New Spring Scarf!

I got this scarf from my Mom when I was home this past week. I love it for Spring because it's not too heavy, so it layers nicely without making you sweat.  I can't wait to see what else I can pair this with!

Scarf: Nordstrom BP

Dress: Old Navy

Belt: Forever 21

A Maxi That Fits!

I'm 5 foot 2, so finding a maxi skirt that fits me has been a challenge.  They are always way too long.  Enter the petites section at Ann Taylor!  I was shopping at their outlet the other day while I was home and they had a MASSIVE petites section and I saw this skirt. I tried it on and voila! It fit!  I love that it goes right to my ankles but doesn't skim the ground too much. It's also versatile!  It was so fun to wear today to work, I cant wait to pair it with a black tank top I have for a nice dinner out. :)

Maxi Skirt: Ann Taylor Outlet
Shirt: The Limited
Jacket: American Eagle
Shoes (not pictures): Black Flats, Steven Madden @ DSW

What To Wear To Disneyland!

It's been a wonderful week. I got to go home for a bit to see my Mom and help her chaperone her 8th graders on their class trip to Disneyland, and oh my gosh we had a good time.  I've been to Disneyland many, many times. But every single time I'm intrigued/horrified/genuinely confused by some of the outfits people choose to wear to a day at one of the parks. I'm going to do you a solid and help you out here. You can totally be cute while still being comfortable and practical!

1.)  First things first, wear comfortable shoes. (For the love of all that is good, no high heels!)

I did a day and half at Disney and wore sneakers both days.  Let me tell you, all of that walking can kill your feet. I wore Toms once to the park thinking it would be fine if I just wore closed-toe shoes. Ack. My feet were killing me by the end of the day.  You'll be standing in a lot of lines and doing a ton of walking, treat your feet like you'd treat them if you were doing a 5k.

2.) Wear a cheeky Disney shirt.

This is always my favorite part of getting dressed for a day at the parks. As a Disney fan I've acquired a number of awesome Disney shirts. I always promise myself that if I do more than one day at Disneyland I will wear a Winnie the Pooh shirt at least once--Pooh Bear is my man.  This year, though, I found another shirt that may fight for a place among my favorite Disney shirts.....

Haha.  I wore this on the first day when we only did a half-day at California Adventure. I had lots of people comment on it. It totally cracks me up.

3.) Keep accessories to a minimum/keep them practical.

I have two things that I'll wear into the parks: my Minnie Mouse ears and my pin lanyard.  If you add a lot more than that, you will have a lot to keep track of each time you get on/off a ride.  A lot of times, cast members suggest you take the ears off for faster rides like California Screamin', Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, etc.  I've seen many sad little lonely ears left by people who forgot them after a ride.  The lanyard is really helpful because it gives you a place to put your fastpasses and have easy access to them.  I also keep my park ticket in mine.  I love wearing the pin lanyard, I make a point to buy a new pin for it every time I go to the park so it's a nice little reminder of all the fun I've had at Disneyland over the years. In terms of bags, the smaller the better. I bring a small Vera Bradley crossbody with me.

4.) Keep bottoms comfortable.

Don't be that person that wears too-tight jeans or shorts to Disneyland. Nobody wants to see your pink thong in line for Pirates of the Caribbean.

5.) Multiple days mean multiple outfits, if you'd like!

We all know I love me some dress-up.  Since I was in the park on two separate days, I wanted to wear two different things and brought some options in case the weather was acting up.  On the first day, I chose pink shorts and my Vader shirt. It was cooler the second day, so I stuck with yoga leggings and my favorite Winnie the Pooh shirt. I also have a Winnie the Pooh sweatshirt that I wore most of the day since it was pretty overcast.

Again, comfort is key.  Since I was chaperoning 8th graders I wanted to look kind of put together, but still wanted to be able to move around comfortably.  It takes a lot of movement to dodge those triple-wide strollers!

Castle Selfie!

How cute are these Disney Starbucks cups?!

Do yourself a favor and get a peanut butter sandwich from Pooh Corner Bakery.

Just do it.

I absolutely love going to Disneyland and think I've learned a thing or two about staying comfy over the years.  I'm already looking forward to my next trip, hopefully I'll get to go again soon!

It's Gonna Be (and is) May.

 So I was going through my phone and realized I hadn't shared this photo with you all yet. It's a beauty.  Was anyone else as obsessed with 'NSYNC as I was when I was a kid? I wanted one of these SO badly when I was younger.  Goodwill is a magical place, let me tell you.

Random Post: My First Remicade Experience

Cheesin' during the infusion, as per usual

I am veering wayyyyyyy off my normal topic choice today, folks.  If you're expecting some cute outfit posts, I'm sorry to disappoint! I will get back to normal posting after Memorial Day. :)

I posted a while back about being diagnosed with UC, and I recently started this medicine called Remicade.  As I was doing research about it and gathering information, I realized the the internet is a terrifying place where everyone complains and no one ever discusses positive experiences. Boo. I figured I would contribute to the noise on here. Hopefully, someone stumbles upon this and I help ease their fears a little bit!

I won't go into the details of what Remicade is and how it works.  There's a lot of medical mumbo jumbo that is hard to explain.  Ha.  Go here if you're curious.  Initially, I heard pretty horrible things about this drug and worked myself up about this first appointment.  I had heard that people had terrible side effects, that their first infusion landed them in the hospital, that they hated having an IV in, all that jazz.  Thankfully, I have a friend who started Remicade a few weeks before I did and she gave me her perspective which was overwhelmingly positive.  Even when I was super nervous about what would happen, I did have one person that I knew personally who had a positive experience.  (Thanks, Caitlin!)  I think what made me most nervous was the thought that my body would completely reject Remicade and send me back to the hospital.  I was nervous.

