Dressing Up....AT WORK?!???!

I have always had jobs where dressing up was the LAST thing on anyone's mind.  Does a fancy skirt really make a better latte?  Do perfectly tailored slacks really assist in testing blood for certain diseases?  Do your clients even care that you have J.Crew on (and styled just so) from head to toe?

No.

In my new path, dressing up is apparently imperative.  I grumbled at the thought of stuffy office attire, but leave it to EmersonMade to raise me up when I was wrong!  And I was so, so wrong.  I love pretty much every piece of their fall line!

*SWOON*

Ch-Ch-Changes

My first week of book-learnin' has been amazing!  And by amazing I mean all-encompassing of my free time!  I love Goldteef and it has become a little place for me to check in with my family and friends, but I will have to give the 'Teef a little less of my attention during this new school adventure!

Don't worry!  Goldteef will still have regular updates and lovies...but I think I can only eek out three to four posts a week with this heavy duty brain workout I'm involved in.  I also want to work on creating more quality posts as opposed to just quantity, ya know?  I knew you'd understand!  Now back to the books!  xo.

Link Love and Lovelies

Like, whoa.  Talk about a shift.  This past week has been soooooo...just, SO, you know?  I started my new program on Monday and not only is it going to be a full-time job, I'm going to LOVE it.  I had this moment where my stomach did a total cartwheel and I realized that I really BELONG in this program.  It was a funny realization because I have tried for so long to stay away from medicine. 

This week also reminded me of how important my friends are to me.  I have a very dear and old friend who is very ill right now and I have to ask you to send healing thoughts his way.  He is a bright and hilarious energy that could use some positive energy right now.  Thank you for thinking of him for me.

I re-learned this week that subsidized health care is a MUST in this country.  From the basis of my new graduate program to the battles my friend is fighting with modern medicine, paying for any of this out of pocket would be an impossibility.  Health care is imperative and I feel it should be a right, not a privilege.

So as I step down from my soapbox, here's some loveliness for your summer weekend!

~ Love these fresh recipes!

~ Love this attention to detail.

~ So beautiful and amazing.

~ In love with this shirt.

~ TOTALLY identify with this.

~ WHOA.  And awesome.

~ This style.  Forever.

Have a restful weekend.  

xo.

Natural Beauty: Dry Shampoo

Isn't this ad from the 70s ridiculous??  But honestly, I hate the greasies more than you know when it comes to my hair.  I also hate getting up even a nanosecond before I absolutely have to, and sometimes washing my hair just ain't an option.  Enter the holy freaking grail of dirty hair: dry shampoo.

I really like Salon Grafix Invisible Dry Spray Shampoo.  It really is invisible and adds an amazing texture to your hair.  If I'm going to braid my hair, even if it's squeaky clean, I spray this on to help the hair "grip" and stay in place before I start braiding!  A bottle lasts forever and you can pat your back for being a natural beauty and saving so much water;)!

Another cheapcheap option for dry shampoo is an old school fave, Psssssst Instant Spray Shampoo.  While this does leave a white powder on your hair at first, one you work it into your roots, your volume and texture will rival Brigitte's and the white powder magically disappears!  A bottle of this stuff will also last you a million years, so your down to, like, negative pennies per use.

 Batiste has had a cult following in the dry shampoo department for awhile and while I've never used Batiste Dry Shampoo, I have an ALWAYS well-coifed fashionable friend who swears by it!  Her tip is to use it on clean hair from the get-go for great volume and control.  Girl's hair is amaze and this is the next dry shampoo on my shopping list.  Trust.

Beauty Bite: Hair

That is all.

SLC Bites Summer 2011

Yesterday, Shug and I had an adventure!  We were able to secure two spots for the summer SLC Bites, which is part of Slow Food Utah, an organization committed to delicious, locally sourced, seasonal, and REAL food.  The founders of SLC Bites took the time to tell us that they were motivated to add some fresh faces to the usually "seasoned" foodie crowd of Salt Lake City and by the looks of it, the twenty to thirty-somethings were out in full force for the event at the 15th Street Gallery!

We started the evening out with antipasti from Caputo's Market that featured cheeses made from a local Eden dairy and Creminelli cured meats.  I really liked the sour cherry preserves added to cut the creaminess of the cheese.  I may or may not have scarfed down 8 of these...

 We then moved on to a lightly seared ahi tuna medallion with toasted buckwheat and a green olive.  It was delicious!  The chef from Forage, Viet Pham, always does an amazing job of juxtaposing textures, and that was in full effect here!  (He also has fabulous taste in shoes!)

