Weekend Wear

And here is the other outfit that I came up with this morning.  This is totally something I can wear this fall when the weather is in that in between warm and cool stage (if it EVER cools down here in Texas!) when we go shopping or lunching on the weekend.  And of course - I would wear my Converse because they go with absolutely everything.

Weekend Wear by lauranelson83 featuring a striped shirt

Striped shirt
$72 - topshop.com

Current/Elliott short shorts
$63 - theoutnet.com

Converse sneaker
$75 - mytheresa.com

IMoshion leather handbag
$69 - endless.com

Ray-Ban ray ban sunglasses
£60 - my-wardrobe.com

Winter Weekend

I've been on Pinterest for awhile now and I love searching and scouring other people's "pins" to see all the great design and life style ideas that people come up with.  There are also lots of great outfits that are posted from this site called Polyvore.  I went there this morning to check it out and it looks like I might have a new addiction - it's like going shopping without spending so much money!  Hurray!  Here is one outfit that I've put together for this winter.  I love the bright coat (and for a reasonable price too!) as the statememnt piece with everything else around it more or less a muted color.  I really want to rock some knee high boots but I'm deathly afraid that they just won't look right on my body.  Hmm.....we shall see.

Winter Weekend by lauranelson83 featuring skinny leg jeans

J Crew sheer top
£45 - net-a-porter.com

Army pea coat
$90 - delias.com

James Jeans skinny leg jeans
$88 - shopbop.com

Chinese laundry boots
$99 - piperlime.gap.com

TopShop satchel handbag
$110 - topshop.com

Jigsaw chain link necklace
£19 - jigsaw-online.com

50 Questions in 5 Days: Day IIII

31. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive? Playing volleyball for the first time in a year this past June.  It was just a pick-up game with seven other ladies at the gym but it reminded me of the person I was pre-baby.



32. If not now, then when? There isn't anything that I'm putting off right now.  I've done everything that I've wanted to do: marriage, traveling, baby, career...I don't know what the next task to accomplish will be or when it will present itself to me.


33. If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose? I don't like losing so I only go after things that I absolutely know that I can achieve.


34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever? Uh probably not.  I walk away from every conversation feeling like there was always more I should have said, or a better and clearer way I could have gotten my point across.


35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars? Because people are human and have been given free will by God.  And that free will means they have the ability to distort the word of God which can lead to wars.


36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil? If you read the Bible it tells you in black and white what is good and what is evil, but sometimes recognizing those good and evil things or forces in your own world is very difficult.


37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job? Nope.  I would invest a lot of it for college tuitions and retirement and then maybe buy a bigger house with lots of land further out in the country a bit.  But I would keep my job - I would be bored without it AND I don't think it would be enough to live on for the rest of my life without any other source of income.


38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing? I would love to have less work around the house to do.  I love my job and I love coaching, but I do wish that I had to do less of it during the actual season.  Coaching both seventh and eigth graders can get a bit exhausting during the season.


39. Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before? Sometimes during the summer things do tend to get a bit boring and Groundhog Day-esque but luckily school is starting back up soon and we'll all get back on a schedule and things will be more interesting.


40. When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in? Probably never.  There just hasn't been that much controversy in my life.

5 days and 50 Questions: Part III

21. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton? I can tell you from experience that life as a worried genius isn't as bad as it might seem.



22. Why are you, you? That's what I think I've spent my life trying to wrap my brain around.  And it's the most simplest of answers, but the hardest to understand - because God created me this way.


23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend? Recently?  Probably not.  But like everything else in life, relationships ebb and flow - it's always a give and take.  Right now, I'm taking but I know that I'll eventually get back to a place where I can give again.


24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you? I think losing touch with a good friend who lives near you because there really isn't a good excuse for not keeping in contact except for "I don't like you anymore." 


25. What are you most grateful for?  Having God in my life and all the blessings that he has provided me - my family, my friends, my career, my puppy dog.  All of it.  I know how blessed I am.


26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?  Oh gosh.  This sure is a hard one.  On one hand I would lose all memories I have of my grandma but on the other I would never get to remember Natalie as a baby or little girl.  I can't choose.


