Giveashit

WHAT I’M WEARING // A QUESTION OF Tee (bought in Iceland) // ZARA Blazer // H&M Jeans // TARGET Heels // CORNELIA GUEST Handbag // JUSTFAB Sunglasses

I’m not usually a fan of graphic tees, but I spotted this one at a boutique while in Iceland and just had to get it.  I absolutely love its Givenchy reference, and at the same time speaks to my values in a weird way.  The fact that it’s somewhat profane also sold the deal for me.  Even my mother was like “Oh!  You have to buy that shirt it’s soooo you!”.

So in other news I cut all my hair off last week!  These are actually the last photos I took prior to the big chop.  Now that it’s been a week and I’m used to the new ‘do, it’s actually kind of strange for me looking at my old, long locks.  I must say though, I’m a much bigger fan of short hair on me.  I think it’s much more flattering not only for my face and physique, but also for my curls.

Since I was going to chop off over 12 inches of my hair, there was no way I wasn’t going to get it documented somehow plus I wanted the photos for when I donated my hair to Locks of Love.  So stay tuned later this week for photos of the final result as well as some from my actual appointment.

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Iceland

As you may know, this past November I went on a weekend “girls” trip with my Mother, Aunt and my Aunt’s friends to Iceland. To be honest, I went to Iceland with ZERO expectations. I basically knew it was going to be really cold, and that it was one of the few places in the world where you can see the Northern Lights. The Northern Lights was the primary reason we were visiting the country to begin with.

Let’s just say Iceland FAR exceeded my expectations. I’d absolutely love to go back sometime I enjoyed it so much. I was blown away not just by the beauty of the country, but also its people. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. Another thing that surprised me was the shopping in Reykjavik, the country’s capital. I came home with so many awesome, unique pieces from the many independent designers who all had boutiques in town.

Though I took over 300 photos while there, these are some of my favorite images during my trip. Knowing I was going to try to catch the Northern Lights, I brought all my good camera gear with me so I got some pretty amazing images to remember this trip by.

I had a few readers ask me about my experience eating vegan while in Iceland. All in all, I was pretty lucky. We stayed at the Hilton and right across the street was a fantastic raw/health food restaurant called Glo that the locals recommended. I also accidentally stumbled across a health food store behind the hotel that was chock full of vegan goodies, including soy milk and cookies. Funny thing is I got some soy milk to have with cereal at the hotel, only to the next day find the hotel had gotten some to put out at the buffet since I was asking for it the day prior. Talk about great service!

All the staff at most of the restaurants knew what vegan meant and guided me to appropriate items I could order. There was only one place I think accidentally served me butter, which I knew due to me being allergic to dairy and getting really horrible stomach aches. Otherwise pretty much everywhere I went, even including local coffee shops in Reykjavik had vegan options, many of which were clearly marked with the universal V sign.

If you have any questions on where I ate and specifics on what I visited and did, please feel free to message me!

Is She Dead?

I’m alive!

Hello and Happy New Year! Sure, I’m almost an entire month late wishing everyone that. I hope you all had a great holiday season.

Immediately after Thanksgiving, I got sucked into the standard holiday obligation routine as well as my work schedule kicking into overdrive. In general, I have a lot of work travel between September and February every year so right now I’m in the heart of it. I’m also responsible for planning our national sales meeting, which is a huge undertaking so needless to say, I’ve been pretty busy!

A few other updates since I’ve been away from the blog.

• I visited Iceland and it was AMAZING. For those of you who follow my Instagram account, you can see why. It’s a stunning country. Post on my experience soon to come.

• I caught the flu, twice! Once in early December and again the beginning of January. Two totally different strains. Lucky me. I’m still trying to recover.

• I’m still doing Crossfit and have seen pretty amazing results. I’m kinda obsessed with it.

• On the Crossfit thing, I decided to join my gym’s 6 week “Paleo” challenge. Yes, I know Paleo and Vegan are polar opposites, but my gym was supportive and let me modify the program so I can leave my main protein sources, mainly legumes, in my diet. The big things I cut out were all grains, alcohol and sugar. Let me tell you, four weeks in and the results have been pretty fab. I’m totally on the “no grain” train right now. The winner wins a cash prize so it’s been keeping me pretty motivated to stay on the program.

• My best friend Nikki got engaged, and I’m her Matron of Honor. I’m so excited for her as well as her upcoming wedding in November of this year.

• I recently dyed over my bright red dip dye in favor of a more red-velvety red over my entire head. It’s a bit more subdued, which is taking me some getting used to but I love it.  It’s also now much easier for me to dress for work.

• I booked a girls trip to Los Cabos, Mexico with one of my gal pals for the end of February. Perfect timing for me once my work hell month is over. I’m pretty excited for it. Best part is if I win the Paleo Challenge (which is the goal), it’ll pay for the trip. Plus I’ll be in amazing bikini shape. So now I have something to work towards and keep me focused.

I’m really hoping to get back to a normal posting schedule within the next week or two. In the meantime I figured I’d check in and let you know that yes, I’m still around and no, I have not forgotten about you!

Thank you to all my readers who checked in with me to make sure I was OK.  It means the world to me!

Iceland Packing Inspiration / Winter Layers

I can’t believe I leave for Iceland tomorrow evening!  This trip really snuck up on me.  I’m packing today, and any time I pack it involves a lot of prior research and planning.  I exclusively travel with only a carry on, and since this is a five day trip in a very cold locale, I want to be sure I’m well prepared.

I spent a lot of time over the weekend pinning a few outfit inspirations of winter layers to help me figure out the best items to pack.  Here’s some of my favorites.

Source: thesartorialist.blogspot.com via Corrie on Pinterest

Source: iconjane.tumblr.com via Corrie on Pinterest

Source: columbine.freshnet.se via Corrie on Pinterest

Source: 24.media.tumblr.com via Corrie on Pinterest

Source: atlantic-pacific.blogspot.com via Corrie on Pinterest

Source: thepursuitaesthetic.tumblr.com via Corrie on Pinterest

Source: peoplewithstyles.tumblr.com via Corrie on Pinterest

I know know for sure that some items I’ll be bringing with me is my faux fur lined parka, chambray shirt, some of my flannel shirts, one or two lightweight sweaters, and maybe a vest or faux leather jacket.  That way I can easily stay warm without taking up a ton of room in my carry-on.

Oh yeah, don’t worry I won’t be forgetting a bikini.  Our first stop is the Blue Lagoon.  Yay, spa day!

Chasing the Northern Lights

image credit: www.universetoday.com

Yesterday, I confirmed details to go on a quick weekend “girls” vacation in November with the women in my family to Iceland.  We’re specifically going over in attempt to see the northern lights, so fingers crossed it’s cold enough when we visit to see them!

The ladies all went last year (I couldn’t make it) and they enjoyed it so much they planned another one for this year.  There will be a lot of spa time, dining, sight-seeing, and best of all those pretty lights in the sky.  It should be a pleasant break from work just prior to the craziness of the holiday season.

While I’m excited to be going, I’m somewhat petrified on what I’m going to eat over there.  I have zero knowledge of nordic food, nevermind vegan nordic options (if they even exist!).  If you’re a vegan and you’ve been to Iceland, please send me your recommendations!  I’d really appreciate any information anyone can send me.

I’m also looking for any feedback and information on what to pack, especially while visiting in November.  If you’ve been to Iceland and have any tips, let me know!