Confession

Forever 21 dress (worn as top), thrifted vintage skirt, belt from Wish (closed),
Seychelles wedges from PB&J Boutique (giveaway win), necklace from Matt

Yesterday night, I was cleaning out my closet and made the mistake of trying on a pair of jeans I hadn't worn since last summer. Mind you, they're skinny, non-stretchy, white jeans and I've been drinking beer and eating fast food all weekend (don't judge me). Anyway, I got the jeans up to my hips and they felt TIGHT. I have no idea how I ever managed to get them on before. I successfully squeezed myself into them, but it was not a pretty sight.

Although it didn't make me break down and cry, it got me thinking about how lazy I've been in the last year. At this time last year, I was practicing yoga 5-6 times a week. I stopped sometime during the fall semester and subsequently gained about 10 lbs., which is a lot of weight on my 5'1" frame. When you add in not-so-healthy eating and drinking decisions, I'm not that surprised.

Bottom line--I'm not saying I'm fat by any means. I'm quite proud of my body (here's proof!) and all that it can do, but I should probably be treating it a little nicer. I feel comfortable in all my clothes except those damn jeans and it's time for a change.

Guilty as Charged

thrifted vintage skirt, Gap shirt and denim jacket,
Banana Republic wedges, Swarovski necklace (gift from Matt)

I know I just wore this skirt last week, but luckily there isn't a rule that says I can't do that. Sometimes, it feels like I can't repeat an outfit or even just part of an outfit because it will be boring for people to see. Then, I realize that it doesn't really matter. I wanted to wear this skirt with this denim jacket and no one was going to stop me. Maybe it's not going to bring me more page views or visits, but I decided a long time ago that's not why I write this blog. I write it to keep a visual journal of what I wear because it helps me keep my closet organized. I know exactly which items in my closet get the most wear and which ones don't.

Before I started blogging, I had a very different wardrobe. It's not that it was bigger exactly, but it wasn't as well-rounded as it is now. Now, I don't buy certain things unless I can see myself wearing it at least a couple of different ways. Blogging has helped me revamp my wardrobe, as well as figure out and define my personal style. Although blogging about personal style isn't for everyone, keeping some sort of documentation would definitely be useful for someone trying to clean out/organize/reinvent their closet. After just a few weeks, it's easy to see the styles and colors you tend to gravitate to. Then, it's just as easy as getting rid of all the other stuff that doesn't make the cut!

Lazy & Unashamed

Forever 21 shirt and earrings, vintage thrifted skirt, Zara wedges from Buffalo Exchange
(worn for work at the bridal salon)

I have a couple of days off of work until Saturday, but I'm finding it really hard to convince myself to leave my apartment today. It's been way too long since I could just hang out in my pajamas and veg out all day. OK, so maybe the real reason I don't want to go anywhere is because I started watching True Blood again. I have a whole season to watch, so I stayed up super late last night because I couldn't stop. My sister is a huge fan of the show and she convinced me to start watching it again. I suppose I could be using my time in a more productive manner, but while Matt is (still) gone, I'm really unmotivated to do much of anything.

Here's to enjoying a day of laziness!

Before I forget, I'm linking to Laura's Work It Wednesday. Even though I'm not working today, I did wear this outfit to work yesterday. It's definitely a very "me" outfit, but I looked pretty darn bright standing next to the brides in wedding gowns. It's a good thing I won't be doing working there much longer because I'm not so good at toning it down.

She's a Lady

vintage dress from Cream Vintage, necklace from Langford Market,
thrifted vintage belt, thrifted Nine West wedges

This outfit is made up of things that have been sitting in my closet for quite some time. I've had this dress for at least six months, but hadn't worn it because I needed a slip to wear underneath. The entire lower half is sheer and I finally got around to buying a nude-colored slip the other day.  I wish I'd bought one sooner because I'm absolutely in love with this dress!

I've had this belt for even longer than I've had the dress. Even though I couldn't think of anything to wear it with when I bought it, I loved the color. I was recently considering getting rid of it, but I decided to wait because it only cost about $1 and I had a feeling it would eventually come in handy. After putting this outfit together, I decided that this belt isn't going anywhere.

Last but not least, this necklace had been sitting in my jewelry collection untouched for almost three months. I must have bought it for a reason because it completed this outfit perfectly.

Needless to say, this has become one of my favorite ladylike outfits that I've worn recently.

