Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer.
We were invited to my friend’s wedding in Wilmington, NC over Labor Day Weekend this year and decided to turn it into an end-of-summer family vacation. We brought Nick’s mom, brother and sister-in-law with us. We played in the ocean, had a date night, went to the aquarium, and attended the wedding, and a great time was had by all!
It’s too dang hot out here.
We spent Saturday morning at the beach. It was Sebastian’s first time, but he loves sand and water so we figured he would have a blast. At first, he was not having it. You can see in the photo above that he thought it was just too damn hot outside. He’s very much like his father that way. He wasn’t sure what to think about the ocean or the waves, and he was a little afraid at first, especially when the tide would roll out and his feet would sink into the sand. He was not a fan of that at all. However, he liked the water when it wasn’t knocking him over, and of course he loved the sand. The beach is one giant sandbox, after all. Toward the end of the morning, he was feeling much more brave and started running toward the waves!
In Durham, where I live, breweries and bottle shops are very dog and family friendly. Most of the breweries have areas separate from the bar where parents can gather with their friends and kids to have a beer and play a few board games. Some of them even have nice outdoor spaces where kids can run around while parents hang out with their pals. I’m thankful for this because it allows Nick and me to go out for a drink last-minute without having to find a babysitter. And after a ridiculously long week, that’s exactly what we did. We headed to a small bottle shop near our house with Sebastian in tow. And this is the outfit I wore!
Regardless of how family friendly it was, I still felt a little like this:
We weren’t out for very long, maybe an hour at most. I had one glass of wine, and Sebastian slept most of the time so I don’t feel bad about it. But I did want to feel like I was actually going out instead of having a drink at home in my pajamas so I grabbed this new pair of jeans I got from a recent Stitch Fix. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the frayed hemline of these jeans but I slowly warmed up to them. While these may not be the first pair of jeans I reach for, I definitely wear them a bunch. And I will probably wear them even more now that the weather is starting to cool down ever so slightly.
A few weeks after Nick, Sebastian, and I went to the bottle shop together, we met up at the bottle shop with our neighbors who have a kid who is slightly older than Sebastian. It was a fun time all around. I’m sure the bottle shop won’t be the last crazy place we take our baby.
True story:
Where’s the craziest place you’ve taken your baby?
Shirt: via Le Tote | Jeans: via Stitch Fix | Shoes: Banana Republic | Necklace: Old Navy | Watch: Target | Clutch: Nordstrom
Nick and I went out on a double date a few weeks ago for wine and cocktails, and this is what I wore. These coated denim jeans just scream “going out” to me… so much so that I rarely reach for them during the day. They also feel more appropriate for fall, probably because they *kind of* look like leather (if you squint your eyes really hard) so maybe I’ll wear them more during the day once the weather starts to cool down a bit.
Y’all, I bought these shoes on super sale at Banana Republic back when they were having their 50% off of the already 50% off sale. AND on top of that, we got an additional 10% off with Nick’s employee discount and yet I still managed to pay $40 for them. I rarely purchase shoes from BR because they only carry my size online and we can’t use our discount online. Someone returned these beauties to the store so that’s how I was able to snatch them up. A sincere thank you to whomever did that!
I almost wrote that this is the first time I’ve ever worn snake skin print on my shoes but I just remembered a time in high school when I had a pair of red snake skin shoes very similar to these and I wore them with a shiny pleather skirt and a redish-purple sweater with feathers around the neck and sleeves. It was very Cher-esque from “Clueless” and I freakin’ loved that outfit!
This top is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I’ve worn it a bunch since I got it. In fact, you’ll see it again soon. I also bought it in green! I’m a big supporter of buying multiples when you find something you really like.
THESE SHOES THO!
Here’s the fun one: Say Cheese!
Blouse: Target | Jeans & Shoes: Banana Republic | Clutch: Nordstrom | Necklace: Old Navy
Linking up with Charming Friday | Tucker Up | Mix & Match Fashion | The Tiny Heart
Nick and I don’t usually make a big deal out of Valentine’s Day. In fact, our usual tradition is to eat dinner at Chipotle (or somewhere similar) on Valentine’s because it’s less crowded and we’re of the mind that we don’t need Hallmark to sell us a day to show our love. BUT, with me being away at school so much these past two years, Nick decided it would be a nice, romantic date night opportunity.About a month ago, he told me not to make any plans for Valentine’s because he already did. Nick doesn’t plan things like this very often (if ever) so I was pleasantly surprised. He wouldn’t tell me where we were going or what we were doing – except that we were going to dinner but he wouldn’t tell me where – because it was a surprise, but he did tell me I could dress up. So, only knowing that we were having dinner but nothing else, I put together two outfits and told Nick to pick the most appropriate one. I chose a nice blouse and pants for outfit #1 and a really cute dress for outfit #2.
Scroll through to see the outfits in more detail, and at the bottom, you’ll see what we did and which outfit he chose!
Our date was dinner at Taberna Tapas, a delicious and authentic Spanish restaurant serving small & large plates, including charcuterie and paella, and then a comedy show at the Carolina Theatre featuring Maria Bamford! I had mentioned to Nick as soon as I found out she was playing in our city that I wanted to go see her and he remembered! (And he doesn’t remember ANYTHING!)
The dress! Nick said he liked both outfits but this was his favorite of the two, so it’s what I wore.
We had a great time and I’m really glad we celebrated Valentine’s this year. And the best part was, as we were leaving the theatre, it was snowing! It didn’t last long, and it was REALLY cold and windy, but there was something a little magical about it.
Which look is your favorite? Did you celebrate Valentine’s Day?
Outfit 1: Blouse: miami via Francesca’s | Pants: Old Navy | Shoes: Christian Siriano via Payless | Bracelet: Old Navy | Earrings: gift from my MIL
Outfit 2: Dress: Soprano via Nordstrom Rack |Belt: Target | Tights: Banana Republic | Booties: Target | Bracelet & Necklace: Old Navy | Earrings: gift from my MIL
Linking up with More Pieces of Me | Still Being Molly | InDUFFinitely Me | Because Shanna Said So | The Pleated Poppy | Tucker Up | The Tiny Heart | Mix & Match Fashion | The Penniless Socialite
Hi, I’m Nikki. This is where I blog about my life and personal style. I’m a wife and mom, public health professional, sushi lover, wine enthusiast, and coffee snob. Welcome to my little corner of the world where I try to lead by example!
