Revelations of my late 20's

I have officially been in my late 20's for a week. My birthday came and went, nothing really tangible changed, but somehow things feel a little different. I have always prided myself on doing things in my own time, never feeling pressured to "settle down" or plant roots unless it worked for me.

Oliver and I got married relatively young, we had been together for long enough to know we wanted to spend our lives together and didn't see the point in waiting any longer just because we were young, or because it wasn't what our friends were doing.

We have now been married for almost three years, I can easily say without question they have been the best years so far. We have learned from each other and grown a lot both as a couple and as individuals. After (nearly) three years of marriage we get asked pretty regularly "where are the babies?" "when are you buying a house?"  Suddenly I feel enormous amounts of pressure, as well as sense of being markedly behind in life.

I have never envied my friends who bought houses, had babies, or who landed their dream jobs. I am happy and proud of them but never felt like I was "behind" because I wasn't there. I knew our journey was different. My Husband spent his 20's in academia chasing his dreams of having a PhD, while I was fortunate enough to work in my chosen career which helped to sustain our lifestyle (to a certain degree).

I felt like we took life in stride and laughed off the baby comments together, until recently. Every time I look at social media I see another acquaintance is having a baby or two, someone else bought a house, endless engagement announcements and I just can't help but think what are we doing wrong? I am fully aware this makes me sound like a monster, and by writing this down for the world to see is pretty daring, but if you have ever felt like this you will understand. Then come the comments to you or your partner, so you know it isn't your imagination of social pressure. It is difficult to smile and nod, while people (harmlessly-or at least I hope) make comments that contribute to a feeling of shame for not being at the right point in life. I know the time will come but until then I wish people would think twice before they make you feel guilty for something you simply can not control. 

Until our time comes I will savor every minute with Oliver & Clovis in our cute (rented) apartment knowing that someday life will change drastically, we will reach our own goals in life, and we will look back to cherish the memories before babies & mortgages!

Instagram Round up

It is no secret, I love Instagram! I was never big on Facebook, I loved looking at photos, so when my friend Jen introduced me to Instagram I was instantly obsessed! Thanks Jenny!

I have recently started an account for the blog, I have been posting #OOTD posts as regularly as I can but this snowy weather is killing me! Ugh is it spring yet? It was 60 degrees in DC this weekend, I was so sad when I saw that. I would have loved to browse Eastern Market, take a Sunday stroll on the Mall, and sip my morning coffee from the outdoor patio of a cafe, but we are New Englanders now, and most of the time I am over the moon about it.

Just a side note, Oliver proof reads my posts and he always comments that I write like I talk- lots of tangential thoughts which almost always get me off track from my original point. Which is exactly what happened when discussing the weather. I have since become acutely aware I do this, but it is me so I plan on keeping true to that :) 

Enough about snowmagedon, back to my point. Check out @passthebubblyblog on Instagram and follow along on my outfit posts that don't always make it up on the blog!

 

2015 Changes!

We are one month into 2015 and it is amazing how much has changed! I started a new job where I am a Monday- Friday girl. Oliver started a new job as well where he is doing exactly what he has always wanted. It is so amazing to see all of his hard work during school paying off, I am so proud of him! :)

We have made a few lifestyle changes as well, all for the better! We have chosen to make the most of moments and not dwell on the things that don't make us happy. It has been a bit of a struggle but I am feeling better already!

On to more superficial changes, I used to have short hair, I mean super short! When we got engaged (2009) I started growing out my hair for the wedding (it had a long way to go!)  Two and a half years after the wedding and I still haven't cut it. In fact it is the longest it has ever been! Most days I love it, but in reality I don't think it does anything for my face shape so off it goes. I texted my stylist a picture of a short do and said "let's do it" I think she was horrified, we have worked long and hard on these locks, but ultimately agreed. She has since sent me tons of inspiration pictures and we are as usual totally in sync!


Here are a few looks I am loving! What do you guys think? Have you made any changes in 2015?

Work Bag Review: Dagne Dover VS Michael Kors

I have been on the hunt for a work bag since before I even had this job, here is my "wish list"

1. Large enough that I didn't have to carry multiple bags
2. Color neutral (no black/navy)
3. Lots of pockets
4. Structured ( no slouchy look)
5. Over the shoulder feature
6. Reasonably priced

After lots of web searching as well as trolling malls & department stores I got it down to the final two.

Dagne Dover makes several amazing bags for the lady on the go. They make it easy to stay organized with multiple pockets, including a clip for your keys ( I love this because I can never find my keys!) and a water bottle holder. After much back and forth I decided on the Tote, I felt it would be large enough to hold my lunchbox, shoes, and all other necessities. I was concerned it would be too big, but I felt the other size wouldn't allow me to carry just one bag. The color options are somewhat limited, linen (what I chose) black or dagne blue. I do love the blue, but wanted to make sure I had something versatile, so I went with the white.












 

When it arrived I quickly realized it was just too large. It would be perfect for an overnight trip, or a carry on, but for work I felt personally it was too big (I don't carry a laptop to work, but there is a sleeve for this in the bag) I did like the color, but wasn't totally sold, I had a little remorse for not going for the blue. I loved the compartments, key clip & water bottle holder (which I didn't realize snaps in and out), but while I love the bag I ultimately decided to return it. I was super disappointed as I had been lusting after this bag for a long time, but in the end it just did not fit my purpose.









 Then there was the Michael Kors bag, I was so reluctant to purchase this because I had my heart set on the Dagne, but once I got it home I was so excited about it. The color is pretty amazing, it is very versatile, can easily be worn with both black and brown outfits. I loved the gold accents, and the option for the shoulder strap. My biggest concerns were the lack of zipper closure, and the gold lock on the front. I love MK but I do feel that sometimes things are over "branded" with MK everywhere. While I realize many designers do this, particularly the ultimate LV branding, but it just isn't my style. I very seriously considered returning the bag because of the lock, but then my lovely husband found that there is a key hiding in the strap, and just like that the lock came off. Call me crazy, but I felt this instantly changed the look of the bag! It suddenly felt so chic and I was head over heels!

 

I was even willing to look past the zipper closure, mainly because the bag is so tall that I can easily put my wallet on the bottom for safety when riding the T. To top it all off, there is a key strap so I wont loose my keys (the little things!). I was a little sad about the lack of water bottle holder but I will totally get over that, you can't have it all! 

Latest Stitch Fix!

I had carefully planned the timing of my next fix, I included a little note saying I was hoping to have something to wear for my birthday dinner, so I was pretty anxious for it's arrival. When it arrived I loved all the color in the box, it felt like spring had sprung!

Unfortunately I didn't keep any of the pieces this time. I had received the dress from my last fix that was too small in a larger size, although I did love the dress it would have required lots of alterations so I decided to pass.

 I loved these Polka Dot leggings, however again, they were too long (short people problems) and a little pricey to have them hemmed on top of the price was a bit too much.

I did like the red lacy top, but the fit wasn't perfect so I decided to send it back.

I was in love with the color of this pink dress, however the fit was all wrong for my body shape, I was very sad to put it back :(

 

The skirt... its just not my style in any way shape or form, also it was super tight!!

I hope to have better luck next time! I am planning to take a little break for now as I feel like once the season changes a bit I could use more spring/summer stuff, but for right now I think I've got a nice autumn/winter wardrobe together.

(Birthday) Weekend Recap

My birthday is coming up, but as it is mid week we started the celebrations a little early. Friday night was pretty low key, it was both of our first week at our new jobs so we were in bed by 9pm (super wild!) Saturday we got a lot of our errands done, I have been meal planning for the week on Sunday's and then shopping to make our dinner prep at little easier.

We got into a routine of not eating till 9 because we could not decide what to cook, and then we would be lazy and eat junk. This past week was such a change, dinner was on the table by 7pm and I felt like we ate quality meals. Back to Saturday- we meal planned, headed to the grocery store, came home to clean the house and get laundry done for the week. I asked myself several times throughout the week "who are we?" Due to my old schedule I did all of our errands during the week, so for us to be at the grocery store on Saturday morning was interesting and terrifying all at the same time. Especially because it was the day before Super Bowl Sunday in New England!

Saturday night was super relaxing, we made milkshakes and watched a movie with my Brother & Sister in Law.

The birthday fun started Sunday, Oliver planned a super fun day, boy do I love that man! :)

We headed over to one of my favorite breakfast spots,  Deluxe Station Diner in Newton! The hot chocolate is amazing, highly recommend! This is our view from the bar seats we snatched up.

After that we headed into the city to an antique market where I fell in love with pretty much everything! These 1920's champagne flutes are amazing, I seriously listed over these! This cedar lined hope chest was also pretty incredible. I rationalized that we could practically redo our entire space to accommodate for this!

Later on we went to check out the Mapparium at the Baker Eddy library in the city and ended the day having cake with my family before the Super Bowl! We spent the rest of the night eating too much and cheering the Pats on to (yet another) victory! :)

My actual birthday isn't until Tuesday but I loved celebrating a little early! Tuesday will be pretty low key, dinner with Oliver & whatever surprise he has planned. Birthdays sure have changed since my early 20's, but I truthfully wouldn't have it any other way! :)