What I wore to church in 2016

Once again, the backstory: in January 2011 I made a goal to wear different outfits to church that whole year. And I've done it ever since... for the most part. Is it vain and ridiculous? Yes. Am I vain and ridiculous? Also yes ;). 

I usually don't post a wrap up of the previous year so early into the next one but that May blog earlier was long and boring and I needed to entertain myself if nothing else, so here y'all are!!

JANUARY:

That first Sunday was Jack's birthday so I wore blue and green for him. If you remember, he was not into observing his birthday for most of the day so my thoughtful gesture went unappreciated. The next week I forced Carma into matching with me! Third week was the day before my birthday and thus my traditional belt-from-Maren outfit (with a shirt modification). Week four was to get another orange/grey outfit in, and the last week was COLD and DREARY so grey and black it was!

FEBRUARY

Week 1... no occasion, other than Tawny gave me that skirt and I love it. Week 2 was Valentine's Day!! And snowing? Week 3 was windy and I was reallllly struggling to keep that skirt down, yikes. I also matched with Carma but she had no interest in being in a picture with me, so I included some below. Week 4 was more matching!! Blue and turquoise! Carma was (visibly!!) thrilled! (PS Carma's future therapist better appreciate how organized all these pictures are, they'll save so much time during sessions by just scrolling though the photographic evidence that I was nuts hahahaha)

BUT SERIOUSLY, ARE WE APPRECIATING THE SALMON-Y CARDIGANS AND BROWN SHIRT/SKIRT/DRESS? TWINSIES!!!! (I have literally never used the word twinsies before in my life... I use the little emoji tons... but never that word... but there's nothing else that fits here!)

MARCH:

Week 1: After I got home from girls' weekend in McCall... where I bought that belt for a quarter at a thrift store! Week 2 was my green skirt for St. Patrick's Day. Week 3 is the $5 D.I. dress that will pop back up frequently during the remainder of the year because I love it SO much. I wear it to the temple a ton. Brother Morris calls it my Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat dress hahahaha. Week 4 was Easter! Aka the only time I wear that much pink! 

APRIL: 

Okay, well no picture for general conference Sunday... and no picture the next Sunday which is odd. I scrolled through that time period and found a gap of like 14 pictures from that afternoon which leads me to believe I took pictures and couldn't bear to subject anyone to them and moved on with my life. But hey, week 3 I look pretty good! Side braid because I went to church with wet hair (weekly tradition) but was saying the opening prayer and wanted to look somewhat put together ;). (Sidenote: any guesses on how many sacrament meeting prayers I've offered in the year and a half since that's been part of Chuck's calling? A MILLION. Or maybe like 6.) Week 4... Jack and I were pondering the sidewalk? 

MAY:

Week 1 was Scout colors for a Court of Honor that night... week 2 was Mother's Day... week 3 Carma was lovin' life... week 4 was too bright outside, and Chuck took the picture from three stairs up at the church haha. Week 5 was patriotic for Memorial Day!

JUNE:

Week 1... is that dress again! Different accessories ;). Week 2: was our 12th wedding anniversary, so I wore white with my green belt and orange jewelry as a nod to our wedding colors.. but I had ditched those before the picture, whoops! Week 3 was Father's Day, so Manly Colors. By this point we'd all (meaning myself and my photographers, Clyde and Chuck) gotten pretty bored with my normal poses so we started to mix it up a little. Don't worry, Chuck stole the Week 4 picture and stuck it in for my LDS tools profile hahaha.

JULY:

Week 1: Independence Day! The rest of the month... literally no occasions. Oh wait, week 4 was Pioneer Day. 

AUGUST: 

Week 1... that dress again... different shoes I think? Let's just appreciate that I'd been camping for two days and got dressed in a tent. Week 2... pink for my mom's bday maybe? Week 3.. I think blue and red for the start of school... week 4: in my Mom's backyard, watering since she was out of town and also I stole that shirt from her and LOVED IT and I had to give it back when she came home. Lame. 

SEPTEMBER:

Week 1: Okay, I bought that dress at D.I. like five or six years ago and wore it once but it was deffff on the short side so it's been sitting in my closet ever since and I finally invested in a skirt extender and it's amazing! Week 2 was Patriot Day (those flag shoes were also a sound Savers investment a few years ago...), weeks 3 and 4 were just random...

OCTOBER:

 Nothing for general conference weekend, but there were five Sundays so plenty of Halloween colors, yay! Week 3 (technically 4, whatever), I'm wearing my spider web tights but you can't see them... but I know they're there, so it's enough. Grace and I matched with our striped tights the Sunday before Halloween!! We took pictures... they'll be on the October blog... when I blog about it in six months ;).

NOVEMBER: 

 Week 1 was the Sunday before Election Day. The rest of the month were autumn colors, which I love to put together in awesome combinations that make me feel like a pile of leaves haha. Week 2 was photographed by Will, who instructed me to only have one leg hahahahaha.

 DECEMBER:

Okay, I can't be that vain if I've clearly saved the least photogenic for last, right? The first Sunday we were in Elko and driving home and nary a picture occurred. Week 2 I apparently failed to double check the pictures after Clyde or Will took them, so enjoy my blurriness. Week 3 I was clearly a hot, static-y mess, whoops! And week 4 was Christmas Day! Sacrament meeting was all sorts of rough but Brother Westerberg handed me that plate of cookies as we left and I ATE IT ALL and was then able to deal with my children. Home teachers for the win!!

2016 was a rough year for getting to church, we had the 9am block which I thought was going to be amazing BUT TURNED OUT TO BE REALLY EARLY and Chuck was never around in the morning to help... which was okay because if he'd been home it would have eliminated my best excuse for repeated tardiness ;).... but we made it! And now we have the 11am block which WILL be amazing. Or else. 

2016 was not a rough year for being a member of the church, though. I hesitate sometimes when people talk about my love of tights and different dresses because as shallow as I am about some things, my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ is as deep as it gets. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the vessel through which the gospel is accessible and I am grateful everyday to be a part of it. I am cynical and lazy and moody and sleeping in or bumming around on Sundays sounds dreamy, but going to church and rubbing shoulders with the caring members of my ward is better. Pausing during the sacrament to apologize (again!) to God for my weaknesses and committing (again!) to follow Him more closely is better. Sending my kids to classes to learn about the importance of kindness and prayer and service and love is better. Even standing up in front of a classroom of adults and being vulnerable as we study scriptures and doctrine together is better.

So we'll see what happens this year... I've been super into buying dresses at D.I. and Savers lately so I'll have to get more creative with accessories to avoid repeats. Or lose a couple pounds so my skirts all fit better... hmmm, new necklaces it is!!