What I Wore Wednesday: Wedding edition

Confession: If I am going to be honest I will tell you that I am sitting on my living room floor in a tshirt that says "I mustache you a question but I'll shave it for later" that an awesome friend gave me in my comfy pants doing back exercises so my What I Wore Wednesday would look more like I belong in an episode of Hoarders if I posted it accurately. Well, except that my living room is sparkling clean because I finished tearing it apart and putting it back together this morning. Therefore I thought it would be more fun to post what I wore to my cousin's wedding this weekend.

I know that I say over and over that Banana Republic, JCrew and BCBG are my three favorite places to shop but Ann Taylor really should be in there too. Their clothes are great quality and so classic that it's like we were meant to be together forever. Oh, and their petites fit me like a dream (except their pants, I will warn you that the length and fit can be questionable so always try them on). Their stuff can be pretty pricey but if you find something you like stalk it until you find a great deal.

This dress is a prime example of that because I had seen it on the website for months but $148 for a sheath dress isn't an amount of money I wanted to spend. Then last Sunday, less than the week before the wedding, all of their sale items online were an extra 50% off for less than 24 hours so I managed to snag it for $40. I chose regular shipping and prayed that it would arrive in time (and fit!) and it showed up on Wednesday! It's the first time I had ordered something online from them and their shipping was amazing.

In a 12P it ended up fitting perfectly (as I've mentioned before you have to try their petites, they fit great but I usually need to go up a size because I am currently a 10) and it was so gorgeous. This is how I styled it for the wedding (I also took a black cardigan in case I got cold) but for work I would pair it with a black blazer, nude pumps and maybe even a skinny nude or black belt. I just love the brush strokes on the dress so I wanted to keep it neutral and simple to really let the print shine. I'd even wear this out but I would probably put my cream leather motorcyle jacket over it which would be too amazing for words.

Dress: Ann Taylor
Shoes: Aldo (much more comfortable than they look, they're my favorite shoes I own)

Clutch: Ann Taylor (I got it on clearance a few months ago for $15!)
Bracelet: Ann Taylor
Earrings: Banana Republic

I just noticed something interesting, it seems that I tend to pair things from one store together a lot. I'll have to start paying attention to that more because I'm not sure why that is.

Make sure you check out the What I Wore Wednesday post over at The Pleated Poppy see some other great outfits!

Sunday Runday: I Saw the Sign

There were two conversations between my physical therapist and I this morning that disturbed me more than the fact that he likes to push on my hip flexors so hard that I start to think that I was exaggerating the pain of that one time I ran a half marathon on a stress fracture and what it feels like to get a tattoo on your ribcage. They went something like this:

Him: You really need to start cross training and strength training.
Me: I don't understand the question, did you just say I should increase my long runs?

Him: I really don't think it's a good idea for you to wear high heels.
Me: I don't understand the question, did you just ask me to stop breathing?

I don't think English is Noah the PT's first language because I have difficulty comprehending the things he is trying to say to me. Maybe I'll ask him about his homeland on Thursday.


Yesterday was Sunday aka long run day and my plan was to run 7 miles. Well, that's a bit of a stretch, my plan was to attempt to run 7 miles. I wasn't sure how far I could go because to be completely honest I have a hard time getting through 3 miles on my own because I wuss out every time. I "run" 7 miles on my own once a week or so but there is a lot of walking involved so I usually average 12:30-13 minute miles. When I got to the lake my friend that I have been running with said that she was planning on doing 10 miles because she is one motivated lady. I, on the other hand, had eaten my weight in dinner rolls and wine at my cousin's lovely wedding the evening before so I was aiming for 7 which was the distance that our coach had mapped out for us.

Another lady I have run with on occasion joined us and we talked and ran and when we got to the water stop at mile 2 that was where we were going to split. If you can see where this story is going then brownie points to you...I decided to try 10 miles. I figured why not? So what if I had only been running 4-5 miles as my long runs? I could do it right? Of course I could! I wasn't going to chicken out in front of other people! And I didn't want to be left behind!

And that right there is the entire reason I signed up for this half marathon training group, because I will always push myself a lot harder if there are other people around than if I am alone. And it turns out that I ran the 10 miles just fine. It was pretty slow, probably 11minute miles but so what? That means that more than a month before my race I am basically ready to run it and that makes me extremely happy. I wasn't even sore at all this morning (until Noah the PT beat the snot out of me so I came home and took a nap because everything hurt) which, combined with the fact that I have been running 4-6 miles with no issues for the last few weeks, means something awesome: my base is finally back! After a long summer of taking things slow and building it up I finally have a decent base and that, my friends, makes me ecstatic. To be able to run 10 miles with no real issues is exactly what I have spent the last 3 months trying to get to. I could cry with happiness.

And since I can't leave this post without a picture, here's the only thing that could make me even more ecstatic: seeing my babysitter, aka my other mom, and her husband at my cousins wedding. I don't get to see them nearly as often as I would like and I love them even more than I love running.

