Old Navy Gingham Dess + Denim Jacket

Can you tell how sweaty I am in these photos? Changing three times in a park for multiple sets of outfit photos and wearing a denim jacket in the middle of summer were not two of my finest ideas, but I stand by them. I love the classic look of a denim jacket and gingham sundress, and I especially love having a place to put some of my favorite pins. Sure, the heat was unbearable, but sometimes clothes are worth it.

I'm still on a high from my wonderful weekend, but I'm lucky to actually enjoy my job. My work has taken on some new clients that are exciting, so I've been keeping busy. I'm also starting to do a bit of work on the side for my old company. I'm mostly doing it for the little bit of extra money to put toward a new apartment, but I also really missed my old coworkers so I'm excited to have an excuse to chat with them online again. 

Ruche Lavender Dress + BAIT Flats

Hello, hello. Let's skip the formalities and discuss how excited I am about these photos. A couple of months ago, I met Lory at a birthday party for my best friend's boyfriend. We hit it off and followed each other on Instagram, as one does upon making a new friend. Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I noticed a post Lory put up asking for models to take photos of with her new camera. Despite the fact that I had only met her once, I went out on a limb and asked if she'd be interested in taking some fashion-y pictures. Fortunately for me, Lory is awesome and was just excited as I was to work together. We had such a great time taking this set and a couple of others at a beautiful park, that we're going to make it a regular thing. So far she's been the only one to be able to capture the lovely color of this Ruche dress, which is pretty amazing if you ask me. (Side note: let's talk about how wonderful it is to have Ruche back. Thank the shopping gods.)

I spent the weekend in San Diego with Jon, which was perfect. It was Comic-Con weekend, but we pretty much spent most of it away from the convention center, snacking at the farmer's market, and marathoning movies. We did plan one SDCC-related event, which was attending a live taping of The Nerdist, one of my favorite podcasts. Seeing Chris Hardwick, Jonah Ray, and Matt Mira riff together in person would have been enough for me, but it was surreal seeing Joel Hodgson (of Mystery Science Theater 3000) and the king himself, Bruce Campbell. It was totally worth the accident of planning a relaxing vacation during San Diego's craziest weekend of the year.

Thrifted Tank Top + Wooden Necklace

I usually struggle with dressing for summer. Without cardigans and layers, it becomes difficult to think of ways to be creative. This summer, though, I'm enjoying the simplicity of it. Ever since I started blogging regularly again this year, I've felt much more secure in my personal style. I wrote about this recently, but I don't feel the need to pile on accessories or skip over taking photos of outfits because they're "not interesting enough." I'm happy to say that I'm done putting that kind of pressure on myself. Now? A tank top, a skirt, and sandals will do. Add on one simple necklace made by a friend, and it's all that's needed to survive a hot summer day and be deemed "blog-worthy."

My eventful July starts today as I'll be spending the afternoon touring coffee shops in LA with my best friend before we see Jenny Lewis' new band, Nice As Fuck, play. I can't say that it's my favorite of her musical ventures, but when Whitney offered to buy us tickets for my birthday, I couldn't say no to seeing Jenny Lewis in concert again, regardless of what band she's playing under. She is the ultimate girl crush and basically all that I aspire to be. Sigh...

Gingham Shirt Dress + BAIT Blue Wedges

Oh hello, dress of my dreams. Though I'm currently not allowing myself to buy any clothes in an attempt to save for a new apartment, I did have a small moment of weakness about a month ago when I wandered into Nordstrom Rack and picked up this dress out of a crowded rack of clothes like I was in some sort of trance. I usually struggle with finding button down shirts and dresses that fit well or don't gape, but somehow this one fits perfectly. I had to get it. I had no choice. 

As usual, this weekend was wonderful. A long brunch with old coworkers, lots of TV watching, visiting my parents at the lake...all usual weekend shenanigans. I can't say that I really have too much to write about today. So let's just all stare at the glory that is this dress and forget that I said anything at all.

Button Down Dress + Floral Headband

Let's just get this out of the way. The lighting in these photos is awful. It was just one of those weekends where I ended up going outside to take pictures at the worst possible time and I was far too lazy to try and find better spots. This set was taken in Jon's backyard, which was about as far as we were willing to walk to take them. We ended up taking his dog on a walk around some surrounding neighborhoods, and we of course came across multiple spots perfect for taking photos while I was camera-less. Oops. The good news is that I now have more spots scouted for next time. I'm just thinking ahead.

I'm pretty stoked that it's July. Not only is it my birthday month, but I just have a ton planned. Jon and I are starting to look at apartments, and we have a San Diego tripped in a couple of weekends. We did, unfortunately, accidentally plan it for the same weekend as Comic-Con so it's going to a be a bit crazy. We contemplated changing it, but we realized that we'll have the opportunity to go to events around the convention center that aren't actually part of the Con. He got us tickets to see The Nerdist live for my birthday while we're there, and I couldn't be more excited. Next weekend should be fairly relaxed for birthday, and I also get to see my aunt and uncle renew their vows. Things are getting busy, and I love it.

White Grid Crop Top + Red Skirt

Happy day after the 4th of July! My holiday was fairly uneventful, but nice nonetheless. Jon and I hung out at our friend Adam's all day, and other than some time eating burgers by the pool, it was a pretty typical day for us. By that, I mean that we watched a lot of Arrested Development and browsed Reddit. There were also a few dogs hanging out at the house, so it was pretty wonderful. The 4th isn't exactly my favorite holiday (outdoor activities aren't usually my thing), but it was nice. The entire weekend was pretty much spent having movie marathons with Jon, which is pretty much my dream weekend with my dream guy. I'll take being cozy and watching movies all weekend over actually doing things any day.

I did make him go outside a couple of time to take photos, but the times that were most convenient to go ended up being the worst lighting. These pictures aren't my favorite because of that, but I do really like this outfit. Before vegging on the couch, I wore this to go to breakfast with my mom and visit with my brother's family. This crop top is actually part of a matching set, and you can see how I wore the skirt in my post here. I've been searching everywhere for a skirt this color for longer than I'd like to admit, but when I recently sold something on Poshmark, I found that I had credit in my account from when I signed up that I completely forgotten about. I used it to get this dream of skirt, which I haggled to $10. It's perfection. Thank you, free Poshmark credit. I am eternally grateful.