$47.00 post

This post cost me $47.00---at the very moment we were shooting these photos, the parking policeman was putting a ticket on our car....we were there for all of 5 minutes....I was trying to save my quarters for the pile of laundry on our bedroom floor!
Also ironic because we found a way to cheat the system and park every night for free when you are supposed to have a permit. If I told you how, I'd have to kill you, and then no one would be reading my blog. So out of the kindness of my heart, I will spare you. You can thank me in compliments and blog views.
And while we are thanking people, I would like to thank all of the war veterans who have risked their lives to save ours, and their families for sacrificing time with their loved ones for the good of our country. I don't know where we would be without them. 

cultured

Photography rule #1: Don't take outfit photos at one in the afternoon on a ridiculously sunny day. This will result in crazy shadows with giant noses and cankles......at least I hope its only the shadows with these characteristics. 

Isn't this wall a weird color? You don't normally see businesses with walls like this. So of course I just had to take my photos in front of it. One of my favorite things about taking outfit photos is finding cool walls and buildings to stand in front of. Now when I am driving, I find myself constantly on the lookout for my next victim. I definitely pay more attention to the details of the architecture now than ever before. See? Blogging is so good for me. I'm learning about photography, architecture, fashion, writing, photo editing, maxing out my credit card *cough........I'm becoming so cultured :)

that time of year already

I might be getting a little ahead of myself but every day this week at 5pm, I find myself rushing home to do some work while listening to my favorite Christmas music [Amy Grant Christmas, boo-yay!] I know, I know, its only November 9th......but the stores are already FULL of Christmas decorations so I think I'm justified. Also because I ordered our Christmas cards back in September---Shutterfly was having a holiday card sale! I like to think of myself as overly-prepared, but my husband thinks I'm Christmas-obsessed. He usually doesn't mind except when I sit on his lap and start spouting out my 3 page long wish list or when peppermint becomes my new favorite ingredient in every meal (peppermint pancakes anyone?)
What can I say? I LOVE the holidays :)
I just wish my outfits could reflect this magical time of year. 

why I blog

When you really think about style blogs, its people taking pictures of themselves in cute clothes and then posting them online for everyone to see, in hope of someone commenting on how good you look or how much they love you. I can see why some people may see style blogs as selfish ploys to raise self confidence. 

But this is not the reason that I blog. 

I'm not going to lie and tell you that my heart doesn't skip a beat every time I get an e-mail notification that someone has left a comment on my most recent post. [I LOVE reading your comments! Keep it up.] 

Or when I see my stats rise each time someone views my blog.

Or when I notice that I have gained yet another follower. 

But these are not the reasons that I blog either. 

See, when I was in high school and even in college, I wasn't completely a lost cause when it came to what I wore, but I didn't really have "style." It is not like I really do now either but the difference is that I am now comfortable with what I wear, comfortable enough to post my daily outfits online. I am not afraid of what people think of my clothes and I find it fun to share and to learn from other bloggers. 

This blog is a personal victory for me because if you ask anyone who knew me back in high school, I was pretty shy and self conscious. This blog is me putting myself out there and trying something new without being afraid of failing. 

This blog is also a creative way for me to express myself. I used to do a lot of writing in college (I majored in English) but since then, I have gotten a little rusty. Blogging allows me to keep my writing sharp--I find it fun to start each blog with a blank canvas, write about whatever I want......the weather, my love for my new boots, taking a dump in my driveway when I was 4, you know, just normal life stuff.

 [thank you for putting up with me]

Since the birth of my blog, I have also been presented with some new challenges and hobbies. I am learning more about photography which I am SUPER excited about (I am taking a class in the winter!!). A new digital camera is the first thing on my Christmas List this year [mom]. And I have also acquired PhotoShop recently and have been experimenting with all the joys of photo editing. 

Thanks for being serious with me for a moment. And with that, I will leave you with this:

This is me in college--told you I didn't have style. I'm wearing a mac & cheese shirt and eating funnel cake from the sketchy farmer's market, enough said. 

snow in LA?

LA had the craziest weather this weekend! My husband and I were driving back from the mall yesterday and it was raining hard. All of a sudden, I look out my window and there is snow on the ground! Actually, it was just a lot of hail but it was piling up like snow! On the freeway....in LA. 

Luckily, I was not wearing this outfit yesterday....I actually wore this on Saturday which was beautiful, dress-wearing weather. And milkshake-drinking weather. I saw this commercial on TV for a peppermint chocolate chip milkshake at Chick-fil-a and I couldn't stop thinking about it all day. So much so that I forced my husband to drive a half hour to the nearest Chick-fil-a to get that milkshake. Seriously, you would think that I'm pregnant and having baby cravings, but no. It's just the fat kid inside of me taking over and forcing me to do irrational  things. Sadly, I am more embarrassed about the fact that a Chick-fil-a commercial caused me to trade in a night out on the town for a peppermint chocolate chip milkshake.....sigh....

it has arrived

It is FINALLY here!! The rain has come to Southern California!! And with it, my favorite season, FALL. I have been waiting to break in my new boots but it has just been too hot, until today! Unfortunately, the rain also brings out the incredibly slow LA drivers who freak out when they see this wet liquid falling from the sky. Coming from a girl who spent the first 18 years of her life in the land of rain (Seattle if you didn't already figure it out), it is very frustrating when a normally 5 min commute to work turns into 20 min just because the Los Angelites become paralyzed and therefore abandon driving altogether in the middle of the road. I mean, would you tell your hairdresser to stop cutting after she only chopped off the hair on half your head? NO, because you would look ridiculous! Same principle applies. So let's just agree to be cautious drivers in the rain, but not to become road blocks. The end.

wings

Hey guys, so I wore a scarf despite the 85 degree weather we are STILL having! I'm trying to act like it's fall...wearing scarves, boots, ordering hot soy lattes at Starbucks, but to no avail. All it got me was a burnt tongue and pit stains in my favorite white shirt :( 

Hope the rest of you are actually enjoying the cold weather that November brings. 

Tonight, husband and I are heading down to our friends' house for a little "family dinner" as we like to call it. 

I have to go think of something other than microwave mac & cheese to bring with. Wish me luck!

PS>how do you like my shirt with wings? It's different but I really like it.