4 For Fashion : Luna Boutique

Well, it has been some week! Truth be told, I am happy to pull myself away from the hustle and bustle of all that is going on in my life to tell you about another boutique that I love dearly! 

That's right! it's time for another "4 For Fashion" with some of my favorite local bloggers. This week, Rachel (Queen City Chic), Laura (Smart Southern Style), Barbi (Blonde Southern Style) and myself are all in my neck of the woods to check out and spotlight a boutique we all know and frequent. 

Luna Boutique is nestled into the heart of South Park and is a staple in my recurrent visits to Phillips Place! In fact, I am currently dining at Cafe Monte with a glass of wine after one of my visits to Luna Boutique. 

If you know "4 For Fashion" you know we focus on establishments that cater to fashion for all ages! Rachel represents the ladies in their 20's, I hold it down for the young ladies in our 30's and Laura and Barb embody women in their 40's & 50's. 

With such a broad age demographic it is nice to find a resource that provides something for everyone, especially with the holidays upon us. 

I personally know how hard it can be to shop for the women in your life. Then add the fact that we are all in different stages of life and you have some obstacle. However, that is only if you are shopping at the wrong locations. Hopefully, this blog will give you the solutions you need to pick the perfect holiday outfit for yourself or that special woman you are looking to impress.  

Rachel from Queen City Chic always has an amazing eye for the hipster millennial in your life! She's your skinny jeans, graphic tee and blazer kind of girl. Pair that with a low key pair of Vans and an awesome statement bag and Queen City Chic is ready for a casual or dressy event. 

Whether you are a momma or still playing the field in your 30's I feel ya! As the "middle child" you still want to feel relevant without committing to the role of Madre just yet. Luna boutique is great when it comes to classy, yet "look at me". I walked into Luna and immediately found this side sinched dress and leather jacket combo. In fact, I almost felt like I cheated this week because this look was already paired by their in-house stylist at Luna. I added my flair with a pair of leopard block heeled booties and a Luna double layered necklace.  

Laura from Smart Southern Style is always one of my favorite bloggers to follow as she mixes affordable and fashionable! Laura found these black denim jeans and red blouse to match with this faux fur vest from Luna. She also did a great job with the accessories noting her studded clutch and gold fringe jewelry with this look. 

Barbie from Blonde Southern Style is in a 50's league of her own. Her fun yet classic approach to attire is contagious and so is her laughter. Her leopard print blouse represents her wild side while the timeless black pants and fur vest shows her sophisticated point of view. 

As you can see there is something for everyone at Luna Boutique in Phillips Place. Whether you are shopping for the youthful boss babe in your life or the stay at home mom, you will be in good hands with the accomplished stylists at Luna. You can always check out their Instagram page for more gift ideas and stylish looks @ShopLuna or on their website at www.ShopLuna.com. They also have locations outside of Charlotte, boasting the Atlanta, Bethesda, and Charleston areas. 

Luna Boutque

6809 Phillips Place Ct

Charlotte NC 28210

(704) 554-6000

Happy Holidays My Ageless Beauties! 

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Seeing Spots : Page 6

Ugh, it is officially flu season! Cue the yo-yo temperatures and chronic coughing fits! 

Sadly, I am already there. It all started with a sore throat Monday night after work and it was all downhill from there. By bedtime, I felt like I had been hit by a mac truck. My whole body ached and my voice was weak. I poured myself a cup of hot tea with honey and started a hot bath with Epsom salts to ease the pain that was creeping through my muscles, but nothing seemed to help. 

Next, a fever set in and I spent the night fist fighting with the sheets on my bed. (We've all been there.) Hot. Cold. Sweat. Shivers. I thought "Surely I'll feel better in the morning". However, when my alarm promptly sounded at 4am I did not feel any improvement.

Unfortunately, in our line of work, sick days are few and far between. Radio is a crazy animal and we have this little thing called ratings that determine how well our show does or does not do. On a three-person show, we don't typically get the luxury of taking off unless the whole show takes scheduled PTO. 

People may think, being in the entertainment world we are "show ponies" but I can assure you, we are the workhorses. Yes, the job is a blast but when you are sick, or down, or not feeling 100% it doesn't matter because you have a show to do and people to make laugh. As they say, " The show must go on!"

It's now Friday night and I still feel terrible. I have tried all the medicine in the world this week and the only thing to make me feel even remotely better is, of course, a cute outfit like this one from Page 6  Boutique in Fort Mill. 

