birthday wish list

With my birthday coming up in exactly a month, I thought it would be fun to share my birthday wishlist! Some years I have long list (like this year), and other years I can't think of a thing. Maybe it is because I am actually on a budget being married, but I have a lot of things on my list!

And I'll be 25- so a reason to celebrate!

I just missed buying this dress from Anthropologie for my cousin's wedding, but sadly it was completely sold out to when I hit "buy"! I was so so sad. I'm keeping it on my list juuuuust in case someone happens to see it in a size 8 or 10 :-)

I'm also asking for a new  monogrammed sweatshirt. A sweatshirt is a staple for me to throw on after work and I am really in need of a new one!

At first I was 100% opposed to Lululemon. I thought anyone who paid an obscene amount of money on workout clothes was CRAZY until I discovered the pace setter skirt. I can't wear Nike shorts or other types of running shorts because of my thighs and in the summer it gets too hot to wear long black running pants. I tried the pace setter skirt on over the summer and was hooked. I need a few other pairs. If I cant find a pair of shorts that doesn't chafe (sorry TMI) my legs, I honestly don't care what the cost is!

 I feel like Tory Burch Revas are on my list every year. I've worn out my pair I bought in 2011 and keep saying I'm going to get a new pair but a) they are overpriced and b) super uncomfortable. I just think they go with everything and I don't walk around much at my job now so sitting down wearing them would be OK. I don't need them by any means... If I could find a knock-off pair or something comparable, I'd ditch Tory in a minute!

I've had my grandmother's monogrammed gold necklace since she passed away in 2001, WAY before monogrammed jewelry was in style. My mom has a pair of earrings  with her maiden monogram and I've always loved them. I don't have too much with my new monogram, so I think this could be a great gift!

A Garmin watch/GPS is honestly THE thing that I want for my birthday. I love my Nike+ app, but I don't love that I can't see it when I run and it doesn't count calories when I am doing other exercises. I think a running GPS would really motivate me to add more miles to my routine. Would you recommend a Garmin or a Polar watch? I'll take either, and whichever "does it all" for less!

Now that we live on the water I wear a hat a lot on the boat. A monogrammed baseball hat would be such an easy gift (and inexpensive!).

I've been contemplating getting a juicer with our leftover wedding gift cards. I think my magic bullet bit the dust lately (SAD FACE), so I wouldn't mind something to up my fruit and veggie intake! Again, something I don't need by any means but fun to have!

 Last but not least, I dorkingly (is that a word? maybe not....)  want a pair of garden shears! I usually have fresh flowers in the house and cutting them with scissors is not cool. Maybe it will make me start trimming the vines going up our front steps, too? #wishfulthinking

Is there anything else that a 25 year old needs? Ok I don't really need any of this. But birthdays come once a year and then six weeks later it is Christmas... so I think my family has it pretty easy with my list this year! :-)

And happy 22nd birthday to my cousin Anna today!

shifts and shirts

The "I've-gained-16-pounds-since-we've-been-married" part of me is kind of in love with shirt dresses and shift dresses lately. I've been buying not a single fitted thing and now my jeans don't even fit!!

I'm on a mission to incorporate more light, comfortable dresses into my wardrobe! You can't go wrong with them, especially if your shoes make them work appropriate!

{one} J. Crew dress // Sam Edelman booties

{two} // Lilly Pulitzer dress // Modcloth wedges

{three} Top Shop dress // Vince Camuto booties

{four} LOFT dress  //Tory Burch flats

{five} Top Shop dress // J. Crew flats

I need to know where to find more reasonable shirt and shift dresses. Where have you seen them!?

friday friday friday!

{one}

At first I was really skeptical about this whole "fall" thing.... I do love summer and we do live on the water but I am getting really tired of the heat and sweating! 

Since Labor Day has passed, I've retired my white and started the transition process. Our office dresses up a little bit more post-Labor Day than during the summer. I've replaced my Jack Rogers and other sandals with flats, and tried to pep up my attire a little.

I may or may not have worn this almost exact outfit yesterday (minus the Kate Spade bag.... hello drool!).

Topshop dress // Tory Burch flats // Kate Spade purse // Kendra Scott necklace // Kate Spade watch

I'm still trying to keep my wardrobe light, but not too summer. I'm ready for cooler weather!

