October Dress Project 2012 Kick-Off!

This is my third year participating in the October Dress Project. I thought I would be extremely excited about this new year, especially because of my amazing dress, but I find myself less enthusiastic as the previous years. The last two years I didn't love my dresses. They were cheap garments that served a purpose and were both thrown away after the 31 days of wearing them due to holes, stains and wearing. This year, I purchased a dress I believe in. The amazing Ugandan artisans that work at One Mango Tree made my beautiful garment and I couldn't be prouder to wear it! Even though I love what I am wearing, I am not loving the project this year. The biggest reason is I have so many other things on my mind with the finalization of our adoption right around the corner! That doesn't leave me a lot of room to plan outfits or fuss around with pairing unique combinations to make my dress look different every day. Instead, I throw the dress on, grab something to go with it and head out the door. The fun of the project isn't there this year but the practicality of it is. It makes it easy to grab my Ugandan red dress and go and for that, I am thankful to the October Dress Project.

You might wonder why I am writing about the ODP so early. It is still September after all. The reason is I might actually be in the beautiful country of Uganda in October and I didn't want to miss out in participating in this fun annual project! In Uganda, modesty is key and my dress does fall above my knee and will have to stay home while I traipse across the globe.

So here it goes!

ODP 2012

Day 1:
Just a day full of errands for the adoption, letting the dress speak for itself

a Christmas gift from my sister-in-law

Day 2:
Feeling bummy and overwhelmed with adoption to-do list, sought comfort in a cardigan

Day 3:
Surprised Craig at work with lunch, decided to look cute and put together

Day 4:
Helping at my friend, Julie's garage sale fundraiser for their adoption of 2 boys from Uganda (sporting her adoption shirt)

Day 5:
Church day! Re-doing this look from last year with the addition of a vintage owl for fun

And there you have it! More to come as time permits...