white shirt: thrifted
pink shirt, necklace: The Limited
cropped pants: New York & Company
flats: Target
I'm at a point in my life where time and finance have finally balanced out. For the first time in my life, I have nearly complete freedom to do what I want, even at the last minute. In college, money issues usually prevented me from affording fun trips or whatnot--and if it wasn't a finance issue, it was a matter of scheduling. And the same went for the first year and a half post-college. But now, I'm discovering this newfound freedom and I'm completely in love with it.
Like this week, a spur-of-the-moment half-plan turned into a full-fledged trip to the New River Gorge in West Virginia. And, like our last two trips to the Red, it was pretty awesome. Unfortunately, I kind of wore myself out on routes that were a bit beyond my skill level on the first day, meaning my attempts on the second day were a bit of a letdown. But I always like to have a "project" to return to--some sort of vendetta I want to carry out on a wall, to motivate me to return. So there's the upside.
I also did a bit of deep-water solo climbing. That's where you climb without a harness or a rope over deep water, and when you fall or reach the top, you just jump in. I'm not a very strong swimmer, and I have a pretty healthy fear of heights anyway, but I did do a bit of climbing and even jumped in from a (very, very short) height. Mostly I just swam around in an inner tube, though. Matt jumped off a 25-foot ledge and said it was pretty terrifying.
(For anyone who's wondering, the fear of heights thing is one of the reasons I like to climb in the first place. It's all about getting out of your comfort zone and conquering your fear. Still, doing it in a harness with a rope is very, very different from doing it solo over water. Maybe next time I can conquer that fear a little more. We'll see.)
We got back late Sunday afternoon, and after a quick nap and dinner, I went to the Tegan and Sara/fun. concert. I'm not a big T&S fan--I don't really know any of their music--but fun. put on a pretty sweet show. It was nice to be able to hang toward the edge of the crowd, sit on a blanket and chill or get up and dance around, instead of being squished in the sweaty front-of-the-crowd area the whole time.
And now it's Monday, and I'm exhausted. But it was totally worth it!
cropped sweater: came with a dress from Burlington Coat Factory
cami, heels: Target
cropped slacks: The Limited
necklace: H&M
So I was going to write about this outfit and its colors and how bright they are, compared to what I usually wear. But I'm tired. I'm not sure where all of Monday's energy went, but it is gone. I'm tired, and not in a way that a nap can cure. I don't know where it came from, but a little bout of general blah-ness is settling into my bones and making me want to watch bad TV and eat junk food until I hate myself a little bit. Or a lot, I'm flexible on that.
But I'm not going to do that! I recently started taking dance clases, and they're honestly one of the best things that have ever happened to me. I actually discovered the studio through a freelance story I was researching, and I instantly did the worst thing a journalist can do and got emotionally involved. I've been going to classes once a week ever since. Tonight is hip-hop :)
So, that's the sad-story-happy-story I have for you today. I'm feeling depressed as hell for no reason, but I'm going to fix it by dancing for 90 minutes. Best. Solution. Ever.
I'm super excited to announce an awesome giveaway! I'm collaborating with Jada's Jewels to give away a $25 gift card for their site. It might not sound like much, but I promise you, on this site $25 will go a long way! They're based here in Columbus, which is awesome, so I got to meet up with Marketing Intern Allison. That was cool because as a blogger, you rarely get to real-world interact with people you work with. It was also cool because she brought a present! It was the jewelry and earring set I'm wearing here:
shirt: Old Navy
cropped pants: The Limited
shoes, belt: Target
necklace, earrings: Jada's Jewels Update: This should say "c/o Jada's Jewels...my bad, guys!
I freaking love the jewelry. It looks really heavy, but it's not. Score. And there's new stuff on the website every day...and there's something new I want just about every day, too, haha! Good thing it's all affordable :)
Ok, so I'm using Rafflecopter for the first time on this giveaway. That means no commenting! I mean, you can comment if you want, but it won't count as an entry. Hopefully this will be easier for everyone :) There are two mandatory entries, 11 extra entries, and an additional option that's worth TWO entries, that you can do every single day of the giveaway. So really, you can enter up to 29 times. Bam.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
button-down: New York & Company
cropped slacks: The Limited
shoes: Target
necklace: InPink
bracelet: don't remember
If I were a superhero, I would be Captain Productive. I'd rush around the house, checking items off my to-do list and generally being awesome at getting things done. My arch nemeses? The television, distractions in general and lethargy.
This week, I've definitely been channeling Captain Productive. Going to the gym, experimenting with a recipe that's plagued me for ages, working on next week's Pin-spiration project, taking and editing outfit photos...I've been doing it all. Which is good, because my arch nemeses have been winning more often than not as of late.
Fun fact: This shirt has been sitting in my closet, unworn, for nearly two years. And I have no idea why. It fits perfectly, is flattering, and goes with just about everything I own. Funny how some parts of your wardrobe can be so neglected, isn't it?
shirt, cropped pants: The Limited
coverup: Marshall's
shoes: Target
hair flower: H&M
necklace: gifted
First off, a major thank you is in order. To those of you who emailed/commented/Tweeted with kind thoughts and words regarding yesterday's post. You guys are the reason I keep blogging. And a thanks to those who read but didn't laugh at my overdramatic-ness. I know you're out there.
I'm happy (thrilled, delighted) to say that as of this evening, Matt and his friend are still fine. They checked in with the GPS thing last night, after my post, and again this evening. And this afternoon, they climbed to the highest point in Utah (King's Peak) and were able to catch enough of a cell phone signal to send a few texts. Matt and I were able to do the whole "I love you/I miss you exchange," and I was able to scold him for not checking in more regularly, haha. (I didn't really scold him. It was more of a "It sucks when I don't hear from you guys every day.") He said they're kicking some major ass on this trip so far, and everything's been going well. It was one of the best texts I've ever gotten.
So today's post title isn't just the name of a great Jack Johnson song. It's what I'm doing the rest of the week: sitting here, waiting for Matt to come home, wishing it were Saturday. But in the meantime, I'm trying to jump back on my "projects" list to keep myself busy and distracted and not worried :)
shirt: secondhand
short-sleeve Oxford, cropped pants: New York & Company
shoes: DSW
hair flower: H&M
necklace: super old, don't remember
This morning, Matt left for a week-and-a-half trip to Utah to hike through the Rocky Mountains. It's such a cool opportunity for him, and I'm happy that he has the chance to do this, but a big part of me won't rest easy until he's home safely. It's the longest hike he's been on (try three times as long as any other he's done) and at a much higher elevation, with a much higher difficulty level. He and his friend are both excellent at "surviving" (what they prefer to call camping/hiking), and I know they're more than capable of this trip. But still. It's gonna be a long almost-two-weeks all by my lonesome. It's the longest we've been apart in years, and it'll be the longest we'll go without talking since we started dating, as he doesn't have a cell phone signal at 15,000 feet.
Le sigh. Anyway. This outfit. Some lady at the grocery store just walked up to me and complimented me on this hair flower. It was a random impulse purchase as I was checking out at H&M...the day I bought it, I wore it clipped to my cardigan. Multifunctional!
These are the shoes I picked up to wear to Abby's wedding, instead of these guys. I'm thinking about selling them, because they're a tad too large and too tall and I can't really walk in them very well. Anyone wear a size 10? (Ally, I'm lookin' at you!)
