Thanksgiving Date

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20121124-093017.jpgI’ve done just about every kind of Thanksgiving:

I’ve had plenty of traditional turkey dinners at home with immediate and extended family, where I watched (a) my mom freak out about cooking and/or (b) my grandpa fall asleep on the couch in front of a football game.

One year, I went to New York and saw the Macy’s parade and had dinner with some people I had never met before who very generously let me and my friend come over to their tiny apartment.

I’ve had dinner with Kristin’s very large extended family, which, like the Macy’s parade, involves a large cast of characters. I’ve had Thanksgiving at the beach, which included sipping champagne while watching the waves (that was a particularly good one). Last year, I went to a potluck “Friendsgiving.”

That brings us up to date…to this year, when I added yet another variation of Turkey Day to my repertoire: a Thanksgiving date of dinner and a movie! I spent all day with the person I’m most thankful for (I know…gag). We made breakfast and ate it in bed while watching the parade (the Macy’s one, not her family), then got gussied up and went to see a movie, and finished the night with dinner at Cooper’s Hawk Winery (we took pumpkin pie cheesecake to go and I even shared a little of it). So there you have it: a fabulously uncomplicated and fun Thanksgiving, and a great excuse for this outfit. Now, if anyone can think of something new for me to do next year, let me know! Thanks.

Also, don’t think I forgot today is Cyber Monday. Since this blog is more about  my style and my random nonsensical thoughts than it is about shopping tips, I decided not to do a special post for sales alerts. However, I will be posting links with sales and promo codes on the Sarah’s Real Life Facebook page and on Twitter, so you can follow along there if you’d like!

Dress: Target

Belt: J. Crew (similar on sale)

Shoes: Victoria’s Secret, old (similar)

Bag: old (similar)

Sunglasses: Target

Don’t forget to follow me on Bloglovin’…You’ll get to see what I wear next Thanksgiving and every day in between!

Before & After

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On Friday, I went to visit yet another pair of friends who just had a baby (yes, that makes 3 in one week), then I headed downtown for dinner with the in-laws, some shopping, and – most importantly – to Circle of Lights! Every year on the day after Thanksgiving, Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis gets blocked off to traffic, and there’s a big show with various Christmas-themed performances. Lights are strung up to the top of the monument, and at the culmination of the show (after Santa shows up, of course), the lights turn on and it looks like a giant Christmas tree. It’s just a fun way to start off the holiday season, although it’s more fun when it’s not frigid outside. This just happened to be a frigid year (yay), so I had to prepare to bundle up. I thought I’d show you my basic look, along with the Arctic Tundra version.

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Here’s another side-by-side for ya: the Soldiers and Sailors Monument before and after the lights went on. I would have gotten closer, but as you can see, a couple other people were there. I’m working on getting a private show next year.

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Chambray: Madewell (similar)

Vest: LOFT

Jeans: The Limited

Boots: Matisse via DSW (similar)

Necklace: I.N.C. via Macy’s (similarsimilar)

Coat: J. Crew (25% off and free shipping w/ code COLOR25 thru 11/25)

Hat: handmade gift (similar)

Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs