Back To School Clothes...

Look who's being productive! I went shopping today with my friend and I got so much awesome sauce stuff! I am definitely going to wear all this stuff to school and it would all work with the back brace. But you're like, "Ann Marie, you don't even wear a back brace anymore, how would you know?" And you're right. I don't. But after a while you can just look at a shirt or a pair of pants or an outfit and know if it would work with the brace. It's like this weird sixth sense...

So pretty much you can assume these would work with the back brace because of Ann Marie's probably non-existent sixth sense...

...

Right, so anyway.

Here we go!

This is a pretty dress I got today. It was on sale for like 30 bucks and so of course I got it! But anyways, the dress is fairly loose except for the belt in the middle so it would hide the brace SO well. The shoes are my shoes that I've had for a while now. They're like that pair of shoes that if I'm in a hurry or I don't have any other pair to go with my outfit, I just slip 'em on.

Dress: JC Penny- $29.99
Shoes: Old Navy- ??? (It was a while ago, okay?)

I absolutely LOVE this! BTW, all these outfits definitely look better in real life. I can assure you I look 10 times hotter in person that I do in photos. Did that sound conceited? I think it sounded conceited... Anyways, the striped top and the navy skirt are both flowy and long enough to cover the brace but it might not hurt to put a tank top on over the brace. You know that under-over method I always talk about?

Top: Charlotte Russe- $10.99
Skirt: Charlotte Russe- $18.99
Shoes: Rue 21- ??? (Again, long time ago)

Okee this one is definitely my second favorite. Why my second favorite? Because my first favorite is yet to come... Anyways I absolutely love this outfit too. I got so many skirts today (like 2 whole skirts) and I love them. I've needed more skirts for like a year now, but I only go shopping like twice a year so... The design of the shirt and skirt are the same as the one above it so it would keep you completely covered.

Top: Charlotte Russe- $10.99
Skirt: Charlotte Russe- $18.99
Shoes: Charlotte Russe- $25.99

Fashion Tips With Ann Marie: Get solid color bottoms so you can mix and match pretty tops to make like 6 different outfits for each pair of pants or skirt! :)

See what I told you about mixing tops with bottoms? This is the same black skirt as in the photo above you, except this time I've matched it with a pretty lace top that I tucked in. The top is loose, if not a little low cut in the front, but it would be fine. This is a nicer outfit that you could wear for special events. I might wear this for my next band concert. (Don't mind the tag sticking out of the skirt in the photo.)

Top: American Eagle- $29.95
Skirt: Charlotte Russe- $18.99
Shoes: Mine

Lace top untucked with some jean mids feat. my dog derping or something. The shoes have studs on them in case you can't see (which I know for a fact that you can't).

Top: American Eagle- $29.95
Shorts: American Eagle- $19.99
Shoes: Charlotte Russe- $25.99

MY FAVE OUTFIT EVER OHMYGOSH I LOVE IT SO MUCH. Yeah I usually don't rock the khakis but for some reason I was KILLIN' IT. So I got them. So yeah, same shirt as before with a pair of shorts and shoes of course.

Top: Charlotte Russe- $10.99
Shorts: American Eagle- $24.99
Shoes: Charlotte Russe- $25.99

Three side notes:

1) I am not rich I've just been working a lot and saving up my money for six months or else there's no possible way I could have afforded this all.
2) I know most of the stuff this time was from Charlotte Russe and American Eagle, but that doesn't mean I just shop at those two stores. I go to the mall and go in practically ever store I can looking for things I like. The two places that just happened to have stuff I like were those two stores this time.
3) Yes, I know the quality of the pictures is crappy. I'm working on getting something to take better photos with.

Yeah so I hope this helps you! I had a lot of fun making this and I would really like to see your guys' creations if you would be willing to share. You can email me, and the email to contact me at is in my profile on the right hand side of the screen. I love you guys and I hope you have a fun time going back to school (haha nooooooooooo).

Ann Marie *>*

The End...

I'm done.

I'm actually done and I can't really believe it.

I went in for my appointment yesterday and they took an x-ray of my hand as well as my back. My curves stayed exactly the same as they were six months ago. Then my doctor said I was done growing and that meant I was done with my brace. And then he just kind of let me go.

I don't know. I guess I was expecting it to be different. More dramatic or something. I don't know. Maybe I'm just a dramatic person. He just said I could stop wearing it and I haven't seen Pablo since yesterday.