Glossybox vs Birchbox: August 2012

After the amount of questions I got from my initial Glossybox vs Birchbox post I thought I would try to do a monthly comparison between the two because that may help people decide if they want to join or not. And if not, they can still see what I got because hey, I like to look at other people's stuff that I don't have. It's probably one of my favorite past times *cough* Youtube haul videos *cough*

Of course I decided this last week about a week after I had ripped apart my Birchbox so the pictures aren't as great from that box. They aren't as great in general unlike my fabulous friend Bethany over at Rinse. Repeat who makes forks and half eaten muffins somehow look like the most magical thing in the universe. This is my first official go at this so I will try harder next month, maybe strap the products on the bun or something.

In case you didn't read my initial post (which you can find here), Glossybox and Birchbox are both monthly beauty sample subscriptions. Here's a quick rundown:

Cost 
Glossybox: $20/month
Birchbox: $10/month
Arrival
Glossybox: Usually the last week of the month
Birchbox: Usually the second week
Products
Glossybox: Higher end with one or more full sized products included each month
Birchbox: Mid to high end with deluxe samples and the occasional full sized product

Onto the boxes!

Both boxes have a theme each month and Birchbox's August theme was Beauty School. It contained a really cute fold out pamphlet with all sorts of beauty tips and tricks on it. Because I just decided to do these posts it is long gone as I am in a cleaning frenzy but trust me, it was cute.

Contents:
- Viva la Juicy Fleur perfume bu Juicy Couture
- Shu Umera hair oil
- Talika eye makeup remover
- Stila curling mascara
-Schick Hydro razor

I was most excited about that razor, not gonna lie. I got a free one of the same kind except for men a few months ago and it's amazing. I can't wait for a 10 blade razor someday at this rate. I was really excited about everything else too, the first time maybe ever because BB can be hit or miss with what the send. I actually own the original Viva la Juicy perfume so I'm excited to try this one, I've been using the mascara on my lower lashes because it has a teensy little brush that's perfect, I've become obsessed with Argan oil for my hair the last month so I'm all about any hair oil (if it won't weigh it down, that is) and I've been looking for a good eye makeup remover. Overall a good box!

My Glossybox arrived today amidst much anticipation because I had seen them hint at Illamasqua nail polish being in the boxes. Illamasqua is a brand that I often drool over at Sephora but have never purchased because it's $14 a bottle and if I am going to spend that kind of bank on nail polish it's going to be Butter London because they have such unique colors. However, the thought of one almost FREE had me in a tizzy so I was wishing and hoping and praying to the nail polish gods that it would arrive and not be the lime green shade and....

I GOT ONE!!! And in a gorgeous pink/orange color called Alarm. It was in a box but I ripped that baby out and painted one of my nails as soon as it was open.

Contents:
-Illamasqua nail polish in Alram (full sized, retails at $14/bottle)
-Ellis Faas Creamy Lips lipgloss (full sized, retails at $35/tube)
-Touch in Sol Feel Like Honey Moon Skin Base (1.06 oz, full size is 1.13oz and retails at $20)
-Ole Henriksen Truth Serum face serum (0.5 oz, full size is 1oz and retails at $48)
-Biolage ExquisiteOil Hair Replenishing Treatment (sample size)

These iphone pictures are professional quality. Am I right or am I right?

Overall this box was amazing with three almost full sized products and many high end products which went along with their theme of Pure Luxury. The color of the lip gloss is almost a milk chocolate color which would look great on some people but isn't great on me and $35 a tube?? Crazy talk. I'm newly obsessed with the realization that I am 32 which is almost 35 which is right around the corner from 40 which is middle aged so I have to start taking care of my skin so I'm excited to try the face serum. The face primer claims to be a primer and moisturizer in one which I am skeptical of but I'm interested in giving it a shot and I love hair products so that one is a no brainer. If you add up the full (and almost full) sized products that makes this box worth well over $70!

And if you want to know more about the products including how I know how much each item retials for here is the card included with it (Birchbox has a description card as well but again, it's long gone).

So what do you think? It it worth the money to get a box if surprise goodies every month? Are you a member of either (or both) and if so what did you get that was different than mine?

If you would like to sign up for Birchbox here is a link to do so. If you'd like an invitation to join Glossybox just send me your email address to maresydotesblog@gmail.com and I will send one out to you :)

Checking in

Life as a woman of leisure has been interesting. If you could see the utter chaos I am sitting in the middle of right now as I type this you would probably be horrified and never talk to me again but it's impossible for me to sit still and I am trying to get my life organized. I'm doing it within the confines of my back and am doing it slowly which means it looks like my house is throwing up on itself but I am hoping I will be done by next week (fingers crossed). For the record the only thing that really hurts is doing laundry but unless my doctor is doing to come make sure all my running clothes are springtime line dried fresh there's not much I can do. Anyway, I figured I would give you a play by play of the last week or so in my life because it has been so terribly interesting ;)

Friday
I spent feeling sorry for myself and not doing much after my PT. These things happen and sometimes you have to wallow in self misery for a while or, in my case, several days. I also spent a significant amount of the day trying to figure out my medical leave situation because it appears that these things are never cut and dry and I may not get paid again and be able to feed my cat and rabbit until 2013.

