Champagne Thursday & Leather Leggings...

Sweater- TJ Max

Tank- Target

Leggings- HM (similar)

Heels- HM

Necklace & Bracelet- Aldo (similar necklace & bracelets)

Earrings- Gift

Bag- TJ Max

My completely logical reasons for the bubbly... 

-Ran three times now... I was the girl wheezing on the side of the road..

-Cleaned out the fridge... Don't judge...

-It's almost November which means it's almost Christmas... my logic is sound.. 

- Totally gave myself fake bangs... see here.. not too shabby..

-Figured out that Starbucks is my workout motivator... if I could run with a Starbucks cup in my hand I would.... it's how I roll...

- Christmas commercials have begun... only 7 more weeks...not that I'm counting...

- Totally rocked the leather leggings...and...my legs make duck noises when I walk...

-Actually used my running playlist while running.... It's a Christmas Miracle! 

- Two words, customer service... #dayjob 

-It's officially sweater weather... Thank you October for giving me my wardrobe back... 

- All four of my houseplants are still alive a month later! #crossingmyfingers

-I get an extra hour of sleep this weekend... It's like a state wide corporate nap... Thanks California... thanks... 

- I baked a Swedish Apple Pie... it was amazing... take that Martha Stewart!

-It's Thursday.... nuff said.

Mama Got A Makeover: The Blog Salon...

You know those shows like What Not To Wear ... where they take a tired woman who's making due with what she's wearing and how's she doing her hair.... then they take her and give her an amazing makeover? Yeah... I'm like one of those women... only for my blog....

I first discovered Ashley at The Blog Salon about 6 months ago and I was instantly impressed! Her professional and yet extremely talented designs are nothing more than art... It's a scary feeling trusting (trust issues) someone else with your blog.. It's a big deal, it needs to reflect you, be professional and yet awesome... From the moment I first had communication with Ashley she instantly put me at ease... she's like the "blog whisperer"... Plus I have to mention she's currently getting her Masters in Design, while still rocking at her day job as a high school teacher! #rockstarstatus

One of the selling points for me was the method of inspiration,  Ashley suggests starting with a Pinterest board! It was like someone was speaking my language, creating a new look for my blog and using my favorite waste of time? Sold!! I collected all the most inspiring photos as a visual buffet for Ashley to get a pretty good idea what I was wanting... I gave her all my details and sat back and waited while the magic happened...  Picture an impatient girl sitting next to a phone waiting for a boy to call... I must have checked my email at least 20 times in one day... I'm not very good at waiting or being cool for that matter... Ashley then emailed me two proofs to choose from, both were gorgeous! I could hardly contain my excitement! Let me just say that having to decide between two amazing designs is not easy... It was like trying to choose between two amazing pair of shoes and you can only have one! Such a good problem to have... After choosing a design and doing minor tweaks this is the final product! I am sure you can tell that I am beyond thrilled with the final result.

The Blog Salon offers a variety of services from Blog Design, Brand Identity to Business Card Design. It's really a fantastic one stop shop that I feel I can go back for any of my other blogging/branding needs... So if your blog design is feeling a little desperate for a makeover like mine was, head on over to The Blog Salon check out all that Ashley could do for you. I promise you won't be sorry! As bloggers we usually have about 3 seconds to capture the attention of our readers, might as well make those 3 seconds memorable!

*This is a sponsored post by The Blog Salon, the opinions expressed are completely my own.

Did You Know?

Things you might not know about me...

• I'm a natural redhead.. although some people confuse my hair color for blond in certain lighting... nope au natural ginger!
• My signature scent is Bright Crystal by Versace.... I love it! Been wearing it for almost 5 years!
• My laugh is kinda loud and my sense of humor is totally slapstick... cue Funniest Home Videos!
• I LOVE Jennifer Garner and Alias is still one of my favorite TV shows..I don't care what anyone says, that show is killer! Haters gonna hate...
• My go to Starbucks drinks... AM- Half/Caff coffee with cream & sugar and a sprinkle of Cinnamon... PM- Decaf Vanilla Cappuccino.
• I've moved something like 9 times in the last 13 years..yeah that's an insane amount of moving... 3 times of those was across the country... I'm an expert at packing boxes...
• My Icons: Celine Dion... girl can sing! Rachel Zoe stylist skills & Audrey Hepburn... ever the class act.... If I ever would get the chance to meet Celine or Rachel I would probably geek out in the most unflattering 13 year old girl way...
• Getting my drink on:  sparkling water on a regular occasion & Cabernet!
• I've got an accent... it's a mix of NY & a Chicago/ Wisconsin sound... think Minnesota "don't ya know" ever so slightly... with a little Boston "wicked" mixed in.. Wicked awesome....
• I adore giving gifts...seriously it's a problem... I actually have to wait til pretty close to Christmas to shop for Seth so I don't give in and give his present early! 
• I'm an expert on over cooking chicken! It's my specialty... 
• I adore white orchids.. however I've yet to figure out how to keep them alive... again another specialty of mine... 
• I dream of the day when I get to rock my children to sleep and I sit front row at fashion week... 

Feel The Burn: Motivation & Procrastination..

Procrastination... it should be a skill... or like something you'd want to put on a resume'... I'm skilled in administrative duties, customer service and I excel in rolling over and hitting the snooze button.. For the last few weeks I've had a desire to go running... mostly because my dad used to and I think I want to give it a try.... however I've yet to put that motivation to good use and actually get myself on the road for a good run...

