Happy April! I think Spring is finally in full bloom and I’m loving it.

Sometimes I want to dress casually but get tired of wearing jeans. That’s when I turn to chinos! They’re comfortable AND casual with a hint of sophistication. I also love wearing this periwinkle cardigan with navy blue pants, which is kind of an unexpected color combination for me because they’re both kind of dark and similar in color.  The cognac really pops with the navy, though.

I was going to wear this outfit to class but then it was cancelled  so I stayed home to study more biostatistics and then take the dogs for a nice long walk in the sunshine. Then, Nick and I went for dinner and ice cream with friends. It was a perfect Spring day!

How adorable are these shoes? So much so that I bought two pairs, one in cognac and the other in black. I can tell they’re going to be my go-to shoes this spring and summer.

What a beautiful but windy Sunday it is! Today’s serenade is from Shakira (again!) because her new self-titled album dropped on Tuesday. I ran to Target to snatch it up as soon as I got out of bed that morning. I chose the song “The One Thing” because it’s a sweet song she wrote for her 1-year-old son, Milan. “You were the one thing that I got right.” I don’t have kids but I would imagine that most parents feel this way about their children, right? Either way, it’s super sweet and seemed like a good choice for this Sunday morning.

This Week’s Top 5 Awesome Things

1. Shakria. I went to Target so I could get the “deluxe” edition of the new album which included three extra songs. I’ve been listening to it non-stop ever since. I also picked up Frozen because we were supposed to see it for my birthday but I was too sick to move. Happy Tuesday to me!

2. Biostats. Ok, biostats in itself isn’t awesome and I pretty much hate it – I mean, they don’t even use numbers sometimes. I just don’t understand math without numbers!  But I chose it as awesome for two reasons:  the first is that the professor is making it as easy as he possibly can (bless is heart!) which includes giving us the practice midterm as the actual midterm, and the second is that it’s almost over!

3. French fries and milkshakes. My friends texted me before class and were like “where are you, let’s get fries and milkshakes” and so that’s what we did. And it was awesome! #publichealth

4. New Haircut Selfie. I got a new haircut, so I took a selfie. I had my stylist take off a few inches in hopes that the weather will warm up soon. Fingers crossed!

5. Burt’s Bees Dogs Products. I’m a big lover of Burt’s Bees products. Nick and I use their shampoo, conditioner, body and face washes, and I use their lip gloss and royal jelly. They’re all natural and local (Durham, FTW)! So I was psyched to see they’ve started making doggy products.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

This is the first outfit that formed in my head when I saw this shirt. I’m still afraid of pattern mixing but it’s getting easier, and more fun. And what I love about this outfit is that it has a little bit of everything: it’s fresh, feminine, floral, stripes, pink, drapey-shaped shirt, form-fitting pencil skirt, pearls AND pattern mixing! I think it is one of my new favorite outfits; I want to wear it everywhere. If only the weather would cooperate again, I would wear it everywhere.

 And here’s the fun one: who doesn’t love sitting on a bench all pin-up style? Oh, just me? Alrighty, then.

When I first saw this shirt, I thought it would be a great casual piece  I could wear with jeans and sandals and couldn’t wait for Spring/warmer weather to wear it that way. Then I started putting looks together and realized it would make a good dressy piece, as well. I don’t normally do the half tuck because I’ve realized it doesn’t work very well with my body shape – my short torso looks even shorter with a half tuck – but with the drape of the fabric, it works here. I find myself loving this shirt more and more each time I wear it. Thanks, Stitch Fix!

Isn’t the detailing on this shirt just amazing?

Another Sunday Funday! The weather has been beautiful in my neck of the woods for the last few days, so I’m in a good mood! I’m serenading you with a happy, upbeat song today that reflects love and summer, “Summer Day” by Sheryl Crow.

This Week’s Top 5 Awesome Things

1. Sushi Date. I love sushi; it’s my all-time favorite food in the world. I haven’t had any in a while so Nick and I had a sushi date this week. It made up for a rough couple of days I had at school.

2. Nick’s Spirit Animal. Nick can be grumpy sometimes, so I told him his spirit animal was Grumpy Cat! After seeing this, how can anyone disagree?

3. All the Silly Ways that Mia Sleeps. She’s super cute when she does it but seriously, how can any of these positions be comfortable?

4. Breaking in New Shoes. It would be awesome if all shoes automatically formed perfectly to your feet, but since that doesn’t happen, you have to break them in yourselves.

5. Grown-up Dining Room Table. We’ve finally upgraded from our Ikea table to a real, grown-up table from West Elm. I’m not very good at decorating so I snapped this photo of the table they way they decorated it in the store for some inspiration.

Have a great week, everyone!