Guest Blogger

Dylan and Kristina

The Newlyweds!

The beautiful bride!  and can we talk about this amazing dress

Hi guys, Kristina here!

I’m so excited Amelia suggested that I guest blog this week!  As you know from her previous post, she and I went to Fort Lauderdale earlier this month for a fun-filled Bachelorette weekend in celebration our mutual friend, Jordan.  Well, this past Sunday was the big day - the wedding!  Lucky for me, Amelia lives only half an hour away from the wedding venue Jordan chose.  So, upon receiving the invitation, I immediately called Amelia and requested to stay in her cutest-of-cutestguest rooms!  Being the bestie she is, she graciously agreed.

My husband, Dylan, and I got into Dallas on Sunday around noon and, having foregone our usual travel breakfast of Whataburger, we were starving!  Thank goodness Ryan came to the rescue by proposing lunch at Torchy’s Tacos.  If you haven’t been to Torchy’s, you’re missing out.  These tacos are amazing, but the names are even better!  I don’t know if you’re like this, but I like things so much more when they have interesting names.  Exhibit A:  Nail Polish.  You pick up a gray nail polish at the store.  It’s pretty.  But, then, you read the bottom, and it’s called “French Quarter for Your Thoughts”.  Now, it’s going in the cart!  You totally understand, right?  Haha.  Well, Torchy’s originated in Austin and, because of its proximity to the Capitol, many of the tacos have political names.  When you go, if you’re really hungry, you can order The Democrat, The Republican, and The Independent in a single trip!

After a light lunch…. (Wait. Who am I kidding?)  After we stuffed our faces, we split up - as we usually do: girls and guys.  Us girls went shopping and the guys went back to the house to play video games.  Amelia stuck to her guns and did not buy anything that would jeopardize her “no clothes, handbags, shoes, or accessories” streak.  However, we went to Target, and she found some returned Lilly Pulitzer lounge chairs!  Not going to lie, loading these in her 2-door car was a bit of a struggle…but well worth it!  After Target, we hit TJ Maxx and Ulta.  And, yes, I have these stores in The Woodlands.  But, Amelia is not in The Woodlands, and shopping with her is what it’s all about!

The wedding.  Despite the torrential downpours and thunderstorms Texas has been privy to recently, the weather held out!  The ceremony was held in a chapel encased with windows; these windows displayed the trees and other surrounding greenery.  There were minimal decorations, as the natural light and foliage were gorgeous themselves!  It was just beautiful.  The reception was a blast too.  Like our Photo Booth pics?

Let’s talk about our dresses.  Eliza J knows what she’s doing.  You’ve probably seen Amelia in one or two - or twenty - dresses by this designer.  The feminine prints and the fit-and-flare shapes are so flattering!  I had been eyeing the dress I wore for…I don’t know…maybe 6 months or so.  Although she’s not shopping, Amelia still loves perusing sites to find deals for others!  It’s her thing.  I’m glad this is her thing!  She notified me of every Dillard’s sale and extra percentage off and, finally, I was able to snag this dress for 65% off!  To celebrate, we opted to wear our Eliza J dresses together to the wedding.  Want to know the best thing about these dresses?  Pockets.

Kristina's Dress: (no longer available) similar // Amelia's Dress: Eliza J

I could go on and on, but it’s late and I need sleep.  Thank you all for allowing me to guest post!  ’Til next time, blogger bees!

Water color midi

Dress: 1. state here and here (ON MAJOR SALE)// shoes: joie (old) similar, new version // Jacket: F21 (old), similar, similar // long Necklace: James Avery, Short Necklace: chain, pendant (with hand engraved monogram #S23) //

Now that I am back from the beach I am missing that gorgeous summer sun!  It has been raining and cloudy for weeks and I am seriously contemplating purchasing a “Happy light” so that I can get my dose of vitamin D.  I’m going through withdrawals, where are you sun?  Since the weather is gloomy I decided to style this bright number for my work meeting with a BIG potential client.

I fell in love with this dress a few weeks ago, but since a.) I’m not shopping and b.) it sold out, I figured all hope was lost.  Luckily for me my birthday fell at the perfect time and I was able to get this beauty with my Dillard’s gift card!  I was so happy when I found it at the store in my size( it runs really big, so I had to size down)I didn’t even hesitate when I had  to blow the entire gift card (I will be honest I was $10.21 short so I did pay for that out of my own pocket…which might be considered cheating but I was OK with it since the bulk was paid for and it was basically tax). 

