Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Music, Books, Miles and Looks of March

Not going to lie - I'm happy March is over.  It wasn't necessarily bad month but it also wasn't great.  But the good news is that I hit my year mark a week from today.  Alleluia.  I can't wait to be at the point where I will have no financial obligation if I resign!!!

Music:

 

Girls Chase Boys by Ingrid Michaelson - Ingrid Michaelson is one of my all-time favorite artists and she has a new album coming out next week. This is the first single that was released and while it's different than her other songs, I really like it!

Books:

It was another strong month of reading for me as I read 7 books.  It's was surprising that I read that many because when I think back on the last month, I don't think of it as being a strong reading month for me but clearly it was.  My least favorite book was The Rent Collector.  It's hard to pick a favorite as I really enjoyed Somewhere in France, The Perfume Collector, The World We Found, and Tolstoy and the Purple Chair and would highly recommend all 4!

The Rent Collector by Camron Wright - 2 stars
Somewhere in France by Jennifer Robson - 4 stars
The Collector of Dying Breaths by M.J. Rose - 3 stars
The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro - 4 stars
Confessions of a Paris Party Girl by Vicki Lesage - 4 stars
Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch - 5 stars
The World We Found by Thrity Umrigar - 4 stars

Miles:

Do you know how wonderful it is to actually have miles to add up???  My total for the month was 60 miles which I am happy with.  I see my Rheumatologist tomorrow and if she clears me to train for a half, that number will be increasing but even if she says no (I doubt she will) I'm just happy I am able to run.  Period.  Besides running, I returned to strength training and took some classes at the gym, like Body Pump which is my favorite class, and I took some spin classes which I have a love/hate relationship.  I love how great of a workout it is, I kind of hate it when I'm in class.


Looks:

I actually have some looks to share this month but most of them are more 'wintery' than I'd like.  I am SO over my winter clothes.  We had an unseasonably cold month of March but the weather has started to warm up.  Yea!


First outfit is from Banana Republic (as usual).  I actually bought the skirt with a 50% coupon in November but then struggled to figure out what to pair it with.  The turtle neck works OK but is not great.  You can't tell in this photo but the skirt has tiny polka dots on it and a bow at the waist so is pretty cute.


I bought this skirt at White House Black Market when I was in Austin in February and got a great deal on it.  It's not very slimming due to the horizontal stripes but I don't really care.  I love stripes so I love the skirt.  Let me tell you, though.  The sales rep tried to pair with a striped top and a belt with a bow on it.  The combination was SO ugly.  I actually bought the top she had paired with it but would never wear the two pieces together.


I also bought these pants in Austin as they were on clearance at BR for like $15 I think?  They are a fun orange color. You all know how much I love cropped colored pants so I couldn't pass these up.  Funny story about this outfit, though...  I wore it to my work conference in Florida.  I went to this conference last year but it was a blur because I was moving in 3 weeks/studying for the CFA/about to lose my mind, so I didn't remember the dress code.  Turns out the dress code was VERY dressy as it was mostly men and they were all in dark suits!  I sure stood out!  But serious, why would you wear a dark suit to a conference in Florida in March?  C'mon people. 

20 comments:

Becky said...

Yay, April is here, April is here! Light at the end of the tunnel my friend!

You read a lot and ran a lot - so proud of you! Hope the appointment with your doctor goes well and she clears you for the half! (And loooove those pants!)

Jeanie said...

Whoa! You are on a roll -- congratulations on the miles and I'm impressed with the books. All the looks are great and I love that you can actually wear horizontal stripes on your hips and still look amazing!

Kelly (She Wears a Red Sox Cap) said...

I feel the same way about spin- love/hate ha ha :)
YAY for April being here! and WAHOO for your 1 year being up! I hope by the end of April you can say this was the BEST month!
I love your colored pants and that you accidentally wore them to a dressy conference. I agree that it is absurd to wear dark suits in Florida, but honestly I find suits kind of absurd in general ha ha.
Now I kind of want to find myself some colored pants...

Emilie said...

Way to go on your 60 mile month!! Very exciting. I hope you're able to train for a half marathon but you're right - if you can't it's still awesome that you are running. I love your orange pants and the striped skirt. Both are very classic looking.

missris said...

I think I have that exact same phone case! And CUTE outfits, btw. Let's cross our fingers for warmer weather because I think we're all over this crazy cold business!

Nilsa @ SoMi Speaks said...

Loved that song! Sweets and I had our first dance to The Way I Am, so Ingrid Michaelson holds a special place in my heart. =)

I kind of love that not only were you more casually dressed than others at the conference, but that you wore super BRIGHT and FUN pants, too. I'm sure you stood out - love it!!

Also, super excited to hear you're feeling good after all this running ... fingers crossed your doc gives you the green light to train!!

Carolina John said...

How cute!

Yes, march was a total throw-away month. So glad April is here.

and yay.... One More Week!

Elizabeth said...

Haha I agree about that conference dress code in Florida--glad YOU added some color, way to go lady! :) And the horizontal stripes look good on that skirt! SO happy to read about the running and so impressed to see you overcoming hurdles. You have RA in a holding pattern, now we just need to pray for your new job situation and an easy transition to somewhere new! Thanks for always commenting btw, I love it and it brightens my day. Happy April!

Elizabeth said...

PS I just thought of this, but if you wind up in Chicago in the next 5 years then I want to come visit. That city has negative connotations for me for one main reason but I know it's worthy of exploration and enjoyment! Part of me feels called to explore it and I'd love to actually meet you in person :)

Marlys said...

60 miles is pretty impressive! Congrats on that and being able to do strength training again! Life is on a roll, heh?
Can't wait to see more pictures of Savannah!

Stephany said...

Your one year commitment is almost UP! Gosh, Lisa, I can't believe the crap you've been through this year and the light is at the end of the tunnel. YAY!

I feel the same way about spin. I LOVE spin, but I also really hate it. Haha. Actually, I feel that way about most exercise. Hmmm. :)

Now let's just cross our fingers and toes that April turns out to be the best! month! ever! for you!!!

Mandy said...

I love all your looks! Especially the last one. Kind of crazy that dark suits would be the dress code in FL.

I hit a reading wall with the sequel to The Art of Hearing Heartbeats. So not feeling that book any more.

Cherry Blossoms said...

Love the last outfit those pants look so good on you! Oh my gosh how could we forget that outfit! Oh, too funny!

Abby said...

Yay for your miles! I love spin class. But I do agree - I have those moments where I almost get mad at the instructor, and think "it's impossible to increase the resistance, you crazy wench!!"

Love your outfits! I am totally digging the cropped pants. I bought a bunch o really cute ones at old navy last week!

Leigh said...

Love all of your looks! I bought a striped skirt similar to yours from Target and it's so comfy! I also got so many compliments on it :) Fingers crossed that the answer is yes to training for a half!

J and A said...

I love your outfits! You always look great. Fingers crossed about the half training!!

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said...

Seven books in one month!!! That's insane!! (and awesome).

Amber said...

I LOVE that last outfit! Those coloured pants look so good on you. I am so over TIGHTS. I tried to ditch the tights a few weeks ago only to have to wear them a couple of days later because it got so cold. Gah. Hopefully I can really truly finally ditch the tights in April!

The Many Thoughts of a Reader said...

Ugh. Dark suits in Florida at a work conference? My work conferences people generally dress down in jeans and some maybe are business casual. ha.

Alli said...

Obsessed with that second skirt.