My thoughts on an article from "WhoWhatWear"

Thank you to WHOWHATWEAR for posting this simple and concise slide show of the 7 Key Pieces

http://www.whowhatwear.com/essentials-new-year-key-pieces-investment-2014

Check this out for a complete wardrobe makeover with only 7 ideas.

My thoughts:

1. Love a navy blazer. Mine is from H&M and was fairly reasonable in price (50.00 range). It's such a versatile piece that can be worn in the office or on the street. Some of my favorite looks are navy blazer with a great dress or with a cute blouse and skirt for work. Pair it with a great button down blouse and dark wash jeans and heels for cocktail hour. Or pair it with boots or flats, jeans and a great tartan flannel and scarf for the ultimate casual look.

2. Jeans: a staple in any closet. Male or female. Dark wash is classic and transitions well from day to night. However light denim has been showing it's face around the scene a lot more lately. And I'm loving it! Chunky knit, layered with a white collared button down, statement necklace, light denim and heels. SMASH HIT! Roll your jeans at the ankle for a casual and cute effect with heels, flats or sandals!!

3. Lips On: Once a teacher of mine (JJ) swore by this one little item. Putting your lips on can complete a look. I find it best with simple eyes for a less dramatic effect. A simple, fresh, daytime look with a splash of color. And be sure to ask at the counter to get the perfect orange hue for your skin tone!

4. Bags: I'm a bag fanatic! And I am really loving a soundly structured bag. Shoulder bag or hand bag doesn't matter much. But finding a classy and fun print is going to be very exciting this season. Be sure not to underestimate stores like Aldo, H&M and Forever 21. Depending on your needs these stores can provide you with a decent bag for girls on a budget.

5. The Mule: I'm not necessarily a fan, and you can definitely count me out of this trend. I will not be owning a pair. However, I stand by my motto "you can rock anything with the right pairings to make an outfit". So for those of you who are in to this trend. You can try them with all sorts of styles. Go casual with a boot cut jean and a blouse for a lunch date. Pair them with a pencil skirt and ruffled button down. Many options for those of you loving the mule!

6. Earring Jacket: had to google this one myself. So for those of you who are thinking "earring jacket?" don't be embarrassed. So essentially this is for the Stud earring lovers of the world, like myself. Take a perfectly simple pair of studs and add a jacket. What this does is fancies up a basic earring. See the link below for some really pretty jackets. I'm a fan of the stud. The thing is, they can often be too casual for a fancy party, big event, or even a night out. When you want a little bling in your (ear)ring you can add an earring jacket! Kind of a neat idea, I think.

www.earring-jackets.com

7. Underpinnings: I for one have become extremely keen on the idea of a matching panties and bra set. In my younger days I was all about being a hot mess under my clothes. Animal print on top, stripes or dots on the bottom half. But as I age and getting more in touch with me I'm really digging the matching sets. It's sexy. It's sophisticated. It's put together. And I feel that it adds a touch of confidence when you're being undressed ;)

Just a little food for thought. Loving this article. Keeping a wardrobe makeover really simple.
Adding a few pieces can make you feel refreshed without breaking the bank. And keeping an eye out for the perfect items this Spring will be very exciting I'd say!!

xo

L.

Sunny Southern Living

Let's begin here:

 

It's the third week of march and we have Spring here in Austin, TX.

I couldn't be happier and it's the perfect week to kick my butt in to gear with the gym and eating better than I have been lately. Before I know it I'm going to be forced in to shorts and tanks and sleeveless clothing because the weather gets hotter than hell down here.

 

Over the past week we haven't been up to too much that's very exciting but a few things that are noteworthy:

 

Saturday March 8 we had our very first ever Rodeo experience! It was so much fun. Despite the weather that day we made the very most of our time at the #Austin Rodeo. The event started promptly at 7pm...they don't mess around in Texas. So we found our seats just as the announcers were welcoming everyone. In proper patriotic respect for the riders, animals and spectators we sang the Star Spangled Banner and took our seat. With a series of interesting events including Saddle Bronc riding, Barrel racing, Steer roping, Bull riding, and even kids riding sheep!

 

The rodeo clown was hilarious and to finish off the entire event we watched a bull rider get stomped on because he couldn't get his hand loose. Being animal lover from the North, we were cheering when the steers got away from the cowboys and we were horrified to watch this poor man be stomped on by a massive bull. But I guess these are things we will get used to...? Despite those few minor details we had so much fun watching the clock and scores and laughed so hard all night long; and especially at the little cowboys/girls in training riding their sheep bareback!

