Clothe Ladys: Banana Republic Factory Red Tank

Friday, July 12, 2013

fran and kimmie ride the segways

Shirt: Banana Republic Outlet

Jeans: Madewell [exact]

Shoes: Target [exact - may be on sale in stores]

On Tuesday, Kimmie and I had purchased a groupon to go ride on Segways around West Seattle (that Kimmie, she's a thinker!), but first we stopped at Bakery Nouveau for lunch. We both had sandwiches (mine was turkey havarti, hers was the california) and then also both had the almond crescents which were aaaaamazing. On top of that feast, I also had to try my first macaron. It was cute to look at and tasted alright, but I don't think it's my favorite dessert of all time. That prize goes to tiramisu, followed closely by apple pie.

After that we walked around the neighborhood, and then it was time for segwaying. Here's Kimmie getting on for the first time (oh you want it in video? I have that too) and here I am my first time. HA. Just kidding, this was after about 10 minutes of getting used to that beast.

and then we scooted around for next hour with our tour guide and this cute litle Danish family.

Afterwards we again rescued Bri and her co-worker Ash from work, and went to happy hour at Sazerac. We shared a bunch of delicious apps - stuffed dates, little pizzas, sweet potato fries, and beet salad - and drank sangria with a view of the public library.

After that, we had a fun little experience with riding the bus, went home to change, and then went to the Brave Horse Tavern for drinks with Katrina and Amber. On the way to the restaurant we had to take a minute to capture this moment - Fran, the Space Needle, and the SLUT (seriously, I love any city that names their trolley system that).

I really loved hanging out with these girls. This was all of our first time meeting Amber, but it really didn't feel like it. We talked so much about our jobs, our past and current relationships, traveling - it was awesome. I've mentioned a few times that I don't have many girlfriends left in Madison as so many moved after we graduated, so it really just made me so happy to feel like I had girls to talk to again. I think that is what made this trip - connecting with the ladies in real life.

^^ pretzels with pimento cheeese dip, sour cream and crispy onion dip, and peanut butter with bacon!

Katrina, Bri, Fran, Amber

P.S. clicky -click? also make sure you help out my girl Bri!

Friday, June 21, 2013

a day in chicago + apple of my eye jewelry giveaway!

coach willis purse, vintage willis purse, target elba wedges, target elba shoes

This is all from my second day in Chicago. I went down to visit my friend Ben, a close friend from college - we were in the marching band together and have stayed close since he moved down to Chicago three years ago. He is one of the most talented people I know, and we always have so much fun together. We spent the second day having breakfast at Milk & Honey (we both had the lemon almond pancakes), walking around Wicker Park, looking through vintage shops in Andersonville, and finally ended up down by the water, which also happens to be a dog park. All around, it really was the perfect day (until I had to drive through 62 miles of construction to get home).

As far as what I wore....I thought I packed my new Gap shorts but accidentally packed my old ones, so they are getting one last hurrah until they are put away for "only in the house" wear. The shirt is a sleeveless shirt that I picked up from the Banana Republic Factory store. I wanted something I could wear when it gets hot out, but wasn't thin strapped. This shirt is great because I can wear it without needing to wear a tank underneath it because once it gets to be 85+, I want as little stuck to me as possible. It wasn't quite that hot this day, and I even wore my cardigan most of the time, but I'm glad I have the option of not wearing it. In the past, I haven't really been into gold jewelry that much but something about wannabe tan skin makes me want to wear more of it. Apple of My Eye Jewelry provided me with this bracelet recently and I really haven't stopped wearing and playing with it. They also gave me this necklace and luckily, one of you will get the chance to win the same two pieces below!

As far as my shoes goes, thank you to all of your help on instagram about whether or not to keep them. I picked them up a few weeks ago, but hadn't worn them yet because I wanted to keep my options open. I had some Everlane credits, so I ordered their new sandals to test out. I wish I could combine the two shoes. As far as the Everlane ones go, I like the top straps, but I was not a fan of the strap by the toes - I wish it was thicker. The sole is also pretty hard and I feel it would hurt to walk on. Of course I liked that they were genuine leather and made in the US, but you know that I would never pay $110 out of pocket so I just could not justify keeping them because they aren't exactly what I want. I really like the style of the Target ones - they are pretty minimal, the sole had some padding so they don't hurt to walk around on, and of course the price doesn't hurt. I really do try to avoid Target shoes because they usually have that plastic-y sole which means instant foot sweat, but these have more of a faux leather sole and so they weren't uncomfortably hot. I did experience some rubbing around the ankle as I'm not used to having a strap there, but that stopped bothering me after about an hour. Overall, I'm happy with them and am excited to wear them this summer.