Review: My First Pretty Dress Company Frock

For my first review of 2017, I've chosen one of my Black Friday faves: the Cara wiggle dress from the Pretty Dress Company. I saw this dress on my friend Ani and absolutely fell in love, but even with her encouragement, I just didn't feel ready to take the plunge on a wiggle from the Pretty Dress Company, rather than a swing. Their dresses are a bit of an investment, after all, and I'm usually more of a swing-dress gal. Happily, two things conspired to change my mind: a very nice sale at Unique Vintage, and a super-successful #WiggleWeek, which has forever converted me to a wiggle fan.

Wardrobe Remix: Bernie Dexter Veronique in Oranges

Among other things, in 2017 I'm working on appreciating what I already have, rather than going out and buying new things all the time. To document my efforts, I'm launching a new wardrobe-remix series on the blog, where I put a new spin on pieces I already own. My oranges-print Veronique dress from Bernie Dexter was the perfect first subject for this series, since I've had it for almost a year and was recently tempted to buy the same print in a long-sleeved shirtdress version. (I resisted! Geef me compliments.)

Christmas in NYC Recap

You're probably thinking "Emily, Christmas was over a week ago, why are you still blogging about it in early January?" Well, to make a long story short, I was super busy getting ready for our epic family Christmas dinner, and didn't have a chance to share my super-festive day in New York City with you until now. But I did see an awesome show (which will be in LA at the end of this month!) and eat pizza, so it's worth sharing now!

Growing up so close to Manhattan, I rarely went in and did the typical 'Christmas in New York' things. That was for tourists, ya know? Well, tourists and people who don't mind crowds, and neither of those things really described me. That said, New York at Christmastime is gorgeous, so even though I knew going in would be an uphill battle against the crush of humanity, my sister and I opted to head in three days before Christmas.

I already miss these unabashedly festive outfits.

Hello, 2017!

Happy New Year, everybody! I have high hopes for 2017, even though 17 is a prime number and I have an irrational dislike for prime numbers. (Judging by the responses to my poll, very few people share this optimism, but then again, I didn't get a statistically-significant sample. (I guess there's no such thing as ex-social-scientist. Ok, enough with the parenthetical remarks!)) In the nine or so hours that it's been 2017 in my time zone, nothing bad has happened yet, so I suppose it's already off to a better start than 2016, at least on a global level. Personally, 2016 was actually a pretty stellar year!

While I know it's something of a cliche to make New Year's resolutions, I've always liked making (if not always keeping) them. Thus, in the spirit of trapping myself through public accountability, I'm going to share a few of mine with you, as well as some photos from our Vegas honeymoon!

2016 in Review

2016 is generally regarded as a pretty crap year, bordering on cursed. (Possibly.) And while I'm a pretty optimistic person, I'd say that this bad reputation is well earned. From the rise of actually terrifying far-right politics worldwide to the election of a president who seems more likely to start a nuclear war with each passing day, 2016 hasn't given me all that much to applaud on the current-events front. But as I said, I'm a naturally sunny person, so I'll look for the silver linings wherever I can, and draw strength from the good things to keep fighting for a better world in 2017.

In that spirit, I present my own personal highlights reel for 2016:

Ready for Takeoff

Today I've got a hot date with a backscatter X-Ray and a very large machine. In other words, Jeff and I are flying back to Chicago this evening after a wonderful first Christmas together in New York. While I'm bummed to be leaving, I'm still so happy that he was able to be here for Christmas for the first time ever! (Christmas dinner post to follow soon, I promise!)

Heading back to the Land of Always Winter (pictured above)

The Best Christmas Present Ever

Christmas presents are such a magical thing, aren't they? Nowadays, I'm much more excited about giving the gifts I've accumulated over the course of the year to their recipients than getting my own gifts, but it's still an enormous thrill to open my Christmas presents and see what's inside.

How to Cook for a Hungry Crowd

Without question, my favorite thing about Christmas Day is preparing an epic feast for my entire family. I literally look forward to it for months. To me, feeding the most important people in your life is one of the truest acts of love. I've been in charge of Christmas Dinner for going on five years now, after the previous chef was deposed in a coup d'etat by a council of concerned Hallocks who wanted to eat Christmas Dinner on Christmas, rather than in the wee hours of Boxing Day. After cooking so many holiday dinners for fifteen people who eat enough for twenty, I've learned a thing or two about getting everything on the table and still having time to change into my Christmas frock. Without further ado, I am delighted to present some of my secrets to cooking for a crowd.

Our Honeymoon: A Venetian Vegas Vacation

When Jeff and I started talking about honeymoon destinations, there was really only one option that stood out: Vegas! We've been there together four times: once in 2014 for our first-ever vacation together, and three times in 2015. We even got engaged in Vegas on the day we left LA to move to Chicago. After we left Vegas in August 2015, Jeff would sometimes lament the fact that we wouldn't be driving to Vegas anymore, since it's not quite the easy drive from Chicago that it is from LA. So when the time came to plan our honeymoon, we knew Vegas was the perfect place for us!

Fleece Navidad

It might not surprise you to learn that I'm ridiculously excited for all things Christmas. By 'ridiculously excited,' I mean that I've literally been waiting since January to dress like a crazed escapee from Santa's workshop in Christmas Town. Well, never let it be said that I don't reach out and grab what I want with both hands! Today's outfit features my first ugly Christmas sweater of 2016, and it's an absolute gem.