Still trending: Cartilage piercings

Oddly enough, when I was in high school (which was a longgggg time ago) it was super cool to pierce the top of one of your ears (now known as a "helix"). My mom was not cool with the idea, but naturally I did it anyway and, naturally, I got into some trouble for it. But eventually mom came around and ended up actually liking the piercing.

Currently I'm not wearing anything in that hole, but lately I'm starting to question that. I mean, when celebrities like Hayden Panettiere, Scarlett Johansson and Jennifer Aniston make them look so hip and cool, it's hard not to question the additional piercing.

If you're also considering adding a little embellishment to your ear lobes, check out this guide to see all the different options you have (there's a lot!). I'm kinda drawn to the tragus or the forward helix, which I never thought I would say, but it just looks so cute on Scar Jo and Rihanna.

And don't worry, if you're not sold on adding another hole to your head, you can always choose a fake/clip-on option, like this cute lightning bolt cartilage earring.

Life lately

Some pretty fun times have been had lately. And as you can see, I'm also still learning how to use my fancy new camera. I'm improving, but it's a slow process for sure. Anyhow, these photos aren't exactly in order. J and I caught the Stephen Malkmus show at The Bottletree almost two weeks ago with his brother and sister-in-law. It was a good time, even though I truly didn't know any of his music.

We also took a trip to Mississippi a couple of weekends ago and stayed with his friend Matt and then drove over to Oxford to see an Ole Miss basketball game (but not before breakfast at Big Bad Breakfast, of course). I love walking around the Square, such a great area. And this time the bonus was stopping in several restaurants and getting meet people that J was friends with and/or worked with at one point or another. One of these guys hooked us up with baseball tickets, so we basically caught a double header of a bball game and a baseball game. We ended up grabbing dinner at Ajax and heading back to Tupelo to stay in for the evening with Matt. After we were back in Bham, it was time to celebrate Nicole's birthday with Mexican food. Feliz cumpleaños Nicole!

One thing I am pretty pumped about is the fact that J bought a bike last week! I'm not really a biker, more of a runner, but I did buy a bike a longgg time ago to compete in a triathlon (thanks to peer pressure from Ashley). So I pulled it out of the basement and had Redemptive Cycles work their magic on it. We're picking it up today and taking our new toys out for a spin tonight. It's funny how quickly you forget how much fun riding a bike is. Especially when you're just out riding around town and not really looking at is as some type of a workout that you're doing. Maybe on our bike tour de Bham we'll make another stop by Paramount today and play video games again, who knows?! Stay tuned!

Splurge on: Workout wear

I guess that technically this could almost be a "Splurge on: Lululemon" post seeing as how most everything is from that store. But what can I say? They have some of the best fitness gear and attire. Even I will pay a little extra for that! Especially since I am what one might call an exercise junkie and my workout clothes are on full rotation at all times.

So some of these items I already own and am obsessed with (yes, obsessed) and a couple others are things on my wishlist. There's always more room in my drawers for some running/climbing/yoga clothes!

1. Lululemon Bitty Bracer sports bra, $68.00. (I got this as a Christmas gift this past year and I can't don't want to remember running before it. I love it so much I want must have another one!)
2. Lululemon Push Ur Limits Tank, ($58.00) **if you wear a 2 or 4, it's $39.00 here

3. La Sportiva Miura VS Rock Shoes, $170.00. 

4. Lululemon Wunder Under Crop (reversible in pink and black), $82.00.
5. The North Face Better Than Naked™ Shorts, $50.00.
6. Lululemon The Mat, $68.00. (This is yet another one of my fav Christmas presents. If you love yoga and practice often, I swear this thing is worth every penny. Another more slightly affordable option is their Un Mat which still works well, but is thinner, so you could put it on top of your gym's yoga mats)

ps. I guess now yall know why I have to be so thrifty with my "regular" clothes :)

Boho Asian fusion

So it's been a month. Miss me?

Ugh, yeah, sorry about that. I've definitely missed you guys and blogging in general. Somehow I just haven't been able to squeeze in any time lately. Here's hoping that changes and I can be more consistent in the near future (fingers crossed.)

Anyhow, this little ditty of an outfit came about because I love this skirt that I scored from a post Christmas sale at Madewell and I have been dying to feature it. But I wanted to jazz things up a bit with it and not just do a same ole nice top and skirt combo. That's when I saw this top that has been hanging in my closet since I lived in NYC—um yeah, more than 10 years ago—and knew it was time for it to come out of retirement.

Once I started piling things on, it became apparent that even though I was rockin an Asian printed top, I  still couldn't let go of my boho ways. But I figured that was ok and I should embrace it. And that's how Asian Boho fusion was born.

Let's go to the cheapskate outfit breakdown, shall we?

1. Top, Chinatown in NYC (old - ??)
2. Skirt, Madewell ($34.99)
3. Knee socks, Century 21 (old - ??)
4. Boots, The Clotheshorse ($32.50)
5. Purse, gifted/handed down (thanks Granny!)
6. Hat, Target ($16.99)
7. Jacket, Know Style ($39.99)
8. Bracelet, Charlotte Russe ($6.00)
9. Tungsten ring, c/o Modern Design
10. Vintage cocktail ring, gifted
11. Love ring, gifted (thanks Em!)
12. Sunglasses, c/o Sunglass Warehouse

Total: Under $150.00

Photos: Laura Menconi