Camo On The Mountain

     I was so looking forward to my first time at Beech Mountain to go skiing for their annual 80's weekend. Our whole show was going to hit the slopes and host an 80's costume party at the resort's ski lounge. 

    The weekend started off GREAT! Our Aupair, Elena and I made the 2.5 hour drive up whiney roads into the gloomy abyss. Unfortunately, the weather was being less than cooperative. Ski conditions weren't great since it was warm and rainy, but we were going to party anyway! Beech Mountain was nice enough to set our whole show up in one giant house for the weekend!

    As soon as we all arrived, there was fun to be had! A quick dip in the hot tub and a slice of pizza was the prelude for the evening. We all got ready in our BEST 80's ensembles and headed out for the night. Hosting the resort's party was a ton of fun and everyone really brought their A-game when it came to costumes. We saw, Ghostbusters and Joan Jet, Don Johnson and Hulk Hogan, but the first place award for the night went to Cheech and Chong!  

    The night seemed to go off without a hitch... until now. After making it back to the house everyone took another quick dip in the jacuzzi and headed to bed. That is when all hell broke loose for me. I closed my eyes at 1:45am and not long after I was violently awakened by the sudden urge to use the restroom and puke at the same time! 

   Now I know what you're thinking. LauRen, you probably just had too much to drink. I had 2 drinks all night! This was not the spins! This was something awful... something different and I proceeded to spend the next 7 hours unable to hold anything down. Ironically when I called my husband back home, he had been dealing with the same ailments. We BOTH had the stomach flu in two different cities. 

   He urged me to come home ASAP as he was feeling the same way I was. He had been watching Cashton all weekend and was afraid to be around him and give him the flu too. So Elena and I got into the car and made the horrific drive back to Charlotte. As you can imagine driving almost 3 hours puking into a plastic bag is no fun! 

    When we arrived back home Elena became the real MVP! She took Cash and let Dallas and I quarantine ourselves in our bedroom until the vomiting passed and we could sleep off the shakes. 

    All in all, I guess you could say, feeling a little "green" left me inspired to share this camo look with all of you! The earrings, pants and white waffle tee shirt are from Fabrik Birkdale. I paired them with my Gucci flip flops since the weather is a little warmer today and this bamboo bag from Red Dress Boutique. Enjoy!  

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Smiling Through The Tears

This isn't my typical post and if you don't have a box of tissues handy I would just shop this look and bail because I am bearing my heart in this post. 

What is the definition of denim?

Den-im /'denem/ noun: a sturdy fabric, sometimes distressed or bleach but typically blue. Used for jeans, overalls and other clothing.  

 I am trying to decide if I am like denim. I am trying to be sturdy but I am distressed and definitely blue. For the last month, I have been struggling with the tough decision of putting my dog Woofer down. 

Last Sunday afternoon at about 5:15pm my world stopped as I said goodbye to my very best friend and fur baby. May 21 will go down in my heart as the 2nd worst day of my life, only to losing my Father. 

Woofer aka Cody was my 16-year-old baby boy and was the absolute best dog ever. It still breaks my heart to think about the moment I said goodbye but Woofer wasn't in good health. He was blind due to an eye infection and cataracts leading him to sleep all day and struggle to get around day and night. Most nights he would fall into his food and water bowl, run into walls and/or gets stuck behind furniture because he couldn't find his way out. 

He was also dealing with hip dysplasia, causing him to fall into his own feces when he attempted to use the bathroom. He didn't go outside anymore as he was becoming disoriented, so he used pee pee pads inside the house instead.  I use to try and take him outside and sit with him once a day to get some fresh air but his quality of life took a turn for the worse. 

Saying goodbye to Woofer was not a decision I took lightly. It took many long talks with our Vet and to say this was the hardest decision of my life is an understatement. I have had the hardest time with the thought of "playing God." Woofer was my absolute best friend and fur-baby for half of my life. Voluntarily saying goodbye to someone you love unconditionally is a haunting experience.

This sounds terrible to say but I put it in Gods hands, and prayed and prayed and prayed that he would take Woofer peacefully in his sleep but that didn't happen and I couldn't see him suffer anymore. 

Woofer was with me through college, my father's passing, 3 cross country moves and MANY sleepless nights with a newborn. He was my rock. 

I use to love coming home to see those two little black beady eyes waiting patiently on the second stair of our little condo in Boca Raton, Florida. 

My greatest fear is that I have made a terrible decision and those little whimpers I use to love hearing at the swimming pool will haunt me forever. Woofer loved the water and loved to swim. I did what I thought was best for my life-long buddy and I will try to honor him this summer by spreading his ashes at his favorite lake. 

Goodbye, my sweet boy. There will never be another like you.

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