yes to my dress

Photo source: the always lovely blog style me pretty

This is not my dress by the way, just a stunning picture

My stomach had been in knots all day as I ran out of work, forgetting a few things left behind but not bothering to care. It was 4:30 and I was just 30 more minutes away from a moment I had been dreaming about for years, but at the same time so nervous I could barely stand it.

I was on my way to my 1st wedding dress appointment. It would be my first appointment of many {I automatically thought}. Boy was I in for a surprise. I credit those thoughts partly due to one of my favorite wedding shows "Say Yes to the Dress." It seems like many of those brides have tried on dozens of dresses and just can't find the right one. I just thought going to different stores, getting measured, having many tedious fittings, and some sort of catastrophe/melt down was just part of the experience by now.

Once again I was in for a surprise.

I met with my wedding dress consultant and instantly knew we would get along like 2 peas in a pod. She is just one of those adorably sweet people who is positive and not at all pushing what she likes on you. As we {my mom, sister, close friend and I} made our way to the room filled with racks of glistening gowns, one in particular caught my eye.

I had a strong feeling I knew just who the designer of that dress was. I have actually been a loyal fan of this particular designer for quite a while and was tickled pink that one of her designs happened to be the one that first caught my eye. It was hugging the manikin next to it's dashing partner clad in a fetching suit....and it took my breath away. It was overwhelmingly beautiful but glancing at the size {a size too small} & price tag I sighed and tried to push it out of my mind.

For my dress, I knew I wanted some sort of straps up top, so that went into the choosing process and the 5 of us ladies searched through the racks of gowns pulling a few that were similar to my vision.

Dress #1: loved the bodice, but too poofy & way to heavy

Dress #2: favored the laced up back, but not my style

Dress #3: would have looked amazing on my sister

Dress #4: now we were getting somewhere but still not the dress

Dress #5: similar to what I wanted, but just not enough

Now it was time to grab a few more dresses. Do you remember that first dress I mentioned? That first one that took my breath away. Well, it was still on my mind and I couldn't help but let the words slip out "Can we just try that one?" and everyone knew which one I was talking about. So my consultant slipped it away from it's current resting place. I got goose bumps as her and I took it back into the room. Even though it only took a few minutes to get on, I was instantly impatient to step back out onto the floor and surprise the girls with dress #6.

They could see it in my face as I lit up, I was glowing. Likewise, their faces lit up as my eyes filled with tears. The dress was so much more then I thought possible and I was done. I was done looking at the dozens of fancy wedding dresses wondering if that would look good on me. I was done worrying about when I would find my dress, or how many stores we would travel to till we found the perfect dress. I had found it!!

By the end of the night everything was worked out: a few minor adjustments were decided on, my consultant made a wonderful deal to bring the price down a little, we picked out some lovely accessories, and I truly felt like a bride for the 1st time in my life. I was blessed enough to have such amazing people around me, and even a surprise visit from my future parents in law.

In some way, I wish I could share a picture of my real dress, but I don't want to ruin the surprise. Once again, the picture above is not my dress, but just a lovely picture. If Brian can't see the dress, then neither can you, not yet anyway.

Some people might say {or already have said}, "how did you pick it so fast?" or "don't you want to keep looking to see what else is out there?" but finding the perfect dress is just like finding your perfect guy. When you find the one who truly gets you, your best friend, the one who loves you for all that you are, why would you keep looking for another man?

For me, the same was true for my dress: it's the one that makes me feel amazing, it's what I dreamed of and so much more, and most importantly it's the one I will wear when I marry the love of my life.

exposed and nervous with a touch of excitement

Some of you may be wondering, "I thought you didn't want to tell anyone about this?" and yes, this was my thinking till about 2 pm this afternoon, untill I came home and started preparing for my first real interview.

I've been on interviews before, but this is different. My 1st ever interview was for a grocery store where most everyone interviewing around me were wearing jeans and looked relaxed {I of course, was in a skirt and shaking like a leaf in the wind}. My second interview consisted of kicking back on the flood, of the day care where I currently work, talking to my future manager as if we were friends already.

