Portland

The last 14 days has been a complete, wonderful and chaotic blur. Work has been a hectic roller coaster; leaving me exhausted and out of breath every evening. Before my 4 day trip to Las Vegas to work the Stitch Trade Show my boyfriend and I took a spontaneous trip to Portland Oregon as a last summer get-away before he flew home to Belgium for the rest of the month. We spent the night in a hotel where we could finally watch some shark week programs (we don't have cable at home), then we had some wonderful brunch, walked through the weekend market, did some shopping, spent some time in the rose gardens, and took a little nap in the lawn at the arboretum.  It was a short 18 hour visit but it was nice to escape our regular weekend routine and to spend some alone time together. Here are some photos of our day in Portland. Oh, and while you're scrolling feel free to go to your Spotify and listen to First Aid Kit - that's kind of the vibe I was feeling during the trip and again while preparing this post. Thanks Grace for recommending them to me!

Wearing: Vintage maxi dress, Jeffery Campbell mules, Aerie bralette, Urban Outfitters belt & bag.

xx

Evening Lake Adventures

It's become somewhat of a ritual for Gilles and I to head over to varying access points to Lake Washington on hot evenings. It's nice just around dinner time or even a little later, because the beaches and docks tend to be less crowded. We like to kick back and jump in the chilly water to cool off before heading back to our insanely hot apartment. The other night we took some steaks and threw them on the grill, then we found the most secluded little beach area which I absolutely loved. My 7-ft man friend didn't really approve of the size (he requires a little more room to spread out and relax). 

But man it sure is cute right?! It's nice and shady, private, and romantic! Or at least I thought so.

Awkwardly grinning up at my giant. 

Wearing: Triangl Swimwear bikini top, American Apparel high-waist bottom, under vintage Levi shorts.

Vegetarians shield your eyes for the following photos!

Ta-dahhh the Grill-Master is me!

I hope everyone is finding time to enjoy the longer days and warm weather. And for those of you living in the Pacific Northwest....wow isn't it absolutely beautiful around here? Honestly, I think Washington is beautiful even when it's raining but it is something else when the sun is shining on all of this green; making the scenery appear even more lush and vibrant. And the clear skies are allowing the most glorious views of Mt. Rainer; its just breathtaking. I'm going to enjoy it as much as I can until the Rainy season begins again. Do the same.

xx

Warm Weather Workdays

Every year around Mid-March I find myself begging and praying to the weather gods for an early summer. Dreaming of soaking my face in the warmth of the suns rays, being able to keep the layers of clothing light and breezy, never worrying about how my goosebumps are surely making my leg hair grow faster...ok so that last one was maybe TMI but whatever, ladies I know you feel me. Ah summer. Wonderful right? Wrong; well, partially. Sure I'm happy to be able to go for a late night swim here and there, and yes sandals are 1000% more comfortable than boots stuffed with giant wool socks. But man, I was just not bred for the heat! Living in an apartment with no air conditioning and that has beautiful large windows that allow maximum sunlight is terrible. I come home all sweaty from work and inside it's guaranteed to be 10 degrees warmer. Not to mention, I'm running out of clothes to wear! 

For those of you who don't know me to well I must confess something, I am seriously addicted to sweaters. There must be some kind of sweater-shoppers-anonymous or some kind of group that I can belong to because my sweater obsession is out of control, and quite costly I might add! Hence, my tank/shorts/dress options are quite limited. Luckily it will be fall soon, in the meantime here are a couple of outfits I've been keeping in rotation for when the days reach the 90's. I know, I know - I  should probably be avoiding wearing black because it traps heat. But sadly most of my lighter-weight items are black, so let's just move past that already. 

Light-weight floral dress American Eagle, silky black button up Nordstom

Silky tee American Apparel, trousers Urban Outfitters, sandals H&M

If anyone has other ideas of how to style work-appropriate outfits with black pieces for those hot summer days please let me know! I'm always looking for ways to improve my day-to-day work style. Now, It's funny because I see my readership increasing exponentially, but maybe you're a bunch of shy peeps like me who don't want to leave comments. Well don't hesitate to answer or leave your feedback, I'd love it! Except you mom, please don't comment, it'll embarrass me and I'm trying to be a big girl. ;)

xx

CHBP

This post is long overdue. This last week flew by so fast yesterday I didn't even realize it was Friday until after the work day had ended. I was a busy worker-bee and felt delirious because of the heat and the straining week that had come and gone so abruptly. Anyway, last weekend I went to the Capitol Hill Block Party, well the last day at least. That's true fashion for me, last year it was CHBP and Bumbershoot for only the final day (that's when the best shit happens). It was a beautiful sunny day after a few of rain so we really lucked out! There were only three performances we watched, how can you commit to standing in a crowd when all the best people watching is going down at the food trucks!? I'm so lucky to have someone who enjoys shamelessly staring at others as much as I do.  Here are a few photos of the event and what I wore.

I sported this super psychedelic patterned dress with it's ultra 90's silhouette. I felt like Buffy on Acid 

(minus the acid of course)

This performer was surprisingly awesome. When we walked over to the smaller stage and saw him jumping around we weren't preparing ourselves for much. But he had everyone sit down on the ground pow-wow style and he rapped about important social issues. He was charismatic, funny, and had a good voice. I love surprises like that. 

As the sun went down the entire population of the party gathered around the main stage to wait (for too long) for A$AP Rocky.

I'll admit, he was worth the wait. His performance was fully equipped with lights, lasers, smoke, confetti, Nirvana and Wu-Tang. He brought everything to the stage and tailored his show for Seattle specifically. Even though I haven't really listened to his stuff that much I enjoyed it and it was magic.

xx