Why I Love St. Patrick's Day

Connemara- Photo by Me

Good evening Readers!

I love Ireland.  In college I took a mini-mester ("J-term") class on the Irish Renaissance Literature that took me on a 10 day adventure through Ireland visiting places where history happened, walking where famous authors once stepped, sleeping in a castle, climbing hills, eating potato and leek soup with brown soda break to my heart's content, and capturing snapshots of the country's beauty with my camera and journal.

Cliffs of Moher: The wind was so strong that you could lean against it!

Monk's Pub: One of my favorite restaurants in the world in Ballyvaughan

I revisited this romance 2 years later through another mini-mester class (2 weeks this time, as a "May term") in the form of an independent study of nonverbal communication in Ireland.  On this visit, my love for this island expanded even more with a visits to new places, like The Aran Islands.

Dun Aengus, Aran Islands

Kissing the Blarney Stone

 My third (but hopefully not last!) trip to Ireland was with two lovely friends (Kellie & Rachel) during our Spring Break in 2008.  We brought only our purses, backpacks, and 1 suitcase and traveled across the Republic, staying in mostly hostels- even though we managed to experience rain, snow, sleet, and extreme winds within a 30 minute span of time (Waterford)- this was one of my favorite vacations ever! No one in our trio was old enough to rent a car (without a major fee), so we trekked across the country with a Irish Rover pass in one of these buses:

 Ireland has a very special place in my heart, and it is because of this fondness that I LOVE to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.  I don't drink Guinness, but I do my best to enjoy rich chocolate and wear green.  This year, I went a bit overboard with my green wardrobe. . . Here I am in verdant St. Patrick's Day splendor with a painting I made of a scene from Ballyvaughan:

 Retail Details:
Mint Green Cashmere Cardigan: Martin + Osa
Seafoam Green Ruffled Tank: Anthropologie
Green Tank: Target
Beaded Leather Belt: Anthropologie (this season)
Olive Green Cords: AG (Stevie) from Anthropologie
Olive Green Jeweled Flats: Via Spiga (Nordstrom Rack)

*All photos, except for the ones of me, were taken by me.

Outfit of the Day: Thursday

Greetings Readers!

Even though my cold still persists, I am getting better- which is good news! Over the past few days, I've eaten more clementines and ricolas than I think I ever have before, but they seem to be doing the trick (along with wal-phed, airborne, sleep, water, and a variety of teas).

Since I was still feeling a bit under the weather, I decided to wear some of my most comfortable items: a soft cardigan, a silky blouse, and stretch cords. Delightful!

Retail Details:

Honey Herb Ricolas: Walgreens

Clementine: Schnucks

Navy Blue Cardigan: Halogen (Nordstrom)

Watercolor Wrap Blouse: Fei (Anthropologie)

Olive Cords: AG Stevie (Anthropologie)

Olive Jeweled Suede Flats: Via Spiga (Nordstrom Rack)

Thanksgiving: A Time for Family, and a Time for Fashion!

Greetings Readers!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Did anyone travel for the holiday? I traveled home to Peoria on Monday afternoon and have been home ever since- reading, napping, and catching up with friends and family.

Ten years ago my family moved from Vancouver, BC to the Peoria area- a move that was difficult, but a move with outcomes that I appreciate greatly. One of the outcomes of this move, which I am very thankful for, is the opportunity to build relationships with family members who I used to see only once every three or four years. Now that I live in St. Louis, I only get to see them once or twice a month- but the time that I spend with them is very dear to me. And that is why I like holidays like Thanksgiving- because I get to spend time (quality time) with family.

Here I am with my cousins Liz and Kim at my grandparents' house

My cousin Matt, my cousin Liz, my Aunt Shelly, my Aunt Mary, me, and my Grandma

While fashion isn't an essential concern for family gatherings (well, with a few exceptions), or even for Thanksgiving, I like to put together outfits for occasions such as these. Not because I have to, not because I am supposed to- but because I like the mood and the anticipation that dressing up creates. Do you know what I mean? A cute outfit is like foreshadowing- it's like saying "hey- something important is about to happen"- and what could be more important than spending time with loved ones?

People who make us feel a bit crazy at times:

And people who bring balance to our lives:

This Thanksgiving, and every day of the year, I am thankful for the precious and powerful relationships I have with people in my life. People who continue to teach me about love, about grace, about laughter, and yes- even about fashion.

Here are the retail details:

White Rhinestone Headband: J. Crew

Necklace: Juicy Couture (on Market St. in San Francisco)

Light Blue Tee: Banana Republic

Winter White Cardigan: Abercrombie & Fitch (I recommend hand-washing this cardi)

Charcoal Skinny Belt: Ann Taylor

Navy Blue Draped Skirt: Anthropologie

Raspberry Tights: Hue

Brownish-Olivey Jeweled Flats: Via Spiga

San Francisco Outfit #1

Hello Readers!

Well, I made it back to St. Louis safely from a delightful stay in San Francisco, CA. The conference and the city were wonderful! The conference began on Sunday, and this was my outfit. Well, it was actually my second outfit (I had jeans on before, but felt underdressed and changed into the skirt and tights).

Here it is:

This picture was taken at the Anthropologie on Market Street in San Francisco (which was incredible!) Here are the retail details:

Dove grey jeweled headband: J. Crew

Charcoal grey scarf: Merona (Target)

Winter white cardigan with sparkly buttons: Abercrombie & Fitch

Charcoal grey patent belt: Ann Taylor

Khaki draped shirt: Anthropologie (it's been on here before)

Raspberry opaque tights: Hue (from Martin & Osa)

Olive jeweled flats: Via Spiga (from Nordstrom Rack in St. Louis)