in one week...

..the husband and i will be heading down to Seacrest Beach, Florida!!

with my new position being commission only, we decided a long weekend was best so that i wasn't out of the office for an entire week getting behind on life.  so, next thursday morning we're packing up and heading down to our little rented abode on the beach.  we ended up getting a great deal.  it was so great that we pushed our vacation back a couple of weeks just so we could have the availability we wanted.   the condo is smaller, but it's just the two of us, and the best part is that it's OCEAN FRONT.  every time we've been to the gulf, we've had a little walk to the beach.  i. can't. wait.   our plan is to spend every waking moment on the beach and every other waking moment in the condo cooking up a delicious meal to be eaten on the patio overlooking the ocean.

bliss.  i may not sleep just so i can experience every single hour we're there. 

i literally will cry when it's over.  i cried last year, no lie.

 we'll, of course, hit up pineapple willly's for lunch (giant onion ring tower) and pina coladas on the pier - it's tradition. 

here are some photos from beach trips past...

the pups first time at the ocean.  it was love.  we couldn't take them down much because this was right when mia's acl started acting up.  

 my favorite part of the gulf is the clear, gorgeous water.  i'm terrified of ocean creatures, and you can see everything around you in this water.  

i'm so ready to go!  of course, monday through wednesday of next week are going to be TORTURE!  eeeeeek!

let's all welcome one to the closet

i added one to the wardrobe this week....

 

i ended up heading back over to charlotte russe because i am a shopoholic  i really need some new clothes, and this is just so inexpensive.  it fits a little loose, but it's comfortable, flattering, and really quite versatile.  i swear it's black, navy and gray.  i kind of like this slow but sure approach of picking off each of the pieces on my wishlists.  

happy fall shopping!

waiting for the chill - work wear wish list pt. 2

i work with a bunch of women, and everyone's stylish.  it's fun - we're always swapping ideas and inspiration.  i've listed some of my favorite picks from my top sites.  some of these will make their way under a blazer or two...

1.  solange knit sweater - asos
i loved the silky-chiffon sleeves on this top.  i'm a sucker for all things exaggerated this season.  i find myself picking up pieces with slighly dramatic shoulders.  i like the structure it brings to an otherwise plain outfit. 

2.  hawks by geren ford silk ruffle top - urban outfitters
i'm trying to get away from the ruffle trend, but it keeps finding me.  clearly, ruffles are not going away any time soon, so i should just embrace it without making my whole wardrobe one giant ruffle.

3.  motel erin blouse - urban outfitters
hold the phone - polka dots made the wishlist!  i really like this top with the gold buttons.  it's so feminine and fun, and polka dotted!  polka dots done right, in my opinion.

4.  horizontal ruffle top - forever 21
i'd wear this with my high-waisted skirt.

5.  oh captain, my captain top - modcloth
yes, it's kind of summery, but i don't care.  i love this.  it would be adorable.  it's out of stock on modcloth's website right now - because it's fall - but i'd love to pick it up for next spring/summer.

6.  fitted button up top - asos
i don't wear button ups because my boobs are just slightly too big for the tops to fit right everywhere else.  i wore my fitted white button up to work the other day, and as i was walking into the building, i noticed, out of the corner of my eye, this guy staring at me...i turned and looked, and he was staring, mouth hanging open...looking into my shirt through the space between the buttons that my boobs were pulling open (this was at like 8:30 in the morning, people...it's too early to be a pervert).  it's like one inch of side boob that's really not all that attractive anyway.  needless to say, the shirt was promptly safety pinned together once i made it to the office.  i feel like i could get away with going the size up on this top because the bottom has the cute pleat detail that can always be belted to look more structured...

7.  at the vanity top - modcloth
pretty.  feminine.  i want.

8.  cowl neck ruffle top - asos
i like this because it would look great under a blazer and great when i strip my blazer off at 3pm because my office is 85 degrees.  this is finding it's way into my closet this year.


pretty!

spontaneous!

in case you haven't somehow already realized, i'm not spontaneous.  i'm a planner. but when girlfriends call, you show up.  one of  my very best friends in the whole wide world is turning the big 3-0 this sunday, and while planning was a bit poor - and i already had plans of my own - i excitedly ditched my plans to celebrate another big birthday with my girls...

we go way back...let me introduce you to us nine years ago in our first apartment together - this was the first week, and we were ready to paint the town

 

or at the hunch punch party at the white apartments...

