elephants and fur babies...

So as much as I complain about not having fall in texas I do love that at the end of October I can wear shorts and something about the mix of chunky sweaters and shorts just gets me every time.    You know what else I love?  Elephants and the all things olive...so basically this outfit is perfect!  Oh wait...there are also leopard pointy toe flats, an obnoxious tulle bow MRD, and an evil eye necklace.  I think I covered all my fave trends and then some because why wear one amazing thing when you an wear 5?  And you know what else is perfect?  My sweet baby Henri!  


Seriously I don't know how we got so lucky with him, but he really is the best.  Plus he is so photogenic which makes him perfect for the blog...




 Well...except this picture...I'm not sure what he's doing with his face here, but hey...we all have to start somewhere right?  So get ready to see lots more of him on the blog because why just visit to see adorbs pics of me when you can see adorbs pics of me and my fur baby...am I right or am I right?


Hope you guys have a fab weekend and a Happy Halloween!  Make sure and check out my insta to see Henri and I in our fave costumes...this is what happens when your only friend is your dog!  Yay me!  

 photo 6ecd2016-a0b2-4779-91c9-7ab27737b07b_zpsa031f7e1.jpg

happy birthday seester

Today my little seester turns another year older!  Happy Birthday Laur!!  The tough part about everyone getting older is that we aren't all together for birthdays.  Laur lives all the way on the east coast and with the exception of holidays we don't get to see each other as much as we would like to.  Thankfully this year my mom and I finally got to make our NYC trip...it was her first time and of course she fell in love...and since Laur is just an hour away she came and spent some time with us.  It was the perfect little girls trip and one of the highlights of my year.  




We rode the dirty scary subway a lot.  It was hot, and smelly, and totally fun! And then we got tattoos!!  We went to the amazing Jon Boy, who is known for doing tiny tats which made him perfect for us...oh yeah...and he also gave Kendall Jenner her white dot tat so it's like he's famous which made us famous...duh.  Mom was a tattoo virgin and Laur and I think she might be obsessed now.  Lets just say next trip to NYC we may be getting more...

 We got to enjoy little peeks of fall which was so amazing!  Living in texas we don't really get to experience seasons anymore so to see crunchy leaves in different colors made my heart full.  We also walked the Brooklyn Bridge and got to take advantage of my new selfie stick.

 And no trip to NYC is complete without a Broadway show.  We saw Aladdin...in the third row because we are musical snobs...and it was perfection.  Seriously the genie was spot on and I had a smile on my face the whole time.  





 Our last two days were spent shopping of course.  We had to swing by Bendel's...which was a little weird since they no long carry vendors outside of their own Bendel brand, but it was fun to show Mom where MRD was sold...definite bragging rights I'll have forever!  We also went to Mood so I could stock up on some fab leathers and fabrics, strolled through Central Park, checked out all the amazing windows on 5th Ave, and said a little prayer of thanks at St. Patrick's Cathedral for allowing us to have such a perfect girls weekend.  
And while I wish I could have packed up my little sis and put her in my suitcase to bring home with me, I'm so glad we got to spend a little time together and I can't wait to see her at xmas!  Until then, I hope she has the happiest birthday!  Love you Laur!!
 photo 6ecd2016-a0b2-4779-91c9-7ab27737b07b_zpsa031f7e1.jpg

cheetah, plaid, and sequins, oh my...

I've never really been a fan of fitting in.  I don't really get the appeal.  Why would you want to look and act just like everyone else?  Why would you want to hide the things that make you special and unique?  Why would you want to be anyone else but who you are?  I mean, who wants to be "normal"...that's just boring.


 When I moved to San Antonio, I quickly realized that fashion was a bit behind.  It stood out to me even more working in a boutique on a daily basis that what I was wearing and what people were wanting were completely different.  The funny thing was I would always get compliments on my outfits, yet when I would try and put together a look that was out of their fashion box, I would always get the same answer..."Oh I could never pull that off" or "I'm not you, I can't wear something like that"...and I would always get that same dumbfounded look on my face like...um why not?  If you like it then wear it.  Sometimes I think we get so worried about how others are going to perceive us that we are afraid to just shine, and really who wants to live that way?  You should feel free to shine your pants off...and yes I realize this dress I'm wearing is a tad short and I prob should have some pants but....like I said...shine your pants off!!



 So mix those patterns, wear navy and black together, add to many accessories, layer the shit out of everything, and own it...because as long as it's authentic to you then that's all that matters.  Yes there are fashion rules, but sometimes rules are meant to be broken.  So I wear cheetah, and plaid, and sequins, and flower crowns, and I hold my head high because, um hello, I look adorbs...and I don't really care what anyone else thinks because I'm just doing me.  


I think Dr. Seuss said it best...Why fit in when you were born to stand out?  And those my friends, are words to live by!  
 photo 6ecd2016-a0b2-4779-91c9-7ab27737b07b_zpsa031f7e1.jpg

little brother ian...

This is my younger brother Ian.  We are 3 days and 3 years apart and couldn't be more the same or more different at the same time...yeah make sense of that sentence....
He is the thinker and I am the doer.
He likes structure and I like messes.
He strives to succeed and I like to fail...before I succeed.
We're total opposites yet have so much in common, which is probably why when we are in a family setting we are always butting heads...trying to one up each other...you know normal sibling stuff.

 He doesn't live in texas anymore so we really don't get to see each other that often and over the summer one of our fave bands was playing in Chicago....DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL.  And the stars aligned and I was able to fly back to see them play and spend a weekend with my little brother and it was amazing!  It was freezing and pouring rain, but we had the best time drinking way too much,  singing our hearts out, and having some brother/sister bonding time.  We really hadn't spent to much one on one time together in awhile and it was really nice to just catch up and just be Ian and Melissa.  Sometimes I forget that he is my younger brother because he has accomplished so much and has worked so hard to get where he is.  He is so smart, and hard working, and such an amazing person and I'm so lucky to have him in my life!  
 So after our drunken concert night...which we both realized we're kind of too old for now...we got to do something even more exciting...spend the day looking at diamonds!!!  You see, Ian has been dating the most amazing girl, Julia, for like 100 years!  They seriously are so cute together and really bring out the best in one another, so I felt so special that Ian wanted my help in finding her the perfect ring.  And finally he proposed and of course she said YES!!!

I couldn't be happier for Ian and my soon to officially be my new sister Julia!  They really are the perfect match and I'm so excited for all of their new beginnings!  

 photo 6ecd2016-a0b2-4779-91c9-7ab27737b07b_zpsa031f7e1.jpg

mermaid dreams...



Do you ever wish you were a mermaid?  I mean they get the most amazing sparkly tails, cute little shell bras, and have gorgeous shimmery hair that magically looks perfect under water.  I don't know about you, but that sure sounds pretty fab to me.  Too bad water scares the shit out of me.  Don't get me wrong...I love the ocean.  I could sit on a beach and get lost in the sounds of the ocean all day long.  I love the way the water glitters under the sunlight.  How you could be having the most horrible time in your life, but standing with the sand in your toes and the waves soaking your pants because you didn't roll them up high enough....it doesn't get much better than that.  
 


But like I said...it also terrifies me.  I really can't swim, so as pretty as that water is it could also swallow me whole.  Plus, I'm a fire sign...which basically makes the water my enemy.  It's the force that could dim my flame and I can never let that happen.  But just because I can never be a real mermaid doesn't mean I can't dress like one.  All you need are some amazing navy Free People flares and a touch of color in your hair and you are well on your way to being "a part of their world"... 
 
 
 
 
 
flares: Free People, slip: Free People
booties: dsw

 photo 6ecd2016-a0b2-4779-91c9-7ab27737b07b_zpsa031f7e1.jpg