Leopard and Nude

Dress: similar and similar

Shoes:love (I've been eyeing these)

Earrings:love and love

 Beautiful, warm, inviting sun light; oh, how I love thee. I'm telling y'all, this Denver weather has been on one! It's the last week of January, and I kid you not, it has been in the high 60's low 70's so far. I live for that, I HATE being cold..brrrr. But at least I finally live somewhere that gives all 4 seasons! Ah, like Taylor Swift campaigns for NYC, I should campaign for Denver.

Anyway, let's talk about what you are really here for, this Banana Republic wrap dress I am wearing. It fits me like a charm, which is something I aim for when shopping. I am a slim person and I really have to be careful with what I choose to wear. Most people tell me "you can wear anything," well, thank you, but no...not exactly....I don't want look like I have a night gown on.

I've had this dress for about 3 months now, and I have only worn it twice:

• To a club called The Church here in Denver, I was so over dressed and it was pretty funny 
• Today

It was another steal  I got from my yearly birthday shopping extravaganza at the Silverthorne Outlets.

I am usually not a huge fan of 3/4 length shirts/dresses, but I felt like the pattern gave it a break. Wrap dresses are just flattering and comfortable. I loved the feeling of being secured yet comfortable at the same time.  I would wear this dress on so many occasions, stay tuned to see your options.

Love and Sparkles // Chels

Sunday Lunchday // Winter Park

Holy smokes, the weekend is over people! How was your Monday? Mine was so busy that I barely had time to reminisce over my fun filled weekend, but I plan to do that with you guys now!

I took Friday off from work because 1. My body was angry at me for never taking time off. And 2. My poor doggy needed a caring for asap. He has a luxating patella (insert weeping mom here). If you are not familiar with that, it is where the knee cap pops in and out in little dogs. He's had it for a while; but Monday when I came home from work he was only walking on 3 legs. I had a 3 legged dog, it freaked me out. 

Isn't he adorable?

Ok, vets are expensive. I walked out of there paying my car note (insert weeping mom here). I payed for medicine (helpful) and a diagnostic. Leland has to have surgery on his knee. This was shocking and pretty much set the tone for the rest of the day. He's been fine since Friday- no limping..

I love this baby boy so much, he has been with me since 2008 and I would do anything to keep him around. I'll save this sob story for another post.

On Saturday..drum roll please... we went tubing in Winter Park {not water tubing, snow tubing}! This is huge for me, I am not an outdoors person. I love to be inside snuggled up on my couch watching the episodes of the Kardashians and Real Housewives. But we had a blast! 

If you have never been to Colorado, you are really missing out on all of God's greatness. It is absolutely beautiful here, some moments just take my breath away.

I had a great time with my hubs and dear friends tubing. I am such a scaredy cat y'all, like really, I am! I don't do amusement parks, water parks, skiing, none of that stuff is fun for me! I'm not adventurous at all, it's kinda sad. Tubing is way fun, though, that might be one of my new things. 

We were so lazy Sunday that we chose to eat at our favorite Chinese restaurant by our house, The Honeybee. They have the BEST Honey Walnut Shrimp there, yuuuuum. And if you didn't know, I'm the biggest boba junkie you ever did see. 

We love our cell phones.

What a nice, long weekend we had. Can't wait to see what this one has in store. Until next time...

Love and Sparkles // Chels

Natural Hair Update

I'm so excited about my natural hair, keep reading to find out  why!

I wore a sew in for an entire year; I would get it refreshed about every 2 months. It is so easy to manage because I don't have to worry about my natural hair being damaged, frizzy...you know the struggle. 

Anyway, I decided it was time to see what was underneath all those tracks, and wah-lah: 

After being hidden for a year, not straighten or anything, my hair grew so much! I was really satisfied with the results :)

I've been relaxer free FOUR years now. It was a decision I made simply because I was so over getting perms, not because I wanted my hair to be healthy. I always hated the way perms made my hair feel; like there was a film on top of each strand of hair. Hated it. But, it was what I was used to, it was what I had received my whole life. My gosh, this is why you have to do your own research and follow those instincts you have because...I've never been happier.

I was living in Monterey, CA at the time.I needed a hair appointment desperately for another perm-yuck. I decided I just wasn't going to get one, I could go a little longer, couldn't I? I booked a wash and style, and my hair turned out just the same as it would with a fresh relaxer (well, it wasn't filmy and stuck to my head). That was it, I was really questioning why I would ever need one again. 

I wear my natural hair straight, I am not for the twist outs, cute fros, etc. It just hasn't worked on me, and I found it too difficult to manage. 

Amen, Hallelujah!! I'm proud of the results.

Love and Sparkles // Chels

On The Go

I'm a big texture junkie, and if it is furry then I am even more content.

Jacket: Columbia
Pants: Nike here and here
Shoes:Keds 

I decided to do a more "on the go" look for today. Although I love high fashion, it isn't everyday I want to be dressed to the nines. I wore this cozy piece to lunch on Sunday paired with Nike pants and my Keds. I really just wanted to be comfortable . When I get in one of those "lazy but I still need to be presentable moods", I love to be in the best comfortable clothing possible. Usually that has something to do with athletic wear.

I bought this on my yearly birthday trip to Silverthorne, CO. They have the cutest outlet mall there I ever did see. The Columbia store was a hit, and once I put this fuzz buzz on I knew it was coming home with me.  It is, hands down, the most comfortable jacket I own. I have worn it to work several times and received many compliments and hugs from children who wanted in on the fuzzy action. It really is my go to jacket, and I have washed it in bleach a couple of times and it still looks pretty darn fresh.

I'm sure you'll see this on me again...I'm in love. Thanks Columbia.

Love and Sparkles // Chels

Tyler Farr//Sunday Lunchday

Happy Monday, friends! What...a....weekend!

My husband and I are big country music fans, and one of my (our) anniversary gifts was tickets to see Tyler Farr in concert. 'Cause, ya know...I'm the "whiskey in his water" of course :). It was such a fun night, we were on our feet from 7-11. My back was stiff as all get out, but it was worth it. Tyler Farr is an amazing performer, there wasn't one dull moment, and I didn't even know all of his songs.  He even brought out his bestie..Lee Brice as a surprise! By the way, I am wearing Wendell's Patagonia jacket.

The concert was at the Fillmore in Denver, it has a ballroom meets country bar vibe. It is a nice venue and that was my first time going there. 

Shirt: J.Crew

Cardigan: similar here and here

Skirt: similar and love this one

Saturday night we went out with some friends. Love, love,love this outfit I wore, maybe I will do a solo blog post on it later. 

So every Sunday we have "Sunday Lunchday", it's seriously my favorite activity. We visit a new restaurant chosen by Yelp (well, chosen by me but with the help of Yelp). Denver has amazing restaurants, we have eaten at plenty of them that even Denverites are unaware of.This Sunday we ate at The Hornet on Broadway in the Baker District. 

Ordering is to be taken seriously...

I had the best Lobster Mac and Cheese for the first time ever, it was sooooo good. And the hubster had their Honey Stung Fried Chicken with sweet potato fries. It is a nice restaurant to enjoy brunch at with your favorite friends.

Thanks for reading! Love and Sparkles//Chels

Floral and Denim

Happy Saturday :)

Jacket:  similar and similar

Dress: unknown, but love 

Boots: here and here

Yay! It's Saturday, my most favorite day of the week! And guess what, the sun is out here in Denver today! Let's talk about this garden of a dress I'm wearing on today's post. This dress is THRIFTED, I was a huge thrifter only about 6 months ago. There is one right down the street from our house, and it was a Saturday ritual for me to go and treasure hunt. It got old pretty quickly for me once I discovered my love for...say it with me.. Nordstrom Rack! 

Anyway, I am in love with this dress, it saved me when I was transitioning into Fall here. I will wear this all year round because of it's versatility. Later on in the year I will show you all how I style it for spring and summer. It works well as it's super light and movable. 

I scored this denim jacket at the outlets of Silverthorne from the Calvin Klein store. I felt like a winner, mainly because it was marked down to 20.00 and it fit me like a charm. Love it. Thanks for stopping by :)

Bliss

I love to be carefree, and I take pride in that. I'm blessed to have a husband who lets me explore who I am, be a complete klutz and laugh when I should be more serious. He breezes through all of this even though it kills him. 

Oh so often do females categorize ourselves. I only stopped doing that about a year ago when I noticed I couldn't keep up with everyone around me. I can't compare myself to others and feel sorry for myself. My friends and I would complain, and I would notice they would express how awesome my life was, to be already married and travel around the country. I used to brush that off and tell them it "wasn't so great.” But after nights of praying and soul searching, I realized I am exactly where and who God wants me to be. 

It’s important to be honest with yourself. Remember... nothing in life can be rushed (well, those last minute papers due at midnight can be, but I don't recommend that).

Photography by Caitlynn Nonaka, Blackbird Photography

Dress: Delia"s, very old, but I'd rock this one on clearance and this one from Express. Scarf: Moms :) similar. Boots: Love love love these boots from Sears

I hope you enjoyed this post and feel empowered :)