I'm one of those girls that gets excited about exercise because I can buy new workout gear.. I mean, I'm all about looking good and feeling good but come on? Who doesn't want another excuse for some sweet gear? That and making a good playlist... a girl can't workout without some tunes! I believe that a good workout/running mix needs to have the proper mix of good beats and embarrassing tunes from my childhood... fake cough Spice Girls... I honestly believe that if you can get out of bed in the morning then you're golden! However I've yet to master that... unless of course Starbucks is involved and then I'm out of bed with lightning speed.... for local readers if you see a 30 something woman sprinting to Starbucks you'll know I've figured out this whole procrastination thang... Oh the power of espresso & foam...

As for my "Feel the Burn" goals... well... lets just say it's still a goal and I haven't given up but it hasn't been easy... The most important thing I'm doing right now is being easy on myself.. My life has been nuts since I last posted a Feel the Burn post and I believe that in part of having a healthy lifestyle is knowing your limits... For me, I feel that maybe a good run once -twice a week is a good starting over place... Also have a healthy lifestyle is not taking yourself too seriously! And to that I'll confess that I've had this running mix for almost a year and I've yet to use it while running... there I said it... I also wonder how many of us buy yoga pants and actually use them for yoga..Deep thoughts today by yours truly...

Falling For You...

Falling For You... by hchdesigns featuring platform heel pumps

Lately I've been totally falling for anything red.. It's one of my favorite colors... and true story I wore amazing red heels for my wedding shoes.. I was so glam...but I digress... When the Phillip Lim Target collection hit stores like an idiot I thought for sure I'd have days to score one of his trademark bags...  You know that part in Pretty Woman? "Big mistake... Huge"... I went to my local Target thinking I'd obviously still have a chance in my area.. When I asked the sales associate for help, he looked at me with look of pity and said "they were gone within hours"... So, I'd accepted my fate and let the dream die and honestly I'd only seen the bag online so I wasn't so certain it was the right one for me anyways... So then a week later, I spotted one lonely bag in the Target in Montana.. I couldn't believe my luck "what? Can this be true?" and then in a moment of what I'll call fashion stupidity... I put the bag down and walked away... Granted, I wasn't in a frame of mind to really think clearly... Rule of thumb, do not make decisions on handbags that you've been wanting forever when you are in the middle of a family crisis...  so I walked away.. and all the fashion world is screaming in slow motion... "Nooooo!!!"

Sigh.. So now instead of going for the $55 one.. classic Hope.. I've got my eye on the $800 red one that I like even more.. I keep thinking there's got to be a way I can score this awesome-ness...save my money, take on a few extra jobs, sell a kidney.. Ya know the usual options.. Expensive taste.. the bane of my existence.. that and laundry.. but I want to talk about that... Between my desire for scarves, gold office supplies and my ridiculously overpriced fashion choices..Fall shopping/Christmas wish list is getting full and who can blame me when there are sweet things like an $800 bag or a $1400 Burberry Trench to dream over.. and everyone in my family says "keep dreamin Hope"... Oh I will and if all else fails there's always the whole sell a  kidney option... kidding..

Inspirational Thursday....

Today I had grand schemes of doing this wicked awesome fashionista post where we all "ooh and ahh" at all the pretties...Alas, it wasn't meant to be.. Instead this phrase was running through my head these last few days... We've all got dreams and aspirations and sometimes it just feels like the mountain of our dreams get larger and larger everyday... but don't worry... you're gonna make it.. and before you realize it, you're closer than ever before! A little Thursday inspiration for you... Keep chasing the dream!

A Tribute to My Dad- Allen Burdick...

It's a hard thing to talk about real life, real pain on a blog...  On September 27 2013 my precious Daddy, breathed his last breath of this world and started breathing the breath of heaven.... About an hour after I posted my last post, I found out that due to complications from a second stroke... I needed to rush to Montana and be by his side for his last days.... I made it, kissed his head... told him I loved him and it was ok to go.... to be free... With tears and my eyes  I just wanted him to be free of the pain and frustration of being wheelchair bound for almost 7 years. To run again, to see my brother who had passed away almost 32 years ago... To feel joy and life in deeper ways than I've ever known.... And yet, I didn't want to loose his hugs... his smile and laugh... hearing him call me "Hopie Celestial".... (my middle name is Celeste).

My dad's favorite movie was Chariot's of Fire... he watched it in 1982 soon after my brother (who was only 6 at the time) was killed in a car accident by a drunk driver... I was only about 6 weeks old... The movie  spoke to him of never giving up even when his grief was tangible and real, to run the race with purpose and conviction... I have many memories of my dad coming home after a discouraging day and putting on the movie and he was instantly encouraged.  My Dad believed in living out your dreams even if it wasn't the easiest route to take and not compromising character along the way... He an inspiration to me and his legacy is something that I cherish.... To this day the music from Chariots of Fire speaks to my heart and is a reminder of my dad... it might as well have been his story because to me he was always my hero, the one who could do anything...

"I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure." - Eric Liddell   Chariots of Fire....

It's a surreal feeling knowing that the man who kissed your face goodnight, cheered the loudest for you at soccer, buckled you in the car, held your hand to put you down for a nap and gave you away on your wedding day.... is gone... And yet I can say with absolute assurance that even in the middle of thick grief there is a real truth and hope... I'll see him again and everything is gonna be ok.... It's not a sugar coating, the grief is real and yet the hope is real too... With tears streaming down my face, missing his smile more than I can express, there is a soft sweet hope that wiggles it's way into your heart till all of a sudden, life that is ended  is not the end but only intermission and the real story the real life is only just begun....

My Dad, Allen H. Burdick June 29 1942- September 27 2013... 

I'll miss you forever but I'll see you again...