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No matter how long you’ve been reading along with us, you’ve seen my husband’s work. Or to be completely honest… you’ve seen the work that I’ve forced him to do.
Up until now, he’s begrudgingly complied because he knew how much it meant to me. I’ve touched on this before – see >>> here. Literally every single blog post of mine, including this one, was photographed by my husband. Most of the time, he did it with a smile, but sometimes it was a struggle. At the end of our long work days, I’m sure you can understand that the last thing he wanted to do was photograph my outfits.
Half the time I would come out of our room, in the brilliant outfit I had dreamt up, and he’d raise an eyebrow, as if to say… “You’re really wearing that?” I’d say… “You just don’t get it Joe.” Then we’d drive half an hour across town (the desert landscaping at our house is very un-fashionbloggy) and I’d proceed to spend twenty minutes shouting directions at him…. like a drill sergeant.
“I need you to get the boots…. Can you stand over there more?… Ok now I’m going to walk toward you… Joe, these are SO out of focus, uggghh.”
He’d roll his eyes. I’d get frustrated. Before we knew it we were “fighting” (<<< if you can call it that) over something that wasn’t even a real issue. What was most disheartening, was that we were fighting over something that I loved… something that was supposed to bring me happiness. Don’t get me wrong, we had good photo shoots too – lots of them – but the bad ones were definitely weighing on us.
And then, in early December, the Instagram Husband video (here) went viral. It was a relief at first. I mean, at least we weren’t alone. But on the other hand, it made a very real issue we were having, a national conversation. A conversation that seemingly everyone wanted to weigh in on.
By the time the Instagram Husband video was brought up, at a group dinner – with a bunch of our friends, it had lost any and all of it’s initial appeal to me. To be quite honest, I was done.
The truth of the matter is that we all do things with our spouses or significant others that we don’t particularly enjoy. We do them because we know that [said activities] make the other person happy. And that, in turn, makes us happy. AM I RIGHT? For example, I don’t find college football (or really any football for that matter) all that stimulating. But I take part, usually with a smile on my face, because I know it makes my husband happy. As far as I was concerned (and still very much am) my blog –just like football – is just one of those things.
And let’s be real… it’s so much more.
Today, blogs are how we navigate pregnancy and (in some part) learn how to raise our children. I have received countless emails – on this post here – from women preparing to have their first child, and I, myself, turned to a blog when I was trying to figure out the “cliffs notes” on sleep training my own child. “HOW LONG do I let him scream for?” Blogs are how we shop – they’re how we learn what’s “in”. For goodness sakes, they’re even how we plan our vacations now. But for some reason they’re also laughable and trivial? I think not.
So there Instagram Husband – that’s what I think of you.
Anyhow, starting January 1st, I went to work to find a solution to our problem. Happily, I can say I found it in the form of a wonderfully talented, kind, and beautiful Instagram friend… she’s awesome. Like. SO. Awesome. We had our first shoot this past Monday – and let me just say – I am beyond excited to have her on board.
So Monday night… I went home, and I fired my husband.
The funny part was… he look stunned. Like he never thought the day would come…”Em… are you sure? I mean – I’ll take your pics sometimes… if you need me to.”
Me: “Nope, you’re fired! Actually I take it back. Unless we’re on vacation… you’re fired!”
I think in the end – it is such a good and healthy change. He’s happier… I’m happier… and in the end, you guys will be happier. Everyone wins. That being said, these photos are the last of my husband’s work that you’ll see on the blog. So I tell you guys all this… first of all, because I like to keep you up to date on changes that happen behind the scenes at Two Peas in a Prada, but also, to #keepitreal. In reality, we’ve all got our stuff, no matter how big or how small. So this is a little insight into ours.
Now let’s talk about this outfit. This dress was such a find. I’m always looking for transitional items that I can wear all year round, and this dress absolutely meets that critera. You can wear it in the winter as I have styled it here. You can also throw a black blazer over it and pair it with tights for a more “work appropriate” look. Then, for spring and summer, I’d pair it with these strappy black sandals and a white jacket. I mean, the possibilities are endless and it’s perfect for work or for play. I love versatile pieces, and this is definitely one of them. Also, it’s a fit and flare silhouette – which in my opinion – is incredibly timeless and chic. Not to mention… it’s very on sale, and at just $27, it’s totally a steal. I’m wearing a size 0 for reference and it’s available in every size.
Shop it now before it’s too late!
