Mercury Retrograde and J.Mclaughlin swing dress

Hi Guys!

I heard someone say yesterday that Mercury was in retrograde and I completely believe it!  I made it safely to California to visit my grandparents, but getting here was quite the battle.  Mercury Retrograde may be a wives tale, but it sure would explain a lot.  Apparently we are at a peak retrograde season which rules travel delays, communication issues, contracts, which you can imagine is not ideal when you are 1) changing you name (more about this in another post!) 2) traveling.

I spent Monday going back and forth to the SS office... (yes Jonny and I have been married for 2 1/2 years and I am just changing my name).  Then the DMV and they were still unable to change my name because I only brought a copy of my marriage license and not the original (so then I had changed my name at the passport office, social security, but not DMV).  As you can imagine this made things a little tricky at the airport!  

Because my names didn't match (although I have been using my maiden and married name for two years) and I only had my temporary license and non matching passport, I was flagged for double screening.  I very much appreciate the lengths TSA is taking to keep us all safe so, no complaints there, but the name change is such. a. pain!!!!! I barely made my flight and had almost as much trouble renting my car.

As you can imagine I couldn't be happier to be relaxing and spending time with my grandparents.  I can't wait to share more with you from my trip with them.  I wore this dress to dinner with Nana and Papa my first night here.  I wanted to be a little more casual so wore sandals and a cardigan over my shoulders, but I am already planning to wear it with pumps (like these) to a wedding this summer!  Sizing wise, I am wearing a 0 and hemmed it about two inches (I am 5 '2ish) so am sure to tailor a lot of my dresses to get the exact fit that I want!

Hope you are having a wonderful week! I am off to Scottsdale tomorrow for Molly's bachelorette (crossing my fingers I have a little better luck traveling tomorrow!).  If you have any recommendations please send them my way!  

Spring catch up with J. Mclaughlin

Happy Monday!

Yesterday Jonny and I were surprised with a free afternoon.  We have always loved being busy, and the two of us over schedule ourselves to a fault, which I am sure a lot of you can relate to.  So realizing we had an afternoon with no commitments, and the most beautiful spring weather to enjoy was certainly a welcomed surprise.  

In case you were wondering, that is why I was little quiet on social media yesterday.  I was enjoying the gorgeous day with Jonny.  He pointed out that I kept repeating how beautiful the day was, but it truly was one of the most gorgeous spring days so far.  As a blogger, my work is always at my fingertips and so accessible, I have to remind myself the importance of having quiet social media free time.  

I am so thankful for rejuvenating  days like yesterday to prepare me for days like today.  A little glimpse at today's to - do list: catch up on work, dog trainer for Stanley (Stanley ate our carpet this weekend.... so there's that!),  social security office, new license, pack for 3 trips in 8 days. Yikes!  By the way, for those of you that guessed Palm Springs on my post on instagram - you got it! Tomorrow I am headed to Palm Springs to visit my grand parents then on to Scottsdale for my dear friends bachelorette then to Chicago for my mother in laws birthday next week.

When I have a series of trips like I have coming up, I am sure to pack lightweight sweaters like this one from J.Mclaughlin.  It is beautiful quality and can be dressed up with jeans and heels, worn with dresses or skirts, or casual with shorts.  I also love the length of their shorts - not too short or too long and the scallop detail is such a sweet touch.  I now have a few of their gorgeous accessories and (first warn here) I can't get enough of them!  This purse is the perfect size for travel so will definitely be coming with me this week (also love this one  this one and just got this one)!

This post is in collaboration with J.Mclaughlin . As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible!

Holiday Week of Chic: What your Bestie Wants Giveaway

Happy Friday Guys!!

We are on to day four of our Holiday Week of Chic Giveaway series! And that also means less than 10 days until Christmas (holy moly!) so I am sharing some of the things that are on my list for my best friends including some fun pieces from today's giveaway with J.McLaughlin and Margaret O'Leary.   

