The Magic of Dia & CO! !

As many of you know a couple of weeks ago Dia & Co invited me to NYC to meet my Dia gal pal Jess, AKA @renegadepastor! Jess I have been friends for quite awhile, following, supporting each other. At one point we had even realized Dia sent us the same Fashion To Figure bodycon dress! This was only my second bodycon dress, actually both of them came from DIA! Of course, DIA GETS ME when I DON’T EVEN GET ME! As soon as Jess and I had realized we had the same dress, we decided to create #mydiatwin and sstyle our dressed differently! Jess was amazingggg per usual, and created a cute little photo collage of us wearing our dresses! Jess styled way better than I did, we all know I have issues when it comes to styling something black! She had totally inspired and showed me how to add color! See our cute collage below, the creating of our #DIABFF friendship!

Jess had won the #diastylishmama contest, which meant her and her mother were getting flown to NYC to get spoiled with Dia magic! Little did Jess know, Marge AKA @areyoutheregoditsmarge had wanted to create some serious Oprah magic. Marge had emailed me to setup a secret trip for me to be flown in to meet Jess! #diadreamcome true, Jess and I also got to do a photo-shoot together! Might I say, we were DAMN CUTE and full of fall inspiration! Anyways, from the get go it was magic, literally there isn’t another word for me to use to describe it. Marge had set up a cab to pick me up at my apartment at 4AM that Friday! Of course it would be luck to get the cab driver who I’m naming as Chatty Charlie. Charlie was not his real name. It was a 30 minute drive, packed with a days worth of conversation. Conversation about Game of Thrones (which I guess I should start watching) and The Vikings. I’ve never ever watched either of these shows, but I’ve been seeing all sorts of Jon Snow Memes…..I think they got me, I feel compelled to watch it.  I’ll never need to watch the Vikings as the cab driver narrated the entire show to me while driving. I seriously feel like I don’t need to watch it. It’s no Jon Snow from what I heard. HAHAHAH Anyways, anyways, the point is my day was early, and entertaining from the start. I got to the airport, waited for my plane to board, then before I knew it was in NYC!

NYC for only the second time in my life, both times this year!! I love the city, there’s always things going on, so many people, so much diversity, weird smells, so different from my country life. DUH! HAHA

I got to the Dia office around 8am or so, Marge came right down, and gave me a great hug! Jess and her mom had just gotten to the office, so Marge and I dropped my luggage at the hotel and went to Starbucks. We walked to Starbucks. There isn’t even a Starbucks on my drive to work in the morning, and we just walked to one. Right near the hotel. See – city life vs country life. As we walked to the Dia office, I started to get more and more excited. It set in what was happening, I was about to surprise the heck out of JESS! OMG!

Man oh man, was she surprised. We hugged, we cried, we hugged, and we hugged more! Jess and her mom are both such sweethearts with that true southern charm and such warm hearts. Dia treated us like QUEENS, honestly, almost felt a little celeb like. I don’t even know what that feels like, but it’s what I imagined it would be like. As soon as Jess and I were done getting used to seeing each other we went right to work! Or in Jess’s case back to work, at being PAMPERED! Jess was getting her makeup done when I arrived, already looking all fabulous with her amazing hair setting! There’s a cute photo below of when we first met! I totally traveled like bum, bum hair and bum makeup!

I went to work getting fitted in my outfits for the shoot, umm, they had the NICEST seamstress there. She was so sweet, I was like what, you’re fitting these to my body?? What is thiss! Again, it was Dia MAGIC, DUH, but you already know that. As Jess and her mom  moved on from hair and makeup and into their  fittings, I moved on into hair and makeup! Might I say, that one of the ladies doing our makeup has done the new Wonder Woman’s makeup! Whatttt, the other lady was super nice, I asked her all the dumbest makeup questions. HAHAH of course I did. Jess and her mom (Louanne) were ready before I was, so they did their shoots first! I was still getting ready while Jess was shooting, so I didn’t get to watch too much of her, but I did see her mom shooting, and she looked like a star! We were being treated like stars, so of course she did!

Once I was finished being pampered and all dressed, Jess and I did such a cute shoot together (PHOTOS WAYY BELOW! Best for LAST!) Then it was me on my own! Honestly, I felt 100% in my element, I love being in front of the camera and wearing cute clothes! The best part was the hair stylist with the leaf blower, making perfect breezes to flow through my hair! Okay, okay, I also have to spill that the photographer had shot Ashley Graham before? So, I’ve DM’d with Ashley, now I’ve been shot by the same photographer. That makes us model besties right??  BHAHAHA Anyways, did you think our day ended with the amazing shoot, that made us feel like sparkling models? NAH, it didn’t end there! We then went out to lunch at nice pizza place, PIZZA IN NYC YESSS!

Insert pizza photos that I didn’t take here. 😂😑 Jess and I did take a cute selfie on the way though! 😂 I feel like we should be walking down NYC streets like fabulous babes everyday. BHAHA! We also got the cutest group shot of us out for lunch! How did I not get a shot of the yummy pizza?!?

After lunch we went back to the office, met with Nadia one of the two cofounders of Dia&Co. The funny thing is, when I first got to the Dia office, Nadia was also arriving for the day. I held the door, and had known it was her, I had seen her Facebook and such. I was too excited that I was about to meet Jess to even be like OMG are you Nadia? Thankfully, Jess, Louanne and I got to sit down and meet with her! Nadia is inspirational, not only style wise, but also  entrepreneur  level. I really do love Dia and what she’s done, the plus size market has been lacking for years. Well, basically my entire life. Then Dia comes around, introducing me to new brands that I would NEVER find at home. Styles, that I’ve overlooked for years. What styles? Dia totally introduced me to pencil skirts and bodycons! How could I not have those my entire life, when they in fact actually look great on me. It’s standards that society creates, I have a belly, so naturally I should detour myself from these items. Too bad that’s all lies, created by diet culture, magazines, and media. Fat girls, shouldn’t wear tight things. Um, yeah, this body wears what it WANTS! Yours should too! Well, back to Dia, see how I get sidetracked? We met with Nadia, did a tour of the Dia office, talked to all the amazing faces behind Dia!  We were also totally surprised as we got to keep the outfits we modeled! Then we went back to the hotel for “nap time”, I did not even nap. It was way too much of an exciting day to nap, but I did rest. I posted photos on Facebook and Instagram, DUH HAHAHAHA. That’s what I DO! I did physically rest my body though! All day everyone was asking how I was still awake, I said I was running on #diaendorphins! It was totally true, I was all energized from my #diaday. At 6pm we met with Marge and few other amazing babetowns from Dia, we went out for a fancy delicious dinner. Seriously. SO GOOD. Yeah, I had steak, I’m a meat eater, love the meat. lol We had yummy dinner with yummy drinks. Then we walked around the city (saying city because I had no idea where in the city lol), we walked right to Insomnia Cookie! I hadn’t ever heard of them, but damn, they had really good cookies!!! The girls walked us back to the hotel and we parted ways! Which leads to Saturday! But first, here’s my amazing DINNER from Friday. I might suck at food photos? Where do you focus, there’s no face. LOLOL

Dia gave us a day in the city to be free! Free city birds, is that a saying? Seems like it should be a saying. CITY BIRDS IT IS! Anyways, we were city birding on Saturday. Dia had gotten us tickets to Waitress on broadway. Not only did they get us tickets to see the show, but they also gave us super cute dresses and purses to wear out on Saturday! Which I didn’t wear, I wanted to save it so I could wear it as soon as I got home. It’s the dang cutest dress ever, Dia finds the best things. So anyways, in the afternoon we enjoyed Waitress. In the morning, we enjoyed brunch with Clare AKA @becomingbodypositive. Clare picked out the cutest restaurant for brunch, they even had real maple syrup. Yes, I asked before I ordered my French Toast. Gotta have that real maple syrup. Clare then brought us on a subway adventure, Jess and her mom hadn’t been on it yet! I did the last time I had gone to NYC. Riding the subway is oddly exciting, I never use public transportation at home,  I live in small town, I drive EVERYWHERE! There isn’t even a grocery store in my town, if that gives you any idea of where I’m from.

Brunch!

Subway Babes!

Left to right: Jess, Louanne, Clare and myself!


Couple of extras of Clare and I!

We made it the show, thanks to Clare and her ways around the subway!

Saturday after the show I met up with Lindsey AKA @southernlindz, we went to @plusbklyn, in Brooklyn and shopped for some serious overly cute clothes! I got a super super cute CREEMEE SKIRT! FUCK YES! Photos to come soon for that, I’m planning the most perfect shoot (you’ve since seen photos on the gram 😂)! I had also tried on a super cute unicorn and rainbow dress. I had only brought a carry on, I KNEW I wouldn’t have room for it, plus it was a little expensive ($100). I went home with the super cute skirt and a super fun necklace, which will be worn TOGETHER! After we were done shopping, Lindsey and I went to a cute and busy little Brooklyn Pizza place. I’ve literally never seen so much pizza at one time in my entire life. Plus, it was SO GOOD. I was full from one piece, lets be honest, I usually have two. From there Lindsey got me back to the city, even though she was going back home in the other direction. We may have gotten a little lost, however, we totally made it!

Like literally Lindsey and I had just met and we shopping and for dinner together!

I had finally made it back to the hotel! Rested, reflected and just couldn’t even believe the weekend Dia & Co had just given me. A once in a lifetime opportunity, I have no idea when I’ll be back in NYC (except now I do!)  no idea when/if I’ll ever go to do such a fun professional shoot again. What I know, is it all felt like magic, felt surreal, who am I? Where am I going? So much thanks goes out to the entire staff at Dia & Co. They made my life, they sent me to the city alone and I literally had the time of my life. I want to go back!! I’m also convinced that everyone that works at Dia has the best dang job in the world! The atmosphere, the people, the wok they do, the fun they have is all admirable and something I dream to be part of! If they ever need an office in VT or if I make it I NYC to live (🤣😂), I’m pitchig a tent outside their office until they hire me. 🤣😂🤣 I don’t think I’m joking though! For now, I’ll keep ordering my Dia boxes and continue to supportt this amazing company that is bringing all the style to so many plus size women!

I’ve saved the BEST photos for LAST! Feast your pretty little eyes upon the outcome of our amazing shoot with Dia! Please note all photos below are courtesy of and credited to Dia & Co and their amazing photographer!

DIA BFF SHOOT! Jess and I so freaking cute here!

Flourishing into laughter? HAHA

Jess! Killing ITTTT! I think we need to do this again!

Jess and her mom, Louanne! The damn sweetest southern mother daughter team I will ever meet in life! So thrilled, honored and excited to have met and shared this experience with them!

Yess! Of course we took some fun photos with some of the amazing crew at dia!

UMMM ASHBYYYY and I totes made some super fun and cute faces for ya!

MARGE! The amazing soul and beautiful woman behind this magical meetup!!

WHELP! That’s IT! I hope you enjoyed what I’m sure is my longest blog post EVER! Well worth the read I’d say, of course I may or may not be bias. haha