Spring Days/Daze

I couldn't decide if I should go the "spring days" route and talk about the days spring, or the "spring daze" route and talk about the daze of spring, so we're going to talk about both. 

Spring days: Man can we just all take a deep inhale and exhale and mediate on the amazingness of spring??? There's a popular quote that says "life starts over again in the fall", but I'd have to disagree and say it starts over in the spring. Obviously there's so much new life and bright flowers and trees budding and all that jazz. New fresh wave of thoughts and life changing decisions and long car rides with the windows rolled down and singing along to happy music. Wow I'm getting emotional and we need to move on to spring daze before I get so into this post that I can't finish it. 

Spring daze: Life picks up in the spring, but so does business. I'm constantly up to my ears in orders, and every year it gets harder and harder to find the balance between fun and work. (not that work isn't fun, but you know what I mean.) I find myself getting into a routine of making and re-making checklists and writing countless names on dozens of sticky notes and start to lose the wonder and peace I love so much about spring. 

If you're feeling cloudy and stressed then I highly suggest going and sitting outside for an hour the next time it's sunny and over 60. It's not wasting time. It's refreshing your soul. It's good, kids. 

(Do these two photos crack you up the way they were lined up? Same, same. I totally didn't realize I just made myself look ridiculously un-proportioned.)

*This has been reflection time with Han. Hope you've enjoyed. Have a fab week and keep being stellar.* 

Jacket: Kenneth Cole, Shirt: Loft, Jeans: CITIZENS of HUMANITY, Shoes: Goodwill (booyah)

End It

So you may notice a red X on my right hand and also that I have titled this post "End It". Surprisingly I'm not addressing the snow, but human trafficking. There are still 27 million people trapped in the sex trade and and other forms of slavery.27 million too many. Together we can put an end to it and raise awareness! Draw a red X on your hand, take a selfie showing your red X, and hashtag it #enditmovement. We can't sit back and wait for it to end itself. It's time to do something about it. 

(maybe staying home for a week is starting to get to me...)

I really love clothing or jewelry with a story. I think that may be why I wear so much second hand or vintage. I love dreaming about my 1950's gowns being twirled around at parties that took place almost 70 years ago. I love wondering what kind of girl owned my 1960's mod dress. Was she feisty or gentle or radical or a woman's rights activist or a mother? What I love even more is when you know the stories. I have dresses from the 70's hanging in my closet and I have the photos of my great aunt wearing them to parties and on cruise boats. But I think my favorite story is the girl who wore this necklace. Her name was Karin.I remember seeing her sit in front of us in church when I was little and never giving her much of a second thought. In fact... I didn't even remember her name when my parents mentioned her a few years ago. As I sat in my seat in a room jam packed with people tearing up and smiling at each other... I was sad I didn't remember this girl. People stood up and told the most amazing stories and memories about her. She got sick when she was 17 and fought her sickness for 10 years until it finally took her life. She never once complained about her problems but instead devoted her life to helping others and bringing glory to Christ. I'm so touched her parents (who are good friends of our family) decided to give me this necklace of hers, and every time I wear it I want to make Karin proud by how I live and treat others. She left the most amazing legacy and is one of my biggest inspirations in life, and I can only hope to impact the world like she did. 

(Not cute Han, Not cute.)

Coat: Tulle ; Shirt: Juicy Couture; Jeans: Loft; Boots: Nordstrom 

Dress (for) Yoself

Whenever I get dressed I still think about that time last year when THREE different guy friends in the same week said to me "I like girls who dress really simply". I remember looking down at my striped sweater and polka dot pants, laughing, and sarcastically replying, "well its a good thing I don't dress for guys!" Then in my head I repeated more seriously, "it is a good thing I don't dress for guys." Now I'm not talking about disregarding modesty and the whole "whatever to guys" movement, but more so that the way you should dress should reflect your personality and what makes YOU happy. For me I have a very colorful and bubbly personality so I never flinch at wearing several patterns or colors at one time. I have friends who are very laid back and prefer neutrals, and I have friends who are more classic and prefer black and white. But the point is... whatever style you prefer you should rock. Never EVER change your style (or personality) around what a guy or anyone else likes. 

*end sassy rant*

2fab2care

Wasn't that empowering? I agree! Glad we had that talk. 

Jacket: Kenneth Cole; Sweater: Banana Republic; Pants: Loft; Necklace: BCBG: Boots: Nordstrom 

Pink + Red

Because on Valentine's Day if you aren't wearing pink or red... it's a crime. 

{Amaris} 

No wonder that guy said she was gorgeous! Isn't she a total betty? 

Blazer: Zara, Shirt: Forever 21, Necklace: Kohl's; Earrings: Payless; Jeans: Loft, Shoes: Payless 

{Hannah} 

My outfit is the same as this post (At Last) except I switched shirts and wore a ruffled tank from J.Crew, and my hair didn't look as good. (Thank you wind.)

