"So look in the mirror and remind yourself to be happy, because you deserve to be. Believe that.
And believe that dreams come true everyday. Because they do." -One Tree Hill season 7 season finale

Autumn

It is finally here.

I had to turn the heater on in my car.

It rained.

I'm wearing a sweater!

The colors are changing.

The pumpkin bread has been made - twice already.

Caramel apples and popcorn are on their way.

Sweats and scarfs every morning.

Hot chocolate and cider for breakfast.

Cozy cuddling with a big blanket.

Loved ones all around. 

Playing card games by the fire. 

Wearing boots and tights.

= Happiness. 

Finally a sweater!

Sweater Cardigan: Gap; Shirt: Anthropologie; Pants: J.Crew; Shoes: Farylrobin; Watch: Michael Kors; Earrings: Francesca's

I chose this outfit first because I wanted to wear this sweater (it is definitely a Fall only sweater because the arms are too big to wear a coat over for when it gets really cold) and second because this mint green shirt was one of my most favorite purchases this year and since the sleeves are bigger they work with this sweater but not much else and I feel like I won't be able to wear it until it gets warm again.

All my lovelies had Girls Night last Friday, how we all managed to get together on the same night was a happy miracle! 

We had french toast (our classic favorite) and pumpkin bread (that we made into french toast - legit I know). It was all delicious and perfect. We then ended the night with The Lucky One. So good!!!! It was my second time seeing it and I loved it just as much this time around.

I have the best, best friends ever! My two FIT-ers (Emily and Katie) and my lifelong bestie (Talyn).

Time for comfy craft time! I FINALLY got my sewing room all situated for the big projects coming up!!! I have Taylor's sweatshirt to keep me company, nice soft slippers, the softest gap body pants EVER, One Tree Hill (netflix), organization, a new patterning table, and I'm all set.

Wedding dress

Bridesmaid's skirts

Wedding decorations

Cutting Fashion BYU Fashion Show Line

and more!

Details to come. This Fall is going to be a busy one! I'm already so overwhelmed and stressed just thinking about it all. But I am excited! Good things are happening.

Dressy + Teal + Navy + Gold

Two work outfits - and I guess there was a subconscious theme this week.

-Dressy skirts (I guess I'm trying to get them in before it gets cold)

-Navy and Teal (they are my current favorites)

-Gold Shoes (yes, I have two pairs of metallic gold shoes)

Wednesday

shirt: Banana Republic; cardigan: Target (I bought it in 3 colors years ago), skirt: J.Crew; shoes: J.Crew, earrings: Nordstrom; bracelet: J.Crew, watch: Michael Kors via Nordstrom

This outfit came together because I'm trying to pick pieces I haven't worn in a while. I love this blouse and realized it has been too long since I wore it. This is one of my favorite skirts so naturally it was a good choice. AND navy seems to be my neutral these days. Since there was detail on the neckline I decided to stick with a bracelet and statement earrings.

Friday

sweater: J.Crew (I love the idea of this sweater but it is impossible to wear...hardly anything works with the colors and design), skirt: Anthropologie (borrowed from sister), shoes: J.Crew; earrings: J.Crew; watch: Michael Kors; necklaces: NYC street fair and gifted

I decided to throw on two necklaces today. I put the pearl one on and felt to matchy with my white skirt and my gold watch stuck out so much. SO I added the diamond/gold one to soften the white and compliment my watch more. Adding the other necklace helped in the decision to wear my gold heels.

Pilates Workout

Here are a few of my favorite Pilates moves (that I remembered to write down after class). I love my teacher, Shar, come take her class at The Academy. I take her class at Riverside County Club but you have to go with a member or be a member to take class. I've only been a couple times to The Academy and it is AWESOME!

CARDIO

30 sec jumping jacks

30 sec burpees (in step 4 you actually jump off the floor)

30 sec mountain climbers

alternate legs back and forth

30 sec high knees

Repeat 3 times for a total of 6 minutes of death

HAMSTRINGS

Place foot on medicine ball (I didn't have one at home)

16x right leg up, lift up and down with hips

16x keep hips us and with right leg lift up and down, point and flex

switch legs and repeat both sets with left leg up

Go back to right leg lifted up in the air and hold (left foot still on medicine ball)

1 set: 45 sec

2 set: 45 sec

3 set: 45 sec

4 set: 1 minute and 30 sec

(rest between each set for 10-15 sec, can rest longer before set 4)

Then switch to your left leg and repeat

ABS/BACK

Crunches 16x each position

Right leg crossed over left, both legs straight

Right leg bent and crossed over left leg, left leg straight, bring up right knee in crunch

Keep right knee up and grab behind the knee with hands, keep same position in crunch

Sit on bum with both knees up and elbows supporting your weight on the floor, connect elbows in front and release back to the floor

Repeat all for exercises with left leg

16x butterfly crunches, only lifting chest

16x butterfly crunches, only lifting legs

16x butterfly, lifting both chest and legs

16 x lay on stomach - lift chest and legs off and scissor legs

16x lay on stomach - arch back to reach feet and back down

 
GLUTES

16x fire hydrant (with weight 2-3 lbs) - 3 sets

16x keep knee parallel and lift up - 2 sets

Clothing from Jo&Jax

Romney vs. Obama

Taylor sent me this email today:

"I found this brief summary of Mitt Romney's plan for the economy and job creation. Romney's site (under the "issues" section) is very nicely done. It lays out every single issue and exactly where Mitt Romney stands. I tried to find the same resources from Obama's website, but was unable to do so. Obama has an "issues" section, but all it does is simply show Obama's accomplishments and Romney's failures for each topic, not Obama's plan moving forward. I would like to see a detailed write up of Obama's plans for each major issue, just like Romney has on his website. Many would argue, "You can't find it on Obama's website because he doesn't have a plan!" But, I will allow you all to make that determination for yourself. Below are the links to Romney's and Obama's issue page on their websites:"

Romney: http://www.mittromney.com/issues

Obama: http://www.barackobama.com/economy?source=primary-nav

Interesting...

guess what?!!

TAYLOR IS COMING TO VISIT ME IN...

TWENTY DAYS!

I couldn't be more excited. I get 4 days to spend with my sweetheart. I was getting sad that I was missing out on all the fall activities (changing leaves, bike rides, walks, hot cocoa, baking treats, apple cider, drives up the canyon, etc.) with Taylor...and now we get to do some of them! 

October 10th can't come soon enough!

spiritual thought

I finally am on a good spiritual reading routine. 15 minutes in the scriptures, 15 minutes reading the Eternal Marriage student manual. So I will probably start posting a few spiritual thoughts again.

Today in EM (Eternal Marriage) the topic was abuse.

"God can heal us, if we will submit to him." -Elder Neal A. Maxwell

The rest are from a talk given by Elder Richard G. Scott, Healing the Tragic Scars of Abuse.

"Your attitude can control the change for good in your life."

"Recognize that you are a beloved child of your Heavenly Father. He loves you perfectly and can help you as no earthly parent, spouse, or devoted friend can...He is the consummate healer."

"If you feel there is only a thin thread of hope, believe me, it is not a thread. It can be the unbreakable connecting link to the Lord which puts a life preserver around you."

Homecoming

My little sister's first dance and date!

She is absolutely stunning!!!

Her dress is from Sundance, her earrings are from Soel, my mom added the sleeves,I did her hair and makeup, and she is beautiful.

Her date Quince

Olive + Teal

Another work outfit.

This shirt I LOVE, it is so comfy and easy to wear, I think I even might splurge and buy it in alabaster because I've been searching for a white button-up but always think they look too manly. This one is girly and wonderful (except for the dry-clean only part). I also love these pants, they are comfy yet dressy enough (I have them in 4 colors) and they match my ring. I also love using olive as a neutral. And I guess I could say I love the shoes too, they are Michael Kors and are actually super comfortable as well.

Shirt: J.Crew, Pants: J.Crew, Necklace: Anthropologie, Bracelets: J.Crew and gifted, Earrings: J.Crew, Watch: Michael Kors, Rings: gifted

Hadley's 1st Birthday

Taylor's niece turned ONE!

So naturally, we had a party.

Debbie put together this lovely treat table! So cute!

Hadley and Brooke

My  mom and I made Hadley her adorable birthday crown

LOVE this! yummy, messy cake

Hadley's sweet uncle Taylor put together her toys for her so she could start playing right away.

 She had her first bite of cake and got so many toys!!!

Healthy Breakfast + Outfit

I know this blog is a mix of fashion, personal life, fitness, food, etc. 

So today I will share a great healthy breakfast and what I wore to work today.

Roasted 7-Grain Cream of the West Hot Cereal  

Ingredients: Hard red spring wheat, oats, barley, rye, triticale, soft white wheat, spelt, and extra wheat bran. No salt, sugar or preservatives.

with

Fresh peaches, blueberries, and agave nectar

And for the outfit: 

Somehow these two necklaces ended up on the same hook in my room and I knew I had to wear them together. I haven't worn this chambray for a while and once I tried a couple pants on, I decided it was a skirt day (new purchase - new favorite staple item, I've already worn it twice and I've had it for a week). I went with one of my favorite summer shoes since soon enough, it will be fall. 

(sorry for the strange shadows in the picture)

Shirt: J.Crew, Skirt: J.Crew, Necklaces: J.Crew/Anthropologie, Earrings: Francesca's, Watch: Timex, Shoes: Seychelles via Nordstrom

perfect day

Today is pretty picture-perfect (or at least if the rest of the day goes as planned, it should be.)

• It is my day off
• I woke up early (6:30) and headed to the temple
• The weather is FINALLY cooling down, it has been about 65 degrees and I love it (again that was at 9am so I am sure it will heat up during the day) SWEATERS and hot cocoa are on the way!!!
• I ate a yummy breakfast of; fried egg with honey whole wheat toast and a peach.
• I went to Pilates (p.s. I can't walk from Tuesday's class.. my thighs! and I don't think I will be able to walk any easier tomorrow but I LOVE WORKING OUT! I LOVE Pilates. I will post part of the workout we did in class today. It was killer and awesome! 
• I am working on wedding planning, sketching, cleaning, etc. today and this week so hopefully I can start sewing next week!!! I LOVE WEDDING PLANNING! 
• Girls afternoon with my lovelies, Talyn and Kiara which means DILL DIP. Yum. 
• I am doing a trial run of Bain's homecoming hair and makeup (it's her first dance this Saturday, and she is going with the boy she likes, I am SUPER excited for her!) 
• Skype time with Taylor! (best part of my day)
• Late girls night with my Cold Stone dance besties; (Jen (who recently announced she is pregnant!), Megan (who is also pregnant and due in December), and Kenzie (who is waiting for her missionary/dating/going to school/playing N64).

I love September.

(and not being in school)

(and having a day off of work)

black + black

It's been a while since an outfit post. Since I work pretty much everyday so I am usually dressing up, I will try to be better at taking pictures.

Today I put black with black. Sometimes it is hard to get this sleek look because different black pieces are slightly different shades and don't work well together. Well, I found the perfect shirt for black on black. This lace shirt from J.Crew has a couple different shades of black in it already due to it's different fabrics so the underlayer matched perfectly with my pixie pants (J.Crew) and the overlay of lace provided a subtle contrast. I kept my shoes simple and black as well - with a pop of snake skin on the heel (not pictured well). I chose to forgo fun statement jewelry and stick to my basics for a simple chic work look. My work bag also went nicely with my outfit. Sometimes simple and black is the way to go!

shirt: J.Crew, pants: J.Crew, shoes: Nordstrom, watch: Michael Kors, bag: Gap, earrings: Banana Republic

e-card

Emily posted this on my facebook.... 

IT IS SO ME! 

hahaha

My friends know me so well! 

Thanks Em.

Taylor and me

Happy 7 years of friendship and love to my best friend Taylor.

On September 10, 2005 Taylor "asked me out."

And if I'm being honest, this is how our relationship went...

SOPHOMORE YEAR 2005-2006

boyfriend

ex-boyfriend

jealousy/silent treatment

JUNIOR YEAR 2006-2007

friend

best friend

boyfriend

ex-boyfriend

jealousy/silent treatment

SENIOR YEAR 2007-2008

friend

best friend

boyfriend

ex-boyfriend

jealousy/silent treatment

FRESHMEN @ BYU 2008-2009

friend

best friend

boyfriend-ish

preparing for a mission

MISSION 2009-2011

best friend

BYU 2011

best friend

boyfriend

ex-boyfriend

boyfriend

BYU 2012

ex-boyfriend

boyfriend

unofficial fiance 

It's been a ride but we've grown and shaped each other and I wouldn't change any of the heartache and love for anything. We are perfect for each other today because of the past 7 years together. We never gave up on each other. We could never forget about one another - even if we tried to move on. We made it. It's amazing we met at 15 and somehow our lives and future together make so much sense. We have the same dreams and goals and connections and we are so lucky to have had so much history that we understand and can communicate with each other extremely well. We know each others weaknesses and strengths, we know each other more than we know ourselves. We truly complete each other and I am so grateful for the love that we share and for the happiness that surrounds us when we are together. I can't wait for the next 7 years and for the eternity to come after.

7 years from now we'll:

-Have graduated from BYU (Taylor in Finance, me in Marketing)

-Had 2 more internships (but we'll be together for them and not apart)

-Have lived in NYC while Taylor worked on Wall Street for two years as an investment banker and I worked (hopefully) for J.Crew or a wedding designer

-Be attending MBA school (the dream is at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania)

Big dreams ahead.