game day, revisited

You might remember that about this time last year, I published a few posts about what to wear to a sporting event. In this case, the event is football (but they're easily adapted for almost any sport).

I thought I'd share them again, because, in case you missed the memo, it's football season.

It's also FALL!

LEAVES!

AND EVERYTHING-PUMPKIN-SEASON!

(it's also college game day today, and pro football tomorrow. and Monday. for the rest of the season.)

Here are some of my favorite looks to wear on game day:

game day, part 1 (featuring some warmer weather ideas)

game day, part 2 (featuring some warmish/cooler outfit ideas)

game day, part 3 (featuring some colder weather ideas)

Currently, there are no plans to make our way to watch the Broncos play in person this season, but, should the need arise, I've got some ideas up my sleeve. However, those ideas are the same if a friend invites me over to watch the game on their cable...


linking up:
Rachel the Hat // Style Elixir // The Closet by Christie
Jaymie Ashcraft // The Fashionista Momma // I Do deClaire

number 7 of 7. or, I ran 13.1 miles

me & Dad before the race, from my Instagram

from the Mr:

"These were a gimme. I knew she would be running her half marathon, so I guess I just wanted to give her an easy item out of the 7 I chose."

My nice, white, clean Mizuno Wave Inspire 10s (TENS, not TEN ESS). This post is mostly about my most recent half marathon, so, if hearing how I BARELY survived and it took lots of beer and bacon to keep me going me does not appeal to you, and you choose to skip over this post, that won’t hurt my feelings. Too much.

I got these shoes back in August, because I was previously wearing Mizuno Wave Inspire 9s, in bright orange (proof here and here), and it was time for an upgrade. The rule of thumb (I’ve heard) is new shoes every 300-500 miles. But that’s not a hard and fast rule, and some people wear their shoes until they actually fall apart in some race, or lonely running route. My rule of thumb was based on mileage, but also that I had stepped in mud in my orange ones…you think I’m joking. And I am. Just a little bit. New running shoes were on my horizon, but after stepping in mud, the horizon got a leeeeetle closer. I liked running in my orange Mizunos, and the newer model is even lighter than the previous ones. However, I have lots of issues with blisters when I run, and I won’t bore you with the details, but decided that wide shoes would help alleviate those blisters in at least one  spot on both feet. So, I got online and ordered wide shoes. White was the ONLY color I knew I didn’t want. But, what do you know? Wides are only available in white. I shed a dramatic tear (or two) and bought the white running shoes – getting them dirty is a big fear of mine. Needless to say, trail running is NOT in my future - because of the shoes, and because I’m clumsy anyways, and the thought of roots and leaves and NATURE potentially tripping me in addition to me tripping over my own feet keeps me running on the road.

So, I have white running shoes and I wore them for my second half marathon (ready about my 1st half marathon here), the Equinox Half Marathon. I’ve completed both halfs (or is it halves?) with my Dad, and this time we matched our outfits like we did at our 10k (here). I trained A LOT more for this race than my first half, and I was excited to beat our previous time. However, that was not meant to be. The Mr. shared his nasty cold with me, and I spent the first 4 miles trying to breathe – funny enough, those first 4 miles were my fastest (what???). I was inhaling cough drops and using tons of tissues at every aid station. The bones in the tops of my foot started hurting at mile 2 – I think maybe my feet were swelling? The race was mostly downhill, and I hadn’t run TONS in the few weeks before my race – see husband sharing his cold with me. And then, at mile 8, my knees started to ache. Both of them. My right IT band tends to get tight when I run, so I foam roll. And often. But this was different – my knees were tight, and achey, and I knew if I truly stopped (for anything longer than a potty break) I wouldn’t finish the race. So the last few miles were rough. Really, the entire race didn’t go as well as I’d hoped, and I was even more prepared – physically, mentally, fuel-wise, and gear-wise.

And while we missed beating our previous time by just a few minutes, my Dad and I completed a gorgeous fall run down a canyon on a beautiful September Sunday morning. I’m not a competitive person (unless we are playing charades or Pictionary, then I’m ruthless), but missing my time by such a small margin has really lit a fire within me to beat my time from my first half – even if it’s just barely! I’m so slow that there’s PLENTY of room for improvement. The Mr. keeps reminding me that I RAN THIRTEEN miles without stopping, while I WAS SICK, with achey feet and knees. And he’s right – I AM proud of myself for that, but I’ll be even more proud of myself when I complete my next one. And blow my previous times out of the water.

tank: WalMart

shorts: Soark.com

visor: Margaritaville

shoes: Mizuno

my friend has a blog. and wears cute outfits.

This is my friend, Chelsea. The friend who loves Harry Potter as much as I do (we did Harry Potter trivia together a few weeks back). 

See what she's wearing above?

What about below?

