17.5.11

disco dance party hardy

Inspiration for this outfit: Oh, hey. It's raining. AGAIN?!?!?! GrrZomgWtffff. Rather than succumbing to wearing blacks and greys that parallel to the dark clouds, I REBELLED. That's right. And I didn't wear just one colour. Or two colours. Or six colours. I wore, like, EVERY colour. Bad ass? Pretty much as BAD AS THEY COME. Beeeyotchezzzz. I will no longer EAT MY VEGETABLES just to emphasize how BAD I AM. That'll show them, mom!
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
I had no idea what tights to wear with this dress. Should I go for the hot pink? The purple? The two tone? PSH, WHY NOT THE OBNOXIOUS TIE-DYE ONES TO GO WITH THE ALREADY OBNOXIOUS DRESS? And so, I reached for it. Fingers wobbling in nervous anticipation. My heart was pounding through my chest. My legs shaking as the tights rose up my thighs. My mind blank. The only route it dared to venture to was: Will it work? (in a whisper, of course). My eyes looked up (in a mirror, but that breaks the flow of my eloquent writing). I smiled. It worked. (So my brain likes to pretend... so tell your dizzy eyeballs to SUCK IT UP AND PRETEND TO LIKE IT TOO.) Image and video hosting by TinyPic
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
SO. MANY. GREEN. ANIMAL. JOKES. CANNOT. HANDLE. Seriously. I dare you guys to try to make fun of this awesome creature of a bag. I DARE YOU TO SAY SOMETHING. To my FACE. (You can be anonymous; c'est the beauty of the internet and yadda yadda.) Seriously. I've gotten IT ALL. (Or, more accurately, my lover/ bag. Poor guy is a victim of bullying.)
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
(Dress - Vintage $5, Blazer - Value Village/ Thrifted $3, Shoes - Salvation Army $7, Tights - H&M, Gloves - Gift, Bag - Gift, Hat - Nepal)

And this is where Lexy's daily ramble continues. Enjoy your stay?
Words that aren’t fun for a high school-er to hear: Guest Speaker. For me, these two words are synonymous with the likes of Boring, WasteOfTime, and UghTheyMovedTheEntireScheduleAroundSoWeDontMissBoringClassesAndOnlyOurLunchHour. (I’m normally not this pessimistic. But twenty-thousand mandatory “Guest Speakers” AKA UniversityRepsFromScienceSchoolsThatI’llNeverGoTo later...) I was seriously plotting my great escape: Can I hide in the basement? The art room? With the horses? (I’m not going on a weird tangent - my school really does have horses and farms as its backdrop. We so country, y’all!)

In conclusion, I’m really glad I sucked up my ShortTeenageAttentionSpan and went. Drew Dudley. (That was the speaker. Not some, like, new abbreviation or something.) It was really amazing. It was one of those presentations where I was like, “Lexy, remember everything this dude is saying. REMEMBER IT.” He is literally the most quote-able person. Ever.

One thing that really resonated with me is what he was saying about Lists. How everyone has this mental checklist in our head. And it is this list that holds us back.

It’s so true. I definitely carry a mental list. Things I want to do. Things that, after I do them, “I will be happy.” I think that THAT’S a huge part of our problem. I think those words are so dangerous... “Then I will be happy.” I think our lives are too conditional. We get in these traps where, after we achieve the next thing on our list, “then we will be happy.” (So we tell ourselves.) We’re rarely happy with what we have, right now. We’re always looking for more. Something better. Something that will make us MORE happy. That’s not healthy. I think that true happiness is simple: don’t be okay with what you have - be happy with what you have. Now.

Happiness is all in our head. Happiness comes from how we see the world. How we choose to respond to situations. We blame happiness on others, events... never us. “Gosh, I would have been so happy if that didn’t happen.” I’ve posted this quote before, and I’ll post it again. If you want to be my twin, you can even copy it on a sticky note and post it on your mirror! And we can recite it together, every morning, like a cult of happiness! Or, you know, something.