On Repeat

thrifted skirt, vintage blouse from Cream Vintage,
thrifted Nine West wedges, Forever 21 earrings

Lately, I've been feeling like my life's stuck on repeat. I've been working full-time at the bridal salon, coming home and playing with Charles, eating dinner with Matt, then going to sleep and starting all over again. Oh, and I've been trying to make exercising a priority, but so far it's only happening about two or three times a week.

At this point in my life and with my current work schedule, blogging just isn't a priority. I know I've said this all before, but I'm still unsure if I want it to become part of my routine again.

The good news is that I only have a week and a half left to work at the bridal salon. Once I start my month-long job at Texas Monthly in July and go back to a normal 8:00-5:00 M-F schedule, I have a feeling blogging will come back naturally.

Just like yesterday, I'm participating in Open to Interpretation. We were responsible for picking our own inspiration and this was my choice! If it wasn't so hot here in Austin, I'd love to keep my sleeves unrolled. And those shoes are just begging to be in my closet! Needless to say, I've found a new blogger to follow.

(image courtesy of Visionary Dreams)

Classy & Sassy

thrifted blouse, vintage skirt from Cream Vintage, Banana Republic heels (6 years old!)

This skirt makes me feel so ladylike. It's kind of a pain to wear because it has an itchy crinoline (petticoat) built in and I have to wear a slip. It's also heavy, so it's not the best choice for hanging around outside in the 90 degree weather. I wanted to wear it to work the other day, but didn't want to look too Betty Draper. I decided to pair it with a leopard blouse to tone down the vintage feel. I received tons of compliments from my coworkers and customers, which made me love this retro outfit that much more.

As for today's plans, here's to driving to Houston and back!

Whew!

thrifted skirt, Old Navy tank top, Gap cardigan, vintage belt, thrifted Nine West wedges 

I love this outfit. I was in a great mood after running three miles with Matt before work and this outfit really showed how I felt. I thought I was going to have an awesome day at work, but little did I know that everything was going to go wrong that day. I literally had a mini-breakdown in the back room while I was trying to handle a certain bride's situation. I just wanted it all to be over, but it was just problem after problem. It was the first time I'd felt so overwhelmed at the bridal salon that I actually started tearing up. Let's hope that never happens again, at least in the three weeks I have left.

Even though I had a rough couple of days at work, I have two days off starting today. It'll technically be my "weekend" for this week, so I'm going to take full advantage of my 48 hours of freedom. Matt and I are going for a run at Town Lake this morning followed by a trip to the grocery store. Not the most exciting stuff, but they're errands I wouldn't normally have time for on a workday. The fun stuff is happening on Thursday...

We're going to Houston to check out some apartments! We're only going for the day because we don't want to leave Charles overnight. It's going to be a lot of driving, but we really need to jump the gun on a few places we've found and possibly put a deposit down. Wish us luck on finding the perfect place!

Home Stretch

thrifted dress, belt from Wish (closed), and Sam Edelman sandals

Here's to another 40 hour work week at the bridal salon. I know those are normal hours for a full-time employee, but it's so physically demanding carrying wedding dresses across the store and dressing brides and bridesmaids eight hours a day, five days a week. By the time I come home from work, all I want to do is sit and relax. Fortunately, my last official day is about three weeks away. I'm SUPER excited to be done with retail...hopefully forever!

As much I complain about it, I have definitely enjoyed being a bridal stylist more than just a regular sales associate at Gap. It felt like I actually mattered to the customer, rather than just being the person who folds the jeans after you try them on. Even so, I'm looking forward to finding a new job in Houston. I take that back; I'm looking forward to finding a career. Before we move at the end of July, I have one last opportunity at Texas Monthly that I'll tell y'all about soon!

Our New Addition

thrifted blouse and skirt, Banana Republic heels

The past week and half have been a total blur. After my fact-checking project at Texas Monthly ended, I spent a week at Canyon Lake celebrating my best friend's graduation. When I got back from my much-needed vacation, I started my 38-hour-workweek at the bridal salon. It's great for my finances, but not so great for spending time with our new puppy. Yes, we got a puppy!

Our lives have been turned upside down (in a good way) since getting Charles, our 8 week old Cockapoo. He needs a lot of attention because he's so young, but we're training him so he's not needy and whiny. He's already making a lot of progress. It's definitely taking a lot of patience and time, but it's going to be worth it. I mean, just look at this face!

