[OOTD] I'm Not a "Dress Pants" Kind of Girl

I've recently come to a realization that I've probably actually known for awhile: I'm not a dress pants girl. It's so strange - I have always striven for a variety in my wardrobe - some jeans, some tops, some dresses, skirts, and dress pants, a smattering of shorts, and some workout/sleep attire. I own some of all of these, but what I've noticed is that I hardly ever wear dress pants.

Top: the Limited (Dec 2012)
Skirt: Express (old)
Shoes: Candies via Kohl's (summer 2012)

Is it possible? Can you be a person who just "doesn't wear" a certain type of clothing? I've never thought of myself that way but it appears I am! The problem lies in the fact that I have yet to find a single pair of dress pants that make me look and feel great. I have some that are ok, some that are good, and many that are downright bad, but none that I would want to be wearing when I run into an ex. So I just don't wear them. And I've stopped buying them. And I'm contemplating just getting rid of last few pairs I still own. It feels weird, like cutting out a whole food group or something, but I don't see any reason to keep them.

Are there any items of clothing you feel this way about? Is this more common than I thought?

This picture made me laugh because I look like I'm sticking the girls out, but it showed the cute button up side!

[Life] Yah Mon!

I know I've been whining and babbling about being busy and all that...but part of the busy was taking a timeout. Over Memorial Day, the husband and I spent 5 glorious days at the Grand Palladium Resort in Jamaica. And glorious they were...(warning: pic heavy on this one!!)

On our first day we started off with Red Stripes on the way to the resort. Checkin took forever, but the resort was beautiful and grand, so we were excited. After dragging our stuff out to our edge-of-the-resort villa, we went back to the main area to grab a few drinks. The night was capped off with meeting another couple, playing a bit in the ocean, and having a delicious dinner at the Indian restaurant. After, we went out to sit by the water and when we both fell asleep in lounge chairs we decided it was time to call it a night.

Our villa

Hubby at dinner

Day two was spent just hanging around the resort. Drinks at the swim up bar, playing in the infinity pool, popping over to the ocean....a perfect, relaxing day, capped off with dinner at the Asian restaurant and some pool at the sports bar.

Our third day we left the resort and spent the day on a catamaran party cruise. We sailed out to a protected reef and spent an hour snorkeling. Even though the weather was overcast, the reef was beautiful. After snorkeling, we cruised around Montego Bay dancing and drinking, then docked for a bit at Margaritaville before heading back. That night we tried out the Mexican restaurant, which wasn't that great, but capped off the night with some drinks at the bar over the pool.

The resort from our balcony

Where we left on our cruise

Shots!

Dance party

On our last full day, we got up early and headed out for ziplining. I'm so bummed that we didn't get any pics but I didn't want to drop my camera (or pay the $30 the company was charging for them to take the pictures). It was an awesome time! The place we went has the longest zipline in the Caribbean which was amazing. The afternoon was spent back at the resort, avoiding the thunderstorms and bouncing around the resort grounds.

Overall, it was such a relaxing and wonderful vacation. It was a bit too short, but we didn't know if I was going to have vacation days or not (I did) so we didn't want me to have to take too many unpaid days off. The resort was beautiful. We did have a few issues - the resort was so far away from Montego Bay that every time we ventured off it was an hour's drive. Our A/C didn't work well. Our room wasn't ocean front when we were told it would be, and found out that there were not any available and if there had been there would have been a $15 a night additional fee (what??). The staff wasn't the fastest or most efficient. However, there was so much that was wonderful this trip we can't complain! The food was decent, the drinks good, and the resort absolutely gorgeous. I also really loved that you didn't have to make reservations for the restaurant (that's totally stupid but it's the truth). I loved that there were numerous beaches, a gorgeous pool, and plenty of activities.

Can't wait to go back to the islands!!

[Life] A Childhood Dream Fulfilled

I fulfilled a dream 2 weeks ago. A real, not-making-this-up, childhood dream. Now before you go thinking big things....I went to see New Kids on the Block. With Boyz II Men. Oh yeah, and that other group 98 Degrees.



Now to some of you, that might not be a big deal...I mean, most of the New Kids' audience is definitely in the 30-45 age range just due to the time they were relevant (almost 25 years ago!?). Anyway, 3 things to note:

1. I did not care very much about 98 Degrees. Yes, Nick Lachey is hot. Yes, some of their songs (ok, one song, Give Me Just One Night) were huge when I was in college and have fun memories associated. But they were a late 90s-early 2000s group, which puts me a bit out of the fangirl age range. So, I guess it was kind of cool, but not what I went to the concert for.

2. My very first concert was in 1991, and MC Hammer was the headliner. (Ok, seriously, is that not the best first concert ever??) TLC was the first opener (think Baby, Baby, Baby time of their career. Pre-Waterfalls). Boyz II Men was the second. I loooooved Boyz II Men. Maybe because they were from Philly and I grew up there. I don't know. But all I can say is it was so cool to see them again 22 years later. Yes, 22. And they are amazing vocalists!

