The Perks of Being a Nordstrom Rack Employee

I work at Nordstrom Rack. Today, my store (it's located at the Northgate mall in North Seattle) officially opens its doors to the general public.

On Tuesday, though, we had an employee shop event where I got first pick of all of the shoes I've been drooling over for the past two weeks while we set the store up. I only bought one pair, but they were well worth it.

I've been on the hunt for a pair of monkstrap shoes for about two years now, but have struggled to find any for under $200. Sure, I found some on ebay, but not knowing if they were genuine or knockoffs and knowing that someone else had already been wearing them made me wary of spending a penny more than I thought the shoes were worth. So when I found a pair of Cole Haan monkstraps at work and realized that, with my discount, they could be mine for the low price of $40, I absolutely had to pull the trigger.

I hope that you like them as much as I do.

Always carry your camera, or else.

No pictures this morning. Today I relearned an important lesson for anyone with an appreciation for beautiful/cool/interesting/weird things.

I've not carried my camera with me for a little while, now. It tends to seem pointless to tote around a camera when you're just going to work and going home and it's always raining and you have to get up at 5. I mean, it's hard enough for me to remember to grab my lunch, let alone my little Rebel, when I have to leave my house at 6. But today I was reminded that you never know when you'll see something that simply deserves to be photographed and preserved somewhere other than your memory.

So, this morning a dedicate this post to the sweet girl at the coffee shop rocking the royal blue trousers with the legs rolled up and cheetah print oxfords. I salute your sartorial prowess, fellow stylish human.

It's been a while.

Well, I've had some people ask why I don't post any more, and I really haven't got an answer. However, I find myself with a free hour every morning right now, so I might as well make some use of that time.

This blog has served a number of purposes, but right now it's simply a place for some of my musings and maybe the occasional picture or two.

This morning, I give you a glimpse into how my mornings are spent before work at the Jewel Box in Northgate.

Ballin' on a budget: Days 11 & 12

Since I wasn't able to make one of these posts yesterday, today you get a two-for-one. YAY!

Day 11

Shirt: Old Navy ($15) Pants: Levis via Macy's ($35) Shoes: Dr. Scholl's via Famous Footwear ($20) [previously featured on days five and nine]

Day 12

Sweater: J. Crew Outlet ($25) Jeans: GAP ($35) [previously featured on day four] Shoes: Commandeered from my father's closet ($free ninety-nine)

If you hadn't noticed, I'm trying some different things stylistically. The beer helped to calm my nerves about making changes.

The delicious beverage from the above photo.

It isn't easy being (rave)green

The first team of the Seattle Sounders F.C. have already seen their ups and downs in the short time since their season started. A 2-1 victory over Santos Laguna at home in the first leg of the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) Champions League was followed by a 6-1 thumping in the second leg at the hands of their Mexican opponents. Three days later, they started their regular season campaign with a 3-1 win over Toronto F.C. courtesy of a David Estrada hat trick. A week later they beat Houston Dynamo 2-0, but since have lost 1-0 to the San Jose Earthquakes and drew 0-0 in D.C.

The teams reserves have had their share of difficulties as well. Starting reserve league action in Vancouver, the Sounders reserves returned home with one point after a 1-1 draw. Last night, the team hoped to be able to get a win out of their match with the Portland Timbers reserves, but it simply wasn't in the cards. With injuries to the first team, players like Roger Levesque, Zack Scott and Patrick Ianni have been getting their playing time on the weekend rather than with the reserves. The result was a young and largely inexperienced squad that hasn't had much opportunity to play together.

The Sounders got off to a rough start, as the Timbers took an early lead after Jhon Kennedy Hurtado scored an own goal trying to head away a long throw-in. The Timbers would pick up another in the first half to give them a 2-0 lead. Unfortunately, the score would remain unchanged as the Sounders struggled to find each other or the back of the net. Frustration clearly built as Eddie Johnson tried step-over after step-over, losing the ball numerous times.

There were bright spots in an otherwise dreary game, though. Andrew Duran looked good coming back from a knee injury as he had a solid night at right back and regularly pushed up to help in the attack. Alex Caskey looked good, as did Andy Rose and Servando Carrasco, as they tried to pull the team together to get a result.

Carrasco and Duran link up on the right side.

As painful as the game may have been to watch at times, I did enjoy going to my first reserve game and I took quite a few pictures. They didn't all turn out, but they can all be seen here. Thanks for reading.

Ballin' on a budget: Day 10

Beanie: Sounders ($30)

Jacket: Sounders ($50)

Scarf: Sounder at Heart ($15)

Shirt: Ben Sherman via Nordstrom Rack ($25)

Bow-tie: the Tie Bar, but actually a groomsmen's gift from Bridget and Robbie Park's wedding ($15)

Jeans: Levis via Macy's ($40)

Shoes: I honestly can't read or remember the brand, but they're from Nordstrom Rack ($15)

As you can probably guess from the outfit, I was at another Sounders game tonight. This one was the Sounders reserves playing the Portland Timbers reserves. The result wasn't what I expected or hoped for (a 2-0 loss), but I did manage to bring both my camera AND an SD card, so I'll have pictures to post tomorrow.

In the meantime, thanks for reading. If you're enjoying things so far and plan to continue with me, feel free to follow and share with your friends.

Ballin' on a budget: Day...9?

Okay, technically I missed Monday. Today is day 10 of this project, but this post is to reflect on what was day 9. First and (as far as this post is concerned) foremost, the subject of this project and post:

Jacket: Forever21 ($20)

Shirt: Brooks Brothers via Good Will ($7)

Pants: Dockers via Macy's tailored by my mom ($20)

Shoes: Dr. Scholl's via Famous Footwear ($20) [previously featured on day five]

Beyond dressing well and editing photos, today I also watched the newest episode of Mad Men and watched the Sounders Women play against Seattle Pacific University. I had heard about the game previously, but not until this afternoon did I realize that players like Alex Morgan, Hope Solo and Sydney Leroux would be featured. Really, the only absence from the team was Megan Rapinoe.

Anyways, I was pretty excited at the opportunity to not only watch these top-tier athletes, but also photograph the occasion. Unfortunately, while I remembered my camera, I forgot to pull my SD card out of my lap top before leaving the house. As a result, my camera hung useless from my neck for the entire match. I did manage to snap a few photos with my phone, though. Although, to be honest, most of them didn't turn out, but this one sort of did

A second later and I would have captured an Alex Morgan assist.