My favorite OOTDs from the past few weeks…

So I know I've been seriously slacking on my blogging recently but I have some fun posts planned for this week! It has definitely been an exhausting month and things aren't slowing down but I wouldn't have it any other way! Here is the first- a collection of some of favorite outfits from the past few weeks (and some new pieces too) since it's been foreverrrr since I had an OOTD post!!

Dress: Ann Taylor; Cardigan: Target

Top: Ann Taylor; Skirt: The Limited; Not Pictured- Blazer: NY & Co.

Dress: Loft; Not Pictured- Cardigan: likely Loft 

Dress: Loft; Belt: NY & Co.; Not Pictured- Blazer: Ann Taylor
(I swear the majority of my wardrobe is Loft/Ann Taylor!!!) 

Blouse: Target; Skirt: Tahari; Belt: Loft; Not Pictured- Blazer: NY & Co.

Dress: jcp; Belt: NY & Co.; Not Pictured- Cardigan: Target
(I LOVE this orange-y/tomato red dress but I hate how big it's on me now even with a belt!) 

Cardigan: Ann Taylor; Blouse: Target; Skirt: NY & Co.

Blazer: Ann Taylor; Shell: H&M; Lace Skirt: Target

I feel like I wear a lot of pinks and purples.. I need to incorporate more of my favorite color (RED!) with some work-appropriate options! I feel like all my clothes are way too big nowadays so I definitely need to go shopping soon or at least get all my suits/clothes taken in! Hopefully I can get some fun shopping done (and for once, not all online hah!) soon, I desperately need to clean out my closet and make room for some new additions too!

Weekend Roundup!

What a fun weekend I had the past few days! It was a pretty crazy weekend but I had so much fun visiting one of my good friends from college! On Friday after work, I headed up to Richmond (after a pit stop to drop Rusty off at his grandparents' house haha) to see my friend Kori since she just bought a new (and seriously beautiful) house in Richmond.  We usually go to football games together in the fall so it was great getting to hang out and catch up with both of our MANY life stories!! I didn't get to Richmond until after 10pm on Friday and we were up late catching up and sharing some ridiculous stories about life happenings along with some red moscato (who knew there was such a thing?? It tasted so good and was so pretty).  

Saturday, we ended up going to Claytor Lake for one of her grad school friends' baby shower.  It was so nice being in that area of Virginia again and we both didn't realize until that morning before we left Richmond that it was so close to Blacksburg (home of our alma mater Virginia Tech) so NATURALLY we had to make a detour on our way home.  We stopped by the Volume 2 bookstore and then had an early dinner at our favorite- Macado's! Before leaving town, we drove around campus just a little to see all the changes and reminisce of our college days.  We also drove through Oak Lane, the Greek community on campus and even saw the new phase/development with the first true Southern-style Greek house belonging to Sigma Phi Epsilon.  Their new house is GORGEOUS and I am so jealous we didn't have houses like that when I was in college! We ended up getting back to Richmond pretty late so we hung out and shared more stories (seriously, Kori and I can occupy ourselves for HOURS sharing ridiculous/hilarious life happenings) until I eventually fell asleep on her living room floor since I was up ridiculously late the night before ahhh.

ANYways, enough about that- but we had such a fun weekend! Sunday we had a nice relaxing breakfast at home while I drooled over her beautiful/large kitchen and I let her know of my jealousy of all that kitchen space! We talked about recipes and entertaining ideas- ahh so much fun! I love having dinner parties and having people over at my house but it tends to be difficult with such a small kitchen and limited space in a townhouse.

Here are some fun pictures from the past few days:

Our BEAUTIFUL campus, even in the cloudy/rainy mess!

made a quick stop at my parents' townhouse when we got into Blacksburg to make sure everything was OK! So many memories (good&bad) here!

typical for Kori and I! 

My standard meal from Macados- Gibson Girl, no mayo no pickle

I can NEVER finish all my sandwich because I always get a cup of my favorite soup no matter what!

Kori's signature Macado's meal- Johnny D no tomatoes!

how beautiful is this fraternity house???! SO jealous we didn't have sorority houses like this back when I was in college!

AND here is my OOTD for today- I felt so amazing in this outfit today! I had an early morning 6.1 mile run before work and it really uplifted my mood all day long! I love pretty much everything about what I wore today!

• Dress: Target
• Belt: White House Black Market
• Blazer: LOFT
• Shoes: White House Black Market (originally worn for my law school graduation)
• Jewelry: David Yurman Black Onyx earrings, necklace; David Yurman Petite Wheaton ring in Black Onyx; VT Class Ring
• Watch: Rolex
• Bangles: Malani Jewelers

I love everything about these shoes!

my sweet Rusty on our way home from work/daycare! 

 

How was your weekend??

Wednesday Funday?

