Sister Missionary Clothing...

While I have been scouring stores and websites for clothing for my mission I have ran across a handful of blogs that have been very helpful. I thought I would added my two cents to hopefully help those new sisters trying to find modest clothing for their missions (which we all know is quite the feat). I am 5'1'' to help others put in reference how long the dresses/skirts are.

1. So.... one of the best places to shop is ASOS.com They are a store from the UK (I believe). However you get free shipping and returns. Wahooooo. The secret to ASOS is to search for MIDI skirts/dresses. Then you will find the modest skirts and dresses you can wear:) They are a little on the pricey side. I scoured their sale stuff and found one dress I like a lot.


 

It is pretty comfy and there aren't too many layers. Here is the link for it http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-Midi-Dress-With-Pleated-Skirt/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2593489&SearchQuery=asos%20midi%20dress%20with%20pleated%20skirt%20black&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=36&sort=-1&clr=Black


2. Target

I found four super comfy dresses there that can be dressed up by adding a belt. I also found a few in the maternity section I really liked (but never ended up getting). If they have a synch tie it never seemed to be a problem that they were for pregnant ladies.

Online you can also search for dresses/skirts "below knee" which is very helpful.

Target is sort of a hit/miss. I did get a lot of exercise shirts that I really like from there and some slips.

Here is one that I got from there that I really like. I believe it is now in the sale section as well! (I am in the middle :)



3. Spiegel

I really like these skirts. They come in blue and black! Wahooo! Plus they are on sale. And check out this gorgeous girl wearing it. She has her own blog http://www.caraloren.com/2013/06/spiegel-part-2.html and she has a lot of cute, mostly modest clothes.





http://www.spiegel.com/heather-skirt-45630.html


4. MIKAROSE
Especially for skirts. I got some good skirts there that are really sturdy. Plus, they give 10% off to missionaries. Oh yeah!
I got this skirt in black and navy blue because it is a nice material that seems to dry really nicely (especially for those of us going places you get to hand wash everything. Looking forward to that!). I do drown in it a little because of how short I am, but it is still very comfortable! I am 5'1'' and it goes a little past mid calf. This model is obviously much, much taller than I am.

I also got the black skirt and I like it a lot. Plus, it is on sale!! Score. It isn't nearly as long as they gray skirt, but it still goes a few inches past my knees.



http://www.mikarose.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6_35&products_id=172




Black skirt

http://www.mikarose.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6_35&products_id=123

5. FlorenceAdams.com

I bought this skirt and I absolutely adore it. It comes in yellow and coral. It is about mid calf on me. Florence Adams also has some adorable dresses. They also have free shipping and no tax. Ohhh yeah.

On the right is some girl modeling the blue version (which they no longer have).

 


http://www.florenceadams.com/mint-pleated-skirt.aspx


6. Macy's/JCPennies/Dillards SALE sections

So what I do is I go into there websites, then go to the sale section, then organize it price low to high. Most of these websites you can organize it by sleeves or sleeveless. I have gotten three shirts from Macy's (all around $10), two shirts from JCPennies (around $15 per shirt), and two shirts from Dillards this way.

I also got a skirt from Macy's for $13 and a dress for $7 about two weeks ago. All of their summer stuff was on super clearance.

7. T.J. Maxx/Ross/Burlington Coat Factory/Nordstrom Rack/Wal Mart/Thrift stores

I know. It is a pain to search. And it is so long with so few results. But I have found a few things that I have really liked. Yay! Good luck in your searches.

I got a gray skirt and a black skirt like this one from T.J. Maxx. I love it, there is nothing more comfy. It is basically yoga pants in a skirt form.



8. DownEast

Yes. They can be pricey too. I got a skirt and shirt there and it came out to be $60. Yuck.

I got this skirt. It goes a few inches past my knees. I like pink a lot, and I didn't have anything pink, so I took the plunge and bought it.




9. SheInside.com

I bought a few shirts from them that I really like. They are based out of China, so take that into account when buying from them. For my busty sisters, make sure to size up! Or else you will run into the same problem I ran into... Also watch out for shipping time. It takes quite a bit longer than standard time. I got this shirt from there (not for my mission) and I adore it. I also got a orangy red plain shirt from them that I am taking on my mission :)



10. lularoe.com

They have some pretty adorable things on this website. I am in love with a lot of their dresses and they look super comfy!! Too bad I discovered them after I had already overbought for my mission.

