In honor of the What's Up Wednesday linkup with Mel, Shay, and Sheaffer, I decided to play along and answer the questions. It's a convenient way to give you guys a quick snapshot of what's going on in real life, so let's get started!
Showing posts with label All About Me. Show all posts
Showing posts with label All About Me. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Monday, February 29, 2016
Hello Monday: My day job
Jacket: LOFT (option) | Necklace: Charming Charlie (c/o) | Bag: Rebecca Minkoff (gifted) | Top: bp | Bracelet: Charming Charlie (c/o) | Bottoms: Express | Flats: Halogen
Happy leap day! It's the bonus last day of February, which happens to kick off an extra busy travel month for me! I may look relaxed in these photos, but the anxiety of having to pack and travel is haunting me! It's all good stuff though - my first trip happens today. I will be in Birmingham, AL for the night, then on Friday I leave for Jupiter, FL to see my beloved Cardinals play a couple of spring training baseball games. I also get to have dinner with some special blogger babes, so this weekend is extra exciting for me! Then I head to San Antonio Tuesday through Thursday next week - it's for work, but I get to squeeze in some family time as well, which is awesome! And finally, I will be in Dallas for a conference that following Sunday through Wednesday. Tired yet? Because I know I am!
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
2014 Resolutions report card
Well, it's New Year's Eve and I hope you all have something fun and fabulous and glittery to go to, if that's your thing. The husband and I will probably be grabbing a bite to eat then watching the ball drop from the comfort of our own home. But before we do that, I wanted to look back at my 2014 resolutions and see how I did.
1. Work on my fitness.
Fail. OK, so I can't say I failed completely, but I certainly did not live up to my 10,000 steps a day challenge. I did manage to take 65+ pilates classes this year, so that was a definite win, and I know I will continue to go in 2015. I just love it so much. It's the cardio where I am lacking, and cardio is what I need to really see results. And that's why I give myself a D for this.
That's me! Second from right.
2. Paint my fingers.
A+++ I passed this one with flying colors (no pun intended.) I was worried that my nails would be dry and brittle, or that I simply wouldn't have time to maintain them, but this has been the easiest resolution thus far. I now feel incomplete and uncomfortable if I have naked nails, and I've come to appreciate that pretty polish is a great accessory, in and of itself!
Bag: Express | Bracelets: Stella and Dot (1,2) and Nadri | Polish: Essie Double Breasted Jacket (gifted)
3. Walk Annie the beagle.
F. This is a giant F. We went on a few walks, but nothing that would even substantiate anything higher than an F. I have no excuses for this other than my own laziness and lack of time management! Clearly she is disappointed in her mommy also.
4. Wear shoes.
I will give myself a B on this. While I do have some special occasion shoes that truly merit something special for me to wear them, I've definitely done a better job this year dusting off some old favorites and giving them more air time. It's too bad I didn't have a resolution to wear more leopard, because I'm pretty sure any footwear with leopard on them in my closet room got the most miles!
5. Purge.
D. I had one huge eBay listing this year - I managed to list and sell 20+ items in one round, and on the first try. I was amazed how easy it was! The bad thing is, I haven't done any more listings since then! The listing and selling aren't even the hard parts - it's the photographing that's the worst. I do have a ton of clothes already set aside to sell/donate, but I know I could go through my closet right this second and purge a ton more. In the meantime, I've been doing the exact opposite of purging and buying multiples of the same pieces. Sigh.
Well, that was thoroughly depressing! I guess I'll have to do a better job at either lowering the bar with my resolutions or actually having enough drive and energy to get stuff done in 2015! Either way, I've got some work to do!
Have a safe and happy new year!!!!
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Linking up for: Thrift Sisters with Ayana and Keren, What I Wore Wednesday, Random Wednesday, I Feel Pretty, Whatcha Wearin Wednesday.
Friday, June 6, 2014
Avon Walk for Breast Cancer: Chicago 2014
Shirts from Custom Ink
As promised, I thought I would give you an update on the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer this past weekend in Chicago. If you'd like the backstory of how and why we signed up for this walk, you can read all about it here.
Let's first start with the details of the weekend, shall we? We were required to walk 39.3 miles over two days - Saturday and Sunday. Saturday the route was 26.2 miles, a whole marathon. We started at Soldier Field and were taken up the lakeshore, through downtown and more up north, where we ended the day in Horner Park. Sunday, our walk was a half marathon - 13.1 miles, and it started where we left off at Horner Park and ended back at Soldier Field.
The first 6 miles or so were my personal favorite. The weather was absolutely perfect, if not a little on the chilly side for the first few miles. As you can imagine, we started off slow while the crowd was still very thick, but I couldn't complain because the views were amazing. Chicago is such a great City.
But yeah, it was not all rainbows and unicorns. This was the ABSOLUTE HARDEST, most difficult thing I have ever put my body through. I love walking! I've always said that I could walk forever, and I'm a fast walker by nature. But let me tell you, I quickly realized that this was no leisurely walk in the park.
I really wish I could tell you guys this was mile 20 or something like that. Nope. This was mile 6. SIX! Out of 39.3!!! Right around mile 3, I could feel a blister forming on the pad of my 4th toe on my right foot. I tried to ignore it and tried to carry my weight a little differently. Then I started feeling it form on the same toe on my left foot. Anxiety starts to set in because I know it's just the beginning.
There were rest stops every couple of miles or so. They alternated between "quick stops" which just had drinks and port-a-potties (honestly the nicest port-a-potties you will ever be in, seriously) and full on rest stops with snacks and medical care also. When I saw the "foot fix" station at mile 6, I decided to see if they could do anything for my blisters. These two lovely ladies were so sweet and amazing. Sure enough, blisters were there, and she ended up draining the one in my right foot, but the left didn't quite have any fluid in it yet. Mile six, guys.
By mile 7, I could start feeling it in my legs. What made it even worse was that we were now walking in the heart of the City. They didn't close any streets for this walk so imagine stopping at every. Single. Intersection. The constant starting and stopping on my already fatigued legs made it even harder.
I got a little more pep in my step around mile 9 walking down Oak Street. I mean, seriously. How torturous it was to walk through this shopping district - Barney's, Christian Louboutin, Kate Spade, Jimmy Choo, Chanel?! It was my heaven, except that I couldn't stray off course. Le sigh.
We stopped for lunch after the first of our 3 half marathons. It was right after 12pm - they gave us a sack lunch with a turkey sandwich, chips, carrots, oreos, and an apple. Needless to say that did a great job keeping us fed. I also took 3 Ibuprofen before I ate. I tried getting my blisters drained again after lunch, but they said there was no fluid in them, which I'm not sure was accurate considering how much they hurt. They wrapped them with moleskin "to reduce friction" but friction wasn't really my enemy. It was my body weight every time I stepped down on my toes. Regardless, I felt amazing after lunch. My legs didn't feel at all tired, my attitude was much better after a full belly; I was ready to rock this thing!
As we wove ourselves up north, we made a pact that once we hit mile 18, we would allow ourselves to stop in a Starbucks for an iced coffee. We passed, oh, about 238778263876 Starbucks, but of course, once we hit 18, they were nowhere in sight - not until mile 21. Although the coffee was amazing, there really wasn't anything that was helping at this point. My friend Erin is an avid runner; she's run a couple marathons and a handful of half marathons, but even she hit her wall at mile 18. And if *she* was dying, then there was no hope for me!
We finally finished our day (which started at 7am) at a little after 6pm. I tried to go to the triage to have them look at my feet again, but there were 20 people ahead of me on the wait list, and I really just wanted to get back to the hotel. The bulk of the walkers actually camped out in the park! In tents! After walking a marathon! I admire those people, but my spoiled tired butt was sleeping in a hotel.
Guys. By the time we got back to the hotel, I could barely walk. I took a shower and the warm water felt great, but it hurt to stand, so I filled the tub with water and just soaked myself. Otherwise, I just took it easy, ordered room service, took some Aleve, and tried to stretch every hour as much as possible.
The next morning, I spent half an hour nursing my blisters, and between my feet and my legs, I could barely move. The thought about quitting crossed my mind many times, I'm not even going to lie. I just didn't know how it would be physically possible to finish feeling as awful as I did. But I just kept thinking about the $7100+ we raised, and about everyone and everything we were walking for, and just out of integrity, I had to do it.
This is a great screenshot to summarize our Sunday walk. As with the first day, we knew the first mile or so would be really slow because the crowd was so thick. But even as it started thinning out, I was still moving slow, and I knew that I was slowing our team down. But then we hit mile 3 and I saw that we were *still* only going 2 miles an hour. I literally got angry and decided, you know what? It hurts whether I walk slow or walk fast, so I may as well get this done sooner.