Guys, this Forever 21 clutch is my favorite bargain of the season ($7).  I literally bought four of them (3 as gifts and one for myself)!  My friends and I are always needing to charge our phones while we are out and about so this glittery Kate Spade charger would be a perfect gift!  I was just talking to two of my girl friends the other night and we all love these monogrammed necklaces.  Bauble Bar does a great job all together with gifts.  I just received a few of my orders in the mail and can't wait to give them on Christmas.  I particularly love this set from them!

For today's giveaway we are so excited to be partnering with J.McLaughlin and Margaret O'leary to give away a pair of sunnies and the coziest scarf!  J.McLaughlin recently launched a new line of sunglasses  and I love that a classic pair like Lacey and I are wearing never go out of style! And who doesn't need a warm piece like this scarf to bundle with during this chilly winter?

Have a wonderful Friday!!

Join the giveaway below!

Winter Wonderland

Happy Wednesday, Friends!

Geez, this month is flying by... I must admit, my Christmas cheer has been a little low this year.  Typically by this time I am blaring Christmas music and the house has been decorated for almost a month, but this year has been different.  I think it may have a little to do with the loss of Charlie Brown  (Jonny says Charlie had a lot of Christmas "whoop") and the warm weather late into the fall.  As much as I love this time of year it hasn't felt the same until last night.

Last night we went to our first Christmas party of the season.  The snow started falling just before we arrived and it was just magical! We toured all of the beautiful Christmas lights in the city after the party and I finally feel like I can put up some decorations today :).  Wish me luck!

I am so happy that rules like, "No white after Labor Day," are a thing of the past.  I think a completely white or off white look is perfect for the holidays.  I am planning on wearing this whole J.McLaughlin (minus my boots which are currently 25% off and purse) when we head to the mountains over the holidays.  My fur poncho is so warm and cozy, and I have been wearing the turtleneck under everything!!  I love that that their clothes are tailored to a woman's body, which means the jeans I am wearing have a great mid rise.  I would also recommend sizing down if you are between sizes.

Stay warm today, friends!

This post is in collaboration with J.McLaughlin . As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible!

Perfect Picnicing

Happy Monday, Friends,

I hope you had a wonderful weekend enjoying the spring weather.  We made plans early in the week to do some spring cleaning, and spend the weekend inside organizing.... Well, the beautiful weather was calling our name, and of course we spent little of our weekend in doors cleaning (oops!).  I did switch my winter and spring clothes out, which always feels like a fresh update and made me feel like we accomplished at least a little cleaning.   Can you blame me?

Picnics in the park are such a fun way to enjoy the beautiful day with each other and friends.  We love being outside as much as possible, so once the weather warms we picnic a lot.  It is a fun date for us and love that we can, of course, bring Mr. Brown.  

We try and make our picnics as hassle free as possible so our time is spent enjoying the outdoors and our friends company. I actually threw all of the fruit we had on hand in a bowl and called my new favorite cheese shop down the street, Cheese and Provisions,  to put together an assortment.  I showed up and was so surprised at the gorgeous and delicious spread they arranged for us.  Also, our picnic basket is the cutest and has been a game changer.  It has all of the essentials for the perfect picnic including a cooler in the bottom.  I was so excited when I found it - it is also quite a bit more affordable than others I have seen (but also love this one and this one).  

I have been wearing all of my new J.McLaughlin pieces non stop.  As I mentioned (here), they just opened their first store near us and I couldn't be more excited! The colors are so bright and perfect for spring and summer and the fun patterns are just so sweet and adorable.  These scalloped bumble bee shorts have been perfect for zipping around town on our scooter with Jonny - no, I will never ride alone again, and no there were no injuries this time (read about my silly scooter crash here).  I love their assortment of men's shorts too.  Jonny's shorts have tiny surfers on them which he also wore while on the beach last weekend.  Also this sweater is a great weight for spring days and chilly summer evenings and comes in several other pretty colors... I am usually a pink lady, but have really been loving yellow lately.

I hope you have wonderful week - I would love to hear your favorite picnic stories.  I have loved hearing about all of your trips planned to our fun city, keep them coming, alway happy to answer any questions below or at abby@denverdarling.com.  

(shop both of our looks below)

xo

Photography:  Corey Anthony

This post is in collaboration with J.McLaughlin. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible!