Grad Student Chic

I told you this is what I would end up wearing my first day of school.

I think the soaking wet hair and lack of makeup really rounds out the ensemble.

If I were to kendi this outfit, (if you don't know what that made up verb is alluding to then check out Kendi Everyday, I love her), it would be J Crew and Target which is not too shabs, but it's still not a pretty picture.

All I can say is thank G that microphones are required for our class sessions, but video cameras aren't.

Back to School

I start school again on Monday.

I don't know why I'm doing this to myself.

Except, the economy sucks and I don't want to be answering other people's phones and fetching people water for the rest of my life.

So to grad school I go.

I'm not looking forward to it.

At least I have the comfort of knowing I'm going online and will be able to attend every class in my pajamas.

If I were having to venture back on a college campus though, this is what I'd want to wear for my first day.

Dress - Mod Cloth Peach Blossom Picnic Dress for $52.99. Looks comfy and still really cute and fitting enough to not look like a big sack like I tend to gravitate towards.

Shoes - Aldo Spiney Wedges for about $50.00 bucks look a little too tall for real life, but oh so cute.

Necklace - Blue is the Color of Your Energy necklace for $23.50 from this online boutique I just found called Vestique.  I think this necklace would match all manner of things and is super cute and reasonable.

Bag - Tory Burch Dena Messenger Bag.  Not sure price, but somewhere in the couple of hundreds so it's only a dream bag, not a possible one.  It just seemed very scholastic and trendy to me with the leather and cute buckle.

In reality, I'll be writing papers and chatting with my professor over the new damn microphone I was last minute required to buy for the class (GRR) while wearing black leggings and whatever oversize JCrew t-shirt is clean that day.

Maybe I'll buy that necklace and wear it with my leggings and t-shirt.  That'd be fancy right?

What to Wear

I'm having the hardest time finding an outfit to wear to a friend's wedding in October.  My problems are because of several reasons.  1)  I don't like spending over $20 on any item of clothing.  I'm used to being a poor college student and even though I'm married now, I still don't make very much  money and have a hard time considering my husband's money mine.  2)  I live in a town with no clothing stores.  Unless you count K-Mart and Wal-Mart.  And I do not.  Thankfully, the wedding isn't for another couple of months and I'm sure I can squeeze a trip to the motherland aka Banana Republic Outlet in before then so I should be fine.  If I could just buy my outfit now, damn the cost and damn my location, this is what it would be.

The dress is by Asos and I love it because it looks comfortable, but stylish.  I go for a flowy drape any day even though my husband hates it.  It's also only about $90 which is not bad, but I would never spend it on myself.

The shoes are by Rupert Sanderson and are about $795 so I will admire them from afar only.  I need to wear wedges or flats to this wedding because it's outdoors on grass and these are perfect because they're dressy, but still work for the setting.

The clutch was originally from Boutiques.com, but I don't see it for sale anymore.  It's simple, scrunchy, and I could use it with all manner of outfits.

The earrings are by an Etsy seller named nervoussystem and they are gorgeous and delicate and only $50.  I love wearing gold jewelry and these would look great with the gold accents on the dress.  The bangles are by Priya Kakkar and are just blingy enough to brighten up this navy and black outfit.

If anyone wants to buy this outfit for me, go right ahead...a girl can dream!

This Week

My boss told me I should be a hooker in China because there are millions more men than women there and I could "make a fortune."

He managed to say this without sounding creepy or sexual at all.  Just very matter-of-fact.

I have kendieverday so much on the brain that I now label all my outfits mentally with little arrows showing where I purchased them.

Today I am Gap, State Farm, Amazon, Premier.

I bet Kendi will never have a day that one of her labels will be State Farm.

Even though these tops are so well fitting and stylish.  HA.

I realized my nose runs when I do strenuous activities now.

Such as running.

And including sex.

So basically I'm awesome.

My husband attempted to help me find an outfit for an upcoming wedding we're going to.

He did this with an unintentional yet spot on e-mail impression of Tim Gunn.

This included the phrase, "That dress does absolutely nothing for me."

Back off ladies, that straight dude is mine.

I ran a mile without stopping for the first time this week.  Which is, at the same time, exciting and a little pathetic. 

I'm sticking with mostly exciting.

I woke up late every single day this week.

Which means I wore two very messy buns and two really messy ponytails and one really dirty hair day.

Sexy.

I realized that it's not a great idea to pour yourself a glass of wine at 10:00 at night, forget to drink it because you're obsessing over the layout of your blog, then chug it half an hour later right before you go to sleep.

Burp.

I also realized I'm horrible at blog layouts.  All the blogs I love are done by photographers and graphic designers who also happen to be skinny fashionistas who are also hilarious.

I am none of those things.

But my mom thinks I'm funny.

Hmph.

This is Us

This is Mike.

He doesn't mind when I take pictures of him while we're out to eat.

He photographs really well though.

Mostly because of his Native American cheekbones.

He loves beer.

And clothes.

