2017 In Review

December 31, 2017

my-inner-fabulous-2017-recap
photo by Gina Zeidler
2017 was easily my best year personally. Not so much when it came to the state of the world but despite the constant barrage of bad news I had a pretty fantastic year. Let's dive into some of the highlights, shall we? Here they are in no particular order:

Things I Like Vol. 35

December 20, 2017

I'm a bit late posting today as I totally spaced and forgot to pull this post together last night amidst all the craziness of packing and getting ready to go home for ten days. So let's keep it short and sweet today since I'm sure I'm not the only one trying to get a ton of last minute things done this week.

Sequined Plaid

December 18, 2017

festive-outfit-sequined-plaid
I went to a "Glitzmas" party last week and knew because of the name that I wanted to pull out all the stops. Red tartan pants? Yep. Pom pom shoes? You bet. Sequined top and earrings? Check and check. I had so much fun putting together this festive outfit and was happy I actually had somewhere to wear it! I think it was a nice balance of being dressy but the pants and flats keep it a little bit more casual.  

My Favorite Christmas Things

December 15, 2017

As you may have gathered, I love Christmas. Not putting-up-the-tree-in-October level love but it just gives me all of the feels. I wanted to do something a little different today and share a bunch of my Christmas favorites from songs to food to gifts!

Things I Like Vol. 34

December 13, 2017

Oddly enough our streak of having plans has continued this week and will keep on going into the weekend. That's the holidays I guess! We have drinks with a friend who's in town tonight, I have a wreath-making party tomorrow night and then we have our second annual CalTrain pub crawl on Saturday. We leave to go home a week from tomorrow so we're trying to pack in seeing all of our friends and do all of the holiday things here before we go. It all makes me so happy though :)

Little Sweater Dress

December 11, 2017

blouson-sleeved-sweater-dress
I've never owned a sweater dress but for whatever reason really wanted to find a good one this year. I love the idea because they're dressier than jeans but still pretty casual. My family is quite casual for the holidays but I still like to be a little dressed up. Enter the sweater dress. I was v. excited when I found this gorgeous eggplant-hued one with fun sleeves!

My Bridal Skincare Routine

December 8, 2017


bridal-skincare-routine
Over the past couple of years I've upped my skincare game but really wanted to take excellent care of my skin leading up to our wedding. I got several compliments on my skin on our wedding day which made me feel like my hard work had paid off 😂 because my skincare is something I take pretty seriously. So today I'm sharing what I did to keep my skin in tip-top shape leading up to the big day. 

All photos by Gina Zeidler and my hair and makeup was by Hayley Sachs Artistry. Adore both of them!

Things I Like Vol. 33

December 6, 2017

Happy Wednesday! I've been feeling kind of blah lately...not sure what the reason is. I think I'm just itching to go home for Christmas! I've never really gotten used to winter here in California. I know most people would be thrilled with the "winter" that we have but it's just never felt right to me. #picky I was so excited to hear that it snowed in Minnesota yesterday so I'm hoping it's a white Christmas! These things are helping to cheer me as well, so let's check 'em out!

Extra Festive

December 4, 2017

extra-festive-holiday-outfit
Let me start off by saying that I am aware of how extra this outfit is for California😂but what better time is there to be a little bit extra than the holidays? In an ideal world I would be wearing this in a snowy climate with a pom pom hat, possibly picking out a real Christmas tree. But alas, we're still in California at the moment so I'll just have to keep dreaming until I can pull this outfit out in MN over Christmas!

Recent Reads Vol. 13

December 1, 2017

Damn, it's been exactly three months since my last Recent Reads post. That's not to say I wasn't reading, but I guess I'm just behind on blogging. I've got some good stuff to share with you today so follow me!

Things I Like Vol. 32

November 29, 2017

Are you getting through the week okay? I'm sure as hell struggling after those wonderful four days off. We're halfway-ish through though! Now that we're in the full swing of the Christmas season that's helping to cheer me :) these fabulous things from around the web are doing that as well! Let's check em out, shall we?

Casual Glam Holiday Look

November 27, 2017

casual-glam-holiday-outfit
Casual glam sounds a bit like an oxymoron but I think it perfectly describes this outfit! The flat mules are casual and the vest lends itself to a more casual vibe minus the fur. Then you've got the sparkle and the rich burgundy color so it's a little bit glam too! It's kind of perfect if you have a more casual holiday party. I don't know about you but I'm invited to pretty much no fancy holiday parties (much to my dismay) so more casual looks are usually up my alley. And I always need to remind myself that holiday looks don't necessarily require any red or green. I usually prefer some red or green in there but gold will always suffice at creating a holiday-worthy outfit!

Things I Like Vol. 31

November 22, 2017

Happy Wednesday/Friday! I am so ready for this holiday weekend. I think I've already mentioned it but Mark and I decided to stay in California for Thanksgiving and we're going to try making the whole meal ourselves for the first time. It should be interesting! I'm excited for a relaxing weekend filled with lots of (hopefully) delicious foods and an excess of online shopping. Now let's get to the Things I Like below because we all know you're not working the day before a four day weekend ;)

New Hair + Favorite New Sweater

November 20, 2017

rust-long-cardigan
I cut my hair! I have been waiting to cut it since approximately September 3rd 2016 when we got engaged and I realized I'd have to grow it out for an updo. It feels so good to be back to short again :) that was pretty much the highlight of my weekend. I also had brunch with a girlfriend, did our Thanksgiving shopping and finished our thank you notes! Speaking of Thanksgiving, this would be the perfect outfit for the occasion. It's the perfect color, it's comfy and the sweater underneath is sleeveless. That's perfect for when you inevitably get hot because parties always get hot! I realize that this cardigan may not be the most flattering thing (the dropped shoulders aren't helping) but it's my new favorite. I love the color and it's basically a robe. I may have worn it every day this weekend around the house like a robe :)

My Wedding Dress Saga

November 17, 2017

All professional photos by Gina Zeidler (she's the best and even keeps fancy hangers like the one above in her car!)

I had a lot of ups and downs with my wedding dress and wanted to share the story (because I couldn't for so long!) in case anyone else can relate. I did end up loving my dress on the day of my wedding but there were moments of doubt and frustration that led up to that beautiful day. 

We're told that our wedding dresses need to be perfect and that it's the most important item of clothing you'll ever wear. That's a lot of pressure for one dress! I'm here to tell you that it's not the end of the world if your dress isn't *perfect*. So here is my wedding dress saga...and yes, that may sound dramatic but it certainly was a journey😜

Things I Like Vol. 30

November 15, 2017

Does it feel like a Thursday to anyone else? All week I've been thinking it was another day. I wonder if it's the mounting anticipation of the short holiday week next week? Maybe it's the time change too...I can't adjust at night to when I should be going to bed. I always feel ready around 8pm 😳 Anywho, that's about all that's going on with me lol just can't keep my days straight over here.  On to the links!

Put a Bow on It

November 13, 2017

bow-sweater-leather-jacket
It's been a minute since I last shared an outfit post, hasn't it? It feels good to be back! I wasn't shopping for most of October since we had so much going on so now I'm excited to make some fall wardrobe updates. I wore this outfit out for a casual date night on Friday with my husband :) still not over saying that! Back to the outfit: I kind of feel like Michael Jackson with the leather jacket and bow on the sweater but I'm not mad about it. I really love how this outfit turned out and it's kind of the perfect mix of masculine and feminine details.

My Napa Bachelorette Party

November 10, 2017

So excited to finally be sharing all of the photos from my Napa bachelorette party! I was waiting for my Progressive article to be published before I shared all of the details. As you may have seen the goal was to throw a very Instagrammable party. I know that sounds dumb but it basically just meant there were a lot of fun and cute details. My sister helped a ton with the planning but I did a lot of it too because I'm a tad controlling😇. So scroll on down to see more!

Things I Like Vol. 29

November 8, 2017

It's Wednesday and I have a new Things I Like up on the right day, all is right in the world. In all honesty I'm still all messed up on my days. I've enjoyed being home and back in routines but getting back into the work mentality is a struggle. Anyway, here we go!

Our Honeymoon

November 6, 2017

Happy Monday and welcome to our honeymoon recap! For those of you that don't know we spent a week in Puerto Vallarta the week after our wedding. You may remember that we had some trouble trying to decide where to go. Ultimately we decided on Mexico because it's relatively inexpensive (compared to the places we originally looked at like Fiji and Hawaii) and it's close. After talking it through we realized we wanted a super relaxing honeymoon where we basically just lounged around, ate and drank. So it didn't make much sense to spend a lot and travel somewhere far away just to not leave the hotel. We'll save that for another time! We had also toyed around with the idea of delaying the honeymoon but we're both really happy we had that week to recharge after the wedding and delay going back to reality. So, now that you've read the longwinded backstory, here are some snaps and thoughts about our week in Mexico!

Things I Like Vol. 28

November 3, 2017

Dress is here and it's $30 and so good!

Hi! Long time no talk. We are back from our honeymoon and already back to work and reality. It's been rough. I was so good at honeymooning, I think I might just do it full time ;) In all honesty we had such a great time and I'll share more on Monday! As far as our wedding goes, it was just the best. You can get a sneak peek at a few photos on my Instagram if you'd like. I plan to share a ton of photos and do several posts about wedding things. I hope that's okay with you guys! My wedding content always performs well so I get the feeling you're interested :) Now, I know it's not Wednesday but I have some links I've been collecting and didn't want to wait until next week to share. So here were are mixing it up with Thing I Like on a Friday.

10 Things You Didn't Know about Mark and I

October 20, 2017


Mark doesn't love being featured on the blog or social media but I'm going to make an exception today to get sappy because I'm feeling all of the feels on the eve of OUR WEDDING!! We're so excited and I think all of our ducks are in a row. The weather doesn't look great but we can't control that and it will be wonderful no matter what. Anyway, I just wanted to pop in and say hi and share 10 things you may not have known about my future husband and I!

Things I Like Vol. 27

October 11, 2017

I've just got to make it to Friday but it feels so far away! Last week was particularly rough and stressful but thankfully it seems like the worst is over. We had to get the seating chart and all of the stationary finalized. Now it's mostly just running some errands when I'm home next week. I fly into MN on Saturday to get in one more dress fitting and then Mark will meet me there on Wednesday. We're both getting very anxious and excited for the big day (that's just 10 days away)! I think we're both really pumped for the honeymoon too because we plan to just sit and lounge at the beach and man does that sound good right now. This girl needs a break! Anyway, hope these links can provide a little break for you today!

Things I Like Vol. 26

October 4, 2017

Happy Wednesday you guys! I feel like I'm going to be a broken record from here until the wedding whenever I'm giving a little life update: time is flying, we're stressed but very excited. Now, let's get to the good stuff!

Double Leopard

October 2, 2017

double-leopard-fall-outfit
I wouldn't normally pair leopard with more leopard but yesterday I was just feeling it! This outfit is a very simple one but elevated just enough with the accessories. I bought this burgundy short sleeved sweater as an add on to an order and have been loving it for this non-fall weather we're having. It's a nice rich hue but I'm not sweating (too much) in it.

Burgundy Faux Fur

September 29, 2017

jcrew-faux-fur-burgundy-vest
Why yes, that is a burgundy faux fur vest you see me wearing. And yes, I am aware of how flamboyant it is. And yes I am absolutely in love with it. And yes it was 80 degrees when we took these photos. Glad we got that out of the way! I am ready for fall and have been planning this outfit for weeks and I just couldn't wait any longer to share it.

Things I Like Vol. 25

September 27, 2017

Woof. This has been a week so far. I've been starting to feel a bit overwhelmed by wedding stuff and there was some frustrating things at work and volleyball this week. I'm so ready for the weekend. Just gotta get through it. I'm cheering myself up (and hopefully you too) with this week's Thing I Like!


On Inspiration (Or Lack Thereof)

September 25, 2017

Hey guys, as you've probably noticed I've been feeling pretty uninspired when it comes to the blog. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say that here since this is supposed to be a source of inspiration, but it's probably apparent to long-time readers. I don't know if it's because all of my energy is going into the wedding right now or because it's 90 degrees out when all I desperately want is crisp weather but I just haven't been feeling it.

Things I Like Vol. 24

September 20, 2017

Wednesday! You know the saying "The days are long but the years are short"? For me it's feeling like the days are long but the weeks are short. Time is somehow flying by but the days go so slow. All that to say that it's absolutely nuts that we'll be getting married a month from tomorrow! I only have three more weeks of work before I head home for the wedding. Counting down the days! Well, let's get to it, shall we?

Mock Neck Life

September 18, 2017

grey-marled-mock-neck
Ah mock necks...my friends and I made fun of them in college and now here I am wearing one. Whaddya gonna do ;) This sleeveless mock neck is per-fect for those days when you want to dress like it's fall but the weather is not cooperating. Then, when it gets cooler just throw on a (faux) leather jacket! Mark joked that I'm not cool enough to wear a black leather jacket and he's probably right, but that's not going to stop me from trying!

Things I Like Vol. 23

September 13, 2017

We're back with a new round up of the things I like and I have extras to share since I missed last week! Keep reading to see what caught my eye on the internets :)

Little Life Updates

September 11, 2017

Happy Monday! I was feeling in a chatty mood and it's been over a month since I checked in so I thought I'd whip up a little life updates post for today. Also, it was way too hot to shoot outfits this weekend so here there's that too😜. These posts don't feel the most exciting but it seems like you guys really like them and the whole point of the blog is to document my life, so here we go!

Bachelorette Bell Sleeves in Napa

September 8, 2017

Well this week just totally got away from me! I had every intention of posting a new Things I Like post on Wednesday but I was so mixed up on my days after the long weekend that I totally forgot. Next week's will just be extra good. How was your long weekend? As you may know I spent mine in Napa for my bachelorette party! It was so so fun and I can't wait to share more with you in the next few weeks. This is the outfit I wore for our "farewell" dinner at Bottega in Napa. I think we did a pretty good job of hiding how much I was sweating in these photos😅 It was 100+ degrees the whole weekend, sooo I was a little toasty. Anyway, I adore this dress and am excited to share it here today!

Recent Reads Vol. 12

September 1, 2017

I feel like I've been on a reading rampage, you guys. It's the best kind of rampage if you ask me. I've read five books in the last month and a half that I want to share with you today! This post is kind of perfectly timed with the long weekend. Hopefully you have something planned where you've got lots of time to relax with a good book! I'm headed to Napa today for my bachelorette as previously mentioned. You can follow along on Insta if you'd like. Now, to the books!

Things I Like Vol. 22

August 30, 2017

Today is my Thursday! Wohoo for short weeks and long weekends! I'm taking Friday off because this weekend is my bachelorette party in Napa. I'm beyond excited and am having serious trouble concentrating at work because I just can't wait for it to be Friday already. I was very involved in the planning with my sister because I am controlling and that's just who I am😇 So I'm spending this week getting everything ready and packed. We ordered a lot of fun and cute goodies that have been arriving so I'm getting more and more excited. I'm doing a fun partnership where I'll be sharing pictures from my bachelorette and I can't wait to show you guys!


Can't Live Without Products

August 28, 2017

cant-live-without-products
Working title: My Ride or Die Products😂 As I think I've mentioned before, Krista's blog is one of my favorites and I was inspired by a post she did last week where she shared products she uses every day. So here we are today with my version! Obviously I can live without these things but they're all products I reach for every day without fail. 

Things I Like Vol. 21

August 23, 2017

half-moon-bay-california
Happy Wednesday! I'm all mixed up on my days because I normally play volleyball on Tuesdays but we didn't have a game last night so now I think today should be Friday. Ugh. At least we're halfway there! 

Fall Staples

August 21, 2017

plaid-fall-outfit
If you haven't already noticed, I'm basic AF when it comes to fall. No shame. Give me all of the cozy sweaters, pumpkin flavored everything and "leaves" scented candles. I wanted to share my personal fall staples and round up some fun options you should have in your closet for the upcoming seasons.

Here we go!

Things I Like Vol. 20

August 16, 2017

slip-on-mule-shoe-wheel
 Volume 20...can you believe we've been at it for 20 weeks? I hope you're still enjoying these weekly posts because I have a fun time gathering things to share throughout the week!

End of Summer Bucket List

August 14, 2017

I know most people don't want to think about the end of summer, but it's been on my mind a lot these days! I was at Target twice this weekend and was constantly reminded that school is starting soon by the hordes of children all of the backpacks and colored pencils I saw strategically positioned around the store. It got me thinking that while I'm pretty excited for fall there are still some things I want to do before it's officially here! 

Photo by the fabulous Gina Zeidler

Yes, I Know It's Still August

August 11, 2017

halogen-eggplant-cashmere-cardigan
This cardigan. It truly is what dreams are made of. I honestly feel like I'm wearing a hug when I have this baby on. I'm excited that I snagged it during the Nordstrom sale. I love love love cashmere (who doesn't?) but didn't have any non-neutral sweaters already so I'm happy to have this cardigan as part of my repertoire. When I ordered it I thought it would be more of a burgundy but it's definitely more eggplant purple which isn't my normal go to but I ended up loving it! We've been having a little bit cooler weather (read: mid 70's) so I decided to wear this fall outfit to work yesterday. I may have been a wee bit hot in the sun but it's freezing in my office so whatever!

Things I Like Vol. 19

August 9, 2017

lynhall-minneapolis
I had such a nice weekend in Minnesota and it's safe to say it wasn't enough time! I flew into MN late Friday night and left Sunday night. I had my dress fitting and then ran a bunch of errands with my mom and sister. It was fun to talk wedding stuff and even do some wedding DIYs with them! I'm happy that this week is already halfway over because I still feel like I'm catching up on life after only two days away. Let's hop to it, shall we?

Gimme' all the Pink

August 4, 2017

Oh man am I happy this week is over. I'm headed home to Minnesota just for the weekend after work today and I can't wait! It's going to be such a short trip but I'm excited to spend some time with my family and get some wedding stuff hammered out. You may remember that my dress was supposed to be ready when I was home in June but wasn't, thus the extra trip. I have my first fitting tomorrow and I am so nervous! Both because I haven't tried the dress on since November and because I ordered it in a different color than the one I tried on. So scared I won't like it. Wish me luck!

Things I Like Vol. 18

August 2, 2017

It's been kind of a rough week at work so I'm keeping it short and sweet today guys, let's just jump right in!

Let's Catch Up!

July 31, 2017

Hi friend :) today I wanted to catch up with you! My goal here is to always be personable and make it feel like we're catching up over a coffee (or chai latte in my case). So because I can't have a coffee date with everyone here's what I'd tell you if I was sitting across from you at Caribou. I'm from MN after all ;)

Things I Like Vol. 17

July 26, 2017

It's the last week of July and that's madness. I'm not complaining because I have so many exciting things coming up (a trip home, my bachelorette, fall, our wedding, just to name a few!) so I'm kind of loving how fast time is flying. This week has been a productive one at work so I'm feeling good. Obviously happy we're halfway through though :) I'm here with my weekly pick-me-up (or pick-you-up in this case) of Things I Like!

Liberty Shorts Part 2

July 24, 2017

j-crew-liberty-shorts-halogen-navy-scalloped-sweater
Happy Monday friends! I feel like I don't do a great job of showing how I re-wear my clothes, so I wanted to do that today with these J. Crew Liberty shorts! See the first way I styled them here. This is what I wore for my Global Entry interview yesterday (an appointment I made literally 6 months ago🙄) and I got several compliments on it! I wanted to wear my new sweater and thought it would go perfectly with these shorts because of the navy base. Then I decided to really live it up and add the navy gingham shoes because #yolo

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Try Ons

July 21, 2017

nordstrom-anniverary-sale-halogen-leopard-mules
I felt like I should title this post "The Sale that Shall not be Named." The Nordstrom Anniversary sale has become so divisive! You either love it or hate it. I totally get that it's overdone but my try on post from last year was one of my best performing posts so I figured you guys like it and that I should do it again. I will only mention it today and promise not to shove it down your throat afterwards. So if you're not interested, we'll see you next week!

Things I Like Vol. 16

July 19, 2017

This is a photo from our walking food tour of Santa Cruz that we went on this weekend. It was a birthday gift for Mark and we really enjoyed doing something out of the ordinary. We hadn't spent any time in downtown Santa Cruz because we'd always gone to the beach when we were there so it was fun to see. Our guide was great so we learned a ton about the history of the city whilst eating delicious foods :) this is blackberry and sweetcorn ice cream. Sounds weird, but it was pretty good and the cone was to die for!

Sorry for the blog post-less Monday but I just didn't really have anything to share and I never want to force it. So there you go. Thankfully I have lots to share today to make up for it!

Lemons on Lemons

July 14, 2017

my-inner-fabulous-loft-lemonade-dress
That is the smile of a girl who's ready for the weekend. This week was rough at work so I am looking forward to the next couple of days off. The only plans we have are a walking food tour of Santa Cruz on Sunday, which should be fun! Otherwise we'll just see how the rest of the weekend shapes up!

Latest Instagrams

© Catherine Day Dreams. Design by FCD.