I've had a few others since then, but this is my first real interview, for my first real full-time, 40 hour a week, structured, 3 weeks of vacation per year, job. To say that I have a few butterflies is an understatement, because did I mention this position is in the department and place that I have been hoping for: Pediatrics department in the Marshfield clinic, in Eau Claire.

I originally thought I'd keep it to myself and avoid disappointment, but what is this blog for anyway? Is it always going to be about the happy aspects of life? Is it always going to be about the things that are 100% certain in life? No, this is not a blog through rose covered glasses, this is the real me, exposed and nervous with a touch of excitement. I'm not expecting to get this amazing job right out of the gate, but it's a great opportunity to be able to even interview for what I am aiming for in my new career.

So at 4:25 tomorrow I will be walking down that long hallway. That long hallway I take every day, but instead of taking a right at the department where I'm interning I will continue on {in this outfit} to my interview.

I just hope I don't trip in my heels {I've been known to do that from time to time}.

30 day blogging venture: Day 9

Day 9: a photo of the item you last purchased
So I thought I would take this opportunity to do a little double feature. Last week I went shopping with a friend and also went to the cities over the weekend. In the cities we happened to take a little trip to the Mall of America, and while that place can get a little crazy at times, we kept it to a few hours which helps. So here's my opportunity to share what I got, while doing the blogging venture of the day at the same time.

I have been trying to restrict myself from buying things, but it has been ages since I went shopping, plus here's the bonus: everything I bought was on sale for under $12 each.

{1} canvas tote bag with lime green handles from American Eagle
{2} yellow strapless dress with white embroidered flowers from Forever 21
{3} gold pearl ring from Charlotte Russe
{4} long gold necklace with pearls, pink beads, and sparkles from Charlotte Russe
{5} dark blue scarf with white flowers and white fringe from American Eagle
{6} peachy flowered scarf from H&M

colors of spring

So ladies, with the new spring weather comes a new outfit, don't you think??

While my wallet didn't like the weight lifted from it, my closet welcomed a few new spring pieces and I justified it by getting pieces on sale. The first stop I made was to the store Vanity and there I picked up this adorable Rosette Pearl Trim Tank-Top and a few lace cinch tube-tops {perfect for fitting under shirts where you don't want those pesky straps showing}. I also picked up a new pair of sunglasses, and some other spring accessories.
There are a few pieces I have been looking for and hope to find with all the new spring lines out. For one, I am on the lookout for some brown springy ballet flats, something like the styles below. I have searched through a few stores, but haven't found the perfect ones yet. Have any suggestions?

And I'm always on the lookout for casual spring dresses. This season I can't seem get enough of the amazing coral, turquoise, and yellow colors. Whether it's accessories, make-up or pretty little dresses, I have been drawn to those refreshing colors. These dresses are from the lovely ModCloth website.

spring shopping

Just because it may be snowing here, doesn't mean we can't dream of spring weather! I went on a little spring shopping trip and picked up a few hair accessories. Among them were my 2 new spring headbands. I just couldn't resist!

Have you done any spring shopping?

spring cleaning

It may sound crazy but I love to clean. With a little inspiration, a goal in mind, some good music or in the case of today my favorite TV show {if you guessed Gilmore Girls you would be right} I can pretty much move mountains. Well that may be exaggerated a little, but my upstairs certainly looks different. My closets are filled with vibrant colors and happy to have their spring clothes from the big box of storage in the basement. With the spell of cleaning products still lingering and the sun still out for a few more hours, I loving my day of spring cleaning.

1st day of spring

The day has finally come, the first day of spring and I spent my day packing for my trip. Even if I would have had time to spend this day out doors I would have gotten soaked due the the down poor of rain that has left us a ll a little soggy. My departure day is getting closer and closer and I couldn't be more excited. Well, maybe if I didn't have finals still looming over my head, things might be a little more hopeful, but that will be over soon and paradise will be in my grasp.