Oh my. Today was filled with craziness! One of the attorneys that I work with took me out to lunch and the rest of the afternoon was so crazy! I had such a fun outfit today that I absolutely LOVE and reminds me of my fun, skinny days of 2010-2011.  And not that sickly skinny I used to be during that time! I love finding fun ways to change up my outfits and wearing some of my all time favorite pieces from my closet! Here's what I wore today:

• Blazer: LOFT
• Dress: Target
• Double strand pearls: Christmas gift from the now defunct Carlyle & Co.
• Earrings: birthday present from momma
• Watch: Rolex
• Bangles: Malani Jewelers
• Rings: VT Class Ring & David Yurman Petite Wheaton in Black Onyx
• Shoes: BCBG via Marshall's

I'm pretty obsessed with this dress. It doesn't look as flattering in these pictures as it is in real life but it is incredibly comfortable and feels great paired with my favorite LOFT blazer!

Love love love these heels!

Rusty did NOT want to go to school today.. just look at that face!

he was more than happy to be home today though!

 

Do you have a favorite piece of jewelry that just boosts your mood?!!

My Favorite Suit

Sometimes, wearing just the right outfit can change the entire direction of a day and I knew that yesterday was just the perfect time to pull out my favorite suit! I've worn it before and it's been on here for an OOTD post but I felt the need to share it again since it's literally a game/day- changer for me and definitely did the trick yesterday!

• Suit: Ann Taylor
• Top: Ann Taylor
• Jewelry: David Yurman Black Onyx Earrings, Necklace, & Petite Wheaton Ring & VT Class Ring of course!
• Shoes: Nine West via DSW

Everything is way too big so I'm going to need to get some things tailored. I still love this whole outfit nonetheless!

You can really see the Yurman necklace here- I love how simple it is yet classic.

Only the best day ever- the new Backstreet Boys cd from Target with 2 bonus tracks!

Do you have a lucky outfit or a favorite work outfit??

A Case of the Mondays!

Well, today turned out a lot different than I expected. I woke up my usual exhausted self after a busy weekend and all I wanted to do get back in bed after walking Rusty this morning but instead, I chatted with my best friend and planned a beach trip for August! I am so excited to get away (and I know she is too) so this is perfect timing!

• Dress: ABS via Macys (?)
• Cardigan: Target
• Watch: Rolex
• Rings: VT Class Ring & David Yurman Petite Albion in Garnet
• Pearl earrings: birthday present from momma
• Pearl necklace: first strand I got when I was in college
• Bangles: Malani Jewelers
• Shoes: Nine West via DSW (I just cannot get over how comfortable these wedges are!!)

After a hectic morning researching hotels/vacation options, I didn't have much time to get ready for work so what did I do? Throw on a dress! I feel like it's my go-to option since it's so hot/humid and today was no different! Apparently, the lightning/thunderstorm in Greensboro last night was so bad and lightning actually hit the building in the law firm where I work so bad that the "L" was burnt and thrown off the side of the building where the lightning hit.  The power was out at the office so on top of being in the dark, there was no AC and the building was beyond humid and it was definitely getting hard to breath for me. Almost everyone from the office left because it's hard to work at a law firm when you cannot access your computer since the power is out!! I ended up catching up with the paralegal of what needed to be done and what clients needed to be called and in that much time, we got word that the power would be back so I ended up staying in the office and getting a ton of work done!

I love this dress! SO comfortable, looks professional, and makes me feel circa 2011 skinny!

cute coffee mug my sister got me over the weekend! I love it hahah

My sweet Rusty! He is always so happy to see me when I pick him up from daycare!

look what finally came in the mail today?!!!!?!

 

Do you ever have a case of the  Mondays?

 

I Love You, Friday!

I love Fridays! I had such an exhausting week and I still never feel rested & refreshed when I wake up in the mornings but hopefully I can nap/rest this weekend and be ready for another work week! This morning wasn't as hot as the previous four days so Rusty and I spent some time out on the deck this morning and this little guy was LOVING laying out in the sun, just like his momma!

Fridays are always dress down days but I just wanted to find an outfit that was cool and comfortable yet appropriate for a law office.  I chose this old favorite dress and another favorite cardigan as well! I tried something different and attempted to curl my hair but it's just getting too long and heavy for any curls to stay in- at least I had some amazing waves later in the day!!

• Dress & Cardigan: Target
• Necklace & Earrings: Birthday present from momma
• Rings: VT Class Right & David Yurman Petite Wheaton in Black Onyx
• Watch: Rolex
• Bangles: Malani Jewelers
• Shoes: Etienne Aigner via Marshalls

Rusty was so happy when I picked him up and he was extra happy when he saw I picked up some frozen yogurt for him from Red Mango!  

I am so ready for this weekend- tomorrow I'm attending my first blogger meet-up with the North Carolina Southern Blog Society at my favorite bakery here in Greensboro and then Sunday I am spending time with my parents and sister in Durham/Raleigh!

How are you spending this weekend?? Have you ever attended a blogger meet-up??

 

It's Only Wednesday??

