Snowy Sunday

I absolutely love my church, I go to River Valley Church and it is a near perfect fit for me. I love the chance to worship my creator with the community of believers at the church.

I took a break from posting much of anything over Christmas for two reasons. First of all I was a bum. I have been working a lot and needed a break from pretty much everything including makeup. I was also attempting to focus on family and not be so obsessed with Instagram. However, it was nice to be back in my own apartment and get back to my closet and my roommates clothes.

I woke up way to late for church and threw together this outfit which I was quite pleased with. I picked out my favorite plaid button up shirt in navy blue and paired it with my grey polka dot sweater from Tommy Hilfiger. Then I topped it off with my sparkly statement necklace from Francesca's Collections and my one and only gold watch with a navy face from fossil. I am happy to debut my Christmas present from my wonderful boyfriend, a new Kate Spade bag!  I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my new wallet to go with my new bag as my current one is extremely outdated. I briefly wore my favorite little heels which are also from Tommy Hilfiger. I really didn't wear them for long though because it was incredibly cold out and my toes got cold. As usual I wore my favorite Old Navy Jeans which I wish I would have paired with some fleece lined leggings but I was running short on time and we were late to church as it was. We probably only missed one song but the message was phenomenal, challenging, and inspiring.

After the service a group of friends decided to go ice skating together as there were many of us in town for Christmas.  We found a perfectly festive rink and bundled up as best we could and tried not to fall. I am proud to report that I did not fall even once. I also happened to be the slowest skater in the group but I highly doubt there is any correlation between those two variables. We ended the night with cold faces, enchiladas made by yours truly, and board games. I much preferred being inside to the frigid cold but it was a fun night with good friends, even if I was the slowest skater of the bunch.

Office Christmas Party

I absolutely love my job, it is my dream job. I get to work with women and children in need and it is so rewarding and life giving. The only thing I love more about my office than my clients is my co-workers. I have a great team and am so blessed to learn from them all.

I have been waiting to wear my new favorite fair isle sweater from Old Navy and was excited to showcase my new find. I actually bought this gem on Cyber Monday during an online shopping binge. I can't seem to find any more online so they may be sold out unfortunately.

I paired it with my favorite gingham button up from Tommy Hilfiger which I admit I wear far too often.
I was also able to debut my new statement necklace from Francescas Collections. Follow the link to purchase a similar look. My jeans from Old Navy as well, are an absolute staple in my wardrobe and are another pair I wear far too often. These can be found both online and in store, I would highly recommend them as they are the most comfortable and flattering pair of jeans I have ever owned!

Finally, we get to my shoes. This is a constant battle for me in the winter as I am a bit of a baby and tend to stick to my warm boots to keep my toes warm during the long frigid Minnesota winters. This was a special occasion and I figured I should mix it up and threw on a pair of my coziest flats from none other than Macy's. If you know me, you know that Macy's is my absolute favorite store, it is literally like a second home to me. I lovingly call these my old man loafers and they are not the fanciest but they sure are comfy!    

My lipstick is another wonderful holiday color from NARS and is not mine but my roommates. I am so grateful for her great taste and willingness to share! 

The party was a huge success and a great opportunity to have some fun with my coworkers. We played taboo, exchanged white elephant gifts, and sipped on some festive holiday drinks. I walked away with a lovely bottle of pinot noir which I may or may not be re-gifting as I am not too fond of red wine.     

Taylor and Marks Wedding

Over the weekend my wonderful boyfriend and I traveled to Milwaukee, WI for a college friend's wedding. I admit I have a lot of anxiety when it comes to choosing outfits for occasions both big and small so I put quite a bit of effort into this look. I envisioned myself in a chic holiday dress but found that it was tough to find something that would brave the winter cold. Instead I found some lovely separates from Francesca's Collections and Macy's 

I fell absolutely in love with the white and gold polka dot top from my new favorite brand from Macy's, Mason Jules. [follow the link to purchase] My second stop on my shopping trip was to Francesca's Collections. I am typically overwhelmed by all of the sparkly jewelry but thank goodness for the incredibly helpful sales lady who assisted me in narrowing it down. I finally selected this fabulous number. I couldn't find the exact one online, but they have similar ones on their website that can be found here. I should have grabbed some other jewelry as well but I was running short on time, and money, as always. Especially this time of year I always find myself short on cash and spare time! 

The skirt I found is going to be my holiday staple this year. I am currently obsessed with gold for the holidays and hope I get the chance to wear it again soon! I paired the skirt and the top with some simple black tights and my favorite pair of black heels by Jessica Simpson. I topped the look off with curled hair and my roommates red NARS lipstick. 

It was a beautiful wedding filled with love the support of family and friends. We left the church and drove off to the reception at a local coffee shop with a quaint hipster vibe. I was thrilled to see this lone Christmas tree and enlisted the help of my hot date to snap this pic and I am getting tired of relying on mirrors and selfies to capture my outfits. 

Thank goodness for his photography skills and my favorite new photo editing app, Afterlight.

Cheers to this beautiful bride who has been such a dear friend to me!

Geoff and I were lucky enough to sneak in a picture with the bride at the reception before sneaking off to Chicago for a short day trip!
I found this outfit to be very versatile and worked splendidly for a night in the Signature Lounge on top of the Hancock Tower in downtown Chicago.