Thirteen.

Shirt: Target, thrifted new Jeans: Old Navy Shoes: Target, thrifted new Necklace: Gift

I had a completely different outfit planned for today, but we got close to 5 inches of rain last night, cooling down everything and turning our heavily air-conditioned apartment into a near ice box.  Since I'm hanging around home working on homework today, I decided to dress a little more warmly than the shorts and tank top I was originally planning on wearing.

I mentioned that my family was coming over last night to see Spamalot with Kevin and me, and it was SO good.  Seriously, if you haven't seen that show and enjoy British humor, it is fantastic.  It was a great way to kick off our weekend!

Two.

Tank: Old Navy Cardigan: TJ Maxx Jeans: Old Navy Flats: Payless Necklace: Forever 21

Today's outfit is perfect for finishing my final paper, relaxing with my dogs, and going to play trivia at a local restaurant tonight.  I am soaking in all of this free time!

So I've written about my body struggles before...and things really haven't gotten easier for me.  I still feel uncomfortable in my body and although I've been trying hard to lose (or at least maintain) weight, I have gained 7-8 lbs since January, putting me at my highest weight ever.  GROSS.  I went to the doctor yesterday for a check up, and finally have a reason for this!  I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism about 2.5 years ago, and after about a year of tweaking, I had found a dosage of medication that put my thyroid levels back within a normal range.  Yesterday, though, my doctor told me that my levels had shot through the roof, which explains why I've been gaining weight, feeling depressed, and been much more tired than usual.  I'm starting a higher dosage of my medication today and hoping that it will make losing weight easier for me, and make me feel better in general.  Keeping my fingers crossed that things turn around for me soon!!

Tidbits

Sweater: Target Jeans: NY&C Scarf: Target Sandals: Target

• I've been so tired lately (training is exhausting for an introvert like me!!) that I hopped into the shower this morning with my tank top on, and didn't realize I was still wearing it until after I had washed my hair.
• I believe that guacamole and chips create the perfect "main course" of a lunch.
• I realize that it's a little strange that I'm wearing a sweater and scarf with sandals.  I'm over it.
• I accidentally bought a frozen sausage pizza instead of cheese at the grocery store last night, and since Kevin's a vegetarian, I made it for myself to eat for dinner (and leftovers for lunch and dinner tomorrow...).
• I checked the timer for said pizza when there was one second left...I am a genius.
• Pippin ate half a bar of soap and threw up the frothiest, bubbliest, cleanest-smelling wad of dog food I've ever seen.  Gross AND impressive.
• I can't watch the Moore, Oklahoma tornado footage without feeling sick or terrified, so I am trying to distract myself by snuggling with dogs and watching Boy Meets World.

Day Ten: Embarrassment

Tank: Old Navy Blazer: Thrifted Calvin Klein Jeans: NY&C Shoes: TOMS Necklace: F21

Ugh, remember when I complained about blazers being hard to photograph?  Well....there's a reason this crappy shot is the picture for today.  This was the best one of the bunch.  Ew, not a fan.  Oh well!  I liked this outfit so bear with the bad picture!  It's casual Friday in the office, but I was conducting interviews, so I wanted to look a little professional.  So I went with business on the top, weekend on the bottom.  It kind of works, right?

Thanks to Blog Every Day in May, I'm sharing my most embarrassing moment with y'all today.  Please don't judge me too harshly.

I peed my pants twice during my junior year in high school.  Once was in Target, laughing at fart humor (I think farts are funny, okay??).  Once was at my friend's house, when my friend got shot off the back of a treadmill (she was completely fine).  And I was wearing overalls for that second one.  Not quite sure what's more embarrassing...the peeing of the pants, or the fact that I was wearing overalls in high school...

Debbie

Tank: Old Navy Cardigan: Target Jeans: NY&C Flats: Payless Necklace: From Debbie

April 20th is a special day in my family.  It's the day that my mom's step-mom, Debbie, passed away from a nearly year-long battle with pancreatic cancer.  I've written about Debbie before, when talking about her love for polka dots, but I wanted to share more about her.

