happy birthday mom

mom, me, and big sis circa 1993

"a mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our heart."

washington irving

happy birthday mom.



 i love you.



A&A (on a rainy day)

jeans NY&Co. (old); sweater Gap; cardigan f21 (old); rainboots j.crew factory

awkward:

- how ridiculously pale i look in the previously posted post. yes, i know it is very sunny out. yes, i know it was also winter. but for a girl like me that usually has some sort of tan to her complexion (even if it is brushed on with some bronzer), i am not feeling this draco malfoy look i've got going on.

- skorts. i thought i encountered one yesterday. it actually was just very voluminous shorts.
- in other awkward news, very voluminous shorts that cannot be depicted from a skort/uni-short/skirt.

- dreams where i am not sure if i am awake or am asleep and even worse, when i wake up and am not sure if i am actually awake. and i say to myself "am i in a dream within a dream?" and i go completely inception on myself.
- the length of my hair. i wish it would make up its mind if it is long or short because i could not tell ya.
- the picture my mother snagged of me as i was lying in my room, masses of clothing/accessories/garbage/loads of crapola piled around me as i emptied and reorganized my closet. if it wasn't so painfully awkward it would be posted.
point. made.

awesome:

- being reunited this very weekend with my very best friends a la college. that means not only am i seeing old roomie and cheerleading bus buddy but a handful of other friends in which i miss dearly. i can't help but singing reunited and it feels sooooo gooooood.

- cell phones. actually telephones altogether. because if it weren't for them i wouldn't have hour long conversations with my best-friends-since-the-third-grade friend for hours on end. and Lord knows that i might as well be a chicken with my head cut off without her.

for reals.

- DQ double fudge frozen hot chocolates.

- my discovery of lipstick. Revlon's siren, to be exact.

- how long my nails are currently. and the fact that the only reason two of them are short is because they broke not because i picked at them.

- the AMAZING steals i walked away with from Gap yesterday. i'm talking two dresses, one sweater, one shirt, and a pair of shorts all for $50.
mmmmhmm. ah-maz-ing.

- the fact that i have three, count um THREE, followers. little bloggie thanks all three of you for being such wonderful friends and tagging along on my journey!

pssstt...remember those cherry red rainboots i talked about in this post? well, i finally got'um! and for a whopping 50% their original price! i guess procrastination does pay off...sometimes...



i solemnly swear that i am up to no good

blouse ny&company; jeans lc lauren conrad (similar here); flats f21(old) (similar here & here); watch francesca's; sunnies h&m (similar)

do not let these sunny afternoon pictures fool you, in three days time i may just as well be taking pictures in a parka and goulashes. this weather has been quite the roller coaster as of late. first its a nice spring temperature. then its a blistering 80-something degrees in which i had to dig through boxes and bags to find the only suitable thing next to a bathing suit to step outside in. and two days ago, as i drove to school to teach, it was snowing. snowing! i tell ya people it was absolutely absurd!
little miss spring is up to no good, no good at all.

this one is for my father

sometimes i want to write really inspiring posts about the day to day emotions that people might be experiencing. heartbreak. loss. joy. worry. anger. and sometimes i type out all of these random "heat of the moment" posts and look back at them and think - "woah girl, take a deep breath." and sometimes i yell at myself and say "delete this NOW!". and sometimes i wrap my arms around myself and whisper - "tomorrow will be a brand new day, have faith in the Lord".

yesterday i said all of those things to myself. in a matter of one. single. hour.

& then i prayed. i prayed good and long (and oddly enough sitting on the bar stool in the kitchen with my hands rested on the keys of my laptop). at one point i lost all sensation of where i really was until it was time for dinner.

& then God answered my prayer, in a way that i was not too sure i expected. but then again, what was i really praying for? it was more of a mish-mosh of anger and frustration and hurt and worry that i think if there would be a direct telephone line to God i would have hung up the phone repeatedly on him. because this girl, wasn't quite sure what exactly it is that needed to be said and sometimes when we hang up the phone, God is still listening. this is the most miraculous part of prayer - you don't even need to be speaking for Him to be listening, answering, and helping.

the answer: a talk with my dad. and dads, they know a thing or two - especially my dad. and of course this sounds bias because he is my dad and anyone would feel this way about their own parent, but i mean it. this dude has been through it all. i trust him. and we don't have that "daddy's little girl relationship", probably due to the fact that i am wayyyyyy too much like him. i would never hold that against him because as i grow and experience things it is him who i feel the closest too. he knows me because he was me. and when you're the baby who grows up in tights and tutus and your older sister is playing soccer, time is divided to conquer between parents and i always got momma. but i think it makes me appreciate these moments with my father.

and that is why when he speaks, when we really get to talking, i listen my eyes are focused on him.

this one is for you dad. for all you do and say.
thank you.

& the verdict is

this weekend was one for the record books. okay, well maybe not "for the record books" because that implies some life altering event occurred or something along those lines - and that didn't happen. but, what did happen was the first girls weekend I've had in quite some time that involved a little of the following: getting dolled up, beer, Flyers on the big screen (and kicking the Pens BUTTS on Sunday seeeee-yah), fire pit, panera cinnamon crunch bagel, The Lucky one (and a half naked man of a man Zac Efron, swoon), wine, girl talk, sleeping in and other such girl weekend activities (aka swooning over Zac Efron in every Zac Efron movie we could find on OnDemand).

and which girl forgot to take pictures even though her phone and camera were fully charged?
This girl. Yup. Typical.

anywho, I had a point to this post although I'm not distracted by the thoughts of the previous mentioned hunk whispering the line "you should be kissed every day, every hour, every minute" sigh

okay, now before I get carried away...and post every trailer available on youtube..

if you click back to this post (click click), you'll read about my completely unfounded book/movie theory aka the Harry Potter Theory and I mentioned how The Lucky One would be my next victim to fall under review of the theory. And so it shall...

now, i have searched high and low and read other peoples reactions to how they felt after reading the book and seeing the movie. i believe that this is the hardest part of my theory. where as if you would see the movie and then read the book it adds to your movie-viewing experience and you will appreciate it the second time around.  that is where the Harry Potter theory is founded from.  so this is my first real test on book vs. movie.

Precursor: I read the book almost 2 years ago, so forgive me for my broad comparisons. i believe that yes, there was quite a lot of background information left off throughout the movie, especially in the beginning. i did love how it began, giving you a simple line to sort of track you through the movie - i think that was key. but i was disappointed in the changes made to the beginning of the book for the movie. background information is key to not only understanding the plot, but the relationships between characters and characters themselves - so this, is one point against you thus far, dear Lucky One.

what i did love about the movie was its pure characters and how they so deeply displayed those traits that were resembled by the characters in the book. this made me tend to over look the significant details that were described and seemingly overlooked for the movie. this, of course, also happens in a lot of movies because it is impossible to divulge all that information in a mere 2hour and some minute movie.  but...back on track...the character portrayal is beautiful.  the evil of Keith, the romantic in Logan, and the bond between Beth and her brother Jake -- they were things that, even once completed enthralled in a book you may not always pick up on.  so this, i appreciated.

among the most annoying thing to me, has to be the tiny details. the "keep safe, x" was "keep safe, e" in the book, the places in which he traveled to were changed, and even the slightest details of the first dinner she made were changed.  i know they are not big details, but if we want to be nitty gritty about this, I'm shaking my fingers at you filmmakers.  one part that i do not remember being in the book, and this could be my memory failing me but was the portion of how Logan first reacted to coming home - the scenes in the house, his nephews scaring him awake - this explains why he loves "walking" (also about the accident with the road-side bomb) and shows the tragic struggles soldiers can face. It was a detail I was happy to be included.

well, since i am no expert, the verdict is:

book: 10/10
movie (as a whole): 9.5/10
score for movie comparison to book: 85%

happy friday to all and to all a good quote

my bookworm tendencies are now going to pay-off in the one millionth and one way that i have discovered and that is by giving all of you wonderful people out there, and yes - even myself - some inspiration to end a weeks worth of whatever feelings you might have encountered (in my case a week that felt as if every day was a tuesday - sometimes i think tuesdays are worse then mondays) and start off the weekend on a fantastic note.

so, without further ado...

"you is kind,

you is smart,

you is important"

-the help

happy weekend you wonderful, loveable you!

