Monday, September 29

My Favorite Outfits


This was the first outfit post I ever did on Girl Named Fiddy, and it still remains my favorite. No shame. I ahve such great memories of this day, and I felt so beautiful and so myself! J and I had gone to get sushi for lunch, just after the new year, but it wasn't open yet so we decided to go to the lake. It was frozen over, and we had always dreamed of walking on it per "Eternal Sunshine." I asked J if he would take a few pictures of me, so we did a mini photoshoot right there on the lake!

This is still one of my favorite dresses and favorite outfits! Definitely one of my favorite memories. :)



Pretty sure this was the day I realized that coral might be my favorite color. My pixie cut might be grown out so far that it looks like a bowl cut, my blazer might have been $5 at a second-hand store, and I might have taken these after working 9 hours at my job, but I still like this outfit!

Also pretty sure I haven't worn it since, but it's one of my favorite outfits because it was colorful, super comfortable, and I was really trying to take risks and figure out what I liked. I really love how much color I put into the outfit, and it was one of the first times J took my outfit photos with a real camera instead of an iPhone, haha



I really loved this outfit because it was so unapologetically me. I had literally just gotten these jeans and shoes from Urban Outfitters, and had never worn high-waisted pants before. I was so nervous that they were too tight or didn't look flattering on me, but J assured me that they fit and that I looked beautiful. My mom and grandma had picked out this sweater for me for Christmas. I still own every item in this photo, and I would wear them again in an instant!

I also remember I was so excited because I had changed my part and actually pinned my hair in the back. It was still too short to do anything with, and I think it was only a few days after the "Crazy About Coral" photoshoot... but you'd never know!



I think this was one of my least-appreciated outfit posts, even by myself. I felt really beautiful all day at work, then came home and J's mom took my outfit photos. Granted, my poses were a little stiff, but for the most part I really love how I look in the dress! I had changed up my hairstyle to be parted more down the middle, which I absolutely loved... and then there's the coral hair. LOVE THE CORAL HAIR. I still wish my hair grew coral. It's the most beautiful color!



I have such great memories of this outfit. Like all great memories, they involved J and sushi. This was the first week I moved to Concord last year, and we had spent about two days unpacking my things. Eventually, I needed a break and suggested we find a good sushi place for lunch. We found a place in Manchester with good reviews, went, and had an absolutely delicious lunch! J took some pictures of me after lunch, and then took more when we got back home. My backyard isn't utilized nearly enough, and it's absolutely gorgeous!

I felt so beautiful in this outfit. It was comfortable, and it felt really good to put on makeup and get a little dolled up after days of driving in the car and then days of cleaning. My roommate at the time even commented that I looked really good, haha.



This is still my favorite dress of all time, because of course. I've worn it a handful of times, which maybe doesn't sound like a lot, but as a poor law student, I don't have a ton of places that I feel comfortable wearing a cat-print dress. But I've found places, because this beauty needs to be worn! It fits me perfectly, the shape is amazing, and I could not love the print more.

I'd seen this dress on Modcloth a few years ago, but I never thought it was an option before it came back into stock about a year ago. I sent my mom a link, not-so-subtley begging for the dress. Because she is kind, loving, and very, very sweet, she bought me the dress, thereby securing her place in my heart until the end of time. Just kidding, she was already there. But still. This. Dress.



Mixing It Up
This outfit (and post) will have a special place in my heart - not only because of the amazing summer I spent in my mom's apartment in Des Moines, but because I decided to actually act like myself in an outfit post. I was worried that people would think I was weird or wouldn't notice a difference, but it ended up being one of my most popular outfit posts! Funny how that works, isn't it?

It was so much fun to shoot this by myself with a timer too, because I didn't have to worry about the person behind the camera judging me. It was just me in there, and I could look as stupid or weird as I wanted to. It was really freeing, and also the first time I properly took a timed photoshoot on my phone!



Which are your favorite outfit posts?

Saturday, September 27

12x12: Grimm's Fairy Tales



Grimm's Fairy Tales

I got this book from Barnes & Noble years and years ago... I think I actually got it the same month that J and I moved to Iowa City two year ago. I started reading it right away, but I just never got through it. I was about a third of the way through it when I started re-reading it this month!

What I Loved:
  • It's objectively a classic, which is why I wanted to read it in the first place. How could I go through life without reading Grimm's Fairy Tales?!
  • It did NOT disappoint! All these stories were weird, a little racist at times, definitely super dark, and usually made no sense.
  • I was crazy about the fact that these were oral stories passed down for hundreds of years! I could see what kinds of messages the original storytellers were trying to convey (most of the time), and I could really see these stories being even better told out loud.
  • I'm definitely going to be reading these to my kids in the future! I might take out the especially gory stories, but most of them are keepers!
  • It was easy to read this at night because most of the stories are really short! Even when I was really tired after a day of homework, it was actually do-able to read a chapter or two before I went to bed. Every little bit counts!

What I Wasn't Crazy About:
  • Every once in a while, you get a really, really anti-Jewish story. Really strange how unapologetically anti-Semetic some of these stories are, but I also think it was important to be taken aback by the racism, you know? It was a good reminder of how normal this kind of behavior was for a really long time.

Would I Recommend This Book?
  • IN A HEARTBEAT. They're classic. Tear out the racist stories and read this out loud to your family!

This particular project took a really long time, but it was absolutely worth it! Grimm's Fairy Tales is now one of my favorite books, and I'm sooo proud of myself for getting through it after two years. Yeah, it took me long enough, but I powered through and finally finished a classic! :)


Have you ever read Grimm's Fairy Tales? Which stories are your favorite?

Friday, September 26

Apple Picking










Two weeks ago, I went apple picking with a bunch of my law school friends! I'd never been to this orchard before, but it was absolutely gorgeous! It was a cloudy, cold day, but in the most beautiful way. My friend Jay took two of the pictures here (the ones with me in them).

I really loved the little shop, where they had fresh, local produce, including flowers! Weren't they gorgeous?!

I loved everything that I bought there - I got some apple cider (that I warmed up before drinking), hard apple cider (that I'm saving for a rainy day), a whole bunch of apples (I only have two left), and some beautiful white green beans!

Apple picking is one of my favorite activies in Concord, and I'm really hoping to go a few more times before the season ends. Plus, the leaves are starting to really change around here. As beautiful as Iowa is in the fall, even at Simpson, Iowa doesn't have anything on the Northeast. New Hampshire in the fall is EVERYTHING!


What's your favorite part about fall? Have you ever been in the Northeast while the leaves were changing? Do you love apple picking?

Wednesday, September 24

Life Lately {vol. 30}

I got some new tights from Urban Outfitters and loved wearing them with this dress!

I was invited over to play Settlers of Catan for the first time with a few law school friends! (Hint: I did not win... but it was SO much fun!)

I went over to Abby's house to watch Bride Day Friday on TLC! I love seeing Abby, of course, but Oz has a special place in my heart. :)

A few law school friends and I went apple picking two weekends ago!

I don't know what I'd do without Jay in law school. :)

If I fits, I sits!

Apple cider, cold nights, and Netflix. Classic!

I met a really amazing attorney last week for coffee at my favorite coffee shop in Concord... after this picture was take, obviously, haha.

I had to take advantage of my "long" hair while I could!

Could this little guy be ANY sweeter?!

Getting my hair done took almost three hours... Although I didn't want to dye my hair anymore, I really wanted to be able to grow it out without the harsh line between the red and blonde, so Nicole put highlights and lowlights in my hair to smooth the transition!

So much hair gone! :O

The next day, I went to the New Hampshire Women's Bar Association Reception! The attorney I had coffee with was being honored - plus it's the best party of the year!

Friday morning, I left the apartment at 2:45AM to head to Boston for my 6AM flight. Sooo sleepy!
My little brother, Chase, and I met up in Atlanta! Whatta cutie! :)

I'm just a tiny bit obsessed with my haircut, no big deal.

I came back to Iowa for my cousin, Brandee's, wedding rehersal and wedding the next day! Isn't she gorgeous?!

The guys in my family are pretty adorable. :)
I stole J's hat, and he remarked that I looked like a lesbian. I'm not going to argue with that.
My cousin Issie is the light of my life! :)
My favorite dudes! :)
J cleans up so well, doesn't he? :) Whatta hottie!

I wore one of my favorite Modcloth dresses for the wedding on Saturday!

My little cousin Jack is such a sweetheart!

My grandma, brother and I before the wedding!

Jack is such a cool dude!

Issie and Brandee - sooo adorable! Issie couldn't stop looking at her all day! :)

Chase and I sang at the wedding, and it wasn't a disaster! ;)

Congratulations Brandee and Brandon! :)

Time to partaaaay!

My handsome man. :) It was so great to get to be with him and my family all weekend!

My parents are THE cutest. Definitely started the dance party, haha.

Ledges State Park was absolutely beautiful. It makes me miss Iowa. :)

We're pretty cool people, haha. Goofballs. :P

Flying back to Concord wasn't as hard as I thought it would be - it sucked to leave J and my family, but I was just so happy! Such an amazing weekend. :) It also helped that J made me a few playlists, so it felt like I was taking a part of him with me.

After an easy flight to Minneapolis, I got stuck there for several hours after our plane's engine apparently stopped working. I eventually got to Boston after only an hour or so extra of waiting around, and got back to Concord around midnight!

I had such an amazing time in Iowa with J and my family! I came back so happy... and sick, haha. Thanks, airports and sick family members! ;)

I was glad to be home with my cats, but James has been acting out a little bit. He's been peeing on some of my clothes and towels on the floor (even though his litter box is clean) and scratching at my door at 2AM. I was really upset about this, but I realized yesterday that he was probably acting out for attention. I played with both the cats a lot last night and tried to pay more attention to them. I think it's helping, though he still woke me up at 2AM this morning...

I clearly have to exhaust James more during the evenings, haha. I need that cat to sleep through the night, because I really, really need my sleep!


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