Goodbye, Summer 2020

Since Summer is over calendar-wise I wanted to recap the highlights here publicly so I can remember them especially since it was a Covid summer. Here ya go:

PIB. I've never been to Put in Bay before. I went with some of Brendan's friends at the beginning of summer. I think it was the only "trip" I went on. It was the ideal combo of drinking, sun, games,  and feeling like you were on vacation. 

New glasses. I am too lazy to put on contacts 99% of the time so I treat getting new glasses as a pretty big deal because I wear them all the time. 2 out of 3 of my most recent pairs have been from See and after I got a new prescription I knew I wanted to get my new ones from there. My eye doctor appointment was made pre-Covid and I didn't want to reschedule it because when I made it months ago my eyes were feeling really weird. The pair I got isn't online but they're half tortoiseshell and half clear acrylic.  

looking for my sunglasses. photo cred: Han

Getting Married. Brendan and I got married 7.25.2020. I was kinda worried about transitioning into married life but it has been seamless (maybe because I haven’t thought about it too much)! Before getting married if I was at Brendan’s place more than a few hours I would feel homesick. I’ll do a separate post or two about the actual day at some point. 

Bren driving the big truck

Moving. My little apartment on  Goodale Park was the first time I've ever lived by myself and I loved it! I loved my little place and loved being in walking distance of everything I did. It was TBD if I would just keep it or not when I got married until literally like 3 weeks before the wedding. I forget how it went down but I think I was just like lets do this about me moving to Dayton. I always couldn't stand Brendan's place and would never select to live there lol. I think its because you can't walk anywhere, the windows look on to a parking lot, it's a condo so other people are like right near you, there's basically nothing redeeming about it but after living here somehow I am slightly fond of it. Like I still can't think of anything I like about it but maybe its more of like the structure of where you live doesn't need to impact your life that much? I actually couldn't wait to get back when I was in Columbus the other weekend. I know, weird. 

New Maronite Parish. This has been my favorite thing about post getting married life. I was looking for a place that had evening daily Mass and found this Maronite Rite church super close that had a 5:30 one. The first time I went to Mass there it was just me and one other girl. Twice it has been just me (this has never happened to me pre this place!) it was really cool. I won't even try to explain the differences between the Maronite Rite and Roman Rite, part of the reason why I am so excited by it I think is like learning about the liturgical calendar and different dioceses and stuff. I love the liturgy so much, each day of the week has prayers specific to that day of that season. Brendan is a big fan too we hum the tunes from Mass a lot and St. Charbel has become a running thing. On Sundays (because of COVID) they have an outside Mass and there is a speaker so you can hear really well and the altar has a little tent over it and everything is still super reverent and the people are in front of their parking spaces mostly or in the grass.

Most worn article of clothing: Crocs by far. They are the only shoes I have worn besides the like 5 times I have worn Jacks. I ordered them after seeing the singer of this band that was playing in Bourbon Street Cafe wear them and like jump up and down and they looked comfy. This was right before everything shut down so super glad that happened. The only new things I've gotten are this really long and super comfy Amazon dress and Brendan got me this comfy Free People dress that I've been wearing. 

Shows watched: The only show I've watched the whole thing of is Yellowstone. I also watched a ton of Below Deck Med when it was on some weekend. I had never seen it before. I wouldn't necessarily recommend Yellowstone but I also got super into it. Rip is my fave guy in a show in a while.

Books read: Becoming, The Perfect Couple and Legacy (needed to read for work)

Movies watched: An Education, Us, Irresistible, Run This Town (I had never heard of Rob Ford lol), Late Night, Fatima, and 20th Century Women. 

One Piece Swimsuit Ideas

since it was above 50 degrees one day I've been obsessively planning what bathing suits I want to get this year. I didn't get any new ones last year and one of my fave ones from the year before got destroyed by the washing machine (I 100% take responsibility for this because I never read care instructions, I just throw everything in). bathing suits have to be the hardest thing to order online for me, actually the only difficult clothing or accessory thing besides eyeglasses. but as long as returns are easy trial and error isn't too much of a hassle.

I'm going to continue adding suits to this list as I find ones I like this season, so check back!

First up I have my fave one piece options that are currently out there. A plain black scoop back one piece has been on my to by list for a while but I'm still waiting to find the perfect one. 

dunes one piece / reformation $148

I'm only including this one because it is my absolute favorite because it's currently only available in an xs. you can select to be on the waitlist for the other sizes but in my experience i've never been contacted that something has come back in stock. I love how this looks like a ballet leo/ bodysuit and the leg isn't too high and the scoop back is exactly the scoop back i'm looking for. you can justify the price if it fits perfectly and if you can also wear it with jean shorts to music festivals.

one shoulder one piece / a+f $48

this looks super cute on everyone I've seen it on. If you like stripes they also have a black stripe version that is fun. 

stripe cross back bandeau one piece / jcrew $110

this is too classy for me I think but I'm obsessedddd with this back, I love how structured it looks! it comes in red & white too which I think I prefer, but that color combo didn't have an on model image. 

ribbed one piece / a + f $58

At first I was unsure about all the textured bathing suits but now I am all about them. here's another abercrombie suit option. If I don't like the one I ordered from jcrew I'll probs get this one. again, this would look super cute with levi 501s which I could def see myself wearing a lot this summer. 

kulani kinis one piece swim suit / asos $79

pretty sure my stomach is def too huge for this but LOVEE. I love the vintage look, the perfect scoop and it would look great if you were super tan. asos is your best bet IMO if you're looking for lots of different swim options at low price points they have like a million things.

limonada one piece / for love and lemons $207

I feel obligated to always include for love and lemons whenever I do bathing suit picks. the little off the shoulder shawl part of this suit is actually removable so you could also wear it like a plain strapless bathing suit if you want. super cute back, this is an exception to my "flat things only" bathing suit rule. I like being able to easily wear my suit under clothes so I don't usually like ties or anything but it's also fun to have like a "fun suit" option I guess.

the 1989  scoop back swimsuit / jcrew $98 

this classic suit has stellar reviews. again, if the one I got from jcrew doesn't work out this one is on my to get list. The black color is my fave. The one I got has a lower back and smaller straps but kinda regretting it lol, it hasn't arrived yet.

seersucker lace up back swim suit / jcrew $110

I've always loved seersucker suits! love the criss cross back on this one because it makes the seersucker look the opposite of baby ish.

