The Guilty and the Innocent are Always Side By Side

I love when I have out-of-the-ordinary days at work.  It adds a bit of spice to life and keeps things from getting dull.  Today was one of those days.  I was able to leave for a few hours smack in the middle of the work day to go shopping.  I needed to pick up some things for a Staff Retreat we have coming up next week and also some new storage materials.  I was able to hit up 3 different stores in 2 hours all on someone else's (work's!) credit card.  It was a nice change of pace and I came in $5 under budget, which, let's face it, rarely happens!

I feel like this outfit is my go-to summer uniform.  I find I wear it frequently in the hot months!  I can dress it up or down, it is casual with flip flops or ready for a night out with heels, it is entirely machine washable and the bright color (although this is technically a "winter" shirt) seems summery. I'm sure you'll see this pairing frequently over the next few months!

Necklace, shirt, skirt: Anthropologie
Flip Flops: J Crew

Fear the Beard

Recently, my boss announced his retirement.  It is a bittersweet time- while I am so happy for him to begin this next adventure, I am nervous about who will replace him!  He is rather famous for (and proud of!) his long beard.  Last week at our leadership team retreat, we had a celebration with beardy cupcakes and gave him a tee-shirt that my friend Amanda found online that "measures" the length of a beard!  Here are a few pictures, plus the outfit of the day from that retreat.

Dress and belt: Anthropologie
Shoes: Aldo
Cardigan: The Limited

Getting Caught in the Rain

I realized I haven't worn many of my summery dresses yet. By that, I mean all of the white dresses and skirts haven't left the closet.  I decided to bring out the Beda dress on Friday.  Unfortunately, Friday night I was meeting friends for dinner and a movie and was caught in hurricane-like rain.  I am not exaggerating; I have never seen rain fall so furiously!  I couldn't even see 5 inches in front of my face as I darted from my car inside.  Once inside, I realized that not only was I soaked to the bone, but I was also wearing a white dress which became instantly see-through. Ugh.  Luckily, Old Navy was near by so I could purchase a cheap pair of yoga pants, tee shirt, and flip flops to survive the evening. Here's the dress before I turned into a drowned rat:

Women are from Venus

I am trying to view the transit of Venus.  It won't happen again until 2117, and by that time, I feel certain I will be dead so this is my one opportunity.  Unfortunately, it is so cloudy I can't see anything in the sky!  My efforts are always thwarted by something.  Sigh.

Anyway, here is the first view of pictures from the new camera.  They aren't great... I have to adjust to the zoom.  BUT, I love how clear they are!

I can't remember the name of this dress OR cardigan, but they are both from Anthropologie.

Happy Tuesday!

The Moment is Now

This is it! The moment has finally come. At last, I purchased a new camera. I really debated over what to buy. I wanted something small and compact that I can keep in my purse and have with me everywhere.  At the same time, I wanted something that would be durable for the next few years as well as a camera that will take better pictures than, say, a phone's camera.  I went with a Canon Powershot.  Small and compact, we'll see how it works out.

So, this is it!  These are the last blog pictures I will be posting with my dying Nikon Coolpix.  Hopefully you'll notice a difference in clearer pictures after today.  Time will tell!

Dress: Secret Treasures, Anthropologie
Belt: Belle Bow Anthropologie
Shoes: Nine West
Necklace: Macys

Tina and Noka Tie the Knot

Last Saturday, two of my friends, Tina and Sonoka got married in their backyard in a lovely sunny ceremony.  The weather that day was extremely HOT, but clouds rolled in just in time for their 5 pm wedding to shield the sun from our eyes.  After a brief ceremony, that had a fabulous barbecue with a variety of tasty food and desserts.

I did get a new dress to wear to the wedding and I went with Anthropologie's Novella Strapless dress.  In general I hate strapless dresses because they never quite stay up or in place but this was definitely did!  It has a lot of stretch to the back which keeps it snug. Also the shape of the neckline helped keep the dress from dipping too love.  I LOVE this dress and think I will get a lot of wear out of it this summer.  It is machine washable which is always an added bonus. If you're looking for a fun frock for the summer time, I would highly recommend!

Here are some pictures from the main event:

Ode to Canon Mac

This outfit is a shout out to my high school days as it primarily features my high school (Canon-Mac) colors of blue and gold (but really yellow).  This skirt was a steal on sale!  I tried it on originally at the Anthropologie opening I went to in Old Towne in the winter.  I loved the skirt and felt it was one I could wear year round.  I wasn't about to pay $150 for it.

Then, a few weeks ago it went on sale, and I planned to purchase it after work but completely forgot!  Luckily, about 2 weeks ago, Anthro emailed me a friendly, "Did you forget this was in your cart?" email and I was able to snag the skirt for a mere $39.95.  I can't remember the name of the skirt, though, and they oddly removed it's name from the website.  Anyway, this skirt is definitely a keeper.  It is nicely lined, and will go well with boots in the fall.

This outfit is extremely Anthro- skirt, shirt, AND cardi are all Anthropologie
Shoes are J Crew

How was your Memorial Day weekend?  Mine was just lovely- I was able to get a lot of sun (partially because I was locked out on my deck for the better part of Saturday afternoon) and also catch up with many friends over dinner, drinks, and movies.