Shopping Adventures

Hey all! Happy Saturday!


Last night the boy and I went to Borders, probably for the last time. It's very sad to see a bookstore close-it makes me a little nervous about the future! Everything was on sale, though, so I did snag a few things.

Madness: A Bipolar Life by Marya Hornbacher.  Wasted changed my life (I was in the midst of an ED when I read it) and as soon as I saw this, I had to pick it up. I'm only a few chapters in but I'm already hooked. She writes in a very raw, very real way.  I do have to warn you, though: if you are highly sensitive to things you read or watch (like me) I would only read a little bit a day. Madness is very intense and can make you feel a little how she felt, which is a little scary.

10-10-10: 10 minutes, 10 months, 10 years by Suzy Welch. I snagged this off the shelf on a whim, but so far I really like it. I've only read the first couple of chapters (before I picked up Madness) but I feel like it's kind of what I was looking for. Basically, it teaches a method to making choices that will help you design the life that you want. I'll have to let you know how it works!


Easy Spanish Step-by-Step by Barbara Bregstein. Yes, I have decided to learn Spanish! I took four years in high school but you'd never know. I want to learn as many languages as possible during my life, and I thought Spanish would be a good one to start with, since so many people in Chicago speak Spanish. If anyone has any suggestions or tips, I'd love to hear them!




Also, I went thrifting today! Which means of course it was a good day. I found some wonderful things! Whenever I go thrifting, I always do a little research to see how much I would have spent on the item if I had bought it new.

Ann Taylor LOFT ruffle top. I love the color of this-the photo doesn't really do it justice. From the website, I would think it would be between $40 and $50. I got it for $3.80!

Ann Taylor LOFT beaded-neckline dress. This dress is so flirty and feminine. I can't wait to wear it! There's still a tag attached on the inside, so I think it might be brand new. Or they just never took the tag off. From the website, I'd guess I would have paid between $70 and $80, but another steal at $3.80! 

These are my favorite! They look a little wonky in this photo but they look great on! They're high-waisted and wide-legged from BCBG. I would guess around $170-$190 on these, and I got them for $1.90!

Lastly, I found both of these bags for $1.40 and $1.90!  I love both of them, but I can't find any logos on them or anything. The clutch says "monte carlo" on the button, but I couldn't find anything about it. If anyone knows anything, let me know! 

Well, I had a supremely wonderful Saturday! I hope yours was just as good! 

Stick to the Path

dress-old navy vest-h&m belt-a'gaci shoes, clutch-thrifted necklace-charlotte russe

Last week I was waiting for the green line when a man sat down next to me. He said a few things, and a few non-committal nods on my part were enough to get him going. And by "going" I really mean "to bestow pearls of wisdom". He told me he was homeless (I must have made some sympathetic face because he said "Now, don't look like that, it's not your fault") then said, "What you need to do is stick to the path." He let that sit for a minute, then elaborated, "These people out here, they don't stick to the path. They let themselves go off the path, then they get lost with drugs and drinkin'. That's wrong. They gotta stick to the path." 

Having blown my mind, he dropped this final bombshell, "If the path you're on is working for you, don't let anyone else change it."

This advice came at a time when I was thinking about the fact that I'll be turning twenty-three this year, and I feel like I haven't really accomplished much.  If you had asked me when I was twelve, I would have sworn I'd have a doctorate by now. 

However, after having this conversation, I feel a lot better. I'm happier now than I've ever been, because I stopped putting so much pressure on myself. I literally made myself sick trying to make everyone happy,  to be who I thought I was supposed to be. 

But you know what? This path works for me, and I'm not changing it. 

What about you? 

Big Necklaces, Purse Snatching, and The Way I Feel About Them

Let's be serious for a minute, guys. I had a post all ready to go on Monday about advice from a homeless man (It'll go up later this week!) but something happened that shook me up, and I wanted to say something about it.

On Monday, I was walking home from work, listening to my iPod, when these two guys came up right behind me. I moved over to let them pass, and the grabbed my purse and ran off through an open lot. So, I ran after them. Which was stupid. Don't ever do it.

Seeing me running up behind them (I think the adrenaline made me faster than usual), they dropped my purse on the ground and grabbed something out of it and continued running. I, of course, stopped to take inventory of what they had left, and happily realized they had only grabbed my makeup bag, leaving my wallet and cell phone. I would have liked to see their faces when they opened it up and found lipstick and eyeliner.  As soon as I grabbed my stuff and walked the other way,  I started bawling. Adrenaline and nerves, I guess. I had felt so completely powerless and wasn't able to face it until after it was over.

Which leads me to me message: No one should ever make you feel powerless. I know that I don't ever want to feel that way again. I'm looking into taking a self-defense class now, and it's something I highly recommend. Thinking of how much worse it could have been if they had wanted more than my purse, it scares me. I can feel myself looking over my shoulder more, being more distrustful. Which is why I want to know that I'm prepared, that I won't be helpless. I am a strong, independent woman, and damned if I'm gonna let some street punk take that away from me.





On to the happy :)

Tied Top, Jeans-A'gaci. Shoes-Thrifted. Cami-?. Necklace-Charlotte Russe. 

I have a hard time finding jeans. I'm a little on the short side, and just finding jeans that fit perfectly are a pain. Plus I don't like to spend money on jeans. I'm talking like, more than $15 and I'll usually turn them down. 

Until, of course, I tried these jeans on on a whim and they were PERFECT. They were originally $30 but with my discount I got them for about $16. Not too shabby. And I've been wearing them nonstop since I bought them.

When I was going through my closet the other day I realized my lack of a big, statement necklace. I have tons and tons of long necklaces, but nothing that really stands out. I went shopping Saturday with the intention of finding one, and I stumbled onto this little gem at Charlotte Russe, originally $12.50 but on sale for $5. Of course I had to take it. It was fate. 

At least, that's what I told my boyfriend. 

Hot Days, Hot Nights

Cami-A'gaci; Button down-Old Navy; Shorts-Meijer; Belt, Necklace-A'gaci; Shoes-Thrifted

Yesterday it was actually a little bit cooler than the rest of the week. How did we celebrate? By going to eat some incredibly hot Mexican food. Yeah, I know, we're awesome.

We went to this little beach along Sheridan Road and got to just relax for a few minutes. It was beautiful! Something about being around water just soothes the soul; the sound of the waves is almost like meditation for me. I guess you could compare it to a heartbeat, almost. Do you have any sounds that instantly make you happy?


 

I'm melting...I'm melting!

Basically it's been too hot for clothes.  Which means I've been wearing as little as possible, i.e. shorts and tanks. My closet is embarrassed for me. All those dresses, skirts, and wide-leg jeans are missing me. I'm already looking forward to Autumn layering. Anyone else? 

Some friends and I went out yesterday to try out my new camera-none of my friends would model but the park very kindly did. 

Right now I have to study for work (What? Study? Work?) but hopefully will be back this afternoon.  

Have a Happy Friday! 

AHHH YOU GUYS

C and I are getting a new camera! A Canon 60D, which is a significant step up from my Rebel XS. I am so excited! It'll be here on Tuesday. Expect lots of pictures. Lots.

Speaking of pictures, this one is from a photoshoot I did with my pretty friend Ashley! Head over to The Whimsy Factory to see more photos from the day!

P.S. All I could think about when I was typing the title was "Ahhh Real Monsters!" Yep. 

Closet Clean-out, Blog Love

Hello, fabulous poeple! No outfit today. Because I don't wear clothes. Joking. Of course I wear clothes. What kind of person do you think I am? Oh...that kind.


 I'm starting my Closet Clean-Out today! It's been a long time coming. I'm actually really, really excited. I think it's going to show me what exactly I need, and what I don't even remember that I have. I'm trying to start a closet full of things I love, instead of standing in front of my mirror crying "I have nothing to wear!" when my closet is overflowing. It's going to be hard, because I hate letting go of anything, but I think it will be really good, overall.

Do you do a regular Closet Clean-Out? What tricks and techniques do you use?


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