Summer Reads

There is nothing I love more during the summer (I feel like I always say this) is to lay by the pool or on the beach with a good book. I just started reading a new book so it inspired me to write a small list of books I have read and books that I plan to read. I love a good book recommendation so leave any in the comments below!

When Life gives you Lululemons: I just started this book last night and the few pages that I have read already have me hooked. There has been so much hype around this book and I have wanted to read it for the longest time so I'm very excited I finally got around to it.

See me: This book is by Nicholas Spark (who is my ultimate guilty pleasure). I actually read this book at the end of last summer but the story was so good that it has stuck with me this whole year. I'm not really into suspenseful books (one of the main reasons I like Sparks books) but for someone who isn't into books like that this one was a little edgy.

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry: This book is funny and lighthearted with good messages spread throughout the story. The title of this book pulled me right in and grabbed my attention.

Evvie Drake Starts Over: This book is by Linda Holmes and all about second chances and romance, anything romance is my kind of book. I actually haven't read this one yet but it is the next one on my list.

The Friend Zone: This book is by Abby Jimenez and sounds like such a good read. One review that I read said that this book will make you laugh and cry as the protagonist goes through the next decisions of her life. This book is going high up on my reading list.

Pom Pom's

I recently wore this outfit out to lunch in Saratoga with my mom to the cutest restaurant. We both had bruschetta on cauliflower bread which was delicious. We also both had a glass of wine which was so good we left with a bottle of it. This cute little restaurant also gives wine tastings of their own New York wine so we are planning to go back soon to do that. 

Top: J.Crew Factory | Shorts: J.Crew Factory | Shoes: Target | Sunglasses: J.Crew Factory 

How cute is the pom pom detailing on these shorts from J.Crew Factory?! I love fun shorts in the summer especially ones that are comfortable. These are like a linen material which is so comfortable. I also love this shirt which I think can be dressed casual like this but I have also paired it with green pants to make it more professional for work. Shirts that can go both ways are my favorite, makes them worth the money. 

Weekly Review | Weekend Happenings

Weekly Review: This past week was busyyyyy, like the busiest week I have had in a while! Monday and Tuesday were pretty low key which was nice after the heatwave of a weekend that we had. On Wednesday Kyle and I went out to dinner with our friends for a surprise birthday dinner and had delicious Mexican food. On Thursday I went to a Brad Paisley concert with some of my friends and my mom and dad which was amazing. Then tonight I am going to a Goo Goo Dolls and Train concert with my brother and Kaitlin.

Weekend Happenings: It does not stop tonight with the concerts either, this weekend my entire family is going to a Scotty McCreery concert on a golf course which was one of my dad's fathers day gifts. I may be crazy for going to three concerts in a row, in one week but I'm super excited.

Recent Favorites:

• Shawn Johnson's Pregnancy Journey: I have been a fan of Shawn Johnsons since she was in the Olympics and now I follow her through her YouTube channel. Shawn and her husband Andrew have been very open about their pregnancy struggles through their channel and just put up a new video about their latest milestone and how they are staying positive.  
• EZContacts.com: It is the dreadful time of the year where I open up my last pair of contacts in the box meaning I need to buy a new one. I used to hate this because of how expensive contacts were and how much I love my glasses at night so I always have to choose which to use insurance on. But now that I found out you can buy them online I will never go back to buying them at the eye doctor. I only paid 33$ for mine this month, if you use the code welcome10 they will give you 10% off. 
• Apple Watch: I’ve talked about my watch on here a ton but I really do love it and still wear it every day. I may do a whole post of it and my favorite bands that I have soon. 

Recent Finds:

• A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Trailer: I used to love watching Mr. Rodgers when I was little and who doesn't love Tom Hanks so what could be better than a movie about Mr. Rodgers with Hanks. So excited for this to come out, I loved the documentary. 

Olive Green T-shirt dress

I love this new trend of tying the bottom of a t-shirt dress I really think it adds something to a plain dress and gives it a different shape. Although I may have tied this one a little too high now looking back at it I still think it's cute!

