A couple months ago I said “yes to the dress”. I eagerly went shopping for the perfect dress so that I would be ready for the special day that was nearing, and on the 17th of July, I finally got to wear it as a guest to the wedding of one of my best friends, Sarah, and her high school sweetheart, David.
The last time I wrote about my personal attire, we were in a quarantine. In this second installment of what I’ve entitled Faith’s Fashion, I will be detailing what I wore to attend my first-ever wedding.
I have always marveled in putting my own cute, stylish outfits together. While my everyday style typically consists of comfy, baggy graphic tees and black leggings, I also love dressing up nice for special occasions. Because I had never been to a wedding, it took some searching to find the right fit for me. I first had to decide on the look I was going for. Should I dress up elegantly or more casual? What color dress is appropriate for a wedding? Once these factors were made up in my mind, I was on the hunt for the perfect match.
I soon decided on an off-the-shoulder smocked sundress, coral in color, with white embroidered eyelet detailing at the hem.
This simple yet stunning sundress was the perfect look for a summer’s evening out, without being too extravagant. The eyelet detailing added just enough elegance to an otherwise plain dress. The off-the-shoulder sleeves gave the perfect feminine flare. The stretchy material of the smocked bodice provided me comfortability to enjoy the night’s festivities. This was particularly important to me, as it is extremely difficult to find clothes, especially dresses, that accommodate and fit properly on disabled bodies. This dress was lightweight and airy, and allowed me to soak up those sun rays!
The only thing that can elevate any outfit is accessories. For this look I went with a bohemian style, so I wore my taupe, laser cut Kenneth Cole ankle boots. The only other time I had ever worn these shoes coincidentally was back when me and Sarah took our senior pictures together!
Throwback to almost four years ago, when we took this photo during the fall semester before graduating!
The finishing touches to this look included classy white and gold earrings resembling the popular Kendra Scott brand. I used rhinestone hair pins to hold my voluminous beach waves back, so I could flaunt my shoulders in this fun and flirty style.
While I could never have upstaged the bride, I think my first experience dressing up to attend a wedding was a success!
Today marks exactly two years since I posted my very first article to this blog site, two years of pursuing just what I love to do: write. Every year in my first blog post of the year I recap all that has happened in my life in the past twelve months and I share all that I wish to manifest for myself.
part of the caption I wrote a year ago today.
It’s safe to say 2021 did not go easy on us. This year has been a rollercoaster of challenges, yet so full of opportunity.
I did it!
Shortly after kicking off the new year, I received my freelance writing diploma. When I decided all those years ago to forgo traditional college and pursue my passion, I knew I was taking the unconventional route. But, I knew in my heart I was making the right decision for me. Just fifteen months after starting the online program, I completed it. It felt amazing to have some physical form of validation that my dream of being a writer could be a reality. Little did I know, a big storm was coming…literally.
In February, my state of Texas was in for a big shock when we were hit by a snow storm. My city almost never sees snow so to experience a snowfall of this magnitude was, in part, exciting. What we did not expect was for homes state-wide to lose power for multiple days during the dead of winter, my own home included. We were lucky that we were supplied with all necessities to get through the cold, but for other families many tragedies and financial issues resulted from the prolonged power outage.
May was personally one of the greatest month’s of this year. I turned twenty years old on the third of May, and even got a birthday wish from an actress who starred in Selena: The Netflix Series. Also during this month, I posted to my blog the first real interview that I had conducted. A month earlier I had virtually met and conversed with two amazing women with disabilities and got to learn and write about their lives for my blog. This was the greatest opportunity I have gotten in my writing career so far and it garnered me the most exposure to eager readers I’ve ever had this year.
Just two months later, I was given another great writing opportunity in which I shared Tammy Le’s story to my blog. When I watched the viral video that showed her heartbreaking reaction to her damaged wheelchair that had been mishandled by airline workers, I felt her pain. I wanted to get her story out so, in a spur of the moment decision, I took a chance and personally reached out to her. She allowed me to conduct my second true interview. That article also reached a wide audience and I will always be grateful to Tammy for allowing me to write for her.
2021 was the year that myself and many of my loved ones contracted Covid. It was in no way easy, but we are so lucky to have overcome the virus. In lighter news, the baby cousin I introduced on my blog last year turned one!
My adorable baby cousin Emily turned one in September!
Also, we learned that she will be a big sister to a little brother coming this Spring!
In late October, we found out the gender with cupcakes! It’s a boy!
Another cousin is being added to the crew!
This year came with many surprises, both good and bad, but that’s all part of growth. Still, there’s always things in life that remain constant no matter what and for me, that is my friendships. In the spirit of keeping my favorite tradition alive, I spent the eighth New Year’s in a row with my best friend!
Eighth new year’s spent together & counting! Here’s to 2022!
Many of the goals I vowed to manifest for myself and for this blog a year ago have already come true. I never expected to get the opportunities that I have so early in my writing career, but it showed me the true power in manifesting what you want for your life. On the other hand, I learned the importance of patience. You can speak your wishes into existence, but just because they don’t all happen immediately doesn’t mean they never will. Whenever I felt discouraged or self-doubt in my capabilities, I had to remember that big opportunities will come to me when they are meant to.
I find that ever since changing my upload schedule to be on a monthly basis, I am more proud of the work that I am putting out. Just as I had hoped, this year I was able to write about a variety of topics from fashion to sports, free-writes that just might be my favorite, and of course disability. In 2022 I hope to challenge myself to work beyond my niche and receive more opportunities in other areas that interest me. A goal of mine still is to reach a larger following someday and while I got a taste of that this year, I will keep speaking it into existence until I have a consistent following on this blog. Also, a dream of mine that I hope will come to fruition in the near future is to write for and see my name recognized under articles for various magazine companies. I feel that the only way I can eventually reach a wider audience is to get my name out there. In honor of the new year and another year writing for this blog site, I’d like to present to you my new custom-made logo!
Thank you to my cousin Brandon for gifting me my custom logo!
If you have been following me on this journey of creative bliss thus far, thank you for sticking with me and I hope you only continue to enjoy my writing. Nothing makes me happier than knowing my writing engages readers. Moving forward, the possibilities of what I could write about on this blog are endless and I am eager for another year on ‘Faith It ’til You Make It’.
》 Faith It ‘til You Make It 《 