A gray tee, neon maxi, and a denim jacket. She thought this outfit up all on her own - no outside influence. I kept complimenting her - I mean, a simple tee and a super fun maxi for a fun Saturday outing is the perfect combination.

So, imagine our surprise when she sees her outfit (on someone else) on Pinterest! She sent me this screenshot, saying something witty along the lines "Stole my look!":

Obviously the people creating these style tips saw her at Harry Potter trivia and needed to replicate her outfit, and then post it on the internet. Well done, Chels.

#Pinterestcopiedyou

Here she is with her husband. Had a blast at their wedding last summer - I danced the night away and had to be dragged off the dance floor...

She recently started a blog that you should definitely check out, especially if you're interested in fitness and/or running. Or if you want a good laugh (or 12). This girl and I are on the same level of hilarity (which is high - a very high level of hilarity) and Mean Girls quotes.

Here's her blog: Colorado Kicks.

Check her out, follow her, have several laughs, and be sure to report back.

Oh, and here's a bathroom selfie of her cute outfit, showing off the short layer underneath the maxi. She's cute, funny, AND knows how to dress?

Keeper.

Fo Sho.

coral & olive

This was a Casual Friday outfit worn on the job site (with different shoes, obvi). Nothing crazy - solids, no print mixing, no crazy cuts or styles. But I will say I would have never paired this coral/orange top with olive green pants before I started blogging, so, that's a win. Right?

Hope you've had a nice weekend ;)

shirt: WalMart

olive pants: Aéropostale

sandals: Target

twinsies

 Several weeks ago, my parents came to visit for the weekend. My Dad and I ran a 10k race Saturday morning. We coordinated our outfits (obvi) and ran the race together. Even enjoyed a beer together afterwards. Every time we run a race, my Dad says "Wasn't that fun?"

And I always respond with "Fun isn't the word I would use..." 

I do enjoy running, but during the race, I can only think "Uggh, when are we DONE???"

Afterwards, I'm so glad I did it. But during is a whole different story. 

at the start. matching Margaritaville visors

after the race (from Instagram) - enjoying post-race beers

Here's what I wore to run the 10k. My Dad has the same shorts and we both wore orange tank tops. And he wore his orange shoes, instead of green ones.

#twinsies

We got stopped a few times and asked where we got our shorts - I got mine from Soark. They've got several other flags, and running tights/leggings, in addition to shorts.

I just ordered new running shoes and they're white, so, bye bright orange Mizunos

*sniff sniff*

(I just got the Mizuno Wave Inspire 10s. The orange ones above are the Mizuno Wave Inspire 9s. I have yet to break in the new ones - stay tuned...)

this is me telling my Dad to stop trying to get fancy with the picture taking...

tank: WalMart

shorts: Soark

shoes: Mizuno Wave Inspire 9s (from a local running store)

visor: Margaritaville

Sunshine and Sweaters

 

 

 

 

I promise the orange shirt (left) isn’t as blinding as it appears in these pictures – it’s a very pretty coral-meets-orange-meets-almost-pink shade.

However, here are two more transitional spring looks to check out. I layered with sweaters, scarves & belts because the weather isn’t QUITE there, JUST yet, but I made sure to use spring shades & textures. Oh, and flats – so nice to be able to make the switch from boots.

I’m itching to go full throttle with sandals and skirts and shorts and truly summer-y looks, but I’m holding back, for several reasons:

1)      We might get more snow. This weekend, actually.

2)      I’m going to wear my summer clothes ALL summer long, and eventually I’ll be dying to wear boots and sweaters again. I’m trying to prolong this feeling by wearing sweaters with skirts and bare legs, light jackets and light tops, and flats with everything.

3)      Eventually in the summer, I will be sick of all of my summer clothes, and want to replace them all because I hate them all (not really, but you get the point). So, by mixing them in with my colder weather items, I feel like I’m forced to be creative with cold AND warm weather clothes, and what is creativity if not a muscle? The more you use it, the better it is/becomes/looks/feels! Right??

4)      I have TONS of sweaters (even after recently paring them down. again.) and I want to make sure they get a wee bit more lovin' before they’re packed away until this fall/winter.

How do YOU dress for spring? Hang on to sweaters and coats as long as possible? Or do you embrace the warmth and break out sandals at the first sign of warmer temps?

SHOP THE LOOK...OR SOMETHING SIMILAR

left

shirt: WalMart similar below

sweater: thrifted (Hollister) similar below

jeans: Aéropostale

scarf: gift

flats: WalMart similar below

right

shirt: JCPenney similar below

sweater: Ann Taylor similar below

jeans: Aéropostale

flats: KMart similar below

Mr. Picks Mondays: Dressed for Spring (oh, and Ireland)

I last wore this orange skirt over the summer (oh, summer! how I can't wait for your arrival!) for a Bachelorette Party in Las Vegas (here). It's been hanging in my closet screaming (literally screaming, because it's so bright) "WEAR ME! I'M FUN! WEAR ME! I can go with tights and boots or wedges or sandals!"

