Get ready for some groundbreaking confessions!
This may shock most none of you but I am a normal Midwestern girl. I’m also a ‘wannabe’ Fashion Blogger. Maybe this will resonate with some of you and maybe for others it won’t make much sense. Maybe you are a real Fashion Blogger and to that, I’m stoked for you & secretly a bit envious. I would absolutely love nothing more than to run out to Barney’s and snag this insanely gorgeous YSL bag that I’ve been coveting, but Kyle and I own a house, which means we have mortgage payments. And that bag, despite how perfect it is, takes 2nd {or 20th} priority because its costs is not one but TWO months worth of those said mortgage payments. So yeah, I have to choose having a roof over my head for July & August rather than rocking that beauty over my shoulder and instead I’m going to be content with a still pretty cute Loeffler Randall clutch. You bet your sweet butt I’d be thrilled to prance around in these freaking adorable hot pink Manolos, but Iowa State basically asked for our {not yet conceived} firstborn in the form of tuition. Student loans over Carrie Bradshaw-approved shoes: the travesty.
Gas in the cars, paid cell phone bills & trips to Whole Foods may not be pretty but they’re practical.
Now don’t get me wrong, Ky and I are not struggling by any means. Unless of course struggling means he still doesn’t have 100+ acres on a lake in northern Minnesota and I don’t drive a G-Wagon, because in that case we’re in really tough times! 😉 But for real, we’re normality at its finest. Sure I buy clothes unnecessarily, have an OrangeTheory membership and take occasional trips but I also work full-time to support my ‘habits;’ and not yet does that salary correlate with desire for a lot of the latest & greatest. That’s OK though because I love a challenge and I’ve become the queen of finding a good sale! I didn’t create this blog to disguise my real life behind a screen and I’m not here to be anything I’m not. Sure the UPS guy knows me by name, but so does the late-night Security team in our office from nights of staying past 6pm. We work hard, like everyone else, to pay our bills and save some for later. If you’ve been blessed with the opportunity to stay home & blog full-time, raise your littles, etc., props to you! If you have to work a few bartending shifts after your 8-5pm job to make ends meet, good for you for owning that! Each and every one of us are different and that is awesome. We were raised differently, educated differently, made different choices than one another and been through different ups & downs. Instead of looking at differences as a negative, I think they’re huge positives. Without differences, how boring would our world be? I have been trying to focus on where I’m at, blogging-wise, rather than comparing myself to everyone else. It’s hard not to strive to be like other, successful women but I can’t be them so why am I trying? I need to be the best version of ME and not a clone of someone else {even if I admire those other people immensely!}.
Genuine, Authentic, Real.
I hope this didn’t come off as a rant because that was so not my intention. With all that is going on in the world, I wanted to take a few minutes to embrace differences, social classes, experiences, backgrounds, etc. and say that it is MORE THAN OK to be you. Be true to yourself. If that means wearing $500 sunglasses {these, please!} great, but if that means wearing $15 sunglasses, great too! In all honesty, I like to be casual and comfortable so you’ll usually find me {in real life} wearing denim, a loose top & an easy sandal {these are on sale right now & I’m obsessed with them!}. I’m also addicted to Mexican food and putting hot sauce on errrrrrythang. The more the merrier. So the outfit in these photos is the epitome of Kristin: relaxed, easy going and normal. This Tacos + Hot Sauce tank is a dream. It’s soft and playful and gives those passing by a little glimpse about what I’m like. If you’re not familiar with Wake Me Up Goods I highly suggest checking their website out. The owner is absolutely AMAZING and she has the cutest selection on her website! I’m planning a fun little Facebook event with Wake Me Up so stayed tuned for more info on that! 🙂
I’ll do me, y’all do you and together we’ll all do amazing things! Happy Friday!
Shop the Look:
Tank / Denim (on sale!) / Converse / Sunglasses / Bag
Love this look and NEED that tank
Can we just be best friends? Lol this post was freaking amazing! You literally had me laughing and I completely agree with everything! Girl you have no idea how much I would rather buy that YSL bag but a roof over our head is a little more important lol and I love Mexican food! This tank is so cute. I love how honest and real this post was! 🙂
you are so cute!! love this tank too 🙂 have a great weekend!
Girllllll, I wish you lived closer – we would be friends in real life for sure!! Have a great weekend, gorgeous!!!
Love the sunnies! Love the post! True stuff and had me cracking up! But for real tho i agree with being true to yourself
Cindy
http://Www.foreignfreshfierce.com
Love love this tank!!! Can’t go wrong with a graphic tee!
xo Kelsey | http://www.chasingcinderellablog.com
Can I just say, I absolutely love this, and like Nicole, I want to be your friend. What your post says, I’m thinking the same thing all the time. I have student loans! Being practical, doesn’t mean you’re struggling, you just have a set of priority others may not share. I would much rather make my loan payment, than purchase that pink YSL I’ve been eyeing. My husband wants a corgi puppy, but we’re waiting until we have a bigger place. Priorities – the horror! =) I Just can’t, I love this post! Do you, girl and be real! I may have read this post more than once, and edited this comment so it wasn’t a novel.
Oh this post, it hits home! I’m trying so hard not to focus on comparison when I distinctly know what I could do to better myself as a blogger as it is. What purpose is there in comparing when I know where I can grow? Such a hurtful thing. And definitely get you about real life- My husband and I are both teachers, so splurging like that just isn’t anywhere in the future for us. I can dream, but knowing our limits and where we can choose to live a little more extravagantly is huge!
Emily
http://darlingdearestblog.com
What a GREAT post!! Everyone is so different and we shld embrace those differences. We are all going through different stages and chapters in our lives and whatever that chapter is, embrace it and look forward to the next wout losing sight of the present. I have three little babes (5, 3 and 2 yo). I had wanted to start a fashion blog years ago, but I knew I cldnt give it 100%. I often worry if I waited too long but I have to appreciate the chapter I was in and look forward to this one. Life is all abt priorities and not having too many regrets!! (Longest response ever, sorry ?)
xoxo
Tiffani
http://www.tiffaniatbretonbay.com
This post is amazing! I think all bloggers find themselves comparing their lives to the really big sites sometimes, but you’ve got to do you!! Thanks for the insight, it was great!
xoxo,
Evin Elizabeth
http://www.magnoliasandsunlight.com
And I totally see what you were talking about now. I LOVE this post! I love the real talk. And I love your blog! This is amazing!
Xoxoxoxxo
Thanks for the encouragement! As a blogger, it’s so easy to get caught up in everything not real.
XO, Sarah | The Bella Insider | @sarah_thebella
I LOVE this post!!! I am right there with you! Let’s all be honest and real and keep working hard so that some day we can list that YSL bag as c/o at the bottom of our posts! Love your authenticity! Um, where can I get that tank by the way? Pretty much sums up my weekly dinners 😉
xo,
Heather
http://www.playingdressupallday.com
Love this post! Can totally relate to this- and while I am lusting over the bags and shoes others may have hard, I think your “real girl” style is just as great if not better- because it can inspire every last one of us!
xoxo, Jenna
Boston Chic Party
Simply beautiful and it is perfect on you!
http://chicglamstyle.com
This is why I love you and why your blog is one of my favorites. You keep it REAL girl. Keep doing you!! It is SO working!!
xo Annie
http://thelovelygirl.co