Think Pink All Month

     October has always been a powerful month for me with lots of ups and downs. When I was a child I LOVED October because it meant that me, my brother, mom and dad would all pile in the car and road trip from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Virginia to find the perfect (enormous) pumpkin. My parents loved Halloween. We would decide on a family costume and they would decorate the front yard for All Hallows Eve, complete with tombstones and spider webs. My mother even convinced my dad to make her a life-sized coffin for her to hide in so that she could jump out and scare trick or treaters. 

    Then, when I was about 19 years old, October took a turn for me when I lost my father to cancer just 3 days before Halloween. My mother and brother were able to recover and begin to celebrate again a few years later. In memoriam to my dad I'm sure, but I never fully regained the joy they had for this holiday. I would participate here and there but my heart was never able to recover.

    After I met Dallas, October started to look up. He would humor me and try to plan trips to the pumpkin patch again like my family did years before and now that we have a child I am learning to love Halloween in a new way. We are building new family traditions on the stilts of old ones.

    Another reason October is now a big deal in our household is that it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Dallas's Mother is a breast cancer survivor. In 2012, Dallas's mom Bev's fight was intense. After undergoing a double mastectomy, reconstruction, chemo, and radiation we are proud to say that her cancer is in remission!

    Since then there is not one October that goes by that we don't reflect on our loved ones (past and present). Cancer is something that touches everyone's life and we have to remember to take care of our bodies. Women so frequently put the family or other people first and they forget to take care of themselves. Ladies, please do your self-exams. If you are 40 or older, please go for your annual mammogram. I know the process is an uncomfortable procedure but it could save your life.

    Since it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month I thought I would share this cute pink look with you. The blouse and chambray tie shorts are form Apricot Lane and the nude gladiator-style heel is from Red Dress Boutique. To keep this look bright I paired it with a teal straw clutch with colorful pompoms and grabbed some silver Kendra Scott jewelry to add some metal tones.