Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Lakin' it for the Fourth

Some of my most fondest childhood memories are from my summer vacations visiting my grandparents' cottage on Chautauqua Lake in upstate NY. My parents would pile all three of us kids in the mini van, strap the car top carrier on the top and our bikes on the back and drove all the way from Birmingham, AL to Chautauqua Lake.

My grandparents have since passed away and my aunt and uncle now own the cottage - they've completely renovated it and still spend a lot of time up there. And in typical fashion as I've gotten older and life in general has consumed my time, I haven't been back for almost 10 years.



However, the stars have aligned this year and my entire family (and Bradley, my bf) will be traveling up there for a mini Fourth of July vacation. I cannot wait to show Bradley where I learned how to fish, rollerskate, and water ski. And Chautauqua is beautiful this time of year - highs is the mid 80's and lows at night in the 60's. My kind of weather.


me rollerskating at Chautauqua Lake's local old fashioned rink, circa 1986...rockin' a romper

So I've started to (over)pack and I wanted to share my Fourth of July outfit... one of the things I love about Target is that they sell different clothes in different Target locations - ensuring that everyone around you won't be wearing the same thing.

I found this adorable bathing suit at the Target in North Charleston - but have yet to see it at any other local Target or online. And the cover up is so adorable - I actually think I might wear it as a dress sometime with a white tank and white slip under it. It's so cute...also a Target find. The fedora is Forever21.


Most of my bathing suits are from Target, and I'm a big fan. But why are the bottoms getting smaller and smaller?? I actually bought the usual size I buy in bathing suit bottoms when I bought this suit, but it barely covered anything! I had to return it and go bigger.

Now...I know I've put on some pounds this past year and I've got some 'junk in the trunk', but seriously...even the size I got isn't nearly close to being the size it says it is. Haven't retailers realized that if you make your sizes bigger than they are supposed to be, not smaller, that it makes us happier and potentially spendier?

Anyways.............I'm so ready for a vacation! What are your plans for the Fourth?

Monday, June 28, 2010

Moving...again.

So I just moved down to Charleston last August from Columbia. I lived in a three bedroom house that I own. I had lived there for almost four years, so when I knew I would be moving to Charleston, the packing began - you sure do accumulate a lot of stuff after four years.

And boy do I hate packing... the entire process stresses me out. Especially knowing that once you're all packed up and moved, you then have to unpack...not to mention that I had to change all my bank accounts, bills, magazine subscriptions, etc. to the new address. Ugg...I get that weird butterfly feeling (not the good one) in my stomach whenever I think about it...

my living room in Columbia prior to my move to Charleston...chaos

And guess what? I'm moving again! Luckily I'm only moving about 20 minutes away from where I live now, but now I've got to pack ALL OVER AGAIN! I feel like I just moved... I have to do it all over again? Why am I doing this to myself?

Right now I live downtown - and I like downtown Charleston, it's beautiful with lots of great events and things to do. And I like going downtown, but I've found that it's rare for me to go downtown often, even though I practically live downtown. But I've also realized that I'm a girl of convenience... I like to park in front of restaurants, bars. I like being close to the grocery store, Target, the pharmacy, etc.

Living downtown does have its perks (cheap cab ride downtown), but after living there for a year, I'm ready to be a five minute drive to the grocery store as opposed to a 20 min. drive. And yes, there is a Food Lion right around the corner from me...but if you saw this Food Lion and the clientele, you wouldn't go there either.

So I'm moving to Mt. Pleasant, which for those of you not familiar with Charleston, it's right across the bridge from downtown Charleston, a more suburban family-friendly area where you access two of Charleston's major beaches - I'll be able to ride my bike pretty much anywhere...including Sullivan's Island, aka the beach! The grocery store is almost on my doorstep and I'll have easier access to all of the places I love on Coleman Blvd.

I'm moving in only two weeks...with a July 4th vacation smack dab in the middle of these two weeks...so I will literally have days to pack all of my sh... stuff. I'm getting that bad butterfly stomach thing again thinking about it...

I just have to keep reminding myself that once I'm moved into my new little condo and unpacked and settled, I'll be a stone's throw away from the beach...sigh. Only 2 weeks...

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Fashion Maturity

If I had to choose one store to describe my style I would pick Anthropologie hands down. I like trendy, but girlie - I love ruffles and vintage looking pieces. I didn't really discover Anthropologie until Fall of last year. I knew of Anthropologie, but I think because the prices are so high I've always avoided it.

I'm a Forever21 type of girl. I like trendy and I hate wearing the same outfit over and over, so it's easier for me to spend at places like Forever21 (Wet Seal, Charlotte Russe, etc.), wear the piece several times, then say goodbye to it when I clean out my closet each year. I feel less guilty if I only spent say $20 on it.

But as I quickly approach the big 3-0 and with my recent move to Charleston creating more grown up social outings - my taste in clothes has matured a little. Sure I still get suckered into the Target purchases or I still find great pieces at Forever21, but I've found a new appreciation for quality and fit. I've also decided that since I'm getting older, I need to try and dress more age appropriate. The fact that I like trendy and girlie sometimes makes me dress a lot younger than I am - which is fine - but I look 16 already, so if I dress 16 I'll never be taken seriously.

And with this new 'maturity', I've given myself a little more room as far as how much I'm willing to spend on a dress if I know the quality and fit will be well worth it. While I'm still not brave enough to drop the amount of some of the Anthro clothes - I'm OK with buying them once they go on sale - even though they are still in my opinion, pricey... but I know it will be worth it.

So with that note...I will be stalking this dress until it goes on sale on Anthropologie's site. I love that this dress is very 20's inspired.

But at $188, I do not like it that much... do you know how many clothes I can get at Forever21 for $188? :)


The picture of the model in the dress makes me think of Cornelia Vanderbilt, lounging in one of the ornate drawing rooms of the Biltmore House, admiring the fantastic view.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Dad's Day in Hotlanta

I drove to Atlanta this weekend with my bf for a family friend's wedding, but we mainly made the five hour (six hours with stupid traffic) drive to see my family and spend Father's Day with my dad.

We ate brunch today at Atkins Park in the Highlands - I opted for grilled cheese (complete with bacon and tomatoes) with a side of fried pickles. Mmmm... I LOVE fried pickles... I dip them in ketchup. :) Which..if you continue to follow this blog, you'll realize that I pretty much put ketchup on everything.

I don't get to spend as much time with my family as I'd like because it's such a long drive, so it was nice to get to be with them this weekend, especially on Father's Day. I love my dad - he's the greatest! I'm so blessed.

Here's a photo of me and my family after brunch. Check out my new Lily Pulitzer dress... not a Lily fan until just recently when I scored some great Lily stuff (including this dress) for a steal on RueLaLa... love this dress!


L to R: Bradley (my bf), me, my bro-in-law, my sister, my brother, my mom, my dad

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Friday, June 18, 2010

Hello World

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