Confessional Friday

Happy Friday everyone! I'm  linking up with Leslie over at A Blonde Ambition to confess this 

week.

1. Today is my last day of work and I'm SO EXCITED! I've been a nanny for two blue eyed, sassy, princesses for a year and although I will miss them dearly I am looking forward to days that do not consist of picking up toys, watching the same movie every day, bickering siblings, & so forth. I love kids dearly, but I'll definitely be waiting quite a few years before I'm ready!

2. I move to Knoxville, TN in exactly 2 weeks and I haven't started packing a single thing. I keep telling myself that I need to wait because surely I will need to wear those 20 pairs of jeans in 80 degree weather... I think not! Fortunately I'll have 2 weeks of no work to pack everything.

3. My fiance turns 21 on the 21st- Golden Birthday- I'm a tad jealous that I can't get away with drinking like a 21 year old anymore. But as I type this I remember the horrible mornings after a long night of drinking and am relieved to not be experiencing that quite as frequently anymore. DD anyone?

4. I have 7 outfits packed for 3 days of travel... shoes and jewelry included. Ya never know where you'll be going... right? Right!

5. I've been spending a little too much time outside in the sun and am loving my sun freckles. I know its horrible, but I do! I got a spray tan last night so hopefully that will keep me out of the sun for a few days. 

6. I'm really displeased with the season finale of Grey's Anatomy! I've been a fan for ALL 8 seasons and really think the viewers should have been given a bit of hope for season 9. The Private Practice finale was uhmazing! At the moment, I'm liking PP better than Grey's :-)

7. I'm getting my hair did tomorrow! Finally! It's long overdue but I wanted to wait until I was done with work so I could have a fresh look and style going into my big move! I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to get done... my mind is all over the place! To be continued...

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! 

xo ANDREA

30 Day Photo Challenge || Day 5

Your Lunch Today

Whole Wheat Tortilla, 3 slices turkey lunch meat, lettuce, tomatoes, 1/4 avocado, feta cheese! 

This was a perfect summer lunch- all the flavors together! It even looks pretty :-) 

Next time I might mash up the avocado and spread it on the tortilla so that I can have avocado in every bite! Yum!

Turquoise Shorts

I recently bought these turquoise shorts at Gap! I love the bright color for summer but I don't want to get stuck in a rut of pairing them with basic black or white. 

(PS. The shorts are 25% off at Gap.com until tomorrow!)

I found a few outfit inspirations on Pinterest for turquoise and am excited to give them a try!

Turquoise + Floral

Turquoise + Coral (+Black)

Turquoise + Black + White + Cognac

Turquoise + Pink

I'll post some pictures once I've created outfits with what I have in my closet! 

Thanks for reading

xo Andrea

30 Day Photo Challenge || Day 4

Something You Wore

I wore this for a Saturday lunch with my family and Grandma for an early Mother's Day Celebration!

Top: Old Navy; Skirt: Old Navy; Belt: The Limited; Shoes: Target; Bag: Steve Madden via Marshalls; 

Bracelet: Forever 21

Happy Monday!

xo Andrea

30 Day Photo Challenge || Day 3

Nature

There's a state park right by my house, Castlewood, with loads of beautiful walking trails, picnic areas, and a river. Early on in our relationship, Ben and I would take the 3 mile walks on a regular basis. For whatever reason, we haven't been back to Castlewood since December 3, 2011. I know this because this was the day that Ben proposed to me <3

 I thought we were going on one of our normal walks at Castlewood but Ben had something else planned! Before he came to my house to pick me up, his dad and him went to the park, placed a small video camera behind a wooden stake. They tested out the distance between the camera and his proposal spot; once he found the perfect place, he put a stick down so that he would know where to stop while walking. After he picked me up, he called his dad 'to see if he needed him to pick anything up later in the day' but this was code for his dad to turn the video camera on. We walked our normal path and since the video camera was behind the stake, I didn't see it as we were walking. It wasn't until after the proposal that he showed it to me! 

I love having our proposal on video! It is so special ... especially because I don't even really remember what Ben said to me as I was in such shock! We haven't shared the video with anyone and I don't know that we will, but we were able to take a bunch of stills from the video and turn them into photos!

