Lifestyle

He’s a Keeper!

June 5, 2008January 13, 2019

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We met December 27, 1992. We were seniors in high school.
He proposed the day before Thanksgiving, 2002 .
We married June 5, 2004.
Four years of marriage and I still get butterflies!

My whole office smells like roses, I love it! 🙂

Outfit Inspiration | Essays & Perspective

My Weekend

After my husband and Emerson picked me up at the Metro after work, we stopped by our neighborhood cafe for a quick drink and snack. We bumped into some friends and watched the band that was playing later set up on the stage. Emerson was enthralled – she loved the guitars hanging on the wall…

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Essays & Perspective

Weekend Reads #224

Weekend Reads Say hello to Viva Magenta, the color no one asked for, coming to a world where no one lives. (New York Times – gift article) Do you really need a new kitchen counter? (The Atlantic) Why America’s railroads refuse to give their workers paid leave. (The Intelligencer) Half of all Americans now die…

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Essays & Perspective

Weekend Reads #304

Art, music, reviews of what’s worth watching, and the most interesting articles I read this week (and a little shopping, too!)

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Lifestyle

Giving Back Sunday: The Southern Poverty Law Center

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is a nonprofit legal advocacy organization that specializes in civil rights and public interest litigation. It was founded in 1971 in Montgomery, Alabama as a civil rights law firm. In 1979, the Southern Poverty Law Center began filing civil suits for monetary damages on behalf of the victims of…

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Essays & Perspective

Weekend Reads #238

Weekend Reads #238 A high school basketball team had no band. A rival school stepped in. (Washington Post – gift article) Facing a life-threatening pregnancy under Tennessee’s abortion ban. (ProPublica) An aspiration of the American middle class used to be owning a home. Now, even renting an apartment feels impossible. (The Guardian) The cluttered, lively…

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Essays & Perspective

Advice, Insomina, and Rachael Ray

I wrote a post many moons ago, before Emerson was a twinkle in my eye, where I gave advice to new moms on what to wear. I got mega flack from it. Angry mothers emailed me, left comments, even stopped me on the street to tell me I have no idea what I was talking…

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18 Comments

WendyB says:

June 18, 2008 at 2:32 pm

Holy crap! You’ve known each other forever.

Reply
Julie says:

June 9, 2008 at 7:28 pm

Sorry im so late but happy 4 years!

🙂

Reply
Gervy says:

June 9, 2008 at 5:46 am

Happy Anniversary! You two are the sweetest couple.

Reply
Anonymous says:

June 6, 2008 at 7:42 pm

I have finally inserted this date into my palm so that next year I don’t have to wish you a happy anniversary….the day afterwards!

Love the Flowers….Kudos to the Mr.

XXOO Ms. Mayo

Reply
Julie says:

June 6, 2008 at 5:47 pm

Happy Anniversary and many many more.

Reply
Phyllis Bourne says:

June 6, 2008 at 4:39 pm

Happy anniversary!!! I wish you many more happy years.

Gorgeous roses!

Reply
Dawn says:

June 6, 2008 at 12:52 pm

Happy anniversary… congratulations and I hope you have many many more to celebrate together

Reply
imemmiesmom says:

June 6, 2008 at 6:34 am

How sweet! DH and I just celebrated our 8th anniversary on May 27th and our “first date” anniversary is coming up. 10 years on June 19th. Hubbies are kinda like our kids, you can’t imagine what you did with your time before you had them.

Reply
Barbie says:

June 6, 2008 at 4:07 am

Aww! That’s so cute!

Reply
monique says:

June 6, 2008 at 3:58 am

congrats allie!

Reply
Thinking Out Loud says:

June 6, 2008 at 1:51 am

That is so sweet! Happy Anniversary and may you have many more years together!

