Tag Archives: coach

Mar27

Black Maxi Dress OOTD

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Black Maxi Dress OOTD

Hi everyone and happy Sunday! This month, I have been so pleased to be able to host my guest blogger, Nida, from Shopaholic Blogs here on lifewithlilred. She has done an exceptional job creating ready to wear OOTDs for all of our readers and it was so much fun working with her! Nida’s final post is actually a three for one because she’s going to show you three ways to style the summer staple that is the Black Maxi Dress. Thanks again for all of your hard work, Nida! You’re fabulous. Now, take a look at Nida’s Black Maxi Dress OOTD:

 

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Hello everyone! 💞
Welcome to another OOTD collab post! Before I start talking about today’s look I want to thank Sarah from lifewithlilred for hosting my posts these past few weeks. ✨ It has been a pleasure working with her and she has always been so appreciative of my work that it inspired me to do better each time. I know most people shy away from collabs for a multitude of reasons. But from my own experience, I have found collabs to be a fabulous way to not only interact with other bloggers but to learn from them, too. In addition, it’s a great opportunity for both parties to cross promote their blog and reach more readers. Here’s to a million more great collaborations! ✨
If you want to get in touch with me please feel free to email me at: shopaholicblogs@gmail.com.

 
Now for today’s OOTD! ✨ Sarah very generously let me pick out my own theme this week. With summer approaching fast, dresses and skirts become the forerunners in my wardrobe. 🌞 One piece that I buy every year is the black maxi dress! 😍 I find it to be a versatile item that I can style multiple different ways and it flatters almost all body types, my awkward one included. So here are the three ways that I will be wearing my black dress this summer! Enjoy!

 

✨ Look #1 – Cute & Casual

  • Maxi Dress: Old Navy
  • Denim Vest: American Eagle Outfitters
  • Sneakers: Dr. Scholl
  • Purse: Dooney and Bourke
  • Sunglasses: Coach
  • Bracelet: Fossil

✨ Look #2 – Out & About

  • Scarf: Old Navy
  • Sandals: BCBG
  • Purse: Oryany Tracy
  • Bracelets: Fossil

✨ The second look is perfect for a day around town/shopping/out with the girls! 💖

                                                                                      ✨ Look #3 – Boho Chic     

  • Poncho: American Eagle Outfitters
  • Sandals: BCBG
  • Accessories: H&M

✨ The third and final look is my favorite! 😘 I want to go bohemian this summer and the AE poncho is perfect for a boho look.

✨ Makeup Used

  • Eyeliner: Bare Minerals in Onyx
  • Lip Crayon: Burt’s Bees in Redwood Forest

There you have it loves, my take on styling the Black Maxi Dress. As always, I hope you enjoyed this OOTD!
Until next time xoxo 💋

^^^ Cool looks, Nida! You can see all of Nida’s OOTD posts under the Fashion category on my page and on her site, Shopaholic Blogs. Please be sure to give her page some love! Out of the three looks that Nida created, which one would you wear? What is your go to spring or summer staple? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb8

Monday Update: Special Olympics Edition

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Monday Update: Special Olympics Edition

Hi everyone and happy Monday! This past week, my Special Olympic ice skaters competed in the winter games and it was totally awesome. The events took place on Wednesday and Thursday and they were single handedly some of the best days of my life. On Wednesday my sister, Kristen, joined me at the competition and the banquet that followed later in the evening. It was so nice to have her keeping me company and all of my skaters and their families just loved her! The days of the competitions were long but they were so worth it, so let’s discuss:

Wednesday’s competitions were the races for the speed skaters and then the figure skaters would compete in their skills and compulsorary events. On Thursday, the figure skaters would perform their music routines. Wednesday started out much too early for my liking because I had to get up, get ready, pick Kristen up, and then make the twenty minute drive to the rink so I could prepare my skaters for the events an hour or so beforehand. I felt like a zombie but god knows I looked fabulous! 😉

Once we arrived at the rink, my tiredness was a thing of the past because seeing all of the athletes and their families was so energizing! Everyone was so excited and I couldn’t wait to soak up all of the positivity and happiness that everyone was exuding. It was so much fun to make my rounds to all of the athletes upon our arrival and introduce my sister to all of my friends. I was so touched by the warm greetings I got from all of my skaters and their families. I think the athletes were more excited about Kristen being there than me though because they got a brand new person to show off to!

The events started promptly at ten with the speed skaters on the hockey rink and the figure skaters on the practice rink. I had athletes competing on both rinks so I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I had skaters to give pep talks to, athletes to cheer for, and competitors that I had to track down that were going to be competing next. I didn’t mind the fast pace though and thanks to my time management skills, I was able to watch almost all of the skaters that are in my group compete.

Saying that I was proud of all of the athletes was a severe understatement and before I knew it, the events were over for the day. After all of the events were complete, we made our way to the hockey rink for the award ceremony. It was so special to be able to watch the athletes and my students receiving their medals on the podium. I loved seeing the big smiles, surprised faces, and arms raised in victory of all of the competitors. One of my students, Rick, ran to his family after he received his medals and went in for a big hug from his aunt. During the hug he kept saying “I’m so happy, I’m so happy” and I started bawling my eyes out! I was so proud of everyone and being able to see them celebrate and know that they did a fantastic job was the cherry on top of a perfect morning.

After the award ceremony, Kristen and I stuck around for a little bit while everyone had lunch and then we rolled out. Kristen treated me to lunch and then we went back to her apartment to rest and watch Netflix until the banquet in the evening. The banquet for the Special Olympics winter games was held at the Clarion Hotel. There was going to be speeches, dinner, and some good old fashioned tom foolery.

Kristen and I got to the hotel around six and made it right in the nick of time because shortly after we got there it was time to eat. Dinner was served buffet style followed by a huge piece of chocolate cake. Once everyone finished eating, there was a bit of a lull so we could all chat and digest while the dance floor got cleared off. Before we knew it, the dance floor was cleared, a DJ was playing, and disco lights were flashing. That’s when the real fun began!

As soon as the music started playing, Kristen and I ran to the dance floor with our friends so we could get our groove on. We were all dancing and singing along to songs from Grease and the Top 40 hits. My sister and I had such a blast dancing the night away. We were on the dance floor for over an hour and by the time we left, everyone was still dancing and jumping around! Clearly, all of the athletes have far more energy than I! Take a look at some of my pictures from the banquet:

^^^ I love us!!!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it a million more times, I am so unbelievably proud of all of my students and the athletes who competed at the Special Olympics winter games. I’m so thankful for all of my new friends and I’m so happy that my sister got to share in the fun with us. It has been such a privilege to be able to coach such a talented group of athletes and I wouldn’t trade the experiences I’ve had for anything! Coach Sarah loves you guys! ❤

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Special Olympics Edition! The winter games were a great success and I’m so grateful that I could be a part of it. What is your favorite winter sport? What sports did you used to compete in or are competing in now? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan20

Busy Busy Week!

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Busy Busy Week!

Hello everyone and happy Hump Day! This is a Busy Busy Week for Lil Red…One of my college classes started yesterday, my boyfriend’s mom is getting surgery, I have Special Olympics skating to coach, siblings to drive, and I’ll be out of office Thursday night and Friday for a road trip to Detroit, Michigan. Detroit?! Yes, Detroit. My uncle is trading in his car to someone in that neck of the woods so I’m going to be his wing girl so he has a way to get home! It will be about a three and a half hour trip and luckily my travel partner is one of my favorite relatives so it should be a lot of fun.

One of my classes for my spring semester at Tri-C started yesterday so I need to get a jump on that since I won’t have much time to work on it throughout the week. I’m taking French II, Introduction to Criminology, and Abnormal Psychology which is the one that just started. I’ve taken so many different psychology courses at Tri-C that I can’t even think of them all off of the top of my head. I’ve loved all of my psych courses but I’m really looking forward to my newest class. I enjoy learning about mental health and different disorders so I have a feeling that the Abnormal Psychology class will be one of my favorites. My French and Criminology classes don’t start until February 1st so it will be nice to get a little refresher for a few weeks after my winter break!

I have a lot of fun posts lined up for this week once things slow down a little including some new purchases from Forever 21, a possible article for a new company that I’ll be posting for if it’s ready, and some beauty product reviews. I’ll try to get some of these prewritten so I can schedule them for when I’ll be away during my Detroit drive! I’ve really enjoyed my winter break but I’m so ready to get back into the normal crazy swing of things. Having some time off was nice but I can’t wait to get back to work and get a few steps closer towards getting my Associate of Arts degree!

It’s definitely a Busy Busy Week in the world of Lil Red but you can always count on me to keep supplying the latest and greatest here on the ol’ blog! Where are all of my college kids at? What courses are you taking for your spring semester? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec7

Monday Update: Winter Fest Fun Edition

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Monday Update: Winter Fest Fun Edition

Hellooo everyone and happy Monday! I had a sub par weekend due to some unfortunate family falling outs BUT I did have an awesome Saturday morning! I coach figure skating for the Special Olympics and at the Lock 3 skating rink in downtown Akron a winter fest was held through the Summit Developmental Disabilities Board. I had such a blast with my skaters and their families and my mom joined us as well which made the outing even better! Let’s discuss:

Lock 3, as pictured in my featured image photo, is a fantastic landmark in Akron. There are concerts there during the summer and a lot of great winter activities as the weather gets colder. It was a frigid morning on Saturday but when my mom and I arrived at the rink, I was happy to see a lot of my skaters already there chatting, skating, and tying up their skates.

