Weekly Recap #49, 2022

What a week in Nashville it’s been! I can’t say the “vacation” went exactly as I had planned, since my boyfriend and I both still had to work, but it was so much fun to explore a new city in the evenings. I’m working on my Nashville travel guide now and plan to post it later this week, along with a few outfits, so stay tuned for that. Tennessee was the third new state I got to cross off my list this year, and as tiring as traveling can be, I’m so grateful I’ve been able to explore so many new places in 2022!

Monday, December 5

I had such a busy day at work today that I hardly moved from my spot in the hotel room and didn’t even get dressed… I had wanted to take my boyfriend to a jazz bar in town, but I was so swamped with work that we didn’t end up doing anything tonight aside from watching a few short episodes of our new show. This is such a busy time at work because we have a lot of client deadlines and end-of-year reports due, but I kind of love it! I much prefer having a lot to do rather than the alternative.

Tuesday, December 6

It was another go-go-go kind of day at work, but in the evening I took a break to get dolled up so my boyfriend and I could go see the Grand Ole Opry! I didn’t know much about the famous radio show before going other than that I knew it was the thing to do when in Nashville. I had a lot of fun, and my white lace-up top from Jet Noire with jeans and booties turned out to be the perfect vibe for the venue.

White Blouse: Jet Noire, gifted by brand, last worn here | Skinny Jeans: Express, $42 ($0.78 per wear), last worn here | Brown Booties: Express, $23 ($3.83 per wear), last worn here | Leopard Belt: Francesca’s, $9 ($0.69 per wear), last worn here | Brown Purse: Portland Leather Co., gift

Wednesday, December 7

One of my best high school friends recently moved to Nashville, so after work today, the boy and I met up with her to grab dinner. It was SO nice to catch up! Afterwards, my boyfriend and I were really hankering for some ice cream and found a cute milkshake bar in a hip new shopping center across town. I’ve worn this outfit so many times before and thought the fun sleeves on the top felt like the proper amount of ~westerny~ for Nashville.

Patterned Sleeve Top: Francesca’s, $25 ($1.39 per wear), last worn here | Cropped Flared Jeans: Express, $40 ($1.21 per wear), last worn here | Brown Booties: Express, $23 ($3.29 per wear), last worn here | Brown Purse: Portland Leather Co., gift

Thursday, December 8

Tonight was the evening of the big company holiday party, which was the whole reason we were in town! I had a lot of fun getting ready—and for once wasn’t rushed—and then the boy and I went to a chic steakhouse to grab appetizers and drinks before the event. The party was hosted at a really cool winery/venue downtown, called City Winery. There was an open bar (woot woot), and the party started with a cocktail hour, followed by dinner. A little later in the evening a live band performed and played a really fun mix of songs. Overall, the night was a blast—I’ve always dreamt of attending a chic Christmas party and finally got my wish!

I toiled for a while over which dress to wear, as I had a few options in mind—including this red bow dress and this black fringe dress, to name a few. My second choice was a really unique black dress, with a velvet bodice, a rosette on the chest, and a chiffon skirt. However, after attending the party, I’m really glad I opted for something red instead. The venue was rather dark, and while there were lots of chic black outfits in the crowd, their beauty was lost in the low light! At least with my red sparkly dress, it popped a little more even in the dark. I paired it with black velvet and crystal clip-on earrings that belonged to my grandma, a silver clutch, and black heels with silver crystal shoe clips. I wore a white shimmery eyeshadow and curled my hair, tucking it behind one year. I love how the look came together, and it turned out to be the perfect style for the corporate cocktail party vibe. There were lots of very fun sparkly outfits, though! I really enjoyed seeing what everyone else wore.

Red Sparkly Dress: JCPenney, $35 ($11.67 per wear), last worn here | Black Heels: DSW, $40 ($3.08 per wear), last worn here | Silver Clutch: DSW, $5 ($0.83 per wear), last worn here

Friday, December 9

My boyfriend and I both took off work today so we could sleep in and do some more touristy things around town. We started by driving by a pretty southern mansion, grabbing brunch afterwards and wandering around a cute neighborhood. Later, we explored the Musicians Hall of Fame for a while and finished our afternoon by driving past a few more southern estates (we both really like looking at architecture). I decided I needed a little nap before the evening’s festivities… but then we went back on the town for dinner and line dancing at a bar off Broadway! We packed a lot in, but it was a really fun day.

Beige Sweater: Nordstrom Rack, $18 ($0.35 per wear), last worn here | Cropped Flared Jeans: Express, $40 ($1.18 per wear), last worn here | Black Booties: VIVAIA, gifted by brand | Black Fringe Purse: Gift, $50 ($3.13 per wear), last worn here

This is what I changed into to go line dancing. I was feeling really cute until I got on the dance floor and realized I looked just like every other girl there, lol!

Black Crop Top: H&M, $15 ($2.50 per wear) | Straight Leg Jeans: Express, $15 ($1.88 per wear), last worn here | Black Booties: VIVAIA, gifted by brand | Black Fringe Purse: Gift, $50 ($3.13 per wear), last worn here

. . . . .

Saturday, December 10

We spent the morning packing and the afternoon flying back to Denver. As much fun as I had in Nashville, I am very excited to be home now! I just threw on two of the bulkiest things in my suitcase, a sweater and jeans, to save room—but sadly I completely forgot to snap a pic of the look.

Sunday, December 11

Today has definitely been a recovery day, but thankfully a very productive one. I’ve felt so behind on everything, especially blogging, so I spent today taking lots of photos and writing a few posts in advance. I met up with my boyfriend in the evening to grab dinner and watch the Chargers game, which has quickly become my Sunday routine. I really love how this outfit turned out, but I’ll talk more about it in a blog post next week!

Black Ribbed Sweater: Scout and Molly’s Boutique, $89 ($6.36 per wear), last worn here | Plaid Skirt: JCPenney, $25 ($1.67 per wear), last worn here | Sheer Tights: Primark, $5 ($1.67 per wear) | Black Booties: VIVAIA, gifted by brand

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As always, thanks for stopping by the blog today. Which outfit was your favorite? Have you ever been to Nashville? I have a lot of thoughts about the city and can’t wait to share with you soon.

 

Miles of smiles,

Grace