A Wedding Wardrobe Malfunction: Always Bring an Extra Dress!

Me in the dress, before it became a disaster

The dress was perfect. It survived the hour-long drive into St. Louis without falling off the hanger or getting wrinkled. My toenails were freshly painted to match the midnight purple of the dress. Unzipping the dress, before stepping into it, the zipper seemed to snag on (what I now understand as) a faulty tooth, but I persisted with a tug and stepped into the dress.

The soft silk and rich hues made me feel like I was preparing to step onto the red carpet- even though the dress was purchased final sale at a cool 75 dollars. My hair was set, my makeup was even red-carpet ready- and then something terrible happened.

As I pulled the zipper up, it became stuck on the same place as before. "I'll just tug it a bit harder," I thought as I performed the task, anticipating the zipper to properly catch on the teeth... but alas- it did not. Instead of properly catching track, the entire zipper and track became even more untracked. I was stuck. And then the zipper split. And I was still stuck. With less than 45 minutes to go until I had to be at the church.

I began to sweat and fret- undoubtedly a combination that exhausted the confidence, bounce, and height of my hair. No more bouncy curls- just beachy waves. Would I have to sew myself into the dress? I didn't bring and needles or thread- could I find a tailor to fix my dilemma within my dwindling timeline?

Panicked- I called Banana Republic, and described the situation I found myself in. The agreed to pull their most formal dresses in sizes 4 and 6 off of their sales floor for me to try on between the ceremony and the reception. Even though the dress was final sale, the agreed to take back the dress.

Miraculously,  I was able to yoga-move my way out of the dress (and I found out that my shoulder is perhaps double-jointed?) and change into a dress I brought for a graduation on Sunday. A much shorter dress, that I had worn many times- but a dress without a gaping hole on its side. Much better.

With friends from grad school in the replacement dress from White House | Black Market

The ceremony was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. The bride was one of my best friends from graduate school, the groom was a close friend from Bible study (I was the first to introduce them, during a visit to the church- our friend Jenny was the first to ignite the spark between the bride and groom), and the pastor was my pastor. It was a ceremony full of meaning- for everyone there! My stress I felt during dress malfunction seemed quite silly when I sat down in my seat and remembered the reason I was in the church that day.

Between the ceremony's end and the reception's beginning, I stopped at the mall (which was in between the ceremony and reception sites) to find a replacement dress. The search was unfruitful- there was nothing I could find that I liked as much as the original, or even as much as my replacement dress. But I'm glad that I brought an extra dress with me. So glad. Moral of the story: bring an extra so you won't have to sweat the small stuff (literally and figuratively).

So, I continued on my trek to the reception in my improvised outfit and enjoyed a wonderful night with my friends. We hit the dance floor, ate cake, and had a blast.

And, most importantly- the bride and the groom had a great time celebrating the start of their journey together as husband and wife.

With the beautiful bride and more friends from grad school. Thankfully, the bride's dress was flawless!

As of Lately. . .

Hello Readers!

My dusty car hit 100,000 miles! Crazy!

This is perhaps the start of the craziest part of each semester for students and educators. Last May, I experienced that craziness in both roles- and I am thankful to only be a educator this time around! But even this time around is still a bit hectic.

A lot has happened since my last post. Would you like to know what some of those things have been?

OK. . . bend my arm!

1) I went to a Jars of Clay concert with friends

2) I met with a former professor (one of my favorites!) and a former student (one of my favorites!) to catch up on life

3) I went to my first professional baseball game

4) I met one of my favorite authors

5) Helped plan and throw a surprise birthday for a friend

6) I applied to a bazillion or so jobs

Whew!

Now you know that I am still alive! No worries folks, no worries! Hopefully you will hear more from me this weekend. . .

Have a very wonderful night!

'Neath Fair Skies of Blue: Homecoming

Hello Readers!

 Last week was my alma mater's homecoming. The great thing about homecoming this year was that I work at my alma mater now! So I didn't need to go anywhere to see anyone- everyone came to see me (and the school, of course!)

I only participated in the homecoming events on Friday, which included the college's first homecoming parade (or so I hear), reunions with friends from "back in the day," and a pep rally. I felt very school-spirited! Here are a few highlights of the festivities, enjoy!


The parade:

Emily (a new friend and fellow college employee), Annie (my friend and former RA,), me, and Pam (a friend and fellow alum)

The start of the parade

The president of the college

The President seems also very school-spirited

One of the student floats

The cheerleaders (a few of my students are there!)

Children running into the street for candy. . .  maybe not the safest idea?

A friendly farmer?

Another friendly farmer

Part of the baseball team 

Miss Bond County- I know her! :)

A parade float featuring JFK

There were quite a few comments in the peanut gallery about JFK and parades....

 The pep rally:

Hooray Volleyball Team! I believe they won the float competition.

What did I wear?. . .

Hello Readers,

I bet you're wondering what I chose to wear to my friend's wedding. . . It was a tough choice, but a few suggestions via facebook comments and my mom's expert advice I made my decision. . . 

With Jake and Kerry on their wedding day!

For my friends wedding I wore. . . (drumroll please)

The Orange Whirligig Dress!

I paired it with:

These vintage clip ons

This matching necklace

And these Tan Calvin Klein Snakeskin Pumps

What to Wear?: Help me Choose!

Hello Readers! Happy First Day of Fall!

I need your help! Tomorrow, I am attending the wedding of my dear friend (and former roommate and track teammate), Kerry. During recent moves over the past two months I've realized that I have WAY too many dresses, and decided not to buy a new dress for this occasion.

So. . . my dilemma is more of a surplus of options rather than a shortage. Will you help me pick a dress? The wedding begins at 2:00, so it's a late afternoon into evening affair. I want to be dressy but not too dressy. Do you know what I mean?

Here are the contenders, let me know what you think!:

The Mompos Dress- a bit summery. . . but such a blast to wear!

I love wearing this dress, but I fear that it is too casual and summery. But, maybe I could dress it up with tights, heels, and a different belt?

The Whirligig Dress in Dark Pink/Fuschia

The Whirligig Dress in Dark Orange

Oh the Whirligig Dress. . . this dress is so versatile and oh-so-comfortable! I think of it more as a teaching dress, but I think I could add some pizazz with the right accessories. But which color? The pink is so easy to wear with my coloring, but the orange looks so rich! Oh decisions!

My dark green silk straplesss dress from Banana Republic

I've had this dress in my wardrobe for quite some time (since 2008, I believe), but I can count the times I've worn this dress on one hand with digits to spare. This may sound silly, but I feel like Heidi Klum every time I wear this dress. Is this dress in or out?

Leave me a comment here or on facebook and let me know what to choose! Also, I will gladly welcome any styling suggestions!

One of The Reasons I Love St. Louis. . .

Oh St. Louis!

Hello Readers,

Last month, before I officially moved out of St. Louis, I spent a few days saying goodbye to the city that took my heart by surprise. I knew that St. Louis, and graduate school, would be an adventure, but I never anticipated how much I would enjoy adventuring in St. Louis.

What the what?

In my time of goodbying, my friend Megan and I took a stroll around Maryland Plaza before meeting up with our mutual friend Deanne (yes, we all went to school together) for a movie at the Chase Park Plaza cinema. As we ambled along the sidewalk we came across the oddest spectacle. There, on the sidewalk, were two street performers. One, a man, was riding a giant stationary bicycle with an umbrella of spinning wine glasses and the other, a woman, was standing as a statue, dressed in a sequined gown in the middle of a fountain.

This is one of the reasons I love St. Louis. A familiar place, like Maryland Plaza, will sometimes yield unexpected experiences- like a man drying wine glasses on a stationary bicycle and a woman pretending to be a statue in a fountain. I'm still unsure as to why these performers were there, but I wonder if it was to benefit a nonprofit in the area. Did anyone else see this? Do you know?

I miss St. Louis, but fortunately I will be back there (briefly) today!!!

Delightfully confused

Megan is also delightfully confused

Retail Details (me):

Pink Tank: Abercrombie & Fitch

Silver Heart Necklace: Gift from my cousin (for singing in her wedding)

Navy Blue Printed Dress: American Eagle Outfitters

Black and Navy Blue Windmill Belt: Anthropologie

Charcoal Metallic Flip Flips: Ipanema

A Thousand Miles. . .

Well hello Readers!

I don't know about you all, but lately I feel like I've been constantly in a state of transition. Packing and unpacking (and then packing again), leaving my apartment and looking for a new one, and preparing for a new job. Life is exciting right now, but a bit hectic. I haven't been keeping track of the number of miles I've driven over the past month- but my best guess would be somewhere near 1,000 miles.

One day, two Sundays ago, in particular was especially busy. I went from church to a bridal shower and then to my grandparents' house. It doesn't sound like much but the time in between each of these events was long enough that I was able to go home, but too short to relax or get anything done. But, even though it was busy, I had a great time!

In my down time, I was able to capture a few of the day's highlights:

Pretending to play the piano (I'm ok in real life, but no maestro by any means)

I wore this outfit to church two Sundays ago. The white dress is one that has been in my possession for the past 2 or 3 years, and while it is super cute, I rarely wear it. I stumbled upon it again earlier this month while cleaning out my wardrobe and decided to bring it out into the sunlight again! And what a sunny day it was! Since it is a strapless dress I paired it with a lightweight cardi and dressed it up with a belt and a vintage necklace.

