I live in a very hot climate year-round, so the easy casual look is something I have learned to master over the years for my own sanity. It’s great to see all the layered styles on social media, but they just don’t work when it’s hot outside and you’re boiling inside.

Over the holidays, my husband, daughter and I had the opportunity to spend a day exploring old Manila. Today’s pics were taken at the historic Ft. Santiago, which is in the heart of the old walled city. Ft. Santiago was built in the 16th century inside the old walled city of Intramuros. It was also the site where hundreds of Filipino and American POW’s were held and eventually killed toward the end of WWII.

For this day out, I chose a simple t-shirt and cropped jeans. The aubergine color gave me a color boost and it really stood out against the brilliant color of the Philippine sky and the weather-worn stone of the fort.

Here, I used the partial tuck-in to keep the proportions in check. When wearing cropped pants, it helps to keep an eye on the hemline of your top. If the hemline falls too low, you risk making your legs look short and squatty…and those are two adjectives none of us want to hear about our outfits.

The fort is situated just down the lane from the Manila Cathedral. If you look closely, you can spot the two domes of the cathedral in the background.

It was a great time spent with family and an awesome opportunity to explore a place we’d never visited before. Actually, this was our first time to visit this area even though we’ve lived in the Philippines for 11 years.

But then, isn’t that how things often go? We get so bogged down in our everyday routines that we fail to appreciate what’s right outside our door.

I guess that’s what I’m trusting God for in 2020…fresh eyes! I want to see Him in my everyday and open my eyes to the many blessings that I typically overlook in pursuit of the next deadline or project.

How about you…what are you trusting God for in 2020?

~ Shellie

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