wearing - 35/50

hat & tee - Target // denim jacket - American Eagle // pants - H&M // boots - Old Navy (similar)

Full disclosure - I wore my hair in this braid for 48 hours straight. One of these days, I'll get my life together enough to do some more hair tutorials.

This past weekend, I took a very quick trip back to Virginia for what can be boiled down to four essential reasons: 1) We had another load of purged clothes to let younger siblings comb through before donating them 2) Golden doodle cuddles 3) The opportunity to do a small photo session of my niece & nephew with pumpkins was far too tempting & 4) With more orange leaves on the ground every day, the tub full of boots, scarves & hats that didn't make the trip up here this summer was like, an ancient lost holy grail that needed to be retrieved. It was a really pleasant, relaxing weekend. I got to squish baby faces with kisses & watch the first 30 minutes of Frozen with my nearly two-year-old niece like, 8 times & leisurely stroll through a Target with only one floor & a car waiting for me in the parking lot.

We are currently watching our third episode of Doctor Who in anticipation of midnight, in which it will be (ready for another list?): 1) The first day of October -- OCTOBER!!! THE BEST!!! THE ONLY!!! The greatest month of the year! 2) & in being the first day of October, I am officially eating/drinking/smelling ALL the pumpkin things, which I always hold off on doing until October begins... which works out REALLY well, because 3) Our Whole30 is over! & even though this is totally not how you're supposed to come off Whole30, we have pumpkin beer & pumpkin cupcakes from Baked & Wired awaiting midnight in the kitchen. We are wild people, people.

In conclusion, the minute Jared saw this hat on my head, he said, "Well, hey, Pharrell!" & now I either want to return it or wear it every day. Can't decide.

wearing - 34/50

turtleneck - Forever21 // pants - H&M // shoes - Target // lips - Revlon's Stormy Pink

As the current reigning queen of Awaiting Job Offers-Land, I've reached an entirely new level of my closet. The 2nd interview follow-up outfit that says "still put-together, but also yes, I can lift that box." My job search is mostly in the retail sphere, since it's a supplementary part-time job, so both of those things are tres importante. Another high priority to these outfits are comfortable, yet dressy shoes, since I'm usually walking at least a mile to the interviews. This outfit certainly got the job done, but did it get THE job? ... Only time will tell. *slowly backs into the shadows*

For now, I'm just super happy to have a wide open, job-less weekend in this divine weather. Happy Saturday, everyone!

a little love note

To the man 

who put on the same Coldplay song this morning while I was making breakfast that I picked out to listen to on my walk home yesterday

who is the only person in the universe that can convince me to try mushrooms every time they're on his plate, even though I will never like them

who wakes me up with a kiss & whispers "It's raining outside" because he knows it's my favorite thing to wake up to

who lets me reason that we can totally make the 1.5mi walk back from Target with arms full of bags, & already has Uber pulled up when I'm over it after 10 minutes

who is just as excited for fall weather & apple picking as I am

who keeps a running list on his phone of things I mention under my breath that I'll eventually be frustrated when I can't remember what they were

who laughs at my jokes when everyone else in the room is still trying to decide if I was joking

who makes an extra large pot of coffee on days when he somehow knows I'll look for a second (or third) cup

who loves our future dog as much as I do & doesn't mind in-depth discussions on potential puppy names at 1am

who cleaned up the egg I dropped on the floor this morning before I could even react

who sings French melodies in the other room without realizing he's doing it & please don't ever stop

You.

Yes, you, Mr. Bethune. 

I love you.

four good things

1                          2                          3                          4

FALL CANDLES - Still working on making our apartment smell "like us", if that makes sense, but frankly, I'd take just smelling better than it currently does. I have a stash of Harvest scented tea lights that are covering every surface available now that it's officially fall.

POMEGRANATES - We're on Day 24 of Whole30 & thrilled to see that pomegranates are showing up at our local markets. We're enjoying them as snacks or paired with a brussels sprout hash... & dreaming about pomegranate scones.

TARTAN SCARVES - All the plaid. & the bigger the scarf, the better. I basically don't want to be able to see past my wool blanket-scarf all fall/winter. Saving my pennies for one of these pretties. This picture is a double whammy, as I recently painted my nails black & I may just keep it for the next four months. Obsessed.

ARTWORK - Speaking of obsessed & saving pennies... We have two blank walls in our family room & we both agree it's time to invest in a real piece of artwork. Satsuki Shibuya popped up on my Pinterest feed & it was like falling in love at first sight. I know she's the one. LOVE her work.

[p.s. see some more good things on my pinterest]

wearing - 33/50

top + shoes - Old Navy // dress - Forever21 // tights - Urban Outfitters // locket - vintage (gift from my sweetheart)

What better day to wear tights for the first time since spring than the first day of fall? It was seriously gorgeous here today. A high of 73 with the most crisp wind & perfect September clouds... The forecast definitely got the autumn memo. Fall in DC has been my favorite since I can remember, & to encounter the leaves changing on a daily basis when I walk out my front door is slightly surreal. The pumpkin bug finally bit - I want aaaaall the fall things. Right now.