I was excited for my mom to meet everyone and I was also pretty pumped to have some Sarah skating time, too. When I’m coaching, I rarely have time on the ice to do any of my old jumps or spins so it felt SO good to be able to break out some of the tricks up my sleeve, even though my skates are dull as dish water…They need sharpened so bad! After some time to myself on the rink, more of my skaters showed up, so I got off to assist in tying up skates, helping with stretches, and introducing my mom!

After everyone was geared up and ready to go, we all got on the ice together along with the members of the community who were there. I was under the impression that my skaters were going to be able to perform their routines that they’ve been working on as their showcase for the morning, but I was in for a pleasant surprise once the ice was cleared and my skaters began to line up.

I got off the ice and put my blade guards on then took my spot by the side of the rink to watch the show. But because the event was thrown together pretty last minute, it turns out that my skaters were just going to have the ice to themselves for five or so minutes to show off a little. I then got called over from my spot by my students and the organizers of the event because they wanted me to join the skaters on the ice!

I haven’t been on the ice to “perform” in years and it felt great to share the rink with such wonderful skaters. All of my students got to share some of their moves with the crowd as I skated back and forth between them to check up on them, offer words of encouragement, or give suggestions. The exhibition was a hit, and the Akron Beacon Journal was even there taking pictures! All of my skaters did so well with their laps, spins, and gliding and I was so proud.

After our five minutes of fame, the doors to the rink opened and the community members were able to join us. I got off of the rink and was greeted by the crowd who was so kind and a big hug from my mom. She told me that “every second spent on skating was worth it to watch you just now” and it warmed my bitter and cold heart.

I spent a little more time on the ice with my students and then my mom and I hit the road. I didn’t exactly want to go but it was SO cold and my mom didn’t dress accordingly! The winter fest was a huge success and it was one of the best times I’ve had in ages. I was so happy that my mom, my skaters and their families, and the community was able to share in such a special event!

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Winter Fest Fun Edition! I hope all of you had a great weekend! Do you have something similar to Lock 3 in your neck of the woods? Who has gone ice skating this winter? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct26

Monday Update: Special Olympics Edition

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Monday Update: Special Olympics Edition

Hellooo everyone and happy Monday! I hope all of you had a fantastic weekend, I sure did! As you guys might remember me mentioning before, I figure skated competitively for a hefty portion of my youth. Thanks to my background as a skater, I’ve been given the opportunity to coach figure skating for the Special Olympics. I had my first practice with my skaters this past Thursday and it was one of the best times of my life! Let’s discuss:

Every Thursday for the next several months I’ll be at the Kent State ice arena for an hour coaching my new friends for the Olympic games in February. I had the best time during my first evening getting to know all of the skaters and their parents. It also felt so good to get back on the ice because I haven’t skated since last winter! I spent my time on the rink going back and forth between different skaters to check on how they were doing and help them improve. It was so rewarding every time a skater accomplished something that I helped teach them!

I had so much fun coaching my skaters but I also really enjoyed just standing back and watching them skate. All of my friends seemed so at peace while they practiced their sport and it was nice to see big smiles and hear laughter throughout the rink. I was legitimately bummed out when the session came to an end but I made sure that before the ice got Zamboni-ed that I was able to have a race around the rink that I promised to one of my speed skaters. He was thirteen years old and was a freaking speed demon so I can imagine I’ll be constantly reminded of his victory every session by him and his uncle, which I’m so okay with!

I seriously can’t wait until next Thursday so I can see my students and their families again. It was so touching how gracious the parents or guardians were after I got off of the rink but I should be the one thanking them because I think I got much more out of my time than the skaters did! I’m so excited to go on a coaching journey with my new friends and their support systems and I’m so ready for another wonderful session this week!

In other news, my boyfriend Kyle and I had our two month anniversary on the 20th which is really exciting stuff! I also got to sit down with one of my good friends to discuss her Trades Of Hope campaign this past Thursday so you can expect an article about that in a few weeks! AND after skating this upcoming Thursday, I’ll be staying in Kent for a little while longer to meet with a really talented musician, John Patrick Halling, to chat about his cross country tour this past summer! It should be a lot of fun so keep your eyes peeled for lots of cool new posts. 🙂

I hope all of you are having a great start to your week and make sure you tune in at http://www.lifewithlilred.com for all of the latest and greatest! What was everyone up to this weekend? How do you plan on celebrating Halloween? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah