![In honor of my super exciting event @ Madewell tomorrow evening [hope to see y’all there!]
here are a handful of my current favorite picks for summer from the chic retailer:
1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 (on sale!) // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12 // 13 // 14 // 15](http://24.media.tumblr.com/a5e5f4284d8b1832fe6a9dd7c8b69376/tumblr_monlinat5U1qb2seto1_500.png)
In honor of my super exciting event @ Madewell tomorrow evening [hope to see y’all there!]
here are a handful of my current favorite picks for summer from the chic retailer:
1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 (on sale!) // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12 // 13 // 14 // 15
![sweet treats + champagne + a Madewell discount = a shopping party for all Unabashedly Uncorked readers!
Okay you guys!!! I’m super excited to announce this FUN styling event coming up next Thursday evening (serious, mark your calendars) June 20th at Madewell [Crabtree Valley] from 5-7 pm.
To say that I’m absolutely honored to be included in this is an understatement. In my wildest dreams could I have ever IMAGINED the fabulous opportunities this little blog has laid out before me. Not to mention that I now have the opportunity to meet y’all IRL and high-five each one of you for your constant support and love.
I sure hope to see you all @ Madewell next Thursday. And if you’re not local, Taylor has graciously offered to extend the above discount (and free shipping!) all day to anyone that calls and mentions they are an reader (just be sure to mention my blog).
Shoot me a note if you’ll be able to make it [champagnetoasts@gmail.com] and feel free to spread the word to anyone else that likes good company, shopping, & champagne. See you soon, loves!
oxo](http://25.media.tumblr.com/95c330212da6890f046ee139e94fe55b/tumblr_mo6phwSW0w1qb2seto1_1280.png)
I often self reflect, over analyze, and try to figure out just how I can make myself a better person. I think this is one of the reasons I yearn [as a human] for quiet; alone time. I’m very well aware of my downfalls and my short comings and I try each and every day to progressively make myself more successful [be it professionally, personally, or both] than I was the day before.
I had a very hard time “letting go” after my treatment ended. Perhaps it’s the fact of- after countless months of weekly doctors appointments and blood tests- being released back into the wild on my own and not really knowing (having control over) what was next. Or perhaps it was the fear. The growing, nagging fear that the stupid thing was going to resurface and we would have to start all over again at square one. It’s no surprise to anyone that I’m a worrier and letting go is a HUGE challenge of mine.
I’ve had my own personal obstacles since January that have prohibited me from personally progressing the way I would have liked. That’s frustrating, you know? For someone so driven to not be able to make things work just the way she wants them. After all I was able to conquer, it seemed that my biggest opponent was myself.
And then- heaven and earth shifted (kidding)- and I realized that once I stop fighting against myself, life would be much easier. Yes, this sounds like simple potatoes for most people. But for me, for the challenges that I’ve loved bestowing at my own doorstep, this was huge. I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was trying very hard to “take it easy on myself”. I traded in a day of intense exercise for yoga (Raleigh peeps— get thee to Evolve Movement and ask for Emily) in hopes of helping to find some acceptance and some zen. To strip away the stress of the past and just focus on being here where I am right now.
The change has been delightful. Instead of beating myself up over not completing a task perfectly, I’m finally able to look myself in the mirror and laugh about it. It’s okay to not always do EVERYTHING exactly the way you want to. Acceptance of myself has been my biggest challenge to date— and so far, I do think I’m handling this new task quite well.
I’ll say this in the same breath- it’s freeing to let go finally. To look up in the sky on a sunny morning in June and say
“I understand now. I get why this all has fallen into place the way it has. I just hope you give me strength to tackle whatever is next”.
I’m excited about things once again. The feeling of anxiety and fear and dread at the thought of getting pregnant again; the possibly of having to relive the last 18 months of my life is now gone. Instead, I’m trying to revolve my world around the hope for the future.
Is this a constant happening in my life- this peace and personal healing that I’ve found? No. It takes work. But I’m choosing to focus on building and evolving instead of fighting and living in fear of what’s to come. Because after realizing I have little to no control of my own fate, it really makes logical sense for me to waste my time and energy on something more productive.
One breath, one step, one day at a time.
oxo
ITEM OF THE DAY: THE CRONUT // byRomilly Newman // via hellogiggles
I learned about the Cronut’s existence this weekend. And since, I’ve been able to think about nothing else.
get in my belly.
![Do you remember your childhood days spent on the beach?
memories of slathering yourself in Coppertone before heading out into the sun at 10 am
ditching your flip flops and sprinting full speed through the hot sand to the spot just where the waves lapped onto the shore [ahh, relief!]
spending days {weeks} huddled around the sailing shack with hopes that the tanned, toned, and much older boys would take you for a spin on the Hobie Cat
along with your cousins and brother, the hours spent [and Dad’s hard earned money] guzzling over-priced virgin Pina Coladas and Planters Punches and methodically plotting what your lunch choice would be [corndog? chicken fingers? cheeseburger?].
an afternoon nap, dinner, and Tuesday/ Thursday Bingo nights [blue blazers mandatory] at the beach club.
or not so age appropriate movies [Jaws, anyone?] and pizza ordered in with a sitter for us kids while the parents explored the more adult portions of the island
All of these memories stuck firmly in my present as we strolled the crisp, sandy beach on Saturday evening. As children and their sun kissed families dusted the sand off their towels, belongings and headed up the access path for the evening. For what I can assume was an easy dinner, a board game with beverages housed in solo cups, and an early turn-in.
All to rise and do it again in the morning.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/b1f108e28ec32750a6c35d40fa08587a/tumblr_mojhz6iSis1qb2seto1_500.jpg)
Do you remember your childhood days spent on the beach?
memories of slathering yourself in Coppertone before heading out into the sun at 10 am
ditching your flip flops and sprinting full speed through the hot sand to the spot just where the waves lapped onto the shore [ahh, relief!]
spending days {weeks} huddled around the sailing shack with hopes that the tanned, toned, and much older boys would take you for a spin on the Hobie Cat
along with your cousins and brother, the hours spent [and Dad’s hard earned money] guzzling over-priced virgin Pina Coladas and Planters Punches and methodically plotting what your lunch choice would be [corndog? chicken fingers? cheeseburger?].
an afternoon nap, dinner, and Tuesday/ Thursday Bingo nights [blue blazers mandatory] at the beach club.
or not so age appropriate movies [Jaws, anyone?] and pizza ordered in with a sitter for us kids while the parents explored the more adult portions of the island
All of these memories stuck firmly in my present as we strolled the crisp, sandy beach on Saturday evening. As children and their sun kissed families dusted the sand off their towels, belongings and headed up the access path for the evening. For what I can assume was an easy dinner, a board game with beverages housed in solo cups, and an early turn-in.
All to rise and do it again in the morning.
beach bound this morning // catch y’all on the flip side
oxo