For the ladies

This one's for you gals!


Street Fashion credited to Café Mode WARNING: It's all in french!

I'm obsessed with fashion. You can ask any guy who's ever dated me (or my family) that 80% of the time I spend online is looking at clothes. While most of the time I can't really afford to buy anything on these websites, (or I'm too cheap to - I'm such a bargain shopper) I'd be happy to offer up some advice. Especially on the bargain shopping. I can't tell you how many times someone will compliment me on an item and then be flabbergasted at how little I spent on it. My motto is: Why spend more on something when you could have spent less?

Tip #1: Don't just buy something because it's cheap.

Ask yourself at least 3 times do I really need this, and will I really wear this (this goes for cheap or a splurge really!)? If you've asked yourself this three times while you're in the store and any one of those times you say no, don't buy it. You'll wear it once (or not at all) and hate yourself for spending money on something unusable and could have spent it elsewhere.

Tip #2: Dig, Dig, Dig

Most of the stores I shop at don't have clothing displayed on mannequins or on tables that look all cute, there's just clothes on the rack and you have to use some imagination to see how the item would fit into your wardrobe. I learned this rule from my mother when I was kid and we would spend hours at the local thrift store digging for treasures (Oh, and we found them alright...). A lot of great items that I love I found right as I was about to give up and decided to dig some more. Yes, sometimes you walk away without anything, but another part of digging is coming back often.

Once, I walked into Belk's and went to the Free People sale rack. As I was looking through the clothes, the sales lady put out a Free People dress originally 129 bucks, and was marked down to 32 dollars plus 30% off of that. So I walked away with a fabulous dress for 24 dollars...

Tip #3 Sometimes it's OK to splurge (a little)

When you can't find that item that you need for everyday (or something for a special occasion) at the bargain stores (TJMaxx, Ross, Marshalls, Rugged Wearhouse, Goodwill, etc) this is when I hit up local stores and full-price chains. I've always had trouble finding jeans that fit me well. I have a small waist and well, a big-ol booty to be frank. Jeans that would fit me in the waist, I can't even pull over my butt, or jeans that fit in the butt are huge in the waist and have to be taken in. Gap is one of the few places I can go and always find jeans that fit me. Now most of you are like, "Gap? Psh... that's not splurging." For me - it is. The most I've personally spent on a dress is $70 (and it was for a recital - a formal gown), and I think I have a fabulous dress collection for my price range. I wouldn't even tell my mother I spent $70 on a pair of jeans, she'd yell at me (Well, she's probably reading this now gasping! lol).

Another item that I splurge on is a purse. Nothing beats a beautiful purse and trust me, I wear them out! You can still get designer purses at a discount, however! When you see one you absolutely love in a boutique and must have, wait a month (unless there's ONE left! - ask the sales person if they have more in the back or are receiving more shipments!), it will be on sale! Or go to one of the discount stores I mentioned and get a designer purse there. Yes, it may be a season off, but really, some purses (the good ones) never go out of style.

I can usually find great shoes on sale because I don't have a typical shoe size, I wear a 10. A friend of mine has the same thing, she wears a size 5 so she also finds fabulous shoes for dirt cheap. If you aren't like me however, dig, dig, dig. And wait until it goes on sale. For those of you in an 8 or something similar, companies know there are more of you and can over produce that style and size, that's when you go in for the kill...

Sometimes, it just feels good to splurge on something you really really wanted and will never find again. Or something that you really needed and will last you forever. People in Europe it seems have all designer clothing and always look fabulous, but if you look at the size of their wardrobe it's very small. Splurging on key items that you will use over and over again and spending less on the new craze is the way to do it.

Forever 21 is a great place to get those new in-and-out fashion items because the items are well priced and by the time it starts to rip and tear, then it's out of style anyway.


Tip #4 Make sure it goes with your wardrobe

This is one of those things that I have to remind myself of. Oh I love this piece, it's beautiful and at a great price, but I have nothing to wear it with. Remember that you have to wear clothes together! Sure, if you love it enough you could buy something to go with it... However, it's easier and more economical to find one piece that fits in your wardrobe (and make lots of outfits!), then to buy an outfit that doesn't go with anything else in your wardrobe.

So next time you go shopping keep these in mind and check back for more tips!!

Boxer!!

So Brett and I have been wanting a dog for a very long time but we want to be responsible owners. This means we don't really have the time or patience right now to train a puppy. First of all, we live on the third floor which makes potty training impossible and annoying to say the least. Second of all, there are so many doggies out there that are in need of a good, loving home who are already trained.