I love this dress http://lularoe.com/shop/dress-celeste-mint-floral




11. modestpop.com

They also give discounts to missionaries. Just message them on Facebook about where you are going.
I tried this skirt on in a gray at Mikarose and I loved it. It was about mid calf on me. They also have a nice selection of shirts.



http://www.modestpop.com/products/cheyanne-skirt


12. Sistermissionaryclothes.com

The best thing on this website (according to my roommate who is on a biking mission) is the split slip. She swears by it. They also have a variety of skirts/shirts.



http://www.sistermissionaryclothes.com/accessories-mission/54-split-slip.html


13. And if you have a bigger budget than I did... Modcloth.com is always awesome. I had a friend who got quite a few of her things for her mission from there. The other thing I love about ModCloth is that people will post pictures of them wearing the article of clothing. It helps to get a better idea of the length.

I love this dress
and skirt
 

Dress
http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/about-the-artist-dress

Skirt
http://www.modcloth.com/shop/skirts/just-dandy-skirt-in-goldenrod

More I like :)
http://www.modcloth.com/shop/skirts/breathtaking-tiger-lilies-skirt

14. eshakti.com

I haven't shopped here but I know a lot of sisters have and have really liked it. I know you can personalize it to add sleeves and length for extra which is super nice!!


SECRETS:

#1 EBAY!!
Find something you really like then ebay it. Wala!! Quarter of the price. I got two target dresses like that and this handy dandy Mary Kay bag that you can hang from the door. Mary Kay =$50 Ebay =$15





#2 BUY BIGGER, IT IS OFTEN LONGER!
I have done this with a bunch of skirts and dresses. Belts have become my new best friend so that my skirts and dresses are long enough, but also aren't drowning me.

#3 GO TO SISTERMISSIONARY MALL AND FIND THEIR BOOKS WITH SISTERS WHO HAVE SERVED IN YOUR MISSION/AREA AND HAVE PAGES OF ADVICE FOR YOU! It is literally like Christmas reading what they have to say. If you don't live near the Orem area, I would call them and ask them to read it to you. Seriously. It was that helpful for me.

#4 SEARCH FOR BLOGS of people who are in the same mission or country as you. Super helpful as well!

#5 Make MAXI skirts into a dress, which rocks because they are then super comfy. A lady at a boutique showed me. My life has been changed for the better!! Because I am so short there is no way I could ever wear a maxi skirt, but now I can. That is what I did in this picture. I am the one in the middle :)




Other things that I have bought that I think I will love...

#1... This fancy traveling bag http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Hanging-Cosmetics-Grooming-Toiletry-Bag-Travel-Organizer-10-Pocket-2DayShp/281167143109?_trksid=p2047675.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D11%26meid%3D1647836975801157756%26pid%3D100011%26prg%3D1005%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D261283052708%26

 
 #2
It wasn't quite like this, but it is pretty similar. I love the handles so you can wear it like a backpack, and the extra pocket in the front is quite nice.

http://www.amazon.com/Three-Cheers-Girls-48911-Laundry/dp/B007Y1FGNE/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1380529950&sr=8-9&keywords=laundry+bag+with+strap
#3
A mosquito net from Scheels. I'll be in Mexico and Honduras, so hopefully a net will keep me from spraying myself with bug spray every night.


Well I hope this all has been helpful :) Good luck in your shopping endeavors, and hopefully by the end you won't be as sick of shopping as I am! Good thing I have 18 months pretty much shopping free:)

Weddings and Missions :)

So at BYU you either get married or go on a mission. Yep. That's about it. Alright maybe not always, but it seems that is the trend around these parts. So I am here to celebrate all my dear friends and family getting married, and my sweet cousin going on her mission. Wahoooooooo.

First wedding: My dear darling sista! Yep, that's right. She is officially a Kemp.

She got married in the Draper temple and she looked absolutely stunning. It is crazy to think my best friend who I was just playing house with is now all grown up and getting married. I am very happy for her, and Josh is one lucky man:)

Second wedding: Heather and Jordan!

Heather is my amazing friend who lived next door. We used to go on crazy adventures up to the canyon and do all sorts of crazy adventurous things in the wee hours. I am sure one day we will do it again :D Her wedding was in a very magical place with lots of rooms to explore :) (Which I very, very much appreciated :) She was a very happy beautiful bride, and I am so excited for her and Jordan.

And the last marrige: Cute Anne and Sam

Anne also lived next door, but in the opposite direction of Heather. She is our latest and greatest bride :) We had quite the bachelorette party re-creating all of her dates with Sam... and creating/inventing their future life with a fake same. Well, he wasn't really fake. We got a cut out of one of the One Direction band member and put Sam's head on it. It was great.

