Sisterhood Is Powerful

Hello again! I'm back for a moment because I loved these photos so much that I thought they deserved their own post. My love for Luella has been no secret, but this tee is by far my favorite item from the brand. I've been eye-ing it for a while (especially after Nicole rocked it so perfectly), and it's even more amazing in person. I keep thinking of 2017 as the year I truly embraced wearing color, but it's also the year I embraced T-shirts. I was so adamantly against them for too long, but I've loved learning how to incorporate them into my style. Of course, it helps that there are so many great brands and designers creating cute ones. Seeing as "feminism" is officially the word of the year (though, let's face it, it's the unofficial word of every other year), it seems fitting to be celebrating sisterhood and love these days and all days. It felt like fate to find this "Love Never Fails" wall as well. 

You'd think I would have more of a life update after not posting for a month, but nah. Same old around here. Work is crazy (especially working in ecommerce this time of year), but we had a great Christmas party last week. Jon and I won a Google Home Mini and a PS4! Other than that, I finished all of my Christmas shopping, have been re-watching Bob's Burgers with Jon, have been binge watching Will & Grace for the first time on my own, and I visited a mansion in Beverly Hills with Erica over the weekend. I'm hoping to actually get to another blog post this week so share more about it. I just got Lightroom, so I'm actually pretty excited about taking the time to edit photos again, so maybe it'll happen! I'm also working on a project that will be a HUGE announcement soon, so make sure to be following me on Instagram for that in the next few weeks. I'm so excited, I can barely contain myself.

Twenty Five

Why, yes, I did drive to an elementary school on a Sunday with a party hat in hand just to take birthday pictures in front of some colorful walls. That's what you do when you're 25, right? Adult things? Yep, I am indeed 25 today, and I do feel pretty great. I'm not doing too much to celebrate, but I'm fine with that. Jon and I are going to dinner with our best friend Adam tonight and watching Game of Thrones after, and tomorrow we're all getting together with a couple of our other friends to try a rolled ice cream (and ice cream taco!) place near my apartment. I definitely feel like I've outgrown throwing a party or doing something big, so just getting to see a few close friends over food sounds perfect to me. 

Just for fun, here are some differences between my once expectations vs. reality of being a quarter of a century:

• I'm not "enjoying my 20s" the way I once I thought I would, but I'm definitely enjoying them. I've never been very adventurous or spontaneous, so when I was a teenager, I always thought I'd use my 20s as an excuse to go crazy and do stupid things. I've never felt like that was really me, so I feel pretty good about being happy in my quiet life.
• On that note, I didn't expect to be settled down with a serious boyfriend. I always thought that I'd finally figure out how to date around and that I'd be casually dating while focusing on my career at 25. NOPE. I'm happily settled and living with Jon, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I was never going to enjoy casually dating, and thank goodness it didn't take me long to figure that out.
• I AM finally feeling like I'm on the right track in my career like I was hoping I would at this age. I was so afraid that I'd still be in the job I was in a year ago, feeling stuck and behind in my career goals. Over a year later, I'm in a job that I love and just got promoted!
• I definitely expected to be living outside of Orange County, and while I often do dream of finally moving elsewhere, I'm much more okay with it than I expected to be.
• Probably the biggest difference is that I prioritize my relationships more that I always said I would. I used to be big on believing that I would be career focused at 25. I actually used to say that I figured that I would break some guy's heart by putting my career first. Yeah, I was dramatic. Fortunately, becoming an adult and being in an adult relationship has made me realize what's important and also how lucky I am to be with someone who supports me in career so that I can have both. I also thought that I would be living somewhere else because I wouldn't care about living far away from my family, but now they're probably the biggest reason why I'm still here, and I'm good with that. What's the point of traveling and living in a new place if I don't have anyone to share it with?
• No, I am not a famous and successful blogger like I was once hoping to be at this age. I also don't want that anymore. Blogging has been my favorite hobby and I love the process of connecting with my community and growing my following, but I'm okay with not making it my job or being a big success. 
• I still haven't learned how to use chopsticks. I'm actually pretty embarrassed about this one, but you'd think that I would learned that by now. One day...

If anything, being 25 is much more boring than I once thought it would be, but I think this was all one long way of saying that I like boring. But that's what adulthood is all about, right? Just being boring and being happy with it.

Pineapples

I'm going to be honest with you here. I'm not really paying attention to what I'm writing because I'm watching the new season of Orange Is the New Black while I'm putting this post together. I've haven't exactly been loving the past few seasons, and I'm not sure how I feel about this new one, but I can't look away. So forgive me if this isn't the most eloquent post.

Why pay attention the writing anyway when this dress does all the talking? I took advantage of Modcloth's Memorial Day sale (as well as possibly a few others...) and finally got my hands on this pineapple print dress. Emily and Fin's newest collection is seriously the cutest, and I have my eyes on a few other pieces as well. I ended up stopping at my favorite thrift store, Saver's, on Saturday and picked up this cardigan, which will probably be making plenty of appearances soon. This may just be my new favorite outfit.

Other than a Saver's trip, this weekend was pretty uneventful, but nice. Some friends and I had a movie night on Friday night, and we had dinner with Jon's parents on Saturday night. The most exciting thing to happen, though, is that my work treated me to a Disneyland pass! I've been wanting one for ages, and my whole family is getting them so I can't thank my bosses enough. Despite the fact that I live right around the corner from Disney, I actually haven't been in three years. Those tickets are expensive! I'm so excited to start going all the time now. Well, as much as my pass allows. There are a ton of blackout days, so I might not be going all the time, per say. But hey, better than nothing.