Saturday
I woke up early and went for a seven mile run that seemed like a good idea but my back wasn't in agreement. After that I went to Ulta for a makeover by an Urban Decay makeup artist. A few years ago all I owned was Mac makeup and while I like it I've started to branch out the last year or so and have discovered that I really like Urban Decay. Their quality is really fantastic and my life wouldn't be the same without the Naked palette. It was the first time I had ever had my makeup fully professionally done (and definitely using all one brand) and it was pretty awesome. Well, other than the fact that she refused to put liquid eyeliner on me because I needed to "try something new", whatever that means. So here's my "after" face since I don't post nearly enough extreme close ups of my old lady face.

I would just like to give a shout out to all the Dior and Nars makeup in my life, this doesn't mean I love you any less, I was just doing something different for the day. I promise.

After that I packed up my car and headed to Boston. A friend of mine since high school (who I haven't seen since then) started running a while ago and asked if I would like to run a 5k with her months ago. Run a 5k no, run with someone new in a new city yes so the yes's won out. We went to dinner at a burger place when I arrived that had one of the biggest menus of burgers I had ever seen. My stomach was on strike and let me know just how unhappy it was to receive such a thing but my friend's boyfriend got a burger with Mac and Cheese on it and it was even more stomach clenching looking than my plain one.

After that we went to Hard Rock Cafe to a cd release party (aka the sort of thing that never happens in Syracuse, at least not at a big awesome place with Christina Aguilera's bra hanging on the wall) and on the way home we saw this. I don't think it needs any words, just know that it has entered the Top 10 Moments of My Life.

For the record, if I die in the next 10 years someone please make sure I'm buried in my white leather jacket. Thanks.

Sunday
Race day and we ran the Tavern to Tavern 5k through Harvard Square. It was only the second year they have done it and it was by far the scariest race I have ever done because they didn't have nearly enough police on route for the full on intersections we were cutting across with cars trying to run us over. I went my usual snail's pace but instead of a 12:30mm which is what I have been pulling I threw down a solid 11mm race. Someday my 8mm will be back, someday...

After that we hung out for most of the day at the bar the race ended at. The longer we sat there the more stuff they kept giving away so in addition to my tech shirt and medal I came home with two glasses and another tshirt. Some people when home with 5 plus tshirt but let's be honest, I probably won't even wear the one I have let alone 5. The good news is I ate another cheeseburger (no carbs whaaat??) that didn't revolt against me and they had amazing Sangria which I am officially addicted to.

Did I mention that I had lost a bet with my Maine coworkers and had to run in a Red Sox shirt? If that's not love I don't know what is.

After we left I took a shower and then headed home a little (ok, a lot) depressed that I did not see one rat at the subway which is why NYC is 10 times greater than any other city. Rat spotting is the best game ever created.

Monday- Today
Monday I spent the day in bed feeling sorry for myself because my back hurt from all that driving and watching Youtube. I felt much better on Tuesday so I started ripping my bathroom apart to reorganize it. That night I had my training run where we played a game where we had to run out and back in 20 minutes and then do it a second time without looking at our watches to get as close to 20 minutes as possible. I came in at 19:23, curses! I sang The Final Countdown during the majority of the 40 minutes and I think everyone else was really excited about it. Yesterday I started ripping my living room apart (despite the fact the bathroom isn't 100% done) and really went to town on it today. I even bought new mini blinds and put up new curtains after I scrubbed my windows. AND I just watched the slipcovers on my furniture as the bun's hair will last through a nuclear holocaust despite how much I vacuum and lint roller. That's why I am sitting in total chaos though. Oh, and I ran 4 miles this morning and I got my base back! But I'll probably talk more about that tomorrow. Or the next day.

Tomorrow I get to go to visit Noah the PT and we'll see if my exercises I've been doing twice a day have helped. I don't feel any different so I'm not sure but the girls sure like to "help" me. When I do the ones on my stomach the bun sits right on the small of my back and takes a bath or chews my hair. After that I will probably go running again and then try to get this living room in order. Pray for me.

"Mom's on the floor, maybe she has treats!!!"

The excitement of my days is overwhelming you, isn't it? I completely understand, I'm downright exhausted.

Baby Come Back: A surprising update

I got some no good, awful, very bad news yesterday. It appears that I have to go out on medical leave for work which is what I have been trying to avoid for the last month. I won't get to deep into it but it wasn't my decision and in the last two days I have absolutely proved that Maybelline Falsies Mascara is not sob-like-a-four-year-old-passing-Build-A-Bear proof but that Urban Decay 24/7 liquid liner hangs on like a damn champ. My one and only love, forever and always amen.

I will tell you that the girls are pretty excited about it. Trixie is because she will have a lap on standby for the next three weeks and Archie is because she will have unlimited living room play time.

This is happening right now.

Today I went to the physical therapist for the first time and had some more waterworks when I found out that my copay is $40 a visit. Honestly, how do people afford such a thing? Do they know what that is the equivalent of in shoes for 2-3 visits a week? I feel bad for my PT, he seems like a super nice guy and I was a miserable grump of a human being. Here's a public shout out to Noah the PT (his official name): thanks for being awesome and dealing with me being a girl. Well, other than that whole part where you jammed that extra sharp knife right through my lower back and then had to peel me off the ceiling when I screamed bloody murder and attached myself to it in self defense. Oh, you were just gently palpating it to isolate where the pain was coming from? Lies. All lies.

