relaxed.

jack blouse {thrifted}

old navy openfront cardigan & jeans

mossimo ona flats

 { similar blouse / exact cardigan / exact jeans / exact flats }

if i look exceptionally happy in these pictures it's because they were taken last friday when i left work at noon!  the past week and a half at work has been more busy than usual for me as i've been tasked with handling the admissions process at the nursing home where i work due to the other individuals who handle this responsibility being absent.  there are so many fine details one doesn't really realize need to be addressed when someone is at the hospital and preparing to discharge to a nursing home for rehabilitation--but i feel great knowing i am learning more skills in this department and that i've gotten good feedback from colleagues that i really keep my calm amidst the craziness.  i think that's the best compliment i could receive!

because i've put in so many extra hours lately, i only needed to work five hours on friday so that is all i worked!  i came home, ate my lunch on my deck with no threat of inhaling secondhand smoke from my neighbors as they were gone (this was the biggest joy of my day!).  then i went for a walk around the neighborhood and spent the rest of the day relaxing and reading--precisely what i needed.  

here's to hoping we all find some rest and relaxation this week!

whomp!

old navy blouse & cardigan

j crew skirt {via thredup*}

toms desert wedge booties

{ similar blouse / exact cardigan / similar skirt / exact wedges }

at least once a week i feel like i have one of those "whomp whomp" outfits where the idea in my brain wasn't fully conceptualized the same way in reality.  this is definitely one of those outfits!  i don't always like the way these wedge booties look with skirts but i keep trying for some reason.  i think the skirt needs to me a smidgen above my knees so my legs don't look so stumpy and there are three different shades of taupes going on that don't completely match.

instead of focusing on this whomp outfit, i wanted to congratulate my good friend marissa from the modern austen on her new blogging adventure called ampersand creative.  marissa is one of the most articulate, passionate, and driven gals i've met through blogging and i'm really excited about her new venture that focuses on helping bloggers like you and me and other young professionals identify and creative a fulfilling lifestyle.  the mission statement behind her new blog resonates with me so much and i know i will be learning so much from her!  congratulations, marissa!

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

embracing a neutral.

ab studio dress   ·  old navy open-front cardigan

fergalicious 'irene' heels   ·  target belt

{ similar dress / exact cardigan / similar heels / similar belt }

i purchased this cardigan in a recent old navy order because it will complete a look i want to put together for an upcoming trip.  i almost never purchase an entirely new outfit for an event (unless i need a dress to wear to a wedding but those events are rare), but even if i had this cardigan is already proving its place in my closet!

i went through a phase years ago where i got rid of my "neutral" cardigans because i didn't want to blend in with so many working women i interacted with who typically wore neutral colors like black head to toe.  i still feel like all-black outfits are a default i want to avoid but i am working gray and tan back into my closet and in doing so have realized that they definitely have a place there.  this cardigan is nice and lightweight and i love the openness that gives it a different look.  and i'm realizing how many items i have that this tan cardigan matches with like the top i wore a couple friday's ago and today's dress!

four things friday (four tv shows i watch)

agora blouse {via thredup*}

old navy open front cardigan

old navy sweetheart boot cut jeans

toms desert wedges in gunmetal metallic

{ similar blouse / exact cardigan / exact jeans / exact wedges }

you guys, today is my last round of these "four things friday" questions - they have been such fun posts to write!  i think i'm going to hunt around for more survey questions to build blog posts around just because they're such an interesting way to share information about myself and you guys seem to like reading them!  thank you to brynn for letting me pinch this friday Q&A idea from her, and valerie for originally finding these questions and posting them to her blog!  today i'm talking about four tv shows i watch:

the amazing race:  i freaking love this show!  my twin sister and i definitely dream about going on it together and it's fun to consider who would do what roadblock or detour challenge and the skills we would need to learn (driving a stick shift, dancing) or stunts we'd need to try (bungee jumping, rappelling) before going on the show.  i'd also need to get contacts and a prescription for ativan with all of the flying, haha.  i actually perused the website after the last season to see if there was information on applying, but i didn't see any information about that at all. it's a fun dream though!

the mindy project:  i love this comedy so much.  i love mindy's character, her relationships, her outfits - and the dialogue and scenes flow so well from week to week.  sometimes her character is a bit ditzy (this is the reason why i could never get into the new girl despite my love for zooey deschanel), but she always has love in the forefront of her actions.

the voice:  i became a voice fan two seasons ago and am still holding strong.  i have been concurrently watching american idol this season and it is so strikingly obvious which singing competition rises to the top. the voice certainly has better judges and better contestants (as an aside, i'm kind of appalled at how mediocre the singers are on american idol this week aside from maybe two girls [joey & jax] and one guys [clark]).  i just wish the judges on the voice offered more constructive criticism - or critique at all, they rarely do that - but aside from that, i really enjoy the show.

dontown abbey:  yep, i'm gonna go there - i'm still a huge fan of this show (and the show that aired before it on pbs this season, the great british baking show - that show was fantastic!).  i'm a little concerned about the longevity of the show as all of the main characters keep dying or moving away but hopefully the writers are going to keep it going.  i mean, we have to find out if crabby mary is ever  going to find another husband or not, right?

honorable mentions:  about a boy, marry me, a to z.  i have seen a handful of episodes from these shows this season and enjoyed them all (especially a to z) but unfortunately i cannot comment much more as i become a narcoleptic after i eat dinner and lay down on the couch and fall asleep in about two minutes and can never stay awake until these shows air at 8 or 8:30pm.  true story.  i have them all saved on my tv so maybe during the drought of tv shows in the summer i can finally catch up or just call it a loss since i hear a couple of them have sadly been cancelled...