Not Another LA Blonde

Blog

5 Things I Learned in 2017
Y’all can we just take a second and let it sink in that it is actually 2018 already. Personally, I feel like my whole month is already booked. I’m busy every weekend and I don’t see any signs of it slowing down! For me, January is filled with basketball games that my girls have to cheer at and competitions pretty much every Saturday and then wedding things every other day of the week.

With all that being said, there are a few things that I learned in 2017:
1. Don’t let the small stuff bother you: In my opinion this is huge. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve had to stop and think about what is worth getting into an argument about. I’ve learned that not everything is worth getting mad about and that some things are just out of your control no matter how hard you try to keep it in your control. This is a constant struggle for me because I let everything get to me ALL the time.
2. Take time for you: Be a little selfish. You only have one life to live, so say no sometimes. Take the time you need to become the best version of yourself.
3. Don’t tell your secrets to everyone: Ah this is another huge one! I’ve learned the hard way that you can’t trust everyone even if they seem like you can. Find your trusted friend, coworker, family member or whatever and hang on tight to them. Not everyone needs to know everything about your life. There are people out there who would love to know every little dirty secret, but they don’t have your best interest at heart.
4. It’s ok to cry: I’m a huge crier ALL THE TIME!! My parents and brothers actually use the phrase “When is she not crying?” when describing me. 2017 brought A LOT of tears. Wedding planning is hard y’all and the tears come easily.
5. Let go: let go of the need to control everything. Let go of the self doubt. Let go of any negativity. Let go of anyone holding you back. Just let go of it all. Learn to delegate. Know that you can’t take on the whole world all by yourself. There are people who want to help you.
2017 was quite a year. I had plenty of self doubt, there were tears (more than I’d like to admit), there were days that I just wanted to run away from everything and say see ya later. I also learned quite a bit about people this past year. Who knew that planning a wedding would be so stressful when people tell you that it’s the best time of your life? I see other people being successful and I wonder when it will be my turn or if my blog will ever be more than just a hobby?

BUT don’t get me wrong, 2017 was filled with soooo many great things and I’ve been blessed to live the life that I have (you can read my 2017 post here), but it doesn’t mean every day was easy. Things take time and I want y’all to remember the 5 things I talked about above and learn with me. I want to keep growing to become the best version of myself.

I can’t wait to get further into 2018 and to see what not only the year has in store for me, but what God has in store for me and my soon-to-be husband AND I can’t wait to share it all here with you!

XOXO
January 10, 2018
January LP After Party Sale

Happy Wednesday and happy 2018 y’all!!! There’s no better way to kick off the new year than with a great sale! So drum roll please…the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale is now LIVE. I shopped this sale back in August and loved it, so when I got the email about the sale in January, I knew it was a must shop. This is one of the only times that Lilly items go on this kind of sale and let me tell ya, it is totally worth it. The wait time this morning to get into the sale said 25 min, but it only took 20 (there were about $14,000 people in front of me!). Once I got in thought I had no problems maneuvering around the sale and finding things that I LOVED. You can check out the sale through this link here and then hit the “shop now” button!

Below I’ve linked some of my favorite items (I actually purchased quite a few, even though my credit card might be crying and the rest were items that I just loved). Very important to note is the fact that all items are FINAL SALE so you have to be 100% you want the item and that it’s your correct size.

Row one: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

Row two: 1 / 2 / 3

TAMIAMI OFF THE SHOULDER TOP (Multi Sun Splashed)

Normally $64     On Sale for $19

This top is super cute. I got this in my normal size, XS. I love the pinks and oranges in it. I think that this top will transition very nicely from Spring to Summer. I bought this with the hopes of wearing it on my honeymoon!

SLEEVELESS ESSIE TOP (True Blue Seas the Day)

Normally $58     On Sale for $24

I got this style top during the August After Party Sale and loved it so much. I like the way it fits and is nice and cool when it’s hot. I originally purchased this in an XS and it was just a little bigger than I would have liked. I put this one in my cart this morning, but moved too slow and it sold out in my size!

KEY ID CASE (Multi Coco Coral Crab)

Normally $28     On Sale for $14

How cute is this ID holder? It’s perfect for taking to the beach or if you just need a little something to keep your ID in. I like that you can attach your keys to it as well. This is perfect for vacation!

PACKABLE ESCAPE WEEKENDER (Multi the Swim Accessories)

Normally $134     On Sale for $99

This is such a good deal for this bag! It is $35 off making it under $100! It looks like the perfect size for a weekend getaway or a carry-on for the plane! I already made my purchase and I have WWAAYYYY too many bags, but I would have definitely bought this bag!

CRAYTON RACER BACK TANK TOP (Indigo Keep on Trunkin)

Normally $48     On Sale for $19

How can you pass up a $19 Lilly tank? Especially one with elephants on it! This is such a cute, casual look. This tank is over 50% off!

ESSIE TOP (Multi Sea Salt and Sun)

Normally $58     On Sale for $24

I ended up getting this one this morning during my online shopping trip! This is very similar to the one I talked about above, 4 items up. I had this in my shopping cart during the August sale and didn’t end up getting it, but I was lucky enough to get it this time!

COURTNEY SHIFT DRESS (Brilliant Blue Catch and Release)

Normally $178     On Sale for $54

Ok y’all this dress is more than 50% off! I just had to get it, I got it in my regular size 0 so hopefully it fits the way I’d like it to! And can we just take a min to talk about how cute the back of this dress is! Talk about showing a little skin (in a good way)! I def bought this with my honeymoon in mind!

ROXI TOP (Multi Sea Salt and Sun)

Normally $108     On Sale for $29

I actually love this top, but I didn’t end up getting it. I had to weigh the pros and cons of it and couldn’t come up with enough times that I might wear this. At over 70% off, this top is such a steal and I highly recommend getting this if you think you’ll wear it!

During this year’s January sale, I bought with my honeymoon in mind. We’ll be going somewhere beachy/tropical in June and how perfect are these pieces?! My advice to all y’all shopping today or tomorrow is to think about things that your summer wardrobe was missing last year or what you think you may want this year and buy it. Go for it; I know that it’s close to Christmas and you may not want to spend that much, but this sale only happens twice a year. Get a head start on your summer wardrobe now! Even though I had to wait in a virtual line to get into the sale, once I was in it was smooth sailing! I can’t wait to get my things in the mail so I try them on and share with y’all what I love about each piece.

Let me know if any of y’all hit the online sale today or if there were any special finds that you picked up. I’d love to hear all about your experience!

XOXO

January 3, 2018
Goodbye 2017…

Happy New Year’s Eve y’all! Can you believe that 2018 is only a few hours away! At the end of every year I feel like each of us takes a moment to sit and reflect on the highs and lows of the past year. So as I sit here (not getting ready to leave, aka late as always) and reflect on my past year, I can’t help but think about how there were so many good things to look back on from this past year, but there are so many things to look forward to for 2018.

Let’s recap 2017:

2017 was a BIG planning year for Rob and I. We booked and planned most of our wedding and surprisingly didn’t get into any big arguments about details or anything! Rob got a huge promotion at work which is a great thing for the two of us! AND I also got a little more comfortable with blogging and posting on social media more. I learned how important it is to be engaging with my readers and look forward to learning a lot more this next year.

JANUARY:

I kicked off the new year with a trip to New York with one of my bffs. I absolutely love visiting New York and you can read all about this trip here.

FEBRUARY:

We picked out and reserved our wedding venue!

We also celebrated Valentine’s Day at Skyspace in LA.

MARCH:

We kicked the month off by celebrating Rob’s 27th birthday

And took our engagement photos!

APRIL:

This month always signifies the start of BASEBALL season, so we went to OPENING DAY for the Angels!

We ended the month with our annual trip to STAGECOACH! This year

JUNE:

I bought myself a “happy one year until the wedding” gift and got a new car. I paid for it entirely on my own with just a little bit of negotiating help from Rob.

JULY:

I found my dream wedding dress! i can’t wait to show y’all what it looks like after the big day, but if you’re really curious, you can read all about my experience here.

I also celebrated my 25th birthday in Palm Springs!

AUGUST:

We kicked off the wedding festivities with an Engagement Party!

SEPTEMBER:

We had our official food tasting at our wedding venue (I promise to post about this in the new year!).

NOVEMBER:

With Rob’s promotion at work, came a business trip to LONDON

and then we took a little detour to PARIS before coming home (I will def be posting about these two amazing trips within the first week of the new year).

So as you can see from above, 2017 was quite the year for us. There were so many good things to happen, I would say, I don’t know how 2018 can top it, but I have a good idea of how it will be the best year yet!

To start, 2018 will be a year of big change! I’m hoping to grow my blogging business and become more successful with it. I’m looking to rebrand a little bit and makes a few changes while still keeping true to who I am.

Another big thing will be finding a place for us to live. Since housing in Los Angeles is pretty pricey right now, we’ll be looking at places that we can rent and bring our little pup with us. I can’t wait to find that new home for us and start decorating and putting our own style into it. We’ll be starting from complete scratch, so it’s going to be an expensive start for us, but so worth it in the end.

And the final thing that is most important to me is my wedding in June! I will finally be marrying the man of my dreams and I can not wait to become a wife to this amazing man.

I can already see that 2018 will truly be my year to shine and I can’t wait to grow and share it all with y’all! Thank you for your continued support of me and this crazy life I live!

XOXO

December 31, 2017