Hey there, guys! To say it’s been a long two weeks would be an utter and complete understatement. Right after my move on September 1st, I took the weekend away from work and being ‘connected’ – because I didn’t have cable or internet set up yet – and decided to use that time to get myself moderately unpacked and settled in the new house. Then, once I got cable on September 4th, I realized that a massive Category 5 hurricane was projected to make landfall around the Miami area and directly affect almost the entire state of Florida. So … YAY! This, honestly, threw me for a complete loop. It made it really hard for me to prioritize what needed my immediate attention, what I should be doing, etc. I felt like I needed to either continue unpacking and / or get back to blogging and just keep an eye on Irma but, every time I went to shoot with Miguel or Kaylee it would rain. Then, by the time, I COULD shoot with either of them in good weather … we were all trying to figure out our game plans for the storm. I was going to evacuate to Tennessee on Thursday to Nashville and, of course, I made that decision on Wednesday afternoon when I was on my way to go pick up Chips from our wonderful dog sitters house! [Jaryn, we love you!] And, I just was NOT ready. I had boxes upon boxes of valuables in my first floor mudroom. I knew there was a risk for flooding and moving them all to either the 2nd or 3rd floor by myself was absolutely exhausting. I literally ALWAYS do that to myself. I make impulsive, last-minute decisions that I am just NOT ready for and it ends up being such a ridiculous misuse of my time. But, anyway, as much as I would have LOVED to have seen my girlfriends in Nashville …. I just kind of felt like that was a really long drive to make by myself with two pups. The number of people on the road from the Keys and South Florida, at that point, was growing and it was just not the smartest idea to get on the road. I wasn’t sure what Irma was going to do at that point … they were saying it was likely that she would  go up the East Coast of Florida as a category 3/4 so I was legitimately terrified but I knew I had a hotel booked inland, in Jacksonville, that would be a safe place to be with the boys while the storm was passing through. Plus, my parents would be there, too. I think most people don’t realize that people TYPICALLY weather these storms in their homes as long as they are structures that are safe and outside of a flood zone. The only reason why my parents and I evacuated is because we live at the beach … in low lying areas that are prone to flooding. So, anyway, I’m glad I stayed because I’m not far from my home and can easily drive out there tomorrow to assess the damages, if any. I may be waiting on power for a few days but I can stay in this hotel until Saturday so fingers crossed it’s up before then! I’m just so thankful this storm wasn’t AS bad as it was projected to be, although there are certainly people feeling otherwise tonight. Please continue to keep the people of Florida in your prayers as they begin the rebuilding process. Please also consider continuing to make donations to The Red Cross, as well!

For those who were affected by Irma or who weighed in about wanting a Hurricane Preparedness Post – I’ll begin working on that this week and will hopefully have that up in the coming weeks! Thanks to everyone who contributed tips from their personal experiences!

It feels really good to be back to being able to focus on one of my favorite things … sharing little bits of my life and my style with you! I snagged this utility jacket before my move and, of course, it’s almost sold out [*face palm* sorryyyyy about that!!] BUT I found some other good ones for you to consider:

I haven’t really seen many new wool hats, like the one I’m wearing, this year! I just purchased a newsboy hat, also called a baker boy hat, which is definitely a new trend you’ll be seeing this Fall / Winter. I’m packing mine on my Fall trip that I’m going on next month! I can’t wait! I’m definitely sad to see the wool wide-brim hat trend [ Janessa Leone always has the best ones! ] come to an end, if it even does, but it’s always fun to embrace something new! What new trend are you excited to embrace this year?

I’m shooting some new looks with Miguel on Wednesday so I’m hoping to have some fresh inspiration for y’all … with in stock items, hah! Please let me know what other posts you want to see from me! I’ll be sharing a fun little moving video with y’all next week, I believe, so you’ll get a little peek at my new townhouse! I seriously can’t wait for the weekend, though, because although I feel like I’ve had a lot of time OFF work – due to this hurricane and the move – I am REALLY ready to get everything situated in the town house. Everything I had gotten unpacked and situated … got UNSITUATED when I was trying to get everything in a safe, dry place during the storm, ha! Anyway, okay, have a good day, guys! Thanks so much for stopping by! xo.