Who doesn't love Spanx, a leopard turtleneck, and a darling hat! Now, this specific sweater is SOLD OUT but Page 6 has more leopardy goodness in store and on their website! Plus they always have Spanx in stock and they are so easy to mix and match. I also paired this look with these Page 6 booties and my favorite fall necklace. 

Happy Friday y'all! 

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Di Nuovo A Scuola : Back To School

Well, I did it ... I've gone back to school! No, I'm not quitting my day job to become a full-time student again. I am just taking a night class, Italiano beginners, and let me tell you, it doesn't feel like beginner's Italian! 

Maybe it's because I've been out of college for 12 years but it could also be related to the fact that my professore speaks to us only in Italian. Now Dallas and I have been to Italy 3 times in the last 4 years and I thought this would be a nice way to pay homage to my heritage. I had NO IDEA I was walking into the snake pit... but here I am! Cazzo!

I feel like most of my classmates have some sort of foreign language experience making the learning curve much easier for them. I probably screwed myself here but in high school, I opted to take American Sign Language instead of Spanish or French. Thus, I feel like I don't hear the words the way some people do. If I cannot see and listen to the words at the same time it is hard for me to hear the detail of the word structure. 

Bringing me to my next issue. Our textbook comes along with a CD for our studying pleasure. The only problem is ... I DON'T OWN A CD PLAYER! Who does?!?! Aren't we past the CD phase?!? My car doesn't even have a CD player in it! Everything is digital now! 

I've gone against the grain for four weeks now, trying to study on my own, but I am getting nowhere fast. I am so lost in the class that I am afraid to participate until I get myself caught up! So, I am sitting in my office today, at the only 2007 computer I know, dubbing in the CD to make a digital copy I can listen to on my phone! 

While I cram for tonight's class here is an adorable look that is as retro as my computer! Who doesn't love overalls and flannels from the 90's?! I found these skinny-legged bibs from Free People and paired them with a simple white tank and flannel button down that I found at Target! 

For my accessories, I went with an affordable, nude patent leather bootie from Fabrik Birkdale. I threw on my favorite signature hoop earrings and grabbed my Mahi leather backpack (zaino) and I am ready to hit the books! 

I love this Mahi bag for so many reasons! Mahi has a huge selection of bags, duffels, and backpacks to choose from! I chose my bag, not only because of its name (The Roma ... so fitting for my class) but also because Mahi personalizes their bags and packs! Check out the beautiful stitching of my initials on the back of this leather piece! 

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4 For Fashion : Adair

Finally, fall fashion is in full swing and I couldn't be more excited to bring you this month's "4 For Fashion" looks courtesy of Adair boutique! This is a fun collaboration for Rachel, Laura, Barbi and myself because Adair just opened their second location in South End. Adair has lived in Concord for years and this new location brings even more affordable fashion, trends, and gifts to our uptown area. 

Adair boutique not only has two full locations of inventory to choose from but also a full website of apparel for you to enjoy. Of course "4 For Fashion" is here to give you a look at Adair's trendy looks at all ages. Rachel from Queen City Chic is leading the pack with looks for your 20's. I am at the helm for my 30 something sisters. Laura from Smart Southern Style is representing our lovely ladies in their 4o's and Barbi from Southern Blonde Chic is rounding out our possie with looks you'll love in your 50's. It's fashion for all ages! 

Rachel from Queen City Chic always has a style all of her own and I LOVE that! She put together this boho-chic ensemble that is to die for! Her suede skirt really pulls the natural colors out of this long sleeve off the shoulder blouse. Pair with a braid and this fabulous orb necklace and you are ready for a night out with the girls! 

Playing off of Rachel's adorable off the shoulder style top, I chose to go with this black long sleeve basic. I went with this piece because I think it is an article that will work with many different body types, perfect for any wardrobe. Coincidentally, this orange fall dress was hanging right next to my black beauty and upon discovering it I decided they went great together! I paired them with these perfect snakeskin booties and fringe earrings also available at Adair. 

Laura from Smart Southern Style takes on the honor of shopping for our ladies in their 40's and she always makes everything look so great! Laura is great about finding pieces with beautiful detail. This plaid button up boasts handstitched embroidery throughout the shoulders that really makes this look. Laura threw on her favorite pair of jeans and gorgeous gold hoop earrings to complete her casual style.  

Last but certainly not least is our blonde bombshell from Southern Blonde Chic! Barbi opted to embrace all that fall fashion has to offer! How can you not love an aubergine long sleeve and a hand knitted duster vest?! This statement piece looks amazing with Barb's blonde hair, jeans, and necklace! 

