giant polka dots

When you start to feel that crispness in the air, it's all about the sweaters. 

Normally, I let the sweaters come to me. I glance around and maybe one will be on sale, maybe I see that super cozy sweater in a pile at Target, maybe I'll even order one I come across online if it's particularly irresistible.

But this time, I pursued this sweater. And it was so worth it. 

I saw a post over on Francesca's Instagram account (@francescacollections) with the sweater featured on one of their mannequins, and was determined to find it in our local store!

We ended up going there this past weekend, and I searched high and low but didn't see any fabulous polka dot sweaters.

I finally asked up at the cash register, but the two women working said the only polka dot sweater they had was black with white polka dots.

She offered to go to the back to double check, and I said, yes, please!

Sweater: Francesca's, Bottoms: Old Navy, Purse: Target (shop!), Jewelry: Fossil

The sweater isn't even online yet, so if I were you, I would healthily stalk your local shop like I did until you can coerce them into searching the back for you! (With a smile, and a please and thank you!)
The sweet lady came back with both the black version and this fetching oatmeal version, the one I was after, which I immediately snatched up. I love it!

I'm also pretty obsessed with my purse, which is from Target and has a fox on it. (Because I love foxes, as you know.) I've been instagramming this purse for a few weeks now, with #myfoxpurse, so if you happen to pick up this bag or another foxy purse, join my hashtag!

Speaking of foxes, if you haven't seen this zany video yet, you're welcome. 

Also, for you west coasters who don't feel that crispness in the air, and who hate me for talking about sweaters, foxes and pumpkin spice lattes, read this article that my best friend sent me and know that you're not alone.
Also, I'll be joining your ranks again next year so just let me enjoy my time in the red leaves.

august stampede

Remember that time when summer never came?

Today is August 1st and I'm caught completely off guard. 

It's another cloudy day, and my mind is still in May. I feel as if we've skipped the summer months, arriving straight into Fall. 

I can count the number of times I've said "it's hot!" on one hand. And a few of them were just because I was checking on the biscuits in the oven. 

I don't know what to do with this kind of summer. It's been a great few months, don't get me wrong - but it feels like it all just went by in a blur! We didn't have any days at the beach, we didn't grill hardly at all because it rained so often, we never took a weekend for the lake, and we didn't have any grand summertime vacations with pina colada smoothies and sunburns.

Overall, it just feels like summer never came.

Top: Modcloth, Skirt: LOFT, Necklace: Francesca's (similar)

That being said, August has its own kind of magic spark.
With summer coming to an end, every single day is full of desperate possibility.

The countdown begins - 18 days until the beginning of school!
For us, that's 18 days until the last first day of school. The beginning of the end of our law school days.

I can't begin to express my feelings about this coming year, now that we've officially crossed over into less than a year until we wrap up our time in Lynchburg and prepare to move back to Arizona. Back to our blessed summer heat and our families.
Arizona, where the summers are real and gritty and bright and endless.

So cheers...to the first and very last of our summers that never came.

self-portraits: outfit 6

I haven't done a whole lot of self-portrait photo shoots. I'm always self conscious, and definitely have no idea how to work the settings for a self-timer, or how to position myself, etc. The second outfit during this challenge was the first time I've taken photos of myself not on my back porch or in my own apartment complex. It was extremely nerve-racking, but luckily there weren't any people around and I was able to get a few usable shots!
I knew I was going to have to challenge myself to put myself behind the camera and give my husband a break from daily photo shoots. I need to push myself to be adventurous with my pictures and my locations, and try and get better at understanding my camera and how to best use it for different situations.
The more you practice, the easier it gets!

Outfit 6 featured my classic orange gingham top, and the purple lace skirt, along with a few accessories.

Top: J. Crew, Skirt: LOFT, Necklace: Francesca's, Shoes: Zulily

I got off work early on Friday, so I was running around doing some errands before having to go back to get Dusty. While I was driving around, I found this odd little lake behind several businesses and grocery stores. I spotted a flock of geese as well, so I was somewhat drawn to it. I decided to bite the bullet and take a quick photoshoot, even though it was still a bit too sunny and hot out!

I feel like this town has a lot of secrets, and with only a year left to explore them before we move back home after law school, I'm more motivated than ever to explore and try new things.
I look forward to finding more nooks and crannies to discover and capture.

floral denim: outfit 5

Yesterday's outfit featured the comeback of my favorite new pair of pants. 

I love finding a piece of clothing that I'm tempted to reach for every single morning while I'm getting ready. While I obviously try and resist wearing the same outfit every single day, with this challenge I was excited to wear these pants again so soon...

Top: LOFT, Pants: Old Navy (similar), Shoes: Zulily, Necklace: Francesca's

What a strange burst of cold weather we had yesterday!
I came to work and it was windy and chilly, and I was suddenly glad I hadn't done much with my hair.
I was also glad I had grabbed that cardigan!

