So do you remember that outfit I told you about in Childhood Grown Up? The one Mary Lennox wore in The Secret Garden that I was swooning over... the jumper, black tights and oxfords?
Well I found it! The grown up version that is... The only thing I wish is that the jumper were that great yellowish green. This one's more yellowy cream. Oh well... it's still cute.
The Jumper.
See by Chloé. Found at Gilt.com but I'm sorry to say it's sold out. Bummer.
The Blouse.
This one I found at the inspiration. It's an oh so sweet vintage version that's much more cost effective. Buy it here.
This one I found at the addiction. It too could work, although with the jumper straps, the neck line might pose a problem. Regardless, it's very cute and on sale too! Buy it here.
Otherwise you could really just go with the blouse the jumper's already paired with. Although that one is definitely not sale priced... But I guess if it's on Gilt.com it technically is...
The Shoes
I found both pairs at Urban Outfitters. Option A with a heel, Option B with a flat. Let your legs decide.
And of course this outfit would not be complete without a thick pair of black tights/leggings. But I think you can manage to find those on your own.
And I am happy. Inspiration come to life. I love it!
Firstly, there are two things you need to know about me:
1. I hate carnations.
I think this dislike stems from seeing them in the grocery store dyed that disgusting snow-cone colored blue or leprechaun green, looking 100% artificial; they're like the antithesis of what flowers represent. In my opinion carnations are just a step up from Baby's Breath - a sad, sad substitute for a rose. It's what you give when you feel obligated to give flowers but really don't want to, or worse, when you should give flowers but completely forget.
2. I really don't like pink.
Yes, I'm a ballerina. Yes, I love to wear dresses. But to be completely honest the color pink often inspires my gag reflex. Yuck. There are many things I do and many things I like that by all outward appearances would make me sound like a girly-girl, but honestly I'm not. Well at least I don't see myself as one. Victoria's Secret's ad campaign of "Pink" is completely lost on me. The color looks wretched on my yellow-olive skin tone and something deep within me just rejects it. I feel like Kay Thompson's character Maggie Prescott in the movie "Funny Face" where at the end of her "Think Pink" number she refuses to be caught dead in it - although the number is quite fabulous.
However recently, my mind has slightly changed toward these two things I've railed against for so long. I have Lars to thank for that. And by Lars, I mean "Lars and the Real Girl."
If you haven't seen this movie, you absolutely must. Everything about it is brilliant. Everything. From the script to the set design there isn't one detail that was overlooked. And this is definitely my kind of movie. It's quirky, its awkward, it's endearingly odd. It's a lot like me.
Ryan Gosling proves my point that mustaches are hot. And I absolutely love the charming little farmhouse Lars, his brother Gus and sister-in-law Karen live in. In particular, the "Pink room" where Lars' "girlfriend" Bianca stays has inspired my design eye. Pink? I know... I was surprised too. But the vintage wall paper and curtains, the sweet chenille bedspread and the amazing wood dresser are absolutely perfect.
In fact this movie redeems pink. It's like a tread that's woven throughout this entire film binding it all together. It first shows up in a pink carnation Mrs. Gruner gives to Lars at the beginning of the film. This scene is amazing. Ryan Gosling plays it to perfection. She gives Lars the carnation and tells him to give it to someone he likes, when just at that moment he turns around to see his very cute co-worker Margot saying "hello." With one thrust of his arm he chucks the carnation into oblivion, and then after saying nothing proceeds to actually run to his car. It's clear he likes her, but is afraid - afraid of love. During the rest of the movie pink shows up throughout - in apparel and decor - as Lars gradually learns how to love and be loved. And by the end we see another pink carnation, not thrown away, but kept close to his heart (worn on his left lapel).
Love is a pink carnation. And love is not cheap. Rather, it is the most important, most precious and utterly priceless gift we can give and receive. So I guess Lars makes me love both pink and carnations.
Here are two clips I found on YouTube of the beginning and the end of this awesome film. But if you've never seen it, DON'T watch the latter clip. Better just watch the whole thing.
