Monday Motivation – Remove the n't

One of my favorite quotes from #impactCLT. Thanks, Bridget, for the inspiration!

{a closet full of nothing} #FrontRowCLT Edition, The Winning Outfit

The people have spoken and the outfit has been chosen for tonight!
Thank you all for your votes, comments and suggestions!

If all goes well, I will be channeling Carrie Bradshaw tonight with curly hair and a signature flower pin. If it doesn’t, I’m going to channel Charlotte York with a hair bun and pearls.

For those that are curious, below is the vote breakdown per outfit:

A – 35 votes
B – 0 votes (I have no clue how to wear that maxi skirt, help!)
C – 10 votes
D – 5 votes
C+D – 6 votes

See you all tonight!!

{a closet full of nothing} #FrontRowCLT Edition

Thursday night is the first ever Front Row Charlotte, a brain child of Erica Hanks, and I couldn't be more excited to attend. Except for one thing: I have a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear.

Correction, I have a whole room that has been converted into a closet plus three other closets in the house that I've made my own. (There's no doubt that my husband loves me.)

I also challenged myself to only shopping my closets and saving as much cash as possible for the pop-up shops at the show and help support the local economy.

Here are my first attempts at styling, with my husband as the iPhonographer:

A - Spring Stripes:
J Crew painter T + full skirt.
Jimmy Choo satin platform heels.

B - Angie's leg:
Calvin Klein tank, H&M maxi skirt from the Conscious collection.
H&M belt and Jimmy Choo satin platform heels.

C - Black and White:
H&M button up, pleather leggings.
Jimmy Choo satin platform heels.

D - Florals:
H&M fishtail top, H&M floral leggings.
Jimmy Choo satin platform heels.

E - none of the above
You won't hurt my feelings, promise!

Which one is your favorite? Would you mix and match any of these? Appreciate your feedback! :)

P.S. Are you going to Front Row Charlotte and if you are, who/what are you wearing?

Cheers!

Newton's Law of Blogging & TEDxCharlotte

Uniform motion: An object that is at rest will stay at rest unless an unbalanced force acts upon it. An object that is in motion will not change its velocity unless an unbalanced force acts upon it.

photo by: Deborah Triplett

You might be wondering where I’ve disappeared to (again!) and why I haven’t written about my participation in the Pho Eating Contest or Epic Eater adventures or anything else for that matter. I "disappeared" because I was intensely preparing for TEDxCharlotte. But that was over a week and a half ago. The truth is, I should have kept blogging no matter how tired I was or needed a break. Thus Newton’s Law of "Blogging."

I have always been a fan of TED and when I’m in a rut I find myself watching TED Talks. When the opportunity to volunteer for TEDxCharlotte opened up, I jumped on it. I’m so glad that I did. Time flew and before we all knew it, February 15th was upon us.

I cried, I laughed. I found it heartbreaking at how much time I’ve wasted not following my dreams. I was reminded to keep pushing for what I believe in, to work for free to learn, and to take the steps necessary to live a life full of passion. I want to wake up one day, like Chad did, and say, "God, I’m living the dream." One day I will.

Being part of the Social Media team allowed me the opportunity to share ideas and write using a difference voice or two. Here are my posts that I wrote for TEDxCharlotte leading up to the event and as a live blogger the day of:

Steven Johnson: Where good ideas come from
12 Days of TEDx: A Partridge in a Pear Tree
12 Days of TEDx: 4 Colly Birds
Fear of Failure
Menu for TEDxCharlotte 2013!
LIVE: Cassie Parsons
LIVE: Chad Henderson
LIVE: Molly Barker

Have you ever attended a TED or TEDx event? What was your experience like?
What is your favorite TED talk that you’ve seen/heard? Would love to hear from you!

{Queen City Travel} Las Vegas

leaving Las Vegas

You may have noticed that I went MIA last week. There was an occasional tweet, a few Instagram photos early in the week, a share or two on Facebook but that’s about it. I was in Henderson, NV (off the Vegas strip) for work. We had our big sales meeting and I was one of the presenters/trainers. Let’s say there’s a first time for everything and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to present multiple times. It was a lot of hard work leading up to the meeting followed by 16-20 hour work days with little sleep and a three hour time difference. It was worth it, both personally and professionally.

I tried to stop and smell the roses… or the food (it’s all about the food!). Take an occasional picture or two of my surroundings but for the most part I focused at the tasks at hand and having fun whenever possible. I had the opportunity to bond with my new boss and team, re-engage with former team members, and learn as much as I possibly could from others.

If you’re curious about my week, check out the #itQCtravel + #LAS hashtags on Instagram.

The next two weeks are going to be filled with eating with the #EpicEaters, "reading books" with my Book Club girls, and most importantly focusing all my energy on TEDxCharlotte. The remainder of the month is not looking shabby either: photoshoot with the lovely Jessica of JJ Horton Photography and Jennifer for J. Leigh Events, a Social Media Charlotte Meeting (From Idea to Impact), Water Cooler Wednesday with the Charlotte AMA, and Front Row Charlotte fashion show!

Cheers!