The day of the infusion was as normal as they get: get up, go to work, meetings, etc.  My appointment was at 1:30, so I took the afternoon off of work for the first infusion to see how my body reacted and to allow enough time to get where I was going.  (I am crazy about being on time to places. It's a gift and a curse.)  Normally the infusions last about 2 hours.  I was told this one would be a bit longer than that in order to fill out some paperwork and get everything settled since it was my first one.  I was also told to eat a good lunch beforehand and eat a good lunch I did.  Silver Grill, nom nom nom.

My boyfriend came with me for the first infusion so I didn't have to be by myself.  It was also nice knowing I had someone to drive me home in case I couldn't.  The nurse who was in charge of the infusion asked me to take two Tylenol and a Claritin before I came in.  These help alleviate some common side effects (minor allergic reactions and headaches, things like that.)  I heard that a lot of folks take Benadryl--I don't like being drowsy so Claritin was a better option for me personally.

When we got to the room where I would be sitting I was pleasantly surprised! I had it in my head that there would be a ton of chairs and look like a hospital ER or something.  The room was small, and the chairs were SO COMFORTABLE. I can totally see why people like to nap when they go in for Remicade appointments.  After getting me comfortable, the nurse got the IV all hooked up. Honestly, this was the worst part for me.  I think the only time during the entire appointment I thought I would lose it was when she stuck me with the IV and said "Oh, you're a bleeder!" ACK. DON'T TELL ME THAT. Look away Lizzy, look away!  After the IV was all hooked up, she propped my arm up on a pillow, covered it with a blanket, and started the infusion. After that she went through all of the basics with me--potential side effects, when I'll come in for appointments, what the drug does, etc.  The nurse was wonderful.  She really made everything seem manageable and helped alleviate a lot of that initial stress.

After the nurse and I chatted for about 20 minutes I was free to do whatever I liked. I watched an episode of Chuck on Netflix with Sam and then messed around on my iPad for a little bit. Thank you, WiFi!  The two hours that the infusion lasted were insanely easy.  The nurse comes over to check your vitals every 30 minutes to make sure you're not having a bad reaction to the drug, but other than that they let you do your own thing.  I didn't feel anything going in through the IV, the only thing that bothered me was the IV itself. I'm really sensitive to needles, so I was just super aware that there was something in my arm. That's why we put the blanket over it, so I wasn't looking at it the whole time.  I'm sure this gets easier over time.

At the end of the appointment she took out the IV and got my next appointment scheduled.  I felt completely fine during the whole process, no weird side effects and no drowsiness.  I was able to drive myself home after the appointment as well.  That night I felt a little more tired than usual and had some minor achy joint pain in my ankle the next day sporadically, but other than that I had no weird side effects and I felt like myself.

It's been a few days since my first infusion and I feel great!  I was able to resume my normal schedule the next day and I am feeling confident that Remicade will work well for me.

Just a little disclaimer:  I understand that this is not the best option for everyone--the purpose of this post is not to convince people to try it but to offer a more positive perspective for those who are looking.  This is purely my opinion and my experience.  I hope that if you're about to start this option I helped ease your fears a little bit and Remicade works well for you!

Regular posts will pick back up after Memorial Day, I am heading home this week to see my Mom and help chaperone her 8th graders on their Disneyland field trip (am I crazy?!)  Have a wonderful day, loves!

London Calling?

I love wearing this skirt because I bought it when I studied abroad in London two years ago.  I'm always taken back to those wonderful memories with the people I met--I hope I get to go back sometime soon!  The skirt is a little thinner, so I'm limited to wearing it during warmer months and have been waiting to bust it out!

I am in the process of getting ready to move, hence the trash bags in the background.  They are full of clothes I'm donating and I can't take them in until this Monday. Ack.  Pardon the mess. :)

Skirt: Primark

Belt: Primark

Shirt: LOFT

Scarf: Brighton

Shoes: Clark's

New Stripe Dress!

I got this dress a few weeks ago when the weather was warming up--I love it!  I like that the stripes go in a few different directions. It helps break up the top and bottom a little bit.  So fun.

Dress, Sweater, Necklace: LOFT

Shoes: Primark

These Shoes :)

I love these cute little shoes. I've had people make fun of me for wearing Clark's before because they are "old lady shoes," but how cute are these?! I love the little bows and the mary jane style.

Blazer: Target

Shirt: Talbots

Pants: Target

Shoes: Clark's

Feelin' Pinky

Ah, the weather this week has been glorious. Until today. Today Colorado decided to rain, thunder, hail, and then deliver a few minutes of sunshine all in about an hour.  I love this state, but it's weather doesn't make a lot of sense.  I've lived here for almost 5 years, I should probably just accept it at this point.

This outfit is from Monday when it was BEAUTIFUL and 75 degrees outside. My wardrobe gets progressively more colorful as the weather warms up, and I was feeling the pink!

Shirt: LOFT

Skirt: LOFT

Scarf: TopShop

Shoes: Steve Madden/DSW

FINALLY.

I got this dress from my Mom on my birthday.....4 months ago.  I LOVED it, but the dress fell pretty much to my mid-calves and I wasn't digging it.  I knew it would be cute hemmed, but I always put off getting things hemmed until the last possible minute. Enter my friend Molly, who hemmed it for me this week. She did a fabulous job and I LOVE it. It is so comfortable and it has pockets.

Who doesn't love a dress with pockets?! No one.

Dress: Cath Kidston
Cardigan: LOFT
Shoes: Sperry Top-Sider