We want a boxer. They're good, loyal, loving, and sweet dogs who, trained well, will be your best pal for life. We decided to go with Blue Ridge Boxer Rescue . They have some great dogs who need good homes and we're so willing to provide that.

Peyton is a female who's had a few minor medical problems, but we're very willing to work with whatever problems she may have. She's trained, and she's oh so cute! Check out this mug... How can you say no?!?!?!



So, in a couple of weeks, we're going to start the process of adopting her! I am sooooo excited I can't tell you. The house just feels like it's missing something, and that thing is a dog. We're thrilled! Also, if someone else adopts her before we can, then there are plenty of other boxers at the website we'd be thrilled to own.

Here's a video of her playing in her foster home! :-D PEYTON

Green tea Frap

So yesterday I got my brand new weighted 88-key keyboard with a stand and the whole shebang. After it took me about 20 minutes to set it up, I played for about 2 hours going through the easy workbook that came with it. It also came with a not so easy book of music which I will be working my way up to. Today I just worked on keyboard stuff and tomorrow I've decided I will work on my voice again. I'm pretty positive it's going to be very weak as I haven't done much work on it lately... I'm actually a bit worried about it. Oh well, I will find out! I'm going to work on it lots and try my best to do very healthy singing this entire month and then I will be ready to give voice lessons.

Muh new keyboardz!!



I'm very excited about teaching again! In college I was President of the women's a cappella group and in doing that worked with a lot of girls one on one. I also got lots of experience in conducting and leading people. I also got lots of experience in leading with choir, as many times Dr. Porter (the head conductor) would be out and ask me to lead. My senior year I also took an independent class specifically for pedagogy (teaching voice). I really enjoyed it and it actually really motivated me to work on myself as a musician.

I don't know why I didn't see it before but I really am cut out for teaching... While many people have said that I have a very nice voice and am good at acting (not to toot my own horn - really...) I've never really felt motivated to work at it on my own accord. Being a graduate and not having to work at it has really shown me that. (Not that I didn't really know it before...) Being someone that people look up to and learn from will really motivate me to do what I know I want to do, and what truly makes me happy. I can just be lazy and need a little boost. ;-)

Also in other news, I made friends with this very nice lady who makes Yoga props (Inner Space Yoga) and am getting some free passes to try out a bunch of different Yoga studios in Asheville! I am very excited because I've been wanting to get back into Yoga for a long time now! I will let you know what I think and give you all my reviews of these places.

Doin' it the right way

Hey y'all. This is the first of many posts on this brand new, shiny blog!

I'd like to say that I'm one of those people who finds joy in small things. And those little things are... well... everywhere. The way a flower smells, a hot cup of fresh chai, looking out my window and seeing the beautiful views Asheville has to offer, the way this song sounds and makes me feel, makes me remember... Beauty is everywhere and in everything, sometimes people just have trouble seeing it. Even myself. So here I go on my quest to remember why I love life in the first place and to do my best at the one thing everyone only has one of: their life. Sometimes I forget...



This is me in the beautiful land that I live in and love so much! I am fortunate to have grown up here. Every time I go away and return, these mountains remind me of why I don't want to leave. These mountains are my home, and despite how I may complain about this city at times, it is so beautiful here...



So people who know me know that in these past couple of years I've been in a sort of life slump. On the one hand, I'm really learning to accept and love myself for who I've become (and also found an amazing partner who feels the same way about me), but on the other, I'm in this life/career dilemma. I know one thing, that music should always and will always be a part of who I am and of my everyday life. I'm just again confused as to whether or not I want it to be my career... If I could play music, paint, draw, sing, teach, frolic, give, and love for a career, I would. I've always been so against teaching music, but now I'm wondering if it's not what I'm meant to do. Everyone has always told me I would make a great teacher, but I would shrug them off thinking, "No, that's what musicians do when they're not good enough to perform..." I'm learning that the life of a performer may not be for me. I've always kind of been a homebody at times and with the life of a musician comes the life of travel. I'm just not sure if that is for me.

This sort of uncertainty has lead me to become lazy and comfortable with things in my life that I should not be. I made a huge change around 6 months ago, but I still have not changed much about this habit that is becoming me. I want to be healthy, happy, and prosperous. I will be all of these things, but I need to make a change and I need to do it now. On my own accord. I am very happy right now, but I know that to continue being this happy means I need to make some changes.

I know I can do it, I will do it, and I am so lucky to have amazing people cheering me on in every sense.