The true comfort food of the night was a pulled ginger pork banh mi, dressed with fresh cilantro, jalapeno, carrot, daikon, and cucumber for crunch.  Chef Tommy Nguyen was nice enough to make one bun-free for my gluten sensitivities!

Dessert was a gin concoction with a pineapple sorbet and smoked cedar notes!  It was a palate cleanser!  As the sorbet melted, it sweetened and mellowed the gin...soooo delicious!

Shug and I had a wonderful night and we hope to attend the next season's SLC Bites event!

Music Hair: Gauntlet Hair

 

If you haven't listened to Gauntlet Hair yet, 

you are missing out on a fun, echo-y, hand clap filled romp.

Hailing from Denver, Colorado, this experimental duo has the heartbeat of anthem rock 

cut with cryptic lyrics and a drum machine.

Get them in your life.

xo.

Link Love and Lovelies

Yaaaaaaaaawn!  This week has worn me OUT.  Tying up loose ends at the final days at my job, checking things off my list of things that need to be completed for school, AND remodeling our kitchen has made for a crazy week.  I have a serious date with a nap on Sunday afternoon...Oh man, I'm gonna nap so right!  Do you have any fun plans for your weekend?

Here's some lovelies:

~ I could LIVE in this tumblr is it were possible!

~ Oddly beautiful.

~ Imma bake you and eat you!

~ LOVING her style right now.

~ What a great idea!

~ YES to everything happening in this outfit.

~ This looks SO good.

Have a restful weekend!

xo.

Home Stretch

Whew!  My last week of work couldn't have been busier!  In the craziness of finishing up with my clients at work, Shug and I decided we wanted to get our kitchen remodel finished before school started...YEAH. 

Maybe not the best decision in the world, but our entire kitchen is sitting in a pile in our backyard now, so we don't have a choice but to continue!  The remodel noise has done a number on the poor pups, too!  Ruby went to stay in the fresh mountain air with Grandma and Grandpa 'Teef while Tucker gets a daily trip to doggy daycare.  I bet Rubes won't want to come back to stinky ol' SLC after a weekend running around in the hills!

Wish us luck...I have my fingers crossed that we will be finished with the big stuff by Monday...cause that's back to school time!  Eeek!

Platforms, Please

I will take any one of these platforms, please.

And thank you;).

Kitchen Demo Lite

Signs you are really, truly a grownup now:

~ You spend your anniversary weekend eating Taco Bell to save moolah.

~  Said anniversary weekend is also spent wrestling 60-year old cabinets out of your kitchen.

~  You are now a proud owner of a sledge hammer.

~  But you only bought the sledge hammer 

after tapping away at counter tops built for the zombie apocalypse 

with a regular ol' pantywaist hammer

...for SIX hours.

~  You had a sincere discussion about garbage disposals.

~  THEN, you spent YOUR SHOE money on a garbage disposal...

~  The best part of your day was collapsing into bed and holding your husband's hand,

knowing you did a grownup kitchen demo together.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Annnd we're still not done!

Music Monday: Flower Orgy

 

I can't get enough of the rough and fun sound of Flower Orgy.

This video, Boneyard, is a silly green-screen romp though what looks like

a summer day filled with chain smoking!

While I don't condone smoking, 

I couldn't stop laughing at the awesome dude dancing in his apartment!

Have a good Monday!

Link Love and Lovelies

Is is it just me or has this summer flown by?  I really can't believe I have a just little over a week to finish up at my job and start my master's program!  I'm excitednervousstressedhappygrateful!

Shug and I are going to start the adventure of demo-ing our kitchen this weekend!  Our hopes are to have it all rebuilt before school starts the following Monday...wish us luck;)!

Here's some link love for your weekend:

~ What a lovely Frances Bean she's grown up to be.

~ Hey girl, the only GIFs you'll ever need.

~ Still loving the choices people make on this site.

~ Love this dress and styling!

~ A perfect explanation about "resort collections."  

I didn't know what they were!

~ Let me loose in this shop and I'm liable to do some serious damage!

~ Another reason I love Kristin Chenoweth.

Have an adventurous weekend!

Via.

Maxi Skirts

I have been longing (pun intended;)) for a maxi skirt to pair with a tank or a breezy tee.

There's something so ladylike and chic about these longer skirts.

I especially love pleats and pops of color!

This is pretty much the epitome of the perfect outfit for me: 

crisp, classic shirt, comfy but cute sandals, flattering red bottoms, 

and messy, lovely hair!  I'd even take the fro-yo!

The hunt continues!

Source.

