Dear Jeffrey

Dear Jeffrey Campbell,
I have recently fallen in love with you. Fellow bloggers, I am in love with shoes by Jeffrey Campbell. His unique marriage of edge and trendiness is far too delicious for me, so-much-so that my heart races, my eyes widen and I can't get his designs out of my mind until I have found the perfect item for me. 
What do I want from you?:
Ever since I saw these on Tieka I have coveted their ridiculously trendy companionship and have been internet stalking them for months. (p.s. Isn't Tieka gorgeous?) I will be purchasing these beautiful boots. 


As well as these:
I AM IN LOVE WITH THESE.

Talk about my kind of wedges. I'm not going to lie--I hate those ridiculously girly white ones with a bow at the end and cork soled wedges. HATE them. I mean seriously--if you're going to wear a wedge, wear a real wedge. And thanks to my good friend Jeffrey, you all know what a real wedge is. 
Oh fashion, why do you have to be my one big weakness (besides chocolate)? You're a pricey weakness and I unfortunately have a despairingly expensive taste. If only I was 5 foot 10 in., 100 lbs., and Karl Lagerfeld loved me could I on a daily basis show off your awesomeness to the world. 
For some reason, getting a pair of new shoes makes the world seem like a better, happier place. And I'm OK with that.
What would you wear these shoes with?

Summer Considerations

Ughhhh I totally meant to have Adam take some pictures of my new outfit that I wore today. The lame story is that Adam had to leave right after dropping me off at home from school for golf practice and I was busy selling some closet items to a "client." So lame, but just because I love you all, I'll break some sort of high school faux paus and wear the same outfit twice in one week (or month), but not until Saturday. So anyway, closet sale is still going-going, don't forget to take a look! Items are going fast, but it's first comment first serve. So if you're not sure if you want something or not, tell me either way and I'll hold it for you.
www.britneyscloset.wordpress.com (just in case you forgot the site). 
So anyway, today was just another normal day. I started my nursing pediatrics class. My teacher is the department chair of nursing and I'm kind of intimidated by her position and the fact that she has her lectures video taped. Later, I practiced in the nursing lab with my lovely fellow peers. The funniest part was that I set up the entire procedure to insert a catheter for a woman when my mannequin had man-parts. Yeah, maybe you just had to be there. We all had a good laugh when I spread(ed) the legs apart and started draping for "privacy." 
For anyone interested, I am looking for a killer skirt. No real requirements, just knee length without a slit that goes up to the bum.
Currently, I'm contemplating my next purchases. What do you think of the following TOPS from Urban Outfitters?:

This blazer actually buttons twice on the top. It's very tailored and clean cut. I WANT IT. But I feel like I need more summer clothes. 
If you're feeling the urge to help a sister out, point me in the right direction of other choices and/or tell me which of the following I should or shouldn't consider. 
Thank you for your consideration.
xoxo

Nostalgic Dresses

Ok, ok, ok, ok, ok: I'm really excited about the most recent Covet Corner that's been featured. I featured one of my favorite online boutiques, ModCloth (modcloth.com). They have the perfect vintage dresses to showcase my childhood nostalgia. 
Read it. 
No seriously, read it.
And comment on it.
And then write something for Hopscotch For Women. 
The end. 
(Outfit post tomorrow!)


GO HERE to read it!

Visits to Utah

So I know that I've basically been the worst blogger of all time recently, but I've made a resolve to do better (didn't she already say that). The last two weekends Adam and I have been down in Utah--once for a wedding and family visit and another for school career exertions. We've had a very eventful, yet relaxing couple of weeks and I'm sad to say that my diet has definitely taken the backseat to P.H. Changs, Marie Calendars, Carrabbas, cake, and lots of desserts. I almost forgot how much I loved food. I promise to make a more earnest resolve to keep everyone updated. It was just hard to get myself to sit down with my computer after an exhausting day of running around Salt Lake City, when I could procrastinate like no one's business and do it all in one shot tonight. Don't hate on me. 

So, last weekend my good friend, Heidi, and her wonderful husband, Ty, were married and Mom and Dad Stevens and Adam's little brother Nick decided that they would come visit and take the drive down to Salt Lake with us. WE HAD A BLAST. Of course, Mom and I went shopping while the boys golfed. It was a great feeling to have family with us again and I felt as though school was over and I was moving down to Utah to enjoy some post-semester events (as if). Amongst our business, we totally didn't take any pictures with Mom and Dad in Utah, but got a quick family shot before they left for Washington--and yes, I have shark eyes.  

Beautiful couple, right?!

That next Wednesday, I went down to Salt Lake with my nursing girlies for the traditional 3rd semester student hospital trip. Adam also went down for his traveling class to visit a bunch of design firms, but we weren't going to meet up until Friday. Our nursing class visited Mt. Timpanogas hospital, Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, Intermountain Hospital in Murray, and Primary Children's hospital. Aside from the catty nurse managers from Intermountain (they were on a hiring freeze and thought they were cool or something), we had a rather positive trip, when it comes to potential employment, and, of course, we enjoyed our time together. I was particularly impressed with Primary Children's Hospital and would consider doing pediatrics solely because of their impeccable mission and positive work environment, and only if I could work there.

This is all of us on the Trax system in Salt Lake. We got free tickets, but no one even asked to see them (some claim to have traveled on it for 6 months without being asked for proof of purchase). We got done at about noon and Adam wasn't going to be done in Park City until 6, so of course I went shopping. I'll have to definitely take pictures this week of each of the items I bought from Urban Outfitters and Aldo from the earnings of my closet sale. It feels so great to FINALLY be wearing clothes that I LOVE. 
Once my clothes cravings were mildly satisfied, I picked up Adam in Park City and we headed down to Provo to spend time with our good friends Phil and Jessica Goodwin. We just love them. Instead of sitting around or spending money that Saturday, Phil and Jessica had the genius idea of going on a hike to some hot springs over in American Fork. IT WAS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY FOR A HIKE. Not kidding, I thoroughly enjoy hiking. I think my particular beef with running is that I sometimes feel like I'm not getting anywhere during my workout (on the track or treadmill). But with hiking, I got the perfect amount of hills, turns, and downward slides. And what was my reward? Relaxing in some hot springs with my hot husband. That's my kind of workout. We were having so much fun later on that night that we decided to spend another night with our friends and enjoyed going to church with them.
It was beautiful in Utah and we're basically ready to murder Rexburg for still being 59 and rainy. 

So, again, I feel horrible for not being more proactive. Maybe it's because I got my hair accidentally chopped off and I feel self-conscious and emotional without my hair to hide behind. Either way, I promise to post everyday this week. 
Things I learned these few weeks:
P.H. Changs is fantastic. 
Marie Calendar's is divine. 
Adam's cousin's little boys look exactly like him (I will be stealing one of them).
Mom Stevens is obsessed with flats. 
It's way better to buy one pair of good quality shoes than 5 pairs of crappy uncomfortable ones for the same price. 
Utah weddings are only 2 hours long. 
Hospitals actually want me. 
I am obsessed with Urban Outfitters and frozen yogurt. 
Phil, Jessica, Adam and I LOVE food. Like really love food. 
Adam and I can still sleep in. 
I'm still afraid of heights. 
Jessica has impeccable skin (it's OK to hate her). 
There is a Carrabbas Italian Grill in Provo, and it's delicious, and they give you free dessert if you say it's your anniversary.
I still miss Adam after only being apart 3 days. 
Hm. We had a good time. 

Check it out!

It's all up! Everything I'm selling for my closet sale has been posted. This past week I added a bunch more dresses, lots of purses and more tops! Check them out!
britneyscloset.wordpress.com
GO HERE :)

Beautiful Sunday

Yesterday was a gorgeous, gorgeous Sunday. Adam and I had Stake Conference where we (at least I) were surprised to hear from the second counselor of the General Relief Society Presidency, Elder Hales, and President Monson. It was great to receive such powerful instruction. Last week while we were at the hospital for Natalie, Adam ended up sitting on our camera and breaking the screen. Lame. Being the boy who needs his toys, Adam found a killer deal on a quality point and shoot and we played around with it on the way home from the meeting.                                                                                                          

I love this picture of us! If only our apartment hardware, Adam's notebook, and his arm were out of the way it'd be perfect!

p.s. Brown blouse: Banana Republic. White skirt: Ann Taylor. Heals: Target. Belt: Thrifted. Headband: Forever 21.

Adam's suit is from Nordstrom, white dress shirt is from Kohls, and his tie we got from a cheap vendor in NY. 

And HOLY HANNAH do I need a haircut! 

Pay Pal is up!

As promised, Pay Pal is up and ready for use!

The easiest way to set it up was the "Donate" option, so basically what you do is after you comment/txt/email that you want to purchase an item I will shoot you an email giving you your total balance. 

Your job then is to put that amount into the Pay Pal "Donation." You can find the link on the top right of the homepage where it says "Pay Online."

Thanks to everyone for your support since the launch! I am adding new items on a regular basis so keep visiting the site for new posts!

Also, feel free to call/txt/email about any questions you might have. 

-Britney

Britney's Closet Sale SITE!

As promised, the site is now available for your shopping pleasure! 
To see how to purchase items, refer to the "About the Site" category. There you'll find that you can text, email, or comment to purchase items. Also, at this very moment I am still uploading a ton of items, so keep looking!
Ready?....
K here's the site:


CLICK HERE


FYI the site is: www.britneyscloset.wordpress.com

Closet Sale!

K, so remember when I told you about the closet/blog sale I'm doing? Whelp, it's being launched online tomorrow!