Today we went back to Castlewood and went on the same path that we did about 5 months ago when Ben proposed! Here's a picture from the top of a huge hill; you can see the muddy river peeking out just a bit! 

All decked out for a hot, morning walk!

Happy Friday!

Thanks for reading

xo Andrea

30 Day Photo Challenge || Day 2

Your Favorite Quote

I'm very bad at the favorite question, so I'm going to try and avoid as many of those as possible during the next thirty days. I find it nearly impossible to narrow down anything into ONE favorite. My "favorite" anything depends on the time of year, time of day, my mood, who I'm with, etc. 

Currently, this quote is my favorite. I've been unmotivated in many areas of my life lately. After work I find myself thinking, 'I wish I had the energy for ....'. I feel as though a lot of my day is composed of 'I wish' thoughts. I really need to remember that turning my 'I wish...' into an 'I will; I can; I did' is all up to me. I am the only one who can begin to change my wants into realities. 

Nothing is impossible. The word says so itself: I'M POSSIBLE 

Thanks for reading!

xo

Andrea

30 Day Photo Challenge || Day 1

A Picture of Yourself and 10 facts

1. I am completely beyond obsessed with Grey's Anatomy. Along with watching the current season, I have started re-watching the series (I'm currently on season 3) for the third time. I really do not think it is possible to get tired of the show. 

2. I have ridden an elephant and a camel! 

3. I hate complete dark and still sleep with a light on

4. I do not drink soda. Or juice. Or really milk. Or alcohol. Or coffee. Or Tea. I'm pretty much a water gal 24/7. Throw a lemon in my water and I'm in heaven!

5. I love my freckles and would never in a million years try and cover them up. Actually, I think I am the only one in my family that has freckles- grandparents, aunts/uncles, and cousins included! 

6. I'm still scared to shower with my engagement ring on... it's the only time my bling comes off!

7. I love listening to music- country music especially. It's really difficult for me to talk on the phone while I'm driving because I don't want to miss out on a good song!

8. I used to tan 4-5 times a week, but since meeting my fiance I have stopped! It's been over 5 months since I have tanned in a tanning bed and even longer since I've visited on a regular basis. I now love spray tans!

9. I cannot remember the last time my toenails were not painted. I don't think my memory goes back far enough for that one....

10. I'm going to Grad School! For Audiology! My Dream!

Thanks for reading! Day 2 Tomorrow!

xoxo

Andrea

Stripes + Floral

I love the idea of mixing patterns, but I am just not very adventurous when it comes to my wardrobe. I tried plaid with stripes... I liked the look, but felt that it was missing 'something'. I think I'd like to try stripes and floral, I'm just not sure how to put it together. I found these images (all via pinterest) so hopefully I can pull the look together here soon!

Thanks for reading!

Andrea

Hello all & happy last week of April! I, for one, am extremely ready for May to come! I only have a few more weeks left at my current job, my fiance and sister will be home for a week or so from school, and the weather is just getting better! 

Things have been pretty low-key for me. Instead of doing a lot of shopping, I've been working on DIY projects and packing for my move. It may seem quite early to start packing for my June move, but I have boxes all over the house with random things. When I packed up my apartment after graduation, I kinda just threw everything into boxes....some are in the garage, some in the basement, some in my room. I honestly have no idea what things I need to buy for my new place and what I already have. 

This past weekend Ben and I worked on reupholstering the dining room chairs I got off of Craigslist. I didn't mind the cushions before but now I am in love with the new pattern. It's so me and provides a lot of colors that I can use throughout the place. We also worked on sanding/priming/panting an old bookcase of mine. It was one of those laminate Sauder bookcases (blahhh). I'm planning on painting it white and using a shelf liner for the backboard. I hope it turns out as wonderful as I'm imaging. 

Here are a few outfit pictures from the week! Please enjoy!

Friday/Travel outfit

Weekday Outfit

Coral Shorts on a Warm Day!

Have a great week!

Thanks for reading

xo Andrea

I apologize in advance ...

