The Pretty Ugly Sweater

I hate when I see bloggers in ridiculous settings in outfits that don't match the scenery. That being said, I'm 100% a hypocrite. I think as a blogger, you start to look at other bloggers competitively: judging and criticizing. I'm always the first to say, "that's staged," and then promptly be the first to like that photo because I genuinely think it's beautiful. I think the word I'm looking for here is "jealousy." Yes, I stood in actual 0º weather without a coat for 10 minutes. Yes, I was freezing. Yes, I felt stupid. And yes, I felt so pretty. Bloggers are trying to create a sense of wonderment and inspiration while highlighting their outfits. Also, the best type of lighting is natural light, which means, outdoor shots.

The real hero here is my photographer, my lovely boyfriend Stephen, who had to stand still to keep a camera focused while freezing his butt off. When taking photos in the cold I honestly feel warmer. I get hyped, I pretend I'm a model, and I do my best to get the shot. Once the camera is off, the cold hits hard! What you don't see is the running car parked so we can jump in!

So, this sweater: do you ever see something so ugly, it's pretty? I saw this sweater and I had to have it. I've never questioned a purchase as long as I did with this. I thought the detail was so interesting, yet looked like I stole it from someone's Nana. It's like this sweater just heard "Let it Go" for the first time, and decided to get on the Frozen kick. Well I love it. I loved it so much that I got a size too big, because it was the only size left, and I HAD TO HAVE IT right then and there. In general, I think embroidery is making a huge comeback. In fact, all things my mother dressed me in the 90s is making a comeback. I would of hated this sweater as a kid, yet wearing it as an adult feels nostalgic and cheerful. Dear past self, sorry? 

Wax pants are made for winter. I don't spend too much time outside, but walking from place to place as it snows sucks in denim. Your jeans get wet, they freeze, you freeze. Wax coated pants/ pleather is perfect for snow. The water just rolls off. Not the warmest of material, but it does keep you dry. 

This was actually taken in NH on the way to Canada. I took my first vacation with my boyfriend, and went skiing for the first time! I don't entirely suck at skiing, but I am terrible at stopping. I had a blast, and the prolonged time with the boyfriend went quite well! We've done long weekends together before in Boston, but this was 8 days straight with one another. Would we kill each other? Would we get sick of one another? How will we handle being stuck in a car together for several hours? It actually went very smoothly, and the car broke down half way there (making us spend 2 days in NH). Thankfully, he's the exact opposite of me with unfortunate events. If it were my car, I would have been freaking out, crying on the side of the road, already halfway done designing a Gofundme page. I'm clearly pathetic. But Stephen already had a backup plan in motion and a mechanic on the phone. It ended up being a great little stress test. Stephen is very meticulous, when I am not, so we tend to balance each other out. 

Skiing together was also another fun challenge. I have 0 patience and Stephen, who knows how to ski, was painfully trying to teach me. What we ended up doing, which worked for me, was "copycating." I had a ski lesson one day with an instructor, but after Stephen tried to continue giving me pointers. For some reason, I'm an awful student. I space out, become frustrated, and feel like I'm being talked at. We quickly learned that if I copied his path down the slope, and his movements, it became much more enjoyable. It also then felt like I was doing the activity with him and not separately. So if you're stubborn and impatient, and your partner is better than you at something, try the copycat method!