                                                     

 or late night shopping...

                                  

we celebrated big for kim's 21st.  somehow she ended up driving me and morgan around on her brush guard all night - my life definitely flashed before my eyes as i was sliding down the hood and off the front of the car..

  

morgan and kim after we made it safely home...

then there was my 21st (morgan, where are photos of yours?  i don't even remember it).  it fell on a lame day like tuesday when nothing was going on, and they still managed to show me a good time...

 

my first legit arm band!

giraffe bag!

so, you understand why spontaneity was necessary when given the option to celebrate kim's 30th or stay home... this weekend i'll be fifth wheel in st. simon's island with my two girls and their husbands (my poor husband could not get out of the prior commitment because he happens to be the chef).

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY, KIM!!!  

can't wait to ring in the big 3-0!!!

                                       

waiting for the chill - work wear wish list

i've said before my job requires me to wear a suit, or something like it, every day.  i don't wear matching suits because i actually don't have one.  i mix and match and that's probably pretty terrible, but it's how i roll. 

anyway, if you walk into my office without a blazer monday - thursday, you might get a weird look from the boss lady.  i tend to stock up on blazers when i see one i like, and naturally, i'm attracted to all the super fun pieces...

1.  shrunken plaid blazer - charlotte russe
2.  white wool pleated skirt blazer - asos
3.  rounded hem blazer- charlotte russe
4.  black pearl shoulder waterfall jacket - asos
5.  trumph washed leather asymmetrical jacket - asos
6.  africa biker jacket - asos

in case you haven't noticed, asos is rocking my socks off lately.  i want every other thing on their website.  i will say, i had luck with a dress this spring.  i did purchase one before that i sent back, and i do not recommend that - i think you can easily get all your money back on ebay without having to pay the shipping and wait for the return to finally get to london (just some helpful tips).  i've also tried on both charlotte russe blazers.  they are VERY cute and a great fit.  they each run about $34, which is obviously a very inexpensive way to spruce up the wardrobe and keep the urge to buy at bay (spoken like a true shopoholic, yes).  i did not purchase them because i'm trying hold off on spending before vacation - no worries, they will both end up on hangers in my closet at some point.  :) 

happy shopping!!

waiting for the chill

i've got so many fall/winter favorites on wishlists scattered all over the internet.  in order to keep the post from being ridiculously long, i've divided it up into categories.

today i'm talking outerwear

1.  vila faux shearling biker jacket - asos
2.  exaggerated shoulder leather jacket - asos
3.  alto sax jacket - modcloth
4.  little on the ruffle side jacket - modcloth
5.  wrap you up in my coat - modcloth

i'm loving the big collars, drapey fabric, relaxed yet put together style.  every year i say i'm going to keep it simple, but i can't help but teeter close to loving something on the worst dressed list!  i'm a sucker for colors and vibrant prints all year long, but this season i'm really gravitating toward the neutral but eye catching pieces.  also, jacket 4 will end up in my closet this fall.  it's one of those perfect day-to-night pieces. 

also DYING for jackets 1 & 2.  like...bad.  commissions, please!

addition by subtraction

notice the fun little tabs....

i changed some things around once i discovered how to do this.  fun!  my blog list is under a tab, and while i like it there, i'm kind of sad i won't be seeing the updates.  i guess it's time to crack open my google reader again.   you'll notice my twitter tab is there (follow me) and my book club tab.  i left comments open on the book club tab in hopes you all will drop off your recommendations all the time and not only when i do book posts! 

needless to say, little work has been done today.  typical friday.

happy weekend, all!

hoping something sticks...& congratulations!

• i've been itching to get a new header up. i kind of like it - for now at least.
• i need to figure out a way to train my body to need less sleep. i've gone to bed early every night this week, and i swear i'm more tired than i was monday. i know it's because i'm getting too much, but i love it sooooo much!
• because of my new love affair with my bed, i haven't been to the gym in over a week. bad bad bad. the beach is two weeks away.
• congratulations to L+L at The Quick + Dirty Dirty Blog! they won Best Local Blog in Creative Loafing! they also won Best Local Bloggers and LK was runner up for Best Local Actress! Congrats, guys! you've made it....and i'm officially kind of jealous but i get all my restaurant picks from you guys. :)
  
• this weekend is fall cleaning at my casa. like - i'm moving furniture, throwing things away - no mercy on this place. craigslist won't know what hit it.
• i've been working on a "fashion" post for dayzzzzzz! literally, it's taking me forever. i want/need everything!!! no tiiiiiime!! no moneyyyyyy!!!! i'll have to warn you guys, it's mostly work wear. why can't i be cool enough to have companies & designers send me free clothes? i was thinking about all these celebrities and their free clothes the other day - they don't spend their money on the clothes. the clothes are GIFTED. barf. if anyone can buy the clothes, it's THEM! gift me the fabulous dresssssss!
  
