Tis the Season...

For family pictures that is! Family photos are the worst..lets be honest. When telling my husband it was "that" time again he loudly exclaimed:

We just had them done! 

Wrong. It was a year ago, and it was with your family. Now My family is getting them done.

We just barely that THOSE done!

Wrong again. Hudson was 6 months old. He is now 3.5.

But!.......Ugh. I hate family pictures. I am boycotting them for the next 5 years.

For the most part, we are always glad we did them but leading up to (picking out outfits) and the dreaded "Day Of" is terrible. I believe a celebration after family pictures is a must! Treat yo self! 

I have a few methods to my madness that I will share and hope to ease the pain of 

"capturing those sweet moments that perfectly depicts your family". :p

WARNING: PHOTO OVERLOAD

I only have a few rules when finding outfits for pictures. 

1. Find a fit that it flattering, but not revealing. Meaning, if you wear leggings, make sure you have a long shirt/tunic to cover your bum and frontal parts. (did calling it frontal parts make it more awkward? How about lady bits?)

Flowy shirts are ok IF you accentuate your waist. You might look great in that type of shirt in person, but you have to keep in mind that photos are one dimensional. A flowy cardigan without the right accessories can make you appear frumpy and boxy. A good rule of thumb is to take a photo of yourself in your outfit prior to the shoot. 

2. Layer, layer, layer. Trust me. (even in summer shoots you can layer with a denim vest or tank)

3. SPANX are always a good idea.

4. Don't be afraid of patterns, prints, and logos. Long gone are the days where in order to get a good photo you must only wear white shirts and khaki pants. As long as they clothes follow the same color scheme, pretty much anything goes.

5. Pick a color scheme that won't pigeon hole you into one season. You can't help the scenery of the season but you can certainly not dress like a Christmas Tree. You want your photos to be visually appealing year round. Unless you get them taken seasonally. You overachiever you!

6. Picture time is not the time to experiment with your hair. Wear it how you normally do! Also go a little heavier with your makeup so it shows up in your photos. 

7. Normally it is the parents wanting to get family photos done. So when it comes down to picking a photographer, let your parents pick. When you have such a large group of people there is absolutely no way that everyone is going to be pleased as punch. So to eliminate yourself from getting all of the texts telling you that they are "unhappy", the pictures are "terrible", or how could the photographer let you look like that, have the parents pick.

I may or may not be speaking from experience. 

 Another thing to keep in mind is who you will be standing close to. Normally Mom and Dad are standing into each other so I didn't want my floral printed sweater next to a plaid shirt. I knew he needed to be solid. So we threw a Holister shirt over the top of his AE button down. We match, but do not clash. 

 When Kyle and I got married and photos were taken, there are none of just him. I am so so sad we did not get any Groomals. I happen to think my husband is wonderful to look at! So now when we get photos taken I always do individuals of our entire family. It makes for a fun collage on your wall as well. Some of you might have office jobs and what better way to spend your day than looking at your own personal photo of your hubs.?! (right next to the one of your children of course)

If there are certain photos you want, ask your Photog! They aren't mind readers, so unless you are specific, you get what you get and you don't throw a fit.

He hated it. I told him to suck it up and work the camera. 

My über efficiant Dad brought camping chairs to sit in while there was waiting involved. I'm so glad the photographer caught this moment between me and my papa! 

*Photos were done by Flash Photo of Roy, Utah and the location was Snow Basin*

XoXo, 

Sheena

Be Kind to Zombies, They Are People Too

Team Cosplay for the WIN! If you are any type of fan of people watching Salt Lake Comic Con is winning. Lagoon and Walmart watch out! Salt Lake Comic Con Cosplayers have gone above and beyond what they did for Fan X earlier in the year. We have literally seen everyone from Spiderman to Sharknado. Yes.. they were a tornado with sharks all over them… and it was amazing!  

Jamie and I are running around crazy doing all sorts of fun stuff but the internet connection on our phones has been so bogged down by all the traffic that nothing is posting. Sad emoji. So we will make up for it with a post overload next week :) 

Today's celebrity favorite awards go to:

Ron Perlman 

and

Alan Tudyk 

Stay tuned for our action packed weekend in the following days. 

This outfit was super comfy and chill. All the while supporting our fellow Comic Con zombie lovers. Enjoy :)

I said:

"Let's pretend I see a zombie!"

Terrifying… clearly there was no Zombie.

Zombies Crop Tee// Aero

Black Tank// Downeast Basics

Boyfriend Jeans// AE

Black Pumps// Rue 21 (In Store)

I Invented Post-Its/ Getting Reunion Ready

This past week was mine and my husband's 10 reunion. We both graduated in 2004 from the same High School. I knew the reunion was this year and last year I started having the thoughts:

-I'm going to start working out right now so I can be in awesome shape 

-Good thing we are done having kids so I won't be pregnant

-I better hurry and accomplish something great

Judge all you want for my vain-y-like thoughts, but I'm pretty sure at least a good 80% of people that go to their reunion have similar thoughts, if not the same. It is what it is. You want to have aged like a fine wine..not like your diet coke that sadly goes flat waaaaaay to suddenly. Why is it that we feel the need to impress people that we haven't seen, nor talked to in 10 years? Who knows… I think movies brainwashed us in that way. 

Anyway, the reunion snuck up on me too quickly and I guess when the last time I went to the gym was?

……………

December. Freaking Christmas time. So what do I do? I run a half marathon that I didn't train for. In hopes that 3 hours of jogging/running would lift my butt back to where it used to be and that the constant forward/backward movement of my swinging arms would give them definition that didn't require the push of a finger. 

With the working out part out the window it was time to make due with what I could control. SPANX it is. 
So without further a due, here are my reunion ready tips.

1. Get Your Hurrr Did

Cover those grays girl! Seriously. I started going gray at about 20. Stupidest thing ever. Something I thought about after the fact, was call for back up. Remember in High School when you would get together with all your friends and get ready for dances? If life allows, have a hair sesh before the reunion. If life is too busy for day of, invite a few of your old group to go get pedicures. 

2. Treat Yourself to Nails and a Pedicure

For those awkward moments when you are talking to someone from high school and a conversation and you have nothing to say. They can just comment on how cute your nails are…

I promise you will at least have one awkward conversation. 

3. Find the Outfit

This kind of depends on the venue. Ours was being held at a park so it was a no go on trying to fit into my old prom dress. 

Sad emoji face.

I really didn't want to wear Bermuda shorts. I have my reasons..

In High School I definitely marched to the beat of my own drum when it came to fashion. I took risks. Some were great, some were just as bad as your dad still wearing his retina damaging neon shorts from the 80's. I wanted to pay homage to my younger self and wear something that reflected good old me. I have definitely grown since High School, but there are parts of me that existed then that I embrace now. I say go with comfort and something with a little edge. I think ant a reunion is a great reason for new clothes. they don't come along very often so go ahead and treat yourself. Whatever you chose, make sure it is YOUR style. Don't forget to accessorize. If all else fails, maxi skirt it. Dress 'em up or down. Like I read on IG the other day:
Maxi skirts are just crotchless yoga pants
Completely acceptable if you ask me. Who does't love yoga anything these days?

4.What is Your Accomplishment?

The two main questions you will most likely hear are

What have you been up to?

What do you do?

Sadly I could not tell everyone that I invented Post-Its.

I did however marry the man of my dreams and have three beautiful children. That is my accomplishment. My best accessory was my family. What ever your accomplishment is, wear it like a statement necklace. Refined and finished. Be confident and proud of who you have become and where you are at in life. Be genuine and exude passion when you speak. If you do this, it won't matter the accomplishment, you might as well have won the Nobel Peace Prize. A mother of 3, or the inventor of Post-Its.

5. Reunions Are No Longer Like the Movies

Leave your expectations at the door because Facebook has completely sucked the fun out of reunions. There is no element of surprise. The people you care to know what is going on in their lives…..you are probably already in the know because you are friends on Facebook. You have already spied on your High School crush/boyfriend and know whether or not he is fat and bald and if you are cuter than his current wife. What's that? They don't have a Facebook? Then they probably won't be at the reunion anyway because that is how the reunions are mainly communicated. You already know who married who, who has kids, and who is the world traveler. It seriously puts a strain on conversations when you have been Facebook friends for years but when put in front of each other you can't find crap to say. 

Oh social media…. you oxymoron you.

All in all.. try not to stress over it. Be confident and love who you have become. Be proud of who you have grown into. Confidence will carry you a lot further and impress more than the perfect outfit… Although it definitely wouldn't hurt ;)

Sun Kissed Tee// American Eagle 
B&W Aztec Pencil Skirt// Rue 21
Breckelles Gladiator Sandals// Amazon.com
"L" Necklace// Rue 21
Hoop Charm Necklace// American Eagle
Wrap-Around Watch// Covet Boutique 
Extensions// Bellami *use code "sheena" for a sweet discount*