Go Sports

I don't have much to say because I'm writing this late on Sunday night, and I'm going to crash at any moment. If I haven't made it obvious yet, I did not watch the Super Bowl yesterday and instead went to the movies. When you're not a sports fan, Super Bowl Sunday is the best for going to normally crowded places. A couple of friends and I saw Selma finally, which completely lived up to the hype. I won't get into all of the politics surrounding the film concerning the Oscar nominations, but now that I've seen it I can finally offer my opinion and say that it was fantastic. I was mostly impressed by the cast, and all those reviews about David Oyelowo's performance being incredibly were correct. It was much more satisfying than watching a football game in my opinion, but then again, most things are. 

I got this dress on Wednesday from Urban Outfitters with a gift card I had gotten for Christmas. I don't really have money to buy things right now, but it was nice to have a much-needed shopping trip with my friend Casey. Most of my time is spent surrounded by guys (like being at a party where I'm the only girl the night I wore this on Friday), so it's nice to have a little girl time every once in a while, even if I am bad at making girl friends. I loved how this dress paired with this cardigan, but I'm pretty excited to wear it without a belt and with a lace bandeau underneath during the summer.

The Aftermath

I haven't posted in a week, but where do I even begin? Things have been pretty crazy lately, but in the best way possible. My Christmas was great and filled with family, friends, good food, wonderful gifts (and maybe a shot of whiskey or two that I was forced to take with my family). I really could not have asked for a better day. The next day, my brother, sister-in-law, and their three kids flew in from Illinois, and my whole family met them at the airport. They're staying with us until Saturday, and I'm ectastic I am to have them here. I got pretty used to seeing them once a week while I lived in Illinois, so it's been tough not having seen them since May. Since they couldn't be here on Christmas, we had a second celebration on Saturday when we ate more great food and opened more presents with them. You can only imagine what it was like having five kids and babies (all under the age of 5) opening up presents and playing together. 

Things got a little crazier yesterday when one of my coworkers got hurt at work, and I had to drive her the ER. She's fine other than a minor concussion, and I was happy to help her, but I was pretty bummed that it meant missing out and meeting Kristian while she was in LA. Hopefully she'll be back though since it's always a treat getting to meet a blogging friend in person who you've known online for as long as I've known Kristian. 

As for the outfit, this is what I wore on Friday to get coffee with my friend Alena, who's visiting from Austin, and to the airport later. It's been much colder than normal here (even though it's still considered nice in normal parts of the country), so I got to put on this sweater that I haven't worn since I was in the Midwest. I don't know about you, but I'm really loving winter whites and grays at the moment.

Mustard

If this weekend was any indication, I think it's safe to say that Christmas is this week. I spent both Saturday and Sunday wearing and being surrounded by ugly sweaters, which I think is a pretty fun way to spend a weekend. On Saturday, I went to two Christmas parties, one that was hosted by my parents for a group of close family friends and one for my own close group of friends. My brother and his girlfriend also came back into town that day, so on top of getting to eat cookies and participating in a white elephant exchange, I also got to spend time with them. After getting hardly any sleep the night before and working at 7 a.m. that morning, I was pretty exhausted by the end of the day, but I can't even complain about work. We all wore Christmas sweaters at the restaurant I work at and exchanged Secret Santa presents, so both of my shifts this weekend were more enjoyable than usual. It also gave me an excuse to get a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sweater (you can see photos on my Instagram) and a T-shirt with Yoda dressed as Santa, not that I needed one.

Let's talk about this outfit though. I showed you my Aggie top from Fleet Collection last week, and I mentioned that I got the skirt version as well. I really just want to never take it off. It paired perfectly with this mustard thermal that I picked up from Urban while I was doing my Instagram takeover for Brea Mall. I normally would never spend $35 on a thin top that's pretty plain and casual, but when I tried it on because of the color and ended up loving the way it looked on me, I had to get it. Of course, it was easy to justify since I was shopping on the mall's dime. I've already gotten a ton of use out of it, and it's one of the most comfortable things I own. I'm also excited to debut these sunglasses. Zero UV kindly sent me three pairs of frames, and I really love them all. Plus, Zero UV is based out of Huntington Beach, and I'm all for supporting Orange County brands.

Faking It

Oops. I somehow accidentally let a week go by in between blog posts. I have to admit that it was partially due to laziness, but the sudden heavy rain didn't help when it came to taking outfit photos either. In all honesty, though, I was pretty excited about the weather. I've always loved the rain, and we've been experiencing a bit of a drought in California, so it was much needed. Plus, the drop in temperature made it possible to throw on tights for once and pretend like I live in a place with seasons. I can't lie; it wasn't exactly cold when I took these pictures, but I've decided to just go with a "fake it until you make it" attitude in terms of getting dressed. If I dress like it's cold enough for layers, then it will feel cold enough for layers...right? All of this isn't to say that I'm complaining at all. Trust me, I'm extremely happy to be having a California winter this year, but I'm selfish and entitled so of course I'm going to complain about the beautiful weather. I'm terrible that way.

As for what you missed in my life this past week, the most exciting thing to happen was that I got to take over Brea Mall's Instagram on Thursday as you might have seen. I was contacted by their social media department after they came across my blog, and I was given a $150 gift card to mall and three hours to Instagram my shopping experience. I basically grew up in that mall, so it was incredibly exciting for me, especially since I already did most of my Christmas shopping online and pretty much got to go on a mini shopping spree for myself. I can't wait to take outfit photos in everything. 

Flock Together: Zoology 101

I'm over at Flock Together again today, showing you an outfit I really love. I apparently can't get enough of talking about Lisa this week (or, you know, ever) so I'm styling her animal print top over there. It's a true gem. Also, I'm a little bit obsessed with these sunglasses at the moment. Thank goodness for consignment stores in Santa Monica with cheap sunglasses that happen to fit my face. It's a rarity. Hope to see you there!

Top: ASOS, borrowed from Lisa

Dress, flats: Urban Outfitters (dress via Facebook swap)

Necklace: Fifth & Mae

Sunglasses: Consignment