Day 3

Well, we an awesome weekend in San Diego.  Doug got to surf all weekend with his buddy, John, and I got to hang out with my love, Sarah.  Sarah and I met in high school at Freshman Orientation.  I think she thought that I was really weird (ok fine, I KNOW she did because she told me), but I forced her to be my friend. Here we are, 14 years later, and she still just can't say no.  It's going pretty well for me.

The Highlights of Doug's Weekend:

1. A bloody mary with a crab claw in it. 

2. A giant breakfast with lots of coffee.  Doug and I hardly ever go out for big greasy breakfasts because I can't eat eggs, and as for pancakes?  Disgusting.  Soggy bread soaked in syrup?  No thanks.

The Highlights of My Weekend:

1. Double whammy two nights in a row dance parties with Sarah.

2. Taking Sarah's ridiculously cute puppy, Pepe, on a hike and then to the doggie play area at Balboa Park.

Why this high waisted look works: The pencil skirt adds curves to my bottom half while the v-neck minimizes my top half.

Day 2

Sometimes I plan out blog postings in my head while I'm in the car.  I'll just sit there giggling to myself.  Sometimes Doug is in the car with me when I do this.  Sometimes Rachel.  Sometimes both.  I prefer it to be both.  That way they can chat as I write clever little entries in my head.

Yesterday was a planblogpostinginhead day.  It all started when I was working from home, forgot about street sweeping on Wednesday morning, and sprinted out to my car minutes after a $45 ticket was issued.  Ok, so $45 doesn't exactly break the bank, but this was the 3rd parking ticket of our household in 2011 (parking = #1 downside of beach life).  I was furious with myself for forgetting, but I was determined that some good would come out of the situation.  Then it came to me: I decided to wait to announce my parking ticket until Day 3 of my challenge.  Get it, 3 parking tickets, 3 days?  It was brilliant.  Trust me, you were going to laugh real hard.

Then I woke up this morning.  I left for work on time.  It wasn't a Wednesday.  I walked waaay down the street to where Doug had parked my car.  And sitting on my window?  Another ticket.  I decided right then and there that I just couldn't wait until Day 4.

A little tip: I attempted an outfit very similar to this last winter at Leigha's baby shower. 

Awkward.   As you can see, it didn't work out so well. Women who are top heavy but small and straight on the bottom can't wear such a dramatic high waist.  I managed to temper the high waisted aspect of the skirt this time around by untucking the shirt to add length to my top half but belting the skirt to maintain the silhouette.

Day 1

Every month or so we do what is called "old school" youth group with our high school students.  Instead of meeting at the church, we meet in our small groups the WHOLE night and do something fun together.  Doug had his boys over for a poker night.  He was concerned that some of the parents might have a problem with their high school youth leader introducing to the big, bad world of gambling, but he decided to live dangerously.  The winner got a King Size box of Whoppers.

I went to one of my girls house for jacuzzi/game night.  This quickly turned into a dance party to the tune of mostly Lady Gaga (my girls are obsessed) that lasted about 2 hours.  I'm pooped.  But I did learn some sweet new moves including the "Dougie" and the "Spongebob."

30 for 30: My Picks

It's time to have a little fun.  You'll notice that most of my items are winter-ish clothes even though winter is mostly over in LA.  It's all part of my delicious plan.  See, if I would have picked warm weather clothes, the weather would have stayed cold for sure.  I know, brilliant.  You can thank me later.  At the beach.  I'll be the one in the jacket and jeans.

