Early bird gets the worm

Labor Day Weekend is always something I look forward too.

For the past few years Kyle and I (and his entire family) always go down to the Valley 

for opening weekend.

This year we left on Thursday so we could get some fishing in Friday morning!

It's not often that i'm up to watch the sunrise, but when I am -
I make sure to soak in every minute.

I'd like to say that I'm a badass fisher[wo]man BUT I always like to keep it real with y'all...

I pretty much only go in hopes to see some dolphins, and of course for a good selfie. 

Y'all would be so proud though...I totally caught 2 fish all on my own, 

reeled those suckers in and everything.

Oh and here's a rare and adorable photo of Kyle,

Yes, he's posing to make fun of me.

There may or may not have been a photo shoot prior to this picture 

where I did the exact same pose...Unfortunately, he nailed it much better than I did. 

We ended up reaching our limit before noon and thank God we did because,

Holy crap it was H O T.

And after the fishing was done we got back to the house and took a 4 hour nap...

#OldPeopleNeedNapsToo

On Saturday and Sunday we attempted to go dove hunting...

More Labor Day weekend details will be up tomorrow!!

One of those days....

Sweater: ShopHopes Jeans: LuLus Necklace: ShopHopes Shoes: Nordstrom

You know when it seems like your entire life is falling apart?

But in reality it's just a bunch of little things that won't matter in a month or even a week...

but you have an emotional break down anyways? 

that's me today.

Don't worry the breakdown is now over.

A good cry and phone call to your mom pretty much seems to cure everything.

So here's a shout out to all the moms out there -- 

thanks for reminding us that we're normal & 

that having mental/emotional breakdowns in your mid twenties is totally acceptable.

On a brighter note...the week is halfway over!!!!

And i'm super in love with this outfit.

I'm totally not lying when I say at least 10 people told me 

"wow, you look really pretty today!"

Not sure if it was the darker lip color or what but people were totally digging it. 

Also, these wedges are basically brand new and i've worn them just short of a million times.

They are PERFECT and you could literally run a marathon in them, they're so comfy.

Hope everyones Hump Day is going well!

Thanks for stopping by.

Monday Madness

Romper: ShopMCE Necklace: Forever21 Booties: Zara [similar]

It's officially Monday y'all.
For all of you heading into work I hope it's a good one!
Mondays are my day off...
and although I would prefer to be lounging around watching Gossip Girl,
I'm actually about to wash all the dishes and finish up the 8 loads of laundry we have.

BUT before I do all that I figured we could chat about Fridays outfit.
This little romper arrived in my shop sometime last week and I am SO in love.
The unique cactus print is ridiculously cute,
I'm all about unique prints that make people do a double take.
The ruffle detailing on the bottom just give it that extra flare that I LOVE.

I wore it with my favorite pair of booties for a more boho look,
but you could easily pair it with some sandals or gladiators to make it more casual..
or even a pair of wedges for a night time look!

Well, I'm off to get all of my wifely duties done...
one being buying groceries..
If anyone has any healthy and simple meal ideas PLEASE send them my way!

Why I had to unfollow some of my favorite fashion bloggers...

Top: Tobi Jeans: Paige Denim via Nordstrom [similar] Heels: LuLus Necklace: LuLus

Y'all I totally forgot I had this top and found it while desperately 

searching my closet for an outfit to wear yesterday...

Don't you love finding hidden treasures in your own closet?!

It's definitely supposed to be a crop top, but my torso is like 2 inches long, so hey...

a normal top it will be.

These jeans are a perfect example of a splurge item for me.

I was able to score these when they were on sale so they were just a little over $100,

but I totally wear them multiple times a week, ESPECIALLY come Fall.

I am not one to spend ridiculous amounts of money on 1 item of clothing.

Although i'm a huge fashion lover & own a boutique i've just never been all about 

brand name anything. 

I'd rather have 5 pairs of adorable & versatile heels than one pair of gorgeous heels that I can tell people are Jimmy Choo. 

Now hey, don't get me wrong!

No shame on you brand name gals, you do you boo.

Heck if I had the money maybe I would feel differently...

But right now, for me personally -- it's all about looking fabulous on a budget. 

I have such a hard time following certain fashion bloggers, 

I actually had to go through my instagram 

and click the dreaded "unfollow" button on multiple of my favorite accounts.

WHY? you ask...

Well, Let me tell ya...

There's really nothing worse than falling in love with an outfit you see - 

only to click the link to the website and see that the adorable little shirt that you can't wait to purchase costs $300...

oh and the jeans? $548. 

Don't even get me started on the shoes...

I could go on and on...

Liiiiiikkkeeeee.....c'mon. 

I'm a 27 year old small business owner -- 

I want to look & feel good.

I want my clothes to be well made.

I want to be trendy and unique and be able to showcase my personal style.

But I don't have ridiculous amounts of money to drop.

Basically, to keep it simple for y'all. 

I clicked unfollow because it was depressing, and I found myself continually disappointed. 

Disappointed that I couldn't afford that super cute top, or those gorgeous shoes.

SO, with that being said. 

I really really hope that all you girls following me never feel that way.

I hope you can look at my outfits and be inspired by them and know that you can look 

trendy and fabulous without spending crazy amounts of money. 

There are so many amazing boutiques and shops out there that sell unique and beautiful clothing 

at a G R E A T price. 

hint hint - ShopMCE ;) 

haha no but really...for those of you that think you need to have lots of money to stay on trend.

I'm here to prove you wrong! 

And hopefully I can bring a smile to your face while doing so. 

Happy Thursday Everyone!

Hump Day Feels.

Top: MCE Jeans: LuLus Hoodie: Forever21[similar] Booties: Zara Choker: LuLus

Happy Hump Day Y'all.

My hump is currently on fire because I'm starting to work out again after about 3 weeks off.

Taking 3 weeks off of exercising is definitely not recommended,

my body is very very unhappy with me.

But hey, it happens to the best of us.

Today totally feels like Monday...

It took me about 2.5 hours to get into work because of traffic

 and I have the worst headache E V E R.

But, on a positive note, I love my job that it took me 2.5 hours to get too,

 so -- it could be worse. 

What do y'all want to see more of on here?!

Leave a comment or email me and let me know.

Gotta keep my readers happy and coming back :)

Hope everyone has a fantastic Wednesday

Less is more.

Top: Tillys [similar] Skirt: Forever21 Booties: Zara [similar]

When it comes to fashion i'm all about finding affordable & trendy pieces,

and if i'm going to splurge a little then I want to make sure i'm going to wear the item pretty often.

This skirt is SUPER affordable and also versatile -

the color and fabric make it easy to wear any season!

I know all of you have seen me in these booties,

these are one of my splurge items and they are seriously on my feet ALL the time,

doesn't matter what the temperature or month is, I will always find a way to wear them.

I've had these babies for years and they're still my number one, go to pair of booties. 

I wore this outfit for a little early birthday celebration for my dad the other weekend.

Now that everyone is grown up and has jobs and responsibilities 

it's a little more difficult to find time for everyone to get together,

so thankful that we made it happen and got to shower my dad with love.

So with that being said...

Today is a very very very special mans birthday.

My dad.

Love you to the moon and back daddio.

Thanks for passing down your incredibly good looks ;)

Happy Tuesday y'all! 

What's New?

Hey, what's up, HELLO.

For those of you that continue to read this little, unorganized, inconsistent blog of mine - 

I love you. 

My life has done a complete 180, and well, i'm still getting used to it.

I spent my first two years of marriage working from home, 

and now i'm working full time an hour away from home.

and boy oh boy it has been an adjustment. 

However, I CAN say that I have never been happier.

Having an actual space outside of my home for my store 

has been the greatest thing to ever happen to me.

The people I am surrounded by bring SO much joy to me every day,

and in just 4 short months I can already see so much growth within myself.

I figured i'd spend today catching all of you up on what's been going on lately.

1. Kyle and Corey [his cousin] purchased a boat for the fam.

we've been spending every single weekend on it and it's been Heaven.

2. Kyle & I have been on the hunt for a new home a little closer to my store.

The hunt has been ridiculously hard, prayers are welcome.

3. Charley got fleas, which then led to our entire home being infested with them for 3 weeks.

We are now [finally] flea free, hallelujah.

4. I've been thinking about slowly starting to design my own pieces of clothing.

when I say thinking -- I literally mean thinking -- like y'all may or may not be the very first people i've actually told about these thoughts. 

5. My sister and I went to the My2KTour with 98 degrees, Ryan Cabrera, and O town and it was hands down one of the most refreshing and fun nights of my life.

Boy Bands Forever.

6. I've recently become addicted to vietnamese iced coffee.

(Damn you, Hello Tealicious)

7.  I'm becoming myself.

In this big filtered world it's very easy to lose yourself, to mimic others, to try to be like everyone else, to try to be perfect.

 It's so easy to compare yourself and your relationships to others and to forget that you're unique and perfectly imperfect in your own special way. 

In the last few months i've learned a lot about myself, i've learned who I do and don't want to be. I've learned that it takes life lessons and difficult times to grow into the person you're supposed to be. 

I've learned that Gods grace covers me far more than I deserve.

I've learned that nothing in life comes easy and hard work and prayer are essential.

I'll be back tomorrow with a little outfit post for y'all.

Happy Monday and keep it real.

Celebrating Sis

Top: Dainty Hooligan Jeans: Similar Necklace: Pree Brulee Heels: LuLu*s

Last Friday we celebrated my sisters 30th birthday!
{a little early}
She rented out a private room at Pinots Palette
and it was way more fun than I was anticipating.
These places are byob so of course I brought bae...

We got there expecting there to be no food and there was a massive tray of chick fil a nuggets
as well as these beauties...

Therefore we were very well nourished for the class.

We painted a sunset, which yes, sounds simple..but you are all so very wrong.
Please go grab a paint brush and attempt to paint a swinging hammock & then get back to me.
God was really looking out for me in this photo, shout out to Jesus for the perfect lighting.
;)

Once the class was over we googled the closest bar to us 

and ended up at a strange little place called Blue Lagoon.

We walked in and it was like everything including the music just stopped.

This was definitely a bar full of regulars and we were SO out of place.

BUT we ended up staying, I mean it was karaoke night so how could we not?!

Blue Lagoon definitely left us with sore abs and some interesting memories.

Happy early birthday sis! 

Peplum Fanatic

Top: ShopMCE Jeans: LuLu's Shoes: Nordstrom

Happy Tuesday!

I'm in a G R EA T mood this week because Kyle & I get to go in a mini vacation this weekend.

Kyle's cousin Corey is turning 30 and celebrating by having a bunch of friends/family 

get together and renting a house on the Frio river.

(praise the Lawd)

I'm long overdue for a vacation.

But anyways, let's chat about this outfit.

Every single time I wear these jeans I get tons of compliments.

It never fails, people always say how cute they are or ask where there from etc.

Well, my friends, they're from LuLu*s and the brand is BlankNYC.

They fit bigger, so size down, and i'll be honest and admit they do stretch out a bit throughout the day.

BUT they're really too cute to pass up.

These shoes were spotted on one of my favorite bloggers and I just HAD to get them.

If y'all don't follow Ashley, you must go do so right.this.instant.

She is such a sweet girl and truly has the best sense of style.

Whenever i'm in a funk I always find myself looking to her for a little outfit inspo.

This top is an oldie but a goodie.

It's from my store and I still love it just as much as the day it first came in.

I've always been a peplum fanatic, and I don't really ever see that changing.

I'm sure peplum styles will change throughout the years but I just can't see it leaving us for good.

To me, it's just so classic and cute, to others maybe not. 

But hey, to each their own ;)

Hope y'all are proud of me for blogging 2 consecutive days in a row HA!

Who knows, maybe i'll knock out a full week!

Hope you beauties have a great day!

A Birthday For The Books - Part II

Some of you may not know this, but I am a HUGE animal lover.
My main loves are golden retrievers, giraffes & dolphins.
and when I say "main loves" I mean severely obsessed,
and will usually start crying when I lay eyes on either of these...
Any type of baby animal will also cause me to start crying instantly.
But anyways, that's not what this post is about.

This post is about my birthday and how it was the best day ever.
Shall we begin...?

I had seen a friend of mine go to this drive through safari a couple weeks before and I KNEW

that that was exactly where I wanted to spend my birthday.

So of course, Kyle being the charmer that he is, took off work and made it happen. 

It's called Franklin Drive Thru Safari and it's near College Station.

and I HIGHLY suggest you go.

We get there and of course the first thing I want to do is go see and feed the giraffes,

If you follow me on snapchat you basically spent the entire day with us lol

(MonicaLeeee)

So, here are a few pictures from one of my favorite birthdays of all time...

I had the biggest and goofiest grin on my face the ENTIRE day.

After feeding the giraffes we drove around the safari and there were SO many different animals.

The zebras were so dang cute and the donkeys would sprint behind your car the entire time.

and of course there were emus/ostriches that I mostly took videos of...

those things are my worst nightmare...like they absolutely terrify me.

The kangaroos were SO cute and sweet! 

If I stuck my hand near the cage they would run over and just give me tons of kisses.

Kyle and I walked around for a bit before deciding to head back.

These pictures and my quick explanation of the day totally don't do it justice.

It was one of the best and most fun days i've had in a REALLY long time.

We grabbed some food and headed home then decided to head to the gun range for a little bit.

And of course we ended this fantastic day with some netflix and chill.

(Game of thrones is our current obsession)

Thanksssss for stopping by!