fashion Archives - Whitney Victoria

Whitney Lately Vol. 1

Listening Lately:

Jess Glynne, Ella Henderson, and Leona Lewis

Those empowering girl singers were my music of choice this week.

I love this song. It makes me want to smile and dance around in the kitchen.

Watching lately:

Grace & Frankie: Binge-watch an old lady show? Check. It’s hilarious and I’m sad I’m all caught up and have to wait months for new eps.

Drinking lately:

Mango LaCroix

Love love love sparkling water for when I need something other than plain water or coffee. I picked up this flavor at Whole Foods. It’s now my current fave.

Eating lately:

Gluten free Chocolate Molten Lava Cake

This warm, melty chocolate cake was excellent with the cold ice cream from The Peanut Bar. I’m impressed it was gluten free! It would have been a little too sweet all to myself though. It’s meant to be shared!

Wearing lately:

Leather half gloves

I’m obsessed with keeping my hands soft, especially in the winter, but I hate the fact that gloves are either too big for my child-sized hands or they’re bulky and don’t let me pick up anything. These are so cute. (Butttt, not warm. I wore them in NYC in December last year and almost got frost bite. I had to buy thicker gloves in Bryant Park because I literally couldn’t use my fingers at that point. Sorry! Style over comfort every time. )

Mine were from eBay like five years ago. Here is a similar pair.

Loving lately:

2018 Winter Olympics

The Olympics only happen every 2 years and obviously, the Winter is every 4 years, so this is big! Closely related to my addiction to sports movies, the Olympics are the best of the best for inspo of all kinds. Endless motivational stories and competitions and history-in-the-making for 2.5 weeks straight! I’ve been watching them for as long as I can remember. No lie. Like, probably since Keri Strug stuck her landing. I had a kid’s book about Michelle Kwan and I’m still semi-crushing on Apolo Ohno. Ahh, I can’t wait! Whitney heaven.

Have a lovely weekend! Do something that lights you up.

~Whitney Victoria

February 9, 2018February 9, 2018

Whitney Victoria2 Comments

Commitment Issues

It’s not what you think. Well, maybe a little. The last month or so I’ve really noticed how much I sign up for, RSVP “yes” to, and overall commit to doing that I just don’t actually want to do. I’m an over-committer.

I’ve always been reliable and professional. Committing to things seemed like a perfect way to prove that I was grown-up and trustworthy. It was like a way to give myself proof that I was doing the right thing. Flaky people don’t complete fitness challenges or make plans months in advance, right? It’s been my goal up until recently to present my best self to everyone at all times. That’s another major issue…but this lead me to care so much what people thought of me that I usually didn’t stop to think why I wanted to do it.

I’ve seen too many people cancel at the last minute or show up late or go from obsessing over the latest trend to forgetting all about it a month later. For a reason I’m still unsure of, I labeled that kind of behavior “bad” or “wrong.” Obviously, I didn’t want anyone to think of me that way.

I’m crediting mostly my amazing week in NJ at a Tony Robbins event with finally realizing who I want to be and how much I’m not being that person. (Also another huge, long story, but truly groundbreaking for me.)

After that moment of seeing it all before me, it dawned on me that so many of my commitments I did in order to feel a certain way. I’d force myself to go to meetings or show up for a shift of whatever when really I wanted to be at home baking or at the gym in a class. It’s been years since I’ve not had almost every single moment planned out. I even made (make…I’m a work in progress) lists for my days off. I’ll write down “watch Grey’s Anatomy, roast vegetables, shower.” Seriously, I’ve written “shower” on my to-do lists…like I’d forget or something.

What I didn’t realize is that the things I’d forget to do probably weren’t things that got me excited or led me to some kind of joyful outcome. I’m getting better and letting go and going with my impulses. They don’t steer me wrong. I just have to breathe and listen.

Maybe 2 weeks ago I told several people that they shouldn’t allow me to sign up for anything unless it was a one-time thing like one yoga class until the new year. No going to that class and then buying a 10-class package so I’d pigeon-hole myself into going, thinking it was for my own good when really it would make me miserable.

This week I thought, “wait, me making a pact to not commit to anything is exactly the kind of stupid rules and games I’m trying to quit.”

It’s actually not about never making plans. It’s about only doing things that make me happy. That’s what matters.

In lighter news, my pecan pie was made using Pillsbury cinnamon rolls as the crust and this recipe for the filling. (No corn syrup!) It was pretty good but I think I’d like more filling next time since the rolls absorbed a lot of the moisture when baking. The outfit. Simple, festive-enough, and all pieces I already owned. Weird for me, but I loved it this year. It’s a tradition to go to Murdough’s Christmas Barn after eating Thanksgiving dinner. This ornament is straight-up Law of Attraction.I appointed myself the table place card maker. I found these little ornaments and tags. I kept it simple and wrote each person’s name, after attaching the pinecones. It was cute and something everyone could take home.

My tiny Hello Kitty tree is up at work! Lucky I have a huge desk to fit all my holiday decorations.

Black Friday was goooood to me. I got this tree for $23. I’m fine with a semi-straggly tree this year when it’s just me enjoying it. I’ve always been partial to the Charlie Brown trees of the lot anyway. It’s clearly still in the works but at least it’s up!

One month exactly until my birthday. I like to do a little soul-searching this time of year. I’m striving for following my instincts so I can do more of what I love, more of the time.

~Whitney Victoria

November 30, 2017November 30, 2017

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Reputations

I’m entirely excited and in major anticipation for Reputation. I have had “Call It What You Want” on repeat for the last week. One. More. Day. People. I may have all the songs pre-released already memorized. I’m planning my concert outfit. I’m buying a sweatshirt like Taylor’s on the cover. No shame whatsoever.

I realized I never showcased the beautiful architecture in Connecticut, mostly on the Yale campus, so here goes.

This is the The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion that we just stopped by to check out. It was closed the only day we could see it but the exterior was so cool to see from the walking trails around it. It was built in 1864 and has been used for several movie scenes. Just walking the grounds around it felt eerie to me. There was definitely some kind of strange presence.

After that, we heading to New Haven to see the Yale campus. It was better than I imagined. I expected like 2 buildings to have some cool windows or whatever. Old Campus was made up almost entirely of Victorian Gothic structures. So beautiful.

Sorry I’m wearing the same outfit in every pic. There was no time or place for a wardrobe change.

You can’t get the whole feel of the campus by the odd angles and view we took. All in an attempt to capture the enormousness and detail of the buildings.

Every door was immense and intimidating. I loved how the student id scanners were placed on the crazy old gates. Some buildings were built in 1750!

Yes, there was tons of ivy at the ivy league. This picture doesn’t do it justice. Some halls had it growing up the entire side of the building and down on the ground floor.

There was a great street with shops and little restaurants so we had to hit the college bookstore.

I had just grabbed ice cream when we decided it was necessary for one last souvenir. I bought a mug…it makes me feel super collegiate while drinking my coffee.On the way home we found some cute shops in New Canaan as well. The fox is my spirit animal. I had to pose.

This was the best! My own personal store had unique little gifts and table decor.

Look at the sister store that was next door!

Our night ended in Westport at the prettiest Anthropologie I’ve ever laid eyes on.

Anyone else buying Taylor’s album? You know you want to.

“T” minus 1 day.

~Whitney Victoria

November 9, 2017November 9, 2017

Whitney Victoria1 Comment

Windy Nights are Alright

Crazy Sexy Love Note OTD

I started writing this Sunday evening. It was rainy and windy and a little bit chilly and I loved it. After getting home around noon, I promptly decided it was time I get into sweats and lounge for the rest of the day. Those days really are the best after a busy week.

Boy, was that sofa inviting. I haven’t watched movies regularly for awhile since I became an annoying Netflix/Hulu follower. For some reason it’s been easier to binge-watch I’m old school. I’d still have a VCR and commercials to speed through if I had my choice so watching real movies, start to finish, was really appealing to me today. It started with Skyfall and ended with Creed (a sequel comes out next year!). Actions movies do it for me quite often. I totally forgot but there’s a scene in Creed where they are watching a movie and it’s Skyfall! What are the odds? Do you think I subconsciously remembered this and that’s why I wanted to watch Creed right after? Whatever.

