Sunday Shopping: Birthday Wish List

Only 1 month until my birthday & while I probably need to be asking for practical things like a new crockpot & vacuum, these 10 pretty things are topping my wish list! You only turn 28 once!

{1} Kate Spade silver watch - I love my gold watch almost everyday & would like to give it a break with this pretty silver number // {2} striped clutch - I love throwing clutches into my work bags for easy after hours style! // {3} Kendra Scott tassel necklace - seriously my favorite necklace ever, & I am dreaming of adding this pink quartz to my collection (now on Nordstrom Anniversary Sale!) // {4} Blue eyelet skirt - been on my wish list for a while, would be fun for work or play! // {5} Hunter boots - after almost 10 years, my first pair has a crack so it is time for a replacement! (now on Nordstrom Anniversary Sale!) // {6} lip print makeup bag - my lipstick collection has outgrown my current bag! // {7} gold Lisi Lerch tassel earrings - I LOVE my orange pair, but one pair just isn't enough! // {8} leopard print espadrilles - wonder if I can rock these at work!? // {9} Vera Bradley bowler bag - would be such a perfect all-purpose teacher work bag! // {10} two-tone tortoise sunglasses

Sunday Shopping: Birthday Wish List

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10

Somebody's birthday is less than one month away... that somebody is about to pass into the quarter century plus club. Do any perks come with 26?

I am looking forward to a new year & these are the 10 items topping my wish list right now.

Let me know if you need my mailing address ;)

note to self

Since turning 25 I have had some time to reflect on where I thought I would be by my "mid-twenties" and where I see myself before the end of this second decade.

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So in this spirit, I have written a future letter to myself from my (hopefully) much wiser self

Dear Jessica,

5 years ago you thought that by now (25) you would be a “grown-up”, including a “real” job, a husband, and the possibility of children on the near horizon. But now that 25 is actually a reality, none of those ideals have come true, and you are (by your 20 year old’s standards) surprisingly OK with that. 5 years ago you could have never imagined yourself in school pursuing your Ph.D., living in Nashville, seeing your sister have kids first. But this is not anyway negative or complaining – the life you have made here is amazing.

{via}

this is 25

{ What I Wore: Topshop peplum top // Arden B shorts {similar} // Zara heels {similar} // boutique necklace {love this one!} }

This is what 25 looks like. Happy Birthday to me

 Me and my 2 large checked bags are on our way down to Panama City Beach, Florida to celebrate my college bestie's bachelorette party. And you know I am getting me a rental car...
 oh the perks of getting older!

xx

Jessica

30 before 30

 Today I am 25... I have lived a quarter of a century. To me age is simply a number so I welcome and celebrate each and every birthday (maybe I say that now), and I have certainly enjoyed my 25 years... but am looking forward to the next 25. Where will I be? What will I be doing? I can't even venture a guess, for the next few years as I complete my degree are very up in the air... but I look forward to finishing my 20s in style.

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Here are 30 things that I would love to tick off before I reach my next decade:

{Do}

{ 1. } Make a signature cocktail (Champagne + St. Germain)

{ 2. } Find my perfect shade of red lipstick (Nars "Heat Wave)

{ 3. } Have a progressive dinner party

{ 4. } Re-learn how to knit

{ 5. } Define my style aesthetic (working on it here)

{ 6. } Invest in a classic handbag (December 2013 - this MK one)

{ 7. } Learn to french braid my hair

{ 8. } Complete my Ph.D. (Graduated with my Masters January 2014)

{ 9. } Start stretching... I want to be able to do the splits again! 

{ 10. } Ride in a hot air balloon (29th Birthday, see evidence on Instagram here & here!)

{via}

{See}

{ 11 .} Visit NYC (completed June 2013)

{ 12. } Party in Vegas (Bachelorette Party, 2015)

{ 13. } Play in Disney Land (completed during our 2016 road trip - evidence on Instagram here)

{ 14. } Travel to all 50 states (21 more to go! Over half way there!)

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

{ 15. } Attend a real life fashion show (Nashville Fashion Week, 2014)

{ 16. } Go back home for my 10 year high school reunion 

{ 17. } Go back to Europe (maybe with Ty !?)

{ 18. } Take a road trip with Ty to Oregon (Instagram evidence here)

{via}

{Live}

{ 19. } Learn all the constellations
{ 20. } Read 20 new books (passed the mark & still going!)
See my Summer 2015 Reading List + Reviews here

{1. The Paris Wife 2. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? 3. Little Bee 4. Bel Canto 5. Truth & Beauty (highly recommend!) 6. Where'd You Go Bernadette 7. The 5 Love Languages 8. Gone Girl (messed up, in the best possible way) 9. The Fault In Our Stars (if in need of a beautiful cry, dispatch this book) 10. Hyperbole and a Half (SO my humor, I laughed so hard I might have tinkled a little bit) 11. The Goldfinch 12. All the Light We Cannot See (beautifully heart wrenching) 13. Bossypants (I think Tiny Fey is my spirit animal) 14. The Girls of Atomic City (an interesting historical non-fiction read, especially if you are from/live-in Tennessee) 15. Grace, A Memoir (MAN! She has lived the life, loved getting a peek behind the front row of fashion) 16. Room (such a gripping story - haven't seen the movie  yet, but it is on my list!) 17. The Night Circus (strangely beautiful, transported me to a different time) 18. Me Before You (I dare you to read this and not cry!) 19. Modern Lovers (I love the characters & their individual story lines in this) 20. The Woman in Cabin 10 (Being my anxious self, I read the last page of this book & it still took me for such a twisting ride!) 21. In a dark, dark wood (perfectly dark and suspenseful) … }

{ 21. } Find a church that I enjoy going to (gave up on this one, but found a new respect for nature here in Colorado)

{ 22. } Get plugged into regularly volunteering (Realized that as a teacher, my job is also a LOT of volunteering)

{ 23. } Finally stop biting/chewing my cuticles (January 2014 thank goodness for wedding planning and gel manicures!)

{ 24. } Live outside of the South (even if for just a little bit!) (Moved to Denver, Colorado Summer 2016)
{ 25. } Color my hair (I've always wanted to be a red head)  January 2013

{via}

{Blog}

{ 26. } Get a custom design for my site  Completed October 2012

{ 27. } Have a blogger meetup  First one August 2012

{ 28. } Get a regular blog series up and running Blogger Spotlight

{ 29. } Interview one of my favorite big-wig bloggers

{ 30. } Attend a blogger conference Southern Blog Society Conference (2013, 2014, 2015)

I might not accomplish them all, but maybe I will be able to look back on this list in 5 years & smile at the memory of a fabulous decade!

gift guide: 25th birthday

Family, friends, and strangers alike. The 1-month countdown to my quarter-century celebration is upon us! Time to get shopping... if you need my address, let me know ;)

This year I am craving items that will carry me into my next year with my most sophisticated foot forward: delicate necklaces, chic books to read and display around my house, practical and not-so-practical, but cute shoes, grown up bags, and camera gear to capture all of the stylish moments!

{ gold necklaces }

monogram necklace // Llama necklace // xo necklace

{ coffee table books }

The Happiness Project One Sentence Journal
Design*Sponge at Home

 Domino: The book of decorating

 The Sartorialist

 Little Dictionary of Fashion

I Spy DIY

{ omg... shoes! } 

Nisolo sandals

glitter heels

Soludos Blue & White stripe espadrilles

{ totes }

Madewell leather tote // Just keep swimming tote // Kate spade purse

{ photog gear } 

Lumix camera // camera bag // Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens

Also, I'll take anything on my Pinterest, Amazon or Currently Obsessed wish list... just saying' ;)

Do you still make wish lists for your holidays? 

(seriously, my family starts asking for my lists months before my birthday, and Christmas... you made me like this people!)

What are you currently coveting?

xx

Jessica