2019 Flashbacks

Happy Saturday!

Since I've been back, I reflected a lot on my life's journey. Now I'd like to reflect on my favorite outfits during that journey. 

Look #1: Valentine's Day 2019

For Valentine's Day, I had class. I decided to go for a comfortable red sweater. My family called me on the way home and asked me to join them for karaoke which ended up being a great night! I randomly found these shoes in my trunk and swapped them out for my uggs that I wore to class. Some outfits really just randomly happen! :)

What I Wore: 

Top Target | Bottoms JCPenney | Shoes Lola Shoetique

Look #2: Family Time 

It's no secret that one of my favorite things to do is enjoy time with my family. Fun Fact- I actually became a caregiver to my grandmother 2018-present. I try to have an outing for us when we can to give us a break from all the doctors appointments she has (including dialysis) and school work for me. Family is a mutual happy place for us both. As I always say, if you can look good for your friends, you can look good for your family too! :)

I love a good mixed print outfit! Here a chose polka dot print with leopard print and I absolutely LOVED it :)

What I Wore: 

Top Inc Macy's (stolen from my mom) lol | Bottom FashionNova  | Shoes Tory Burch

Look #3: Dinner on a Cruise 

I was so fortunate to be able to spend quality time celebrating one of my best friends on her journey to marriage. What better way to celebrate than to take a cruise?? So it was only right that a packed fun cute outfits :)

What I Wore: 

Top Boutique in the mall | Joggers Boohoo | Shoes Lola Shoetique

Look #4: My Birthday Look 

If you know anything about me, then you know how obsessed with birthdays! I will not leave out for much, but if there's a birthday to be celebrated, especially mine, I'm always down! For this look, I stumbled across it. I actually bought a matching set from boohoo.com and didn't receive the top :( So I tried on this top and feel completely in love! "Everything happens for a reason" was such a true statement for this outfit. If the top came, I probably would've worn it a different way!

What I Wore: 

Top Pretty Little Thing | Bottom Boohoo | Shoes Lola Shoetique

Look #5: Dinner with my Mom

I'm my mother's number one fan! I admire everything about her, especially her upcoming clothing brand (Infinity Faith). I love everything her brand represents. It's a reminder that with faith, you can go places! I know it's cheesy and cliche to wear her hoodies/t-shirts when I hang out with her, but I do lol! I had so much fun with this look! I added shorts ($4 on sale!!!!), fishnets & vans for the perfect fall night look. Fun Fact- you get the best bargain for shorts at the end of summer!

What I Wore: 

Hoodie Infinity Faith (coming soon) | Shorts Macy's | Shoes Vans | Tights Party City

Look #6: Random Girl's Night 

Love a random girl's night! I obviously was lazy once again with my fall look inspiration. I borrowed the hoodie/fishnets look from a previous look. Turned out super cute and comfy :)

What I Wore: 

Dress Amazon | Tights Party City | Shoes DSW

Look #7: Celebrating my Sister's Birthday 

One of my favorite looks EVER!!!

I did a thing. This year for me was all about letting go. This outfit definitely showed that! Who cares what others think, wear it if it makes you feel great. Soooooo yup I ordered a swimsuit coverup and wore it as an outfit. The way I felt wearing it is indescribable and a night I will always remember! It was definitely a turning point in my confidence.

What I Wore: 

Blazer Target | Bottoms Amazon | Shoes Lola Shoetique

Look #8: Celebrating Scorpio Season 

Honestly, I just wanted to wear this dress so bad! Orange is one of my favorite colors to wear. It was perfect to throw on for a birthday dinner for my favorite girl :)

What I Wore: 

Dress JLUX Label | Shoes Lola Shoetique

That's all folks! 

Xoxo, 

Courtney <3

Breaking Point

Hi Loves,

My first post of 2020! Happy New Year!

I know I'm super late, but my absence was necessary in order for me to grow. Normally people (including myself) are screaming, "New year, same me!" But this year, it was different then that. I'm actually different and I'm loving it!

I went on a deep journey to truly healing that required me to isolate from everything and everyone. Although I shed many, MANY tears, some of joy and some for sadness, I grew and developed a better person. 

I knew I was feeling better when I wanted to go out for the NYE celebration! I even DIY'd my outfit.

I used: Boa, scissors, an old dress, and a glue gun.

Before:

After:

What I Wore: 

Dress Bebe | Boa Michaels | Shoes Lola Shoetique

Below are a some of the lessons I learned on my journey to discovering my best self: 

• Can't do anything without putting God first! 

My biggest accomplishment over the last year was getting a better relationship with God. Man 2014 was the hardest year I've ever had in life (so I thought!) Then 2018-2019 came and really took things to a whole different level! I did what I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it. Sometimes you have to reevaluate the way you do things. I was doing things without God. 

The moment I bought myself a journal, I promised to pray before I did anything! It helped me soooooo much. 

You can't even find your keys without God. lol For example, I misplaced my mother's keys and angrily searched for them for over an hour. As soon as I prayed and said "Amen," I immediately found they keys! 

• You can't help others if you can't help yourself! 

This is a biggy for me. Lord knows I struggled a very long time with this, but I'm working on it! This year I worked hard with putting myself first. I felt like I was able to do more for others by taking care of me. You have to be selfish to be selfless. If I reach my goals, then I'm able to give back and help other people later in the world.

1. Know your worth. 
2. BOUNDARIES! BOUNDARIES! BOUNDARIES! Learned to say no or yes when necessary. 

• Being a victim is the WORST THING EVER! 

Having a victim mentality is something that can really hold you back! I had this mindset for so long and it was incredibly hard to get over it. I always blamed other people for EVERYTHING. After digging deep I learned about accountability. I started living by this: "When you point your finger at others, there's more pointing back at you!"

If you are accountable for actions, then you are able to come up with solutions. Without accountability, you are only able to focus on the problem. You will forever be stuck! You'll always be one to focus on the problem, rather than the solution.

• Your breaking point is the first point of finding the real you! 

I learned about the importance of reaching your breaking point. The things that were meant to break me, actually lead me to my strength. At some point we all must stop feeling sorry for ourselves and really start loving ourselves. I seriously stayed in the house for days, I cried, started going out for drinks again, welcomed people that had already served their purpose in my life to come back, the list goes on. I started to feel stuck and that this repeated cycle would NEVER end. I eventually hit rock bottom. I couldn't get out of the bed some days, lost all motivation, etc After a few months went by, I realized rock bottom wasn't so bad because it was only up from there! For me, rock bottom was actually my biggest blessing. It's the beginning of me falling in love with myself and my life all over again!

So now I can proudly say, "New Year, New Me!"

What are some of the lessons you learned over the last year??

Xoxo,

Courtney :)