A Little Evidence

Best day ever! And hardly any photos to show for it. I kept leaving my camera in my car...which makes me a bad blogger, I think. Nevertheless, the day was awesome!

My husband and I drove over to a waterfall that I'd heard about in Manitou Springs. It's called 'Rainbow Falls', but it's more commonly known as 'Graffiti Falls' to the locals. I had a kind of Twin Peaks moment as I was admiring the graffiti and the waterfall at the same time. By no means do I condone (or participate in) defacing nature with paint, but I had to admit that it was all beautiful in a strange, surreal kind of way. Graffiti can be so colorful and beautiful...if some of it weren't so hateful, vulgar, or grammatically incorrect.

After that, we had Greek food (also very colorful), went to the local thrift store (obviously), and grilled up some dinner. Is there anything better?

Shirt: Gant (vintage, thrifted), Shorts: GAP Outlet, Hat: insight, Shoes: Keen, Cami: Downeast Basics

This was supposed to be a "do-anything" outfit. I didn't know how long the hike would be (5 minutes), or where we'd be eating (semi-casual), or what else we'd do (walk downtown)...so this did it all...and kept my nose from getting sunburned.

Silken Sunshine

I was so excited to wear this shirt! It got it for a dollar, yes, just $1, a few weeks ago. All day I felt as though I was wearing a little ray of sunshine. Yellow is not known to be a blonde's best color, but I'm breaking rules today, people. Nothing that makes you smile this much could be bad, right?

I'm trying very hard to grow my hair out. I only have about four inches left until I can donate it to Locks of Love, but it's so hard. You know what's harder? Being a kid and losing your hair to chemo. So, I'm going to stick it out. Don't let me cut it...even though I am a die-hard "angled bob" kind of girl. I've had short hair for most of my adult life, and I have a hard time styling longer hair. (The last time I had hair this long was high school, and I wore it in a ponytail all the time.)  I will make it!

Shirt: Michelle Stuart (vintage, thrifted), Pants: Old Navy (thrifted), Shoes: Guess? (Ross)

How do you know you're in the wrong consignment clothing store? You walk in and hear a conversation between two elderly women (first hint) begin with this: "Well, I just got back from my dermatologist..." and you know it's all downhill from there.

Super Spiffy

This is my, "Mrs. S, are you going to a meeting or something?" kind of outfit. No, I was not going to a meeting. I'm excited that it's warm (hello, bare legs and arms), and I'm even more excited that it's almost summer (is there any better reason to dress up...besides the Royal Wedding?).

I know I am not a very good accessorizer, but this blouse is frilly enough to be an accessory on its own, I think. I bought it at the Banana Republic Outlet in Silverthorne for $8 a few years ago. I was shopping with my brother, and he literally didn't believe me. "How do you find this stuff?" he asked, incredulous. How, indeed.

Shirt: Banana Republic Outlet, Belt: n/l (consignment), Skirt: n/l (vintage / reworked), Shoes: Indigo by Clarks

That is my thinking pose. And don't look at my sock tan. It's embarassing.

This Outfit is 70% Thrifted, 100% Comfortable

I had the day off work today (appointment in the big city), so opted for a very comfy outfit. It's a 1.5 hour drive each way.

I really should have taken pictures of the sky this morning, because it was so beautiful. The skies were clearing after a spring rainstorm and the blue was positively brilliant. Isn't it amazing how the weather can affect our moods? I felt happier and more optimistic all day... though that could be the time off talking.

Are you taking the Bloggers Do It Better challenge tomorrow? I am going to give it a shot, though I know I am going to face certain ridicule for wearing a tie at school. We'll see how it goes. I'm excited about my outfit, though. You'll get to see the amazing score I found today at the thrift store. Yay!

Jacket: Downeast Basics, Shirt: Heritage 1981 (thrifted), Cami: Downeast Basics, Pants: Faded Glory (thrifted), Scarf: Ross, Shoes: Keen, Bracelet: n/l (thrifted), Bag: Hunt Club (thrifted)

Thanks for all the comments yesterday about my "bling belt". I can't wait to wear it again and appreciate that you all understood how much it meant to me. I'm sappy, I know.

Blazin' Amazing!

I was so excited when I saw this blazer at the thrift shop. I usually don't go for puffed sleeves, but this just felt...so right. On the kid-compliment scale, it scored a whopping 3 points! (The current record is held by my Hurley hat that I wore on hat day. They are all a bunch of brand-slaves.)