This extra motivation lasted about 4 miles or so, and I started to really hurt again at mile 7. All of our significant others met us around mile 7, so we took a 15 minute break and I was able to eat a substantial snack, stretch, and take Ibuprofen. The rest of the morning was still pretty trying, especially once we were back crossing intersection after intersection. I honestly thought how great it would be if I fell and hurt myself so I could at least be done with it. It was pretty awful. When we hit the last mile marker - the pole was marked with both a 13 (for the day) and a 39 (cumulative over two days.) The husband was waiting here, and he walked the rest of the way with us. He says, "Only point 3 miles left!" And I say, "NO! It's point 1!! That sign said 13, so we should only have point 1 left!!" Yes, that point 2 miles makes a world of difference.
It was really .3 left, and it was the longest, most excruciating .3 miles I have ever walked. I cried.
But you know what? We finished. We finished, and as I write this 4 days later, my feet still aren't the same, though I went from 8 blisters down to just 1 now. My legs are still tight, especially my right hamstring, and I likely won't do anything physical for another week. It was horrifying, I can't lie about that. But I'm proud. I'm proud that bitchy and all, I still finished. I'm proud that we were able to exceed our initial goal of $5400 and raise over $7100. I would do anything for my friends, and I just couldn't say no to my friend when she asked me to walk with her to honor her mother in law. The stories we heard, the survivors we saw walking alongside us, the older man rolling 39.3 miles in a wheelchair all inspired me! And I'm happy that we were part of it. Yes, I'm at the point where I can say I'm glad we did it.
As I close this, I'm sure you're thinking - are they new shoes? Did you not walk that long of distances in those shoes before? Were you wearing different socks? Pretty sure my cousin in law figured it out when she asked me Monday morning (after the walk):
Did you just get a pedicure?
And it all made sense. It had been about 3 weeks since my last pedicure, but about 6 weeks or so ago, I bought this. It's no secret that I love heels, and naturally, as a result, my feet form calluses. I get pedicures at the salon once or twice a month, but I had been trying to keep my feet soft between pedis, so I bought the Clarisonic Pedi Kit. I didn't even think about the walk or the fact that I actually *needed* my rough feet for the walk. Lesson. Learned.
Linking up for: Friday's Fab Favorites, The Fashion Informant, Casual Friday, Weekend Wind-down
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Genes and jeans
Top: Tinley Road (last seen here) (option, other mint top options here and here) | Necklaces: Gifted, Francesca's (option) | Belt: Nordstrom (option) | Bag: Prada (gifted) | Jeans: Express | Shoes: Kate Spade (similar)
I don't ever get too terribly personal on the blog, but decided to do so today. Basically - my sister is pregnant! She's older than me and this will be the first grandchild in our family. Needless to say, my parents are ridiculously excited - the whole family is, and I just about cry every time I think about it! So, to celebrate my family today, I decided to wear this bag that my sister got me a couple of birthdays ago. I love it because, well, it's a Prada, so duh, but also because of the color and I have nothing else like it! Equally as unique is my gold necklace that my mom gave me for my birthday last year. It paired perfectly with the other gold and yellow accents in my outfit, and felt only appropriate to wear since I knew I'd be making this a "family" related post anyway!
What's funny is I felt EXTREMELY matchy matchy today. I thought maybe I had gone too far, but when I walked out of my closet room, the husband says, "Awwww, I like that!" He said I never get matchy like this, so the change was nice. And that was validation enough to not make a wardrobe change.
I'm 5'-2" wearing the short inseam.
On the Daily Express: Original post here
Gina is 5'-4" wearing the regular inseam.
Before I go - can we talk about these Stella destroyed jean leggings for a second? I've been obsessed with distressed jeans lately, but of the three pairs I own, these are my favorite. I can't take credit for these because Gina over at On the Daily Express convinced me that I needed them. The second I received them, I was sure to text her a pic of me trying them on - she ended up incorporating that picture in her post on Express favorites here. They really do feel like butter - soft and worn in, but still substantial enough to smooth out all your problem areas. I always size up in any of the Stella jean leggings for the best, most comfortable fit. I also love that they come in short length - since my barely 5'-2" self hates getting things hemmed! It's awesome seeing them on us next to each other because we have different body types, but they're equally flattering regardless! Right now they are buy 1 get 1 for $29.50. Or you can use promo code 1108 for $30 off your $75 purchase (or $60 off your $150 purchase, or $15 off your $30 purchase.) If you get them, please come back and share your own reviews! Definitely a holy grail item in my closet room!
