Friends ARE the Spoon Full of Sugar.

Guess what, my lovelies!?  It's time for the next round of fabulous photo shoot features and blog posts with Kel-Z Photography.  I am beyond pleased with the results from this shoot and I can't wait to share my thoughts with you as well as her incredible art.

It's always a huge delimmma as to which outfit I will feature first because I love them all.  Generally, it comes down to the theme that I am going to talk about that makes the decision easy.  Such is this case this week.  First of all, can we all just stop and sigh in unison over the door in the photo above?  I have noticed that there are some pretty rad doors on the buildings in Ogden so I wanted to center some of my photos around those.  Random?  Yep!  Surprised?  You shouldn't be.  This group of photos were shot in front of the USDA Building on the corner of Adams Avenue and 25th Street here in Ogden.  Really cool building.  I was so giddy when I discovered it and that door.  Aw, the door.  The top I am wearing is from Chic Style Utah in South Ogden, UT.  It's a longtime favorite because of its simplicity and elegance.  Be sure to check them out by going HERE!

For the majority of my professional life in the service industry, I've played the game of association to remember people, places, things, events, lots of things.  I especially do this with clothes.  I remember people by the outfit and/or shoes they were wearing when I first met them or first saw them (that secret crush....aw yes.....that day....he looked so handsomer).  But, on the same hand, I also remember things with the clothing I have.  My entire closet is full of memories (LOTS of them...let's not get into that subject)  This outfit is substantially significant because it represents two of my dearest, longest friends who have done SO much for me in such small and simple ways.  And so I submit, in true Mary Poppins form, friends ARE the spoon full of sugar that makes the bitter medicine of life go down.

A couple of years ago I served on a committee for a Great Gatsby-themed charity gala in Utah County.  It was one of the greatest experiences of my life for a long list of reasons.  In the midst of all the planning for my part with the decorations, I was desperately trying to find the PERFECT outfit.  I went back and forth on the outfit options and what style I wanted.  I had told my friend Colleen that I was stressing over the outfit (normal in Ray Land) and one day I get a text from her that says "what size shoes do you wear?"  I told her and she replied, "I just found the most perfect Gatsby shoes and I am buying them and sending them in the mail tomorrow....be on the look-out.  You have to have them."  At this point, I hadn't decided which route I was going to take with the outfit, but was SO touched that she was on the look-out for the perfect shoes in Montana.  I had no idea what they looked like, but I trusted her judgement and when the box landed on my doorstep and I opened it,  I cried.  Basically, the perfect shoes, perfect fit and totally my style for everyday wear, not just for the event.  It may sound silly, but I treasure these shoes because of the thoughtfulness and genuine care of my friend that they represent.  I can absolutely attest to how hectic my friend's life is running a business, managing a household of hooligan boys and a diva dog, but she STILL makes time for her friends and these shoes are my constant proof.  How often do we take time to think outside of the box and do something for our friends that they would never ever do for themselves OR have the means to do?  

And then there was the skirt.  If you've been a die-hard fan of the blog, you may recognize it from a very early fashion feature that talked about my love for thrifting for things that I can transform from ugly to masterpiece.  When I wear this skirt I think of my Jo.  This skirt was the result of an SOS trip to Idaho to meet each other in the middle for comfort food, girl talk and thrifting....let me elaborate.  Jo and I have been BEST friends for 12 years.  We have gone to hell and back with each other.  We talk almost daily and are sisters from other misters.  Her family is my family.  We became friends while I lived in Montana and one of the other quirks I have is my passionate (ok maybe a little too dramatic...maybe not) love affair with Taco Johns.  It's cheap tex-mex and I HEART it.  They don't have these restaurants in Utah and it is my comfort food.  So silly, but the absolute truth and presents a problem when I am having a BAD day and just want to feel some normalcy again.  There is a Taco Johns in Pocatello, Idaho which is bascially half way for Jo and I so one Saturday I sent her the SOS text and said, "do you have plans today, I am getting in my car and driving to Taco Johns in Pokey, can you meet me?"  At this point in my life, that was a very out-of-character move and she dropped everything and got in her car and came to my rescue.  Do you have those friends that the minute you see them and hug them that you feel like you're not going to implode and can continue to conquer the world?  Jo is on that list.  She's simply amazing.  That day included a lot of shared feelings from both of us over potato oles and Diet Dew and then we found the local thrift store and laughed and laughed over how horribly ugly this dress was and how I would make it pretty and convert it to a skirt.  You don't believe me?  Look at the original blog post HERE.  It was crazy ugly and I wasn't wearing a lick of makeup when we did the duck face photo in the store.  We've since made one other SOS trip to Pocatello and it was full of laughing, eating and thrifting....our favorite.  I thank God daily for the blessing of this bestie of mine.  She does so many small, simple acts of kindness for everyone around her, including me.  But, I have to say that I adore the fact that she is my voice of reason and consistency that keeps me moving forward in the thick of the storm.

This wouldn't be a true post about simple acts of kindness without giving accolades to Suzy from Just Be Purses.  She has a really great Utah-based business called Just Be Purses.  I love her ability to make seemingly "weird fabric" into GORGEOUS one-of-a-kind masterpieces.  I featured her bags in my winter photo shoot and this time around I wanted to feature her clutch.  Isn't it gorgeous????!!  I was glad I found this one and even more grateful for her generosity in donating it for the photo shoot as well as a clutch that we are giving away (as shown below).  Genuinely kind people make life bearable.  Please show her some love by checking out her Facebook page HERE and go visit her booth at Logan's Summerfest next weekend!!  

The moral of the story: thank GOODNESS for friends who are the spoon full of sugar as we swallow the bitter medicine that is life at times.  They bring us sunshine, potato oles, and the perfect shoes...among a long long list of other things.  Thank yours today.  Do it.  NOW.  

Until next time, my lovelies!

-R

  

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Love The Life You Live.



Did your mother and/or grandmother ever tell you, "you're not allowed to wear pattern with pattern because that doesn't match and is against the rules."  Mine did and for a lot of years I was terrified to sport pattern avec pattern because I felt like I was a walking fashion travesty.  Well, guess what?  Rules schmools, my lovelies....step outside of the box and give it a try like I did with outfit #2 for my winter photo shoot on COLOR!  This outfit is all sorts of wonderful from Chic Style Utah, Just Be Purses, Le Gap and Girl Ran Away With The Spoon.

This outfit has so many great elements.  The top is from Chic Style and is made by an American company called Kut from the Kloth.  It is such a phenomenal line and the quality makes up for the price.  I have a LOT of it in my closet.  The camisole that I'm wearing under it is from a company called Niki Biki.  It is a company that makes one-size-fits-all camisoles, tank tops, bandeaux, among other tops.  It's a fab line and the camisoles are extra long which is a WIN WIN WIN for this super long torso, super endowed lady.  

Can we all just take a moment and let out a deep sigh over the bag?  Oh the bag.  This is a handmade gem from a company called Just Be Purses.  My hilarious brother-in-law calls it my Mary Poppins bag.  Another funny story about this purse is it was MIA for about 6 months before I had this photo shoot because I own four of Suzy's purses and I rotate them.  Somehow this purse, which I purchased 2 years ago, got thrown in my Monica closet and sucked into the vortex of no return.  I was very glad I found it without having to disassemble the entire closet because let's be honest, that equals putting my life into my own hands.  The main reason I love Just Be Be purses is their unique design and they match everything.  Suzy uses so many different types of fabric that there is all sorts of color on each of them and I can use each purse with all my outfits...even the t-shirts and jeans.  These purses make a hoodie and jeans look bad ass and classy.  Period. 

We took the photos for this outfit in Huntsville.  What a cute little town.  I seriously love living in Ogden and I especially love Ogden Valley.  It is my happy place.  It is also fresh air in the winter...remember those crappy winter blues I told you all about?  Well, it is a regular occurrence for me to jump in my trusty SUV and take a drive to the valley to find sunshine and fresh air.  I affectionately call them Sunday sunshine adventures.

The necklace is another reminder with words.  It says "Love the Life you Live."  The artist that made it is also local (yay!) and she does great work.  Her name is Ashley Bennett Stoddard and Chic Style is the exclusive retailer for her pieces in Utah.  Ashley is also the artist that designed the snowboard pendent from my annual giveaway.  Loving the life we live can be pretty damn hard sometimes, but it can also be really glorious!  I consistently have to remind myself that I need to bloom where I am planted and embrace the here and now.  The late, great John Lennon said, "life is what's happening while we're making other plans."  Yep.  Pretty much.  How many times do we miss out on the little moments, the small victories and the simple pleasures because we are freaking the hell out about a trivial matter?  Embrace those you love more, thank the people who make your life a little easier and show compassion to those who have it worse than you.  They are out there and you may not even realize who they are.  I've found that the practice of recognizing the little things in my life that I'm grateful for helps keep me centered and grounded in the fact that I am SO very blessed.  The most important thing we should remember about life is sometimes there is a time and place for breaking the rules such as wearing polka dotted skinnies with floral or staying out late to laugh our guts out with the gal pals, telling that cute boy you know that he is in fact your favorite even though he drives you bat shit crazy OR ignoring the ever growing pile of laundry that needs to be folded.  Break the rules.  Enjoy life.  And if all else fails...choose the red shoes.... or boots in this case.

So when the going gets rough and you feel like life is against you, find a cute bag, wear pattern avec pattern, break some rules and make plans for the here and now.  You can do it.  I can do it.

The moral of the story:  With the right outfit and gratitude in your heart, you too can feel the love for the life you live.

Until next time, my lovelies!

-R

P.S.  I'm on Facebook these days!  Follow my page by clicking HERE!