Warm

I've been really loving the warm colors we are finally getting for fall.. although the temperatures have still been pretty warm.. it was almost 80 this weekend! I didn't get to enjoy much of it, though, I was working, studying, and my brother was sent to the hospital this weekend, where he will be for a while.

vintage blouse, thrifted j. skirt, seychelles shoes

I feel like my life is in a whirlwind lately and I can't catch up. I have two midterms tomorrow and I've been working (too much) in a new store, which is taking some adjusting.  I also feel like I haven't been getting in enough quality time with Patrick and I'm just desperate for an entire day off of school and work to be with him, but I have to wait another week and a half for that!


I'm going to keep it sweet and simple today! Back to making my phonological processes flashcards! Have a wonderful rest of your week!

Roses are red.. and so is my hair!

Well, I told you guys on my last post that I finally took the plunge and went completely red.. and voila! At first I was in a little shock, but I still really liked the color.  Going from dark brown to red is a big change.  As a teen, I would always tell my stylist "NO RED!" because my hair naturally has red tones & pulls red really easily when doing color.  Everyday, I love my hair more and more and more. It's definitely growing on me and this color will be around for a good long while, until either I get too lazy or too poor to keep up with the roots. But, hey, ombre is in now, right?





kaang headband, H&M dress & jacket, Target tights, Michelle D flats
I took my new hair for a night out on the town with an amazing friend of mine (who I actually met through blogging!).. Emily Keen from The Daily Fashionista! She is such a down-to-earth girl with only the best intentions, which is hard to find in a friend these days. Patrick and I met up at Emily and her husband Zach's place, and we all chatted for a while and then headed down to their "secret park" to take a few outfit pictures.. because what would a blogger meet-up/double date be without one! (NOTE TO EMILY: Do we call these blogger-meet ups still? What is the hanging out ratio where it's just friends hanging out and not a blogger meet up?! I need to know the rules on these things!)


It's pretty obvious Emily & I aren't used to doing outfit photos with another person. So.. we "casually" started picking leaves off the tree, giving thumbs up, etc. Just the usual.
After outfit pictures, we all walked down to the Azars, an AMAZING mediterranean restaurant that I've heard a ton about. I had lamb and salmon skewers and Patrick had a lamb burger, and we had spanokopita as our appetizer! Of course, I had to have baklava for dessert, because we all know that's the most important part of the meal.

We saw "Never Let Me Go" at the Naro, which is our local historical movie theater. Patrick and I have actually never been, as we don't venture into Norfolk as often as we should.  School doesn't count, either!  I've actually never been to a movie theater where they have actual curtains that are rolled back, and the Naro ONLY plays movies on real film reels! Isn't that neat? The movie was beautiful and spectacular and thought-provoking, and Carey Mulligan and Keira Knightly both looked amazing, per usual.

Emily and Zach, we had a great time with you guys! You are both wonderful people and maybe we will be neighbors soon! :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I'm off to study for midterms and I'm working a ton this week so things may be a little quiet over here for the next week or two but alas I will try my best to keep up!

Autumn, you are so taunting

This weekend was my fall break and it was MUCH needed. I had two full days off of work & school which NEVER happens.  The name "fall break" for this area is pretty deceiving, though.  Shelby and I met up for pictures and it was 94 degrees outside... in the middle of October! Luckily today it's in the low 70s so I'm at least able to wear a light cardigan, but I'm completely ready to be bundled up in scarves and sweaters and tights. I've had enough of this sweating stuff! I was so happy to see Shelby, though. She is one of my few close girlfriends & we had so much fun taking these pictures, playing with the lighting, and avoiding creepers.

thrifted dress, silk scarf from another thrifted dress, J Shoes

Lately I've been really paying attention to the colors in my closet. I really want more diversity, and hopefully I'm on the way. There are so many different color pallettes I've been drawn to.. peaches and navy blues and emerald greens.. it will be interesting to mix and match these as the weather gets cooler (if it ever really does get cooler.. we are actually at a record high right now).

I also made a major color change to my hair so this will be the last you see of me with dark brown hair for a while! I can't wait to take pictures! I probably won't have some up until the weekend or early next week, but hang tight! So far I've had a positive response.. unless people are just being nice ;)




photos by Shelby Ballou

Flightless Bird

Fall break is here! Granted, we only get off school from Saturday to Tuesday, I go to school six days a week so that lets me skip three classes! I am working tomorrow and Sunday for a few hours, but I have a fun weekend planned. Tonight Patrick and I are going to see Joe Pug at the Attucks Theater in Norfolk, tomorrow I'm hanging out with Shelby and then Danielle, and Sunday after work I will probably just relax with Patrick! Tuesday I'm finally taking pictures with a friend to update my shop & I'm getting more red in my hair & a cut!

thrifted sweater cape, necklace gift from patrick, asos dress, f21 tights, seychelles heels

The other day, Patrick and I went to have lunch at Town Center, which is the "urban" area of Virginia Beach.  Really, it's just a square with about 4 street's worth of shops and restaurants.  A new soup/sandwich shop had opened up and I was really in the mood for a good soup. Unfortunately, the menu online failed to mention the soups weren't offered daily, only a selection of two. Of course the soup I wanted wasn't the daily special, so I had a tomato and mozzarella sandwich. It wasn't anything spectacular and I've had better. The restaurant layout was really strange, too. It was supposed to be a sandwich shop but it had an overall upscale vibe, which made me a little uncomfortable to be honest! In the back of the restaurant, there was a "market" and we were expecting a variety of wines, cheeses, etc., but instead we found Advil, boxed rice, and orange juice. Quite the variety, eh?

Desert was much better, though! We headed over to The Royal Chocolate and indulged in some truffles (pumpkin, tiramasu, white chocolate raspberry cheesecake, and caramel!) and some spicy mayan dark hot chocolate. Delicious!

 This cape was a recent thrift store find. At first, I immediately thought it would be going into the shop because I didn't think I could pull it off.  However, after this outfit, I'm so torn! I think it will be having a little home in my closet, at least for now...

I am unbelievably excited to wear tights again. They can make outfits so much more interesting & they are one of my favorite things to buy! I'm really looking for more sweater wool tights this year, I only have one pair but I found myself wearing them ALL the time last year when it got really cold, even when they didn't match! I'd also like to find some cute printed tights.. perhaps with little deer or other adorable animals all over? Let me know if you have any tight/legging shops to suggest!

No Occasion

I am currently listening to J. Tillman & swooning.  All of those Fleet Foxes boys make me completely swoon, and I'm glad they have the same effect over Patrick or else someone might get a little jealous.  As embarrassed as I am to say this, I even had a dream last night that Patrick and I were best friends with Robin Pecknold. I sent a tweet to him once & he responded, and let me tell you.. that completely MADE my day!!! Are there any bands/artists that just completely overwhelm you & you wish you could be real life friends with?! Or am I just crazy?

thrifted shirt, thrifted sweater, thrifted belt, F21 leggings, socks c/o We Love Colors, UO booties

Anyways, this is just a casual outfit I wore when I was starting to feel a little sick. I just wanted something comfy and cozy and this outfit did the trick! The outfit is mostly thrifted, and I'm especially in love with this sweater. I've been on the hunt for lots of fair isle and grandpa-style sweaters lately and this is one of my favorites! It's so easy and includes perfect fall colors. The booties are Urban Outfitters in Seattle, and I'm glad I snatched them up when I did because I don't see them online! They are super comfortable but I wish I got 1/2 a size up to wear thick, woolly socks with them. Luckily, these tan socks from We Love Colors does the trick perfectly!




Patrick and I have a tradition that if either of us feels sick, the other treats them to pho.. it's the best at cleaning out your sinuses! Sure enough, Sunday I had a full-blown cold.. and out of all the days, Sunday we had been planning a trip to Washington D.C. to see Tallest Man on Earth! But I wore my comfiest vintage 1970s mens flannel shirt belted, these black leggings, and some boots, and drank plenty of tea, but I felt awful the whole trip. Tallest Man on Earth has a certain way of making a girl feel better with his enticing lyrics and engaging voice, however. He pulled his fiance Amanda on stage for a duet and let me just say.. it was the cutest thing ever and brought tears to my eyes!  Check out the video of the performance here. You can't really see his face, but Kristian had the BIGGEST, goofiest smile on his face when he was singing to her! If anyone is thinking about seeing Tallest Man on Earth live (although he is currently heading back to Europe).. I highly recommend you do so!





Currently listening to: J. Tillman, "No Occasion"