• i'm lunching with Laughing Lolly and her sweet monkey muffin, Aaron this Sunday. soooooooooooo happppppy!!!
• i'm kind of whiney today. beware.
  

explanation

drunken debauchery > relaxing weekend

(when will relaxing weekend win over drunken debauchery? when i'm 50?)

i had this past weekend all planned out. husband was going to give smoking a boston butt (like in a smoker) another go, and i was going to nap, do laundry, clean and BLOG. IT. OUT. i ran out to run a few errands saturday morning. bright eyed and bushy tailed, i bumped into some friends at the grocery store. before i even thought about my daily chores, i'd invited our friends over for moral support for the husband's smoking adventure and the georgia game.

hello? it's not like they're coming over for an hour...it's an all day deal, so we're having a good time. watching georgia lose, snacking on yummies and drinking. drinking a lot.

sports make me drink. i have no interest in them, but i'm competitive. so, if i'm forced to watch the home team, they damn well better be winning. as it turns out, georgia hasn't been winning, and that didn't change this weekend. so, i drank. and i drank some more because from the looks of it, we all were.

wrong.
apparently no one was drinking as much as i was. i noticed the bottles of wine disappearing, but i'm working on a cork board, so really, the quicker we roll these out, the better. before i know it, we're planning our camping trip to the perry, georgia fair for the miranda lambert concert (pop ups will be involved, and there's a blog post that goes with it, but i'll have to find it). i'm yelling and cheering (for what or who, i have no idea) and basically being beligerent. after i scare everyone away, the debauchery continues until i pass out on the couch. the husband told me i fought him about getting up for bed but eventually decided it was better than the couch.

i am an idiot because i picked saturday, the day before i had a family function to attend, to get rip-roaring drunk off my ass.

six am sunday morning came quickly and painfully. dry heaving makes me feel immature and irresponsible, but i did it anyway. the husband came to my rescue with a giant sprite and a greasy mcdonalds breakfast (can i express how much i love him? before he even showers for the morning, he's headed out to score his wife hangover food. priceless). i downed my biscuit while i dried my hair because something had to settle my stomach. the husband drove the two hours to family church where the service lasted TWO HOURS and the sanctuary was no less than 80 degrees. holy..... so, after suffering through that, i ate a whole plate of bbq, two bags of chips and a giant piece of caramel cake. i felt pretty good after that.

needless to say, monday sucked. i was ultra stabby and not in the mood for life in general. today's much better. this weekend will play out like my original plan for last weekend. i've learned my lesson.

sorry it took me until tuesday to give you the deets. normal blogging to resume soon.

the start of year five...

the husband and i had a fabulous anniversary. thank you for all of your comments!

i spent all morning writing up a post about how terrible our dinner was at bentley's on the square in our little town. i don't need to rehash the ridiculousness, so just know it was terrible. people who are not smart own the place, and there were several red flags that i totally ignored when making our reservation.

what did i learn? that the husband and i can still have a blast even when we're sitting in the middle of suck. we will also take over the world one day because we completely reworked their whole business, chatted about life, told each other how lucky we felt, and got a buzz all in one hour.

the rest is history, of course.

so, now we've just decided we're going to take an awesome trip for our anniversary next year and forget the special dinner. eff it.

a celebration

today is four years of marriage for me and the husband!

my lover is mine and i am his - song of solomon 2:16

happy anniversary, husband!!

some things are just scary

for me - it's the jeggings trend.



really, we can add the whole leggings trend in with it.

i ask myself every time i mull over purchasing my first pair of leggings - "what's the big deal? EVERYONE wears them!"

here's the thing. i consider myself knowledgeable about fashion and trends and all that girly fun. i follow many. but i will NOT wear something just because it's splashed all over every fashion magazine on the stand. it's okay to not buy into every single trend that's out there - and that's my justification. i do, however, fear that i could easily go the way of "set in my ways" and be one of those self-proclaimed fashionistas sporting a fashion faux pas equivalent to rocking poofy permed bangs.

