i've moved!

Come check out unexpecting! at beccareed.com - hope to see you all there!

image from weheartit

wants of the week

Just 15 minutes of browsing Anthropologie's site left me with a whole slew of wants.

Cream, ruffles, stripes, bright colors, pretty flowers...boy oh boy I'm in lust with so many cute pieces! I'll admit, I'm really craving warmer weather...I wore short sleeves today and made an iced latte just to spite the cold. (I know, I'm a badass...) But fun wedges and brightly patterned skirts certainly make me crave the season even more. Feast your eyes!

Eastlake Top                                       Double Twist Sweater                                                                         

Free Flow Tank                                   Sound Waves Dress

 Pollen Promise Skirt                         Woven Chroma Dress

Buckled Cummerbund                        Grevy's Wedges

Eila Necklace                                     Aflush Necklace

Fresh Leaves Shopper

today was a fairytale

It's been almost four months since my wedding day and it's still hard to describe how magical the entire weekend was. One of the most important pieces of advice that my best friend gave me while I was planning was to not skimp on a photographer. The pictures you take away from that day are the most tangible things you have to remember it by. Fingers crossed for all brides and brides-to-be that they turn out to be works of art.

Mine surely did. My experience with my photographer, Stephanie Mosher of Stephanie Mosher Photography, was the most effortless and easy-going vendor relationship that I had throughout the entire wedding planning process.

From the initial consultation in her home, Stephanie was both friendly and professional. One of the biggest things I was looking for in a photographer was not only someone who produced quality work, but someone both J and I could feel comfortable around. We spent about 15 hours with Stephanie behind the camera lens between engagement sessions, bridal portraits and the wedding and not a second of it felt forced or awkward.

She's definitely someone I'd love to grab a beer and hang out with sometime! She's vivacious and has a true passion for photography which really resonates in her final products as well as in her demeanor.

I look forward to working with Stephanie for my trash-the-dress session and will definitely not hesitate to recommend her to any and all of my friends getting married in the Hampton Roads area! Her work really speaks for itself. Check out her blog and a recap of some of my favorite wedding memories.
Thanks again, Steph!

All pictures taken by Stephanie Mosher.

wants of the week

I'm turning it up in the blog department! As I work on relaunching this baby and revealing a new theme, I'm introducing a new weekly feature - "Wants of the Week!" I spend enough time browsing online stores and eyeing celebrity fashion, as well as randomly blogging about my shopping lusts to not make this kind of post a regular thing.

I am in no way claiming to be a fashion guru. I have miles to go before I could even be considered fashion-forward. I partially accredit that to my disciplined spending habits (ha...ha...ha...). But I like what I like...and I like to share. So enjoy! These wants could be fashion, accessories, a hair cut...whatever! Tell me if you agree, tell me if you don't. And feel free to send along some of YOUR wants!

1.  Lea Michele's gorgeous dress from the SAG awards (along with a reason to wear it...!)

Malandrino 

2. Floral Stretch Waistband Skirt from Express - it's fun, colorful and can be worn with layers in the early spring or with a cute tank as the temps (hopefully) rise.

3. Nine West Toreador Boots - I've been eyeing some brown leather boots most of the winter. They make more sense than suede in icky weather, and they are more versitile to wear with skirts as the seasons change.

4. Olivia Moon Pleated Tunic - I'm currently obsessed with the tunic and legging look and I'm really digging the pleats on this top. It's comfortable enough for daily wear with flats or boots and easily dolled up for a night out.

a walk down memory lane

As thankful as I am for where my life has taken me, every now and then something stimulates memories of where you came from and you get nostalgic. You have to know where you've been to know where you are, right? I noticed this morning that it's the last working day of January. February is right around the corner.

This year, February means another month to drive revenue at work, my husband, sister-in-law and niece's birthday...not to mention a few more on J's side of the family...a weekend home to see my family, and a weekend where friends are coming down to visit. And, hopefully, getting closer to consistently warmer weather.

Four short years ago, February meant something completely different.

It meant shorter practices and a looming conference meet. It meant adjusting to new classes and continuing to hate the frigid winters. It meant team bonding and no drinking...well, always the team bonding part. In college at JMU, February was the best month of the year that wasn't March, April and May. February meant spring was right around the corner. And spring was 100% synonymous with fun and freedom.

Springtime at JMU can't adequately be summed up in a blog post...or several blog posts. It meant a break from swimming, running outside, even shorter practices (if any...) and a lot of porch sits, quad lounging, shorter skirts and BBQs. It meant outdoor parties and more walking. It meant a lot more drinking. It led to tower visits, tubing trips and Frisbee games.


I specifically remember by the time I started my last semester in the Fall of '06 being ready to graduate and move on. Now, as I work an 8-5 (which I'm fortunate to really enjoy...), pay bills, clean my house regularly, and budget my money...I can't help but think back of the 'carefree-ness' that was college and smile. We were irresponsible, reckless, immature, and more fun than you can imagine. Now we have mortgages and responsibilities. Then we paid next-to-nothing rent and and ran up our credit card on bar tabs and going-out clothes. I wouldn't have traded a minute of it.

I don't often really, really miss college...but as February starts next week, I definitely miss the excitement and build-up that the month brought. As an athlete, the opportunity to perform to the best of my ability and beat the crap out the competition at conferences got me pumped. Knowing some time off was just a few short weeks away, along with warm weather and more time with friends...just added fuel to the fire. I wish I had appreciated the experience more when I was there. Fortunately, I have lots of great memories to reflect on (and photographic proof...!) to make me smile.

why i like my job

When I was at my last job in Richmond a chick got fired for blogging all about the free crap our company gave us. By "free crap" she was referring to office supplies, which apparently means she didn't get the memo that free pens and post-its and thumb nails are kinda standard. But she elaborated on how she spent her days decorating her cube and doing basically nothing. What an idiot. She obviously got fired.

My recent place of employment (where we also have access to pens and post-its), is a cesspool of talent and creativity. (Side note: I've never used 'cesspool' appropriately in a sentence before...but for whatever reason it makes me giggle...) My co-workers blog frequently about industry trends and best practices and cool concerts and are awesome people to work with. They don't blog about doing nothing because they are constantly busy improving online marketing programs for their clients. I obviously like my job because of the opportunity it has given me to work with insightful, intelligent people.

I like my job because of the beautiful new office and the Park Lake Posse. I like it because they encourage us to read and tweet and blog and learn and grow in our positions and within the agency. I like it because beer drinking is not frowned upon and we get to pose with a giant arrow in our website pics. Our creative director collects Mr.Potato Heads and reviews frozen food. No lie.

But I digress on the point of this post. Today, the reason I most like my job can be summed up in one word:

SHOES. (yep, I bold for emphasis)

I like it because at my desk I can swing around in my chair and be faced with people who are as into cute shoes as I am. Monthly ShoeDazzle selections are a legitimate reason to gather around a computer monitor and ooohhh and ahhh and give thanks for every inch of Kim Kardashian and her shoe-lovin' ass.

Out of nowhere, I receive an IM that allowed me to feast my eyes on the likes of these adorable L.A.M.B strappy sandals:

I know, adorable, right?

So today I thank you, cute-shoe-wearin' co-workers of mine. You make it fun to come into work and check out those new green snakeskin pumps and ruffle-y booties and and share all sorts of shoe-goodness.

thank you notes

I realized tonight that I've written 2 thank you notes from the wedding. Jason and I split the list and his have been in the mail long enough for people to start receiving them.

I've written two.

I feel horrible and ungrateful. I want to scream from the tallest building in Raleigh how thankful I am of everything everybody did for our wedding and how spoiled rotten we were in the gift department. But the buildings aren't that big in Raleigh so that wouldn't get me far.

I'm telling myself it's because it's my last task and I'm not ready to let the wedding go. Buuuut we still have to make our parent albums, approve our own wedding album, pick pictures for frames in our house, scrapbook, blog recap...

I'm putting off thank you notes the way I put off folding clothes after they come out of the dryer (which I always do).

For what it's worth, it's not possible for me to put into words how thankful I am to have such amazing family and friends in my life. I didn't take our wedding to make me realize that, but the outpouring of love and support J and I received that weekend was so moving. I hope you laughed hard, smiled big and had an absolute blast. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

And I promise to send you a thank you note before Thanksgiving.