I have such an addiction to sports movies, underdog stories, and I may have cried while watching this one tonight. Yeah, yeah, I’m not saying it’s the greatest cinematic film ever but I love a good fight, metaphorically and physically. I love seeing a character never back down or give up when it matters. Total endless motivation for me.

Halloween is upon us. I dressed up once and I’m done. it was great but I’m more excited for November. Some years I relish every moment in costume but this was a tad lackluster.

My gumball machine costume was super easy! I had a red dress I didn’t love anymore. All I bought was a bag of pom-poms for $3.99. They were hot-glued to the top section. Then I glued a piece of foil to cardboard and drew on the look of the machine’s mechanism. (Yes, big technical word.) I totally saw the idea on Pinterest and loved it like 2 months ago. Unique, bright colors and I still get to look cute? I’m in.

This past weekend I went to Folino Estate Winery with two friends and, I’m speaking for all of us, but we had a blast. None of us were ever there an didn’t’ know what to expect. It’s up out of the way. There is a restaurant, tasting room, shop, patio, and a perfect spot for weddings. They had a candy and wine pairing event going on for Halloween and if you dressed up in costume and posted a picture, you could win a $100 gift card. No word yet on the winner but it was fun regardless!

This was the wine tasting and shop area!

The estate was really beautiful and up on a hill. We ate lunch first and everything was excellent. I’d like to go back anytime! There was bread and olive oil with herbs on the table. to start. The bread was light and fluffy and had olives strewn about! I continued the carbo-loading and had a flat bread mushroom pizza. Also, great.

This was the personal size pizza! See that herbed EVOO photobomb? Mmm.

I do not claim to know much of anything about wine so excuse my slight ignorance. I’ve done a few short wine tastings before but the woman who did this one seemed the most knowledgeable. They had special glasses that had thumb indents and one on the bottom for your middle finger. I never saw these before but I loved them! It’s so you can swirl the wine around easily and look incredibly fancy. I totally felt like I knew what i was doing all of a sudden, just holding that fun glass.

The wine started with whites paired with candy corn and then skittles. I’m not a fan of either candy but somehow they tasted better with the wine! We had to take 3-4 sips of wine, then a bite of candy, then a sip of wine again. I was impressed with how well they actually brought out different flavors of both the candy and the wine.

I do know that I tend toward red wines. I’m not a huge sweet person. When it comes to dessert I usually pick coffee, or dark chocolate flavors. Reds seem rich, deep, and complex to me. Just how I like my men. (Am I kidding…?)

We each bought a glass then to enjoy on their patio and it was so windy I flashed everyone. Hello! I was carrying a glass of wine, my purse, and had no extra hands to hold down my skirt. My hope is that everyone sitting out there was too into their drinks to have noticed. Oh well! At least I was wearing tights.

For November Folino is doing a wine and pie pairing event! Now that’s my kind of party. Any takers??

Enjoy your Halloween! May it be safe and full of Reese’s pumpkins!

~Whitney Victoria

October 31, 2017October 31, 2017

Whitney Victoria2 Comments

Meal With a View

Continuing my recap of Connecticut, I thought I’d focus on some amazing food we experienced. The first night we were there, we were craving lobster rolls. I googled it so see who was serving them in close proximity to our hotel since I wasn’t up for a long car ride after the drive up there. I found Sunset Grille. It was about 6 miles from where we were staying and they had a waterfront view! We lucked out and it was literally the last day of the season that the restaurant was open! It was nothing special as far as decor goes, but the ambiance was there with the yachts, sea breeze, and delicious food.

They had two kinds of lobster rolls. One was warm with butter, and the other was cold with mayo and herbs. Both were amazing. We got one of each and then split them! I couldn’t decide my favorite. The french fries were also seriously great. I didn’t leave one on the plate.

