Twenty-Four!

Last Friday, I turned twenty-four! This is a strange age to be. I feel like I'm old enough that I should be a grown-up, yet making that transition to adulthood and maturity can be awfully overwhelming. Although this birthday gave me pause, I didn't want my weekend to be filled with too much self-reflection. I've always been somebody who absolutely loves birthdays, and this one was no different. My day was filled with delicious food and antique store shopping, and on Sunday afternoon we took cake to my grandmother's house (she's not able to leave home) so we could celebrate with her as well.

Really, I don't think there's a good reason not to like birthdays! Although birthdays can sometimes seem like a reminder of time passing, they're also a marker of wisdom gained, and a day to wipe your slate clean for the year ahead. Of course it's easy for me to say that at twenty-four, but it's an attitude that I hope I'll keep for a good long while.

birthday flowers

twenty-four balloons!

a new lens

cake decorations need not reflect one's growing maturity

a visit with Scout, the sweetest puppy in the world

Taking a Break

I've been taking a little blogging break this week to focus on getting the rest of my life in order and to savor my birthday celebrations this weekend. (24! I'm almost a Real Grown Up now!) Since this weekend promises to more or less be a culinary bacchanalia, I'm certain to be back on Monday with zillions of food pictures and cooking stories, plus a few shots from last night's Hanson concert (yes, they're still going strong). In the mean time, I'll take a cue from the cutest cat in the world (Cricket!) and get in some valuable relaxation time while I can.

30 for 30 FINALE!

I'm finally done! Actually, I've been done for a few days, but this weekend was busy with house guests and lots of eating, and I didn't get the time to post. Because of the haphazard nature of my 30 and "necessity" (in the form of a trip to Chicago and a couple of job interviews), I ended my shopping ban a little early, and am now resolved not to buy anything else until it's time to look for a few key pieces for fall (knowing Oklahoma weather, this will happen in like mid-October). This challenge has definitely made me more mindful about my shopping--I doubt that I will completely stop buying things on a whim at Target, but I'm hopeful that in the future I can replace a good portion of my mindless acquisition with home-sewn clothing, repurposed vintage, and higher-quality clothing from more ethical sources.

28!

dress (as top) - Modcloth, skirt - self-made, belt - F21, shoes - Target

29!

top - UO, skirt - American Apparel, belt - J.Crew, shoes - Nine West Outlet

30!!!

short - Levi's, shoes - GAP, cardigan - Target, top - Modcloth, belt - J.Crew

(Photo Credit: BRIEL, who said, "I want you to mention me on your blog, and I don't want any of this "B" crap.")

Lucy's excited the challenge is over too!

The Baldpate Inn

I decided that The Baldpate deserved its own post... this place looms large in my childhood. It's kind of magical and kind of haunted feeling. I've always wanted to set a mystery novel there.

Gratuitous Colorado Photo Post - Macro

Colorado Gratuitous Photo Post - Micro

Colorado Outfits Part 2

Good morning! I'm back with the second half of my Colorado outfit photos. These are from the half of the vacation where I got a little bored dressing for nature and started changing clothes halfway through the day so I could wear one thing to hike in and another thing to go out to dinner in. When I was little I went to a private school and had to wear a uniform, and I vividly remember coming home at the end of the day and immediately changing into the most outlandish ensemble I could find in my closet--this sort of felt the same way.

23!

shirt - vintage, plus hiking jeans & shoes

Okay, this isn't particularly put-together, but look at that creek! Those trees! That blue sky! I wish I was back in Colorado right now.

24!

top - Target, cardigan - GAP, skirt - self-made, belt - F21, boots - vintage

I wore this to go to dinner at the Baldpate Inn, one of my favorite places in the world. The Baldpate is a rickety old B&B-style lodge that clings to the side of a mountain. All the floor seem to slope. Dinner is salad, homemade soup, thick homemade bread, and amazing pie. The walls are covered with photos of famous people who stayed there in the '20s & '30s. The Baldpate is named after a mystery novel called The Seven Keys to Baldpate, and accordingly there is a key museum on the other side of the lobby, where old keys with hand-lettered tags hang from the rafters and on every wall. In short, it's a magical place.

25!

top - (dress) F21, cardigan - Target, jeans - GAP, belt - vintage, shoes - vintage

I wore this to hike around the Alluvial Fan (don't worry, it's more of a slow amble on a paved sidewalk, or else my boots would have been most inappropriate hiking footwear). The Alluvial Fan is a cascades that formed in 1982 when Lawn Lake burst through its dam and flooded the valley. My dad was there when it happened, along with his parents and brother--they happened to be headed up Trail Ridge Road (the highway that goes over the Continental Divide) and they saw the whole flood happen from above.

26!

skirt - American Apparel, jacket - GAP, scarf - Target, shoes - Nine West Outlet

Every year since I was small we've celebrated my birthday early during our Colorado trip. I didn't particularly want to this year since our trip was earlier than usual and coincided more closely with my mom's birthday than mine, but we ended up celebrating both. I can't complain--we went out for pizza, I got a brief respite from the chilly (in the 70s!) mountain weather in the form of chai from Starbucks, and my parents gave me a beautiful turquoise ring & necklace that they had purchased at a local jewelry shop. What can I say? I'm spoiled.

27!

dress - Fossil, shoes - TOM'S, bag - craft fair

I wore this super low-key outfit for some last-minute shopping at the Macdonald book shop & stationary store, as well as one last leisurely drive through the park. Good-bye until next year, mountains!

Colorado in Photos, part 1

gratuitous cute animal photo

the back of Long's Peak! My white balance was screwed up in this photo but I kind of like the vintagey effect it gives.

Lichen! I get excited about weird things!

Angsty dead tree photo ahoy!

These grew in the meadow outside our cabin

With my tail between my legs...

I'm back from my far-too-long absence. Oh, blog people, I am so ashamed at my failure to post before this. I have the usual litany of excuses: I was out of town, then all my laundry was dirty from vacation so I couldn't wear any of my 30 for 30 options, then I went to Lolla in Chicago and I knew I'd have to burn any clothes I wore there, and now I'm home, incapacitated by a cold (not a surprise, since I spent the weekend in uncomfortably close quarters with approximately 200,000 (other) dirty hipsters), and finally with time to blog.

Whew. Anhow, I managed to keep to my 30 for 30 mostly during my Colorado trip. I have many photos from our yearly family vacation to the mountains that are more interesting than these ones of my outfits, but I'll get these out of the way before posting the rest.

18!

shirt - Fossil, shorts - Levi's, cardigan - Old Navy, boots - vintage, bag - craft store purchase

(Worn to drive many hundreds of boring and hot miles across Kansas. Note the wind. Oh, also I drove through the most terrifying rain and hail storm of my life - it lasted an hour, and I literally couldn't see more than three feet in front of the car, and we were in a construction zone, so I couldn't pull off the road.)

19!

skirt - self-made, dress-as-top - Old Navy, belt - Target, necklace - made by M's host-brother

Worn to veg out in the hotel room in Denver (note the terrible mirror photo), shop (!) (yes, I broke my shopping ban out of desperation - I forgot that it got cold in places that aren't Oklahoma, and didn't pack a jacket, so I ended up buying one on deep discount at Eddie Bauer), eat a lot of food, and see Inception

20!

jacket - GAP, skirt - self-made, top (not visible) - UO, scarf - vintage, boots - vintage

Worn to pick up my grandmother at the Denver airport, drive to Estes Park, buy food for the week, eat at the Sundeck, and discover that our cabin had both mice and spiders.

21!

shirt - Target, scarf - Target, sunglasses - Target, plus gross hiking cut-offs and shoes!

These shorts and shoes weren't part of my 30 options, but they were a necessary capitulation to practicality while on the trail. I'm counting them as workout wear. Also, this was worn to hike at Bear Lake, picnic at Sprague Lake, and take approximately 40 billion close-ups of wildflowers and dead trees. If you are lucky you will see some of them soon.

22!

shirt - GAP, scarf headband - Vintage, necklace - craft fair, plus hiking cut-offs and shorts

This outfit is obviously the epitome of laziness, but as you can see from the background, I had more important things on my mind! Part 2 of vacation outfits coming soon, after a gratuitous photo post of pretty mountain scenery.