This year was the big one — 21!!! My birthday happened to fall on a Sunday this year, April 22nd, otherwise known as Earth day. I celebrated turning 21 at midnight on Saturday in one of the new local bars in Wichita Falls with all of my best people! It was a night I’m actually glad I remember; I had the whole bar ring in my birthday with a shoutout from the DJ at 12 a.m., I danced on elevated surfaces as well as the dance floor (not typical I swear), and partied like it was my birthday. It was so fun to just cut loose and celebrate! I have felt so much love and warm wishes the past weekend and I am so grateful to see 21 with people who love and care about me! This is only the beginning of a new life with less limitations. The day I’ve so looked forward to for years has come and gone, I survived my 21st — cheers to more life, more everything! (shoutout Drake)
I just knew I wanted to photograph this stunner of a dress from Urban Outfitters for my birthday. It caught my eye around New Years and I still couldn’t get over the teal-blue sequins, so I bought it in early February and have saved it especially for my day! (I tend to do that for events, I can’t be the only one?) It was the perfect b-day dress for me — it’s covered in sequins and the ‘baby-doll’ fit was gorgeous. The jewelry I wore for this shoot, however, was most special to me. That blue topaz rock on my right hand was left for me by my grandmother who passed away my senior year in high school. I usually pull it out to wear on special holidays like Thanksgiving, but I couldn’t think of better earrings or ring for this dress than this blue topaz set and I was happy for a reason to wear them! I’m also wearing my blue tennis bracelet which I swear brings me good luck!! Because the neckline is so high and I didn’t wanna over-due the look by adding a necklace, I went without one. My black block heel shoes are from Target — surprise surprise, always finding the best shoes here. I chose a black heel for this look because the inside slip of the dress is black and can be seen in some areas and because I liked the look of a simple black heel with this show-stopper dress!
I’d like to say 21 is the first time I’ve ever tried alcohol, but lets be real. I grew up in a dry hometown (dry as in, no alcohol was to be sold in stores, no liquor stores) and was still easily able to get it if I wanted to. More on that, my hometown voted against being dry maybe 4 years in a row and within the last year my hometown finally voted to allow the sell of beer and wine (yep, still don’t carry the heavy stuff). This always seemed so funny to me, because who even hears about a town being dry anymore? Truthfully though, I’ve never been one to drink a lot and maybe it’s because of the town I grew up in and the way I was raised. Because I’m a known lightweight by my friends and family, when it comes to drinking I don’t drink often or a lot — rare 21-year-old spotted (yes my friends and family were worried about my well being Saturday). When I do drink though, my preferred drink of choice is a nice glass of wine. It’s easy to drink and keep up with how much I’m drinking, rather than mixing drinks and shots, and definitely easier on my stomach.
I feel like this company deserves its own drumroll.. you guys I’m so excited to share ONEHOPE Wine with you all! ONEHOPE is an amazing wine company that definitely stands apart from others – not only do some of their bottles come covered in glitter, but more importantly, for each bottle of wine sold a portion of the proceeds goes to a non-profit organization corresponding to that bottle of wine. For example, the silver glittered bottle of sparkling California Brut raises donations for organizations working to end world hunger. Every bottle sold provides 4 meals to a child in need. So far, ONEHOPE has provided 2,032,964 children with meals. The California Cabernet Sauvignon bottles raises money for autism therapy for children. Every 10 cases sold of that specific bottle funds ABA Therapy for 1 child with autism. So far, 3,318 hours of ABA therapy has been provided to children with autism.
I was immediately impressed with ONEHOPE because I believe companies that give back as they earn and become successful are the future of American business. I was thrilled to collaborate with this wine company specifically for my 21st birthday and absolutely did my little happy dance once the collaboration was confirmed! My friends, if we can find a way to help others while purchasing items such as this wine to enjoy ourselves, we are doing something right! Not to mention, the taste is phenomenal. On ONEHOPE’s website you can view the ratings from professional wine tasters plus read up on the taste as well as the best food pairings for a specific wine before you buy. I’m here for perfectly aged, great tasting, glittery wine all the rest of my years — and what a bottle to be cheers-ing with than a bottle fighting world hunger, I’ll drink to that! Definitely a lover of wine that allows you to feel good by doing good, so here’s to doing a lot more good now that I’m officially legal! Raise your glasses — no pour decisions here!
As always,
Ara
Birthday dress: Urban Outfitters | Black block heel: Target | Glittery wine: ONEHOPE Wine
