Patriotic

Hi!  It's been a while since I last posted and decided it was time to get back on it because I've settled into my new job (for the most part) and I missed blogging.  What I found is I started not caring what I looked like outside of work and that's a slippery slope to just eating whatever I want, gaining a bunch of weight and wearing house coats, so I decided maybe I better do something about that before it hits the point of no return.   I kicked up my exercise, rejoined the Y, continue to box and am trying to watch what I eat.  I don't look good in house coats, so I gotta hold that at bay as long as possible!

Smiles!
Lori

So, What Happened?

Life has been interesting since we last chatted.  The reason I took a break from blogging is I had an amazing job opportunity drop into my lap and I decided to pursue it.  With all the work and stress involved in getting ready for the interviews, I didn't have any extra time to spend on blogging.  I couldn't tell you this in October because I didn't want too many people knowing what I was up to.

I actually got the job around Thanksgiving and spent a month preparing to leave my employer of almost 20 years.  There was a lot of stress involved with that too.  And a lot of tears.  It was tough leaving them because they were my second family and I'm amazed I actually had the courage to do it. It took a lot of soul searching, but I made the right decision.

I started my new job at the first of the year and it's been a whirlwind of onboarding activities.  I haven't had time to take shots of my outfits and honestly, I'm dressing more conservatively than I did before.  They do not appreciate the pattern mixing to the degree I'm capable of, so I toned it down.  A lot.  Except for the shoes....I need pretty shoes to be happy.

Then, my darling daughter had a bad accident at gymnastics and fractured and dislocated her elbow. Because of where the break was, she had to have surgery to fix it including some icky pins in her elbow.  The pins were removed last week and she's now in rehab to rebuild her strength.  She's hoping to continue competing, but we'll see in six weeks how much strength she's rebuilt.

So, with the exception of the elbow thing, all is going well.  I'm happy at my new job and most everyone is really nice to work with.  I'm looking forward to finishing out my career there because I never want to go through the stress of quitting again.

I'll try to take some shots of the more conservative me at some point once I feel more calm in my new life!

Smiles!
Lori

Taking a break for now

Thank you to all who've regularly visited my blog.  I really appreciate it, but it's time for me to take a little break from the blogging world to focus on stuff at home.  We have some possible changes in our future that we need to focus on as a family, so I'm going to put my time and energy into that for now.  It doesn't mean I won't be back, it just means I need to focus on other things right now.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart and until we meet again.....

Love Fall!

I love fall!  It's my favorite season and it's one of my favorite seasons to plan outfits for.  It's still warm enough that you don't need to bundle up in a bunch of layers, but it's starting to be chilly enough to add more interesting elements into your outfits.  Let's be honest.  Noone wants to wear multiple layers, a bunch of makeup or really heavy accessories when it's 90 degrees outside, and I definitely don't do a great job with my summer outfits because I start to not care and start dressing for whatever will not cause me to sweat a lot.  I even stopped wearing lipstick, cause ugh and ick.  Now that it's fall, I'm looking forward to trying a little harder!

Mr. Kitty took over.  Sorry...he was shunning the camera.

Smiles!
Lori

Double Decker

You may not be able to tell from the picture, but my oxford has tiny little double decker buses all over it.  How can you possibly have a bad day wearing this????  I am into quirky oxfords.  I think you can still look professional wearing stuff like this so long as the rest of the outfit (minus the shoes) is relatively conservative.  Plus it makes me happy!

Smiles!
Lori

Transition

Transitioning seasons are always a pain to dress for.  It's chilly in the mornings and warm by the time I leave work, so dressing in layers has become a must.  On Saturday, it was so cold in the morning that me and the other soccer mom's were shivering on the field watching the kids' game.  The office is either too hot or too cold, with literally no in between.  I will miss warmer weather, but it will be nice when Mother Nature picks a consistent temperature!

Smiles!
Lori

Yeah, I Know....

I know, I'm a horrible blogger.  I go in spurts when I post, I don't always say anything when I post, and sometimes, my outfits are uninspiring.  I have been in a slump lately and overly busy.  Soccer started, we are literally busy 6 days a week and I've been trying to fit at least two days of boxing in.  Needless to say, that doesn't leave much extra time.

Anyway, I'm still taking photos and I'll post when I can.  Please be patient with me as my life gets in the way!

Smiles!
Lori