working girl//

well, as i mentioned on instagram, i got a surprise new job last week at an ad agency in tempe. i had talked to a man there several months ago to see if they had any openings and i never really heard back from him and then last week i just got an email that said, 'hey we want to hire you. can you come in tomorrow?' ha!

anyways, i'm still in that terrifying, try to figure everything out without letting anyone know i don't really know exactly what i'm doing there yet, but i think it's going to be fun and i've already made some new friends. 

(how cool is this bag?)

<<what i wore>>

emerald earrings//anthropologie (buy here)

golden arrow sunnies//c.o. oasap (buy it here)

silk colorblock top//c.o. sugarlips (buy it here)

favorite bra ever//braologie (last day to enter this giveaway)

white denim//gap (buy here)

pony bag//c.o. oasap (buy it here)

oversized gold watch//mimi's the look (similar here)

brown sandals//old navy (similar here)

so some how i am now a nanny, a j.crew visuals worker, a blogger, and a influencer outreacher for an ad agency! 

how did this happen?

what it has done for me is make me really appreciate days off! today marcus and i both had a day off, so we spent our time coincidentally on the very street that i work eating brunch at NCounter (their french toast!!!), taking pictures, and perusing the shops on Mill Ave.

The weather was glorious (if you've ever wanted to visit Arizona, now is the time)!

I love that I love my husband, and i equally love that he loves spending time with me.

p.s. the bachelor finale?! ahhhh, tell me your thoughts!

for lovely weekends that make not so lovely weeks seem worth it.

the week was long, marcus was working long long hours, getting home just in time to go to bed and waking up before the sun to get back to work. i know he should be the one complaining, but i was not taking it well. lots of times when marcus and i are together we just sit in the car listening to the radio, or snuggle up in the couch and laugh about something cute Poppy is doing, nothing too special or interesting to anyone but ourselves, but we're together and that's what matters to me, and when we're not together enough, it exhausts me and i know its ridiculous.

 and i know and hear about people who have boyfriends or husbands that have to travel a lot for work and live in another town or state, and i feel completely silly for complaining about one lame week, but i felt it, and i'm glad i felt it, because it reminds me of how much i love my marcus.

and it made this weekend, that was all to ourselves, extremely enjoyable and all together refreshing.

lunch date at UrbanPicnic in downtown mesa

groupon date night at macalpine's--oldest soda fountain on the west coast!

arizona state fair!

the animals that further convinced me that i want to be a cowgirl and have a farm.

the darling goat that ate a chuck of my hair off...

after family dinner and my parents nightly tradition of trading foot rubs. 

What do you like to do after long 'hard' week?

{Wardrobe} Wednesday: hearts&stripes&crazies all over

Well yesterday was like any other roll out day at work.

I had spent the majority of my day up on ladders with props and tools in my hands, when suddenly I heard my visuals manager, in his thick puerto rican accent, beckon me over quite urgently.

He told me, "Ashley, go outside and tell the security guard the man he is looking for is in here."

I tried to inquire about what the background story was, since I know this is not how we handle shoplifting situations, but he would not say anything more and urged me out the door.

Still very confused, I delivered the cryptic message verbatim, and to my surprise, the security guard knew what it meant. All he said was, "Don't worry ma'am, the police are on their way."

My curiosity got the best of me and I had to ask what was going on, but never had I expected to hear what I heard next--

Apparently in a different store (not ours thankfully!) the man had exposed himself and started urinated out in the open! 

When the security guard told me, I kept my composure, but when I had to relay the message back to my manager, it was just too much. I had a very unprofessional awkward/confused/shocked laugh attack.

Later that day on my lunch break, I saw a lady in line with her entire rear hanging out--and I don't mean just sort of, I mean I could describe her very tiny undies in detail and entirety. I'm still not sure what was going on there, but what i learned that day was that people are crazy.

I know it's hot in arizona right now and wearing clothes can be a challenge, and i know sometimes finding a restroom in the mall can be really inconvenient, but people, no. 

Just, no.

What's the craziest thing that happened to you at work?

the breakdown:

sunnies: c/o modcloth

teal deal purse: available in my shop

striped navy and white shirt: 80s vintage/thrifted

green belt: vintage/thrifted

heart skirt: j.crew/borrowed from the empress

wedges: j.crew sale

a watch: urbanoutfitters

leopard watch strap: j.crew sale

Cotton Candy Skies Awaken My Tired Eyes.

This morning I lay in bed cursing my demanding alarm clock. It was cold and dark outside and the warm sheets made it almost impossible to listen to that blaring noise that meant it was time to get ready for work.

I wasn't feeling well and driving to work in the dark was just about the last thing I wanted. 

I'm pretty sure I was scowling all the way down the 101, when I noticed it--One arm was glowing a gentle, golden orange. 

It was then that my eyes made their way to the passenger side window and my mouth dropped. 

The sun was making it's daily debut and the clouds benefited from his arrival--pink, orange, yellow, and purple, and then a smile. I quickly looked to the cars around me, hoping that everyone had at least caught a glance and the spectacle at our right, but as far as I could tell, they were all in the terrible trance that I was in only minutes earlier. A trance that broke so quickly once I opened my eyes to one of God's signs of love for us. My testimony is strongest when I am looking and really seeing His artwork. It is all around us, and it can make a bad day, good.

{Top Five} Friday

Okay, first off, we got new carpet and everything got put in the mirror room, i promise the house doesn't look like this...

{Top Five} Things I've Learned from My First Day:

1. working out your legs hardcore the day before, is a terrible, terrible, and foolish idea.

2. wearing heels when you will be standing for many hours is a terrible, terrible, and foolish idea.

3. people do very, very strange things in the dressing rooms.

4. i could spend a lot of money on very, very beautiful clothing, very, very easily. i must be careful.

5. i am very, very bad at the 10-Key, any tips on how to improve my skills?

p.s. it's good to have a fun job, and even better to have a wonderful husband. that is all.

have a great weekend!