The Dress

It's Monday, and I know you're already thinking about the weekend, so let me just tell you what you should be doing this Saturday...

I have seven, (7), sieben, sept, yes-- siete-- weddings this year (a personal record!)

A custom made dress from Linyage. Mind. Blown.

I am not married myself and so the whole process is a general mystery to me. The tidbits I get from my girlfriends are useful and I make notes for the "someday" that is the date I put a boulder on my finger.

However, in the meantime, I still don't retain the general knowledge the comes with wedding planning. Where did everyone get their to-do list? Does it come with the ring like when you have a baby and your doctor tells you all the general things you should know about birthing? Is there a pamphlet I threw away as junk mail???

In all of the joy that surrounds weddings, one thing fascinates me more than most-- the dress.

I have a Pinterest board like every other basic bitch about wedding things, but dresses encompass the bulk of it because they are so astonishing. How is it, that we don't wear them on the reg-reg? mmm.. cost/practicality/value in rarity aside, it's safe to say I think they're truly something to be treasured.

Until recently, this was all hypothetical because, as I've said, I'm not married and as a child of divorce, I always feared I'd have a Carrie Bradshaw meltdown if I ever tried one on, scarring me for life. But when the ladies of Linyage asked me to model some of their pieces for them I could not have been more honored.

I didn't know what to expect other than those big clips that make the dress look like it fits when you try on something that you haven't been measured for.

Wrong.

Having met the Lindsay, the co-founder and designer of Linyage, in-person only a handful of times before, and subconsciously refusing to send my measurements (because I've been off the wagon), I was astounded that I stepped into a dress that fit perfectly. Why don't all of my clothes fit like this???

I will admit, I was feeling hideous and bloaty that day, having come directly from drill and carrying the water weight that eating out/being on the road for 5 days does not allow most to feel their most glamorous. But despite all my best efforts to feel self-conscious, (and the help of the one-woman glam-squad, Flannery) I felt quite unabashedly, beautiful.

Was it the vintage lace? Was it the hand-sewn stitching or the delicate pearls that had me all kinds of smitten? I don't know. But I liked it. All of it.

I will get married some day, in a court house if I'm lucky, with my puppy (yes, the one I don't have yet) acting as my ring bearer, and maybe, just maybe, if I'm super spoiled, I'll be wearing a Linyage dress that makes me feel as beautiful as I did on that unlikely Sunday.

Linyage is having an official launch party this Saturday, May 2nd, and come hell or high water, I'll be there. I hope you come join in celebrating these local entrepreneurs, bundle up a bouquet and generally bask in their energy-- who knows maybe you'll even work with them on a dress someday (one can only hope!)

Info is here-- check it out & I hope to see you there!

xoxo

Earth Day Guilt

Hawaii. I mean seriously. This is our world. Stop being so gorgeous.

When I was in High School, I had this hideous yellow t-shirt that I used to wear only on Earth Day. It said something like, "Save the Trees" or something equally statement-y but it was the only tradition I kept despite my peers mocking my "hippie" ways.

I went to college in Duluth where there is a loud voice for activism and because hindsight is 20/20, I know I could have been a bigger participant in standing up for things I believed in. Instead, I went to parties, took a lot of naps and whined about finals, giving little thought to other things that mattered to me or the grand scheme of the universe.

Earth Day comes each year and I have a pang of guilt for all the days I opted for Netflix instead of going out and volunteering or planting trees. I get really bummed out that part of me didn't embrace the "hippie" persona and do it any justice for that era of my life. I chose to otherwise fawn over Abercrombie and Victoria's Secret like all the other boring girls of my generation. *Hey! What's going' on?*-- A&F Tagline du jour.

Today I think about where I was and shake my head with a silly grin because this kind of self-deprication is unfair to myself. I am who I am. I did what I did, and nothing is truer than true. Just kidding. I won't get all Dr. Seuss-y but the reality is I can't change the past.

