Thursday, October 31, 2019

Gil and Shannon's California Wedding

Happy Halloween! Hopefully, it’s not as rainy wherever you are as it is here. Growing up, it was always a bummer to have to cover up a costume with a rain jacket or on the rare occasion that it decided to get chilly in Alabama in October, a real jacket. Today’s post involves dressing up but in a bit of a different way since I’m sharing the photos from my brother and now sister-in-law, Shannon’s wedding day. These are the last of the wedding photos I have from this past summer, and it has been kind of nice to have a break from the wedding circuit for a bit until it gears up again in 2020. 

I shared tons of details about their wedding week and weekend in this post, but I am so excited to be sharing some of the photos from their big day. Shannon and Gil met while Gil was in law school at Stanford and ultimately decided to get married on campus there since Shannon grew up nearby. The wedding was over Labor Day weekend at 3:00 on Saturday, and a cocktail hour, seated dinner, and reception followed. 

Of all the weddings I was in this summer, y’all had the most questions about the bridesmaid dress I wore for this one. Shannon was a very laid-back bride (from what I saw, her sister may say otherwise but she was nothing but calm on the day of) and selected the color and site for us to order from and let us do the rest. Being indecisive, it didn’t take long for me to fill my cart with options to ultimately narrow it down to the style I wore, Azazie’s Lindsey dress in “dusty blue.” Sizing was a little bit tricky, and I followed the guide given but ended up having to return the A4 for the A2, which is what I ended up wearing without having to alter. The price of this dress was really affordable as bridesmaids’ dresses go, and I do feel like it’s one that I can re-wear from this summer without everyone automatically being able to pinpoint it as a bridesmaid dress. As if I haven’t raved about it enough, the style I selected has pockets! If you’re a bride looking for a classic and affordable option for your bridesmaids, I’d definitely look through Azazie’s site

I hope y’all enjoy looking through the photos their photographer, Danny Dong, took from Gil and Shannon’s wedding day! 































Bridesmaid Dress: Azazie

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Lately

With life moving at full speed ahead this past month, I feel like I’ve been a little distant when it comes to blogging. That hasn’t been purposeful but is the reality when I am working on posts semi-last minute (aka the night before they are set to go live). Once I get through writing about my week for Step Into My Week posts, I am tired all over again from thinking about all that I had going on that the “Lately” section of those posts has been non-existent for the past few months. 


I thought it might be fun to update y’all on some of the smaller things I’ve been up to/loving lately since I sometimes fail to include them in my Monday (in this week’s case, Tuesday) posts. A pulse check of sorts, which is what our professors called our grad school meetings, spent touching base on what was going on in our classrooms while teaching. 

Reading: Undercurrents by Nora Roberts
I’ve fallen out of routine when it comes to reading at night. I am going to try to prioritize getting back into the habit of this in November since it is a great way to unwind at the end of the day. I was sent the book Undercurrents a while back and have been reading it for WAY longer than it should take to get through it. It is broken up into multiple parts, and the first part felt like a complete story in itself, so I’ll be interested to see how the rest of the book connects. I’m not positive what genre I’d classify it as but will keep y’all updated on whether or not I’d recommend it.

Listening To: How I Built This
Y’all probably know I love audiobooks, but I haven’t had the time to really get into one and finish it before it is due back. Because of this, I’ve been relying on podcasts more as of late. I’m on the hunt for a good mystery/crime series but recently have been listening to select episodes of How I Built This per my dad’s suggestions and LOVE hearing about how brands I know and love came about. The nice thing about this podcast is that I don’t feel like I have to listen to each episode in order and can jump around based on my interests instead! 

Watching: Gilmore Girls
Re-watching Gilmore Girls has pretty much become a tradition for me in the fall. Having seen the series so many times, it is a comforting show to have on in the background while I’m working on other things. 

