Remember that time I had surgery and disappeared for a while?

Outfit details:

sweater: via TJ Maxx (sequins and lace)

skirt: Sparkle & Fade, via UO (exact)

tights: Kohl's (similar)

flats: via Burlington (similar)

scarf: left behind by an old roomie (similar)

belt: Betsey Johnson, via Marshall's (similar)

Hello, hello!

I am back (again) after an unexpected hiatus.  I had surgery last Monday to remove a mass above my thyroid, and recovery was a little more trying than I anticipated.  I thought I'd be back to normally scheduled blogging in no time, but, quite obviously, that did not happen.  I am feeling so much better now, but I still have stitches across the front of my neck.  The first thing I remember hearing Caleb say to me after I got out of surgery was, "It looks like someone slit your throat!"  Thanks, dear.  That was quite appreciated.  I experienced a LOT of swelling afterward, but most of that has gone down now.  I'm looking forward to getting my stitches removed this Thursday so I can feel normal again and take pretty outfit photos - I don't want to expose any more people than necessary to the gnarliness that has become my neck.  The stitching technique used involved leaving 'wiskars' poking out from the incision, and it's definitely not pretty.

But on to brighter things!

These photos were taken before my throat was slit surgery.  It was a pretty cloudy day, but I didn't mind.  As long as it's tight-wearing weather, I'm happy.  Unfortunately, the lighting wasn't the best because of the lack of sunlight.  This sweater is actually a pretty light lavender, but it looks pretty close to white in the pictures.  I love the lace details on the shoulders and the buttons on the back!  Don't you just love small touches?

Anywho...I hope you (Americans) had a fantastic Thanksgiving.  I was just relieved that I could chew and swallow normal people food by Turkey Day!  No surgery was going to hold me back!

I'd also just like to say that, now that Thanksgiving has passed, we can officially start celebrating Christmas.  I like to give Thanksgiving its due time, but now I'm in full Christmas mode.  Is it too early to start saying "merry Christmas" to strangers on the street?



Fading light and comfort



I wish I could say all my outfits make it to the blogosphere, but this is just not the case.  When outfits don't get posted, one of two things has happened: a) I only wore my work clothes that day, which consist of jeans and a t-shirt (you can see the occasional button-up here), or b) it turned dark before I got the chance to take some decent photos. 

Party outfit

Party Outfit by jessicamarie626 featuring a leather buckle belt

I know I'm getting a little ahead of myself, considering it's definitely not cool enough for coats yet in Texas, but I would love to wear this to a party sometime this fall or winter!

Girl's Night Out - Fall 2011

Last week, I attended Shecky's Girl's Night Out in Dallas with my friend Kendra of Low Cost, High Style.  We had a fun evening filled with shopping, cocktails, a fantastic goodie bag, and some much needed catching up.  (Kendra and I both did a sales internship a couple years ago, and we hadn't seen each other since our training in May of 2009).

Falling in love with fall

I am beyond excited that fall is here!  The summer heat really dragged me down, and I've been looking forward to cool temperatures, cardigans, colored tights, and pretty scarves.

Of course, Texas still has awhile to go before I'll be prompted to put on all those layers, but the recent temperature dip makes me excited about getting dressed again.  As far as fashion goes, I felt so uninspired during the summer months because I was completely focused on staying as cool and comfortable as possible in 100 degree + weather - it was just too hot to think about being fashion-forward!

LBD

I attended a wedding this past Saturday, and I decided to have some fun and channel a little classic glamour.  All was going well until I discovered my e-brake was stuck, and I couldn't drive my car.  This led to me spending 15 minutes in the Texas heat stuggling to release the brake, which made me late to the wedding.  So much for classiness.

And comfort was its name-o

You might not be able to tell by my outfit posts, but I am an avid pajama lover.  Homework, cooking, cleaning, and general lounging around the house usually call for big t-shirts and a pair of cotton undies - pajama pants if I'm in the mood.  Comfort always takes the cake when I'm in the privacy of my own home.

Bloggers do it better: Maxi skirt...and a revelation

If you would have told me a year ago that I'd be wearing a maxi skirt, I would have politely told you that you were crazy.  I used to think that maxi skirts were reserved for the 5'11 girls of the world who had no worries of their hip sizes.  I'm 5'6 with an ample derriere and what people tend to refer to as child-bearing hips, so I would have left this trend to the tall and flawlessly-proportioned.

Scarf swap

I'm officially back from vacation, and what better way to get back into the swing of things than with a swap?!

I participated in a blogger scarf swap put together by the ladies of The Concrete Catwalk, Kendi Everyday, My Edit, and Kansas Couture.  I was paired up with the lovely Meggy of Chasing Davies.  See which scarf I sent her and how she styled it here!

Happy Independence Day everyone!  (And happy birthday to my niece Keira and my husband Caleb!  I'm enjoying time with them at Disney World right now!)

Sometimes I'm cheesy

I wore this outfit on a date night with my husband, but let's cut to the chase.  There are few things I love more than date nights with my husband...especially date nights that involve chips and queso.

There.  I've admitted my weakness.  

A charming blogger meetup

This past Saturday I attended a DFW blogger meetup put together by Julie of Rosy+Tart.  We started off at Charming Charlie for some accessories shopping, and the store was kind enough to provide us with drinks, snacks, and, best of all, a 20% discount!  (You know I love to save!)

Missing something

Have you ever put together an outfit, realizing that something's missing before you even walk out the door, yet succumb to mediocrity and depart your home because you just don't have the time to fix it?  Loaded question?  Yes.  But that's pretty much what happened with this outfit.

John Frieda Salon Tour in Dallas

Today I attended the John Frieda Salon Tour in Dallas at the Shops at Park Lane.  I received a phenomenal hair transformation, courtesy of one of the JF stylists on the tour, and learned a lot about JF products.  Overall, I had a fantastic time!

Long, beautiful day

Hi, beautiful people!  I hope your week has been fabulous - it flew by for me!  If you've missed the past few days, I've been reminiscing about the vacation my husband and I took to Riviera Maya.  The sites were gorgeous, the food was delicious, and the memories will always be cherished!

History's beauty

At my core, I'm a nerd.  There's no denying it.  And so is Caleb...don't let him tell you otherwise.  Perhaps this is why we get giddy about seeing Mayan ruins.  The history of it all never ceases to amaze us!  While some want to lay out by the beach all day sipping margaritas, we're happy to get off the resort and learn first-hand.

Imagine our surprise when we got the best of both worlds at the Tulum ruins...

Let's hope this post doesn't vanish

 Let me start off by saying that I really wanted to get this post up last night, but couldn't because Blogger was down.  Please don't mistake this for an apology - Blogger is the one who owes an apology to everyone who uses the platform.  Having a post delayed is annoying, but it's really not that huge of a deal.

What is a big deal is the fact that I spent a LOT of time and energy on my last post.  It wasn't just a typical ol' outfit post, either.  I discussed struggling with fibromyalgia and the decision to go medicine free and improve the quality of my life by natural means.  It was cathartic to write and make the collages necessary for the post, and I also hoped it would inspire other people to dedicate themselves to taking care of their bodies.

Turning 23

Today, I turn 23.  Happy birthday to me!  :)

Giving in

Today was a decidedly flowy skirt day.

I had a whole other outfit picked out to wear today, but I could not resist the power of the flowy skirt.  It was calling my name.

Tardy

I was never one of those students who was tardy for class all the time in high school.  Shoot, I was never even absent.  Swear!