I've come close a few times but haven't been able to pull the trigger and actually do it. 

Enter my Mr. and Monday.

He chose this bright, lacy, funky skirt and pronounced "This."

So. Boom. I had to wear it! And wear it I did! I tried to tone down the neon-ness of the skirt by keeping the rest of the ensemble pretty neutral and covered up. It's a spring outfit if I ever saw one - bright skirt, jacket, scarf, tights & booties. But, when it's ALMOST spring in Colorado, you can only roll with it and mix & match your sweaters with shorts and sandals snow boots the best you can.

Oh, and, I'm not even Irish (the Mr. is, though), and look at me - wearing orange & green like the Irish flag! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

SHOP THE LOOK...OR SOMETHING SIMILAR

shirt: from a friend similar below

skirt: WalMart sort of similar below, they're along the same vein - bright! orange!

jacket: thrifted (Land's End) similar below

scarf: thrifted (Lucky Brand) sort of similar below

booties: Old Navy similar below

Pink & Orange Stripes

 

This outfit came out to play in October, so I'm doing a bit of blogging catch up (that, and I'm CRAZY busy for the next few days! more to come later...)

The shoulders of the shirt are bright pink, and the rest of the stripes are orange. My vest (remember this?) is cream-ish, my scarf is ombre, going from dark pink to tan. 

And you can probably figure out the pants and jeans :)

shirt: Old Navy

vest: thrifted (Levi's)

scarf: gift

jeans: GAP Outlet

boots: Rack Room Shoes

Some of us were in costume...

Cali was a princess, and Turbo was a shark. Clever, huh?

I wore this black and orange get up on Halloween last week. I thought I could at least dress like Halloween if I wasn't going to don a costume. This top is the other orange item I own (orange just isn't my color, however, "Pink is my signature color." Name that movie!). 

from my Instagram. aren't they just too cute? 

Hope everyone had a great Halloween and a nice weekend - we didn't have trick-or-treaters on Halloween, but we did have a very nice weekend visiting friends and family out of town.

I have picked out my 30 items for my November 30 for 30, but forgive me for not posting about it yet - some of the items are in the wash, and I've got a backlog of several outfits from October to share with you. I AM completing my challenge and taking pictures though, so please be patient with me - I will share! Promise!

Also, get excited for me! I'm meeting The Pioneer Woman tomorrow! Her latest cookbook came out last week, and a stop in Colorado is on her book tour - yessssss! I'm taking the afternoon off and can't wait to meet Ree, and have her sign my cookbooks. And become besties. Nobutseriously. I can vouch that every single one of her recipes is TO. DIE. FOR. Trust me :) 

shirt: Kohl's

scarf: thrifted

jeans: GAP Outlet

flats: Kohl's

Turbo's hat: WalMart

Cali's crown: WalMart

Cali's tutu: Target

Orange-ish & A Tutorial (of sorts)

I don't own much orange (it's not a good color on me), so this coral-y/orange-y sweater is the closest to orange that I own (I know - these pictures make it look pink-ish, just trust me!). But I wanted to share so I could participate in this link up with Walking in Memphis in Heels, The Fashion Canvas, and Vodka Infused Lemonade for their weekly Trend Spin Link Up. The theme this week is black and orange (for Halloween, obvi). So, please excuse my dark and grainy pictures - the sun goes down so early (curse you, shorter days!)! But please appreciate my enthusiasm for blogging/Halloween/link-ups :) 

A for effort?

.......................................

Let's switch gears. Majorly.

If you have a scarf that you think would be just divine as an infinity scarf, look below for a few simple (REALLY simple) steps to make that happen. 

Place a rubber band around both ends of the scarf, so you have a large loop, and a little "tuft" for the ends.

Place looped scarf around your neck. I put the "tuft" at the nape of my neck.

Now make a figure-eight with your scarf, by crossing one side over the other.

Flip up the bottom of the eight, and place it around your neck. 

You should have 2 loops of scarf around your neck.

Fluff your hair. 

Adjust your scarf. 

Give yourself a pat on the back. Or a thumbs-up.

You have now made an infinite scarf a (temporary) infinity scarf! Ta da! 

I've found that the "tuft" is smaller (and thus, more manageable) when you use a thinner scarf. However, it's not impossible with a thick scarf - I would recommend wearing your hair down so you can cover up the "tuft." Or, become an expert at scarf arranging so you can cover it up with the 2nd loop :)

Ever tried this? I do it all the time! It's just a different way of tying a scarf. Tell me how you stretch your existing closet and wear things in a new way.

sweater: Target

shirt: WalMart

 (temporary infinity) scarf: thrifted

jeans: Trends

Boots: Kmart