Afterwards to make myself feel better I ate a cuban chicken panini from Panera and pretended that it was 200 calories with 4 carbs. I then wandered around Marshall's until I found a book on Michael Buble for  $3.99 which made me happy for at least an hour because he is the second hottest Canadian I know. Please see below for the first hottest on the left with the middle of our sandwhich being my favorite St. Louis superstar. If this picture didn't cheer me up just from seeing two of my favorite faces in one of my favorite places (ha!) then sight of me fitting in those pants does.

 I am trying my best (despite being a miserable ass) to look on the bright side of things of this situation though so here is a list:

1) My new bff/least favorite person Noah the PT told me that I can't do planks for at least a month. Cue the Hallelujah chorus (I reference this a lot because I spent a lot of years singing it in every arrangement imaginable and it's kind of my jam...despite the fact that I am still unclear on the whole "omnipotent reigneth" thing).

Oh, heck, I'll just give it to you. Fist pound to my alto sisters at 2:53 on showing them how to hold that business down without ever getting the glory.

2) Noah the PT thinks that I tore a ligament in my back. Why is this a happy thing? BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYING ALL ALONG! And damn if I don't like to be right even if it means negative things for me. These human medicine people, I tell ya. Spend all their time complicating everything when they answer is right there and I usually know what it is but no one bothers to ask me.

3) I can finally deep clean my house which has needed to be done for 2.25 years, basically since I started my job. I have no idea how a little 3lb bun can shed so much hair but it's like some weird lagamorph infused John Wayne Western around here with the bunny tumbleweeds blowing by despite furminating her against her will twice a week. Of course, I can't lift anything or bend over a ton so we'll see how this plan goes. I may very well be asking for ideas on what to add to my Netflix list instead.

4) I can finally start on clearing out my closet so I can work on my blog sale. Quite a few lovely lady friends of mine have expressed an interest in my clothes and lord knows I need to clear a lot out so I am hoping to get the first round up next week. Don't worry, things will be pretty cheap and I have more new things with tags on them that I have never worn than I care to admit.

5) I can still run. Please refer to the song posted in #1. And believe me when I tell you that my mileage is going to go through the roof now that I have all the time in the world to run every day. At least it better, that is the one positive thing I am hoping to take away from all of this.

So there you have it, my friends. For the next three weeks (I am hoping that is all) I am a woman of leisure. Who wants to hang out? I'll bring the grapes.

What I wore Wednesday: Ode to a Skirt

Dear skirt:

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

You're beautiful.
You're soft.
You have just the right amount of color.
You don't wrinkle easily.
You're the perfect length.
You make my butt look ridiculous.
You're an All Around Gold Medalist in Skirt Awesomeness.

Skirt and Shirt: Ann Taylor. Bracelet: JCrew.

I actually didn't wear this today but it WAS up for consideration for wearing (as in I had it on and changed my mind) because those days happen. Why didn't I wear it? Because it was just too perfect and I wouldn't be seeing enough people who could admire it today.

Don't try to understand my reasoning.

The story of this skirt started a year ago. I saw it at Ann Taylor and promptly died on the spot because I had to have it and it was $118. How do I know that? I just took the tag off of it today. That's right, I've never worn it but we will get to that. So anyway, I saw it and fell in love with it and then promptly forgot about it because there was no way I was going to spend anywhere near that for a skirt that I would surely ruin.

Fast forward a few months and I was perusing the Ann Taylor clearance racks on a whim one day and there it was: my skirt in a size 12 petite on sale for....$12. I AM NOT EVEN KIDDING YOU RIGHT NOW!!! Here was the problem: As you may well know, I was in the throes of being happy, fat and in love so I was a 14 and didn't come anywhere near to fitting in a 12P (which is more like an 8/10 in Ann Taylor language) but I bought it anyway. How could I not?

It's been in my closet since then since I had no idea when I would fit into it. I take it out from time to time to admire it and then last month it finally fit but not comfortably well. However today....today, magic happened. I tried it on just for the heck of it and angels sang the Hallelujah chorus. I paired it with my new silk Ann Taylor shirt that I am obsessed with (also a clearance rack find) and it was perfection. I've waites so long to wear it that today wasn't special enough of a day to debut it so it's waiting another day or 10. It will be glorious when it happens though.

Just look at the close up:

It's layers of silk pleated in the middle for texture because the edges are free. I saw a replica at the Ann Taylor outlet store a few months ago but it was nowhere near the same (someday I will explain how outlet and factory stores work but for now I will just tell you things may look similar but that's it, it's not the same piece). This is definitely an item that I will have tailored down when I hit my goal weight, thank God I have a good tailor.

When I finally wear it I will pair it with my Cole Haan shoes so the skirt can steal the show.

Let us not discuss that my pale, near death skin makes nude shoes look tan. The lady at the Elizabeth Arden counter later week called it "alabaster" but clearly she works on commission. I'll still take it, though.

Also, I linked up again for What I Wore Wednesday over at The Pleated Poppy.

