ROAD TRIP: Kentucky Photo Recap

Road Trip:

A series of road or away games.

Happy Friday! Today wraps up my week of Derby and I hope you enjoyed it. I had a great time and I loved sharing the photos with all of you. Here are just some photos I took throughout the day that I wanted to share for all. I'm currently on my way to St. Louis to visit some friends, so be sure to follow along with my adventure on Instagram (@kristarobertso) or follow along with all my travels under the hashtag #CTBTravels (lame and so blogger of me I know, but I travel so much I don't see why I shouldn't!)

I was also able to meet up with Grace from A Southern Drawl, and her boyfriend Andrew (#theandrews). I love meeting bloggers in real life and I was so happy to meet Grace. We are weirdly (but awesomely-- is that a word?) the same. Even the boys and our relationships with them (aka the shit we put them through) were similar. We had a great time and it's awesome when you find someone you can be your weird (normal) self with. We talked like we had been friends for years and really held nothing back. I mean how could you when you're sipping on delicious bloody mary's? Even long after that brunch, Andrew and I were talking about how much we enjoyed Grace and Andrew. He even said that we were both very alike in the fact that we were extremely silly and had the "IDGAF" attitude. So there. Miss you Grace!

Friday, May 16, 2014

ROAD TRIP: Kentucky Photo Recap

KENTUCKY DERBY WITH KIM

One of the very special people I was able to spend the Derby with was my sister Kim, or as I call her, Dittie. Living in Atlanta, she wasn't as aware of what to wear to the race. With that came weeks of searching for a hat and about 100 text messages having me pick one out for her. I finally gave up at the end and told her to buy the one I liked in the very beginning, which she did, and I was just as relieved as she was. Sheesh.

But it all worked out. I thought she looked amazing (as always) and I wanted to share her look on the blog. She was a little camera shy when I was taking the pictures, but I think she did amazing for her first time. I know you're going to think we look nothing alike, and trust me, I get that all the time. We actually play a fun game with strangers when we're out of "Who's the Older Sister?" Most people, believe it or not, pick me. We think it's because I have brown hair and I dress so conservatively. But it's really because Dittie looks so amazing at any age. Without ruining the fun, there's a seven-year age gap between us. But we do look like sisters in some ways. If you give us the same color hair, and excuse me for breaking Dittie's nose, the similarity is there. It's all in the eyes. We still don't know how, but we were blessed with blue eyes. I say blessed because our entire family has brown eyes. Go figure. Anyway, I'm glad she was willing to be on the blog and I hope to have her around more (when I find time to see her in Atlanta).

 Love you, Dittie!

Dress: LOFT (similar) | Shoes: DSW | Hat: ebay | Purse: Tory Burch

Thursday, May 15, 2014

KENTUCKY DERBY WITH KIM

KENTUCKY DERBY + VINEYARD VINES

Our flight home from Derby was out of Lexington, so on Sunday Andrew and I drove over and spent two days in my old stomping grounds. I was able to show him all the places I loved when I was in school there and give him a little taste of Lexington! One of our major spots was at Keeneland, Lexington's local racetrack. I think it's one of the most beautiful tracks in the US, but I might be a little biased. Either way it was a perfect Lexington day and we were able to walk around the grounds and snap some pics along the way.

I originally wore this outfit the day of Oaks, but as bloggers do (at least me) I never remember to take outfit pictures the day I first wear them. Either way, this outfit worked out because it fit in so well (once again) with the racing theme. This shirt is probably one of my favorites right now, seeing as how I've worn it maybe six times since I got it. It's from Vineyard Vines' Derby Collection and it's called the Churchill Down Scene Top. I don't ever think I've seen such a beautiful shirt! The colors were perfect (#loveblue), the material was so rich and the details were well thought out. 

