Oops I forgot about my blog!

Well, the tour came and went and now it's November. Who knew time could fly by so quickly? I had a blast on tour, but unfortunately did not take any pictures while I was gone. Most of our time was spent in the van sleeping anyway. We were in a new state almost every day. The worst part of tour was when my ankles started swelling. At first I thought I was having sympathy swelling for Jessica, but then realized that sleeping sitting up in the van all night was causing my ankles to swell BIG TIME. They were so gross! I had to start icing them down each day. One of the guys from another band called it, "icing my dogs." The week I returned from tour I went back to work. Then the next week I returned to school. Needless to say, it is difficult to do anything that is not work or school related. I did have enough time to plan a baby shower for Jessica - we played some awesome games, including Baby Taboo, made up by my main man Jared. Here is just one example of the many cards he made for us:

Jess and I also made a trip to Ikea to pick up some things for the nursery. I got some new pillows and curtains for our living room. Unfortunately I haven't had time to put up the new curtains - but I'll take a before and after pic when I finally do.

Lately I've been looking for a denim jacket, I figure every girl needs a jean jacket! I typically look at thrift stores because I don't want to spend a lot of money on one, but don't usually find anything. Recently I found a jacket at Goodwill and felt like it would be a good investment - until I tried it on and to my dismay realized it was the brand Mudd. Not that I have anything against this brand, I just haven't worn it since junior high! I bought the jacket anyway, even though the buttons clearly said Mudd.

So I convinced myself I'd be able to remove these buttons and replace them with something else. Unfortunately when I searched the interweb for some tutorials I could only find directions on how to replace a button that had fallen off - not how to remove a button. I finally found a tutorial on how to remove a rivet (which I thought was the same thing as a button, but my roomie Tara informed me I was wrong) from a pair of jeans. I followed the directions anyway, using a flat head screwdriver and a pair of pliers. I used the screwdriver to loosen the back (the smooth, round part) of the button, then used the pliers to pull off the back completely. Then Tara grabbed the jacket and I used the pliers to pull the top of the button - and they eventually came off! I had some other buttons lying around that I decided to sew in their place.

After pulling off 7 buttons we began to get tired and decided to superglue new buttons on top of the Mudd ones on the back of the jacket.

Now all I need to do is remove the tag and then no one will know I'm wearing a jacket designed for a teenager!

What a lovely pile of buttons! Let me know if you need any - I have plenty to share! The handmade market is coming again this weekend! I'm excited to find some new treasures I can't live without. Well, have a great weekend and please check out the handmade market at the convention center! I'm sure there'll be plenty of things you need, too.

Maybe summer isn't so bad...

So far summer has not been as terrible as I always think it is going to be. There's been lots of fun things going on lately and I've been getting more creative with my wardrobe! Recently I wore this to work. It was really comfortable and also not too hot. My kind of summer outfit!

I bought this black dress for my honeymoon, but I don't really like wearing it by itself. Recently I had the great idea to wear a short sleeved shirt over it (thanks fashion bloggers for giving me inspiration). I really like this striped shirt from Forever 21 - it will be a staple in my summer wardrobe. I was wearing these flats in the library recently when a young man approached me and said, "Excuse me ma'am, could you tell me where you got your flats?" I was slightly confused at first, then I saw his girlfriend cowering behind him. I kindly informed him they were from Target but I was lucky enough to find them at Goodwill. I really love girls who make their man do things they are scared to do - it's exactly what I would do!

Jared bought me this anchor necklace from Modcloth for Christmas.

Of course I gots to have my danglies. I don't really remember where these came from, they are old old old. In other news, Jared bought me the new Beyonce album! Has anyone else listened to it (other than my friends who have ridden in my car lately)? It's pretty good, but there don't seem to be many clubbin' songs on it, which is kind of disappointing. Seems like Beyonce might be transitioning into an R&B singer... sadly enough. I'll miss your bumpin' and grindin' tunes, B.

Next week I will be in Portland with my favorite West Coasters Danielle and Lindsey! Danielle is getting ordained to be a minister next week and I'm so excited to be there for the service. Last time I visited Portland there were several disasters, so here's to hoping that no one gets hospitalized while I'm visiting!! Can't wait to see my girls.

Oh and I started my new job a couple weeks ago. I'm still getting the routine down but so far so good. I feel relieved to have a new position and to be doing something a little different. Also Jessica is doing a practicum at my agency so now we can hang out at work! I hope you don't get tired of me Jess! Have a great week friends... I hope it is full of hanging with buds at work and listening to some old Beyonce tunes.

Preparing for the Big Tour

Well, the quest has begun to gather all needed items for tour this summer. This has included a few pairs of shorts, a new duffle bag, and a summer hat. I continue to look for some sandals and possibly a bathing suit. We'll see how the search goes!

These shorts are my new favorite piece of clothing! They are high waisted, they have pleats (and pockets), and the leg holes are big enough so that the shorts don't get caught in my big fat thighs! What more could a girl want in a pair of shorts??!! Zack made fun of me today and told me they look like mom shorts, but I don't care!

If you need a fave pair of shorts, check out Forever 21 - they have some great pleated shorts right now. I was skeptical at first, because usually pants and/or skirts from Forever 21 don't fit or are too short, but I just bought 2 pairs of shorts from there. So I guess they are starting to figure out that not every girl who shops there is a bean pole. Also this is my first summer wearing a hat. I hope you like it, because I really really do. I hope your summer is going well and that you're surviving the heat. If you feel like you might die, make the change over to shorts - it's worth it!

New/Old Friends

This weekend Jared's friends Joel and Meredith came to visit the lovely state of Indiana. They live far away in Connecticut so we don't get to see them much. I met both of them at my wedding, but haven't seen them since! Meredith and I have become internet budz, chatting over facebook and reading each other's blogs. This weekend we were able to be friends in REAL LIFE! We met up with them for lunch at Yats, where the waiter called me "baby." Then we walked over to Luna so the boys could look through every record available and Meredith and I could have some quality time chatting it up in the aisles of the record store. I also made friends with a very old and sickly looking dog (not pictured).

Yes, I am wearing shorts!! Is it possible that I have accepted the fact that summer is terrible and I have to wear summer clothes to survive? Possibly. Meredith was looking super cute in her vintage skirt and lovely handmade necklace. Later we stopped by Broadripple Vintage (my first time!) to do some shopping but we didn't find anything. Maybe next time! Although I could only hang out with them for the afternoon, it was super fun and I can't wait to hang out in person again!

In other news, many of the members of the Hair Cut Party Council received feather hair extensions this weekend! I chose to go for a feather that blended in well with my hair, but I'm thinking if I ever do it again I'll go for something that will stand out a little more (like purple?). Go big or go home - am I right??!!

Well today I was informed I may be starting my new position even sooner than July 1. Looks like I'll be full-time as an outpatient counselor by June 20th (which is in 2 weeks!!). I'm a little nervous because it seems sooner than I thought, but I'm sure I'll survive. I mean, I've been hit by a car AND I have two tattoos (that's pretty bad ass)! Take that!

Oops all Storms!

I get busy. Most of you know that. I thought I'd share a few of my recent experiences and at least one outfit that I really liked wearing! I am currently taking a summer class, which basically means my life revolves around that class for the duration of the summer semester (thankfully only 6 weeks). It is difficult to do much else because so much work is crammed into such a short period of time. Also, I recently received a promotion at work and will be transitioning from my case manager position at the women's house to an outpatient counselor position at our outpatient office! I'm super excited about the change (and the promotion, of course). So I'm busy trying to train for my new position while still working my current one. By July 1st I will be in my new role full-time. I also got permission from work to be gone for four weeks to go on tour with Rodeo! It's going to be one crazy summer for me, but I'm real excited and just so glad that things have worked out. In July I will also be flying out to Portland to see my bud Danielle, who is being ordained as a minister! Then I'll fly home, work for a few days, and meet the dudes on tour in Chicago.

Also in recent news: there was a tornado in Bloomington! The tornado sirens went off at least 4 times that day. Each time the sirens went off, my brother Zack would put on his bicycle helmet and walk outside to check out the weather. Needless to say he looked a bit like someone with some serious special needs walking around like that:

That night we had many discussions about whether we should seek shelter (it's hard to know about storms). At one point I decided to sit in the bathroom for a bit, just in case. So I grabbed some snacks, my homework, and King James and hung out while the storm raged on:

Of course snacks are necessary for survival (as is the Clinical Handbook for Psychological Disorders).

