep together (Mia is in that silly position again, see!) and it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. I love it.

My furbabies!

Hi everyone, I’m still here; I’m just trying to get my life together. I spend most of my days searching for and applying to jobs. Honestly, when I’m at home, it’s difficult for me to get dressed. Not physically, but mentally. Most days I sit at my desk, writing cover letters and tailoring my resume, and I do it all in my pajamas. When you have no job and nowhere to go, it doesn’t really matter what clothes you put on. So, I spend most days in PJs or yoga pants. When I’m not doing that, I’m either babysitting or volunteering.

I’ve noticed the time that I really enjoy getting dressed is when I volunteer. I spend one day a week at a public health organization that I admire and wouldn’t mind becoming a permanent part of someday. On those days, I get to dress in my office clothes.  I even brush my hair and put on makeup, two other things I never do when I’m at home all day!

This has made me realize how my identity as a professional really defines my style. When I was in grad school, I wasn’t quite sure how to dress because everyone was so casual but my warbdrobe consisted mainly of office attire. When I’m at home, unemployed, I feel useless so I don’t even bother getting dressed. But when I’m working (especially in an office setting) I’m in my element and, aside from following whatever dress code they set forth, I dress the part. My closet is full of pencil skirts, trousers, high heels, and cute tops. Since I don’t have an office to wear them to these days, they get tucked in the corner of my closet, along with my self-esteem. I’m sure something will come along eventually, but until then, I’ll just have to admire my clothes that make me feel the most like me from afar.

Here are a few photos that I’ve taken on my phone from my volunteer outfits. I’ll try to get real posts of them up soon but for now, bathroom pics might be the best we’ll get:

I took some of my babysitting money and went shopping with my friend at the outlet mall (wow, do I sound like I’m 15 years old, or what?). I bought the dress in the above photo from Loft Outlet, which I wore this week to volunteer. I also bought a few pieces that I think will make for good interview attire, if I could ever get one! I also got the casual dress below from Banana Republic Outlet. I plan on wearing it this weekend to a friend’s birthday celebration where we will drink a lot of beer and eat a lot of food from trucks!

Finally, Nick and I are seriously getting our butts back into shape. We’ve started a strength training program together, consisting of a lot of lifting of free weights which makes me feel a little awkward but really empowered at the same time. I have to admit that I love it. It’s my favorite type of work out so far, and I’m getting more comfortable with pushing myself to do more (safely, of course). I took a photo during our last workout, but it’s really blurry because I had just worked my chest and tricepts, so my arms were shaking a bit when I took it. Oops. I’m definitely going to feel that later!

Me, being all badass with the free weights at the gym!

So, that’s been my life lately. I’ve worn a lot of cute outfits that I want to put on the blog, I just have to get it together to take/post pictures. Soon, you guys. I promise!

Photo 1: Pants, Shoes, & Jewelry: Old Navy | Blouse: Gap | Sunglasses: Target
Photo 2: Dress: Loft Outlet | Shoes & Necklace: Old Navy
Photo 3: Dress: Banana Republic Outlet | Shoes: Target

Linking up with A Pocketful of Polka Dots & Charming Lucy

Y’all, I literally snapped these pictures right before the sky dropped with rain and hail. There isn’t really anything special about this outfit except that I wore it, and I knew that if I waited until another time to take photos they wouldn’t happen. So, in an effort to remian true to myself and what I want my blog to be, I braved Mother Nature’s fury to show you how I wore a cardigan with a cute dress that’s perfect for working in an office in the summertime. I chose a burgundy cardi over a black one to break up the monotony and I chose a cardi over a denim jacket because I wasn’t sure what the dress code would be in the office I wore this to. Turns out, it’s super relaxed.

I wore this outfit to my first official day as a volunteer with a public health organization in my town. I’ll be hanging out in their office about one day a week, helping with their social media campaigns and toolkits. I’m actually pretty excited about the work because it’s really interesting and I have a lot of ideas. And you never know, it could lead to a full-time position! I do feel bad, though, because I think I scared an intern into thinking there will be NO. JOBS. when she’s done with school. She has a year left in grad school (she’s basically where I was last summer) and is thinking of moving to the area when she’s done because she’s from out-of-state and says she likes it here in NC. When I told her it has been almost two months since I graduated and haven’t found anything yet, she looked a little wide-eyed and made a comment like, “oh, great.” I tried to reassure her that our fields are different and the work we each want to do is different, so she shouldn’t use my experience as a gauge of whether she’ll find something.  I hope she believed me because it’s true. I’m very picky specific about what I want to do, but I’m sure she’ll be just fine!

Dress: Target | Cardigan: Old Navy | Shoes: X-Appeal | Charm Necklace: Target | Long Necklace: Stitch Fix

I’d love to hear your experiences with volunteering. I’ve volunteered with several different organzations and I’ve found it more rewarding than I originally thought I would. Where have you volunteered and what kind of service did you provide?