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September 6, 2012

Community


A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about community. I've come to realize just how important it is for all of us to live within a community; to be held accountable and to have people who will walk through the hard times with us.

This was the quote I used on that post which now hangs on my wall as a reminder that getting through life is about doing this together; hand in hand.

"You can't do it alone, as you navigate through the rest of your life be open to collaboration. Other people and other peoples ideas are often better than your own. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you. Spend a lot of time with them and it will change your life. No one is here today because they did it on their own."



So every Thursday, I'm going to have a link up, where we can come together and create community. Feel free to share posts that reveal bits of your heart, or perhaps your "about me" section so that we can all get to know one another better.

Check out the person who links up before and after you, follow their blog, and make some new friends!

September 4, 2012

What To Wear, Week 1

Have you ever stared into your closet full of clothes and wondered, "what am I going to wear today?" Or after a big sigh said, "I have nothing to wear!" I think perhaps a good majority of us have been there before.

Last week, I decided that I needed some styling help, so I sent a quick text message over to my friend Kate asking if maybe she'd be willing to come over to my house and go through my closet with me. She quickly suggested having her amazingly stylish sister Lauren come over too, which of course was a yes in my book! If you haven't checked out their blogs, you definitely should. They are super stylish, gorgeous, and about as sweet as can be.

The main reason I asked for help was because I wanted a fresh pair of eyes {lucky for me, I got two pairs!} to see my wardrobe. Kate and Lauren both know me well and what kind of style I like, as well as what kind of styles I have yet to try. In the coming weeks, I'm going to be sharing photos of the outfits we picked out as well as style tips they gave me.



It's still fairly hot here this week so I went with a simple summer outfit they helped pick out. I love this navy dress because of the polka dots. The main reason its hardly gotten any wear out of it was I didn't know what kind of shoes to pair with it. When the girls suggested pink peep-toe shoes, I absolutely jumped for the outfit. And the great thing is they helped me figure out how to wear it into the fall by pairing it with tights and boots. {I'll show you that outfit when it gets colder}. I actually bought this dress when I saw a photo of the adorable Jillian Harris rocking it!


Style Tip #1: Show off your best features!

Confession: I really don't like my legs. I try to hide them more times than not. But when I wear a dress, shorts, or skirts, I tend to get compliments. The girls showed me lots of great and practical ways to show off my legs while still being comfortable and confident!


Kate and Lauren challenged me to step outside my comfort zone. The point of this was not to run out and buy tons of new clothes, but rather to re-pair outfits with clothes I already own as well as take more style risks outside of my usual look. So now, I have a challenge for YOU. I'm going to start a new link-up series call "What To Wear" kind of like the show "What Not To Wear" except we are going to showcase our best, not our worse! ;) Each week there will be a challenge that I'm giving myself, and I would love to have you on board. So let's step out of our fashion comfort zones together!

Next week's challenge: Neutrals! 

Maybe this is something you are a pro at already. I can't wait to see what outfits you put together, so that I can learn from y'all because next week's challenge is way out of my comfort zone!

I'm including a link-up this week for any fashion related posts. I seriously can't wait to see what outfits y'all are rocking!

September 3, 2012

GFC Blog Hop


It's Tuesday again which means it's time for the GFC Blog Hop!
When I want to follow a blog the first thing I look for is GFC (Google Friend Connect), it's so easy and  nice to be able to go and see all of the blogs you follow in one spot. It's really a great tool to have. 
One side note- Did you know you can follow through GFC using your Twitter Account? TRUE, it's definitely an option!

If you are interested in co-hosting the next GFC Blog Hop send me an email at melissa@thelifeofanotsoordinarywife.com


Ok, so let's get to the party, shall we?
RULES are simple:
1. Follow your host via GFC
The First link below
2. Follow your co-hosts via GFC
The Next 8 links below
3. Link up below using your main blog url not a specific post.
4. Make sure to visit some of the blogs in the link up and follow them via GFC 
and if you want to leave them a comment, I'm sure they'd appreciate that as well.
5. Tweet about this blog hop

6. Share about this blog hop by grabbing a button and putting it on your sidebar!


Hello Monday: Giveaway!

