Pleasant Valley Sunday

Have you ever heard the song by The Monkees, Pleasant Valley Sunday?

Well, it's the tune that plays in my head nearly every time I turn into our new neighborhood. I know that the song is stating everything that's wrong with suburbia, but my thoughts are not all negative.

I realize that it's been more than a year since my last post, but things got pretty busy. My boyfriend and I moved in together, then we got engaged, then we sold my townhouse, bought a new home, and got married. Now that things are settled down a bit, I'm hoping that I can carve out some time to blog on a more regular basis.

Why start blogging again? Good question. I guess it goes back to the title of this blog in that it's a Good Sounding, Bad Idea. It sounds good but it could end up being a disaster. I guess we'll just have to see.

Now back to suburbia. For the last seven years I lived in my townhouse that was located off a rather busy street near major roads. It was loud, busy and at times stressful. It wasn't until I moved to the middle of nowhere that I realized just how loud, busy, and stressful it was. It had become my norm. But now, when I'm in our backyard at night and you can literally hear a pin drop, I have time to hear and appreciate silence. My husband keeps telling me, "just wait and see how much gets built out here." So, I'm waiting. It's actually pretty funny that he tells me this because he's more of a city-boy than I'm a city-girl. I like the convenience of being close to things, just not necessarily being close to people. I hope that we get some little shops near our home, nothing major and God help us if it's a Wal-Mart. So, even though I hear The Monkees, I'm getting used to our new home and find things to love about it and our new area of town every day.

And We're Under 10

Today marks nine days left of this challenge and I will admit that I'm ready for it to end. It's been fun wearing different stuff but it's also been difficult. I'm hoping though to carry this mindset through the summer so I can continue to evolve my personal style.

Yep, I've worn this flannel top before. BUT, I haven't worn it in this way. Last time, I wore it with a skirt. This is very different because I'm also wearing my Marty McFly vest. I also don't know how long I can wear flannel. The weather is starting to really warm up, 60's are forecast for the next week or so, and I wanted to get one last flannel wear in this season.

Field Trip Day & Back to the Grind

I really do love my job. I'm challenged every day and  I get to do really cool stuff. Yesterday I was able to go to a job site and see how one of our virtual construction applications works, in the field. It was really neat and helpful to see things firsthand since most of my days are spent writing about construction.

Being on a job site, I don't want to wear my typical business casual stuff and I have to wear steel-toe boots per regulations so I opted for a casual day yesterday.

It was a nice change, wearing super casual stuff to work however my everyday shoes must be light as feathers because after a full day in work boots, my ankles were so sore. I'm not used to wearing high-tops and maybe that was cause for some of my discomfort, but the Wolverine work boots are SO heavy. I felt like I was clomping around all day in them.

And today, back to the grind. Maybe I should live in Jersey because I love my animal print. My top is from Forever 21 from about six years ago, my pants are from Kohl's and my sweater is just a plain black cardigan.

Billy Goat Gruff

Well, the Year of the Goat has really hit me with its horns. It seems as though when one thing gets fixed, another breaks. But, such is life I guess and things could be worse than a broken garage door spring. However, all of these little bumps have disrupted my daily routines. I never thought that I was so much a creature of habit that a few things could alter and make my days seem so askew but I guess I am.

Last week I wore a couple of really cute outfits but was running around like a chicken with my head cut off so I forgot to take pics. No, really. Super cute outfits. Oh well. 

Here's some of the things I've worn over the last few days. 

Maybe my boyfriend's style is rubbing off on me (he wears a collared shirt/sweater combo most winter days) but I'm loving the layered look lately. It's easy and professional. My pants are from NY & CO, the sweater was my Mom's and the necklace is from Kohl's.

I love this sweater. I actually wore it on my first day at my new job. My sister has one like it, from H&M, and once I saw how cute it was on her I wanted one of my own.

