What I wore Sunday parte cuatro

 

Aside from the fact that Stephen was working, it was a truly lovely weekend: midnight scrabble with the fam (which made me realize how ridiculously competitive med school has made me...yes, I won), ice skating and zumba with my sisters, and catch-up time with two of my best friends from high school.

What I wore Sunday parte cuatro: I wore the sloucy red sweater I found post-Christmas day shopping for a crazy low price, possibly because it's a size Small Tall (which Stephen says makes no sense, "it would be like a size Big Short"). Frigid temps outside meant camel wool trousers, and I added a summery scarf to make myself feel better.

Happy Sunday! Linking up with Fine Linen and Purple.

Sweater: Gap
Trousers: J. Crew Factory
Scarf: Three Birds Nest via Etsy
Earrings: made by me

 

 

 

 

 

7 Friday Quick Takes

I've been on sort of a blogging hiatus lately since we were honeymooning in Costa Rica and then spending Christmas with our in-laws, and I really missed posting. Joining Jen again today (yay!) for 7 Quick Takes.

1. Love this. Thinking that gratitude is especially relevant this time of year...



Via Pinterest



 

2. We spent Christmas with our in-laws but are on our way home today. Trying to prepare myself to go waaaay up north to icy winds and more snow when life was this just a few days ago:

 

 



 

3. My mother-in-law and I did some post-Christmas day shopping, and I scored some seriously amazing deals (had to share). Clearly, I am completely obsessed with red right now...

 

 

4. To continue with the shopping theme, J. Crew Factory added some new arrivals today, one of which was these nude wedges. I loved the regular J. Crew version of these last year, but they were $228 (would never, ever spend that on shoes). These are an exact replica and are 1/3 the price of the originals. Plus doesn't every girl need some nude heels?

 

J. Crew Factory Nude Wedges

 

 

5. I'll be contemplating what I want to do the rest of my life this week since we are supposed to make a plan in January for our elective rotations based on our specialty of interest. OB-GYN is my clear favorite right now, but I'm hesitant based on the terrible hours, call, and ethical issues... My other two possibilities are ER (what I wanted to do when I started medical school) and dermatology (totally unrelated I know). I think I have some serious contemplation to do...

 

6. Our priest told the most beautiful story on Christmas day about Mother Theresa (she's my favorite): one day she visited a man who live alone in a dark and dirty shack. He had an oil lamp in the corner but it was left unlit. When she asked him why, he said that no one ever visited him. Mother Theresa told him that if he would light it, the sisters would visit him. After that, the man kept the lamp lit until the day he died. Our priest used this story to emphasize the importance of being a light in a too-often dark world...

 

7. Thinking of my brother, who's stationed in Afghanistan, and his family especially this Christmas week. Thankful for all the men who sacrifice so much for our country.

 





 

 



Christmas remix

 

 

Today was our first 'married' Christmas together and Stephen and I just barely made it home for Christmas from our honeymoon in Costa Rica; our flight was delayed and we pulled in to his parents' house in Michigan at 3 this morning. Back to a snowy reality, but the snow on the ground seemed much more Christmas-y than the palm trees + Christmas decorations in Costa Rica.

I was excited to find a way to re-wear the dress I wore for my bridal shower by layering its creamy lacy-ness over a thin black turtleneck. I dressed it up with the big vintage J. Crew earrings I wore for my wedding.

Merry Christmas! Hope it was beautiful and blessed :) Linkin' up with Camp Patton for What I Wore Christmas.

Dress: Ann Taylor Loft outlet
Turtleneck: J. Crew
Boots: Nine West
Earrings: J. Crew

 

 

Costa Riiiica

My husband and I are in Costa Rica right now for our honeymoon (we got married Labor Day weekend but couldn't go until now because of med school) and I don't think I can imagine a more perfect place. Because we are not really stay-in-a-resort-all-week kind of people, we have been traveling around staying a couple nights in the jungle, a couple nights on the coast, and now a couple nights near a volcano/hot springs (for those bachelor fans, the same spot they went to a couple years ago).

It's been a secret dream of mine to stay in a hotel with flowers/towel swans on the bed (see pictures). We've had more than enough adventures so far: we rented a car for half the week so now Stephen drives like a Costa Rican (it didn't take much), we took a crazy hike up a cliff in the jungle to see a waterfall, and yesterday we flew in a 12 person propellor plane across Costa Rica (Stephen says never, ever again). We have two days left in paradise and fly back Christmas eve. As they say here, "Pura vida!"

Before boarding the flight Stephen claims was the last he will ever take in another country.

Best.pineapple.ever.

Fulfilling my dream of kissing swan towels + tropical flowers

Pink ocean loveliness

Roses on the bed = so bachelor

Natural volcanic hot springs/Aguas calientes. Probably the most relaxing day of my life.

Seriously amazing waterfall.

 

 

We love Costa Rica. 

Friday Quick Takes Parte Tres...

1.Polka dots and scrub pants were my Wednesday attire; I've been studying like a fiend for our OB-GYN exams. I survived my first oral exam last night ( questions fired back and forth from two attending physicians, fun) and my written exam this morning. So.glad.that's.over.

2. Stephen and I finally made Christmas cookies (we're not very domestic) and they, surprisingly for our track record, turned out totally delish (peanut butter chocolate kiss cookies are my fav). I used this recipe, but with slightly less sugar and I didn't re-bake them after I added the kisses.

3. I've been begging Stephen to get a Christmas tree and he came home with this one (sad, I know, although it does have a built-in star and glitter lights). I thought he was taking a branch out of the box but it ended up being the whole tree. Oh well, we only have 4 ornaments anyways and we'll be spending Christmas at his parents house this year so we will have to fulfill my dreams of a live, normal-size tree next year.

4. Thursday was one of my favorite feast days, Our Lady of Guadalupe (the picture below has some neat facts on her image in Mexico City). Our church held it's first-ever Spanish mass in honor of the day. I loved it, it brought make memories of medical mission trips to Ecuador and my study abroad in Mexico. They even sang one of my favorite Spanish songs, "Alma Misionera."

5. The Spanish mass was a great warm-up for our honeymoon to Costa Rica!! I can't believe we leave Saturday. I'm dreaming of sunny beaches, sparkling waterfalls, and tropical rainforests...(this waterfall (Rio Celeste) is one of the places we're planning to go).

via Pinterest

6. I still can't get over these two J. Crew inspired pieces that I found this week at Forever 21 (details here). 







7. Merry Christmas! I won't be posting much the next two weeks since we'll be in Costa Rica and then visiting my hubby's family for the holiday but will be sure to catch up when I return :) Hoping your Christmas is beautiful and blessed!

via Pinterest

Joining Jen again for Friday Quick Takes...

J. Crew inspired: Black + white stripes & grey melange

I think that every girl needs a black and white striped top in her closet. It goes with everything from colored pants to skinny jeans to skirts: versatile and basic but fun.

I almost did a double take when I saw the Forever 21 version on the right (available here) because it's so incredibly similar to the lovely J. Crew one (sold out, but was available here). Seriously, what more could a girl ask for?



The  'grey melange loomknit sweatshirt' by J. Crew (find it here) is another wardrobe stable. Yes it is just a sweatshirt, but it somehow adds class to whatever you wear with it, from workout pants to scrubs to jeans to black pants (not to mention it's super comfy). Love it over a button-down shirt.

 

I'm not sure if Forever 21 is purposefully making replicas of the J. Crew loveliness, but this grey melange top available here is very similar again to the J. Crew one. It;s probably not as substantial as the J. Crew one, but at $14.50 I'm not complaining.

 

 

 

These two finds were the result of a Forever 21 study break (exams for my Ob-Gyn rotation start tomorrow....) Needless to say, I think I'll be checking out Forever 21 more often for J. Crew inspiration.



Mad for Plaid

I posted in Friday's Quick Takes about my newfound love for plaid. Or I should say, my renewed love for plaid. My last plaid flannel shirt was worn in 9th grade with my wide leg jeans and glitter airwalks, yes. Coolest.outfit.ever.

With the multitude of J. Crew sales happening lately, I decided to try two of their perfect shirts and see if either resolved my hunt for the perfect plaid shirt.

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Shirt 1: Blackwatch plaid (find it here)

This shirt was the definite winner of the two for me. The pattern is a little more subtle, and the colors deep and rich. Also, the fabric is incredibly soft. It is definitely more fitted than the tartan shirt, and borderline for me in terms of gaping issues (always have this problem with button down shirts). The pattern is total class though. Love.

Shirt 2: Tartan (find it here)

This shirt has been all over over Pinterest and the blogging world. I have to admit that I didn't love it at first, but it grew on me (especially layered under cream-colored sweaters) and I decided to try it with the sale. It's a crisp cotton compared to the butter-soft fabric of the blackwatch plaid. It also runs bigger (these two shirts are both the same size) which fixed the gaping issue. But the clincher: I felt like a Christmas present in it. The pattern is just not for me.

So, I'm still on the hunt for the perfect plaid shirt. These two are both pricey of course even 25% off (goes with the 'Crew), and neither was perfect enough for me to keep. I do love the black watch though, and the tartan is a nice shirt too if you like the holiday feel to it.

Gift Guide

So for the super organized start-Christmas-shopping-black-Friday-1-year-in-advance shoppers, this gift guide is coming way late (maybe you can get a jump on next year?) As for me, I'm more apt to start shopping a couple weeks in advance and here are some fun picks that I found. Most of these items are around $20-25 and hopefully might be the perfect something for that hard-to-buy person on your list :)

For the man in your life:
1. Engraved ipod shuffle
Perfect for working out at the gym with it's little clip (so much less bulky than his iPhone) and super sweet with an engraved message from you (free when you order on the Apple site!)
**1 and 2 are my gifts to my husband this year :)
2. Flannel shirt jac
Because plaid flannel is back. And it looks so manly.
3. J. Crew back-up iphone battery
So you never lose touch. Great for travel!

For dad:
4. J. Crew Factory Stripe Sweater
 He'll be stylin' in this cotton-cashmere blend for $24.50
5. Celestial coasters
For his cold one.

For bro:
6. No spill travel mug
He won't know how he lived without it.
7. woodsy iphone case
Because it's so cool.

For gramps:
8. Smartwool socks
We all love them.
 9. big coffee mug
For his morning cup of joe.

For mom:
1. Aveda tea
Best.tea.ever (take my word on it)
2. the perfect pink sweater
She'll wear it with everything.

For the sis:
3. Stripe merino scarf
The perfect warm winter scarf, in lots of fun colors.
4. legwarmers
She'll love them.

For grandma:
5. Henri Bendel lavendar candle
This fancy candle takes the award for best lavendar scent.
6. Anthropologie chalkboard spice jars
Because they're so cute. And she could use them for so many things.

For your best friend:
7. J. Crew Factory Bracelet or 8. collar necklace
$15-$30 and so pretty.
9. fun scarf
Because you'd love it for yourself.

Miscellaneus

For the medical geek in your family: thump thump poster

For your free-spirited cousin/friend/sibling: travel stub diary

Need other ideas? My favorite blogger gift guides:
1. In Honor of Design Gift Guide 
2. A Cup of Jo 2012 Holiday Gift Guide


And in the midst of all the gifting, remember the true reason for the season :)

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