Queso Queen

In case you weren't aware yet, Luella seriously gets me. I've made it no secret that I'm a huge fan of Caroline's work (and I'm lucky enough to have worked with her for two giveaways), but her newest collection really sealed the deal, in case there were any doubts. It's filled with girl power and cheese themed items, and it kind of feels like she read my mind. As I've mentioned, I'm starting to become a T-shirt person, but only because my favorite makers keep creating such cute ones. Case in point, I had to snag this Queso Queen tee the moment I saw it. I put cheese on pretty much everything, and I strongly believe that there is no such thing as too much. It is definitely the item Jon and spend the most money on while grocery shopping, but mostly because we run out of it so quickly and need to buy more every week. Basically what I'm saying is that if your shirt makes me think of cheese, I will buy it. I think it's a good use of my money. 

I hope all of you moms out there had a lovely day yesterday. Jon and I had his mom over for breakfast, and then we went to my family's for dinner. We invited Jon's parents as well, and I think we managed to show them a good time despite the screaming kids and crazy dogs. Those kids are pretty damn adorable, so I can't imagine anyone having a bad time around them. 

The rest of my weekend was spent binging (and finishing) season two of Master of None, grabbing breakfast and going to the Oh Hello Friend warehouse sale with my friend Nataly, and watching more Master of None while eating Italian food with my friend Jeremy. The food in the second season is insane, and I do not recommend watching on an empty stomach. The rest of the show is great too, but the food is really the best part.

Girls Support Girl Power

I wasn't joking when I said that I was a T-shirt person now. Well, not completely, but I'm a T-shirt person when brands I like put out cute ones that I can't resist, especially when they're for a good cause. I'm assuming that most of you reading this have seen this shirt and know the story behind it, but I'm going to tell it again just in case. Daisy Natives is the maker behind the adorable and super popular Girls Support Girls shirts, and she teamed up with the beautiful ladies of Hello Holiday to put out this limited edition black one. Only 300 of this run were created, and 100% of the proceeds go to Planned Parenthood. That's right, I said 100%. No one is making money off of these. These women are doing this JUST to donate money to a worthy cause, and if that's not inspiring, I don't know what is. Both Hello Holiday and Daisy Natives never fail to remind me that good people exist.

Whenever I buy something from a maker who donates part of the proceeds to a good cause, I always have a moment of doubt. I assume that anyone who sees thinks that I'm a hypocrite and wonders why I don't just donate the money if I actually care. I know that's just the voice of doubt in the back of my head, but I do understand why someone would ask that. Not that I do need to explain myself, but I really do buy these items for a reason. I could just donate to Planned Parenthood (which I actually do monthly as well), but by buying these items I get to support small businesses (often female entrepreneurs) while also supporting a cause that I care about. I only buy these items from makers who I trust are actually donating the money, and by doing so, I get to help keep them in business and inspire others to do the same. 

And of course, it doesn't hurt when the items are this cute. All of this isn't even mentioning my Luella "girl power" pin or Emily and Fin skirt (also from Hello Holiday). So many cute brands out there right now, you guys.

P.S. Don't forget to enter my five year blogging anniversary for your chance to win prizes from Apricity and Femme De Bloom! 

Sugarhill Boutique Dress + Gray Cardigan

I apparently never actually finished writing this post, but I'd still like to share it. Because I still have an actual post to write, I'm keeping this one short. Let's just bask in the glory that is this Sugarhill Boutique dress and how perfectly it pairs with my Luella pineapple pin.

Apricity Dress + Modcloth Heels

Though things will undoubtedly take a while to feel "normal" again (and I don't think they necessarily should), it's certainly back to the grind. Work has been busy, and everything else has been great. My parents are moving back to Orange County, which means that they've been in town more often while they gear up to move. My family got together on Saturday for an afternoon of playing with my niece and nephew and eating In N' Out. I also got to see my "other" family that night, as a few of my friends got together for drinks and games. We crashed at our friends' apartment and woke up to have waffles, coffee, and a lazy Sunday. I'm a little bit in denial that the weekend is ending, but what else is new?

In terms of the outfit, this is definitely a new favorite. I wish I could live in this dress, but since I can't, I'm constantly trying to find different ways to wear it. I always kind of forget about this white tee, but I'm really happy about how it worked under the dress. I'm also a fan of this pin and these shoes,, but that's besides the point. 

In all honesty, I started watching Jane the Virgin, and I'm very distracted watching it while I'm typing this. So if what I write doesn't make sense or feels like I'm not paying attention, it's because I'm not. But I feel like TV is a valid excuse.

Old Navy Gingham Dess + Denim Jacket

Can you tell how sweaty I am in these photos? Changing three times in a park for multiple sets of outfit photos and wearing a denim jacket in the middle of summer were not two of my finest ideas, but I stand by them. I love the classic look of a denim jacket and gingham sundress, and I especially love having a place to put some of my favorite pins. Sure, the heat was unbearable, but sometimes clothes are worth it.

I'm still on a high from my wonderful weekend, but I'm lucky to actually enjoy my job. My work has taken on some new clients that are exciting, so I've been keeping busy. I'm also starting to do a bit of work on the side for my old company. I'm mostly doing it for the little bit of extra money to put toward a new apartment, but I also really missed my old coworkers so I'm excited to have an excuse to chat with them online again.