skirts in the wind

Tank Top (remixed): Ruche, Skirt: LOFT

I've learned that I have a special superpower. It's kind of like a unique sense, a subconscious propulsion, to wear pleated skirts on windy days. It's true. I wanna say this is a gift bestowed upon many unfortunate gals, which makes me feel a little better because it's not really a superpower. It's a curse. It causes a lot of problems and gives strangers an intimate one on one with my biznass. 

It'd be a lot more helpful if I had the innate ability to never forget anything before I leave the house, or to be able to produce strong, hot coffee straight from my mind and into my coffee cup.

Although really, the more I think about it, the more I realize that this skirt sitch may be, could be, a little bit my fault. It's vaguely possible that I bring the skirt disasters upon myself, because I wear dresses and skirts pretty much every day. So of course some of those days are going to be windy, right? In fact, my dad loves gadgets and recently installed a weather instrument device, so there's literally a bright screen right next to the sink that I apparently ignore every day even when it might say "20 mph winds WEAR PANTS".

I think we often find ourselves in these types of debacles. It's really easy to say, why does this keep happening to me even if the answer may be within ourselves instead of resting on the shoulders of the world. Sometimes the responsibility does rest with me. Sometimes my environment isn't to blame, and I find myself without excuse. There are times when I can no longer blame my family, my past, my upbringing, my society, the government....uh oh. This almost got political. Let's move on.

It's a good day to be held accountable, I think. To laugh at the faces of the shocked passersby as they catch sight of my knickers, and to know that my particular choices that morning led to such a humorous encounter. It does no good to shout at the wind, or to cry about how unfair the weather is. It's much more effective to dress appropriately for the day. To learn from the skirts in the wind.

the last crystal

Destiny seems like a strong word when you're talking about a small token of desire. A token like a necklace.

But I don't really know how else to describe a series of events like this one....

In November we went to the mountains with another couple. It was such a beautiful fall, and we couldn't wait to spend a little time away!

Her family owns a beautiful house in Blowing Rock, NC -- there's really not much to say about the weekend except that it was absolute perfection. 

Board games by the fire, leaves turning, stunning vistas, ice cream, coffee, shopping.

In town there's a great strip of outlet stores, and we decided to go there on our last day. 

This may be a huge shocker, but us girls wanted to shop a lot longer than the boys wanted to...their patience was growing a little thin. Right around the time they started dozing off on the couches in LOFT. 

I was, of course, the last one to be rushing to finish up -- I ended up getting only one pair of pants because I was in panic-mode and didn't want to buy stuff I wasn't even sure I wanted. I'm guilty of that way too often!

With Dusty following close behind, shielding my eyes from any further distractions, he cowed me into the checkout line and I hastily flung the pants onto the counter.

Once the cashier rang me up, I went to pay and suddenly noticed her ensemble. So cute! A LOFT sweater, of course. It was nearing the official time to be sparkly and festive, and she was wearing a maroon sweater with the most amazing necklace ever. It was so sparkly on her, I just had to comment : I love your necklace!

She smiled, I think it's actually right behind you!

Oh yes. There it was. Hanging in the jewelry section that I hadn't had time to browse.

It's such a horrible feeling, regret.

I saw it hanging there, the little tag sticking up. $8.00. 

I think Dusty saw the look in my eye because he seemed to raise in stature and his eyes said, don't you dare. Our friends were waiting by the door and I started to sweat.

We got in the car and I seriously considered yelling apologies as I ran back into the store before anyone could stop me. But, alas, it was too late. I had surrendered.
We went back to the cabin to enjoy our last few hours, then drove back to Virginia and bid farewell to an amazing mountain weekend.

Non-buyer's guilt is real, though. It's real. 