I decided to pair this top with my favorite J. Crew double crepe skirt (25% off with "SOGOOD") and had a little bit of trouble figuring out if I should wear the shirt over or under the skirt. I always wear this skirt with shirts tucked in, but for this Vineyard Vines top, I didn't want to cover up how pretty it was! So I did a little bit of both for these photos. These shoes were a new purchase for the Derby as well. At 30% off, you can't say no! I wanted a pair of nude sandals that were comfortable enough to walk in all day, and these were them.

Shirt: Vineyard Vines c/o | Skirt: J. Crew (on sale! 25% off with SOGOOD) | Shoes: Steve Madden (30% off) | Sunglasses: Ray-ban | Earrings | Watch: Michael Kors

Don't forget there is only  day left to enter the Elaine Turner Giveaway!

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Wednesday, May 14, 2014

KENTUCKY DERBY + VINEYARD VINES

KENTUCKY DERBY WITH CAMILYN BETH

So excited to share my Derby outfit today! Going to school in Kentucky, I always dreamt about going to Derby and one year I did, but it was only the infield. Which, in all respect, is compared to a dirty football tailgate. It's nothing like the idea of "Derby" that everyone has. Since that experience, I promised myself I would only go back if I had seats. One year out of college, I found myself back in The Bluegrass State for the 140th Kentucky Derby. I was over the moon and couldn't wait to plan what I was going to wear. I've been really into white dresses lately and once I spotted this Camilyn Beth dress, I knew I couldn't go back. I bought it and LOVED it. It was perfect for what I was looking for: simple, crisp, and classic with a little twist of something fun. 

After I got the dress down. I could start figuring out my hat and shoes. Since the collar of this dress stands up, I knew my hat and hair couldn't get in the way. Hair in a bun, easy. Hat, not as easy. I didn't want to take away from this awesome dress with an oversized hat. It would just be too much. So I flipped on my Kate Middleton switch and turned to a fascinator. For those who don't know the difference, the fascinator is a large head piece that is on a headband or clip. I fell in l-o-v-e with this yellow HEADCANDI fascinator. Since I had a white dress, I found it easy to pair a yellow head piece for my outfit. Done and done.

I also knew I would be walking around and standing a lot during my day. I don't know how people do it, but heels in that condition don't work for me, but wedges do. So I found these Kate Spade Jumper Wedges on sale and thought they were perfect. I also knew they'd be perfect for the summer. Plus, I can never say no to a bow!

Simple (kind of) as that. I had my Derby outfit and I was ready for a day at the races. I had such a great time with the boy, friends and family. The day couldn't have been better -- the weather was perfect. Even with a little sunburn and a weird tan line, I'm eager to go back next year! … Just need to save up all the money I spent that weekend…

Camilyn Beth Go Go Dress | Kate Spade Wedges | Yellow Fascinator from HEADCANDI

Excuse my sunburn and my loose hair...

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Tuesday, May 13, 2014

KENTUCKY DERBY WITH CAMILYN BETH

MOTHERS DAY GIVEAWAY

Happy Mother's Day! Hope you're spending the day with those you love and enjoying this wonderful weather. I wanted to talk today about ways you can simplify your life, because we all need that, right? They might be a little out of the ordinary, but I wanted to share you my little secrets!

1. Use dry shampoo at night.
I know that sounds a little weird, but when I know in advance I'm not going to wash my hair the next morning, I prepare my hair by putting in the dry shampoo at night.  After a good night's rest is when my hair is the oiliest. I used to just use a boatload of dry shampoo to cover it all in the morning, but I recently starting using some before bedtime. I put a little in my hair and not rub it all the way in (so it looks a little white still) and then by morning it's all soaked in and I'm ready to go! I've been around the block with dry shampoo -- I mean I've tried every drugstore brand. I've even spent some pretty serious $$ for some. After all my years of searching, I swear by this one.

