*affiliate links used

{similar black top here/here/here/high waist pencil pants/half moon bag/paily slide sandal/initial pendant necklace}

{*cell phone case – 15% off using my link}

Happy April! I hope the month is off to a good start for you! I’m sharing our March Amazon buys today along with a few other favorite things I’ve been wearing. Then wrapping up the post with some personal pics I want documented so feel free to skim if you’re not interested. There is no time in my life during this stage for documenting family life so once in a while I go old school and toss a few things up here. :) If you’re new here and don’t know, this blog started as my family journal around 13 years ago when my girls were 3 and 5! Sometime (if any of you are interested!) I’ll have to write about my blog journey so that it’s documented too.

But that’s a story for another day. Today we’re talking about recent favorite green pants. Because that’s fun too. ;) Seriously though.. how cute are these high waist pencil pants!? Talk about an Amazon score. They are so flattering and comfortable! I’m wearing a small (they fit true to size) and I would 100% recommend them.

I’m wearing them with my paily slide sandals and thought I’d share a pic of these two sandals because they were my most worn shoes last spring/summer. They work with everything! Great neutrals and the square toe is so much fun. The flats are Marc Fisher slides and come in several colors. This is their new version out this year.. so cute. Below are other similar options I’m loving that are also out this spring!

1- high waist pencil pants   2- cotton bikini brief underwear   3- straw clutch purse

4- plaid zipper tie/spring zipper tie   5- crochet beach cover up   6- two piece knit outfit

7- furniture repair kit wood markers  8-  surf boys rashguard/kanu surf boys rashguard

9- ezyroller pro-x ride toy   10- Paul Mitchell hair putty

11- beach swim trunks/quick dry  beach swim trunks   12- mesh beach bag

These are my March Amazon purchases! Lots of fun things for Kole because he turned 12 on the 30th. :) He needed new ties for church and new swim wear.. I ordered lots to try, sent a few back and kept the ties/suits in my collage above.. they are all great! I ordered #3 and #12 for our spring break trip! A cute clutch and a huge mesh bag that’s easy to pack and perfect for the beach. The hair putty is Kenny’s favorite he has used for years and the the furniture repair markers we use on our wood floors for larger scratches. You have to find the color that matches your floor and it works so well! Underwear for the girls and a cute cover-up and knit outfit for me. The knit outfit is so cute and comes in lots of colors! I’ll share it on soon too. The EzyRoller (#9) was Koles main birthday gift. He loved his ziggle so much growing up we got him a more adult version to help with any summer boredom. ;)

I can’t believe my baby is starting middle school next year! Love this boy so much. :)

In other fun news I have a discount for you on my favorite speakers! I shared my Kove speakers around the holidays.. great sound and we use them all the time. They connect to your computer or phone but they don’t need to be right next to them. I love using them when I clean the house to listen to music or a podcast. We use them a lot outside too when we’re hanging out, exercising or when we’re lounging in/around the pool.

{kove speakers/geo planter – on sale!/faux peonies/larger peonies mixed in/stoneware planter/petal plates}

They just came out with a travel size I’m loving! So small but the sound is still great and you can attach them to your bike or backpack. If you use my link you can get 67% off! They would make a great Easter basket gift for a teen. My girls love using them too. :)

{twist it cropped pullover/lulu high-rise aligns/swift run sneakers}

You know that I’m all about comfort when it comes to clothes.. I run around in joggers/leggings at least half of the week! These are 3 tops I’ve been absolutely loving! All so cute and comfortable. The first is this twist top pullover. It’s cropped so I love it with high waisted leggings like the pair I’m wearing. Perfect to throw on after a workout or wear on its own. The material is so soft!

{vuori halo crewneck/resourced convertible belt bag/here too/lulu high-rise aligns/swift run sneakers}

Vuori is hands down one of my favorite brands (and my husbands #1 favorite!). This halo crewneck is also so cute and comfortable. I’ve been running around a lot with belt bags because they are so easy and convenient and this Madewell belt bag is perfect. Just right for your phone, keys, credit cards and chapstick. I think the black sold out but it comes in other fun colors and I linked both places you can find it above.

{zella light crewneck sweatshirt/everywhere belt bag/lulu high-rise aligns/swift run sneakers}

This is another belt bag I love. They are perfect for spring/summer family outings too! Especially if you’re traveling to a theme park, zoo, etc. So nice to not always have to haul around a purse when you’re doing a lot of walking. This Zella crewneck sweatshirt is what I reach for more than anything else in my closet! I love it so much I bought two of them! It’s the perfect length and such a great fit. Really soft and comfortable.. I can’t recommend this sweatshirt enough. Staple!