{two}

I cannot recover from our trip to Houston! I have been whooped all week and am really looking forward to the weekend to relax and chill! Hopefully the Gamecocks will get a huge W over the Dawgs and I'm sure Clemson is going to blow SC State (eek near where I grew up) away!

{three}

I have some really weird symptoms going on right now. I've been having terrible night sweats and I feel like I'm almost going through menopause. I thought it was just adjusting to sleeping in the bed with Tyler, but Wednesday night he was out of town and I was able to sleep alone, but I still woke up 4-5 times absolutely drenched it sweat! I also noticed at a meeting today I was standing up and got clammy all of a sudden and broke out in a sweat. I called my lady doctor thinking it was my medicine because I have switched medicine 3 times in 6 months (honestly not my fault, I blame Walgreens!). At first they thought I was nuts, but when I said "I feel like I'm 24 going on 48," they listened and ordered some bloodwork. Next week I'm going to my general practice to get checked out, too, but this is SUPER weird. Anyone else had this happen to them before? It's really uncomfortable and I'm a little concerned! I did call my regular doctor from home and she said she actually went through this same thing but never got answers, so she is curious to know what the bloodwork shows. 

{four}

Revenge is now on Netflix!!!! I got Tyler hooked recently, but we only got through season 1. A Facebook friend posted that season 2 was now online and I am SO excited! Now if only I can figure out how to hook my Mac up to our TV, we'll be set!

{five}

Have you seen that Brianna has opened up an Etsy shop??!! 

Carolina Bliss is open for business! Brianna makes custom vinyl monogram decals right now, but Etch drink ware, personalized stamps and jewelry will come early next week! I am so excited for Brianna and know she is going to do so well! If you don't follow her, you can here:

Happy weekend!

friday five + fancies

Happy Friday!! WE MADE IT!
This week was one of those that just drug on... Lately I've had commitments with either after-work events or Junior League but this week was mainly just exercising after work (I need it).

{one}

Tonight Ty and I are hopping on a plane to Houston, TX to visit my brother and sister-in-law. We are so excited to experience Texas for the first time! At the end of September, they are moving back to Rhode Island where my SIL is from, so this will be a great last hoorah for them! We haven't seen them since our wedding in March and are looking forward to a fun weekend.

{two}

We'll be pulling for Clemson Saturday night when they take on the Georgia Dawgs, since Cameron and Tyler are Clemson alums! Hopefully we can round up a few other Clemson fans in the bar! Last night we watched THE Carolina game (and I mean South Carolina Gamecocks) with our new friends and neighbors. We are thrilled to have a new couple 5 houses down from us in our neighborhood! A good time was had by all.... Except for that whole lightening thing... Come on, mother nature... don't you know its football season?

{three}

Here's my outfit for Labor Day weekend! My last bit of white, Clemson orange, and cowboy boots in honor of Houston. Sadly, my boots were left at my parents house, but I can at least pretend! Linking up with my favorite, {av} for Friday's Fancies!

tank // shorts // boots // sunglasses 

{four}

I've really gotten into this "giving to others" thing! Yesterday I paid for the lady behind me's lunch at Chickfila. I had never done it before and had butterflies because I was a little nervous (no idea why) and excited. It made my Thursday much better! Her meal was cheaper than mine (OK only by a few cents!!). 

{five}

White after Labor Day..... What are your thoughts? I've always been an Easter --> Labor Day white kind of girl and I don't think that will be changing, even though I live on the coast. What are your thoughts? No judgement, though, to those of you who wear it year-round or throughout September! I just retire mine and call it fall!

What are you up to this Labor Day weekend?

sunglass search

I haven't bought a new pair of "real" sunglasses since 2008! My Ray Bans have seen better days and I am really ready to upgrade.

The problem is that I have a very small face and I can't wear sunglasses with huge frames because they really overshadow my features. I've done a little research and have found these four pair that I really want to try on to see how they'd work for me!

Now, I don't really have to get a super nice pair, I just would like a good pair that will last a long time.

 Tortoise Ray Bans // Tory Burch 54mm //  Ray Ban Way Farers // Michael Kors 54mm

Now the question is, where do I go to try them on? Are there online stores with good sales where I can order, try on, and return? Or is it better to go in a store?

