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Another Evening Stroll

I’m in love with Portland. That much can be said without much hesitation. The weather is enjoyable, the greenery is breathtaking, and the people are so friendly. It’s really feeling like I’ve made it home. Our pup seems to enjoy it here as well. We both enjoy evening walks. We aren’t quite used to the sun going down at 9pm at this time of year, but it makes for more time to explore. We come across so many interesting and beautiful things just minutes from where we live. One of my favorite things this spring (since I guess it isn’t…

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Budgeting Bloggers April & May 2016

Even though I track my spending by the quarter, I thought I’d do a little check-in with one month left. My goal was not to spend anything in April, but with a $40 rewards card and a 20% off my entire purchase coupon, I headed off to Loft Outlet and did a little shopping anyway. For less than $50 I ended up with 5 new additions to my wardrobe, all of which have gotten more wear in the last month than anything else in my closet. After that trip I didn’t head to a store again until a couple weeks…

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Rainy Days and Fashion Faves

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Southern California has been hit with a few cloudy, rainy days, and it is lovely! Especially since it was in the high 90’s just two days ago. I recently bought this trench coat (listed in my Q1 recap here), and I honestly thought I was not going to have the opportunity to wear it anytime soon. This coat is from ASOS’s petite section and wasn’t as expensive as most other trenches go for. I love the look, and really love that I don’t have to make any alterations to it! ASOS’s free returns also gave me the opportunity to try a…

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March Bullet Journal – My first month of bullet journaling

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Even though I’ve been planning and journaling in various forms for years, college was the time where I really embraced using a planner to keep track of my life. Having one place to keep everything kept me on track, and those journals now make a nice diary of sorts to look back on. I started out with Moleskine weekly planners, but didn’t really find them all too useful once I was out of school. With the rise of smartphones, I tried keeping track of everything digitally for a while, but it was never as nice to deal with as having…

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Springtime

A big challenge for me right now is figuring out how to dress for the spring weather without having the restrictions of strict work clothes requirements. It’s awesome that I no longer have to wear jeans every single day, but I’m also not entirely sure what to wear either. I really love this outfit, but I decided to wear it on a super windy day. I guess jeans may have been a better option after all. top: h&m // skirt: asos // shoes: nordstrom rack    

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Budgeting Bloggers Q1 2016

We are a whole quarter of the way through the year, and one thing I haven’t really stopped to think about until recently is my spending. As 2016 started, I knew I wanted to make some updates to my wardrobe, and I started by cleaning out my closet (you can read a little more about that here). With my closet pared down, I had some space to add. I was lucky enough to get several great gifts for Christmas, allowing me to make some purchases at the start of the year that I wouldn’t normally be able to justify. But…

Change

Change. It’s an apt descriptor for my life right now. I’ve made some bold decisions in the last few weeks that will hopefully turn out for the best. This past week was my last at the job that moved us out to California. Soon we will be moving on to new opportunities. In the mean time, I’ll have some time to myself. Time to rekindle old passions, learn new skills, and try those things I’ve been too tired or too busy to give a chance. Change is good, it lets us grow. Sometimes we have to make that change happen…

A New Wardrobe Staple
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A New Wardrobe Staple

You ever buy something because when you try it on it feels like it already has a place in your wardrobe? I totally felt that way about this blouse and these shoes! I will admit that I probably don’t need any more striped things added to my closet, but this blouse was too great to resist. Most striped things I own are knit, and they just don’t feel quite nice enough to wear to work. The only thing that almost swayed me from buying this top are the sleeve tabs. I really don’t like those things, but I think I…

Lan Su Chinese Garden
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Lan Su Chinese Garden

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We made it to the Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland while the Lunar New Year festival decorations and performances were up. It was a beautiful garden to walk around, and we were so lucky to have the weather hold during our time there. It wasn’t long after we left that the rain started. We walked around the city most of the day, but this stop was particularly peaceful. Our bellies were full of Dim Sum, but if I have the chance to come back, I’ll definitely try out the tea house here. I bet the garden looks amazing in…

Tutorial Try-Out: Girl Next Door
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Tutorial Try-Out: Girl Next Door

Welcome to my first Tutorial Try-Out! One of my goals this year is to make an effort to boost my beauty skills, particularly when it comes to doing my hair and makeup. I’ll be perfectly honest, I’m perfectly fine going out into the world without any makeup on and hair air-dried straight. In fact, it’s my go-to look most days. But, not taking the time to add a little style to my hair and makeup is falling right in line with my tendency to dress myself in jeans and a t-shirt everyday. It hasn’t helped me rekindle my sense of…

To the Show
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To the Show

dress c/o eshakti // clutch & bracelet: nordstrom // shoes: forever21 // necklace: rocksbox Last night we went and saw The Lion King Broadway show.  It was spectacular! I had seen it before back in 2006, and it was just as great as I remembered it. Our seats were quite close and center, and honestly, the price we paid was worth it, especially since Mike was seeing it for the first time. Because it was a special night out, I finally got to wear this amazing dress that I received from eShakti, an online retailer that allows you to customize…

The Weekly Times No. 15-17

The Weekly Times No. 15-17

Sometimes when one part of life gets busier, the rest of life takes a back seat to let you unwind. It’s felt that way, at least for the last two weeks, since the busyness of work has made me really need to slow down and catch up once I got home. When you find yourself the only one in your department for nearly a whole week, it’s difficult to come home and feel motivated to accomplish everything on your to-do list. I’ve been spending the energy wisely, though, focusing on keeping at least one of my commitments. I started kickboxing…

Embrace It
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Embrace It

blouse: loft // vest: h&m // leggings: ann taylor // boots: nordstrom // hat: loft Yesterday was my chance to dive head first into cooler weather, and you bet I embraced it! Morning rains meant the temperatures stayed in the 60s all day long. I pulled out every new item for fall and put them all into one outfit. This is my only chance until the weather cools down for real! To start, these boots are at the top of my list of things I want to be able to wear all the time. I bought them in the Nordstrom…