Sunday Success

You may remember that I set weight loss goals for myself. It's more than losing weight, it's about being healthy and making myself happy with my body again. Dieting can be frustrating. You feel like you're counting every calorie, monitoring what you eat, working out, not giving in to every craving and yet the scale doesn't seem to be moving down as quickly as you would like. So far, I've been using My Fitness Pal on my iphone to count calories and monitor my food, as well as exercising, for about 3 weeks. So far, I'm only down about 4 pounds. Very small victory, and I hadn't been noticing any difference in my clothing, appearance, etc. Until today! I wore a dress to church this morning that I haven't worn since December. I was rewarded when I realized that the dress was fitting a little looser and laying better than it had the last time I wore it. It may be a baby step, but it's a step! I'm definitely feeling better today now that I've noticed a small change in my body! Success is a wonderful feeling!I hope y'all are having a wonderful Sunday and enjoyed your weekend!

xx, Emily Ann

Sealed With A Kiss

I finally had the chance to wear one of my "holy grail" items tonight! While my mama is out of town for the weekend, my dad and I had a date night. He took me out to the country club for drinks, dinner, and dessert. I felt like quite the lucky lady. I can only hope that my future husband treats me like a princess the way my daddy does!

I'm so in love with my Jonah in Sealed With A Kiss! I'm so beyond grateful to BGT for selling me my holy grail, all for the love of Lilly! This is what the brand is truly about- fun, loving ladies who share a love of color and fun who just want to share their happiness with the Lilly community!

It's been a great week, I hope y'all are feeling as blessed as I am!

xx, Emily Ann

Swell Caroline

I have been on the lookout for an monogram necklace for ages, and I think I've finally found the place to order one! Swell Caroline carries the Moon & Lola Monogram line, and oh my goodness are they adorable!My favorite is the gold Cutout Monogram Necklace. The price is a bit more, but with such a timeless piece, how can you go wrong?? I think the acrylic ones are also adorable, and something I'm adding to my list. But my first Swell Caroline purchase is definitely going to be a cutout monogram necklace! I'm especially excited that Swell Caroline has launched their "Swell Bucks" rewards program. You receive $5 in Swell Bucks just for signing up, and you can earn more by referring friends! There are several ways to earn your Swell Bucks, so y'all should head on over and sign up for the site! They also carry Fornash jewelry, the same line that is promoted by several Lilly Pulitzer Via stores!

Swell Caroline Rewards Sign Up- use this link to sign up and help me buy my monogram necklace while earning Swell Bucks of your own! Happy Shopping, y'all!

xx, Emily Ann

Happy Valentine's Day!

I know this is a bit belated, but with everything I've had going on at work and home I haven't had a chance to post about a glorious little holiday- Valentine's Day! Being a single gal, you'd probably assume that I am as pessimistic and "down" with the holiday as most singles and pessimists are. While it is a "commercialized" holiday, I can't help but love a day dedicated to pink, red, candy, flowers, and showing the important people in your life how much you love them! My Valentines were my parents- chocolate from my mama and roses from my daddy! I truly feel blessed to have such loving parents in my life who shower me with love and affection.

Working at Victoria's Secret, Valentine's Day is definitely an event for us. Starting the Thursday before the holiday through the 14th, I was working like a mad woman helping men and women pick out the perfect gifts for their loved ones. While I was working my life away, I was very happy to break up the monotony of my all black wardrobe by throwing pink into the mix!

My Valentine's Day outfit consisted of my pink cotton Elsa from a Rue La La sale a few months ago (I LOVE the Elsa top- I received several compliments throughout the day and it was perfectly comfortable for a day of work), and Betsey Johnson heart shaped earrings. I felt fun and festive all day!

Another reason for my absence had to do with my ongoing job search. As I'm gathering all my transcripts, polishing my resume, and collecting recommendation letters to apply for several teaching jobs I'm interested in, I've also had other opportunities come up. With a few changes we've had at my store, a management position became available. I interviewed for the position with my new store manager. I'm glad I chose to interview- it was good experience and I think it was a wise choice for putting me in good favor with a new store manager, giving her a better idea of who I am and what kind of employee I am. I have since learned I didn't get the position, it was offered to another girl in our store who has held the position at another Victoria's Secret and thus she had the upper-hand in terms of experience. However, my interview did come with a few positives. My manager was very impressed with my interview- so much so that she is going to promise me an increase in hours equivalent to what I would have received with the promotion, as well as a pay increase! I'm so beyond grateful that she is willing to help me out in this way because of how well I did in my interview. It's going to make moving into my own place in May much easier to manage financially!

For my interview, I wore slim cropped pants from Gap, a white and black polka dot ruffled blouse from J. Crew, black J. Crew blazer, BCBG black pumps, and (of course) my pearls. I felt confident and professional in my interview attire! Definitely a great warm-up for the interviews I'll (hopefully) have soon for teaching positions!

xx, Emily Ann

Lucky Finds

Living on a budget is tough, especially when you have such expensive tastes! Lilly Pulitzer is a fabulous brand, but boy are the prices high! I blogged previously about a few dresses I had on my wish list, including the Keetan in Hotty Pink First Impression, the Harlow in X Marks the Spot, and the Jonah in Sealed With a Kiss. By some miracle, a little luck, and the help of some fabulous fellow Lilly-lovers I can now say I own each of these "holy grail" dresses! I can't quite fit in the Keetan yet, so my diet continues and it will hopefully make it's debut Easter weekend. (fingers crossed!) I have received the Harlow, and oh what a dress it is!

I wore my Harlow in X Marks the Spot to church this morning. I paired it with my Sullivan belt to help give my waist a little more definition. I love how comfy and fun it is! I received more than a few compliments on my outfit at church. Not to mention, I found it for a steal of only $31 on Smart Bargains! Can't beat that!

Thanks to a wonderful Ms. B, I should receive my Jonah in Sealed With a Kiss early next week. She sold me hers for a great price once she found out how badly I've been wanting the dress. Talk about "living a Lilly life." I adore my Lilly-loving community! I am feeling especially blessed this Sunday afternoon!

xx, Emily Ann

PS- y'all are beautiful!

Oh Happy Day

Yesterday was an all around fabulous day! I received some Lilly-filled packages in the mail- including one item I have been eagerly anticipating!

My Babs wrap in Hotty Pink First Impression!! I finally own this print in the wrap AND the Keetan!

I'm so glad to have found my Lilly-loving communities where I can buy, sell, and swap Lilly at a price I can afford- especially such an adorable item like the Babs wrap! To have it come in the mail yesterday was just perfect. I immediately planned my outfit around the Babs so I could wear it yesterday. I strongly believe in "dress for success." Whenever I have a test or stressful thing coming up, I believe I do better and handle the situation better when I'm dressed up and feel good about how I look. So yesterday I was taking my last two undergrad exams EVER! I'm technically finished and waiting for them to mail me my degree, but I had two online classes that were being complicated and I just had to tie up a few loose ends until they were "officially" done. So now, I'm officially 100% finished! My parents even took me out to dinner to celebrate- yum! It's a weight off my shoulders, even though it really hasn't sunk in completely that I have no more assignments to turn in or exams to study for. I can have a life now!

All that's left is applying for teaching jobs. Talk about trading one stressful thing for another! Praying I find a job soon- I'm ready to be working full time in a job that I LOVE!

xx, Emily Ann

Fitting Into My Lilly

I've been fighting the weight loss battle for years. It's been up and down and back up again as I try diets, exercise, etc. I was an athlete in junior high and high school, but then once my sports season was over or I decided to move on to the more "intellectual" end of things by joining the yearbook and newspaper, I wasn't getting the regular activity anymore. Once I moved on to college, my weight dropped like crazy (I know, I didn't put on the Freshman 15, or as we call it the Mizzou 22) because of how homesick I was. I dropped from my usual size 8 to a size 4 as a existed on goldfish crackers and diet coke. I don't recommend this diet. While I didn't see any issues in my diet, and I was happy with me "new body" the weight just came back on with a vengeance my sophomore year when I moved into the sorority house and had regular meals again.

The summer I turned 21, I dropped a few pounds and was back to my "normal" weight- right around a size 8 again. However, from my Junior year to know my weight just keeps climbing. It's been gradual to the point that I don't notice until I try to fit in clothes which fit the previous season. So now, I'm wearing a size 12 which is rather large for my petite frame. (I'm under 5'2") I knew I'd put on some weight, but the realization of just how much didn't hit until earlier this week.

I finally purchased my coveted Keetan Dress in Hotty Pink First Impression at a price I could justify. I bought it in a size 8 from a fellow Lilly-lover, the same size I tried on in a Via store in July that fit just fine. When it came in the mail and I tried it on, I found it to be VERY snug in the hips and I couldn't zip it up all the way. BIG PROBLEM! I had been hoping to wear this dress for Easter Sunday, but now I'm worried I can't drop the weight fast enough! This realization has me feeling more motivated to lose weight than I have been in a very long time- sometimes it takes a kick in the booty to get on the right track!

I've started using an iPhone app called "My Fitness Pal." I had a friend who used it in college, and several of the girls on Shifting Lilly have recommended it. So now, I'm doing my best to stick to a 1,200 calorie a day diet. Eating less fatty foods, more fruits and veggies, and more eating at home and less take-out. Working out has been very hard for me to be consistent with, but I've made the effort to work out the last two days! I have used my Zumba Fitness for the Wii to have fun while I work out, and I've done some minor weight lifting with push-ups, sit ups, etc. I know it won't be easy, but in order to be a better, healthier me- and fit into my Lilly- it's time to get serious about taking off the pounds!

Hopefully blogging about my efforts, as well as the support from my lovely Lilly-loving friends, will help me to be successful!

xx, Emily Ann

Blogaversary Giveaway

For real, y'all, now you have to check out Keep It Classy, Alabama! She's hosting a giveaway with Lilly Pulitzer items from my favorite shop, PurseladyToo!! So head on over and check out Lindsey Leigh's blog and enter to win some adorable Lilly Pulitzer koozies!