Feel It All Around In Portland

It's been a full week since Billy and I celebrated our early two year anniversary in Portland, OR! After last year's Seattle trip, we were already so excited to head to the land of Portlandia for our next adventure. As the date neared, we hastily booked last minute flights, practiced our best Fred and Carrie impersonations, and prepped where to eat with an extensive excel spreadsheet. We were ready to be immersed in what we imagined Portland to be like after seeing plenty of our friends visit and watching all seven seasons of Portlandia.

Then we found out it was raining. Apparently it rains a lot there.

The Perfect Shade

You guys… there were so many potential puns for this post. Throwing shade, Fifty Shades, will the real Slim Shady please stand up?! But trust me, this title is truly… fitting.

What's Next Down The Line

For 2017, I welcomed the new year via a crappy YouTube live countdown (because what millennial has a TV with actual channels hooked up) that had about a 20 second delay. If that doesn't scream 2016, I don't know what will! At least I was with a solid group of people.

With all the memes that surfaced on Facebook, it seems like everyone was just about done with 2016. I, on the other hand, couldn't even wrap my head around the fact that Christmas was already over. I really have no hard feelings towards 2016, but a new year calls for a reflection blog post.

All I Want For Christmas Is...

My immediate thought when it comes to giving the perfect present is checking Etsy. I feel like Etsy is so underrated, at least with everyone I've come across. That's great for me because it's my secret weapon to being "Best Gift Giver", and I'm basically losing my title by telling you all this, but my love for Etsy easily surpasses my narcissistic need to maintain my self-given superlative. Also, this isn't a sponsored post (I wish). The love is just that real.

I don't have my own store, but I love browsing through Etsy to find unique gifts. I think almost everything I've gifted people lately has been from Etsy. The best part is that I can almost always find something personalized, which I think is the icing on the cake when it comes to thoughtful gift giving. It's also really nice knowing that there's a real person behind the product, handcrafting it from love, and being able to receive a result of their passion. Ultimately, I like that I'm supporting someone's creative outlet versus something that's being mass produced.

If you really want to wow your boothang, friends, or co-workers this season, here are some of my picks for personalized gifts from Etsy.

Current Favorites + #FlirtyFallFlatlay

Denim Shirt: Old Navy | Bralette (similar): Aerie | Necklace: H&M | Wool Hat (similar): Nordstrom

You'd think after a year of living in Los Angeles, I'd come to terms with the fact that fall doesn't officially start until end of October. Nope. The second September came around, I was forcing myself to subside the overwhelming heatstroke while I proudly walked around in knit sweaters and ankle booties.

Eventually, I got sick of my righteous parade and accepted that Los Angeles needed some time. It was as far in denial as I was and we're all going through some transitional period in our lives, right? So I reined in my need for cloudy weather and crunchy leaves and started with pulling back in the wardrobe department. Today, I teamed up with Adore Me, a subscription lingerie brand, to bring you a typical LA "fall" outfit for me in the form of a #FlirtyFallFlatlay (pants not pictured but most definitely worn).

I know. Me and lingerie? What?