Cape Cod Getaway Weekend - Part 2

After checking out of the B&B on Sunday morning we went for a final walk on the beach (and snapped some outfit photos). 

As much as I love city life, it's really nice to get out of it for a little while. The salty air, the breeze in my hair, driving on country roads, it all feels like home to me. Mike really enjoyed it too. we joked all weekend about moving to one of the Boston area's many coastal towns. 

Outfit: Dress and Belt- H&M; Cardigan- Old Navy 

After our walk we went to play mini golf at Pirates Cove in South Yarmouth. I started out several strokes ahead, but ended up losing by one stroke. We were both so sad to leave the cape, but a fear of end of the weekend traffic encouraged us to head back earlyish. I'm hoping we can make a few more trips this summer. 

Cape Cod Getaway Weekend - Part 1

For my birthday last month, Mike bought us two nights at By the Sea Guests in Dennis Port, MA on Cape Cod. I have been looking forward to this trip for a month, and it did not disappoint! I had such a fantastic weekend that you're going to get two posts about it. I've gotta warn you, if you don't like pictures of seafood, the beach, min golf or maxi dresses, you might be bored.

The weekend got off to a rough start. It was chilly and pouring rain when we picked up our zipcar. Between the rain and the rush hour traffic it took us an hour just to get out of the city, and another two to get to the Cape. When we finally arrived we rewarded ourselves with a pile of fried seafood and some chowder from Kream n Kone and then settled down in front of the gas stove in our suite for an evening of HBO and wine.

In the morning the rain was gone, but the skies were still gray. Thankfully, by the time we went to the market and made lunch the sun started to peak out from behind the clouds. After a delicious lunch on the porch, I spent the afternoon drinking moscato, reading a book, and lounging in the sun on the B&B's private beach.

Outfit: Dress- Old Navy; Cardigan and Sunnies- Target; necklace- ? 

There's something so perfect about wearing a breezy maxi dress on the beach. It was perfect for both the chilly morning and the warm breezy afternoon. However, I probably shouldn't have taken my cardigan off and hiked up my maxi dress without applying sunscreen. I now look like the lobster that was in the bisque I had with dinner Saturday night!

Tune in tomorrow for mini golf pics, and another maxi dress :)

The Unofficial Start to Summer

Today is the start of a 4 day long heatwave in Boston, and I for one am stoked! (especially after a less than warm holiday weekend)

I spent the long, cold weekend in New York. Friday we headed to the Neuberger Museum of Art in Prospect. Most of the exhibits were closed, but there was still some cool stuff!

On Saturday Mike and I braved the cold, rainy, NYC weather and headed to Brooklyn for pizza brunch with friends and a trip to the Brooklyn Brewery. 

Yum! Then we headed to Citi Field to catch Mike's birthday Mets Game.

Unfortunately it was cold and rainy, so we spent most of the game in the Caesar's Club. We did manage to sneak out for a bit to some seats that were not as good, but also not as windy as ours. 

Most of the weekend was spent hanging out with Mike's family. 

Including this cute kitty, punky. 

On Sunday the clouds finally cleared!

The sun finally came out on Saturday, so we had a little barbecue. Mike did the grilling. I lounged.  And took outfit pictures in the back yard. 

Dress: Calvin Klein via TJ Maxx; Sandals- ? via shopbop; Cardigan- Old Navy

Family Pictures 2012

I'm back from vacation! Okay, okay I've technically been back since Sunday night around 1 a.m., but after 10 days without my guy and my cat I didn't feel like spending the last two days of my time off blogging.

I had a great time in Ohio visiting my family. I hate squeezing a year's worth of quality family time into 10 days, but despite snow storms, illness, and demanding work schedules we made the best of it. The best part of the trip? Getting our family pictures taken for the first time in over a decade.

My mom has had a really rough few years, so I wanted to do something special for her this Christmas. The last professional photos we had done together were so long ago that my sister was in elementary school, my mom was still married, and I still thought wearing white eye-shadow and black eyeliner was cool.