Swimsuit Search

The first moment that it hits 60+ I get so excited for summer and picturing myself and my friends in the summer usually leads to me realizing I need a new swimsuit. Here are my faves in no particular order.......

Tulim Top + Matching Bottom 

Would look uber chic (isn't weird how Uber probably over took over #1 place of what you think of when you hear that word) with a wide brim hat. Can't get enough of the off the shoulder even though it doesn't look nearly as good on me.

Marysia Antibes Bikini Top + Matching Bottom
Funnn tan lines. Scallops are always a sweet detail (sweet like aww baby sheep not like slang that I over use). Old Navy has a very similar one in teal for only $40 for the whole suit.

Valencia Bikini Top + Matching Bottom 

I do not think For Love & Lemons is overpriced because the details are really unmatched/ overall appeal is unmatched (at least by anything I've seen). This suit would look cute under overalls.

Halter Crop Bikini Top + Matching Bottom
Huge fan of the high neck crop tops. I got this suit the other day and really like it, the top runs a tad small. New favorite bathing suit that I own.

Dolly Top and Matching Bottom
This is cute because of the colors, and the neoprene, and the potential tan lines.

Sol Searcher High Neck Low Back Swimsuit
Hi high neck again. One pieces look weird on me because my stomach looks prego but they're cute on other people. I'd pair this with high waisted jean shorts and no shoes.

Surf Bralette and Matching Bottom
If I get another bathing suit this year, this will be it. Love the back how there are no crazy straps and love the neon lotus color. This would look cute with a rash guard too (such as this) if you needed to save yourself from getting even more fried or if you needed to cover up any tats at any time.

Celia Top and Matching Bottom
Rey Swimwear is dope cause it's modest and goes the retro glamour route which is probably the best for modest swimwear to go. This suit just screams cute, love the color combo. #modestishottest

Solid & Striped Morgan Bikini Top and Matching Bottom

Snaps for this olive color, I got a bodysuit from American Apparel in this color the other day and have been wearing it to death. The fit, seams, etc. are perfect on this. 

Stripe Cropped Bikini Top and Matching Bottom
Eeek this F21 suit is just too cute. I love the off shoulder trend like a lot. 

Summer Essentials

Since summer officially started a little over 20 days ago after much thought I wanted to share with you my 8 keys to having a great summer.

Turbans

These are so perfect on days when you can get by just using dry shampoo instead of showering. The ones with any wire in them at all give me a headache, and ones that are too wrappy/ complicated to figure out how to put on I know I will not realistically wear so I usually stay away from those. I wear this one all the time, it is polyester so it looks silky and dressier than cotton ones. I'm super jelly because it is on sale for $3.99 now! Also like this one or this. I usually wear my hair down with some sea salt spray if it's wavy, straighten it if I am doing something/have time, or pseudo fish tail it when I wear a turban.

T-Shirt Dresses

T Shirt dresses are mine and apparently 2/5's of the population's summer uniform. I usually wear mine with Jacks. I don't know what it is about Brandy Meville, the one size, or maybe it is me really wanting to be 15 but I am addicted to the Luana Top (worn as a dress). This is the only item on my bday wish list.

Madewell

 Bento Boxes

This thing is single handedly responsible for actually getting me to pack my lunch (almost) everyday and being excited about it. I like to switch up putting yogurt, Annie's Cheddar Bunnies, olives, stuffed grape leaves, cheese cubes, hummus, pita, hard boiled egg, chocolate covered espresso beans, blueberries, or pepper slices in it. I got one that has 5 compartments, 2 being slightly larger and it has worked perfectly. This is the one I got it's from LunchBots. Also, I got the Bento Box from Nida's Sushi at North Market to check out my lunch box's namesake without having any idea what was in it and it was really good.


Partially Eaten

Tassel Jewelry

I am minimalist when it comes to jewelry and only like things that can be worn 24/7 but still think anything with a tassel is really fun for summer in addition to whatever you normally wear. You can find the bracelet shown below here. I've been wanting these earrings for a bit FYI.

Bernadette Shades

Do big sunglasses make anyone else feel like they are incognito? Big sunglasses are perfect for when you want to be able to stare at people without judgment and for when you want to feel invisible in a non weird way. I love these ones from ASOS.

Stacey Bendet

Temp Tatts

This is just a given. Temp tats make any outfit/mood/day way better. You can even get one when you get HCT. Tattly is still my favorite place to get them but you can get them pretty much anywhere now Target, Forever 21 etc.

Hot Dog

Movies that are so bad they're good

 I cannot wait for Sharknado 3. Some other great bad movies are The Dogfather, Bug Off, and Primal. If you're in Columbus, OH Studio 35 has a Bad Movie Night. Classic summer.

Runsies

Lululemon came up with these great things (Runsies) that are essentially running rompers with a skirt over the shorts. I got the black one, my little has the white printed one. They are sooo comfortable and lightweight. The skirt has pockets and the shorts have pockets that aren't loose so you can keep a key while running in there. I need to find a thin back sport bra to go with it, because that is the one downside there isn't a built in bra and I don't like ones that are too big in the back.