here's to 29.

a week from yesterday, i turned 29. january 14th. part of the reason why i feel 2014 is going to be a good year for me. it was as uneventful as it could possibly have been. when i say i worked on my birthday, i mean i worked. i went in for my usual 6am shift. worked until about 1pm and then had to go back for an overnight at 11pm. 

i tried to make the in between as special as possible. i got a fancy lunch and a chai latte from one of my favorite places near my house, bloc 11. and then i watched some bad tv before i spent the next few hours trying to sleep. 

it almost felt a little like a birthday when terry came home from work. he woke me up from my nap with a cupcake with a candle in it. and a few gifts. i had asked for pancakes for dinner which he of course made me. and then we hung out until i had to go back to work.

but overall, it never really felt like i had a birthday this year. and maybe it comes with getting older, too. next year, however, is a big year and i want there to be balloons.

i don't know if it is because it is a new year or i am a year older, but i am starting to feel older, in a good way. i don't know if any of you know this feeling. it isn't because my body aches more (which it does, but not important here), but its more of a mature feeling. i am starting to know what i want. i don't know how exactly to achieve all of these things that i want. but i am as sure as hell not going to settle for anything less this year. 

i want to go into 30 looking back on my 20s, knowing what i learned, how i've changed, and who i have become. but more importantly, i want to look back on 29 and be like 'damn! you did all that this year'. 

i know i am asking a lot of myself, but if i wasn't, how do i expect to change or grow. i keep reminding myself there is a purpose and a bigger outcome from a silly little blog post, those dreaded crunches, or taking the extra time to plan my meals. it is all for the larger goal. its all for becoming that girl i envision myself being.

and as for the clothes, i wanted to feel a little bit special on this particular day. it was this past saturday. and luckily for me, saturdays are my days for layering and wearing heavier season appropriate clothes. if you don't know why, it is 85 degrees or more everyday at work.

i got this jacket a few months ago at, where else, but goodwill. i hadn't worn it yet, but after going through everything in my closet the day before, i vowed to wear it soon. i mixed a couple denims, buttoned up to show off just my collar and my new necklace.

i don't know about the rest of you, but i am really into ankle jeans right now. i also only really like high waisted jeans and finding the combination seems to be a little hard for me. i got this pair of jeans recently. the waist is perfect, but i needed to get them hemmed. something came over me saturday morning and i just took scissors to them. i wasn't waiting. i made them the length i liked and now they have a cool, frayed look.

and i can't post this without mentioning this coat. it is another amazing goodwill find. i can't say it is amazing because a girl working at j. crew yelled at me for how unfair it was that i found it. i love a cape. it is not the easiest to pair with every bag, but boy can you layer under it. this one in particular is a beautiful wool that just happened to be handmade at a company from maine.

layers, layers, and a faux fur hat.

dress // vintage
sweater // madewell
denim jacket // j. crew (awesome christmas present from terry)
camel coat // j. crew
faux fur hat // anthropologie (another awesome gift from terry)
necklace // gift from my mom
boots // zara
bag // coach

this is what i consider a good weekend. i didn't accomplish close to what i had wanted to, but what i did get done felt very good. friday night was the end of the crazy storm, so it was a cozy night in. saturday started with a diner breakfast, a quick trip to target, and a very fulfilling grocery store trip. we had a cart full of green leafy veggies, fruit, and nothing in a package. new year means a lot more clean eating. the rest of the day was spent doing a little cleaning and organizing and a lot of relaxing.

sunday started with coffee and cleaning out my purse. a light bag and wallet surely makes me feel better in many ways. today we really cleaned. we also had a super fancy, yummy breakfast. then the cleaning commenced. i love vacuuming. instant gratification, hearing those little dirt pieces go up the vacuum. i didn't do the organizing and decluttering that i wanted to, but we really got some things cleaned. but we did start a goodwill box and i am looking forward to filling it up even more!

as a mid afternoon break, we took a walk to harvard square. i had a few things to return. i exchanged something for a new calendar, got a few things from anthropologie (there home sale was an extra 50% off!), and had lunch at my favorite spot there, crema.

the cool, crisp air felt really nice to be out in after such a deep freeze. it was calming. it felt nice to be outside. it was a nice, relaxing weekend. i got a few important things accomplished, but the best thing was spending time just feeling calm and relaxed.

and as for today's outfit.. i can't even explain how great it felt to not be wearing my black puffy coat. it is so hard to think about wearing something else when it is so cold out and so early in the morning. today was the perfect day to experiment. and the best way to do that is to layer. i started with a base layer of a vintage, floral dress. added fleece lined tights and a crew neck sweater, my new denim jacket, and then my camel coat. my favorite part of my outfit was my faux fur hat. and since it doesn't really look as cool with my black puffy coat, this was the first time i wore it. this was one of those outfits that i felt really good in. i wouldn't be surprised if it had anything to do with the good day i had.

remember the day it was 55 degrees out..

as i am posting this, i am aware that we are getting a slight heat wave sunday and monday, but we just came off a brutal storm and it was 3 degrees when i left my house this morning. and of course, tuesday will be back down to a high of 12.

on this particular day, i was so quick to ditch my winter coat, heavy scarf, and lots of layers. this was the first time wearing these camo pants. i was a little apprehensive, but they were only $5, so why not give it a shot. i made sure to keep the rest of my outfit (light weight, some what sheer, sweater and bra top) pretty simple. the pants were the standout piece in this outfit. i topped it off with a light weight scarf and leather jacket and was ready for some exploring.

overall, i liked the pants. i try to think of camo as a neutral and not make a big deal out of the all over print. the biggest difference about a 'warm' day was i didn't have any extra layers or a long coat covering my butt. i felt a little more exposed that i had gotten used to!

2014.

so here we are, 2014. i still feel the same.. but it is only 8:30am..

as i was thinking about the new year and resolutions a few weeks back, i had an epiphany. 2014 is really going to be my year. 14 is my number. always has. i see it places and in things that i do. i often look at the clock and it will read 1:14, my birthday. it has always been a thing and now it is the year. i have been itching for change, to really make something of myself, and to really be happy. i know it may seem somewhat convenient, but starting today in the new year, i feel motivated and ready. these things are not easy and for a long time it was easy to put them off, but i don't want to do that anymore. i don't want to let this year down and i don't want to let myself down.

i've started keeping a list of all the things i want to try and do this year. some of them i know i can accomplish and some i may not, but make a plan to someday be able to is a step in the right direction.

happy, healthy, whole. those are the three words i am using to describe my outlook on life. healthy is something that i have been trying to work on for awhile. and guess what! the cover of my january issue of self had a 14, yes 14, day slim down to start the new year off right. so why not try it out and see where it gets me. it is my number, which leads right up to my birthday.

so in addtion to that, here is what i have on the list for january:

- go to the movies at least once (my full goal is 4 times in the first quarter of the new year): i love going to the movies. i can't tell you the last movie i saw in the theater, so i am making it a point to do things like this that make me happy.

- read at least 2 books: for some of you this may seem pretty easy. just like going to the movies, i love to read. i have started a couple books in the past 6 months, but can't seem to finish them. i am tired and zoning out in front of the tv always seemed easier. but i got some great books for christmas and i just started one that i am really enjoying. i feel better after reading and love to learn new things. if you have any must reads, let me know!

- get a new mattress: if all goes as planned, this is happening today! my body hurts from work and then i go home to sleep on a mattress that hurts and i wake up hurting. a never-ending cycle that i am breaking!

- get at least 7 hours of sleep sunday through thursday: we all know how important sleep is and with having a new mattress and wanting to do more reading, getting into bed earlier should hopefully be no problem!

- wash my face and floss every night before bed: this is important but sometimes hard to do when tired, so if i can do it this month, i can do it every month.

- catch up on my '30 day outfit' posts: i picked a very hard time of the year (holidays!) to start something new. it has been hard to find the time to take/post the photos. i don't want to use being busy and traveling and working extra to be an excuse, but it certainly made it hard. doing this made me kickstart my style again and think about what i was wearing and what pieces i wore. it was what i needed, so even though i am having trouble keeping up with the posts, it has really been beneficial in helping me get back to where i want to be. in addition, i want to keep up with regular posting. if you have ideas of what you would like to see, let me know!!

these are a few things i am focusing on. they aren't mind-blowing resolutions, but on the road to where i want to go, they are important. i need to find time for me and not just work, eat, sleep. life is too short and my time is too precious to not start enjoying it.

i will let you know how january goes for me! happy new year! hope it is a good one for you too!