The dress is a little revealing for an office setting like mine and client meeting so I decided to throw on a blazer.  This blazer is a little masculine which I feel compliments the femininity of the dress.  I also love how it defines the shape of my body, with the dress fitting so loose I feel like my body shape is hidden, the blazer allows for a sleek curve to be seen showing that I am not a giant tube shape.  To continue with the professional feel I added my fuchsia Joie heels and my favorite pearl necklace from James Avery. 

This dress is very versatile, I wore it sans blazer down in Florida for the bachelorette party weekend alone with a jeweled sandal, I have been thinking of pairing it with a chambray button down to give a faux skirt look for when the fall temps start rolling in later in the year. One of the big things I consider when purchasing new clothes is how well they can transition into other seasons.  I hate having something I can only wear for 6-8 weeks out of the year that just seems so silly to me.  This dress will be difficult to make winter appropriate but I can easily wear it into early Fall.

Love Amelia B

PS this dress is on MAJOR SALE!!!

I'm Back!

China Town on the way to Mama's

Our view from the hotel..and the dreaded hill!

the prettiest flowers I have ever received

At 30 I am still a princess!!

Duckhorn for our first stop in Napa

Seriously look at that perfect weather!

top down selfie

right out of the barrel 

inside the winery

Private tasting and pairing

true love

Napa train

sleeping in reviewing my lilly for target order

besties

So I am back! Finally, all the vacations and work are behind me so I can come back full time to blogging. Since so much has happened since I last posted I thought I would start off with a fun recap of what has been going on in my life!

April:
Well April was my Birthday month on top of my busiest month for work! Ryan was able to convince my boss to let me off work, and he whisked me away on a fabulous (SURPRISE) birthday vacation to San Francisco and Napa Valley. It was so amazing that I could probably talk about it for hours…but I will just share some highlights. We ate and ate, then drank and drank (seriously tho we did)! My favorite part was renting a convertible and driving through wine country. It was seriously the most gorgeous day, perfect for sipping on wine and walking through the vineyards. We even stopped at a super good burger joint to refuel! I am already planning a trip back there ASAP…maybe a bachelorette/girls weekend… if I get engaged that is! I loved how diverse San Fran was; we walked through china town, went to the warf and even had time for a little window shopping.
While in California the Lily for Target Launched… luckily my bestie found some leaked URL codes and I was able to score a few of my coveted finds with a gift card my amazing family sent me for my birthday! If that wasn’t enough excitement I found out that TJ Maxx shared my photo (from the contest I won) and it went crazy on their tumbler page! Over 5000 likes/shares! I am still in shock, but it makes me so happy other people liked it as much as I do!!
After our trip it was serious crack down time at work, which meant long hours at the office and late nights at home. I think I was getting about 4-5 hours of sleep a night for those last two weeks of April, but all my hard work paid off and I exceeded all of my goals (the only sales rep to do so)! While all that was going on I joined a new gym called Peak Body. It combines cardio with strength training for a seriously hard 45 min workout. I just started a challenge too where I have a meal plan added into the mix. So far I am down 2 lbs which is awesome, and I am alittle over a week in! I will keep you updated on my results.

May:
As soon as one vacation ended another vacation was planned. One of my friends I went to college with and know through my BFF is getting married over Memorial day weekend. Her bachelorette party approached quickly and before I knew it I was on a plane headed to Ft. Lauderdale! It was supposed to be a relaxing weekend, but with so many activities planned it felt more like a whirl wind. The best part was having my partner in crime with me, it made meal splitting and room sharing a blast. After our 4 days I was ready to be home, all of the excitement had me drained. My only regret was that I didn’t have more beach time! I could have used another day of laying on the beach, but the drag show and getting on an active US Navy ship was well worth the sacrifice!
If you live in and around the area you know we got some pretty bad weather these past few days. With more storms on the radar I am truly starting to miss that Texas sun! Maybe that will motivate me to get beach body ready sooner so when the sun finally decides to stay I can enjoy the pool with a good book! 

So here’s to a good week and more blog posts!!

Have a wonderful day,



Amelia B