A Quick Trip Home

September 28, 2016

You may have noticed that I've been a little MIA 'round these parts and that's because we took a quick, last minute trip home over the weekend. It was the best trip, albeit full to the brim with wedding events and appointments. 
We hit the ground running right after we landed and had three back to back appointments with venues and wedding planners. We've decided on a venue (more on that soon) but I'm struggling with deciding on a wedding planner! I do think that we'll need the help since we're planning from out of town, but I just don't know how much help. We rounded out the day with a little family engagement party. It was the perfect way to celebrate and now it's starting to feel real since we've seen our families in person!
We visited Windows on Minnesota, The Depot Minneapolis, The St. Paul Hotel, and the St. Paul Athletic Club (pictured above). They were all fabulous, but we could only pick one. It was extra special because our families were able to come look at venues with us.  
It wasn't all business though we did have time to sneak in a little outing to the Minnetonka Orchards for some #fallfun. I'd never actually been to an apple orchard, so I can officially check that off my list. I also enjoyed taking advantage of the Minnesota fall weather because it's currently in the 90s in San Jose. Gross. 
Of course we couldn't go to an apple orchard without getting apple cinnamon donuts! They were honestly the best, all warm and sugary. Mmmm. 

Not pictured, but it worked out that we were home for Mark's nephew's first birthday party, which was so nice to be a part of. Also, my mom, sister, and I had fun unboxing her wedding dress and all taking turns trying it on. That was so fun and special. My mom had been saying for years we could unseal the box once one of us got engaged, so it was highly anticipated!

The trip was too short and went by too quickly, but we accomplished what we went home for: we picked a venue! I'm going to do a whole post about it, so stay tuned for that!

xo Catherine

Textured

September 21, 2016

Skirt: J. Crew Factory. Cardigan: Halogen via Nordstrom. Top: Banana Republic (similar). Shoes: Shoemint Via Kohl's (similar). Purse: Topshop (similar). 
Not sure why the white top looks so jarringly white in these pictures😂we're obviously not professional photographers. Aside from that, I really love this outfit and the mix of textures together. The skirt is pretty simple, I'll be honest I overlooked it when I saw it online, but decided to try it on in store on a whim. I ended up really loving it and think I'll get a ton of use out of it. I'm already envisioning it with black tights and booties - my favorite (can't belive how dark my hair was)! It's classic, and also maybe a little Britney a la Baby One More Time ;) 

Hope your week is going well! We're halfway there!
xo Catherine 

Yep, This Cardigan Again

September 19, 2016

Cardigan: BP Via Nordstrom (similar). Dress: Loft. Shoes: BC Footwear. Purse: Kate Spade. Sunglasses: Ray-Ban. Belt: Target (similar). 
Are you sick of this cardigan yet? I'm definitely not! I can't belive how much wear I've gotten out of it already since the Nordstrom Sale. You can never go wrong with neutrals though. 

Not much to report from this weekend. We opted to be lazy, like I-stayed-in-my-PJs-and-took-a-three-hour-nap, lazy :) felt so good! 

Thanks for stopping by!
xo Catherine

Utilitarian

September 16, 2016


Jacket: Target. Sweater: J. Crew Factory (similar). Jeans: Gap. Shoes: Banana Republic (similar). Purse: Kate Spade
The perfect outfit for a Friday, no? And thank god it is Friday. No idea why but I was so messed up on my days this week which made it feel extra long; albeit long, it was a good week. Mark and I celebrated our eight year anniversary on Wednesday. How crazy is that? We kind of forgot about it in all the excitement over getting engaged so it was very laid back. We drank champagne and made pizzas because we're all about the pizza over here. The rest of the week was pretty normal though, and it's seeming like this weekend will be much of the same thing. I'm craving a lazy and cozy weekend of reading and binge watching Narcos, but the constant California sunshine makes me feel guilty when I'm holed up inside. Can we get a little rain up in here? One last thing about the outfit: this is actually what I was wearing when Mark proposed! I gave him a hard time that he couldn't let me put something nice on and that it ended up being a super casual outfit that I'll remember forever. Oh well :) The outfit may be kind of simple, but it's a regular around here and the layers and rich color combinations give it just enough visual interest to be simple but not boring. 

That's all folks, have a good weekend!
xo Catherine 

Wedding Vibes

September 14, 2016

We're in full-on wedding planning mode over here. Okay, so maybe I'm a little more into it than Mark is ;) give me all of the bridal magazines and pinterest boards😍. I'm gathering up all of the inspiration right now trying to decide what kind of vibe we should go for as we're selecting the venue, colors, etc. We're aiming for October of 2017 in the Twin Cities. I'm torn between wanting to acknowledge the season via our colors, decorations, etc. and also not wanting to ram it down people's throats that we're getting married in the fall. I also want to have fun personal touches, but not have my wedding look like every pinterest idea you've ever seen combined into one event. It's a fine line to walk. Anyway, here are some images that are inspiring me right now and giving me all of the WeDdiNG viBezZ.

Love the soft grey dresses. I'm leaning toward a pretty neutral palette. 

This is serious #flowergoals and has me feeling like I need to recreate this :) 

via 
I kind of love the idea of different bridesmaids dresses in a similar color palette so they can wear something that suits them best and they actually like. 

I think white flowers with some greenery are so stunning and simple. 

I love the idea of neutrals, but also really love the idea of a beautiful eggplant color as well. So hard to decide!

We already saw #flowergoals so now here's #cakegoals!

Who wouldn't want a champagne tower at their wedding?

Pretty much zero decisions can be made until we have a venue and date locked down, which will hopefully happen in the next two weeks, but I'm still having a ball trying to figure everything out!

xo Catherine 

Early Fall

September 12, 2016

Turtleneck: The Limited (similar). Cardigan: BP via Nordstrom. Skirt: J. Crew Factory (similar). Necklace: J. Crew (similar). Shoes: BC Footwear. Purse: vintage Coach (similar).

A low key weekend was just what I needed after all the excitement of last week. I caught up on a bunch of errands, finished my book, and watched a little Gilmore Girls. This week is shaping up to be low key as well. Just a couple of workout classes and a trip to the DMV for this girl.

Now, on to why you're really here: this outfit. I don't want to toot my own horn, but it's a good one, isn't it? I'm going to have to get creative this month since I'm not shopping, so hopefully I'll feel extra inspired. This outfit is made up of pieces you've seen a million times before, but I ended up really loving this fresh new pairing. I can't wait until it gets cooler so I can add some tights and black booties to up the cozy factor!

Hope your week gets off on the right foot today!
xo Catherine 

4 Coats Every Woman Needs in Her Closet

September 9, 2016

Today I'm rounding up 4 coats (at various price points) that every woman needs in her closet. I'm curious, what are your outerwear must haves?

The Field/Utility Jacket: perfect for casual fall days

The Trench: perfect for when there's precipitation or you just want a classic look


The Peacoat: perfect for dressed up winter wear

The Colorful Coat: perfect for making you feel like a million bucks


I should also mention that if you live somewhere with actual winters that you absolutely need an F-it-it's-too-cold-to-look-cute coat that you can pull out and wear. You know the ones I'm talking about, one of the sleeping bag coats. I don't need my hardcore coats anymore in California, but I do get a lot of use out of lighter outerwear. So I bought a new utility jacket (before September 1st of course!) for the coming season.

Hope you have a fabulous weekend!
xo Catherine

p.s. thank you so much for all of the love surrounding our engagement!

We're Engaged!

September 7, 2016

We're engaged! After nearly eight years together (on the 14th!) Mark popped the question last Saturday in San Francisco.

A lot of you may not know that Mark and I met in junior high band. He played the trumpet and I played the French horn. We were just friends at first because, unfortunately, we were both seeing other people😂. The guy I was "dating" (can you call it that when you're in 8th grade?) knew Mark well from playing basketball together, so I got to know him as more than just that one trumpeter in band class. We were never really close friends and once that guy and I broke up I didn't see much of Mark. 

Eventually, right before the start of sophomore year Mark and I were both invited to the same bonfire where we spent the night catching up. A couple of weeks and a first date to see Wall-E later we were an item. Fast forward three years at separate high schools and we were headed off to different colleges, him to California and me staying in Minnesota. Those four years of long distance were no picnic, but also not as bad as everyone leads you to believe. We were weirdly good at being long distance. I think it's because we're both fairly independent people.

We knew that after college we didn't want to do long distance anymore and Mark had been offered a job in San Jose, so it made sense for me to be the one to move. Nine months into living in California we adopted our adorable pup Louie (and he's been giving us hell ever since). Now six months later we decided to head up to San Francisco for a little "staycation" without the pup. Getting to San Francisco is kind of a pain from San Jose and having the dog to get home to makes it even more challenging so I was very excited to get away.
I'll be honest, I did have a feeling that he was maybe going to propose because I had designed my ring a few months earlier. He did surprise me though by doing it right when we got to our room. He had upgraded us to a corner suite on the 29th floor of the Westin with sweeping views of the Golden Gate and Coit Tower. 
When I walked in the room there was a trail of purple rose petals (because he knows I don't like red roses #highmaintenance). Even when I saw the flowers it still didn't register that he was proposing for some reason. I just thought that maybe he was making the weekend extra special because he was going to propose later.
So I followed the petals around the corner and saw the amazing views and on the bed it said "Will you..." and I turned around and he was on one knee.
Then there was champagne, lots of hugging and tearful calls home.

We spent the rest of the weekend celebrating in the city with amazing food and drinks and it was just overall perfection. 
I'm so excited to marry this man who has been by my side through it all for the last eight years. There's no one else I'd rather do life with and I'm lucky to call him mine.

Signing off on a high of love and happiness - xo Catherine 

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