Another Wedding Outfit

This has been a busy summer for weddings!  We had a lot of weddings back in the first few years after we got married, but then there was a lull.  Maybe one or two per year.  But since May, we've had 5 (one we didn't go to because baby was too little)!  And another one coming up in October.  I like weddings, and I like an excuse to dress up!  This is what I wore to a wedding over Labor Day weekend.  We took our baby with us, because it was a mid-morning wedding, and he's usually pretty happy at that time.  And miracle of miracles: he was quiet through the whole ceremony!  Way to go, Mr. Baby!  He's so smart!  And yeah, I need to think of a clever name for him on the blog.

Cardigan: JCF  (exact in various colors)
Top: Sunset Rd
Skirt:Gibson&Latimer  (similar)
Shoes: Target (exact without captoe)

Off to College

Classes start at the University of Nebraska this week.  This got me thinking about my freshman year.  In August of 2003 (wearing a really cool blue camo print tee), I packed up most of my belongings into my Civic and my dad's Grand Marquis, and we drove up to Lincoln where I would know exactly no one else in my dorm.  

When I think about that now, it makes me so nervous!  What was I thinking?  I had awesome friends in high school and most of them were going to K-State.  For some reason, I had decided several years prior that I was going to UNL and I never seriously considered any other options.  I didn't even apply anywhere else.  I'm pretty sure everyone thought I was crazy, and they were probably right.  

That whole first week was sort of a blur, but here are some random things I remember:

• About 4 hours into the 5 hour drive, my dad asked my mom if she had packed his shirts.  She hadn't. They were going on a 1-2 week road trip after dropping me off in Lincoln, so I think they went to the mall to buy him some shirts on their way out of town.  
• I felt very "freshman" when I went to pick up my books.  I was in line next to a girl who was so obviously (to me) not a freshman.  She seemed like she knew what was going on and not at all nervous.  I later learned that she lived across the hall from me, and was a freshman, and she thought that I seemed confident while she felt nervous.  I quickly became best friends with Anne and her roommate, Brooke.  You may remember them from Friendizona Weekend and other various shenanigans.  
• My roommate thought the dorm showers were gross, so she just didn't take a shower for the first 3-4 days.  It was August in Nebraska.  Daily showers are kind of important when it is 100-ish degrees outside and you are carrying boxes up to the 3rd floor.  This was not the weirdest thing about my roommate.  She moved out without telling me at the beginning of second semester.  I didn't miss her.  
• That first weekend, I was invited to a BBQ cookout for the Campus Crusade group.  When we got there, somehow they didn't have any meat, so it wasn't much of a BBQ.  The main thing I remember is playing ping pong with Collin, who ended up becoming a great friend.  You may remember him from the Montana trip.  
• I was in the Honor's Program, and we were "required" to read Seabiscuit over the summer.  For being a pretty good kid, I was very rebellious about certain things (particularly things that I deemed worthless).  I thought it was stupid to have required summer reading for college so I just went to the movie and skipped the book.  I bluffed my way through the discussion groups after our Honor's Welcome luncheon.  Most of the other honor's kids were shocked and appalled that I hadn't read the book. I was sort of proud of myself.  I still am.    
• My first day of classes, I was kicked out of my Poli-Sci class for being a Sophomore (my high school had a lot of concurrent credit classes).  The TA just said "If I read your name, you aren't allowed in this class!" and then read a few names, including mine.  I asked him what I was supposed to do, and he said he didn't know and didn't care but I couldn't stay in that class.  I went outside, sat down on a bench and cried.  Then I called my mom.  Then I met with my adviser and got my schedule fixed.  I still don't know why they let me register for that class if they were just going to kick me out on the first day.  It was the only class I was excited about, so it was pretty disappointing.  

Do you remember anything interesting about your first week of college?  

PS - this outfit has nothing to do with going to college.  It's a little but outside of my comfort zone (tucked in shirt, AH!), but I really like it.  

Top: Sunset Rd
Blazer: H&M
Necklace: gift
Belt: Limited
Skirt: Loft
Sandals: Carlos Santana

So Long, Sweet Summer

 

Growing up in Kansas, people would often say something like "If you don't like the weather here, just wait 5 minutes and it will change!"  People in Nebraska and Indiana say this, too.  In Waiting for Guffman, the mayor of a small town in Missouri mentions the same saying, but thinks with hard work, he believes they could get that down to 3 or 4 minutes.

I'm beginning to wonder if this is a saying everywhere.  Do people say this in Michigan?  Texas?  South Carolina?  Probably not in Alaska or Hawaii, right?  Is this a saying where you live?  I'm just curious if all the states think their weather is more ridiculous than everywhere else.  We all want to be special, I guess.

I think it is safe to say that summer days are gone for this year.  I really do love the fall, but winter always makes an appearance too soon.  I'm half hoping we have another mild winter, but just harsh enough to kill all the bugs.  We had a very buggy summer and I'm not down with that at all.

Cardigan: Old Navy, dyed by me
Top: Sunset Rd.
Pants: Gap
Shoes: Born

Chicken of the Sea

This is a new outfit, except for the shoes.  Like I said before, my sister is either good luck or a bad influence when I am shopping, because I found this top and these jeans when she was here.

The top is from the Dillard's clearance center in Council Bluffs, IA.  We ventured over there and had an awesome time.  We also found some great deals!  If there is a Dillard's clearance center near you, go there!  Make sure to carve out several hours, because it is a warehouse full of things, and there were only about 3 dressing rooms total. If you enjoy hunting for great deals, you will love it!

These jeans are from Von Maur, and they are Jessica Simpson brand.  This is my first Jessica Simpson purchase.  I generally dismiss celebrity clothing lines, because I just think they are grasping at whatever fame and money they can get.  But my sister grabbed these jeans off the clearance rack, and I kind of love them.  They are called "Forever skinny", but I think they fit more like boyfriend jeans.  I thought I'd use a Jessica Simpson song as my title, but I couldn't think of a single one.  I went to Wikipedia to jog my memory, and skimmed through the list of singles, and I don't recognize any of them, so I'm giving up and going with the first thing I remembered about her - Chicken of the Sea!

Top: Sunset Rd.
Jeans: Jessica Simpson
Shoes: Seychelles