Whew... lots of marriages :)

And we sent off my cute cousin Deni. She is going to Independence, Missouri on her mission. She is going to be such an amazing missionary :) I am very excited for our family. Justin is off to Guatemala, Davis is in Peru, Deni is in Missouri, Connor will soon be in Chili, and I will be in Honduras. We are just taking over :)

 Well.. I still have two more weddings and a handful more missionary opening for this Summer. Time to prepare myself :)

Bear Lake, the 4th, and the Temple

For family vacation we went up to Bear Lake. We were all lobster red by the time it was over, but it was still totally worth it. We went boating, jet-skiing, tubing, swimming, wake-boarding, swimming, and we got to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

I also got to party it up on the fourth. Yay for Amurrica!! We went and watched the fireworks from the Stadium of Fire, because of course we are too cheap to actually get tickets :)

It was also my Daddy's birthday! We went to Thai Ruby to celebrate. In case you haven't been there and you live in the Provo area... please promise me you will go there. I promise you will thank me! It is the most delicious food you will ever eat and is only second best to eating in Thailand itself.

We also went to to Oquirrh Mountain temple. It was stunning. 

Of Spiritual Things...

I officially sent in my letter of acceptance for my mission to Honduras! It definitely took me long enough. Now to get everything else prepared and ready :)

I also had the opportunity to go through the St. George temple. It was 107 degrees in St. George, but I still had a lovely time. I definitely felt God's love and the spirit. The temple is an amazing and beautiful place, and I am so glad for the blessings that are available there. For more information about temples... http://www.lds.org/topics/temples?lang=eng

I went to the St. George temple when I was twelve for youth conference. We did baptisms, and ever since then I have absolutely loved the St. George temple. The St. George temple was the first temple built out West, and the third temple after Kirtland and Nauvoo. The saints sacrificed so much to build it. The matron also told us that the St. George temple is the exact same square footage as the Nauvoo temple. It definitely has a special spirit about it. 

I had an amazing experience and I am so glad I got to share it with such awesome people. I love my family so much and I am so glad they got to be there with me. 

I am so grateful for my family and for my Heavenly Father. I have such a strong testimony of God's love for me and his hand in my life. I am so excited to share with others God's love for them and his plan of eternal life for everyone. 

My favorite scripture is Isaiah 64:8. 

"But now, O Lord, thou art our ^afather; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the ^bwork of thy hand."

I feel like this scripture perfectly describes how I feel about the Savior's hand in my life, sculpting me to be my best self, and to be who he needs me to be. He is constantly helping me and guiding me in ways I never thought was possible. The Savior loves all of his children and wants them to be able to guide and "clay" them to be their best selves as well. I am so grateful for the Savior, and the gospel for leading me towards him. He can truly guide us to be our best selves, and to be so much more than we ever imagined ourselves to be. I am grateful for the opportunity to come closer to him everyday. I hope everyone will be willing to draw closer to the Savior, and let him wrap his arms of love around them. The Savior's love can truly change lives, if you open your heart to him. 

The Narrows and the Dirty Dash!

NARROWS & THE DIRTY DASH

I traveled down to St. George with some family and friends. We went hiking in the narrows, and had a grandios time. We thought we had hiked very, very far, but alas, we didn't go very far at all. Oh the joys of hiking through water :)

T.J., Jesse, and me :)

We went for all the cool photo-ops!

 Lacie and I are the cool cats

 Gorgeous views!

All the Harmon's

...

and driving home we stopped by good old Beaver!

Two days later, on Saturday, I ran the 10k Dirty Dash with Ty, Jesse, and Tabitha. For those who don't know, the Dirty Dash is an obstacle course/race where you get nice and dirty :) It is super fun. 

The before...

And after...

I have to say my favorite part was swimming through big tubes with lots of mud in them. We also got mud shot at us while trying to get through another mud slide. Soooo much fun :) Definitely the best race I have ever done. 

Camping Adventures

CAMPING WITH THE GIRLS

Last weekend my roommates and I decided to be adventurous and go camping. Emily and I had found a nifty little camping area up Rock Canyon when we were hiking a few days before. We decided that was to be our destination. After hiking Rock Canyon for over an hour in the dark, our beautiful camp site was taken. So we grudgingly kept hiking until we found a small clearing near the river to make camp.

Luckily, Rachel and Emily are rather skilled mountain women and were able to make us a fire and a tent of sorts out of tarps. We ate hot dogs and s'mores before bed. However, none of us really slept because it is still freezing cold in the mountains. In the morning I was freezing and grumpy, but luckily we left early enough so I didn't have to suffer too long in the morning.

Virginia and I before the hike up to the camping spot

Freezing cold in the morning!

The end of our camping adventures