Picture Overload

Here I am playing catch up again. This has been one of the longest weeks I've had in a long time. We've had several meetings this week regarding our work in Costa Rica, and we've also been doing our regular work and a few extra things. Things have been quite hectic.

So let's start with Thursday, shall we?


All remixed
Tee: Target
Skirt: Gap
Flats: Target
Scarf: Turkey
Earrings Turkey

This is my last true BBCA look, and I mixed up my shades of pink for it.


I also wore this shirt backwards, so that the scoop neck became a scoop back - additional coverage up front where I need it is always a plus in my world. I was going to wear a belt with this, but then I just didn't. No real rhyme or reason, I just didn't do it.


I did, however, dance with Kiku.

Saturday we went to a party and B. and I dressed up for it.

All remixed except jeans and scarf
Shirt: Old Navy
Jeans: New York & Co.
Belt: thrifted
Boots: Nine West
Earrings: gift
Scarf: Target

I've been doing a lot of research on WWII for my NaNoWriMo project, and have been seeing this image over and over again.

source

I thought it was the perfect costume since I've got all the pieces. This is actually how I usually wear this scarf: over a pin curl set or over hair that's not quite dry. And I've gone out in public with it tied up like this. Why? Because I think it's adorable.


B. dressed as Agent Smith from The Matrix.

I also thought my friend Z.'s costume was just too cute:

She's a Tootsie Pop with a Baby Pop. Adorable, yes?

Now, on to today:

All remixed:
Cardigan: New York & Co.
Dress: Ann Taylor
Boots: Nine West
Earrings: Kohl's


I don't love it; I don't hate it. I think I liked it better before I saw the photos. Does that ever happen to y'all? You see the pics and then you're like, "Huh, I thought I looked better"?

Easy as 1-2-3

I'm going to go ahead and apologize in advance for being photo heavy today. I didn't feel like doing anything extra over the weekend, so I left the blogging for today....

Saturday:

Belt, bracelet, and flip flops remixed
Dress: some random shop in Istanbul's New District for a whopping 10 Turkish Lira
Belt: Target
Flip flops: Rainbow
Bracelet: gift from my uncle
Earrings: Spice Bazaar in Istanbul

I wore this on Saturday for a grocery run. I got this dress on our last night in Istanbul and paid 10 Lira for it, which is about $7 US. The store was all kinds of random and appeared to be selling factory seconds, which I'm totally okay with buying.


I decided to edge it out a little by doing some pattern mixing. Stripes and zebra? Sounds good to me....


Also, look at these lovely turquoise earrings. B. gave them to me as a gift while we were in Turkey because I told him I wanted some turquoise earrings in my life; he's a good man.

Sunday:

Sandals and tank remixed
Dress: Hecho a Mano, gift from my aunt
Tank: Target
Sandals: Chinese Laundry
Earrings: Turkey

This was me on Sunday, trying to wear one of my most summery dresses before it's officially fall and something clicks in my brain and makes me feel ridiculous about wearing "summery" things. I know, I should just wear it, but my brain says no. I'm weird that way....


B. wanted me to point out that it's completely different from the back. Anyway, I like this dress a lot, even though it's super loud. I got it from Hecho a Mano, a store that my aunt absolutely loves and that I love in theory. It sells all kinds of breezy, beachy, bohemian lovelies - the kinds of things I'd wear all the time...if I lived in a tropical paradise, which I don't. At least, not until January.


Their dresses are made in Puerto Rico, so I can feel good about helping the local economy when I shop there. And besides, look at the little beads on the ties of this dress. It's details like that that make me fall for a piece.

Monday:

All remixed except top and earrings
Jacket: Apt. 9 for Kohl's
Top: Another random store in Istanbul
Jeans: Elle for Kohl's
Flower flats: Target
Earrings: gift from a friend's trip to India
Bangles: Banana Republic

I went in to my part time job this morning to finish some mandatory testing before I actually start doing my job and then I had a meeting for ADE (my future employer in Costa Rica) so I wanted something that would work for both occassions.


Also, to be quite honest, I've been waiting a looooong time to wear an outfit like this. It's finally cool enough to dig out some jeans and a jacket. I felt like this was a great transitional look that was professional and still laid-back.


Also, look at the back of this top! From the front, it's a basic black tee with lacy sleeves, but from the back?! Look at that lace! I'm kind of in love with it, so in love that I may have purchased this shirt even though it's two sizes too big. It's a little loose, but I figure I can work with the flowiness (that IS a word, right?) just so I can have a lacy shirt. Oh, and it, too, was 10 Lira ($7).

Photo Dump aka Outfits # 19 -23

I have about a million outfits to post, y'all. I think this qualifies as a photo dump....

First up, Friday:

All remixed
Dress: New York & Co. via Ross
Sandals: Chinese Laundry
Hoops: gift

This was what I wore for our drive down to VA. I needed something that would keep me cool as we drove 3 1/2 hours without AC, so I kept it simple.


Which was just as well, because we ended up having car issues and it took us way over four hours to get down to my parents' house. Boo.

Saturday:

All remixed except bangle
Tee: Target
Skirt: Gap
Belt: Target
Sandals: Chinese Laundry
Earrings: Target
Necklace: gift
Bangle: gift from my uncle sixteen years ago

Y'all - I love this outfit. My mom made fun of my DIY job on the tee, but I didn't care because it's just so comfy.


