Blog Days of Summer Picnic

{photo credits to me, Katherine and Hannah, Sarah and Laura}

Phew! I've been slowly, but steadily going through all my photos from last weekend, and goodness, there are a lot! These are all the non-outfit photos from the Blog Days of Summer picnic last Saturday. It was held at Grand View Park in Pittsburgh, which is ridiculously hard to find using Apple Mapas, as Laura and I found out the hard way. Boo! Construction is what started it - we couldn't turn left where we needed to, and Siri could no for the life of us figure out how to route us around it. Add in a few extra long turns, and we ended up being lost for nearly two hours! Yeah, it was pretty much hell.

I (mistakenly) thought that since I've been frequently driving in Chicago for the past year and half, that I was prepared to drive in any city, but Pittsburgh proved me wrong. Let's get one thing clear: I live in the prairie state. The prairie state. And while my aunt and uncle's ranch in Missouri has made me accustomed to driving on hills out in the back woods, driving on San Fransisco-like hills in the city was a totally new experience for me! And then with the whole Siri thing, the whole "driving in Pittsburgh" part of the trip was just miserable! Laura and I didn't get anywhere on time except brunch on Sunday. Way to go, us! *sarcasm*

Later this week I'll share some proper outfit photos from the picnic, including one of my favorite ModCloth dresses. Eep!

Hope all of y'alls week is starting out well, and good luck to all who start school today! I'm really excited for life to get back to normal. :)

(P.S. Thank you all for the kind and encouraging words about my re-brand! All the lovely comments/Instagram comments have seriously made my week. ♥)

This Weekend in Instagram Photos

 {from left to right: me in Ohio // outside Lauren's favorite coffee house in Mansfield // me and Lauren // after I checked into my hotel room // the Pittsburgh skyline // Sara, me and Katherine // me and Laura // me and Hannah // me and Sara at brunch}

This weekend I was in Pittsburgh for the Blog Days of Summer get together. It was so much fun! I got to meet so many lovely gals and see Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh for the first time! The only part I didn't like so much was driving in Pittsburgh. It's crazy!! But more on that later. *winks*

Kane County Flea Market // An Adventure + Daily Outfit

This is one of those posts where I just don't even know where to start... I seem to be making friends in the strangest of places lately. Lol! First there was my friend Emily who I met at a Madwell event I went to because Teika was there, and now there is Ethan who I met on Instagram (Instagram! who'd a thunk it!?), and it just so happens that he lives not far from my house and knew of an amazing flea market in the area, the Kane County Flea Market.

Naturally I - being of fan of vintage things - was intrigued by the the idea of new-to-me, great flea market to attend, so we decided to meet up there for a day of shopping last Saturday. It was so much fun! Even with being rained out there was much more there than at the Randolph Street market and the prices were better! Not to mention that Ethan was a ton of fun to hang out with (if you don't believe me just ask Maddie!)

It was so much fun to have a day to spend with the fam + friends and do some vintage shopping. Sometime next week I should show you all what I got (Spoiler! Vintage Pyrex is included in the haul!) - or should I do a video about it? I think I like that idea... I'll see what I can do. *winks*

Hope all of y'alls week has been going well so far!

P.S. Thank you, Ethan, for taking those outfit shots for me!

♥ ♥ ♥       

tank: my moms

skirt : Etsy

jacket: Ebay

shoes: garage sale via Miss Jack

belt: thrifted

necklace + bag: ModCloth

leggings: Forever 21

lipstick: Kat Von D in "Underage Red"

Abandoned Things // Daily Oufit

Last week I wrote a post on saying goodbye when someone doesn't care to be in your life anymore. It sucks and hurts but I would never, ever wish it away. Because that guy - immature and childish that he was - taught me one of the best lessons I've ever learned: if you have to fight to stay in someone's life when they don't appreciate you, then they don't deserve you. I spent ten months of my life trying to be friends with someone who didn't care enough to make the effort to be friends with me, and it wasn't until I met an actual friend that I realized how silly I had been.

Because a real friend will care about you and your life; ask how you are; how your blog is doing and contribute to the conversation because they want to talk to you as much as you want to talk to them. They won't just answer the list of questions you ask them like it's an interview.

And that's my two cents on friendship. ♥

♥ ♥ ♥       

dress: Emily and Fin via ModCloth

cardigan: Charlotte Russe

shoes: Blowfish Shoes (last year)

belt: thrifted

bag: ModCloth

glasses: c/o Glasses USA

lipstick: MAC in "Lickable"

Keep Your Eyes Open

Most of the time I don't like to get super personal on this blog, but every now and then there is something that I feel like I just have to talk about. Today is one of those days.

One of my favorite things to do is re-read old posts from my archives. It's a good reminder of where I've come from, and can be incredibly enlightening. In the last year my confidence has soared, and I think that this was at least in part due to some of the new friends I made during that time. They accepted me just the way I was and reminded me of all the good in me when I would forget it and see only the bad.

But if there's one thing I've learned it's that friends don't always stick around. Yeah, there's one or two sometimes - like me and Miss Jack – but a I think most of the time friends come and go. Sometimes they even go and then come back, but it's rare to have a friend that is always there.

One of the friends I made in the past year turned out to be one of the friends that come and go. And it's one of those odd situations where it sucks, but at the same time I've accepted it. Maybe it's just that I know God has a plan for it... Anyway, I just really feel the need to write this to my friend:

I understand. I know what it's like to be young and have no idea what's going on or what you're supposed to do, and I know what it's like to act like an idiot because of that. But I really hope and pray that somehow you're able to find the same strength, courage, and peace with yourself that you've helped me find with myself. And I really, really hope that you become the person I know you can be – not for my sake but for your own. Because really – I still you can be pretty amazing when you chose to be, so don't loose that.

Thanks for letting me unload, gals (guys?) you're the best. ;)

Have any of you ever lost a friend that helped you a ton? What did you do to deal with it? I'd really love to hear about it. I think we can all learn so much from sharing our experiences.

Also, I'm working on a new project that I'm planning on sharing with you all tomorrow or next week. I can't wait. ♥

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Dress: Francesca's Collections

Tights: Target

Belt: thrifted

Necklace: vintage

Boots: Blowfish Shoes

Cardigan: Lace Affair

Bag: ModCloth