I was a little nervous about the storm. For a time we also just sat in the hallway, looking out the window, trying to decide if we should wake up Jared or not. Ultimately we let Jared sleep and the storm was over pretty quickly. I didn't realize how bad the storm was, or that we even had a tornado, until I was driving to work the next day. Rogers street looked like a battlefield! I read today that the city lost almost 500 trees due to the storm.

In less scary news, this is an outfit I wore last week to work/school. I recently picked up the skirt at Goodwill but had trouble figuring out what to do with it. I've seen a lot of bloggers tying their shirts and sweaters up so I decided to go for it! Turns out it was super fun! I also have mixed feelings about longer skirts, but it worked out alright.

I love the detail on the bottom of the skirt! It's so flirty! I gotta get my legs out for summer!

Well, that's all for today. I hope you are safe from storms and tornadoes and don't have to choose between sitting in the hallway or the bathroom (neither one is desirable).

Hiatus

Okay, so it's been almost a month since my last post. I promise that I have been very busy with school, work, practicum, and hanging with buds. I have a few new clothing items I need to feature, but I will not be posting them until my semester is over (next week - eeeeee!!). Here are a few things I have done worth noting in the last month:

painted my nails black to show my inner teen angst

bought two pairs of platform sandals from Target to wear every day of the summer

sexted some gurl buds

watched Return of the King at least four times

bought an elliptical machine that is still laying in pieces in my family room

gave up Diet Coke, then gave in and drank it again in the same day

downloaded every ITFOW song so I can be prepared for their big last show

sent numerous emails to my main gal Danielle, complaining about work

sent some hilarious pics taken with my computer to my friends who were trying to study

uncovered my grandma's old accordian that I thought was lost forever

and participated in a traditional Seder meal, in which someone threw up from trying to eat Horseradish.

I hope your month has been filled with incredible experiences like mine! Hopefully soon I'll be back to posting.

Oh, this is my normal study face:

1st Clothing Swap = SUCCESS!

Well I think the title says it all. The clothing swap/haircut party was super fun and a total success! Lots of buds stopped by and brought their unwanted clothing - and lots of buds went home with their arms full of more desirable clothing! I got rid of tons of clothes myself, then realized that half of the clothes Jess brought were hand me downs from me! So half of the clothes in the room belonged to me at one point in time. Yikes. Too many clothes.

We decided to divide the clothes up in to piles since that seemed the easiest way to rifle through clothes. We also divided them up by type of clothing. This whole bed was covered with piles of shirts and sweaters!

We had a bin designated for shoes (most of which belonged to Jess).

A hallway designated for dresses and skirts!

And a living room for hangin' with buds and eating snacks!

And couches to lose your cellular phones in! A big thanks to Casey and her small hands for fishing some phones out of the couch.

There may have been some sexting.... this has yet to be confirmed.

There may have been some snacks...

Some nails gettin' did....

And some sweet inner arm tattoos!

All in all it was a great night! We hope to have another swap in the near future. Also I cut my hair a bit shorter (the council can really talk me into anything - including sexting everyone a picture of my glittery undies). I only took 3 clothing items from the swap since I was mostly excited to get rid of clothes. But now I can go shopping and fill my closet back up!

I finally did it!

Well folks, I have conquered to the tattoo parlor. That's right. I finally got my tattoo and boy do I have pictures to show you! First, a big thanks to Jessica and Tara for going with me and being supportive. Also Jess took a ton of pictures with her iPod telephone that I plan on sharing with you below. Second, I changed my outfit a MILLION times before going to the parlor. I just wasn't sure what would be the most practical thing to wear. So, with that said, I wore a tank top that is not super flattering and that I usually only wear to bed... please don't judge me for wearing something so unattractive. I'm sure you'll forget about it once you see the tattoo and realize how bad-ass I am now.

I am patiently waiting for Adam of Little Blue's Tattoos to be ready for me... and trying not to freak out.

Waiting in a different position.... he's almost ready!! AAAHHHAH!

It hurt a little bit.

Okay, it hurt a lot.

After a while I couldn't really feel much... and starting to get cocky.

Tara was a so patient and such a good friend. She even drove to the ATM for me to get some cash monies since I totally missed the sign that said "cash only."

I survived! And I look very weird and scary! But I'm really excited!!

The finished product. I just earned like 100 scene points.

Now my brother has already made so much fun of me for this tattoo. In case you need an explanation, "Carry the Weight" is a Denison Witmer song (you all know how much I love him). The first time I heard it I think I cried (of course). This is what I do - I carry the weight for other people... and the weight can be really heavy sometimes. So it seemed only natural and perfect for this to be on my body forever and ever amen.

