March 26, 2014

Spring Doesn't Exist in Colorado






Here in Colorado, we don't believe in the season known to others as "Spring."  We have a season known as "I can't make up my mind."

It goes a little something like this:
Monday - 70s;
Tuesday - snowing;
Wednesday - cold and windy;
Thursday - warm then cold;
Friday - cold then warm;
Saturday - it was supposed to be warm, but a surprise snow storm came in
Sunday - don't even try to guess;

I see so many style blogs in beautiful, flowy spring skirts and peep toe shoes and I get grumpy.  I just can't wear those yet.  And by the time I can, summer has snuck in and its so hot that I just want to live in shorts and flip flops.

So what do native Coloradans do?  We layer, layer, layer.  It isn't uncommon to see us go to work in a parka and come home in a tank top.  It's just what we do!

For all you native Coloradans, or others in areas where the weatherman get paid to just make stuff up, here are some fun "Spring-ish" clothes that I've decided to add to my wardrobe:


Palazzo Pants - I have to give inspiration to Andrea at Momfessionals.  I've been following her blog for some time and she was right!  It's like wearing PJs to work (shhh!  Don't tell anyone!).  What I think I especially love about these pants is the inseam - they are so incredibly long that for a tall girl like me, I can wear HIGH WEDGES with these puppies.  But don't worry, if you don't have legs for days, you just simply roll up the waist band and adjust as needed.  Its perfect!

Sidebar:  The first time I wore these to work (around engineers, mind you), I walked past one of them and all the guy could say was  "uh.... pants!"  He was so surprised and shocked.  "Yep!  They're pants!"  It was so cute and endearing, but pretty much sums up these engineers (because the pants are fun to wear and certainly get noticed!)

1. White Plum courtesy of Jane  // 2. White Plum  //  3. Hippie Chick Boutique 




Cardigan Sweaters - My coworker, Jen, wears a sweater everyday to work.  Our offices are super cold and we wouldn't be able to make it through the day without a little shoulder cover-up.  I just love the bright colors that these add and the 3/4 lengths that are perfect for this "I don't know what to call it" weather.

1. Loft // 2. Banana Republic // 3.  American Eagle



Flats - I <3 my flats from BR - they are so versatile and I wear them all year long.  With pants, shorts, skirts, dresses - you name it, I'm in them!  Maybe its because I'm tall and it helps me not be so fierce, or maybe because they are so darn comfortable!

1. Banana Republic  //  2. Banana Republic

I mean how cute is the pink and nude one for the in between months?  Its bright - it cheery - it has a BOW!



Scarves - Can't go wrong with wearing scarves.  I find I am a touch warmer in the A/C of the office when I'm wearing a scarf, I feel more stylish and "in" when I'm meeting clients, and they help add color to a somewhat mundane outfit if I'm just not in the mood to put forth much effort.

1. Gap // 2. Gap // 3. Gap

Gap totally wins this category - mainly because so many of their scarves are under $18 and many under $12 - THAT'S AWESOME!  Look at these bright, soft scarves to wrap yourself in when your office is set to a mild 40 degrees like mine is!


I hope this "Spring" thing peeks its head out sooner or later, before we are into full blown summer, but in the meantime, I will troll other blogs of people living in real climates and be a bit jealous of their fun clothes.

Until next time!


March 25, 2014

It's a new world


As my inaugural blog post and for inquiring minds, I suppose an introduction to myself and my small family is in order. And when I say small, I mean SMALL. I am an only child. I only have 2 cousins that span both sides of my family. A family reunion for me is going to breakfast on a Sunday morning. So yes, my side of the family is small. I was born in Georgia and that's where I met my love of fried foods and ranch dressing. When I was 5, I moved to Idaho. I picked up a love of meat and potatoes there and have a terrible hatred for green vegetable things (corn is a veggie in my book). And by the time I was 10, I moved to Colorado (where my parents met and the rest of my small family lived).

 It was here in Colorado where I met my love, when I was 18. He was an Air Force Academy cadet, and I swore off all guys in uniform. And you know what they say? Never say never! 10 short months later, we were in a position with the military where he had 1 week to marry me and put me on orders if I were to follow him to his next assignment. 1 WEEK people - to make a decision and spend the rest of my life with a guy. To pack up EVERYTHING and move halfway across the country - away from my family (albeit small). To leave college and the comfort of my friends.

And what do you know? I did!

We planned a wedding in a week and it was beautiful - we had about 40 people attend (did I mention he's an only child too with a small family?) and 2 days afterwards, he was gone for several months for training. When he returned, we moved ourselves to Shreveport, Louisiana. Oh - did I mention I was 5 months preggers by that point? So scary!!

We did the "live in base housing" thing, I worked after A was born, he was deployed to Guam for 4 months, and upon his return, he got orders to Korea for a year. So, back to Colorado we went (there was no way I was going to raise a toddler in Louisiana by myself).

The magic of Skype kept our marriage pieced together (they were rough pieces, but they were pieces). A thought her daddy lived in a computer at one point - and she got bored of him after awhile.

After our year of being separated, we packed up our stuff and moved to San Antonio to get on with our lives and on with our marriage. I won't sugar coat this part - being apart for a year and then move in with each other again is hard - like REALLY hard. You are two individual people with your own thoughts about how to do things, and have to come back to reach a common goal. There was a lot of turmoil in our relationship when we got to Texas. But, our innate stubbornness was what kept us together - we weren't just going to give up and walk away.

So after working through things and staying in San Antonio for about 3 and a half years - we made it back to Colorado. Back to our family and back to our roots. We've been here for over four years, bought two houses since we've been here and found stability in our marriage. We are the closest we've ever been, because we've gotten through the rough patches and we've grown up - together.

So welcome to my blog - it is honest, it is open and it is me. I am a military wife, who has a full-time career and we're raising a child. It isn't easy, but life isn't supposed to be. It is supposed to be a journey - so hold on and enjoy the ride!