I'm In a Funk 2.21.2018

Part of me feels weird admitting this here, but the other part of me knows it's healthy to talk through things. I am in such a funk lately. I've been going in circles over branding, aesthetic, etc. and I'm feeling so unsure lately that I haven't even been wanting to edit photos or post - things I usually love and look forward to! 

I LOVE creating content, but I'm so in my head right now that it's feeling very stressful instead of like a creative outlet. 

Location, location, location
Part of the "funk" that I'm in stems from the fact that the aesthetic and vibe that I love and am personally drawn to is nearly impossible to achieve living in Missouri, especially in a smaller community. I think I've always done a fairly good job with creativity of photo locations, but ultimately the look I love doesn't exist here. So why not just work with what I have and be happy? Well, I'm trying. But I think we're all intrinsically drawn to what we're drawn to creatively. So, right now I'm feeling a little stuck on this front! In some ways I would love to pick up and move to SoCal, but I also don't see it happening for us :) So, somehow I have to figure out something that will work for me. I still haven't found that formula or "look" that's perfectly "me."

Self-doubt
I also fall into terrible little black holes of self-critique sometimes. I'm struggling to find my place right now, and trying not to compare myself to others!

Winter Doldrums
I also think a big part of the weird funk I'm in is honestly that I'm so sick of winter! I don't know if it's seasonal depression, but I'm not quite feeling like myself. I'm not feeling my usual motivation to go out and shoot content and get things done due to the cold and constant gloom. I'm hoping that spring brings a wave of fresh motivation to me!  

Anyways, the point of this post is just to let you in my head a bit, and to ask you to bear with me as I try to figure out what the heck I'm doing! You'd think I would know after years of blogging 😝 but I'm still exploring and learning where I stand in this crazy blog and Instagram world! I need to make the most of where I live and make it work with the aesthetic I like, stop comparing myself to others so much, and take advantage of spring weather and the energy it brings!

Now, a quick word about my outfit... This dress is one of my first spring purchases, and I love it so much! Looking at my closet, I've realized I'm really, really into black florals, so of course I was drawn to this little wrap mini dress situation. To transition it from winter to spring I stuck with a denim jacket and some ankle boots for now. I bought my dress here, but I also found it with all sized still available here.

Dress: available here & here  |  jacket (more options here)  |  boots  |  sunglasses  |  necklaces here & here  |  earrings  

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My Favorite Cyber Monday Sales (and Picks) 11.27.2017

Coat (30% off w/ code 30CYBER)  |  Hat

I love the sh*t out of Cyber Monday, I'm not gonna lie. It's when I do the majority of my Christmas shopping, and every year I can't help but to buy a few things for myself too!  Since I don't have a gift guide ready to go yet, I sprinkled in some gift ideas along with pieces I just flat out love, regardless of who they're for. Read on for my favorite of today's sales + my picks! 

ASOS | 30% off everything w/ code EPIC30

ASOS is always one of my favorite places to shop because of their unique options, huge inventory, and free shipping on every order! 

Anthropologie | 20% off full-priced items
It's hard to rival Anthro's home and gift items, and I always find unique things there. I'm especially obsessed with Capri Blue candles and all of their gorgeous glassware and coffee table books!

H&M | 30% off everything
I'm going to be honest - H&M is a little picked-over right now after running huge sales for the past week, but there are still some awesome finds!

Target | 15% off your order
Consider that literally half of my home decor is from Target, I really really love it (yes, I'm a #basicbitch). I also love so many pieces from the Who What Wear collaboration, and there are some great guys pieces there too lately!

Forever 21 | 21% off everything w/ code CYBER21
Forever 21 is pretty hit and miss, especially now that I'm in the second half of my twenties ;) but I do still find some awesome pieces (like all of the cute things below) - I just have to dig a bit more! 

June & Beyond Boutique | 30% off your order w/ code 30CYBER
June & Beyond is a boutique that's local to me, and you'll be seeing more of my photography work on their social media and website soon! In addition to this amazing leopard coat I'm wearing above, I'm also obsessed with this duster (has velvet and beaded details 🙌), and this Aztec-inspired cardigan.

Five & Two Jewelry | 20% off site-wide + other deals
This is one of my favorite jewelry brands, and 20% off makes the prices a bit more doable! This choker and this necklace are high on my wish list!

