Wedding Blog & Giveaway Winner!

First of all, I'm proud to announce my new wedding blog, The Rustic Bride! I'm going to be posting my inspiration, rants, reviews, and random thoughts on all things wedding! Feel free to follow if you are into that kinda thing.

Image via One Love Photo

Next, we have the giveaway winner from the $100 Shopbop Giveaway! Congrats to Lisa from Confessions of a Call Center Gal! Lisa was chosen from Random.org.  Thanks to everyone who entered!

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!

Apple of my eye, acorn of my tree

Yesterday, I had the best day of my life.  Patrick and I decided to meet up for a breakfast date at our favorite place, somewhere we've been going since we were in high school- Beckett's.  He showed up to pick me up with the most beautiful flowers!


While we had the camera out, I had to show off my new Frye boots Patrick got my for Christmas. Am I the luckiest girl ever, or what??

We enjoyed our favorite, eggs benedict, and let me tell you.. it was the best eggs benedict I've ever had.


After breakfast, it was POURING rain! We put on some good tunes and headed out. Patrick told me he was taking me to a secret location and I was blindfolded! I've never been blindfolded before and it was a little nerve-wrecking, considering I'm a control freak. It was funny though, I knew exactly what part of Norfolk we were in (on the interstate, there are these bumps on a particular exit, and I take that exit everyday to school), but had no idea where he could be taking me.

Once we were parked, he led me out of the car into the "secret location." He said he was looking for the perfect spot in the "secret location" and finally took the blindfold off. When I opened my eyes, we were in a little cozy bookstore that I had never been to! He then gave the most beautiful speech, and reached out for a book on the bookshelf.  He had created a book, entirely from scratch (yes, including the binding).. "The ABC's of PBJ." For those of you who don't know, our cutesy couples nickname is PBJ (Patrick and Brittany Jerome) after discovering on "The Office" Pam Beasely and Jim had the same nickname.  The book was a collection of poems, alliterating each letter, a-z, incorporating inside jokes, memories, and the most heartfelt words I've ever read in my life. By this point, I was crying so hard that the words were blurring and I just saw the outline of Patrick on one knee, holding out a ring. I lost it and once he said those magical words, it took me a minute to compose myself enough to say yes!


 After we were officially an engaged couple, we couldn't contain the excitement and were eager to share the news with family.  Luckily, my dad's entire side of the family was gathering that night for a late Christmas celebration.  It warmed my heart to see everyone so happy for us.

I should probably explain one thing. The engagement wasn't really a huge surprise, although the way he proposed certainly was! In fact.. back in April, I picked out my ring! Remember this post? That's the day I found it! It was at my favorite vintage shop and I knew from the second I saw it that it was my ring. We had been talking marriage for a couple of months so naturally I decided to see what was on the market. The ring never even needed resizing! It's circa 1930s sapphire with diamonds on the side.


Oh yeah, and did I mention that we've already began planning.. as in several months ago? Thus, why things have been so quiet on the blog! I am so pleased to say that we will be getting married November 5, 2011! We have our photographer, videographer, officiant, and I *think* I've found my dress! I'm so excited to share all of this with you, and if you read this entire post.. kudos! I will be sharing this journey with you guys and I've been toying with the idea of starting a little wedding blog to post my inspiration.. perhaps a Tumblr? Let me know what you think!

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!

Christmas Wishlist

I've seen a couple of wish lists out in the blogosphere & thought it was an appropriate time to create my own! (Appropriate time meaning I'm supposed to be writing an essay.) Some of the items are a bit more realistic than others.. in my mind at least. Anything's possible though, right family & friends!? Wink, wink...

wishlist by finderskeepersblog featuring a gray dress

1. Canon 5D Mark II- My dream camera. The video capability is incredible and all of my favorite local photographers & friends seem to use this camera with dreamy results.  My first purchase once I'm done with college and land a "real" job, I'm buying one of these babies.
2. Tickets. Plane tickets to the Washington coast? Sure! Fleet Foxes concert, front row and center? Lovely! I love tickets of all sorts.
3. Hunter boots. I've been aching for a pair and I've completely fallen head over heels for this salmon-colored pair. I'm also partial to the red, but I think the salmon would go with my wardrobe money.  If I don't get a pair for Christmas I might have to splurge myself!
4. Pretty velvet part dress. So pretty for ice skating, an activity Patrick and I do a lot in the winter! My 21st birthday is also around the corner so this dress would be perfect for a dinner date. I have a vintage black velvet dress I thrifted a while ago, but it doesn't compare to this silver one!
5. Ladylike gloves. I particularly love the little bows on this pair and the robin's egg blue color. I have a great pair of tan leather fur-lined 1950s gloves, but this pair would be great for a pop of color!
6. Prints. I can't get enough of prints right now! Printed dresses, printed tops, printed skirts, printed tights.  I'm into mixing and matching for interesting combinations.  I love the muted tones of this dress from Toast, it's very neutral and would be perfect paired with just about anything.
7. A boston terrier.  Sigh. If I had to pick one thing out of my wish list, I would want a boston terrier puppy more than ANYTHING! Patrick and I talk about our future boston all the time.  He/she even has a name already! I can't wait to be a mommy to one of these precious dogs.
8. Frye boots.  I've wanted a pair of these for a while.  They are so timeless, classic, and chic and only get better with age! I wish I could afford more quality items that I will have forever, but that will come with time I suppose & that's why vintage is so great! I would want dark brown, it goes with just about everything & will age well!
9. A designer bag. Chloe bags have my heart! They are so feminine and sturdy. This one would never leave my side!
10. Macbook. This will become a necessity sooner or later. Once we move out, we won't have a single computer! Well, Patrick has an old desktop and I have a laptop that crashes, but we will need a reliable one.  Macbook is the perfect solution.. I've wanted one since I was a sophomore in high school!

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.

First ever couples costume!

Happy belated Halloween! I didn't realize until a few nights ago that I had Sunday night off, and Patrick and I decided last minute we wanted to dress up this year.. a first for us! Usually I work on Halloween, and it's not really my favorite holiday anyways so I don't mind too much.  We waited and waited and finally, yesterday afternoon, we realized we didn't have costumes so we went thrifted but found nothing! So we came up with the idea of Lumberjane & a tree! So, so corny, yet we didn't spend a dime! I'm just wearing all of Patrick's clothes & he's wearing...  a cardboard box!

We had a really relaxing evening, we sat around a bonfire in front of his house with his family until an awkward neighbor joined so we went to trick-or-treating with Patrick's little brother for a while and the funniest thing in the world happened.. this little girl came up to Patrick, stared at him for a minute, and says, "What are you? Cornhole?" I lost it and started crying from laughing so hard.. and thus, Patrick has earned a new nickname!

Afterward we went to his grandparent's house. They are two of my favorite people in the entire world.. so, so, so sweet.  Patrick's grandmother is SUCH a doll! She acts like she's still in the 50s.. just so, so polite and sweet and always saying the cutest things! They just celebrated their 53rd anniversary and went to the Bahamas, which is where they went for their honeymoon! They took pictures of all the grandkids on the cruise (I think there are 12 or 13?) and for Patrick's picture they made sure to bring one with both of us in it.. they just always make me feel so welcome into the family! I hope Patrick and I are as cute as they are after 53 years together!

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!