27. Is is possible to know the truth without challenging it first?  I'm sure Christians who come by their faith easily would say yes - that their faith in God is unwavering and cannot be questioned.  But for me, I had to challenge the truth that I have come to accept in my life as my faith.  I had to hit the bottom to have Him help me back to the top. 


28. Has your greatest fear ever come true?  No.  Thank goodness.


29. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now?  Yes, actually it does because those times five years ago when I was at my lowest and extremely upset have shaped who I am and how grateful I am that I have my life today.


30. What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special?  Playing dolls with my mom or listening to my mom and grandma talk to each other in Italian or French.  Both of these memories are important and special to me because they are memories that I want Natalie to have in her life.  I can't wait to get down on the floor with her and play dolls and I'm so excited to see the special relationship that will blossom between my daughter and my mother.

50 Questions in 5 Days: Part II

11. You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do? I would observe and listen for awhile and think of how to diplomatically and objectively voice a contradictory viewpoint.  I might even wait to let them know that she's my friend until the end of the conversation so that they really feel ashamed of themselves.  Is that bad?  Maybe.  But I would stand up for my friend by offering up well-crafted counter arguments to their statements.  I don't think I would be pushy or aggressive or rude about it though.



12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be? Oh the conversations that Natalie and I have had at night when I am rocking her to sleep.  There is an infinite amount of information I want her to know and take with her for her life.  But one piece?  It would probably be - none of it matters.  None of the clothes, the popularity, the drama, the achievements...all that stuff that gets thrown at them through middle and high school and sometimes even into college.  It just doesn't matter in the end.  All she needs is her confidence, her sense of worth and her family and she'll do fine.


13. Would you break the law to save a loved one? If the person was dying then yes.  But if they had broken the law themselves and were going to prison for it then no.


14. Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity? I think I've seen more the other way around.  What I thought was creativity really was a strong dose of insanity.


15. What’s something you know you do differently than most people? The way I eat.  I don't let my food touch.  I used to make forts with my celery and carrots around my ranch dressing so it wouldn't run all over the place.  And when I would eat pancakes I would carve out a square in the middle to put my syrup so it wouldn't run into the other things on my plate.  Even now when I eat at IHOP I eat the whole yolk of the egg in one bite because I don't like it spreading and touching my other food.


16. How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy? I don't know.  Just the way God built us I suppose.  How come the things that make other people happy don't make me happy? 


17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back? I'd really like to have a wider spectrum of readers on my blog.  I need to get on the BlogHer network and put myself out there on other people's blogs that I read.  I guess what is holding me back is fear that they (the people whose blogs I read but have never met in person) won't like me or want to read my blog...plus the fact that I really don't know where to start.


18. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of? Oh my goodness most definitely I am.  And that's a work in progress.


19. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why? I would move to England.  I would still be in a country where I spoke the language (more or less) and I would be super close to the rest of Europe for any and all the weekend travels and adventures that I want to have.


20. Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster? No, but I do hit the "door close" button once I get in there I don't like sharing the space with people I don't know.

5 Days, 50 Questions: Part I

My 28th birthday is on Sunday and due to circumstances outside of my control...my state of mind has taken a really contemplative turn recently.  So I was stalking around on the internet and found "50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind."  Don't mind if I do.  I would love to free my mind right now.  And since I have five (counting today) days until my birthday, I will do ten questions a day.

Here we go.

1. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? I'll be honest.  I don't feel almost 28.  I watch MTV, play video games and my favorite cereal is Lucky Charms.  My iPod is probably ridiculously similar to my students'.  And they're thirteen.  I guess age really is a state of mind...and if that's true, I'm probably still closer to 16 in some aspects, but in others I feel way too wise for my age.  I was at the 30th birthday dinner for a friend of mine recently and she talked about how "at peace" she felt about turning 30 because she really knows who she is and where she belongs in her life and she is content with that.  I'm looking forward to being 30...and maybe more importantly, being out of my twenties.


2. Which is worse, failing or never trying? I know what I SHOULD answer but that would be lying.  For me, failing is just about the worst thing that could ever happen to me.  I would much prefer to stay on the safe side of things and never try.  Or at least just try the things that I KNOW I will succeed at.

