Save or Splurge: Riding Boots.

Last year I invested in a pair of Frye boots that I had been lusting over for months. Probably one of the best purchases that I have ever made! I wear them at least 3 times per week from October through March, and based on that, the "price per wear" has definitely been worth it.

In the months leading up to finally biting the bullet, I bought a pair of look-alikes from Target. They were under $50 and I figured that if I never wore them, then I certainly would never wear a pair 6x the price. After running them into the ground (literally, the bottoms were falling apart), I realized that the investment would be worth it. Oh, I also have a really rough time finding boots that fit my wide calves. Its a problem.

This year, I am on the hunt for black riding boots.

Most of (and by most of, I really mean all of) my outfits have matched perfectly with my cognac colored Fryes. I'm pretty partial to them, and am not 100% positive that I will wear the black ones and love them just as much. I've thought about these pairs as "trial pairs" before I invest in the real deal;

Kasia Boot, $75

Sookie Riding Boot, $139

Callipoe Riding Boot, $99

If I find myself in the same situation as last year where I am alternating these black ones with my brown ones on a daily basis, I would love to invest in one of these pairs;

Fulton Harness Boot, $295

Melissa Button Back Zip, $368

Bristol Riding Boot, $495

Anyone else have super wide calves? I also want a pair of cowboy boots, but those are really really really hard to find in New York!!

Weekend Shenanigans: Besties Edition

Whenever I sit down to write these posts on Monday mornings, I always wish that I had taken more pictures throughout the weekend. Oops.

After a crazy week last week, I couldn't have been more thankful to have the weekend off. The timing was perfect, and I was so excited to be able to coordinate a bestie weekend revolving around Hokie Football, serious girl time, and entirely too much vodka.

We met in Greenwich on Friday night, picked up some dinner, and were in bed so early (#grandmastatus) knowing that we had a long day (aka HUGE FOOTBALL GAME) ahead of us. Early Saturday morning we had bottomless coffee, and ran errands until my bank account was seriously hurting (and I finally snagged this sweater at 10% off)! I even made it home with a brand new TV for my bedroom, and have finally been able to organize the disaster that was my room.

Saturday afternoon we baked these Cookies & Cream Rice Krispie Treats for the game. They are amazeballs, and actually turned out just like the picture on Pinterest;

Yum.

By the 7pm kickoff, we were more than anxious and ready for the game to begin. The weather in Miami looked like a typical Blacksburg day, and we knew that it would work to our advantage. There was so much screaming and yelling at the TV, but my Hokies played the best game of the season. The defense was practically flawless, and for the first time in a long, long, long time, so was our offense. No turnovers. No huge mistakes. I haven't been this happy with our performance in a while! We ate way too much pizza, drank way too many fruity drinks, and were utterly high on life by the time the game clock hit zero.

I love college football.

We topped off our night by snuggling in my bed watching replays from the game.
Does anyone else do that? Please, someone reassure me that this is normal behavior...

What did you do this weekend!?
Head over to Sami and Carissa's blog and link up!

5 on Friday!

Linking up with April and friends for 5 on Friday!!

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This is my absolute favorite time of the year. The days are crisp, nights are chilly, and I just get to excited to gear up for the holiday season. There are so many things to look forward to, and all of that just makes me so darn happy!

|| two ||

I haven't been to the movies in almost 6 months. Literally. On Tuesday I saw Enough Said. It was adorable! I always forget just how much I love going to the movies until I get there. Usually when I watch movies at home, I'm passed out halfway through! This one was definitely a winner, and I highly recommend it!

|| three ||

I have been working at our Greenwich location a few days this week and it has been so much fun to see how other stores run their business, and what things I can bring back to my store to make us more successful. Also, Greenwich Ave has a Chipotle, so I am beyond excited to be eating it for lunch. Good thing I don't work here full time, I'd turn into a giant burrito!

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The Hokies have quite possibly the biggest game of the year this weekend, and I am kind of terrified. This season hasn't quite turned out like I had expected (to be honest, we were a lot better than I predicted, until we played Duke and Boston College), but I have not been this nervous for a game all season! Josie is even coming up for the weekend so we can watch the game together and possibly indulge in too many Margaritas depending on which way the score goes...

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I just love this quote. Doesn't it just make you smile?

November Goals.

October was an epic fail at reaching any sort of goals that were set. I can blame it on going on vacation, working crazy hours, finally having a social life again, but that still doesn't change the fact that some of these things need to get done. I mean, I'm running a half marathon in February, and I can barely run 2 miles straight. Not okay.

After September, I think that my October goals were unrealistic. I seem to think that just by putting them on the internet, that will generate the motivation to actually achieve them. Clearly, I am wrong about that. Putting them out there just makes me feel worse when they're not done.

This month I want to focus mainly on doing things that make me happy. Last summer while I was doing Weight Watchers, I was happy. I was refreshed, energized, and able to work harder than I ever had before. November is back to basics.

