Lazy Sick Days

{dress: Trinity; blazer: Mossimo via Target: belt: H&M; shoes: Anne Michelle; necklace: vintage drink: GT's Gingerberry Kombucha. I'm addicted!!}

Don't let these pictures fool you, yesterday and today have been strictly pajama days. These were in fact taken last week right before our Portland trip. Thursday night I started feeling so drained of energy I had a hard time transferring myself from the sofa in the TV room of the main house to my bed in my guest house. That's when I knew I was definitely coming down with something. And sure enough the next morning it hit me. Hello sick! It's been a while. As lame as it is to feel like a bolder hit you when you wake up in the morning here are a few things that make getting sick so much better:

1.) Having a sweet friend like Grace visit and watch movies after canceling plans with her to go out and do fun stuff.

2.) Not missing work because I don't usually work Fridays anyway and having the rest of the weekend to recuperate.

3.) Watching comfort movies with my sister Hayley that both happen to have Anne Hathaway in them. The Devil Wears Prada yesterday and our number one comfort movie, Bride Wars today.

4.) Getting absolutely hooked on Water for Elephants. I started reading it yesterday and am already halfway through! It's been a while since I've been this drawn in to a book and it feels so good!

5.) Having a reason to drink the strange but delicious concoction I swear by every time I'm sick throughout the day. The mixture: hot water, lemon juice, a big spoonfull of raw honey, cinnamon, and a dollop of coconut oil. Yumm!

What do you like to eat/read/watch when you're sick? Any favorites?

Grey's Anatomy and Early Workouts

{dress: Alyn Paige via Ross; vest: Mossimo for Target: belt: Forever 21; socks: H&M; shoes: Wet Seal}

I have come to realize that Grey's Anatomy is one of the greatest concepts ever envisioned for a television show. Here are the reasons why:

1.) It has the perfect amount of both hospital patient drama and character development drama to keep you absolutely and completely addicted.

2.) Every main character is different and lovable in their own way. (I should say original character, because there are a few I'm still struggling with).

3.) Just when you think you can't handle any more drama, a moment of comic relief happens and you're once again sucked back in.

4.) All us non med students learn random medical lingo such as "scrub in" and "post op surgery." I remember when I was really addicted even dreaming about scrubbing in for surgery. And I hate blood and guts.

5.) Attractive characters. McDreamy and McSteamy. Need I say more?

6.) You can never watch it too much. Grey's is currently getting me though my early morning workouts. I'm watching it all over again from season 1 from Netflix instant on my iPhone and it makes my early mornings on the elliptical much more bearable. It's also a great homework companion too.

If you're watching the current season please no spoilers! I'm waiting till it's all over so I can watch it all back to back. I can handle waiting a week between each episode. When the new season comes out on DVD you better believe I will be putting my life on hold to be a complete vegetable and stay up till the wee hours of the morning watching it.

Do any of you have a favorite season? I'm trying to figure out which one mine is...

Graduation Stripes

{Jacket: H&M; top: Xhilaration; shorts: Forever 21; shoes: Kelsie Dagger}

Yes I already featured this blazer in yesterday's post. But get used to it. It's my new favorite item in my closet and I am going to be wearing it a lot. Ever since I saw my fictional style crush Serena van der Woodsen wearing an amazing striped blazer on Gossip Girl, I've been seeking my own personal version. Alas, I have finally found it!

Another source of excitement and the explanation behind the last picture is the fact that I finally received my college diploma in the mail yesterday! I'm going to tell you the short version of the long story behind this. I graduated last June with a degree in Communication and minor in art. However, I never received my diploma in the mail. I remember getting an email saying there was a mishap with the first batch of diplomas and that it might take a while to receive the right ones so I just assumed there was something going on on their part and that I would receive it eventually. However, in January I started feeling weird about the fact that I still hadn't gotten mine when all of my friends I graduated with had so I called the school and was informed that--get ready for this--I had actually not graduated! The lady actually told me so casually and matter-of-factly that all along I haven't been the freed college graduate I thought I was because there was some sort of error on my transcript! Hello people! It would have been nice to have been informed about this before I walked in the ceremony and had a big graduation bash and started my new "post-college" life! Well, I ended up having to wait a whole weekend before finding out why in fact I hadn't graduated and after a long game of bad communication and phone tag I eventually realized that I was missing an art class that I needed in order to be granted the art minor. Otherwise I could drop the minor all together and be granted my diploma immediately. Go back to school and take another class after all this time of thinking I was finally free of homework and weird schedules?! I don't think so! I wrote a long letter to the president of the school which was hand delivered to her by one of my dad's friends who knows her personally and she talked to my Communications counselor who fought for me to be waived the art class requirement and be granted my diploma immediately. A couple weeks ago I was informed that my letter was not in vain and that I was officially a college graduate, minor and all! Words cannot describe the relief I felt. Even though it was just one class, the very thought of going back after 6 months of believing I never had to step foot on that campus again was extremely troubling and frustrating. But thanks to my parents, my dad's friend, my amazing counselor, and the president herself, I no longer have to worry about this and finally have my diploma in my possession! Woohoo! I think this calls for another grad party, wouldn't you say?

