After dinner yesterday, I attended a fun mixer event at A Cut Above Boutique, an adorable clothing and accessories shop that my friend Brittney owns in Ocala.
The event was an informal mixer for past members of the Junior League of Ocala and women who might be interested in joining the organization at the end of the summer.
I was invited to the event by my friend Cara and was excited to meet so many women who live in the area.
(Picture from Brittney)
I especially loved chatting to these women because I related to a bunch of them who moved to Ocala and didn’t know anyone. After arriving at the mixer, one girl even said, “So this is where all the girls are!” That made me laugh because I felt the same way. I haven’t run into many women my age in Ocala and it was great to see that they really are out there!
As I previously expressed, I had reservations about the Junior League based on my own preconceived notions and stereotypes, but I was happy to find that everyone I talked to seemed genuine, down to earth, intelligent and friendly.
Another bonus? Since the event took place at Brittney’s boutique, we were able to do a little shopping!
(When I realized that I had four dresses that were all a shade of pink or coral, I grabbed that yellow shirt for a little flavor.)
I ended up buying a long-sleeved magenta dress that I fell in love with the minute I walked into the boutique.
The best part of the dress is the back!
Such a fun zipper!
When I showed the dress to Ryan when I arrived back home, he asked whether the zipper went in the front or the back. A front zipper? Sassy!
The mixer included appetizers, wine and cupcakes. I was so busy talking and shopping that I didn’t even notice the food at the side of the boutique until the end of the night, but I made sure to grab a cupcake on my way out. Yum!
Workout
This morning, Ryan and I awoke at 5 a.m. for a workout.
I started with 20 minutes on the elliptical before deciding to do a shortened version of my 1000 Rep Workout. I know it sounds crazy, but I honestly have fun doing that workout. No moves are repeated, so it feels like I’m accomplishing a bunch of mini-goals as the workout flies by. Big fan!
Breakfast
The highlight of today’s breakfast was avocado.
I scrambled three eggs with black beans (which made the eggs looks awfully funky) and topped everything with avocado.
Incorporating avocado into my morning meal must happen more often. It felt like such a treat!
This Weekend
Plans for the day include working for a few hours before packing up and heading to Orlando for a weekend with my mom and sister. My mom is a big-time Jazzercise fan and bought tickets for all of us to attend Tropic Heat, a huge Jazzercise event that includes lots of classes, DVD tapings and more.
Believe me, I know the stereotype surrounding Jazzercise – ‘80s leggings, leotards, ridiculous aerobics and more – but I must say that Jazzercise is honestly one of the most fun workout classes out there. Sure it can be goofy, but if you leave your pride at the door, it’s a blast!
See ya from Orlando!
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That dress is cute! I love the pop of green on the zipper! 🙂 Have fun with your mom & sister this weekend!
That pic of your three girls is so cute!
I like that pink dress! I’m a big fan of those blouse-y style dresses these days.
me too! those dresses are so comfortable!
florida avocado on sale at publix?? haha i know, i stocked up too this week!! this morning i had two pieces of toast spread with avocado sprinkled with some cayanne pepper and garlic salt, both topped with dippy eggs!! it was amazing
ha! you know it! love the sales.
Hey Julie!
I was just wondering if you ever ended up doing a blog post with your finished master bedroom? I remember seeing the sneak peek, but don’t think I saw the final product if you ever posted it? Just curious because we are currently working on doing our master and I like to see what others have done 🙂
oh my gosh, i don’t think i ever did! good reminder! i’ll add it to my list… and be sure to make the bed. 🙂
I did your 1000 rep workout yesterday and was feeling it this morning! It went by way faster than I expected. I will definitely be putting that in my ‘go to’ workout stash in my gym bag!
i’m so glad to hear that! thanks for letting me know, allie!
My friend has a dress with a full length back zipper (super short though) and a guy walked up to her at a bar and said “That looks like an invitation!”
LOL!
Love that dress! And omg the icing on that cupcake – there’s no such thing as too much icing if it’s good icing (and hopefully it was)!
I love that dress – the green zipper is awesome!
I used to take Jazzercise with a girl I wokred with when I was about 22 years old, I remembering telling my mom about it, and she was like, “I took Jazzercise in the 80’s!”
It’s funny how it’s still around and going strong! It must work.
I wonder if BodyPump will be around in another 25 years?
My mom did Junior League and absolutely loved it! Sounds like a fun event 🙂 So jealous of your Jazzercise weekend, can’t wait to hear about it haha
That dress is hot. And it sounds like such a fun event. That’s great you were able to connect with more women!
love that dress! I have one similar and I love the zipper aspect to it!
It’s so easy to tell when you just went grocery shopping; your breakfasts are so creative! Love it!
I don’t hear of jazzercise classes still around in orlando, I’ll have to check that out! And ohhh I’m love with that pink dress as well as that yellow top. Have loads of fun this weekend 🙂
Have fun in Orlando! Can’t wait to hear about your Jazzercise experience!! 🙂
I love your new dress! You look good in corals. Not to be creepy. I love your bracelet. Have fun in Orlando with your m and sister!
Love the dress…..not sure if I could pull it off though.
1000 rep workout…I’m doing it again this weekend but I changed a few of the exercises for fun (try single leg hamstring curls, took out plank and added bench hops for cardio and trx or ball tuck ins at the end…awesome)
Have a great weekend! Sounds like you’ll make jane Fonda proud lol
Looooove that dress! Green and pink are SO summer! Looks like a fun event, I love meeting new people 🙂
Looove that dress! So perfect for summer! Avocado + eggs is such a good combo, I also sometimes put avocado in my smoothies, its incredible!
I’m so jealous you’re going to Tropic Heat! I’m a huge Jazzercise fan!! Haha and I have a dress with the zipper on the front from the. Output I worked at in college. Always felt a little odd about it… Haha I’m glad you enjoyed the event, it’s always great to meet new people similar to you!
Love the color of the dress! Jazzercise sounds awesome!
That sounds like SUCH a fun event, and a great networking/meeting friends opportunity too! The girls sound like good buddies for you, being so fashionable and all! 🙂 Have a great time this weekend in Orlando! I’ve never done Jazzercise and like you said, have my own preconceived notions about it, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t give it a shot!
The back of that dress is so hot- love it!
That cupcake looks sooooooooo good! It looks like whipped cream frosting or something!
I’m excited to learn more about your Junior League experience – it sounds pretty great so far! Love that pink dress – it’ll look great on you 🙂 Haha I have a front zipper on one of my dresses and I do feel kind of sassy when I wear it! Mmm your breakfast looks delicious – I agree that avocado makes breakfast seem special; I made a breakfast sandwich with a fried egg and some simple homemade guacamole recently and it was such a treat!
I feel as though boys don’t understand zippers. My boyfriend always asks the same thing “oh.. is that for the front or the back?”. They don’t get the idea of aesthetic (i.e. non functional) zippers. Too funny. Such a cute dress! You’ll have to try it on for us 😉
And yes, you are correct, jazzercise sounds like an ’80s pop/scrunchie/one-piece leotard extravaganza! Have fun!!
I found the 1000 rep on Pinterest as well and LOVE it! Challenging but fun. I got a friend to do it with me at the beach and she said she will never let me choose the workout again haha.
Love that dress! I actually have a dress with the zipper in front, it’s definitely sassy! Haha, only wore it once on Halloween.
Oh my goodness that dress is SO CUTE!!!! Haha boys and clothing…they just don’t always understand ;). I’m so glad you were able to meet some girls your age! That has to be so nice. Hope you have a great weekend Julie!
Such a cute dress! It’s perfect for summer; the colors remind me of watermelon. I’ve considered joining the Junior League, but also have preconceived notions about them being uppity and a tad snobby. I’m just looking for a way to get more involved in the community.
That zipper is really fun! My husband probably would’ve asked the same question, haha.
Sounds like a fun weekend to me–I’d love to try jazzercise and see what it’s all about-esp since I teach Zumba!
LOL! A jazzercise event! I didn’t even know they were still going strong. Can’t wait to hear about it. It has to be fun. 🙂
Love the zipper on the back!
I just had avocado with breakfast, and it was delicious! I mashed it and spread it on toast with a sprinkle of sea salt, the dipped the toast in my runny sunny-side-up eggs. so yum!
does she design the clothes she sells, or are they from a different distributor? the boutique is so cute! may have to make a day-trip to ocala to check it out!!
love the dress!
you should try mashing avocado on your english muffins then melt the cheese on top for your eggs! SOOOO good!
That zipper is gorgeous. Totally sounds like something Kevin would say too!! Haha.
I need some avocado for breakfast!
I don’t know which makes me more excited….the dress or the cupcake, lol!!
Glad you got a good feel for the Ocala Junior League and the ladies involved in it!!
such a cute dress!!! i went to my first junior league mixer this week- really looking forward to joining. ps- i’ve started putting strawberry jam on my egg sandwiches and LOVE it!
Love love love that dress!!! Zipper in the front would be very sassy 🙂 Excited to try the 1000 rep workout this weekend, thank you for the idea!!
I’m so glad you had fun at the JR. League mixer. If my bf and I move across the country for his job in a year I would definitely consider something like that to be able to meet people and make friends!
And that dress is adorable!
Mmmm I love avocado on my eggs!! Definitely a treat!
I’ve heard great things about Junior League & have been thinking about looking into it in NYC. Perhaps I will!!
i love step aerobics so i think id totally be into jazzercise. but maybe thats because i secretly want a leotard wedgie?
haha niiiice what a relief and great news that you finally found some peers~it’s always encouraging when you’re around people your age and you can relate to. And from what I can see, that boutique seems to have beautiful outfits!
What a fun night. I would love to join a junior league. I think it gets harder to meet new people as you get older (away from school). BTW, one of my favorite dresses has a zipper down the back. I love how edgy it is!
Do you print out your workouts and bring them to the gym? Or do you pull them up on your phone? Or I guess memorization is an option! I’m curious how you follow workouts with so many components while you’re at the gym without your workout being too choppy.
I’m going to try your breakfast! Maybe with a little salsa to add some kick to it…
super cuuute clothes. I think I would have bought that yellow shirt 🙂
Mmm avocados… I eat one every single day. I <3 healthy fats!!
Adorable dress! Can’t wait to see you model it on your fashion page. Ryans comment on “front zip” was too funny…..
Definitely a fan of that dress! Sounds like a fun event to attend, its nice to finally get the chance to meet more people in your town for sure!
A good friend of mine is in Orlanda at Tropic Heat too! I hope you all have a great time!!