Castles and Dreams // What I Wore in Elgin IL

Well, these photos are slightly oldies. They're from last month when I spent the weekend with the lovely, Laura of Thrifting Through Life. We've been friends for over a year (ever since the Blog Days of Summer meetup in Pittsburgh), but have actually only spent one weekend together IRL. The saddest part is that she's been just an hour from my house for seven months and this was the first time we got together since her move to Illinois! We've both been so busy with work, boys and moving that we hadn't carved out anytime to see each other. She also doesn't have a car right now, so meeting half way or her visiting me is hard to manage. As such we decided the best, and easiest way to get some girl time was for me to just spend a weekend at her house.

Obviously such a weekend included thrifting, donuts and lots of photography (also one of us may have convinced the other one to sign up for Tinder - which lasted all of, like, an hour - but that's a story for another time). However, the highlight of the trip was definitely finding and photographing this castle. Who knew Elgin, IL had a castle!? Certainly not either of us! Obviously this discovery demanded a photo shoot complete with dresses and bright lipstick.

My outfit was largely influenced by Meghan Trainor's new music video, Dear Future Husband. The styles in it are so swoon-worthy, and I just so happened to find this dress at Walmart for $15! It took me a while to get the cat-eyes, just right, though - I haven't done a bold cat-eye in so long! I think it all turned out well, though. I was pleased, at least. 

This castle is by far one of the coolest things I've ever seen! It even had a moat and bridge and I'm pretty sure I went into geek mode and started randomly quoting the Lord of the Rings. I wanted to yell out "I cannot jump such a distance you'll have to toss me!" or "You said this keep would never fall as long as your men defend it. They still defend it - they have died defending it!" Haha! I was worrying Laura, though, by walking back and forth across the bridge though. It wasn't so much of a "bridge" as it was a bunch of (semi) sturdy boards. It bent a little in the middle and the boards were not flush and she was convinced I was going to fall in the moat (that would have been a Grey's Anatomy worthy hospital trip!).

Head on over to Laura's blog to see her photos and hear her side of the the story!

Outfit details:

dress - Walmart :: faux leather jacket - Top Shop :: shoes - Francesca's :: necklace - Francesca's :: lipstick - Rebel by Mac

Bubbles and Brunch

Last weekend my lovely cousin, Molly came up for a visit. She and my sister - Maddie - spent Friday night through Sunday at my apartment, and we spent most of Saturday exploring downtown Kenosha. There's still a lot we didn't get to, but I was glad we got to check a few things off my list of places to explore.

We got breakfast at Common Grounds coffee, and then took a nice long walk around the harbor. It's so pretty! Growing up on of my favorite books was Anne of Green Gables. For those of you that don't know, Anne lives on Prince Edwards Island. So when I lived with my parents, I loved that I could say I lived in a harbor town - even if it was an industrial harbor - but now my new town actually has a cute harbor area with coffee shops and restaurants and piers to walk on! There's even a vintage trolley where I took some of my graduation photos three years ago. I'm so excited to have this all so close to my home, and I'm going to try to stay really busy with it all this summer. I want to go to the beach, try some of the new restaurants near me, and take lots of pictures!

I know that every year I say "I think this is going to be a good summer!" but this time I know it will be, because I'm going to make it one.

Speaking of Anne of Green Gables, though - who else out there was sent into "the depths of despair" to hear about Jonathan Crombie's passing?? He brought such life to the character of Gilbert Blythe; and was such a talented actor, I know he will be so missed. RIP Gil.

Outfit Details:

shirt - Francesca's :: jeans - American Eagle Outfitters :: cardigan - Forever 21 :: shoes - Me Too :: purse - Francesca's :: necklace - gift from Maddie

Shake it Off

All photos copyright Molly Dahl 2015 - used with permission

I'm finally getting around to share the photos from one of the other photoshoots Molly and I had while were on vacation at Koinania Valley Ranch two months ago. (I can't believe it's been that long! This year is just flying by!) We had very limited supplies for our photoshoots, but even so I think we got some really great images! I was totally coming up with characters for each of the photoshoots and I decided that this gal lives in a small, studio apartment in a trendy city like Portland or Pittsburgh or something, shops at ModCloth, and listens to 1989 while she gets her daily coffee from her favorite indy caffe everyday. So of course that's what I listened to for the duration of the photoshoot - after all, it's all in the details, right?

Speaking of 1989: I've been listening almost exclusively to female artists lately - not purposefully, mind you, I've just been super feeling the girl-power, independent vibe. Taylor Swift, Meghan Trainor and Miranda Lambert are, of course, all high on the list. I especially love Taylor and Meghan's music because they're both about being a twenty-something woman and all of the trials, victories and heartbreaks that come with that.

This past year has been a difficult time of trying to find "my place in the world." Lot's of friend drama, love-life drama, learning to budget, moving (twice), and generally just feeling very adult but at the same time very vulnerable and weak. Hearing such awesome, feminine songs helps remind me to be true to myself and not settle for anything less than purposeful, uplifting relationships in my life.

So if you're interested, go ahead and check out my top 22 Favorite Girl Power songs of the moment.*

*Disclaimer: A couple of the Meghan Trainor and Miranda Lambert songs feature a cuss word or two - so don't say I didn't warn you.

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I Live Alone

She was 21, wishing she lived by the sun, the sand and the sea
So I suggested she’d move out fast and not be the last
To leave and be free

I live alone, I live alone

I live alone, I live alone

~ I Live Alone by Sky Sailing

So remember in my last post when I said I was moving? Well I'm all moved in! I may need a couch but that's ok. The important part is that these four rooms is all mine, along with all the independence and freedom that comes with them.

It's crazy how quickly I've acclimated to this new place. I may not be able to get to the highway I take to work without a GPS yet, but when I'm home I'm home - not just a place where I exist, but my real and true home. It's a wonderful feeling.

I've also recently discovered that I love to cook dinner for myself. One of the first things I did after I moved in was to go grocery shopping. I didn't buy any already prepared food except some frozen lunches for work, and I haven't even used all of those. I've been cooking dinner most nights and cooking enough to have leftovers to take for lunch. It's actually been a blast, and I've found some new favorite recipes. Also I've loved being able to use all of my vintage Pyrex dishes. <3

All in all I'm settling in really well and I'm excited to have Molly come visit me this weekend. We're going to explore my new town and take lots of pictures, so stay tuned for that!

Until next time...