F21 Giveaway!

Congratulations to Jocelyn for winning the top! 
Remember, you had to follow all the steps of the contest to be considered!

Thanks for all those that entered!
Look out for another contest soon! 

<3

__________________________

Hello!

Thanks for bearing with me and my decreased post output! I promise I will get on the ball soon!  I have alot of life changes going on now and important decisions I will be making soon that I will share with all of you.  But without further ado, here is today's giveaway! This cute F21 mocha-colored top features a flutter sleeve and sequin/bead embellishment.  It is super stretchy and lightweight--perfect for the warm weather!  It is a size XL but will accommodate many sizes due to its stretchiness.  Tuck it into a high waisted skirt for an extra chic look!

Here is what you need to do to win this top:

1) Follow my blog via Bloglovin or Google!

2) "Like" this page!

3) Comment below with your email address and mention which social plug-in (Bloglovin' or Google Connect) you are using to follow my page.

i.e., "My email is marie@email.com and I am now  following you via Bloglovin'!

You have to follow all the steps listed above to be considered for the giveaway! I will use a random number generator to select the winner. The contest ends this Thursday (3/29) at 8pm EST so hurry!

Exposed arms...

Hi All!

It's been over 2 weeks since my last post and I am sorry! My Dad wanted to borrow his camera back so I had to borrow my sisters.  Her camera is not the greatest but it was better than nothing.  I definitely need to invest in my own camera and will be doing so soon. 

Today was 70 degrees in Boston and it was so lovely! Whenever I am running errands I am usually scowling because my "To Do" list on most weekends is like 10 miles long.  Today, I had a grin on my face for most of the day.  Not only was the weather beautiful, but people were actually pleasant! Today I wore my new ditsy leaf dress I got from F21 recently.  I almost didn't buy it because I thought the pattern would look a bit juvenile on me.  I'm glad I bought it because the print is very colorful and playful and helped to brighten up my mood even more.  The purchase of this particular dress is significant because I usually don't wear clothes that show my arms.  Recently however, I decided I would step out of my comfort zone and do my best to "get over" things like bare arms...you only live once right?  Admittedly, I felt like wearing a cardigan but I deliberately left it at home so the world could see my arms in all their glory.  My apologies in advance for the grainy photos and the partial date stamp...I forgot to deactivate the feature on the camera!

Dress: F21

Belt: NY&Co

Shoes: Tarjay

Thanks for reading my blog! Be on the lookout for a contest this week!

Big hair, don't care...

Hi!

Today was a special day today because my wig came in the mail!  I've been trying to experiment with different hair styles for the summer and spotted this wig online.  Well, it came today and of course I had to try it on.  And after I tried it on, of course I had to build an outfit around it! I'm of the adage that if you have big hair, you have to have a fierce outfit to back it up.  Granted, this outfit isn't as fierce as I would like, but it's almost there.  I could've done without the brown clutch in the first pic but my hubby insisted that I needed to be holding something.  Stick to takin' photos buddy!

So what do you think of my wig? Too much?

Obligatory "sexy" pose.  This is some biiiig hair!

Top: Vintage, copped on Etsy

Pants: Rainbows

Earrings: EBay

Shoes: Target "Paisley" pump

Clutch: F21
Wig: "Creta Girl" by Freetress

And oh! Before I forget, let me show you this dress I got on Ashley Stewart!  I was debating if I should return it but I think I will keep it.  I love the crazy colors! I think it will be perfect for the summer. What do you think of the dress? Keeper?

Dress: Ashley Stewart (online exclusive)

Clutch: ASOS (it's actually a laptop case)

Shoes: F21

Earrings: EBay

It's the climb...

Hi!
This past weekend I decided to be more active and so I went hiking.  The morning of, I tried to convince myself that I didn't want to go...that I could not go.  It was too cold.  I had no one to go with.  I was still sniffly.  I hadn't washed my sweats.  My thumb hurt. In the end, I dragged myself out of my cozy bed and got myself ready. 

Hands down, it was the best decision I had made that day.  The hike was so invigorating and the views were breathtaking.  I'm not a nature buff and honestly, I hadn't hiked since I was 8 or so.  This time felt so right.  I stuffed a container of yogurt into one pocket of my puffy pink coat, and my keys and water bottle in another.  Something about the solitude of that morning was so comforting.  Hearing the leaves and twigs crackle under my feet and smelling the cold crisp air made me feel determined to reach the hill's summit. 

Focused

I passed about four people on the trail who nodded me their hellos.  I drank my water when I was thirsty, stopping to take in the full expanse of the trail and the magnitude of the trees.  And I climbed upwards.  At one point, I scraped my palm on a rock and silently cursed myself for clamoring up the incline too hastily.  No bandaid.  My foot got wedged in the narrow crevice of a large rock and I clenched my teeth at the shockwave of pain when I finally wedged it out.  Got to keep going.  After about 60 minutes of starts and stops I made it to the top of the hill.  This is what I saw:

I stood there for about 5 minutes or so to take in the view.  I looked down at my hand.  The blood on my hand had congealed and was now speckled with dirt.  The ankle?  Still hurt.  A smiled played across my lips as I proceeded back down the hill and towards the trail.  I had done it.  My bloodied hand and twisted ankle were proof of my journey.  Sometimes there's pain involved in a journey--that on our way to a destination, we stumble, we falter, and we hesitate.  It's the effect we allow the pain to have on us that, in part, determines how our journey will end. Will you be immobilized by your pain, never to move forward? Or will you wear your pain like a badge of honor knowing that it was earned striving towards something great? I choose the latter...