rocking the chop

for several years in my mid-twenties, i lived in a vicious cycle.  a never-ending loop that many of you probably know all too well.  a place where what's yours isn't really your own, and where someone else dictates what belongs to you.

that's right...i'm talking about wedding grow-out.

when your best friend gets engaged, sets a date, asks you stand beside her...and then you realized you're gonna have to rock an updo. so you start growing out your hair so you aren't the only girl with short locks up there on her big day.  the day comes, everyone looks lovely, and the next week you rush off to the salon to lose all that extra length.

and then another friend gets engaged.

cycle repeats.

then YOU get engaged.

cycle repeats.

and on and on, until you realize you're less than 2 months away from being 30, your last friend to get hitched was 2 1/2 years ago...and you're still just doing the "grow and then trim, grow and then trim".

and if you're me...this means it's time for a chop.  and not just the regular old, right above my shoulders long bob.  oh no, this meant the big time.

aka, a victoria's secret model.

because my body will never ever look like 20 year old karlie kloss'.  but my hair totally can.

and i LOVE her because she gave zero fucks that VS is known for their models with long locks, she chopped it all off, and SHE'S STILL AN ANGEL. and anyone who says this lady isn't banging with her short hair can shut their faces.

so i went in armed with pictures, a little bit of nerves because OMG I'M GETTING BANGS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A BAZILLION YEARS AND OMMMGGGGG....and i came out like this.

i am IN LOVE.  it looks so much better. it feels so much better.  it feels so ME.

except now i've gotta get myself a curling iron and practice making my hair wavy.  and hopefully not burn all my fingerprints off.

i can't believe i'm saying this, but...

you've GOT to go to walmart.

seriously, forget your fancy target trip, forget your spending spree at the mall (which i'm totes jealous of, by the way), forget the venti double shot frappucino you're running out to get.

drop it all.  hit the wally world.

because you see that mason jar full of sweet southern deliciousness?

that bitch is plastic.  and double-wall insulated. which means it keeps cold things cold for a LONG time. like my firefly and water with crushed ice that i sipped on while the hubs manned the grill and i read southern living.

AND IT HAS A HANDLE, and one of those fancy straws you can't pull out of the top.

and it's five dollars, and the most amazing thing to happy to my pre-summer festivities.

also, if you end up like me and your store doesn't HAVE any of the handled kind with pink lids...you can swap the pink lid from a non-handled one and no one at walmart will be the wiser. cuz it's walmart.

also, no judging me if i end up being another one...or 2. or 5.  they will be PERFECT for the pool!!

trust me when i say...you NEED these. stat.

ever since i graduated college and got my first "big girl" job...i've been a shoe girl.  heels, pumps, wedges...you name it, i rocked it.

and then i stopped working.  and thus, my go-to black nine wests got replaced with a kicky pair of sperrys and some sweet sandals for the summertime.

up until last week, my favorite sandals were actually 2 pairs of the same shoe, one black and one pewter. they're from target 2 summers ago, and i have worn the HECK OUT OF THEM. they're comfy, they don't accentuate my freakishly long toes, they look classier than rubber old navy flip flops...they're basically the bomb.

except now, they've been downgraded to second-favorite child status.

let me introduce you to the new love of my life.

i cannot get enough of these new sam and libby shoes.

yes, the same sam and libby who made those ballet flats with the GIANT bow on the front that you coveted in elementary school but never owned.  oh, that was just me?

and yes, if the style looks familiar...it's because you can get the same shoe in real leather for about 4 times the price, courtesy of one SAM edelman....whose wife's name is libby.

did i blow your shoe-loving mind yet?

you literally CANNOT beat these sandals for $25.  the footbed is nice and padded to they are A DREAM to walk in all day.  i'm already planning on snagging the leopard version very soon, and MAYBE the pair with coral straps and snake print.

because if i'm gonna be suffering through sweltering temps for the next 4-5 months...at least my feet can be so freaking cute.

run to target ladies....RUN I SAY!!

smelling roses is for losers

so i've spent the last couple afternoons running errands, doing a little present crafting, and celebrating the mid-week birthday of a great friend.

then add in some great temps and some primo steaks for the hubs to throw on the grill, and basically i've been soaking up the springtime.

and NOT blogging, obviously.

but  sometimes, i just HAVE to share a little snippet of my day, when it's as gorgeous as this.

the first giant magnolia bloom of the season, right in my backyard.

i really do adore being southern.  if the scent of your sunny afternoons aren't a heady mix of these big blooms and the sweet smell of honeysuckle...i'm real sorry.

you know it's bad when you can't even google

if we're gonna talk about things i'm afraid of...i'm gonna have to come clean.

THESE IS LITERALLY THE ONLY EELS THAT DON'T SCARE THE BEJEEZUS OUT OF ME.

when i tell people i'm scared of eels, they're always all "oh, it's because of seeing the little mermaid when you were little, isn't it?"

actually, NO.  flotsam and jetsam are the only 2 of their kind that don't send me into straight heart palpitations and panic attacks.

EELS ARE EVIL AND HAVE NO SOULS IN THEIR EYES AND I HATE THEM ALL AND HOPE THEY DIE.

so yeah...that's the main REAL thing i'm afraid of.

but that's because most of my major fears aren't something you can just avoid at the aquarium.

things like being worried that i won't ever find anything i'm better at than producing news...even though i left it, and hated it.  i was damn good at it, and walking away has always left me with questions.

or, wondering if i'm going to be a good mom...no, i'm NOT pregnant, but motherhood has been on my mind since i was young.  it's the only thing i've ever known with my whole heart i wanted to BE when i grew up.  i look at my friends with their babies and i think "keeping them alive and relatively happy i'm pretty sure i can handle".  but then i start to think about all the things you need to teach kids, about being good kids and good citizens and just generally good human beings...and it's SO overwhelming.  and failing at that is WAY worse than failing at getting a kickass show on the air or writing a great script.

does anyone else worry about these things? or i just an eel-hating lunatic?

shine bright like a diamond

i know, i know...i totally didn't blog this weekend. BUT i have an awesome excuse involving my dad's birthday, some baby snuggles and then an epic quest for an ancient plumbing part.

so let's get on this thang, shall we?

i'm also totally skipping today's topic, "If you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer the question, 'what do you do'?"....cuz my job is being a trophy wife. and i freaking LOVE that answer.

anyhoo, how's about i do a little backtracking, cuz i have some MAD love to spread.

one of my VERY favorite things about this blogging biznass is the other kickass ladies who participate.  i love reading your stories, i love feeling like i know your lives, heck i adore peeking into your instagram feeds and seeing i'm not the only one taking superfluous dog photos.

and sometimes, those blog (and various other internet outlets) friends become more.  they become the people you lean on, the people you cheer for, the people who you can't wait to share joy with, the people you are just so damn proud to know you could just burst at the seams.

that's how i feel about my beloved ashley.  as evidenced by how hard i'm squishing her at my wedding.

she blogs over at How She Sparkles, and let me tell you, she does NOTHING if not sparkle.  she's so freaking creative i could just die...i mean, have you SEEN this party she helped style?? SO. FREAKING. AMAZING.

she's also made some amazing wedding installations, and one of the cutest kids i've ever seen in my whole life.

oh yeah, and she's also finishing law school TODAY!!  i remember when she started this crazy ride of working and creating and getting her legal learn on...and now she's finished.  i'm so amazed by her, i don't even know what to say!

so stop by and say hello to my boo...i keep hoping her fabulousness will rub off on me!

out of my comfort zone, into the air

what does it say about me when it's MUCH easier for me to figure out what makes me uncomfortable than what i'm good at??

oh blog every day in may...you're already working my brain muscles and we're only on day 3.

one thing i have learned about myself over the years is that i am VERY much a creature of habit. i like things a certain way (usually MY way, as evidenced by my tendency toward control freak)...and i'm just fine with that. 

BUT i also know i need to shake it up every now and again, or risk becoming the most dreaded of things....BORING.

so, back in february, one of my bestest of best friends was visiting another best-of-besties in FL, all the way from the left coast.  said trip was planned when the hubs' job sitch was still sorta...fluid, i guess, so i just wasn't sure about dropping the dough to go.

it was cool with the ladies, they totally understood, and we planned a skype date for their weekend visit so we could share a few glasses of wine via the world wide web.

well friday night comes and jet lag sets in and i get a text asking if we can postpone our date to saturday....and of course, i say that's fine. it's what bestest of best friends do.

and then....i get another text.

saying that if i want, there will be a plane ticket for me saturday morning to fly down and spend the next 2 days with my girls (and an adorable "nephew" who's just DYING for some snuggles).

CUE ME FREAKING THE EFF OUT.

because me and last-minute, literally fly by the seat of my pants plans?? NOT. SO. GREAT.

i start wigging out, because i hadn't PLANNED on going and it was like my brain started short-circuiting or something...how would i get to the airport? what about packing? what about my plans to watch the oscars with another friend?

and then i had to wise up, and give myself a little pep talk.

because you know what's monumentally stupid? NOT doing something just because you hadn't planned on it. 

so i texted back "let's do this".

and i wouldn't trade one SINGLE second of that trip.  it was amazing, and it honestly still makes me tear up a little inside that i have such amazing friends who are willing to put up with my crazy self and know that sometimes i need a push to get out of my comfort zone.