“I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it" - Groucho Marx.


I’ve kind of diverted from the Drew’s words. But I guess that this is my response. It’s been raining cats and dogs here! (Literally.) (Kidding. Not literally.) (Pet peeve: when literally is incorrectly used. IT WILL NEVER BE LITERALLY RAINING CATS AND DOGS FOOL.) Um. Yes. But despite the bullets of raindrops, I’ve been happy. Maybe it’s the fact that the end is almost here. Everything seems more irrelevant than ever. But that’s okay. I’ll do it. That’s another thing Drew was talking about: we measure ‘success’ by the grades we get, the bills in our pockets. It's BS.

I’m a goal-oriented person, for sure. But to be honest, the only thing that I REALLY want in my life is to be happy and to be self-sufficient. As long as I’m working toward something I love, as long as I can pay for a roof over my head... that’s all.

I’m going to try to live my life with as much laughter and positive energy as possible. My newest goal is to smile to strangers(and random kids in hallways) as much as possible. Why not? Everyone loves smiles! I’ve also decided that that’s a great reason to wear colours: colours make me happy, colours make others happy (or they stare at me and giggle “wtf is she wearing?” but HEY, giggles are better than frowns.)

I think we all just have to let life be. And be happy in it.

So cheers to Lexy talking too much! I actually have a billion more thought bubbles in my head, but I will spare you the details.
What do you think the key to happiness is? How do you go about each day?
xx sorry, my comment responding has been lackluster. Pop an email over at lexyht@hotmail.com if you want to chat a bit more.

45 comments:

LyddieGal said...

put that bad weather in it's place! don't let it run your day, or your ability to dress in technicolor. I love your bangles and crazy bag!

Chic on the Cheap

blank said...

Cute dress!

Jenna said...

Whoa!! Your tights!! Your shoes!! So awesome!! :D
That's cool about the mental checklist... really interesting. I think that we all have our own boundaries for ourselves, like "I'll never go to India" or "I'll never go mountain climbing there" stuff like that. Ok, those were horrible examples, but you get the point. People just say never too much.
Ok that was off topic.
Great post!!! Really thought provoking!!

Lydia Armstrong said...

You are the queen of mixing brights.

SOJOURNED IN STYLE said...

no one mixes prints quite like you. so many patterns and prints all jumbled together, love. That quote is one to memorize. I like your mentality of being happy in that moment and not waiting for a spark of joy to make you happy. I need to get rid of my list...

Anonymous said...

You look absolutely fandabbydozy!
So many colours... It makes me so happy! =]

There are a few simple things guaranteed to make me happy. Something yellow, a nice cup of tea, a text from my BF, a randomer smiling at me on the street, randomly smiling at people on the street, my teddy, a good book....

There's no point waiting for the big things to make you happy. They don't happen everyday. The little things do though =]
x

Amélie said...

LOVE your dress, tights and shoes <3 Your colours are so levely :) You're so cute :D

missy-daisy.com

Shelby said...

that is the most amazing bag ever. its like a place to keep your stuff and a pet all in one.

ohmaygod said...

haha love the fun pictures!

Fashionisaparty.com (Suz) said...

haha, you always shine so much happiness! love your tights

Polley said...

This is an amazing post. I think I really needed something like this. I am in a strange time right now because I graduated college and I have this 'list' too, but I think I need to reassess some things. I'm glad you went to watch the guest speaker and that you shared it with us.

Also, I TOTALLY LOVE YOUR TIGHTS. I think your outfit looks really fun with the dress and it's perfect for the cloudy day :)

Hanna said...

you look amazing! love the flowers on flowers girl!!

Eli said...

