Stripes and Beagles

Look at me.. posting an outfit post. The little get up isn't anything too fancy, but it's been a staple for me all summer. Easy tee + denim shorts + fun flats or sandals = the only thing optimal to wear during Texas summers. I've been wanting a red striped shirt for awhile, and I got this one on a little back-to-school shopping trip. As for the flats, I got 'em on sale when I was looking for a new shirt for Curtis awhile back. They're nice and airy, perfect for summertime. 

(boo blurry face..) Tee: Urban Outfitters | Shorts: Thrifted | Flats: Old Navy 
This week is Alabama week in Aggieland; this game between us and the University of Alabama is quite possibly the biggest game in living memory for A&M, and I AM PUMPED. ESPN College Gameday is coming.. I'll probably be making my way over to the set randomly with Curtis, so you know.. look out for us, hehe. It's going to be extremely hard to focus, so I'm going to pray for some determination and get as much as I possibly can out of the way before Friday.. which is also Curtis's birthday. Gonna be a crazy week, y'all! I've been gathering presents and food ideas for awhile now for Curt, since it's our first birthday to celebrate together as a married couple, I wanted to make it special. There will be lots of chocolate involved. I say sorry in advanced to my Health and Fitness class. 
I'll also be giving a presentation for my Small Business Management class on Wednesday, it's over patents and trademarks, so I'm not incredibly worried.. but yeah, presentations aren't ever fun for me. I've been working on a Webpage for it with a group of three other girls, and I'm praying it all comes together before Wednesday! You guys.. Wordpress is weeeeeird, and you have to pay for anything to "enhance" the page, no bueno. 
Okay, I'll leave you with some beagle photos. Always a good thing, right? 

Muggles has this weird thing where she looks up at things and studies them for long periods of time. It makes me laugh every single time because she seems so surprised to see things up above her - stuff on walls, airplanes, things on top of fences, shadows on walls - so funny. But, I suppose, it must be different being on a two-foot eye level for the most part. The picture above is the face she makes when she's studying an object above her. Tehe. And then there's Skywalker, who never stops moving long enough for me to get a decent picture. :P

Date Night

So, I decided that I couldn't wait for my tripod, and decided to whip out the 'ole iPhone to take some outfit photos.. because 1. I'm impatient and 2. I'm in love with my new shirt.

Curtis decided we would have a little date night this past Friday, just so we could have a little time to relax and forget about things. I had a test last Wednesday, and he has one this week, so it's been pretty stressful around here lately, not to mention we have house stuff to do on top of it all. So, we went late Friday night (we're night owls..) and ate a little burger joint in front of the theater, and then went to see World War Z. I've never read the book, so I didn't have an expectations for it.. and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. I really did enjoy the whole movie, well, maybe I did laugh out loud a few times at the goofy zombies. Seriously, if anyone else has seen it, PLEASE tell me you laughed at their silly shenanigans when Brad Pitt got all up-close and personal at the World Health Organization. Anyway, it was a fun night, and I'm glad we got to enjoy each other's company alone for a bit.

Blouse: JC Penney | Skirt: A-Town (Austin, TX) | Belt: NY&Co | Flats: Shoedazzle via Plato's Closet

Linking up with: My Greatest Hits, Still Being Molly

That moment when you do a goofy picture, and it actually turns out decent.. what? This never happens to me! Okay, outfit breakdown time: the blouse, I adore it! I had been looking for an eyelet blouse for so long, and I spotted this one at JC Penney's a couple of weeks ago, but.. I didn't want to spend the money for it. Then, as I was searching through my wallet, I found a long lost JC Penney's gift card, score! So I went back for it and a pair of shorts, both on sale, made me one happy camper. The skirt's one of my favorites still, it's just so comfy and the pop of coraly-red is something I don't often wear, so it's always fun. Finally, the flats. I've had them since January, but I hadn't ever really worn them. They were a bit tight on my feet (curse you wide feet!), so I always put them aside for another pair. But I was bound and determined to wear them this night, so I did, and I eventually stretched them out.. thank goodness!

Bleh, I want my tripod back after looking at the quality of these photos, not to mention I'm out of practice when it comes to taking outfit photos, oh noes! But, I have missed it, and hope to be making it a regular thing again reaaaaaally soon. Hope the start to everyone's week has been swell! Part Two of the cruise will be up tomorrow, and here's a selfie of us in line for the movie for funsies! :)

Don't Look Now

As I was going through the pictures for this post.. I realized in all of the good photos, I wasn't looking at the camera. In the ones where I did actually look, it was either really out of focus or my hair was doing some crazy. Probably because it was way too windy to even be taking outfit photos, and also because I was trying to squeeze them in between my Lingerie Party and dinner with Curtis. I'm tellin' ya, I can't take outfit photos if I'm in a rush.. they always turn out really awkward. So, sorry for not looking at you guys in most of my photos, I promise those smiles I'm smiling are for y'all! :) 

Top: TJ Maxx | Skirt: A-Town (Austin, TX) (similar) | Belt: New York & Co. | Flats: Forever 21 
Like I mentioned above, I had my lingerie party this weekend, it's the last of all of my bridal parties.. whew, there have been so many! It was a small affair, but I enjoyed it so much. This is the outfit I wore, I wanted to keep it classy, but somewhat casual as well. I've only worn this skirt once before (you can find that here), but I wish I could wear it every day! It's such a good length, and I'm absolutely in love with the color. If there's one thing I seriously lack in my closet, it's color, and I'm striving to avoid buying clothing articles in neutral tones and go for some in colors that make me happy. I paired the skirt with a top that I've had for quite sometime, but I just hadn't gotten around to wearing. It's one of those blouses that looks much better tucked in, so I'm going to have to figure out a way to wear it with pants. It has a fun button detail on the back that I wish I had remembered to photograph, but maybe next time!
I'm planning on writing a rather long blog post/rant sometime later this week or maybe next week about blogging and what it means to me.. along with some other opinionated views on blog criticism. I won't go into too many details, but let's just say, I found some things that made me sit down and think for a moment (okay, way longer than a moment) last week, and I'd like to share it with y'all. I'm also doing another vlog.. so you know, be ready for that..ha. 
I did a little Q&A post for Alexandra of Beautiful in God's Eyes, that y'all should go check out. Alexandra's blog is so inspiring and has amazing photography, and even though I haven't been following long.. I know I'll enjoy getting caught up on all things Alexandra! Hope you're having a lovely Monday ladies! 
Linking up with: Plane Pretty, My Greatest Hits, Still Being Molly 

ps. What do y'all think about the new layout? I'm going to try and create a new header at some point. But, I just wanted your opinion, do you think it makes everything look too cluttery? I moved some of the tabs at the top over to the sidebar, is that too confusing? Lemme know!

A Dotted Experience

Another cold front blew its way through my little part of Texas again, and though it did not come with 10 inches of snow like it did in Minnesota did for Brynn, it did come with a ton of rain and wind. College Station, I swear, gets more rain than any other part of Texas. When I came down for college visits and to see Curtis before I came to A&M, it rained every time. I suppose they don't call it the Brazos Valley for nothing.. So, as the torrential down pour came, I had a bit of a hard time running to my car from my apartment with one water-fearing beagle, a backpack, and my umbrella - it probably was quite the sight to see. 

My mom bought me this lovely polka dotted dress at.. Wal-Mart. Since when do they actually make decent clothes? I have no idea. As a teenager, I wouldn't have gone near the clothing section in Wal-Mart, I was clearly too cool for all of that, ha. But, if I hadn't told y'all where this dress was from, you would've never guessed it was from there. I wore this when Curtis and I went on our little date Thursday evening to see 42. He even complimented me on my outfit as we were driving over to dinner. D'aww. 

Okay, what is that face? haha

Once again, I'm wearing red lipstick. Told ya I'm obsessed. I just love the little touches of red here-and-there, and it's quickly becoming one of my favorite colors, which is so weird.. because I've been anti-red my entire life. The little bobby pin with the heart on the end is from ModCloth, they sent it as a little extra gift when I ordered a dress from them awhile back.. and I almost threw them away (it came with two), but I checked the box the dress came in one more time before I threw it in the dumpster. Thank goodness for my OCD self, they're so fun! ..I just wish I could order dresses from ModCloth more often, tehe. 

My weekend has been full of driving, writing, watching Justified, and more writing. Curtis and I made our way to Waco to finish up our last session of pre-marital counseling (yay!) on Friday evening, and turns out.. we're a pretty compatible couple, actually we're the most compatible a couple could possibly be, awesome! We did one activity in which we had to come up with different dates, so I think I'm going to start blogging about different ideas for dates for you and your husband (or boyfriend/fiance)..should be pretty fun! As for the writing part, I had to write two papers for one of my classes, it wasn't too bad, seeing as I actually like to write and don't get to do it very often anymore. Lastly, Curtis and I went a teeny bit crazy on the Justified watching marathon, five in one sitting..I think we're kind of obsessed. Plus, it was a fabulous procrastination tool.

