This has never happened before.

My best friend Holli came up to visit for the night. We went to a White Elephant Christmas party with Christopher and his brother Bryan. Holli had never participate in a white elephant exchange before. I was happy to explain to her the rules. We ran to St. Vinnie's to find her a fabulous gift to bring, but they were closed. I realized I had a few things in my very own basement I could get rid of so... we shopped at my house instead.

Holli had a really hard decision to make. Should she choose the Palm Pilot (that doesn't turn on), a complete outfit (from the bags of clothes I keep meaning to drop off at Goodwill), or a light up witch in a pumpkin or holographic cat?? She went with the holographic cat. Good choice, right?! I went with a manicure kit I had received last year at a different exchange.

The party was a lot of fun. Christopher and I left with 'real' gifts. He got an automatic ball return (for golf practice) and I got a bottle of Captain. Holli went home with rubber zebra print gloves, a poncho, and.... um... other stuff too. :) Bryan went home with the lovely manicure set that I had provided. I bet he's excited to try it out.......or wrap it for the next party he goes to! Either way!

After the party, Holli and I exchanged gifts. I love what she got me... but the highlight of the night was that for the first time ever, we got each other the same thing! As soon as she saw the box wrapped up, she knew what that part of her present was. Andes mint cookies.

Holli - Is that box on top edible?

Me - No! (I hate ruining gifts. I'm a horrible liar. I always give them away when asked.)

Holli - Are you sure?

Me - Why? (See, I caved immediately)

Holli - I think I know what it is. I think I gave you one too.

Me - Is it... something you've never seen before this year and something you were excited to find?

Holli - Yes. Is it something that is made from something else that we both love?

We compared boxes and burst out laughing.

So, if you haven't tried these... you need to. You're welcome. :)

What I wore...

Sweater: Charlotte Russe

Shirt: Target

Belt: Forever 21

Jeans: Kohls

Socks: Target

Boots: Steve Madden

Snow day!!!!! & THIRTY

I got a call last night to let me know that school was cancelled today! Seriously, I don't know what's better than a snow day being called off the night before! I jumped around my apartment squealing, "No school tomorrow! Snow day!" Even Telula, my golden retriever, joined in on the fun. I don't think I'll ever grow up. :)

Christopher and I had a delightful weekend. We took Telula to the doggy park, started adding things to our wedding registry, addressed a lot of our Save the Dates, got takeout from one of our favorite restaurants, and celebrated Christopher's birthday. His birthday is actually tomorrow, but Gizzae (a Chicago reggae band) was in town so we went to see them. Christopher got a picture with the lead singer the last time they were in town in August. The guy remembered him and where the picture was taken. I had to tease Chris that he's probably the only male that asks for a picture with the band.... :)

 This is what we wore (this was my first official night without the 30x30... and what did I choose? A 30x30 dress. Ridiculous! The cardigan was brand new that day though!):

Dress: Forever 21

Cardigan: Kohls

Leggings: Kohls

Socks: Target

Boots: Steve Madden

Last, but not least - outfit #30. I'd like to create a recap, but that's postponed until I figure out how! :)

Dress: Forever 21

Cardigan: Target

Jeans: Kohls

Shoes: Target

Belt: Target

Just when I was complaining about the snow... TWENTY-SEVEN, TWENTY-EIGHT, & TWENTY-NINE

...the scariest thing happened to me. For starters, I don't live in the town that I work in. My commute is about 30 miles. That means when it's nice out, it takes me about 30 minutes to get there... but I live in the great north. So, like, 80% of the year (I exaggerate. 78% of the year) it takes me much longer.

I'm a cautious driver and I'd rather get there late than not get there at all. When it's bad, I'll go 35 mph and let all the crazies pass me. (nerd alert...) I've got audio books to keep me company! :) Today, I "risked" it and went 42 mph. I was in a really straight stretch at this point, and I have no idea what caused the next part to happen.

All of a sudden, I was headed towards the ditch across the street. Panicked, I turned my wheel a bit, and I was headed towards the ditch on the right side of the road. Somehow I began spinning wildly around (two full turns). When I stopped spinning, I was driving in the correct lane in the direction I had been traveling.... but my car was backwards! Oh. my. goodness. Scared. to. death. Thank God there was no car headed in the other lane because we would have hit head on. There was a truck behind me, but they were able to slow down so as not to hit me. My hands shook for a good hour after that, and all I could do was repeat a prayer of gratitude that I was perfectly fine.

So much for my lucky week! Wait, maybe this was lucky? Since there were no cars in the other lane? Okay. Thank you God.

I like these remixes with this dress, but I think the last one looks incredibly short. I could never wear it to school, and I doubt I'd ever wear it anywhere out of my house! I'd like it better with black leggings underneath.