Up close and personal. We found a beach down the road that was free to walk on since it was October. It was so windy but really fun to just walk around and look out at the water. The next day was New Haven. The little shop was called Maison Mathis and had a great vibe. This was an impromptu stop for coffee and I got a wonderful brown butter chocolate chip cookie. I wish I took a picture to commemorate it and would like to make my own batch. I’m a tad OCD about researching things so I did my homework and knew about most of the cafes within 5 miles of the Yale campus. We hit Claire’s Corner Copia for a late lunch. Isn’t that such a cute name? They specialize in vegan and gluten-free food and have been open since 1975! I had some Asian noodles and veggies. It was so filling and satisfying after a day of walking around the city. But, it also tasted light and healthy. After not having real homemade bread for, basically years, this little loaf was breathtaking. I was obsessed with it, ate every crumb, and want some more. I had some unsweetened blueberry iced tea that was little tart. I actually added stevia and I hardly ever need to do that. Our third day was for traveling home. I found a cute, organic spot for brunch called Baldanza in New Canaan. I have to say, my brioche french toast was probably the best french toast I’ve ever had. Uncured bacon and fair-trade coffee were musts. I loved the diverse but clean choices there. Next time I’m in town, I’ll be back.

My mom had the gluten-free egg sandwich and also said it was the best ever! Mmmmm.

I think my biggest smiles are when I’m posing with food. I’m not ashamed one bit.

~Whitney Victoria

October 23, 2017October 23, 2017

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Grocery Love

My name is Whitney and I’m addicted to grocery stores. One of my favorite things to do is walk around the grocery store. Well, I discovered my new fave place. I went to Connecticut with my mom, on a whim. I picked a town that was local to a few areas I wanted to hit. Norwalk fit the bill. There wasn’t all that much to do there as far as “tourist” attractions go, but I did find Stew Leonard’s on several lists all over the internet.

As much as I like a good food store, I still was a little confused why it made TripAdvisor’s “Things To Do in Norwalk.” And, then we walked inside. There was time to kill our first day in town so we thought it was something to check out, even if we just ended up with a snack for later.

Of course we took pics in a grocery store! It was totally swarmed with shoppers the first time we went so we actually ended up there our last morning to leisurely walk the aisles.

The floral section was beautiful! They had fresh lavender which is not all that common to find. We need to talk about the rainbow, unicorn bagels. I thought they were legend and only existed in a big, fancy city bagelry. Isn’t that bagel bin a beauty?It was even prettier inside! I’m 100% sure the bagel was amazing and would have been despite it looking like Play-Doh. Light, fluffy, airy. Mmmm.Some macarons made their way home with us. The chocolate one was fudge and creamy.Dark potato chips are a weakness. These did not disappoint. The first thing that’s around the corner when you walk in, is the coffee and juice bar! That made me happy from the first step inside. I went for a mix of 1/4 hazelnut, 3/4 iced Columbian. Very excellent.Just a girl among her coffee bean barrels.I’m obsessed with lobster rolls and order them whenever possible. I LOVE that Connecticut has them to-go! Seriously, one of my favorite goods and I’ll take them any way I can get them. Since Stew Leonard’s is a “dairy store,” they even had part of the assembly line in the store to watch!

A sad, unphotographed item was edible cookie dough. It was a massive chunk that I bought for dessert. It’s long gone. There was an ice cream counter attached to the store and they actually serve and ice cream cone with one scoop cookie dough, one scoop ice cream!

There were lots of samples too, which is always good in my eyes. I had an apple cider doughnut hole and some great sugared pizelle pieces.

I’m a Fuji apple gal but Honeycrisp are my mom’s favorites and they are a pretty close second for me. Stew’s even had Honeyscrisp apple cider!

Anyone else LOVE grocery stores, food, and shopping for treats?

~Whitney Victoria

October 20, 2017October 20, 2017

Whitney Victoria5 Comments

Seasons

There are seasons to everything. The weather, sports, but especially life.

I think of it as a fad or a trend. You know when you’re really into that binge-worthy show? You watch it every night until you’ve finished the entire series. Now what? Oh right, you move on. You find a new show. Or maybe you start a blog ( wink, wink) and that becomes your current obsession. It might be trendy in Whitney World to

It’s okay to move on. There is no one telling you it’s do or die if you quit something. Well, maybe there is someone telling you you’re lazy or unmotivated but I’m here to tell you there’s a difference between letting something go and giving up right before the finish line.

Just in the fitness realm there have been so many seasons. I’ve had seasons of running, seasons of lifting weights, seasons of Insanity. (The Beachbody program, not my mental status…debatable.)

Then there’s food. I pride myself on enjoying healthy food. I like learning about it too. It’s a real hobby of mine and has been since high school.

The point is, sometimes you need to give it up to know it’s something important to you.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

There have been hobbies I stopped and I’ve never felt the urge to go back to, ever. Like making gimp keychains…what, like my 12-year-old crafts don’t count? Other things, like running, I end up missing eventually. I find myself longing to feel winded and sweaty and alive!

I used to get mad at myself when I lost interest in something I deemed as “good.” Something like sticking to a specific workout program. Now I’ve realized it means I’ve outgrown it.

Sometimes you are in your winter, and feel like sitting under a fuzzy blanket, warm tea in hand, while you watch rom coms every weekend. I can feel myself when I’m in my lively season. I sign up for everything. Being around people makes me happy. I wake up every morning and can’t wait to see what’s going to happen!

Wherever I am at the moment is where I’m supposed to rest at the moment. Like in the big hair and big sunglasses zone.

It’s OKAY.

Tomorrow I might be into the round John Lennon’s. No judgment here.

~Whitney Victoria

October 6, 2017October 6, 2017

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Red, Why, and Blue.

It’s pretty much standard motivational talk these days to talk about your “why.” In certain situations, it’s darn difficult to figure it out. So much of our daily routine are based on things we don’t remember why we’re doing them. You know, like how you’re on autopilot so much that you don’t remember driving to work? There are so many of this little moments that you gloss over throughout your life and pretty soon you are in a place you don’t recognize.

It’s about living with intention when you’re aware of your purpose for going after something. By calling it a “why,” it sounds much less daunting to me. It’s really more than that but, God, my “purpose?” My “life’s work?” Come on, I don’t want that kind of pressure. Who, what, where, why. Tiny words we learn in elementary school seem easier to swallow.

When you know your “why,” you have major motivation. It makes whatever you’re doing have an underlying boost. I feel like it’s that little voice in the back of my mind that tells me not to give up. It’s that voice that reminds me I’ll feel 1000% better when I get over that hill I’m hoofing up. That voice has told me that it’s okay that I’m scared to put myself out there because I’m doing something great. The ends justify the means.

Your “why” is basically what makes all the hard stuff, worth it.

When you know the reason you’re suffering, suddenly you can withstand more than you’ve ever realized. This has been amazing when I’ve done physical challenges like running races but it’s another frame of mind for emotional tasks. When I run, I’m literally crossing a finish line. You see it in the distance after miles of effort. Then you run under an arch with crowds of people cheering! Of course, that “why” is easy to see. Total fanfare. But when it’s something I’m working on myself, it’s kind of like this , too much questioning.

My “why” has been evasive lately. I think it’s wearing camo and hiding in the bushes of my brain, probably doing an army crawl through the mud to get away from me. Or maybe it’s right there in the sun, wearing shades, and I just need to look around and say hey.

I have oodles of pictures from Labor Day so brace yourself for a lot of tomato red. Me in my tennis outfit, like I just came off the court. Hey, life is a runway. (Obviously, I just sang that to the tune of “Life is a Highway”)

I needed a seat. Just so happened the motorized dump truck looked most appealing.

There was some impromptu street hockey so excuse the driveway and camper in the background. I got into it…my competitive spirt came out a little. Man, I miss field hockey but can’t bring myself to be like the 35-year-old men at the gym playing dodgeball.
Cloey the Corgi, in the patriotic spirit. What a trooper. She’s a gem.

Manning the grill because I think watching Food Network makes me Bobby Flay.
Final s’mores of the season! We had square (square!) marshmallows that apparently are specifically for s’more building. I prefer the real cylindrical ‘mallows. They just seem right. Plus, I like to double roast! You know, set it on fire and then the inner part stays on the stick and then you get to roast that part? Sitting around a fire is pure nostalgia. It never gets old.

I like to keep my “why” in mind when I feel dead tired and want to quit but…There comes a time when you should stop asking why why why, and just live IRL.

~Whitney Victoria

P.S. There’s a book called Find Your Why by Simon Sinek. Guess what that’s about? I haven’t read it but I’ve seen/listened to talks by Simon. He’s a little cocky and wears glasses he thinks he can pull off, because he’s clearly smart…but I’m sure it’s a good read.

September 6, 2017

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