Anyone else found a randomly awesome find in Wal-Mart, and you couldn't believe it? 

Happy Sunday! 

Linking up with: Plane Pretty, My Greatest Hits, Still Being Molly 

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Dress: Wal-Mart (similar)

Cardigan: New York & Co. (similar)

Belt: Forever 21 (similar)

Tights: Target (exact)

Oxfords: Steve Madden (similar)

Bag: Target (similar..and I want it)

Lip Color: Candy Apple - Revlon Lip Butter

Necklace: Gift from Germany

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Red Lips

I've never been a lipstick kinda girl.. until recently. There's something about it that makes me feel complete. I think they call that evolving, yeah, I'm on a style evolution here people! I've always believed I couldn't pull off red lipstick, which would be why I've got at least four shades of red lipstick that have sat in my make-up bag for far too long. But, with style evolution comes courage, and I'm starting to gain the courage to step a little bit outside my box. I've worn hats more and more lately, and I honestly haven't given a thought to what people are thinking. Now lipstick is up on the menu! I always want to buy a new shade when I'm at the grocery store, but since I'm on my shopping hiatus, I just keep on walking. Stay strong, Kristina, stay strong. 

Another random belief I held - you have to dress up to wear lipstick, false. You can wear a striped shirt, some comfy denim shorts, and your favorite pair of chucks and look completely normal with bright red lipstick on, too! 

Let me just say, the weather I took these photos in is not indicative of the actual weather right now. It's pretty chilly out there! 

Curtis and I went to see 42 last night, and I was blown away, and it's not just because I love baseball and Jackie Robinson. Really, the movie was amazing, and so heartfelt the whole time.. and yes, I teared up multiple times. There's just something about that time period (and the next 20-30 years), all of the walls coming down in peoples' minds about racism and prejudice, as awful as it was (and can still be at times), the changes many people made is just breath taking to me. I couldn't imagine telling someone they couldn't use the same water fountain or restroom, or eat in the same restaurant as me because of the color of their skin. I am so thankful for people like Jackie Robinson and so many other incredibly brave people, who were courageous enough to stand up against adversity, and fight for the right to be truly equal. 

Alright, how about you guys, any type of clothing or make-up that you've grown to love and feel comfortable in? Has anyone else seen 42, or is wanting to go see it? 

Linking up with: Two Thirty Five Designs
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Top: Gap (exact)
Shorts: Express (similar)
Bag: Thrifted (similar, similar)
Sunglasses: Gap via Ross (similar)
Shoes: Converse (exact)
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Whirlwind

I feel like I've been a little MIA for the past few days. Only because my post from Saturday was actually made on Friday evening, so I really haven't done much with my blog since then. I've literally gone through my bloglovin' and marked down y'all's blogs that I'm wanting to comment on.. AH! This weekend has been such a whirlwind, and once I have a little bit more time (and a nap) I'll tell y'all all about it. But for now, I'm going to leave you with an outfit post since it doesn't require too much typing, and taking pictures with my iPhone was much easier than pulling out my tripod, camera, and everything else involved.. so that's what I did. Hope you enjoy, sorry my face is kind of reflecting the sun like crazy.. it's soo soo sunny today and I'm afraid if I wait to take pictures, I'll just fall asleep somewhere and never wake up.

Okay okay, I know my last post had some Minnetoka Moccasins in it too.. but I picked up these puppies at Plato's Closet on Saturday night (thank you momma!) for $16..with a 20% off discount too! We were meant to be together you guys, these are literally THE best shoes ever. I'll let you in on a little secret, I've worn them three days in a row now.. ha, I put them on right after we left Plato's (ridiculous? I think not!), I wore them after my bridal shower yesterday (of which I will tell y'all all about super soon), and today while I ran around with my mom searching for a dress for her for the wedding. My other mocs are slippers, these are actual moccasins, they feel like feet heaven. Okay, enough ranting and raving about my shoes.. how was y'all's weekend?! I'll catch up on everything this evening.. I've gotta go love on my fiance some and see my beagle girl and boy! Hope you guys have had a fabulous Monday!

Linking up with:

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Jacket: Loft via Plato's Closet (similar)
Tee: Gap (exact)
Jeans: Gap (exact)
Necklace: Forever 21 (exact)
Bracelets: Target (similar)
Watch: Michael Kors (similar)
Moccasins: Minnetonka (exact)
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