#ThrowBackThursday

Throwback Thursdays... Let's Discuss. 

I have to admit this is somewhat of a guilty pleasure of mine. Does anyone remember: HotorNot.com?

Once upon a time, long ago... when I was in middle school and the internet wasn't yet invented. Okay… I am being a teensy dramatic. I had the internet in middle school… dial up, AIM, and all the SWF13 chat rooms anyone could possibly want. You get the picture... 

Social media, in it's infancy,  had only one social media site giving high school middle school  teachers grief: HotorNot.com. This was an opportunity to upload hot pictures of yourself to have strangers give you a 1-10 hotness rating, or to upload the worst picture you could fine of your worst enemy peer.

Point being: Old Habits Die Hard. #ThrowbackThursday seems to be pretty reminiscent of a simpler time in social media... well almost.

The Hot.

Spring Break 2001: Look how tan I am! And that neon string bikini is finally back in style, so no one will know how old I am!

Circa 2010... same thing.

College Days: Look how fun and smart I am! And no one even remembers that I dropped that one class to go to that one party right after this was taken! (Kidding... well you would have to ask Staceylea I supose.)

Remember Calling Cards? #wtfislongdistance

 Wedding Pics: Look guys! I am STILL married! 

Sports Pics: Look how sporty I am! Ahhhh the glory days! 

The Not.

·         Perms: Please don’t make a comeback!

·         Mullets… enough said.

·         Glasses: Yessss those 80’s glasses were the best. Thank god I got contacts when I turned 11!

And finally the #ThrowbackThursdayTakenLastThursday

 Selfies: est. 2010… this is not a throwback. Don't even get me started on the duckface.

Are y'all guilty of these? Because my great friends whom I have stolen the below Instagram photos from certainly are... THANKS LOVES!!!!

XOXO, 

Elle

Best Dressed: Derby Edition

This post’s title is such a tease isn’t it? Hope y'all had an amazing and well-dressed Derby weekend. (Mine was A-MAZ-ING!) I started off the weekend in Kentucky with a Derby Party… Guess who won best dressed? Haha… no not me. ;) A friend won… I suspect it was the white shoes no socks combo… and the entourage of females.

My dress was from J Crew Factory online... these pictures do not do it justice. I’m pretty obsessed with all of their preppy dresses.  They have so many options perfect for summer Baby & Wedding Showers or a Derby Party…. Whichev.

363 Days till Derby 2014!!

XOXO, Elle

The Time I Ran in the Flying Piglet

Derby + Cinco de Mayo + Flying Pig Marathon =  ponytails and no noteworthy #OOTD the past 3 days. 

Wet hair... Don't Care. 

I am still recovering and it’s Tuesday! For those of you who don't know the Flying Pig Marathon is Cincinnati's Marathon that is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon. Okay so I must admit that I may have not ran IN the marathon… but I did run from my car to the finish swine (their words not mine) and then to the bar for Cinco de Mayo tacos and tequila. Let’s just call it the Flying Piglet. Four miles in the POURING rain deserves something right?  (It actually is a big deal for me after all my surgeries, but blah blah... they ran TWENTY SIX MILES.)

At the finish line I saw more than one Lululemon running skirt. I mean if you are going to run a marathon you might as well look cute in the finish line photos,  right? I am confident regardless of my attire I would NOT look a bit cute crawling over the line.  Honestly, I am usually not a huge fan of Lulu... yea it's cute, but it's so much cuter on Skinny Minnies... and then there is the sticker shock. Yes, I admit to paying $78 on a long sleeve teeshirt on an isolated occasion, but I try not to make a habit of it. If I run the Marathon next year I will however spend as much as I want on a cute little running #OOTD.  I have been window online shopping some options to check out. I feel like I would be more motivated to run in a cute skirt. Have any of y'all tried a running skirt? 

