OOTD: Last Day In Shorts

It seems that fall has arrived in the Midwest. I love fall so I'm excited but I am still sad to have to pack away my shorts. I decided to take advantage of a warm day and rock shorts & sandals one last time. I had some errands to run and had to make a quick stop at J.Crew to check out the new arrivals. Sadly, there wasn't anything I was totally blown away by. And don't get me started on the prices of some things. Holy cow! It was ridiculous. I mean I usually don't buy items at full price there but this made it even more obvious I would not be getting anything. Guess I will have to look else for some new pieces.

 

Striped T: Gap

Shorts: Marshalls'

Sandals: Steve Madden at Macy's

Watch: Fossil

Necklace: American Eagle

 

 

This outfit features some of my favorite pieces in my closet. This t-shirt is going to have holes in it quickly, but I love the black/tan colorway of it. These shorts and sandals worked overtime this summer. My watch is very special as it was a graduation present. And the necklace is a nod to my job as a coach. I mean who doesn't need a bedazzled whistle. 

 

With this outfit I bid a farewell to summer and welcome fall. I can't wait to wear jeans, layer, pull out my scarf collection, and rock some boots. 

 

Until next time.

 

AJ 

 

Currently Obsessed With

My shopping addiction is alive and kicking. Unfortunately for me my bank account is less than fabulous. Thus I'm trying to limit myself to a $100 budget for each item. Talk about challenging! But I've never backed down from a challenge. Here are just a few things I'm plotting to add to my ever-expanding closet.

Lauren Conrad Blouse

"Page" boots by Mia

Tolani Geometric Scarf via Piperlime

Diane von Furstenberg iPhone case

Cap Toe Pumps: Chinese Laundry via Piperlime

Mixed Media Shoes: Luxury Rebel via Piperlime

Maybe these items will magically find there way to my doorstep some day soon. But in the meantime I will just admire them from afar. 

Until next time

AJ

OOTD: 9/15/12

So I've decided to take a chance at posting some of my daily outfits. Some days I literally spend just in sweats as it's what is most practical for coaching, but I do have a closet full of clothes that often feel neglected. In an effort to make myself wear some of these clothes, I'm challenging myself to post outfit photos. So here's the first of hopefully many. This is what I wore yesterday for some errands and going to a contemporary church service. It is laid-back enough that I often wear jeans, heels, a blouse, and a cardigan. That's the formula I followed to a T yesterday. (Forgive the photos, the only mirror around was in the bathroom.)

Cardigan: Land's End

Sequin Tank: J.Crew
Jeans: American Eagle

Giraffe Necklace: J.Crew 

Headband: Forever 21

Watch: Fossil

Bracelets: Homemade friendship & beads 
Earrings: Opal (brought in AZ)

Here's a close-up of my new ring. It says, "Amore." I absolutely love it. I plan on wearing it daily excepting for when coaching. That would be an injury waiting to happen. 

Finally, a good look at my shoes. These are brand new and cost me $13 at Kohl's the other day. Love a good deal. 

  Wedges: Dana Bachman for Kohl's

And my Michael Kors handbag hiding in the corner. 

So there you have it. A look into my closet and daily wear for something other than errands. 

Hope to be back soon with more outfits. 

AJ  

Long Time No Post

I'm horrible at this whole blogging thing. In my defense, school and work took over and I had so little time to think let alone blog about anything. But with my recent graduation and no full time job yet, I'm hoping I will have more time to blog about things. What those things are, I have no idea. Sometimes it may be venting about work, graduate school applications. Other times it may be fashion related. I honestly don't know. I guess it will be whatever floats my boat that day. But I promise to try and make it interesting.

For today, I have to share about some recent purchases I have made.

Owning a Michael Kors bag is something I have been plotting for awhile. I've searched all over and discovered some great places to find them on sale. Little did I know that the place to buy one would be at my place of employment. I took a stroll though the handbag section last night due to no customers in my department. I saw lots of sale sections but immediately went to the MK section. I found this beauty marked as 50%, which brought the price down to $149. I was willing to pay that. But then I learned it was an additional 30% of that price, meaning $104. Even better! Only then did I realize I had a $20 off coupon, so now it's down to $84. With my employee discount working I ended up paying about $55 for this. I could not believe it. In my mind, that means it's practically free. I mean a $300 handbag for a little over $50 is insane. I was happy to pay that.

