A month and a day...

So its actually been a month and a day since my last post, which makes me sad! I haven't shown much love to my blog lately because well, I haven't had much time.  I found snapping a few photos of my outfits for work at Nordstrom was a lot easier and convenient then it is now, working as a barista [I know your all dying to see how fashionable my apron is! ;)].

Just to update you all, in the past month, I have started taking my teaching certification course which actually ends next weekend!! Yippie! I'm excited to have weekends for my pure enjoyment again. My class has been every Saturday and Sunday from 9am-6pm. I have been working full time during the week, attending three different community groups through my church at night and squeezing friends in every second I get. I have been BUSY to say the least. So shopping and blogging has taken the back burner. Le sigh...

Here's a little shot of me at work... I'm sporting my little crocheted headband that I bought last year at the Folklife festival. Gotta try to spice up the ol' uniform in any girly, cute way that I can! :)
Hope life is swell for you all!

Xoxoxo
Ashiee B

Barista Glamour Shots ;)

Feeling: Tired of the rain here in Seattle!! Come on, its the middle of July! 

Anticipating: Road tripping to visit a best friend with a few other best friends in a couple weeks :)

Listening: "You don't know me" Ben Folds 

Little red hot crops and a peplum with ditzy dots

Over the past week I have been doing a lot of adjusting to my new schedule. Checking things off my list of "to-do's" before leaving the country, purging of unnecessary possessions, organizing, etc. I have to say that as each day goes by I am getting more and more used to, and excited about, the idea that I am actually pursuing going to Italy again.  Not going to lie, my first weekend (last weekend) without work made me feel a little out of sorts. I got so used to working 6 days a week that when I had more then one day off, I went a little stir crazy.

I made the most of my time and got a lot of the "to-do's" done.  The recent series at my church has been about money management and last week after the service they had shredders for people to cut their credit cards.  I made the bold move to jump in and shred away. I've been meaning to get rid of them anyways and watching them run through a shredder was somewhat a relieving yet anxiety-driven experience. Feeling inspired by the message, I decided to reduce, reuse, recycle and made a trip to Plato's closet to sell some of my "un-loved" clothes and made a whopping $93+ dollars... cha-ching! ;) Besides hanging out with friends, I spent the rest of the rainy days enjoying my cozy bed and catching up on my blog reading. It was the week from heaven! :) 

Empty hangers from cleaning out my closet... So many!

Four bags of goodies off to Plato's Closet! 

Yesterday I judged auditions for the competition team at the dance studio I grew up dancing at. It's called Turning Pointe and is one of the best studios in the Seattle area for competitive dance. Many of the girls I grew up dancing with have gone on to have dance careers in New York, LA and a few have been on the T.V. series So You Think You Can Dance (Paris Torres, Natalie Reid, and Sarah James, to name a few).  The girls auditioning had the long, lean bodies of a dancer that you see in the movies and could dance like what you see on T.V.  It was amazing to watch and judge such talented dancers, some just barely 12 years old.  

It was so great to see old friends, and the instructors that I used to take dance classes from. With all the hours we spent together dancing at the studio, they always felt more like family rather then friends and it was so, so good to see them again! :) I decided to wear this outfit for the auditions...  my favorite red hot crops with this cute little peplum top! 

xoxox Ashiee B

Peplum top: H&M. Red Crops: Vince Camuto. Sandals: Forever 21 (old). 

Necklace: Nordstrom Rack. Sunnies: Ray Ban "Wayfarer". Watch: Michael Kors (old). 

Lipgloss: Butter London Lippy "Trout Pout"

Listening: "She is love" Parachute 

Feeling: Excited to be getting discovered by more bloggers. Your comments make me so happy and encourage me to keep going! :) Thank youuu!!

Anticipating: The start of my new job and teaching course

All in the name of change...

Lets rewind to May 31st, 2011:

Exactly one year ago, I left for the trip of a lifetime. I decided to spend my summer in Italy. All in the name of change. 


Italy was a place that I wanted to travel to since I was 16. I don't know where my obsession with the country came from at the ripe old age of 16, but I talked about going there a lot with my first love, making him promise me that we would go there together some day. I fell in love with the phrase "la vita é bella" meaning "life is beautiful" in Italian and wrote it all over my notebooks, myspace and facebook, once I got one.  When I got my first tattoo (the little heart on my left foot) I wanted to get "la vita é bella" but knew it wasn't relevant to my life at that point. I told myself that once I traveled to Italy or maybe even lived there, I would get it as a tattoo.

So this past year I decided to go to Italy. All in the name of change. 

At the end of my senior year of college, I decided to fulfill my dream. After spending 4 years of college with friends from the greek system, dancing on the collegiate dance team and dating a guy that I had fallen in and out of love with, I felt like I had really done it all.  I needed to create change for myself, for my life post college. I went to Italy to find what really made me tick and to fulfill my dreams of traveling to an amazing place far, far away.

I flew out of Seattle on May 31st and really did have the summer of my life. I met friends from all over the world and really began to love myself and life again. Each day that I was there, I learned about myself, others and lived a life that really made sense to me. I never really got home sick and knew that what I was doing for myself was a lot more riveting than anything that I could have been doing at home. When it came time for me to leave Italy, I cried the whole way from Florence to Rome, where I was catching my flight home. I didn't want to leave.

I know you're probably wondering where all of this is going....

Well yesterday, May 31st, 2012... exactly one year from when I flew to Italy...

I had my last day at Nordstrom as a Personal Stylist. I have made the decision to quit my potential career in Seattle and return to Italy.  All in the name of change.

After returning home from an amazing experience abroad, I knew that I wanted to go back and thought about teaching English as a means to get there but felt compelled to settle down a little, get a job and "pursuit growing up".  I moved back in with my parents and began job searching. I interviewed for a Women's Active and swim wear position at the Northgate Nordstrom, with hopes of moving my way up on the sales floor to a Personal Styling position. During the interview, I really hit it off with the HR director and he suggested I work in the t.b.d/Savvy departments instead. I interviewed with that manager (a girl 3 yrs older than me from my sorority) and was given the job on the spot. As soon as I left the store, the HR director called me and said that they wanted to interview me for a Personal Styling position. I was beyond ecstatic! After interviewing again, I was given the position.  Being hired as a Personal Stylist from outside the company was something that Nordstrom seldom does so I knew I was privileged to have my position.

I had amazing managers and made amazing friends. Girls that I spent a lot of time with at work and outside of work because we got to know each other as more than just coworkers.  I think I may have had the most enjoyable work atmosphere ever. I had become friends with people all over the store. And when I told them I was leaving, there was a sense of sadness because of the relationships and bonds we had built over my past nine months there. But I knew something wasn't right for me...

Working day in and day out as a Personal Stylist at Nordstrom wasn't answering my dreams and calling at this point in my life. No matter the title I had, I still thought of Italy. I talked about it with all of my customers and friends at work.  Many of them thinking that I was just a dreamer for saying that I was going to live there again.  I needed to make a change.

I began researching teaching English abroad and attended an informational meeting about it in the Seattle area.  From there on, I was convinced. It's what I need to do right now for myself in my life.  I began talking about it with people at work and started to get so much support and positive feedback. Women who were in their 30's and 40's began telling me "Honey,  if I could go back to 23 and do anything, it would be travel. Do it before you meet your husband, settle into your career and have children."  The more I thought about it, the more I realized that they were right.  Now is the time for me to pursuit this dream in my life. So I put in my notice at Nordstrom and I made a plan to return to one of my favorite places in the world. Italy. All in the name of change.


Now, I know that quitting your job and moving across the world may not be the right step for everyone and that you are going to have your opinions about my choice. But to be honest, this doesn't have to make sense to you. Because it makes sense to me. And no I'm not running away from anything. I know that moving across the world won't solve my problems, but if I had problems to solve, I'd start to work on them right here at home. I'm simply running back to a place that I loved and felt like I wasn't done exploring. And its something that I couldn't be more excited about.
All in the name of change.