Dress: Similar | Jean Jacket: Target | Sandals: Gap Factory (also similar) |  Headband: Amazon | Earrings: Baublebar

I really love t-shirt dresses in the summer because they are such a cute effortless look. I especially like them because they are so light and cool for the hot summer days. Last week it was in the high 90's so these dresses were my best friend.

I'm also really into slide on shoes this year I think they are so comfortable and these from the gap are so cute. They cross so they are less of a slide look and more of a sandal look. These also come in so many different colors including this light aqua which is gorgeous! These sandals are on a super good sale right now so check them out while they are still available.

A Little Getaway

Kyle and I will have been dating for 5 years on August 15th so this year to celebrate we decided to take a small weekend trip up to Alexandria bay. We both had never been there before so we decided it would be an adventure and we also heard really great things about this place.

On our first night, we ate at the beautiful restaurant that was in our hotel, we arrived pretty late on Friday night due to us both having to work so we kept it pretty low key changing and walking right down to dinner. Our dinner had the most amazing view, right behind me in the picture above is Boldt castle which I'll talk about later. The dress that I'm wearing is an amazing amazon find that I have gotten so much use out of, perfect for date nights, graduations, parties, it's a great go-to dress.

My meal was absolutely delicious, it was pork tenderloin with an apple-like glaze giving it a sweet flavor. I am a huge fan of savory and sweet so I was a big fan, and any place that gives you a pink flower is a win for me. 

(This was our view from dinner)

After dinner, we did a little exploring and found this gorgeous walkway that leads to a gazebo with again another beautiful view. 

On Saturday we went to Wellesly state park which is technically still in New York but it was so close to Canada that AT&T messaged me for an international day pass. Kyle really wanted to do a small nature walk and this park was the first to pop up. It was only a little under 3 miles so it was not bad at all, it was also the most beautiful morning, not too hot and right on the water. 

Later on Saturday, we took a boat ride over to the Boldt castle which was located on Heart Island. I love going and touring old buildings filled with history (I blame Kaitlin for this) and Boldt castle comes with a very cool story. George Boldt was a wealthy man we owned many hotels in Philadelphia and New York City including Bellevue hotel. Boldt and his wife traveled to the Thousand Islands many times and fell in love with the town. Boldt decided to build a castle for the love of his life as a surprise Valentines day gift. But before he could gift the castle to her she passed away and all building of the structure came to a halt. The castle stood empty and unfinished for many years and eventually was bought by another millionaire. The castle was then opened for tours but with no security to protect the landmark. The structures and materials were stolen and the walls were vandalized. 

There are four levels to the Boldt castle, the first two have been restored and set to look as if they would when the Boldt's lived there. But the top two floors have not been restored or finished yet and are still covered in the vandalism. Kyle and I found one signature with "was here" to follow from 1977. It was an amazing and extremely interesting place to visit with old history and some pretty recent history. 

It was an amazing trip and so nice to celebrate half of a decade with my best friend (there will be more mush to come when it is really our anniversary).

5 Things

Simply Southern Tee's: I fell in love with simply southern t-shirts on my first trip down to Myrtle Beach South Carolina. Down in the Carolinas these shirts are everywhere and in so many different styles. But up here in New York they are pretty hard to find besides online. While on our recent trip to the Thousand Islands I found one!! I bought the one lines above from the cutest store that the link will bring you to!

Linen Shorts: I live in these Old Navy Linen shorts and right now they are on sale for an amazing price! I just bought a pair of black and a pair of tan, I already own pink and blue. These shorts are my go-to for car rides or lounging around the house in.

Riverdale: I am so far behind on this and I am so mad at myself that I waited this long to watch this show! I am only on season one and so far I am completely obsessed with it.

Amazon Bluetooth headphones: This was my one and only purchase from prime day, I feel kinda sad that this is all I bought but I honestly just didn't need anything. I have been wanting a pair of wireless headphones but I don't want to pay the price. So I found these for only 14$ on prime day and decided to get them and if they are horrible they were cheap.