Robin Blue Cardigan: Zara
White and Gold Trifari Necklace: Thrifted
White Strapless Dress: Banana Republic
Brown Woven Belt: Anthropologie
Tan Patent Pointy Flats: Banana Republic

Following church, I attended the bridal shower of one of my near and dear friends (and former roommate), Kerry. She and her fiance had a black and yellow bumble bee themed shower- cute! The shower was super fun and it was great to spend time with Kerry. Also, I sat at a table with two girls who I ran with in high school and haven't seen since- so it was nice to catch up with them while enjoying the festivities!

Me and Kerry at her bridal shower

I was a part of a shower game! My partner pinned a picture of a TV wife on my back and I had to ask the audience questions about my character to help me guess who she was. My personality was Carol Brady (and I guessed it in a snap!)
Black Tee: Banana Republic
Gold and White Trifari Necklace: Thrifted
White Sateen Crops: Anthropologie
Black Satin Peep Toe Heels: Black House/White Market
Fun and Games: Courtesy of Kerry

After the shower (almost immediately after) I ate dinner and then headed out to my grandparents' house where I basked in the warmth and love that is family! I also ventured outside before sunset to capture these photos. Whew- I made it through the day!

Lettuce

Tomato

Apple

Light and Leaves

A baby robin! It will be cuter in a week or so. . . 

Thanks for reading!

I Am A Master! Part 2

For those of you who are not friends with me on facebook. . . . here are a few more pictures from the weekend of my graduation from grad school!

On campus with my parents

My little brother and I on campus! He's so tall!

Angela, me, Eric, and Emily at Emily's open house

Most of my graduate cohort at the partay!

Milwaukee 2.0- Day 2 and Day 3

Hello Readers!

I can't believe that I was in Milwaukee over a week ago! After the whirlwind events of Friday, Saturday was a bit more tame.  I went to 4 panels (the first was at 8 AM), ate lunch at the hotel, and then prepared for something fun.  The conference had a talent showcase on Saturday night and I contributed to the showcase with a song!  As a part of my warm up, I had to do this:

 

 That's right.  I jumped on my bed.  And documented my wild antics. Sorry Mom and Dad- I had to.  And it was so much fun!  I can't remember the last time I did this- maybe in middle school?

After jumping on the bed and (actually) rehearsing my song, "Leaving on a Jet Plane," Deanne, me, and my guitar walked over to the conference hotel and met up with the other two girls from school who also attended the conference (Margaret and Megan).  Before the talent showcase began, the DJ started the night off with a few dance songs.  I didn't join in until after the talent showcase ( I was too nervous), but I couldn't resist capturing some of the festivities:

Communication scholars getting their groove on

 When the time came for me to sing my song, I took my guitar out of the case and felt confident.  Oddly, I wasn't nervous, even when I found out that there wasn't a mic stand (which is unfortunate when you are playing the guitar and singing), but Deanne came to my rescue and volunteered to be my human mic stand AND sheet music stand!  I introduced myself, and my assistant, and began.  It went off without a hitch, and even by the first chorus of the song, people were waiving their cell phones and singing along! Whoo hoo!  When I finished the song, I felt like a rock star- or at least a folk rock star- and I had to resist the urge of yelling out "Thank you MILWAUKEEEEE!"  Instead I smiled, and walked off the stage.  It was wonderful.

After the talent showcase was complete, Deanne and I hit the dance floor.  Now, I am not a very skilled dancer (despite efforts to become one in grade school and middle school), but I was among scholars.  There were quite a few skilled dancers from a few communication departments, but for the most part, my youth and extroversion were to my advantage in the dancing department.  Especially for The Macarena.  Yes, the Macarena.

At the Talent Show/Dance/Karaoke Extravaganza

Sunday, the final day of the conference, was much more relaxed than Days 2 and 3.  Deanne and I slept in and packed our bags in leisure.  What's the point of staying in a hotel if you can't enjoy its luxuries?  Here are a few pictures of our room:

Deanne pondering in the window-side chair and ottoman in the room.

Deanne's bed

My bed- a mess! 

Headboard

 On our way back to St. Louis, Deanne and I stopped at an outlet near the border of Wisconsin and Illinois.  Among the stores in the outlet was an Ann Taylor Outlet.  As excited as I was to be there, I was able to stick to my budget and restrain myself.  I found a skirt that I fell in love with at the Ann Taylor Outlet store, but it was just a bit too tight in the 4 and too loose in the 6- so it went back on the sales floor.  But, before I put it back, I had to take a picture of the skirt.

Isn't it lovely?

All in all, my trip to Wisconsin was a success.  I networked with scholars in my field, sat in interesting panels, danced my heart out, and connected with some awesome friends from my graduate program.  What a weekend!