Who else feels like this week has been dragging on and is never ending???? I started this week off thinking a day ahead so all week I've been completely thrown off! Work was particularly draining today and I'm still generally exhausted after being up all night last night sick.  I chose my outfit for today since I love me some pink and this ridiculously hot weather :)

• Cardigan- LOFT
• Shell- jcp
• Skirt- Target
• Earrings&Necklace- birthday present from momma!
• Rings- VT Class Ring & David Yurman Petite Albion in Garnet
• Watch- Rolex
• Bangles- Malani Jewelers
• Shoes- Audrey Brooke via DSW

It was SO hot today I knew I needed a lightweight shell and this was perfect! It was a little see-through so I had to keep my cardigan on all day until I left to pick up Rusty from daycare.  These shoes are golden versions of my black ones that I love so much! I found these over the weekend in the sale section so not only did I get new shoes, they were super economical! My only complaint is that the right shoe is so stiff it was rubbing inappropriately on my right heel so that was unfortunate- even after applying some body glide to my heel!!!! Hopefully I can break these in soon with a trick I learned via pinterest (put on socks, then on low heat run a hair dryer over the shoes while wearing them with socks, then let cool and then take your feet out) but it's just been so hot I don't want to create any extra heat in the house!!!

Sometimes I wonder if there will ever be a day that isn't emotional in the practice of family law.  It was a tough day all around so when I went to pick Rusty up, he plopped down right in my lap as soon as we got in the car and plied my face with kisses, which I gladly accepted :)

how can that face NOT brighten your day??!

 How do you unwind after an emotionally draining day??

Hey, it's ok to love these things…!

Here's what I'm loving this week--

• 90210

 

OK since I got back from Detroit, in my crazy lack of sleep/afthermath of the Detroit allergic reaction, I've been spending a LOT of time with Rusty laying on the sofa and catching up on Netflix! I recently saw that the 90210 reboot has the whole series on Netflix so I figured, why not so I started watching it from the beginning.  I watched it on and off since it started back in 2008 so this is definitely partly new to me as well. I never realized how bad the acting was and the story lines are so predictable but this show is ridiculously addicting!

• My Bed

OK so have I mentioned that I haven't slept the whole night through without waking up, etc since early to mid-June?? Well, I am trying to become obsessed with my own bed again and spend some quality time sleeping but that hasn't quite worked out for me yet.  I haven't been able to run this entire week even because I have been so exhausted that I didn't have the energy to get going on the treadmill! This picture isn't quite my exact bed (it's a sleigh bed) but this is my exact bedding my mom got me from the Missoni for Target collection back in 2011 (I think?). I love it because I never really used a comforter in the summer since it's so hot down here but with my 800 count Egyptian Cotton sheets, it keeps me cool and happy whenever it's bedtime. I've been desperate for some quality time with my bed so hopefully this coming week, I can spend more time sleeping& resting. And plus, what isn't there to love about this bed?? 

• Virginia Tech Football

 

 

 

48 days until the season starts!!!! I have been planning my fall football trips for the fall with my football pal Kori! She and I have been going to games together the past few years and we've been discussing our plans for this fall and which alumni reunions I need to sign up for and get tickets for those games! I am ridiculously excited for football season because there is literally nothing greater in the world than Blacksburg fall football weekends!!!! So far, I am planning on going to the following games: Sept 7th- Western Carolina; Oct 5th- unc (homecoming); Oct 12th- Pitt; Oct 26th- Duke.  I know that's quite a bit of traveling in October given that the one weekend that I won't be in Blacksburg I will be in Detroit for my half marathon so hopefully I can stay on track of my training plan, which starts on July 29th!!!!

• Sprite

I have had some rough days at work this past few weeks so I got weak and got Sprite from the soda machine in the kitchen in my office. I usually don't buy sodas/bring them into my house just because I know I would drink it otherwise but something about this past week, I just needed a fix.  I did make one big change in terms of my soda drinking- NO MORE DIET!!! I've read so many articles and research lately about the negative effects of diet sodas so I figured, if I really want a soft drink, then I'm going all out and drinking the regular version with alll the calories.  I also decided only see-through sodas so that means no more of my beloved diet A&W root beer so that's sad but I know ultimately it will be the best, health-wise.

• Bath and Body Works 3-Wick Candles in Country Apple

I love these silly candles! I usually stock up whenever B&BW has their 2 for $20 sale with some extra coupon codes online and hoard all of the country apple ones! I tried a few of their other apple scented candles (farmstand apple, spiced apple, apple cider, etc.) but country apple never fails me and is my forever favorite candle! I usually always have a candle burning whenever I'm home and this candle is the one I've been burning everyday when I get home from work so it has become one of those comforting scents that always reminds me of my home and lounging with Rusty on the sofa. I'm burning it right now as we speak! I love it! It's the little things in life that make me happy these days!

 BONUS THOUGHTS OF THE WEEK:

this is how I feel about the current state of my life right now:

What are you loving this week???