A Little Bit About Me...

Questions and answers to get to know me better... maybe...

1. What time did you get up this morning? 
Wake up and get up are two different things.... 
Woke up initially at 5:45 to let the dog out. Finally got out of bed at about 7:30. 

2. How do you like your steak? 
Well done - yep, brown all the way through. It can even be a little burned and I'll eat it.  

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? 
Silver Linings Playbook. Totally crazy shit, but really good. I think Bradley Cooper was nominated for an Academy Award for his acting in it.

4. What is your favorite TV show? 
Scandal all the way. Can't get enough of it.

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? 
Italy.

6. What did you have for breakfast? 
Coffee and cereal.

7. What is your favorite cuisine? 
Mexican.

8. What foods do you dislike? 
Too many things to list! But just to start - seafood (any and all), peas, cooked carrots (raw are just great), tofu, ketchup, and though it's not a food, I don't like soda either.  

9. Favorite Place to Eat? 
Taco Mex is definitely high on the list. I also really like DBar though I haven't been there in a while.

10. Favorite dressing? 
Bleu Cheese or Light Champagne 

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive? 
Nissan Murano 

12. What are your favorite clothes?
I love my new Levi's, my tan knee-high boots from Duo, my green silk blouse from J. Crew, and my grey blazer from Target that has really fun details on it like black piping, contrasting turn-back cuffs, and bright pink on the underside of the collar. 

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?
There are LOTS of places - Isle of Skye in Scotland, Greece, New Orleans (how ridiculous that I've never been there!), Australia... I could go on and on!

The Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye

  

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? 
Usually 1/2 empty, I guess I'm not the most optimistic or positive person. 

15. Where would you want to retire?
That is really too far off to even think about, plus with the way the economy and my career are going, I will probably have to work until I die! 

16. Favorite time of day? 
Sunset.

Susnet pic from my parent's house

17. Where were you born? 
Denver, CO.

18. What is your favorite sport to watch? 
Football - but really only the Broncos! 

19. Bird watcher? 
Um, no - boring. 

20. Are you a morning person or a night person? 
I'm more of a mid-day person. Not great first thing in the morning or late at night. 

21. Do you have any pets? 
Lulu my precious puppy. 

22. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? 
Nothing new and exciting right now. Things are pretty dead boring around here. :( 

23. What did you want to be when you were little? 
A veterinarian.

24. What is your best childhood memory? 
Getting up early on weekends to go play with Bridget. But she had to do chores first, so I would help her with them. 

25. Are you a cat or dog person? 
Definitely a dog person. 

26. Are you married? 
Nope. Still looking for him.

27. Always wear your seat belt? 
ALWAYS! 

28. Been in a car accident? 
Yes, a few. Thankfully never my fault and I never had any serious injuries - because I was always wearing my seatbelt.

29. Any pet peeves? 
My biggest pet peeve is bad (and slow!) drivers. 

30. Favorite Pizza Toppings? 
Pepperoni and black olives, 

31. Favorite Flower? 
Peony or Star-gazer lily. 

32. Favorite ice cream? 
Coffee or Peppermint.

33. Favorite fast food restaurant? 
For true fast food I guess McDonalds, but I also like Qdoba for their queso.

34. How many times did you fail your driver's test? 
Never! 

35. From whom did you get your last email? 
Last one in general was from Nordstrom. :) Last one from a real person - my accountant asking for my company's books. 

36. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? 
Nordstrom - all sorts of brands and clothes and shoes and purses all in one place!

37. Do anything spontaneous lately? 
Nope, I'm not that spontaneous. 

38. Like your job? 
Not really. That's why I'm trying to change careers. 

39. Broccoli? 
Yummy. 

40. What was your favorite vacation? 
Italy for Jeannine's wedding.

The view from our villa outside of Florence

41. Last person you went out to dinner with? 
My parents. 

42. What are you listening to right now? 
Nothing. It's weirdly completely quiet. But in general, I'm listening to a mix I made of some recent favorite songs which includes a couple of songs from Taylor Swift's Red, Imagine Dragons, Dawes, The Civil Wars, and Ben Howard.  

