2019 Intentionality

Hey you. Yea you, reading this! You made it through the first week of the New Year. Congratulations, you’re kind of a big deal. Isn’t the first week of the year always like no man’s land? I can’t tell you how many times I heard “I don’t even know what day of the week it is,” repeated. Maybe you had a long week, worn down by all the people hyped up on their resolutions while you felt sluggish at best. Or perhaps you were one of the ones riding that tidal wave of good energy and a fresh start into the new year. Regardless, it’s a new week and another chance to carry on with your fresh start. If you avoid resolutions like the plague, I say all good by me!

Caitlin and I have been discussing intentions recently. Being an intentional person specifically. A lot of times we let our lives be dictated by our routines. If we’d stop and evaluate for a second if something is actually serving us in a positive way, we might find some surprising answers. We’re constantly bombarded with noise. Whether it be our own doing, or just living our lives it’s pretty hard to avoid aside from staying in your house with the TV off! Heck, even at the gym avoiding a TV is pretty much impossible if you’re doing any cardio machine. I know people rely on TV to distract them into staying on the machine. Lets be honest, you can’t really tell the 50 other people around you to turn the channel!

For me, I’ve limited tv/Netflix/Hulu etc, and I haven’t really looked back. Another thing I could improve on though, would be the mindless shopping website browsing, and Instagram/Facebook browsing. I’m sure if you have an Iphone, you’ve heard of their screen time settings. Despite running this blog/Instagram page, I still make sure I have my settings on to limit how much time I can spend scrolling. Hah, speaking of, I just came back from some mindless scrolling and organizing my virtual shopping carts. Definitely low on the priority list. But obviously a work in progress on intentionality for me as well.

That carries over into marriage as well. It’s easy to get caught up in your everyday mundane schedule. Too quickly we forget to take time to be intentional about our marriages. It can also be applicable to any relationship or friendship etc. With our lives being more pseudo connected than ever, are you actually connecting with the people you love/like/cherish? When you set aside time to get together with people, are you doing more than taking up physical space in their vicinity?

Just some food for thought on my mind recently. It’s fitting because I wore this outfit on my anniversary date night out with my husband. I had this top in my saved items for a long long time before I saw it go on sale. Tall blouses are always at the top of my list. Many stores that carry “tall blouses” are still not long enough in the body/sleeve or broad enough in the shoulder. Plus we have to contend with the already limited offerings because they provide a fraction of the mainline items.

I can’t jump on every beautiful blouse, especially staying on budget. Thankfully Asos had their Black Friday sale and I was able to snag it at a reduced cost. I was crestfallen to receive a completely different blouse in its place. I recovered quickly and hopped online to try and order it again. This time I had better luck.

As you can see, it fits pretty well. I would appreciate the sleeves being slightly longer, but I liked everything else about it enough to hold onto it. This is the perfect dressy blouse that I’ll be able to wear in a professional setting. Clearly based on this outfit, I’ll also be able to wear it to a social gathering. Plus, black is always an easy thing to grab and mix and match! Unfortunately it’s now sold out on the site, but I linked a few similar blouses from Asos.

One of my new favorite pair of jeans is this dark wash denim from Express. They are high waisted which is always my preference, and they look completely sleek for a night out. It doesn’t hurt that they are super comfortable either. If you’re in between sizes I’d say size down. I’m usually between a 10 and 12, I got these in a 10 and they have still loosened up.

Lastly, these booties have been such a great purchase for me this winter. They are so sleek and streamlined. I love that they have the studs for a little extra visual interest at the sole. I also love that they are reasonably comfortable to walk in, for having a three inch heel. Ladies they come up to size 13, which is what I wear!

Last thought I’ll share is an interaction we had while taking these pictures. A lady passed by us, took one look at us and asked if we are sisters. You know we obviously get asked often. She then proceeded to tell us, “you belong on a basketball court,” as she’s continuing to walk away. I just smiled and said I did play. As I turned around to Caitlin; I said, “I belong right here where I’m standing.” Intentionality is highly applicable in how we treat others as well. Although I could have resorted to snarkiness, instead I smiled and shared a laugh with my sister.

So hopefully y’all got a little bit of food for thought on intentionality. Are there any specific words or goals you’re reaching towards this new year?

Outfit Details