Still Nothing

I've been starring at this screen for like five minutes trying to think of something to say. Feeling uninspired....

Happy Wednesday, I guess.

That's all I got.

jacket from Ann Taylor. top by Heirloom via Swirl. jeans and flats from Target. necklace from mom.

Nothing To See Here

Nothing to say that hasn't already been said. I've been neglecting this blog and watching too much TV instead. You can read about all that on Addicted to Television. My posts aren't exactly recaps or insightful, just rants. (But I guess if you read this blog, you're kind of used to that style already.)

Also, yes I did buy a new camera. But I'm a little too lazy, running a little too late and it's a little too chilly for me to stand out on my back porch for outfit photos. And you would miss seeing my messy bedroom, wouldn't you?

jeans from Target. striped tank by Whitney Eve. mustard cardi from H&M. flats by Corso Como. necklace from mom. assorted bracelets and ring. 

I'm there.

This morning on my drive to work, I noticed the clouds moving swiftly across the sky. Whenever I see them moving faster than usual, I'm reminded of lazy summer afternoons laying on our trampoline in the backyard. We don't have that trampoline anymore. Or the swing set. Or the sandbox. Or soon, the pool. We  just got rid of our Regal boat. And before that, we had this mustard yellow boat that, at the time I hated, but now I look back on fondly. I've lost a number of pets over the years- Poncho, Bear, Grizzly, Tank and Cabbie. Oh, and multiple turtles named Woody. It's my Uncle Mik's birthday today. I was already thinking about him because of all the City Museum/Bob Cassilly news, and now, thinking about how time has passed and things have changed, I started thinking about him even more.

As I sat at that stoplight starring up at the passing clouds, thinking about all this, I suddenly felt very old. It reminded me of how my parents always talk about the good ole days. The toys they had. The pets. The friends. The old stories of a world so far off from mine.

I thought I knew my world. As a kid, I guess you think it will never change. But we don't have the trampoline anymore or the grey couch in the living room or our Regal that I loved so much. I just realized that life is passing me by. Not in a bad way, like I'm missing it or something. I'm living. Heck, I just blew my savings on a plane ticket to Rome in January. I'm definitely living. But life is flying by me.

I used to say that soon I would be like my parents, reminiscing about the good ole days. And this morning, I realized I already am.

Just Bought

from Etsy. Thanks for the tip, Tall Girl Tales. 

Thursday Thoughts

• Thank god for Hanes white tees. And my very business casual office. 
• Don't judge people in a professional setting based on age or what they're wearing. Just sayin'. 
• I'm interviewing for an intern at work and feel like such a grown up. Also, interviewing is just as nervewracking as being interviewed. 
• Facebook Timeline and changes to the way we 'like' things freaks me out - not for personal use, but professionally. 

This became a pretty work-heavy post, didn't it? Indicitive of my life right now.

jeans and flats from Target. Hanes white tee. cardigan from Old Navy. assorted gold/pearl necklaces and gold earrings. 

Outfits by Cellular Device

Welp, I've gone and broke my camera again. Good one, Danielle. And the weekend before a Card's game + birthday + Taste of St. Louis triple threat....

Monday:

black top, skinny jeans and flats from Target. necklace (J'adore!!) from Scarlett Garnet. 


Tuesday:

sweatshirt from Dad's college days at Rolla. shorts from Target. shoes by Sperry. 


Wednesday:

Trying to be like this girl. 
dress, blazer and flats from Target. gold ring, cuff and earrings. 

Oh, By the Way...

From Cara's Morocco blog:

My sister and best friend are booking their tickets to Morocco this weekend. We are going to do Morocco and then off to Rome for a few days. Rome will be my last big vacation before the end of my service and I couldn't be more excited!

 Oh yeah, I'm the best friend. So excited I can't even handle it.

My Emmy's Best Dressed

Zooey Deschannel. I had a premonition that she would wear pink and red and I was right. I'm starting my new psychic hotline as we speak. 