 



Since it was Spring Break the University campus was really quiet and slow moving. There wasn't even a coffee shop on campus open. Thankfully I have access to a private staff lounge that serves fresh coffee from Starbucks (7:30am-3:30pm). I took a nice lunch outside on Tuesday and read in the sunshine. I ended up getting a little sunburned on my chest. I guess SPF is needed at all times with my pale complexion these days. My skin isn't used to seeing the sun. Wednesday and Friday I worked from home. Which was nice because I was able to clean and play with Cokes while still checking my emails. Thursday I had a follow up appointment with the Doctor I saw a week or so ago, he was running behind so I had to leave before I saw him. We rescheduled my appointment for this week. But on one of my besties recommendations I'm looking in to natural remedies to heal my problems before I consider anything extreme like surgery...which is what the Doctor suggests of course. Because that means money in his pocket. Well I'm not making a donation just yet Dr.K.

I lunched with a new friend on campus who I met at the UT Marketplace at the Community College a few weeks back. She moved here with her husband and kids last August from LA. And we have a lot in common as newcomers to Austin, Texas and the campus too! She's a blast and super hilarious. Going to make a habit of having lunch together and hopefully one day we can be out of work friends too!

We had planned to go hiking in the caverns this weekend but the weather didn't cooperate and the town of Burnet had tornado warnings! So we decided safety first. We can always go hiking another time :). We ended up getting pedi's, doing groceries, hitting the gym and hanging out at home instead. That's all just fine by me!

Facetimed with two of my favorite people last Sunday Miss Kerri Stocks and Miss Hailley MacDonald. Gave the grand tour of the apartment and caught up on life and everything that has been going on with all of us. This Sunday I Facetimed with two more of my favorite ladies in the world the gorgeous Sarah Thornley and my lovely Miss Mia (no last name required ;) haha). So happy to hear from everyone and glad that although you're in the frigid North everything is still on the up and up for everyone. Love you all! Each of you are truly amazing friends. Couldn't ask for more! MUAAAHHHH XO

This coming weekend we are getting waxed. I'm due and this is something I work hard to never let get out of control. Especially since my life is now 9 months of bikini season... EEEKKK.
Girls gotta maiiiiiiintaaaaaiiiin.
So after our wax we meet with our volunteer coordinator to discuss explore options for the PLANCTX organization for mental health. Britt and I have decided we'd like to get involved. What better way to get involved, than jumping in to something you're passionate about and helping others?? And a great way to meet new people. After our lunch we will be wandering around downtown to explore more of our fabulous new city!

Random Sidenote: I'm a snacker. I love to snack on anything. So I've decided why deny myself any longer. Forget big meals. I'm going to cater to my snacky needs. By this I mean, throughout the day I'm going to bring several small things to fill my stomach during the work day. It's that entire "several small meals" to keep your metabolism up. Well I'm going to satisfy myself with the several small meals to keep the junk food at bay. If my metabolism stays up in the process, that's bonus points ;)

Update again soon!

XO

L.

March Madness, and all the rest

Hi Y'all

Let me start off by saying that today's weather in Austin, Texas is far less than ideal. It's 24 degrees Fahrenheit (32 is 0 degrees C, for those of you who don't convert mentally) and with the windchill it feels like 4 degrees F. That is a frigid -16 degrees C. And I know all you Canadians are dealing with much worse, and snow too! But I'm just mentioning that I moved to almost the furthest point south while still remaining on the continent of North America, and I'm NOT okay with this.

On to the fun stuff!!

Last Thursday I attended the ACC Marketplace, which opens up the Community College to UT employees to set up and ACC students come through to ask questions and get information about UT programs. I was able to talk to a few students, but a lot of academic advisers about the Business Foundations Program at UT and they were eager for pamphlets and other hand outs because they all seemed to think they'd have a lot of interest. I hope they're right! I spent the day with a new friend Katie and we got to know each other a little better on the car ride to and from, as well as over lunch. She introduced me to a 24hr diner style restaurant called Kerby Lane. There are a few locations in Austin, but the restaurant is specific to Austin. She raved about the Queso so we had to have some! It was just as good as she made it sound. They serve breakfast all day so I had the loaded potato omelette and she had a pear and brie grilled cheese sandwich. She's is in the final semester of her PhD and she mentioned how she has no social life. But we have made plans to go for drinks after she defends in April. She'll be working for the Summer program this year, so we'll be seeing a lot more of each other. So that will be great, because she's loads of fun.

http://www.kerbeylanecafe.com/

This past Saturday (March 1) UT opened it's campus to the community for a fun filled day of activities. I worked, along with a few of the students who work in our department. We had a morning shift and an afternoon shift. McCombs (the college within UT that I work for) provided lunch of sandwiches and chips. And we ran out of sand for our sand art activity so we ended up calling it a day around 3pm instead of 5pm. When I got home Britt and I had our first "cookout" steaks and baked potatoes. I made homemade Tomatilla salsa that we paired with Texas State shaped nacho chips. DEELISH.