3. NKOTB was my jam back in the day. I was the 1989 equivalent of the of today's Beliebers or One Direction crazies. The 80s version of the 90s N'SYNC-BSB fangirl. I had an NKOTB telephone (no, not cell phone - legit landline corded phone). I had NKOTB sheets. I had a button the size of a small plate with Jordan Knight's face on it (he was my fave and future husband at 10 years old). I used to have dreams about winning New Kids tickets and be so very, very sad when I woke up and didn't have them. Really. I had that dream. So last night - BOOM - fulfilled. And on top of it - I really enjoyed their new stuff they played!

I hadn't realized how many of NKOTB's songs were slow until last night. They did a lot of covers. They took a lot of breaks (I mean, these guys are in their 40s...I can't imagine a 2 hour show is easy to do without a few costume changes and "timeouts" as my friends and I called them, haha). They were high energy and at one point took a break while Joey spun around on a spinning disc at center stage while pelvic thrusting, as two of the other guys picked up the screen cameras and played camera man for an entire random current Top 40 song.

Overall, it was so much fun. A great trip down memory lane and some very entertaining things indeed - the old Hangin' Tough hand wave, the old dances, Donnie Wahlberg randomly making out with some chick in the audience (and losing his shirt for an entire 3 songs). Jordan Knight still has his falsetto. It was such a trip.

[Life] An Answer

Ya'll, I am so sorry. I have been MIA for a few weeks.

I'm not really sure how to say this, how to bring this up, so I guess I'll just blurt it out: I have a health issue. It's nothing serious, however, the symptoms have been bad enough to throw me off my game significantly in the last month. 

After feeling overly tired, among other issues, I went to see my doctor. Bloodwork was done and a few days later my doctor called to inform me that I have an underactive thyroid, or hypothyroidism. What is it?

Symptoms:

• Fatigue (check)
• Increased sensitivity to cold (check - I was wearing a sweater in the house when it was 74 degrees)
• Dry skin
• Unexplained weight gain (check)
• Puffy face (check...all of my pictures from Jamaica are terrible because my face looks so dang round!)
• Muscle weakness
• Elevated cholesterol level (check)
• Thinning hair (not sure because I lose so much hair as it is, but maybe?)
• Depression
• Anxiety (check)
• Impaired memory (check)

Apparently, I've been "off" for much longer than I realized. Only in the last month have some of these symptoms really hit me hard. Basically, the thyroid controls your metabolism. The pituitary gland releases a hormone to stimulate your thyroid when it's not performing as it should, and that appears in your bloodstream. My stimulation hormone levels were 250% higher than normal levels, which means that my thyroid was severely underperforming. Not good. Also, with a higher level of this hormone in my blood, my body was creating antibodies to attack it.

So the good news is, it's been diagnosed, and it's a super easy fix. I will have to take a pill daily for the rest of my life to regulate it, but that's all. And it might take a few months to find the right dose, but that's ok. The bottom line is, I'll be feeling better soon. Which is awesome. And awesome for this blog.

I have about 14 posts in draft that are just waiting to have pictures added. Hopefully that will come this week.

Thanks for sticking with me. I'll be back to normal soon!

[Random] I'm Ready for True Blood

Any other True Blood fans out there?? I'm getting excited for the start of season 6. In preparation, Alexander Skarsgard (who, I might add, I'd easily put in my top three hottest/sexiest/attractive famous men) was on Conan, and I thought it might be fun to share this.

On a completely unrelated note - anyone out there read the Southern Vampire novels that True Blood is based on? I did, and just yesterday I read the last one in the series that came out last month. Can I just say - what a disappointment. I don't want to spoil anything if you're reading them or going to read them all, but I started feeling the series falter around book 10 when the vampires started playing less and less of a role in the storyline. The decline continues to the last book which is just such a huge let down. I'm glad the True Blood series took things in a different direction because I'd like to be watching a shirtless Alexander Skarsgard for a long time to come!

[Life] Come ON

Has this ever happened to you?

You decide there's something you want - be it an item, a trip, an event, whatever - and you spend a good bit of time/money/energy/all of the above getting everything in place for said something. Then someone comes along. Maybe it's a friend, or an acquaintance, or a coworker or family member. They tell you that they can get you a great deal on your something, or perhaps they have a contact or a special coupon or code or whatnot. Basically, they can help you out in a way that's super beneficial.

So you put the ball in their court. Do what you need to do so all this person needs to do is one simple thing....and they don't do it. No matter how many times you ask about it, or mention it, or bring up taking the next step, they just. don't. do. it. I feel like God is giving me a lesson in patience here, because dang it, I have been hovering in this space for over 2 weeks.

I tried not to be pushy, not to care so much, but now it's to the point where it appears this person is specifically just ignoring it. And all I'm waiting on is a 5 minute phone call. I mean, really, come on. It's not that hard, it's not going to take that much time, and I (and one other involved party) have been bringing this up at least 3-4 times a week for 2 weeks. When you've been reminded, gently, more than 5 times, you would think you'd just do it to stop being reminded. But no. This person responds to all emails/calls/visits/etc until the conversation turns to the phone call. Then radio silence or "I'll take care of it" and they never do.

Phew. I just needed to get that out. Think I'm a bit frustrated? It's starting to feel really, really personal at this point and now I'm more annoyed about the lack of consideration than at the fact I still haven't received the outcome. Anyway. Am I the only one?

[OOTD] Old Outfits Die Hard

I always seem to go in spurts - I'll have a few days or weeks where I religiously take my outfit photos. Then travel, or weather, or laziness happens and I don't take pictures or plan out what I'm going to wear. It works out ok, because then I write about other things, or I take a week or three off from the blog. It all evens out. But that's not what I want.

Top: Forever21 (vlogged here) | Jeans: Big Star via Alexis Suitcase | Boots: ShoeLand (also seen here, here, and here) | Blazer: Burlington Coat Factory (also seen here, here and here)

My original reason for starting this blog, when I really think about it, was to learn. If I'm being completely honest - for much of my younger life, I wasn't part of the "in" crowd, and I so desperately wanted to be. I thought that if I could just figure out how to do my hair nicely on a consistent basis, or if I could buy the right clothing and wear it properly, I'd be as happy/cool/popular/fill in the blank as the in crowd.

Fast forward to after college and I've finally found myself. However, I still want to look my best so that I feel my best - and I still don't believe I have the skills. Like anything that requires skill, it requires practice. In all honesty, the goal of this blog is to make myself put in the effort to develop this skill, and to strive to become better at figuring out what works and what doesn't. Because I love clothes, and I love hair and makeup and all those girly things - I just don't know how to make it look right. And that's what I'm working towards here.

Anyway. Off topic. My point is that I'm going to try and be more consistent about my outfits, even if it's just a phone snap. I know I don't have the photog-skillz to have consistently amazing pictures, nor do I have the ability to get outside and take pics every single day. But I need to be more consistent about planning my outfits ahead of time, because I get into ruts when I don't. And I end up leaving the house half-dressed because I don't have time to put together an entire "thing".

Along with more consistent photos, I'm recommitting to my writing. Along with outfits will be lifestyle stuff - I've always kind of put that into the blog but I want to kind of merge the two. Some of my favorite posts to go back and read are the ones recapping big events or trips, and I want more of that. So, here's to hoping this re-commitment works!

[Shopping] Call for Help

Calling all fitness fanatics and gym gurus! (And even if you don't consider yourself one, you still might be able to help!) I am in need of a new gym bag. I've been using the same bag for over 10 years now and it's time to retire it. Not only is it old, I really don't love the way that it looks, and it's not as functional as it could be because it wasn't meant to be a gym bag in the first place. However, I've been on the lookout for a few days now and can't find a bag that quite embodies what I want. So, I thought I would turn to the blogiverse and see if ya'll can point me in the right direction!

What I'd like:

• A medium size bag - I don't need anything huge, nor will something tiny do.
• Under $100 - honestly I'd prefer to keep this at $50 if possible, but will spend more for the right bag. Sorry, but this means Lululemon is a bit out of reach.
• Preferably will have a way to carry my yoga mat. Right now I actually carry a separate bag to yoga, which means when I want to go to yoga and spin on the same day (which I do almost every Sunday morning), I need to carry two bags. Ideally I'd love to have a bag with either a bottom strap to strap in my mat, or a zip opening on each side to slide through my mat, or a space at the top of the bag to carry my mat on top between the straps.
• I tend to gravitate towards a more tote-style bag, but I might not be sold on that style.
• It needs to be cute and feminine!

Honestly, I don't even know where to start looking. I went to Dick's and to Sports Authority but didn't really love their selection of Adidas and Nike bags. Lululemon is out of my price range. Athleta doesn't have much of a selection.

Help!!

[Random] Sunday Soup Revisited

Some funday for your Sunday!

Will Wheaton on why it's awesome to be a nerd:

I saw this card and I had to laugh, because I read so many blogs by twenty-somethings and many of them lament how they're so old. It makes me laugh. Come on, ladies - I'm 31 and I'm nowhere close to old, that is such a ridiculous statement!

Half of the blog world....haha

Seriously....so. cute.

Knead-knead-knead-EYES! (via)

I want to say this to everyone who comes to my house, but I refrain.

Things Michelle Tanner can teach you about dating.

Too cute:

Weird 90s products....talk about a trip down memory lane!!!

So excited for this...!

And this is a great laugh.

Bahaha

[OOTD] Black and White, 5 Ways: Contrast

Back to the black and white....we won't talk about what a disaster it's been around these parts the last few weeks. I'm back and hopefully it's not temporary like the last time!!!

Top: INC via Macy's | Pants: JCPenney | Shoes: ShoeLand