okay, i think i've figured out a better way to take pictures, but it involves a little work and frankly, at the moment, that sounds like a deal breaker. what it really means is that these lame pictures will have to suffice until the weekend when i can devote one of my glorious three days off to perfecting the new system. until then --

the outfit. navy and a true green are one of my favorite color combinations. i think it looks really fresh and only halfway nautical, which is good because full on nautical and you look like a snobby tool. also, green just happens to be my favorite color. So, big green and white striped dress from Old Navy, paired with a navy blue cardigan from le Gap. We can't wear flip-flops and my only other sandals are black (pictured yesterday), and while I do like navy blue and black together sometimes, I wasn't feeling it with the green. So my grey Gap ruffled front flats to the rescue!



and, the lunch -- a premade bean + cheese taquito, cut in half to fit, edamame (made from frozen pods, I just defrosted and then popped the beans out), quinoa salad (quinoa, black beans, corn, chives and yellow peppers), and red grapes. I really love variety in what I eat for lunch, I can't do the same sandwich and carrot sticks over and over, so you'll definitely get to see a lot of variety in my food stuffs.



tomorrow is the first day for the students -- wish me luck!

first day! and i'm already dying of exhaustion. and the kids weren't even at school today! just us teachers, for a professional development day. it was...less than stimulating, but i certainly was excited about my first day of professionalism! also, i'm going to have to figure out a better system for taking outfit pics -- but for now, this shall have to do. a food and fashion photographer i most clearly am not, but then again i never promised i was!

so, the outfit -- (excuse the lovely neck wrinkles, i was concentrating really hard)



simple black summer dress from Old Navy, belted with one of my old faithfuls, a teal-ish Nordstrom's purchase, and then a light purple sweater from Nordstroms as well. I love the sweater because it has the look of a really comfortable and really floppy suit jacket (with a kind of collar thing). And then my black sandals, which I love. I love wearing basic black pieces and then adding splashes of color, like with the belt and cardigan. you'll see this look a lot, i'm sure.

and the lunch --




first, you see the ice-pack i had to specially make (by freezing water in a baggie) because my bento box is so teensy. and then i stuck my string cheese on top, and squished some blueberries into an adorable heart-shaped rubber cupcake holder. that's the bottom box. and then in the top box, there are some almonds, and some pancake sandwiches. i made a big batch of whole wheat pancakes yesterday morning, and froze them. for lunch today, i just defrosted 2 small pancakes, smeared a bit of almond butter & strawberry preserves on them, and folded. easy peasy.

alright, so that's day one. things will get more exciting, i swear!

i know what you're probably thinking -- what the hell can this slightly nerdy 22 year old teach my about fashion? the answer, despite watching E!'s Style Police with religious fervor, is absolutely nothing. basically, i created this blog because while i don't think my wardrobe is particularly boring, i know i don't make the best use of it. and i'd really like to. mainly so i can snag a husband (half-way kidding). what better time to start experimenting with style than the brand new, fresh school year? and this school year is particularly special, because not only will i be a student, i'll also be a student teacher. that means dress codes and professionalism and outfits that allow me to chase after twenty-odd second graders. so that's what this blog will be -- a detailed journal of this crazy year through outfits. and lunches, did i mention that? aside from looking trendy and polished, i'll be attempting to eat in a much more healthful way, courtesy of my new bento lunch box. it's a teensy lunchbox with the potential to make me skinny. so i'll be detailing those as well.

essentially, this is a low-caliber "food" and "fashion" blog, and hopefully it will meet my (and your) low expectations.