Black Velvet

Meet my current favorite dress, this lovely black long-sleeved number! It is as warm as can be & can be paired with just about anything.  I wore it with red tights and gold oxfords on Christmas, but didn't get any pictures because I was busy working in the morning & going from house to house the whole day! Alas, the dress is perfect for such occasions or simply going to Tropical Smoothie, as Shelby & I did last week.

I want to thank you all for your warm regards to my engagement post & all of your well wishes!  It is truly the most exciting time in our lives and while most people in our lives are extremely supportive, there have been a few challenges in sharing the news that has ultimately lead to unforeseen circumstances.  I don't want to go into much detail, because really, when the news went public, we were completely flooded with friends and family who were so overjoyed & were practically waiting everyday for us to make an engagement announcement.   Nothing & no one can bring us down, and tough situations like these are what bring Patrick and I together even closer.  We know that no matter what the situation, when life gets tough, we have each other to rely on. I'm naturally a worrier, but when doubts about school, work, money, and the future arise, I just step back and realize that I have Patrick, and it is the most comforting feeling in the entire world.


In more positive news, I've set a date to look at wedding dresses... the weekend of March 12! My mom, my stepmom, and my best friend (hopefully!) are going to Baltimore for a trunk show of a designer I absolutely adore & have had my eye on for a while, but of course I'm not going to reveal on here until after my big day! I will say, though, that Pat has seen the one particular dress I want. We are nontraditional like that! I searched forever for a vintage dress, but ultimately had no luck & I really didn't want to buy online. Bummer but I've already planned out engagement photos & I'm going to be wearing one of my favorite vintage dresses for that!

I promise, no more wedding blabbing from this point on, except for mentioning the big stuff perhaps! I'm going to try to start up the wedding blog tonight, for those of you interested! I will tweet the link & post it next time I do a blog post!

*photos by Shelby Ballou!

Winter Wonderland

I'm back! Did you miss me? This morning, as of 9:24 am, I finished all of my exams! These past couple of weeks I've been balancing work and exam studying, and I feel like I haven't had ANY time to really get in the Christmas spirit.  As I was driving to my exam this morning, I noticed a few snowflakes which quickly multiplied. By the time I was finished with my exam, I noticed a dusting of snow! So pretty and the perfect solution to get me in the mood for Christmas! Weather in Virginia Beach is known for being extremely strange.  We were in the 60s yesterday and today we have snow! I remember a few years ago, I wore shorts and a tshirt on Christmas. I will be having none of that this year!

entire outfit thrifted, DKNY tights

I honestly don't know what to do with myself over break! I'm working but will still have a lot of free time. I think I'm going to try to organize the room where I keep my clothes for the shop (it's a mess!) and try to see some friends that are home! I'm also getting a new car tomorrow, so I will be spending the day at the DMV.  Patrick and I are really tight on money so we are doing lots of baking for gifts this year!

Do you like Patrick's "It's snowing!" face?! And now.. some fun action shots! Enjoy your day, loves!

Bright & Warm

Boy, it's been a while! Sorry for the short absence, I've had quite a few things on my plate these past couple weeks! I found Patrick the perfect Christmas present, but I really had to do some hunting! I'm SO incredibly impatient when it comes to giving gifts; I kept BEGGING Patrick to let me give him his gift early but he refuses so we made a compromise and I let him touch it & gave him a hint! I'll continue with the begging, though, I'm not good at surprises.

We also saw Horse Feathers earlier in the week at an amazing venue, The Southern in Charlottesville.  My favorite venues are always the small, intimate ones.  We were 10 feet away from the band before the show- they were hanging out at the bar and we were sitting at a table (the venue is half bar/restaurant, half venue, but separated.. if that makes sense).  Saturday night we made another mini road trip to Richmond to see Joanna Newsom at the National.  We saw Joanna headline in Seattle with Robin Pecknold as the opening act, but the venue was so incredibly hot, and we had seats on the VERY LAST ROW (that's what happens when you let your boyfriend be in charge of tickets!) so we really couldn't enjoy her too much.  Luckily, for this show, we were lucky enough to be in the 2nd row, front and center! It was incredible and we met some really great guys who were also from Hampton Roads, and we all attend pretty much the same concerts! It's pretty rare Pat and I find people with the same music taste as us, so that was definitely a highlight of the night.

 American Apparel cardigan, Tulip dress c/o Tulle, light pink Microfiber Tights c/o We Love Colors, belt from thrifted dress

The semester is coming to an end quickly and I've been in a bit of a fashion rut.  I find myself in jeans or leggings and an oversized cardigan most days, comfort seems to take control when exams, papers, and projects near due dates!  Luckily, Tulle saved the day and sent me this wonderful floral dress.  At first, I was a little hesitant about ordering such a bright dress in the end of fall, but I figured that I needed a little more color in my life, plus I've been looking for a light printed dress to match these tights! (Can I just say that from the second I put these tights on, they easily became one of my favorites.. so comfortable, warm, and sturdy!)  I can already tell the dress will become a staple because I wore it three times last week.. that's probably breaking every fashion law there is but rules are no fun anyways!


My binders and books appear to be frowning at me right now so I suppose I ought to get back to writing this paper.  Have a wonderful week, and since I probably won't be around until then, have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I'm thankful for so many things in my life right now.. perhaps I will do a Thanksgiving post on that.  Also, since I'm only posting about once a week or every other week, you can also follow me on Twitter or ask me any burning questions on Formspring!

I had to include that picture of Patrick, it's pretty rare I get a genuine smiling picture from him because his first response in front of the camera is to either make the weirdest face possible or pretend to be a U.O. model!