*kisses*

 Happy Tuesday!

Fries Before Guys

So here's the lowdown on how your girl Han spent Valentine's Day. Prepare yourself for LOTS of photos. I'll have a post tomorrow on our outfits and all those details. 

So basically Amaris (one of my bestest friends) and I decided we weren't going to sit around on Saturday and do nothing. She asked me to be her valentine (aww shucks) and of course I said "duh" and asked her back. We spend the day laughing our heads off and discussing life and avoiding creeps. (lots more on that later)

(in my natural habitat) 

First things first: Food.. and lots of it. 

We wrapped up our left over/greasy fries in that paper bag and munched on them throughout the rest of the day. You can call us classy. 

Then we headed to some thrift stores but sadly I don't have any photos of that. It was however the place for our first creepy encounter....

So while we were browsing through the racks Amaris noticed this older guy (facial hair type) who keep staring at her and smiling. I shrugged it off as nothing and went to go check out the shoes. A few minutes later she ran over to me and said that he walked past her and said "you are so gorgeous." and then walked away. I told her not to leave my side because this guy was starting to sound like bad news. About 10 minutes later he walked up to her again and introduced himself and gave her a folded up McDonald's receipt that said "Hey just moved here got a job and I don't know anyone. I'm 30. Call if you want *phone number*. -*name*"
I decided he was definitely a rapist or serial killer and I think it will take me a while before I get up the courage to go back to that goodwill. 

(Tbh I was more interested in checking his receipt and seeing what he ordered for lunch. In case you're curious it was two double cheeseburgers.)

We shook off that creepy encounter and went to get a cupcake down the road. We sat by the window and ranked couples on cuteness and compatibility. 

(I decided we were a 10 on the cuteness scale while all the other couples only got 6's)

Then we headed to Colonial Williamsburg and took photos, got winked at, bought each other roses, got blown kisses from a car full of guys (does Valentine's Day bring out the inner creep of every guy?), and almost got blown away by the wind. We also heard someone murmur "wow those jackets are bright." Oh I'm sorry we totally didn't notice. 

The cutest lil photographer 

Buying yourself flowers is the best because you can make sure they match the aesthetic of your instagram stream. 

We wore ring pops but couldn't get up the courage to get a fake proposal picture like we were dying to. Even the bravest people have their limits. 

\

Right on Victoria's Secret. Right on. 

I got heart (and monkey) shaped balloons and a stuffed fox that dances and says "you're so foxy" on it. It doesn't get much better than that. 

Matching dresses for the win! (Amaris bought that black dress. Isn't it classic!?!?)

We can do some damage in Loft. Oops.

A few black dresses were bought. No regrets. Just sales. 

So if you couldn't tell it was basically the best day ever. 

#baes5ever

How did you spend your day?

 

Galentine's Day

So the girls and I started this tradition last year of celebrating GALentine's Day the weekend before Valentine's Day. (Get it? It's Valentine's Day but with your gal friends. Genius.) Basically we color coordinate our outfits and take some pics (shoutout to Caleb for getting up just to take these) and then go and eat ourselves sick from pancakes (shoutout to cracker barrel) and do some shopping (shoutout to good will). 

Sounds like the perfect day to me. 

This may be weird but this sequin peplum top is one of my most worn shirts. No shame waltzing into Walmart in this. Bring on the stares. (The stares were actually probably from me walking through the door and my shirt flying up. And to think I thought they were just staring at my fabulousness...)  

And cheetah flats because I tell you all the time that cheetah is a neutral.  

Shirt: Boutique (online here); Sweater: J.Crew; Jeans: Loft; Shoes: Banana Republic 

Best friends 5evr 

Sisters b4 misters

Squad

Thanks for reading! Have a fabulous weekend! 

What are your plans for tomorrow? 

Substitute Mom

So... Mom and Rachel left for Chicago today which means a few things.

1. I'm basically off work for a week! (Mom happens to be my accountant/shipper/packager and Rachel is my photographer.)

2. Mom tried to go over a "meal plan" with me, but we both know we're having mac and cheese and cookies for every meal.

3. I let Ruth watch "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" while she was doing school this morning, so I'd say we're already off to a productive start! 

Luckily Dad works from home, so I'll have him to keep my on track. 

Funny story: This pretty shed is actually down a back alley and while we were taking these pics we had an audience of two mildly sketch guys watching from the dumpster. Maybe they were aspiring fashion designers/photographers and wanted a few tips? We'll never know because we didn't stick around to find out. 

 Jacket: Consignment; Shirt: Ralph Lauren; Jeans: Loft; Boots; Nordstrom; Purse: Sketch lady in China; Sunglasses: Loft