43. What is your favorite color? 
Pink. Any and all shades. Has always been and always will be.  

44. How many tattoos do you have? 
Two and I'm contemplating a third.

What I Wore Wednesday

Welcome to Volume 6 of What I Wore Wednesday! I'm linking up with the Pleated Poppy, so click on her link over on the right to check out all the other blogger's outfits!

I don't have many fun outfits to share this week, as I just haven't been dressing nicely lately. I haven't been going into the office much and have felt the need to be a homebody after all the busyness of the holidays.

Outfit #1

Wore this preppy outfit to work, dinner with my parents, and then shopping and cocktails with Michelle. I used to wear stuff like this all the time, but then I started feeling suffocated with the button down layered with a sweater. For some reason, that feeling didn't reappear and I felt totally comfortable and warm all day.

Sweater - Target / Button Down - Land's End / Jeans - Levi's / Shoes - Cole Haan via DSW

These shoes were such an amazing deal! They're Cole Haan Nike Air, originally $278.00. But I got them on serious sale at DSW for $50.98! I love the stitching detail and the two-tone tan/butterscotch leather. The heel is chunkier than I usually like, but it fits well with the overall style of the shoes.

Outfit #2

Wore this to run errands and then to a Junior League meeting. I looked for a really long time for the right color green cardigan and finally found this one after Christmas. The color is called Vintage Kelly Green and this is their Tippi Cardigan. I love it. And since it's wool, not cotton, it won't fade. :)

Cardi - J. Crew - $37.49 Sale / Tank - Target / Jeans - Levi's / Belt - Coach / Boots - Matisse

Outfit #3

Though this is a little fancy for the office, that's where I wore it. I was dying to dress nicely after a week of not exactly dressing down, but not dressing up either. I love the sheer and lace combo of this top - so feminine. I don't know what's happening with my hair here - one side is totally normal and one side is weirdly big. Whatevs.

Top - Daisy Fuentes via Kohl's - $11.25 Sale from $50.00 / Pants - Style & Co via Macy's - $27.98 (that's full price!) / Shoes - Coach 

That's it! That's all! Hopefully I'll have some more next week. :)

What I Wore Wednesday

Here's Volume 5 of What I Wore Wednesday! I'm linking up with the Pleated Poppy again, so click on her link to the right to see more blogger's outfits! 

I was too busy with family and holiday stuff last week to prepare a post, so I've got a few more outfits than usual to share today.

Outfit #1

I wore this outfit on a seriously cold day before Christmas. Even just staying in the house, I was freezing and wanted to be bundled up in a cozy sweater. This sweater fits the bill - it's over-sized, incredibly soft, and a really good color. I didn't want to put on boots or thick socks though, so I just wore some of my favorite leopard flats.

Sweater - Loft - $29.99 Sale / Jeans - J. Jill / Shoes - Coach

Outfit #2

I wore this out for my sister's and Grandma's birthday dinner. I originally saw this dress on Pinterest when I first started wasting spending time on the site. I fell in love with it and bought it immediately. Then I realized the dangerousness that is Pinterest - fabulous clothes that immediately link to the sites where you can buy them. Bad news for a shopaholic. I paid full price for the dress which I think was close to $150, but I really do love it and get compliments on it all the time. Sometimes I wear a wide black belt with it, which seems to make it a bit more casual.

Dress - Donna Morgan via Nordstrom / Necklace - Stella & Dot / Tights - Assets via Target / Shoes - Coach

Outfit #3

Seriously casual me, going last-minute Christmas shopping with my sister and Stacy. The sweater is a fun baseball-tee shirt inspired knit that is unlike any sweater I've ever had. I livened up my look with some fun, bright red lipstick and leopard flats though.

Sweater - The Limited - $27.45 Sale / Jeans - J. Jill / Shoes - Coach

Outfit #4

My Christmas Eve outfit. We spend Christmas Eve with my mother's side of the family and most of us tend to get a little more dressed up for this family celebration. I love this top - it's got little spots of sequins scattered over the front and has an almost halter-top design, with buttons at the back of the neck. And seriously not until I blew this photo up did I realize that this top was a little sheer (you can see the waist of my pants through it!). Oh, well. We're family.

Top - Apt. 9 via Kohl's - $14.40 Sale / Necklace - Target / Pants - Daisy Fuentes via Kohl's / Shoes - Coach

Because this is Colorado after all, and Christmas Eve was particularly cold, I added a cardi over this for part of the night.

Cardigan - Target $19.99

Outfit #5

This is what I wore on Christmas night, when we celebrate Christmas and my dad's birthday with his side of the family. You're really not missing anything by not seeing the rest of the photo - just a black cardi, white tank, and jeans. We're usually a bit more casual for this night. My necklace was the really cute part of the outfit. I bought it from a vendor at Junior League's Holiday Mart and I believe it was under $40. I love the red and orange stones together and paired it with fun red lips again.

Outfit #6

I wore this out for drinks with girlfriends the other night. It's super comfortable but slightly dressy, too. The top is a great silky tank, light pink with brown polka dots and has a row of vertical pleats down the center. It fastens with a zipper on the back that is covered with grosgrain ribbon. The boots are from the first generally good wide calf boot site I found a couple years ago. They're not as customizable as duoboots.com, and they don't have as many fashionable options, but they still have better options for women who need something bigger than normal.

Top - Jones New York via Macy's - $26.70 (originally $89!) / Cardi - Kohl's? (I've had it forever) / Jeans - J. Jill / Boots - David Tate via widewidths.com

Outfit #7

This is what I wore for our pretty casual New Year's Eve celebration. I went to a dinner party with friends, where I was the only single person. Sigh... Story of my life. These are my new, one-size-down Levi's. I'm in love with them. I think I love them even more than their predecessors. :) The fit of these jeans is fabulous! They're the 529 Curvy Bootcut - they curve in enough at the waist that there's no gap, they don't ride too high, and they're not too tight on my thighs. Perfect! I've been loving these kinds of necklaces for a while. There was no way in hell I'd pay what J.Crew is selling them for, but one of the blogs I follow links to a store that sells them for a much more reasonable price, and in a bunch of fun colors!

Necklace - ILY Couture - $29 / Cardi - Target / Shirt - Elle via Kohl's / Belt - from a Target skirt / Jeans - Levi's via Macy's - $39.99 / Boots - Matisse

Hope you enjoyed my outfits from the last two weeks! See you again soon!

Five Quick Takes Friday

I'm back after not posting this series last Friday!

1. I didn't get the job I really wanted. Sigh. But, the Director of Talent Management and the Vice President of Talent Operations have me in mind for a different position. I'll be meeting with them in the new year to discuss. Also, their titles make me feel like it's a talent show. I think I'll tap dance. :)

2. My sister and Stacy get here tonight! I'm so excited. I have lots of fun things planned for them. Kristen says Stacy wants to rest and not be busy, but that is so not going to happen.

3. I think I'm all done Christmas shopping. I need one more thing to be delivered and then I should be good. This is what my presents look like this year.

4. We're going to make Sparkling Holiday Mimosas on Christmas Eve. Looks yummy!

5. This video is one of the cutest things I've seen. It will make you smile. :)

What I Wore Wednesday

Here's volume 4 of What I Wore Wednesday!

Outfit #1

Wore this to work and to the retirement party for one of my reps at the Design Center. Nothing too special but a typical outfit for me. The sweater is super soft and a kind-of slubby knit. I like a short sleeved sweater when it's not too cold out.

Top - Kohl's / Jeans - J. Jill / Necklace - Target / Shoes - Charles David

These are seriously some of my favorite shoes. Leopard printed calf hair with a patent leather kitten heel. I've had them for years. Love!