I Love Portlandtown....

...especially when:

1.) I'm with my fam (or at least half of them) and there's the usual giving each other a hard time about absolutely everything.

2.) After planning on doing zero shopping because I'm getting paid a week later than I thought my parents surprised me and my sisters with some spending money out of the blue. (I literally cried with joy when they gave it to me)

3.) I spend that money wisely on items mostly from H&M that I absolutely love and can work many different ways aaaand I find a party dress for my mom's big 50th birthday party coming up!

4.) I get to eat out for every meal. Especially when each meal is delish.

5.) I don't have to drive at all. I love not driving.

Consider the photo on top a sneak preview of my favorite purchase on the trip and the feature of tomorrow or the next day's post! Now I'm off to catching up on the life I left behind over the weekend. I hope you all had a lovely weekend!

Kind of a Funny Story

{top: Forever 21; shorts: Xhilaration; belt: Target; blazer: H&M; boots: Matiko}

Before I begin telling the rather amusing story behind these photos, let me just point out that some of you have not been properly introduced to my new babies. Meet my too-gorgeous-for-words black leather Matiko boots that I have not been able to get enough of ever since I snagged them off Ideeli. (I bought them in the beautiful taupe color first but that's a whole different story we won't get into). I love them so much I'm considering naming them. Anyway, back to the story. As usual, my lovely friend/co-worker/fellow blogger Jessica and I drove to one of our favorite photo spots to snap a few pics for our blogs on our break yesterday only to realize afterwards that I had locked my keys and both our purses in the car! Thankfully, for some reason the only item I had grabbed out of my car was my cell phone because as we started trudging down the road, Jessica eventually taking her heels off and walking in her beautiful socks, the wind and rain kicked up. This was literally right after Jessica said, "At least the weather is nice." Of course we couldn't stop laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. Disclaimer: This is what can likely when you decide to go on a simple outing with me. You end up walking in the wind and rain in your pretty purple socks without purse or cell phone and end up being picked up by another friend/co-worker after I end up making the embarrassing and desperate phone call. Turns out, this is just what I needed after my no-fun day the day before. Oh and in case you're wondering, I ended up calling AAA and they sent a locksmith out who broke into my car within minutes. Phew!

As you can see if you're reading this, I've changed my URL. Hopefully I won't lose any of my faithful followers. I am now off to get ready to leave for Portland bright and early in the morning! I'm so excited! Be expecting some fun and random pictures when the weekend is over.

Whatever it Takes

{top: H&M; cardigan: View via resale store; jeans Diesel (gift); shoes: Steve Madden via Ross}

Today was rough. I'm not going to bore you with all the lame details but let's just say it was one of those days. When you start the day off running late for no reason with a wretched headache only to be bombarded at work you know it's not going to pan out well. But it got me thinking, you know the little things that are sometimes the only thing you have to get through your day? I think that after being graduated for 9 months I've started to lose perspective and forgot how much more stress I had in my life when I was in school. At least now I know that I don't have a pile of homework awaiting me at the end of the day. During my long school and work days I'd have to give myself little rewards and things to look forward to so I didn't go absolutely crazy. I remember the bleak term that I took the number one hardest class of my whole college career and of course I saved it to the very end, months before graduation. I don't know if I can fully describe the depth of my hatred for math but let me just say that it is by far my least favorite subject. Now when you combine a 2-hour long class that is so hard you cry over it multiple times with the early hours of the morning there is not a lot to encourage you to get out of bed in the morning, especially when it's still dark out. So that term I turned to what fed my creativity at the time which was fashion. I'd plan every outfit the night before down to every detail and would lay it all out on my floor to know exactly how it would look. I liked seeing each unique outfit before I went to bed at night and know I at least could look forward to wearing it the next day. I now wish that I had started my blog back then because I still think that was the most fashionably creative I have ever been. So, I have learned that whatever creative and fun thing it takes to get you through the stuff you dread at the time, go for it. I know it sounds kind of ridiculous, but I still thing that fashion was one of the main things that got me through that ridiculously hard class and term. And that's all I have for you today. I'm now off to do two of my favorite things: eat and watch a movie :)

One last reminder, tomorrow I chance my URL to labellevie.blogspot.com!