The Ideel Dress For Any Lifestyle

#DVF New Julian Two Mini Wrap Dress

The burbs are feeling good guys! But I’ll be honest. It didn’t come easy.

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Since it’s been 3 months since we made the move, I wanted to share the deets. Let’s start with the awkward and end with the good? Mmmm k? Great.

#DVF New Julian Two Mini Wrap Dress

But before I dive in, let’s chat about a dress that embraces all lifestyles, no matter what stage of life you’re in. The DVF Wrap. A one piece that takes you from your 20’s to your 100’s in a straight up class mobile. I’ll be honest – it’s a pretty penny upfront. But factor in the times per wear – it’s golden. And I swear shaves off ten LBS thanks to the synched waist.

Luckily for Ideel (Groupon’s designer labels for less), you can now find amazing pieces for a fraction of the cost – up to 70% off. The designers change regularly too. Hello YSL, Rebecca Minkoff and Prada. So be sure to sign up and check it out!

Now let’s try on these life changes for size…

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BIGGEST CHANGES

1. People keep asking why we moved to Elmhurst since we don’t have kids. Well we hope to change that someday. We grew up in the suburbs and want to raise our family the same way. But in the meantime, we are giving this suburb lifestyle a test run first.

2. I am an outsider. As mentioned above, I feel like I am the only woman without kids in these parts. Not a big deal at all but I can tell I don’t have that connection or thing in common in group conversations.

The most fascinating tidbit (and I’m obsessed!) are Mom Facebook Groups. Every suburb has their very own and abide by very strict rules. Mom’s share things going on in realtime (I swear it’s faster than the news!), sell gently used clothes/furniture/toys and remind each other of openings and events. Elmhurst’s is called Elmhurst Mom’s and Hinsdale’s is The Real Housewives of Hinsdale. Crazy right?!

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3. I miss my city friends! I still have several besties in Chi-town and I made some amazing friendships in the blogger-sphere too. I just don’t get to see them as much anymore. I miss you guys!

4. I feel out of touch: I feel like I don’t know what’s going on and everyone is doing these amazing things except for me. After 30 days there were all these new places and things I have never heard of. I didn’t realize how quickly the city changes! Instagram also gives me major FOMO (fear of missing out).

Overview: Overall these challenges are seriously NOTHING! But knowing what it’s like may be helpful if you ever make the change from the city to a suburb. Okay, let’s talk about the amazingness now!

dvf-new-julian-two-mini-wrap-dress_1260THE BEST

1. New Friends: Thanks to The Windy City Blogger Co, I recently connected with Kelly. Another blogger in Elmhurst. Wahoo! She is the sweetest and the gem who took these photos. I also know of a few other ladies who are around these parts too. Fingers crossed I get to meet them too!

2. Goodbye FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out): So yes, I feel like I am missing out sometimes. But 90% of the time I am so happy I no longer bounce around the city 24/7. As a result, I have my sh*t together. I also prioritize my time when I visit the city and find myself putting time in where it counts.

 

3. New Fun Things: Sean surprised me with a new bike last month (like 10 year old birthday style!) and it’s so much fun. We will take the Prairie Path and grab a Fist City IPA at a local beer garden. We also have a new Designated Driver named the Metra! We take a train to neighboring towns. Just went to A Toda Madre this past Friday – amazeballs.

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4. Family Time! This ties into the above, but I get to see Sean and Larry a million times more. We love taking Larry to the park everyday, seeing our suburb friends (even though it’s been crazy this summer!) and making an outing of the trip to the grocery store. Our new favorite thing is enjoying an IPA at Whole Foods while we tackle our grocery list.

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5. Stress Level Decreased. This sounds silly, but not having every second planned of every day was my biggest struggle. I had to be…still. Can you imagine the horror?! 😉 Basically you’re away from all the hooplah (which I miss so much!), I was forced to relax. Completely self induced, I know. City life – it’s a double edged sword. What I love the most, I also hate the most.

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6. A full refrigerator: Goodbye cheese and ketchup only fridge! We’ve got lettuce, stoneground mustard, grapes and fresh salmon baby!

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7. Round of drinks on me! $14 cocktails, say whaaaat was I thinking?! I’m talking about $5 martini night and $2 you call its. This round’s on me folks.

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Shop The Look: DVF New Julian Two Mini Wrap Dress c/o || Steven Rykie Sandals || 3.1 Phillip Lim Medium Satchel || Kate Spade Sunnies (old) || Pretty bouquet by Carousel Flowers – the most darling floral boutique in Elmhurst.

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Have you ever had to make a big lifestyle change? How’d it go? Would you ever do it again?