Obviously the story doesn't really end there.
The first weekend in January we went back with our friends to the mountains, (and almost died in a crazy snowstorm, but that's a different story), went back to the outlet mall, and I walked back into LOFT and that feeling of sadness still lingered.
Of course, it's an outlet store. Things come and go and change and filter out like crazy. There was a cute new striped sweater in the window that said Bonjour, so I decided it would be my fun purchase for the day if I could find it. The necklace was something from my past that I wasn't going to let ruin my day.
I kept it simple, tried some things on, and was the first at the cash register. My friend was still shopping so I felt at ease browsing the jewelry section.
I saw a few cute necklaces, but was suddenly blinded by something shocking and beautiful.
There. Behind a stack of other unremarkable necklaces. Was the necklace. 
It was there! After all this time, one little straggler was left behind, perused but never bought, considered but never taken home. It was there waiting for me.
The last necklace.

See?

It was destiny.

pink toes

My new favorite shoes. 

Honestly my shoe closet is in dire need of updating, still stuck in a time span between high school and now, and most of them sit untouched and covered in dust. I think I'm still in a state of shoe confusion, completely unsure what my style is. I'll figure it out. But I really need to come to a definitive decision about heels. 

We're currently enroute to Cleveland, and eager to see if it's really as bad as people say!

So I thought I'd throw up another outfit from last week. We were on our way to the movies after work with my parents (seeing Star Trek: Into Darkness - I wasn't born a Trekkie, but I sure am one now) and did a parking lot photoshoot before walking into the mall.

There was definitely a car right next to us with two people in it, staring avidly at me the entire time.
I decided to ignore them and just do my thang. Which included mostly just looking to the right, and pretending they weren't there.

Dress: Ruche (similar, similar), Top: J. Crew, Shoes: Gifted/Zulily
Watch: Fossil, Bangle: Cookie Lee

It has become a habit of mine to enlist some of my shorter dresses as tunic tops to wear over jeans throughout the work week. In fact, I did the same thing yesterday.
The jeans policy at work is unclear, at best - they take the "look professional" approach, and since I sit behind a desk in a closet/office in the back, I'd say I fit the bill nicely.
During the summer, things are really slow in the library, so they've already designated Friday a jeans and t-shirt day. I never wear a t-shirt to work, even on Fridays, so I'm feeling fancier already.

in good company

This past week has been a dream.
Whenever my parents/family/friends come into town, it always feels a little like we're just playing house. Our life here goes on pause for a little while, and everything is off kilter in a fun and happy way.
We go out to eat almost every night, showcasing our favorite local eats, we drive around town, we go see movies and have breakfast and drink coffee... and our mini apartment becomes a fort with spare beds and dishes and suitcases. It's chaotic and wonderful.

Dress: Ruche (similar), Blazer: LOFT, Shoes: Blowfish,
Ring: Vintage, Bangle: Cookie Lee

It definitely makes it really hard on us when they leave, though. Everything is quiet and clean and we sit around going, okay...so how does this go again?



























I wore this outfit to work last week. I love this dress. It's beachy, or maybe carnival-y, and I always tend to reach for it when I'm feeling happy and colorful. It's definitely a summertime dress (although I did wear it for my October birthday this past year, because I was feeling happy and colorful then, too.)
The ring is one I stumbled upon in my little ring box; my mom gave it to me a while ago, along with some other jewelry she's had for a while. I enjoy wearing jewelry that used to be hers, because it feels like it still is hers and I'm just borrowing it, and maybe someday I'll let my daughter borrow it, too.



This may be the hardest year we've had to face in Virginia and being away from home, but there's also so much to look forward to. I have a pretty good feeling that when we move back to Arizona after Dusty graduates and takes the bar, all of this will feel like a dream. A really wonderful dream that we'll never get to return to -- so every day is going to be wonderful.

I wish there was a way to know you're in the good ol days,

before you've actually left them.

-Andy Bernard, The Office

Tonight we're off to another great dinner spot, The Dahlia, and then we're off to Cleveland for the weekend.

I'll continue living in a dream until Monday - but I'll try and find some way to feel happy and colorful once they leave, too.