Some days are more overwhelming than others, you'll soon find out if you havent already. You have to learn to live to your own expectations and check off your own lists, not doing those of others and worrying about others' problems. It's tough, especially when you jump into the working world, so enjoy school for as long as you can. Learn who you are, so that you dont lose yourself later.

mispapelicos said...

What a magic splash of colour. You are an inspiration.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shoe said...

Your outfits are just so amazing and fun, I'm continually blown away by them!

And I totally agree about the whole "THEN I will be happy" mentality. I find it hard to be happy some times but I do try and remind myself how fortunate I am in life :)

Bonnie said...

I love how obnoxious your outfit is. I really want to be "that" girl that walks with you down the street. You know, the sidekick. I can be considered "the funny one." Or the one with the fly dance moves. I'm cool with that, too.
Your comments make me smile and feel good about myself for the rest of the day. :)
But that's because you're awesome.
DUH.

http://www.glamkittenslitterbox.com/
Twitter: @GlamKitten88

Lalli Carvalho said...

You are very beautiful, loved your blog ♥

Nieke said...

Your outfits make me so happy! Colorful and all the prints, I would never combine it like that but it still looks amazing on you. Love it!

FarBeyondBelieving

Katheyn Volikos said...

your blog is great. Full of inspiration!




www.runwayrocknroll.blogspot.com
<3
Katheryn

Marisa Noelle said...

You are amazing..seriously!! I completely adore the way you mix colors, prints, textures..etc. The whole ensemble is bright, lovely, and perfect!!

Key to happiness for me - a happy, healthy family full of love for one another.

Ally said...

Lexie!!!
Your post is inspiring.
It's so right aswell. We all do that.
I give myself tiny goals to accomplish like this week I will challenge myself to cook something Ive never cooked before. Or reorganising my closet, small goals that make me feel like im actually making things better piece by piece. If i dont have time to do them, I play with my dog or my kitty and think of how lucky i am.
I do that more often than not.

love xx
www.veritableally.net

Style, She Wrote said...

Happiness is inner peace. And I try not to get too worked up about things. P.S. Love the printed tights. xo stylem she wrote

Yana said...

Your style is freaking amazing. If only I was that creative :P

That was a really inspiring post. I agree, our lives really are too conditional. Reading that "then I will be happy" made me feel guilty because I know even I think that way sometimes. Better to be happy now :) Good mentality! :D

Sasha said...

Always fun and colorful! You definitely've got your personal style!
xo

FashionJazz said...

You are so creative hun! Love your outfit! Happy Thursday xx

Gizelle Faye | Vanilla Ice Cream said...

an INSPIRING post and just in perfect timing to how confused and depressed i am these past few weeks. my neuropathic meds had something to do with it but i have to admit that it is mostly how i decide to be when i wake up in the morning.

i love this post and so i have re-posted it on my FB wall and tweeted about it to. ♥

♥ vanilla ice cream ♥
SALE at shopyapi.com

Absolutely Mrs. K said...

you have done it again, i love love the gloves. perfect with the bracelets. you know how to be colorful girl.

the key to happiness! health, relax, think about things twice

Absolutely Mrs. K said...

you have done it again, i love love the gloves. perfect with the bracelets. you know how to be colorful girl.

the key to happiness! health, relax, think about things twice

Dear Girl Wallflower said...

oh gosh, the key for happiness is when you have the right man (may not be perfect) but faithful and loving, and a child ( a family) and this family makes their lives happy, content, strong and fun, they get to travel places, eat great foods, skrimpt in a good sense...save for the child's college, and chasing their dreams together.=)

as always you bring the brightness of your outfits to everybody's eyes!

Claire said...

okay, you are awesome! seriously, i dunno how you mix that many colors/prints and make it look good. i'm LOVING that bag too. and the bracelets over the gloves? brilliant. this outfit is making me happy!

dunno, is there really a key to happiness? love yourself? be yourself? love others? if you find the answer, LMK. but for me, being with my girls makes me pretty darn happy (and tired).

spinning-threads.blogspot.com

Dawn said...

