Pretty Pleats

Pretty pleats for the holidays? Pretty please! I love the idea of dressing up a skirt for cocktail parties with a sleeveless top or wearing a turtleneck for more conservative work parties and family get-togethers. Now, which color should I choose?

I have found several options for pleated skirts. ASOS has a huge selection. I just searched "pleated skirts" on the website and the return came up with pages and pages of options.


Gold skirt - Gap
Teal satin, Fuschia Satin, Pink Velvet, Copper - ASOS
Silver skirt - Forever 21
Silver skirt - H&M


Check out Topshop, Nordstrom, and Express for more options.

Denver trip

A couple weeks ago my Mom and sister Meagan booked trips to meet each other in Denver. My mom booked her flight out of Indy for $70! I decided for that price I wanted to go as well and take Roman to see my grandma. We flew out at 6am the day after my half marathon and I thought I might die from being so sore. It was a real challenge running after Roman through the airport. Naturally, he didn't sleep the entire flight. If you have kids, you know traveling with a toddler is no vacation. It's just parenting in a different city. Roman didn't adjust to the time difference and was up at 4:30am every morning. He yelled "snack" probably a million times over the 3 days, but nevertheless it was a good trip!

Playing with the phones. "calling" everyone we know.

 My grandma Kitty is 95 years old!

4 Generations.

 Colorado Springs. Garden of the Gods.

Roman loved "climbing mountains"!

  I met up with my sorority sisters Anna and Katye. Katye has 2 little girls. It was so fun to get the kids together!

13.1

I did it! I wasn't sure I would be able to say that, but I DID IT!!!! Over the last few years I have watched countless friends run half marathons and always wondered if it was something I could also do. I started running this past summer and kept adding miles. I ran during my lunch break and on weekends. As I added miles my knees began to hurt and I wasn't sure I could continue. I went to see a PT and began doing strength exercises, icing, and massaging. The most I ran in my training was 9 miles, so I was nervous about making it to 13.1.

The race was so much fun! I met my cousin who happened to be in town running the race too and we started together. Running with a crowd cheering you along is MUCH easier than alone. Dan, Roman and our friend Ross came to cheer me on around mile 7, which really helped! I wanted to walk several times, but kept going! Miles 10-13 were the worst.

I finished and ran the half in 2:16. I'm pleased with my final time and pace. My goal was to finish under 2:30 and not to walk. I accomplished both! I know so much more about training now and if I do it again I will strength train as well to help with knee pain and  hopefully a faster pace. It was hard as hell and I don't know how my friends do this over and over again. It was a great experience!

High Top Sneakers

Kind of obsessed with high top sneakers this season. I feel like they are a cute alternative to ankle boots and a super comfortable option! I kind of LOVE the deep red velvet sneaker from Nordstrom Rack! But I also really like the suede camel version from H&M. There are so many cute options out there, these are some of my favorites.

Deep Red Velvet - Nordstrom Rack $39

Camel Suede - H&M $60

Olive Green - Nordstrom $98

Grey suede - Gap $69

Grey felt - Nordstrom $88

Black - Target $35 (exact dupe of Steve Madden)

Halloween

Our neighborhood has a huge Halloween festival every year and then goes all out Halloween night for trick or treating. This year, the weather was perfect for both the festival and Halloween night. Our neighbors all had bonfires and music playing. Everyone sat on their porches to hand out candy. It's such a great night for everyone! We even have a neighbor on the street over from us that puts on an entire production every Halloween that includes props, actors, and music!


We couldn't decide on a costume this year and decided to have 2! Roman was a dinosaur for his school party and Mickey Mouse for trick or treating. I wasn't sure how Roman would react and if he would understand the concept of Trick or Treating, but he figured it out at the first house and there was no stopping him after that. We hit about 6 houses of our close neighbors that we know really well and then headed over to see the production before handing out candy at our house. Roman ate way too much candy, but had a blast!

I made Mickey's shorts and boot covers. How cute are the boots?!?

 I sewed spikes onto a hooded sweatshirt and added a tail and eyes for Roman's dinosaur costume.

 

Dressing up as a Mummy at Roman's school party.

Roman's buddy Patrick as Elmo.

Could not get enough candy!

My Dad (Pop Pop) was in town and stopped by to trick or treat with Roman.

This is my neighbor that put on the production with a Men in Black theme this year.

crowd of people watching the production