I felt like the accessories really made this work. The necklace is so much fun, and that bangle is one of the first pieces I ever got from my uncle, and it is, quite possibly, the coolest. I've had it for sixteen years and I still think it's just gorgeous.

Sunday morning:

All remixed
Dress: J Crew
Bolero: Ann Taylor
Belt: Banana Republic
Wedges: Soixante Neuf thrifted
Earrings: gift
Bangles: Banana Republic

This was not my original plan for Sunday morning, but I think it worked out pretty well. My original plan was to wear my striped shirt with this dress, but the shirt was just too big to work that way, so I threw this bolero on. Not terribly creative, but it works.


I also love the leopard print belt peeking out under there.


I have to say it was pretty great for blasting AC and steamy outdoors. Plus, I just love brown and blue together.

Sunday afternoon:

All remixed:
Skirt: Target
Tank: Target
Belt: Target
Scarf: J Crew
Sandals: Chinese Laundry
Niece: Absolute cuteness decked out in head-to-toe Gymboree.

Y'all, I don't know where I'd be without Target. I mean, really. This outfit was so comfy for our trip back to Philly - this time with AC and no car problems. (Yay!)


That's the kind of cuteness that was going on on the drive home.

And, the last outfit for this post - Monday:


All remixed:
Dress: Target
Wedges: Nine West
Belt: Banana Republic
Earrings: Target
Bangle: gift

If you feel like you're experiencing deja vu, it's because this looks a whole lot like outfit #9. I'm going to go ahead and say it's a different outfit because of the belt.


I had a job interview for a part time position today, so I dressed up a bit. Perhaps this isn't quite as conservative as I could have gone for an interview, but A, it's a part time position, B, a friend of mine works there and told me it's really casual, and C, my interviewer was wearing jeans and moccasins. I figure this was dressed up enough.

And now for a totally random picture:

ATL recap

To cheer myself up after the Brazil/Netherlands game, I've decided it's time for an ATL photo dump:


My plane outfit consisted of my faithful Banana jeans and Banana blouse with turquoise sandals and a scarf for the freezing plane. It's an easy, plane-friendly summer outfit: comfortable, easily adaptable for heat or cold AC, and stylish. My mom gave me that necklace and the bracelets, and I love them. My bad posture is clearly something I need to work on.


Saturday morning, I met B's old teammates, St. and D., who later got married and had two adorable children (and have one on the way). It was good to hear some crazy stories about B's Mission Year experience from eye witnesses.

We did some driving around in the city:

This sign cracks me up....

Anyway, we went to a picnic that afternoon, then went to Community Grounds to watch the US/Ghana game, and after that, it was time for hanging out with my girls and going out to dinner. I wore something that would take me from day to evening with few changes, so I went with the denim dress: flip flops for day, wedges for night.


This is my Mission Year team attempting to recreate our first team photo. From front to back, S, me, J, BK, and M. We were just as cute in 2003 as we are in 2010. It was so good to see them all again.
B and I live in Philly, J and her husband live in Florida, M and her husband live in the Florida panhandle, BK lives in Atlanta, and S lives all the way out in Washington state, so it's hard to get together on a regular basis. Both BK and M were in my wedding back in December, so I'd seen them fairly recently, but I hadn't seen S since M's wedding in November of 2008 and none of us had seen J since her wedding in November or October of 2004. It's crazy how you can live with a group of people during a really intense period of your lives and get back together years and years later and still "know" each other. We might not be totally up on every little detail of our lives, but we kind of settled into something really comfortable and easy over the weekend, goofing around and hanging out like we used to.


Look! It's a proper outfit pic!
Denim dress: Ann Taylor (remixed)
Zebra print belt: Target (remixed)
Red wedges: Nine West (remixed)
Turquoise cuff: Chaps (remixed)
Silver flower earrings: gift from my mom
Red bracelet as hair tie: gift (remixed)
Flowered scarf: Liberty of London for Target - gift from M
S was an enthusiastic photographer; I have a ton of great pictures thanks to her.


Look at that sunset!


Y'all have no idea how I love that skyline. Oh, Atlanta, you'll always, always have a special place in my heart....


Monday, we stayed in B's old neighborhood, and his landlord and some old friends threw us a BBQ. BK came over to hang out. She and M are definitely two of my besties - I cannot tell you how much I love these girls. We all shared a room that year and would frequently stay up doing ridiculous things like talking with Minnesota accents late into the night. Good times. Also, how stinkin' gorgeous is BK?! She has tons of style and a shoe closet that made me squeal in absolute delight. I showed B and tried to convince him it was the kind of thing I needed in my life, but it wouldn't fit in our itty bitty Philly closets.


We took tons of pictures.


I met some folks that B was good friends with while he lived in the ATL and had good, good food and good conversation. The guy in the middle there, Brother L., is a grill master. A patient, patient cook and a man who really loves the Lord. The other guy, S. is a total sweetie, even if the picture doesn't convey that. He works at the airport now. And to think that he was in, like, 8th grade when B. first met him....

Overall, good times with good people.
Mission Year was an experience that changed my life and B's and all of our teammates' lives, too, actually. I'm really grateful for it and it's good to go back and see how things have changed in our old neighborhoods and to see how Mission Year continues to grow and impact lives.