Fall Shopping

Living in Los Angeles my whole life, I'm not used to changing seasons like you would experience in other parts of the country. We do have temperature changes with the seasons but nothing dramatic like snow! The temperatures are dropping (thank goodness!) and it's time to start thinking of what to wear for this lovely fall weather!

My injury has not only affected my mobility issues but it has also put a damper on my weight and emotional state. To me, it seemed like the weight just popped out of nowhere! I've struggled with my weight my whole life and in 2008, I finally got a hold of it and maintained a healthy size 12 for several years. Prior to that the largest I had been was a size 16. Now, I'm just shy of a size 18 and nothing fits me! It's a horrible feeling but I know this is only temporary and once I get treated the exercise and healthy eating will come back.

I've decided that for now, there is not much I can do about losing all the weight I put on. I can eat better but that requires a lot of motivation that often enough, I am having a hard time getting to. I'm going to take baby steps and not beat myself up about this. It will get better. So for now I'm going to buy clothes that fit the body I have now. Some may say this is a bad investment because I won't be this weight forever, but I say that I need this. I need to look in the mirror and feel pretty. I haven't felt that way in a long time. These clothes are just part of the process of getting my head right and feeling better again.

Fall clothes are some of my favorites! Who doesn't love pretty scarves, comfy boots and cozy jackets?! Well this girl does and I'm going to show you all some of my favorite (plus size) clothes I hope to snag up this season.

Boots:

I honestly don't even own a pair of boots. Unless you consider my 18 hole Dr. Martins from high school ;). I have large calves and have always had a hard time finding ones that fit. This season I was browsing Old Navy and stumbled upon these beauties:

Women's Plus Tall Faux-Leather Boots

 

They have great reviews, the perfect calf size and I love the "Riding Boot" style. The price is also pretty awesome. I really hope to be adding these to my collection soon. :)

 

 

Out on the town:

 

I've been looking for something that I can wear to dress up a pair of boots and opaque tights. Something that makes me feel pretty and dressed up. When I saw this dress, I knew it was perfect:

 

Leopard Faux Wrap Long-Sleeve Dress

 

I really hope I can get this piece. I've also been thinking of possibly having it tailored to fit when I get back in shape. I really love it.

 

Sweaters/Jackets:

 

I must admit I am an outerwear fanatic. I have tons of sweaters and jackets to last a while! Unfortunately, not too many of them fit me anymore. I've been thinking of purchasing this jacket:

 

Torrid Toggle Coat in Black and Plaid

 

I can't decide which color I like the best yet. What I love about the coat is the ruffle detailing at the hem, the length and hood, and the overall style. I love the vintage style of coats and this one just says timeless.

 

I've been really into cable knit sweaters ever since last season and was hoping to find more this season. I didn't find too much out there but this one I think would be a good addition to my sweater collection:

 

Striped Button Back Sweater | Forever 21

 

I love the colors and the "school girl" look to it. I think the model has paired it well with the bright blue shirt and jeans. I would probably layer it with a tank top or long sleeve shirt.

 

Pants:

 

I am a jean lover! I love dark denim jeans and will probably grab some skinny jeans from old navy to pair with those awesome boots. This season I am seeing a trend in colored denim and thought I would go for it! I love color and know I can pair something really great with a bright jean. Right now Old Navy is my go to for jeans and I found these that I can't wait to try on:

 

The Rockstar Super Skinny Jeans in Juicy Grape

 

I absolutely love this color and think it's perfect for fall. I'm still unsure about the "super skinny" part but they do come in my size so it's worth a shot.

 

Scarves:

 

Target has always been my place to go for affordable comfortable scarves. This season is no different and I found some great ones that I will be adding to shopping cart:

 

Merona Scarves | Target

 

I'm excited to play with color and know that it will definitely make me feel better!

 

If you've stuck around through this whole post, thank you. I'm happy I can use my blog to share some of my favorite things. I love fashion and particularly vintage fashion but when it comes to being warm, I always choose classic comforts!

 

What are some of your favorite fall fashions?



 



Feeling OK

I finally got there. Today I felt OK. I mean I'm still dealing with this back pain and some anxiety from my injury case, but overall today was good. Yesterday, I mustered up enough energy to declutter my side of the bedroom. Mostly just getting laundry organized and some dusting. I found a journal that I wrote in for some of the 10 days that I spent in Israel a couple years back (that journey is definitely another post!). What I wrote in it reminded me of my time there and that I was pretty healthy for the most part and that I climbed a freakin' mountain! It was pretty motivating I guess. I know that I will get back to the healthy Kim again.

Smiling after climbing Mt. Masada, Israel (2010)



I also dusted off a collection of pictures I have of loved ones on my Dad's side of the family that have passed away. I'm a strong beleiver in "the other side" and know that they are looking over me and helping guide me through life. My dad had 5 sisters (he was the only boy!) and 4 of them passed away. My Aunt Esther (my Dad's twin) passed away this past May and I spent time with her while she was in Hospice. My other Aunts had passed away when I was a child so I don't really remember a lot. I held my Aunt Esther's hand and told her it was okay to let go. It was one of the hardest and most difficult things I think I have ever gone through. I miss her so much. Even in her last breaths she made me promise her that I wouldn't leave her and that I loved her. Those dusty pictures brought up a lot of those memories. It also reminded me that I have them with me and that I'm going to get through this difficult time in my life.

My beautiful Aunt Esther
(she hated to take pictures so I don't have any recent ones but this is probably how she would like to be remembered) :)

 

So with all that randomness that yesterday was, it really helped me get through today. My bedroom is less cluttered, my heart is full of memories of past adventures and loved ones, and I finally completed a document from my injury case that has been looming over me.

Tomorrow, I plan on visiting with my Dad for a little and getting through some of that laundry that I bagged up yesterday! I'm so thankful for my husband who takes me wherever I please and helps me do my laundry. I love him. <3

I hope you had an OK day! ;)

October

Source

 

October has been my favorite month of the year for as long as I can remember. I've always loved Halloween, the changing of the weather and Pumpkins! Last year and this year have and will be different for me. Last October, my husband came home after 8 months of being away training and two weeks later I injured my back. Pretty much October sucked for me in 2011. I stayed home watching TV as my friends and family documented their October adventures all over Facebook. I was upset and bitter.

This year is different! I'm still injured and that sucks. I can't go to the Pumpkin Patch and pick the perfect pumpkin for me and my husband. I can't take my little brother-in-law out trick or treating like I have for so many years. But I'm okay with that. This past year has taught me that IT'S OKAY! I know that one day I will be able to do all the things that I love. I know that my husband and I want to have our Vow Renewal ceremony in the month of October. I know that one day I will have little ones and I will be taking them trick or treating and dressing them up for Halloween. I just need to get better and get back to being normal.

I'm going to have my husband take me to the local grocery store to pick up some pumpkins and I'm going to bake my favorite recipe of pumpkin cookies. I'm going to be happy this October. The pain and depression of this injury will not last forever. I'm going to get well again and I'm going to end this part of my life with so much more than when it started. It's all part of this journey we go on. I'm positive and looking forward to seeing what my future has in store.

Happy October!

Blogging

Two posts back to back! I'm on a roll!

I love blogging! I love sharing my day with the few followers I have and I love reading blogs. The lovely women behind the blogs I read have inspired me to invest more time in my little home away from home here. I have so many great ideas and advice I feel I can contribute too. Unfortunately, we are a one computer household and my husband loves his YouTube! Every chance he gets he is on the computer. This leaves me with very little time to get to the computer. Tonight I'm lucky because he's working late ;).

I've decided it's time to invest in another computer. The laptop we have now is a few years old and very big and bulky. It leaves it hard to blog while resting my back on the couch. The deployment word has reared it's ugly head into our conversations as well so having a smaller lighter laptop would be good for my husband to take with him too. I'm trying to think of all the reasons why this is a good investment right now! I hate big expensive purchases! They stress me out until I finally take the jump and then I feel so much better. This purchase might take some time!

Once I get a new laptop I'll be able to invest more time into my blog. I can't wait to see what I can turn it into. I'm getting excited just thinking about it. Right now I'm reading all my blogs on my Kindle Fire (which I love!). It's very convenient but not great for typing. That touch screen drives me crazy sometimes! I truly appreciate the followers I have and hope I can gain more in the future. Connecting with other people that share the same interests as you all over the world is truly one of the greatest parts of blogging.

What's your favorite part of blogging?

Have a great weekend!

Source

 

Moving forward...

That's been my mantra through these last few months. I'm still injured and in pain everyday but I can't just stop. I need to keep moving forward. Because I'm dealing with a work related injury, I've decided to keep a lot of the details out of the public eye until this is all over. All I can say is I hope those who read this will send lots of good vibes and prayers that I get better soon.