Today was the complete opposite - clear and hot and sunshiney all day long.
I suppose that's fitting, since today is supposedly the first official day of summer!

Right after we took these pictures, my husband and I joined two other couples for two hours of beach volleyball. It was so cool out, and the sky was gorgeous. I've never been good at volleyball so I was nervous, but we had so much fun, and I can't wait to keep playing throughout the summer! (I also can't wait to get accustomed to playing - I'm so sore today, every time I had to get up from my desk I felt like my body was reawakening from rigor mortis).
I'm not sure why I love summer so much, but there's something so exciting in the air when the weather starts getting hot and you start to hear the happy calls and splashes from the nearby swimming pool, and restaurants start advertising ice cream and fruity smoothie drinks...and you drive home in the darkness and fireflies light the way, and people spend the evenings barbecuing and drinking sweet tea and playing beach volleyball.
I'm pretty happy about what the next few months will look like! Happy summertime, ya'll.

invest in a vest: outfit 3

Introducing outfit 3 from my 15to15 challenge!

So far I haven't needed to re-wear any items, other than the shoes. I've started with all the separate outfits, and in a few days I'll start creatively re-wearing items from the first few days!

Yesterday was a very misty day. It lightly sprinkled throughout the morning and afternoon, never culminating into a full "rain" but definitely attempting it. 

Through having to park far away from work in the morning and having to walk back to my car that afternoon, by the time I got home and took a few outfit photos my hair was definitely a little worse for wear. 

Exhibit A:

Other than a rather fabulous fur vest, I don't think I've ever worn a casual vest in my teen or adult life. 

I've seen a couple vest outfits that I've really liked, from Melina at The Caffeinated Closet (outfit 1 and 2, I love!) She does the denim vest trend very well. 

Then there's the slightly dressier version, over at M Loves M. 

As you can see, I finally made the plunge and purchased a great white denim-y vest. 

I'm still completely unsure about wearing it sleeveless, even though this is the first time I've worn it and I just went for it. I tend to like vests a lot more when they're layered over a 3-quarter/long sleeve top or dress. 

I think my only real reason is that I tend to avoid sleeveless altogether. (Is it a female condition to think our arms are fat and unseemly?)

Top/Skirt: LOFT, Vest: Kohl's (shop!), Necklace: Francesca's, Shoes: Zulily

Today I have been jotting down my To Do list, which expires Sunday night. I must get everything done by then. I even included dinner dates and mediocre daily activities at work so that I can feel really accomplished when I cross off multiple things every day. Sometimes you need to give yourself a boost of confidence - make the success of your day a sure thing.
"Get dressed? Check! Go to work? Check! Drink coffee? Check! I am on a roll!"

It's Wednesday and I get to leave work a little bit early, so the weekend is looming and I'm ready to conquer my To Do list. How about you?

sushi and superman

On thing I've learned this week is that I am so white.

This isn't a racial/Caucasian announcement, obviously I know I've always been white. But my skin is pale right now, guys.

I've never been a super serious tanner, or even a mildly interested tanner. I know that "tanner" means someone who is employed to tan animal skins, but for the sake of this conversation it's going to be a girl who tans herself. 

I've never wanted to spend the money on a monthly tanning bed sort of habit, and though I've spent my fair share of hours by the pool in the sunshine, I've always thought the upkeep was too frustrating.

There's also that whole skin cancer thing, which I think is a pretty big deal.

I'm fine with being milky white, really. But boy, at this point in the year, I think I'm approaching translucent. 

Top: Francesca's (shop!), Shorts: Gianni Bini/Dillard's, Necklace: Cookie Lee, Watch: Fossil

These leather shorts were a winter sale purchase at Dillard's this past Christmas.
I was constantly on the lookout for interesting tights-with-shorts experiments. I never ended up wearing them with tights, but ironically I've worn them twice this spring/summer.
It hasn't really been summery hot yet, so that's probably why. In any case, I love the stars on them and they're funky in a way that I like!
Faux leather is always intriguing to me. Where do you draw the line between a great accent/texture piece and a super weird/tacky piece of clothing? I guess it all just boils down to each individual person and their tastes.
Speaking of tastes - I went on a hunt for a vest this afternoon (mostly because of this outfit worn by Mara on M Loves M) and I think I found the perfect one. I can't wait for these next few weeks, as I'm going to be embarking on another closet challenge, which I'll post about later.

Last night we went on a fantastic date night to see the new Superman movie, Man of Steel.
We're both suckers for comic book and super hero movies, so we couldn't help but hop off to the theaters on opening day for this new one! (And I couldn't help but dress to match - red and blue it is!)
Beforehand we went to our favorite sushi spot, so it became a theme date - Sushi and Superman.

Needless to say, it was a great evening! I love date nights!

Stay tuned for the rest of June - I've decided on a summer challenge! I posted yesterday about trying to find a new challenge, so here it is: for the next 15 days, I'm going to be taking 15 different items from my closet, and compiling a different outfit for every day using only those items! Wish me luck!