the first of november

 Pants (in black denim), shirt, and bag: Target, Jacket: Loft, Shoes (in mocha): c/o Minnetonka Moccasins

November 1st. This month is always full of so much excitement and promise for me, though this time around it also promises to quite possibly be the busiest of my professional life yet. Yesterday I was feeling a little panicky as I looked over my schedule for the next few weeks - fifteen photo shoots (one of which involves 52 students at a dance company!) and, towards the end of the month, we might, *MIGHT* be closing on our house (dare we hope?). I found myself physically shaking as I answered client emails yesterday (not sure if this had to do with the panic or all the coffee consumed by that point - probably both), and I had to sort of slow myself down and have a little pep talk... with myself. Jenni, you got this. There is absolutely no reason why you won't have this month in the bag. You are doing something that gives you and others great joy, and what a privilege that is. Slow down... breath... relax... you got this.

November will be a month of busy-ness and, if there's time, also re-evaluating and re-stratigizing. I feel a strong need to take a hard look at how this blog fits into my life, how I'd like to run it in 2014, and I also feel the need to strongly consider changing my pricing strategy for my business. I don't want to spread myself too thin. No one likes a person spread too thin. You lose your potency, in all aspects of life, and I don't want that to happen to me. 

But as for November. Bring it on.  I will kick your ass, November. That's a promise.

In this post and the following two after it, I'll be styling three pairs of Minnetonka moccasins, which, by the way, is one of my absolute favorite brands of shoes. Remember this post where I mentioned feeling tired of wearing clothes that aren't really "me, " and the pact I made with myself not to compromise on that anymore? Well, this is the antithesis of that post. These moccasins are soft, ridiculously comfortable, and if "me" could be a shoe for a day, I'd be these mocs. Of the three I'll be styling, this "deerskin soft" style is the comfiest, but they are all so cute. We'll give away a pair the third day, too! Stay tuned. :)

 Pants (in black denim), shirt, and bag: Target, Jacket: Loft, Shoes (in mocha): c/o Minnetonka Moccasins

Now please take just a moment to show today's featured SOML sponsors some love... Happy FRIDAY! :)

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Hi guys, I’m Dee! I am an expat based in Singapore and I work in corporate finance by day and on my blog called Deecoded by night. If I had to describe myself in one word, I guess it would be: STORYTELLER. I like to tell stories through words and pictures (and sometimes, gestures). Some people have said that I tell stories so vividly, in such a way that makes the listener/reader feel as though they were going through my experiences first-hand. And what stories do I tell? Ones that I read from books, or see on television or movies, sometimes, but mostly stuff that happens in my own life – like that time I watched a movie in a luxury cinema all by myself, or that time I played dodge ball and fell into an open pit, or that time I risked leaving my hometown to move to another city with only $50 in pocket money. I enjoy the moments and savor the experiences, good or bad, because they all make good storytelling material. So come read about them! I’d love an audience. :)

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Why hello there little jelly beans! My name is Belinda and I am the gal behind the blog Found Love, Now What? My blog is my attempt to make sense of this thing we call life, one cup of Starbucks selfie at a time. Life for me is chalked with adventure, especially since I moved to Wales in the summer of 2012 to be with my British husband. {Read our long distance love story here.} My blog is filled with adventures in the UK from castles to stunning natural wonders, and musings as an expat. I also chat about following your blogging heart, while tackling some honest topics close to my heart. I love nothing more than sharing our imperfectly perfect life on my blog. Hop on over and say hello! 

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Hi there! I'm Rachel, the blogger behind With Love, Rachel . I am a Southern California girl through and through, which means you'll likely find me in flip flops year around (unless it gets below 60 degrees, because that is cold, yo!) I'm an adjunct professor of writing at a university in Southern California, but don't worry; I'm not as serious or boring as my job makes me sound. When I'm not teaching, I'm experimenting with healthy recipes or travelling the world, and you can find a whole lot of that on my blog. My recent safari in Africa was a dream come true, because I LOVE animals and can geek out about them all day. In my Weekend Safari series, I share my take on some of my favorite animals, along with a bunch of crazy fun facts. Feel free to geek out or be silly over at With Love, Rachel any time! 

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