Drawstring bag: How cute is this drawstring bag from amazon, I really think that it looks like a dupe for a Hershel bag. I love drawstring bags in the summertime for the pool and hikes and other summer activities. The water-resistant polyester makes it easy to throw in wet towels and bathing suits and my water bottles always seem to leak so this comes in handy when that happens.

My Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Wishlist

Okay, I told myself I was not going to make a Nordstrom anniversary sale post this year (I think I say that every year) but then I went online and there are so many good finds on there. I told myself I wasn't going to make a post this year because I really don't buy much from this sale so other bloggers would have much better roundups of this sale from what they bought. I tried to find the really affordable options and the items that I thought were the best sales.

I tried to find all of the items I loved and wanted that were under 40$ with the exception of my hunter boots. I love my hunters so much and have talked about them multiple times on my blog. For me what makes the hunters so different than other rainboots is one their quality but also their short option. I have extremely short legs, like so short most short length pants don't fit me but, the hunter short length is perfect for my legs. These boots hit me right under the knee making them easy to walk in and super comfortable. I also love the heavy boot socks that you can accessorize them with which are so warm that I use them as my winter boots. Highly highly recommend the hunters especially for petite girls. 

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Lilly Pulitzer

Is there anything better than Lilly in the summer?! The answer is no, there is nothing better than Lilly in the summer. This Hollee Dress is in the print Lilly of the jungle. It is so perfect for so many summer events, I can't wait to wear it to the horse track or a few other events planned. 

These Selena naked block heels are my favorite shoes from Target, I find them to be so comfortable because there really is nothing to them. But they are so easy to walk in and go with pretty much anything. 

 How cute are these three-tier earrings from J.Crew factory?? Right now they are marked down to only $12 which is a steal for how cute these are. These also come in white, I love white earrings because they can go with so many outfits. Out of all my earrings, I wear my white ones the most.

Dress: Lilly Pulitzer | Earrings: J.Crew Factory | Shoes: Target

Weekly Review | Weekend Happenings

Weekly Review: This was a big week, it was the first week of summer school which I can't believe has come and gone this fast already. Yesterday we went to a Luke Bryan concert which was amazing!

Weekend Happenings: This weekend Kyle and I are celebrating our five year anniversary a few weeks early in the Thousand Islands New York. We have a bunch planned and it's a place both of us have never been before so we are really looking into it.

Favorite things on the internet:
- Carly's Packing Tips: with my trip coming up this weekend I still use Carly's post from last year all about packing. The biggest thing I took from this post was to always keep a cosmetic bag packed with travel sized products. This is something I really do so that way I can just keep my everyday makeup bag home and just pack my travel one with no hassle.
- Prime Day: Amazon prime day is coming up next week and Kyle and I already have our eyes on a few things. Kyle really wants a good speaker and I'm sure he has a bunch of other things he wants but has not informed me yet.

Favorite finds:
- Dazzling Dreamer: This new nail dip color is so pretty and perfect for summertime. I really need to do a full post about how I do my own a&c nails because it has changed my life and I am obsessed with doing it.
-Yasso Ice cream bars- I don't eat much ice cream throughout the year but when it comes to summer I love it! I could eat it every night but that gets a little heavy on the hips but these Yasso ice cream bars are only 100 calories and a whole box of them is like 5$

My Favorite Skirt of Summer

This skirt is my favorite piece that I own for the summer. I wore this a lot to work while school was still in session because it is so light and airy that it was great when a classroom was super hot. I'm really short so a lot of times long skirts are never the right length for me, but on this one, the ruffle makes the hem shorter so it is the perfect length. 

This skirt can be worn in so many different ways which is another reason I love it. There are little hints of pink within the skirt but I love the crisp look of the white shirt paired with this top.

These two-toned earrings are from target and come in a bunch of different color combinations. I love the gold with the clear, the clear sort of blends in but because they only half and half, I think the only half gold makes them a little less in your face.

Skirt: J.Crew factory | Top: J.Crew factory | Sandals: Jack Rogers | Earrings: Target