You can find the first clip here and the second one here.
It's been so long since I updated this. Yikes. My bad.
We'll I'm actually on vacation now - 2 weeks off, and I can't tell you how necessary this time is, mainly for the preservation of my sanity. I was chatting with my pastor's wife last Sunday and she so sweetly said to me, "Your life is never lacking drama" - or something to that effect. And as much as I would like to say otherwise, I've resigned myself to the fact that this is the truth. This week has not been an exception to this truth. In fact this has been a Struggles the Catweek.
But I digress...
So here is the second installment of Vail "vacation" in photos. I write "vacation" because it wasn't a true vacation - we most certainly did work, and the work we did wasn't easy - but when we did have some time off, we definitely enjoyed ourselves in this affluent little resort town. So here are little snapshots (literally) of our tour to Vail, CO. Enjoy!
Waiting at Sea-Tac. I'm hanging out on the carpet with the babies - Shmelsea (Chelsea Adomaitis) and Shmanda (Amanda Clark).
Buckle up! It's up, up and away - off to Denver, CO. Can't you tell we're excited?
My view for the majority of the flight... well not quite. But I guess there are worse things to look at than Andrew's underwear.
"Would you like to sit next to a ballerina?" said the flight attendant to a little 6 year-old girl who sat next to Liora.
Dancers congregating in the aisles. The flight attendants sure loved us. Thank goodness we had Ezra with us to smooth things over.
After waiting for James to go all the way back through the Denver airport security to claim a bag he left on the plane we finally board the bus that will take us to our final destination: Vail.
Carli Samuelson and Will Lin-Yee. They make such a cute couple.
Abby Relic and Barry Kerollis. They're a couple too - just not the romantic type.
A third couple? Nope that's just Bartells (Andrew Bartee) and Lovey-Dovey (Emma Love).
Jerry rocking out on the keys.
Looks like BK needed a nap.
Potty break! Enter Georgetown. No, this is not a mistake - we're still in CO not D.C.
Abby what are you doing there on the ground?
Ohhh... gotcha. Girlfriend get that gas out. That's no bueno holdin' it in. Just not on the bus.
Finally we arrive! Our home for the next 6 days and 5 nights would be Manor Vail. It was lovely, although the décor left something to be desired. Oh yeah, and air-conditioning would have been nice too. But I have to say Abby and Barry won the prize for the "best" room. And by best I mean so bad it's good.
Ahhh! I don't know what's scarier... the fact that there's a Christmas tree with a huge bear in their room or Barry's face.
I take it back. Hands down, the most frightening thing in their room were the Granny panties that Barry found under the humidifier. Why would you pick those up? Why?
In Vail, we have this tradition of going to this amazing restaurant. You could almost call it a pilgrimage the food is that good. It's called Kelly Liken. Go there. We did. And it was yummy. But I think you can tell that from our faces. Oh and Barry needed some Chapstick.
High School Musical? Nope. Just class and rehearsals in the Vail Mountain School Gymnasium. However the floor resembled more an ice-skating rink than a ballet studio.
Chillin' on the bleachers. We're all a little tired.
And begin Square Dance finale. I'm so not envious.
Sarah and Chal waiting for 3 Movements rehearsal to start.
There were two other photos of these three but this one was the only one that wasn't blurry. Boo busted camera.
After rehearsal I decided to go to soak in some Vitamin D while working on a paper. The "teenage ghetto" decided to join me. As you can imagine I got a lot of work done.
Work those sickled feet!
It looks like Andrew's baptizing Amanda...
Either that or drowning her. (In reality I believe they're playing some sort of game called "categories" made up by Mandy - I'm too old for these things...)
Saturday. The big day. And this is where we took class, rehearsed and performed. It's pretty amazing. Absolutely loved dancing outside. It was glorious!
Not-so-dressed Dress rehearsal. This is the male solo of Balanchine's Square Dance. That-a-boy Ben!
Get that attitude Carli! With the slow shutter speed of my camera it truly is a miracle I captured this moment.
And fast-forward to Sunday. Program 2. Barry and I getting ready for some "Cool." We're giving you some fierce face here. My hair on the other hand is not so hot, much like the temperature... but I'll save that little tidbit story for next time...
Juvenile delinquents. But Leah definitely has on my favorite dress. But no complaints about my attire. It's definitely the Anthro outfit of the West Side Story Suite lot.
And we're done! Time for the after-party. Abby's doing Barry's crazy hair while he drinks a Bud Light and eats Carrots. Interesting combo... Don't think I'd go for it, but more power to you BK.
And didn't Abby do a great job? He wanted it crazy and that's what he got. We are such the odd couple in this photo. Crazy windswept slightly emo man with conservative polished Anthro girl. I love it! And I hope you loved these photos too.
Well this isn't going to be exactly what you're probably expecting, and not exactly what I'd like to be writing for this initial Vail "Vacation" post, but just bear with me... I'm foreseeing a few Vail posts...
But to just sum things up in a sentence or two, Vail went much better than I anticipated. The very hot Saturday before we left I, following the instructions of the cute med student that sat in on my doctor's appointment, made an enormous vat of very beefy beef broth, and actually packed two thermoses of it in my suitcase. The first year we went to Vail I took a blender... this year it was beef broth. But hey, doctors orders, right? I also had my prescription iron pills and ate my daily serving of red meat. Take that anemia! And praise the Lord I started feeling better on Friday, with our two shows on Saturday and Sunday... just in the nick of time.
Like I said before in Adventures in D.C. Part I company tours are always fun... or maybe funny is a better word to use. You put together a bunch of people prone to the dramatical in close quarters for almost a week and, well, things get interesting. Let's just say it would make an amazing reality TV show. But I'll go into that a little more in the next instillation - complete with photos.
Well I owe a big shout out to all of those people out there who were praying for me while I was dancing in the thin Vail air. It was hard. It was very hard. But I did. And it wasn't terrible. Once Serenade was over on Saturday I couldn't quite let down, but I could let out a huge sigh of relief.
The bane of performing Serenade Russian girls are definitely the four consecutive double-pirouettes we have to do near the end of the ballet, just when you're utterly exhausted. And if double-pirouetting four times in a row weren't enough to make you absolutely dizzy, you have blue-tulled ballerinas piquéing in front of and behind you. This feat was made more challenging in Vail not only by the very bright and disorienting lights, but also by my somewhat blurry vision - a result of oxygen deprivation. They weren't my best - by the fourth one I could barely see, but what I could make out was that I most definitely wasn't behind Brittany anymore... Oops. But I did them and I even left room for the girls to piqué between us. So I'll take it. In my book that one gets marked as a success.
And guess what? I came back to Seattle with a follow-up doctor's appointment on Tuesday and received some pleasantly surprising news. No Anemia! In fact my iron levels were looking great. So it looks like my sudden illness had more to do with a thyroid medication dosage issue than my vegetarian-via-laziness diet. Well at least that's what we're hoping for... If not I guess I'll get to see the cute med student again, and would that be so bad? Naw...
But enough with the jokes... So for those of you who didn't make it up to the beautiful Rocky Mountains here's a little clip of one of the numbers I danced. Hopefully it won't be that hard to figure out which one I am.
Your feature presentation is brought to you by the Vail International Dance Festival via some YouTube action. Enjoy!
Well I still haven't downloaded my photos from Vail yet, so y'all will just have to wait a little longer for the Vail "Vacation" posts.
So today before I went to my doctors appointment I made a little stop at the store. Yes. I did leave with a beautiful red-handled bag in my hand. But miraculously I spent less than $35.00! And what did I buy? Take a guess...
August 1st has now come and gone. And this new month rolling full speed ahead brings with it not only the dreaded "Back to School" ads, but also Fall clothing lines. As I walked into Anthropologie today I spied beautiful sweaters, crocheted hats and it made me kind of sad. I'm not ready for summer to be over. Summer's just begun!
Having lived in Adultland for quite some time now, summer is relative. It doesn't mean the same thing as it did when I was a little kid. I don't have 3 months off to run wild in the sun. Nope. Regardless of the sunshine's status I still have to go to work. It just means that maybe I'll return a little browner on Monday, since in Adultland (unlike in Childhood) summer really only exists on the weekends.
But seeing these beautiful articles of clothing somewhat softened the blow of reality.
And glancing at the different styles and trends I was reminded of another tie back to Childhood.
The last couple weekends I've been out at my cabin I've watched the '93 film version of "The Secret Garden." I absolutely loved watching this movie when I was a kid, and I still love watching it now. But I have to say I was really inspired my Mary Lennox's attire.
In one scene she wears this amazingly sweet white blouse with a greenish-yellow jumper, black tights and oxford shoes. Somehow I want to try and translate this outfit from Childhood to Grown Up. I think between the store and the inspiration I can manage this... it'll just take some digging. And that red knit beret hat! Definitely a must have for Fall!
Below is a clip from this amazing movie - the jumper outfit's near the end of the clip. Watch it and be inspired.
The photo above was originally found here. The clip can be found here.
Wow. I know this may seem like a contradiction in itself, but I really have no words to describe the show that just happened tonight. Honestly, I think I just need to let it sink in a little. Don't worry you'll probably hear about it tomorrow. It was all good. It was great. But I'm just tired. No. Exhausted.
So what's this post about anyhow?
Well it's about eagles.
Seriously? Eagles?
Well actually yes. But let me do a little explaining...
No. This is not the band I'm referring to (although they are pretty awesome), but the bird. You see eagles have been randomly popping up in my life these days. In fact, before I left for Vail I saw an eagle almost every day, be it on the long pier at my cabin, sitting on that ugly sculpture that resides next to the 520 bridge, or perched atop a tree outside the Roanoke Inn on Mercer Island. They're everywhere. It's like my eyes have the eagle-dar embedded in them. If there's an eagle in the vicinity I spot it.
So is this a sign?
Typically I don't believe in "signs," but a while ago I kept seeing Mini Coopers on the road. One day I counted 14 on my daily commute. 14!!!!! I thought to myself, maybe this means I'm supposed to buy a Mini. Ha! If only. This wasn't a sign - I saw the Minis because I wanted to see them. I was just being silly, and foolishly looking for an excuse to indulge in an impractical purchase.
But there's something different with the eagles...
Well as you know I've recently been feeling pretty awful. Having anemia and my dancing schedule has been stressful, to say the least. There have been days when I've wondered how I was going to do it. If I could stand up in the shower without falling over that was a pretty good start. I've been tired. I've been exhausted. Frankly, sometimes I just want to throw in the towel. I despair.
But time after time the Lord's brought me back to this chapter in Isaiah - Chapter 40.
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young me stumble and fall;but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40: 28-31
I read these verses and I wonder where my hope's been. M.I.A. - that's where it's been. At this moment I am weak. I am not strong. But if my hope is in the Lord, then He will renew my strength. I will soar on wings like eagles. I will be like my eagle friends I keep seeing. He's reminding me of this. Reminding me to put my hope in Him. And if that weren't enough on a really rough day when I was questioning whether I was actually going to be able to climb this mountain of Vail and dance He said this to me in my devotional. (Yes I realize I quote this devotional all the time so forgive me if this sounds preachy or redundant. I hope instead it blesses you.)
"HOPE is a golden cord connecting you to heaven. This cord helps you hold your head up high, even when multiple trials are buffeting you. I never leave your side, and I never let go of your hand. But without the cord of hope, your head may slump and your feet may shuffle as you journey uphill with Me. Hope lifts your perspective from your weary feet to the glorious view you can see from the high road. You are reminded that the road we're traveling together is ultimately a highway to heaven. When you consider this radiant destination, the roughness or smoothness of the road ahead becomes much less significant. I am training you to hold in your heart a dual focus: My continual Presence and the hope of heaven."
So... I'm holding on to hope. I'm keeping my focus on the One who can and will renew my strength. And I'm claiming this promise. I will dance and not grow weary. I will soar on wings like my eagle friends.
