How do these people get there?!?!

I'm sure I've mentioned it here before but I read A LOT of blogs and receive A LOT of sale/newsletter emails on a daily basis.

There are plenty of fashion bloggers, tons actually.  If you are a blog reader, I'm sure you've seen/follow these.  For example, this one, this one, and this one are very popular.  Their posts are frequently pinned on pinterest and referred in other places.  They are some of my favorites - I look forward to their new posts every day.  They are pretty clear when they receive a piece of clothing or an accessory for free from a company - often labeling it as that in the post.  I'm not stupid.  Amanda used to work in fashion PR industry so I understand why companies "gift" things to celebrities/bloggers/etc.  It's a marketing tactic and it works.

But there are plenty of bloggers who own/purchase multiple pieces of clothing seemingly out of their own pocket that are ridiculous.  There is one blogger I follow that buys designer shoes on a regular basis and more than one pair at a time.  And this skirt - which frequently makes it to fashion posts - is gorgeous and over $500!

I  also receive this daily newsletter - The Everygirl - which is AWESOME.  They frequently have interviews and house/apartment tours with these wonderful (young) women in Chicago.  Everyone's apartment is so gorgeously put together and everyone seemingly has the same job - professional blogger/photographer/whatever.

I can't help but feel envious.  How are these young people making enough money to live comfortably (and stylishly) with this unconventional and hard to imagine income?  How do these ladies afford multiple pairs of designer shoes each year?  And how can I get that? :)


This post has no point - just something I have been thinking about lately while pondering how stagnant my life feels right now.

I'm off to San Antonio for an overnight trip.  

summertime

This morning I stared at my closet trying to find something to be comfortable in this 80 degree, HUMID, weather but also still okay for this stormy/rainy mess.

I'm not sure I was successful, but the bright yellow is getting some compliments at work.

*maxi dress - Gap outlet, sweater- JCrew outlet, sandals (jcrew OLD), crazy facee - all my own :)

Samson....

Last night was a rough night for Samson with the storming and it was warm in my apartment because they still have the heat on!!!  

This morning while I was in the shower, he was sitting up against the tub on that little green mat.  Considering the bathroom is where BATHS HAPPEN... he doesn't really ever go in there.  Every so often when it storms I catch him lying on the little rug near the sink.  

So when I was done showering, I opened the door to grab my towel and he climbed right in.

Into the tub.  Voluntarily.

I figured when I was done drying off he would come out and follow up.  He did not.  So I grabbed this photo...

Then, I went into my room to finish getting dressed.  After I dried my hair, I went to check on him... and he was lying in there.

I thought FOR SURE when I turned the light off, he would come out.  But he didn't.  I actually gave him his treat and left the house while he was still lying in there.  We'll see where he is when I come home.

Is it Friday yet?

I liked this outfit more when I saw it in the mirror than when I looked at it in this picture.  It's not bad, I just don't love it.

*shirt - Express, vest - JCrew (really old), pants - Macys (also old), shoes - Target

Mid Week Slump

Signs I am overly tired and not feeling well....

Half dried hair, barely existent make up, maxi skirt, oversized sweater.

*sweater - Gap outlet, tank - Gap (last year), skirt - Loft Outlet

Lauren's Wedding Recap

I'm way too tired to write a lot.  It was a great weekend spending time with family and friends.  The bride and groom (and Liam) are on their honeymoon and the rest of us are wishing we were on vacation too.

Here's some photos I took and collected over the weekend.  Can't wait to see the photos that the photographer got.

*Warning - this post is picture heavy. :)  

 Rehearsal dinner outfit.  Dress - Nordstrom, shoes - Steve Madden (old but worn for the first time)

 Justin, mom and Brendan at the rehearsal dinner

 Grammy (Grandma Markowski) and I

 The bride :)

 Proof that Gramps (Grandpa O'Neil) knows how to use his cellphone (and he's on it during dinner)

 Brendan and Nanny (Grandma O'Neil)

WEDDING DAY:

 We couldn't have a sisters sleepover like we did with Melissa, but we did have a 5:45am bed party

 hair and makeup

 Full outfit - and Kayla photo bombed

The bride proofing her vows

Sisters and new sister-in-law

an outtake of the bridal party

 a Mike sandwich

 me and Melissa

 The happy couple

 Me and the bride (damn the sunshine)

 Sisters

First dance

 Daddy-Daughter dance

 Dad dancing with two of his nieces

Lastly, my aunt, Linda, got Kayla a bubble gun.  It was a huge hit at the reception and she loved it just as much on Sunday morning.

