Hello, it’s ME & a Pretty Floral Striped Off the Shoulder Dress

Dress: Shop Here , Here and Here | Purse: Shop Here | Sunglasses: Shop Here for Similar | Shoes: Shop Here

Photos: Smith Hardy Photography

 

Hi Friends!

Today I want to share this adorable dress with you & some facts about me since I don’t know a lot of you who have been following along with my journey with Pretty All Around. I am so grateful for all of you who read my blog, engage with my posts and instastories on Instagram and give me recommendations or tips; and I love when you ask me questions and I can help you! So I want to make sure you feel comfortable continuing to do that and maybe share some new things that you don’t know about that you can relate to as well! I’ve so enjoyed learning from you all and hearing your perspectives, and I want to continue this sort of dialogue, sharing and fun!

First, I found this dress at Belk at Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh. I immediately fell in love with it. I love the bright colors of the flowers and it’s a really great material. I love the bell-sleeves and the smocked off the shoulder look! I’m wearing a size 4 which is my normal size in dresses. I wore this to an engagement party, but think it would be great for a date night, and so many other occasions! Also these shoes are SO cute. I actually saw them online and then saw Emily Gemma (another blogger) wearing them, and knew I had to have them! I’ll be honest, they are a little tricky to walk in, but I don’t care because I love the way they look.

 

Now, 20 facts about me!

1. I’m Cortney, I’m 28, and live in Raleigh, NC! I work as an E-Commerce Manager for Peter Millar! I’m single, and I’ve never been married or close. I have two wonderful parents and a brother & sister-in-law! I also have a German Shepherd puppy sister, Layla, who has been featured on my blog and on my Instagram!
2. I’ve lived in NC my whole life – grew up in a small town in Eastern-ish NC, went to Wake Forest University for undergrad and grad school, and moved to Raleigh straight out of school. I thought I wanted to be a doctor or in the medical field for a while, but then my senior year, I decided I didn’t, so I did a one year business master’s program at Wake!
3. I am openly an imperfect Christian. I make mistakes, I’m selfish, I do “bad” things, but I love God, I believe in Jesus and I work on this relationship.
4. I consider my style to be pretty classic. I can be trendy at times, but generally I stick to pretty classic all American style. I’m not a trendsetter, so don’t come to me for that because I usually don’t like trends (the skinny sunglasses thing I just really don’t get)!
5. Favorite makeup/skincare products: Makeup Forever HD foundation, Tarte Highlighter, Bobbi Brown & MAC lipsticks, Kopari lotion, and I know I’m missing some!
6. Favorite stores/brands: Nordstrom, JCrew, I love boutique shopping, Kenneth Jay Lane jewelry, L Space and Solid & Striped Swimwear, classic Burberry, Tory Burch purses, French Connection dresses, love Longchamp for bags (work and travel), Away luggage.
7. I cheer for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in college sports & the Dallas Cowboys! *Please don’t stop reading my blog because I’m a Cowboys fan lol!
8. I wanted to start a blog back in 2013 and kick myself every day for not doing it. At that time I was scared of failure and embarrassment, I dated a guy who was not encouraging of it and I wasn’t making a ton of money (not that I am now, but I have been working for five years, so I’m making a little more). My advice to you – if there is something you want to do, don’t be afraid of failure or what other people will think. You will always learn from failure and your next adventure will be even better because of it! Another blog post to come about this!
9. I’d rather have a plane ticket than a physical gift any day! I have been so VERY fortunate to have traveled more than most people in the world. My love for traveling started when I was younger. I went on mission trips with my church to different states and then finally to a different country. I traveled around Europe for five weeks in college, I’ve sailed around BVI & Greece (soon to be Croatia!) and have tried to go to as many cities and new places as possible. I love learning about cultures, experiencing foods, and meeting people who aren’t the same as me. The world is a spectacular masterpiece!
10. Speaking of meeting people, although I’m somewhat reserved and can be quiet depending on how well I know you or who is around, I love people. I love trying to brighten someone’s day by being nice. I love learning about people’s story’s. I’m the girl who talks to the Uber driver. I think people are absolutely fascinating.
11. I listen to business books, “self help” books and relationship books, podcasts and sermons on the way to work, while I’m walking/running and while I’m at my house. I love learning and self-improvement. You’ll hear me reference books, sermons and podcasts in my posts.
12. My friends tell me I laugh A LOT to myself. I think this is because I’m generally a really happy person and it makes me happier to laugh out loud.
13. I enjoy running, hiking, yoga, and the country club sports – golf & tennis! I also enjoy dancing whether that’s at bars, weddings, on a boat, on an elevated surface overlooking everyone or alone in my room!
14. I’m a basic and I LOVE wine. My go-to’s are Pinot Grigio, Rose, Chablis in the Summer/when it’s warm out and Pinot Noir, Malbec and sometimes Cab in the winter.
15. As you may have heard in my stories, I LOVE CAR SNACKS. Every time I go to the grocery store, I have to get a snack for the road home. Yes, I’m a child. The snacks vary, but I’ll start sharing them with you guys!
16. If I could buy any car in the world right now, it would be a Volvo XC90… or a G-Wagon.
17. Favorite foods: ice cream, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, I love basically all fruit, Chick-fil-a waffle fries, steak and starbursts. I hate to admit this but there is a special place in my heart for hot dogs, and it’s probably the grossest thing about me. I’m also not one of those girls who only eats salad, but I do try to moderate.
18. I’m terrified of heights.
19. I joined the Junior League of Raleigh this year to get more involved with the community and to meet new people. It’s a women’s organization that focuses on helping the local community and developing female leaders. It’s been a great experience for me, and if you’re in a new city or wanting to feel more connecting and involved in the city you live in, I encourage you to look into your chapter! I love giving my time and skills to a greater cause that helps people!
20. I love Bruno Mars, Kygo, Migos, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran. My favorite genres are probably EDM/Tropical house and hip-hop music. You can probably catch me dancing in my room to any of these or singing them while I’m driving. I listen to a lot of music. I have a terrible singing voice though.
21. Bonus fact! I have a Gold Tiffany ring that my parents gave me on my golden birthday that I wear all the time. I’m hoping to pass it on to a daughter one day on her golden birthday and make this a tradition! You may notice it in pictures, so I wanted to share that, too! 🙂

Hope you guys enjoyed learning a little more about me. I’m always open to answering other questions you have, too!

Have a WONDERFUL weekend!

xoxo,

Cortney