Vent Sesh

Not gonna lie, feeling a little down today. As I mentioned in a few posts, I've started working out again and I am really loving it. But I have to admit, there are days when I feel like absolute crap and I push myself to get through even the simplest moves. Today was definitely one of those days.


I've been an athlete since I was 7 years old. I played competitive soccer for 9 years, and always ran on my days off from practice. In high school I ran upwards of 5 miles a day, everyday, starting my sophomore year after I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Exercising, conditioning, and being mentally focused is not something that is new to me, so on days like today I get frustrated! Why is it taking me so long to get back into the groove of things?!?! I really wish I would have kept with running during college, but alas, I was too fascinated with living in LA and working in the industry to actually do it. I guess there is no time like today to change, but man can it be hard.


One of my inspirations, Mrs. P at Alis Grave Nil (you all may know her as Heather, but she was my English teacher in high school so to me she will always be Mrs. P) wrote me on Twitter and said, "A crappy workout is better than no work out!" I loved these words and I literally keep telling myself that over and over, especially on days like today. Side note: Mrs. P is running her first half-marathon this weekend! She is 100% awesome! Head over to Alis Grave Nil and show some love!

Ok, sorry for the vent sesh, just needed to get this out. Hopefully I can read this post again in the months to come to see how far I've advanced in my journey.

Oh, one last thing, promise! I was chatting with Maegan at A Little Twig Birdhouse last week about our love for HomeGoods and since we live in the same area she gave me a great recommendation for one near us that I had never been to. So Saturday afternoon I ran over there and I was in complete heaven. I bought tons of things for a total of $69.30! Here are a few of my fave things that I picked up!

{When I saw that box it was complete Oh-la-la at first sight}

Have a good night loves :)

Layers, Looks, and Loves

I'm so in love with layers, layers, and more layers right now that I can't even think straight when I walk into stores. This weekend we had a major shopping day on Saturday, and I had to refrain from buying sweaters, cardi's, jackets and more, as LA isn't exactly the proper host to fall-like temps. This time of the year definitely makes me wish I was an NYC girl, or at least bi-coastal (a la Angelina, of course. She has the whole double, triple, quadruple zip code thing down pat). For now, I will just look at some of my favorite looks while I pray for some cooler weather! (Seriously, it was 108 on Saturday! So.not.my.thing)

{Ok this last look doesn't really qualify as any of the above, but the wool shorts were just so cute}

Lastly, I couldn't resist buying these when our local DSW was closing down. Loves.
Question: Are boots with skirts still acceptable this year? Or is that only booties with skirts now? What about with skinny jeans- can I wear these with my skinny 7's? I need help my fashion lovers!!!

{Boots: Steve Madden Looks: JCrew}

Kind of a boring post today. Hope everyone had a great weekend :)

I Hate Thinking of Post Titles...

...I really, really do! Sometimes you just run out of ideas!

I'm so excited that it's the weekend! Main reason: college football! Everyone is surprised when they find out what a football/basketball nut I am. My Dad played football for University of Washington and my Pops still flies from California to Indiana and all over the place to attend all of Notre Dame's football games (his alma mater). So needless to say, football season is the most exciting time of year for me (even if I do read Cosmo when the game gets boring)! When we're not cheering for our Fighting Irish, we're most definitely yelling for our Trojans! I'm a little obsessed with our new quarterback, Matt Barkley. Hopefully he is feeling better and they play him this weekend! No more unnecessary losses, please! And how can I leave out my love, Tom Brady! Love, love, love the Pats! What about you?! I'd love to know if any of you follow sports or have a fave team?

{this photo has nothing to do with this post- i just loved it and couldn't resist posting it!}

Before I sign off, wanted to share one little side note about the 30 Day Shred! I've been doing it a week now (finished Day #5 today) and I have lost 2.8 lbs! Even though I weigh myself once a week, I never really let the number on the scale determine the way I'm feeling. Yes, I was worried when I saw an extra 10 lbs come up in late August, but the numbers on the scale never really dictate me either way, rather it is the way my clothes fit and how I feel overall. I swear, after only a week of doing the Shred (accompanied by three 30 min runs throughout the week) I already feel so much better. My puffiness in my hands and under my eyes has gone down and I'm finding that I don't feel as bloated and uncomfortable at the end of the day. Sorry for TMI! Thank you for all of your encouraging comments- I already can see that good things are coming from this!

Lastly, I just wanted to say congrats to one of my besties, Vanessa, who just got accepted into FIDM (hope I'm not embarrassing you Ness)!!! She's already obtained a Bachelor's degree, works for The Walt Disney Company, and now she is going on yet again to do amazing things!!! Congrats love!!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Relax, rest, and spend time with your loved ones :)

Veux-tu M'épouser?

Words can't describe the way I feel when I look at this gorgeous vintage French-inspired wedding photo shoot. Perfection.

{photos EventsJubilee}

How fantastic are those shoes?! Je veux...

Rustic Romance

Just a little inspiration that I printed out for my dream books. Love.

{photos JCrew via Apartment Therapy}

A Little Facelift

A few weekends ago Michaels was having a sale on all of their paint, so I bought a bunch of fun colors and set out to redo all of my boring black picture frames. I looked for different color inspiration online, and came across these photos that gave me that extra push to go bold! I now have some really cool turquoise, pink, and white glossy frames that I am just in love with!

{photos here}

I also went to IKEA and bought a new duvet cover for $29.00- so for a total of $36.00 I was able to give my room a complete facelift! In times like these, it's always fun to find different ways to spruce up old things, versus throwing them away and buying new!

Happy to be Back!

I'm alive! Ha! I truly apologize for being absent the past month- so many things were going on that I literally had no time to blog, nor did I have the energy at the end of the day to explain everything. I guess that is part of the beauty of having a blog- no matter what goes on in our lives we always have an escape to share as little or as much as our heart desires. For the past few weeks I've gone back and forth as to whether or not to continue blogging (reasons for which will go unsaid for now) but I quickly realized that the longer I stayed away the more I missed it. I love that my blog doesn't judge me. It never takes my words and twists them to fit it's own agenda. It holds my words with the utmost respect and only displays the truth, straight from my heart.


So, in the words of my fave, Tim Gunn, "Carry on!" Ahh, I am so happy to be back! I've been reading some of your blogs and I have missed you all more than you'll ever know! I can't wait to start reading and talking with you all daily!

{Love this photo! Onward and upward!}

One last thing before I start making dinner- has anyone ever heard of the workout DVD 30 Day Shred from Biggest Loser trainer, Jillian Michael's?! I first read about it from two amazing ladies, Liz @ It's Unbeweavable and Brooke @ oofa luffa le and I knew I had to try it after their great reviews and encouraging words regarding the workout. After a less than stellar summer that left me 10 lbs over my normal weight, I just had to give it a try! Let me tell you loves, it is k-i-l-l-e-r (look at the 1,000+ positive reviews it has here)! The best part about the entire thing is that the workout itself is only 20 mintues- I repeat, 20 minutes (that's less time than it takes to watch The Office!)! It leaves you feeling sweaty, jello-like yet firm, and completely/ amazingly accomplished! If you are anything like me, and have a million excuses to not work out today, or do the whole "I'll start Monday" thing, I would really encourage you to give this workout a try! I am not going to give up on this 30 day program, because I know I owe it to myself to make some changes. I can't wait to start seeing some results!

{photos}

Happy Friday. Enjoy your weekend :)