Reply
Debbie says:

June 6, 2008 at 1:50 am

Happy anniversary! You should repost the picture of the night you met Karl

Reply
1blueshi1 says:

June 6, 2008 at 1:16 am

that’s great–I have to admit that I do think roses are great!!! but I am glad that he has your address in case of Ground Zero type disaster as well!!! hehehe

Reply
Oh...dear me says:

June 5, 2008 at 11:10 pm

Oh congrats! I love when my hubby does stuff like that!

Reply
Always In Style says:

June 5, 2008 at 9:31 pm

Awwwww…..congratulations!

Reply
Style IT says:

June 5, 2008 at 8:09 pm

this post made me “awwwwwwwwwww” so loud I woke my dog up

Reply
laundrygirl says:

June 5, 2008 at 6:13 pm

Congratulations!
Cheers to you two!

Reply
Nanette says:

June 5, 2008 at 6:09 pm

Awwww, he’s good peeps! 🙂

Reply

@wardrobe_oxygen on Instagram:

Same sweater, different day and effect. You don’t need more clothes for more outfits, just play a bit with what you own. My brain didn’t consider these two colors together, but 2026 trends really are embracing the unexpected pairing so I went with it. The reddish-brown loafers and lavender socks helped me feel the look was more cohesive and the coat has the same color in it as the sweater!

Sweater: @onequince
Coat & pants: @anntaylor (hooray for 16 petite)
Shoes: @abeofootwear
Necklace: @_jennybird
Glasses: Prada bought at @lenscrafters

Comment LINK and I’ll send deets on the whole look, where to shop it or similar!

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Open post by wardrobe_oxygen with ID 17909972361167592

Same sweater, different day and effect. You don’t need more clothes for more outfits, just play a bit with what you own. My brain didn’t consider these two colors together, but 2026 trends really are embracing the unexpected pairing so I went with it. The reddish-brown loafers and lavender socks helped me feel the look was more cohesive and the coat has the same color in it as the sweater!

Sweater: @onequince
Coat & pants: @anntaylor (hooray for 16 petite)
Shoes: @abeofootwear
Necklace: @_jennybird
Glasses: Prada bought at @lenscrafters

Comment LINK and I’ll send deets on the whole look, where to shop it or similar!

Old mixed with new and adding a personal touch with accessories. Comment LINK to shop this look!

Cashmere sweater and jeans: @onequince
Shirt: @theshirt_rochellebehrens
Glasses: Ray-Ban via @glassesusa
Bag: @maxwellscottuk
Loafers: @abeofootwear (available in ice widths)
Socks: @bombas
Jewelry: @lovechicos @analuisany @cabiclothing and vintage

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Old mixed with new and adding a personal touch with accessories. Comment LINK to shop this look!

Cashmere sweater and jeans: @onequince
Shirt: @theshirt_rochellebehrens
Glasses: Ray-Ban via @glassesusa
Bag: @maxwellscottuk
Loafers: @abeofootwear (available in ice widths)
Socks: @bombas
Jewelry: @lovechicos @analuisany @cabiclothing and vintage

These dogs are such camera hogs, they KNOW when I’m trying to film!

I just got back from running errands and wanted to share my real-life style. Color and whimsy without being over the top. Love that the whole look is available in midsize petite sizing!

Comment LINK below to receive a DM with the link to this post!

Sweater: @jcrew
Jeans: @ruti
Belt: @cabiclothing
Glasses: Prada via @lenscrafters
Shoes: @camper
Necklace: @baublebar
Rings: @monicavinader and @electricpicks and vintage
Dogs: @greenbeltanimalshelter & @pgcpets4us 🐾🩷

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Open post by wardrobe_oxygen with ID 18158593234423380

These dogs are such camera hogs, they KNOW when I’m trying to film!

I just got back from running errands and wanted to share my real-life style. Color and whimsy without being over the top. Love that the whole look is available in midsize petite sizing!

Comment LINK below to receive a DM with the link to this post!