2. Write your blog posts in the morning. 
(As I write this at 1am) I try to get in the habit of writing my posts out in the morning for the next day or even going so far as to writing them all for the week. This is easier said than done when you don't work a full-time job. So this is still TBD but it would be a lot simpler on my life if I didn't wait till last minute to write these things.

3. Always take the exit seat.
I travel a lot and I've found an exciting secret. When booking a trip, always buy your regular seat and DON'T pay extra for the exit rows. It's a scam! No one ever does and when it's time to check in, move your seat to the exit row (FO FREE). The seat of the color will be red so you may think you can't have it or have to pay extra, but this is not the case. They're yours for the taking AND you get Zone 1 access (not to mention all the leg room). Boom. You're welcome.

4. Reply to emails when you read them.
This is one thing that I've really gotten good at. I only check my emails when I'm able to respond (like in the cab or when I have downtime at work/home). I've realized that if I read an email and don't reply then, it take me much longer to get around to it. I just simply forget. Same with text messages.

5. Always call your Mom.
Sometimes with the craziness of the city and the real world, I can push back calling my parents. It just slips my mind or I can't find the time that day. The world can get to you sometimes, but you must always remember to talk to those you love. There is always time (for a 2-hour conversation) with your mom.

Today, I've teamed up with some fabulous bloggers for an amazing Mother's Day giveaway that would help anyone simplify their life… a $200 gift card to Amazon! To enter to win, complete the entries using the Rafflecopter widget below. The more entries you complete, the more chances you have to win the $200 gift card! The giveaway will be open to all U.S. residents through May 25 at 12 a.m.

Southern Curls & Pearls | Lynne Gabriel | Brighton the Day

Covering the Bases | Katie's Bliss | Walking in Memphis in High Heels | Sequins and Things

The Sweetest Thing | A Spoonful of Style | For All Things Lovely

Because Shanna Said So | A Lonestar State of Southern | Kacie's Kloset | Kelly in the City

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Coupons.com has another great Mother's Day giveaway going on right now for all supermoms - with a chance to win a Vitamix, $500 Sephora gift card and more. If you are still looking for a gift for the supermom in your life, check out these Mother's Day deals (there's a little something for everyone!). 

Sunday, May 11, 2014

MOTHERS DAY GIVEAWAY

WHAT TO WEAR TO A BASEBALL GAME

We're recapping my "What to Wear to a Baseball Game" series; aka everything you need in once place. Below is a major collage (organized by division) of all the posts from me, Andrew and our awesome guest bloggers. Below that you'll find links to every individual post (they go in order of photos). I can't thank you all enough for following along through these past six weeks! I hope you enjoyed it :)

Orioles | Red Sox | Yankees | Rays | Blue Jays

Braves | Marlins | Mets | Phillies | Nationals

White Sox | Indians | Tigers | Royals | Twins

Cubs | Reds | Brewers | Pirates | Cardinals 

Astros | Angels | Athletics | Mariners | Rangers

D-backs | Rockies | Dodgers | Padres | SF Giants

You also might have seen a major theme with my shoes for half of the series: Jack Rogers. I know I might have gone a little overboard with posting about them, but it's only because I love them. I have more Jacks than one should own (if there is such a thing) but they've lasted through all these years. They're comfortable, stylish, perfect for every occasion and will forever be in style (thank you Jackie O). They're also great for showing your team pride.

Jack Rogers has a custom sandals shop where you can pick your own colors and stitching. Can you say "brilliant idea"?? Since this series is all about baseball, I thought I would help create some options for every team. If baseball isn't your thing, think of your college, your sorority, your home NBA, NFL or NHL team. If nothing else, pick your favorite colors! You can shop the custom shop here. Happy shopping!

Shop American League Central Sandals Here

Shop National League Central Sandals Here

Shop American League East Sandals Here

Shop National League East Sandals Here

Shop American League West Sandals Here

Shop National League West Sandals Here

Saturday, May 10, 2014

WHAT TO WEAR TO A BASEBALL GAME