2012

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It seems as if 2012 flew by faster than any other year, and it's hard to imagine we're heading into 2013 already. I think I grew more in this year than I'd ever thought I would have, and challenged myself sometimes more than I would have liked. I left my college friends to move to Washington, D.C. for an internship during my last semester, graduated, went through the {almost never-ending} stress of job searching, found a job, volunteered at the Republican National Convention, and realized how much I wanted to return to D.C. after volunteering for the 2012 Presidential campaign. 

I'm still working on that "return to D.C." part, which will hopefully happen in 2013, but until then, I think it's safe to say 2012 went really well. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the year.

Happy New Year.

{Visiting the White House and getting to stand at the Press Secretary's podium}

 

{Spending the night of my 22nd birthday on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial over-

looking the beautiful city at dusk}

 

{Some of the last moments of college with my friends}

{Graduation from John Carroll University}

 

{Meeting television anchors I've watched since I was 16 years old}

{The best moment of the Republican National Convention - the balloons dropping}

{The balloons were up to our knees, and even waist in some areas!}

NYE-worthy: Necklaces

Necklaces are my favorite way to dress up an outfit-- especially when it comes to New Years. I recently snagged the bow necklace (the top-left from below) on sale at my local J.Crew store for only $48! It's sold out everywhere online, and down from $148, I thought it was a great deal. I've seen a few more in the store lately, because some are getting returned from Christmas... why, I'm not sure, because it is a really great statement piece. 

Any of these pieces below are under $100 (some even below $25!) and would look perfect paired with a simple LBD or even a more colorful outfit on New Year's Eve. Either way, make sure to have fun with it-- that's the best part about NYE. 

Clockwise from top-left: {1} {2} {3} {4} {5} {6}

NYE-worthy: Dresses
NYE-worthy: Pumps

NYE-worthy: Dresses

After a week of being away in Mexico, I'm back in the USA and couldn't be happier. It was great to get away with my family, especially to amazing weather and beautiful beaches, but it's always nice to be home. We came back to Ohio with about a foot of snow on the ground! So I guess we missed a white Christmas, but I am definitely not complaining about the 80 degree weather we had. (I'll be sure to post some of those pictures soon!)

I thought we'd have free Wi-Fi at our hotel so I could post each day, but unfortunately the only wi-fi we could access was in the lobby, so I've missed a week's worth of posting. Since New Year's Eve is right around the corner, I wanted to continue my "NYE-worthy" series with dresses you can find for under $100. Arden B is one of my favorite stores to find party dresses. They always have glitzy dresses that have head-turning designs (such as the added leather peplum on the dress below). Forever 21 is also a great place to find a dress for New Year's, without spending all of the Christmas money you've just received. 

Check back tomorrow for the final "NYE-worthy" post!

Six NYE-worthy dresses for under $100

Clockwise from top-left: {1} {2} {3} {4} {5} {6} 

NYE-worthy: Pumps

With New Years Eve nearly a week away, I thought I'd do a short series of posts on NYE style in regards to "building" a standout outfit for the last night of the year. Since high school, I've always put a lot of thought into New Years outfits, although I'm ashamed to admit my style circa 2006 (see below) -- a light wash jean skirt in December, really?? 

I always enjoy finding something a little more outrageous than usual to wear for December 31st, even if it's a simple piece of an outfit, like for example, your shoes. In my opinion, the idea is to go big or go home when it comes to accessories. I haven't picked out my outfit yet for NYE, but I'm pretty sure it's going to include a pair of shoes similar to any of the ones below. It's one of those nights where you can really overdress and no one can look at you differently for it, so why not?

xxo

Six Pairs of NYE-worthy Pumps for under $100

Clockwise from top-left: {1} {2} {3} {4} {5} {6}