I'VE MOVED

Hello everyone! I neglected to put a post here to let you know my blog has moved to a different host under a new name! You can see all that's been going on on my new page here at www.moxiefashionblog.com! Look forward to seeing you there. Besos!

Made in Da USA

Shirt: TJ Maxx, similar here; Vest: Forever 21, similar here; Pants: Urban Outfitters, similar here; Hat: Urban Outfitters, similar here; Shoes: Converse, similar here


Good morning! I wore this outfit a few weeks ago to work and literally had my hubby do some photos while my client's color was processing! :P Sometimes I just love to throw on a hat and some Converse and call it a day. I love getting dressed up but there's still nothing better than jeans and a tee and some sneakers! What's  your favorite casual look?

Guys, I'm getting really excited. Do you all follow Alena over at Moda Prints? Well guess what? She's coming to visit me next week, and I couldn't be more excited! We met via Instagram (I know, I know, really strange to most of you) and ended up exchanging numbers. And over the last six months we have become the best of friends. We bonded over our blogging lives and eventually ended up bonding over more serious things like Jesus and coffee and the fact that we wore the EXACT same wedding dress. So I'm so excited to spend next week with her and finally meet her in person (so people can stop thinking it's so weird :P). There will be lots of coffee and exploring and shopping. Oh and pictures, of course.

Now one other thing for today! I have been seriously considering switching over to Wordpress as my blog host. I started on Blogger because I was already familiar with it (Yes, I wrote like four posts on my high school journal blog :P), but as I've looked around at other blogs, I've found that I'm more drawn to the simplicity and clean look of Wordpress. So all that being said, I would like to hear from you! Because this blog is for you, my readers. I have not yet switched my website name and content over to Wordpress because it's a little bit of a process but I have set it up under a temporary web address and done one post (this one you're reading) over on Wordpress. Soooo, if you are so inclined, head on over here. Please let me know what you think! I value your opinion! You can comment here, over there, or on my Instagram! And thank you for your feedback! Love you all. Thanks for reading!

AUDREY

Shirt: Target here; Leggings: Kaitlyn, similar here and here; Trench Coat; H and M, similar hereBoots; Forver 21 here

Good morning and happy Tuesday! How was everyone's weekend? Mine was absolutely wonderful. In case you missed it (not sure how you could with my mile long blog post and Insta overload :P), Sunday was Benjamin's and my one year wedding anniversary. And if you missed how I feel about being married and wanna see photos from our wedding, just keep scrolling. We wanted to get away so we could be purposeful and just enjoy being together instead of finding stuff to do around the house or whatever, so we drove up to Santa Barbara for the weekend. We stayed at the cutest little place, Casa Del Mar Inn. It was perfect. Sort of like a little cottage. We literally just hung out, walked all over State Street and the beach, rented a surrey bike, and laughed and had the best time together. The highlight of the weekend for me was when after dinner on our actual anniversary, Ben took me down to the beach and read me new vows he had written. I. Was. A. Mess. Seriously so magical and romantic. And the best part is I know he meant Every. Single. Word. I surely found a keeper. 

So you wanna know something about these photos? I took them. All by me-self. With the self-timer. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. My hubby normally does all of my photos for me but as his schedule changes or maybe we want to be actually spending time together instead of taking photos, there are times where that is necessary! It was a little hard to get certain shots and angles so I don't plan on doing this that often, but it's nice to know that when I need some photos for a post, it's an option! That has probably been one of the hardest things about blogging! I'll have an outfit on I want to document or a great plan of some cute place to go do photos but I'm all by myself!

I got this cute Audrey Hepburn graphic tee at Target a few weeks ago and decided to pair it with my leather leggings and some booties. Add a hat and a trench coat and voila, you're set! A pair of leather leggings is a definite must in my book. They can be paired with countless things and add more interest than a basic pair of black leggings. I linked an option above so do yourself a favor and get some!

Thank you all for reading!

xoxoxo,

Christine

ONE YEAR ANNIVERARY

 

                      

                   

Dress: David's Bridal here (I switched out the sash); Bridesmaid dresses: Lulu's, similar here; Groomsman suits: Asos, almost exact here; Flowers: LA Flower Mart, wrapped by my lovely bridesmaids; Cake: My Aunt!

If you just LOVE wedding photos and want to see more, click HERE

Oh. My. Goodness. I cannot believe we are celebrating our first year of marriage on Sunday, October 19th. This has literally been THE best year of my life. Everyone said the first year of marriage was gonna be so hard so to be honest I was a little nervous. I kept waiting for something BIG to happen to show me what hard was. But it never came. Sure, we have had some very very very hard days. Marriage takes work and effort and selflessness. I've found out some things about myself, ways in which I am selfish sometimes, areas I needed to work on. But as I look back over the past year with my amazingly wonderful husband, Benjamin, my eyes are filled with happy tears. I waited so long for the perfect man for me, and life being married to him is a literal dream. He fulfills me. He completes me. He makes me feel like the only girl in the world. And that's how it should be.

A little over four years ago, Benjamin John Bennett walked into a college Bible study I hosted at my apartment with my two roommates. I immediately noticed him. Tall, with dark hair and blue eyes. And just a little bit shy. I love meeting new people, especially if they happened to be cute boys (back then), and I introduced myself and we chatted a bit. As time went on, I found out he was only 20 (I was 24 at the time), and I proceeded to tell several of my younger friends that they should like him because he was too young for me. I was talking him up to them, telling them all the great things about him. Looking back maybe it was my way of talking him up to MYSELF. Through a series of very fortunate events, Ben dove into the shallow end of a pool at a church event and busted his head open. I say fortunate because I ended up driving him home that night, and then what started as my checking in to see how he was doing turned in to countless text conversations of us getting to know one another. We literally talked about everything and as I got to know him, I realized he was different than other 20-year-olds I knew, and this might actually work. A few weeks later we went on our first date. Dinner, the beach and a movie. It was almost the perfect night. Except. I farted. On the beach. On my first date. With the guy I was really starting to like. I literally cannot tell you how horrified I was. It was cold, and I had my knees pulled up to my chest to be cozy, and it couldn't be stopped. We were both horrified and barely said a thing about it and just moved right along. I was worried he would think I was crazy, and that would be it. But because he's the best, he just moved right along, and things kept progressing, and we kept going on dates. A few weeks later, because he's the most respectful ever and because we're maybe just a little bit old fashioned, he came over to meet my parents and ask if he could date me. And we never looked back since. 

We dated for three years almost to the date before we got married. It was mostly just lots of fun. Convincing him that country music really is the best (He's obsessed now.). Finding fun places to go to breakfast. Going to concerts and basketball games. Asking each other a million questions about everything. Staying up way past our bedtimes just to see each other a few minutes longer. About a year after we started dating, Ben told me he wanted to join the military. I was shocked. That wasn't part of the "plan". It didn't fit into my timeline. And it sure as heck was nothing I ever expected I would be a part of in my relationship. As time went on, my heart softened. It took a lot of trusting God before I really became ok with it. A year after he told me, he went away to boot camp. That time in my life was probably one of the hardest I've ever been through. I wrote him letters every single day but in a 14 week period, I only talked (more like cried) to him for two minutes. It was so very hard. And even after he graduated boot camp, I still didn't see him much. The next seven months were filled with ups and downs and wondering when I would be able to see him, and a four month span where I didn't get to see him at all. Thankfully, he had joined the Marine Reserves, and as soon as he finished all of his training, he was HOME.

We had been talking a lot about marriage during the last stretch of being apart from each other, and within two months of his being home, he took me up to the spot where we had our first kiss that overlooked where we live, and asked me to marry him. In Spanish. Oh my heart. (I majored in Spanish in college so Ben would often use GoogleTranslate to send me cute texts. The proposal in Spanish? Now that's on another level. :P). That was July 1 of 2013. We did not waste any time in planning. After being apart for so long, all we wanted was to be together so a long engagement wasn't an option for us. We planned our wedding in three and a half months. And it could not have been more perfect. It was a simple backyard wedding with a zillion of our friends and family. All I wanted to do was marry my best friend with all of our friends and family there and dance. A lot. Fun little fact about our wedding. I decided not to do the garter and bouquet toss because I didn't want to stop dancing. Yup. True story. Sometimes I wonder if I should have done it. But Backstreet Boys reminds me that "I Want It That Way" so who cares. :P

Marriage is seriously such a gift. But what's even more of a gift is the man God chose for me. He is so loving and compassionate and caring. He gets so excited about life. And about me. And oh my goodness, the way that makes me feel inside. I literally can't explain it. He tells me all day long how much he loves me, how beautiful he thinks I am, and how excited he is about life with me. I think that's just a tiny little glimpse of the way God feels about me. And I'm so thankful to have a man like Benjamin as my husband who reflects the character of God. He's made me a better a person and taught me not to take life so seriously. So happy anniversary, Benjamin John Bennett. You're my better half. I can't wait for a lifetime of love with you.

Nectar Clothing

Dress: Nectar Clothing c/o here; Socks: Forever 21, similar here; Booties: TJ Maxx, similar here

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending the fall launch party for Nectar Boutique. It was one of the best blogger events I have been to to date! It was at the cutest little jazz club in Claremont called Hip Kitty, and I had such a good time meeting other bloggers and hanging out. And the owners of the boutique are awesome! I got this cute little dress from them, and I LOVE it! My favorite part in the back of it. So sexy! If you live in the area, pop in to their store in the Orange Circle or also in Redlands. I guarantee you will love everything! Or visit their website too! I'll be sharing this amazing jumpsuit I got with you soon too. Also, if you're wondering how to do this hair, you can find it here on my Pinterest. I find a lot of my inspiration for different styles I do from Pinterest as well as Instagram or mah brain. :P So follow me on Pinterest if you wanna see what I'm scheming to do with my hair!

Do you ever have weeks you're just tired allll week long? That is this week for me. I think it's just been weird adjusting to Ben's new schedule because he gets home super late. Tuesday afternoon we literally laid around the ENTIRE afternoon. And ate ice cream. I'm obsessed with mint chip ice cream smashed between two graham crackers. The best ice cream sandwich. We just watched The Voice basically the whole time. Anyone else love watching the judges interact with each other? Adam and Blake crack me up. I want to be friends with them. Ok, I'm done now. :P

Love you all!

Thanks for reading! You're the reason I do this! Well, and because I love it obvi.

xoxo,

Christine