Human

Last week was rough for me. I honestly had a little bit of a meltdown. All that's been on my mind lately is graduate school, even though I don't even apply for another year, but every move I make right now will affect if I get into grad school or not.  Since I transferred to ODU from a community college with a degree, my GPA starts over at a 0 meaning I have to work super hard to get my GPA where I need it.  Grad school is competitive enough as it it, but with my major, only about 20 students are accepted to each school with over 100 applicants. If you don't have a certain GPA, forget about it.



 coat via Buffalo Exchange in Seattle, vintage pocket watch necklace, dress Style&Co, Hue tights, Steve Madden boots
I got back my scores from my midterms and in all honesty, I should have been elated. I aced all of them, except for one. Audiology. The subject itself is very, very interesting, and I love learning the science the anatomy of the hear and how sound travels through the ear and how we test hearing. It directly relates to my brother (who is deaf and has a cochlear implant) and I actually completely understand the material.  However, I was warned about the teacher's testing style but didn't think much of it.  The wording was awful and it was like he was trying to throw you off. There was material on the test that many of us didn't think he even went over. And I got a C+. And I cried. Yes, I kid you not, I cried because I felt like this C+ would keep me from getting into graduate school and I obviously couldn't keep up with the material and maybe I should just quit now.



It's times like those that I think about how incredibly lucky I am to have Patrick. He is there to tell me not to be so hard on myself, to believe in myself, and to tell me that I have what it takes and corrects my wording from "if I get into grad school" to "WHEN you get into grad school."  When I get stressed out about my future, I am comforted by knowing that no matter what happens school or career-wise, I will have the most loving, compassionate man by my side. There is no better feeling in the world.

Warm

I've been really loving the warm colors we are finally getting for fall.. although the temperatures have still been pretty warm.. it was almost 80 this weekend! I didn't get to enjoy much of it, though, I was working, studying, and my brother was sent to the hospital this weekend, where he will be for a while.

vintage blouse, thrifted j. skirt, seychelles shoes

I feel like my life is in a whirlwind lately and I can't catch up. I have two midterms tomorrow and I've been working (too much) in a new store, which is taking some adjusting.  I also feel like I haven't been getting in enough quality time with Patrick and I'm just desperate for an entire day off of school and work to be with him, but I have to wait another week and a half for that!


I'm going to keep it sweet and simple today! Back to making my phonological processes flashcards! Have a wonderful rest of your week!

Roses are red.. and so is my hair!

Well, I told you guys on my last post that I finally took the plunge and went completely red.. and voila! At first I was in a little shock, but I still really liked the color.  Going from dark brown to red is a big change.  As a teen, I would always tell my stylist "NO RED!" because my hair naturally has red tones & pulls red really easily when doing color.  Everyday, I love my hair more and more and more. It's definitely growing on me and this color will be around for a good long while, until either I get too lazy or too poor to keep up with the roots. But, hey, ombre is in now, right?





kaang headband, H&M dress & jacket, Target tights, Michelle D flats
I took my new hair for a night out on the town with an amazing friend of mine (who I actually met through blogging!).. Emily Keen from The Daily Fashionista! She is such a down-to-earth girl with only the best intentions, which is hard to find in a friend these days. Patrick and I met up at Emily and her husband Zach's place, and we all chatted for a while and then headed down to their "secret park" to take a few outfit pictures.. because what would a blogger meet-up/double date be without one! (NOTE TO EMILY: Do we call these blogger-meet ups still? What is the hanging out ratio where it's just friends hanging out and not a blogger meet up?! I need to know the rules on these things!)


It's pretty obvious Emily & I aren't used to doing outfit photos with another person. So.. we "casually" started picking leaves off the tree, giving thumbs up, etc. Just the usual.
After outfit pictures, we all walked down to the Azars, an AMAZING mediterranean restaurant that I've heard a ton about. I had lamb and salmon skewers and Patrick had a lamb burger, and we had spanokopita as our appetizer! Of course, I had to have baklava for dessert, because we all know that's the most important part of the meal.

We saw "Never Let Me Go" at the Naro, which is our local historical movie theater. Patrick and I have actually never been, as we don't venture into Norfolk as often as we should.  School doesn't count, either!  I've actually never been to a movie theater where they have actual curtains that are rolled back, and the Naro ONLY plays movies on real film reels! Isn't that neat? The movie was beautiful and spectacular and thought-provoking, and Carey Mulligan and Keira Knightly both looked amazing, per usual.

Emily and Zach, we had a great time with you guys! You are both wonderful people and maybe we will be neighbors soon! :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I'm off to study for midterms and I'm working a ton this week so things may be a little quiet over here for the next week or two but alas I will try my best to keep up!

Autumn, you are so taunting

This weekend was my fall break and it was MUCH needed. I had two full days off of work & school which NEVER happens.  The name "fall break" for this area is pretty deceiving, though.  Shelby and I met up for pictures and it was 94 degrees outside... in the middle of October! Luckily today it's in the low 70s so I'm at least able to wear a light cardigan, but I'm completely ready to be bundled up in scarves and sweaters and tights. I've had enough of this sweating stuff! I was so happy to see Shelby, though. She is one of my few close girlfriends & we had so much fun taking these pictures, playing with the lighting, and avoiding creepers.

thrifted dress, silk scarf from another thrifted dress, J Shoes

Lately I've been really paying attention to the colors in my closet. I really want more diversity, and hopefully I'm on the way. There are so many different color pallettes I've been drawn to.. peaches and navy blues and emerald greens.. it will be interesting to mix and match these as the weather gets cooler (if it ever really does get cooler.. we are actually at a record high right now).

I also made a major color change to my hair so this will be the last you see of me with dark brown hair for a while! I can't wait to take pictures! I probably won't have some up until the weekend or early next week, but hang tight! So far I've had a positive response.. unless people are just being nice ;)




photos by Shelby Ballou