Five.

Dress: Target, thrifted new Denim jacket: Levi's Sandals: Old Navy

We're back from Kevin's folks' house, and we had such a great time!  Yesterday, we spent the afternoon in the pool, playing games, and watching all of our dogs play together in the big backyard.  We played a lot of badminton in the evening after a delicious grill out dinner and trip to the dog park, and then went to go see fireworks all together.  Today, we enjoyed more puppy playtime, a family walk with all the dogs (we love our dogs, can you tell??), and a movie.  It was so much fun, and we're back home now with two really, really sleepy pups :)

Day Six: Dream Jobs

Dress: Old Navy Flats: Thrifted Target (new with tags) from Goodwill

So far, I've been really enjoying the Blog Every Day in May challenge.  It's been such a fun way to connect with other bloggers and share more about myself with all of you!  Today's topic is to share what you would do if you could do anything (not your current job).  If I couldn't be a school counselor, there are three careers I think I would really love.

1. House flipper.  Since I was a little kid, I've been interested in interior design and architecture.  I used to sit outside and draw house plans for fun, and my parents gave me an interior design computer game when I was like 12 years old that I LOVED.  I used to love playing the Sims, too (NERD ALERT), and my favorite part was designing the house.  HGTV used to be my favorite television station, and I was utterly obsessed with Trading Spaces.  [To be honest, I'm still a little bummed that show's not on anymore.  I was the biggest fan of Paige and Vern (and Hildi was craaazy, amiright?).]  I love going on walks around our little town to look at all the cute houses, and going to real estate websites to see interior floor plans and rooms and everything.  I think it would be super fun to buy houses, gut them and completely redesign the interiors, and then sell them for a profit.  SO FUN!

2. Run an animal rescue group.  I've always had a huge heart for animals.  My dad always jokes that I can never watch movies with "animals in peril" because they make me cry every single time.  Free Willy?  My Dog Skip?  Marley & Me?  Homeward Bound?  Where the Red Fern Grows (the book got me, too)?  Can't watch any of them without crying my face off.  I won't even watch Old Yeller because it will make me bawl. [True story: Kevin started talking to me about Old Yeller a few weeks ago and I started crying.  I'm such a softy.]  Anywaaays, after we adopted our pup, Pippin, I learned much more about the rescue organization that saved her.  I was completely shocked by the information I learned about animals and how many dogs are put down simply because they don't have room at shelters.  I want to have a huge house some day (well-decorated, of course) with a huge fenced backyard so I can rescue dogs from high-kill shelters and place them in their forever homes.  Aside from my dream to be a  school counselor and a mother, fostering and rescuing dogs is one of the things on my "must-do" list before I die.

3. Physical therapist.  I'm a ridiculously clumsy person, and have broken two bones before.  I broke my left collar bone in 8th grade (playing Red Rover during gym class...), and my left wrist about a year and a half ago (I was playing with Pippin on our bed and fell off...).  I needed surgery on my wrist to pin the bone back in place, and after six weeks in a cast, I began physical therapy to get my strength and range of motion back (I'm a lefty, I should add).  I fell in love with physical therapy.  I loved all the exercises my physical therapist helped me do.  I loved watching my progress from session to session.  I enjoyed watching other patients at the clinic make progress.  The physical therapists were so fun, encouraging, and personable, and I found myself thinking about physical therapy as a career.  How rewarding it would be to help patients overcome trauma, injury, and accidents and gain some freedom back!!  I've always been interested in the medical field, but I'm insanely squeamish about blood, needles, etc., so physical therapy would be a good venue for me in the health care industry!

What would you do, if you could do anything?!

Weekend Wear

Tank: Old Navy Cardigan: Target Jeans: NY&C Flats: Payless Necklace: Mom's 

I hope you all had a nice weekend!  I spent the weekend at my mom and dad's house, hanging out with them and my brother.