Lululemon $58

Via

Nike $50

Champion for Target $18

At the risk of making this post sound like a glorified Facebook status update I cannot resist sharing a couple of great photos I captured of my friends at the finish.  I was hoping to see a proposal but such luck. Maybe next year maybe I will need a better camera for the occasion...

... or maybe I will do the marathon… yea probably not.

Cheers! XOXO

Elle

Happy Oaks Day!

If you are living under a rock (or a state other than Kentucky or Ohio) you may not know what Happy Oaks  Day means. The Oaks is the Day before the Kentucky Derby. AKA the day when schools close in Kentucky to so everyone can drink Mint Juleps, wear big hats and gamble. (...Only in Kentucky.) Mint Juleps are the official drink of the Kentucky Derby... and every good Derby Party. I usually post my version of cocktail recipes but this time I am being official! Here ya go... Straight from the Kentucky Derby! 

Via

The Early Times Mint Julep Recipe

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• Sprigs of fresh mint
• Crushed ice
• Early Times Kentucky Whisky
• Silver Julep Cups

Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for five minutes. Cool and place in a covered container with six or eight sprigs of fresh mint, then refrigerate overnight. Make one julep at a time by filling a julep cup with crushed ice, adding one tablespoon mint syrup and two ounces of Early Times Kentucky Whisky. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outside of the cup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

Via

Recipe located: 

http://www.kentuckyderby.com/experience/traditions/mint-julep2

Have a Safe Derby Weekend Ladies!!! 
Cheers!

XOXO, Elle

why i Blog?

I started blogging last year while I was on a medical leave from work… as a time filler, as an outlet, as a form of relaxation, as a way of escaping the doctors and the IVs and the surgeries. I was told by pretty much every doctor I had (and there were A LOT) that I should become a motivational speaker. Originally my Blog was intended to be motivational… about my journey. Toast to Tomorrow was born to celebrate waking up this morning, and tomorrow morning, and everything in between. Maybe it could help someone going thru something similar. Maybe it could put life in perspective that someone (me) is happy in life with less than they have.

I gave myself 12 IVs a day... and that PIC Line means no showers ladies. 

After surgery #2.Look at those sexy compression socks! #bejealous #OOTD

Would you call that bruise Lavender? 

I have written hundreds of posts on this topic. I have publish almost none of them.

I am an extremely private person, so it seems unusual that I would chose to make some part if not all a very personal topic in my life out there for anyone to see, but…

Writing about positive thinking helped me think positive.

Insert Instagram. Game changer. After a couple months of writing I was introduced to Instagram. It’s funny how much a social media app effected my life. I have always enjoyed photography. I have always enjoyed fashion. On Instagram I wasn’t sick, I wasn’t in pain… I was just Lauren Nicole. I was just me again. My pictures were of normal things. I posted #OOTD every day. On Instagram that was normal. For me it was accountability. Even tho I felt like staying in PJs all day I held myself accountable to take my #OOTD. As the trend continued my writing followed suit. It turned into fun little tid bits of things I found fun, cute, comical, and amusing. It evolved into a lunch break from work (yes I am back to the 9-5) and a way to give myself a break from my busy life.

I am new at blogging and finding my way through it. (Suggestions are welcome.) I have not yet found constancy or exactly what   my goal here is, but I enjoy it… even if no one ever reads it. The fact that I have followers that actually read my ramblings is amazing… and I have to admit I never expect anyone too.

I hope you all enjoy… Cheers!

XOXO,

Elle 

Back and Better than Eva

Did ya’ll think is disappeared for good? Opsies! Well I’m back... at least for now! Blogging is more or less  a form of relaxation and the word "relaxation" reminds me of…

Ain’t nobody got time for that.

This is true. Corporate America has been calling the shots in my life lately… but it has all been worth it. I’m happy to tell ya’ll I got a promotion.  Thank god. My work life balance is beginning to feel... some what balanced. Do ya'll have this issue? I mean a girls gotta support her shopping habit somehow! 