My big furry baby

Yesterday I had to make an impromptu visit to the vet with Samson.  I can't explain exactly what prompted me to take him except that he was not acting like his normal self.  He wasn't excited on the walks and Tuesday night he followed me around the apartment.

The vet thinks he pulled a muscle in his back.  They gave him some pain medication and restricted his exercise (boy, he's going to hate that soon).  So I stayed and worked from home yesterday so I could keep an eye on him.  I'm not sure if it was good or bad... because he spent most of the afternoon bugging the crap out of me.

Case in point.... he would sit at my feet and stare at me/put his head on my computer.  Then he would lay down on the floor and sleep for a bit.... but not without giving me this sad face first.

Finally, he took a good nap at my feet so I could actually get some things done.  Later in the afternoon, he got all pathetic on me.  I wish I had grabbed pictures, but I video chatted with my mom to show her.  He was on the couch, trying to sit on my lap and at one point was sitting on my chest with his feet on the arm of the couch.  At last, he laid down on the couch next to me for an hour or so.

Thankfully, this morning he had a bit of pep back in his step.  I have a feeling the short walks are really going to annoy him in a couple days, but I prefer to be cautious right now.  Good luck Megan while you watch him this weekend. :)

On un-Samson related note, I finally was able to paint my nails for the wedding this weekend.  I went for a mauve-nude color with some silver sparkle.  I like that the sparkle is light enough that you can't really see it, but sparkly on the tips.

 *nude color - OPI "My very first Knockwurst", sparkles - OPI "Which is Witch?"

Lastly, it's been in the 70s here most of this week.  Which is awesome.  Today I tried to throw on a casual look that I could wear at work and then out to dinner tonight with some work people.  I may change shoes before dinner, but I think the outfit is on the nice enough side.

*shirt - Express, pants - Gap (last year), shoes - Target

Everyone is getting really excited for Lauren and Kevin's wedding this weekend and getting to see all the family.  I can't wait until 3pm so I can leave work and start my weekend!

I [heart] you, Jcrew.

Thanks to my mama :), she pulled this top off the mannequin at the JCrew outlet store the other weekend.  It was the only one in my size.

*shirt & skirt - JCrew (skirt is last years), necklace - Very Jane, shoes - DSW

By the way, the woman who cut my hair last week urged me to try to only shampoo my hair every other day - an extremely difficult feat for me considering how thin my hair is (and how greasy it gets).  Today was obviously a shampoo day (you can tell because I'm actually wearing it down).  The good news, look how thick it looks!!  The bad - having to be creative with my hair every other day.  We'll see how long this lasts.

On a side note, I've been trying to work on a serious post for a while.  I mean, this blog was intended for me to vent my feelings (no matter how emotional) and I've been avoiding it.  I'm not sure when I will finish it and press publish - but it will happen.

Random

I've been sitting here staring at the blank blog post page for about an hour.

I just am not sure what to write about.

Mom's day was nice.  We had brunch up in Evanston and then stopped at my parents house to finish up some last minute things for Lauren's wedding.

Speaking of weddings, this Saturday is Lauren and Kevin's wedding.  It's going to be really nice to see all the family and the day is going to go smoothly!

Lauren's laid back attitude towards like will either be a Godsend to the event coordinator or it will drive her nuts.  The jury is still out. :)

Maxi

Tired of outfit posts yet? :)

This is the first maxi skirt that I have owned, I think ever.

Being tall, I am always super conscientious of the length of my pants/skirts which is why I have not really gotten on board with the whole maxi thing.  Last summer I bought my first maxi dress (seen here).