Reflection on My Adventures in Grown-Up Land

I only have 10 (10!!) days left at work before I leave and start down this (kinda;)) new path of school.  While I am so grateful for the experience I've gained and the clients I've had the privilege to work with, there have been more than a few things that have struck me as imperative to remember and I now consider myself warned for the next go-round in Grown-Up Land.  Some valuable things I've learned:

~ Ethics are a sweet little dream academia makes up 

that is rarely enforced in the "real world."

~In further detail, ethics are actually a joke.  As in haha funny.

Especially when brought up in meetings.

~ Nobody is going to stick up for you except YOURSELF.

~ Boundaries are very, very important.

~That said, NOT bringing your work home is virtually impossible.

~ Never accept a job that does not pay you for being "on-call."

~ Just because an individual identifies as a "grown-up" 

does not mean they identify as "professional."

~ Do your job and do it well.

 ~Don't try to do other people's jobs well.

Taking on more lets the inadequate individuals slip by on credit you deserve.

~ You always have more to learn.

~ Even if you work at the most vile, horrible establishment,

rise above it and keep those bridges intact.

This may sound like sour grapes, but those that are close to me know that I've had a pretty "educational" year in Grown-Up Land.  I want to reiterate how thankful I am that I have had a job in this recession and that I was able to work with some of the most inspiring and selfless clients and coworkers.  I also want to emphasize how fortunate I am to have a wildly supportive husband, family, and circle of friends that have truly carried me through one of the toughest years of my life.  I love you.  I know that I haven't been able to express that eloquently or often enough, but you are my reason for being.  And trying.  And dreaming.

Dreaming in Scarves

It has been pretty warm in Utah, lately.  While I am hardly done with summertime yet, I have been starting to miss my favorite fall and winter accessory: the scarf.

These gauzy, dreamy confections from Scout and Catalogue look like the perfect transition from summer warmth to the chill of fall.  They even have a built-in "lasso" to make sure your scarf is tied perfectly every time!

Seriously?  How cute are these?!

Music Monday: Norse Horse

 

One thing I love about summertime is the chance to attend a carnival!

The old rides, deep-fried food, and the endless people watching 

are the epitome of nostalgic summer fun to me!

Norse Horse has a dreamy California sound that pairs perfectly 

with their video of carnival rides and lights. 

Friday Link Love and Lovelies

 

Oh, man.  I'm so glad it's the weekend!  This is also one of my last on-call weekends!  Woot, woot!  I hope you have something fun planned!  Whatever you do, be sure to appreciate the sunshine, I can't believe it's August already!

~ More of these awesome and inspiring clips!

~ Like stepping back in time.

~ Courtney must read my natural beauty posts;)!

~ What a lovely gift for a guy.

~ May I live here, please?

~ Making this this weekend!

~ Actually, gonna make this, too!  (Gluten free, obvs!)

Have a restful weekend!

Summer Beauty Goodies

It's been pretty warm here in Utah and I've found a few favorite makeup pieces that still make a gal look polished without layers of makeup!  I am always "glowing" (read: a sweaty Betty) for most of the warmer months, so tons of makeup just melts off my face as soon as I step out of the a/c!  These are all great options for the heat!

This Soft Matte Lip Cream from NYX is the BOMB.

It's totally build-able and gives this velvety color pop to your lips.

Add mascara and you're good to go!

Benetint Rose-Tinted Lip and Cheek Stain is the holy grail of a natural-looking flush!

It really stays put all day long and gives a soft color to your lips and cheeks.

SO. PRETTY.

 

Laura Geller Bronze-n-Brighten is a great way to add some "sun" to your face.

I like to sweep it on after I put on my sunglasses.  It sounds crazy, but adding bronzer to your temples, above your eyebrows, and just underneath your cheekbones makes you look like you have a natural tan!  Try it, it really works!

July 24th, 2011

While everyone in Utah was waiting to celebrate Pioneer Day, history was being made in New York.  I loved looking through this collection of couples that were finally able to tie the knot!  One sweet couple had been engaged for 36 years.  I teared up reading all of the endearing and lovely things these couples had to say.  I <3 New York!

Via A Cup of Joe

And We're Back...

Oh, man.  In my haste to get out of town, I completely spaced about posting!  My bad!  I can tell you that Shug and I had such a nice relaxing getaway!  While the weather didn't really cooperate with our plans of spending hours and hours by the pool (it was stormy almost the whole time!), we did get a couple of hours of sunshine towards the end of our stay!  I think my skin was happier with that arrangement anyway!

I'll have to tell you more about the hoity-toity place we stayed at, too.  Not gonna lie, it made me thankful for the great service I've gotten at tiny hostels and family-owned hotels...More on that later!  I've got some unpacking and readjusting to real life to do!