but...but...but...

i still want a pair of jeggings. let's face it, skinny jeans are amazing - the whole fitting in my boot without giving me poofy knee is priceless. jeggings can do this for me.

i definitely tried on a pair at target and promptly ripped them off, inside out, throwing them over the stall, fah-reaking out about how terribly unflattering they were on me. my thighs. my thiiiiiighs....are too big. too dimply. too celulite-y. too short. too bulbous. just too damn gross in them. it's upsetting.

damnit.

look at all these lovelies in jeggings ::


i personally love beyonce's look and would under normal circumstances compare our thighs (of course, on me take away all the defined muscle and throw in a dimple or two). she must be wearing some super special, expensive jeggings. they are fab. i'm not feeling fergie's pair or rihanna's (at all), but the rest are fun and not terribly scary - until i put them on.

who's rocking this trend right now? who can say "i live in my leggings/jeggings?" seriously. i want to know. and if you weigh under 120 lbs, no explanation is needed.

to infinity and beyond? sounds like fun, anyway...

image via

• the knick-knack shop guy stopped me today and asked me if i'd slimmed down a little. why yes, yes i've been trying, knick-knack shop guy! made my day...just as i was returning from purchasing a chick-fil-a ice dream.
  

• i know i write a lot about getting focused, but damnit, it needs to happen. focus!focus!focus!!!

• i've been living under a rock and didn't realize that CT scans cost a lot of money out of pocket. the husband's several are costing us over $500 after the deductible. a slightly larger bill that we didn't really anticipate. whoops. next time, i say deal with the pain. kiddinggggggg.

• i've got a slight inkling of baby fever. shit. don't tell anyone in my family because it's not happening.

• my hair is what i would consider long right now. it's actually long and thick, which never happens. i've decided, without the whole therapy session with my stylist, that i'm growing it out. i kind of like my "whatever" approach.

• i've got a great modcloth wishlist i plan to share with you guys. this week, i promise.

• for those of you who commented on my last post about work - yeah, my job is hard. takes a lot of self discipline (which i have none right now), but i don't look at it that way. it's kind of fun to be in charge of your earnings - but i guess i'll only look at it with such a positive attitude for so long before going broke, right?
  

• i'm just a little past half way done with Dragonfly in Amber, second in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. um...........in love. innnnnlooooooooove with jamie. more in love with him than i was in love with edward. seriously, all your twilight lovers, pick it up!

• did you guys watch the finale of trueblood? i haven't posted for a couple of days because i didn't want to spoil it - eric? all scruffy from the cement? i die. so hot. actually really excited about HBO's new series, boardwalk empire starting sunday. makes the departure of trueblood not so terrible, i guess.
  

• HiS and I have decided that the haute initiative just can't make it right now. sorry for throwing it out there and totally not following through. between the two of us, we have waaaay too much going on to blog on our individual blogs, plus blog on a shared blog. not happening. sorry. maybe one day. at least i can focus on making junk bigger and better, which will be fun once i find time for that.
  

superstitious

every. single. time. i say that things are going good at work, a deal falls through.

never again.

i have never considered myself a superstitious person until now. remember last time i was having a rough day, and i said "i think my candidate's gonna get the job"? well, she didn't. despite telling her she was "perfect for the position" they went with another choice and didn't even include my candidate in the top two! then yesterday, i blogged and said things were going good with work - i was referring to my client who is interviewing like crazy (which hasn't fallen apart - yet), and my candidate who rocked her interview so much so that my boss said "i think she's the ringer.".....they offered the job to the candidate who interviewed at 5 and blew the minds of everyone involved.

eff this noise.

i was venting to my co-worker this morning, and she responded with "it happens all the time. get used to it." well, i know it happens all the time, and i know you become heinous when it does - can we please let me wallow without your standard veteran remark of "welcome to recruiting!!!"

manicure please. going to get one at lunch.

mini update

it's taking me a little longer than usual to get myself back together after the long weekend. i'm so focused on focusing that i'm not getting anything done - if that makes any sense at all. i guess i should say nothing's getting done on the blog, that's for sure. the good news is this month is shaping up to be a good one so far - work-wise and personally! yay!

the gray boots came, and here they are. at first, i didn't love them, but after thinking about it, they'll look great this winter over my skinny jeans or tights! plus, they were a steal with my rewards coupon - it'd be a shame to waste it!

you love my granny night gown, right?

weight watchers has just kind of gone by the wayside, unfortunately. i gained after bluffton, maintained last week, and it seems i'm destined to gain more this week. oh well - there's always next week.

the husband and i are going to celebrate our four year anniversary next week. that's a long time in married years.

and that's it for now. i've got a few things up my sleeve, but i just need to find the time to get it down!

happy wednesday!

