#43 Short & Sweet

Labor Day weekend is always a busy time. There are always events, anniversaries, weddings, and cookouts. It's also the last "hurrah" for me because I teach, and Labor Day weekend always signifies the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year. So bittersweet. Labor Day has a lot of meaning for me-- my sister and brother-in-law were married over 16 years ago on Labor Day. My father was remarried to a wonderful woman on Labor Day exactly one year ago. And my brother plans on getting married on Labor Day of 2013. This Labor Day, however, my first cousin Zach married his beautiful bride, Katie!

It was an overcast and humid day, but I really enjoyed spending time with my family and especially, my adorable and amazing niece and nephews. To accommodate for the extreme heat, I wore a short and sweet neon yellow lace dress, lost my thick glasses, but mistakenly straightened my hair. You'll rarely see me with straight hair, as although I consider myself a fashionista, I'm pretty low maintenance and refuse to waste 90 minutes of my time straightening my hair! However, with some down time in the hotel, I figured, why not?

The beautiful bride and groom.

They were married at the bride's farm home, and there are lakes and cattails everywhere.



They had these totally creative place cards with origami swans on them. Love it.

Long hair, don't care.



Yellow on yellow.

I love my cage wedges! They are so crazy comfortable.

Extreme close up!

DRESS Neon Yellow Shift Dress, H&M (current) | BELT Braided Yellow Belt, Target | SHOES Stone Cage Wedges, Guess | BRACELET "Diamond" Rhinestone Bracelet, The Limited | BAG Dalmatian Cross-Body Satchel, H&M (current)

I really like the dual shades of yellow working together. I really think it looks gorgeous to have a bright color and pair it with accessories that are just a few shades off. Is that a form of color-blocking? Who knows... that term gets thrown around so much lately, it no longer has meaning.

Also, I highly recommend you run down to your local H&M and do a little browsing. The clothes are always hit or miss for me, especially in terms of sizing, but I snagged this little yellow number for only $15, plus the current accessories are amazing. My dalmatian print bag is my new favorite. I also bought some red and black plaid sneakers, bright yellow flats (to go with my neon yellow dress, of course), and patent black oxfords. Can't wait to show these off in the next outfit post! Happy belated Labor Day!

#42 A Tourist's Experience: Chicago

Over Spring Break last year, my boyfriend and I got to take a really fun vacation-- we spent half the time in Hocking Hills, Ohio in a little cabin (future entry) and the other half in Chicago (this entry)! My boyfriend currently lives in Germany, and feeling a little blue, I decided to perk up my spirits by reliving some of my favorite moments together during this trip, as April was the last time I saw him. I can't believe it's already been over 4 months now. I know I *just* posted about being in Chicago, but I realized I hadn't posted any pictures from our trip, and wanted to post some for you now!

Cherry trees in the park

Buckingham Fountain. Strangely empty on this cloudy day.

Casual outfit for the day, paired with my favorite tan platform sneakers from ALDO.

Ugliest sweater ever. I love it!

Beautiful bib necklace by ALDO. Dig the straight lines of the cut outs paired with the curve of the bib.

My satchel in my favorite color.

Incredible fields of tulips near S Lakeshore Drive.

Cloudy horizon on the waterfront.

No photoshop here! The water of Lake Michigan was actually this beautiful turquoise. Crazy!

It had to be done-- the bean!

We got a good deal on the Hilton on Michigan Avenue. The interior was really breathtaking-- very ornate and vintage looking.

We also went to the top of the Sears Tower. I refuse to call it Willis Tower-- lame! Look at that water!

We had to go to in the Skydeck boxes, of course.

Even though your rational brain knows it's quite safe, the experience is still somewhat terrifying! But so cool to look down and see the street below you.

Beautiful sunny skyline on our way to the Shedd Aquarium, which while expensive, is a must for any animal/ocean lover like me and was the highlight of my trip.

Beautiful blue poison dart frogs! One of my favorite animals. It took me forever to get this shot because there were so many frogs and they were hopping around so much!

Pretty insane looking spider crab.

Color-blocked shrimp :)

We paid extra for the jellyfish exhibit-- aren't they gorgeous?

Look at these cuties! Yet another of my favorite animals.

SWEATER Aztec Shawl Sweater, Forever 21+ | SHIRT White V-neck Tee, Forever 21+ | JEANS Dark skinnies, Eloquii | SHOES Tan Wedge Sneakers, ALDO | BAG Green Satchel, H&M | NECKLACE Geometric Black & Gold Bib Necklace, ALDO

Overall, although I had a blast, I was a bit unsatisfied with what I saw of Chicago. I feel like we did a lot of touristy things and the areas we visited seemed deserted. I wished we could have had more of a locals experience and see where hip Chicagoans hang out. We stayed pretty much in the touristy areas and the city seemed so large and spread out, it was difficult to decide where to go and explore in such a short time period. But I know next time, I'll do a lot more research. And for sure, go to the Field Museum. One of my favorite bloggers, Chaplin from Mini Penny (who also happens to be from my town in Ohio), LOVES Chicago and always has amazing posts about her experiences in Chicago, events she is invited to, amazing outfit photos, and lots of ideas about where to explore in the city. If you ever go there, I highly suggest you check out her blog!

#40 - Love Is In The Air

Allow me to start off by saying that I have an awesome brother. He is super smart and stylish, not to mention that he makes me crack up laughing until I pretty much pee myself. He's definitely one of the funniest people I know. He's only about 2 years older than me, but he had a big influence on me growing up-- I was such a copycat and I wanted to be just like him! I was always stealing his cool vintage t-shirts that he got from thrift stores (to his dismay), I learned to played guitar soon after he bought his first, and I was constantly bugging him for new music to download and books to read. He just proposed to his girlfriend of several years and I couldn't be happier for him-- they are perfect for each other! So this weekend, our family headed up to Chicago to meet her family for the first time.

For an event like this, or really any event, I am just loving dresses by the amazing designer Adrianna Papell. Her straight sizes go up to a 16 and she also has a plus-sized line that is beautiful and goes up to a 24. I have found my favorite AP pieces at Nordstroms, but her line is also available at Dilliards. I think this bright and whimsical dress is 1) extremely reflective of my personality and 2) perfect for a gorgeous outdoor soiree in Chicago! My soon-to-be sister-in-law's family decorated the yard so perfectly-- it had DIY and Etsy and magic written all over it!

Love that parking lot shot!

I'm wearing Schiap (bright pink lipstick) by NARS which just adds to all the bright goodness.

Love my color-blocked bag by Aldo. I take it everywhere!

The beautiful bar decorated with handmade paper decorations!

All the drinks were served in mason jars. ETSY magic!

Beautiful table set up inside with flowers, pies, customized cookies and beautiful pictures of the lovely couple.

Gorgeous tablescape.

So much detail in every single part of the table.

Beautiful flowers.

A shot at the end of the evening. Such a romantic, beautiful night!

DRESS/BELT Cap Sleeve Striped Dress, Adrianna Papell via Nordstroms (sold out in plus size) | SHOES Black Faux Suede Wedges, Target | BAG Black & White Color Blocked Shoulder Bag, ALDO

I was impressed by every detail and the thought that went into planning this wonderful occasion. I sort of thought we would all just be sitting at a dining room inside, eating family style, and I was really blown away by the effort of my sister-in-law's family. They made quite an impression on me. Above all, each and every one of her family members were so lovely and made us feel so welcome. I know my brother was a little bit nervous, but clearly it was a successful meeting of two awesome families! Now on to plan what I'll wear for the wedding...!

#33 Amagansett, East Hampton

Happy Monday, dear readers! I was lucky enough this weekend to spend some time at a family friend's beautiful home in Amagansett, which is an area of East Hampton, New York. It was certainly a luxurious and relaxing experience and I was so grateful for the opportunity to see this area of New York which I have heard so much about.

My friend Ellie, my brother and his fiancee, and I all took a train from Penn Station on Saturday morning and spent the day at the beach with my family, grilling out at the patio, and relaxing together. Ellie and I were even able to get a quick pedicure nearby-- I am now the proud owner of some royal blue toes! The next morning we spent some time in the pool and sadly bid adieu to our generous family friend and his beautiful home. Of course, I couldn't spend the entire weekend without capturing the beauty and charm of this place on film.

We ate lunch at a place called, well, "Lunch."

My tasty tuna roll. For some reason, I'm not a huge fan of lobster.

A beautiful hibiscus flower.

A view from the road in Amagansett.

You can see the ocean from our family friend's patio.

The lovely lower deck, hot tub, and pool.

The outdoor dinner table!

'

The pool is outside, but is also halfway underneath a sun roof. So perfect.

Make-up free in the sunshine!

Trying to look fierce...

DRESS Braided Strap Orange Maxi Dress, Lane Bryant | SHOES Black Tassel Flat Sandals, H&M

A simple outfit for a simple day of relaxation. Perfection! In retrospect, I would have accessorized a lot more with this really bright orange dress, but the heat makes my skin react from cheap jewelry, which sadly is most of the jewelry I own. Does anyone know of any good places to get inexpensive jewelry that's good for sensitive skin?

If you ever have the opportunity to go to the Hamptons, even just for 24 hours like I did, I highly recommend it. I hope someday to be back, and also to head even further east, the most eastern point of the USA: Montauk. Of course, one of my favorite parts of the trip was the conductor of our train who announced the Montauk stop with the most perfect New York/Brooklyn accent. So far, I am loving NYC so much-- thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of my move!