christmas spirit

Happy Holidays lovelies!!  

Life has kept me quite busy lately.  My co-worker is on maternity leave, so I have been doing double duty at work.  It has actually been okay though, not near as bad as I was anticipating.  The work day goes by a bit faster, which is never a bad thing.  Last week we had our client Christmas party and Santa made a surprise appearance....gotta love that guy!  Oh and I decided to give my office a bit of Christmas spirit with a little tree, isn't it just the cutest? ;)

who doesn't love photos in the bathroom

top-urban original, pants-express, shoes-rocketdog, phone- lg ally

This top is probably my new fave. I was so excited when I saw it, I just knew it had to be mine. I thought that perhaps I should wait to share it in an outfit post until I could get hubby to take some decent pictures, but then I remembered that there is never a better time than right now. So here she is, my new fave top.

Yes, these are taken in the bathroom at my work. Yes, the stalls are a pea green color. Yes, I would be totally embarrassed if one of my co-workers walked in on me.

Okay, I just have to say that although I love this time of the year with all the holidays and such; I really don't like the fact that it gets dark incredibly early. I feel like I have lost my whole day. Even though my hubby gets home the same time he always does, it just feels so much later because it's been dark for hours.

And let me tell you, my aunt and I have still been running. (insert cheer here) But it is pretty darn scary running when it is dark. People drive crazy in neighborhoods. Tonight I had to jump into the grass to avoid a lady in a van, no joke! As a runner, I realize it's dangerous to run at night, however I do my part; I have reflectors on my shoes, I wear a light colored top, and I wear reflector bands on my arms (my hubby laughed at me when I suggested I get a reflector vest, so I settled for the arm bands).

Have any of you had any night running/walking experiences? How do you feel about it getting dark so early??

i like to conquer my fears

old navy cardigan, f21 cami, betsey johnson belt (seem here and here), express pants, rocketdog shoes (seen here and here)

Hubby is pretty much going to be MIA when it comes to taking my photos this week, which means I need to get creative.

Today my idea of creativity was taking photos in the guest bathroom. A skill I am learning to master, but in a new environment. My photo location = creative.

Now onto my title - that is right, I like to conquer my fears. Today this meant speaking to a class of college freshman. I was the guest speaker at my alma mater for an Intro to Social Work class. I was talking about working with the elderly population, since that is what I do.

A friend of mine asked me back in August if I would do this, of course I said yes. And then completely forgot about it. Yesterday she sent me a FB message reminding me that I was scheduled to speak tomorrow (which was today).

I instantly got butterflies.

But really I think it may have been better that I forgot because I only had one night to stress about it instead of weeks or months.

After all is said and done, it went really well. I actually really like public speaking, but I always get super nervous before hand. And I think I was more nervous because it was a bunch of students, who could potentially snore me out of the room if I was a complete failure. But I wasn't, I conquered my fear. So just like my hubby, I am a champion! haha

p.s. these photos really made me laugh because they are all the exact same, only slightly different. i feel a little conceited looking at them, but really i am not - i swear. i think i am a huge dork. oh and then i decided to throw in a random shoe photo. lol

p.s.s. please ignore the wig package on the counter. the store had all their halloween stuff 90% off, so i got that bad boy for 50 cents!!

animal instinct premiere

blouse from target, express pants, shoes from urban outfitters, ring from janeys jewels

You remember when I talked about developing my personal style here. Style bloggers continue to be a daily inspiration for me. All day I have been super excited about this post because it is another first for me (my first first here, get it?).

This is my first time wearing leopard print!

I am not sure why, but it just makes me feel like I just got promoted in the fashion world. (don't laugh. haha!)

If you follow me on twitter. You have heard that I am sick. Well I am at the beginning stages of that something going around. I sure wish someone would figure out what something is because it is really an epidemic. I mean I am constantly hearing about people having something.

Anyway, my symptoms are as follows: headache, sinus pressure, fatigue, constant runny left nostril, and slightly achey throat.

Anyone have a clue as to a diagnosis?

For now I am just drinking lots of water and taking my vitamins. I will let you know how it goes. I hope none of you get something.

it was a monday kind of day

Well friends, today was for sure a Monday.

Work was quite busy for me. Our office is going through a lot of changes and transition usually requires some extra work. I am sure things will get better; it's just getting there that is the hard part.

Hubby also had a rough day. He worked 15 hours (he is such a dedicated nurse!). Needless to say, he is pooped too.

So now that we are both finally done with work and home together; we are going to relax and turn off our brains for the night.

We just wanted to be sure to stop by and say hello!

I hope your week started off well.

Who's ready for Halloween?? Me, me!!

it's business time

old navy top, cardigan from target, h&m skirt, betsey johnson tights via tjmaxx, rocketdog shoes

This is who I call Professional Amber™.

For the last couple months I have been working on improving my work wardrobe, and I'd have to say I am doing quite well. I was pretty excited to throw on a pair of tights with this outfit. Although I want to look professional at work, I like throwing in a little twist - the tights were my twist today.

Have you ever seen the show Flight of the Conchords? If you have, then you are familiar with the song Business Time (which is currently stuck in my head). If you haven't, then you need to get with the times and check it out. It's funny because this particular song has nothing to do with actually working. It's about "working," wink wink. So maybe I need to find another song to have in my head to get motivated and be productive at work.

Do you have any tips to being super productive?

a quick hello from work

Hello Friends! I decided to share with you what I am wearing today. I wanted to be simple, yet chic for work. This was a very easy outfit to throw together because there are not a lot of elements, but I still really like it.

(I was also looking for an excuse to use this new photo app on my phone) ha!

And I noticed I have 50 followers now, WELCOME!! Thanks for taking the time to share my life with me :)

banana republic shirt, express pants, nine west shoes, verizon android phone vignette app :)

whine and cheese

Today was hump day at work. The middle day in my work week that seems to be lasting forever. It really felt as though it should have been Friday today. Ugh. Does anybody else have weeks that feel this way?

Things have been steadily busy in my life and this stupid sickness bug has been lingering along with me. So my sleep has not been the greatest, thus contributing to my exhaustion. Man, I feel like I sound like a big complainer! lol I don't mean to be whining, but I don't feel all that great, so yes, I will have some cheese with my w(h)ine please - thank you.

bittersweet view

how I see the world outside my office

Having a large window in my office is really bittersweet. On one hand, it allows me to have a distraction from my work when I need a second to breath. It also allows me to day dream and feel as though I am getting some sort of fresh air. I really like my view of Lookout Mountain in the background. On the other hand, it is like torture because I am stuck behind the dirty glass and long to be on the other side. Days like today, when it is bright blue sunny skies it is especially bad. My hubby has the day off and he is at home enjoying time with Ashley and the kids....I hate to admit it, but I am so jealous! And I really don't like this jealous feeling.

On a brighter note, tonight is date night! We have changed our plans a few times already, so who knows what we will end up doing. All I know is that we will get some much needed couple time, and that makes me smile :)

monday, monday

My desk

I am not a big fan of Monday mornings. Monday morning just means I have a full week of work ahead and this is only the beginning. I especially do not like THIS morning because I would much rather be spending time with the kiddos today. Did I mention that it rained both days this weekend? And of course today it is beautiful blue skies!

When I left the house this morning (late of course), Kaleb was laying in my bed watching cartoons with Jack and my sis had just gotten up with Adelynn. My hubby, Jason, was at the gym working out. Why oh why do I have to work?? I am meant to be a housewife!