A look back & looking ahead

An ode to 2013...

I set a few goals for myself and achieved them - I blogged every day in May. I also took two HR classes and passed with A's.

I have become more in tune with my sense of style. J Crew, I'm looking at you kid. I'm trying to embrace my curves more and appreciate them instead of drastically wishing I was somehow different. I can't get enough of plaid, flannel, skinny jeans, and the "statement necklace".

We travelled to New York, Utah, Oregon, and the Carolinas. We hiked up a river, went alpine sledding, and went for bike rides on beaches. I got to visit London and Paris again and flew transatlantic by myself for the very first time.

I'm still trying to figure a few things out, mainly how to become a better cook and how to blog better and more efficiently, as well as that whole 40 hour a week thing.

For 2014 I'm currently in the process of tearing apart my entire wardrobe and wanting to really cut back on my spending. I'm hoping that a wardrobe purge will help me realize I have just about everything I need and should only buy when I need to replace an item that wears out, not just because I feel as though I have nothing to wear.

And some goals..

A bad habit I'm going to break: Biting/tearing at my cuticles.
A new skill I'd like to learn: Ice skating!
A person I hope to be more like: My husband. His drive at work is incredible - I admire him.
A good deed I'm going to do: Pick a charity and donate/volunteer at it (this will change yearly on my selected charity).
A place I'd like to visit: Yosemite.
A book I'd like to read: A Tale of Two Cities.
A letter I'm going to write: To my dad.
A new food I'd like to try: I've never had sea urchin.
I'm going to do better at: Being a wife, being a patient, kind person, less consumerism, and a better blogger.

And here's to you - happy almost 2014!

Peace

No matter where you are, what you celebrate or how you do it, wishing you and yours Peace from mine. :)

A Southern Thanksgiving

North and South Carolina are both gorgeous places and over Thanksgiving break I was able to see both states for the first time. We started in Asheville to visit my SIL and then drove to Kiawah Island to join the rest of the family there. Along the way we ate a lot of biscuits, bacon, and drank local beer.

We stayed at the Aloft in Asheville which was a great location downtown and within walking distance to restaurants and breweries. The hotel staff is very friendly, and they have an awesome outdoor area and the bar staff are friendly too.

Kiawah Island is unlike any other beach that I'd been to before. We spent time riding bikes on the beach, curled up reading books near the fire, and trying to avoid alligator warning signs (no joke!) There were so many starfish and seashells and the sand there is so different. And it was interesting to see the sun go down from another direction. Regardless, I had a blast and came home needing a biscuit recipe as well as a porch with a rocking chair.

Rocking chairs in Asheville airport

Chicken & Biscuits sandwich at Biscuit Head

Grits, bacon, and peas at Tupelo Honey Cafe

Icicles on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Blue Ridge Mountains

Gazebo on Kiawah Island

Staircase at The Sanctuary

Starfish on Kiawah beach

Sunset from the sand dunes

Boardwalk leading to the beach

Magnolia Cemetery - Charleston

View from the Ryder Cup bar

Angel Oak

Eat/Drink - Asheville:
Asheville Brewing Co
Tupelo Honey Cafe - biscuits. grits. bacon. go.
Biscuit Head - by far one of the most amazing meals on the whole trip.
Barleys Taproom & Pizza  - awesome live music and pizza
Double D's Coffee & Desserts - a double decker bus with awesome people watching views.
Old Europe Pastries - one of the best shortbread cookies I've ever had
Pack's Tavern - great place to watch Sunday football
Storm Rhum Bar - rum drinks abound
LAB - amazing pork belly and goat cheese brussel sprouts

Eat/drink/stay Kiawah Island:
Ryder Cup Bar - amazing place to watch a sunset.
The Sanctuary Hotel - amazing luxury hotel right on the beach.
Angel Oak - 300-400 year old Oak tree - just stunning (and free!)

Freezing in fair isle

Arctic blast seems to be the term of the week as SF bundles up for the first cold front of the year. Me? I'm not really complaining as it's an excuse to wear fleece lined boots to work and get the most use out of my blanket scarf.

The sweater below is the J Crew critter fair isle sweater from last year. I was drawn to it because of the cats (not gonna lie). But the colors are also lovely, and it's definitely keeping me warm today.

Some other fair isle sweaters I have my eye on - chime in with your favorites below!

Madewell

Boden

Target

Outfit details:
Fair isle sweater: J Crew (similar here)
Boots: Ugg (similar here, love the detailing)
Jeans: Banana Republic (similar here)

November Spending Recap

Okay ladies, not gonna lie. I went way over this month (although I had some help). I definitely succumbed to pre-holiday sales but I feel good going into the holiday season (I probably shouldn't say that though... darn you J Crew sale..).

From top left:

J Crew dots over stripes shirt, 22.99

J Crew factory grey plaid shirt, 33.20

J Crew factory colorblock baseball tee, 21.60

Target merona leopard print sweater, 24.99

J Crew factory plaid shirt, 33.90

J Crew funny birds t shirt, 22.99

Sperry topsider loafers, 56

Enzo Angiolini boots, 149.99

Not pictured:

Gap waffle-knit baseball tee, 12.99 on sale

Gap buffalo check scarf in red, 12.99 on sale

J Crew factory marled knit socks, 6.80 x2 (what can I say, I love socks...)

Hunter Wellies (half as gift), 70.99

+ 125 focus group + 80 rollover money (reno) + 70 rollover money (disneyland) = 178.24. Eeeeesh.

So, I'm going to be more mindful of the things that I purchase in December. And hopefully by clearing out my closet a bit more I can help to recoup some funds. And yeah, there's always some Christmas money.

Alright, I spilled - how did you do this month? Linking up with Fran!