My Showgirl Era

Way, way back… in 2018, I did a pinup photo shoot. You can read all about it here: Feeling Like a Rockstar: My Pinup Photo Shoot. I followed the photographer on Instagram and Facebook, so every so often when she posts about a new set offer, I’m intrigued.

On a related/unrelated note, Taylor Swift launched Life of a Showgirl with some absolutely fabulous imagery. Like every single photo she dropped was perfection. In addition to giving us all an album of absolute bops, she was SERVING as the kids say.

So, when I saw that Atomic Cheesecake Studios had a set that was showgirl adjacent, AND she happened to have an open slot on my birthday, I decided it was time for me to get caked in makeup, stick on some false lashes, and have my own *Showgirl* moment.

Here are some of my favorite images from the shoot:

Are there a few things I wished I could change just a smidge… sure. However, when someone else is in charge of your look and the photos, you have to give up control. All in all, it was a fun way to spend the morning of my birthday and it was very fun to have a bit of my own Showgirl Era.

My Style: November 2025

I love autumn – I’m a big fan of the changing leaves, bonfires, and spotting the first twinkle lights that go up for Christmas. I also enjoy getting out those sweaters, fluffy socks and boots that have been packed away over the warmer months, so let’s take a look at my November style.

Work Style

I fully love both of my office looks from this month! The outfit on the left was 100% planned so I could wear my new-to-me hand tooled cowboy boots. I paired them with a secondhand Anthropologie dress that combines tulle and glittery dots, a thrifted cardigan and I added a brown braided belt to tie in the brown of my boots.

For the outfit on the right, I pulled out this animal print, pleated skirt that I found at a consignment shop last spring. I topped it with a thrifted black cotton blouse, black sparkly cardigan (thrifted last month) and an absolutely gorgeous pair of Tieks that I was gifted last year.

Casual Style

Lots of jeans and layers for my non-work plans this month. I tend to do a t-shirt and a topper so that I can easily self regulate when I get too hot or too cold.

Thanksgiving Style

Here are my two Thanksgiving dinner looks for this year. The outfit on the left was for my parent’s house, so I went more casual with a black v-neck tee, chunky cardigan (recently dyed green… it was previously cream), and bootleg jeans. For dinner with my husband’s family a couple days later, we had a long drive so I wanted something comfy to sit in for hours without a waistband digging in after dinner. So, I paired this secondhand Madewell dress with a secondhand Anthropologie cardigan and those fabulous boots again.

New vs Secondhand Tally

This month, I count 5 items that I purchased retail, 19 items I purchased secondhand, and 1 item I was gifted.

A Short Update on My EoE + Food Allergy/Intolerance/Who Knows

If you’ve been following along with my food drama, you know I’ve been dealing with some sort of mystery food issue. For months, I’ve suspected that an undiagnosed food allergy is tied to my EoE because every so often my body decides to freak out after I eat something. And sometimes not freak out when I eat that same thing. So, it’s super fun.

Anyways, I finally got an appointment with an allergy doctor and I was SO EXCITED because I would finally get some answers! And then… we talked.

That’s it. We just basically rehashed everything I had already put in my intake forms. Sigh. No magic wand. No diagnosis moment where someone kicks the door down yelling “IT WAS THE GLUTEN ALL ALONG!” Nothing.

Anyways, the allergy doctor doesn’t think it’s a food allergy (which means no EpiPen needed). However, she does think it is a food intolerance.

It could be gluten or a combination of foods. She said that we can narrow down the culprit with a food allergy prick test. Basically, they poke you with tiny amounts of various allergens. If your body releases histamines, you’ll get an itchy reaction bump and you’ll know which specific food(s) triggered the reaction.

I had it done long, long ago on my arm for non-food allergies back when I was in college (I’m super allergic to cats and pollen). It’s uncomfortable, but you get instant gratification, and I’ll know EXACTLY what foods are causing reactions by the end of the appointment so I can avoid them.

So, obviously I was like, HELL YEAH, lets stab me with pokey things!

And then she told me the next available appointment was in January.

UGH.

But I put myself on the waiting list and thankfully got moved up to an appointment in December. So… yay. Kind of. I mean, I still get to spend another month not knowing what’s actually triggering me. Which also means I get to go into Thanksgiving avoiding the delicious lineup of stuffing, rolls, cookies, and pie.

I mean, I could eat the stuffing. But I don’t know what the exact magical amount is that my body will tolerate, and what amount will have me up at midnight vomiting. Will I chance it? Probably.

So anyway, that’s the update. The silver lining is that I should finally have answers next month!