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...

An Update on Life

{lots of fashion, coffee, and thrifting happening lately}

Hello, Internet! I've been absolute rubbish at blogging lately. Life has been crazy and for some reason I've felt very censored about posting publicly - which is stupid, because I've literally been doing this for years and I've made some of my best friends through blogging. So I'm going to try to post semi regularly again. But first, some updates on how my life is going.

Work:

I'm still at Francesca's, but in November of last year I was promoted to the full time assistant manager of one of the stores in a mall. Being in a mall for the first time in my retail career has been an adjustment, but I love my store and my team. I was acting manager for two months and that was a great learning experience, and I know I want to be a manager someday, but not yet. For now I'm happy to be assistant manager to my new (awesome!) store manager.

Boys:

My boyfriend and I broke up in late December. It was a weird experience. For months and months I thought that if we ever broke up I would be crushed/heart broken/at my wits end. Then it happened... And I was surprisingly ok. Not going to say I didn't have my moments of sadness, but as Mr Collins of Pride and Predjudice so eloquently put it once - for as they say, even a broken clock is right twice a day - "resignation is never so perfect as when the blessing denied begins to loose somewhat of its value in our estimation." So, yeah. Basically I'm a-ok. 

Home:

In September I moved in with two of my best friends just over the border in Wisconsin. It ended up not being the best of situations so I'll be moving again at the end of the month, to an adorable, little, one bedroom, upper apartment about ten minutes north of where I am now. I'm really excited. Living alone has always been a dream of mine, but I wasn't sure if be able to find a place I could afford. As always, however, God provided exactly what I needed and I'm excited to start this new chapter of my life (as well as being able to decorate it however I choose!).

Fashion:

I've actually been really happy with my style and the pieces I own lately! I mean, I better be considering how many I have! Working at Francesca's is seriously dangerous for me, y'all! The only problem is that I'm lazy and haven't been taking pictures for this lil' piece of the Internet. Boo! I'm going to try to do better as the weather warms up.

So yeah, that's what I've been up to lately! Just lots of working and thrifting and getting ready to move. Spring is for new beginnings, right?

Captains of the Sky // What I Wore

{dress//Francesca's :: denim button down//Plato's Closet :: boots//Target} 

I'm so in love with this dress! I didn't get a good shot of it, but the neckline is beaded and has a very classic, preppy, J Crew-ish look about it. I can't wait to wear it in the summer with some strappy wedges!

I bought it right before my district manager's visit to my store. Well, sort of my store. I was promoted to assistant store manager in November, and I've been acting store manager ever since my manager left in the beginning of January. It's been a really good (if exhausting) experience, and I love all of the girls I work with. I always try to bring my a-game fashion wise whenever the district manager is in my store though - and that makes for a good excuse to buy new, pretty dresses. Haha! 

I'm hoping to take a trip up to Mackinac Island in the summer and if so this dress will definitely be included in my suitcase. It's such a perfect, nautical look for an island getaway! Summer can't come fast enough for me. What are you all looking forward to this summer?

Backyard Swagger

{skirt//Francesca's :: blouse//Francesca's :: denim button down//Plato's Closet :: socks//DIY}

 "You can't ride in my little red wagon
The front seat's broken and the axel's dragin'
You can't step to this backyard swagger
You know it ain't my fault when I'm walkin' jaws droppin' like
Ooh, ah, ooh, ah"

~ Little Red Wagon by Miranda Lambert

Sorry for the long absence. My computer went kaput and I've yet to remember to bring it over to my dad to fix it.

This week Molly and I are staying with our aunt and uncle in the sticks of Missouri for some much needed R&R. It snowed here shortly before we came which is pretty unusual, so naturally the only logical course of action was to do a photo shoot in a mini skirt out in the 20 degree weather.

It was a really fun set to shoot because we just had fun. I had my phone out playing some Miranda Lambert songs and just danced around. Usually I'd be too self conscious to be this goofy or wear such a tight skirt, but I've come a long way in self acceptance over the past few months and I actually had a blast shooting these photos - even if I did almost freeze to get them.