Adair really has something for everyone in the way of fashion! As you can see we had no problem putting together show-stopping looks that look great and are age appropriate for anyone. Now that we have started your creative process feel free to check out Adair's Instagram for more looks that you will love! Their stylist are always on hand to help you put together a look for any occasion or to help you shop for a gift your friends will love! 

You can shop Adair's Concord location at 6185 Bayfield Pkwy or at their NEW South End location at 1820 South Blvd!

I also want to give a special thank you to Say Cheese CLT for providing our group with some really fabulous photos for this weeks blog post! 

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Rose All Day Momma!

"Rose' All Day"! At least that's how I cope with the mom struggle, which is so real! As most new Moms know, navigating through this new territory is tough terrain. There are new rules, new routines and most of all new friends.

Do we still like to go out with our single friends and rage? Hell yeah, but who is going to understand our struggle when the babysitter goes home and our little ones get up at 6am the next morning while we are nursing our hangovers?!?!

From the outside looking in, you might think it would be easy to make new friends as a mom. There are playdates, and toddler classes plus you're all in the same "phase" of your life, but truth be told this is the most "social"- unsocial experience I have ever had. 

As a woman who believes strong women cheer each other on, this is a big departure from the camaraderie I learn by dancing on two professional sports teams in the NFL and NBA. I have always been a girl's - girl, so I am not used to stagnant small talk that seems to go nowhere. Maybe it's because making mom friends is like dating someone new? Is it possible that we are all afraid of making the first move? Could it be that we are all trying to play it cool?

I am so sick of going to the park and other events, meeting moms, and leaving disappointed because we did not exchange numbers. I thought we had a connection! What gives?!?!? 

Our kids are around the same age, they tolerated each other on the playground (because let's be honest, they aren't exactly playing together at this age. It's more like parallel play.) and most importantly, WE GOT ALONG! 

Here's the thing Y'all, we don't have to hit on all levels. I am willing to bet most women like two things, coffee, and wine. I am also willing to bet that some days we all really just crave adult conversation because contrary to the popular belief of our children, Puppy Dog Pals and Elmo get old! 

Thus, let's be open-minded and most importantly judgment-free with each other. Let's make friends and turn play dates into coffee dates for us too! Let's grow our friendships by having Mommy Manicure Mornings and be a sounding board for each other. 

I know as Moms we don't always have a lot of "me" time but that's why we need each other. Women are the BEST multitaskers in the world, so let's turn this issue into a solution! I personally downloaded the Peanut app which is like Tinder for Moms to make friends. I am also currently stocking up on rose' for the occasion! So hit me up Moms, I'll be the one in the "Rose' All Day" shirt! 

This "Rose' All Day" short sleeve sweatshirt is on sale right now at Target (link below). I paired this top with my favorite pair of white denim shorts, and throwback Adidas sneakers for a retro look. Just add wine and you've got the perfect "Mommy" playdate! Cheers! 

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Nanny Fails and Fringe

Yes, I know it's only Tuesday but WHEW... What a week! You guys know I share a lot of my life with you all and I feel like I write about this ad nauseam a ton but if I have to do one more flipping nanny interview I might scream!!!

Since April we have been in nanny limbo. Our long-time nanny took a leave of absence for an illness in her family and we loved her so much that we tried to wait for her return, just covering where we could. However, lately, that has added an abnormal about of stress to our lives and careers. Thus, we decided we needed to bring someone on board. 

Since then I have done close to fifty phone interviews and over a dozen in-person meetings. Yet, every time I find someone I like and they hear the words "five am" they run for the hills. I even had a VERY unprofessional experience with a girl who accepted the job and TEXTED me twelve hours before her first shift to cancel.

As you can imagine, I saw red! I thought, "What a selfish thing to do". Come to find out she had accepted two jobs and was probably afraid to tell me. Now, I am a very understanding person if you are upfront with me but the way it was handled was unacceptable. The kicker was that I kept asking her throughout the process if she was still okay with the early start and she proceeded to say "yes" every time! I gave her every opportunity to come clean, so I felt blindsided.

I won't lie to you this process has put an undue amount of stress on myself, my radio career and our marriage. I know we will get through this and find someone amazing for our son but there have definitely been times when I have laid in bed crying because I thought I was going to have to quit my job. 

