On Sunday, we went for brunch at one of our favorite spots, Parker and Otis, a little restaurant and giftshop in the historic downtown area of Durham. We love that they use fresh, local ingredients. That’s very common in Durham, though; it’s very much a wonderful foodie town. Parker and Otis have so much wonderful stuff that it’s almost overwhelming. But you can go in and order a yummy breakfast or lunch (or in our case, brunch) and then browse through all of the candies, knick-knacks, cards, wine, and cooking paraphernalia while you wait.

They have lovely seating inside and out. Sunday was a bit gloomy as far as the clouds go, but it wasn’t too hot or humid so we were able to comfortably sit outside and enjoy our meal.

I got a grilled pimento cheese with bacon on sourdough bread. Their homemade cole slaw is the default side, and it’s delicious. If you’re not familiar with pimento cheese then you are missing out. It’s an indulgent spread made of various cheeses, mayonnaise, and pimentos. Everyone has their own recipe and most are very delicious. Parker and Otis’ pimento cheese is also very good!

Nick got a grilled banana, peanut butter, and bacon panini with a side of fresh fruit.

We had a visitor while we ate: this cute little guy!

Lots of scrumptious candies and food stuffs. And a coffee bar

I told Nick that I want to make a chandelier just like this. I mean, really, how amazing is this? I think it’s just beautiful!

Cook books galore! And plenty of pots and pans and other cooking utensils.

The area around Parker & Otis is very industrial because the majority of the buildings in the area were warehouses used for tobacco processing.

This is what I wore for our little outing. Can you think of anything more comfortable than these drapey pants? They looked great when I wore them out and were super comfortable when I got home and kicked off the wedges to sit at my computer and get some school work done.

That’s it for our little outing. I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the cool things Durham has to offer!

Shirt: Gap (old)
Cardigan: Old Navy
Pants:Old Navy
Wedges: American Eagle by Payless
Necklace: Hawthorne Collection (online)
Handbag: Franco Sarto via Ross

If there’s anything we enjoy more than air conditioning in the summer, it’s a yummy Food Truck Rodeo! Durham has delicious food trucks and, being the somewhat novice foodies that we are, we love most of them. This food truck rodeo was in Raleigh but many of the same trucks we know and love were there so it was completely worth it. It was a beautiful day for standing in line for greasy, melty food! Unfortunately, I let myself get too hungry so the only thing I could think of when we arrived was getting some food. And I ate it so fast that I didn’t get any photos. But I did get some photos of some of the best trucks.

Food truck rodeo crowd.

This is Only Burger (below) and it is AMAZING! It is one of the many restaurants that started out as a truck but was so good and so popular that they were able to -open a brick-and-mortar restaurant (that is conveniently located near our house!) which is also very popular. It’s my favorite burger, and the only one I request when we’re in the mood for burgers!

Only Burger… when only the best will do.

American Meltdown has yummy grilled cheese of all varieties.

American Meltdown Gourmet Melts

The Parlour Ice Cream (truck below) is the best ice cream I’ve ever had in my entire life. I’ve written about ice cream dates before because it’s my favorite place. It’s another one of the amazing establishments that started out as a truck and became so popular that they were able to open a brick-and-mortar. You can probably tell from the photo below that there’s a long line for their ice cream and their store is actually no different. There’s always a line outside the door each time we go there. If you’re ever in Durham, NC and find yourself in the mood for some ice cream, Th Parlour is the place to go.

The Parlour Ice Cream

This food truck (below) is Chirba Chirba and they have yummy dumplings. Any time they’re around, you can count on a line that stretches a mile long for their dumplings. The really disappointing the about them is that the line is super long and you have to wait forever. Even though they’re good, we don’t usually have the patience to wait.

Chirba Chirba

Chirba Chirba menu

How do you feel about food trucks? Do you or would you eat from them?

I know I’m a little late for a Mother’s Day post but here it is anyway! I usually see my mom {and dad} about once a month since I live several hours away from my hometown. When school started, my time with my parents was reduced to about once every other month when I would have a break. Needless to say, I was really glad I got to spend Mother’s Day with my mom. The family went out for an early dinner and then frozen yogurt, and kept it very low-key, so this is what I wore. My mom was just glad that we could all be together. Now I can’t wait for Father’s Day!

I should’ve mentioned this sooner but this week is finals week at school. My exams actually started on Friday, but I have two more exams and a 10-page paper due by Wednesday. Needless to say, things will be a little quiet until then. I hope you’ll stick around, though! Here’s a peak at what I’ve been wearing to study.

top & earrings: old navy | shorts: Gap

top and skirt: target

top: conversation pieces | shorts: Gap

Happy Sunday!

This may sound strange, but I don’t know how to dress for graduate school. Dressing for work in an office was easy because I knew what was expected and what was appropriate; I wore pencil skirts, trousers, and cute heels and I had a lot of fun putting together different combinations. But grad school is different, at least for me, because it’s much more casual and anything goes, but casual has never really been my forte. Also, I tend to look much younger than my actual age (of 29) when I dress down, so I have trouble dressing casually for my age without looking like a teenager or a soccer mom. So, here is my take on dressing casually for my age and lifestyle. It’s comfortable but still put together. Unfortunately, it started raining so I changed into flats and didn’t get any photos with them.

Let’s talk about these shoes. They’re from Banana Republic and I coveted them for weeks because the color is great and the heel height is PERFECT but my size is only available online, which means I have to pay full price (can’t use Nick’s discount on the internet, boo!). By the time I was ready to purchase them, they were gone. Like, completely taken off the site. No “out of stock” notifications or anything. I was crushed. I checked every other day to see if they were back in stock. Finally, they were back BUT for $8 more than their original price! Ugh, give me a break, Banana. I purchased them as soon as I could, and considered getting a pair in all the other colors (black, white, and coral/snakeskin) but decided against it because I’m a poor grad student. And every time I try to wear them, it rains. I cannot catch a break with these things. #firstworldproblems

It all looks adorable with this trench, though, so it was totally worth it.

And here’s the fun one:

 Linking up with More Pieces of Me | Perfectly Coutured  | Walking in Heels In Memphis | Mix and Match Fashion | Stylin’ in St. Louis| Vodka Infused Lemonade