On Saturday, my family and I went to Wild Rumpus, a fantastic children's bookstore in Minneapolis, with the little boy my parent's mentor.  The bookstore has all kinds of animals roaming around in the store (cats and chickens!) and other animals hanging out in cages (lizards, tarantulas, birds, chinchillas, ferrets).  The entrance to the bookstore has a big door for adults and a little purple door for kiddos.  My family brought my brother and me there often when we were little, and it was so much fun to be back!! I can't wait to take my future children there some day :)

That afternoon, I visited my friend Jayne (she's an old supervisor of mine, who has become a dear friend...she even officiated our wedding!) and her two daughters.  When I was a senior in college, I nannied her oldest daughter, who is almost four years old now.  I haven't seen the girls since October, and it was crazy how much they have changed, especially her younger daughter who is nine months old now!  It was so fun to be Auntie Brynn again!

Saturday night, my brother and I had a date together.  We went out for dinner at Cossetta's, a DELICIOUS Italian restaurant in St. Paul, and then to see Rufus Wainwright in concert.  We had a blast together!  I also encouraged my brother to get Snapchat, so we spent an obscene amount of time this weekend sending each other ugly pictures of ourselves.

Dress: Old Navy Vest: Old Navy Belt: The Limited Boots: Guess

On Sunday, I sang at the church I grew up at with my family.  I LOVE to sing.  The woman who leads the music at the contemporary service is a close mentor and friend of mine, and she is so awesome and lets me sing whenever I want.  It's been so nice to have a musical outlet!  My mom also got confirmed this weekend, so it was nice to be there to support her as well.

I totally copied this outfit from Fran - I about died when I saw her wear this back in February, and I've been waiting to wearing it!  I probably would not have thought to pair this dress and vest together if it hadn't been for Fran, so thank you, my dear!!  I love how this outfit turned out and I got several compliments on it today :)

Five Days, Five Ways: Leopard Scarf

Day three of Five Days, Five Ways!  I so appreciate what Whitney and Fran have put together.  What a fun challenge this has been!  The challenge for today is to find five ways to wear an accessory.

I'm kind of a scarf lover (understatement), so I wanted to use my leopard scarf as my item for today.  I got this scarf at Old Navy in the end of August, and wore it frequently through the fall and winter.  I'm excited to wear it this spring!  For this challenge, I put together some fun spring-appropriate outfits with this scarf, and took two outfits from my archives to show previous ways I've worn this scarf.

Blouse: Old Navy Blazer: Old Navy Jeans: NY&C Wedges: Payless

I wanted to put together an outfit that would be appropriate for work, perhaps for a casual Friday.  It's quite professional on the top with the blouse and blazer, but a little more casual on the bottom with the cuffed skinny jeans and fun wedges.  I can't wait to wear this outfit once the snow melts!

Chambray tunic: NY&C, thrifted Vest: Old Navy Leggings: Victoria's Secret Boots: Target

This is an outfit from the archives that I wore this winter.  It is comfortable but put together, and perfect for a homework day :)  When I wore this back in February, my friend said to me, "Brynn, you are straight out of Pinterest today!" Haha.

Sweater: Old Navy Jeans: NY&C Boots: Guess 

Another outfit from my archives.  I wore this outfit in January when the temperature was stinging cold (-30 degree windchill!).  I love how the scarf adds a little visual interest to the outfit.

Dress: Old Navy Sandals: Born, via DSW

I absolutely love this dress I got on clearance at Old Navy.  I can't wait to wear this all spring and summer!  As I mentioned on the first day of Five Days, Five Ways, I'm not a huge pattern mixer, but this feels okay to me.  Neutral prints and colors tend to be more appealing to me when mixing prints than "louder" ones.

Tee: Target Skirt: Converse, thrifted Flats: Payless

I actually wore this exact outfit back in August (it was the first outfit I wore this scarf with, actually) and I love it.  It's simple but incredibly comfortable, and still looks very put together.  This skirt is a summer staple for me...get used to seeing it :)

Also, this post includes the debut of my new (SHORT) hair cut!  I really love it.  It's choppy and spunky - exactly how I like my hair.  I can't wait to find some fun embellished headbands to accessorize my new 'do!

An Ode to Sweater Dresses...

Dress: Target Fleece-lined leggings: Target Boots: Target Necklace: From Mom

I wore this sweater dress when celebrating my brother's birthday a couple of weeks ago.  It is so simple but comfortable, and I'm kind of in love with this shade of brown (especially paired with black!).  Also, I could seriously live in sweater dresses (or dresses in general, if I'm being really honest) for weeks and not really even miss pants.  Well, I might miss my black pants a little bit...but you get the idea.

Just Visiting

Dress: Old Navy Leggings: Victoria's Secret Necklace: From Mom

Look!  A new setting for pictures!  I'm standing in the middle of my mom and dad's living room/dining room here.  I'm back at home for a few days observing groups of students for grad school at my lovely alma mater.  Rather than skip out on outfit pictures for a couple of days, I thought I'd just snap some at their house.  I wore my beloved black boots with this outfit when I was out and about, but opted not to wear them in my pictures.

I had seen this dress at Old Navy several months ago, but didn't want to pay full price for it.  I stopped into Old Navy the other day (heyyy tax return!) and saw it on the clearance rack for a budget-friendly $15, and snatched it up.  I remember Fran styling it with a red cardigan and brown accessories back in January, and loved the look, but I decided to keep it simple for my first wearing.  I'm a huge fan of black and white stripes (apparently, because this is my third black/white striped dress), and have great plans to get plenty of wear out of this dress all year long (story of my closet's life).

Linking up with My Greatest Hits.

Smoothie Queen

Dress: Old Navy Belt: Old Navy Tights: Target Boots: Target

I've been on a real smoothie kick for the last month.  I'm making a conscious effort to eat healthier, and making smoothies is a fantastic way to start my day.  I always start with an oatmeal base with vanilla protein powder.  I add vanilla yogurt, a banana, and 4-6 ice cubes.  To vary the flavor, I add a handful of either frozen blueberries or peaches, and then pour vanilla soy milk or orange juice over the top.  YUM.  I'm always so surprised at how full it keeps me throughout the morning, and it feels great to fuel my body with healthier foods.

I'm linking up with Marion's Trend of the Month, The Pleated Poppy, and Because Shanna Said So.

Easy Sweater Dress

Dress: Old Navy Fleece-lined leggings: Target Knee highs: Target Boots: Target Scarf: JCPenney

As promised, this Tuesday, I wore something warmer than I did last week to accommodate for a freezing cold classroom.  I love this sweater dress from Old Navy - I have it in three different colors/patterns!  A dress like this is so easy to wear...just throw it on, add some accessories, and you're dressed.

Have any of you watched the movie Pitch Perfect?  It's one of my favorite movies - when I was in high school/college, I would have loved to be in an acapella group like the Barden Bellas.  I love to sing and dance :)  I've been singing songs from the musical for over a month now.  The song of the day for me today was Cups.  Enjoy!!

Sleepy Stripes

Dress: Old Navy Leggings: Target Boots: Bare Traps from DSW Necklace: F21

I've worn a slight variation of this outfit several times, and I totally love it.  I got this dress at Old Navy for $7, and it is so perfect.  I love that it hugs my body but doesn't make me look lumpy and bumpy.

I'm so exhausted today.  Kevin is out of town, so Pippin slept with me last night.  However, she woke up about every hour to growl at sounds she heard outside.  It was quite the restless night!  Since I have class at 8:00 am tomorrow (for 9 hours!!), I am planning to go to bed early tonight...and Pippin will probably have to sleep in her kennel.

Stripes and Red

Dress: Old Navy Belt: Old Navy Tights: Target Shoes: Payless

I had a completely different outfit planned for today, but changed my mind this morning.  I decided I wanted to wear this striped dress - it's easy to wear and flirty but still appropriate for work.  I loved wearing my red tights with this outfit, but on my university campus where leggings and UGG boots are rampant, I got some funny looks with my vibrant tights.  Whatever, I liked it :)  What I didn't like, however, were these shoes.  They are so cute, but incredibly uncomfortable.  I may be putting them in the "to donate" pile...I'm a flats girl through and through.