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Linking up for: Tres Chic, Three-fer Thursday with Bethany and Meghan, What I Wore to Work, Working Girl with Style, Spotlight Weekly Linkup with Elle and Jacqueline, Fashion Informant, Look what I got
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Sunday Social: Blogging
Happy Sunday, everyone! The new year brings fresh starts and new beginnings. I'm always on the lookout for new link-ups where I can interact with different audiences. I stumbled upon Sunday Social over at Ashley Lately and thought it sounded fun, and a good way for me to share other sides of me that don't always come out in my outfit posts. Some of this stuff I've posted about before, but for the sake of new readers, I'm hashing out the info now, too! Hope you like!
1. What is the name of your blog? How long have you been blogging?
More Pieces of Me. I explain the reasoning behind this in my About Me section, but to save you a couple clicks - I originally created a Tumblr account called Pieces of Me where I post my OOTD photos. My outfits are, literally, pieces of me. (So, no, it wasn't named after Ashlee Simpson's song; although it's hard not to sing it in my head…) I decided to start this blog almost one year ago, and aptly named it More Pieces of Me, just because it was similar to what I was already doing on my Tumblr, just with more stories, info, and details!
2. Why do you blog?
It all comes down to the fact that I'm a shopaholic. I love shopping and sharing what I buy with others who also love to shop. I also loved having a photo diary of my outfits. This blog is just another outlet for me to write about the things I love the most. The more I got into blogging, the more awesome people I got to meet, which gives me the motivation to keep at it. And also, the blogosphere gives me more inspiration to evolve my style.
3. What is the first blog you ever followed?
Like legit followed and read on the regular? Definitely Jenny at Crazy Style Love. It's crazy because as much as I love to shop and dress up, I never ever followed any blogs until I started my own. Jenny's was an anomaly - I simply had her bookmarked and would check back for inspiration. I've participated in a few shopping/style and beauty forums along the way, so I think that filled the blogging void and was my way of getting "real life" inspiration on the internet.
4. What is your favorite post you wrote in 2013?
Gosh, this is a hard one. I will have to say my birthday post. I just re-read it and I had a cheesy smile on my face remembering all of this greatness.
5. What are your blogging goals for 2014?
Definitely to meet more people and connect with new bloggers. I'm really excited that On the Daily Express and I are hosting Manic Monday starting this Monday the 13th!! Really hoping it helps drive new traffic to not only us, but all our participants!
6. Top 3 favorite blogs to follow?
Crazy Style Love would make this cut, but I'll pick 3 different ones. In no particular order:
a. Emily at The Freckled Fox: She has the best hair, seriously. And I love her style.
b. Rachel at La Mariposa: I feel like she is a great "real life" blogger. Her style is awesome and attainable and her clothes look like she truly wears them in real life, not just for her blog.
c. Wendy at Wendy's Lookbook: She's my fantasy blogger with my dream wardrobe. I love everything about her blog - her photos, her personality, her outfits. And her videos are great, too!
And that's it! Hope you learned some new things about me! It's always fun sharing! Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and seriously, come back Monday and link-up with us!!
Monday, January 6, 2014
Holiday Style Link-up: New Year's Resolutions
Wow, so here we are, our last week of the Holiday Style Link-up hosted by yours truly and On the Daily Express. To be honest, it was a bit terrifying to do this because we had no idea what the participation levels were going to be, and frankly, didn't want to be failures. Needless to say, we are grateful and humbled by all the support and inspiration given not only to us as the hosts, but between all the participants and readers as well. (Yes, even you lurkers who don't comment - we see your clicks and page views!)
Knit Cap: Etsy | Sunnies: Oakley | Coat: Target (added self belt) (option) | Scarf: The Glittered Owl | Sweater: Rubbish (option) | Leggings: Splendid (layered over Cuddl Duds) | Boots: Vince Camuto (similar)
As I write this, we are hunkering down for, what feels like, a winter apocalypse. We're supposed to be getting 5-8 inches of snow, but on top of that, the wind chill is supposed to be negative 24 degrees. I live in St. Louis, not Antarctica! This is not supposed to be happening! As we were running around getting ice melt, salt, and other necessities, I felt it only appropriate to look the part of a winter victim. I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've donned a hat on this blog, outside of my Cardinals baseball cap. Sigh. #imissbaseball
The good thing is, this lock down gives me plenty of time to reflect on 2013 and what I want to accomplish in 2014. We are finishing off the series with New Year's Resolutions. I'm guessing most everybody is back to work as of today, so this week truly marks the start of the new year to me. I can't say I'm diligent at writing my resolutions and sticking to them, but in the spirit of sharing, here's my plan for 2014.
