Aye Aye Captain

Shirt: American Eagle Overall dress: Thrifted Sandals: Old Navy

I am definitely going through my 'blue stage' right now. Like Picasso, but less iconic. I didn't even realize it until I looked back on some recent outfit posts and thought, 'I've been wearing a lot of blue, lately.' Perhaps blue is summer's black. I finally took all my winter clothes out of my closet and found that I do actually have some bright colored clothes-- yet I still tend to gravitate towards darks. Maybe because they're easier and go with more. Ultimately, I'd love to have a capsule wardrobe with a minimalistic style where everything in your closet can go with everything and you just have an endless amount of combinations you can do from like, 10 pieces. Okay, maybe 30. I definitely think this overall dress would be in there. It goes with pretty much anything you throw under it, it has pockets, and it makes it look like a sailor. You really can't lose.

Hard and Holy Things

          I am not the first, nor last person, that will admit to comparing myself to others online. Scrolling through perfectly curated Instagram feeds, it's hard not to think that I am the only one without their s-h together. I do not have a perfectly smooth and toned backside, no matter how many squat challenges I do. The only time I can get my hair to do that effortlessly undone top knot is right before getting into the shower. And even after decades on this earth (and 1600 hours spent in cosmetology school) I still cannot do wing-tipped eyeliner or a decent french braid to save my life. And when the realization of this starts to affect me too much, I go back to this quote. There are enough women out there who know how to be (or at least look) perfect at everything. The amount of seemingly-flawless people on Instagram are a dime a dozen, and there are about a million YouTube tutorials showing you just how to achieve it. 

        Don't misunderstand me-- I would still love to be put-together with flawless makeup and six-pack abs, but is that what really matters? Other than being a beautiful thing to look at, does it really serve anyone else? There's another quote that comes to mind that goes something along the lines of "Mother Teresa didn't worry about her thighs, she had shit to do." It's hard to put yourself down when you stop thinking about yourself so much. 

        So what exactly are these hard and holy things? Is it joining the Peace Corps.? Is it going to impoverished countries to meet needs of the underprivileged? Sure. Yes, of course. But could it also be having patience during a frustrating situation? Is it showing kindness and compassion to that customer who is always rude to you at work? Putting down your phone for 5 minutes to actively listen to someone and make them feel heard? Because Lord knows those are not easy things to do. But they are the things that mean the most.  I would rather be known for bringing joy, for being understanding, for showing love than for being able to blend my eye shadow (but if I can do them all simultaneously then it's just icing on the cake.) 

        I came to the conclusion recently that we (and by we I mean me) spend a lot of time stressing about not being where we think we should be in life, not having things we think we should have or not being as successful as we think we should be. But if we really strip it all away, in the grand scheme of things, what is it that really matters? What are the things that really should have priority? In Matthew 22:36 Jesus says that the two greatest commandments are "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" That's it. Not "make six figures". Not "be a size 2". Not "take vacations so you can document them and make your life look perfect to strangers." Just simply serve God, and serve each other. Of course God will ask us to do other things throughout our lives, but all He really wants is for us to love Him and love those around us. Those are the hard and holy things. And do not think it is lost on me that all this is being said while being sandwiched between outfit posts 😁

       Jesus makes it very clear that we don't need to worry about how we look, things we aren't good at, or that we aren't wearing the right clothes. "If God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'what shall we eat?' or 'what shall we drink' or 'what shall we wear?'...your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:30-32)

      Don't worry that you can't get perfect beach waves, that you can't figure out how to contour, or even that you don't have your dream career. Do the hard and holy things. That is really what the world needs. And if all those things are added unto us as well, then great. But maybe by the time we get them, we'll realize we never really needed them anyway. 

Image from The Free Woman

Blue Away

Dress: Target Sandals: Steve Madden

Film Styles: Marie Antoinette

 Costume Designer: Milena Canonero (other movies include: The Grand Budapest Hotel, Out of Africa, The Shining and A Clockwork Orange)

Sophia Coppola's Marie Antoinette is the retelling of the life of the French queen through a more modern lens. While the costumes look 18th century, the use of modern music, bright colors and even the cameo of some high top converse, gives it the perfect mix of historical and modern. While I love the candy-colored extravagance of her early life at Versailles, my favorite part is of Marie at Petit Trianon, the countryside estate given to her by Louis XVI when she was 19. While the picnics still looked like Vogue editorials, the chateau had more of a simplicity with its muted colors and sun-drenched rooms. There, Marie wore more casual dresses while walking the garden, lounging on the lake, or just reading in the grass. Every scene feels like a dream that I can watch over and over again. If you haven't seen it, I would highly suggest giving it a watch and then try telling me you don't want to wear a hoop skirt and bouffant.

warning: picture heavy, but worth it >>

Here's the Church, Here's the Steeple

                                                               Top: Target Jeans: Target Sandals: Dolce Vita

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Uncomfortably Numb

Shirt: Target Pants: Marshalls Shoes: Vans 

This outfit was based solely around the fact that I couldn't wear sandals due to the fact I spilled paint on one of my toes and it wouldn't come off even after 3 showers. But it also gave me an excuse to finally wear these cute pink slip on Vans my friend got my for my birthday, uh, 3 months ago (!!). So yay for painting accidents that give me an opportunity to wear cute things sitting neglected in my closet.

Royal Blue

Dress: Marshall's Shoes: Old Navy

The Happy Hand-me-down

It's so nice when you inherit awesome pieces from your older sister. Her loss, my gain.

Dress: hand-me-down (from Target) Sandals: Kohl's Earrings: Greater Good

Back to Black

Dress and Sandals both from Target  

You know those days where it's 100 degrees out but you still insist on wearing all black? This is the perfect compromise. A t-shirt dress and lace up sandals will keep you cool while still maintaining your moody, emo vibe. Or not.