{cardigans} day 8

you would think that by day 8 i would be in the habit of taking pictures of myself right...during the day...outside...where they look good - WRONG. {FARSE}. day 8 i didn't remember until i was home from work so you get a not so great picture of a seriously great cardi!

thankful thursday...

16. the feeling of satisfaction that comes with a clean room

17. the freshness that follows a shower (especially when the shower is CLEAN!)

18. seeing the miracle of 661 people willing to save a life

19. the gift of a boss who truly appreciates me

20. excitement for the upcoming celebrations in a dear friend's life

21. hearing my dad call me scooter - my childhood nickname

22. being serenaded while taking in the crisp night air

23. laughter

24. feeling the warm sun on my skin after a foggy morning

25. a new friend

26. looking down the aisle during church and seeing my lifeGroup praising

27. being available to listen to a friend's tears

28. the smell of freshly cut grass

29. accomplishing lunchtime errands and making it back to work on time

30. polka dots

31. an unexpected kind word

32. the smell of angel food cake baking downstairs

33. realizing i'm getting a headache which means i didn't have one before

34. being reminded of God's faithfulness through the prayers of others

{cardigans} day 7

day 7 was SUNSHINEY and BRIGHT in cardigan land and i wasn't the only chick who thought so...yesterday i was one of 3 in the office sporting a cardi and totally pulling it off. the red cardi (which is perhaps slightly more pink than red - but red nonetheless) is from GAP and is a classic grandpa cardi with a slightly lower v-neck and dark brown (sometimes confused with black) buttons...and it is undoubtedly one of my favorites...i even wore it on Christmas last year. the necklace was a Christmas gift from my best adventuremate Gan and is from anthropologie. it is ALSO favorite and can make any outift IMMEDIATELY 100% better. the ruffle tank is GAP maternity because apparently when Gan pointed it out to me on clearance in the store i missed the memo but decided i NEEDED it so i make the maternity one work...let's be honest...it hides a lot and i am NOT going to complain about that!

Coming Home...

sunday night was the premiere of a new show on lifetime: ComingHome...it is a "reality show" depicting military families welcoming home their soldiers. my big brother Kevin is currently finishing up nursing school, but he is technically a private first class. he joined the army as an RN and will be heading into training and service following graduation. this is a HUGE adjustment for me...i would love nothing more than to fall in love and marry an amazing man who gets along great with Kevin and Jamie and then all live in the same general vacinity and raise our kids together. however, i am SO excited for Kev and this new adventure he is embarking upon. i know what an honor it is for him to be able to serve - and i am SO PROUD of him for making that choice. nevertheless, i know the emotions are going to SOAR when kevin actually leaves and takes his wife (my dear friend) and daughter (my favorite person on the face of the earth) with him.i didn't actually CRY (although tears did well up) during the show, but i'm pretty sure if it was my big brother coming home from overseas and surprising madeline, i would be a hot mess. as i sat and watched the show i was just so touched, and truly thankful for the sacrifice that so many families make for our nation's safety and protection - and what an honor to list my brother amongst those. i'll miss him like crazy - but this is a good thing! (now, if my heart could just TRULY get that memo and be still.)ps - who wouldn't want THIS girl to stick around...seriously...she's the best...and Texas, that just isn't for her (come on M-girl, help me convince them! shoot for Washington or Hawaii...)

{cardigans} day 6

over the weekend {while working Be The Match) i got a sunburn - which can only mean one thing - SUMMER IS COMING! summer isn't quite as fun as an adult - you don't get to wake up each thursady morning, have bible study @ the powell's house, and then head to the beach - BUT the outfit choices do grow exponentially when you don't have to cover them up with a coat - SO i'm stoaked for summer! ha! always looking for the positive. today it was warm enough to bust out the black dress WITHOUT tights and couple it with a darling pink 3/4 sleeve cardi. Add a polka dot bow and call the outfit complete. (ps don't you love that a simple piece of ribbon can make you feel like you have a brand new dres...ahhh...LOVE IT!)

{cardigans} day 5

i made a couple (two to be exact) executive decisions regarding this whole cardigan thing...

1. i do not have to post pictures of the cardigans i wear on weekends. chances are, it's a cardigan you saw earlier in the week. i admit it. i'm an outfit repeater. (that and my long grey cardi appears to be an every weekend staple...until i spill on it...then it get washed and re-enters the work-week rotation. LOVE IT!)

2. if i hate a cardigan and decide to move it into the goodwill pile, i have the right to refuse photo evidence. i wore a cardigan on sunday (IN PUBLIC I MIGHT ADD) that was retired immediately upon my return home. it is NOT cute. i WILL NOT wear it again. NO you don't get to see!

day 5. here we are. a green cardi from Target - originally purchased to coordinate with a maxi dress I got last summer on clearance from GAP. strapless isn't my best look, so cardigans are the perfect compliment. i'm also wearing my FIRST BIRTHDAY GIFT...gan was here over the weekend and she gave me the amazing ruffle tank - seriously it is the SOFTEST ITEM OF CLOTHING I OWN. run to Gap and purchase one for yourself. you will not regret it. i am also sporting a new Gap headband courtesy of Gan and the birthday bag...so cuteoverall, love the whole look, definitely repeatable!
ps sorry about the low quality photos - the full body shot was taken on 10-second snap while resting on the top of my car in the office parking lot at the end of the day...i'm still getting the hang of this whole thing...

Kenzie's Birthday Celebration

Gan was in town this weekend for an engagement party (congratulations kristal!) so we were FINALLY able to celebrate Kenzie's 25th birthday...just about a month late! We have a tradition (mostly because we like to embarass Kenz in as many ways as possible) of providing a wearable item that must be included in the birthday ensemble...this year...EASTER HEADBANDS (last year was heart-shaped sunglasses, and the year prior to that was a cupcake headband made out of paper...we're getting more legit!)Friday evening we headed to the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena for Free Museum Friday (can we just say AWESOME!) and then had dinner at a really fun Mexican restaurant. The Norton Simon is an interesting place. There is some seriously legit art, some questionable art, some art that I'm not sure is actually art, and a sculpture garden...unfortunately for us, we went at night, so the sculptures kind of blended into the scenery. However, we did manage to find husbands - Gan's has amazing abs even though he looks like he's about to die and mine has a head of hair like you have NEVER seen! (i wish i would have taken pictures of our husbands - how sad no one else can experience our joy!)This is Megan's new best friend...she's tall and skinny...but weighs a TON so it's hard for her to get around....we left her at the museum, but we might come back to visit...and this...THIS is not art...this is "heavy felt" with slits cut in it...nailed to the wall in the norton simon. please explain this to me. someone. anyone. do you get rich for making things like this? because seriously, i have THAT kind of talent...

Be The Match - Save A Life

I work at a church which, at times, provides opportunities for me to be involved in some pretty awesome events. This weekend, we hosted a Bone Marrow Registry Drive in hopes of finding a match for a SUPER CUTE kid named Brayden who lives in our community.Brayden is only 4-years-old and is already fighting his SECOND battle with leukemia...but there is hope. Brayden has a partial match and we are praying and continuing to search for that miracle PERFECT match - perhaps - just maybe - that match was added to the registry because of my church. It was a CRAZY day and there was a lot to manage, but we are estimating that we added somewhere between 625 and 675 names to the National Registry. we answered a TON of questions...hopefully accurately...went through a TON of consent forms...and had a hugely successful day! now we wait and pray that God uses our drive to save lives - even if not brayden's! i would LOVE to get the call and actually be able to donate marrow to a patient in need - what an incredible opportunity to SHOW love. AMAZING.

If you are interested in joining the National Registry, you can visit bethematch.org and request a swab kit in the mail.

ps Be The Match has a 1k...Gan...let's LIVE THE DREAM and RUN THE 1K!!!

{cardigans} day 4

today is "casual friday" but i'm also enjoying a little evening extravaganza with some dear friends...so after MUCH debate, i settled on the "nautical" look. i wore my long grey cardi (might be my absolute favorite) purchased from the GAP OUTLET in Branson, Missouri in January with a favorite Gap t with red stripes and the key necklace. FAB. i know my face looks a bit odd in this picture...the ogre eyes are getting MUCH better (good enough that I didn't chop my head completely out of the picture) but we're not quite there yet!! so... i can't quite say i feel CUTE today - but it's looking like it might be more of a possibility in the near future!

{cardigans} day 3

today was a bit blustery and cold, so i picked a "rainy day wrap cardi". it isn't an AWFUL outfit but it isn't altogether fabulous either. the flower does make a HUGE difference (i do love the flower - thanks for that Shalina!) in the overall "cuteness factor".
ps the walls in my house are not really yellow - apparently the lighting just stinks EVERYWHERE...maybe today i'll take a picture outside, in the pretty light God gave us and see how that turns out...
pss i should try taking these pictures early in the day - i realized as i uploaded this photo that i apparently spilled on myself. cute shell. cute.