Yesterday

Before I tell you about our epic day yesterday, I have to wish my Dad a happy birthday. 

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Happy Birthday to the best Dad in all the land! Have a great time with your bestie in the land of Jimmy Buffett, and enjoy your dives with my sweet mama! (My parents are with my Dad's BFF and his wife on a scuba diving trip. Offspring were not invited - bogus)

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Now, onto what us landlocked kids did in Colorado...

Yesterday we did some serious adventuring. Don't believe me? Check out some pics on InstaGram. First, I must tell you that the theme of yesterday was my husband's birthday/our dating anniversary/we had several gift cards to use.

#giftcardsarethebest

First, we went to Cabela's. Dustin had a gift card from his parents for his birthday (which is tomorrow) and couldn't wait to use it. TWO Cabela's locations opened in Colorado this summer, and so far, we've only been to one. I'm sure there will be many trips to both locations in the future...

So, off to epicenter of hunting & fishing we went. The place is INSANE. And it smelt so good - there's a little cafe inside that was selling roasted almonds (my mouth watered as soon as we walked in). There were SO many people, and SO much stuff to look at. First, we did a lap around the store to do a little recon, with me asking: 

"What's this?" 

"How does this work?" 

"Why would you need this?" 

"Do you have this?"

and Dustin patiently answering my questions. I think he was a bit surprised to see me so excited about Cabela's. I don't hunt or fish, but I can appreciate it in others - namely the men in my life, especially when they get something that can stock the freezer for a long time. 

the entrance

hanging with a moose - I don't think I fit in

posing with some wildlife in the middle of the store

After our lap around the store, we went back to the hunting/gun section, and spent a good 20 minutes in this one little area, while D decided between this kind or that kind of rifle stick. Oh, and a strap of some sorts. I have no idea how it all works together, but I do know that new "toys" make my husband happy, and since his birthday is Monday, and work has been very draining, and our dating anniversary was Friday, I was in the business of making sure my husband was happy. Oh, and we had some delicious vanilla kettle corn in the parking lot.

Then, we headed to Little Man Ice Cream in Denver. A friend of ours is the manager, and if not for him, we wouldn't know about some of the best ice cream this world has to offer. The building is a milk jug, and it's in the middle of this super cute neighborhood, right off the interstate. This month was "Sweet & Salty September" at Little Man, so most of their HOMEMADE flavors reflected that. I chose Salted Peanut Butter Cup (YUM), and Dustin chose Salted Maple Bacon (also, YUM) - real bits of bacon in there, no joke.

the milk jug building - there's always a HUGE line for this place

don't worry, one of those cones was mine ;)

After ice cream, we headed to a golf course. Birthday Boy had a gift certificate from a work-sponsored golf tournament there this summer. He had the longest drive in the tournament, so he won a gift certificate to the pro shop. And while at this tournament, he lost his sand wedge. So he was in search of a new one. He found one, and of course, it came home with us ;)

And then, we went INDOOR SKY DIVING! Like I mentioned yesterday, we had a gift certificate from my in-laws from our 1st wedding anniversary in June. We each had 3 minutes in the wind tunnel with an instructor. 

SO. MUCH. FUN. 

If you ever get the opportunity to try it, I would highly recommend it. Our instructors were very knowledgeable, fun, and made sure we didn't make complete idiots of ourselves in the tunnel. Sky diving looks really easy (just hanging/falling), but it actually requires a lot of balance and positioning your body just so. We bought the video of our adventure, and since both of us were participating, I unfortunately don't have any photos to share. If I can find a way to get a freeze frame from our video, I will definitely post it. Or, if you REALLY wanna see the whole video, shoot me an email and I'll send it your way ;) But really, you should definitely try it sometime. I cannot recommend this activity, or Sky Venture Colorado enough. We will definitely be back.

bullie & hippo salt & pepper shakers at Pottery Barn. love.

Our last stop of the day was dinner at The Cheesecake Factory (there was a long wait for our table, so we did some browsing in the surrounding shopping center [pics above]). Long story short, we had a gift card from our wedding we wanted to use, so we ate lots of delicious food, and made sure we had plenty of leftovers for today :) I don't think this place has anything on the menu that isn't delicious. For the most important part (dessert. obviously.), D ordered the Toasted Marshmallow S'mores Galore™ and I had the Godiva® Chocolate Cheesecake. 

When we were done with dinner, we headed back home to our sweet pups, tried to watch a movie and fell asleep early - all day adventuring can really take it out of you. All in all, it was a great day, and I loved being able to spend so much time with my husband/high school sweetheart/birthday boy/best friend/hunting master/fellow ice cream enthusiast/golfer/sky diving partner/and adventure pal. 

Oh, and what I wore:

peplum top: Daisy Fuentes via Kohl's

jeans: GAP

shoes: KMart

purse: Kohl's

White After Labor Day

I wore this outfit last weekend to check out some open houses. We'd like to buy a home, and soon, but we've got to discover what we like first. We checked out 2 open houses, weren't impressed, and then drove around town, checking out neighborhoods and areas we thought we might like. We ended the night with dinner, then headed home to love on the pups, and work on the computer, or blog, in my case. Pretty exciting Saturday, huh?

And speaking of Saturday activities, we're going sky diving today! Indoor sky diving, actually (don't worry, Mom!). We received a gift certificate from my in-laws for our wedding anniversary in June, and are finally going to use it today to celebrate my husband's birthday, and our dating anniversary (8 years!). Nothing like combining several occasions into one, right? I'll be sure to report back and post pictures of our indoor sky diving adventure. We've both never been, and can't wait to experience the thrill, with a fraction of the risk of actually jumping out of a plane.

I wore this outfit to prove that you CAN wear white after Labor Day. I originally had planned to wear these pants with a chunky sweater and booties, but the day proved too warm for that. So, I leaned a bit more on the summer-y side and wore sandals and short sleeves, which was fine, since this was the last day of summer ;)

What do you think about wearing white after Labor Day? I'm hoping to pair these pants with boots and a big sweater this winter to stretch their wear-ability.

shirt: WalMart

pants: Old Navy

sandals: Maurice's

ring: Trends

Two-fer

I wore the above combination to work, and then the below to run some errands in the evening, so I thought I'd share them both with you. I'm still hanging onto summer with my shorts & neon sandals, but stepping into fall with the flannel. I'm really digging the print and fit of this shirt - it's a feminine take on a masculine classic. 

And the colors! 

Navy blue! Bright green! Neon!

*be still my heart*

It was starting to get a bit chilly in the evening, so pants and close-toed shoes it was. The 

nude & "rose-gold" flats are from Target, and the purse is from Kohl's. Do you remember the brand 

Mudd®? Those were the only brand of jeans I wanted to wear in middle school, and into high school. However, I grew out of them, and went in search of other (more expensive) jeans. So, imagine my surprise when I saw this brown & neon pink purse (ON THE CLEARANCE RACK!) 

and it was by Mudd®. Obviously, it came home with me. 

And I've been receiving compliments left & right, ever since. 

Do former favorite brands ever jump out & surprise you? This seems to be happening to me a lot lately, and in the best way possible!

shirt: Old Navy

shorts: Old Navy

sandals: Target

jeans: Trends

flats: Target

purse: Mudd® via Kohl's

linking up over here today :)

Mr. Picks Mondays: Monochromatic

Let's all take a moment and be impressed that my Mr. put together this monochromatic look. All by himself. I'm NOT kidding. Good job, honey!

He chose this shirt first (I picked it up at Kohl's last week - it's Chaps and it's no-iron [hallelujah!]), and then when I asked him what on the bottom, he said 

"Hmm...let me see...pants...these! Monochromatic. You will be monochromatic! 

Is that the right word?" 

I was so impressed with him, especially since I can never decide if these pants lean towards pink/rose, or purple/lavender. But paired with a purple gingham top, they definitely look more purple. And I don't think I would have seen that if not for Dustin pairing them together. 

However, he's not a fan of my shoes - sad day. I picked them up at a thrift store with my friend, Amanda (hiiiii!), because I've been on the hunt for oxfords. They're lightweight and un-stiff (is that a word?), the opposite of how I imagine genuine leather oxford-style shoes would be. I will say that I'm not opposed to upgrading to a nicer version of these shoes...let me know if you see any that would fit the bill!

And while I'm bragging on my sweetie, tomorrow is our 8 (!!!) year dating anniversary. He stole my heart in high school and I'm thinking he can keep it forever ;) 

I love you, D! Happy anniversary, and happy birthday in a few days - you're the bees knees & the cat's meow, and I'm so glad you're mine. xoxo

Do you celebrate a dating anniversary? We sure do. And our engagement anniversary. And wedding anniversary. And the dates we adopted our pups. I just think it's important to celebrate milestones :) 

Do you agree?

shirt: Chaps via Kohl's

sweater: Hollister via Plato's Closet

pants: Lauren Conrad via Goodwill

shoes: ARC

P.S. Dad, don't worry - I didn't forget about your birthday!

P.P.S. this week of September is cRaZy BuSy with 2 important mens' birthdays, and a dating anniversary. Oh, and my parents' dating anniversary, too. Whew.

 

linking up over here today :)

Minted in Stripes

Cali girl in the background 

I can't believe I'm saying this, but...

Happy 1st day of Fall!

I'm a summer-lover, and usually detest fall & winter, but this year, I'm ready for a change. I'm sure I'll be singing a different tune by November, but, for now, I'm looking forward (a little bit) to fall. 

We've got football on the TV, a fall candle burning, and I've got plans to swap around my closet a bit this afternoon. I won't put away summer clothes entirely (we still have warm temps into October, sometimes into November), but I'll pull my colder weather clothes towards the front, so they're easier to access. With that said - layering, here I come!

On a different note, I painted my nails this morning and used a new trick an old friend told me about. This friend's mom owns a nail shop, so this friend is kind of an expert. She told me to paint my nails, then put them into a bowl of ice water for a few minutes - the cold water would "set" my nails and dry them. I was skeptical, but I tried it, aaaaaand, it worked! My fingers felt all tingly after, but it sped up the drying process, and who doesn't want their nails to dry faster??? Give it a try and let me know what you think!

shirt: Old Navy

pants: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's

sandals: Target

Turbo is like me and prefers warmth & sunshine to cold & snow - he likes to lay in the grass or on our patio and bask in the sun. Cali, on the other hand, LOVES to run (OK, not a real run, more like "hop like a bunny") in the snow. They sure do take after their favorite person in our house ;)

linking up over here today, for "What I'm Loving Friday" [2 days late...] 

I guess you could say I'm kinda-sorta-starting to like fall, it's not love. yet ;)

So Green!

action shot! not sure how my Mr. managed to capture me mid-fair-flip, but he did!

these shoes left me with some wicked blisters - the verdict is still out on whether they stay in my closet or not

Only after looking at these pictures did I realize how GREEN everything is. Normally Colorado has some green, but there's lots of brown, too - it's very dry here. With all the rain we received last week & weekend, everything "greened" right up. And then I added to it by wearing green pants (previously here), and this lovely scarf with hints of green. Sometimes I like to dress to match my environment. Only sometimes, though - sometimes I'll wear neon when it's gray & raining.

I have to say, these pants are so comfortable. They're quickly becoming some of my favorites. They're soft, and stretchy, and oh-so-easy-to-wear. I'm sure you will be seeing a lot more of them this fall and winter. And this scarf - it fades from peach to mint and back again. My friend, Lara, brought it back for me from Belgium when she went to Europe this past May with her brother. I also have another beautiful sky blue scarf she got for me in Italy when she studied abroad in college (it matches my eyes).

I put together this outfit with fall in mind, but in my new office, it seems to always be a wee bit too warm. I was roasting all day in this short-sleeved sweater and scarf. Needless to say, this winter will be interesting - at my last job, it was always freezing so I layered a lot and wore my heaviest sweaters. With this new job, I'm hoping I can still wear my winter sweaters and boots without being too toasty. We shall see!

sweater: American Eagle

pants: c/o Aeropostale

shoes: Target

scarf: from my sweet friend

earrings: Kohl's

Handsome looking for lovin'

linking up over here and here today, check it out!

On the Patio

pretending to be tall

Nothing too fancy today, but sometimes simple is truly the way to go. That's why I love dresses - they don't require too much thought. I did choose my neon sandals because (1) I love them, (2) they're comfortable, and (3) I thought I'd spice up my simple dress with some color.

 Also, this is our little patio off our apartment - the pups love to lay out here in the sun and work on their tans. Or nap. They do a lot of napping...

dress: thrifted (Old Navy)

sandals: Target

they're my faves - always starved for attention

Mr. Picks Mondays: Python Print

remember that part in Dodgeball where Ben Stiller's team from Globo Gym (the COBRAS) does their little team cheer?
*pat*pat*HISSSSS*
that's what I was doing here, you know,  since my shirt has a snake print. get it?

senior pictures, anyone?

Confession time: I went shopping this weekend...the sun was finally out, aaand I'd done all my chores, aaand my husband was napping, aaand the dogs had been walked & fed, aaand I had Old Navy Super Cash. So, off to Old Navy I went with my friend, Becca (hey girl heyyyy!). And boy, oh, boy, did I find some goodies! I got this python print shirt, some pants, and a couple more shirts that I'm sure you will be seeing sooooooon!

When my Mr. was picking out my outfit last night, I reminded him that I had some new goodies he could choose from, so, he chose this'a one. And I gotta admit, the more I see this shirt, the more I like it! Don't think I've ever had anything with snake print before...and since this shirt is printed chiffon, I stayed cool with the changing temps all day. It started out in the 50s, then by this afternoon hit the high 70s. But a hot high 70s. And humid. Blegh. With all this rain, there's so much humidity in the air. OK, comparatively, it's still dry in Colorado. But when you're used to dryness, and then you're blasted with humidity, it's not pleasant. Not pleasant in a "my face breaks out and my hair frizzes" way. Too much?

Anywayyyys, hope you had a great Monday and your week is off to fantastic start! And if it's not, well, only a few more days til Friday ;)

shirt: Old Navy

jeans: Gap Outlet

sandals: Target