I found a Living Social coupon for Studio Polaris in Columbus and made an appointment with them. We had a fantastic experience and got a great deal on the photos. Our photographer, Kasha, was super friendly and helpful. She even rushed the order so the photos could be printed before I left the state. If you're in the Columbus, OH area, I'd definitely recommend Studio Polaris. This is my favorite photo from the bunch:

Me, Mom, Sierra

Don't I have a beautiful mother and sister? Yes, that's my mom in the middle. I know a bunch of you thought she was my sister in the pajama picture from my last post. (She appreciates that, by the way!) These three photos turned out great as well:

I can't wait to use my Marshall's/ TJMaxx giftcard to buy picture frames!


* I was not compensated in anyway for this post. I just really enjoyed the experience! All photos by Studio Polaris. 

On Vacation

Greetings from Ohio! Assuming the winter storms didn't cancel my flight (and that the Mayans were wrong) I got into Columbus late last night. I'll be spending the next 10 days with my family and returning to Boston to spend New Year's Eve with my sweetie. I've only been able to see my family once a year since moving to Boston, so I always try to make the most of the time we have together.

Today my mom, sister, and I are getting family pictures done. It'll be the first time we've had professional family pictures in over a decade and the first time ever with just the three of us. I can't wait to share them with you, but in the mean time here's one of my favorite pictures of the three of us from Christmas 2008. Little sister is about a foot taller now!

I probably won't be very active in the blog world until after the new year. I'm hoping I can persuade my sister and mom to be act as my personal photographers while I'm here, so that I come back with lots of outfit photos to share. I do promise to tweet lots of pictures. I guarantee there will be cookie decorating, an animal print themed Christmas tree, and more matching pjs so make sure you follow me on twitter!

Happy Holidays to you and yours. See you in 2013!

Calm Before the Storm

The nonprofit I work for told all nonessential employees to stay home until noon Tuesday,  so I am enjoying a lovely, lazy hurrication. As I sit in my apartment on Monday night listening to the winds of Sandy/ Frankenstorm howl outside, I can't help but feel thankful that I am warm, dry and still have power. I know many others on the eastern seaboard are not as lucky this evening. Stay safe y'all!

I keep thinking about how beautiful and calm the weather was on the days leading up to this storm. Saturday was absolutely gorgeous. I spent the day having some Halloween fun in Salem with my friend Kelly and two of her friends. Although the whole town is pretty cute, the Derby Wharf is my favorite part of Salem. I love this little walk on the waterfront.

Kelly and I took a ton of pictures by this cute little light house.

It was my third trip to Salem. I had a decent time people watching and walking around, but I learned that I enjoy the city better without the Halloween weekend crowds. I think if I decide to visit in the fall next year, I'll visit earlier in October.

Outfit: Shirt and Jeans- Old Navy; Cardigan- Target; Boots- Rampage via Marshalls; Bag- H&M

For this Marylander no trip to Salem is complete without a trip to the only Ritas in Massachusetts. 

Two Beaches, One Blue Bikini

Unlike super models, bloggers come in all shapes and sizes. That fact is one of the primary reasons I started reading blogs a few years ago, and why I felt compelled to start a blog of my own. It is so important for women and girls to be exposed to images in the media that are realistic. My hope was that if just one thick-thighed, pear-shaped woman out there would see my blog and think "hey, she looks like me and she wears what she wants!",  then I would have made a difference.

If there's one item of clothing that can make even the most confident, body accepting and self assured woman cower in body shame terror, it's the bikini. I know I'm not the first chubby girl to put up a picture of herself in a bikini for the world to see, and I sure as hell hope I won't be the last, but it was really important to me to do it.

In short, I've been wanting to do a swimsuit post all summer, so imagine my disappointment when I realized I forgot my camera on our first vacation beach day. I improvised and had Mike snap a few cell phone pix, but I just wasn't super pleased with how they turned out.

Thankfully we were able to get in a second beach day and get some better pictures with my little point and shoot.

