Dreaming of Sunnier Days While Cabin Fevered up in the “North Pole” aka Boston

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So as a lot of you know, New England has had some intense unrelenting snow fall this winter, I have been cooped up with crazy CABIN FEVER to the extreme!  Out of shear madness, I needed things to occupy my time so I went through some old photos on my computer and I came across these photos from when some friends came to visit us this past Fall. I swear I think these humans look like they came out of an Abercrombie and Fitch add! And yes, they are all beautiful creatures but beautiful in the way in which each one radiates kindness, love, and creativity into the world. Each one follows strong values and morals and that to me is what beauty represents. A persons heart can radiate this beauty on the outside.

I have also come to the conclusion that Boston has some beautiful weather, especially in the summer, and that the worst weather always comes in the months of February and March. I am not a winter/snow person at all, but I figure if we have three more years before relocating, instead of looking at it as three more crazy winters, its more like 6 more months of cold, bitter, snowiness. I can handle that; two months each year sounds better than three more years of Boston winters. So Yeehaw, I will survive!

I wanted to share our Fall Frolic by the Charles River and weekend outfits! I love Fall colors and you can certainly bring Fall colors and style into the winter months. This is Zina below. She is a warrior princess who lives in a castle on the rocks. She enjoys rock climbing, writing, and swinging on branches in the jungles of Costa Rica. Her favorite past time is motorcycling around the world with her boyfriend Chris, (shown in the other photos). Her style advice would be to layer, layer, layer and wear jewelry that you love!

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That large chunky scarf Zina has on in the above and below pictures is exactly something I am looking for to add to my wardrobe now!

Her outfit: Shoes are Vans; Jeans from Madewell; Long sleeve shirt from Forever 21; Sweater from American Apparel; Scarf from H&M

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Below is Chris, one of my husband’s best friends from collage and Zina’s boyfriend. He is a doctor of all trades and can be found traveling the globe bringing his skills to third world nations. He lives in the castle with Zina and they spend their nights cuddling by a fire place. IMG_4187IMG_4186

Zina’s outfit below can all be found at American Apparel! She a frequent shopper there:) IMG_4197

Below is my hubby, Brady. He enjoys a fine whiskey, Central American rum, or anything of that sort…He spends his days saving lives in the hospitals of Boston and spends his nights playing poker or enjoying my nightly home cooked meals, in which he devours quinoa, vegetables, tofu, beans and lentils. His secret talent is using his toes as a weapon to pinch innocent citizens!

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I was having a particularly good hair day that night! And was excited to wear for the first time my new leopard print heels from, believe it or not, Marshells!!!!! The grey tshirt is from Zara and my jeans are Carmar highwaisted (purchased them at LF on sale!) LF has amazing sales a few times a years and the biggest selection of Carmar jeans, my absolute favorite jeans I own! The leather jacket and purse I picked up on a trip to Florence, Italy with the hubby! Word of advice: when you go to Italy bring an empty carry-on…you will not regret it. I call the picture below, my “half-eyed laugh”.
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These boys are college besties who also played Water Polo together! What an interesting little bunch they are!

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This Man and his Dog hanging out on a bridge, entertaining the world. What cuties!
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That’s one of my hubby’s besties, Sean. His girlfriend, Caralin, was pictured above. They had just moved to Boston this past winter because she got a job with the Boston Ballet!!!!!! Sean and Caralin take long walks on the beach while he serenades her with lullabies. Pretty romantic I must say.  IMG_4271

Cozy Layers and Cashmere in Beacon Hill

IMG_4430 IMG_4419Charles Street in Beacon Hill, Boston, is one of the most charming streets in all of the city! It is filled with quaint shops, restaurants, boutiques, and antique stores. Strolling along this street, I can’t help but feel I am walking along a cobblestone path in Europe, with a cappuccino in one hand and a baguette in the other.

Well, I headed over to my favorite boutique in Beacon Hill; Wish. This lovely women’s contemporary boutique is where my dear friend Samantha, the store manager, spends a lot of her time making women feel fabulous and dressed to the nines.

I stepped into this gorgeous store and was greeted by some lovely ladies with smiles for miles including my dear friend Samantha. What a welcoming store with pastel colored walls and a comfortable place to sit and read a magazine, if ya know…you’re waiting for someone to shop (hehe). I asked Samantha to help me find some cozy layers and a cashmere sweater-’cause let’s face it- that’s what Fall and Winter season 2014 is all about with that polar vortex visiting us soon:(  And of course, I was shown some of the coziest, warmest cashmere sweaters and layering pieces. I also spotted casual wear like designer jeans and everything in-between; including some super cute dresses! Check out their website HERE to see a list of the designers they sell as well as their very own blog!

Click  below to see some fashion shots and find out my must have pieces for FALL/WINTER 2014! Sneak peek….

Cozy Layers and Cashmere in Beacon Hill/speckledyellow.com Continue reading

Monthly Highlight: Meet Shafia

Sometimes we all get in a fashion rut, well not this girl. This funky fashionista can inspire a tad pole! From her rocker chic style down to her last accessory…please feel free to be inspired!

1. SO, who is Shafia?  She is this girl, below……..raised in Miami, lived in NYC and recently moved to Boston!

Creative Feature: meet Shafia

You can find her working at LF on Newbury Street, styling everything from mannequins to anything that walks, adding a splash of coolness to everything she touches. She is the go to girl for finding out who people are, what looks good on them, and making it all come together in an outfit that makes you feel like a rock star!

I was honored to sit down and interview my friend, style guru, and fashion inspiration. See below to learn more about what makes this girl rock, her essential items, and of course some AMAZING PHOTOS! 

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Inspirational Quote of the Day

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A friend of mine posted this quote the other day which was amazing because this is exactly why I started this blog. The past year and a half, after a bittersweet move to Boston with my Husband for his Surgical Residency program (bittersweet because he has given his life to medicine for the next 6 years working easily over 100 hours per week with maybe 4 days off a month if he is lucky), I have felt stuck. Stuck in my own mind of my have nots and can nots. My passions, goals, and lust deflated from me gradually with each snow drop of the harsh Boston winters. I felt like Tarzan in the jungle, swinging by a rope yelling at the top of my lungs. Then it hit me, I can sit and wallow in my own pity and hatred for my situation, or I can do something about it, grow, and learn about life.

I have always been a planner, even planning a step ahead of my own plan. But I no longer have the control to plan. My husband is in a six-year residency training program and I cannot plan where we go after that, I can only hope he gets a good offer somewhere magical and warm. I could not plan moving to Boston, we were told. I cannot control the winter and the snow even though I am a sun baby. I am that person living in New England who does not even eat seafood, which means that cooking has become my new favorite thing to do.  

I also discovered what it was like to try to find a job in your career field in a city where you have no connections, you did not go to school in, and frankly no one cares or really wants to hire you. I was a teacher, Kindergarten and First Grade, and I took it for granted thinking it would always be there for me to go back to when I needed. However, sometimes life has its own plan for you and that plan can be more beautiful and glorious then your own plan. So far life’s plan has started treating me pretty well and I am going to keep trusting life to send me on the adventure that it is. I am only me, myself, with my passions, skills and goals, and with that, self-determination, hard work, and risk, I don’t need a plan, I can just go and be ME.

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