When I find something I love, I tend to wear or use it so much in a short amount of time that. I should grow tired of it but don’t. That is the case with all of the above pieces that I am already over wearing this fall. You’ve probably already seen them on me or my Instagram, and honestly, you may want to get used to it since they aren’t going anywhere any time soon. 

Looking Forward To: Halloween
Halloween completely snuck up on me this year. It feels silly saying that given that the date doesn’t change but with October passing at lightning speed, the 31st being tomorrow doesn’t feel like it should be a reality. I’m celebrating with some friends tomorrow night by eating chili together and handing out candy, and then Friday night am planning to attend a big costume party. I’m still at a loss of what to be and would love any suggestions you may have. 

Planning: To Get Ahead On Quarter 4 Blog Content This Weekend
Aside from working out, a Halloween party, and hopefully a fun girl’s night on Saturday, this weekend is going to be spent working ahead on blog posts for the coming months. There’s a lot of behind the scenes stuff I also need to accomplish, and I’m hoping to head to a favorite coffee shop at some point this weekend to begin tackling the to-do list! 

I’d love a quick synopsis of what you’ve been up to lately if you want to share that in the comments! 

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Step Into My Week 10.29

Can someone explain to me how it is already the end of October? This month flew by, and I know the rest of the year likely will as well. I knew going into October that it would be a hectic one, but I don’t think I realized just how hectic it would get. I don’t think I really let my feelings of this month’s craziness hit me until last Monday when I started to feel overwhelmed. Fortunately, yesterday ended my knowingly super busy period, and I’m hoping that November will calm down a bit and I’ll be able to focus on blogging (and finally catching up on emails, sorry if you’ve been waiting!) a little bit more than I did this previous month. 


I was in a bit of a funk on Monday, and the rain definitely didn’t help. My to-do list filled every single line of my planner, and I still felt like there was more to do. I was able to narrow down some options for the thing that was really stressing me out as well as respond to emails, complete an expense report, send invoices, resend complimentary copies, and order in products for upcoming shoots. All in all, it was a very productive day, but I was ready for the workday to end. After work, I went to a class at True40 before heading home to shower, eat dinner, and attempt to get more work done. I can proudly report that I at least got in bed at a normal hour, which made Tuesday go more smoothly.

I was in a better mood on Tuesday and was able to square away a few things that were stressing me out, which was nice. I spent most of the day finalizing details for an upcoming shoot and then writing social captions and scheduling them out. Tuesdays tend to be my most meeting-heavy days, but for whatever reason this week, I only had one. I worked outside for a little while in the afternoon since the weather was especially nice and headed back to my house after work. My friend Macy came over around 6:00, and we went for a walk and to dinner at Saw’s together after not seeing each other for a few weeks. We got back to my house after 8:00, and she left, and I continued to do a few tasks before getting in bed to read. 



I spent most of Wednesday thinking it should be Thursday, but in all honesty, it was good that it wasn’t since I still had lots to do before the week ended. I scheduled out all the social posts I had written the day before and spent my lunch break darting around to look at a couple of locations to potentially use for upcoming shoots. My afternoon was spent continuing to get through some things at the office since we were gearing up to review our binder for our January/February issue. After work, I got stuck in standstill traffic and ended up having to cancel my true40 class for the night since I wouldn’t have made it in time. I decided to take advantage of the weather and go for a run through Crestline, which ended up being a lot better than I thought despite how quickly it got dark (don’t worry, mom and dad, I was on the sidewalk). I got home and showered before making myself dinner and trying to be productive before bed. 

Thursday was overall a good and productive day, which made me feel better about getting ready to leave town over the weekend. I finished our resources for an issue, packed my car with some props needed for Monday, made returns for a stylist, and finished up two pieces of copy for The Cottage Journal’s Winter issue. I skipped working out and instead came home to do laundry so that I could pack and finished attempting to get ahead on my to-do list for the shoot planned for Monday. Nell dropped by that evening and caught up as I got stuff done, and eventually, I showered, ate dinner, and packed before going to sleep. 