But I left my computer charger at my finances over the weekend. He offered to mail it, but since he will be home on Friday I didn't think it was necessary. Posting from my iPhone is just too much work! My apologies ladies! Have a great week! Thanks for reading! Xo Andrea PS. I'm wearin pink colored skinnies today with a black top. I feel like my go to color with colored skinnies is black. What colors do y'all wear with bright colored skinnies? I'm in a rut!

Confessional Friday

Happy Friday! I'm  linking up with Leslie over at A Blonde Ambition to confess this week.


1. I am off work tomorrow, for the 4th or 5th week in a row. I have become a little to used to three and four day weeks. Although I love the extra time off, I sure could use the extra money right now!


2. I returned two pairs of shoes this evening and left the store with three. I must stop shopping before returning something. I need to high-tail it to the check out, make my return, and hit the road. Buttt I did finally add a pair of nude heels to my closet! And at $20, who could beat the price?

http://www.endless.com/Kelsi-Dagger-Womens-Linzy-Platform/dp/B0041H3K50/175-3678265-9365254?ie=UTF8&suppressRedirect=1


3. I had my first ever spray tan where someone, not a machine, sprays you and I'm in love! The color is a bit dark right now, which is expected. I can't wait to see the color after my shower... I might be looking in the mirror a little more often than what is considered normal 


4. I'm visiting my fiance this weekend- Friday, Saturday, and Sunday- and have packed 7+ outfits. Shoes and jewelry included. The weather is all over the place, I'm not sure what we will be doing, but I don't know if that calls for an unnecessary number of clothes. Oh well, I'm driving so I have the room! 

5. I've given up sugar/sweets this week. Post Lent and Easter I know. I felt disgusting on Easter after the amount of food I ate and knew with extra candy around I wouldn't stop. I'm proud to confess that I have NOT eaten one sweet since Sunday night! 

Thanks for reading! Happy Weekend! 

xo Andrea

Stripes+Plaid

Hi all! The weekend is finally in sight! What do y'all have planned? I'm headed up to Kirksville to see Ben play in his Spring Football Game! I'm so excited to be able to see him play- this is probably the first and last time I will since I'll be moving to Knoxville. Bummer!


Here's my outfit of the day. I really like the look of stripes and plaid, but this outfit just isn't doing it for me. I feel like something is missing and it seems a little masculine-lumberjack-ish to me. Am I imagining things? What do you all think; anything I could add to the outfit to make it better?

Enjoy your Thursday! Thanks for reading!

xo Andrea

It's Official...

... I have accepted my position at the University of Tennessee for the Doctor of Audiology program!

I will be moving to Knoxville in June and am so ready to start this new chapter in my life!! It was a long time coming and I'm so extremely glad it's here. Prior to graduating with my undergrad, I applied to several schools for a Fall 2011 Doctor of Audiology program. Being so busy with school, sorority, other organizations, I just did not invest the time into starting graduate school: I should have researched the schools I was applying to in more depth, I should have studied harder for the GRE, I should have invested more time in my personal statements. Therefore, I did not get accepted to a program. It was devastating. More devastating was seeing my classmates (and best friend) get into multiple programs. It was bittersweet for sure. 

After finding out I was not accepted, I did some serious 'life-questioning'- was Audiology for me? was there something else I could be more passionate about? Should I apply for a different degree? Work for a year? Reapply? The possibilities were endless. I finally settled on working full time and focusing on all my past shouldas. I worked my tail off studying for the GRE, researching schools, and writing 9 different personal statements for applications. From June til January, I did nothing but work during the day and work on grad school stuff at night, but my hard work paid off!

Of the 9 schools I applied to, I was accepted to 5. My first acceptance letter was from the University of Tennessee and ya better believe I cried! It was one of the most exciting moments in my life. My happiness continued as I heard from more schools. Ultimately, UT just seems to be the right fit for me. I'm getting a lil misty eyed as I type thinking about my new journey ahead! Moral of the story: Don't give up on your dreams. Hard work pays off!

Is anyone from the Knoxville area? 

Thanks for reading, 

xo

Andrea

Cardinal Red

I first entered the trend of colored denim on a whim. I wanted to give it a try, but wasn't sure it would look great on my body and didn't want to spend a lot of money on something I wasn't sure I'd wear. One day while shopping at Marshalls I came across a pair of red skinny jeans for $15! I loved everything about them- the bright color, the fit and length, and especially the price! 

