lovely&lively: FOUNDATIONS.

okay, let's start out with the basics here. the undergarments we chose to wear can make all the difference in how our clothes fit &how we look in them. everything from bra to undies to cami to undershirt to whatever else you may wear under your clothes... important! if we don't start out with a good foundation, out entire outfit could be doomed to failure before it even begins. we are better than that! we must do all we can to flatter ourselves and help ourselves look our best!

1. bras.

always wear a good, supportive bra. always. the polka-dot 2/$10 bras from charlotte rouse are not the way to go. how many times have you seen a woman who's bra is too tight &her "skin" is bulging out from both sides? not good. we can avoiding that by being sure we buy a bra that fits! both around &the cup size. a good fitting bra plus the right cami &a shirt that fits are all great steps to preventing "back bulge."

i have recently seen a woman who has purchased a bra with too big of a cup size in an attempt to look bigger &perkier... when in fact all she has done is look like a middle school girl trying to look older. the bra looks empty... &just quite unnatural. if you do feel the need to enhance... there are bras specifically made for that, that usually work well!

2. undies.

no one should ever be able to tell what kind of undies you have on by looking at you. in no circumstance is it ever okay for them to show... especially a thong. it is trashy &sends the wrong message to the wrong people, just wrong. if you do feel the need to wear a thong- be sure to wear pants that come high enough to cover them, even when you bend over. and a shirt that covers as well. check yourself in the mirror! even the outline should not be visible- again, trashy. if you struggle with this- try boy shorts. they go far enough down that you should not have to worry about a panty line. there are lots of underwear designed to resolve this problem... many seamless.

try these.

&yuck! [below]. we are WOMEN, let's dress like it:].

3. camis.

camis are our friends! we should use them frequently for the purpose of shaping and keeping things inside snug. try to find cami's with a feminine fit that adjust to the natural curves of our bodies. our cami's should not be the first thing someone sees when they look at our outfit. for example: you are wearing a green dress with a low cute front &back and you have a bright white cami on up to your neck... this completely detracts from the dress. and the upper chest/collarbones are beautiful, you don't need to unnecessarily cover them up by wearing a cami or shade top that goes up to your neck!

and do not fall victim to the shade top under EVERYTHING fad. shade tops should not be worn under halter tops or dresses. try a cute, free-flowing sweater. if necessary, button one button midway up.

[photofrom]gap

big sigh.

bad news [which isn't even bad news by the end]: since i didn't start my job until january, we had to pay one semester of out-of-state tuition for danny to go to school. worth it? yes. very, very expensive? yes. thankfully, we did receive some assistance from pell grants. everything is OFFicially paid off &we do not owe any money to anyone! biggest thanks to all of you who helped us get on our feet. we are forever thankful!

good news: we are officially residents of alabama for tuition purposes! so from now one we only have to pay the fraction of we did pay for tuition! &the most exciting part: we can start SAVING for the first time in our marriage! we now have a steady income &will be making more than we spend! i'm excited to save, for real for real.

other news: still don't have a camera, UGHH!! going a little crazy over here.

we went camping at lake lurleen over the weekend, BEAUTIFULLLL! (fun &exciting post with more details to follow).

dan is currently singing me songs on his electric guitar about fruit punch &other wonderfully wonderful subjects.

my blog is seriously neglected due to rARELY having internet connection. if dan's at school, he has the computer with him. if he's home- he's using it to study (which is all the time). so i have small windows. it's not conducive to faithful blogging.

we had a movie marathon the other night. the drifter, nicaraguan travel promotion video [en espanol], &one california day [surfing themed]. the drifter was an amazing movie &i urge you to see it! he focused on a lot of the things that bother me about our world &feelings i have had many times. we pulled the mattress off our bed and had a sleepover in the living room, complete with popcorn, chocolate, &cuddling.

love &miss you!

gurglegurglepausechirp.

with my birthday coming up &all.. i figured i would spend some of time creating wishlists from a couple of my favorite stores so all my dedicated fans/readers would have some direction in their frenzied search for the perfect gift. i know, i know... you were alreADY planning on buying me that cute little $200 coat from anthropologie &those cute pillows from urban outfitters, i'll be SO surprised, i promise. so go ahead, check it out &see how i will dress after i win the lottery!

anthro.

urban.

these are the kinds of things i do when my #1 task is to... not sleep [since i have work tomorrow night &must sleep tomorrow day]. i have learned... the garbage man comes &empties the dumpster at 4:00 am- who knew? also, i have watched 1.7 episodes of gilmore girls, in what should have taken apprx one hour has taken three, due to the quality of my stolen internet. it's so much fun watching shows in 2,000 0.5 second segments. it's kind of not fair that my soul mate is sound asleep resting blissfully in the next room over &i am forbidden from cuddling with him due to the immediate risk of REM.

i get very hungry around 3:00... almost to the point of my stomach hurting... so i go in the kitchen &find nothing. here i am at 5:00... hungry. maybe a little less, just because.

ps-likeyou.

pss-ijustheardabirdchirp.thatmeansi'mdoinggood&it'salmosttimetogotosleep!

silly life.

dan had an anaphylactic reaction the other night [really, he did] after a dish involving spinach, chicken, cottage cheese, pasta, parmesan cheese, &pasta sauce. we think it was the spinach. we are confused. luckily with a little help from xopenex [rescue inhaler] &benedryl... he is okay. why does scary, crazy stuff always happen to him?? it seems like it's somehow always related to me or my cooking. i'm scared to cook now. oh man.

work is so funny &fun. i'm learning so much and i love that. i love that i can see myself progressing and becoming a better nurse. i've come a LONG way in the past week/month! my patients are so cute. i just love them. one of my patients nicknamed me "popsicle." the best. another one asks "are you coming back? please come back..." i just love getting to know people i never would have had a chance to otherwise, taking care of people is some of their hardest moments is really something special.

my parents &jared are going to EUROPE next week with my cousin angie! they will have so much fun. i love them. i love them. i love them. i love them.

we only turn on the heat when we have guests.... which means it's FREEZING 95% of the time. it's not my fault i have to wear my flannel cheetah pajamas ALL day...? maybe i would put on normal clothes if it didn't take me 5 hours to wake up from my sleep. i'm the GROGGIEST.

we had lots of fun on a temple/dinner trip with our friends jessica &chris last weekend. attending/cleaning the temple is always so special. i always feel so renewed. it's such a privilege to have that opportunity. instead of waiting for THREE hours to eat at cheesecake factory, we ate outside at an italian restaurant i forgot the name of &waited three MINUTES. is that the best? yes. it was so much fun. prius, anthro, cottage meetings, treking through bushes in skirts, bella WITH chicken, even a nap on the way home!

dan is kobe/tebow lately. just ask his softball class. FIRST PICK is right! they'll never underestimate him again. all the girls love to "awww" that he's married. it's the best that he always just happens to bring it up.

lovelovelovelove.

lovely &lively #2 tomorrow!

i love my family soo much.

lovely&lively: INSPIRED.

music [hear playlist].


the style/creativity/expressiveness of others [whether it be a designer, your timeless grandmother, a girl at the grocery store, blogger, etc].

culture [i've never felt as consistently inspired as when i lived in jerusalem, surrounded by so much beauty &culture].

past decades [why can't we still dress like they did in the 40's &50's? the women were soo beautiful, &they dressed like... women &they were proud of their curves].

movies [seven pounds, dan in real life, the notebook, life is beautiful, yes man].

we are blessed to live in a beautiful world, where we have the opportunity to literally learn or find anything we could imagine in seconds [depending on your internet connection]. if we let ourselves, the smallest flower or cutest little pair of mismatched socks can inspire us.

above are a few of the myriad of things that inspire me. it was fun for me to try to pinpoint what inspires me- to dress, to care about my appearance, etc... also interesting to think about the many factors that have helped my fashion sense evolve over the years [thankfully, ask my mother].

finding our own personal inspiration is of utmost importance, whether we are trying to find our style, define it, alter it, simply enhance it, revamp it altogether, or any other angle. we need inspiration; it is where everything noteworthy begins.

we will be judged by our appearance. it is an unavoidable fact of our society. so why not use that to our advantage? as women, we have power we do not even realize we have. so find your inspiration, get inspired, and get out there &get it girrrl.

&tell me, what inspires you? it may just inspire me!:]

lovely&lively.

i have been trying to think of the perfect name for my new blog segment on fashion... i was inspired while working on a card for someone i love very much [who is both]... and i came up with lovely&lively. i like it because it address traits on the inside &out! and i want to focus on both in my blog, as they undeniably go hand in hand.

so i will officially be posting a new "lovely&lively" post every thursday. that means... first real one tomorrow!