Kaley Cuoco. Wish I had a less awkward photo of her. Also wish her shoes and bag weren't so matchy matchy. 

Lea Michele. Duh.  

Minka Kelly. I will not be watching Charlie's Angels, but day-um gurl. 

Sarah Hyland. Young, fun. Age appropriate. 

Check out some of my Emmy thoughts on Addicted to Television.

The Amazing Tucker Dress

I bought this dress when Target re-released some of the Go! designs. I thought it was okay when it first came out, but it was after I saw so many other bloggers wearing it that I decided I should go ahead and buy it.

Good decision? I think yes.

Without the belt, the dress resembles huge, ugly, old timey pajamas. Belt it and you have a dress that goes with flats, sandals, boots; pair it with a cardigan, blazer; blouse it to wear as a top. It's insane. Today, I was going to blouse it (like I did here) but when I put my jeans on it just magically tucked in perfectly all on its own. I'm not sure how a dress that goes down to my knees can tuck into jeans without bunching up, but I'm not going to question it.

Tucker for Target dress as a top. flats, jeans and belt from Target too. 

The Other Side of NYFW

I wish I could keep up with all this Fashion Week nonsense, but I can't. I'm busy with work, our office is moving, I'm hiring an intern, I've got insurance / car repair / vet visits to deal with, a plane ticket / mattress / dog food / new pair of jeans to buy, and a calendar that is filled up til Christmas. Oh and my gym membership expired. Oops.

But can we just talk for a second about that unfortunately dressed pair in the background of this photo? See people. New York isn't ALL the glitz and glamour you imagine.

photo via Sterling Style

Bogart's

Have you been to Bogart's in Soulard? You need to go. It's amaze-balls (I stole that word from Giuliana Rancic, FYI).

The deets:
It's BBQ. It's right across from Soulard Market. I hear they will deliver to iTap (win!). There's limited seating. They bring water bowls out for dogs (extra star for them!). They have weird, weird hours. It's better than Pappy's, in my opinion. I didn't think I liked ribs before I had theirs. Their Pineapple BBQ sauce is awesome. Their staff is friendly. They have Pepsi products. I hear the pastrami is good. Their baked beans are more spicy than sweet, not what I'm used to. The potato salad is more like egg salad. Their applesauce is hands down, the absolute best applesauce I have ever had. My choice lunch is the pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw and applesauce, and a Pepsi of course.

Summer Lunches

Nothing better than lunch from the Cha Cha Chow taco trunk at City Garden. Reason #37 I'm not ready for summer to be over.

My 9.11

Everyone is posting (correction, was posting) about 9/11. What it means to them. Where they were. What they hope for the future. But I couldn't bring myself to write something.... because I felt guilty.

I work in social media. Last week, I was (guilt alert #1) pre-scheduling posts for my clients to update on Sunday, in remembrance of the victims and such and I seriously found myself (guilt alert #2) wishing I knew what the 'official' hashtag for 9/11 would be. #sept11 #911? Isn't that terrible? I felt really terrible.

And then I kept hearing/reading all these touching stories and I thought back to what I was thinking that day in 2001... I was a freshman in high school and had just walked in to Mrs. Lorenz's history class. The TV was on and I (guilt alert #3) got excited because I thought we were going to watch a movie in class.

I, of course, was wrong, and instead we watched the footage on the news, watched the second plane hit and the towers fall. I don't remember much else from that day at school. I think they made an announcement over the speakers. I think we all were asking if anyone knew anyone that lived in NYC or worked in the towers. I know there was a rumor circulating that St. Louis could be a target.

But what I remember most (guilt alert #4) was that all after school activities were cancelled that day. I was on the dance team and we practiced pretty much everyday, so of course, I was psyched. I guess we were supposed to go home to our families, but a group of us rode in our friend's wood-panelled station wagon to Psghetti's and hung out instead.... like it was a normal day.

Isn't that terrible? I guess you have to cut me some slack. I was 14. I was in Missouri. I was so far removed from that world... or I thought so at least.

In the months that followed, there would be a lot of 'America' fan fare in my life - creating a giant American flag on the field at a Rams game; an American-themed dance routine that I performed about a million times (I will never listen to 'God Bless the USA' again without counting '2, 3, 4, flag' at the end). Those were some of my best and (guilt alert #5) worst memories of high school. I will admit, the first time I was on the football field after 9/11, hearing the national anthem, the wind blowing, silence all around us.... that's still a memory that gives me goosebumps.

But what did I do this year on 9/11(besides worrying about hashtags, of course)? I didn't watch any docs or go see the flags set up on Art Hill. I (guilt alert #6) went to brunch with some good friends from college, went to work for a bit, had dinner on Mokabe's patio, watched the True Blood finale. It wasn't just a normal day for me.... it was a good day.

You think people affected by 9/11 would want that? For me to have a normal day? A day that I didn't think about terrorism or homeland security or war? I don't know.

I do know that I liked what my sister Kristin wrote on her blog about 9/11 and what my friend Allison wrote on hers. We're all twenty somethings now, so our stories are similar.... but being 16, 14, and 12 seem a universe apart when you're that age doesn't it?

Brunch Rant

I wore this to brunch at Half & Half in Clayton this morning with some college friends. First of all, if you haven't been there.... go. now. Stop what you are doing, cancel your plans. It was delicious. I had the brioche french toast. Boring, maybe. But it was delicious.

But second of all, be prepared to wait. Not just here, but anywhere you go for brunch. I saw people scoff at the idea of a 30 minute wait (and when you have the Clayton Art Fair going on around the corner to entertain you until your table is ready!). Seriously, people. Do you think you are the only ones who thought it would be a good idea to get breakfast on a beautiful weekend morning? No matter where you go to satisfy that coffee/mimosa/eggs/pancake craving... you are going to have to wait on a weekend.

And third of all, if you are a coffee drinker and have a chance to try Kaldi's Iced Toddy Coffee, do it. I had some this morning and it was awesome. Too bad iced coffee season is coming to an end (had my first Pumpkin Spice Latte this week. It's officially fall).

striped tee from H&M. cut off jean shorts from an old pair of Target jeans. flats from Target. assorted bracelets and ring. 

Sunday Funday: Meramec Vineyards Edition

If you read my City in a Jar guest post, you know I stopped at Meramec Vineyards on my way home from Springfield last weekend.

I make the drive to and from southern Missouri pretty often, and always wish I had some spare time to stop off in St. James to visit their winery. On Labor Day, we figured, what the heck. We've got all afternoon. So we looked up a few in the area, and settled on Meramec because they served food. Why stop off for lunch at McDonald's when you can have a pork tenderloin sandwich and a bottle of wine?

Now, I'll be honest, Meramec wasn't the best winery I've been to. I was sad to see it is right off the highway, so your scenery is pretty much just passing cars. I wouldn't drive out there for a day trip, but for a quick stop for lunch and a glass of wine it was perfect.

Back to the Start

Love this Willie Nelson version of Coldplay's 'The Scientist.' The whole sentiment behind the video ain't bad either.

Stripes + Military + Bling

I pinned this look from Sterling Style (love her!) forever ago and have been dying for the perfect weather to wear it. All summer it was too hot for a jacket, but now it is too cold for sandals. What gives? Oh yeah, I live in St. Louis.

In case you missed it, yesterday I was featured on City in a Jar sharing a recap of my Labor Day weekend and named one of Kayla's favorites for her 21 Day Challenge. That, plus my delicious gruyere/fontina/spinach panini and french onion soup for dinner last night and my first pumpkin spice latte of the season today and this girl is feeling much better today, thank you very much.

striped dress from Gap. jacket from Ann Taylor. flats from Target. random necklaces, bracelets and ring as usual. 

It's PK Night!

... also known as 'Pecha Kucha', for those of you who actually know how to pronounce it.