I was extremely hesitant to try them at first but had a perfect event for them- a bridal show at Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals! I paired my Cardinal red skinnies with a black and white polka dot top, a leather jacket, and grey boots. The outfit was perfect for the event and for slowly stepping out of my comfort zone. 

Since the event I have created numerous looks:

-Early Valentine's Day Date look: Red pants, leopard print top, camel blazer and heels

-Normal Day: Red pants, black/white stripped sweater, leather jacket

-Normal Day; Red pants, chambray shirt, brown boots

Here are the basic looks of the outfits I created:
(all images from pinterest)

My most recent red skinny jean outfit was in support of Opening Day: 

I threw the outfit together pretty quickly but love the styled look of the baseball jersey. I love the look of this outfit- team support, casual, cute! I'd totally rock this at a game or snazz it up for going out and watching the game! What do y'all think? 

I forgot to snap the pic AFTER putting on my accessories, but I wore my gold watch and chunky bracelet, forgive me!

Thanks for reading

xo

Andrea

Updating my wardrobe!

Last week I posted about my need to 'de-winter-ize' my closet. I'm pleased to report that I removed my winter items and replaced them with my spring/summer pieces. I did leave a few items for cool weather, but for the most part, my closet is full of bright colors, skirts, and dresses! It felt wonderful to rid my closet of all the bulky sweaters and jackets *ahhh* Besides just swapping out clothes in my closet I did some serious purging. I sold a few items this past weekend and am in the process of selling a few more. While I'm all about donating, it is nice to make a little $ on nice, unwanted items. Seriously y'all, once I got started cleaning out my closet I couldn't stop! I have two big shopping bags full of clothes and shoes. I'm loving the less cluttered feel of my closet at the moment!

In aout two months I'm going to be moving out on my own, eight whole hours from home. This was a major motivator behind my closet purge. I really do not want to clutter my new place with unwanted items; it's also really pointless to move items that I never use. Although I am getting rid of quite a few things, I'm also adding to my wardrobe. Grad school classes and working with clients 2-3times a week means that I need more work appropriate pieces. I have the occasional dress and slacks from undergrad, but they are years old and will simply not get me through the next couple years.

Over the next few months I plan on adding the following to my wardrobe:

1. Pencil Skirts- Before last week I had zero. The Limited was having a great sale so I picked up four skirts. That sounds really ridiculous when I type it out, but I figure that I will be wearing them once or twice a week. They really are the alternative to dress slacks which I know I will get sick of wearing. The weather in Knoxville will be slightly warmer than STL so I should be able to wear the pieces for a little longer into the Fall. Obviously, I'll be paring some of the skirts with tights for the winter! Oh, I just love the look of a nice pencil skirt, tights, and pretty heels!

I got this skirt in Mint, White, Black, and a Khaki color. I love the fit and the colors! I'll probably wear one of them for Easter. I'm very happy with the 4 additions, but eventually I'd like to find a stripped, polka dot, and lace skirt. The Limited did have a great stripped one (you can see a smidge hanging) but they didn't have my size! Might have to order it online....

2. Cardigans- I noticed that I have quite the collection of black and grey cardigans, a white, and a few random ones. Pretty boring if you ask me. Again, I think cardigans will be an essential piece for Grad school; there's so many ways to wear them! I would like to find a bright pink one, a blue/green one, and a few patterned cardis. I found some very pretty patterned ones at Target, but they were a little bold for my liking. Any suggestions? 

3. Dress shirts- I have the basic white button up dress shirt, quite a few colors- pink, blue, olive, purple, etc. but I am DYING for a black and white gingham dress shirt. I have been on the lookout for this kind of shirt for months. Someone, please help a sister out! 

How cute is this outfit? Complete with a gingham shirt! 

(image via pinterest)

4. Nude Heels. It seems that I have shoes in every color but nude. How? I do not know. This shoe goes with everything! Skinny jeans, skirts, dresses. Please enter my closet now! 

What else do you think is a must, work appropriate piece to add to my closet? 

