So, apparently July is over. That's news to me. What a busy month. We were out of town every weekend except last, and even then I snuck out to the burbs for a tea in honor of Rachie, the bride-to-be. And I guess we weren't technically "out-of-town" for The Fourth, but Todd and I did spend the entire weekend at The Coachhouse (home to our friends Dominic, Dan, Leah and Dianna), going to the beach, swimming at the pool or laying in the park across the street, and barbecuing. Lot's of barbecuing. My favorite. (Sorry no pictures. We were busy having way too much fun!)
We ran home to Ohio for about 36 hours the next weekend for my Aunt Sandy's 60th birthday. We visited my grandma and then had a barbecue at Sandy and Rick's pool (just like when all the cousins were little). Todd manned the grill which made me smile. He fits in so well. And then Sunday morning, before we all got back on the road, we had family pictures in honor of this little lady:
. Elise . Ellie . EZ .
Couldn't you just die? She's absolutely the cutest. Todd and I also got to exercise our babysitting skills 2 weeks ago. He was a champ. Baby-whisperer, for sure. (And don't even ask, because no it did NOT make by uterus ache. I am happy playing with other people's babies, for sure.)
The next two weekends we were in Milwaukee. First for Todd's dad's birthday, and then again to visit with Todd's brother Matt, who was in from Minneapolis. I always enjoy going up there. There are always so many wonderful things to eat. (Todd's mom is a master in the kitchen.)
It's totally bumming me out that it's already August. It's funny that I still see my year like I did when I was in school. The way our seasons are at work, we're busiest from September/October through May/June. So September is always a bummer, because summer is "over" even though it may still be 80 degrees outside. I guess I better make the best of August!
I need a sun hat. After spending 3 consecutive days at the beach/park/pool last weekend, I have decided that yes, a fabulous wide-brimmed sun hat is indeed a necessity. I've been trying them on in every store I happened into for the past few months, but nothing has quite struck me yet. So I have turned my search online-wards.
1. Jessica Simpson Large Bow Sunhat - Norstrom - $38 - The red details and bow are very feminine. Perhaps too feminine for a girl who jammed her finger catching a football in the park last weekend? Perhaps. I think this one is better worn with a dress than a bathing suit.
2. Natural Cut Out Floppy Hat - Topshop - $44 - The cut-outs and smaller bow are very cute, but I think the brim would let too much sun through and defeat my purpose for wearing it. And I'm not big on black - is that weird?
3. By The Sea Hat - Roxy - $28 - One of my favorites. Casual, classic, beachy, cheap.
4. August Large Floppy Straw Hat - Nordstrom - $40 - I love this olive green option with a slightly western-style crown. However, my dark hair absorbs all heat and sunlight, so the idea is to have something light on my head to reflect the rays. Sorry green hat...
5. San Diego Hat Company Ultrabraid Belted Hat - Zappos - $48 - I LOVE this classic look. I feel like I would need to get large Jackie O sunglasses and a retro-inspired one-piece swimsuit to go along with it.
6. Juicy Couture Stripe Straw Hat - Nordstrom - $78 - I love stripes. And coral. Perfection. A little too rich for my blood though. (Psst! It also comes in turquoise! And white!)
7. Lurex Carwheel Hat - Zara - $20 - Another inexpensive, classic beach hat.
8. Echo Braided Floppy Hat - Zappos - $38 - Also a favorite. This one is classic with a twist. The braided detail around the brim makes me feel like I'm not buying the same hat as every other girl.
9. Ombre Floppy Beach Hat - American Eagle - $20 - BAM! Saved the best for last didn't I? Oh, Ombre Beach Hat. Won't you please come home with me?
Which one would you choose??
(Bonus awesome points if you know the quote that is the title of this post.)
When we were little, the pool was THE place to be everyday during summer vacation. When we were old enough to go by ourselves - no grown-ups! - it was even better. (Granted, there were dozens of other parents there, who knew our parents and were probably secret spies to make sure we were behaving/not drowning. But that was beside the point.) We would throw our towels over the handle bars of our Huffy bikes and pedal our hearts out until we reached the bike rack outside the fence that surrounded the pool. Then we would proudly show our season passes, that were really just laminated pieces of paper that said "Worthington Pool" with a big '90 or '91. (Man, that seems like yesterday.) Once you were in, you made your way to "the hill" - that's where all the cool kids laid out on the grass. It was over by the high dive. NBD. The concrete was HOT, so you were always dashing from grass to pool to grass to pool to concession stand to pool to grass.