I almost didn't pair this shirt with this dress because I just recently wore it in this post. But then I decided, what the heck - Wearing the clothes in my closet multiple times in one month (... or week) is real life. Bonus fun fact: It was on sale when I bought it. Ka-ching. 

wearing - 32/50

blazer - Target // tee - Gap // jeans + heels - H&M // necklace - Old Navy

There's a hint of autumn floating in on the evening breeze, mostly in the form of temperature drops around 6pm & my blazers sneaking their way to the front of the closet. This week is Round 2 of the interview gauntlet, & I'm banking on power outfits to complement my shining personality ;)

Hilariously, while we're on the topic of beautiful weather & my side of the closet, I'm basically a shut-in today even though the weather outside is GORGEOUS. Our bedroom closet is the only closet in our apartment, & thus a clustercuss of clothes + shoes + storage + am I dead yet. So, instead of ignoring the mess for one more day (now that my one month DC-iversary has passed), I'm determined to conquer it. Ugh.

PS. Not pictured is Jared wearing the boy counterpart of this outfit behind the camera. Jeans, white tee, blazer... But Asics instead of heels.  We laughed when we saw each other, bickered about who actually put it on first, then shrugged & headed out the door anyway. All of that = A sure sign that our 4th wedding anniversary is next month.

dani in the city

<

We've had such a fun week hosting our friend Danielle for a few of days while she visits from CHINA. Freaking China! She & her husband have been in Chongqing, China for an entire year (can you tell this blows my mind?), & we have so so much to catch up on. When she's home in China, we are liiiiiiterally 12 hours apart, so our texting time lines up for approximately 2 hours a day. We've been friends since my sophomore year of high school, lived together in college & were in each other's weddings... So, we're really enjoying our week of sleepovers & day dates before she hops back across the world to China. She's telling me stories about China, I'm taking her to Target, we're eating a lot of Chipotle. It's been great fun & a wonderful excuse to get out & about in the city. Love my Dee Baby.

Read more about Dani's adventures in China here: http://latxlong.blogspot.com/

wearing - 31/50

champbray top - Pac Sun (similar) // denim shorts - American Eagle // belt - Vintage/Jared's  // flats - Target (similar) // beaded necklace - ClarissaB Designs // party nail - Jamberry Gold Pinstripe

I'm having the hardest time not wearing this necklace every day. My friend Amelia discovered Clarissa's adorable shop set-up at her local farmer's market down in Richmond, & as soon as I saw Amelia's beaded beauty, I maybe obsessed a little until I got to make one of my own. It matches everything, & is easily my most complimented accessory. Get one! Have one! They're adorable!

While I'm here & pimping things out, I'm also rocking a party nail via Jamberry. It's Day 6 & these guys are going strong. I have three other patterns to try out, & honestly, a long way to go in my application techniques. But still, DIY manicures are the best thing that have happened to my non-existant pampering budget line in a long while ;)

Lastly, it was no more than 2 years ago that I was making fun of my dad for rocking denim on denim. Oops sorry dad you were right.

wearing - 30/50

knit top - Urban Outfitters // maxi dress & flats - Target // hat - Cotton On // necklace - Nordstrom

This outfit didn't seem as weird when I put it on. Isn't that just how it goes? I've been watching The Tudors while I finish my enormous organizing task around the apartment, & I think this ensemble was maybe slightly influenced by too many crowns/headdresses & long ballgowns. I was feeling pretty good about it, until we went directly to the grocery store & the bottom of my skirt kept getting mysteriously soaked. So! Moral of the story: pick & choose where you wear your maxi dress. Also, don't marry King Henry VII.

It was the most beautifully rainy day today, & it turned into the most beautifully crisp September evening. Windows open, candles burning, Imogen Heap playing kind of weather. The. Best.

wearing - 29/50

top - H&M // dress - Francesca's // flats - Urban Outfitters

The difference between Norfolk & DC is all in the skirt, folks. This skirt (which is actually a dress) should be a pencil skirt if I wanted to fit in with the streets of DC, or wear this to the hypothetical job interview that I'll eventually get. (Because I will! Right? Right! Whoo! Go team!) Most days, walking down the sidewalk is a mixture of a scene from a 1993 episode of Law & Order & the pages of the most recent J. Crew magazine. Lots of style-watching going on for this girl. Mental notes galore.

My twisty bangs are a result of 1. straightening my hair & lingering on el bangs too long & 2. a photo shoot next month that's permanent enough for my 2014 summer hair to not be documented. Not complaining - It turned out the way I was hoping it would - But ohhh, is this just the beginning over some serious styling creativity. Growing bangs out is a special thing, isn't it?

Jared had today & tomorrow off, so we're finally getting to set-up some of the furniture & shelving we got last week. I'm being beckoned to come hold up a rather large shelf, so I'm off to flex my seriously impressive muscles. *cough* 

Happy Wednesday!