Now for some details. The bag is black leather with gold accents. the handle is braided and has enough of a drop to carry it comfortably over my shoulder. The lining inside is the traditional MK logo pattern. The inside features one zipper pocket and two side pockets for phones/keys/etc. The back of the bag has a snap closure pocket that extends the whole width of the bag. There is also a open pocket on each end.

Overall I love this bag. I can imagine carrying this bag for years to come. It's so classic and will never go out of style. I'm proud of myself for bypassing the typical logo bag I normally go for and deciding plain was the way to go.

Now I'm moving onto my next sale conquests. I'm up to the task of tracking down some new The North Face jackets, Sperrys, and a nice business suit. Wish me luck!

AJ

Ruche Lookbook

My favorite look from the Enchanted Lookbook. I must own those shoes and that bag.


"Enchanted with Ruche's lookbook: http://bit.ly/y0qdcW"

Essay Writer's Block

As I sit here staring at my computer screen, I am at a total loss for where to start. Sure I can write blog post after blog post with ease, but what I really need to write if leaving me at a loss. I have been attempting to start my personal statement for graduate school applications for a few weeks now. However, every time I sit down to write I cannot think of where I want my essay to go. I am very good at simply rambling on and on when it doesn't really matter, but that's not exactly the approach to take when your academic future is riding on one essay. I have read several sample essays as a way to find ideas of where I should start. Though following another person's example doesn't really scream the individuality that the admissions office is looking for in an essay. With that in mind, I tried to think of the best way I could put an individual twist on my essay. Here are the few ideas I was given courtesy of a long talk with my mother about what to say and how to say it.

       1. Go the typical route of what characteristics you have that would make you a good physical therapist. Simple, straightforward, but pretty boring.

       2. Talk about what being a physical therapist means to me. Again, not the most exciting thing but would be acceptable.

       3. Give them the background story on how you got to the place where being a physical therapist was the right career for you. Show them that through past experiences you have a unique perspective to offer.

Armed with these new ideas, I think I may finally have broken out of this writer's block that has plagued me for the past few weeks. I hope to come back on here in a few weeks and let you know that my final essay is complete and ready to amaze any admission's person it is placed in front of. If not, hopefully my essay is at least different than the hundreds of others they have seen this year.

Until next time,

AJ

Currently in My Life....

So it's almost the end of August. That means many things to me.

First off, summer is basically over and classes will be starting in the near future. It will be my final year of undergraduate study here at the University of Minnesota. I cannot believe how fast the past 3 years have went. As crazy as it is that I will be graduating in less than a year, it is also completely thrilling to think about what the next chapter of my life will bring. As I sit here waiting for school to start, I am waist deep in Graduate School applications. I wish I was much farther along with them, but it is definitely a long process. I wish I could just blink and they would be complete. That, and I could know which school I will be attending come next summer. Unfortunately, that wait to get acceptance/rejection letters will last well into next year. As if I wasn't stressed enough.

Secondly, I am starting school my sister will be in the same boat, only this time she is starting college. It still baffles me that she is old enough to be going to college. I feel like just yesterday we were riding bikes around the block and fighting over the last chocolate chip cookie. Oh who am I kidding, we did just that last weekend. ;) But I am excited that she is embarking on this new chapter in her life. I can't wait to see what college brings for her. I am complete faith she will survive and thrive.

Next, I am officially entering my final week of work at camp. These past 11 weeks have just flown by to me and my fellow counselors. Each week brought new challenges and I am happy to say I learned a great deal this summer thanks to the wonderful kids I got the chance to work with. There were times when I did not want to face them or their attitudes, however the hugs and smiles I would receive from most kids made up for it. I got to experience so many different things this summer. I finally learned how to sail, broke boards in Tae Kwon Do, and became a full-on crafter again. I am sad to say I will miss these kids but I have faith they will all go on to accomplish great things.

Lastly, August has meant the beginning of volleyball season and my first officially duty as a coach. I have been in informal positions many times, but this is the first season where I am really getting to coach and put all my knowledge to use. Needless to say, I am very exciting about what the next few months will bring for the team. I hope to learn so much from them as well as my fellow coaches. Hopefully I can pass on some of my knowledge as well. 

There are so many other thoughts I could share but that would get boring real fast. So I hope to be back soon with another update.

P.S. How good to my Brewers look right now? :) And the Packers are ready to make this season real interesting. can't wait.


Until next time,
AJ