This month will officially mark one year with this injury and not being able to work. :(

My husband has been an angel throughout this whole process and I am so grateful to have him around to take care of me. I want to be that lovely wife who cooks his dinner and cleans the house but because of my injury I can't do any of that. It's been so hard on the both of us especially because my injury happened two weeks after he came home from a 8 month long training. All the places we talked about going and all the things we have wanted to do have been put on hold because I can't walk or sit for long periods of time.

I will just keep praying and hoping that somehow I will get better and start building our lives the way we had envisioned. I can't wait to be healthy enough to start a family and travel all over the U.S. looking for our "forever" home.

I hope this explains a little as to what I've been going through and I hope you can keep me and my husband in your prayers as we get through this very trying time in our lives.

Blogger App and Randoms

Since I've been home with my injury I've been spending a lot of time on my iPod touch. It's no iPad but it does the job. My laptop is a bit too bulky when I have to lie on my back :/. I decided that I would get the Blogger app and see how well it does. So far so good!

Today is another lazy day. I usually stick to one errand a day because it's pretty painful getting around. But there are no errands today!

Tomorrow my husband and I will be taking Rocky to my Dads house. My dog Rocky has some separation anxiety issues that we have been working on. Unfortunately, we can't leave him home alone without him barking the whole time. So we're going to leave him with my Dad while we head over to my appointment with my neurosurgeon on Monday morning.

I'll keep you posted on how that goes. I'm praying that this surgery happens sooner than later! This experience has really taught me how precious our bodies and health are. I will get healthy after this and do everything I can to strengthen myself for good.

My husband and I talk about starting a family all the time. It may take a little longer to start because of my health but I'm hoping next year will be our baby making year!

There are my Randoms for the day! I hope you enjoy your weekend! :)

Hello again!

It's been some time since I've posted! Mainly because a lot has happened since my last post.

My husband came home the beginning of October and it was one of the best days ever!

Minutes after seeing him for the first time in months!

Home sweet home!

It was so great and he is so skinny now! Lol. We took lots of time to catch up but I had to share him with all his friends and family that missed him so much.

Two weeks after he came home I had to go on a weekend overnight camping trip, fossil hunting with the museum. It's a great trip that I love being apart of but I didn't want to leave my man!

Things were going well on the trip until the main fossil hunting day (Saturday) came. Because of my existing back problems I knew I had to take it easy. I decided to hike up a small hill to get a better view of all the participants (make sure no one wanders off!). I made it all the way up the hill just fine and then as I was reaching the top I slipped on some loose rock, twisted my body to catch myself and plopped on the ground. I got back up and sat on the perch and stayed there! It wasn't until I was ready to get up that I noticed my back was killing me! It was so bad I didn't know if I could make it back to all the vehicles. With lots of pain I finally made it back and I knew something was really wrong. This was back pain I had never felt before.

I made it back to the campsite and went straight to my tent to ice my back. I felt so bad that I did this to myself and that I could no longer "actively" work this amazing trip.

Sunday I finally made it home and I couldn't walk straight. I took a few days off work until I realized things weren't getting better. I attempted to go to work and had to be wheeled to my car because I could no longer walk. The pain was so bad. I made it to my doctor where I had to get a shot of morphine to calm the pain. This was the beginning of what my life would be like these past 6 months.

A workers compensation claim was filed with my work and I saw 5 urgent care doctors all saying I had a lower lumbar sprain and sending me back to work. I was still in so much pain that I finally convinced the insurance company to send me to a specialist and get a MRI done. December (two months after my injury), we found out that I have two herniated discs in my lower back. The pain started radiating down both of my legs. The specialist prescribed physical therapy and after 20 sessions and 3 months later, I am finally meeting with a neurosurgeon at one of the best hospitals in Los Angeles.

I've only heard good things about this type of surgery and I'm praying that all goes well and I get this done soon. I've never been away from work this long in my working life. I've gained weight, lost a lot of muscle strength and unfortunately became pretty depressed. I'm disabled, I can't walk without a cane or go shopping without a wheelchair.

My husband has been amazing and his homecoming was perfect timing. I couldn't get through any of this without him. I'm so blessed to have him here to help me.

So there is my story of how I got here. In between I let life happen. My husband and I celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary and our 7 year anniversary only a couple months later. Because I'm on disability, I've been spending lots of time with my fur baby Rocky. He keeps me company and gives me lots of cuddles when I'm not feeling well.

I'll be catching you up on more of life events as they happen. Right now I'm just waiting to get my life back. I can't wait!