This may sound cliche but I am a huge believer that you can have it all, but you're going to have to work your ass off to do it! One of my favorite quotes is "Hard work beats talent, when talent won't work harder", so I'll just keep chugging away until I find a solution to our situation. (Shameless plug if you have nanny experience and would like to apply, email me here.) 

In the meantime, here is an adorable new arrival look that will dress up your fall wardrobe from Page 6 Boutique in Fort Mill. (You can also order online here!) I LOVE this off the shoulder Madam sweater in grey! I personally love it styled oversized and I am wearing a medium in the photos. 

This stylish sweater goes great with this suede fringe skirt and black booties! I paired this look with a Page 6 necklace and my favorite Chanel handbag to be able to take this look from day to night! 

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Hurricane Florence Relief T-Shirts : Live Love GameDay

As Hurricane Florence descends on the Carolinas I am reminded of my time growing up in South Florida. Our family moved from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Ft Lauderdale, Florida when I was still in school and from that moment our summers were spent dodging storms like the plague. 

From June to October, I remember my father stocking up on plywood, batteries, and cases of water just in case the newest tropical depression took a turn and gained strength. (Which happened a lot.) I remember my Uncle Timmy telling us about Hurricane Andrew when we first moved to South Florida.  

His chilling accounts of that storm always scared me. I recall him telling us that it was one of the scariest moments of his life (and he had served in our military). My Uncle and his family lived in a high rise condo building in the heart of Miami and when the storm hit, it blew out their living room windows, which created a vacuum. Till this day I can't imagine what goes through your mind as you see the contents of your home literally being sucked out of the window. My Uncle and his family took refuge in a bathroom, holding the door shut so the door would stay on the hinges. 

Thus, my family has always taken hurricane prep very seriously. Hurricane Andrew was a big wind storm when it hit South Florida as a category 5 hurricane and years later I would have my own frightening encounter with Hurricane Wilma. 

When Hurricane Wilma came barreling towards my hometown, my family decided to evacuate. I, however, had just started dating my now husband and agreed to stay with him and ride out the storm. 

The eye of Wilma was supposed to travel right over Dallas's Boca Raton condo so we thought it would be safer to stay at my family's home out west. For some reason (I can't even remember why) we ended up not making it back to my Mom's house before the storm hit. Somehow, by the grace of God, Hurricane Wilma turned slightly and decided not to ravage Boca Raton but instead went right over my Mom's house! 

The storm created so much damage to our family's home it was uninhabitable for TWO YEARS! Two, eight-foot sections of our roof had been torn off, along with our entire screen enclosure and there was three feet of standing water on the first floor of our home. Unfortunately, FEMA and general contractors were overwhelmed for months after the storm, causing the water to produce mold throughout the walls of our home. We were not alone, half of South Florida was without power for weeks and the other half didn't have a sustainable home to live in. 

It makes me sad to think about our friends on the coast, who are currently going through this hell. As we sit in our homes, watching football waiting for the storm to pass please know that our friends out east will need us more than ever in the coming weeks. I know my station will be doing hurricane relief efforts soon (so stay tuned) but in the meantime, I did want to tell you about a company that I love. Live Love GameDay has created North and South Carolina t-shirts that will benefit the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army as they help the Carolinas. The shirts are $22 and shipping is FREE! 

This company is also the creators of my favorite football tee, which you can see above. 

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Friday Night In Miami

What an amazing night with my Miami Dolphin Cheerleader sisters! It is officially alumni weekend here in Miami! 

After the show Friday morning I hopped a flight from Charlotte Douglas International airport to join my dance sisters for a weekend of fun, hosted by my former team. 

If you are new to the blog, I cheered for the Miami Dolphins professionally from 2003 to 2006! I can honestly say these were some of the BEST years of my life, from being a cover girl on the highly anticipated swimsuit calendar to dancing on the field in front of 75,000 live fans and performing for our troops on USO tours overseas. I will never forget the memories or the friendships that I made during this time! 

I didn't join a sorority in college so this was my "squad". The Miami Dolphins believe in this sorority life and sisterhood and even gift us "rookie rings" after we complete our first season. A welcome to the legacy present if you will. 

Last night we attended a fabulous welcome cocktail party on the Intercoastal and I pulled out this beachy two-piece set from Free People for the occasion. I styled this comfy yet trendy look with my Artsy Louis Vuitton bag and nude heels from Red Dress Boutique. I also broke out my K.Brunini bangles for this event and accented them with a great pair of Kendra Scott earing!

I hope you enjoy this look as much as I did because you can shop the look below! 

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