This is 40

It’s my birthday and I AM 40! I can barely even type that without having ALL the feels. I mean, how am I 40?! It just does not make sense to me at all as I feel like I am 30(ish) and I always thought 40 was soo old growing up. I have always felt younger than the number I am turning, but this for year really has me thinking.

Real Thoughts On Turning 40

Let me start by saying, there are SO many amazing things that come with aging- every year that has passed I have learned so much not only about myself, but about life in general. Things that seemed so important in my 20s are now trivial, but those things and experiences at that age are also what helped shape me into who I am today. I personally LOVED my 20s- I lived at the beach in San Diego, went to college at University of San Diego and honestly adored every minute of it! I 1000% lived life to the fullest and did not really have a care in the world. Plus I met Colby, who is was then a boyfriend, but is now my world! We got married when we were 27, which at the time didnt seem young, but now so does. But FOREVER grateful for the world bringing us together!

Fast forward to turning 30, my friends were starting to have babies and that freaked out me sooo much. Colby and I both are immature for our ages and were so not ready for that next step in life. I think that’s what stresses me out or bothers me the most about turning another year older- the rules/expectations that come with it. You go to college, you get a great job, you get married, you have 2 kids, you buy a house, you…… it goes on and on. But WHO made up that timeline? We all think we should live by it, but why? If that is or was your timeline, I am not saying that is bad, I am just saying I think that is what makes aging so difficult for me (and so many others).

Colby and I chose to not follow the rules and wait to have kids. I do not regret this at all as it was how we felt then. Sadly when we did decide to try (at 35), we did not have the luck as we assumed we would. We tried for years, saw a few doctors, tried some methods/things to help the situation and nothing worked. Because my dad has a sister with down syndrome and my older half sister has a daughter with special needs, we decided not to go the IVF route. I feel like the world would’ve pushed us to do more if it was right for us. I know we would be incredible parents and who knows, maybe we will adopt or I will magically get pregnant, but at the moment we are just enjoying our Bigs (our dog) and each other.

This Is Me

As I turn 40 today, I am so grateful for all I have been blessed with and am ready to just embrace it. Age is definitely just a number and we shouldn’t have to live by anyone else’s standards of what you should have done by a certain age, how you should dress, how you should look, how you should live…I never really talk about my age on my Instagram (mainly in fear that people will unfollow me or think I am old haha), but I am so over that. I personally LOVE an admire people who own who they are, so I need to follow suite. THIS IS ME!

Maybe it took being holed up in our house for the past year for me to realize this, but life is too short to just not be who YOU are and be ok with it. As 2020 comes to an end, I think we can all say you just never reallllllly know what is going to happen tomorrow, so we should all just enjoy every day we have here on earth and just be grateful to be here (no matter what age we are)!

And even though my 40th was supposed to be a HUGE celebration at a private estate with friends in Palm Desert (whatever 2020!), I am so excited to celebrate today + tonight with my little fam. We are going to do some fun SoCal things, visit our new house we are building and toast to 2021 hopefully being a little less stuck inside! Colby turned 40 back in September, so we both cannot wait to have a ginormous celebration once its ok again.

Thanks for so much for reading and for following along. Being able to do what I love for a living is what completes me and I hope to always inspire you girls to throw on those sequins + from now on, to be authentically YOU!

Hope you all have the happiest NYE! Cheers!

xoxo, Caro

 

Hi guys! Hope you have had a great weekend! I am currently shopping around online for Colby, so I thought I would share some of the fun things I have found. Just some quick ideas for your boyfriend, brother, dad, hubby or BFF.

Gifts for Him

Happy Shopping!

xo, Caro

Shopbop Black Friday Picks

Shopbop’s Black Friday sale just went live & SO much good is included! I can’t even handle it really! Many of my recents outfits are included, so sharing those below and then I also rounded up some other pieces I am eyeing, loving + lusting over. This is a great time to snag those pieces you have been wishing for as well a good time to grab some gifts for those fab women in your life!

My Outfits on Sale

My Shopbop Black Friday Picks

Insanely good pieces, right? I want the Isabel Marant combat boots and the BB Dakota sequin midi skirt for sure! Happy Shopping & have a great Thanksgiving!

xx, Caro

Monochromatic Coziness With Nordstrom

Today’s post is all about my current obsessions: all things cozy, all things monochromatic and all things designer from Nordstrom. You guys know I love my designer brands and I have been so impressed with Nordstrom’s brand selection and inventory (all of which you can shop from the comfort of your own home online too I might add!)

Monochromatic Comfy Cozy From Nordstrom

2020 has taught me so much, but two takeaways are that it’s essential to be cozy and that it’s essential that getting dressed is easy and comfy. I was shopping around Nordstrom’s site for some outfits for Thanksgiving and the holidays and found this gorgeous satin Max Mara skirt. The color! It melts my soul and also is so good for this time of year. I knew it would be such a great piece to wear both dressed up and casual, which to me is so important when buying higher end pieces.

I love the monochromatic trend so much because it’s simple, but always comes across so chic. I grabbed this v-neck Max Mara comfy knit to wear with the skirt for a more dressed up look. This sweater is super soft and will be cute over leggings or with jeans too. I added on a pair of croc embossed boots to elevate the matchy matchy. The richness of the burgundy plus the neutral tan is just so simple, but so good! I love this look for date night or a little social distanced lunch with friends.

A satin midi is one of my faves for casual days too because they aren’t clingy and just really comfy. Keeping with the monochromatic love, I grabbed this fabulous Halogen turtleneck for a more dressed down look with the skirt. This knit is dreamy and comes in a ton of color options. A quick front tuck and a pair of black star Golden Goose sneaks and I am ready for a daytime errands, a casual brunch or just hanging at home really!

All The Pieces of These Looks

I love that I can shop all my favorite designer brands on Nordstroms site from the comfort of my own home! So important to me these days and I feel like they have really stepped up their game with inventory lately too. Here are some other pieces from the designer collections that are comfy, cozy and that I am eyeing.

Cozy Designer Pieces From Nordstrom

 

Happy shopping! Hope you all have a safe and yummy holiday this week.

xx, Caro

*this post was sponsored, but the opinions are 100% my own

2020 Holiday Gifts For Her

HI guys! So exciting that the holidays are here as I love, love this time of year and adore shopping around for gift ideas for you all. 2020 has just been so blah, so I feel like this year, the holidays are even more special and important. Its a time to remember whats really important in life and to me that is spreading love to your friends and fam that you care about.

Gush fest over, let’s get to my gift ideas for your mom, your mother-in-law, your sis, your bestie, your aunt….any woman in your life that you want to surprise with a little something fun. I included finds of all price points in hopes of hitting everyone on your list!

2020 Gifts For Her

Ok, so my problem is as I am shopping for ideas for you guys, I end up wanting it all for myself. Lol, send help!

Hope you guys had a good weekend.

Happy Shopping! xx, Caro