Above is a picture of one of my infamous lists, if you know me at all you know that I am a planner. I am a list girl who loves to have things organized.

On trips like these I always seem to pack too many clothes, but I have planned out all my outfits on paper, so I hope that I have just the fight amount. It always seems to happen that you get there and there is just a few things you wished you would have packed, but I am all about going with the flow when I am on a vacation were I can sit by the beach all day. I will make sure to take tons of pictures to bring back with me, and a little something for the winner of my vacation giveaway. If this is the last post before I leave I hope you all have a wonderful week and enjoy the first week of spring!!

latest items of my collection

lately there has been one sight that has occupied a little too much of my time. etsy. if you have never been there, stop. go visit it. you will never be the same. i know I wasn't. it's chalk full of amazing crafters selling their homemade projects online. there's just something about buying items on etsy that makes you feel happy to be promoting their shops, and a little less guilty inside for spending money.

a few weeks ago {after much deliberation} i bought some amazing earrings from Made By Jewls........and a few days ago i bought one of my favorite purchases of all times. i have been waiting to post about these new purchases till my etta hat came in it's lovely package. and behold today it came. and let me tell you, pictures don't do it justice. my head could not be happier sporting it's adorable etta hat from Piper and Paisley. don't know if it's even this healthy to love a piece of clothing this much.

embracing it

fall is beginning to infiltrate our lives:
department stores are filling the windows, shelves, and racks with new fall outfits.
our nights are getting colder.
students are returning to their classrooms and back to the books.
halloween boutiques are starting to fill up, awaiting their avid shoppers.
apples are getting right for the picking.

today was a whirlwind of shopping/bridal shower/visiting with friends that I haven't see in quite a while {more on that latter}. a few hours before the shower consisted of a little trip to the 'great mall.' with the seasons changing, I figured it was time to do a little pre-fall shopping. while I may visited quite a few windows, I found what I was looking for in 2 of my favorite stores: GAP, H&M. Gap was where I made my first purchase and found this lovely vintage cardigan:
H&M was my second spender, and I found an assortment of layers to go along with my new cardigan. with emerald greens, vibrate blues and a variety of pre-existing scarfs I am ready to welcome fall in with open arms {just not quite yet, give us a few more weeks}. fall is going to be here soon, so why not enjoy it's upcoming arrival.

change is in the air

yesterday, a few new additions were added to my shower. it might seem a little silly to blog about such a minuet change {like hair color}, but change has seemed to be the theme of my life these days. change is happening all around me and I am all to exited to see where else the Lord takes me.

a lil' summer shoppin'

There is something about doing a little summer shopping that puts you in a better mood. Due to American Eagle's great deals, the store had it's shoppers spending way more time that we had anticipated in it's doors. With deals like {buy one top, get the 2nd half off} or {buy one pair of shorts and get the second pair half off} we couldn't refuse!

These are just a few snapshots of the tops I picked out. I wanted to share a picture of another quarter sleeve sweater that I purchased, but the golden yellow color that I got wasn't on the website, and it didn't do it justice in any other color!

new favorite flats

Strolling thought the rows and rows of shoes in Target on Sunday, I happened upon these adorable little flats. Seeing as I am on the tall side, I normally don't venture into heels too often for 2 reasons {1. I don't have the best balance and tend to trip often, heels not really helping and 2. I don't need to be any taller that I already am}. Sometimes when you aren't looking, a little treat will surprise you, on Sunday that came in the form of my new favorite shoes.

summer daydreams

So I'm not normally one to fantasize about the perfect dress for summer, wait who am I kidding? I totally am! As summer approaches, I can't help but daydream about the warmer months ahead. I recently stumbled upon this website and fell in love with some beautiful dresses! I can't wait to see all the fashionable summer dresses+flip-flops on the warm days of sunshine ahead.

The first few dresses are more casual, for those days at the beach, or for taking a lovely stroll around town:


For a night out on the town or a special occasion here are a few of my favorites:


All girls need a lil black dress, but these have a cute twist on your every day lil black dress: