:: These Little Town Blues ::

This weekend we were able to experience a rare, incredible gift – highs in the 70’s at the beginning of February. No better way to start birthday week!!

I’m enjoying wearing skirts and baring my unbelieveably white legs (you’d never guess I had Hispanic blood with these babies), because we are heading to Neeeeeeeeeeew Yoooooooork!

While it may be 18 degrees, I’m still giddy with excitement to visit the city. Taylor will be working from his law firm’s New York office on Friday while Josh and I spend the day brunching, shopping, and playing at KLEINFELD’S!

After trying on well over 100 dresses and earning the title of most specific bride, I put in my application for “Say Yes to the Dress” and will be spending every day anxiously awaiting TLC’s phone call. They’d be nut not to have this nut on the show. Seriously. What’s better than a former pageant competitor who is not a fan of white dresses but has a very specific veil, shopping with her childhood best friend on her birthday, and knows exactly what she wants, and much like Elle Woods doesn’t want something that comes right out and says “bride?!”

Nothing. Nothing beats that level of cray.

Even if TLC forgets to give me a ring, I still have Saturday and Sunday to look forward to. I haven’t been to NYC in a few years, but can’t even get beyond my thoughts on Friday so – any suggestions on must-do’s or must-see’s for our little three day weekend? We’ll have loads of time Saturday and the majority of the day Sunday, and I’ve visited all the tourist-y things in the past. What’s your best recommendation?!

So, perhaps the stripes and midi skirt will not work for me this weekend as the snow is expected to begin falling on Thursday. This is clearly a blessing to ensure I don’t get the itch to move us up north!

 

Top // J. Crew

Skirt // Top Shop

Booties // Shoe Mint

Necklace // J. Crew

Bracelet // Tory Burch

:: Blank Space ::

I never thought this day would come. As long as I can remember, I have been the anti-Taylor Swift fan. We could discuss this for days – don’t get me started.

The world is clearly spinning backwards, because I can’t stop listening to 1989 on repeat. The. Entire. Album. While my outfit is a slightly different “blank space” than the song is referring to, I have had this sweater on repeat just the same as the playlist itself.

Additionally, have we all been singing about “starbuck’s lovers” since we heard that song? This article proves I’m not alone in the lyrics I’ve been jamming out to.

“They’ll tell you I’m insane…”

 

Top // Anthropologie

Pants // J. Crew

Shoes // Gap

PBag // Kate Spade

Watch // Anthropologie

:: I Plaid the Fifth ::

There is something about a plaid skirt that just says “holidays.” I feel like I can never break this one out until we begin approaching the Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year’s trifecta!

When it comes to mixing prints and patterns, I think we all know where I stand. Some believe there is a formula to doing this – I believe it’s our inner five-year-old intuition breaking free of the adult norms we hold against ourselves on a daily basis.

In sixty years I’m sure the grandkids will be teleporting back and forth and happen upon this old thing called the internet with my virtual closet from years long gone. When they ask, in their Hunger Games inspired futuristic world wear, what on Earth (or by that time, Mars) I was thinking…

Well, I’ll just have to plaid the fifth!

 

Top // J. Crew

Skirt // J. Crew

Boots // Tory Burch

Necklace // Olive + Cocoa

Clutch // C. Wonder

Bracelet // C. Wonder

 

:: Valentino goes with Everything ::

These shoes are among my favorites. The story of how they found their forever home is another one of my favorites.

When I went to the Bahamas with Taylor’s family last January, we were pretty bummed (by we I mean his mom and I) to only have one day of sunshine out of the five we were there. The boys weren’t too concerned – we were at Atlantis and the casino was able to keep their attention for hours at a time.

Each night after dinner, I would join them, pick a number, and embarrassingly shout for that number no matter if it was one we had a bet on or not. Clearly not my first game of craps, but obviously I’ve always played the same way.

Between the three Robertson men, they are mathematic geniuses, and my preschool math capabilities can’t keep up with their odds-calculating minds. While I always join them in Vegas for the game, I don’t go consistently enough to be all that fantastic. I squeezed between the guys, Taylor’s dad gave me a few chips to play with, and I followed along – being coached the entire way.

An hour passed, two hours passed, and my chips began to rack up. Two hundred, three hundred… we were on a roll! Once I hit the target which I knew was in sight, I stepped back and announced that I was done.

Taylor looked at me a little baffled as to why I would stop – but it was getting late, and I had exactly what I wanted. Enough chips to go home and purchase the infamous Valentino Rockstuds!

