Making 237 Years Old Look Good

This Saturday marked the 237th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. While Leather Peacock (a sailor) and I (an Army veteran) love to give the Marines hell, it is all in good fun and we love those Jarheads. Me especially, since I married one. The Marines sure how to throw a party, and they really roll out the red carpet for their annual birthday bash. It also means that I get to pretend to be Cinderella for the evening (and act like a Co-Ed on Spring Break when we hit the bars post-ball).

At the Ball

Dress: thrifted but tag says Dress Barn
Earrings: Forever 21
Necklace: from a clothing swap with friends
Bracelet: Lauren Conrad from Kohl's
Shoes and clutch: The Shoe Department

Post-Ball:

Dress: Found at Ross for only $8
Leggings: Forever 21
Cardigan: Modcloth (one of their Stylish Surprises where you gamble $15 and give them your size and they send you something that they are trying to clear out of their warehouse)

I have dropped major dough at past balls but getting my hair done was actually my most expensive undertaking this year. Because, you know, budget cutbacks ain't just for the bureaucrats...

The only dignified pictures of us were when it was still light out.

All downhill from here...

Don't let the Monster can fool you. I forgot my flask so this is my makeshift one. It is actually full of vodka.

Uh-oh... Jell-O shots... Who's idea was this?

Whatever the hell was in those boots did me in for the evening. It tasted like Sweet-Tarts but the big gaping hole in my memory starts right here.

A Tale of Two Boots

I have a fall/winter uniform when it comes to running errands on Saturday mornings: boots, skinny jeans or leggings and tank top underneath a button down, cardigan or sweater. These easy combinations are comfortable and require little thought but somehow (maybe it is the boots) make me feel a little more polished than I would just throwing on sweatpants.

Blouse: Kohl's
Tank: Old Navy
Jeans: New York & Company
Boots: Old Navy

Which brings me to the story about these boots. I have a hard time finding boots that fit my ginormous calves. On a quest to find a dark brown pair of equestrian style boots, I stumbled across these at Old Navy. I own another pair of Old Navy boots and find that their wide calf boots are always roomy and pretty affordable. I picked mine up for about $36 during a sale. This was my inaugural wearing. Later that day, I spilled nail polish remover all over the floor and splattered some on the boots that I had carelessly thrown to the side. Now the boots look tie-dyed. I am pretty bummed, especially since my own klutziness is to blame. Not sure how I will fix them (tips??? suggestions??? All would be appreciated) or if I will have to break down and buy another pair. They are worth it though.




My hair normally does not look this good. One of my Saturday errands was a hair appointment for the Marine Corps Birthday Ball later that night.