Outfit #2

I wore this out to dinner and to the Big Head Todd & the Monsters concert with Michelle. Originally I was wearing my Levi's and heeled boots and then decided that I didn't want to be in heels all night while standing at the concert, so I changed into ankle length skinny jeans and flats. This top is fun - it's got a little peplum, which you can't see very well in this picture. I think it doesn't look all that flattering in this picture; I felt cuter in person. :) I'm sure I could have made it more interesting with a fun colored necklace, but most of the time I'm pretty boring with my jewelry.

Cardigan - Target / Top - Elle via Kohl's / Jeans - J. Jill / Shoes - Steve Madden

The coat I wore over this is pretty cute, so I took another picture with it on. It's a wool, kelly green, short pea coat. It livened up a pretty tame outfit.

Coat - Target

Outfit #3

I've had this dress forever - like probably 7 or 8 years. Before I recently moved, I cleaned out my closet and found it - I'd completely forgotten that I had it! I hadn't worn it in quite a while because it didn't look on me, but since I've lost a little weight, it's fabulous once more! And I got so many compliments when I wore it again, so it's back in rotation. It's not obvious in this photo but it's a wrap dress. And it's a great weight, much heavier fabric than you'd find at Target today. The length is great on me, too, falling below my knees. I love it!

Dress - Target / Shoes - Nine West

I'd been on the look-out for good navy pumps for years and finally found these this fall. I love them! The color is a really good navy - not too light, not too dark, an obvious blue - never to be mistaken for black, the heel is a great height, and the silver bridle detail on the toes is really fun.

Outfit #4

I wore this to finish up my Christmas shopping. Though it's a bit cold out, I knew I'd get hot in the mall so I kept my layers light.

Jean Jacket - Gap / Dress - Target / Belt - Target (I think) / Boots - Duo Boots

I ended up adding a scarf for little warmth in the car (I ended up having to take it off halfway through shopping because I was dying of heat). I found this really cute way to loop a long scarf on Pinterest - you double up the length, pull one end through the loop, then twist the loop below that and pull the other end through the new loop. It looks better than just pulling both ends through the one loop. Hope that made sense!

Scarf - vendor at Junior League's Holiday Mart


Hope you enjoyed these outfits! Next week's post will have some more dressy outfits because it's birthday and holiday season!

Boy Bits - Part 4

It took me a while to want to date again after the big break-up with Zach. But eventually, I had to get back out there. The next boy from my past to talk about is Wolf, and along with him there are a couple other guys to mention as well.

After graduation and starting my first real job, buying my first car, I moved into an awesome apartment with two of my sorority sisters. Let the fun begin! One night a bunch of us went up to Little Bear in Evergreen to party and we ended up meeting a big group of guys who we spent the evening getting to know. The best thing about this group of guys is that two of them had also just moved into the same apartment complex we had moved into! Small world - we meet a group of guys in a different city who live literally across the parking lot from us! I actually thought they were pulling something over on us, but they weren't.

A couple of the girls paired off for some fun and dancing and I did the same. The boy I liked for the night was Kyle. We had a lot of fun together and he ended up being the guy who had me jump back into the dating pool.

Kyle and I ended up spending the weekend together and we had a lot of fun. But he wasn't one of the guys who lived here; he was just visiting from Salt Lake City. The whole group of guys was from a Air National Guard unit from SLC, and some of them were temporarily stationed out here. There was no way the thing with Kyle would ever be more than just that weekend and that was just fine with me. I didn't need nor want something serious after Zach. Though Kyle went back home, my group of girlfriends still hung out with the other guys pretty frequently. In fact, I ended up being really good friends with two guys - Wolf and Chris, and would go out with them a lot. (Wolf is his last name, and I don't usually call people by their last names, but he never went by his first name, so Wolf it was.)

One evening Chris, Wolf, and I were going to meet a bunch of people at a bar in Wash Park and Wolf asked what was happening with me and Kyle. This was a couple weeks after Kyle had left and we had never talked about him before, so I was kind of surprised. I told him that nothing was going on with him. Why would there be? He lived in Salt Lake and I was here... Wolf seemed totally shocked. He said something to the effect of - if certain people had known that, things might be different. I didn't totally get what he meant right then, but later that night Wolf let it be known that he liked me. It was a good thing because I actually liked him, too, but had never made a move because I thought it might be weird after the weekend I spent with Kyle. Guess we were in the same boat.

Me & Wolf - not a great pic, but one of the few I have of us

After that night, Wolf and I started dating. There were some really great aspects to dating him. He was another one of those genuinely nice guys. He got along with everybody and had a ton of friends who all loved him and respected him. He was not shy about his feelings for me and would demonstrate his affections without reluctance. One of my favorite memories of that was from a night we were out at a bar near our apartment complex. Wolf was sitting down and I was standing next to him while we talked to one of my friends. I put my arm around his shoulder and instead of putting his arm around my waist, he wrapped his arm around one of my legs, between my thighs - a totally intimate way of touching. No one would ever mistake that we were just friends with such a touch.

Wolf and his roommate lived across the parking lot, so that was incredibly convenient - we didn't have to go far at all to be with each other. He liked to go out as much as I did, and there were numerous parties at his apartment or mine. He was attentive to me when we were with his friends or out in a group, always checking on me, making sure I had a drink, giving me a kiss, etc.

It was at one of those parties at his apartment when I had another of those totally memorable kisses. (You first have to understand that though Wolf was not a passive person by any means, I was the one who made most of the first moves in our relationship.) I was just coming back from the bathroom and Wolf met me in the hallway. He put his arm out across the hall, stopping me from passing. I just leaned up against the wall and looked at him. He put his other arm on the other side of me, caging me in. He pressed the length of his body against mine without moving his hands, and gave me a seriously passionate kiss. The kind that takes away your breath and makes your heart pound and your knees weak. Then he stepped back and went back to the party without saying anything. It was incredibly hot. It took me a minute to compose myself enough to return. :)

But there was a not so great aspect to dating him, too. He was only here temporarily - his real home was Salt Lake City. He went back there often. Sometimes that meant he missed important events here. He wasn't here for Christmas or New Years Eve. In fact, I ended up taking Chris to a friend's Christmas party since Wolf wasn't here. And because he was gone so much, I was left feeling unsure about exactly where our relationship stood some of the time. When he was here, we were obviously together. All of my and his friends knew it - we were a part of each other's lives. But when he was in SLC, I didn't know what he was doing. I didn't know if he was seeing someone else there. But I didn't ever ask him to clarify. Therefore, I didn't know if I should see other people. And I wasn't exactly trusting after Zach. I always wanted more from Wolf, but was too gun-shy to ask for it. I just went along with what we did have.

As the ANG contract here wrapped up, Wolf started spending less and less time in Denver and more in Salt Lake. He moved out of his apartment and into an extended stay hotel. I didn't see him as often, which was hard for me. But I still hung out with Chris quite a bit because he had become a good friend over the months, and he didn't go back to Salt Lake anywhere as often as Wolf did. Eventually, Chris and Wolf's job in Denver ended completely and they both moved back to Salt Lake. I kept in touch with Chris - it was easy because we were just good friends. I tried to keep in touch with Wolf, but it was just too difficult when I wanted more from him.

I let him go.

I truly believe this was a huge mistake. I wish I would have tried harder with him.

That summer, a couple months after they moved away, Chris came back to Denver to visit. We ended up meeting up for drinks, hanging out in his hotel catching up, and one thing led to another... I honestly don't know why we did what we did, but... we did. Neither of us had ever expressed any attraction to each other, we were just good friends. But it's not like either of us was cheating on somebody, either. After all, Wolf and I hadn't been together for a couple months by this time. I'm not trying to make excuses, but I think we were both just lonely and we were comfortable with each other. Sometimes a good friend can fill a void. But I still felt guilty.

Me & Chris - again, not a great pic...

I guess Chris felt guilty, too. Because he ended up telling Wolf what happened between us. Wolf called me up ranting and raving. He was pissed! Which didn't make a ton of sense to me, since he hadn't made a huge effort with me since he moved away. Why should he care who I got together with? But he did care and now he said he was done with me. Meanwhile, I had already thought we were done.

I think that if Wolf and I had tried harder, and I hadn't fooled around with Chris, we might have been able to create something together, even living in different states. But he said some really ugly things to me and I hurt his pride. We couldn't get past that and we went our separate ways. Chris and I agreed that his friendship and working relationship with Wolf was more important so we said goodbye to each other, too.

I never heard from either of them again.

Damn. The end of this is totally depressing. I honestly look back on my time with Wolf and Chris mostly with affection. It's not all sadness. Really.

What I Wore Wednesday

So a lot of the bloggers who participate in The Pleated Poppy's link-up seem to post more than just their Wednesday outfits. I like that. Most of the time my other outfits are better than what I actually wore on Wednesday, so I started taking pics on other days, too. Without further delay, here's what I wore:

Outfit #1

I'm not afraid of white jeans in winter! Wore this to work and shopping. I had been looking for a chambray shirt forever - I'm incredibly picky about the color and the quality of the fabric and finally found one that met all my requirements.

Shirt - Land's End - $45
Jeans - J. Jill - Old
Belt - Land's End - $20 online sale

slightly closer photo of my cutie birds necklace

Necklace - H&M - Old

Cami - CAbi - Old

I love the trend of stacking bracelets!

Bracelets:

Chunky one nearest my hand - vendor at Junior League's Holiday Mart - $18

Bangle with flowers nearest my cuffs - Stella & Dot - old

All the others - Claire's - old

Boots - duoboots.com - $300

I love these boots with a passion. This company customizes calf sizes, so if you need wide calf boots (like me) or even narrow calf boots, they can do it. They have great styles, lots of options, and are really great quality. The total customization is a nice change from other "wide calf" options. Well worth the price to me.

Outfit #2

Another work outfit. Told you I didn't usually dress up. But I just love this sweater. :)

Sweater - Rewind via Kohl's (juniors section) - $22 (sale, orig. $44)

Jeans - J. Jill - old

Boots - duoboots.com - $300

Seriously. How cute is this hootie?!?

Outfit #3

Finally figured out how to take a better picture of myself!

I wore this to two different holiday parties in the last couple weeks. I originally bought a different skirt for the parties, but couldn't get it to style as I had imagined it. I found this dress on sale and it turned out to be exactly the right thing! I love the color, the pattern of the weave, the slight shine of the fabric, the style... I could go on and on about it.

Dress - Kirna Zabete for Target - $20 (sale from $45 - I think)

Tights - Assets via Target - old

Shoes - Nine West - old

Purse - Kate Spade via Nordstrom Rack - $120

Closer picture of the necklace that I got about a billion compliments on. It's so sparkly that it doesn't photograph well. Also, I'm in love with this lipstick. I'm really picky about lipstick and don't usually wear it because I can't handle either the stickiness or the scent or the flavor. Sometimes all three, but this one is great in all respects.

Necklace - Target (!) - $30

Lipstick - Plum Wine Sonia Kashuk via Target - $15 

Outfit #4

Wore this to work, hopeful that I would get a call about a job offer. Sadly, I did not. (Yet.) But it's still a great skirt that I got for a steal.

Top - Inc via Macy's - old

Skirt - Nordstrom Collection - $50 (sale from $168!)

Tights - Assets via Target - old

Shoes - Coach - old

Necklace - Stella & Dot - old

Here's a better pic of the fabric of the skirt. It's a fabulous tweed with lots of colors in it - navy, black, brown, tan. The waist is banded in leather and it has an exposed zipper on the back. It's fully lined so it's not clingy at all. I usually stay away from straight skirts as they never fit me correctly, but this one is really good. And with all those colors in it, quite versatile, too. And I seriously can't pass up that kind of deal! :)

I hope you liked seeing more than one outfit. It takes a lot of work, but I think it's fun!