Despite saying that it would be posted here on this blog, I decided it would be much easier to conduct the sale on another site.

Also, there is no way I can do this all in one shot, so I will have up for sale as much as I can handle at a time and do the rest in waves. I'm anticipating adding one or two more "loads" onto the site after the initial launch.

SO, the site where you can purchase my clothes first-hand will be launched tomorrow at 12PM noon. 

I don't have time to figure out how to do pay-pal until then, but I promise to get it up as soon as possible.

In the mean-time, I accept cash and checks. 

I'm so super excited to launch this sale and I hope you tell all your friends about it tomorrow!

'Till then!

My Mother

As is appropriate, today's post is dedicated to my own mother, Cheryl Handley Burwell. 
My mother is astonishing. I believe it is impossible for me to help you understand exactly how astonishing she is.
My Mother is one of the most close to perfect persons I have ever met. No, she does not drive a fancy car, wear trendy clothes, eat brunch with a soiree of girlfriends, go on much needed vacations, or even catch up on classical books. My mother has dedicated her life to her children, family, religion, and the service of others. 

She is the most talented person I know. She can make the most delicious meal out of almost nothing, can an entire orchard of apples in less than two weeks, sew Halloween costumes, play Beethoven and Mozart, teach you everything you need to know about home storage and family preparedness, parallel park like a pro, get her visiting teaching done the first of the month, visit the sick and otherwise afflicted members of her church and community any hour of the day or night, and countless others. 

She is also one of the most down-to-earth persons I have ever known. She's mature. She doesn't sit with her friends in a circle and talk about people. In fact, she actually redirects the topic when it ever happens.  She is realistic. She made me realize that if I didn't have the nicest things in the world that I would not only be OK, but better off in the end. I think I've been corrupted by the "Mormon trend" to compete for nice things. She brings me back to earth and every visit with her makes me realize what's most important in life. 
She dedicates her life to us. I remember one time I was at school, single, and completely broke. I had $20 in my bank account for food that month. Is was the end of the semester and the school informed me I had a tuition fee of $20 I still had to pay or else I couldn't take my finals. I panicked. How would I have money for food that month? I didn't want to ask my mom for money because she would send me money here-and-there throughout the semester and I knew she had a mountain of other things to pay for with a modest (to say the least) income. Mom caught wind and sent me the money I needed. 
A small gesture, but I came to the realization that I could ask my mom for anything and she would sacrifice almost anything to provide for it.

I love my Mom. One day I was sitting in a school common area studying. I looked up and a woman's back was to me. Her hair was the exact shade and style of my Mom's and she even had the same body shape. I just sat there staring at her back, imploring in my head for her to not turn around. "Don't you dare turn around, because right now you look just like my Mom, and I miss my Mom." That day a sore ache grew in my heart to be taught and held by my Mom. Sometimes I lean so much on my husband (which I should), that I forget what other support systems I have. 
Without Mom, I would not be as successful as I am. She taught me how to pray, read my scriptures, serve and love unconditionally, and not to judge people. She is so grounded and puts the philosophy's of the world to shame by her simple, yet extraordinary life. I am forever grateful for the Mother I was given to shape me into the woman I am today. She was there to tell me I was stupid for dating a boy, but that it was my decision, she taught me that brand new furniture was just as good as used, she taught me a love for the Savior and how every righteous blessing I desire can be mine through obedience and faith to ask.

My Mom is always there for me. When I was in the third grade I suffered from severe panic attacks. These attacks then caused me to become agoraphobic, where I was terrified to go out in public places, more specifically, Elementary school. This was not because I was afraid of crowds, but because I was afraid the panic attacks would come at school and I would have no one there to be with me. My Mom was everything to me that year. She was my comfort and peace during a time that I didn't understand. If I had the choice I would have been home schooled because I knew that as a long as Mom was with me that nothing bad could happen. But, as she knew I needed to go to school and learn through experiences with others, she sent me off that next year with a pennant on my backpack that simply said, "Do Not Fear", the title of my then favorite picture of Christ helping little children as they climbed out from danger.  

My Mom supported me. She went to all of my home sports games, all my chorus and band concerts, all of my church affairs, and countless other places. She was always there. She through the BEST parties EVER and to this day people still rave about how much fun and great the food was at those parties. So of course, she through one of the most beautiful wedding receptions our church ward has ever had. 
I cannot begin to express my gratitude for my Mom. Although I was a boy crazy, materialistic, ridiculous social-butterfly in my adolescent years, she was patient, loving, understanding, and non-judgmental. I knew I could never do anything against the standards I had been raised to follow because not only would I hurt myself, but I would most definitely hurt Mom. Her example of virtuous, self-less, and truthful living is what gave me the desire to live that way, and I can now emulate that same example to my children. 
Happy Mother's Day, Mom.
And p.s. I'm selling my clothes so I can come visit you this Summer.