Jenny's Print Shop | $10 print downloads w/ code THANKYOU
I love this site! You can normally download any of Jenny's prints for $15 each, but they're just $10 each today. You can then can get them printed and framed wherever you like! I discovered her site a few months ago and still have yet to order any simply because I can't decide which ones I want the most! I'm particularly fond of this print though :)

Shopbop | extra 35% off sale items w/ code WOW35

Express | 50% off + free shipping

Mango | 30% off everything w/ code CYBER17

Madewell | 25% off your purchase w/ code GOODMOOD

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What I do for my Full Time Job 8.24.2017

While I mention "work" on here all the time (since it's a big part of my life), and have mentioned here and there what I do, I realized that I've never really gone into detail or explained what I spend over 40 hours a week doing! This year I made the decision to share more of my life on here (even if it's simply woven into my outfit posts), and work is a huge part of my life! 

While I am often overwhelmed by a full time job and two side hustles (a post about balancing all of that is coming soon!), and would be lying if I said I wouldn't love to be my own boss someday, I do like what I do and find it unique and interesting!

So, my full time gig is as the Director of Communications for the school district where we live. I'm a one-woman department, so my role in "communications" includes a wide variety of things:

building out long-term communications strategies

running the school district's social media accounts

publishing two email newsletters each week (one to staff, and one to the community/parents)

being the point of contact for all media and coordinating news stories

writing & disseminating press releases 

taking, editing, and posting photos

creating video content (a new skill I'll be tackling this year!)

updating information & articles on our website

attending and reporting on school board meetings

There are other things, but those are the main roles and tasks off the top of my head! One thing I really like is that I do a wide variety of things, which helps to keep my days interesting and moving quickly. I don't have a standard task list for each day, and many days I'm out and about visiting school buildings and attending meetings and events. I also like that my job has a greater purpose - children and their futures. The more I'm able to share the positive things we're doing to impact students' lives, the more I set us up for success in both the present and future. I also work with a lot of amazing people. They're all passionate about what they do, and that's always good to be around.

Some days crazy curveballs hit (life in the PR world!), and that's always really stressful. There are also times where I have more work than what one person can do (back-to-school season is always cray), but I just have to tackle it as well as I can. I'm a stresser anyways, so there are definitely days when I'm kind of a stressed out wreck trying to juggle my to-do list or a crisis that's popped up. I often have evening commitments outside of normal work hours too, which can be draining when you don't get paid overtime and when there are a lot happening on top of each other (think end of the school year).

But, overall I really do like my job. I get to do all of the PR and communication I went to school for, and I like that there are some creative aspects sprinkled in. By working in public education I also get good benefits and am part of a good retirement program, so I'm definitely thankful for that being in my 20s. I got this job at 23 years old, which was pretty crazy at the time, but I'm thankful they took a chance on me. June marked the start of my 4th year here (how that's possible I don't even know!), and I definitely feel more comfortable and know what I'm doing quite a bit more. But I also constantly have opportunities to keep learning and improving too, which is great.

Is my job my passion in life? No. And I'm definitely no workaholic. But, I get to explore my creative interests through my side hustles, so all in all I feel pretty fulfilled right now.    

And now onto my outfit! I recently bought this amazing jumpsuit (also online here) because it's daring, fashion forward and fun, but also works for the office! It can be a challenge to incorporate my personal style in my work wear, so I always jump on unique pieces like this that can be worn for work or play.

I also wanted to share that today is the last day of a great Shopbop sale where you can get an extra 20% off of most sale items with the code TREAT20. Shopbop is truly one of my favorite places to shop because they carry such a wide variety of brands and have fast + free shipping. My jumpsuit is by the brand BB Dakota, and Shopbop always has a great selection of their stuff.

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Lace-Up Skirt 12.12.2016

Coat  |  Similar Tee  |  Skirt (c/o; runs small)  |  Hat  |  Ankle Boots  |  Bag

My gosh did I ever pick the wrong day yesterday to photograph a mini skirt. It was soooo cold and windy! 

But I absolutely love this skirt! The lace-up detail and asymetrical hemline make it a unique statement piece that can be styled many different ways. However, it definitely runs a little small! Definitely not the best length for a 5'8" girl FYI ;) I think if I had gone up a size that it would work better though. Just wanted to give you girls a heads up!

I hope you all had a great weekend! You may have seen on Snapchat that I got to finish my Christmas decorating and do a lot of cleaning at home this weekend. It was just what I needed going into a crazy couple of weeks!  

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Holiday Party & Winter Wedding Attire 12.01.2016

Dress (pictured in burgundy)  |  Boots  |  Earrings  |  Lip Color

Happy December! I have no idea where the year has gone, but at least it's the holiday season and that makes me happy. My blogging bestie (and now real life close friend), Brianna of Gingham and Glam, and I have been so excited to do this dressy holiday collaboration! The day we shot these photos it was so ridiculously cold, and photos took foreverrrr because we had to keep warming up in the car. Hopefully you can't tell that we're freezing our you-know-whats off ;)

Trey and I don't have any dressy holiday parties this year, but we do have a few weddings on the calendar. I'm obsessed with this BB Dakota lace dress for the holidays and any time though! It's appropriate for so many seasons and occasions, especially styled with different types of shoes. I think over-the-knee boots are a great way to make a dress a little more weather appropriate in the winter, while also putting a unique spin on your look. Simply throw on a pea coat or faux fur jacket and you're good to go! 

Don't forget to check out Brianna's post to see more of her holiday glam look! Here are a few more dressy holiday pieces that I'm loving... 

  

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Cozy Fall Outfit 11.29.2016

Similar Sweaters here & here  |  Jeans (40% off today! I'm wearing a 'short')  |  Scarf  |  Hat

Ankle Boots  |  Bag  |  Lip Color

This perfectly soft, cozy sweater is BB Dakota, but I sadly can't find it anywhere online anymore 😿 sorry ladies. In other news though, apparently these jeans and ankle boots are all I wear nowadays, so I hope you're not sick of them yet! The positive is that I happened to see that my jeans are 40% off today! They're such a steal at that price, and I can't recommend them enough. They're flattering and also so stretchy and comfy.

Speaking of sales, Forever 21 extended their Cyber Monday sale and they have 21% off all orders today with the code CYBER21! Yesterday I ordered this sweater & this top! 

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If You Like Wearing Black... 11.11.2016

Top (wearing a medium)  |  Jeans (c/o)  |  Ankle Boots  |  Hat  |  Bag  |  Choker

Happy Friday! We don't have any plans this weekend and I am 100% okay with that. I woke up in a cleaning mood, so today after work I want to get started on deep cleaning our house, and hopefully I'll be motivated to do that all weekend! I truly don't know how some of you guys keep your houses so clean! By the time I work 8-9 hours, workout, make dinner and clean up the kitchen, shower, and sit down to work on blog business, I'm already past my bedtime and exhausted. So if you're somehow balancing it all, I admire you so much! I have to note that my house would probably be cleaner without two indoor dogs...however, they are completely worth it :)

I got waaayyy off course there, but now we'll talk about the outfit (shot in KC). No part of this outfit is super new, because I've been making a conscious effort to restyle all of my fall wardrobe in new ways. I do find that much easier to do in the fall and winter fortunately!

 These are my favorite jeans I own! You've seen me write it on here a hundred times, but they're ridiculously slimming (these somehow make my legs look skinnier than they are), super soft, and surprisingly affordable (under $65). This top is easily one of my most-worn tops this fall. It's lightweight and effortless, the lace-up neckline makes it interesting, and it can be styled so many ways. It looks like there are only a couple of sizes left in black online, but I also found it in burgundy and in cream! 

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Sneakers 8.22.2016

Top: Jack by BB Dakota (also comes in ivory!) | Shorts: Levi's

Sunnies: Le Specs ('liar liar') | Sneakers: Adidas

Bag: Rebecca Minkoff (my specific color is sold out)

I have wanted these sneakers for sooo long. Back in the winter when I officially decided I wanted them they were sold out everywhere so I bought Adidas Superstars instead. I loved those too, but it turns out that my sister really wanted some, so I gave her mine and finally got my coveted Stan Smiths (which are just a little more "me")! Long story short, I frickin' love these sneakers. I wore them all weekend and they're simply the best...so chic and so comfy!

Also this Jack by BB Dakota top was a boutique purchase last week but I found it online for you guys. I love that it's oversized and lightweight so it can be worn now with shorts (on non-sweltering days at least) and all fall and winter in a variety of ways. I love the lace-up detailing, but that it's not too low. You can wear a normal bra with it! It's the little things, #amiright?

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