Sunday Runday...on a Monday

The unthinkable happened about an hour ago: I broke one of my favorite Nalgene bottles. In my previous life (aka before veterinary medicine sucked me into its clutches) I went to college with the goal of becoming a paleontology professor which meant I took a lot of geology classes. Geology classes, in case you were unaware, are best done outside actually looking at rocks so unless you had a Nalgene bottle for field work you didn't have any geo street cred. Of course being 18-22 year old kids we spent a lot of time hurling our bottles off of things to see if we could get them to break because they are supposedly unbreakable. Mine alone got chucked off the side of a landfill in Niagara Falls during my Environmental Geology class, it went into a mining pit at Gore Mountain during my Problems in Earth History class, it took a trip off the bank of Kashong creek during my Paleontology class and let's not even talk about what happened during my Limnology and Structural Geology classes. And guess what? It never once broke! But today I was carrying my #2 favorite bottle from the Grand Canyon when I dropped it on the way to the kitchen while it was half full which resulted in a huge leaking crack along the bottom. It turns out that hardwood accomplished what granite could not and I'm pretty sad about it. Heartbroken, really.

That was a long paragraph about my Nalgene bottle, you truly don't know my love for them and I am down to two in my fridge when I usually have 4-5. Sad day.

Yesterday was Sunday which means LSD day for my half marathon training group. LSD is not as trippy as it sounds, it stands for Long Slow Distance which is where you work on increasing the distance you run instead of the speed. When I got to the lake to meet with my training group the marathon training group was there too and no one mentioned how far my group was supposed to go. I waited for a while and decided that since I hadn't run much from injuring my foot last weekend I would just run four miles and call it a day. I set off alone so that I wouldn't be too far behind the group and did the first two miles. Mile 2 is where the water station is located at a road intersection and I decided that I didn't want to turn around because I didn't see anyone else doubling back and I didn't want to look like a weenie. I'm sure I looked like a lost puppy for a while turning in circles for a while because I still didn't know where we were supposed to go until I saw someone from my group to follow, hooray!

I ended up using her as my pacer because she was going about my speed and I really wanted to see how far I could push myself to run. I've been wussing out a lot on my own (the day before I did 3.5 miles but walked probably a mile of it) and the whole reason I joined this group is because I knew it would force me to push myself. I ended up running the entire five miles that was the scheduled run and even ran the hill at the end that I hate that goes back into the park! Small victory! I even forced myself to talk to a lady running behind me and she was a total inspiration, she has MS but is training for a half anyway and I felt like a total jerk because I was convinced I couldn't make myself run 4 miles and there she was plugging along. We made plans to run together again on Tuesday since we are about the same speed so I'm excited to go tomorrow. I have given myself the task of talking to one new person a week because in social situations where I don't know anyone I am typically very shy so this week was successful! Last week was too, actually. Not that I remember anyone's name because I am awful at names but baby steps, right?

As for my foot it wasn't very happy. At around mile 3 I started getting a massive cramp across the whole top right where my foot meets my ankle every 15-20 steps. It would hurt so bad I would actually jump up off it and shake it until it would ease up a little and the last 2 miles went like that. I'm sure it was entertaining to watch the crazy girl shaking her foot and wincing. I don't know for sure what I injured but it's something that's pretty ticked at me so I am icing it every night and sleeping with it elevated. It's still technicolored too although that is finally fading.

This post was extremely boring, even to me, so here are some underpants that I want and if they weren't $65 they would be mine. Maybe Santa will bring them because I NEED them! (Yes, I am planning for Christmas already).

You can buy them here!

High Five for Friday!

I've been in a grumpy mood this week. Grumpy in that nothing will help it unless it's covered in chocolate or glitter (Not at the same time, preferably. Unless it's edible glitter which I do have and which is awesome) and seeing as I can't have chocolate and am three hours away from my glitter collection not much is helping. I will say that yesterday I was driving through Woodstock, which is every bit the 1969 time warp that you would expect it to me, when I saw a man standing outside a store talking to friend while wearing a speedo, an open Hawaiian shirt, knee socks and work boots and that was definitely the highlight of my day.

So to combat this I thought I would link up over at From My Grey Desk for her High Five For Friday post, aka five awesome things that happened this week.

1. Yesterday I got to play with not one but two puppies. I am a total cat (and now rabbit) person but puppies are pretty awesome too as long as I don't have to take them home and wrangle them away from my favorite wedges. This little guy was 10 or 11 weeks old and he was such a funny, naughty boy! He's an Australian Cattle Dog, in case you were wondering, and in all my years in veterinary medicine I don't think I've ever seen one so young.

2. I went to Marshall's on Wednesday night, aka my happy place, and happened across these for $12.99 and $7.00 (respectively). Seriously, if you are an old lady of 32 like me and you find these snatch them up! I've actually been excited to wash my face the last two days because of how awesome the one on the right makes my skin feel.

3. I post a lot of pictures on instagram (missmarabelle if you want to stalk me) and I posted the same outfit of the day picture with the yellow skirt that I posted on here and tagged the companies of the items I was wearing and then the unthinkable happened. Literally, be still my heart because I almost drove off the road when I saw this. My life= complete.

4. I come across a lot of things in my travel that make me laugh like the Amigone Funeral Homes in Buffalo (apparently it's a family name?) and try my hardest to get pictures of the good stuff I see. This unfortunate sign combo cracked me up, I can't help it.

5. Part of the grumpiness I have is due to not running much this week. I skipped my weekly half marathon training run on Tuesday because it was too hot for me (90 degrees at 5:30pm, I know my limits) and my foot is still really sore and swollen so I've been resting it. The GOOD news is that I am going to run tomorrow and my back is starting to feel better which may or may not be due to the nightly "massages" the bun gives me. At night I lay on my stomach on the floor at home to stretch out my back and she usually jumps up and down on it by launching herself from the ottoman over and over or just sits on it and takes a bath. I'm not sure how effective her 3.8lb of pressure is but it's the thought that counts. Here she is attempting to massage my hip, she's so thoughtful.

What I Wore Wednesday: Round 1

I would sell my soul to the devil for a bowl of Kellog's Raisin Bran right now. It's one of my favorite things to eat on the planet and I've been thinking about it for days. If I bought it I would pour a little in a bowl, cover it in sugar then fill it with milk to the top and eat it like that until the whole box was gone. And let's be honest, nothing good would come of that.

I'd hit some Cocoa Krispies pretty hard right now, too. Cereal is my favorite. I miss you, carbs.



A few months ago a bunch of ladies I know asked if I would start posting pictures of what I wear to work on Instagram. I'm not sure why because I don't think that I wear anything all that exciting. I like tailored, fitted pieces in general in a classic style. I don't like wearing loose clothes since I lost weight because I spent most of my life in baggy clothes and what's the point of losing 120lb to cover it all up? I also hate pants and between April-November you will be hard pressed to find me in them, especially if I'm not working. I do wear them to work fairly often but almost never outside of work and in the winter I just wear leggings a lot because jeans are my arch nemesis.

I have had a hard time finding blogs that feature clothes of someone who dresses the way I do: business casual but a little more dressy because "business casual" is a slippery slope to khakis and a polo shirt and I'm just not interested in that. I didn't spend 7 years of my life in scrubs to wear polo shirts that make my chest look weird, thanks. Some people I work with are surprised that I wear skirts and dresses so much but really, I'm so used to it that it's not something I think much about. Maybe I dress up too much for my job but I don't think so, unless I roll in with a gown and 5 inch Guess stilettos (I do own such a shoe and they hurt but make my legs look killer) then I think I'm safe. Anyway, I thought someone else who dresses similarly to me might like to see what I wear. Or not. I have no idea.

Despite my love of classic colors and shapes I also do like to choose some trends to work into my wardrobe such as my obsession with neons right now. As I've said before, most of my clothes come from Banana Republic (because their petites fit me really well, I have long legs but regular pants are too long and short pants are often too short...I'm looking at you, Ann Taylor) and JCrew (because I like their style and trends). I almost never pay full price for anything because I will just wait for it to go on sale so I spend about as much on clothes as my mom does who is on a pretty strict shopping diet of JCPenney and Marshalls. I like to take risks sometimes because clothes are fun and if you don't like it then you don't wear it again. Easy peasy.

Shannon (over at shannanigans, check her out because she's a funny mama lady) mentioned a few months ago that I should join in with What I Wore Wednesday over at The Pleated Poppy so I figured, why not? I like to look at what other people are wearing because I'm nosy and that's how I decide I must own 99% of items anyway so maybe someone wants to stalk my closet from time to time. True to my procrastination form, here we are months later and I'm finally doing it. Better late than never is clearly my life motto.

So without further ado, here is what I wore today!

My shirt is a Haberdashery shirt from JCrew, I have an unholy love for button down shirts that will become pretty clear as these Wednesdays roll forward. The skirt I got this weekend on mega clearance at The Loft for $21! And it's subtle, right? ;) The necklace I got last year from Ann Taylor, also on ridiculous clearance for something crazy like $10-15. The shoes on the left are what I did wear, flats from Banana Republic but I would have worn my Cole Haans on the right if my foot wasn't so swollen from falling at my uncle's wedding (the bruise is now visible and is softball sized).

I also painted my nails last night in a color that is totally unlike me but I love it because it reminds me of clay. It's Yogaga by Essie from their new Yogaga collection and I got it on a whim last week. Having my nails painted makes me feel much more put together for some reason.

I am a chronic nail biter (the uncle from the aforementioned wedding taught me how when I was 3 or 4) and I usually leave them alone if they are painted but if they aren't for two or three days I will annihilate them which is what I did a few weeks ago. Therefore, forgive their sad state. They're generally very small anyway, I have obnoxious little carnie hands that can't even scale an octave on the piano.

Also, as a bonus to my first WIWW here is what I wore to my nail biting uncle's wedding (for the record, as I have somehow forgotten to mention this, he is the one who came up with the nickname that many of my family call me and of which this blog is named for. Although they usually just call me Dotes now).

Ignore that Gisele-wanna-be face, I was trying to show off the fact that I used bronzer for the first time ever and I was pretty proud of it. Dress and shoes are from Banana Republic as are my earrings. My bracelet that you can kind of see is from Kate Spade and my toenail are painted Slapper from butterLondon.

So there it is, my first What I Wore Wednesday. I hope you liked it!

So this one time I almost broke my face but thought I broke my foot instead and then ate a lot of bread which negated the whole thing. The end.

The silver lining to not being able to go to Maine this weekend to run Beach to Beacon was that I got to go to my uncle's wedding which I was really upset about the prospect of missing. My mom is from a family of seven and he is the only boy so he is spoiled and rightfully so because he's wonderful. He used to babysit me when I was little and he taught me how to tie my shoes and pop tar bubbles in the road when it was really hot. When you live in the middle of the woods you invent your own fun, I guess (Hang out with me sometime and I'll teach you how to pop sap bubbles on pine trees. The good ones squirt pretty far but the downside is spending an hour with your mom brushing it out of your hair with Murphy's oil soap). It was a pretty great day despite being blistering hot because all of my aunts and my uncle were in one place for the first time in years. Maybe even 10. One of my stepbrother's was even there from North Dakota and since I don't see him very often he spends every single visit harassing the snot out of me (is that what brothers do? Because I don't remember ever complaining about being an only child). It was also an awesome day because there was cake, Italian cookies and a fountain that spewed sangria the combination of which equaled heaven. Oh yeah, and the wedding part was pretty awesome too, it's been a while since I've had a new aunt :)

Look at that handsome devil.

If you look above to that happy picture you will see my most favorite and comfortable shoes on the planet, aka my Banana Republic platforms that I bought on a whim two years ago and wear the heck out of. I've even said I could run in them but I haven't tried...although I almost did when the bouquet got a little too close to me. Anyway, as we were leaving and walking down the driveway I totally face planted when I tripped over my own feet. And it wasn't one of those "Oh, I'm falling so I'll catch myself and it won't be so bad!" dealies. Nope. It was a straight up face plant complete with bruised hands, a bloody knee and a foot that felt like I broke something insignificant like a sesamoid bone (insignificant until it's broken, that is).  My aunt and uncle saw the whole thing right behind us which means they could probably tell you what color underwear I was wearing. Epic fall. My mom asked me if my back was ok but seeing as I was caryring my favorite Kate Spade bag I thought she was talking about that and I was relieved that nothing happened to it, back be damned.

My hands are now bruised in the shape of asphalt. Awesome.

I spent half of Saturday night awake because my foot hurt so bad that I was convinced I had broken it and would need a cast therefore knocking me out of my half marathon training. Drama queen much? I finally fell asleep and when I woke up Sunday it felt about 5% better which I figured meant I was good to go running. I was wrong. Other than the 15k I ran two years ago on a stress fracture (to be fair, I didn't know I had one) it was the most painful run I have ever had. I literally thought I was going to throw up at a few points and when I ran off the end of the foot bridge I landed heavy on that foot and it buckled under me. The good news is I still got my 4 miles in that we were doing in the training group, the bad news is that I couldn't walk most of yesterday. What a dumbass. This story has a good ending though and that is that it's fine today, hooray! I know that what I did was stupid but I was panicking that I would be on a slippery slope to not running for a year again right after I just got started.

I'm not sure that there is a moral or a point to this story other than to share with the world that my family had the opportunity to see my underpants for the first time since I used to rock my Popples panties back in my wee years. Oh, and that you shouldn't be stupid and try to run if you're injured. If it WAS broken nothing good would have come of my running yesterday including probably having to cut my shoe off me (although that might be the greatest thing that could ever happen to my Mizunos).

Oh! And one more awesome thing! This was at the party. Hooray for tomato pie and if you're not from Central New York you probably have never seen this. And if you are from CNY then you knew this picture was coming and you're probably jealous as you should be because I ate three pieces and didn't look back.

Back it up.

I woke up this morning to a rabbit on the lam. I came out of my room and Archie came running right to me in a total "Moooom! I was baaaad!!!" way. Seriously, you should have seen the look on her face. I thought that she had just gotten out a few minutes before because nothing outside the living room was disturbed but about an hour after I put her away I discovered that she broke out of her hutch, went through the living room, past my desk, went into the kitchen, somehow opened the door to the little closet I keep my trash can in and chewed a bunch of pieces off my broom then returned to the living room all the while bypassing the delectable pieces of paper all over the floor around my desk from doing expense reports.

I'm not sure if other rabbits have a personality as big as mine does but she has it in spades.

I had to go to the doctor today for a recheck on my back and the nurse told me I had lost "another 6lb" and asked how I did it because she has recently joined Weight Watchers. I told her I gave up carbs and refined sugar and then broke down crying hysterically, much like someone on a reality show that has just been voted off the episode right before they are in the finals to win a million dollars and a car that will stop being made two years after airing. I swear to all that is holy I have never been through a breakup as hard as giving up carbs has been. Yesterday I was driving to an appointment and realized that I had been daydreaming about spaghetti for at least 15 minutes and it was one of the best daydreams I have ever had.

That being said I ate three ears of corn for dinner tonight and every single one was amazing.

This scale and I have had a love/hate relationship since we first met five years ago but today we were tight. I do miss carbs but not enough to go back to inhaling them on the daily until I'm back in a size 4. I just hope and pray it's sooner rather than later.

So my doctor didn't have good news for me today but I kind of expected it. I've been given a weight restriction of not being able to lift more than 10lb until my recheck in a month and I have to start going to physical therapy. This might seem minor but a good portion of my job is pretty physical so it's going to take some rethinking and rearranging how things happen until I am better. It's also going to be tough to figure how I will be in town often enough to go to PT but I'll make it work. I AM, however, allowed to run. I have no idea how I convinced him that I am ok to run but after being my doctor for the last 5 years I think he's used to me by now and it may be because the nurse told him about how I sobbed over missing dinner rolls and figured that it would be best to avoid the epic nuclear meltdown that I would have if he said I couldn't run. It would be like a red headed Chernobyl and I shudder to think what that would entail.

For the record, my doctor wanted to make my weight restriction 5lb but I convinced him to up to to 10lb so I could still cart around all the hospital kitties I see in my days. Really, it's the bread and butter of my job. I mean, just look at this dude. His name is Ralph and he's lived at his hospital his whole life and his disgruntled face was not because I was holding him but because I stopped petting him to take his picture. How rude of me.

The good news is I was kind of bummed so I went to the mall and found not only the brand new Urban Decay foundation brush that I've been dreaming of for months since they first mentioned they would be releasing their new Naked foundation but I also happened across a sale at Ann Taylor which netted me a silk shirt that fits like a dream and that adorable glitter clutch for a whopping $26 total. Win.

Don't ask me why I bought three bottle of nail polish when I bit all my fingernails off a few weeks ago and have been begging them to grow back ever since. I know not what I do.

Bullet Wednesday: Running, Rabbits, and everything in between

The Bun

She is doing much better and I really appreciate all the people who have asked about her. My pets are my kids and it was horrible to see her in so much pain and not be able to do anything about it. After all the research I've done I am 100% sure that it was "just" a bout of GI stasis and not hairballs (that doesn't make it any better, it just means that there was nothing else in combination with it). She has been eating like a champ though and is beyond excited that she gets a large bunch of organic Spring Mix twice a day to keep her GI tract moving at warp speed, so much so that she has started throwing her salad bowl again in protest when it's empty, something she hasn't done since she was young. This picture cracks me up, here she is about an hour ago with her Einstein toy that has three compartments to put treats in and she has to remove the pieces to find the treat (which she always does quickly).

What's up, doc?

My back

It got much better out of nowhere last week but then it went back to ground zero yesterday after I had a pretty physical day at work. I am going to the doctor tomorrow for a recheck but it's safe to say that I will not be making the 12 hour round trip drive to Maine this weekend to run Beach to Beacon which marks the second year I got in (registration closes in 5 minutes on the day it opens) but won't be running it. Maybe next year? *sob*

My July weight loss

July was a tough month because the first week was the week of the Boilermaker and I'm allowed to eat whatever I want the week before a big race (this is my own rule and I'm not changing it) and the week after I went to Philly for a sales meeting which means a lot of hotel food (there is usually cake, all I'm gonna say) and Pat's for an authentic Philly cheesesteak (Whiz wit out!). Therefore I only lost 3lb but the good news is I weigh in on the 28th of every month and even though it was three days ago I am back on track to where I need to be. I have a lofty goal of losing 10lb this month, think I can do it?

My half marathon training

On Tuesday morning my procrastinator self finally ponied up the $150 to Fleet Feet to join their half marathon training program that runs for 12 weeks and started that night at 5:45pm. After being late because I couldn't figure out where everyone was meeting I got put in my group of 10-12 minute milers and we did a 0.6 mile warm up and then did three one mile runs where we tried to improve our time by 10 seconds on each mile. I had to sit out the last mile because I got extremely light headed and thought I was going to pass out which was embarrassing. I didn't eat anything but a Kind bar for breakfast all day though and I haven't been sleeping well because I've been waking up to check on Archie every night so it makes sense. We run on Tuesdays and Sundays and I think Tuesdays will be speedwork and Sundays will be for distance. I'm not sure how I am going to fare on the Tuesday night runs because I historically suck at running in the afternoon or evening but I'm hoping I get used to it. I'm excited though, there are lots of awesome people to talk to so I hope I meet some new running friends. I already saw a girl that I need to be friends with because she had the best shoes ever and her shirt matched them so naturally we should be BFF's (whether she agrees or not). I need to step up my game though, all the girls looked cute in their running clothes and I was in my normal mis-matched business. What can I say, I wear what I like to run in and not what looks good (<-----Who is this person SPEAKING??!). I'm also SUPER excited about being coached and having a set schedule of running, I love structure.

Clothes, glorious clooooothes!

I bought a pair of pants at Banana Republic on mega clearance last weekend in a size smaller than I've been wearing and they fit like a dream so I've been wearing them for the last two days. Score one for fitting in smaller pants and score one for wearing pants many times before washing them. Then today I got my new bathing suit in the mail and despite being scared to try it on it looks so good (did I just say that outloud?) that I am going to order another one in white! (I told you, my love of white clothes knows no bounds). I also finally went to the new BCBG store on Saturday that is now in the mall that's a quarter mile from my house and died on the spot. You may recall that BCBG is part of my shopping trifecta (if only I had a JCrew purchase to go in this love story) so the fact that there is one so close to me is heaven on earth. I couldn't leave without commemorating this momentous occasion so this dress happened despite the fact that I usually loathe ruffles:

I can't wait until fall, swoon!

Waxing poetic

My eyeliner started out a little crazy this morning so I went with it and it ended up amazing which is my metaphor for life. When things look like they're going all wrong just keep working on it and it will all turn out all right.

I could have smile though. And put on some lipgloss. Live and learn.