skirts & sweaters.

old navy embellished sweater   ·   mossimo ona flats

 j crew factory skirt & scarf {both via thredup*}

{ similar sweater / this season's skirt / similar scarf / exact flats }

i have always liked the look of skirts and long sleeves/sweaters and this week has had the perfect temperatures for those kinds of looks.  i kind of just threw this together so there wasn't as much thought put into it as i would have liked, but i also wasn't sure if i was ready to go with bare legs or not and didn't want to be late to work going back and forth in front of the mirror for too long.  no one where i work ever wears skirts or bare legs so when i do i feel i stand out more than i already do with the bright prints and colors that i already wear. i'm glad i went for it though!  thanks for visiting!

*join thredup through my referral link and you'll get $10 to spend; i receive $10 once you've made your first purchase!

weekend or work.

ruff hewn jacket {thrifted}

merona skirt & flats

j crew scarf {via thredup*}

{ similar jacket / similar skirt / similar scarf / similar flats }

when i go shopping i most often consider buying clothes to wear to work like skirts or dresses.  it's where i spend most my time and i dress different there than i do at home on the weekends.  however, i do like finding clothes i can wear both professionally and casually, like this jacket.  i'm not sure i would have ever thought an olive green casual jacket could be worn to work, but with the right accompanying pieces like a skirt and floral scarf it becomes elevated enough to work in a professioanl setting.  in fact, i wore a similar outfit back in january 2014!

so, recently an employee recognition award was presented to a staff person at our building who was seen by their peers as living out our organization's mission.  i selfishly thought, "hey, i wonder if anyone will nominate me."  i actually started thinking that i may be a suitable candidate to receive this award... only to find out that i wasn't even nominated!  none of my colleagues saw traits in me they wanted to recognize.  by the end of the week, i'd moved past it... because the joy that my residents bring me by uplifts me more than having my name engraved on a plaque.  it was hard for me to come to that place, though.  as a social worker, i rarely ever receive "thanks" for what i do.  half of my colleagues probably don't even understand what my role is.  but this whole situation got me thinking about recognition and appreciation and feeling valued and if anything, emphasized that i need to first begin showing this toward my coworkers if i ever think i am deserving of it for myself in the future.

phew, thanks for letting me share this!  this has been kind of a heavy week of thoughts but sometimes i just need to express how i'm feeling and use this platform like a journal.  what i'm wearing to work and what i experience at work and how it makes me feel is often all tied together so closely, so those thoughts come out here as i put together posts and reflect on what was taking place on a particular day!

*join thredup through my referral link and you'll get $10 to spend; i receive $10 once you've made your first purchase!

four things friday (places i've lived)

land's end canvas gingham {thrifted}

ruff hewn jacket {thrifted}

j crew paisley scarf {via thredup*}

old navy sweetheart boot-cut jeans

puma 76 runners

hi everybody!  happy friday!  aside from the fact that this gingham shirt clearly looks like it's missing a button at the bottom (it's not, i swear!  but there really should be another button there) - let's get on with another installment of four things friday.  i skipped last friday, which was about four books i have read and would recommend as you can check that out under my book reviews page.  but today's question is more interesting:  four places i have lived:

*atlanta, georgia:  my family moved to a suburb of atlanta, georgia when i was around four due to a job my dad had at the time that transferred our family down there from minnesota.  i lived there for over twenty years so it's really where i consider i grew up.  i lived in a very culturally-diverse area which i appreciated and impacted me in a positive way.  i also learned how to drive aggressively on six-lane atlanta highways but i never developed a southern accent (nope, the word "ya'll" has never escaped my lips)!

{bell tower on campus}

*greenville, south carolina:  i went to college in greenville for my freshman year.  most of what i remember about greenville relates to my college campus, which truly did feel like a little bubble dropped into the city of greenville.  i never really had a reason to leave campus or explore the city on my own, but i guess i don't feel too much regret over that.  what sticks out to me most about greenville is palmetto trees on everything!

*athens, georgia:  i finished up my last two years of college at the university of georgia in athens.  athens truly is a college town with football pride around every corner, but i had a great experience there and so miss football saturdays!  go dawgs!

{me in my favorite place in st paul}

*st paul, minnesota:  for the past seven years, i've lived in suburbs of st paul, minnesota, and i feel as though i've made the arc back to my home - now i just need to get my parents to move back up here!

get the look:  similar gingham / similar jacket / similar scarf / exact jeans / exact shoes

*join thredup through my referral link and we both get $10!