Thoughts?

currently loving

It's FRIDAY!!!!!

Thank you all who entered the Rodan+Fields sample giveaway! If you missed it, there are more samples to be given, so leave a comment here and I'll direct you to the correct place! I really appreciate Alexa working on this with me!

Currently I'm loving......

This necklace on my bff Virginia's sister-in-law's website...

This room...

This song...

This look...

The thought of making this sangria...

This pace setter Lululemon skirt...

A girl can dream right?

friday's fancies: wedding attire

Tomorrow one of my oldest childhood friends, Caroline gets married!!!! I am so happy for her and for her almost husband, Chris! I will take the credit that I was the one who made them "date" in 11th grade. 

I cannot believe after tomorrow we will both be married. It is so bizarre to think about. I still feel like we are in 6th grade sometimes!

Though I am her Matron of Honor and have my bridesmaid's dress to wear, I have plenty of other weddings coming up and if I had this outfit below, I would be the happiest and maybe best dressed at the party!

dress  // shoes // bag // earrings 

Linking up with {av} from Long Distance Loving for: 

friday five

I am so, so happy it's Friday. This week has drug along, especially yesterday!

{one}

Welcome Tropical Storm Andrea.

Working in insurance has truly made me weary of strong storms. Not only will we have to work like crazy on claims thanks to wind, possible hail, water damage, and flood, I have to worry about that with my own house!

Yikes. Can you even see the little blue dot where we live?!?!?!

{two}

I made a trip to the grocery store to buy bottled water and beer, just in case. I picked up the summer collection of Blue Moon, and I may now have a new favorite beer!

Blue Moon Blackberry Tart Ale

I also picked up new creamer earlier this week and it is to dieeeeeeee for!!!

{three}

Whitney from The Observant Turtle and I are working on a recipe link-up!!! Hopefully it will go up next week, but follow us on social media below to get all of the details! I loved y'alls meal plan help on Sunday and thought this could be a fun way to compile our favorite recipes into one place!

Charlotte: facebook / twitter / instagram

Whitney: facebook / twitter / instagram

Here's a sneak peak of what I made this week:

Baked tilapia with avocado salsa

{four}

Tyler and I decided yesterday to fly to Houston for Labor Day to see his brother and our sister-in-law! Neither of us have ever been to Texas, so we are super excited! It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment, "oh my gosh these flights are a really good price" kind of moment, so we took advantage of it!!! I am also going to see Whitney (above) while we are there! Counting down the days until our trip!!

{five}

Linking up with {av} for Friday's Fancies as always!

After meeting {av} last week, it makes me more excited to participate in this fun weekly link-up!! 

shorts // wedges // necklace // sunglasses // top



Looking forward to zero plans this weekend for the first time in forever!

What's on your weekend agenda?

sun hats

After spending many days of my #funemployment by the pool and/or beach, I realized that a good sun hat is 100% necessary. We are all aware of the dangers of the sun, especially with your face! Though I am not always wearing a hat while in the sun, I try to wear one when I can. 

I snag one of my brother's or Tyler's hats from their closet to wear. That's probably why I usually end up with a camouflage or other manly type of hat.

I put together a couple of hats that are super cute and beach/pool approved. 

 {one} // {two} // {three} 

{four} // {five} // {six} 

 {seven} // {eight} // {nine} 

Do you have a fun sun hat?!

weekend wear: bachelorette weekend

This weekend I am hosting a bachelorette party for my bride-to-be friend Caroline! I am having six girls total, so I have been busy cooking, decorating, and cleaning! I am really excited that it is supposed to be nice and warm (finally)! 

We are going to have fun playing games, drinking sangria, laying on the beach, and going out to celebrate the bachelorette! Cannot wait to recap the weekend for you next week!!!

Until then, here is what I wish I was wearing for the weekend ahead!

cover up // bikini // sandals

dress // shoes // sandals // handbag // necklace

As always, I'm linking up with {av} for Friday's Fancies!

overalls

WHAT.

Excuse me, why are these coming "back"?

If only I had a picture of me from 6th grade. I wore those suckers like it was my job. Khaki. Long. Ok not long, but highwater. And my guy friends gave me wedgies... from both the front and back.