I woke up at my normal time on Friday morning so I could shower and pack before heading to work. It was really rainy, so I didn’t even stop at Starbucks knowing that the later part of my day was when I would need to be more caffeinated. I got through what I needed to do at work and loaded my car with lots of props for a shoot on Monday before heading to pick up a few last things before leaving town for the weekend. My friends and I went to Baton Rouge to stay at our friend’s house for the LSU-Auburn game. I had never been to Baton Rouge and was excited to see what it was all about. Nell and our friend Mary rode with me, so I picked them up around 1:40 on Friday, and we began the drive. The weather was awful, and I was thrilled once we finally made it to Baton Rouge around 8:20. Our friend’s family set up a huge spread of gumbo, jambalaya, other soups, and desserts for us to enjoy once we arrived but even better than that was when all of their dogs came barreling inside in LSU jerseys. We stayed up for a bit talking (what you’d expect with nine girls staying together) before heading to bed.


Saturday morning, Katie woke us up to Calling Baton Rouge and the smell of a homemade breakfast. We all ate and had coffee before getting ready to head out to tailgate. We made mimosas before heading out to her family’s tailgate. It was pretty overcast all day, which made it really comfortable to be outside all day. At the tailgate, there was tons of food, and we got to meet a lot of Katie’s college friends. Katie’s sister is a Golden Girl (LSU’s dance team), so we went with her parents to watch their pre-game show before eventually heading into Death Valley. Our group was split up between seating sections, and my ticket ended up being near the band and student section behind the endzone. It ended up being a really good game and was a fun one to watch, given that I wasn’t necessarily rooting for either team. The game ended around 7:00, and we walked to get pizza afterward. Some of our group decided to go out, and the rest of us went home to hang out and talk with our feet in the hot tub before eventually going to sleep.







We got up around 7:00 on Sunday morning so that we could head back to Birmingham and have time to do things after a six-hour drive. We ended up getting back around 3:00, which was good since I still had a lot to do to prepare for the shoot the following day. After a quick errand, I finally finished and loaded everything into my car around 8:30. At that point, I showered, ate dinner, and did a few finishing touches before heading to bed a little later than usual! 


I hope y’all had a good week and weekend, and I look forward to working on new posts for y’all after feeling like that had to take the back burner the past couple of weeks! 

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Everyday Fall Dresses

What a week, and I’m confused as to how it’s only Thursday! Thankfully I have fun weekend plans that I am thoroughly looking forward to. I try to avoid using the word “busy” too much, but that is how this week has felt (and therefore long gone are the days of pre-writing posts a week in advance). Fortunately, I carved out some time to compile my favorite everyday fall dresses for y’all since I received a request to share these via Instagram. I tried to include a variety of price points and retailers, so if you come across anything you like, you can click directly on it in the image to be taken to where it can be purchased!



Tuesday, October 22, 2019

October Q&A

It seems like the time to post an updated Q&A keeps coming faster and faster. This month I had more questions than time to answer, but I’ll do my best to carry over some of the unanswered questions from this months to next month’s video. Y’all seem to really enjoy having these questions in video form, and I’m going to plan to continue doing that for you for the time being. I went ahead and included what questions I answered below so that you have a general idea before getting into watching the video.


Best fall recipes?

Thoughts on finding more sustainable clothing brands?

Ideal day off from work, what would you do?

Do you have any handbag or purse recommendations?

Any advice for working at a magazine?

How do you deal with “FOMO?”

Favorite thing to do in the fall?

Do you miss teaching? 

Tips for a first year teacher?

What planner are you using next year?

What music do you listen to while working out?

Favorite bridesmaid gift you have received? 

Favorite bachelorette activity? 

How do you handle the pressures of social drinking and set healthy boundaries?

Favorite drink from Starbucks in the fall? 

What are you doing for Halloween and do you have a costume idea? 

I hope you enjoyed the video, and please leave any and all Halloween costume idea suggestions below! 