Sweater: @jcrew
Jeans: @ruti
Belt: @cabiclothing
Glasses: Prada via @lenscrafters
Shoes: @camper
Necklace: @baublebar
Rings: @monicavinader and @electricpicks and vintage
Dogs: @greenbeltanimalshelter & @pgcpets4us 🐾🩷

Our schedules aligned, and I had breakfast and a great catch-up with three friends this morning. This is what I wore:
Coat & sweater: @anntaylor
Jeans: @ruti
Glasses: Prada via @lenscrafters
Sneakers: @adidas (I find the superstar style roomy enough for insoles)
Nail bracelet: @electricpicks
Everything else is old, vintage, inherited, but I did find similar options!

Comment LINK and I’ll send you a DM with all the deets!

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Open post by wardrobe_oxygen with ID 18052100537474584

Our schedules aligned, and I had breakfast and a great catch-up with three friends this morning. This is what I wore:
Coat & sweater: @anntaylor
Jeans: @ruti
Glasses: Prada via @lenscrafters
Sneakers: @adidas (I find the superstar style roomy enough for insoles)
Nail bracelet: @electricpicks
Everything else is old, vintage, inherited, but I did find similar options!

Comment LINK and I’ll send you a DM with all the deets!

For over 20 years, I’ve been providing real-life style advice for grown-ass women at Wardrobe Oxygen. And considering life right now, you may be wondering how to style your graphic t-shirts in a more elevated manner for work, school, town halls, city council meetings, and press events. I hope these sample outfits offer inspiration. For more tips and details to shop these collages comment LINK and I’ll send you a DM of my article that delves into this further. 💪

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Open post by wardrobe_oxygen with ID 18070517519565387

For over 20 years, I’ve been providing real-life style advice for grown-ass women at Wardrobe Oxygen. And considering life right now, you may be wondering how to style your graphic t-shirts in a more elevated manner for work, school, town halls, city council meetings, and press events. I hope these sample outfits offer inspiration. For more tips and details to shop these collages comment LINK and I’ll send you a DM of my article that delves into this further. 💪

Since December 2017, I have been a full-time influencer and content creator, as well as the sole breadwinner for my family. I do not come from money, neither my husband nor I have parents alive to support us. For the past decade, I’ve been speaking out about injustice in our country, and am still able to support my family financially.

I have lost brand partnerships, and I have chosen to end some due to my beliefs. But for every brand that doesn’t wish to rock the boat, there is one that wants to be on the right side of history. And when you speak your truth, you find your community and your community will support you.

I’ve been blogging for over 20 years and continue to be successful because I pride myself on being honest and transparent with my audience. And because I have always been honest and transparent with them, I rarely lose followers when I share my beliefs because they know who I am and support that.

If I owned a coffee shop, I would hang a sign in my window and share my beliefs on my social platforms as I continued to keep my doors open, serving my customers, making a living. As an influencer, I do the same. I may have sponsored posts, I may share my outfits and beauty routine, but I will continue to keep my doors open, serving my customers, making a living.

I vote with my wallet, choosing to support businesses with ethics. I am an influencer, but I also am a consumer of social media and influencer content. And I vote with my follows, supporting those who have ethics and aren’t afraid to share them.

You as a follower have immense power. Follows, likes, and shares are currency in the influencer world. Companies partner with influencers they believe will increase sales and positive brand recognition. When you support an influencer who is in a brand campaign, you extend their reach… and their message. You, the audience, determine all of this.

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I saw we were sharing photos from 2016? It was my 11th year as a blogger and creator and I had really hit my stride. In fact, the following year I quit my job to go full time. I look through these photos and remember these outfits. So many I’d still wear (and many pieces I still own!).

As I scrolled through the archives of Wardrobe Oxygen, I saw 2016 was when my family did a cross-country road trip, when I was in an infomercial for a fashion brand, and when I began making regular capsule wardrobes.

I saw in 2016 I shared a lot of political content. I featured a different nonprofit each Friday of the holiday season, offered tips on how to donate anonymously, and that look with the gray ruana at the lake was the day after the election, when I shared my concerns with the future of our country.

So much has changed in a decade, yet so much is still the same. This exercise reminded me of how we creators have platforms and can be financially successful when we use them to speak out. I’ve been a full time content creator and the sole breadwinner of my household for almost a decade and have never shied from speaking up. I may not have the biggest following or make millions, but I do well while also sleeping well at night (or as well as can be had with this government and perimenopause).

#2016 Alison taught me to not be afraid of speaking up and the most fun closet pieces are actually the most timeless. 🧡 #wo2tbt

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I was searching music for a song with ducks in it to go with my @rachelantonoff cardigan and autocorrect gonna autocorrect…

What I wore this weekend to attend a local clothing swap and run errands. A good mix of comfort and joy for this midsize over 40 person!

Comment LINK for a DM with details to shop this look and use code ALISON15 for 15% off this sweater!

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Open post by wardrobe_oxygen with ID 17897757942225895

I was searching music for a song with ducks in it to go with my @rachelantonoff cardigan and autocorrect gonna autocorrect…

What I wore this weekend to attend a local clothing swap and run errands. A good mix of comfort and joy for this midsize over 40 person!

Comment LINK for a DM with details to shop this look and use code ALISON15 for 15% off this sweater!

Where I went in 2025 and what I wore:

January: Girls’ long weekend in @vegas for my 50th birthday in an @anntaylor sequined dress.
February: One of many protests this year wearing an old @universalstandard coat.
March: Chaperoning a Girl Scout troop trip to Bethany Beach in @landsend jeans. That same month was an election judge for a @experiencepgc special election wearing a @universalstandard ponte tracksuit.
April: Hosted an event at @mmlafleur wearing the label; that same month another protest wearing a hat from @shopsocialgoods
May: On the @oceancitymaryland boardwalk in an old Target jumpsuit; that same month went camping with the @girlscouts in @carhartt overalls.
June: Celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary in a custom @paripassushop gown
July: A family road trip to both sides of Niagara Falls, various places in Upstate New York, and Western Massachusetts wearing a @talbotsofficial shirtdress, @landsend swimsuit, and @spanx shorts with a @theshirt_rochellebehrens
August: Annual trip to @visitrehoboth in a @freyalingerie swimsuit, a concert at @wolf_trap in an @mmlafleur dress, and one of many outfits from a @virginvoyages cruise: this was an old dress from @cosstores
September: the @greenbeltlabordayfestival in a @universalstandard linen dress and @americanhatmakers hat
October: @umdterrapins game in a DIYed school tee and @gap jeans, that same year DIYed a Rocky Horror outfit to see the film at @greenbeltcinema
November: Dinner out in an @anntaylor satin suit and vintage faux fur collar
December: Gala at the Italian Embassy in the same @paripassushop dress from June

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Where I went in 2025 and what I wore:

January: Girls’ long weekend in @vegas for my 50th birthday in an @anntaylor sequined dress.
February: One of many protests this year wearing an old @universalstandard coat.
March: Chaperoning a Girl Scout troop trip to Bethany Beach in @landsend jeans. That same month was an election judge for a @experiencepgc special election wearing a @universalstandard ponte tracksuit.
April: Hosted an event at @mmlafleur wearing the label; that same month another protest wearing a hat from @shopsocialgoods
May: On the @oceancitymaryland boardwalk in an old Target jumpsuit; that same month went camping with the @girlscouts in @carhartt overalls.
June: Celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary in a custom @paripassushop gown
July: A family road trip to both sides of Niagara Falls, various places in Upstate New York, and Western Massachusetts wearing a @talbotsofficial shirtdress, @landsend swimsuit, and @spanx shorts with a @theshirt_rochellebehrens
August: Annual trip to @visitrehoboth in a @freyalingerie swimsuit, a concert at @wolf_trap in an @mmlafleur dress, and one of many outfits from a @virginvoyages cruise: this was an old dress from @cosstores
September: the @greenbeltlabordayfestival in a @universalstandard linen dress and @americanhatmakers hat
October: @umdterrapins game in a DIYed school tee and @gap jeans, that same year DIYed a Rocky Horror outfit to see the film at @greenbeltcinema
November: Dinner out in an @anntaylor satin suit and vintage faux fur collar
December: Gala at the Italian Embassy in the same @paripassushop dress from June