Lunch was pizza, and Airheads that only cost 10 cents. The concession stand was like an endless supply of all the candy you could ever want - all for a dime, a quarter, or the really good stuff, which was 50 cents. I think pizza was a dollar fifty. They had Flav-o-Ice, which we would let melt half way and then suck the syrup-water out of the tube. Sometimes you couldn't tell if a kid's lips were blue from the popsicle or because they had been in the pool all day.
The life guards were pretty much the coolest kids you could imagine. They were always so tan and wore awesome sunglasses. (The black plastic wayfarers with the neon sides, FYI. And yes, those are cool again.) They were nice to us kids, even though it must have been an annoying job. But they would play nice. Every hour, on the hour, one of the guards in the office would make the announcement "It is now time for the X-o'clock rest period. Would all boys and girls please clear the pool for a ten minute break." We would all groan and sit anxiously on the edge of the pool, watching the adults breathe a sigh of relief and manage to swim a few uninterrupted laps before ten thousand children cannon-balled back into the pool. And sometimes - if you were REALLY lucky - after rest period was ending, the lifeguards would let you and your friends scream "SWIIIIIIMMMMMMTTTTIIIIIIIIMMMMMME!" into the loudspeaker to signal that it was time to get back in the pool.
If it rained, everyone crowded into the concession area until it stopped. If it stormed, we called home - on a payphone, for a quarter - and one of the moms came to pick us up. (The bikes would be there waiting for us when we came back to swim the next day.) If it was a perfect day, after they called for the whatever-predetermined-o'clock rest period, we would reluctantly exit through the huge turnstile and pedal our way home for dinner. The absolute worst was as you were riding away, you could hear them call "SWIMTIME!" and all the inevitable splashes that followed.
Whenever I go through a huge turnstile like that in a subway station (...or eat Flav-o-Ice or Airheads or those weird two-toned chalky suckers, or see a high-dive or someone in a red swimsuit with a killer tan...) I instantly flash back to summers at The Pool.
I'm in weddings. That's kind of my thing now. Just FYI. Having a wedding? I'm your girl.
I'm not being sarcastic. I L-O-V-E weddings. So for reals, if you want me to put on a pretty dress and buy new shoes and bear witness to your nuptials (that sounds totally dirty), I am so there. Bonus points if you're someone that I love, like my Rachie (November 2011) or this girl right here (July 2012). Both of whom requested nude shoes. Hence this lovely new pair I purchased today at lunch. Hooray 40% off sales and $10 off coupons! So even if I find another pair closer to the actual wedding date(s), I can still keep these for my summer wardrobe. (Because they made my legs look awesome in my shorts.)
Does it look like I have cankles? I promise I don't...
Holy moly. Miracle of Miracles. A functional camera bag that does not look like a camera bag!
kelly moore bags via green wedding shoes
That delight is a little thing they call the B-Hobo Bag by Kelly Moore. I am loving it in walnut, (got to have it in a basic!) but there are eight, count them EIGHT, other color options. Jeeze louise. And just take a gander inside:
Do you know how long I have been waiting for something like this? She has 5 different styles in tons of colors. I would have killed for something like the Libby Bag when I was in school. (She even has a messenger bag for dudes called the Kelly Boy Bag, which I totally love, especially in the mustard color.)
Love love love. Want want want. Need need need.
Hello summer! As expected, Chicago has completely skipped over the season of spring and gone straight for summer. Fine by me - I just wish it would start earlier in the year!
In case I have not mentioned it previously, I have declared this the Year Of The Dress, and it is in full force this week! (Yes, skirts are counting for YOTD. Anything that's not connected between the legs is progress for this all-jeans-all-the-time girl. Actually, even shorts are a step in the right direction.) 3 dresses and this lovely skirted ensemble in 6 days. My friend Di and I hit the outlets on our way to Michigan last weekend, so I needed to showcase some of my new goods. Picture this look, but my skirt is chartreuse. (J.Crew Factory only features the coral option in their online store. P.S. did enyone else hear my head explode when they started offering their factory merch on the weekends?!) And my Vera scarf is actually greens and blues. However, after showcasing this substitute color scheme, I may have to order my skirt in a second color and start a hunt for a similar Vera scarf to the one pictured. Oh summer, I love you.
And I have to mention these sandals by BASS. My mother had these for my whole childhood, and as soon as we grew into them (maybe even before) my sister and I would always steal them. I don't know what happened to Mom's pair, but I found these shopping at the outlets last fall and could not go home without them. I got the tan (Mom's were brown) and they are the most comfortable sandals in the world. The best part of this whole story is the style name of the sandals... Sharon. Just like my momma. Sometimes I wonder if that's why she bought them in the first place!
I am totally not one. In fact, people that get up with ease and sip coffee in their pyjamas while reading the newspaper at their kitchen table kind of freak me out. Who has time for that?! I'm more of a get-out-of-bed-15-minutes-before-it's-time-to-leave kind of person. I rarely eat breakfast, and when I do it consists of several girl scout cookies and a coca-cola, while sitting at my desk. (Have I mentioned this before? I may be repeating myself...) But today, my friends, I have hit a milestone. I had a morning. In my own way. Here's the play-by-play because I know you want it:
5:45 a.m. - Wake up. (GASP! I KNOW!)
5:55 a.m. - Eat a Luna Bar. (What? No Coke??)
6:00 a.m. - Gym. (Are you dying yet?!)
7:15 a.m. - Leave gym.
7:45 a.m. - Drop Todd off at work downtown. Drive around desperately looking for something that is open this early. (Shopping? Pedicure? Nothing??)
8:15 a.m. - Give up and park by my office. Roll down windows. Lean back and relax in the delicious summer weather.
8:17 a.m. - Fall asleep. (Obvs. Come on. It's me, we're talking about.)
9:15 a.m. - Wake up. Walk to Starbucks for an iced chai. (Actually, I shuffled to Starbucks. My legs are like Jell-o. I also went to the gym Monday night. GASP! I KNOW!)
9:45 a.m. - At work. Bright eyed and bushy tailed.
I'm sure you are riveted by all of this very specific information. But I had to get it out there. To remember for all time. That I actually woke up, worked out, and liked it. This is evidence that could be used in a court of law... you know, in case I ever sue Todd for making me get up at 5:45 a.m. again.
Spring is taking its good ol' time getting here, and I am doing everything I can to keep my chin up and my eyes on the prize. (The prize being warm weather and summertime fun, of course.) Our friends, Leah and Dan, recently got back from a week in Costa Rica (lucky ducks). When I saw Leah after they got back, she was sporting this super cute bag. She told me that when she saw it in the store, she knew it would be the perfect explorer bag for their trip. To which Dan responded "You just like to look the part, don't you?" Um... DUH! A girl has got to be prepared. I mean, you wouldn't go on a Costa Rican adventure with a clutch purse, would you? And I just so happen to have my own adventure on the (semi-distant) horizon that I am looking forward to. Day dreaming about this trip really gets me through these cold, rainy days weeks. And of course I am already planning my perfect National Parks Adventure wardrobe. (Todd says "Just pack a couple of t-shirts and some shorts. You don't have to look cute."... ugh, BOYS!)
We've been having some rain lately. (Which is generally okay by me since it's not snow.) The other day this "rain" actually turned into a pretty big storm, and knocked our power out right as I was getting ready for bed. Now, for the most part, storms don't usually bother me... it really depends on the time of day, what I've eaten lately, if I've just watched a particularly unsettling TV show or movie... (unless someone throws in the word "tornado", then you'll see a grown woman seeking shelter in the bathtub.) Anyway, during this recent black-out I got a little nervous. Okay, I slept with a flashlight. As I lay there in terror, Todd said "What are you going to do when we have kids??" And I immediately remembered this sequence of cells from Hyperbole and a Half's latest post, "The Scariest Story":
I imagine this is the type of child I will have. The one clawing at her parents bedroom door. What goes around comes around.
(P.S. You should totally read all of the stories over at Hyperbole and a Half. Pure gold.)
