Dress Yourself

I'm currently in the Windy City having a great time but I couldn't miss Friday's Fancies! This week's theme was to dress ourselves in an outfit that is totally us. Each week I come up with outfits that are out of my budget or display trends that I may not always have the courage to wear. This week's outfit is typical Leeann. California casual, all found at Tilly's. About nine out of 12 months of the year I'm wearing my Rainbows. Paired with jeans and a Roxy sweatshirt, and I'm ready to go.

California Casual by leeannm 

Roxy hoodies sweatshirt / Full Tilt racerback tank top / YMI jeans / Rainbow shoes / Studded handbag / Sunglasses

Be sure to come back Monday because it will be an epic Weekend Update post. All three hosts are hanging together this weekend in Chicago, you can only imagine the trouble we're going to get into!

I'm off to Chicago!

Tomorrow I hop on a plane and head to Chicago! I get to spend three glorious days having the ultimate weekend with my Weekend Update co-hosts Dana of five30three and Sami of Sami's Shenanigans. Dana and Sami already had plans for an epic meetup and then they were sweet enough to invite me! We're also spending time with Mrs. Chris of Chubbette Tales! It's my first time in Chicago and although I am super scared of the cold weather (LA doesn't get colder than the 50s...when it's REALLY cold), I'm really eager to meet the ladies and see the sights.

Now jumping back to yesterday - yeah I'm all over the place - I am proud to announce that I had a good hair day. You know that feeling when you wear a new outfit or your makeup just looks right? That was me yesterday. Curls and bows.

In other news, we started the Biggest Loser at work two weeks ago. As of last night, I've lost 5 lbs-ish. I keep weighing myself with boots on after breakfast so I may have lost 6. I allowed myself a bit of Thanksgiving cheating and plan on a few cheats in Chiacgo, but overall I'm sticking to eating healthy (1200 calories and cutting sugar) and exercising three times a week (at least the first week I was exercising). IF I lose the most I get $200. Wish me luck!

And lastly, who is pumped for the Target + Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection? On Saturday Dana and Sami have plans to do some damage at the debut. I may or may not make a purchase. I'm still trying to save after my Australia trip earlier this month plus pay for three root canals which alone cost nearly $2,000 :( If I were to buy something, I wouldn't mind the Prabal Gurung Cape!

Finally linking up with my favorite sorority sister who I've never met, (yes, same sorority, Delta Zeta, but at a different school!) Shanna of Because Shanna Said So.

      Photo courtesy of Wikipedia, Business of Fashion and Chic and Glamourous 

Thanksgiving

This weekend was all about relaxing and being lazy. Lots of football, naps, and lounging around. The most exciting thing that happened was my parents not plugging in the roaster when cooking the turkey, delaying Thanksgiving eating a few hours. It was actually kind of funny!

When I did bother to get up and out I managed to get to a few shops on Friday for sales - of course in the afternoon, not during the shopping madness. I scored a pair of jeans 60% off, winter headbands for my Chicago trip this week, and a dress for my company holiday party. Not too shabby.

I also saw Breaking Dawn Part 2. This was the first Twilight movie I saw in the theater. The others were OK but not really my thing. I was surprised that I actually liked this one. Totally recommend it.

What did you do this weekend? I hope it was more exciting than my last few days. Link up with me and my co-hosts Dana of five30three and Sami of Sami's Shenanigans and tell us all about it. We just ask that you follow these rules:

1. Blog about your weekend.

2. Add the badge (below) to your post.

3. Add the blog post link to the linkup below.

<a href=" http://www.jointhegossip.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://sites.google.com/site/samishenanigans/files/weekendupdatebutton.png" /></a>



Photo courtesy of: Total Film

Australia: Recap Three

The last of my Australia recaps focuses on Sydney, where I spent most of my free time. I was there a total of two full days and two half days. In that time I explored the city, went to the nearby Blue Mountains, and spent an afternoon at Manly Beach. Of all the cities I visited - Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney - Sydney was my favorite. I loved the vibe of the big buildings, seaside eateries, and old bars AND public transportation really was a dream. Makes me wish LA had a safe, easy bus system.

The first day we got in was spent seeing all of the touristy places like the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, as well as other cool buildings.

That night we had a drink at an outside bar in Darling Harbour - sunset was incredibly gorgeous!

On my first full day I was up bright and early to catch a tour to the nearby Blue Mountains. The day consisted of visiting an animal park then touring several places with beautiful views of the forest and the famous Three Sisters.

While I had a good time, I don't think this was a must-see, or at least via tour. I'm more of a city and ocean kind of person that a mountain lover. AND with the tour I didn't get to see the Jenolan Caves (the oldest discovered open caves in the world!) that boast incredible calcite formation. I didn't see this offered on any of the tours and didn't even know about them until I heard that a co-worker visited them.

The next day was spent at Manly Beach, a ferry ride away from Sydney. Unfortunately it was rainy and cold, but the trip over to the island there was scenic and relaxing and the time spent there consisted of delish seafood and walking around the island.

Unfortunately the next day I had to hop on a plane and fly back to LA. I wish I had just one more day to check out the other beaches in Sydney, such a Bondi. I hear it's amazing! Maybe one day...

Be sure to check out Australia: Recap One and Australia: Recap Two to read about my entire three week trip!

Stocking Stuffer: Serge Normant

If you're anything like me, you hate Black Friday and you're not into fighting crowds to save a buck. I know, totally un-American of me. But I still love a good deal. That's why I've been buying gifts online this year. Reasonably priced items shipped right to your door? I'm all about that.

Enter Serge Normant. Hair stylist to stars such as Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon, and others, he now has a line of hair care available for the everyday woman.

The company recently sent me their travel size products and I am loving them. Not only are the prices reasonable for quality products, but they also smell like fall/winter bottled up. I am into earth tones so I really appreciate the warm-scented ingredients, such as cedar bark.

After shampooing and conditioning my hair with the products I feel great. My hair looks amazing and has great body. A good hair day makes me feel just as confident as a new outfit! And for the days that I would rather sleep in a bit (like today) and not worry about washing my hair, the dry shampoo works wonders. Would you believe from the photo below that it's been three days since I washed my hair. Shh don't tell anyone!

Unfortunately these products cannot fix roots, hide the fact that I am not wearing makeup, and am posing incredibly cheesy ;)

And to finish off any great hair day, I use the hair spray. It's gives that final polished look.

If you are seeking a great stocking stuffer or a gift for your friend, mom, etc. I highly suggest these Serge Normat products. Head on over to sergenormant.com to buy!

For a more decadent gift, or a little something for yourself, the brand also offers Avah Eau de Parfum retailing at $60 for 1.7 fl. This product is great because in addition to being a perfume, it can also be sprayed on the hair and the scent lasts for hours!


Photos courtesy of: Serge Normant

Vampires and Saints

This weekend was nice and relaxing so that means I have a quick Weekend Update. On Saturday I hung out with Kathrin of Shop.School.Sleep. I've convinced her she needs to love The Vampire Diaries so we've been working on getting through seasons one and two. Finally halfway through the second season! I can't wait 'til she catches up because seasons three and four are amazing!

Sunday I went to a local bar to catch the Saints game. I was literally the only Saints fan and surrounded by Raider fans. Luckily we blew Oakland out so they didn't give me any grief. If New Orleans keep playing like they are, there is an exciting few weeks in my future!

What did you do this weekend? Link up with me and my co-hosts Dana of five30three and Sami of Sami's Shenanigans and tell us all about it. We just ask that you follow these rules:

1. Blog about your weekend.

2. Add the badge (below) to your post.

3. Add the blog post link to the linkup below.

<a <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">href</span>=" http://www.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">jointhegossip</span>.com/" target="_blank"><<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">img</span> <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">src</span>="https://sites.google.com/site/<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">samishenanigans</span>/files/<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">weekendupdatebutton</span>.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">png</span>" /></a>



Photos courtesy of: Zimbio and Wikipedia

Latte Love

Caramel Brulee Inspired by leeannm

This week my outfit inspiration revolves around a delicious fall treat - Starbuck's Caramel Brulee Latte. This is my FAVORITE Starbucks drink and since it's only offered for a few short months, I try to get one nearly every day. Well, not this year. I started The Biggest Loser at work yesterday and I have a month to lose some lbs...which is going to be hard. No Caramel Brulee and trying to eat well while in Chicago (in two) weeks for a blogger weekend with my Weekend Update co-hosts, Dana and Sami, and Chris of Chubbette Tales. Wish me luck!

To see other outfits based on treats, head over to Long Distance Loving for Friday's Fancies.

And while I have your attention, did you see my Australia posts? I recapped Perth and Melbourne. Check them out and stay tuned for the last update, Sydney, next week!

Australia: Recap Two

Continuing with the Australia recap, today is all about Melbourne. While it rained and was freezing most of the time, I would say that I got to see the prettiest sights here. I did a tour of the Great Ocean Road and it was more than great. It was truly gorgeous.

We drove up the coast of Victoria, a state in Australia, and saw breathtaking beaches, sleepy seaside towns, and incredible rock formations. This was the best thing I did on my trip tied with interacting with animals).

While working, our event went through Chandon winery. No wine tasting but saw beautiful views!

My last night I also did a ghost tour of Melbourne. It's always fun to do those tours because they are a little spooky and you get to see and learn about the city. I try to do them in every city I visit.

Check out Australia: Recap One for my rundown on Perth and be sure to stop by next Tuesday for my last recap featuring Sydney.

Friends + Football = Perfection

I'm officially back and this is my first real Weekend Update in about a month. If you want to read about my trip to Australia, check out my first recap and come back tomorrow for the second installment. Now onto this past weekend...

Being in Australia for three weeks really threw me off. It was early spring there and when I returned to LA it was in the high 90s. Plus I missed Halloween so I feel like it's September. Despite all of that, the weather is cooling down and the Christmas decorations are up already. This weekend I went to breakfast with Kate of Nautical By Nature and then we walked around The Grove, our local LA mall. Since the decorations are already out, we decided to take a few pictures with the huge Christmas tree!

And in other news, the Saints upset the Falcons! The fact that they beat a great 8-0 team proves that they can win, they just need to play like they did today.

I was totally bummed becuase the game wasn't being shown on TV, but the amazing Claire of Bicoastally, who is also a huge supporter of the Who Dat Nation, hooked me up so I could watch online. She's THE BEST! I missed the first half and didn't get to see my favorote player, Jimmy Graham, make two touchdowns, but I did get to see him kick ass the rest of the game. So.Happy.

photos via Saints' Facebook page

Go Graham!

What did you do this weekend? Link up with me and my co-hosts Dana of five30three and Sami of Sami's Shenanigans and tell us all about it. We just ask that you follow these rules:

1. Blog about your weekend.

2. Add the badge (below) to your post.

3. Add the blog post link to the linkup below.

<a href=" http://www.jointhegossip.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://sites.google.com/site/samishenanigans/files/weekendupdatebutton.png" /></a>

Fall Staple Outfit

Fall Staple Outfit by leeannm

The look above is almost identical to my Thursday outfit, as you can see below. The chambray shirt, scarf, and boots are the exact items I own and the cardigan and leggins are very similar.

While I was in Australia the shirt and leggings were my go to. Comfy, versatile, and easily layerable for the unpredictable early Spring weather. Now that I am home, I have even more to accessorize the outfit with. Throw on a different pair of shoes, scarf or necklace and it's a new look. Even wearing my hair down or in a bun seems to give the outfit a different feel. Pretty sure I'll be rockin' these pieces all season!

What about you? Do you have any go-to pieces for fall that you find yourself wearing over and over?

Linking up for  Friday's Fancies.

Australia: Recap One

I'm finally back and blogging. A HUGE thank you to all of the wonderful ladies who filled in for me while I was away. If you didn't read their guest posts, go do it! They're all so much fun.

It feels like I was gone forever...because I was...three weeks to be exact. On the other hand, those three weeks flew by because I was working for the first two. And I mean working as in wake up times before 4am and bedtimes after 11pm, dealing with pouring rain while directing people where to go, and carrying around heavy metal barricades. I was sent to Australia for work - we produce large scale fundraising events and they are a lot of work.

Since I was so busy I really didn't get to see/do that much. I'll break down my recaps into three parts: Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney. Today is Perth. I had the least amount of time to explore here but saw the most important stuff - the animals! My co-worker and I rushed to Caversham Wildlife Park at the end of our last work day with only an hour to explore the park. Luckily it was a little rainy and we pretty much had the place to ourselves. We got to see crazy animals, pet koalas, and feed kangaroos!

Check out this beach I saw while working. I ran down to it to touch the water quickly and snap pictures. I believe it's called South Beach. The water was UNREAL!

Come back next Tuesday for my Melbourne recap!

Guest Post: Interpret As You May

I'm Amy from Interpret As You May. I currently live in Texas and graduated from (and now work for) Texas A&M University. I married my high school sweetheart over 3 years ago, and am really happy to write here today?

Today I wanted write about my Top 3 favorite things about Texas in the Fall!

***

Source: alexmeixner.wordpress.com via Rachel on Pinterest

#1: Festivals I grew up in New Braunfels, TX, which features a prominent "ode to sausage!" (and beer) called Wurstfest. My grandparents have been volunteering since the 70's, my mom went with her friends in high school & I haven't missed a year since middle school.

Source: aggieathletics.com via Marcus on Pinterest

#2: Football Of course living in a football town, college football totally rules the weekend around here. It's a sight to see an extra 50,000 people pour into town, taking over restaurants and parking spots and the roads! Game day in College Station is electric & it's hard to avoid the excitement.

Source: homesicktexan.blogspot.com via J.b. on Pinterest

#3: Chili Ah, chili. Texas chili. All meat, no beans. Tomato rich, and super spicy. That's my preference. My husband made our first pot of the season a week ago, and I was just reminded of how awesome fall is. You can't really beat a good pot of chili, a good beer & some homemade cornbread.

***

I know these aren't specific to Texas, but I'm prone to believe we do it a little bit better here ;) Where are you from? And what's your favorite part of fall there? and if it's apple picking, I'm jealous .... the closest apple picking farm is 5+ hours away! Thanks Leeann for letting me guest post ? I hope you guys enjoyed it & will come visit me!