Accidentally in Love

According to my mother, I have been cutting my own hair since the moment I first learned to use scissors. I took many a school picture with crooked bangs or a hair clip desperately trying to hide the tragedy. Well here I am a grown and married woman of 26 and I can tell you not a thing has changed. I got a lot better over the years and I leaned to cut my bangs longer than I want so I could edit them if needed. If you have ever seen me sporting fringe then there is a 98% chance they are of my own doing. So after all of these years and all of these lessons learned I decided to cut my bangs again. You see, I am currently trying to grow out my hair but being the fickle gal that I am, I needed some change and decided my bangs are safe to cut because that wouldn't affect my overall hair length. With all caution thrown to the wind, I chopped, oh man did I chop. My bangs were so short. I was horrified. You're probably wondering what happened to all of the lessons learned. Sadly, so was I. Jim was at work and wasn't expected for a few hours so I just stared blankly at my peach fuzz in the mirror. For a few moments I felt helpless but then one of the most iconic faces of all time came to mind, Audrey Hepburn. I am a firm believer in finding the good in everything. I know that if I find myself in a sticky, uncomfortable or sad situation there is always promise and opportunity somewhere to be found. I rushed to my computer to search Pinterest for images of Ms Hepburn. I was immediately inspired. I would never have had the courage to try such an extreme style on my own. Somehow this new do makes me feel strong, and brave, and most of all unique. Part of me thinks it's a bit silly to put so much thought into something as trivial as bangs but then I remind myself of my vow to see the good in ALL things. I'm not sure how long I will maintain this look but for now I'm loving it.

Jim and I finally headed over to the Champaign Public Library  to become members. Libraries always make me think of Sex and the City when Carrie Bradshaw decided to get married in the library because it's where all of the greatest love stories were housed. It's such a beautiful thought. I found myself in the biography section. I picked up a book about Audrey Hepburn and one on Amelia Earhart. After the Library we stopped at Am-Ko, a near by Asian market. Jim has been on a hunt for reasonably priced tofu. If you saw my latest Instagram post then you know he left no where near empty handed. We returned home and Jim made a delicious stir fry. After dinner, we snuggled up in the happiest of silences and each read from our respective books.

In the spirit of bravery, I decided to wear printed pants with a beautifully textured sweater. I found these pants while unpacking and realized I had never even worn them before. I love mixing prints and textures.

OUTFIT OF THE DEY

Blouse: TJ Maxx

Sweater: Pink Rose at Ross (similar)

Pants: Forever 21

Shoes: Madden Girl at TJ Maxx (similar)

Nail Polish: Forever 21

Lipstick: Rimmel London at Walmart

Sweet Dreams

Jim and I are in the market for a new mattress. Since all of our belongings were going to be in storage for a month before heading east we decided to sell our California King in San Diego. We ended up bringing my mattress from my parents house. It's a full sized mattress and working out nicely for me because I'm 5'2" and roll up into a ball quite comfortably. My poor husband on the other hand is a 6'2" broad shouldered hunk of man. I'm reminded of a recent Saturday Night Live sketch about "sleeping" in a twin bed and I find myself humming the silly song that goes to it. Watch it HERE if you have a moment.

It was a nice day out with a high of 41 degrees so we decided to run a few errands and test drive some mattresses. We found ourselves at a Mattress Firm. It must have been a slow day at the firm because the salesman, let's call him Larry, was very eager to see us walk in. He kindly said hello and asked, "havy'allevbintamattressfirmbfor?" We smiled at him nervously with wide eyes. He asked again, "Mattress Firm? Y'all ever been?" I didn't even know people said "y'all" here. I could tell we were in for a good time. When he found out we were new in town fresh from California he marched us straight to the Cadillac of mattresses. We weren't in any hurry so we decided to play along. The poor man didn't realize that we were the kind of people that go to Costco to eat samples for dinner so we definitely weren't about to drop $3000 on a mattress. He went on and on about the double coil blah blah blahs. It was a nice mattress but I wanted to see more. After every mattress we tried, Larry would give us all of the details that made it so special. We were like Goldilocks and the three bears. Since Jim is the blonde I guess that would make me... a brown little bear?! Scratch that. I was like Cinderita at the mattress ball. That has a better ring to it. Anyway we didn't get a mattress and Larry was sad to see us go. If you know Jim then you already guessed that he looked up mattresses on amazon.com as soon as we got home.

We headed to Chipotle for dinner because we had a gift card and it was right next door. I am now going to let you in on my secret Chipotle order. I ask for ONE chicken taco in a bowl with brown rice, black beans, grilled veggies, pico de gallo, that corn salsa that rocks my world, and lettuce. It's a mini salad bowl for like $2.45. I love their salad bowls but I really don't like paying for food I won't finish or overeating because I don't want to waste it. An observation I made while ordering at Chipotle, calories don't have to be posted here in Illinois. We're definitely not in California anymore.

Since it was a pretty clear day and there wasn't much snow on the ground, I was excited to wear something other than snow boots along with one of my new favorite shirts which actually used to belong to my older sister. Being the youngest of four children, I am no stranger to hand-me-downs. I love that the polka dots make it fun while the black and ivory color scheme keep it classy. I of course finished this look off with red lipstick because it was the right thing to do.

 

OUTFIT OF THE DEY

Beanie: Calvin Klein (similar)

Blouse: Papaya (similar)

Coat: Paper Doll at Ross (similar) 

Pants: Charlotte Russe

Boots: Paprika on Amazon

Earrings: Target

Lipstick: Rimmel London at Wal-Mart

Let It Snow

I drove in the snow for the first time. I thought it would be terrifying but it wasn't bad at all. I did however feel like everybody knew something I didn't and I found myself questioning whether or not green lights mean the same thing here. It's silly I know. I made it safely to the university. I was picking up Jim so we could set up our Illinois car insurance. Did you know that when you move to new state you have to get a new driver's license within 90 days? I have to take a test!! I'll be sure to study so I'll know that when you park your cow uphill you cramp the hooves to the curb. I'm only kidding of course. I have yet to even see a cow. The good news, according to our insurance agent, is that the DMV here is not nearly as much of a nightmare as in California. As much I will miss the people watching, catching up on emails, and the exuberant feeling of finally hearing that automated voice announce G23, it will be nice to have the rest of my day open to adventure.

We have been married for 10 months but I am just starting to change my name on everything. I must say it is quite the process. I don't think people realize how many things have their name on it. It's also a little strange to sign a new name but it's equally exciting to put all of the pieces of our puzzle together.

I have been a California girl my entire life so moving east to Illinois has been quite the transition. I am loving the beautiful winter weather and all of the boots, coats and scarves that are not only adorable but absolutely mandatory. When everything is covered in white, it's fun to wear bright colors and really stand out.

OUTFIT OF THE DEY

Coat: Old Navy (similar)

Scarf: Old Navy (similar)

Sweater: Forever 21 (similar)

Leggings:  Mossimo at Target

Boots: Northside on Amazon 

Gloves: (similar)

Lipliner: Beautique at Sally's Beauty Supply AUBURN

Lipstick: Rimmel London at Wal-Mart BORDEAUX