Debbie and my grandpa got married several years before I was born, so she was in my life from the moment I was born, and was very much my third grandma.  You couldn't have met a sweeter person.  Debbie had the most gentle spirit.  She was generous and loving, and although my brother, cousins, and I were not her biological grandchildren, she loved us like we were.

I am one of those weird people who saves old voicemails from people so I can listen to their voices whenever I want.  I have a voicemail that Debbie left me in the fall of 2009, about 6 months before she died.  We were getting together to celebrate my mom and dad's 25th wedding anniversary and she wanted to know what kind of cake everyone in my family liked.  At the time, she was battling her cancer, doing aggressive treatments and on a clinical trial, but she still wanted to make the celebration as special as possible - that's just the kind of person she was.  I love having this voicemail, and I listen to it often.  Sometimes I'll play it for my grandpa so he can hear her voice again, and he smiles the whole time.

This necklace was Debbie's.  When she died, she wanted me to have it.  It was a special necklace to her, and she wore it all the time.  I love wearing it, because it makes me feel close to her.  I had a dream about her after she died, and she was wearing this necklace in the dream.  I have worn it every year on the anniversary of her passing, and will continue to do so.

Here is a picture of Grandpa and Debbie on their 25th wedding anniversary - she's wearing the necklace :)  What a beautiful woman.

Snowy Spring Florals

Sweater: Old Navy Jeans: NY&C Scarf: From Mom Boots: Baretraps

Today is Bri's Third Thursday Threads link up, and the inspiration is spring florals!!  When she first announced it, I had this super cute springy outfit planned.  However, today, this is the view from my living room: 

Yup, that's the start of 8-10 inches of snow that we're slated to get today and tonight.  SO, I had to change my outfit a little bit.  I decided to get one last (hopefully) wear out of this cozy purple sweater and feature my pretty pink floral scarf for the link up!  My professor cancelled class tonight, too, because of the weather...so you get my face free of make up and my hair freshly dried with no product...at least I got dressed! :)

Hey, remember when I said I was interviewing for an important position?  I got a phone call today, and I GOT THE POSITION!  I had originally been placed at a different site for my school counseling internship, but after going to the site, it was 100% not what I had asked for.  I was proactive and stood up for myself and requested something better suited to my interests and needs.  The site I'm at now is absolutely my dream position, and I'll actually be interning at the high school I graduated from.  It's an hour away from where I live, so I'll be doing a lot of driving this next year!!  I'll take it, though, for the opportunity!  So thank you all for your positive vibes - it paid off!!

Mirror, Mirror

Cardigan: Target Tank: Old Navy Jeans: NY&C Scarf: JCP Flats (not pictured): Payless

OMG AN OUTFIT POST!  Since I wasn't planning on being stranded at my mom and dad's house this long, I didn't bring home my camera or anything.  I didn't want to leave you all hanging, though, so I hope you enjoy my iPhone picture that I took in my parents' room :)  I packed in a rush and just threw clothes in my suitcase, without really planning ahead.  I'm glad that this outfit "worked," however simple it is!

Again, thank you all for your kind words and support!  I have been feeling the love from all you fabulous readers, and it means so much to me!  I'm looking forward to having life slow down a little bit so I can get back into a normal routine of work, school, and blogging :)

Stripes!!

Shirt: Old Navy Jeans: NY&C Flats: Payless Necklace: Birthday gift from parents

Whoops!  I didn't get a post up yesterday because I had a little minor medical procedure done (I'm fine) and laid on the couch all day, basically in the same outfit as Monday, just with a chambray shirt instead.  No shame.

I went to Old Navy because I had Super Cash to use, plus I saw all their clearance was an additional 30% off.  I got this shirt, 2 skirts, a dress, two tank tops, and a scarf for around $30...and 5 of the 7 things are striped...anyone else have this problem?

I'm heading to a conference this weekend in Minneapolis (WOO!!) with a student I supervise, and I'm really excited.  I presented at this conference as an undergraduate student and I'm so excited to be going back in a supervisory role.  I'll be decked out in school spirit clothes all weekend (the conference is for people involved in college orientation...) so I have nothing too exciting to share on the blog...because you don't want to see me in jeans and a hoodie, right??

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Five Days, Five Ways: Casual Friday

It's the last day of Whitney and Fran's Five Days, Five Ways link up!  Today's challenge is Casual Friday.  While you've seen many of my winter casual looks, I wanted to finally put together some springy outfits :)  Since I often dress a little casual on the blog, I wanted to interpret "casual Friday" as weekend wear.  These outfits are things you could expect to see me in on the weekends this spring and summer.

 Tee: Old Navy Skirt: Old Navy Flats: Target (thrifted, NWT)

I love these knit skirts from Old Navy - they're comfortable and versatile...and the price is right!  I bought this skirt over the winter, and I've been dying to wear it without tights.  I have big plans for this skirt over the course of the next few months...chambray shirt, tees, with my denim jacket...it's going to be much loved!

 Tee: Target Shorts: Old Navy Scarf: Gift from a friend Sandals: Born via DSW

These shorts are my go-to in the summer.  They're so comfortable and they go with so much.  I love wearing scarves all year round, and I knew I had to include a casual outfit with a scarf.

Dress: Old Navy Cardigan: Target Necklace: From Mom Sandals: Target

One thing I love about maxi dresses is that they look really nice, but you feel like you're wearing pajamas.  This outfit might look less casual, but I would totally wear this on a weekend, shopping with a friend, out to lunch, even to the grocery store!

Dress: Old Navy Flats: Payless

Like the previous outfit, I like to be able to just throw on a dress and some comfortable flats or sandals and go.  It's incredibly easy, but it still looks pretty cute!  I love the color of this dress - so bright and warm!

Shirt: Thrifted American Eagle Jeans: NY&C Shoes: TOMS

Yes, this is a ridiculous pose, but going through my pictures, I BORE MYSELF looking at my like two poses I ever do.  This is how I feel about the weekend...excited...and sassy...??  Whatever.  I love wearing cuffed jeans and a casual button up shirt on weekends.  I have a few shirts that are similar to this, and they get tons of wear over the spring and summer seasons.  I wear them with skirts, jeans, shorts, you name it.

I'm so glad you stuck with me this week with all my posts for Five Days, Five Ways!  I'm hoping to do some kind of little recap or something in the next day or two about it, so stay tuned, friends!

Spring Cleaning

Sweater: Old Navy Jeans: NY&C Shoes: Payless Necklace: From Mom

Kevin and I have been so busy with school and work lately, and the cleanliness of our apartment has really taken a backseat.  However, we're dog sitting for an 11-month-old black lab (!!) this weekend, and I wanted the apartment to be as puppy-proof as possible for her.  I spent 3 hours today after work cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.  This outfit was perfect for all the hard work I put in!

It's times like this that I wish we were minimalists.  Wouldn't it be so nice to not have very much stuff?! Less surfaces to clean, less things to organize, less places to find a home...I'm feeling the urge to do some spring cleaning now!  I want to do some huge purges!!

I still want to chop my hair, too.  The more I look at it, the more annoyed I get with it.  I may take myself into the hair salon this weekend...stay tuned!!

Research Outfit

Sweater: Old Navy - Men's dept Jeans: NY&C Shoes: TOMS Necklace: Birthday gift from parents

Okay, so I tried outside photos again.  I'm still paranoid about getting caught, but I was ready with the "It's for a school project" excuse if anyone walked by :)  And the photo quality is still pretty poor - I'm not a camera savvy person, so I'm not 100% sure what to do to make the photos less dark and grainy, but I'll keep monkeying around with different angles, camera settings, etc.

Most of the outfits I post on here are worn to work and class.  This is a 100% lazy Saturday outfit!  I used to spend most of my weekends in yoga pants and a sweatshirt (to be honest, I'm usually found in yoga pants as soon as I get home from work/school...), but I feel better and am more productive when I'm wearing clothing that's appropriate for wearing in public.

I'm currently taking the required Research & Writing course for my Master's program, and we're beginning to write our theses, so I am up to my ears in articles.  It has been tons of work so far, but I absolutely love my topic, which makes the whole process more enjoyable.  I've always been the kind of reader who needs to print off all the articles so I can highlight and make notes to my heart's content, but I'm keeping up with the times and reading all my articles on my iPad with GoodNotes.  I can highlight, underline, type notes, etc. all on the iPad, and I have to say, I am a convert!  It's been so convenient!

So...today, I'll be reading and critiquing articles, taking notes, and developing my outline.  Today's outfit is perfect for that: comfortable enough to spend the day on the couch, but polished enough that I don't feel like a slob :)

Happy Saturday!

Five Things + Neglected Shoes

Sweater: Target Jeans: NY&C Shoes: Born via DSW Scarf: From Mom

Kimmie from Blue Paper Lanterns tagged me in her "5 Things" post...so here I am sharing five random things about me :)

1. I cannot even deal with condiments.  Mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise are the WORST.  I don't even like to touch the bottles.  The only ones I can tolerate are Caesar dressing and sometimes barbecue sauce.

2. I've broken two bones in my life, and they were both really stupid stories.  In 8th grade, we were playing Red Rover in gym class, and I fell and broke my collarbone (so athletic...).  A little over a year ago, I was playing with Pippin, our dog, on our bed, and I tried to jump off the bed but got tangled in the blankets, fell off, and landed on my wrist.  I broke it pretty bad and needed surgery.  SO EMBARRASSING.

3. The nerdiest thing about me is that I have always been, and continue to be completely obsessed with names.  I always think about what I want to name my children, and I'm super curious about what names other people like, too.  I'm always so interested to hear why people have the names they do, and I love knowing people's middle names.  It's really dumb, but I'm not ashamed.

4. I want to be a mom more than anything, but I'm so afraid it will never happen for me.  Kevin and I are planning to adopt our children, but I fear we'll never be able to afford it.

5. I love music!! I have taught myself flute/piccolo, clarinet, trumpet, saxophone, Irish whistle, fife, and a little guitar, and I took piano lessons for about 10 years.  I also love to sing.  My favorite things to sing are show tunes (I'm a musical theater guru), and my favorite shows are Spring Awakening, Lion King, and Rent, but I love so many more.

There you go!  Five facts about Brynn that you probably didn't know.

A note about today's outfit: I haven't worn these shoes much since I got them because they're a smidgen too small, and I'm never quite sure how to wear them.  Today I decided to go without socks, and they felt much less squishy in the toes, so that was a pleasant surprise!!

Linking up with Because Shanna Said So, The Pleated Poppy, and A Journey in Style.

Casual Pearls

Cardigan: Target Jeans: NY&C Shoes: TOMS Necklace: F21

Today's neglected pieces from Kate's No Longer Neglected challenge are my cardigan and my necklace.  I've had this cardigan for years, and I really like it.  However, I find it hard to style.  It's navy with white stripes, and so far the only things I've ever paired it with are gray and white...exactly what I did today...

The necklace was a Forever 21 purchase I made about a year and a half ago.  I really like the dark gray color of the pearls.  The reason this necklace gets neglected so often is because I feel like it's super dressy.  I tried it with today's casual outfit, but I don't really know if it works or not.

Tell me, friends, how would you style today's cardigan and necklace?  I'm looking forward to trying out your suggestions!!

Linking up with Mix and Match Fashion today.

Exhaustion

Tank: Thrifted (new with tags from Goodwill) Cardigan: Target Jeans: NY&C Boots: Guess

What a week it has been.  Work and school are incredibly busy right now, and I'm running on fumes right now.  Luckily, it's March, which means that spring break is coming soon!  I am so, so ready for a little break!!  I didn't sleep well at all last night which means I had little energy for choosing an outfit.  I went with a tried and true formula: tank/tee with a cardigan, skinny jeans, and boots.  Nice enough for casual Friday at work, but comfortable enough for 4 hours of class this afternoon.

I'm hoping I can rejuvenate a little bit this weekend, although I have 9 hours of class tomorrow and I have to work on Sunday for 4 hours.  What are you all planning for this weekend??

Happy Birthday, Brother Bear!

Cardigan: Target Shirt: Old Navy Jeans: NY&C Boots: Target

You guys!  I got Instagram!  Follow me @brynn_mcconnell for snippets of my life! [Probably lots of pictures of my dog...]

This cardigan is one of the busiest things I own.  Because of how bold it is, I've really only worn it with black or cream, and only with jeans.  I really like it, though, because it's comfortable and purple, and the pattern is intriguing.  How else would you style it??

I hope you all have great weekend plans!  Today is my brother's 27th birthday, so I'm going home to celebrate with my family tomorrow.  I'm so excited!!  Here are some of my favorite pictures of my brother, Ian, and me:

Ian and baby Brynn

Us about 5-6 years ago

Loving life...

Merry Christmas!

My high school graduation

Our wedding (Kevin and me...not my brother and me...)

Gravy

Top: Old Navy Blazer: Calvin Klein, thrifted Jeans: NY&C Shoes: TOMS Necklace: From Mom

The other day, I was talking to a friend about how much I love the combination of gray and navy, except it came out as "gravy."  Awkward.

Please excuse the tab hanging out of the sleeve of my shirt.  I thought I tucked those suckers in, but the right one kept coming out.

I really love how these skinny jeans feel on me, but they are too baggy from the knees down.  I wonder if I can get that fixed...looking at this picture, the bunching at the knees is driving me nuts.

I got this beautiful, soft, structured gray blazer at Goodwill several weeks ago.  I went to put it on last week one day, and noticed there was a hole in the seam of one of the sleeves.   Thank goodness for my mom's sewing skills - I brought it home to her over the weekend and she stitched it right up!!  Thanks, Mom :)

Walk Like a Penguin

Sweater: Target Skinny jeans: NY&C Cowl: Kohl's Boots: Guess

On Sunday and Monday, we had lots of slushy rain and snow in Minnesota, but the temperatures were high enough to keep it wet.  Well...today it is a lot colder, so much of the slush has turned into ice.  I didn't realize how slippery these boots are!!  It took me twice as long to walk from the parking lot to my office today because I was so afraid of slipping.  I looked like a penguin...but somehow, I'm not sure I looked quite as cute...[just a hunch.]

Tomorrow, I'll be wearing snow boots to work.

Shiny

Shirt: Old Navy Skinny jeans: NY&C Flats: Payless Necklace: F21

1. This top (which is actually a really pretty gray-blue color) is shiny...which apparently doesn't photograph well.  Also, it's really wrinkly.  Whoops.
2. I got my hair cut yesterday and brought in a ridiculously cute picture.  This looks nothing like the picture, so I'm a little bummed.  This hair is fine, but I'm disappointed because it isn't really what I was looking for.  [Luckily, it's just hair and it will grow back!]
3. Since Kevin and I have time this weekend, we're going to finish watching the series Firefly.  Have any of you seen it?  We're kind of nerdy, so this sci-fi show is right up our alley...plus Joss Whedon, the creator of the show, is freaking awesome.  I titled this post partially after my shiny shirt, but also because the word "shiny" is used by characters in Firefly instead of saying, "cool" or "neat."

Toxic

Blouse: TJ Maxx Cardigan: Target Skinny jeans: NY&C Boots: Target

Back in high school and college, I dressed pretty much exclusively in bright colors.  My bedroom was bright orange, and I always had colorful backpacks, purses, and shoes.  In the past few years, I've been drawn to more neutral and muted colors.  Today, I decided to go back to my roots and grab a lime green cardigan to keep warm rather than the black blazer I originally intended on wearing.  I like to be a little bit unpredictable on occasion!

Also, you should know that I started off my day in the best possible way: dance party for one to the tunes of Ms. Britney Spears.  Sometimes, you just need to dance.