Pacific Northwest + Vacation Outfits

Hey there! Are you ready for too many pictures than you have interest in? I wanted to share some photos from my recent trip to the Pacific Northwest, plus a few more outfits that I wore while on vacation. My friend Adam and I went up to Portland to stay with our friend Kyle, and our friends Kyle (a different one) and Andi came down from Olympia to visit as well. We stayed in Portland for a few days, then drove up to Seattle for a day, and then Olympia for a day before spending the rest of the trip in Portland. As I mentioned in my last post, I absolutely fell in love with Portland. There were so many cool shops, a ton to do, and so much good food. We went to Powell's, read secrets at the Ace Hotel, drove to Multnomah Falls, went to the feminist center where the feminist bookstore is filmed in Portlandia, went to the Rose Gardens, drank a lot at a barcade, ate too much good food, and spent a ton of time walking around downtown and drinking coffee. 

I wish I could have spent more time in Seattle, as we only got to spend a day there. We didn't do too much other than spend forever in Pike Place and wander around the area and Capitol Hill, but I still loved it. I got to see my friends Becca and Katie, who I met through blogging and have been friends with online for a while now. It was so wonderful to finally get to meet them in person, and just as every online friend I've ever met in real life has been, they were just as wonderful in person as I figured they would be. I'm hoping to go back soon to see more of the city and see them again. Fingers crossed.

Rose Gardens

It's hard to believe that it's already been a week since I was in Portland. My trip ended last Tuesday, and I've been dreaming of going back ever since. I have a post planned for Wednesday with more photos of my trip and a longer recap, but for now, let's just say that I fell completely head over heels for the city. I loved the culture and how every single business seemed straight out of my dreams, and I loved that all the "touristy souvenirs" that I bought felt like things I would look for on Etsy. I was up there visiting my friends (and up in Washington for a couple of days as well), and it was just the best vacation I could ask for. Sure, I can't say that there was much relaxation or even sleep, but it was worth it. 

I only snapped a few outfit shots along the way, but I did manage to get one full posts worth of photos while at the Rose Gardens. My friend Kyle ended up grabbing my camera half of the time we were there, and he was nice enough to help me take these. This dress is from Apricity, which you should familiarize yourself with immediately if you haven't already done so. I was heartbroken when I heard that Fleet Collections, one of my all-time favorite brands, was ending, so it was such a relief to see that co-founder Eileen Chai immediately had another line in the works. To kick off Apricity months ago, Chai offered Fleet Collection customers a $50 credit for creating an account with Apricity, and I jumped at the chance to get the Sunday dress for cheap. Unfortunately, my height means that often sleeveless dresses end up having straps that are way too long on me, and this dress sat in my closet for longer than I wanted it to. I finally decided that something had to be done, and I took it to get altered (i.e. get the straps to fit my vertically challenged needs) right before trip so I could flaunt it around Portland. My goodness is it perfection. It's just beautiful, and I got so many compliments on it. I even ended up getting to tell a woman who worked in a boutique selling Fleet Collection about Apricity when she commented on it. There's nothing I love more than getting to support independent brands (especially those out of Los Angeles) and getting to make someone's day with a recommendation.