Flamingo Fan

Dress: Free People // Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters // Sandals: Old Navy // Lips

These Pictures were taken on my last day in Chicago, right before meeting some old blogger friends for dinner. I had really wanted to go see this wall while I was there because Flamingos hold a special place in my heart.

My dad, many moons ago, used to own race horses and his very favorite race course was Hialeah, and I used to love that the flamingos they had on the course grounds. Although I don't remember wearing it, I know I had a little pink jockey uniform from there as a baby. I've seen pictures of me wearing it. It's a great memory I have along with many others from my dads love of horse racing. 

In fact if you've seen my living room tour, you may have seen a framed #5 right by my front door. People often ask me why it's there and I tell them it's because it's my favorite number. But the reason it's my favorite, my dad would ask me what horse I thought would win a race and every time I would pick number 5. It's so predictable that when I would do the pick a number 1-10 with my students to find a quick way of getting out of a tie, the ones who knew that about me always won when they picked 5! 

So there you go, way more nostalgia than fashion in today's post but now you get why I couldn't leave Chicago without visiting this wall. And thanks so much to my lovely friend Ashley for coming with me to make it happen. 

Our Chicago Baby Shower

Some days are just whirlwinds of love, happiness and emotions. Our shower in Chicago was one of those days! My amazing girlfriend Amy threw us a perfect shower in her beautiful new home. 

My father-in-law told us awhile back before we moved, that one of the best parts of moving across the country is that when you do come home, people go out of there way to see you when you are in town and I think our friends and family did an amazing job of showing us just how true this was. We sure tested out the capacity of Amy's new place because so many friends, their adorable babies, past coworkers and family gathered together to show us so much love. 

Also I just love when people from different pockets of your life get together in one place and meet. It's great to watch all the people you love come together and get along so well. It made our hearts so happy to see all the great people Athena will have in her life.

Thank you so much Amy for giving us a day we will treasure forever!

Some of my gorgeous blogger boos, Erin, Peggy, Samantha, Ashley and Maria. How cute are the babes flanking this line of ladies!

(My dress // Bee pin // Shoes )

My side of the family, my dad, twin brothers and their ladies as well as my two favorite little people my niece and nephew.

The party greeter, Amy's daughter, Lex, in here adorable tutu. 

The parents to be! Do we look ready?

The sweetest little bib from Amy's mother-in-law who has taken me in as one of her own and made this "Hot Pink Style intern" bib for Athena. Such a thoughtful gift.

And this lady, my girl Amy, who made all magic happen! I love her! She even had some help from my Lobas (see below) making some of the adorable shower decorations that have now been repurposed in Athena's nursery.  

I also had two other mini showers when I was back! How lucky am I?

The first was with my Lobas, which is what we have called our group for years. We met in Yoga about 5 years back and have been part of each other's lives ever since and never looked back. We went to my absolute favorite Greek restaurant, the one my family has been going to for decades, Greek Islands. It's also in my old neighborhood that I lived in for 15 years in Chicago so it was a fun little walk down memory lane. It was so good to be around these girls. Things never change when we are together. It really is amazing what special bonds you can form that stem from a love of yoga!

The second was with a bunch of my Blogger friends at my favorite Cuban restaurant, 90 Miles Cafe! We all had so much to catch up on over the incredible empanadas and summer weather. This was my send off too. I left the very next morning, so it was a great way to end the trip!

Kit, Sarah, Brittany, Peggy, Lauren, Katie and Ashley.

My dress: Free People // Sandals: Old Navy

 And then there was this waiting when I got home. This is a screen grab from my Snapchat. Needless to say, our neighbors are very kind to have picked up packages for us! I mean this is just incredible. It was so fun to open everything and see all the thoughtful gifts everyone sent to this little lady. She is so loved already and no one even knows her yet! We are seriously grateful for all the love, care and sweetness that has come into our lives since sharing the news of this baby girl. We love you all so much!!

Friday Brights

Dress: Pink Blush Maternity (c/o) // Shoes // Belt: Loft (old) // Lips: Tesoro

Well this week has gotten away from me! I can't believe its Friday already and I haven't posted a thing all week. Sorry about that. It's true what they say, growing a human is alot of work. I'd go as far as saying it's a full time job.

This weekend is going to be a fun one. We are having our maternity pictures taken, and by we I mean Andrew and I not just the bump and I.  We are going up to Sundance at sunset and some of the leaves are already starting to change colors up there so it should make for an amazing backdrop. 

Hope you all have an amazing weekend! 

30 Week Bumpdate

*This one was taken on my phone. This wall was too big to capture fully, But how cool is it?

Dress  (same dress non maternity)// Shoes // Pineapple pin // Sunglasses

How far along are you? 30 weeks today! The end is near and I'm keeping my eye on the prize!

How are you feeling? STILL. Like. Crap. I've still got terrible nausea and feel sick pretty much all day, every day. There was this one magical day, August 11th, where it all vanished but then it all came right back the next day with a vengeance and I cried. How silly I was to actually think I had turned a corner! Still taking all my anti-nausea meds and the only bright side is that I don't ACTUALLY throw up as much any more, now it's just occasional but I still feel like I will, so that's kind of an improvement.

I've also developed pregnancy induced carpal tunnel (who knew that was a thing?) and have to wear wrist braces when I sleep. It makes me feel like I'm useless. Opening things, brushing my hair and writing is hard (hope you all liked the chicken scratches in my thank you cards!) If the blanket slips down in the middle of the night I need Andrew to help me pull it back up because the pain in my hands is so bad. I used to be able to prenatal yoga at least once a week but my hands and wrists are so painful, I can't even go to that anymore. 

Oh yes, and I currently have an upper respiratory infection too. Fun times!

Any cravings? I kind of hate food. I'm really hoping one day my love for vegetables and cooking comes back. My husband explained it well when he said that it's like going to the grocery store when you are hungry and you want everything, well this is the exact opposite. I want absolutely nothing. Nothing sounds good, nothing looks good and nothing tastes good. I kind of just wander around and think, can I tolerate eating this and will it fill me up enough that I wont wake up at 3 am and need to eat more. I'm mostly eating bread, white rice and any other boring plain foods you can think of.

Any fun parts of the pregnancy so far? Andrew and I do enjoy mocking her and putting words in her mouth. She is definitely a feisty little thing and will  literally swat off pretty much anything that gets in her space thats touches my belly. She does not care for me wearing pants and will kick at the waist band till I take them off. She also does not care for me sitting down either. We like to say that what she is telling me daily is "hey lady, take off your pants and walk around!"

Thoughts on maternity clothes and dressing the bump? I actually really like it. It's pretty great wearing loose dresses all the time and I haven't had to buy much that is actually "maternity" aside from a few essentials. the rest is just flowy and comfortable.  

Le Tote is also pretty great for some random fun pieces that I get to borrow and send back. They send me 5 new maternity pieces that I can swap out an unlimited number of times as well as edit before they send them out. Highly recommend using Le Tote if you are pregnant and have job where you need to look professional while pregnant! Use code HOTPINKSTYLE at check out for a 20% discount till 9/17/16!

What are you looking forward to? We have out maternity pictures coming up with my friend Octavia! She takes amazing photos (for real! Check them out here)so we are going to meet her up in the mountains and take some family photos! Now, what to wear?

How is the nursery going? It is actually almost done! There are really only a few things left to do in there and we plan on knocking a few of them out this weekend. Other than that it's pretty much done. I love hanging out in there and turning on the white noise machine and relaxing in the glider. It's going to be a very relaxing space. It sure makes me sleepy, let's hope it makes her feel the same!

Soulstice Retreat

About a month ago I was lucky enough to attend the most amazing health and fitness retreat in my own state of Utah! If you are unfamiliar with Albion, I suggest you visit their site. I have been a fan of their fitness gear and adorable swimwear since back when I was living in Chicago. I remember on our first visit out here I made a point of visiting their only stand-alone store in City Creek Mall, which lucky for me is only a quick drive from my house now. I had admired how the company worked to bring women and the community together in a goal of living a happy, healthy life full of adventure. 

Any one who knows me knows this is something that I hold dear. I've been an enormous fan of trying any workout that comes out and exposing as many people as I can to it. I've also been a Girls on the Run coach and site coordinator for 5 years helping my female students learn the power of living a healthy lifestyle.

Since moving here, Albion has welcomed me with open arms. They have workshops in store that I have attended and helped me meet people in this new city of ours. I've met some great women and am totally inspired by their mission. 

I knew about their Soulstice Retreat from last year via social media and was set on going this year considering I live here now. So the first thing I did was book my spot within the first few weeks we moved here which was way back in December! I had been looking forward to it ever since.

The Soulstice Retreat was 4 days of amazingness. There were fitness classes, workshops and speakers that all made my heart happy. And the best part was meeting women who shared the mindset of living a happy, healthy life. Women that weren't afraid to fly out from across the country and show up alone  with a non-judgmental comfortable-in-their-own-skin vibe ready to meet new people and experience something unforgettable.  

After checking in to the gorgeous Stein Eriksen Lodge, I was brought to my room with this gorgeous view and my own personal hot tub on the balcony that they were nice enough to make cooler so that I wouldn't roast my baby! This tub was used every night and was so relaxing to look up at the stars and soak at the end of every night! 

We were also given amazing swag bags filled with goodies from so many new brands that I learned so much about over the 4 days. One that has become a favorite in the following weeks was the Crio Bru ground coco beans which has been a great alternative to this coffee lover while pregnant. Did I mention it even has health benefits and natural energy as well as smelling like chocolate without all the calories? So Yummy!

There was also a booth where were able to pick out a pair of Tom's sunglasses that have become my favorite this summer. They are super lightweight and really cute.

I'd have to say the best part was the $400 Albion gift card in the registration packet that we could use at any of the pop up shops they had throughout the retreat. A few of my favorites that I picked out were this jacket that was super useful with the chilly mornings and nights up in Deer Valley. Also I scooped up these two swim suits that are super interchangeable and the palm print top doubles as a sports bra! 

The first night there was a beautiful white party to welcome all the guests to the retreat, just under 100 of us. The table scape was stunning, as was the patio and the sunset view. By the end of this evening I had already met so many fun new people and had a great time.

The next morning I walked over to my fist workshop which happened to be my favorite of the Retreat, A floral arranging class with Soil and Stem! On the way there I passed by this set-up for aerial yoga on the deck! Not a bad view for yoga, huh?

When I arrived at the outdoor class, I was greeted by this adorable set-up and then this fantastic spread of floral options that was almost too overwhelming to decide what flowers to use.

This was my finished product. Nicole, of Soil and stem taught me more than I had ever known about floral arranging and I can confidently say I'm alot better at it since this workshop.

Albion Jacket

I wish I could say I took my pictures from the retreat but after the first morning I was too busy having fun and enjoying the company of my new-found friends that I kind of forgot to keep taking pictures. So if this snippet from the fist 24 hours of the retreat has you curious, take a look here and start daydreaming for next year!