Thanks for reading!

XO Andrea

Monday FUNday

Happy Monday all! I did quite a bit of cleaning, purging, and rearranging this weekend! As I will be moving in about 2 months, I'm tryin to get rid of all the clothes/beauty products/random things that are just taking up space. I really don't want my new place to be full of clutter. Plus, packing unused things is pointless!

 That being said, I was really given the chance to asses what clothes and beauty products I do have and what I need to buy. For example, I have a million and one eyeshadow palates that I never use! But I can't seem to find my eyelash curler? Over the next few weeks I'm going to try and stock up on practical, everyday items for my beauty routine. In general, I Pretty happy with my makeup routine, but I want to add a few things that I think will really enhance my everyday look!

 1. Eye lash curler. Who doesn't love thick, voluminous lashes? Gorgeous lashes are my favorite part of my look, therefore I need to invest in a GOOD eyelash curler! I've done a bit of research and here are the top ones I'm considering: Shu Uemura, Sephora Mini Heated Eyelash Curler, Laura Mercier Eye Lash Curler

 2. Brow Powder. I've tried an eyebrow pencil before but the look was way too dramatic for me. I do think that my brows need to be filled in, especially with my darker hair. I've heard good things about Anastasia Brow Powder and Smashbox Brow Tech. I've been very pleased in the past with LORAC products, so I'm also curious about LORAC Take A Brow.

3. Eye brightener. I typically wear a light eyeshadow, liner, and mascara- I'm not one who uses a lot of eye shadow on a regular basis. I think that an eye brighter would really help enhance my natural makeup.

4. Conclear & Powder. Back in the day, when my acne was really bad, I used these two products like crazy! As my skin got better, I started to shy away from everyday use. For the past 3-4 years, I only use a bronzer and blush. For the most part, my skin has a very even complexion, minus a few spots buttt I think it's time for me start covering up my small imperfections. I also used my sisters conclear and MAC powder this weekend and LOVED the results. I honestly have no idea on where to start with brands, please give me some advice!

I'm going to keep this list on hand so when I have a moment to do some shopping,  I can pick these items up and start "enhancing" my everyday look! I recently got Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser and am SO excited to give it a try! I've heard so many great things about it- I'll report back!

And because a post without pictures is so blah, I'll leave you with a few pics from the past week!

Thanks for reading! Happy Monday!

xo

Andrea

Making a House a Home

At this moment, I have lived in: my childhood home, a house we moved to mid high school, the college dorm for a year, my first off campus house shack, an apartment for two years, and I am now back to the house we moved to during high school. In about two months I will be moving for graduate school, thus adding another place to the list. 

I have come up with quite the list of DIY projects that I need to get started on ASAP so that I can make my future apartment a home. Most likely, I will be in the new town and home for at least 4 years. There's been brief talk that at some point during the first few years, my fiance will have an opportunity to be in the same town as me! (We are about a year into long distance and have at least another 2). I really want to make the apartment our home. I understand that for the majority of my time there, we will not be together, but something about the idea of starting a home together makes the years of long distance a little more bearable. I love the idea of working on the projects together; I will feel surrounded by him, our love, and memories whenever I'm in the apartment. I also think it will be really neat to have these fun little projects to hold onto throughout all of time, reminding us of where we started out. 

Here's the list of DIY projects I want to create: 

Magnetic Cooking Sheet- great for posting menus, lists, cards, etc. 

Monogramed Plates

I will be putting the letter B on our plates as well :)

I have accumulated quite the cheap vases/glassware from Goodwill which will be perfect for this!

Canvas, stickers, and paint. Simply put the stickers on. Spray paint.

Remove the stickers. The possibilities are endless.

I might do a simple design with the buttons or stick to the letter B...

...we shall see!

My fiance will definitely be helping me with this one! I think this will be a great piece in the apartment, and on a student budget I'd rather put the money into bigger pieces of furniture.

Cake stand! Perfect for desserts, knick-nacks, things in the bathroom or kitchen that clutter.

All Images via pinterest.com

Thanks so much for reading! I'm happy to report that my motivation has begun to return- woohoo! Happy weekend all!

Xo

Andrea