C.W. from top left: Old Navy black tank, Free People button down, Velvet Torch black lace top, Old Navy teal turtleneck, .H&M striped tee, Old Navy black turtleneck, Nordstrom cheetah print v-neck

Left to right: Old Navy coral cardigan, I.N.C. green sweater, Marshall's grey sweater (label missing), Poofy melon sweater, Studio M belted cardigan

Left to right: Express brown blazer, Old Navy black blazer, J-Lo (that's how I roll) brown leather jacket

Left to right: Wet Seal black leggings, Diesel straight leg jeans, Calvin Klein jean leggings

Left to right: F21 blue pencil skirt, Macy's black zipper skirt, Plastic Island floral skirt

Left to right: Theory black dress, Gap grey sweater dress, French Connection purple dress

Left to Right: Nine West black boots, Born brown boots, Chinese Laundry black oxfords, Guess black booties, Anne Klein red mary janes

 And yes, I only have 29 items.  We'll call my 30th item a surprise.  And by surprise, I mean that I haven't picked it yet and am saving it for later.  Is that cheating?

Update on the Budget pt. 2

Although we started back in October, one of our New Years Resolutions was to work on our budget.  I'm proud to announce that with the changes we've made so far by reducing our fixed monthly expenses, Doug and I will be saving $4000 this year! 
**Shout out to Doug's employer for paying for his MBA so that he could perform that complex calculation for me.

Next, we've decided to tackle another area of our personal finances.  Shopping.  I have always loved fashion, clothing, and personal style.  While my shopping (or Doug's for that matter, haha, my little fashionisto husband) has never been a huge drain on our budget, it's an area of my life where I always find myself "wanting more."   I often feel like I'm not quite fashionable enough, not accessorized quite right, or missing some mysterious key wardrobe component.  I have a closet (and let's face it, half of Doug's closet) bursting with clothes, and I fairly regularly throw myself on the floor and sigh dramatically until I get Doug's attention.  "What's wrong lady?" he asks me.  "I. have. nothing. to. wear." I croak out as if this could be the end.

And so, I've decided to participate in a little challenge developed by Kendi that is known as the 30 for 30. 

The Rules:

1. Pick 30 items or less from your closet. Shoes are included, but accessories and jewelry are not.
2. Remix the 30 items into 30 different outfits.
3. Don't shop for 30 days.

I am excited about being forced to be creative with the 30 items and finding new ways to wear my favorite pieces.  I am hoping that this challenge will help train me to go shopping in my closet before I rush off to the mall.

Most days at work, you will find me in this, so I my outfits will mostly be after work and weekend ensembles.

Wish me luck!

Be Mine

I've been feeling very Valentines Day-y lately.  Big news: Doug and I have decided to actually celebrate Valentines Day this year (something that we haven't done since the first year that we were dating).  I've never been a big fan of Valentines Day.  Maybe it's a result of all the years I spent experiencing it as "Singles Awareness Day."  Maybe it's because Valentines Day candy sucks.  Conversation Hearts?  Really?  But why not spend an evening celebrating our marriage?  God has blessed me with a man that I love and admire.  Often times, we take our awesome marriage for granted, and don't take the time to recognize and rejoice in the gift that we have.

Also, I am really into pink and red as a color combination right now.  It's just amazing.  And hearts!  Aren't they just the cutest shape ever?  So here I sit, in front of my computer, wearing my new red pajama pants with hearts on them with a pink tank top, wishing that Doug would come home so that we could pick a restaurant for our first married Valentines Day (or 4th, depending on how you look at it.)

My lover is mine, and I am his.

Song of Solomon 2:16

A new toy and some other new-s.

Well, hello there.

Check out the new piece of hardware that I'm holding.  You see, my mother got a new camera for Christmas, so I am having lots of fun playing with her old one...and hoping that she will never ask for it back.  So far, I have to say, the pictures look worse than they do with my trusty old point and shoot.  I think that I might need to take a class.

In other news or "new-s" as I like to call it, I had to find a way to tie the two topics of my post together.  Wasn't I clever?  Ahem... in other news:

Two of our best friends are getting married this year!

Brent and Jamie got engaged over New Years weekend!

And Mallory and Josh got engaged this weekend!

Doug and I are so thrilled for both of them and are hoping that they will follow a little verse found in Genesis (1:22, to be exact) as soon as possible.