Happy Labor Day!

Here's hoping!

ruff ruff

Happy Gameday!!

GO DAWGS!!!

get me out of here

only because today's a half day, and homegoods is calling my name before traffic gets terrible.

i could stay in downtown all day and report back the fun-ness that is happening here. DragonCon is in full swing, and they DON'T mess around.

last night, the husband and i went to the braves game.
i ate at meehan's with my girlfriend for lunch, so i was trying to not completely blow my diet by getting a chargrilled salad from chick-fil-a. i ended up having to give up on the gross salad about two bites in, and moved on to the wine hubby brought. two small glasses while tailgating turned into a bacardi and diet coke once inside the stadium, that then turned into a giant piece of cheese pizza, then another glass of wine.

i'm hungover today.

and i feel kind of gross. naturally.

when we got home, our high maintenance dogs were all over us to play. i headed straight for bed only to wake up at 3 am to mia, little pig dog, howling in the back yard. waking up and actually getting out of bed is the worst thing in the middle of the night. i swear, it takes me forever to get back to sleep - so when my alarm went off at 5:45, I reset it for six, then snoozed until 6:20. as i was peeling myself out of bed, mia vomited all over the bed, in the sheets, on the floor - narrowly missing my phone and me. m#*th$%eff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i'm hungover! tired! hungover! zitty! hungover! headache! and now cleaning up vomit - laced with loropetalum leaves. YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. oh, and cleaning my carpet - with the effing little green. (no, she's not sick. she's hungry because she's on a diet, so she eats POOP and leaves and throws it up 100% of the time she eats it. can we say stubborn?)

why do dogs love to eat this?

this catpults me into a rage - very unbecoming - the husband had already left for work, and i'm screaming profanities at the top of my lungs.

i needed breakfast.

coffee made my tummy hurt.

mia's vomit made me dry heave.

truthfully, the best part about today has been driving into downtown to the people attending DragonCon. ..and my breakfast of veggie eggs, sausage, tater tots, grits and mr. pibb from cafe moma. deeeeelish.

happy friday, folks. let's all have a good long weekend!

may the force be with you.

bullets

• my road rage has been out of control. did the long, relaxing weekend help? no. it didn't. this morning i nearly lost my shit when i was almost rear-ended by some suburbanite soccer mom on her way to the gym. i was on the phone with the husband and heard loud screeching tires behind me. i braced myself while the husband continued his conversation about how annoyed he is with his golf pro, but i promptly rolled into full on hissy fit about how stupid everyone in our town is. yes, i stereotype everyone in one large ball of stupid.

• i try to be pleasant, i really do.

• i ordered these boots from DSW. i think they are fabulous, and i got them super on sale because they were running a special online, and i had a $20 off rewards card that had to be redeemed by the 31st. joy.
  

• i've been slow on the marketing train, but at least i'm doing something. the boss lady is out of town for the rest of the week, and she's given us a half day on friday - i just need to make something happen before the weekend.

• this weekend is dragon con in atlanta. if you work in downtown and get to experience dragon con in all it's glory, you know how fabulous this bullet is. literally, i can't wait. tomorrow, my co-worker and i will wander around and get some pictures. i really wish dragon con was as cool as comic con, and attracted such guests like the cast of trueblood.
  

this happens. this. is. fabulous.

• the husband and i are dorks and really don't have big plans for the holiday weekend. i'm going to take the opportunity to start our fall landscaping and maybe pull together plans for various home improvement projects. the weather is supposed to be fabulous. it's already very fall like outside.
  

• i've counted three pimples. three. all at the same time. get ready, queen helene!

• i gained half of the weight i lost this past weekend. i knew it was going to happen, and i wasn't putting pressure on myself to stick to weight watchers while i booze it up with girlfriends (weight watchers is not made for those who like to booze). i have to say i was a little stressed to have gained HALF of it back, but i guess i haven't lost that much to begin with. this week has been harder than ever to stick to it, and i haven't been to the gym yet. i guess sometimes you just have a bad week.