In the spirit of my new job here are my Casual Friday Wear to Work obsessions of Winter Spring. (Yes, it's still below freezing in Cincinnati. So not okay Mother Nature, so not okay.)


 



Pink Blazer $37.99

 

 

Navy Gingham Button Down Via

 

  

Year in Review Part 1

2012... What a year! As I reflect on how amazing this year has been it is impossible not to think about how far I have come this year.  I spent most of 2011 on bed rest fighting a septic staph infection. I won’t bore you with the deets, but I will say I am very blessed. I started 2012 off with my first EVER New Year’s resolution: Do something every day worth remembering. My health was still in question as the ball dropped in 2012. Waking up every morning and thanking god for that alone is a very strange thing to do. As a result I lived every day like it was my last. 

Early in the year my friend Lacie introduced me to Blogging and Instagram. My resolution evolved into short term goals to do something every day worthy of a blog or Instagram. I think I have been pretty successful with this. It held me accountable to get out of bed to wear a #ootd instead of leggings 24/7. I started blogging early in the year... I have 100s of posts about my condition and remaining positive that I never published. The infection ruined the moter skills from my shoulder to my fingers on my right arm... and yes I am right handed. I thought I would never return to working again. Bloging taught me the motor skills I needed to type again and return to work, and forced me to make a conscious effort every day to remain positive and not feel defeated. It's funny how something as small as a photo editing app was able to aide so much in my quality of life. 

Over the course of the year I have gotten some grief about my luxurious life style of traveling, shopping, and yachting. I have been told that I am "unrelateable," (not sure if that's a real word?) and "a true republican that can't understand the middle class." The comments were based on Facebook and Instagram photos.  I can't say that those perceptions do not bother me, especially when it comes from friends. And I have to say I am a very blessed girl and I wouldn't trade my life for the world, but my life is far from easy. The only thing that makes me "unrelateable" is my refusal to give up, my always positive attitude, and my determination to make the worst situation into something amazing. I don't have a trust fund. I had a savings account which turned into medical debt... but why on earth would I complain about that? I am alive to have debt!!!! Yes, I travel monthly... part of relocation and for medical purposes but who would want to see doctors office pictures on Instagram? My doctors, surgeons, and physical therapist have all told me that I am the most positive patient they have ever had. They encouraged me to become a motivational speaker. I intend for my Blog to be a small form of that. So here I my life in 2012... this is not intended to be bragging about my past year but rather proof that regardless of your situation you can chose happiness over everything. 

Week 1 of 2012 (Can you tell I work in Marketing.)

Week 2 2012: Moving from Roanoke, VA.

Good Bye Hotel Roanoke!!!!

Week 3 2012: Cincinnati, Ohio. Miss. Lacie's 29th(ish) Birthday at Valley Vineyards

Week 4 2012: Welcome to Seattle! Visiting the first ever Starbucks! 

Week 5 2012: Indianapolis, Indiana. Super Bowl Village!!

Week 12 2012: St. Patty's Day

Week 13: Under the knife take 5... Don't you love the most expensive piece of furniture in the house? Please ignore the moving boxes and luggage in the floor. See week 2, 4, 5 & 7 for the cause.

Week 7: Chicago!

Week 14: Bachelorette Party at The W Chicago!

There were moments in 2012 that my life resembled Sex in the City... This was one of them.

Night out at The Y Bar Chicago.

Week 14 2012, Opening Day for the Reds

 Week 15 2012 Happy Easter!

Week 16 Christian Moerlein Brewery for the Reds Game!

 Week 17 Birthday Bash!

 Week 18 Wedding Week!

Week 19 2012 Daddy's Big 6-0!!

Week 20: Where it all began! Blogging on the Beach of the Washington Sound. :)

Since my post has come full circle back to the beginning of blogging I am going to call it a day! If you made it this far… good girl!!! I will post the other 22 weeks tomorrow. Hope you all had a wonderful year as well!

Cheers to more tomorrows! XOXO

Elle