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Establish a routine.

It only takes two weeks to get into a routine, and I need to start easy. Getting in bed at a decent hour and reading for a while will make me sleep much better. With more sleep, I'll be able to wake up refreshed and ready to take on the day.

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Read 3 books.

In October, I read 3 and started a fourth. I find that I sleep so much better after only 30 minutes of reading per night. I've got a long list of books on my "to-read" shelf on GoodReads that I'd love to make a dent in!

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Save half of each paycheck.

With the impending holiday season, and hopefully a move in the near future, there is no reason to be spending a ridiculous amount of money on unnecessary things.

|| four ||
Christmas shop early.
With Thanksgiving falling so late this year, I have a feeling that the holidays are going to creep up really fast. My goal for the first half of the month is to make a list of the perfect gifts for the fam, just so that I have enough time to get them all together and wrapped by Christmas.

What are your goals for November!?

WILW: Fall TV

Fall seems to finally bring back my favorite trashy television. While Pretty Little Liars is on hiatus until January, there are tons of shows that I am most certainly loving this season!

Sundays:

The Amazing Race

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Mondays:

The Voice

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The Blacklist

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Anyone who hasn't watched this needs to stop what they're doing, turn on the television (or log onto NBC.com), and watch every episode so far this season. James Spader is brilliant, and the writers of this show have done amazing things. I'm obsessed!

Tuesdays:

The Voice

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Ravenswood

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Has anyone else watched this? I really love PLL (although I feel like it is becoming more and more ridiculous with each season), but I'm not 100% sure that I'm hooked on Ravenswood yet. Do I really need another TV show to be hooked on? I'm slightly terrified though (because this is what I do...), that they're going to have too many links between PLL and Ravenswood and I don't want to miss out!

The Biggest Loser

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True or false: Usually as I am watching this show, I down a large bowl of ice cream.
I can't help it. I know, I'm a terrible person.

Wednesdays:

Survivor

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Thursdays:

The Big Bang Theory

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Is this season funnier than all the others, or is it just me? I still watch clips from the episode of the amazing scavenger hunt all.the.time because it was just so funny!

The Millers

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Guys, this show is my life. Literally, I sit there in awe every single week because if my parents were to get divorced, this would actually be what would happen. My Dad could never use a SmartPhone (he still has a flip phone. It plays MP3s from the front. I wish I was kidding), and I can totally see my Mom crashing my brother's parties so she can have her nightly ice cream (sorry, ma).

Saturdays:

College Football.

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While I'm a little bitter about how the last few weeks have turned out for my Hokies, there is nothing better than waking up on a Saturday knowing that the day is full of college football. Whether it is VT, Ohio State, Penn State, that we're cheering for, or all the teams we are cheering against, there is something much more special about college ball than pro.

I can barely keep up with half of these, and most of the time find myself emptying my DVR on my days off. What are your favorite Fall TV shows!?

Save or Splurge: Sweaters

There is really nothing better than throwing on a cozy sweater with some leggings and riding boots to go to work. I know that I am seriously spoiled with what I can wear for my job, but I am especially grateful in the winter for this uniform.

Before I started working at Lilly, I had never considered cashmere as a viable option, mostly because of how expensive it is. I bought my first cashmere sweater in 2011 and haven't looked back. I can definitely see where the price tag of 100% cashmere can turn some people off, but I have also found some amazing alternatives that are equally as cozy! 

Splurge;

Bryn Cardigan, $288

Madison Cardigan, $268 

Fair Isle Sweater, $248

Save;

Bailey Island Pullover, $49

(I'm obsessed with this one)

Cozy V-Neck Sweater, $49

Fair Isle Snow Flurry Sweater, $78

Where do you get your favorite sweaters!?

Oh Hello, Remember Me?

It has been about 3 weeks since I've logged in to Blogger.

To say that it has been crazy since I got back from Florida would be an understatement. I hit the ground running and have finally had time to stop and think about the last few weeks. At this point, my fingers have been itching to blog, and I'm really excited to share some fun things with you all over the next few weeks!

What have I been up to since the last time I posted?

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I was an epic failure trying to reach my October goals. I guess thats what happens when life gets in the way.

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I went to Florida to see my beautiful family.

This is literally my favorite place to be -- in between these two babes!

Some of my favorite ladies.

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We got a new foster pup, Lucas.

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Raised over $1000 at work for Breast Cancer Research at White Plains Hospital with a fashion show featuring looks from our store!

|| five ||

Celebrated my best friend's birthday in the city. 

Loved seeing her. Loved that NYC can almost make a rail like TOTS. Loved catching up with two of my favorite Hokies.

Hated that we had to watch Duke dominate VT.

|| six ||

Fell in love with the new Resort collection at work, and may have emptied half my bank account on cozy cashmere, travel pants, and white jeans. Who needs to save money, anyway?

What have you been up to since I've been gone!?