V is for Victory

{target dress (similar)  |  hand me down vest  |  watch  |  payless heels (crazy similar)  |  inpink necklace (similar)}

Last night was date night, so my boyfriend and I cooked a really tasty meal together ("Swiss Alplermagrone" made with pasta, potatoes, caramelized onions, gruyere, and baked apple - recipe coming soon because you need to try this), then dined by candlelight in our yard.  After, we came inside and watched the Wizard of Oz (because, really, is there such a thing as watching that movie too many times?).  The dinner & the movie were pretty great, but the most remarkable part of the night was the fact that I did not get one mosquito bite.  Considering that around here those little jerks are already in aggressive attack mode at least week before spring even starts makes hanging out with them for an hour at dusk and not getting bitten a big victory for me...and for the deet I doused my entire body in.  Well, I guess it's mostly a victory for deet.  (But I'll take credit; deet would be cool with it).



Linking up today.

Jersey Girls

{target top (cute option) & shoes (similar)  |  f21 shorts  |  ON scarf  |  watch  |  inpink bracelet (similar) & ring}

Over the weekend I got to meet up with some great NJ bloggers.  Sharon from The Tiny Heart set up a fun brunch date in NYC with Diana & Catalina of city and burbs, Tara from Penniless Socialite, and me.  These girls were intelligent, funny, stylish, and despite my ridiculously shameful and decidedly un-fashionable tardiness, really friendly and sweet as well.  It was great getting to meet them and I truly hope we can do it again sometime!  Oh, and nevermind* that naked and very awkwardly placed baby floating in the background.

{left to right: Catalina & Diana, Sharon, Tara, & me}

*Did you get that oh so clever pun?  If not then you were clearly never a Nirvana fan and I'm not so sure we can be friends anymore.  But if you love Vanilla Ice, I'll reconsider.

In other news, I'm linking up here today.

The Shame of it All

{target top & skirt (similar)  |  sandals  |  watch  |  necklace  |  f21, inpink bracelets (similar 1, 2) }

I don't have much to say today, except that I've found my new favorite way to waste time.  Check it out: dog-shaming.com.  Apparently I can look at photos of naughty dogs who may or may not feel ashamed of their actions for unreasonable periods of time.  They're just so cute...and disgusting.  It's a winning combination.

Also, in case you're wondering, the background in my photos is the Hudson River and NJ.  I was on a date in NYC with hunny bunny and we finished the evening with a walk along the river.  And you thought Jersey was all just shorelines, spray tans and Snooki.

I'm linking up today with the usual suspects.

I'm Cool

{kohls sweater (similar)  |  shorts  |  payless shoes (super cute option)  |  dogeared & gifted necklaces}

Please excuse the abundance of photos featuring my giddy yet smugly triumphant expression.  It was actually cool enough (for one day) to wear a sweater (!!!).  I love summer with a passion that's usually only paralleled by the likes of school children, but being able to put on my first sweater of the season just made me....supremely happy.  ...And apparently also gave me temporary delusions that I am somehow vaguely responsible for mother nature's amazing achievements.  The first glimmering of fall will do that to a girl.

I'm linking up with these lovlies today.

Orange you glad?

{target top  |  tulle skirt  |  shoes  |  dogeared & inpink necklaces (similar) }

You wouldn't know it from looking, but I was sweating like a beast in these photos.  See that last photo?  The one where my skirt's being blown by the wind?  Don't let it fool you.  Even with the breeze, it was still about 85 degrees with 60% humidity.  I could barely be wearing less clothing.  And yet, I wish I was.  Orange you glad autumn's almost here?

Linking up here today.

Beauty Bit: how to style a top knot

This is one version of how I style my top knot.

This hairstyle is so easy, it barely needs an explanation.

But in case you're into that sort of thing, I've included instructions below.

1.Pull your hair into a high ponytail and secure with an elastic.  2. If your hair is fine, you may want to back comb a little for some volume. (Yep, I back comb with brush.  I told you, I'm a rebel.)  3. Divide the pony in half (this doesn't have to be exact).  4. Tie the halves in a basic knot.  5. If your hair is long enough, tie it a second time.  6. Secure the ends with bobby pins (I like to cris-cross two pins because it's a more secure hold).

Easy peasy!

Oh. Em. Gee.

{f21 top  |  limited shorts  |  belt  |  old navy sandals (similar)  |  gifted bracelet (from Rachel) |  watch}

I'm beginning to wonder if there's something about the way I dress that attracts the wrong kind of people to me.

For example, I got to the movies to see The Campaign early last night, and sat at the end of an empty row.  Even though there were lots of other seats around, surrounded by no one at all, two very chatty girls decided to sit right next to me, forgoing the customary one-empty-seat-of-personal-space-between-strangers rule.  Normally I wouldn't mind because often times the shows are sold out anyway, but the girl who sat directly next to me had the strangest quirk about her.  You see, instead of just laughing when something amused her, this girl would cycle through four repetitive phrases consisting of "Oh my god!" "That's hilarious!" "That's so funny!", and my favorite, "OMG!!"  All.  Movie.  Long.  And at full "I'm watching a movie in my living room" volume.

In case you're having trouble imagining what I'm describing, here's a perfect reenactment of last night.  Pretty much to the tee.  JD's saying what I was thinking.

That's so funny.

Linking up here!

Something Old

{tank: old navy  |  skirt: wet seal (old)  |  jacket: h&m (similar)  |  shoes: payless (crazy similar)  |  necklace: etsy}

Shopping in your closet is like going through a fabric-filled time capsule.  This skirt is so old, I barely remember buying it.  All I know is that I got it at Wet Seal, back when I was still young enough to shop at Wet Seal; ie. about 12 years ago (granted, I'm currently much too old to still be shopping at Forever21, but that's beside the point).  More confounding than the fact that it still fits (thank you, elasticized waist!), is that I've managed to drag it around with me from dorm room to summers spent living at home to off-campus housing to a smattering of different apartments.  This skirt's probably been with me through a total of 10 moves.  And I haven't worn it in over 7 years.  All for the big payoff - wearing it to go out for one night.  If that's not commitment to a $15 article of clothing, I don't know what is.

I'm linking up with these ladies today.

Highlights & Lowlights #10

It's been a while since I did a highlight/lowlight post, but I just had so many highlights this week that I feel compelled to brag.  (This post makes my gloating seem a little more appropriate.)

{sneakers  |  similar jacket  |  similar shorts}

Highlights:

• The temperature has finally dipped below obscenely, unbearably hot to just super humid, moist, and uncomfortably hot.  I can kind of run again in this weather. (see above)  I'll take it.
• I should preface this one by saying that I LOVE animals.   I was lying in the hammock with hunny bunny at dusk when two of the skunks that frequent our backyard came running straight at us!  When we made noise to let them know we were there, they merely glanced in our direction, then went about their business of scrounging for food.  This bodes very well for my plan of eventually petting one of them.  I've already got the recipe for skunk stink remover memorized for when the inevitable happens.
• I spent an afternoon at the beach with some friends in 95 degree weather and actually. didn't. burn.  So what if I got bitch-slapped a time or two by the obnoxiously rough waves - it's a fair trade off if you ask me.
• Rafting down the Delaware River with friends.  It rained on us twice, we got stuck on rocks repeatedly, and I paddled so much I thought my shoulder was going to fall off.  We're already planning our next trip.  We had such a blast.

Lowlights:

• Having the very bright idea to bring our towels in the raft with us....uh...they got soaked.  So rapids, rain storms, and wiggling & flopping back into the raft after going for a swim brings water into the raft.  Who knew?
• Trying to remove my black nail polish.  The good news is that it came off my nails (mostly). The bad news is that it's now semi-permanently stuck to the skin surrounding my nails.
• My end-of-summer allergies seem to be returning.  I will soon be reunited with my nemesis, the neti pot.
• Having such a fantastic week that I can't think of any lowlights, and must to resort to using lame ones about wet towels, allergies, and nail polish to fill the space. 

Festival Ware

{tank: target  |  boots: kamik  |  similar shorts, similar backpack, necklace: f21  |  bracelets: f21, delias, diy}

If you've been reading for a while, you know that I make no pretense of having any semblance of a cool or exciting life.  But on occasion, I do get down with the get down.  And it's usually in summer, in the form of an outdoor day-long concert or festival.

And this is the kind of outfit I usually wear.  I like a light and breezy top to keep cool, with a bikini underneath so I can dry a little faster after walking through the misting tent (and if things really heat up I can take off the shirt, and for whatever reason, not feel as awkward running around in a bikini as I would in my skivvies).  Shorts need no explanation, and wellies help protect my feet from all of the mud, dirt, and dust that inevitably accumulates with the constant stampede of thousands of dancing feet.

If I'm really lucky, maybe I'll get some interesting tan lines courtesy of that tank top.  Because nothing says "I spent all day listening to music" like a lace-patterned tan.

Find me linking up with Sharon, and over here as well.

Stop me if you've heard this one...

{top: gap  |  skirt: UO  |  sandals: blowfish (similar) |  watch: sprout}

So, a French man, a French woman, a Russian, and a Swiss guy walk into an Indian restaurant...

with their token local American {me}.

The least I could do was wear an ethnic ikat printed skirt and try to remind them of my German roots by sporting milkmaid braids - all in the hopes it'd give me enough foreign flair to be worthy of dining with such an internationally eclectic group of people I'm happy to call my friends.

I'm linking up today.