Monday, October 21, 2019

Step Into My Week 10.21

Today feels like such a Monday. I’m a little bit stressed, and coupled with the fact that it is supposed to rain for the next couple of days, I will have to make a positive attitude a priority. This week feels like crunch time for a couple of reasons, but I’m hoping that toward the end of next week, I’ll be able to take a breather.


I have done a horrible job at keeping up with my long to-do lists as of late so that I’m able to update y’all on what I’ve been up to, so I’m going to have to do my best today. If you read last week’s Step Into My Week post, you will remember that I had to work all last weekend because of an event we were hosting. That made for a very tired Monday morning. A lot of my team wasn’t in the office, but I had tons of emails and phone calls that needed to be responded to. I had an exciting meeting in the afternoon, but aside from that, I worked through some social posts, routed copy, and finalized the resources of one of our upcoming issues as well. After work, I went to a true40 class downtown before finally heading home to shower, eat dinner, and get in bed early. 


Tuesday was similar when it came to what tasks I was aiming to accomplish but was also filled with lots of meetings, one of which lasted 3 hours. Fortunately, after lunch, I was very focused since I knew I’d be away from my desk for another meeting after that. I didn’t end up going to the Y or true40 after work and instead opted to come home due to how tired I was. 


Fortunately, I had Wednesday off, which helped to make my days feel more normal since that would’ve been my tenth day in a row working. I was able to go to true40 that morning, shower, and do some chores I had put off around the house and go to Starbucks and the library to attempt to work through some blog work I needed to get done. In the afternoon, I made cookies for bible study, went for a walk with Nell, and then went to bible study that night. I had had every intention of taking a nap during the day, but by not doing that, I fell right asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Thursday, I was helping one of our stylists with our porches and pumpkin shoot, and the temperature couldn’t have felt better for that whole day spent outside. The first house we were at had the most adorable dogs that we included in a few shots (and that we all took turns holding). The homeowner was so sweet and brought us all coffee to sip on while we worked, which felt like such a treat. We spent the rest of the day hopping to 4 other houses before we were finished and headed back to the office. After work, I had plans to play tennis with a friend, and we later went to dinner and grabbed drinks that evening. 





Friday morning, I slept in a little bit before getting dressed and ready to do some work at Starbucks before heading to the office. Looking at all of my work outfits from this week has me laughing, given that I clearly wasn’t creative, oops. I had a long to-do list once I arrived to work, and the day flew by as I planned social content, reached out to local businesses, fulfilled invoices, placed orders for upcoming shoots, and responded to emails. I left the office a little bit later than normal and ran an errand on my way home. I ate lunch and then decided to take a nap, but I don’t think I ever fully fell asleep. Around 3:30 Nell, Rebecca, and I went to a true40 class before being joined by a few friends for pizza at Davenport’s in Mountain Brook Village. We were on the fence about what we would do that night, and ultimately Nell and I ended up going to Carrigans for drinks after we had gotten cleaned up. 


Saturday morning was rainy, which ruined my plans to go for a walk and instead had me watching Gilmore Girls on the couch while multitasking on blog work before heading to a friends’ apartment to make waffles. We stayed there until about 1:00, and then I had a bunch of returns to make all around Birmingham. That took the better part of the afternoon, and I came home to shower and watch football before eating dinner and getting ready to meet friends to watch the Alabama game at Back Forty. We made it until the third quarter before we decided to head out, and I opted to watch the rest of the game from the comfort of my bed. 


Sunday was overcast in the morning, which worked out well since Nell was helping me take some blog photos. By the time I had gone to the grocery store however, the sun was out, and I was eager to spend some time outside. I decided to go for a long run and then walked while talking on the phone with my parents. I was feeling a bit stressed and kind of in a funk later on in the afternoon and attempted to manage that by deep cleaning my room, eating dinner, and getting in bed early. I’m glad I did since I know this week will end up being a busy one for me — more updates on that to come. 

I hope that your Monday is off to a good start and that you enjoyed your weekend as well. 

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