New London

A couple of weeks ago, I spent a day in New London, CT and I absolutely fell in love. It was so perfect that I'm finding it hard to put it all into words. It's right by the ocean, it's full of nautical goodness, and there's a lot of antique shops and little boutiques! There was even a giant whale fountain/statue! There was also this little historic section full of houses from the 1800s that were so cute and quaint. It was a really nice area. I could definitely see it as a potential place to live someday, although I'd be pretty far from everyone I know. Prepare for a bit of picture overload...

One of the antique stores had three floors, with the top floor being mostly clothing and furniture. There were so many things there that it was slightly overwhelming. I didn't end up getting anything, but it was definitely fun to look at all the neat things. It takes a lot of time to really look through everything!

[...what?]

One of my favorite things about summer is outdoor patio seating. I love being able to eat and drink outdoors in the warm weather. We stopped at this restaurant that had a big outdoor seating area when I noticed that they were having happy hour drink specials on sweet tea drinks. So we enjoyed some alcoholic Arnold Palmers while soaking in the warmth and sun.

[Just being myself...]

There were tons of ferries and sailboats on the water, which I loved. There is a state park that used to be a fortress and it had great views of the water and the area in general. We also found the biggest dandelion EVER.

Dress, shoes, jacket: H&M//Purse: Fossil (thrifted)//Sunglasses: Forever 21

Most of the time was spent in the downtown area where all the shops and restaurants are, along with the library and parks. I'd love to actually try the food at one of the many restaurants one day. I'd definitely like to go back there every now and then and just hang out, especially when summer really starts to kick in.

You know when a day is pretty perfect, but it's somehow hard to describe it to someone else? That's what my day in New London was like. The weather was perfect, the air smelled of the sea, and the whole general atmosphere of the place was so calming and serene. It was the middle of the day in the middle of the week, so nowhere was really crowded. It was a new place with a ton of places to explore, and everything just felt so carefree. I love places like that where you can get away and just kind of forget about everything else for a while. Traveling keeps me sane. It's good to get lost in something like that every once in a while.

Concrete and Mint

I have been waiting two months to wear these shoes. Two months! I got them on sale at DSW. They were the only ones in the store, according to the sales associate. She said they must've been a return from someone who ordered them online. Lucky me that they were my size! Ever since I got them, I had been trying to style them, but it was still chilly out and they just weren't looking right with any of my tights. Mint is a weird and somewhat hard color to style, I feel...especially if you're like me and lack pastels. I would've loved to wear them with a pretty lavender dress!

I wore this outfit to my friend's baby shower last weekend. She's having a little girl! The baby's room is purple, so I thought it'd be appropriate to wear some purple floral in honor of the little one. :) There was such good food at the restaurant she had the shower at. I especially loved the cavatelli with broccoli. I loved it so much that I had seconds, and then ate some of the leftovers that my friend took home later on. I feel like I like pasta more when it's not in sauce, but has vegetables mixed in with it. Does that make me a bad Italian? Oh well.

Dress: H&M//Shoes: Restricted

I am allergic to pollen and this week the pollen literally looked like snow...that's how bad it was. And of course, my allergies started acting up. So the last few days have been spent with clogged sinuses and really bad sleep. Needless to say, I am exhausted. I'm still a little stuffy, but the pollen forecast looks better for the next few days so hopefully it'll all subside soon. It usually only happens to me once a year at the beginning of spring. This year I got a double whammy. Thanks a lot, nature!!

Books and Crannies

Last week, my friends and I ventured to one of the best used book stores I have ever been to, and one of my favorite places to visit. I've been there quite a few times now, but I don't go very often since it's a bit of a drive. This place has millions of cheap used books, lots of cats, and free snacks, coffee, and tea. What more can you ask for? Oh yeah, there's also a giant chess table, a basketball hoop, and a playscape for kids. Yeah. That's right.

[Cheez Its, powdered donuts, AND cookies?! Yes, yes, YES.]

The main store is a huge three-floor barn (main floor, upstairs, and basement) that is all filled with shelves and shelves of books. They have any book you can ever imagine in any type of genre, even some vintage ones! In addition to the main barn, there are various other little houses and sections spread about the property that holds even more literary wonders. There's a house for horror, one for fiction and poetry, a section for new arrivals, and so much more! As if that's not enough, they have two more different stores down the street from the main property with even more books...and snacks! Seriously. This place is like heaven if you're a book lover.

Dress: Lanz (vintage)//Belt: Forever 21//Shoes: Rialto

The two downtown stores are on this cute little strip of shops and restaurants that are literally right across from the ocean. It's so perfect and amazing. Knowing my love of the shoreline and books, you must know that I pretty much pee myself out of excitement whenever I have the opportunity to go up there. And yes, I admit, I love to smell the books. There is nothing like the smell of an old book. It's one of my favorite scents in the world. Is that weird? I don't even care if it is. I am a book sniffer, and I don't care who knows it.

[I really like Poe]

On the way home, we stopped at one of my favorite mexican restaurants. This day was pretty much the best. I didn't get too many books, though. I got The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (for only $1!!) and a really cool-looking old hardcover of Gulliver's Travels. I am almost done with Wizard of Oz. It's pretty different from the movie! Did you know that Dorothy's shoes are actually silver and not red?

I have so many books already that I haven't even read yet, but I can't stop going and getting more whenever I can! Someday I'd love to have my own little personal library in my house, Beauty and the Beast style. Well, maybe not THAT big...

Anchors Aweigh

When I was in middle school, I played flute in the marching band. Every Memorial Day morning, we'd march in the town's parade in our nerdy band shirts, complete with wrist lyres to read the music from and all. For the entire time we marched, we had to play Anchors Aweigh over and over again. I actually didn't mind it because it's a pretty catchy tune.  I even learned how to play it on the snare drum, which was really fun. To this day, that song still gets stuck in my head around this time of year.

I don't think they have the parade anymore, but I do still enjoy Memorial Day and the weekend of it. A long weekend is always nice, and it's great to get everyone together, both family and friends, and eat some delicious food. I had a cookout at my grandparents' apartment and my friends and I also had a couple of parties all weekend. It was a pretty relaxing and fun weekend. I got to sleep in a lot, which is always a plus for me!

Shirt: Forever 21//Skirt: So...//Shoes: H&M//Ring: Urban Outfitters

Memorial Day has such a nautical feel to it, don't you think? With songs like Anchors Aweigh and the beginning of beach and pool season, it has always been associated with sea things for me. I couldn't resist this seashell tee when I saw it in Forever 21. It was pretty cheap and it's ocean-themed, so it was a win-win. And of course, I had to wear my anchor ring to get in the spirit! I just love how the band of it looks like a rope.

So this post is a week late, but it's fine! It's fine. That's what I keep telling myself! I have another photoshoot that I did last week that still needs to be edited and posted. I know I'll get to it. Sometimes you just have to accept that you can't do everything.