It's still really weird. I think I'm kind of in shock a little bit. My life doesn't feel that different right now, but I'm sure that as soon as I go back to school next Tuesday that I'll feel a lot different.

Now this does not mean the end of this blog or the end of my association with scoliosis or anything like that. It just means I won't wear the brace anymore. I'm actually going to try to post more now. I'm going back-to-school shopping tomorrow so I'll have some cute outfits to show! I know I always say that, but I'll make plans to go shopping, and then they don't work out. And don't worry about my outfits not fitting with the brace. The brace has changed my fashion sense a lot these past few years.

I can't believe how time has flied. I got Pablo two and a half years ago and I have changed so much since then. God works in mysterious ways, but he has blessed me beyond belief.

I started this blog two years ago and I didn't think that anyone would really look at it. But what I found here was a whole community of people with something in common and I think that's kind of beautiful. I've met new people and learned so much. And even if I've only helped someone in the slightest way, I think it kind of helped me too. So I guess this is also a big thank you to everyone reading this too. You're the reason why I didn't delete this blog after two months and just fought this battle on my own. I shared this with you and I will continue to share with you for the foreseeable future.

So in a way, this is an ending for me, but also a beginning. And maybe it's only your beginning, or maybe you're halfway there, so I've decided that I'll keep sharing and helping you guys because that's what I love doing.

Thanks for everything,

Ann Marie *>*

Camp...

Wowie! Where has my summer gone?! I've done a lot this summer. I've had my dance recital, gone to two camps, done a whole ton of AP homework, and had summer intensives for dance. Next week I'll be in Canada the first half of the week, then my parents are going to drop me off at camp on Wednesday. So... Here's a problem. What do you do with your brace at camp?

Well that depends on a lot of things. How hot it is, what you're doing, and where you'll be going.

The first camp I went to this summer was called Impact. It was a youth rally down in Tennessee and it was HOT there. Most of the days it was 90 something degrees but if you were outside it felt like 100 and something degrees. This was a conundrum. So for that camp I ended up only wearing my brace while I was sleeping and when I was in my dorm room with my roommate. I really wanted to wear it more, but we were constantly outside for one reason or another and even when I was inside their student center, sweat would run down my back. I tried to wear it the first full day I was there, but I was boiling.

The second camp I went to was called NOCYC. It was at this really rustic camp and I got 30+ mosquito bites I swear. I COUNTED them. Again, it was uncomfortably hot with the brace on, and I tried it for a day, and then couldn't do it. We were constantly doing sports activities and so I really shouldn't have worn my brace for that anyway. So I again just wore my brace at night and in the evenings when we just had devos and stuff.

The one I'm going to next week, I have been to before. I have gone every year for the past seven years. I know what to expect at this one. I know for sure I'll be able to wear it more than at the other ones, because I know what we'll be doing everyday. It doesn't really matter all that much anyway since I'll be getting there halfway through the week. I'll only be there Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

So my advice for this is to wear the brace as much as you can. You can ALWAYS wear it while you sleep so that should give you some time in it. Ask someone what you're going to be doing so you can take an educated guess as to whether you should wear your brace. But also remember that the time you have in your brace is limited, so you SHOULD be wearing it as much as possible.

Also, if you're going to camp this summer, stay safe and have a good time!

ILY ALL,

Ann Marie *>*

Brace Adjustments...

Wow, has it been a while. I always do this but I actually had a really good reason this time! I was part of our school musical and that with dance was a lot more commitment than I thought it would be! Now it's the season for dance recitals and finals and I've been going crazy over the past few months. And I messed up my scheduling for next year and have to go get it fixed by the guidance counselors on Monday so I'm pretty much not gonna get the classes I want next year for school. :/ But whatever right.

Lately my brace has really been hurting my hip, (it was way too tight) so I went and got it adjusted by Bryan. It's weird because at Children's they're doing this renovation thing right now so his office moved to this old Boy's YMCA club across the street. It's kind of cool. But anyways I go that fixed. My hip still really hurts because it had been cutting into my hip for a long time and me being the idiot that I was, didn't do anything about it.

Ann Marie *>*

To The Doctor's...