"Pecha Kucha STL represents our opportunity to refocus public dialogue onto what makes this city great: the personalities, the creative thinkers, the musicians, the urban fabric, the rich cultural heritage, the innovators and entrepreneurs right in our midst."

Scrub in Transition

You can blame my lethargy on a number of things...

• The long weekend.
• The fact that I've run into a string of bad luck - leaving my dress at a hotel, forgetting to give the bride and groom their wedding present this weekend and instead driving off with their programs and guestbook in my car, a little fender bender that bruised the Neon and my ego. 
• This chilly weather. I'm like the only one on the planet who doesn't want summer to end just yet. 
• I have to start blowdrying my hair everyday (because of the aforementioned chilly weather).
• This weird headache / sore throat I have. I only feel better when I'm talking about social media, eating pasta or drinking coffee. Go figure. 

But on the bright side.... it's cool enough to wear scarves and my mustard cardigan again. Plus, I'm guest posting over at City in a Jar today (love those girls!) about three things that make me happy, so I better put on a happy face.

white Hanes tee. jeans and not pictured flats from Target. cardigan from H&M. scarf from Van Heusen. messy room not for sale.

Loving LouFest

So you saw what I wore (on Saturday and Sunday) to Loufest, but I never told you how much fun it was! Live music, a lawn chair, cold beer, good food and good company and I'm set.

My favorite things about Loufest 2011:

perfect weather

Questlove's Dj set 

Schlafly.... lots of Schlafly

Cha Cha Chow walking taco

the sunset while Cat Power performed on Sunday evening

bags at Schlafly's tent

can koozies with handles

shopping at Scarlett Garnet

And a few photos via Retro Camera app on my phone...

I Went to a Cards Game

... like two weeks ago. I've been too busy to post about it (sorry!) but even though it's a little outdated, I couldn't resist mentioning it. Sure, I saw a winning game, ate a bacon-wrapped hot dog, enjoyed a couple cold Buds, but I also go my picture taken with some players!

You see, it was Social Media Night with the Cardinals and they were doing raffles for prizes - tickets, signed balls, the usual - but my ticket won for a picture with David Freese, Daniel Descalso and Jon Jay! They are even sending me an autographed copy! Eeeeeek.

{the famous photo}

{only in STL would you see a beer-shaped hot air balloon}

{bacon-wrapped goodness}

{my view}

Kelley Christine

I know the blog has been a little fashion-heavy lately, so apologies to people who stop by hoping to see food or music or random rants from me (does anyone really stop by for that?), but I just can't resist posting about a friend of mine's line - Kelley Christine.

She's in the running for St. Louis Fashion Week's Project Design (20 designers, vying for 6 spots to show at Fashion Week) and I really want her to win. The catch is, she needs votes to stay in the top six! There's just about a week left to vote, so make sure you stop by. Her stuff is so cool. Seriously. Check out some of my favorites:

Check out the full line on Facebook. And don't forget to vote!

Details

No outfit photo today. I'm too tired from staying up late last night the watch The World Series of Beer Pong documentary and Whisker Wars. 

{1} necklaces via Target {2} ring from Plowsharing Crafts {3} my messy dresser covered in mail, DVDs, bracelets and lipstick. 

A Statement

Confession: I've been dying for some geometric jewelry (inspired by Gretchen's work on Project Runway last season), so when I stumbled into the Scarlett Garnet booth at Loufest on Saturday, I was smitten. Their. Stuff. Is. Awesome. I found a few pieces I liked, but settled on this chevron necklace. And of course, when I got home and checked out their website I found even more pieces I loved!

And PS. I chatted a bit with Katie, one of the girls behind the collection, about the whole Gretchen comparison. Katie, a friend of Project Runway's (and St. Louis' own) Michael Drummond, said that when he got back from filming he told her one of the designers made jewelry that was very similar to hers. Katie has seen Gretchen's stuff in person and said it has a more three dimensional element to it that doesn't come off on camera very well.

Our little secret? I like Katie and Scarlett Garnet's collection better :)

dress, sandals and belt from Target. necklace by Scarlett Garnet.