 

This Saturday March 8 we are headed to the Rodeo! This will be our first rodeo and then I can start using the phrase "this ain't my first rodeo"! HAHA
The Josh Abbot Band is playing after the actual rodeo events. We are going to hit up the fairgrounds ahead of time and wander around the petting zoo and see what the food trucks have to offer for dinner.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yapf2QvFHfw

I tried to get some volunteer shifts with SXSW this year, but unfortunately my timing was terrible and nothing has come of it. There is an event that Rachel Ray sponsors, because her husband has a tie to Austin, and she gets alcohol sponsors and caters the event. It's FREEEEE! So we are going to try and get in line for that early in the morning and it's all you can eat and drink until you pass out...which is not my plan. But apparently last year she had a Tequila sponsor, and vodka and Blue Moon beer. So that doesnt' sound all that bad!

April 10 the Campus is having the Civil Rights Summit at LBJ Library and Barack and Michelle Obama are coming to the campus. I've put my name on the list for tickets but I have no idea what will come of that. Apparently it's quite exclusive, and not many people end up with tickets. But I would just LOVE to go and see The Obama's speak. I think they're incredible.

 

http://www.civilrightssummit.org/


If you don't already follow me on Instagram you may feel free Lianalove86 ;), lotsa pics posted from my daily adventures in TX.

Today takes the cake

So it's week three of my new job and I'm loving every minute of it.
I'm beginning to really get an understanding of the program and what it has to offer. And I'm really getting involved in a lot of the processes, events and procedures that are involved.

Drive arounds: I was asked by my new boss to drive her to a presentation she was giving on campus. Now the UT campus is huge, and it was a relatively cool day. I use that term loosely because obviously it's no Canadian Winter day down here, but it was only about 45 degrees which isn't all that warm and for a Texan, it's COLD. The problem is there is not nearly enough parking on campus for all of those who work here. So there are limited parking passes and the guidelines about where you can park with which pass is very particular. So we leave the office and drive over to where she needs to be. We discuss that I will sit in the spot until someone asks me to move and we decide on an alternative spot in case I've moved when she gets out. So for 1 hour and 15 min I sat in my boss' Cadillac, listening to country music, while texting my sister and basking in the afternoon sun. By that time the temp had gone up enough that I rolled the window down and was able to enjoy the fresh air. Not bad for my first Thursday on the job.

Info Sessions: I have accompanied one of our professors to the Dramatic Arts lecture to make a quick presentation to the students. This presentation involves about 12 slides and it's a brief run down of what the program is, when it operates, how you can enroll and what it's benefits are. Very informative and helpful for me to see how the presentation is delivered. These info sessions are something we do throughout the year to get interest in the Business Foundations Program.

Presentations/Recruitment: Our weekly meeting with the Students (that work in our office) happens on Mondays. I had attended one and during my second I was asked if I would present at next weeks meeting. I was given a set of slides and I was to practice the "info session speech" to present with another student to the group the following week. Well that was yesterday and I'd say for being BRAND new to the program and office and team I did pretty well. I hadn't given a speech or presented since school and that was 5 years ago now. It's not something that I have kept up with because my positions have never required me to do so. However, I'm really excited to be able to public speak with confidence again. And it looks like I'll be doing some on campus recruitment going forward. Speaking at lectures, at club meetings, fraternity and sorority meetings as well as off campus when we are invited to participate in Community College events and perhaps in the distant future to high school seniors.

 
Explore UT: This event is put on every year by the university. It's a way for the school to get people in the community on campus. Some people have never been to University, some people have kids considering University, and some people just have a desire to walk around the campus and wouldn't do so otherwise. Whatever the reason thousands of people show up to the school this Saturday March 1 and explore the campus, buildings and participate in all the activities that go on. I've been appointed team lead this year because A. I'm here now and B. None of the Faculty members are available this coming Saturday. So it's just the students and I who will be manning our stations. We are making Sand Bracelets with the kids that come around. That is the age group our activity caters to.
http://www.utexas.edu/know/2014/02/24/be-a-longhorn-for-a-day-at-explore-ut/

Marketing: There are quite a few marketing initiatives taking place as the program is growing. There has been some help but not a full time person in the role. Luckily I have a little experience with social media, word press and I'm super creative. We do have a graphic designer but I'm also learning Adobe Creative Suite so we can cut costs on external vendors and just pay our people. So we are working on some flyer's, creating a banner for a public transit promotion, t-shirts to give to our Summer program students, and creating a presence on social media sites.