Me reading your DMs

(and essentially what I’ll be wearing now through 12/31)

And because y’all may ask and I my be slow to respond this week:
Pajamas: old @showmeyourmumu tailored to fit my 5’3” self
Sofa: @albanyparkhome
Rug: @ruggable
Phone case: @velvetcaviar with @popsockets grip

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Me reading your DMs

(and essentially what I’ll be wearing now through 12/31)

And because y’all may ask and I my be slow to respond this week:
Pajamas: old @showmeyourmumu tailored to fit my 5’3” self
Sofa: @albanyparkhome
Rug: @ruggable
Phone case: @velvetcaviar with @popsockets grip

Recapping Christmas and of course, what I wore…

Christmas Eve day started with a community carol sing-a-long at @thenewdealcafe where I wore an @adidas track suit I’ve had for years and my most festive jewelry (including the necklace my mom wore every Christmas).

Christmas Eve the family dressed up for a lovely dinner at my sister’s; I wore a red sequined set I got last year from @anntaylor (fun fact, wore the same skirt last Christmas Eve with a black cashmere turtleneck and tall boots). After, wore the same look to our friends’ holiday party. The sneakers kept us comfy and perfect when we ran to try to catch Santa riding around town on a @cityofgreenbelt fire truck!

Christmas morning, opened presents with the family wearing a pair of satin pajamas from @showmeyourmumu I got a few years ago and have worn before for Christmas! I glammed it up with my @swarovski lucent hoops which were a Christmas gift from my husband a few years ago. This year he got me this badass ring from @alexisbittar!

Then Christmas evening, us three Ashpes Girls went to @greenbeltcinema to see a movie together (Marty Supreme). I wore a @landsend holiday sweater with @ruti barrel jeans.

It was a beautiful holiday with loved ones. Wishing all of you peace and health through this holiday season and into the new year! ❤️

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Recapping Christmas and of course, what I wore…

Christmas Eve day started with a community carol sing-a-long at @thenewdealcafe where I wore an @adidas track suit I’ve had for years and my most festive jewelry (including the necklace my mom wore every Christmas).

Christmas Eve the family dressed up for a lovely dinner at my sister’s; I wore a red sequined set I got last year from @anntaylor (fun fact, wore the same skirt last Christmas Eve with a black cashmere turtleneck and tall boots). After, wore the same look to our friends’ holiday party. The sneakers kept us comfy and perfect when we ran to try to catch Santa riding around town on a @cityofgreenbelt fire truck!

Christmas morning, opened presents with the family wearing a pair of satin pajamas from @showmeyourmumu I got a few years ago and have worn before for Christmas! I glammed it up with my @swarovski lucent hoops which were a Christmas gift from my husband a few years ago. This year he got me this badass ring from @alexisbittar!

Then Christmas evening, us three Ashpes Girls went to @greenbeltcinema to see a movie together (Marty Supreme). I wore a @landsend holiday sweater with @ruti barrel jeans.

It was a beautiful holiday with loved ones. Wishing all of you peace and health through this holiday season and into the new year! ❤️

I didn’t think the boots were going to work but Bowser hates having his feet wet or cold. Once he got the hang of them he seemed to appreciate them and enjoyed a longer walk! Oscar on the other hand doesn’t mind the snow and would rather be naked rolling in it. 🐾

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I didn’t think the boots were going to work but Bowser hates having his feet wet or cold. Once he got the hang of them he seemed to appreciate them and enjoyed a longer walk! Oscar on the other hand doesn’t mind the snow and would rather be naked rolling in it. 🐾

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