 Photo with some of my managers (left to right): Store Manager- Trevor Cobb. Regional Personal Styling Manager- Melissa Merrit. *ME*. Customer Relationship Manager- Jessica Stewart and Personal Styling Manager- Emily Auza

One of my Personal Styling coworkers and buddies, Britta Satterlund.

Me and my friend Lacey Marek, who worked with me in t.b.d and Savvy

Me, Allie Gotz and Lacey Marek. Some of the girls of t.b.d and Savvy.

Personal Stylists of Northgate. (Left to right) Amy Foss, Britta Satterlund, Me and Samantha Horvath. 

On to the next thing...
All in the name of change  ;)

xoxox Ashiee B

Launching Into Seattle Fashion

I have been a little "radio-silent" (as my sister would say) with my blogging over the past week... and its not because of a lack of content. Actually, its quite the opposite.  Im not trying to say that my life is so exciting but as a matter of fact, over the last week, it has been very eventful and very exciting.

Last Thursday night, I went to the launch party for the first Indie Style magazine for the iPad and iPhone called JeNeSeQua.  The party was hosted at Makers, a gutted building located in Belltown. It was a somewhat private event requiring check-in to the guest list upon entrance. I had been previously invited by the Creative Director and Editor in Chief, Melissa Middleton who I had the pleasure of meeting in a coffee shop last month in Seattle. I couldn't wait for the event and invited one of my best friends from college, Jenna, to attend with me.  The first 150 guests received "swag bags" with Butter London Nail Polish and other various goodies so Jenna and I made sure to arrive just in time! :)

Once we were in the party, Jenna and I snagged a cocktail from the bar and began to mingle around meeting people. The theme of the night was Black and White, and because it was a fashion event, the attendees were lavishly dressed and checking everyone else out from head to toe.  We met this amazing, very down-to-earth gentleman from London named Louis-Xavier Le Bron, wearing a fur collar over a suit with a jewel encrusted brooch at the neck.  He was very posh and seemed to be important. He had an astonishingly impressive resume within the fashion industry that fully supported his appearance.  He was the creative director for the Viktor & Rolf Spring/Summer 2012 fashion show, and a Stylist for Thandie Newton, Lana Del Ray, Joshua Jackson and Diane Kruger to name a few.  His resume blew me out of the water and was someone that I admired for his work-- a resume I aspire to have someday. :) He recently moved to Seattle so we exchanged phone numbers and made plans to snag coffee together sometime.

After talking to him, we continued to mingle. There were actually more people I knew than I had anticipated, one of which who was my best friend from high school, Lindey. I had no idea that she was going to be there and it was definitely a pleasant surprise! The three of us girls spent most of the night together and met a few guys. They weren't your typical men who attend fashion events. They actually knew nothing about fashion but were guests of a friend who knew Melissa, the host.  We chatted with them for a while and later danced once the social space turned into a dance floor. They had taken swing dancing classes before so they taught us a few moves. It put a fun spin on the evening!

Knowing she was busy but before the night was over, I made sure to say a quick hello to Melissa (the editor in chief and creator of the magazine).  I wanted to thank her for the invite and let her know that I truly had a great time! Hopefully, in the near future I'll be able to grab coffee with her as well to network and gain perspective.

All in all, I had an amazing time with friends and it was great to meet some more people within my industry!

Xoxo Ashiee B

Right place at the right time

Everyone at one point or another has heard the expression, "Timing is everything." Timing affects when we meet people and where, when we can go on a trip and often many of our purchases. But so much of the time we are unaware of the opportunity because we're busy, lazy, thinking about other things, the list can go on and on.  I feel like recently I have been more open and aware of opportunities and the people around me.  

A couple of weeks ago when I was at one of my favorite coffee shops on Capital Hill, I noticed two ladies studying some fashion photos so I decided to be somewhat nosey and asked "Do you write a fashion blog?!"  Thats when the blonde, Melissa, turned to me and told me that her and the other gal, Heather, were the creative directors and editor in chief of the very first Indie Fashion magazine for the iPad called JeNeSeQua.  We started talking about fashion, blogging and JeNeSeQua.  I told them that I was a newbie to fashion blogging but am trying to meet more people in the Seattle area who are passionate about it.  Melissa then told me about the launch party for the mag taking place in a few weeks and that I should come and network. I was ecstatic! I just received my personal invite last night and cant wait for the event! Below is a photo of the flyer for the launch party. The theme is White and Black cocktail attire so now I just have to figure out what I'm going to wear! I cant wait!!

The other timing anecdote I have is in regards to my outfit.  If you're a fashionista, fashion blog reader or just a lover of the fine things then you probably know what an Equipment blouse is (read the history of the blouse here). But if you don't, its not the end of the world but you'll probably want one at some point.  They are notorious at Nordstrom as being something you want to sell everyone and something you want to own. Probably in every color. Its the most comfortable silk blouse ever but it comes at a price of $208+. 

The other night after work, I decided to stop by the Nordstrom Rack and thats when I found the blouse that I'm wearing in this post. A beautiful vibrant coral Equipment blouse for only $79.97.  Talk about the right place at the right time! I found another in a beautiful blue and snagged that one as well. In terms of fashion, you don't always have to fork over the big bucks to wear something fabulous. You just have to know what you're looking for and be somewhat savvy about how you shop. If you know anything about my style, its that I'm always aiming to look good at a good price and its always, always possible!

Blouse: Equipment. Pants: Random boutique in Vancouver, Canada. Shoes: Bata- Florence, Italy. Necklace: Borrowed from my mom :). Watch: Michael Kors. Sunnies: Marc by Marc Jacobs. 

Lipstick: MAC Viva Glam Nicki.

Feeling: A little sleepy. Time for a strong coffee after my lunch break.

Anticipating: JeNeSeQua Launch Party! 

Loving: The fact that one of my best friends, Whitney, is in town this weekend! :)

Ombré (no) you didn't!

Before I left for Italy I was absolutely in LOVE with the new ombré hair trend that had been flooding the celebrity scene.  I thought about running into Gene Juarez or Seven salon as soon as I could but was hesitant to touch my sacred virgin hair.  Well today I got a wild hair and thought "What the hell?! You only live once and have a summer in Italy once, so why not get your hair done in Italy too!" So after class my roommate Amy and I went to a salon down the street from our apartment that she had researched online.  From the reviews, it seemed to be a pretty legit little place.  I needed a hair cut extremely bad as well so I originally went in for that. Amy wanted to get her hair highlighted, which she did.  I was nervous about how it would turn out but am totally in love with it.  It was way cheaper than it would have been at home and is the perfect subtle amount to add a little kiss of sun to my brunette trestles.  And just in time for a weekend of fun in the sun down on the Amalfi coast! Pompeii, Sorrento and Capri, here we come!!

My inspiration... so sassy! :)

Before... sad, wavey, unloved hair today

During... scary! 

and After!! Subtle but I love it. 

I think before I come back to the States I might go a little more blonde. We'll just have to wait and see!

Stories on the Amalfi Coast to come! 

XOXOX. Ciao!

Student at home, friend abroad :)

This past Thursday night after I was done with class, I raced over to the Marriott Excelsior about 15 minutes away to meet with one of my favorite professors from WSU.  Back home at Washington State, she was the professor for my upper level merchandising math classes. Even though her class was at 8am (not so much my favorite part), I loved her upbeat attitude and quick pace to get my brain movin on monday and wednesday mornings.  Math is a subject that always came easy to me for the most part so I did well in her class and formed a great relationship with her this past year.  In the spring when I told her that I was studying abroad in Italy this summer, she told me that she was going to be vacationing there with her husband in the end of June.  I of course suggested that we get together if at all possible for some vino, dinner or whatever.  Once I graduated I again reminded her of this and we decided to make it happen.
I loved getting to meet with her outside of the classroom and share stories of our travels.  She was traveling with her husband and his parents through England and then the two of them were traveling alone within Italy.  They were only in Florence for two days and were traveling with a group so I felt really lucky to be squeezed into their itinerary. It was so fun to meet her husband, and chat over a glass of red wine.  Poor Darren, her husband, was a little quiet and could hardly get a word in over chatty Dr. Ellis and I. Although we only had an hour to meet, we took full advantage of the time! I apologized to him at one point, letting him know that I was a very chatty girl and he was like "You dont need to tell me, I can see you and Joan are one in the same!" Her and I could have talked fashion, traveling and anything in between for hours! We talked about my future as a professional, possibly abroad in Italy :) and the future of the apparel merchandising program at WSU with going abroad.
Meeting with someone from home was such a treat! :) Although she was only my teacher from school, she felt like a great friend and almost like a family member.