 Dress: Forever 21

Cardigan: Target

Leggings: Kohls

Boots: Younkers

 Dress: Forever 21

Cardigan: Target

Skirt: Forever 21

Flats: Target

 Dress as skirt: Forever 21

Shirt: Forever 21

Tights: Walmart

Flats: Target

Headband: Handmade by me!

How to get out of school.... TWENTY-FIVE and TWENTY-SIX

Today marks the third day of snowstorms in which:

• my school wasn't cancelled
• my 30-minute drive to school became a 60-minute drive to school in a whiteout... and, last but not, least....
• I had mass amounts of jealousy directed at my teacher friend whose school has been cancelled all three days. I'll use my students' favorite saying, "It's not fair!" :)

Boo. It's true that teachers love snow days just as much as ("just as much" meaning 1,000x more than) the kids!

One of my kids figured out how we could get out of school for a good month (ha....). This was our conversation:
Kid: I hope our school burns down.
Me: What?!
Kid: If the school burns, we won't have to go to school for.... hmm... a month!
Me: A month? Then would our school be rebuilt?
Kid: Oh... well... maybe two months then. Yeah, two months!
(Never mind the fact that the kiddos would be transported to a different school.... oh dear. Kid was so serious too! I love how life is so black and white for children. No school building = no school!)

This pic was also taken last week before the snowstorm. I'm so behind on posts that I'm double posting today... Anyway, on Friday, I wore my bright pink tights (and I liked them...so there friends! Ha!):

Shirt: Gap

Dress: Target

Tights: Um...? Maybe JCPenney

Socks: Target

Boots: Younkers

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I wore this outfit. Per advice from Linz, I paired my dress with a cardigan (thanks!). She had actually suggested a blazer, but I didn't include any jackets in my 30 (total regret, by the way). I like how this turned out. Does it need a belt? I think it might be better with one. Next time!

Cardigan: Gap

Dress: Target

Tights: Walmart

Boots: Younkers

'cause I've got one hand in my pocket. TWENTY-FOUR

Reasons why my weekend - and Monday! - rocked:

• On Saturday, I tried on a dress I haven't worn for a few months. When I put my hand in the pocket, I found...... $20!! This never happens to me! Maybe a dollar, but never a twenty! I did a double fist pump and literally jumped in the air.
• I finished my current grad class. It was a TON of work, but totally worth it. And I got 100% in the class. I'm a good student, but that has never happened before.
• This morning I got a phone call from my old principal. He told me that somehow they messed up my paychecks (this was over three years ago, mind you) and they owed me money! Are you kidding me?! And he kept apologizing for the mixup, but I finally stopped him and asked if he had any idea how wonderful it was to receive a call like this. Score! I never thought that would be why he was calling.
• We got our STDs (ha! Save the Dates! I'll never be able to seriously call them STDs) in the mail today! They look perfect and we can't wait to send them out!
• And even though I already blogged about this, I can't leave it out... I had an awesome date night with my man... even though we didn't do anything "young or exciting."

*My only superstition is saying the word never. I just used it four times. Uh oh. I'll tell the story of why it's my only superstition another day... :)

If you've heard the weather forecast for the midwest (who am I kidding - the great northern midwest!), you would know that I totally took these pics last week when we didn't have snow. Now, we've got like a foot. Overnight. And school didn't get cancelled. Booooo. Anyway, I haven't worn this dress since Day 1 of the challenge. I like this way better with the cardigan, dark tights, and socks:

Dress: Gap

Cardigan: Target

Necklace: NY & Co.

Belt: Forever 21

Socks: Target

Tights: Walmart

Boots: Younkers

My friends think colored tights are lame. TWENTY-TWO & TWENTY-THREE

I went out to dinner with some lovely ladies last night. I only knew two of the ten when I got there, but I had a lot of fun getting to know the rest. Turns out, they were all teachers! It was a partial celebration for a friend's 29th birthday, but since she's "so old" she didn't want to make a big deal about it (What?! 29 is so young. 29 is the new 19, am I right?!).

Amidst the trading of teacher stories and laughing, one of the girls there (lightheartedly) pointed out a woman at the restaurant that was wearing bright pink tights. "What is she trying to prove?" she laughed. "What kind of statement is that?" The other girls agreed. Colored tights = horrendous.

Well, shoot. I love colored tights. I wear what I want. I like to think my style is a bit quirky... I don't know how to be stylish. I wear what looks cool to me. Sometimes I'm a bit hippie, sometimes I'm a bit preppy. I don't usually care what other people might think about my sometimes off-key outfits. But last night, I breathed a sigh of relief that I didn't have any of my crazy tights on. Thinking about it now, I'm a bit disappointed in myself. I didn't speak up to announce my love for all colorful leg apparel. And I bet I make sure not to wear crazy tights the next time we all get together. But maybe I will. Maybe I don't care if I'm a bit quirky and unstylish. :)

These are some outfits I put together to highlight two of my fabulous pairs of colored tights. The first outfit I totally copied Sydney (Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!):

But wait! I didn't include heels in my 30. Darnit! Take 'em off Ang!

