Hello Friday! Its been too long!

And Hello to You, Dear Friend!

What do you have planned for this weekend?

I have a little of this and a little of that, including a trip to visit Mom and Dad, and another trip to the dentist (their whole team is awesome, and good dental care really is a blessing!) Hopefully, I will also get some “girlfriend” time with my sister Stacey. I have to tell you she has fashionista in her DNA, so time with Stacey is time for me to try and absorb her sense of style through osmosis! She is fashion fearless, and I love that!

So today I am sharing some dressy casual looks that would be great for going out for a nice dinner or somewhere you want to dress it up just a little more than usual. This first picture above I am wearing a black long vest from Nordstrom, I believe they called it a “tuxedo vest”, and I put it with dressy black denim, black boots with a higher heel, and a white cotton blouse.

The vest has some edgy angles, and is a thicker and slightly textured material. You put it on and it just feels modern and really fun to wear.

I decided to try a blingy brooch with it instead of a necklace. Honestly, this is the only pin I own right now, (its from Chicos) and its really kind of fun to have something dazzling right there at your collar! The stone in the middle of the pin is black, and the sparkling glass gems around it have a hint of gray blue in a splash of delicate color. The glitzy ombre cuff bracelet I am wearing was a special gift from my mama when we were walking through Charming Charlie’s last year. She saw me eyeing it, and she insisted on getting it for me!

Next is this duster length red ribbed cardigan with matching turtleneck shell from White House Black Market. Keeping the top underneath sleeveless allows a nicer smoother fit of the sweater sleeves, which have these pretty gold accent buttons adding just the slightest amount of bling. Ok, another dose of honesty, I’m sucking in my gut for all I am worth here… it seems to make my waist a little smaller, and it gives my face a nice red blush!

I chose to accent with a simple gold tassel necklace, this one came from Dillards. This sweater set combo also came in black, and a beautiful cognac color. I got mine on sale towards the end of the season, when you can get some great bargains. (Breathe, Amy… Breathe)

Next is this red statement jacket, also from White House Black Market. If you have never wandered into one of their stores, I can’t encourage you enough to give it a try. The stylists in there are so incredibly helpful! They always put things together for me to try on that I might never have given a second look, and they work really well together! I might see a jacket on the wall, and they will start a fitting room for me and then bring back all kinds of coordinating things for me to try including jewelry and shoes! And they really work with you, too! Sometimes, I go in and let them coach me a bit, and then I file it away until the pieces go on sale. They also have some great coupons, so if you think you might like them, go to their website and sign up on their mailing list (either email, snail mail or both).

They helped me select a patterned halter style blouse to go underneath. This is something I don’t have a lot of in my wardrobe so its a little out of my comfort zone, which is of course where I am taking myself more and more these days! White House Black Market seems to specialize in statement jackets, and I think I saw they have a really pretty pink one out for spring!

The blouse seemed busy enough, with the little cutout and hardware, so I skipped the necklace. Kasey is hoping for dibs on the strawberry smoothie I’m holding, my son Jake and his friend Ken made it for me. Ken is trying to make weight for an upcoming fight he is in, so he and I both appreciate a tasty lo calorie treat! Fortunately I am not getting in the ring with anyone!  Kasey is a little on edge here… she got a last minute bath tonight after she came home from a jaunt in the woods carrying with her a suspicious fragrance (ok not a fragrance, but a really bad smell) but now she smells like ocean sea breeze Suave shampoo, so its all good!

Finally, this last picture was taken last weekend before I tried something I’d never done before. I signed up for a group on MeetUp! MeetUp is a social networking site where you can find all kinds of groups for just about every hobby or interest out there! I first went on Meetup.com to see if there was a group for bloggers, so I could maybe try and grow and learn a few things from other bloggers out there. Well, yes there were a few, but the ones I found happened to meet on nights I work. So I thought, “Well, what else is there on MeetUp?” And I found many groups that sounded interesting! Everything from photography groups, to sports interests, crafts, book clubs, etc. So I found a women’s group that specified my age bracket, and it offers all sorts of activities. You just click on the one you are interested in and go! So, I picked one, it seemed simple enough, going to the movies to see “Lion” and then dinner.

The movie theater is a great little discount theater and tickets were $3 (nice!) and I have to tell you, I rarely go to the movies anymore and this was an awesome movie! Lion is based on a true story, about a little boy named “Saroo” who got separated from his family on a train that took him thousands of miles away across India. He has to survive on his own for awhile and then is adopted by an Australian couple. Its about his amazing journey and his quest to reunite with the family of his birth.

But the best part of the Meetup was meeting 9 new friends! When I pulled up to the theater, I got those little butterflies in my stomach, “Will they like me?” and then, “Now Amy, just go in there and be friendly, and really get to know some new people!” So that is exactly what I did! I walked up and nervously said, “Are you ladies with the MeetUp group?” and the smiles and greetings and introductions began! And these were fascinating women! Each one incredibly beautiful in so many different ways! There was a woman I met who had served in the Coast Guard, along with a host of other interesting things in her life! And another woman who loves photography, and so on and so on, each one as different and lovely and unique as wildflowers in the spring! It really was so much fun!

Yes, I was a little bit out of my comfort zone, but you know what? That is actually a pretty cool place to be! Trying something totally new like that is kind of like a rollercoaster ride… scary, thrilling, and fun! It feels like you breathe new life in your soul when you try something new! It stirs up creative waters, and the adrenaline gives you courage and confidence to try something more! And I hope to keep doing just that! More new experiences, more people, more places, more adventure, more learning and more fun! This big blue marble is our oyster! What’s next? I don’t know, but its going to be amazing! Come on! We got this, my friend! Lets take a big juicy bite out of life! Where ever it takes us, living life beyond the comfort zone is the chapter where it starts to really get interesting!

Love Always,

Amy

‘How does one become a butterfly?’ she asked pensively. You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.  ~Trina Paulus