My Engagement Story: Rachel

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I can’t believe that it’s already been almost two weeks since Michael and I got engaged! It’s already been a whirlwind of celebrating and planning. Now that the shock has started to wear off, I decided it’s time to share the proposal story with you!

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National Gossip Girl Day OOTD

Today is national Gossip Girl day! For a big fan like me, this is cause to celebrate! Even though this show has been off the air for a few years now, it is still one of my favorite shows. I especially love all the AMAZING fashion in Gossip Girl. I decided to do a Blair Waldorf inspired outfit for today since she is my favorite character on the show. I like to think of Blair Waldorf as my spirit animal! I love how motivated she is to get what she wants in life as well as her incredible style.

Who’s your favorite Gossip Girl character?

xoxo- Rachel

Winter Wonderland

Yesterday we got 11 inches of snow making my college town turn into a winter wonderland. I wasn’t able to go out and enjoy the snow yesterday since I was basically snowed in, but I was able to shovel my car out today and go explore. I ended up at a park close to campus that looked untouched since the snow had fallen.

I decided to take advantage of the beautiful scenery and have a little bit of fun while out and about on this snowy day. I couldn’t resist taking some classic snow day pictures!

I had a great time taking pictures on such a perfect winter day! I am glad I decided to go out and enjoy the the winter wonderland instead of staying cuddled up in my bed.

-Rachel

LL Bean Duck Boot Shortage- Great Alternatives!

If you’re like me, then you waited until the last minute to buy snow boots and are now having a tough time finding cute ones. I have been wanting the LL Bean Duck boots for some time, but I kept forgetting to order them and when I finally got around to getting them they were all sold out. I never anticipated that there would be almost a 100,000 name waiting list for the boots.I knew I couldn’t wait any longer so I had to find an alternative.

When I began the search I thought I was never going to be able to find anything I liked, at least not in a size 9. Luckily my mom was also looking and she found the Sperry Top-Sider ‘Saltwater’ Duck Boot at Macy’s. I’m so happy that I ended up getting these boots. They are even better than I expected them to be. They are extremely comfortable and I love that they lace up but you don’t have to tie them. Below is a picture of the ones that I ended up getting, which also come in red. I have also posted some other great alternatives that still have sizes available!

Sperry Top-Sider ‘Saltwater’ Duck Boot

Winter Hunter Pac Boot

Maine Woods Molly

UGG Adirondack Boots II

If you are still having issues finding boots zappos.com is a great place to search! Best of luck!

-Rachel

Comfy & Cute- The Perfect Finals Week Attire!

We all know that finals week can be stressful and overwhelming. You study for countless hours, drink way too much coffee, and maybe have a meltdown or two over how these exams are either going to make or break your final grade. When taking a final exam you want to be comfortable, especially when you are only running on a few hours of sleep because of some late night cramming. Nevertheless, just because you want to dress comfy doesn’t mean you can’t still look cute!

This semester for finals week I only had exams on two days so I put together two outfits that are simple, comfy, and perfect for rocking those finals! My first outfit is a cozy sweater, yoga pants, boots, and a monogram necklace. I went with this look because I was able to dress up my yoga pants with one of my favorite sweaters from The Rage. I also didn’t want to go crazy on accessories for this outfit. I wanted it to be simple so I went with my classic gold monogrammed necklace. I decided on my Hunter rain boots to complete this look because what makes going to take your first final worse? Rain.

The Rage Sweater | PINK Yoga Pants | Hunter Rain Boots | Monogrammed Necklace (Similar)

My second outfit is a little dressier but still equally as comfortable. For this outfit I went with an oversized cardigan, simple black top, jeans, riding boots, and a necklace. I love this outfit because it makes it look like I put effort into my outfit while still feeling comfortable enough to sit through taking finals.

Target Cardigan | Express Black Top (Similar) | Buckle Jeans (Similar) | Dillards Ridding Boots

I hope these outfits give you inspiration for how to pull off the comfy, yet cute and put together look for your finals or your next exam!

-Rachel

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Friday’s Shopping Haul

I spent my Friday afternoon eating and shopping in Des Moines with one of my best friends. I had been looking forward to this girls day for awhile and wanted to make sure I looked my best. Nothing bugs me more than having to wear a coat while out shopping so I decided to do a fun preppy layered outfit.

J. Crew Sweater | Old Navy Button Up (Similar) | Buckle Jeans (Similar) | UrbanOutfitters Boot

We started off our outing by eating at a downtown restaurant called Buzzard Billy’s. It’s one of my favorite places to eat downtown, second to Zombie Burgers. After we finished eating we headed to West Des Moines to go shopping at Jordan Creek Town Center. It’s one of my favorite places to go shopping because they have a great selection of stores and a mix of high and low end fashion.

We shopped around at several different stores, but the ones that I found the most success at were J. Crew and Ann Taylor. Both stores were having some great deals that I couldn’t resist! J. Crew had the deal of 25% off a $100 purchase or 35% off a $150 purchase. Of course I had to spend enough to get the discount. Then Ann Taylor had an additional 40% off sale items and select dresses for $29.88.

At Ann Taylor I couldn’t resist the dress deal and ended up walking out of the store with three dresses. My favorite part of all the dresses that I got from Ann Taylor are the leather detailing. I’ve been wanting to get more leather in my wardrobe with it being so in style right now and I was lucky enough to be able to find some great dresses with it.

J. Crew had such a great selection that it was hard for me to limit myself on what I should buy! I ended up picking a cream colored dress that I fell in love with as soon as I put it on, along with a simpler top with lace detailing at the bottom to dress it up more.