Saturday, April 18, 2015

Rack 'Em Up!




I've been a fan of Nordstrom Rack for as long as I can remember. My mother used to take me there for back to school clothes, and now it's one of the places I hit up when I crave a good deal. The Laguna Niguel location opened up Thursday, and I was so thankful to be invited to a grand opening celebration on Tuesday. 

Along with drinks and appetizers, shoppers got to peruse the racks for special finds. This location has a lot of great designer clothing from Elizabeth & James, Kate Spade, DVF, and more, along with a designer shoe section that had a lot of Tory Burch. 

I found a lot of cute things, but the clearance rack especially caught my eye. After doing some digging, I came back with stunning sparklers from Ted Baker and Topshop. The Ted Baker dress is a beautiful salmon color with a front pleat and jeweled collar. It's so comfortable! The Topshop dress is a bit more form fitting, but I love the sequins and how they can be moved. Perfect for my upcoming Vegas trip in July.

The staff at this Rack location was extremely helpful, so I suggest you stop in this weekend and see what you can find.

Happy Shopping!


Sunday, April 12, 2015

Day Made


I am beyond honored to have been named Made Woman Magazine's Made Woman of the Month. I've interviewed so many amazing women because of my contributions to this magazine, but I never dreamed I would be counted as one of them. You can check out the article here.

I hope this goes to show that comparing yourself to someone else is never the answer. Just keep working, stay humble, and never lose sight of the mission. That's how you become an example. And how you get MADE.

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

For Example: A Flower


I got the most beautiful flowers at the supermarket for Easter. Sure, they're dyed, but I love that they leave the water in the vase pink. My boyfriend asked me what the big deal was with flowers anyway. I had grown up seeing my dad giving all the women in his life flowers for every special occasion, and it was a gesture I loved so much. I came to think of the giving of flowers as the most gentlemanly, considerate act; flowers are always the ideal gift.

My boyfriend, however, didn't seem to buy this. So I really thought about why I love these fragrant, visual stunners, that only last a few days then wilt. There's something about them not being permanent, about possessing them in their prime that I  like. I tried to describe this, but to no avail.

Then today, thanks to Buzzfeed, I found a new favorite poem. Don't you just love it when someone else says exactly what you've been feeling/thinking? I hope you enjoy this poem as much as I do. 

For Example: A Flower
by Arkaye Kierulf

We are protected from so much pain. For example: graves.
The earth’s roots and brown-black blood are busy
covering the soft, violated bodies of our loves.
Death is a secret, and the rain with its many hands

washes off the streets to the gutters death’s thick surprise.
The automatic shutter of the eye never fails,

the courtesies of the tongue. What goes on in the rooms of houses
is guarded from us by the hardwood doors,

the carefully closed windows. Whatever was said or done,
night will come, eagerly, to clean up.

And death will shield us, in time,
from the sun’s megalithic promise:

Tomorrow, the same day.
Tomorrow, the same day.

For example: A flower
is the most beautiful lie.


Monday, April 6, 2015

Happy Easter!





There is something so refreshing about Easter. If Thanksgiving is centered around food and Christmas revolves around gifts, then Easter is perhaps the best because it's the least self-indulgent. I still like getting a little extra dressed up for Easter service at church, and the color palette is always so vibrant and welcome after winter. It seems fitting to sip on pink champagne Easter morning as well. After dinner we had the cutest egg-garnished chocolate malt cupcakes from My Delight. I haven't had a cupcake in months because I've been on a diet, so they tasted extra sweet. But what makes every holiday all the more merry is that my family is always there. I hope your Easter was as warm and sweet as mine was. He IS risen.