I would not have the balls to walk out in something like this, but I know you do. Individually, I love each piece (but the tights the most, I think). I WANT YOUR JACKET. Also, I'm glad you enjoyed your guest speaker. Like you, I was bored with most of mine in high school. Perhaps I'll have to check this guy out, because I have a lot of "lists" that keep me from being happy...when I just...should! Again, thanks for getting back to me and leaving another comment. I have "scribbles" every Monday.

Mademoiselle Ruta said...

YES YES YES YES 100 billion times YES for Drew Dudley. So I'm part of exec for orientation week at my college at u of t and I had to attend this leader day thing and he was the key note speaker and HE WAS AMAZING! He literally changed my perspective on life. It was amazing. Did he do the lollipop story>??? It's soooo incredible.

This post just went into the pages of awesomness because he IS AMAZING and your outfit is super duper cool, especially that bag and shoes and tights.

Unknown said...

umm I love that bag, this outfit is perrrrrfection! that speaker sounds so interesting. key to happiness is...um I can't answer that, looks like I need to do some self searching. ahaha.

xoxo

karin said...

Great outfit and pictures!!! The key to be happy for me would be to accept and enjoy every moment of your life,don´t complain about life gives to you and enjoy the little details, hapiness is about moments!! www.stylepicture.blogspot.com

Audrey Allure said...

Such a cute outfit - I love your dress!

Hmm, there was a quote written on the subway system one time & I agree with it: Happiness is doing what you love!

Annie Spandex said...

I Love your orange shoes and that muppet purse!! So fun!! x The key to happiness is to laugh :)

Louise said...

Hey Lexy, love your outfit. I really think gloves are great. I mean, I never see anybody wear gloves these days. But it is so much cooler and nicer! It's so chic and you won't get your hands dirty at all!

Oh well, enough about gloves. I think it is amazing that they actually put out good guest speakers out there. I am, what is more boring than obligatory listening to some guy that talks shit and... all. - I have it all the day. Wrong choice of studycourse I suppose.

I will and shall be finished with school in 3 weeks. And I either pass or fail for this year (I hope I pass because then I'll be able to study art at University, yay!) But I think I'll be happy anyhow. That I didn't die or boredom or un-happy-ness or stress. (Boredom and stress are freakily closed linked!)

But anyway, I think that the key on happiness is just to be always true to yourself and true to others as well. And to treat others like you'd treat yourself. And just spread happiness even though life is really really shitty. (and still be serious in getting your life back up again instead of laughing it off)

I don't think the "perfect partner" or "perfect house" or "perfect dress" will improve on your happiness that much. Sure it is really nice, but you can only spread love/happyness/good things if you are happy yourself, if you love yourself and if you do good things.

And I think that family or friends are very important too, because they will be the ones that listen or give advice in times of need. :)

Louise said...

Oops. That was pretty long, wasn't it? :')

The Mad Twins said...

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey !! ^__^

I love it how you dare to wear so many patterns together :D It's so amazing! And so colorful ^-^
It always makes me happy when I look at your posts ^-^
and I have the same thighs =P


xxx

Reckless Rekha. said...

Your dress is so pretty! I agree with you, i always expect high and end up with dissapointment sigh and you look really lovely <3

Ali said...

HA! your bag looks like the hair of some 70s glam rocker! I think if I had that bag I would just sit it in my lap and stroke it all day like a cat.
I love your shoes, they're so perfect! orange is awesome and orange leather is even better. I wish I had lots of cool colourful shoes but truth is I hate wearing shoes and try to avoid it as much as possible. so I don't buy many shoes.

sara l said...

so cute and colorful, love it!!
xx

zs closet said...

great mix!xx

www.zscloset.blogspot.com

Victoria said...

i love this! and your shoes are amazing!!!!

Lawrencepawv said...

great mix!xx www.zscloset.blogspot.com