3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do? Yikes.  I should have read through these questions first...maybe I would never have started this project.  Um...I don't "like" doing the laundry or cleaning up after we eat.  But I do it because I "like" having clean clothes to wear and a clean house to live in.  Those are just minor things I suppose.  I guess that's one of the great things about being an adult - you get to choose to do more of the things you like to do so that the things you do but don't enjoy doing don't seem so bad.

4. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done? I say plenty that's for sure.  It's probably one of my worse characteristics BUT I'd like to think that out of all the people out there that say they want to make the world a better place, I am doing it because I'm influencing (hopefully in a positive way) the lives of young people. 

5. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world? Hypocrisy.  Say what you mean and mean what you say.

6. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich? I would probably have the same job tha tI have right now.  I would teach middle schoolers because I love working with that age group, I love being in the classroom and I love having my summers off.

7. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing? I absolutely believe in what I'm doing.  If I didn't, it wouldn't be fair to the kids.  I also believe that this is my calling and what God put me on this Earth to do - teach children and more importantly, provide a well-rounded role model for young girls.

8. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently? I'd be looking to retire.  I guess I probably would have had children earlier than 27 but other than that...I've traveled, I've partied, I've started a family and had a career...I've checked off most of the things on my "to do" list.

9. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken? When I graduated high school I most definitely had a plan: go to college, graduate with honors, get a job teaching, get married and start a family.  I followed that plan.  Now...the one area that I didn't have control over?  Falling in love with one of the coaches in my coaching office who was ten years my senior.  That I did not expect.  And it took a LONG time for me to relinquish control of how I was feeling for him and just admit it - I was in love with him even though he was completely the opposite of what I THOUGHT I wanted, but he ended up being exactly what I NEEDED.

10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things? All of the above.  I want to do the right things, the right way.  This can be a good thing.  This can also be my Achille's heel.

Alright.  That's it for day one.  See you back here tomorrow!

Monday Day Book

Taken from my friend Molly who found it here.


Outside my window...it is 8:45 and the trashmen just came and got the trash.  It's hot.  It's dry.  It's summer in Texas.

I am thinking...of what I will need to pack for Vegas and then what kinds of new outfits I will need to get for my 10 year (eek!) high school reunion that is August 12-13.

I am thankful for...Craig - he has gotten up early with Natalie the past two mornings and let me sleep in.  A rested Mommy is a happy Mommy.

From the learning rooms...We only have two more weeks of summer vacation left and I'm so conflicted.  I love, love, love the lazy, relaxed days of the summer but at the same time I enjoy having a schedule and something structured to do during the day.  I'm a little apprehensive about volleyball season and being away from Natalie so much, but I know that it will be okay because she will be in good hands. 

From the kitchen...we had my favorite "easy" meal last Friday night - chili dogs.  Yum.
I am wearing...shorts, t-shirt and a ponytail.
I am creating...different playlists on my new favorite app for my iPhone - Pandora internet radio.  I've listened to Pandora on my computer before, but just installed it on my phone.  I have a U2 and Kings of Leon station - gotta start Natalie off right by listening to the best kind of music.

I am going...to Las Vegas with Craig a week from today for my 28th birthday celebration.  I'm so excited to get away and just hang out with Craig doing whatever we want, whenever we want but I'm so terrified that something bad is going to happen to Natalie while I'm gone and I'm not going to be there for her.

I am reading...and journaling a book that my friend Jill lent to me.  It's helping.  I'm feeling better.

I am hoping...that I'm able to find some cute clothes when I go shopping later this week.  Adjusting to my new body size is really difficult!

I am hearing...Natalie blowing raspberries while playing on her playmat.

Around the house...we are going to have to get our foundation checked out because we are noticing cracks in a few walls and in the tile downstairs.  Ugh...this could get expensive.

One of my favorite things...Pinterest conference calls with my friend Amy.  Last Saturday while Craig took Natalie shopping for my birthday presents Amy and I were on speaker phone with each other for 45 minutes just perusing Pinterest together looking for party ideas for our kids (Emma - LaLa Loopsy, Jake - Toy Story 3 and Natalie - St. Patrick's Day).

A few plans for the rest of the week: Clothes shopping for Vegas, school and my high school reunion.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...Craig and me at the Wynn hotel for my 25th birthday.