Alright.. a little blast from the past.. you know how I always pop my left knee in my mirror selfie outfit pics?

This pic was taken on my first day of Kindergarten.. can you find me? Apparently the knee pop has been my signature look my whole life.. ha ha. Always posing. ;) Behind me are a couple of other girls who became life long friends.

This was our class picture that year. I love old pictures like this! Can you spot me again? Just a slight head tilt this time. :) (Second row of girls.. red turtleneck and a pony tail.) If you find the tallest girl in our class you’ll spot my then future BFF Koni.

Koni and I were friends all through school but by high school we were inseparable. The tallest and the shortest in our class and we did everything together. Everyone said we shared a brain and we pretty much did. Who remembers how cool these striped shirts and braided belts were!? I miss the 90’s!

When I say we were always together I meant it.. this picture always cracks us up! Me kissing Kenny at a ski resort and Koni isn’t far.. ha ha. She didn’t approve of him at first but eventually he won her over. ;)

This was the rest of our crew. I was so lucky to grow up in a small town with these girls! I was close friends with all of them through Elementary, Middle School and in High School we got really close. (Bangs were all the rage at this stage. I remember the night of this dance I was experimenting with hot rollers.. maybe not my best move.. )

{homecoming royalty senior year – I’m with my buddy Tyler.. the two shorties of the group} ;)

A new High School was built in our area right before my senior year and everyone within the boundaries had to move schools, but as seniors we had the choice to stay at our previous high school and graduate there or to come over to the new school. It was a hard decision because we all had so many other friends we would have to say good-bye to! We decided to move to the new school together and to help get it up and running and we ended up having the best senior year. We got to pick out everything for the new school.. school colors, mascot, we set up new traditions, Koni and I got to be in charge of everything with the new dance team. It was an amazing experience and bonded us all so much.

We finished high school together (class of 95) and all went to our local community collage for two years (basically an extension of high school!) before all taking off in different directions for more school or work.

College graduation with my girls. :) We have all stayed in touch and every year when we visit our families in our hometown for the holidays we try to get together for lunch. It has become harder through the years to all meet and we have talked about making a girls trip happen for years! Last weekend we finally did it for the first time and I don’t think we’ll let a year pass going forward without doing it again!

Above was us then.

And this is us now. :) One of us couldn’t make it and we have one close friend (shoutout to Bonnie in the far left!) who wasn’t from our little town and stayed at our original high school senior year, but she was always part of the gang. :)

We went to Sundance and lucked out because even though there was still snow on the mountains the weather was warm and beautiful!

We rented a cabin for the weekend and had the best time together laughing and catching up!

We swam in a crater..

ate out, went shopping and bought Sundance hoodies. Because when in Sunance you should buy a Sundance hoodie. Unless you’re like me and live in a place you don’t wear hoodies much. Then you buy a Sundance long sleeved tee. :)

But most of the trip we did this. Stayed up hours every night in sweats eating all the food and just talking. We talked and talked and talked and then laughed until our sides hurt and then talked some more. So many funny memories we all have! It’s cool how everyone remembers different things. There were so many things about our past I had completely forgotten! But it all came back pretty quickly with this crew.

My friend Angie brought everyone bracelets with our home town zip code on them. That was the name of our group because in high school we were obsessed with Beverly Hills 90210.. ha! Our plan was to grow up and leave for school and then all move back to our hometown and live in a cul-de-sac together. We haven’t quite pulled that off, but we’re thinking there’s still hope for when we all finish raising kids and retire. ;)

There is something so special about childhood/highschool friends isn’t there? I could go years without talking to these girls and then see them and pick right back up like we were never apart. We’ve been through so much together. From constant play time and sleepovers and riding our bikes to the local Merc for candy, to braces and awkward middle school years, to first dates and kisses and high school drama, to college and “adulting” for the first time, to careers and marriage and having babies, to raising toddlers through teens. We’ve been there for each other though all of life’s joys and through a lot of heartache and hard times too. We will forever be close and I’m so grateful for the special bond we all share. This was the first of many girls trips to come and in 5 years when we all turn 50 (yikes!) we are going to plan something BIG. Maybe THREE nights of non stop talking and laughing instead of just TWO.

I think after all we’ve been through together we’ve earned it.

;)