So I went to see the doctor again today after six months. My curves from top to bottom are now:
32 degrees
32 degrees
21 degrees
So yay for that! He said I have about six months left in the brace and then I'm done forever. To be honest, I never thought I'd hear those words... It's been a long road... But I mean that's still six months away. Six months ago I had barely started high school. A lot has happened since then.
He also said that if my curves stay around the same that they are now, which he said they probably will, then I will have minimal back pain when I'm older. So yay for that too.
I love you little grunge nuggets,
Ann Marie *>*

Questions...

Okay:
What are my curves?
I go back to the doctor tomorrow, but of last time I went (from top to bottom curves) they were:
36 degrees
31 degrees
17 degrees
What is my best tactic/technique for covering up the brace?
Haha well usually because I'm lazy and I'm tired in the morning AT FREAKING 6:00 and because it's easy, I just wear t-shirts and that does the job pretty well. I wear jackets a lot if I get cold so I like to use jackets too I guess.
What color is my brace?
Mine is white and his name is Pablo. I have had Pablo for almost two years. I have only ever had one brace and will probably have Pablo 'till I'm done.
Does anyone else in my family have scoliosis?
Actually no. My older bro has kyphosis (which is scoliosis, but with curves that go back and forth instead of side to side). This makes sense though because I think I caused my scoliosis myself. One time like three or four summers ago, I swam in a lake and jumped off a platform. I accidentally kept my knees straight (like you would if you jumped off the deep end) because I thought I was going off the deep end. Turns out I was jumping off the shallow end and when I hit the bottom, it hurt my back REALLY bad. It kept hurting for a few minutes after I got out, but eventually went away, and I didn't think anything of it until a LONG time later. But if that didn't cause my scoliosis, my brother (who is a history buff), says that our ancestors from Wales "interbred". Which means they had children with, like, their cousins and stuff. Which is... weird... But it could explain our scoliosis and kyphosis.
What type of music do I like?
I'm really weird because I listen to literally everything. I can have a conversation with you about anything. Alternative, contemporary, rock, old music, today's top hits, rap, pop, hip-hop, anything. I really love Lorde. Not just Royals, but like Glory and Gore, Love Club, Tennis Court, Team, White Teeth Teens, anything. I have all her songs. I also really like Imagine Dragons, Maroon 5, and old bands like Blue Oyster Cult and Bad Company. But like I said, I listen to everything.
What is my desktop wallpaper?
Well I don't have my own computer, but on my account on the computer, it's a castle. I really love castles and wish I could go to France or Belgium to see the beautiful, old castles there. I think they're astounding and breathtaking.
Do I like Doctor Who?
I LITERALLY LOVE DOCTOR WHO. IT IS WONDERFUL AND MAKES ME CRY AND I BLOG ABOUT IT ALL DAY ON TUMBLR AND I HAVE SO MANY DOCTOR WHO PICTURES LIKE 2,000 ON MY IPAD AND IT MAKES ME HAPPY AND MY FAVORITE DOCTOR IS THE NINTH DOCTOR BUT I LOVE THEM ALL AND I THINK RORY IS WONDERFUL AND THE PONDS MAKE ME CRY AND BAD WOLF AND OSWIN AND THE BROMANCE OF DONNA NOBLE AND THE TENTH DOCTOR AND UGHHHHHHH. So I guess it's okay.
OKAY. Recovering from that... Last thing I ate today?
I'm actually eating vanilla ice cream right now as I type this.... Hold on I need another spoonful...And it has chocolate chips in it and I put little gold sprinkles on it. I literally turned the bottle of sprinkles straight upside down over the bowl and shook it hard. So you could say I'm a bad eater. But it tastes so good! Promise me you'll try next time you have vanilla ice cream. Put a whole lotta choco chips on it and a crap ton of sprinkles to top it off!
Fin
Ellen: I LOVE YOUR BLOG TOO! But for some reason it won't let me on it... I keep trying to get on and it won't let me :( Please help me. I WANT BACK ON YOUR BLOG

WHATEVER HAPPENS TOMORROW AT THE DOCTOR'S I LOVE YOU ALL DEARLY!
ILY,
Ann Marie *>*

Here's The Deal...

I need questions! I don't really know what to post right now, so leave me some questions! Anywhere! I don't care. Instagram, email, here, anywhere. You don't have to have an account to leave a comment on my blog! But if you leave your comments on Instagram or something, tell me that you want me to answer them on my blog because I'm pretty thick sometimes. So leave me lots and lots of comments and questions!

Please do this for me!

Ann Marie *>*