Happy Labor Day sweet friends! I decided it'd be fun to have another lovely little giveaway plus a discount code on another item since y'all seemed to enjoy it last week on the bubble necklaces! {thank you so much for all your support!}

This week, I'm really excited to share this next necklace as it comes in bright, happy colors, which I happen to love! 


And just like before, a reader can win one (in color of their choice) and the rest of you can use a discount code in the meantime! Use code: SEPT50 for 50% off this necklace!

Influence Conference

In about 5 short weeks, I'll be boarding an airplane and flying to Indiana for the Influence Conference hosted by some incredible women! I've actually been trying not to think about it too much as I told myself back in April that I was done with airplanes for the year. But, I'll put back on my brave face and conquer my fears for the 10th time this year! I'm so excited to link up and see who else is going and start connecting with new bloggers!

I'm hoping I have packing down to more of a science because I just about broke my suitcase traveling back from Blissdom!


Three fun little facts:

1. I like pink just a teeny tiny bit, incase the photo didn't speak to you or anything.

2. I absolutely love mailing cards, candies, and treats to people. I kinda think chocolate might be my love language.

3. I'm hoping to go to Haiti or Africa for a week or two in the next year to do missional work. As much as I love being a business owner, the former teacher in me would love to spend some time loving on little ones over there!

There are a few things that I'm absolutely jumping with excitement for:

1. The Community: I can't wait to hug and squeeze some of the sweet bloggers that I've already meant in real life this past year. Not to mention, there are so many women that I just absolutely adore and can't wait to meet and chat well as well. 

2. The Future: I think Influence is going to be so helpful to figure out just how I want to use my voice, and what direction to take my blog and business in as well. Not to mention, I foresee a bunch of changes coming my way in the next year or two, so I'm excited to how things unfold as I get a better vision over the weekend at the conference.

One thing I can't leave home without:

1. My iphone, enough said.

August 30, 2012

5 Things to be Happy About

1. My sister and I went to the Brad Paisley concert. We ended up being there for 8 hours, and had an absolutely blast. There were a few up and coming artists on a separate stage before the actual concert started. And let me just tell you; Jana Kramer was amazing! That girl can sing.


Scotty McCreery always had a guest appearance and every teenager girl in the audience went nuts. Oh, and my sister scored us an amazing seat upgrade for free! 


2. I went to a new place called Defy Gravity on Tuesday. Its like one extra large trampoline. It was such a great break from work, and quite the workout. I felt like I could barely move all day long afterwards.


3. Thank you for all the support of sharing my giveaway and coupon code! It made my heart happy to no end!


4. I made cupcakes from scratch for the first time ever, and oh my word were they delicious!


5. I'm not going to lie.....I have a weakness for ice cream. And the problem is there are 5 ice cream shops within a 2 mile radius of my house. I probably eat it 3 times a week!








August 27, 2012

Crossroads

I'm at a bit of a crossroads these days. I've had to take a lot of time off this summer to battle against mono, so as a result I've done a whole lot of thinking, reflecting, dreaming, and planning. I'm slowly teaching myself to do a little more of what I love, and a little less of what I don't want to be doing. And surprisingly, it's moving me forward in exactly the direction I want to be going! I guess they call it dream chasing for a reason! 



I'm learning to let go of Plan A. My dreams have shifted and changed over the last couple of years. I spent my whole life training to be a teacher between babysitting, nannying, summers as a camp counselor, and then a degree an early education. And then I landed my dream job as a teacher, and I loved almost every moment of it. I didn't leave because I hated it. I left because I realized that I had more dreams inside of me that would never be fulfilled inside a classroom. But the more I chase after certain dreams, the more different opportunities present themselves. So I'm slowly taking small steps forward in faith and seeing where this path leads me. I have a feeling that the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013 are going to be filled with decisions and new adventures!

top: gap
jeans: old navy
shoes: lands end
necklace: caroline g (use code bubble50 for 50% off)
or enter giveaway!

Have you ever found yourself at a crossroad where both paths are good choices? I'd love to hear any and all advice as far as taking steps forward!