I seriously hadn't been on my computer for longer than 10 minutes since before all this happened. Now that everything has settled down, I finally have time to get back to blogging. I have to admit that it was a nice break, not having to make time to take pictures outside or come up with something to say about my outfits. I was able to get dressed without thinking about whether it was a good enough outfit for my blog or if I'd worn something too similar recently. I'm happy to be back, but it's definitely made me think about why I blog and if it's all worth it. Hopefully, I'll figure it out soon.

My Adult Life

The last four days of my life have been crazy. For starters, I got a new car! My beautiful, dark grey Toyota Corolla is a huge step up from my falling-apart Jeep Cherokee. Matt and I drove the new car to Houston on Friday to test it out over the weekend. To be truthful, he drove and I sat in the passenger seat almost the entire trip. I like being chauffeured.

We went to Houston to hang out with some good friends as well as check out potential neighborhoods for our future move. Neither of us know the area that well, so we wanted to drive around and see if anything caught our eye. We really liked the Museum District, Downtown, Montrose, and even Midtown. It's going to be a seriously hard decision choosing a place to live. It looks like we'll be going back a couple of times over the next few months to decide. Wish us luck!

Free Time

thrifted dress, Old Navy sleeveless trench coat,
vintage necklace from Buffalo Exchange, Banana Republic wedges

I've already seen a huge difference in the amount of time I have to myself with this new job. I'm done by 5 p.m. four times out of the week, which leaves me with plenty of time to run errands and get things done. I've been really wanting to update my Etsy store, but I didn't have time when I was working retail hours. With all my free time, I should be able to get a couple of items posted over the next few days.

I have a decent pile of vintage clothes in really good condition (mostly thrifted) and I wasn't sure if I should just try to sell them to Buffalo Exchange or a local vintage store for quick cash. I've been making pretty steady money on Etsy, so I think it's worth the extra effort to sell them on my own. After I get the store up-to-date, I'll start working on all the other things I haven't had time for. I have a huge pile of clothes that need to be hemmed or mended, not to mention that I haven't worked out since 2011. One thing at a time...

First Day

vintage men's button up from Goodwill, Old Navy pants (zipper replaced by me),
Banana Republic heels, Forever 21 earrings, vintage bracelets

This was what I wore for my first day of work at Texas Monthly on Tuesday. I thrifted this top the day before, but didn't have any intention of wearing it the next day. I just thought it was a great top for $5, especially because it's vintage and such a great color. I guess I subconsciously reached for it when I was getting dressed and decided to go with it. Combined with basic black pants and color-blocked shoes, I thought the outfit looked put-together and professional without looking too prissy. Even better, I fit right in with the rest of the Texas Monthly crew. Like I mentioned before, everyone dresses really casual, so I need to remember to not overdress. I don't want to overshadow any of my co-workers...for now.

Catching Up

Gap shirt, Halston Heritage skirt from Julian Gold,
Banana Republic flats, vintage coat, Forever 21 necklace

I feel like I haven't blogged in forever, but really it's only been a few days. I've been working 9-5 the last couple of days and have been way too tired to even think about blogging when I'm finally home. Luckily, I'm not working until later this afternoon, so I have some time to catch y'all up on what's new in my life.

First things first, I got a new iPhone! It's not the newest one, just a white iPhone 4. I really didn't want a new one, but my old iPhone 3G finally died after two and a half years. I'm surprised it made it that long, especially after dropping it in a cup of tea last summer and reviving it in a bag of rice. I really like my new phone because apps don't randomly crash, it doesn't take me five minutes to send a Tweet, and and the camera is awesome. Yay for technology!

Other than the new phone, everything else is the same. Matt found his old food dehydrator, so he's been making a lot of dried fruit and meat. He's working on perfecting his beef jerky recipe and I have to say that he's definitely improved with each batch. There is some meat marinating in the fridge right now that will be dried overnight and I can't wait to try it when it's done tomorrow. I love me some beef jerky.

OK, enough about me. I have something else to share with you! If you're in the Austin area, I'd love if you came out to Gap at Central Park tonight. We're having a fun fashion event showcasing the new spring line along with complimentary cocktails and finger foods. There will be exclusive discounts on the new merchandise for those of you who come out tonight. The more the merrier, so bring your friends!

If you can't come by tonight, check out some of my favorite items online. I want everything!

Colored Skinny Ankle Jeans

Red Cropped Pants

Printed Sheath Dress

Polka Dot Tank

Ruffled Cami