Check out this little ensemble.

He has OCD, but the really handy kind where he cleans a lot.

He also eats more than any human being I know.

And did I mention those cheekbones?

I mean, check these suckers out.

I love him for how funny he is.

And smart.

And the fact that he's an amazing athlete.

But also really loves Wicked.

And pink bow ties.

This is me.

I take a lot of pictures of myself.

I don't photograph well.

Mostly because I'm super awkward and tend to pull faces.

I love reading and writing.

And clothes that I can't afford.

And reality tv.

And planning things.

I'm crazy, but in a mostly fun way.

I try to make the world around me funnier and happier.

Mike loves me because I force him to have fun.

I'm funny.

I talk enough for the both of us.

And I have really nice boobs.

This is us.

We bicker a lot.

About really stupid crap.

But we're honest with each other.

Sometimes to a fault.

We make each other better.

We agree on basically everything in life.

We love all the same things.

And hate all the same things.

Which is most things.

Cause we're kind of assholes.

We make each other laugh.

We are us.

And I love us.

I Need a Hobby

I'm fidgety.

And kind of bored.

I need a hobby.

I love to blog, but I don't really have anything to talk about besides myself and I am not that interesting.

I start grad school in ten days (EEK) so that will keep me miserable busy, but I feel like I should have something fun to go to as a break between papers and crying fits.

Mike has his car aka the other woman and his well...craziness.  So that keeps him entertained.

What should I do/write about?

Tina Fey

I love Tina Fey.

I love her because she's funnier than me.  And you.

I love her because she's insane.

I love her because she looks normal and still gets to make out with Greg Kinnear and Steve Carell and Jason Sudekis onscreen.

And now after finishing her book in one day, (because I'm hungover and moving hurts and it's hilarious), I love her even more.

The baby fever part of me loves her the most for this:

The Mother's Prayer for Its Daughter

First Lord:  No tattoos.  May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain he tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it's the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach's eye, not the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered,

May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half

And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her

When crossing the street, stepping onto the boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boas, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called "Hell Drop," "Tower of Torture," or "The Death Spiral Rock 'N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith," and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance.

Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes

And not have to wear high heels.

What would that be, Lord?  Architecture?  Midwifery?  Golf course design?  I'm asking You, because if I knew, I'd be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie with Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen.

Let her draw horses and  be interested in Barbies for much too long.

For Childhood is short - a Tiger Flower blooming magenta for one day -

And Adulthood is long and Dry-Humping in Cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever,

That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers

And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister,

Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends,

For I will not have that Shit.  I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord,

That I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.

"My mother did this for me once," she will realize as she cleans feces off he baby's neck.  "My mother did this for me."  And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me.  And she will forget.

But I'll know, because i peeped it with Your God Eyes.

Amen

Baby Fever

I admittedly have baby fever pretty bad right now.

Although it is mixed with some intense fear.

Here are some baby/maternity photos I just love and are partly responsible for my ever growing baby fever.

Get ready John, you're taking these photos for me!

Checklists

I love to make lists.

As you've witnessed on here plenty of times.

It helps me get my jumbley thoughts in order.

It makes me feel more in control of things.

So it should come as no surprise that when Mike and I decided our baby fever was going to stick and we should start planning for one, that I've been all about pre-baby lists.

We've done up a mental 6 month checklist.

So far on the list we've checked off one big To Do:  get a new car.

I love my Mitsubishi.  She's been places.  She's seen things.  She's been hit multiple times, she's driven across country twice, she's moved my entire life over and over.  Love her.  But she's not quite big enough for a baboo to fit in.  Especially a baboo with a combination of mine and Mike's gigantic melon heads.

Mike, being who he is, went into insane research mode to find the perfect car.  We wanted something that would be good for baboo, but wouldn't make Mike feel like I cut his balls off and shoved them in my purse. 

We were pretty set on a CUV until I test drove one and realized I'm way too short and not nearly confident enough of a driver to be powering that much metal.

Mike finally settled on a Hyundai Sonata and recently went out of town without me, (see...I'm not a total control freak!), and got us the perfect one at a great deal.

We've named her Sonny and I love her.  Even though I'm still pretty much too nervous to drive her, but I love being a passenger in her.

I might just enjoy the newness of her a little longer before I move onto the rest of the checklist.





Runspiration

In response to my whiny post about running hell from yesterday.  Here is some runspiration for you, me, and that annoying voice in my head telling me how awful I am at everything.

Running Hell

So running shouldn't be this hard right?

Like, it's hard at first.  Especially when you're out of shape like me.  But it's supposed to get easier right?

Like, normal people shouldn't have a hard time running a MILE without stopping.

But no, not me.  I am exhausted.  My legs feel like they're running through waist high mud.  I can't catch my breath.

I suck at this.

But my running outfits are cute.

After run smooch.  He looks ecstatic.

Rocking our $10 Walmart running glasses.

6:00am runs don't look good on me.

Mike's sweet morning 'do.