A&A

for starters...things have been a little more awkward than usual...

ever been teaching (for probably more than half of you who are reading this you never wanted to step back in a classroom the day you graduated that last tier of education you decided to conquer) in a classroom and all the kids are bigger then you? nope? i have. ever had one of these precious little darlings tell you that you look 16? nope? i have. ever have this same special child tell you that you look like you belong in high school? nope? guess what...

rewind: ever drive to the wrong school that you are supposed to substitute in only to find out you have to drive the opposite direction another fifteen minutes to get there? and that teacher doesn't exist here? and you have to smile genuinely and pretend like this was all your fault and a huge misunderstand? and oh yeah...you're now late...

fast-forward: have you ever been teaching a lesson and there is that long division of fractions that you thought you'd never need again in your life? guess what...the answer to that question way back in sixth grade was finally answered for me.

and in conclusion: ever scream all the way home at the top of your lungs? okay i haven't either, but some days you sure do feel like it right?

now, for the wonderfully amaze-balls (Guilianna Rancic has quite the interesting vocabulary) awesome things that make me smile all week long...

1. 70 degree sunny weather that provides for the perfect (not too hot, not too cold) drive home with the windows down, radio on, for the very first time this year. oh, and did i mention, getting out the sandals for the first seasonal wear? yup, that happened this week too.

2. waking up a half hour before my alarm goes off and knowing that, for thirty more minutes, this girl is heading back off to dreamland.

 3. giving myself a "personal day" to sip on coffee and become completely enthralled in a book.

 4. that absolutely wonderful best friend of mine.

5. that someday, and when i say some day i really mean some day in the very far away future of days and years to come, i will be thankful for my youthful looks that make twenty-two year old me appear to be the ripe old age of sixteen. future me is going to be pretty ecstatic about this someday.

pssssttt..if you haven't done it yet, go over to nugget on a budget and check out my summer essentials guest post. it's amaze-balls.

ch-ch-check it out

today i'm over here...that's right, go ahead and click on it! today i'm over there at my big sista's mommalicious blog, nugget on a budget, talking about what i am absolutely loving for this summer (which works out particulary well since today is wednesday, and wednesday is fashion day right here on my little blog). so go on and check it out and maybe i know you will fall in love with her little space the same way you have fallen in love with mine.

oh, and of course -- all those wonderfully delicious summery closet lovin' summer trends. i am sure  you will fall head over heals for those as well.

so, what are you waiting for....CHECK IT OUT!

a monday for the books

c/o pinterest

i dread mondays i do not completely despise monday. i think i dread it when the weather becomes warm and there are a million things on my list to do. like today. i sat down last night with a pad of paper and my planner and literally listed every last flipping thing that needs to be done, down to the very last minuscule detail of "hey, don't forget to brush your teeth" -- that is how busy yesterday's me knew today's me would be.

really.

and unlike my typical behavior on a monday of getting up, inhaling my coffee, and getting down to business i have spent it in my yoga pants, sipping my coffee, listening to some music that really just goes along with the mood of a monday (think kelly clarkson meets sugarland meets sara evans with a twist of gavin-john-buble-etc.). and so i sit.

and true to my typical behavior i am going over in my head all that needs to be done today.

but - since the 70-some degree weather has trickled in and the windows are open and jason mraz and his sexy voice is belting out through my little laptop telling me not to "give up" (good song by the way). i am going to finish out this post with what i intended it to be prior to that monday-haze fogging my brain. BOOKS!

summertime growing up is what every child adores. have you ever met a child that didn't run out of school on that bright june day singing the hallelujah chorus in the back of their head? once i reached high school, honors english punished me (yes back then that is how it felt) with listing books for the dreaded summer reading. the books, the assignments, really? it. is. summer. so seeing as you had to pull teeth to get me to read back then and drives to the beach were used to try and read as many of those darn pages in those books, i have, with my ripe-old age of 22, began a new chapter in terms of summer reading (every pun intended).

i am quite the bookworm. honestly, i'm a booknerd. and if you haven't gathered that from my harry potter references out the buttocks, then take a gander at the shelves in my room. so, seeing as in my book, summer has always meant reading -- and now i actually get all beside myself (in a good way) -- i thought i would throw out there some of my favorite books i have read, some that i am looking forward to diving in to, and a few for those precious little sweeties in our lives. really, i could have listed books forever.

on my "booknerd" list:

the hunger games (trilogy)
water for elephants
revolutionary road

on my "have read, and would read again" list:

something borrowed & something blue

heaven is for real

the help

summer reading from my "high school" years:

a mighty heart

kite runner

the five people

life of pi

for those little darlings:

duck and goose books

eric carle

junie b.

do i have to mention you all should read harry potter? nah, didn't think so.

friday fun-day!

are you ready? are you excited? if you are not i highly suggest you turn on your favorite song that you love to belt out like it's nobody's business - go ahead, you know you want to, dance around for awhile, heck stand on a table and sing. and then start reading again.

okay, you ready?
right under these little words from yours truly is my VERY FIRST GUEST POST written by my darling big sister who blogs about the daily life of being a stylin' thrifty momma over here at nugget on a budget. she is here today to talk to you about...well, why don't i just let her do the talking!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hello! So seeing as both my sister and I just started writing our blogs a few short months ago, we each have two measley followers. But we follow each others' blogs...meaning that we both really only have one true follower. It's a pretty sad situation. Lil sis decided that we should use this pathetic situation to our advantage and guest post for each other. Yes...that in itself also seems like a pathetic situation. BUT! It sounded like a great idea to us, so here goes...

If you clicked over to my blog before you read this, you'll know that I'm a semi-new mama with a six-month-old baby girl, named S. I absolutely love taking photos of her doing every little baby thing she does. While I'm nowhere near the creative fashionista that my sister is, I've been trying to spruce up my mama style now that including my little sidekick in my life has become second nature. She already has a better looking wardrobe than me! (Thanks to this mama's uncanny ability to make a direct bee-line to every store's baby section...or baby store...or baby thrift shop.)

top: Banana Republic factory store, jeans: F21, shoes: Sperry

 

 

Pre-baby, my style was 99% corporate America. Luckily, I wasn't required to wear a suit to work every day, but everything I bought was centered around my job. Dress pants, heels, conservative blouses and button-downs. Why spend money on new jeans and tops when 50+ hours of my week was spent in the office?

Obviously a majority of these clothes had to go once I got pregnant...and I knew that they would not be making their way back into my closet. Stay-at-home mama style did a 180 on corporate America, and now our church rummage sale is going to be getting some ridiculously nice clothing. Because if you've ever had a baby, you know that there are some other places (hello, new bra size!) that get bigger besides your belly.

I've come to embrace my comfy, yet trendy, new mama style. I'm loving skinny jeans and ankle pants, loose tops with cardigans or belted. When I'm at home all day, playing with S and taking her and my other furry baby for walks, my yoga pants are a must. My heels are now reserved for Sundays only. A mama needs a rainbow of flats paired with leggings to run around town all day with a baby in tow!

Following in her Auntie M's footsteps, Baby S is becoming her own little fashionista. In addition to scouring through baby consignment shops, here's some of what she is currently craving for summer...no influence from her mama, of course.

Black & Bold

Bubble

Safari Hat

Blue Bows

Little Lady Sandal

Well, that about wraps it up. It's been fun! Hope you all enjoyed my first guest post and (ahem) found yourself two new bloggies to follow. You can catch my sister guest posting for my blog over at Nugget on a Budget next week. Be on the lookout :) And happy weekend!

the office vs. my ear

have you ever covered both of your ears and talked and you could tell how your voice really sounded and it was really odd and strangely creepy to hear? well that is what the world has sounded like to me the past few days, all muffled and creep-ish. so, seeing as hearing is sort of something i tend to like, i decided to head on over to the doctor after i subbed today. well, even though i scheduled to go to that office, i don't believe that office scheduled to see me. because that office made it awfully difficult to get in and out of there in a jiffy.

first, there is that awful sitting in the waiting room part - which the office decided to say "hey, lets give this little hard of hearing lady a break and call her right on back." it always pays to be fashionably early too.

then, there was the nice lady doing all the usual check up stuff, she was just so perky and sweet and i thought to myself "office, you are doing a darn good job at making this appointment a winner."

and for the most part, i waited in my little room in the office, humming along to the country station playing on the radio, because this wasn't going half bad. until i heard it. that awful conversation that has absolutely nothing to do with a doctor, or an appointment, or a runny nose or crooked bone (or anything related to the medical field ALL TOGETHER). and the office, it let me hear this conversation for a good, long, 28 minutes. because the office -- when it wants to make you mad, it does so with a vengeance.

finally, the office let that patient go and i finally got to see my doctor (who, might i add, is the sweetest lady in the whole entire world!). but the office was not finished. because it wasn't like getting a huge giant cold metal contraption that squeezes and shoots water in to your ear to irrigate it isn't enough, it whispered to all that stuff that was clogging up my ears to be stubborn and not budge. i swear they made some sort of deal...

but to make an already too long of a story short, i'm an all hearing woman again, with a very inflamed eardrum and some pretty pink antibiotics to take. as for the office and i, it has another thing coming next time i'm there to visit.

oh, and if anger towards the office hasn't risen to a level of hatred that you might as well call me harry potter and the office "he who shall not be named", you should just hear about my trials and tribulations at the pharmacy..

A&A

contrary to my perfectly scheduled and planned lifestyle that i (attempt) to lead, oh how i do adore surprises. but, in all reality, this is no surprise at all. big sista and little niece are currently sitting on the couch in mi casa to visit for the next two days. why you may ask? to spend some glorious time with their most favorite person alive? well, yes...and no. there are some other people that they will be visiting. like my cousin who just had a beautiful baby girl in january and my sister (and niece) are just dying to meet! and also to join momma and i in watching my dad coach his undefeated (yes that's 4-0!) girl's soccer team. but still...i'm counting their visit as a surprise!

shirt j.crew factory; pants old navy (old) (similar here); belt forever 21(old); shoes francesca's (old); purse michael kors

Awkward:

1. when i'm standing outside to take these purty little pictures and it's sunny and gorgeous and birds are chirping and oh yeah...downpour.

2.  going on an ice cream run to DQ and as i'm driving there it begins to rain. now this, you may say, is not so awkward but the fact that the nice little car in front of me in the drive-thru would not pull up and i'm literally hanging my head out the window, in the pouring rain, to scream at the intercom "can you hear me?!" is a little awkward...

3. how many people does it take to put together a $30 shelf from target? if you guessed three, you are correct.

4. when i get calls to substitute any time between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m. and i am not awake and i'm groggy and don't even remember if the phone call happened or not and that poor lady and what she must think while she is talking to me on the phone, and i have her repeat the name of the person i'm subbing for maybe five times?
5. the hurricane that is my room. who said reorganizing my closet was a good idea? i'd like to find that someone and give them a piece of my mind! sometimes i wonder where i get these grand ideas.

Awesome:
1. big sista and baby niece are currently visiting! (always an awesome)
2. skype. shout out to whoever it is that thought of creating something as wonderful as video chat. you, whoever you are, are a lifesaver of friendships.
3. caramel delight pie blizzard from DQ - just saying.
4. that big sis will be writing a post on THIS VERY BLOG tomorrow. i cannot wait for you all to read all about what she has to say as well as take a look at her fly momma style (;
5. the arm that my niece has. i have never seen a sock monkey fly so high and so far in my life. honestly, i think that little girl can throw farther than i can (and that right there is just a little bit awkward)

fruit punch

scarf in deep peri, j.crew

there are some things that i simply can't get enough of all year round and a nice scarf is by far one of those things.  when people started wearing scarves in the summer i wasn't one to jump on the fashion bandwagon, so to speak. i loved the look, i adored the prints, but i didn't quite love the idea of adding an extra layer of cloth tied around my neck. of course, i happened upon a floral scarf and after slipping it on my neck, it was an instant hint and thus, my obsession for scarves spanned way past brisk autumn days and white-washed winter afternoons. this year i'm attempting to make myself accessorize more and began a hunt for some perfect sweet-summer add-ins to introduce to the bare neck and shoulders of summertime.  i picked up the scarf from the j.crew outlet (pictured here) and saw that little beauty above in CHERRY RED, but i walked away with only the previously mentioned. thinking my heart would forget about the punch of red, i went home happy with my finds. seeing as my heart did not go on (no titanic reference intended), i decided i NEED this scarf. wellp, it is not online (why i posted it in the pretty periwinkle color) and have yet to find it at other j.crew outlet stores i have bumped in to. will my heart ever find that red-spun beauty? i sure hope so. but in the mean time, here are a few other summer scarves i'm lusting after.

1.

2.

3.

4.

and on a side note of something else that is punched full of that cherry red deliciousness, these red rainboots, which i also, regretfully did not pick up
did i mention i am a terrible decision maker?

i am sort of all over the place

v-neck and scarf J.Crew factory; shoes Sperry; jeans Kohl's; watch Francesca's

i am a little embarrassed to say that i have missed my little blog over the last few days when i went around gallivanting off to a mini-vacation with momma to new york. actually, i am not that embarrassed at all, because i have come to learn the importance that this little blog has given me and the new beginning it has prompted me to dive in to as well. so,hats off to you little blog, and i will try to pay the utmost attention to you this week.

any who - momma and i hopped over to the empire state to visit my big sissy, brother-in-law, my fury nephew and my sweet baby niece S. we missed my dad, who sadly had to hold down the fort here at home since flowers are quite the big deal during the Easter holiday. even without dad in toe, it was quite the enjoyable stay involving shopping excursions to here, there, and everywhere (and the outlet mall sent from heaven - and really, i mean that.), walks around the neighborhood, baking cookies, watching The Help and comparing it in depth to the book (i know - this may become my newest guilty pleasure and i will save that rant for another time), and many other pleasurable things that can only be done with the women of the family. oddly enough surely enough, the most prized of these activities being enjoying a cup multiple cups of coffee in the morning, in our pjs (until noon). 

while i was out and about rediscovering the bliss of having my older sister around for longer than a nano-second, i realized the importance of family. 

let me rephrase that, i rediscovered how important my family is to me. not saying that i have been completely naive to everything family-esque but it just made me realize where i would be currently in my life without the family that i have. the things i have been going through may be no where near as challenging as others, i am almost certain they are not (which is something i need to keep in check with constantly), but i do know that the things that are mountains in my life right now are being conquered because of the beautiful family that God has given me. i am someone who likes order and lists and plans and a destination that is always in sight and my life is anything but that. i've had meltdown after freak out and without my family to sit me down, refocus me, remind me why i chose to graduate early, why i worked so hard for all of this, why i love what i am going to be doing -- i have no idea where i'd be. with the mixture of what feels like a million other circumstances, it has made that far-off and seemingly unattainable goal a dream of the past -- but not when i have my family. i know that God will never give me more than i can handle and even when it feels as if i have reached my limit -- and trust me we all have our limits and we all, at one point or another feel as if we have reached it -- i will always have my family.

so to sum up my mini-vaca, i shall leave you with a few of my favorite memories:

• baby S and the way her little baby smile and big baby blues melt my heart in a million ways i never knew my heart could melt.
• curling up with huge bowls of chocolate brownie frozen yogurt (every) night.
• having my sister to talk to, no phone, no computer, just pure face to face conversation.
• my mom tearing up while rocking my niece to sleep - the love of a family is the purest love and a beautiful site to see.
• reading all sorts of books to baby S and having her babble back to me.

He is risen!

He is risen, indeed!

Happy Easter Sunday one and all.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

1 Peter 1:3

peachy-keen

okay,

have you ever had one of those days where you maybe just aren't feeling so great? maybe you woke up on the wrong side of the bed (honestly this phrase used to bug me until I started favoring one side of the bed over the other and then it made a lot more sense...)? maybe something happened that didn't quite fit in to what you planned for the day.

whatever it may be.  it has happened to all of us and today was just, one of those days.

well,

my mother decided to kick off our "vacation" (aka visiting my sister/niece/brother-in-law) by treating me to Rita's after a long day of subbing in 6th grade (insert waking up on the wrong side of the bed remark here).  so we arrive and I walk up to the counter at Rita's and order my extremely under-rated Georgia Peach Gelati (seems everyone these days chooses Mango..cough cough..mom) and the nice young lady behind the counter says the following:

"hey, I wanted to ask you, where did you get your watch, I love it!"

(insert me beaming from cheek to cheek here)
so,

I proceed to tell her and she just gushes over my watch some more and thanks me ecstatically because this little lady right here just made her day.  little did she know,
she made mine.

and just like that POOF it's like I woke up on the right side of the bed, on Christmas morning, with my french bulldog named Weasley waiting under the Christmas tree with a giant gold bow around his neck.  yeah, it was that good.  so thank you complete stranger who is still one of the few strangers that are nice out there for making my whole day.

watch: Francesca's Collections, similar style here

after-thought:  seeing as I will be traveling away my day tomorrow I will not be able to write my second installment of my previously pronounced "every wednesday" fashion post.  so, this sort of ties everything all in to one - and a day early. (: