My thoughts on Seasonal Style...

My thoughts are.....dress within the season. Meaning....your look should evoke the feeling of the season. If it's fall or winter there should be a look of warmth....grounded warmth. If it's spring or summer there should be an airy coolness to your ensemble. Spring and Fall are transition seasons. So looks can be mixed...as long as the overall feeling leans towards the season ahead of you. For example....it's perfectly acceptable to wear shorts and skirts on a warm fall day....as long as you pair them with fall accessories like boots and/or a jacket. Flip flops and sandles should be put away with your swim suits. No one wants to see bare toes on a wet October day. However, when the sun is shining in March and April....bring 'em out....they look quite cool and carefree on an early Spring day.

Legwear is important too. Over the knee socks and knee highs are great with boots. Dark tights can take a summer dress into the cold and wet season. In the Spring, colored legwear is a great way to lighten up your look after a long cold winter. Snuggle worthy sweaters are great in bright colors too and brightly colored shoes and accessories are a great way to jump into Spring.

Layers are very important in transitional seasons. Long sleeves under short sleeves or tank tops, tights under over the knee socks with your boots and skirt, jackets, scarves and hats...the list goes on. Get dressed in layers too. Make sure that your under layer looks just as nice with those pants as your over layer and your jacket. That way you won't be shy to shed layers as the temperature changes throughout the day.

Summer is all about skin....show it off....use it as an accessory. In the winter you want to protect your skin...cover it up. It's white and pasty for Gods sake! If you don't change your color palate throughout the year....make sure to play with patterns or fabrics. In the summer patterns should be light and airy, in the winter patterns should be bold and more intense. Textured fabrics like tweed or wool are warm and cozy and should be saved for the cold temps.....linen and chiffon are sheer and breezy and should only be worn when the temperature rises.

Just remember....no matter what the time of year....have fun getting dressed. Don't take yourself too seriously....take risks! And....as my Mom always told me...."You're much prettier when you smile!"

Sweet Gratitude

Gratitude is a beautiful thing. I wake up each morning and am thankful for my comfy bed, my feather filled pillows, my sweet (however small) apartment, my beautiful daughter, my health, my success, my friends, my family....the list goes on and on. The feeling of gratitude is something I've come to feel from the bottom of my heart....from my gut....deep inside. It's unlike any other feeling in the world. It's beautiful and heartbreaking all at once. About a year ago I was given an anonymous gift. A gift that changed my life....or more so....let me continue living the way I was meant to live. The gift giver never revealed to me who they were....I assume they never wanted me to feel indebted to them. I was left only with an immense feeling of gratitude. That feeling is something I will never let go of. It keeps me going and reminds me that life is good. Thank you....from the bottom of my heart....thank you.

Biker Babe

I've taken to riding my bike whenever possible....for the exercise....but also for the environment. I crashed my bike when I was a kid and was afraid to get back on a bike for a long time. A little over a year ago, a friend gave me an old bike when my car was broken down and I was in need of an alternate mode of transportation. I wasn't sure about the idea of getting back on....but once I did....I found I was a natural. I've been biking ever since. It's a great way to start the day, with the fresh air on your face, and it's oh so nice to get a good workout in on the commute home. It's also amazing when a tank of gas lasts a couple of weeks.

I've always felt a bit awkward on my bike considering I don't have any 'biking gear'. I tend to ride in whatever it is I'm wearing to work. If that means a summer dress and sandals....so be it! I told someone I wasn't a 'real biker' because I didn't have the gear.....he said....you're one of the only 'real bikers' I know! I guess he was right. It doesn't matter what you look like on your bike....just that you ride.

How is Mi moving?

Like she's on fire....like she's swimming for the shore....like she's alive. For a while I was treading water....just keeping my head above water. Now my feet have hit ground and I'm about to take off. I'm learning to work smarter, not harder. I'm learning to take life as it comes....one day at a time. Keep my chin up....look on the bright side. Believe that the best is yet to come....and be thankful for that each and every day. I'm learning to live out loud....and I like it.

Why is Mi on the Move?

Why wouldn't she be? I read a really great quote last year it said....'Laugh in your face the next time you think you're too broke, too old or too afraid to make a change. You are stronger than you know.' It really made me think.....I'm 30. If I don't make some serious changes now....things are never gonna change. I was afraid of what my next 20, 30, 40 or more years would look like. So....I made some changes. Changes are tough....I'm not gonna sugar coat it. But I've learned that things usually get worse before they get better....and they have. I breathe easier, I smile more freely and I love the little life I've created. I'm still moving through life and plan to keep moving until I've landed among the stars. An interesting friend told me, when I met her for the first time on an airplane to Chicago, that her 106 year old grandfather once shared with her, that the secret to a long and happy life was to never have any habits....people, places, things, drugs, alcohol....no habits. His advice made me re-evaluate my life, the people in it and the everything in between. No habits. Don't get stuck in the ruts....live outside the box. You get the picture....this is why Mi is on the move......

Where is Mi?

Right here....right now....and on and on. The beat goes on. I'm right here....standing still....growing tall and deep. Where ever you put Mi...I'm gonna grow. Just don't underestimate Mi...I'm stronger than you think.

Bellingham....my home. I believe fate brought me to Bellingham....10 years ago. I'd always liked it here. Always felt at peace here. As a kid....Bellingham was a big city, an exciting destination and a long beautiful drive out of Stanwood, the small town in which I originated....mostly. I never dreamed that I'd raise sweet Miss P here....yet I do.

Travel is my home away from home. The open road. I long for the days I lived out of my backpack. Saw new people, new places, new adventures every single day. I want to live there again...on the open road. I long to someday be free. Free of these roots....free of these chains. Free of time and place.

When is Mi moving?

Constantly. Mi is on the move...Mi is movement. I'm ready to go and I'm aimed for the stars. I can remember dancing through the aisles at the grocery store as a kid. My mom would put her hand on my head and tell me to "be still" as I tap danced through the produce section. She enrolled me in dance class and off I went....on the move. I danced and danced. When I wasn't taking classes, competing or performing.....I was teaching dance. I started assistant teaching my younger sisters classes when I was 14. Our teacher would have me help her teach classes by demonstrating movements and correcting the students movements. I was hooked....the same way I've been hooked by pilates. After I stopped dancing for my own pleasure, and couldn't pay the bills by teaching classes....I stopped moving. I tried aerobics, I tried yoga, I even tried running (something I'd always loathed), but nothing filled the void.....until I discovered pilates. Now....once again....I'm on the move. Pilates has helped me create and keep an active and healthy lifestyle. Inspiring me to take care of myself, eat healthier and exercise more. Dance is still a part of me....it's still in me. When I'm in my store alone....I dance. I've been caught a few times.....usually by an unsuspecting passerby....but that doesn't stop me. Movement is in me....it's part of Mi.