Thanks again Dr. Ellis and Darren! I truly loved our time together!! 

xoxox Ash

I am thankful for wine, leather and italian boys...

So for all of you that don't already know, I am absolutely head over heels in love with Florence and Italy in general. I got to Florence on saturday and its been non-stop action since I stepped foot off the bus. I personally like Florence more than Rome because its a little smaller and easy to navigate. Everything is within walking distance and the feeling of the city is a lot safer than Rome. Since I've been here I've started my travel photography class and ventured around the city on my own which has taught me two things.  God gave me two left feet because I trip about every five feet (also has to do with the fact that I cant take my eyes off my surroundings for two seconds to watch where Im going) and I have NO sense of direction.  Which I really thought I did in the United States but maybe that has something to do with the fact that I'm "familiar" with everything there.
Yesterday I woke up around 7am and couldn't fall back asleep so I decided to make the most of my day and go to the fresh market for some groceries.  I started close to home in Piazza San Marco for some breakfast at a little cafe with yummy breakfast sandwiches and cappuccinos.  The man there told me I looked like an Italian Movie star haha I was so flattered! I actually have heard that I look Italian from a lot of Italians here. I definitely wouldn't mind being an Italian. On my way I passed a store that sold dance clothing and some pointe shoes. I had to walk in to look around since ballet has a near and dear place in my heart :).  I could speak a little broken english/italian with the shop owner and told her I used to dance.  I think its one of my goals to go see a ballet while Im here.  After I left there I walked further down the street and passed a pet store where the owner spoke ABSOLUTELY no english but told me I could come in.  I of course wanted to see if he had a peach faced love bird since my family used to have one.  My visit was quite short because I stepped in the pile where he was sweeping and then yelled at me in Italian. haha all I could do was shrug and run out of the store... of course this had both of us laughing afterwards.

My delicious breakfast :)

Pointe shoes in the little dance shop

A line of Vespa's on my way to the market

Once I got to the market, it was like nothing in the states, with bin after bin of fresh fruit and veggies.  Since I have been in Italy I have craved fresh fruit and water more than anything in my life! Something that I am learning to love about Italy is the prevalence of Marzipan. I of course had to buy some marzipan too! :) Every little stand within the market is specialized with either fruits and veggies or bread or meat and cheese and it is all fresh- simply amazing! I made friends with Paula a friendly Italian who sold me some gruyere cheese and prosciutto which is Italian ham.  She also taught me how to say I don't speak good Italian which will really come in handy.  After that I saw the leather market and other things that can be found from the vendors on the street.  I loved it. I could walk around and look at things here for foreverrrrr.

Yummy!! Fresh fruit, Marzipan and my new favorite- Blood Orange juice!

Cheese at the market sold by my new friend Paula

Bread at the market

Me in front of the Ponte Vecchio

I had my first Travel Photography class yesterday from 3-5:30 which actually went by a lot faster than I anticipated.  My professor is a really cute Italian man named Matteo, I kind of have a crush :).  I learned a lot about the aperture, iso and shutter speed when taking photos and how to catch the essence of your surroundings while traveling. I cant wait to see how my photos change from how I take them now! I was originally taking Fashion Design studio but I think switching to this class was a smart move for my travels in Italy as well as Bali when I go in the end of August. 