 

 

 

Shoes // Valentiono

Top // Stella Rae’s

Jeans // Gap

Bag // Kate Spade

Necklace // Max & Chloe

Bracelet Watch // Anthropologie

:: Dallas Cowgirl ::

Let’s first clarify that I am not claiming to be a Texan. I suppose it’s kind of like the first time you refer to your college residence as “home,” when on the phone with your mom. You are promptly reminded that the city you currently live in is not “home.” It will never be “home,” because let’s be honest – home is where your mom is.

Now, do I love Dallas? Yes. Surprisingly, I’m far more attached to it than I was to Tulsa, but perhaps have not met it with the same admiration I had for Oklahoma City. To be frank, a lot of that had, and currently has, to do with the exact part of town I get to claim as my little piece.

This little part, my neck of the woods city, has quaint homes, quiet sidewalks, and a dover of ducks. Seriously – loads of them and the cutest ducklings! I’m just removed enough from downtown (too much for me), and uptown (if you’re feelin 22), but a quick run to my favorite shops is not far enough to be out of the question.

People are friendly, everyone has a dog, and no one has seemed to mind too much that I am using their front porch as a photo op. However, I do have one neighbor who runs outside to frighten the ducks off his lawn, only to go back inside as they settle in on his green grass for the day. He then returns to his stationary bicycle – which can of course be seen through the front window

So, here I am in my new cowgirl-esque booties –  fit for an Oklahoma soul who still dresses up as a Dallas cowgirl from time to time.

 

Dress: Gap (no longer available – ADORE and NEED this one!)

Shoes: Shoe Mint

Bag: C. Wonder

Necklace: J. Crew (and on sale!)

Rings: David Yurman, ℅ Lawson Gems

My favorite outfit circa 1996, minus the perm. Be glad you missed out on that part.

:: Blogger’s Block ::

Hello my friends!

Long time, no post. However, a lot has been happening and soon we’ll be back on a more regular schedule.

I cannot wait to relay our Mexico vacay (later), but something (other an Aero Mexico issues – again, later) happened in the Dallas airport that really put a bad taste in my mouth. While awaiting our flight, I looked up to see not one , but two fashion bloggers sit down across from me. I had literally started following both of them maybe a week prior, with each having more than 55,000 Instagram followers.

I have 285.

Nonetheless, I was more intrigued by who they were as “normal” people. I felt like a Miss Oklahoma Star (a mentoring program for young girls) as I quietly observed their mannerisms and conversation.

To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. Here were two women who made their lives blogging, writing, photographing, and sharing pieces of their (maybe incredibly staged) days with their followers – making fun of the people who support them. They gawked and “ugghhhhed” over fans inquiring where they got an item, how they didn’t know what Like to Know it was, and generally hating on others. After at least a dozen attempts to Instagram their accessories, they began to board the plane.

Somehow, we were in line directly behind them and it just would not end – they stopped on the jet bridge, required their third wheel (husband of one blogger) to whip out the Nikon, screw on the lens, and take photos of them prior to boarding. This was now annoying everyone behind them, and I questioned why I wanted to be a part of such a high-maintenence world.

In this moment, it all clicked for T. He turned to me and said he had no idea how easy he has it. We only photograph once a week and I buy him brunch and mimosas afterwards. (insert praying hands emoji here)

So, I learned a few valuable lessons that day and had a pretty major reality check. I love blogging and sharing my broke-girl budget style with others. However, I’ll be making an extra effort to be the Glinda of bloggers!

Top: Kate Spade Saturday

Pants: Vera Wang for Kohl’s (love these) (and these)

Sandals: Sam Edelman (I die over these)

Bag: Kate Spade (similar)

Necklace: Dillard’s (close)

Ring: Beyond Baroque

Bracelets: Coach, Anthropologie

 

:: Somewhere in the Mountains ::

I’ve been traveling for the past week, so blogging was not much of a priority! More on our beach adventure later, but let’s throw back to my time in Utah!

When packing for this trip, I tried to bring as few pieces as possible. Fortunately, this skirt served me well and can be paired with most tops I own. You’ve seen it with stripes, florals, solids, long sleeves, short sleeves, tanks, and just about every color as well. Navy feels like a neutral these days. While I attempted to “pack light,” I am still the person who celebrates when they hit a mere 43 pounds on the luggage scale. That means I can stimulate the local economy with seven pounds worth of findings!

Like a Boy Scout, I am always prepared. Therefore, I have to bring everything but the kitchen sink. Sadly, my Kate Spade bag bit the dust during our trip, so it shall be sent off to *fingers crossed* be mended by the Kate Spade elves. I’ll be adding a toolkit to my next packing list.

 

 

Skirt // J. Crew Factory

Top // H&M (old)

Necklace // Bauble Bar

Bag // Kate Spade

Sandals // Sam Edelman