I just can't.

THESE overalls.... really.

{via}

WHAT? I swear my mom wore this in the 90s. Or was that a skort?

Hi Diane Kruger, hi.

If only I was at my parents' house to really bring out the big guns.

I guess old high school Facebook pictures will suffice. 

may flowers

If Lilly Pulitzer doesn't scream May Flowers, I don't know what does!

This would be just the cutest floral outfit. 

Gimme! Gimme!

top // skirt // shoes // tote // watch // earrings // necklace // bangle // sunglasses

Linking up with {av} for Friday's Fancies!

you can find me by the pool

Did I mention that I now have a J-O-B?!?! Ok, well not technically until Monday.

But until then, you can find me at the pool in our little neighborhood, soaking up some rays, finishing Gone Girl, drinking a smoothie, and lathering in SPF!

top // bottoms // flip flops // sunglasses // hat // towel // book

 I am close to finishing my book, but really want to quickly so I can reread The Great Gatsby before I see the movie. It is one of my favorites. I think I finally hit the good part in Gone Girl... it took me a while!

I need a list of summer reads, though. Here is what is on tap next:

The Great Gatsby

Barefoot by Elin Hinderbrand (recommended by Luci)

I need your suggestions!

april showers

I cannot explain how happy I am that we were not living in Illinois when they got horrendous rain last week. Our friends were sending us pictures of their flooded yards, driveways, the golf course, and even the main highways. It was insane! We got a little storm here last weekend, but nothing too dramatic -- just chilly!

I didn't leave the house in the rain, but below would be a cute spring/summer outfit cute enough to wear in the rain!

top // shorts // bangle // earrings // umbrella // boots

What is your go-to rain attire?

Linking up with {av} for Friday's Fancies!

bright in neon

I can't help but sing that Chris Young "Neon" song when I hear the word neon. I love that today's Friday's Fancies theme is neon. It is so in style.

This would be a perfect Saturday errand-running outfit! Maybe some farmer's market visiting and outlet shopping? Yes.

Someone please buy me these Keds.

shirt // shorts // shoes // tote bag // jewelry // sunglasses

Do you link up with {av} for Friday's Fancies!?

Have a bright weekend!!!!

Bridesmaid Dresses

Below is a replica of what my bridesmaids wore last weekend in our wedding! Can't wait to show you the real pictures!

shoes // necklace // dress

Spring Stripes

Hi everyone! My name is Katie and I blog over at In the Pink. I was so excited when Charlotte asked me to do a guest post - I've had such a great time getting to know her!

I was at the mall the other day and I kept noticing one thing - stripes! They seem to be everywhere this spring. I am a huge fan of navy and white stripes, but I love all the color combinations that are out now.

via

via

via

via

via

via

via

Are you sporting stripes this spring? Thank you to Charlotte for letting me stop by! 

xx,

KGD

Thanks for filling in for me, Kathryn! Y'all go check out her precious blog!

Seeing Green

Just a little casual St. Patty's Day look...

With a week until the wedding (!!!!!!!), I doubt I will be venturing out!

But I'd really like to wear this:

 jeans // shoes // bangle // sunglasses // top // necklace

Linking up with {av} for Friday's Fancies!

Blazer Blazer

Not really sure why I thought that would be such a catchy title but for some reason it stuck....

Confession: Friday I bought my first *real* blazer. I mean I've had one from Francesca's that has worked for interviews and all (none of my interviews have ever been super dressy), but with the recent job search, I knew it was time to get a big girl blazer. 

Thank goodness for the LOFT outlet and a merchandise credit card! Hooray! I also picked up a coral/orange colored one at Target. Did I mention the LOFT one was classic black like the one below?

white // stripes //  black //yellow // grey // red // floral // light pink // blue // hot pink

What are your thoughts on blazers? Where is your favorite from??

Friday Fancies: Bling-ed Bachelorette Party

It's almost here!!! This afternoon we'll be headed to Savannah for my bachelorette party!

I cannot wait!

Here is my vision of my outfit for Saturday night:

 sequin dress // shoes // zipper bag // nail polish // sash // headband

Link-up with {av} at Long Distance Loving for Friday's Fancies!