1. Work on my fitness. What else is new, right? This seems to be an ongoing life resolution. I'd say I was in my best shape in 2009, and my goal is to get back to that. Lucky for me, there is a Pilates-Barre studio that opened up near the house. I love love love Pilates, but have only tried the mat classes. I've always wanted to try using the reformer, but the classes always seemed a bit expensive. My cousin in law and I paid a visit to the studio this weekend to get more info on class schedules and pricing, and everything looks great! The class times definitely seem workable and the prices were really only a couple dollars more than what I was used to with the mat classes. On top of this, I commit to 10,000 steps a day, dammit!
2. Paint my fingers. My toes are almost always painted, even in the winter, but I'd say my nails are only painted 30% of the time. I love the way they look painted, so I'm not sure why I can't just get off my lazy butt to do them more!
Via Instagram
3. Walk Annie the beagle. This goes along with number 1 above, but it's also good for the beagle's health to get outside and get moving! She loves our walks together, and I am so excited for the weather to be nice enough to do this again.
Via Instagram
4. Wear shoes. Not that I don't wear any shoes now, but I need to make sure all my shoes make it into my rotation more! I have a ridiculous amount of shoes, but I know I'm guilty of reaching for the same ones. (Yes, I'm looking at you, Report booties.) If I'm going to continue to be a shoe-aholic, then I need to dress around my shoes more.
5. Purge. Clearly, I have a lot of stuff, which means regular purging is a necessity. I only do this about twice a year right now, which really should be at *minimum* once a season. I also need to be realistic about what I will truly wear again. Those booties that haven't seen the light of day in a couple years - they need to go. That dress that I have been saving for the last year hoping I'll lose a few pounds - it needs to go. Whether that means donating or listing on Poshmark, my clothes and shoes deserve a happy home. Oh and Dear Future Carylee, just because you're actively purging doesn't mean more shopping!
Linking up for Watch What I'm Wearing, Monday Must Haves, Mix it Monday,
Love it Link it, Style Sessions, Erin and Laura for Trend Spin Linkup,
and Love Your Look.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Thankful
I don't know about all of you, but I am absolutely stuffed. I feel like I have been putting food and drink in my belly non-stop since about 1 o'clock this afternoon. My tummy feels like it has an all over Charlie horse right now, and I could not possibly fit one more thing in there. Not even a pea! Guess that just means today was a success!
I have a lot to be thankful for - God, my family and friends, my health, my career, my closet room - but right now I want to thank all of you! I am not breaking records by any means, but I am amazed and grateful everyday by my readers. Even if you're not an active commenter and you're simply adding to my page view stats - it makes this blogging thing even more worthwhile. I've never really had a true hobby before. I'm not crafty nor do I have a green thumb. This blog is my one creative outlet, my one stress reliever from work, and I am very thankful to share it with all of you! I thought I'd leave you with some of my accomplishments in this 10.3 months (but who's counting) I've had this little area of the internet carved out for me:
*First post published January 23, 2013.*
*267 total published posts (that's a lot of outfits in there!)*
*197 average page views per day*
*5,925 average page views per month*
*108 followers on Bloglovin'*
*Started a Facebook page on November 10, 2013 with 102 likes*
*Finally figured out how to be a Lucky Contributor.*
*Eliminated the Captcha requirement for those of you who leave comments. This one might be my favorite :) *
*267 total published posts (that's a lot of outfits in there!)*
*197 average page views per day*
*5,925 average page views per month*
*108 followers on Bloglovin'*
*Started a Facebook page on November 10, 2013 with 102 likes*
*Finally figured out how to be a Lucky Contributor.*
*Eliminated the Captcha requirement for those of you who leave comments. This one might be my favorite :) *
One more thing -- although I admit it's not always unicorns and rainbows with the husband as my photographer - this blog would be nothing without his help and patience and support (and flexibility that allows me to shop!) So, everyone should thank the husband with me! Thank you, husband!
Hope you all had/are having a fabulous Thanksgiving! Thank you so so much for reading More Pieces of Me!
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