kaduka

January 4, 2013

frenchie friday

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a nice week!

I'm going to start a new segment on my blog called Frenchie Friday. My boyfriend and I both own two French Bulldogs and as my friends can all tell you I am OBSESSED with these little Nuggets. I post a million pictures of them on Instagram and I pretty much have made myself look like a crazy dog lady. So instead of turning another social media platform into a documentation of my love affair with French Bulldogs, I will keep the posting to one day a week.

Here is the first post, enjoy!

Pig and Reggie cuddling up to stay warm

Reggie in his new sweatshirt

The Nuggets sleeping while I work from home

The holidays wiped this little guy out

Pig has decided he likes Reggie's bed too

January 3, 2013

OOTD - blazer and blouse

Hello everyone, just thought I'd post a quick OOTD for you! This outfit is brought to you by my mom who gave me the blazer, blouse, and jewelry for Christmas. I've been dressing a bit differently at my current job since they are more on the conservative side. I try not to wear jeans as much and if I do I try to keep the wash more professional and the rest of the outfit professional and tailored as well. I feel like you can't go wrong with a blazer, blouse, jeans and nice flats!

Goals for 2013

I'm not a huge fan on New Year's Resolutions but I always like to set a few goals for things I would like to accomplish. Here are my goals for 2013:

Start blogging again. I am sure all of my followers have noticed but I took about a year and a half off of blogging. I started this blog with the intention of making it a fashion blog but it didn't really feel like me. Now I will be blogging about all things in my life and see what my niche happens to be :)

Run a Marathon. I have completed 3 half marathons already but when a friend suggested we run 26 miles at 26 years old, I couldn't turn down the challenge!

Clear skin. I have had horrible skin since the age of 14. I have tried every product, was on Accutane for 7 years (yes, I now know how terrible this was for me) and nothing seems to keep my skin clear for more than a few months. This year I am determined to figure out a skin care regime and get in a routine to have clear and healthy skin.

Go on a vacation outside of the US. I am not sure this goal will be accomplished this year because of finances and a few weddings I will be attending, but I really want to try and keep it. I have never really traveled in my life and it's something I have always wanted to do. I have turned down a few opportunities with friends and I want to make sure I never do that again.

Get my finances in order. I have been pretty good with money since I graduated college but I feel like I have totally let myself go over the past 6 months. I have spent beyond my means and it shows in my shrinking savings account. I don't have any debt but I really want to start focusing on saving and investing this year so I am better prepared to buy a house, buy a car, get married, and possibly have kids. Some of my goals with money include:

Max out my IRA for 2013 ($5K)
Put $5K more in my Emergency Fund
Put $2K more in my main savings account
Save enough money for a vacation outside of the US ($5K???)

I will try to update everyone on these goals over the next few months. To me, they all seem like they will be a little tough but completely doable. Did you make any goals or resolutions for 2013? What are they and how do you hope to accomplish them?

January 2, 2013

2013, I welcome you.

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a great NYE and are fully recovered and ready for 2013.

2012 was a good year for me overall. I had some serious life changes occur, but even still I felt like 2012 treated me well. I got a new job, made some new friends, starting dating my current boyfriend, and felt pretty great about life! Much better than 2011, which was pretty much a freaking disaster.

Since life has been continuing to stay on this nice and mellow path, I am looking forward to see what 2013 has to offer!

Are you excited for the New Year? How did you celebrate and get ready for 2013?

At a comedy show on NYE 2012

Friends and boyfriend at comedy show

One of my favorite pictures of Pig sleeping

It has been such a joy to have Reggie in our family this year

Both the nuggets hanging in bed with me :)

December 28, 2012

are you guys getting serious?

"You and your boyfriend have been dating a long time, are you guys getting serious?"

I hate this question. But unfortunately, this was the first thing most of my family members asked this past week.

Normally I just laugh and say "things are going well" and leave it at that, but this holiday season I felt as though this answer wasn't enough. The questions kept coming and included "Have you talked about getting married? Having kids? Is he the one?"

I felt so stuck. I didn't know how to tell them, things are great, but no, we haven't talked about marriage and no he doesn't want kids, or we have been dating a year but that doesn't mean we should be settling down.

Looking back on the week, I know they were just asking because they are family and haven't seen me for a year but it didn't make the questions any easier to answer. Maybe it was the constant reminder that I am 26 and that my "time is ticking" or the fact that I don't know how to answer their questions because I am unsure of the answer myself, but either way, it was extremely uncomfortable.

I know I'm not the only person this happens to when they visit family over the holidays, but why do people feel that they have the right to ask people these personal questions? I do want to get married and have kids one day but now is not the right time.

Do you get asked these questions at family gatherings? Does it bother you when people ask?

December 19, 2012

need a little love in my life

I just adore this sweater. Adore :)

December 18, 2012

soul mates

Do you believe in soul mates? I know this may seem like a silly question but it's something that I have been thinking about a lot lately. I used to think that everyone had a soul mate and that nothing would stop two people from being together, but as I grow older (and maybe more cynical?) I am not so sure this is true anymore.

Do I believe in soul mates? Yes, I still very much do- but I don't think we always end up with our soul mates. Life gets messy and we make poor decisions and people move on...things don't always work out the way we plan. I think you can be in love with someone, but it doesn't make them your soul mate. I think a soul mate is someone you think about each and every day, even though you haven't seen them in months, even years. A soul mate is someone you connect with on such a level that you don't even have to think, you can just be. You are your complete self around this person because they already know who you are.

I consider myself lucky to have met such a person. I don't know if everyone gets this opportunity.

September 11, 2012

my anthro wishlist

Spring Anthro by nstob

Celebrity Closet-Keira Knightley by wedancefordreams

Anthropologie is one of those stores I always wanted to shop at when I was younger but never actually did because it is so expensive. When I got my first job out of college (and my first steady paycheck) I would occasionally browse Anthropologie and if I saw something I loved, I would purchase it. However, I found that the quality did not always meet the price tag and eventually stopped shopping there altogether.

This week I have been working in downtown San Francisco and had to run an errand in Union Square which was right by the Anthropologie. They had some cute items in the window display and later that night I decided to browse their website. I found these gems above and am debating on purchasing them.

What do you all think? Is Anthropologie clothing worth the price? What if it is on sale?

more of the green jean

I love all of the bright colors that are popping up this spring! However, like any trend, these bright colors may not be around for more than a few seasons. Living in a somewhat trendy city like San Francisco, I like to be apart of the stylish fun, but I also have to remember that I have a tight budget. Rather than feeling left out I tend to save my splurges on classic items (such as a white tee, black blazer, and bag) and then opt for cheaper versions of the clothes that are trendy this season season.

These green pants are from UO and at only $58 they aren't breaking the bank. The examples below are different ways I have seen these jeans styled. My favorite is the last image, very Kate Spade with the pink and green!