See Sara [Attempt to] Shop

{Image found here}

Well, I hadn't intended to take a break from blogging but it seems our desktop computer had other plans - in the form of a complete and total hard-drive meltdown.

No idea what happened. It was working one day and then emitting an ear-piercing shrieking sound the next. One of our IT guru friends took a look at it today and said we'll be lucky if we can recover anything off of the hard-drive. Bye-bye, the last six years in pictures. Bye-bye, fifteen versions of my resume. Bye-bye, our entire i-Tunes library.

Yes, I know I should have been backing those things up on an external drive. I'm not stupid.

Nope, not stupid. Just lazy.

Which is why we have nothing backed up. Literally, nothing.

Boo hiss.

I'm currently shopping for a laptop, but there are like fifty bazillion options for laptops. I am paralyzed with indecision. Since we've suffered the loss of both our desktop and my laptop in the last month, we're replacing them with a single super laptop. I am terrified to make the wrong decision and spend a thousand bucks on something that is any less than what we want. Ugh.

Mark it down in the calendar, ladies and gentlemen, this is the one time in the history of the world that Sara does not enjoy shopping.

Ooh! Look outside! I think pigs might be flying!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Dress: Paul Smith

Shoes: Steve Madden

Belt: New York & Company

Necklace: Amy Cornwell Design

Bracelets: New York & Company

I am in lurve with the graphic print and the navy/green combo on this dress. Add in the fact that it's 100% cotton and I am in heaven.

I kept the accessories low key since the dress is quite a statement in itself. However, I couldn't resist stacking two big fat bangles on my wrist. Sometimes a girl just needs to stand out!

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Cardigan: The Limited

Tank: Old Navy

Skirt: New York & Company

Shoes:

Necklace: New York & Company

Black Bracelet: Simply Irresistible

White Bracelet: New York & Company

I managed to mildly sprain my ankle by following off the sidewalk in front of our house on Monday night. Yes, it is entirely possible to fall off a sidewalk while simply standing still - but only for those of us who are incredibly talented. I know, you're jealous of my mad klutz skillz.

I thought I was all good when I woke up yesterday, so I wore my power heels with my power suit. Um, yeah. Big mistake. My ankle was killing me by the time I got to the office yesterday morning.

So flats were the order of the day today. Can I just tell you how uncomfortable I am wearing flats when I am dressed up? As in, I had to fight the urge to stand on my tiptoes while I was taking my pictures this morning. Apparently I just can't stand to look short!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Suit: The Limited

Tank: Banana Republic

Shoes: Steve Madden

Necklace: Simply Irresistible

Bracelets: Gifted

I had a 'Welcome to the Company' introduction with the Chief Procurement Officer for my new company today, so of course I wanted to dress to impress. It was a fabulous meeting and if he's really believes half of what he espouses, he and I will get along famously.

I love the unexpected color combination in this tweed suit. It's totally outside of my normal comfort zone but I think it's a fun way to get dressed up when necessary. My closet is full of basic black suiting pieces, so it's nice to look in that section and see a bit of color now!

Monday, June 7, 2010

Sweater: The Limited

Pants: Banana Republic

Shoes: Jessica Simpson

Necklace: Gifted

Bracelet: Lia Sophia

I had new employee orientation for the first four hours of the day today so I wanted to make sure that I was comfortable enough to sit through hours of boring benefits and corporate values talk.

I've been looking for dove gray slacks for a couple of weeks now and finally found these at Banana Republic over the weekend. The color is exactly what I was looking for, they are fully lined, they didn't need to be hemmed, and they were on sale PLUS I had an extra 50% off coupon. Complete perfection for $29.99. So perfect, in fact, that I bought them in black too!

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Top: New York & Company

Shorts: The Limited

Shoes: Nine West

Bracelet: New York & Company

It was hot and humid yesterday, with the threat of rain all day - perfect day for getting my (frizzy, curl-prone) hair did, right? WRONG!

I had an appointment for a quick trim at Rain Salon and then did a little shopping at the outdoor mall there before I met Nate for a late afternoon showing of Get Him to the Greek.

My outfit had to work for all three activities: no collar and something washable for the haircut, something easy to change in/out of for shopping and cute enough for a date with my main man. A little bling on top with some cute shorts fit the bill perfectly.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Top: New York & Company

Pants: The Limited

Shoes: Unknown

Necklace: The Limited

So far I am loving nearly everything about my new job. The only exception? No casual Fridays. Ever.

As in no denim. No Volunteer orange every Friday during football season.

I love to get dressed up as much as the next girl, but I sure am going to miss denim on Fridays!

Not to be deterred, I inserted just a tiny bit of 'casual' into my business appropriate Friday look. I think ankle pants are just a bit more relaxed than regular trousers.

I also decided to step outside of my comfort zone and mix brown and black. I was inspired by the leopard print top, which has black spots surrounded by brown. It's hard to tell in the full-length picture, but my shoes are crocodile embossed brown pumps. It's not much mixing, but it's a baby step in that direction. I like it!

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Dress: The Limited

Shoes: Payless Shoes

Bracelet: The Limited

Necklace: Heirloom from my Grandma

In case you haven't noticed, I am taking advantage of my totally tan-tastic legs for as long as I can. In my fair-skinned world, a tan is a rare and beautiful thing that should be enjoyed to the fullest extent for as long as possible.

This simple shirt dress just goes to show that sometimes the details really make the outfit. I got compliments from three different people this morning before I even got my venti Starbucks - one each for my necklace, my shoes and the color of the dress. Talk about feeling like a million bucks. The funniest part? No piece here cost more than $20!

Love #8

Want

Want

Want

Someone stop me before I shop.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Dress: Banana Republic

Cardigan: Express

Shoes: Payless Shoes

Bracelet: New York & Company

I picked up this dress at Banana Republic for a song (75% off - only $35!) over the winter, put it in my summer clothes closet and promptly forgot about it until this weekend when I was browsing at BR and thought, "Huh, wonder whatever happened to that dress I bought last time I was here?". And an outfit is born.

I'm not quite comfortable baring my arms at work yet, so I covered up with this fun ruffle-front cardigan. I kept everything else pretty minimal because the dress is detailed enough on it's own. It's hard to tell in the picture but it's got some fabulous seaming around the waist and pockets that make the skirt more bell-shaped than straight. I got several compliments on it today while I was (once again!) shopping - but this time at the humongous mall downtown, which is now only 1 block (ONE!) from my new office. This could be very, very dangerous!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Top: New York & Company

Tank: New York & Company

Skirt: The Limited

Belt: New York & Company

Shoes: Sam & Libby

Necklace: Souvenir from Biltmore House

Hi-ho! Hi-ho! It's off to work I go!

Well, not only are we back from a fabulous week at the beach with both our families, but I am also back to work. I started my new (hopefully permanent!) job today.

The office claims to be business casual but I sure saw a whole lot more business than casual on my myriad interviews. I wanted to be appropriate for my first day but also memorable when I met my umpteen billion co-workers (it's a BIG place, ya'll!). Not to mention I had to have my ID badge made first thing, so I had to pick something I don't mind seeing daily on my badge!

I thought my favorite zebra print top fit the bill perfectly. I kept everything else really minimal. I felt a bit naked without more jewelry but I didn't want everyone to hear me coming before I arrived! I plan to ease into being a bit more 'myself' as I have more time to observe what the other ladies where on a daily basis.