It rained like crazy today, so it was the perfect time to wear a winter outfit that I haven't quite put away yet. And my boots are probably going to make an appearance tomorrow, since the high is going to be a paltry 52 degrees.

It's supposed to get warm for the weekend, though. Good thing, because the river is rising, my friends, and my little rubber raft is just begging to go out for the second whitewater rafting trip of the season! Let the summer fun begin...(in 2.2 weeks)!

Blazer: vintage Daniel (thrifted), Shirt: New York & Company, Cami: Downeast Basics, Pants: Express (about 8 years old...sad), Boots: Me Too

Depending on how warm / cool I got today, the belt migrated from the jacket to the shirt. So versatile...so sneaky.

Who, Me? Elegant?

Kids can be cute. We were talking about adjectives today, and how words are more powerful when you pick the most descriptive one. One example that they looked up in the thesaurus was "pretty", because it's over-used. When I asked them to give a synonym for the word, one young lady said "elegant". I asked her to tell me the difference between just plain pretty and elegant. She said:

"It's like how you dress for school, Mrs. Sack. You always dress up and stuff...but you're not, like, too fancy."

That is awesome. I'll take it. A 13-year old just called me elegant. Best. Day. Ever. And then I ran a mile with them during track practice, so please excuse my slightly greasy (how unelegant!) hair.

Have you complimented someone today? It can make all the difference.

Shirt: GAP Body, Necklace: vintage (thrifted), Skirt: Banana Republic (thrifted), Shoes: vintage 9West (thrifted), Bracelet: FMS Huskies Fight Child Abuse (leave a comment, send $1, and I'll get you one, too!)

Please pay no attention to my unsighly legs. It's been a long winter.

Teachers Who Lunch

I got to ditch school today in order to go to a conference in the big city (i.e. Colorado Springs). A day away from work says one thing to me: Jeggings! Obviously. Well, that and a lunch out. Unfotunately, my group choose an unispired restaurant - Souper Salad - in leiu of a fun Thai place. Oh well, my husband and I will go back later. But it felt so naughty to be out in the world having lunch when I should be holed up in a teacher's lounge. Freedom!

Can I just mention that Kristen Chenoweth's character on GLEE was drinking the same Cupcake wine that I featured on my blog last weekend?! Amazing!

Shirt: GAP Favorite Tee, Vest: Faded Glory (yeah, that's from Wal-Mart) (thrifted), Jeggings: New York & Company (consignment), Boots: Miz Mooz, Necklace: Vintage (stolen from Mom)

I tried the ratting / messy hair / bobby pins look today and really liked it. Go hair spray!

10 Things You Should Know About Me

8. I hate confrontation.

It's been fun finding new locations all over my (very small but historically rich) town to take photos. Like today, we went over to the old prison warden's house, which was built in 1901. I so wanted the house to be open because there were bannisters and secret doors all over the place. But alas, it was not. And then we got yelled at for being on "State Property", whatever that means, by a prison guard in a tower. There were no signs anywhere, I tell you. We only scaled a wall and hopped over barbed wire to get on the premises...just kidding. There was no barbed wire involved.

You know you're wearing a nice outfit when a 14 year-old kid says, "You look very nice today." And we're talking about a pretty rough middle-schooler, here. It was a very nice complement. I'll take it. (You should pretty much take any complement you can get from a middle-schooler.)

Dress: WalMart (that's right, on clearance), Jacket: Ann Taylor Loft, Shirt: Gap, Belt: NL (thrifted), Boots: Miz Mooz, Socks: Target, Earings: Vintage (thank you, Kelly!)

10 Things You Should Know About Me

5. There is very little I won't try.

Barring hard drugs and exceptionally dangerous feats (no thank you, Gore Canyon), I will try just about anything. Like this pink shirt, for example. Never in a million years would I have seen myself wearing this shirt, but I have been given courage by the likes of Kendi and others. This outfit has been a while in planning, but I think I finally pulled off my own version. It's not quite color-blocking, but at least I paired a pencil skirt, a skinny belt, and a bright shirt. I am proud of me.

I even wore heels to school today, which is considered a dangerous feet (pun intended) by any teacher.

Shirt: WalMart (thrifted), Skirt: vintage (thrifted), Belt: vintage (thrifted), Shoes: Indigo by Clarks