Young Professional

Warmer weather is finally here! While I detest the summer (I can't wear layers and tights aren't the most practical option), I do love spring and fall. I love being able to wear cardigans and jackets! This outfit is what I wore to work on Wednesday (by the way, most of the outfits I post are what I wear to work). I had to participate in a documentary for the Addicted To Music festival at IU. The Addicted to Music team is interviewing myself and some co-workers from Amethyst House about how to help someone who might have a problem with alcohol and to learn about some of the resources available for students. Since I was being interviewed I felt the need to look professional.

I bought this jacket from Charlotte Russe a while ago and had some difficulty figuring out how to wear it! Turns out it's pretty fun to wear, I love all the fabric in the front (it hides my lumpy parts) and I can wear it with dresses that don't fit me that well (because it hides my lumpy parts).

These tights were $5 from Target! Unfortunately I ripped hole in them the first time I tried them on. But so far you can't see the hole, so I will continue to wear them until the hole turns into a gigantic run.

This is one of my favorite vintage pins! I don't wear it that often, but it looked so nice with my tights!

Today is a big day - I'm going to the tattoo parlor at 2 pm.... to get a tattoo! I'm a little nervous because I don't have a high tolerance for pain, but I figure if I can survive getting hit by a car, I can survive getting a bigger tattoo. I'll be taking some pictures and posting them sooooon...

This week I'm actually taking vacation time from work! I'm planning to do mostly school/practicum stuff instead of working. I'm also planning to sleep in every day and NOT think about work. In addition, I am committed to cleaning my room and picking up all the clothes off my floor. And my sister Breezey is going to be in town later this week to do some major sisterly hanging! Let me know if you wanna get some lunch this week - I don't have too many plans!

Announcement!

If you haven't heard already, the Clothing Swap has been officially scheduled! My friend Katrina and I have decided to merge this long-awaited event with another totally awesome event - a HAIR CUT PARTY!! Doesn't this sound like the best night you've had in a long while? Well, if you haven't received an invite yet, this is it. The Hair Cut Party/Clothing Swap will be held at Katrina's home on Saturday, March 26th. The party will start at 6 pm and goes until 10 pm (or whenever we are partied out). If you'd like to come, let me know!!

Life continues to be insanely busy, of course. Monday I helped put together a forum about problem gambling and college students at my practicum (which is why I'm wearing a name tag in this picture). I needed to look professional, so of course I went for a plaid pencil skirt. I really liked this outfit - but I had one major clothing malfunction. Every time I leaned forward, my mo pants caused the zipper of my skirt to go down! Yikes! I think it's time to start exercising. I can't let these mo pants get too out of control!

I accidentally turned on the self-timer on the camera, so while Jared was trying to take my picture, the camera went nuts and started taking all these pictures in a row! Unfortunately that is what created this face. After all the fuss with the self-timer, Jared was done taking pictures, so I didn't get any close ups of all the fun things that were going on in this outfit (like elbow pads on my sweater and bright purple tights)! Also - my head looks HUGE!

I hope you have better luck with your pictures and that the tickle in the back of my throat doesn't cause me (and all my friends) to get sick. I'll be sure to load up on Vitamin C.

I love Glee and bows and boots and belts

Last night I attempted to watch some Glee while doing homework. Somehow I manage to talk myself into this often... my reasoning being that I've seen the episodes before so I will be able to concentrate on my homework. This is not at all accurate. It doesn't really matter how many times I have seen the episodes, I still want to watch them! So homework doesn't happen. If you are familiar with the show, you know the guidance counselor Emma. She is so adorable! Watching Glee always inspires me to wear something with a gigantic bow, which inspired half of my outfit for today:

The other half of my outfit was inspired by Kendi Everyday. That girl sure knows how to work a blazer! She often pairs skinny belts with blazers, which I never really thought about before! I love stealing other people's ideas.

I also really love pairing red with yellow... and green. Yes my belt is kind of green. Do you like my self portraits? Jared will typically agree to take one picture. The rest are up to me.

Who knew K-Mart could be so hip? I really love these little booties!

I am currently contacting many of you about the clothing swap. I'm hoping to have it within the next few weeks. I'll let you know when I have a date that works out. If I didn't get you on Facebook and you wanna be a part of it - let me know! Let's get our party on gurrrlz!!