Today Presley has a check-up at the vet so I needed to wear something that wouldn't attract a ton of her hair. It's also supposed to be a really nice today so I needed to wear something that would make me too hot when I'm out running around. The pants are from NY & CO, the sweater and top are from Target as are my faux snake skin flats.

A Week in a Day

Even though I didn't post, I didn't stop the challenge (when I went to work or in public) and I didn't stop taking pics of my outfits so this post will cover an entire week in just one day. What fun! 

This is the outfit I wore when I went to Pueblo for the day for my Dad's birthday. I love it because it's so casual and comfy but still looks put together. I also think that sans shoes, this entire outfit is from Old Navy. 

This out fit I wore for casual Friday at work. Don't be deceived, these pants are BRIGHT! But I was feeling bold and I love pink so they're a fun addition to my wardrobe!

This was a nice Monday outfit. I got this sweater for Christmas from my Dad, it's from Old Navy and I love it! It's heavy without being weighty and it looks really expensive. The pants I've had for about seven years and same as the shoes. What can I say, I hate throwing things out!

This is one of my absolute favorite sweaters! It's a deep purple color and it's gorgeous on. The pants are from Banana Republic and the necklace is from Kohls, I talk about it here.

This is one of my go-to winter outfits. I like how it's easy but looks put together. The boots are a new addition to my wardrobe, a birthday gift from my boyfriend. I noticed when I was brushing my teeth this morning that my sweater was a little wrinkly. I tried to use Downy Wrinkle Release on it but I'm not sure it worked. Oops.

Diagnosis Found

There's a legit reason why I've been MIA from posting to this blog. 1) My dog, Presley has been incredibly ill. I thought I was going to lose her and it devastated me for the better part of two weeks. 2) I forgot how difficult it is to maintain a blog while you have things going on in  your life.

Honestly, I'm not sure anyone reads this, I mainly do it for myself anyway but when I was unable to post I did miss it.

Presley, pictured above, started feeling crummy around the 9th of February. I kept a close eye on her and consulted with the vet who told me to give her some antacid and try to get her to eat. She would get better for a day or two then get to feel crummy again. I took her to the vet on the 12th of February to make sure she was ok. They did an ultrasound and ran some blood work, all came back good. They thought she just had a little bug or something, gave me some meds for her and sent us home. The evening of the 16th of February she started acting really odd breathing heavy and shaking. I thought her organs were shutting down and I rushed her to the vet. She stayed overnight at the emergency puppy hospital. The next day they ran a barrage of tests, all coming back with nothing conclusive. I took her home and hoped for the best.

She celebrated her 8th birthday on Saturday, February 21 and I thought we were in the clear. I was so wrong. Monday, February 23 was the sickest I've ever seen my baby. She couldn't stop vomiting, she was pooping blood and I was praying I wouldn't lose her. We slept together on the floor next to the dog door and I tried to comfort her the best I knew how. The next morning I took her back to the vet and they said she was in need of an endoscope to determine the cause of her pain and discomfort. She spent the night, again, at the puppy hospital and the next day, Wednesday, February 25 she underwent a scope of her stomach and intestines.

When the vet called me to let me know she was out of surgery, he said she hadn't done well under anesthesia and they had to cut the scope a little short. He was hopeful they got enough samples to be tested so it could be determined what was going on with my little baby.

On the afternoon of Friday, February 27 I got the call that Presley had Inflammatory Bowel Disease. And, it is the most severe case my vet has ever seen!

I was able to finally get her medicine and get her symptoms under control. It's been a trying month and quite frankly I'm glad that February is over and done with. I hope that March holds better things for my Presley and that she is finally on the road to recovery.

Lucky Number 13

Today marks the 13th day of no repeats in clothing for me. It's been a fun process and has me putting a lot more effort into what I wear daily, which was the original purpose. I've also been wearing items that have been sitting in my closet for months, untouched which is nice because it's like going shopping without spending a dime.

Today's outfit is composed of things that have been in my closet for at least two years. The top I got at Forever 21, the skirt is from JC Penney and the lace cardigan is from Target and is similar to this one from Mod Cloth.