No One is Perfect

I am of the generation that remembers life without email (even without cell phones! I first learned to make phone calls on a rotary phone. Do people even know what that is anymore?).  I am totally dating myself, but AOL was the beginning when I was in school. We had to listen to the dial-up modem sound as we logged in to check our email.   We had pagers to keep in contact with our friends, and numerical codes to send messages (early texting shorthand: 143 = I love you, etc.)  

Then social media came along - we all had MySpace first, then Facebook blew up.  And everything has seemed like warp speed since then.  It's really hard to imagine life without all this tech now, but I do actually remember it, and am thankful I grew up when I did.  I think the stages of my life perfectly coincided with the growth of technology: I was young enough to grow with it, so it wasn't like I was trying to play catch-up learning it all, but the tech itself was still mild enough that I was able to get through the 'tough years' (aka adolescence) without the often harsh and critical social media world weighing on me.  While social media has created so many new, positive, creative forums and connected people in positive ways, it has also created a place for cowardly, immature and ignorant people to have a more profound effect than they ever should.  

And even as an adult, it can be hard not to let the media ( in all its forms) get to you.  Its only human to compare ourselves to each other, and its hard to remember that what we're seeing is only what other's want us to see.  I took some dorky photos during this session, but I obviously only used the ones I liked in this post.  I compare myself to others as well, and then judge myself.  But my goal of this blog is to be who I am, and share who I am and what I have to offer, and not be anyone else.  Because no one is perfect. And everyone is different. We all just need to be the best version of ourselves.

Cutoffs and Suede Stilettos

Eventually Mother Nature will get the memo that it is supposed to be fall weather, and not record breaking heat and humidity right now.  Until that time, my sweaters will have to stay indoors on their hangers, because it is too hot to even look at them right now.

I got these booties on sale on sale (yes, I said that twice. Can't beat a discount on top of a sale price), and while I'm not sure they're office appropriate, the price and cuteness factor were at the right level they're worth keeping.  Open toe and in suede, I think they're a good transition bootie (and surprisingly comfortable for that tall a heel).  And since my husband doesn't mind me being taller than him in my stilettos (these make me about 6'2"), I think I'll be able to get my money's worth out of them, once the temps drop about 20 degrees!  This is my hot day breaking them in outfit. (I don't think you can tell I'm sweating, can you?)  Mixing it up with a little edginess.

Wishing you a wonderful week!

Camo & Lace

Want to lose 6 pounds over night? Get a stomach virus. Yeah, its been a fun past 3 days in our house: Wednesday night little man started throwing up, and after being home sick with him 2 days, Mommy had her turn.  Its just the beginning.  Having kids is the best and worst thing for your immune system: you get immune to everything after you get infected by everything, LOL. I worked for several years at a day care, and after being perpetually sick for about 3 months, I very rarely got sick again for a long while. But germs evolve over the years, so those immunities are no longer effective.  So now we're starting over.

Despite it seems like everyone is busting out their fall clothes, weather in Los Angeles is still anything but.  We had a freak rainstorm this past week, which seemed like the culmination of gross heat and humidity we'd been having. Once the storm passed, we'd had very pleasant weather.  Perfect for an outfit like this one, I'll be pulling out for the weekend.

Fairlytale Wedding

We were able to attend a very lovely wedding this past weekend.  The ceremony and reception were both at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills, and a better evening could not have been ordered.  The ceremony was outside on a private lawn, the weather was so perfect, and then the reception followed in a beautiful ballroom.  The bride is very much in to Disney princesses, so her style was very romantic and fairytale.

With a little help from some double-stick tape, I was comfortabe all night.
 

Please forgive my paleness.
 

Beaded shoes. 
 

Details.
 

When there's a photo booth, you gotta take photos.
 

My dress and shoes are on sale right now, you can get them both below.
 

Kimono in the Woods

I've been meaning to, and hopefully this is the start, post more outfit pictures on the blog.  I'm good about it on Instagram, but those are selfies, and I can't get as many variety of shots.  

Here's a look I packed for a recent trip to Arkansas. I'd never been to Arkansas before, and was expecting (from checking my weather app) warm weather with humidity.  Perfect for sundresses. And we were going to be seeing family (the trip was for my husband's grandpa's 90th birthday party) as well as trying to squeeze in some sight seeing of the country, so I wanted to be cool but comfortable and still look put together.  

I love the mixed patterns of this dress. It looks like a wrap dress, but its not, just a pull over. Light cotton fabric and kimono sleeves kept me cool (though I should have taken the pictures before I sat in the dress and got it wrinkly - sorry!) I paired it with my Dolce Vita sandals (that are about the only shoes i can wear right now because of a jammed baby toe) and brought my light scarf for an extra layer, just in case (just in case of what, I don't know, because even at night it was never cooler than 70 degrees).  And to minimize and simplify my travel items, I only brought my one white bag, that was multi-purpose purse, diaper bag, lunch bag, shopping bag, etc.

We rented a small house in a wooded area, so we could have a separate room for our Little Dude. Everything was/is so green and fresh.  Not the same as drought-ridden SoCal.  

And of course had my sun hat.  Have to have the sun protection. And this is a great one to travel with, because it rolls up and fits in a suitcase easily, and can be be reshaped and adjusted with ease.

And I added a tassel and pearl necklace for a finishing touch.

We had a beautiful day, and fun family time.  If you're ever in Northern Arkansas, I recommend visiting the Crystal Bridges American History Museum.  Its open everyday except Tuesday, and admission is free to all (thanks to the Walton family.) A great collection of American art, showcased in a beautiful, new and modern complex, surrounding a small lake, with beautiful outdoor grounds to explore as well.