So what does it take to feel confident in a swimsuit? I have no clue. What helps me is to have a suit that is comfortable and fun to wear. I don't mind showing my stomach, but I like to keep my upper thighs under wraps, so I usually go for a skirted bikini. Not because I think my thighs need to be covered, but because that is what makes me feel most comfortable.

Swimsuit: Victoria's Secret- Bottom, Top 

Normally I advocate trying everything on if you can, but this bikini was an adventure in online shopping that actually worked! I had a gift card to Victoria's Secret leftover from my birthday and a coupon so I decided to take a glimpse at their sale swimwear. Low and behold I found a skirted bottom and supportive top in the color I wanted! I ordered it knowing there was about a pretty good chance that the XL bottoms would be too small, but hoping they would fit.

The skirted bottom fits perfectly and provides the perfect amount of coverage. The top is supportive and has two sets of straps that can be worn lots of different ways. The sizing is by bra size, so it's really easy to find the right fit, it VS carries your bra size. This is definitely my new favorite swimsuit, and if I lived somewhere where I needed a lot of swimsuits I would totally order another color!

I had a great time at both beaches and I'm happy I have these photos to share with you:)

Friday's Five Facts: Cities I love to visit.

In keeping with the vacation theme I've got going on this week. I thought I'd share with you five places I have never lived, but love to visit.

1. New Orleans, Louisiana
The first time I went to New Orleans was in April 2008. I  rode down from Maryland in a very small car with four other women from my college to attend V to the Tenth, a 10th anniversary celebration of the Vagina Monologues and the VDay movement. Since time was limited during that trip, and since I was still a few weeks shy of my 21st birthday I didn't get to truly enjoy the city. From what I did see during that weekend, I fell in love and knew I had to go back.

Outside the Super Dome in 2008

I made two more trips two New Orleans. One during my road trip/ move from Maryland to Austin, TX in June 2009, and another to visit my bff Katy in September 2010 when she lived there. I love the food, the music,the history, the lack of open container laws, and how friendly the people are. I was seriously bummed when Katy moved to the LA area, because it means I no longer have an excuse to visit New Orleans.

One of my favorite pictures from my 2009 trip- tombs in an above ground cemetery.

2. Seabrooke Island/ Charleston, South Carolina
Summers in highschool my mom, sister and I would meet up with my Aunt, Uncle, and Cousins  at a condo on Seabrooke Island, South Carolina. You may recognize Seabrooke as the location for the movie the Notebook. It's jut as beautiful as you'd imagine! We'd spend the week going to the beautiful beaches, and making the occasional trip into Charleston for some barbecue and to see the sites. I haven't been since I was about 16, but I'm dying to go back some day.

3. San Antonio, Texas
We didn't really take family vacations when I was a kid, but we did do a long weekend trip to San Antonio almost every summer. We'd go to the Alamo, the Riverwalk, Seaworld, and then do some back to school shopping at the outlet malls. I've made a few day trips there as an adult and have fallen back in love with the city. I love San Antonio because there is shopping, history, and delicious food all in one place!

In front of the Alamo in 2009

3. Washington, D.C.
Other than Boston, DC is the only major East Coast city I can see myself living in. I lived in Takoma Park, MD (about 5 blocks from the District) for about two months in summer 2008 and I've spent a lot of time in the DC area visiting friends, attending events, and sight seeing. DC has a ton of history, some really amazing restaurants, a great transit system, and lots of green space. I love the cherry blossoms in the spring, the Folk Life festival in the summer, and the National Christmas Tree in the winter. I also love going to the National Zoo and the Smithsonians because they're all free!

My favorite DC memory is definitely attending President Obama's inauguration in January 2009. It was so cold!

 4. New York City, New York
As a theater buff and fashion lover, I guess it's impossible not to love New York. I have only been into the city a few times, but I always enjoy myself. Mike is from just outside of the city, so I hope many more visits are in my future. As fun as it is to visit, I have no desire to ever live in NYC. It's just too big for me!

In front of the Empire State Building, 2007

Rockefeller Plaza, 2007

5. Baltimore, Maryland
One of my biggest regrets is that I lived in Maryland for 8 years but only made it up to Baltimore a handful of times. It really is a fun, quirky city (think of how it's portrayed in John Waters movies, but take it down a few notches). Mike and I have talked about moving to the Baltimore area in a few years, so maybe I'll be seeing lots of it in the future.

My Vacation Style

One side effect of moving and travelling lots over the past three years is that I have learned to pack a lot of stuff into a small space. Summer trips are especially easy to pack for because summer clothes don't take up a lot of room. I managed to fit 3 swimsuits, 2 pairs of shorts, 5 shirts, 5 dresses, 3 belts plus under garments, sleepwear and a beach towel into a carry on sized suitcase. 

I never take enough pictures when I'm on vacation. I left my camera at the hotel a few times, and forgot to take pictures other times. As a result, I only got a few outfit photos and none of them captured the jean shorts and tshirts I was wearing 60% of the time. What I did capture were the sundresses I wore on the nights we went out for a nice dinner. 

Outfit: Dress-Old Navy; Sandals-b.o.c.

This picture is from the first night of our vacation. We met Mike's uncle for dinner after taking a little walk around the Westport, CT waterfront. Unfortunately, our time in Westport was mostly rainy. Between storms we managed to get in a short beach day at Sherwood Island, enjoy a barbecue with some of Mike's family and play some evening mini-golf on the Norwalk waterfront.

Outfit: Dress and Belt- H&M; Sandals- Payless

Thankfully, our time in the Mystic, CT area was storm free. We were able to enjoy a nice day at the aquarium, some Mystic Pizza, and a day at Napatree Point Beach in Westerly,RI. This picture is from our last night when we went for a walk along the Mystic waterfront before meeting Mike's friend for dinner. 

We had a great vacation full of sand, sun, seafood and ice cream! As much as I would have liked a few more days, it was nice to get back and sleep in my own bed. I'll share some beach/ bikini photos with you next week!

Vacation- Had to get Away!

Hey everyone. Just wanted to drop a quick post to let y'al know I'm going to be on vacation until next Wednesday, 8/15. I don't think I'll get any posts up until I get back. In the mean time you can keep up with my adventures on Twitter.

Happy Summer!

Friday's Five Facts: Where I'm from 8/3

Today I thought I'd answer what I find to be one of life's most complicated questions- "Where are you from?"

1. I was born in Columbus, Ohio. I lived in and around Columbus until just after my 7th birthday, but I haven't lived in Ohio since then. My mom and my sister moved back to Ohio in 2009 when my mom and step dad got divorced,  so I spend all of my holidays there. Although it is where my family lives, Ohio just isn't home to me. To me Ohio is Christmas!

Ohio Santa ornament from Designs by Angie on Etsy

2. In the summer of 1994 my mom, her new husband and I road tripped from Columbus to Kingsville, Texas where we lived for the next 3 1/2 years and where my little sister was born. At the beginning of 5th grade we moved to another small town just outside of Corpus Christi-  Portland, Texas.  We lived there until the start of 9th grade. Portland feels like a home town to me every time I go back there, and I still keep in touch with friends from Jr. High. I feel lucky that I got the chance to grow up on the Texas Gulf Coast because it meant lots of hot, sticky summers at some really beautiful beaches.

Sand Dunes at Padre Island National Sea Shore Source

 3. In 9th grade my Step Dad got stationed at Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Southern Maryland. I lived in St. Mary's County Maryland from 9th grade through the end of college. (I went to St. Mary's College of Maryland, MD's public honors college.)  Although my family hasn't lived there since 2005 (they moved right after I graduated highschool), Southern Maryland feels like home to me more than anywhere else in the country. I lived there for 8 years, which is longer than I've lived any where else. I try to make a visit to Maryland at least once a year to see friends and familiar places. Mike and I have even talked a little about moving to the DC/ Baltimore area after he's done with grad school.

At Somolons Island in Southern Maryland in May 2011

Watching the sun set over the St. Mary's River in 2009

4. After college (and a terrible break up) I felt like I needed to go on an adventure. I got a job as a campaign organizer and fulfilled a long standing dream of moving to Austin, TX. Austin is an amazing city. I instantly felt at home there, and it was nice to get back to my Texas roots. I loved the pace of Austin, the food, the music, the people. I really thought I'd found my new hometown. Unfortunately, the dream was short lived, but the journey was awesome and I met my best friend!

Mini Golf in Austin. Summer 2009 with my bff Katy

5. My job asked me to move to Boston in December 2009. Given the economy at that point in time,  I felt like I had to take them up on it or risk loosing my job. I begrudgingly moved from my Central Texas paradise to cold, snowy Boston in the middle of the winter. To be honest, I hated Boston the first 15 or so months I lived here. It wasn't until the Spring of 2011 that I really started to fall in love with the city and it's conveniences. I still hate the winters, but I'm happy here.

Boston City Map Letter Press from Gooseberry Designs on Etsy

A Casual Country Wedding

On Saturday I went as Mike's date to a wedding near Hamilton, New York. The invitation indicated that the ceremony and reception would take place at a farm and that there would be a pig roast and bonfire, so I figured I could take a pretty casual approach.

I wore a sundress, cardigan, and my peep toe wedges. The cardigan was essential to keep me warm in the chily mountain evening. I absolutely love this dress. I got it on sale at Old Navy a few weeks ago and I knew it was perfect for casual wedding. It looks red in this picture, but the gingham is actually more of an orange. I think this outfit could have benefited from a necklace, but I'm really bad at remembering to pack jewelry.

Outfit:
Dress: Old Navy
Cardigan: Target
Shoes: Payless

I have to say I was not prepared for exactly how casually some of the guests at this wedding would be dressed. We're talking Hawaiian shirts, jeans, and flip flops casual. The bride wore a gorgeous tea length champagne colored dress with a blue ribbon sash. The location, and the bride couldn't have been more beautiful!

The view from my chair in the reception tent. 

All of the food was local and delicious. The couple owns their own brewery, Good Nature Brewing, so the reception included their own brews. The chamomile honey witte was my favorite. They even baked some of their chicory mocha porter into the delicious cake. 

Talk about a beautiful backdrop for the ceremony!

I really had a wonderful time, and I definitely think stuffy, formal weddings are overrated:) Congratulations to Carrie and Matt. It was so nice to meet you both and to celebrate with you!

Upstate

This weekend I went with my guy, Mike, as a plus one to his friend's wedding. I'll write more about the wedding (and what I wore to it) tomorrow. The wedding was near Hamilton, NY. I had never been to upstate New York before, so I was really excited for the weekend. Upstate NY is gorgeous. I spent the latter part of the 5 hour drive to Hamilton oohing and ahhing at the small towns, farms, valleys and mountains out the window. It was so nice to get some wide open space! As much as I love the convenience of city living, I'm a country girl at heart.

We stayed at the White Eagle Conference Center in Hamilton. It was nothing fancy, but it was clean, quiet, and comfortable. White Eagle is situated on Lake Moraine and has a lot of outdoor space.

View from the porch where we ate our complimentary breakfast 

I'm bummed we didn't have more time to explore the area and enjoy the beautiful weather and scenery. We drove down on Saturday morning, relaxed a bit and checked out the town before heading to the wedding. Then Sunday morning we slept in a bit and got on the road after breakfast We planned poorly by not scheduling a long weekend. I definitely want to go back upstate in the near future, perhaps in the fall. I bet it's beautiful when the leaves start to change!

Except for the time we spent at the wedding, I wore these white shorts the whole weekend. I found them on sale for $10 at Old Navy and I absolutely love them. I wore them with a hot pink neon tshirt on the drive down, and with chambray on the way home. I love the crisp white with chambray, and yes I totally knotted my shirt 90s style. Now I really want some white dress slacks to wear to work!

Outfit:
Cami: H&M
Chambray Shirt: ? got it at Marshall's last year
White Shorts: Old Navy
Sandals: b.o.c. via Famous Footwear
Sunnies: Forever 21