Sittin on the Dock

Yes, that fold in my shirt bothers me too.  Not to mention shots from the back of me just look weird.  

It has been one glorious weekend spent with my sister who took these pictures and my extremely talented friend Chris was also in town.  We ate, shopped, listened to music and caught up on life. I will post some pictures of a sweet vintage shop we found in Deep Ellum this weekend.  I was pretty impressed with it.  

My sister, cousin and I went to see THE CIVIL WARS last night and it was magical.  It was my second time seeing them and they really are a class act (despite the fact that we believe Joy Williams and John Paul White might be our generations' Johnny and June Cash- it's kinda creepy).  Also, the Staves opened up for them and they were extremely impressive.  Their harmonies were killer and there is nothing quite like having siblings voices blended into one lovely sound.  All in all, it was a spectacular weekend!

This dress was one of the Urban Outfitter's sale items I bought a few weeks ago.  I was inspired by Elsie and Mara to layer a bit and initially I tried the exact same look with a black button up, but it wasn't working as well on me.  It worked better for me with just a plain 3/4 sleeved shirt.  Anyhow, it's always great to be inspired by looks but then fit it to your own personal style.  That's how I felt with this one.

Moving on, I read Hunger Games this weekend and I'm officially a fan-like 14 year old- this is more amazing than Twilight ever had to the potential to be-fan.  Too bad I should only be reading theology books right now and not teen fiction.  Meh, I'll get my act together soon enough.  

OH one last thing, thanks to Tieka, I entered (and won!) a $40 gift certificate from InPink.  They have such a great selection of quality jewelry that I'm having trouble deciding what to get.  I know, life's so difficult right? Either way, just wanted to give a shout out!

Hope tomorrow is the start of a good week for everyone!

Ani

{Dress: Urban Outfitters ($5.00), Shirt: Thrifted ($1.20), Shoes: H&M ($12.95), Belt: Thrifted ($1.99), Headband (old)}

C'mon Ride the Train

I've always thought it was mildly cliche' to take pictures at a train track, but honestly, these are some of my favorite pictures I've taken for this blog.  

I know I look angry, but I promise, I'm really happy right now.  

When I strolled up to the nearest parking lot to these tracks, I'd only been outside my car setting up my tripod for about a minute and a half before a security guard came up to me and said, "What are you doing?" To which I replied in my sweet, ditzy girl voice, "Oh, I just want to take a picture of the train tracks."  To which he said, "Why?" To which I further replied, "Because it looks cool."  He finally said that I couldn't park there but once he realized I wasn't doing anything too crazy, he told me I could park on the road just as long as I wasn't in their private property.  This was one of the first times I've had a problem when taking my pictures.  For being the first time, it really wasn't so bad.  (that's what she said) 

I told Austin that I'd been wanting to take pictures in front of some graffiti soon and this afternoon he texted and said someone had graffitied two male peni (penises?) on his school.  So I guessed I missed out on the really cool graffiti in the city.

I don't mean to brag but I found ANOTHER thrift store near my house that is completely legit.  It's no wonder I want to thrift everyday.  Living in the ghetto definitely has its' perks.  The first being that cost of living is cheap and pretty much everything else around it follows suit.  So while you won't find a Nordstrom's, Anthropologie or a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in my neighborhood, you can be treated instead find a ton of clean, well stocked thrift stores and unique local eateries that include my favorite shaved ice place EVER.  Point being, I'm happier here than I even realize sometimes.  

Two of these clothing items were bought just this past week.  This Zara jacket won me over with the elbow patches immediately.  It reminded me of the blazer's my brother wore when he was younger.  It was just incredible that I found one for women, as I used to get these types of blazer's in the little boys section of the thrift store when I was younger.  The skirt was the most expensive item I spent at Urban ($10!!) Truthfully, I tried to rationalize why it was too expensive, but factoring in where I was shopping (UO) and how much I adored the skirt (a whole stinkin lot), I couldn't help but buy it.  

Till tomorrow my friends,

Ani

{Skirt: Urban Outfitters ($10.00), Polo: Thrifted [Original Penguin Co.] ($2.40), Blazer: Thrifted [Zara] ($4.20), Shoes: Thrifted ($3.99), Tights: Old}

Back in Gotham

Yes, friends, I'm back in the Big D, aka Gotham, after being gone for two weeks. The city welcomed me back with open arms and gorgeous weather.

Hello new year! I am excited and pleased with how this year is already going. I am content for so many reasons and there is much to be thankful for that occurred in 2011. It is an understatement to say that I feel blessed. Life is truly good and I'm committed to making the most of it.

Here are a few resolutions that I'm hoping to stick to:

1) Focus on reaching my goal weight by eating well and exercising (duh, right?) I didn't gain any weight over the holidays, but I also didn't lose so that changes now.
2) Be more productive (i.e. use free time wisely)
3) Make studying a priority so that my last semester of grad school is my best!
4) Quit hating on living in Dallas. I really need to work on this one and just appreciate where I'm at.
5) Push my creativity to the next level (whatever level that may be). This blog is definitely a part of that.
and finally...
6) Grow in relationships/friendships with old, new and future friends.

Yeah, these are slightly general and mildly generic, but for me, they are quite personal. Even before the new year, I knew they were goals that I needed to work toward so what better time than now?

Anyhow, I spent the day shopping and taking pictures at the Latino Cultural Center. I figured I was allowed since I'm Latina and all. I went to Urban Outfitters after receiving an email saying that they were having 50% off already reduced items. I'm glad I went because I wound up with some great items for $5 a piece...at Urban...seriously. It was crazy. Even the manager who checked me out told me I should be grateful because the sale was initially supposed to end yesterday. So I am grateful, indeed. There are rarely times that I EVER buy anything at UO because 1) when I was chunkier I didn't fit into any of their clothes because they're clothes are made for stick figures so I resented them 2) Most of what they sell is aimed to look vintage and I can find that at the thrift store priced 97.4% less that what they sell their clothing for. Ok, enough of my tirade.

Hope every has a wonderful start to this new year. Let's not take one moment for granted!

Ani

{Dress: Plato's Closet ($8.00), Cardigan: Thrifted [Mossimo] ($3.99), Tights: Merona ($10.00), Flats: H&M ($12.95))