High Five for Friday: September 23

Hooray for Friday! We made it! :) Here's what put the sparkle into my week:

• So I'm a fall person now. That's happened. After years of rolling my eyes at fall due to its close proximity to winter (BLEH), I'm now all about those darn colorful leaves, coziness, and fall-scented candles. (I never used to like candles either. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME?) I suddenly liked fall last year and thought it was a fluke, but I guess not!! Anyway, when I was at the mall last weekend, the lovely autumnal display at Bath and Body Works caught my eye, and as I ducked into the store, I chuckled to myself because Bath and Body Works (especially at this particular mall) was always where my mom and I would split up (she's a huge candle person and I would be bored out of my mind). And don't you know, I looked up and almost ran smack into my mom, who was there looking at soaps! ha! Some things never change!

Obv this was the only candle I got. 💖🍩💖

• For some reason, I was hellbent on getting Bertucci's for dinner last weekend. And sure, their pizza is good, but going there was really just a pretense for getting their delicious rolls and oil. But since I had ordered take-out, I was scared rolls wouldn't be included, or that I would have to ask for them (and more importantly, for the oil). So you can imagine my utter delight when the cashier (totally unprompted by me) asked if I wanted any rolls--"and oil for dipping." I'm pretty sure my response was "YES! YOU'RE MY HERO!!" #nochill

Oh happy day!

• I went to my first LuLaRoe party on Sunday! And I correctly anticipated that it would be terrible for my bank account! (I mean, I live in leggings, sooo...) My only saving grace was that I'm not a big pattern person, and most of the patterns I did like weren't in my size. WHEW. So I ended up getting two pairs of solid color leggings and a solid Irma tunic! Annnd ok yes one pair of patterned leggings...

I couldn't resist, they were the ones I had immediate heart-eyes for when I spotted them in the basket above! (Who says "love at first sight" doesn't happen?!) 

😍😍😍 

• In this week's Exotic Animal Watch, I give you this picture that my bffl took from her front lawn a few weeks ago:

They see me peepin', they hatin' 👀

WHAT THE WHAT. I think I would run for the hills if I just happened upon two raccoons. (They are only adorable from afar!) My bffl proceeded to tell me that raccoons are known as "washer bears" (which I had never heard before), because they often dip things in water or make a washing/rubbing gesture with their paws! Who knew? Since then, we've been trading raccoon YouTube videos, such as this poor fella with the cotton candy, and this adorable jerk who desperately wants wants to befriend a cat: 

 #nochill

• So here's some random trivia about me: I LOVE the theme to Taxi. Like, I can't tell you a darn thing about the show itself (aside from the taxis), but I was legit just listening to the theme song last week! (It's "Angela" by Bob James, in case you were wondering!) So I was psyched that Derek and Marilu danced to it on DWTS this week! (When I heard she was going to be on the show, my immediate reaction was, "MAYBE THEY'LL DANCE TO THE TAXI THEME!!" I might have a problem...) I also loved Val and Laurie's dance to the Ducktales theme! I totally forgot about that show! What a great theme song! I think I would like Val more if he perennially dressed like Scrooge McDuck, ha! (Also, note that his monocle comes off at :23 😂.)

TGIF! Hope y'all have a great weekend! xo

High Five for Friday: September 16

Holy moly, this has been like the fastest week ever! Here's what brought the sparkle:

• Last weekend, I capitalized on a sudden interest in cleaning and weeded a bunch of clothes/accessories out of my closet! Naturally, they only accepted like three items at Plato's Closet, but as Pops would say, "At least it's closer to the door now." Time to donate! 

• I chose an adventure last weekend!! After hitting up Plato's on Sunday, I realized that I wasn't too far from one of the parks I'd put on my Choose Your Own Adventure list, so I talked myself into checking it out. I didn't have a ton of time to spend there, but I went, and that's all that matters! 

So pretty.

• Last weekend was truly super productive because, in addition to the cleaning and the adventuring, I also finished season 10 of Grey's! (The fact that I've made it this far is downright miraculous--I usually abandon shows within the first few seasons, no matter how much I like them!) But besides clearly being a major personal accomplishment, finishing season 10 means that Cristina is gone now. She was never my favorite (#007forever), but it is hard to envision Seattle Grace-Mercy Death without her. I really enjoyed her send-off though. Since I've seen the first few seasons like a billion times now, I can recognize most references and songs from them when they pop up in the later episodes, so Mer and Cristina's last dance hit me right in the feels:

This song was originally used in 1x4 when Ellis Grey's scrub nurse (the one who tricks Cristina about the whipple! ha!) dies. So much Teagan and Sara in early Grey's!

• You know how I'm always finding roaming cats in my neighborhood? Well, those adorable jerks have been MIA lately, but luckily, someone has replaced them: GROUNDHOGS. Groundhogs are living it up near my office building, and they are so darn chubby and cute!! I could watch them munch on grass and then dive into/waddle out of the bushes all day! Unfortunately, they aren't as friendly as the cats (surprise!), so the only pics I can get of them are from ten miles away. 😔

As if I needed further encouragement to love the groundhogs, this magazine was in my therapist's waiting room on Wednesday. Thanks a lot, National Geographic! 

• Speaking of pets, look at this poor fella! "Call 9-Bun-Bun"!! 😂😂😂

Here's hoping your weekend is better than that bun's! xo

High Five for Friday: September 9

Happy Friday! Let's see what put the sparkle into this week! (I recently discovered that I can put emojis into a Squarespace post and, as you will soon see, that was a highlight too LOL!)

• My belated birthday celebration with my family picked up right where things left off in Chicago! 

How could I resist the pretty pink one?!

• The fam gave me some awesome gifts (including Target gift cards WOO HOO), but I seriously can't get over how cute these pouches from my mom are! (Ok "hellraiser" is totes inaccurate for me, but the red hair and bow are spot-on!)

Le Sportsac x Rifle Paper Co. is seriously 😍😍😍.

• Speaking of birthday gifts, how great is this pin from my bffl?! CARELESS WHISKERS!! What's better than cats + 80s music puns?! (Answer: Nothing.)

• I hope this gif works because it's pretty much the greatest thing ever: Sasha freaking out over wearing kitten mittens. She had to go in the car shortly after this, so it was pretty much the worst day of her life.

The gif seems to only want to play once, as opposed to on a continuous loop, so you might have to refresh the page to get it to work. BUT IT'S WORTH IT.

• I took advantage of the long weekend by spending quality time with Target! I got a new tank top and jeans and an array of face masks! Goodbye gift card! (Easy come, easy go, right?)

💸💸💸 

I've already worn the tank, and I'm kind of obsessed. It's super comfy but looks fancy, it's long enough to wear with leggings, and it's PURPLE! The trifecta of perfection. 

• I was also at the King of Prussia Mall twice last weekend (after not going there for at least a year I think?), and I can't get over the fact that there's now an enclosed walkway between the Court and the Plaza! (And also that it's beautiful!) No more sprinting to Macy's in the freezing cold? What the what?!

WHAT A LUXURY. 

The first trip to KoP was for Jamba Juice after I had a fairly traumatizing doctor's appointment on Friday. I totally forgot there was a Jamba Juice in Philly outside of the airport!

Oh, and in case you missed it, this was a shockingly productive blogging week: I got up my September Goals post and the last installment of Outfit Documentation August! Woot!

Here's to a great weekend! xo

What I Wore Wednesday: August 24-31

Wednesday, August 24

A doctor's appointment at 8 AM is a good reason to wear cute shoes, right? ;)

Top: Gap (March 2016--sold out now)

Tank: Nordstrom Rack (March 2016)

Jeans: Articles of Society (thrifted; 2014)

Flats: Indigo Rd. (April 2016--sold out now)

Watch: Target (2015)

Bracelet: Lokai

Thursday, August 25

I just want to say that this is A LOT of color mixing for me! #sad

Top: Hollister (thrifted; 2015)

Jeggings: Target (January 2016)

Sneakers: Converse (2010)

Necklace: Chloe + Isabel (2015)

Watch: Target (2015)

Bracelet: Lokai

Nail Polish: Zoya, "Stevie"

Friday, August 26

Tee: Wear Liberty (2014)

Leggings: Victoria's Secret (2014)

Sneakers: Reebok (2015)

Necklace: Forever 21 (June 2016)

Watch: Target (2015)

Bracelet: Lokai

Nail Polish: Zoya, "Stevie"

Saturday August 27

Headed to the airport for my flight to Chicago!

Top: Target (2013)

Tank: Target (2015)

Leggings: Athleta (2015)

Sneakers: Reebok (2015)

Necklace: Chloe + Isabel (2016)

Watch: Target (2015)

Bracelet: Lokai

Nail Polish: Zoya, "Stevie"

Duffle Bag: Target (2015)

Sunday, August 28

Happy birthday to me!! As Timmi and I were sneakily taking pictures in between downtown Chicago flower pots (true story), members of a group of like 30 identically-dressed college athlete bros kept walking by nbd.

Tee: Old Navy (with Timmi's donut design added!)

