Summer Bucket List

{via pinterest}

Now that June is officially here, my mind is in full blown summer mode.  Perhaps it's a side effect of being a lifetime student, but come late May/early June, my brain switches to summertime.  And to help myself embrace the season to its fullest, I decided to create a Summer Bucket List, aka a few things I'm hoping to enjoy before Labor Day :)

Picnic with friends...
Hike through a local nature preserve...
Make fresh sangria...
Enjoy a day at the beach...
Embrace wearing shorts...
Go cherry picking...
Host a garage sale...
Make homemade ice cream...
Rock some bright lips...
Visit my grandparents in Ohio...
Take a jewelry making class...
Grill something delicious using foil packets...
Wear all white...
Keep up with my summer workout plan...
Send a postcard...
Rock a braid...
Wake up ridiculously early on a Saturday to dine at our favorite breakfast spot fairly undisturbed...
Roadtrip with my little brother...
Drink a Coke float...

I hope you'll notice that this list isn't extravagant or fancy, few things cost more than a few dollars, and few things require me traveling outside of a five mile home radius.  I wanted to keep this list simple and sweet, focusing on having moments and experiences, rather than having money or things.  I'm hopeful that list will encourage me to seize the beauty of summer, savoring the simplicity and joy of such a lovely season.

If people are interested, I'm happy to update you as I check things off my summer bucket list.  After all, the only thing better than making fabulous moments, is sharing them with fabulous people!

So now it's your turn, what's on your summer bucket list?

Summer Mashup

As I walked outside this morning, I pulled my sweater a little tighter around me, shuddered, and muttered a quiet, “Brr!”  Summer in Chicago seems be wrapping up, and though I’m excited for fall, I’m a little sad to see summer go by so quickly.  So when I saw this music mashup on my friend’s Facebook this morning, I had to share.  (Thanks Edgar!)

Jamming out to this, I can’t help but smile and think about all that has happened this summer…Matt and I packed up and moved across the country, we’ve explored a new city, I fought fear and won, I enjoyed the concert of my dreams, Matt and I celebrated one year of marriage, I’ve fallen deeper in love with writing, and we’ve had some totally awesome summer visitors.

Listen to this fun mashup and let me know, what has this summer been to you?  I can’t wait to hear!

PS: If you listen to this on repeat with your speakers blasting while dancing at your desk, I totally won’t judge you.  I did that for a solid twenty minutes :)

Summer Fashion Funk and an OOTD

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Today it hit me.  It has been creeping up for a while, but today, it officially hit me.  Hard.  The Summer Fashion Funk is here. 

You know what I’m talking about right?  The Summer Fashion Funk?  It’s the time every summer, usually around mid to late July, where everything in my closet starts to look…blah.  You know, a sort of “been there, worn that” type deal.  All my jersey dresses seem blah, my favorite boyfriend jeans seem so so, and my once loved summer dinner dresses feel overused and unattractive.  Nothing seems to look right, fit right, or tickle my fancy.  (Yeah, I said it.)  I feel mostly uninspired by my closet and fashionably, just plain blah.

I felt the Summer Funk starting to creep late last week.  I wanted to dart to the mall and run into the stores, screaming “Help, the Funk is here, it’s got me!  Help, save me!”  But since I had to work all weekend, my “save me” mission was temporarily put on hold.  Monday brought a day off and a major case of the Funk.  I thought about heading to the mall for a please-save-me mission, but then realized Matt would see the credit card statement, and I’d soon be heading to the bank for an oops-I-didn’t-mean-to-please-just-erase-those-purchases mission.  I wrested all Monday with a spend free way to fight the Funk only to come up empty handed.

Tuesday morning, I woke up with the shakes.  Dang you Summer Funk.  But, thanks to a post from the fabulous Chloe, I was alerted to a summer sale at Shopbop.  Normally, this would intensify the Funk, but it made me remember that I had a gift card via a La Mia Vita giveaway.  (Thanks Nicole!)  So, I temporarily beat the Funk with this fabulous Marc by Marc Jacobs pouch and this Joie top.  Score.

This satisfied me for a bit, but today, I’m deep in the Funk.  I’m desperately trying to not buy another anything for summer.  Living in Texas, I usually didn’t fight the Summer Funk until mid August, but I know fall in Chicago is approaching, and I’m pretty unprepared, closetwise.  Plus I’ve seen the stuff we’re getting for fall at “the store” and I know I’ll break the bank there.  Uber-cute.

So for now, I’m just sitting here, dazed, confused, and totally in the Funk.  Am I crazy or do you guys experience the Summer Fashion Funk?  Other than going on a crazed shopping spree (or any shopping spree at all) what are your remedies to beat this shiz.  I’m all ears :)

Oh, and if you want to know what I look like during the Funk, here’s a quick outfit from Tuesday.  See what I mean, blah, blah, and…blah.

Dress: Banana Republic (also seen here)

Tissue Sweater: Banana Republic

Sandals: Nordstrom  (I actually traded between these and heels all day.  Long days at “the store” mean multiple pairs of shoes.)

Belt: Steinmart (from a bazillion years ago)

Earrings: Target

Bracelet: vintage (it was my great aunt Bunny’s)

Not that exciting, I know, but peeps, I’m in the midst of the Funk!  What’s a girl to do?

So tell me…are you feeling the Funk? 

Reasons I Am Loving Summer and a Giveaway Winner

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Impromptu picnics with Matt…
Fresh fruit, particularly crunchy red grapes…
Great Chicago weather…
Maxi dresses and tissue cardigans…
Leaving our patio door open all hours of the day…
Late nights with friends…
Not having to take summer classes for the first time in a bazillion years…
Experimenting with fun summer recipes on our new grill…
Sno cones… 
My new summer work out routine…
Pink nails…
Evening walks around our new neighborhood pointing out dream houses…
Ponytails…
and summertime visits from friends on vacation.

Matt and I on a picnic last week at a park just across from our house.  We have a traditional picnic basket, and I always feel so delightfully old fashioned carrying it across the park :)

We’ve only been in Chicago for six weeks and I can already tell the best part is the visitors.  Lots of people come to Chicago to see family, attend conferences, take a quick vacation, etc, and we have been so lucky to see a number of special people during our short time here.  Today, we were so blessed because Jenny, my friend and previous boss in Texas, and her husband were in the Chicago area visiting family.  We got to meet them for lunch, and it was SO good to see them.  I am already counting down till September when I’ll be back in Texas and can see her again :)

And I know I am ridiculously late in announcing the $40 CSN Stores gift card giveaway winner (the weekend completely got away from me) but the winner is…Tamara Nicole!  Congrats girl; send me an email, and I’ll pass on all the info you need to get your goodies.  Thanks to all who entered and to CSN stores for sponsoring.

So what about you…what are your reasons for loving summer?  I’d love to hear!