Fitting Room Picks From the 2018 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

Welcome to most fabulous sale of the summer. It's the only sale that gets me excited to buy sweaters when its 95 degrees outside. Alot of people have been asking me what the big deal is about this sale and is it worth the hype. 

The N-sale, as it has been nicknamed/hashtaged, is when brand new, full priced Fall merchandise from all over the entire store goes temporarily on mega sale, and when the sale is over, the prices go back up. So the short answer is, yes, it's totally worth it. I like to think of this as my back to school shopping splurge. A time when I can gather some great fun work pieces for the upcoming school year at a fraction of the price. The early access portion started today which is for cardholders only but will open to the public soon. 

So let's get started! I went in at 7AM before the store opened and tried on all the things I had my eye on. Many were selling out in store in just hours. My advice to you is if you are even considering an item, buy it. You can always return it but you wont get over that sting of regret.

 

Totally had my eye on this Topshop Cardigan. I wound up buying the Charcoal color in a size 2 because it runs majorly big. This one will sell out fast as the Topshop cardigans tend to do every year.

These little Zella leggings were a little outside my norm, but were really cute, high-waisted and has some fun mesh detailing that didn't make them look like I just had "naked" legs. This Adidas top would be great to throw on for a workout and was super lightweight. I'm wearing a M but could have easily done a S. 

This top was not part of the sale but it was just too cute and really looked like a Rebecca Taylor piece but this was only $49! These are the MVP of the sale jeans I was talking about in my stories. We all bought them as well as all the girls in the fitting room after seeing me try them on. Usually $130 but the sale brings them down to $89!

Who doesn't like a good striped tee? This one has a nice bit of thickness to it but not too stiff. It comes in so many fun color options too. And obviously, the jeans with the magic pockets again! 

This red moto jacket is such a fun statement piece to go over work tops as well as jackets. It's soft and has a bit of stretch to it so it's more comfy than faux-leather.

This button-up is exactly what I would wear under that red jacket and plan to with skirts and pants for school.

This color block sweater is totally me. A good pop of color and still a little more interesting than the average sweater. It comes in 3 colors if black in white is more your thing. 

The next two are both Madewell tops. The blue one above has buttons down the back. The floral one below has a cool-girl Tommy Bahama vibe to it that works for the summer. I gave it a little tie in the front but it was not made into the shirt that way.

This sweater literally sold out in store in 2 hours. By the time I got to the register it was completely gone. If you want this one, grab it online quick!

This dresswas my favorite buy of the sale. The fabric is like satin but without the cheesy shine. It moves beautifully and the floral print is perfect for fall. It also comes in a teal color and I'm pretty sure it will be gone quick. I think I got the last one of this dress in store!

Also since I havent mentioned much about the shoes, you have probably noticed there were two pairs that stood out. The snake skin pointed-toe flats thats I'm wearing with pretty much every outfit above and the white booties I'm wearing with the dress. Sandy and I actually each bought them both! Seriously the leather is so high-end looking but both are at amazing price points for the quality.

This sweater was just too good to pass up. The cute ruffle detail and the balloon sleeve arms kicked this staple up a notch. I got a medium and it's selling out so so fast so scoop this one up if you can.

Last but not least, I couldn't leave out these Adidas. Honestly I would have gotten them since the price is so good but I literally already own 3 pairs so I practiced self control. They are a great staple and I love how the tan color (also in black) makes them look more grown up than your average sneaker.

There you have it. The fruits of my 4 hr shopping extravaganza. feel free to shoot me an email of DM if you have any questions. And you can also see all this in my Stories on Instagram as well as in the Highlights.

Gingham Romper and Vacation Fears When Traveling with A Toddler

Romper (sold out) // Sunglasses (sold out from Zara) // Packable hat // Bag // Athena's suit: (sold out but check out this adorable new one I got her)  // Athena's Bonnet // My Sandals

These pictures are from our recent trip to St. George. I like to think of this trip as practice for the trip that's coming up which is to Panama City Beach, Florida at the end of the month. My family rented a beach house and we will all be staying right on the ocean. 

While it does sound fun for Athena to get to see the Ocean for the first time, there is so much about traveling with a toddler that makes me nervous. With the trip to St. George we drove there, but we will be flying to Florida. It's been a long time since we flew with Athena, the last time was when she was 6 weeks old, and since then, she requires a whole lot more stuff to make a temporary comfy home. 

We will be total newbies at the whole gate checking of a stroller and various other items of necessity so if you have tips, let me know. Also, I'm working on my bag of tricks for the plane so let me know of any non-screen time related fun options that have worked for your little people and Thanks in advance.

Linen Tie-Front Dress

Dress // Earrings // Bag: Vintage // Sunglasses (only $9) // Shoes

Ah, Summer. The only time of year when I get to dress outside my cookie cutter frame of teacher clothes. I can work in fun yet slightly revealing details like this cut-out in this tie front dress. It's definitely not school appropriate but summer is long and scorching here in SLC so I will get lots of use out of it, not to mention it's only $27!

I can't stress enough how these slingbacks make the perfect dupes for the Chanel slingbacks and are so flippin' comfortable. I seriously walked many many miles in them all around New York and not a single blister.

In case you have been wonder, I still have lots of outfit to post from NYC but I've been trying to get through the major to-do list of things that simply couldn't get done during the school year like scheduling and waiting on internet appointments and visiting the Genius Bar to get my phone fixed, and finally getting my teaching certification switched over to Utah once and for all. Ugh, you know all the adult things that have to get done (and are infinitely harder with a toddler in tow) that no one wants to do. Yep, thats my life for the next few weeks so don't envy a teacher on break because it's not as glamorous as it seems.

Mother's Day at Sand Hollow

Shorts // Top // Sandals // Bag // Sunglasses

Athena's Jumper // Bonnet // Sandals

Mother's Day was pretty special this year. Andrew asked me what I wanted to do for my special day and I said i wanted to swim with my baby and get some sun. Welp, the weather in Salt Lake was not complying so we started to think of quick trips we could take that would fit the bill. 

We decided on St. George which is about a 3.5 hour drive from Salt Lake and really was a solid 15-20 degrees warmer. Andrew found us a nice rental condo with two bedrooms but when we arrived they upgraded us to a huge 3 bedroom suite. It was perfect and Athena had a blast walking in and out of all the rooms and out on the completely fenced-in furnished patio. There was even a fireplace and table  and cozy patio furniture where we ate dinner later that night.

Uppon arrival we had a diaper situation that made things a little messy. Luckily the room had a washer and dryer too so We had to wash out the whole car seat and some of Athena's stuff. We were just happy that it happened at the end of the trip instead of in the beginning or middle. That would have stunk, quite literally.

Other than the blowout, Athena was a champ in the car for the whole drive. She napped for only 20 minutes of the whole thing! I thought for sure the car would put her to sleep but she was happy to just chat it up with us, look out the window and play with her cute little feet up in the air. 

On the way out we stopped at this beautiful state park called Sand Hollow. It has the prettiest red sand beach and the landscape was just so colorful. Like layer upon layer of color and then the clouds were showing off that day as well. Really just a beautiful scene to take in the beautiful weather.

A really beautiful weekend and I'm glad I'll have these pictures to remember my time with my sweet girl who made me a mama, the best job I've ever had. 

Tracy Aviary

Red stripe top (on sale for just $19!) // Shortalls // Converse // Purse // Sunglasses

Athena's Bonnet // Shoes // Kate Spade baby dress (similar)

Living in Salt Lake City, we have so many easy and fun places to take athena to just run around and be outside. There is no shortage of parks but we also have places like the Tracy Aviary within Walking distance. 

A few weekends ago we walked over to the Aviary which is situated on the perimeter of the already massive Liberty Park.  We especially like the Aviary because it's free admission for teachers and little ones so it cost under ten bucks for the whole family to visit.

Since I knew we were going to walk I wore this comfy outfit with sneakers to get us there. I love this ruffled top (down to just $19 right now) and bought it primarily for work but tried it out layered under my new favorite shortalls, and it totally worked. Totally made them feel a little more grown-up.

And just a little FYI, I did not put Athena in a Kate Spade dress to go to the aviary. this was her church outfit and anyone who knows what its like to fight an 18 month old in and out of an outfit knows it just ain't worth the wardrobe change.