 This outfit was made for heels... bummed out.

...but then the flats kind of grew on me. Guess they're okay! :)

Shirt: Gap

Skirt: The Limited

Tights: JCPenney

Shoes: Target

Necklace: Was my Mom's

I was inspired to create one more professional outfit with crazy tights. Again, I had to try them with heels (shhh, don't tell Kendi!):

 With my flats that were included in my 30:

Shirt: Target

Skirt: Limited

Tights: Kohls (Vera Wang)

Shoes: Target

Necklace: NY & Co

P.S. These might be my favorite outfits so far.

Whoa, TWENTY-ONE and invincible

I'm still behind in outfits, so this is what I wore a week ago. My grad class ends today, so I have a few assignments to finish up. Last night, Christopher and I went out to dinner with some of my coworkers. We went to a Cajun restaurant. We shared Baked Seafood Fondeuax (yep, not "fondue" spell check)...delicious. My (much older) coworkers teased us that we were probably headed out on the town or something equally "young and exciting." 

Yeah... about that. This is what we really did:

Christopher came over to my house to hang out. We updated our wedding website so it'll be all ready when our STDs (barf... Save the Dates!) go out. We were going to watch The Office that we had missed on Thursday, but it wasn't On Demand just yet, so we had What Would You Do going in the background (interesting show, by the way). Then Christopher fell asleep in my comfy chair and a few minutes later I zonked out on my couch. As for "young and exciting," I feel our evening sounds a bit old and (dare I say?) boring.

But it wasn't. It was so nice just to hang with my man. My grad class took up my life this semester. It's a huge relief that after today it will be done. I can't wait to just be able to make dinner together on school nights, hang out for awhile, and not have to rush back to get to work on assignments. I love school (teaching, as well as learning), but I love hanging with my fiance more. :) 

Shirt: Old Navy

Cardigan: Target

Jeans: Kohls

Boots: Younkers

Necklace: Gift

Earrings: Art on the Rocks festival

Black Friday & TWENTY (& a geography lesson)

I joined in on the Black Friday fun last week. I went shopping with Christopher's mom, his sister-in-law (my future SIL!), and her mom. Don't worry, I didn't buy myself a thing. I did get a lot of little parts of presents. Black Friday was relaxing and fun. What?! Yes, Black Friday shopping was slow and people were kind. That's because we were in the U.P.

Non Michigan natives, U.P. means the Upper Peninsula... of Michigan... Yeah, I'm originally from Wisconsin and most of my classmates didn't even know it existed either. From friends that aren't from Michigan, I've heard that the U.P. isn't even on a lot of maps. It's just morphed into part of Wisconsin. Heard of Mackinac Island? Mackinac bridge? The bridge connects the lower peninsula of Michigan with the upper peninsula. Contrary to popular belief, people that live here (we're called Yoopers.... U.P.ers, get it?) have indoor bathrooms, don't shoot everything we eat, and don't all live in the woods. I've gotten questioned about that, even by people who live in lower Michigan. Strange. I mean, I do have a pet raccoon, but other than that... kidding. I don't. But my dad does have a friend who does... seriously. But that's weird. Even for Yoopers.

Black Friday outfit:

Shirt: Forever 21 (totally a steal... $13! Not even on sale! It's like sweatshirt material too.. so comfy. Buy it! I mean, after the challenge.)

Jeans: Elle (Kohls)

Boots: Younkers

Necklace: Kohls

Earrings: Gift from my honey

Eavesdropping and NINETEEN

Today I overheard two students discussing why leaves change color and when they learned this information (do you know why? It's a huge misconception with many people - that and seasons. I admit - I didn't know until I had to teach it.).

Student 1: We learned it last year in fourth grade.

Student 2: Fourth grade was a long time ago.

Student 1: Yeah, but you should still remember.

Student 2: But I don't even remember when I was three!

(Because I bet she was three after she was in fourth grade.... perfect logic!)

Love my kids. And by 'my kids' I mean my students. They become mine when they walk through my classroom door. I always meant to write down/remember funny morsels of wisdom/words from my kids, but until this year I have failed miserably. I've been better about it this year and it's definitely brightening up the year so far. When I have kids of my own someday, they will have no chance of not being embarrassed by their Mom. At least with my students, I don't bring up the funny things they say (um, to them that is... usually.). Future kids of my own - watch out. I will remember and use your words to make people laugh. Maybe even in front of you. It's cool though - everyone will just think you're as cute as can be.