Leggings: Target (July 2016)

Sneakers: Reebok (2015)

Watch: Target (2015)

Bracelet: Lokai

Nail Polish: Zoya, "Stevie"

Monday, August 29

My dad was like, "Whoa, where was this picture taken?!" And I was like, "Oh, at Timmi's apartment." LOL JK it's at the lovely Garfield Park Conservatory! We were all dolled up for post-flower-creeping afternoon tea.

Top: thrifted (2015)

Skirt: MNG by Mango (thrifted; 2014)

Sandals: White Mountain (2015)

Necklace: Loft (2104)

Bag: Hobo (June 2016)

Watch: Target (2015)

Bracelet: Lokai

Nail Polish: Zoya, "Stevie"

Tuesday, August 30

Here it is: the lovely tunic that Timmi made me! I love impressionist paintings, and that's basically the pattern of the material, in all of my favorite colors! 

Timmi posed me with the paintings she had in mind when she chose the pattern! 

Tunic: made by Timmi!

Belt: borrowed from Timmi (lol)

Leggings: Target (to be included in September 2016 budget, but I can't seem to find them online)

Sandals: White Mountain (2015)

Watch: Target (2015)

Bracelet: Lokai

Nail Polish: Zoya, "Stevie"

Here's the tunic in less horrible lighting! Yes, I tried it on immediately, over my clothes, on Saturday. Mieze was also very excited about it. 🐶

Wednesday, August 31

My flight home got in at 12:30 AM, so I seriously had no effs left to give when dressing for work. Which made me brave enough to wear a dress and Chucks! (I had totally forgotten about this dress in my closet, and it is sooo comfy. You might remember it from this post.)

Don't mind the chair that I forgot to move out the background in my zombie-like state!

Dress: Modcloth (2015--sold out now)

Belt: Loft (2014)

Sneakers: Converse (2010)

Watch: Target (2015)

Bracelet: Lokai

Nail Polish: Zoya, "Stevie"

So Outfit Documentation August is a wrap!! Here's what I wore:

25 Tops (includes layers like tanks and cardigans)

13 Bottoms

10 Accessories

5 Pairs of Shoes

4 Dresses/Rompers

That seems like a good amount of the items in my closet! I know I would have mixed in more skirts and dresses if I didn't have physical therapy, or the need to wear sneakers most of the time. I also know that there are a bunch of items (mostly tops) in my closet that I repeatedly skipped over, like, "Ugh, I don't want to wear that," so maybe it's time to part with those pieces...

Since I also took daily outfit pictures last August, it's been really interesting to see that I wore 13 of the same articles of clothing this time around. I guess I've made some wise purchases, ha!

September goals

My goals don't usually have a backstory, but this month they do, so buckle up! :)

While I was in Chicago, doing all kinds of things that I don't normally do, I noticed that the anxiety that usually runs in the background of my life was way down. I'm usually pretty reluctant to travel, but every time I get back from a trip, I marvel at how FUN and rejuvenating that break was... and then I get right back into my routine and usual worries. Bleh. I love my routine, but because so much of it is practically automatic, my anxiety has free rein to run wild on its proverbial hamster wheel. So I want to continue to do "out of the ordinary" things now that I'm home, to see if that alleviates my anxiety.

Great idea, right? Well, yes... except that my anxiety is excellent at coming up with reasons why I shouldn't leave the house, and especially balks at unfamiliar situations. So, what if I researched in advance the local places (gardens, museums, etc.) that seem interesting to visit? Maybe then, they wouldn't feel as daunting, thus giving me a better chance of silencing my anxiety and getting out the door.

So two of this month's goals revolve around this "Choose Your Own Adventure" list of activities that I'd like to mix in to my life!

1. Do the research for the Choose Your Own Adventure list (such as finding out places' locations, hours, admission fees, and distance from my house).

2. Do two things from the Choose Your Own Adventure list. (Eek! I'm really curious to see if this sort of planning helps to get me out the door. And how doing new things does or doesn't reduce my anxiety.)

3. Update info pages on the blog. (Totally unrelated to the first two goals, but I've barely given these sections a thought since 2014... whoops!)

Now, how did August's goals go?

1. Come up with birthday plans: CHECK! As you might know by now, I visited my friend Timmi in Chicago and had a BLAST! :D 

2. Daily outfit pics: CHECK! You can read about "Outfit Documentation August" here, here, and here! The last installment is going up on Wednesday.

3. AM and PM routines: Sort of check... Aspects of both got better but are still not ideal. I started waking up a little earlier on weekdays, so as to not have to rush out of bed, but then I just lay in bed playing on my phone, which is not great either. And I'm still going to bed too late. I might revisit these routines as goals in another month and hope to come at them then with renewed interest, instead of the "ugh" sentiment I'm currently feeling! 

What are you working on this September?

Linking up with Nicole at Writes Like a Girl!