ACC Marketplace: This Thursday I am spending the first 2/3 of the day at the Austin Community College Campus in Round Rock (which is a bit North of where my house is) and we are participating in the on-campus Marketplace event. We will be manning a table to distribute handouts and information about the Business Foundations Summer Institute and try to recruit some of the students from their campus for the 8 week intensive program we offer! It will be great practice for me to familiarize myself with the program and what we do. So that I can gain all the confidence needed to become the recruitment person going forward.

And today takes the cake: Work meeting over (NOT LUNCH) pedicures!
Working with a group of ladies really has it's perks. We have a weekly meeting to discuss the upcoming Summer Institute program we run for 8 weeks in June/July. And they've decided that once a month they will treat themselves to pedicures while meeting for an hour. So today is the first day since I've started that they're going. And I've just been invited. So pedicure at 2pm, business meeting during and then done for the day afterwards.

I do love my new job for a lot of reasons, but honestly...what's not to like? There are so many new opportunities that are being presented to me and I'm grateful for so much in life. But it all stems from my parents. They taught me to be bold, they taught me to be brave and that change can be scary but it's not a bad thing. And here I am from Canada to Texas with 6 months of planning and I'm building my new chapter of life here, with this job, and these people, and this amazing opportunity. I'm feeling really lucky. When I set my mind to something, I just go for it. There is no other way for me.

XO

L.

I have arrived!

It's official I have arrived. My flight left early on Saturday morning from Buffalo. My parents drop me off at the airport and walked me inside. My mom had a hard time saying bye, she waited all the way until I was through security and on the other side, safely waving to her before she left. She started to get a little bit emotional but I had to cut her off. If she cried, I would cry and everybody would cry, and it would just be a disaster. I need no tears because I knew if they started they would never stop. And after all, they are coming down in one week. After a layover in Chicago I arrive in Texas around 1 PM. I was able to sleep most of the way on the plane because it was such an early morning and I was so tired. Lucky for me I chose a window seat and a man sat in the aisle in the same row and no one set between us! So I was able to get comfortable and spread a little bit.

When we landed in Austin I had to peeeee so bad so I went to the washroom and then headed down to baggage claim. After a minute or so the carousel started moving and the bags started coming down the ramp and going around and around and around, finally my purple suitcase came but the carousel stopped, everyone had disbursed and my brown suitcase still wasn't there. I had to head into Southwest customer service and put in a claim for lost bag. They said it was still early and that
there were a lot of flights to come in so it would be there by the end of the day. So I headed over to the SuperShuttle, checked in and waited for my ride. I met a really nice man on the shuttle bus. He was on his way home from a week in Peru and he was sharing his photos with me. We were talking
about how I had just moved from Canada and he was assuring me that I would love living in Austin. We chatted the entire way to my rental and the shuttle bus drop me off. He wished me good luck and that was that.

I found the keys to my apartment in a lock box attached to the doorknob, entered the code and open the door to this cute little furnished bachelor apartment. It has everything one person could need. But just for a week. My new walk-in closet is bigger than this place. I unpacked the suitcases that I did have and tried to make myself at home by hanging my clothes in the closet and putting my things away in the drawers.

After waiting all afternoon and hanging out with my family via Skype, Southwest airlines finally called and told me that my bag had arrived at 4 PM and the next baggage collection pickup time was 6 PM. They give the drivers of four hour window because they have multiple stops and so my bag would be there anytime between 6 PM and 10 PM. Around 9 o'clock I started to really wonder if my bag was actually going to arrive. I'm only a 10 minute drive from the airport and I couldn't understand why it was taking so long. I had my mom phone to avoid long-distance charges and the woman told her that if the bank wasn't there by 10:01 PM that we should call the office back. Technically they did have until 10 o'clock on the dot. At 10:04 we phoned the office and it was closed my call went directly to voicemail. A few minutes after that I got a phone call from an unknown number, it was the baggage claim delivery service and they couldn't locate me because my street address did not match with the ZIP Code. I'm not sure why they didn't think to phone me sooner. But at that point he couldn't guarantee that it would be there before midnight! I was assertive to say the least. Without being rude I told him that I have been waiting all afternoon for my luggage and that I was promised he would be there by 10 PM. I was tired and didn't want to wait up for my luggage anymore so I asked him if he could make sure that I was the very first delivery in the morning and also guarantee me that my luggage would arrive before 10 AM. He said NO! he could not guarantee anything for the morning but he could guarantee that my bag would arrive before midnight. He said if I'd like to go to bed he would give me a call when the driver was about five minutes out so that I knew that they were coming. I said fine, really what other choice did I have? It wasn't about 15 minutes later when they called to say that my bag would be arriving in 15 minutes and at 10:45 it arrived.

Hallelujah!!!

I went to bed immediately and because I had been up for so many hours and I was exhausted I slept like a baby. The bed is so comfortable here, thankfully!

On Sunday I woke up and the weather was so beautiful so I showered and got ready and went out to the grocery store. I walked about four blocks to the Hancock Center, where they have my new local grocery store HEB. I got some salad fixings and some other things like yogurt and fruit for my lunches.

I've decided that I'm officially starting my gluten-free diet now that I'm in Texas although I was really craving a sandwich -naturally I avoided the bread section.

At the grocery store Eye of the tiger was playing and I turn down three separate aisles with my grocery cart and one woman with tapping her foot another man was singing to himself and another lady was full out dancing with her child. Two people on my shopping excursion told me that I smelled nice. And I had a really sweet grocery bag boy that helped me load the groceries into my reusable shopping bags and load the cart.

I spent the rest of the afternoon watching Friday night lights, getting into the Texas spirit and skyping with the family.

I'd say all in all, a very successful weekend!!

Texas I have arrived!!!!!!!!!!

XO

L.

I'm booked

I've booked my flight. That's singular, yes it is. It's so bizarre. I've never ever booked a one way ticket before this. My one way to Austin Texas.

I fly from Buffalo on February 8. And there is still so much to do.
Lunch dates, going away festivities, packing and moving, moving in with my parents, organizing my life here, preparing for my start there...it seemingly never ends. And I'm getting antsy.

I just want to be there already. Enough with the waiting!

I'm staying in this cute little vacation rental for the first week. Found this place on VRBO.COM
which is a great site for numerous locations around the globe. We have taken many vacations and found our places to stay through this site.

Just a little studio apartment, close to downtown is all I need. A shuttle bus will pick me up at the airport and take me to the door for only 23.00 which is AMAZING. Do a quick grocery shop and some other errands like banking and things over the weekend I arrive.

I start work on Monday the 10th. I have orientation for 4 hours and then I get to meet a few more people in the office (like the Dean) and then I get the keys to my new office. Yep that's right, for all those who know what hell cubicle life is, I get my very own office now! I've decided I will bus to work and walk home. It's only about a 40 minute walk, just don't think I can manage that in the mornings. HA!

It's so funny though, I feel like this isn't happening. I have moments of panic. Moments of stress. Moments of purrrre excitement. But then for the most part nothing has changed so it feels like a "dream". Dream in the sense it feels like a goal, "oh how I wish I was moving to Texas. Imagine I was moving to Texas" and yet it's happening in 2 weeks.

I wonder what it will be like in a few more weeks. Our leasing agent says it's super shitty weather down there today. Tomorrow they are calling for snow. So in the Winter it really can be hot or cold. And they say the weather kind of changes without notice. SO unfortunately I will be needing my wool coats. Well it's not that unfortunate, I love them! And everything closes down there when there is ice on the ground or flakes in the air. Because they aren't equipped with salters, shovels or windshield scrapers. So I'll have snow days in that case. HAHA It will seem so funny at first. When we hardly close for anything in Canada. It has to be really bad for it to shut anything down. We are resilient. Not those Texans!

Can't believe this is all really happening to me. My Chinese horoscope predicted I would set my sights on something this year and make it happen. Well here it is, it's really happening! YAY ME!

The Cats Out!

Here we go.

My first public Lu's Life blog. And the reason for that is, I've let the cat out of the bag at work.
Supervisors, Managers I support and Admin team are all in the loop.

I'm moving to TEXAS!

It was a mix of responses yesterday, mostly in the "I'm happy for you, this is huge!" kind of way.
But of course for selfish reasons people are sad to see me go.

One of my tough cookies almost cried in fact! Hearing things like

"but, you're my shoulder to cry on"
"I've never had an assistant I could trust like I trust you"

makes this a tiny bit sad for me.

BUTTT I have to admit. I'm not really all that sad at all.
It feels good to have this out in the open. Where I can talk freely about plans and things that are happening in my life. Instead of keeping things a big secret.
I had been really causing myself a lot of stress and anxiety this week, resulting in heartburn, headaches and fatigue. So I decided it wasn't worth it, that I would just let everyone know now.
Why wait!?

It souuunds like I'll have many visitors though, which makes me very happy!

And that's that. It's public. It's real. I'm movvvving!

XO

L.