One of my favorite photos I've taken so far

The beautiful Duomo

For dinner we went to a place by the Duomo that had a dinner made with roast beef and baked potato.  The girls have been craving anything that isn't pasta or pizza so it was a good choice.  Just so happens that the waiter there, Daniele, was absolutely beautiful and he liked making little conversation with us and kept making playful eye contact and comments at me :).  The guys here are so complimenting and arent shy when it comes to telling you how they feel- soo different from the United States. After dinner we came home and drank a little wine which has been a regular thing for the roomies and I here.  Wine is cheaper than water and I have started to love it more than I ever have before... after all we are in the heart of Tuscany! Its perfect! Love, love, love everything about it here!! :)

Ciao from Roma!

Well where do I even begin?... I have spent three days in Rome and I can already tell you that I have no intentions on returning to the US of A.  Everything about Italian life in my opinion is better than anything that I have ever experienced! The food is so fresh and rich in flavor, the espresso is better than anything I could whip up after 6 years of being a barista and the people are beautiful!  The first day that I was here, I was a little pooped from all of the traveling. I'm pretty sure I am the furthest away from home out of the group. Most of the students tend to be from either the midwest, south or east coast. So pretty much everywhere but the west coast, so I'm going to have to hold my own.  My luggage ended up getting lost but I was surprisingly calm about it. I think it had something to do with the fact that Im one smart cookie and packed my carry on with a few days worth of clothes along with my makeup and other essential items. The first night we were here, I met all of my roommates who are awesome by the way, and we decided to go grab dinner somewhere close to our hotel.  The place that we stopped was absolutely perfect and the man working there, Manuelo, loved to help teach us italian. We ate some panini's and drank a bottle of wine and started getting to know one another.  Something that is very true of Italians is that they don't like to rush anything, especially dinner.  We were there for about 2 hours which Manuelo thought was not near long enough. He decided to treat us to some cappuccinos, on the house.  Mine had amaretto and it was to die for!! I cant explain how good it was, it just has to be experienced.  After din we went back to the hotel and called it a night.

Flavored cappuccinos Manuelo made us

The roomies and I out to dinner 

Yesterday and today were a lot more eventful! Yesterday we took a bus to Vatican City where we got a tour of the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel.  I've learned about the fresco paintings by Michael Angelo in the Sistine Chapel in college but seeing them was absolutely breathe taking! To think that all of this history in Rome is from over 500+ years ago is seriously unreal! We walked through St. Peters Basilica which was beautiful as well. Once the tour was over, we went back to the hotel to freshen up and head out to dinner.  Meeting in Piazza Navona then heading to Tarastevere for dinner as a group with our program.  The dinner wasnt the best I've had yet but the night life in Tarastevere was incredible! Everyone just hangs out in the streets socializing, drinking and eating gelato.  Seriously a lifestyle I would'nt mind getting used to! The boys are so my type and although there is quite a language barrier, broken english/italian can be somewhat fun.  The girls and I got roses bought for us by some of the locals and had fun venturing around.

Jennifer, Amy, Me and Kim (3 of my roomies) outside of the Vatican Museum

The torso sculpture inside the Vatican museum 

Today was our walking tour of the city viewing sites including the Colosseum, Pantheon, Trevi fountain and a few others.  The colosseum was really interesting to learn about and our guide was the cutest Italian man who was born and raised in Rome.  He was really silly and made the tour a lot of fun by cracking little jokes here and there.  I think the Pantheon was my favorite because of the fact that it was built in the first century BC and is still in incredible shape. Its seriously hard to wrap my mind around the fact that its been around for that long.  Trevi fountain was soo beautiful and the Romans believe that if you throw a coin over your shoulder and make a wish than you will return to Rome. Throw a coin or not, Im pretty sure this isnt going to be my only trip to this amazing city.  The girls and I stopped for some gelato and then had lunch in Piazza Navona before heading back.  I think Im fully adjusted to the time difference which didnt take long but am seriously exhausted from all of the walking in the balmy heat of Rome.  I'll try to spice things up a bit more in the following posts! Love to all of you back in the states! Next stop, Florence!! :) xoxox

The Colosseum 

Outside the Pantheon

A couple of the roomies and I in front of Trevi fountain! :)

Arrivederci!