Alicia

I’ve already worn this buffalo plaid drop waist dress SO much that I’ve neglected to feature it on the blog because I feel like my friends would roll their eyes and think about how this is the only dress I ever wear.  I love how it’s a bit cutesy but comfortable and it has pockets.  I should have started there, I mean, this dress has pockets so obviously we’re all sold.  It’s a bit short, especially with a drop waist pleated skirt, so I have to wear it with black tights, which I LOVE for gatherings because it solves the awkward ‘jeans tucked into socks and ruining the look of an outfit’ situation.  Any time we have people over in the winter, this is what I wear.  And pretty much any casual gathering at someone else’s place, this is probably what I’d wear there too.  What I’m trying to say, is that damnit, I wish I had more dresses like this one.  Unfortunately for all of us, I’ve scoured the internet looking for something similar and have found nothing.  If you see something like this please let me know!!!! (4 exclamation points to emphasize my desperation).

I just looked up and realized that not only is this the bold buffalo plaid that I wear ALL the time, but I just purchased new Christmas decor in this exact fabric.  So now, if I wear this when we have people over, I’m going to match our stockings and throw pillows.  Which is embarrassing, but also just kind of awesome.

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With lots to celebrate, Alex, Jill, and I opted for an epic 24 hours in Whistler rather than a dinner in the city together.  Jilly was only in town from Toronto for a short time and we HAD to gather and toast her recent engagement.  Trust me, there was no shortage of bubbly that weekend!  Besides champers, we woke up on the Saturday morning to a delightful snowfall and spent the day singing the instrumental Gilmore Girls’ winter song.  As you can see from the photos, it was the tiniest amount of powder, but still magical.

Be sure to scroll down for my Whistler recommendations and outfit details!

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It has been quite the week, I must say.  Instead of doing one big birthday bash, I managed to see my friends and family separately, which has been lovely but definitely more time consuming.  Reggie has started this thing where he cries the ENTIRE time we’re gone, which our neighbours just kindly informed us of, so there’s that.  There was also Black Friday/Cyber Monday excitement, where Adam and I may or may not have done a huge ASOS haul and I snagged a couple gifts.

Most exciting of all, I am fresh off the last episode of Gilmore Girl’s Netflix revival and feeling all the feels.  I was going to binge watch it on Friday, but then Adam was home and he hates GG, so I waited until I could give it the proper attention it deserved.  I saved ‘Fall’ for last night and I am still emotional.  I’ve since read a bunch of reviews and I agree with some of the critiques, but I am honestly just thankful to have been given the chance to reunite with Stars Hollow again.  I really disliked Season 7 and how the show ended, so it was the closure I’ve wanted all these years!  Don’t want to go into too much detail in case you still haven’t watched, but if you have, what’d you think?!

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I met Zoe at a party recently and we bonded over business podcasts and obnoxiously noisy neighbours that sound like they’re bowling (what the heck is up with that?).  She mentioned in passing that she owns a company called Park & Fifth, a collection of dresses and separates that are designed and made here in Vancouver.  Since the struggle to find a well rounded, versatile occasional dress is so real, I made an appointment to visit her at the studio right away with Alex.

I absolutely love the effortlessly chic contemporary designs and I not only found a dress that fit, I even had a few really beautiful options to choose from.  Any frock that can fit and flatter these curves AND feel comfortable is a real win for me.

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Saying goodbye to my twenties feels rather bittersweet.  What a transformative and wonderful decade.  To think of how much life has changed, how much I’VE changed in the last 10 years.  Going to college, starting a career, launching a business, moving out, moving in with a boy, getting married, getting a dog, seeing more of the world.  Though my twenties were in a large sense quite care free, there was a great desire to not only grow up, but to be a decent adult.  And the last few years were a huge part of that, taking things like finances, health, and responsibility more serious than ever.  To counter balance all the seriousness, I have also been working to be better about pushing myself outside of that comfort zone.  If anything, the warmth of adulthood routine have inspired me to be learning new things as often as I can.

Though the past decade has been great, you know my motto: leave while you’re having fun!  Not that I had a choice, because here we are on my 30th birthday.  A day that has been so built up in my head that it’s surreal and almost anticlimactic now that it’s here.  I’m optimistic about 30 and hope to be ever changing and striving to be better.  It has been a beautiful ride thus far, I look forward to what the next 10 years brings!

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Same spot, different day.  If this street looks familiar, that’s because of course it is!  This is practically the only location we can manage to shoot at lately, with days and days of rain on end.  Man, I love the Pacific Northwest, but the past few weeks have felt extra tough to deal with, whilst under a literal dark grey cloud. Everything will be okay though, because today is sunny and that I’m feeling rather refreshed after a quick Whistler visit with Jill and Alex, where we got to experience some snowfall (favourite ever, I go full Loralei Gilmore about snow) and a spa day.  We were so lucky, got to Scandinave and the lineup was quite intense.  After about 15 minutes in line, someone came by with a clipboard and handed us each a locker key.  Alex jokingly asked her if that meant we didn’t have to pay, and not accepting any silliness, she responded that it meant that everyone behind us was on a wait list.  We JUST made it into the Scandinave baths, which, now that I’m saying it out loud, sounds ridiculously privileged, but an expensive spa nap IS half the reason I go to Whistla!!  Anyway, it was the last weekend of my twenties, so I packed it full of fun activities and am basically now paying for it in the amount of work I’m behind on, because, adult.  Hope you all had a great weekend xx

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You may or may not know this about me, but my entire existence is actually thanks to McDonald’s Restaurants.  No, really!  Let me explain.

My dad was this young McD’s employee, working to fund his flared pants and nights at the disco.  From an entry level position, he earned a spot in management and completed courses at Hamburger University in Chicago.  It’s a thing.  During these ‘good old days’ one of my dad’s work friends, Ron, was getting married and at the wedding, the bride introduced my dad to all the single ladies in attendance.  One of which, was Ron’s sister, Ellen, a bridesmaid, and coincidentally also a McDonald’s employee (at another location of course).  Anyway, they don’t hit it off in this speed dating type setting, because who does well with those rushed awkward intros anyway?  Fast forward to an undetermined time later, and they meet at another McD’s event (it’s the theme here, I’m just telling ya) and it’s love!  If it wasn’t for McDonald’s, my parents likely wouldn’t have ever met.

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I really did fight it, but there’s no doubt that the 90’s has been trending for quite some time.  Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Clueless, Romeo and Juliet, and Nirvana grunge nostalgia, I’ve just been stubborn about re-living certain things.  The choker necklace for one.  I remember hot glue gunning my own velvet chokers at like 9 years old and thinking it was THE coolest.  Fast forward 20 years and here I am, fashioning a choker necklace out of a string from a blouse.  Clearly my crafty frugalness hasn’t changed!

Seriously though, thinking it wasn’t going to be that flattering, I really did just grab the string that fell off a blouse and tie it in a bow.  I think I like the look too, might even actually invest in one that you actually buy from a store.  Maybe go really old school and get another velvet one just for fun!

One nod to the 90’s that I absolutely love is the deep berry/brown lip shades.  The moodiness of the bold, darker shade is simply perfect for fall.  The modern 90’s trend is something I look forward to further exploring this season.  How about you, have you given it a try, even in a subtle way?

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