I bought this maxi skirt at the outlets last weekend and today seemed like the perfect day to wear it.  Running 10 miles yesterday has made my legs really tired today... so getting dressed was all about comfort.

*maxi - Ann Taylor Loft, tank - Gap, sweater - Jcrew Outlet

Jewel tones

Shopping trips over the last two weekends have proved to me that while I love throwing some mint into my wardrobe (or any green for that matter), pastels are really not my color.  I think wearing mint with something else - royal for example - balances out the pastelness of it.  Same goes for my peach pants that I tend to throw a bright color with.

What I have confirmed is that jewel tones are awesome.  And I can work with that.

I think at some point every woman needs to reach the realization that while some trends might look amazing on other people - it does NOT mean they will look awesome on you.  Case in point, flirty minis.  Not on this girl.

*sweater & skirt - JCrew, necklace, Ann Taylor Loft, shoes - Target

Outlet Shopping

Yesterday I did a lot of shopping.  My mom and I went up to the Kenosha outlet malls to meet MEM.  My primary goal was the find new running shoes, but there was an added bonus of finding some new work or casual clothes at a discount.

Well, I was successful on both accounts.

Got some new shoes...

And plenty of clothes...

The hot pink tee, neon yellow tank top, purple & white cardis, green polka dot shirt, green polka dot cardi and the navy anchor sequin tank are all from JCrew Factory.

The turquoise maxi skirt, green 3/4 sleeve tee, and orange striped shirt are from Ann Taylor Loft.  The stripped maxi dress and oatmeal colored sweater are from Gap and the cream shirt with silver shoulders is from James & Willow (online through facebook).

The only thing I couldn't manage to find was some pants that right right.  Good thing I like skirts because I may not be wearing pants again for a while.

Of course, I just HAD to wear something new today to work - doesn't everybody?  I'm lucky I didn't put two new things on. :)

I have a lunch appointment today and then a dentist appointment and a haircut.  I'm totally addicted to curling my hair right now.  It takes about 10 minutes of time in the morning and is totally worth it.

*sweater - JCrew Factory skirt - Jcrew Factory (last year), shoes - DSW

Crappy Friday

I had high hopes for today - it is Friday after all.

Wrong.  I woke up at 12:30am to the sound of water dripping.  Turns out the ceiling in my bedroom is leaking from where the radiator is upstairs.  Awesome.  I tried my best to put towels down and then had to spend the rest of the night sleeping on my couch because I couldn't NOT focus on the sound of water dripping onto the wet towel.  You will notice the rolled back carpet in the photo.  Ugh.

So I did get a bit more sleep after that.

Then, when I got to work, I was trying to wrangle my purse, my bag with lunch and a giant iced coffee out of the car and the coffee slipped and spilled ALL OVER my front seat.  So it looks like I'm off to target this morning to get some upholstery cleaner in hopes of getting the stain out before it completely sets in.  Also, the only thing I had to use was my SFHS blanket that was in the back seat.  Looks like I'm doing some laundry this weekend (hi mom!)

Anyways, before all of this happened, I was actually pretty pumped about my outfit today - and my hair!

It's something right?

Happy Crappy Friday.

 *shoes - Target, pants - Macys, shirt - JCrew Outlet, jacket - Express, hair - BIG  :)

Chicago's weather is behaving like my mood swings - unpredictable

The last two days in Chicago have been 80 degrees.  Today and for the rest of the week - high of 69 with a 50% chance of rain.

This up and down behavior is typical of springs in Chicago, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

I've been trying to work on a post about what's been going on with me emotionally, but it's tough to write. 

Instead, I'm posting a picture of my big hair bun, strong brows and hot pink lips.  Good compromise right?

Summer yet?

Two days of 80 degrees weather makes the people in Chicago go crazy.  There was even talk about putting in window AC units.  Granted, it's supposed to be 50 and rainy the rest of the week.

In any case, this nice weather has reignited my getting dress for work motivation... since I get to pull things out of my closet that haven't seen the light of day in a while.

Bare legs and bare arms?  Absolutely!

*dress - Kenneth Cole (seriously old), shoes - Target