Outfit.... we'll call it nineteen. I still have a bunch saved from the weekend. I need to start double posting these babies:

Shirt: Gap

Skirt: Forever 21

Tights: Walmart

Boots: Younkers

STDs (it weirds me out too) and EIGHTEEN

Nine months into our engagement = nine months into wedding researching online. I'm not going to lie. Even after nine months, every time I see posts about DIY STDs, I'm a bit taken aback. If you didn't know (which I sure didn't before our engagement), STD = Save the Date. It's a horrible acronym.

In related (but non-horrible) news, I officially ordered our save the date postcards today. According to Martha, The Knot, and all the other wedding experts, we're a bit late on these since we're at 5 months (as of tomorrow!) and the save the dates should be sent at 6 months before the wedding. Oh well, I believe our guests will be tickled pink to receive this postcard and then the invitations only a few months later. Right? Right. :)

I have about four outfits I still need to post from over the weekend, but this is what I wore today. We'll call it eighteen, even though chronologically it's really about twenty-three. I won't tell if you don't. I've been eager to wear these flowery tights I bought a few months ago and had yet to open.

Shirt: Old Navy

Cardigan: Gap

Belt: Forever 21

Skirt: Target

Tights: Target

Shoes: Target

When I was SEVENTEEN

I love Sinatra. We will definitely be playing him at our wedding reception. Both during dinner AND during dancing. "When I Was Seventeen" in particular reminds me of Mr. Big. Remember when he sang it to Carrie? Love it.

I was out of town for Thanksgiving and didn't have internet so I shall be making up for it this week. I mostly wore 30 for 30 outfits, but I did have another sweatpants day. Thanksgiving and the weekend were wonderful. Christopher and I went to his mom's for the holiday. She had just gotten back from a trip to London the day before, so instead of turkey we dined on prime rib. Everything was (way too) delicious. Best of all - even better than all the yummy food - was the fact that Christopher and my Goddaughter was in town! We celebrated Ava's one year birthday (a few weeks early, but most of us won't be able to get downstate for her birthday on the actual day). She couldn't be any cuter or smarter. In five months, Ava's going to be our flower girl. We were asked to be her Godparents the day after we got engaged, so we totally wanted her to be in the wedding. Nobody was certain if she'd be ready to walk down the aisle at the time... but whoa! She is fast! She'll only be a year and four months for our wedding, but she could run down the aisle if she decided to. Love her!!! I don't know about Ava, but Christopher and I were sure ready to celebrate her birthday:

On to the clothes. I absolutely love this dress. I don't know what took me so long to wear it! I cut the tags off of it the morning (last Wednesday) I wore it. I didn't add much to it; just accessories. Next time, I might wear a skirt over it.

Dress: Forever 21

Tights: Old Navy

Boots: Younkers

Earrings: Charlotte Russe

Headband: Made it myself! :)

Sweet SIXTEEN

So. I cheated. Kind of. Only a bit. AndIdidn'tmeanto! I swear! I don't think it counts. Really.

I had this outfit picked out last night. I knew it was going to snow, so I picked out thick tights, my favorite boots, and a snuggly turtleneck. The only problem with this advance planning is that I did not (physically) lay out the outfit when I (mentally) chose it. When I snoozed through an extra hour of sleep, I wasn't worried about being rushed - I had my outfit picked out!

And then I finally got out of bed and realized my turtleneck is in the washing machine, waiting to be dried. Shoot. So, uh, I compensated. This maroon turtleneck is the same exact as the gray one (except for that whole color thing... insignificant detail, promise!). Plus, I think the outfit would have been better with the original color. So that's not cheating. Pretend this shirt is gray. In fact, it IS gray. Maroon what?!  You crazy! :o)

Turtleneck: Target

Skirt: Forever 21

Tights: Walmart

Boots: Younkers

Necklace: Homemade :)

Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen...1 Top 3 Ways

I met my best friend in college. We were sophomores. We've basically been inseparable since the first night we hung out and HJ and I watched The Butterfly Effect in my dorm room. In typical best friend style, we have a billion and one memories in the decade (oops, six years - how did we collect so many memories in that short of time?) or so that we've been friends. The one thing we hadn't done together... and that HJ would get on my case about... was bowl.

I don't like bowling.

I've never been a fan of bowling. I mean, it's okay... I always have fun with the people I go with, laughing and hanging out. But as far as the actual game of rolling a ball down a lane? It's just not my favorite.

HJ understood that I didn't like the game, so she dropped it... but then I bowled a few times with Christopher. We'd just started dating, and it was hard to turn down a cute boy's request to hang out. And then last year, Christopher's coworkers formed a bowling league. I got thrown into the mix by default. HJ has been teasing me without mercy about my supposed hate of the game, yet membership in a league.

Well, this weekend will go down in the books as the first time HJ and I bowled together. Christopher and his brother invited us. We accepted. You're welcome, best friend.

Trying to decide what to wear, I came up with a few new mixes:

Mix 1:

Mix 2:

Mix 3: