good bye seattle!

Tee: Everlane
Cardigan: Gap [similarish]
Shorts: Gap Outlet [similar]
Purse: Coach [current style]
Sandals: Target [exact]

On Wednesday I was off by myself as both Bri and Kimmie had to be working/mothering adults that day. I loved having both act as my tour guide, but it was also nice to go off and be a bit more touristy by myself. I felt I had a bit of a handle on down town Seattle so I went off to go exploring. I started off by taking the monorail down to the Seattle Center. I just walked around the grounds for a little bit when I ran into the purple wall of the EMP Museum. I had a flashback to this post Kimmie wrote (I had read through all of her archives and remember thinking how cool it was) so I had to recreate it. I like how my cardigan kind of matches the wall - not planned ;)

^^from Bri's favorite espresso "cart" (the world's first!)

After my little selfie photography, I walked down to check out the international fountain and waited for the show...which never started. I texted Bri asking why nothing was happening and it turns out, that day was the day it was down for maintenace! boo. Next time (because there WILL be a next time!). I had wasted just enough time for the Space Needle to open. It was actually pretty awesome being there so early. I got a discounted ticket, I rode up the elevator by myself, and had the whole observation deck to myself besides one other couple.

^^the lake we rode on the ducks & paddle boarded in!

Afterwards I rode the monorail back and headed down to Pike Place Market to buy an OMG Peach, a coffee mug for Chris from the original Starbucks (it wasn't as busy at 8:30 AM on a Wednesday as it had been at 10 AM on a Saturday), and flowers for Bri. I waited for Nordstrom Rack to open, and then went looking around for the third time on my five day vacation. I almost walked out with nothing but then I found these jeans (finally!! I've always wanted a white pair, and especially after seeing how great Bri's always look), this shirt as a complete Bri copycat (mine's grey though), and a bright orange (who am I?!) silk tee thing. Yay, Seattle souvenirs! ;)

Then I headed over to Nordstrom and it was ccrrrrrrraaaaaazzzy. We don't have a Nordstrom in Wisconsin, so I'm not used to 1. all of the expensive stuff and 2. the craziness that is the semi-annual sale. I used this time to figure out what size trench coat I wear, to go look at my future Chanel bag (in 4-5 years), and to try on this dress for size. Now that I know what size I would wear, I'm going to stalk eBay so I can find one for 1/4 of that price! Keep your fingers crossed for me. 

I went and got Bri from work, and we headed back to Nordstrom to eat at the cafe (we also don't have department stores in Wisconsin that have cafes - I feel we are missing out). So much good people watching! The food was delicious and I suppose the company was alright too ;)

Then, because I'm a HUGE Grey's Anatomy fan, I insisted that I needed to go ride the ferry boats.

I don't think that if you go visit Seattle that this is necessarily something you need to do, because after the initial views of the skyline it's kinda boring, but I'm still happy I went. It was pretty beautiful out there.

That night Bri and I walked around Green Lake again, had sushi as a farewell dinner, and then she dropped me off at the airport. You guys, it sounds so silly when you say it out loud, but this stranger that picked me up from the airport and let me stay in her beautiful home has become such a good friend to me by the end of my stay. Bri is like the definition of good people - warm, welcoming, excited to show you her city, and kind. We had so many laughs and like it honestly pains me that I don't get to spend every day with her. Bri, thank you for the best vacation of my life. Can't wait for the next one :)

via Bri's instagram

münchen

So after two days of family gatherings and beer garden adventures, my aunt, my sister, and I spent a few hours in down town Munich. I was really excited to look around because I haven't been down here in years and years, and I don't think I've ever been downtown. We only had a few hours of time before we had to drive back to my aunt's home 5 hours away, but I really wish that we could have spent more time in the city. There's just so much to see, do, learn, and eat, but with limited time we hit up the big sights.

We started out in the Viktualienmarkt, which is like a permanent outside market full of fresh cheeses, meats, fruits, vegetables, and flowers. We ended up with most of those in our shopping bags - flowers, cherries, dried apples, and schmalznudelen (which are kind of like a combination of funnel cake and thin donuts).

the May Pole

Above is a picture of the Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus) viewed from the Market side. The building is from the 14th century - isn't it crazy that something built that long ago still stands today? This is obviously common place in Europe, but living in the Midwest for most of my life, it always surprises me, no matter how often I am over here. Anyway, it stands in the Marienplatz, which is where we wondered over to next.

Above is the Old Town Hall from view of the Marienplatz - it also houses a toy museum which would have been interesting to see. Below is the New Town Hall. According to our trusted source, Wikipedia, this building is from the 19th century and has over 400 rooms. This is where the famous Glockenspiel is - here's a bit more of a close up. 

Next we went into a large department store where we proceeded to look at all the fancy expensive clothing, and also went to try on the traditional Bavarian garb. I'm from northern Germany so we don't really do the dirndls, but it was great fun trying them on! Here's a little idea of what they look like - apparently you are supposed to wear a push up underneath them! No thanks, that sounds even more painful. These were beautiful, although far too expensive. Maybe if I ever make it back for Oktoberfest, I'll have to spring for one. Afterwards we got lunch at Bratwurst Gloeckl - I had schnitzel for the first time (it was delicious). 

And a couple of miscellaneous pictures....

I really liked this picture in a display window of a drug store, but there were some other people standing in front of it. My sister went over to pretend to be very interested in something in the window, and slowly made the people scooch out of the way. Isn't it so cute though? I feel if Kate Spade did make-up, this is what the ads would look like.

It kind of looks like the weather forecasts weren't that accurate - instead of mid 70's, it's been mid 50's since we arrived. My two pairs of pants are getting a lot of wear. It was pretty chilly and rainy this day - there's a cardigan hiding underneath that jacket.

Jacket: from my last trip to Germany [similar]

Tee: Everlane

Scarf: Victoria's Secret

Purse: Coach [current style]

Jeans: Urban Outfitters [exact]

Shoes: Tory Burch [exact]

Of course we had to stop at Milka World (it wasn't that impressive)

Until next time Munich!

P.S. Linking up with Because Shanna Said So, The Pleated Poppy, and Mix & Match Fashion!

on dressing for the blog

 

I've been blogging for a little over a year now. I've always wanted the blog to help me figure out my sense of style and how I want the pieces in my closet to come together, but I didn't want to change my style for the blog. Especially over the last year, I never put on outfits because I knew I was going to take pictures, but I took pictures because I (mostly) liked what I was wearing. Seeing my outfits every day has made me realize what I like, what I don't like, and what I think I want to look like. I don't buy trends just to be trendy, and I don't buy clothing just because it would be good for the blog. I buy something because I like it and because I believe it fits into my life and with the items in my closet. Some outfits make it on the here, some don't, and that's okay. Because I dress for my life and "for me", it makes it a lot easier to get dressed because there's no pressure.

Except yesterday. 

I was lucky to be asked by 2 Girls, 2 Cities to take part in their monthly challenge, which this month happens to be neon. Bri's Third Thursday Thread link up this month is also neon, and she even jokingly called me out and told me I had to take part in it. YOU GUYS. You know how I feel about neon, but it seems it's a trend that just won't quit and it seems to be coming from all angles. So yesterday I stood in front of my closet trying to figure out what to wear for both challenges and for a day in Chicago. I probably spent 45 minutes trying to figure out what to wear. I own very little "neon" - in quotes because I don't even really have anything true neon, just brighter than normal. I tried a brighter orange tee with my new black and white skirt. I tried my Old Navy striped top. I tried looking through my donate box of clothing to see if I couldn't dig something out to wear. It was so frustrating because I wasn't comfortable in anything I put on. I didn't want to look like a try-hard down in Chicago, I didn't want to be wear something I didn't like, and I didn't want to be super boring. Eventually I convinced myself that these shorts were relatively bright enough but then I didn't know what to wear with it. I didn't want to wear another tee because I didn't want it to appear on the blog like all I own is white or black t-shirts. I didn't want to wear my teal sandals because I just showed those on the blog in the previous post. I didn't know what kind of jewelry would look best in pictures.

on the blog. in pictures. on the internet. for other people.

And eventually I reminded myself that I dress for my life, and not for the blog. So I put on the outfit I felt the most comfortable in, drove down to Chicago, and had a great afternoon walking around Wicker Park getting a sun burn, thrift shopping, and enjoying an evening of guacamole making and tipsy gossiping. 

and it was wonderful and no one cared what I was wearing :)

Tee: Everlane

Shorts: J.Crew Factory [exact]

Shoes: Target [similar]

Watch: Target [similar]

Bracelet: c/o Apple of My Eye Jewelry [exact]

three

It's been so muggy out the last few days - the kind of weather where the temperatures aren't really high enough to warrant the AC but it's so uncomfortable you turn it on anyway. Blah blah blah, weather weather weather. Our labs are kept at near freezing, so it's always a bit annoying figuring out what to wear.

In other news, I have two days of work left. Chris is currently in Chicago so he can take the boards tomorrow morning. I wish this Target dress either had no sleeve or a full short sleeve because it looks adorable on Lydia. I'm getting Culvers for dinner and I'm already excited about the idea of a cheeseburger. I'll probably spend the night catching up on the Bachelorette.

my life, it's thrilling.

Tee: Everlane

Pants: Gap [save | splurge]

Cardigan: BR Factory 

Earrings: Tiffany & Co. [exact]

Watch: c/o Daniel Wellington [exact]

Shoes: Sam Edelman [exact]

Linking up with mix and match fashion!

color rut

 

Last week I wore chambray, then coral, then chambray, and then coral again. It was completely unintentional but it did make me think about how that happened. As I was going through my closet again the other day weeding out more items to sell/donate, I realized that my entire wardrobe is white, pink/red, blue, and black. I wonder if we all tend to gravitate towards certain colors more in our wardrobe, or do most people have a more balanced closet? I want to branch out, but are my purchases over the past years telling me that what I'm doing is working for me, or are they telling me I'm stuck in a color rut?

Blazer: Gap [exact now $49.99 + 25% off]

Tee: Everlane

Jeans: American Eagle [exact]

Shoes: Sam Edelman [exact]

Necklace:gift from my sister/H&M 

Rings: Jewelmint [exact]

Nails: Essie Lapiz of Luxury 

via instagram

rainy day

 

Since it was still snowing in April, it only makes sense that it's still raining in May, right? So much for flowers. 

I am happy I get to wear my rain boots again! I'm so happy I found a pair that actually fit my calves instead of trying to squeeze into "normal" size. I'd be lying if I didn't get just a little bit excited to wear them. I'd also be lying if I said I haven't worn a variation of this outfit for the past three days. I just really wanted to wear my new tee [review here], and it's been chilly all weekend so the chambray and jeans just kind of made sense.

whatever, like you've never worn an outfit several days in a row.

Chambray: Old Navy [same style | fun inexpensive variation]

Tee: Everlane

Jeans: Urban Outfitters [exact]

Boots: Hunter [exact]

Watch: Fossil [similar]

Umbrella: J.Crew

via instagram.

linking up with wiww.