If I had my way, I would win the lottery and I would want to dedicate a lot of my energy to a charity like celebrities do. I would push for a clean water initiative, plant a lot of trees, try to slow deforestation and try to support sustainable farming. But since I'm not a millionaire, those plans will have to wait. Those are both past and future thoughts, right now, I will do what I can with what I've got:

• I donate to a foundation that plants a tree in your name every year. It's not a lot, but it's something. 
• I try to discourage my friends from burning plastic, saving the Ozone layer from another battle against the disposable water bottle.
• I utilize re-usable bags whenever possible, and always carry my items from the store instead of taking a bag (That's why I have a big purse, and if I carried it to the register, why can't I also carry it from?).
• I DIY when it makes sense, and buy when it uses more materials (including gas for traveling from store-to-store to gather materials) to DIY than it would just to purchase. Eventually I'll buy the expensive T-shirts that use recycled materials, but for now that isn't in my budget and going broke with an up-cycled v-neck benefits nobody.

Earth Day shouldn't be a battle between you and your conscience, it's a friendly reminder to do what you can, with what you've got. 

Happy Earth Day, friends!

Sunshine

If you're wondering: I survived my workout class without incident. In fact, it was notably uneventful-- including the workout. wah-wahh. 

I'm not one of those people who naturally gets jazzed to workout. I need to be inspired and motivated and so I'll continue to hunt for the class that gets me on the wagon. I'm testing out another tonight so I'll let you know how it goes.

Last Thursday felt like Friday. It was 70+ degrees and I actually got some color while basking on our little balcony. I am brown, but there are variations and I'm currently in my freckle-stage. This means I'm light enough where you can see the contributions of my father's mixed European heritage triumphing over my Filipino roots-- this is rare but then again, it's still only spring in the Midwest.

Anyway, I set up a little blanket, grabbed a water and laid out. In my sports bra and on my felt blanket, it wasn't exactly optimal but I didn't care that I was sweating into the thick layers, I was literally basking in the light of life. What is it about sunshine that gets us out of bed and improves our mood? I think it has to be more than chemical.

That was a Thursday, so come Friday and Saturday the grey skies were a far-cry from uplifting. Instead of staying indoors and avoiding the outside, manfriend and I decided to go golfing. This is an anomaly because I'm strictly a fair-weather-outdoors person and it was a little cold without the UV shining extra bright.

We finished our round and I was amazed: 1) I played some of the best golf I've ever played. 2) I was actually in a decent mood despite the doom and gloom of the howling winds and neutral skies. I think it sounds obvious to say that we have to work harder on rainy/unfortunate weather days, but I think I'm going to make a serious effort to do get those endorphins pumping anyway or it could be a very long spring.

Aside from rainy day Netflix marathons and cat-naps, how do you spend your cloudy days?

On the Wagon

Image via

I see a lot of posts about doing something that scares you at least once a day. For me this usually means eating an egg with a runny yolk (Hey--You never know when bird flu will strike!). But today’s challenge is going to a new fitness studio.

I've been sulking about for a few weeks now, eating my emotions and promptly packing on the pounds that go with each bite. I'm at the age where working out isn't just a vanity thing, but a real necessity so that your health doesn't suffer.

I've been getting more sleep because of the latest 30 Day Challenge, but without the counterbalance of exercise, I've been sluggish and kind of in a fog. So I've been desperate to "get back on the wagon" as I call it, but I have let 3 weeks slip past me without once lacing up my sneakers. (I just wanted to say sneakers. Do I sound like a grandma yet?)

My yoga mat has been eyeballing me from the backseat of my car so eventually I just took it out. I don't need that heavy rubber judgement every time I go to get groceries! But internal paranoia aside, I want to get back to my mat. 

I miss peeling off sweat-soaked clothes, or staying in them and freezing and having to do my 3rd outfit change of the day while contemplating a shower at 9pm at night. Just kidding. Nobody loves those things, but I do miss the euphoria that comes after a workout. The sense of accomplishment that I fought-- and won-- the battle du jour.

I also look forward to the minute that I can tell the little voice in my head that chirps, "You should go workout today..." like a regular heartbeat to STFU. So while I dust of my trusty Lulu pants and play Missy Elliot on repeat to get myself pumped up, I suggest that you stop reading this and go do it too. 

Just kidding, don't stop reading. But if you're in the mood for some motivation, I can have my friend Natalie provide you a pep talk or, you could just watch this awesome Nike video that seriously does get me jazzed. 

Happy Hump Day friends!