date night in baltimore

a few nights ago, anthony and i got all dolled up for a night out on the town. we decided that since our time in baltimore is coming to an end, we should have one last shabang. while baltimore isn't my favorite city in the world (pittsburgh very clearly has my heart), it's been a fun place to live the past year. even though our apartment is a few miles outside of the city, we visited every so often. there are so many great restaurants at the inner harbor and never a shortage of yummy seafood. but it's safe to say i am more than ecstatic to be moving to dc. i'm such a city girl and can't wait to be living back downtown again. 

we decided to go to ale mary's for dinner because we just wanted some drinks and appetizers. they had a great draft menu (big plus for us) and a huge menu. they seemed to be all about the tator tots. like they had a whole section of the menu dedicated to just tots (!!) so we figured that we pretty much had to order some. we got the sweet potato ones and omg they were so amazing! we also ordered the crab dip and yes, i was in heaven. crab in any and all forms is my jam. 

i wore this new lacey coral dress i recently purchased from target. and i felt awesome. you know how there are just certain items in your closet that make you feel like your best self? well that's how i felt the minute i put on this dress. i love the bright orange color and fit is just right. it has a cute little belt that cinches at the waist and it paired great with my favorite nude heels and a pink necklace. i knew that simple accessories were the best way to go because i wanted the dress to be the main focal point of this look.

random and spontaneous date nights are the best. and i'm sure they are going to happen a lot more often this summer. living downtown combined with the fact that neither anthony and i will be in school for the first time since we started dated (hello, free time!) i know that we are going to have so much fun getting out and exploring dc. i can't believe that tomorrow is finally move in day!! wish us luck. i'm thankful to have my whole family coming to help out. hopefully we can make it at least a little bit fun ;)

happy friday, all! enjoy your weekend.

xxoo,

n

outfit details

dress: target (it comes it so many colors!)

heels: famous footwear

necklace: forever 21

clutch: vintage

sweetlife festival

over the weekend anthony and i went to the sweetlife music festival in columbia, md. sweetlife festival is sponsored by sweetgreen, a restaurant chain that features healthy and local options.  i heard about this festival because it's at one of our local venues (only about 10 minutes from our apartment) and lana del rey was one of the headliners. she is one of my absolute favorites of all time and i couldn't resist seeing her so close to home. as much as we'd like to-- we can't all go to coachella, now can we? 

we didn't get there until later in the afternoon, and almost immediately after our arrival it started pouring. we prayed that it would blow over, and eventually it did, but i was most definitely soaking wet for a large majority of the day, haha. i decided to keep it comfy in high waisted shorts and a simple top, but piled on the accessories. there was so much great fashion inspiration it was hard to not just go up to every girl in a flower crown and ask to take her picture (i resisted because, hello, creeeepy).

festival fashion is definitely one of my favorite types of outfit inspiration. i love the bohemian vibe that everyone gives off and the fact that most people aren't afraid to go a little bit out of their comfort zone. if there is ever a time to rock something a tad bit more on the dramatic side, it's at a summer music festival, and sweetlife definitely didn't disappoint. it's like a flashback to the seventies and allows us all to pretend that we're hippies for a day. and who could argue with that?

photo c/o sweetlife festival

we ate yummy food and drank lots of budweiser. we're not even going to talk about how much one can costs. okay, we are. $9! WHAT. it's like they knew how desperate i was to sing along to lana del rey with a red, white, and blue beer can in my hand that they knew i would pay the price no matter what it was. the sun eventually came out and dried us all off just in time for lana to come on stage. i had so much fun dancing and singing along to some of my most favorite songs. it was the perfect (almost) summer night. i've had this song stuck in my head ever since:

red, white, blue is in the sky 

summer's in the air and 

baby, heaven's in your eyes 

i'm your national anthem

have you been to any music festivals so far this year? i'd love to hear your go-to festival style tips!
xxoo,
n

outfit details
shorts + shirt: thrifted
bag: vintage
boots: target
jewelry: forever 21

denim diaries

over the weekend, anthony and i had our little sisters in town. and by "little" i mean 15 years old and (maybe) taller than me. both of them are awesome and hilarious and it was great hosting them in baltimore for a few days. we tried to jam pack as many fun things as possible in their less than 48 hour trip and i'm pretty sure that we succeeded. i've found that when having people visit for the weekend, equal parts rest and adventure is key. because as much as everyone loves a good brunch, sometimes you just need an extra hour or two of sleep on a saturday morning!

they both got here friday night, and we started off by ordering indian food and watching a movie. neither of them had ever tried indian food before (!!!!!) and there was no way we were letting that nonsense go on for another minute. indian is honestly probably my favorite kind of food ever. so we ordered a lotttt. ya know. for the sake of them trying as much as possible. not so i could eat more than half my weight in naan and curry.

saturday we woke up late and headed out to hampden-- an adorable neighborhood outside of baltimore. we browsed some antique stores, did some shopping, and ate at cafe hon for lunch. this little town is so cute and colorful i almost couldn't take it. i mean there were pastel houses on every corner; it doesn't get much better than that. it was the perfect scenery for a gorgeous spring day.

it was by pure coincidence that we all got dressed in varying forms of denim on saturday morning. whether it's chambry, skinny jeans, or a jacket-- we basically have all your denim bases covered here. and when we walked by this purple wall, i decided that it would pretty much be a sin if we didn't stop and take some outfit photos here. the blogger in me just couldn't resist this colorful backdrop and our coordinating looks. :)

the rest of the weekend was filled with duck pin bowling, yummy mexican food, and, of course, more shopping. i'm finding when it comes to hosting friends in town, its extremely difficult to find plans that don't include going to my favorite restaurants and clothing stores. i definitely need to be better about brainstorming things to do that are more creative (and better for the ol wallet). what's your favorite thing to do when a friend comes to town? i need some ideas!

i hope everyone had a great weekend. enjoy the rest of your monday!

xxoo,
n

outfit details
shirt: tj maxx
pants: buffalo exchange
jacket: avalon exchange
loafers: c/o duo
purse: h&m
jewelry: forever 21

vacation in paradise

so my first official week of work is almost over, and i couldn't be more happy with how it's gone so far. everyone in the office is great and i already know i am truly going to enjoy this job. now, on the other hand, the hour and a half commute to DC is a different story. the train is kicking my butt, and i have to wake up suuuuper early. but i'm trying to make the best of it! and at least i'll get a lot of reading done in these next few months :)

so while i sit at my desk, working 9-5, i'm dreaming of last week when i was on vacation in cancun and it was perfect. if you follow me on instagram, than you already know anthony and i had an amazing time in mexico. i put together a little photo diary with some of my favorite moments from the trip! sorry in advance for alllll of the photos, when i said "little" photo diary, what i really meant was "really unnecessarily long" photo diary. enjoy!





cancun is the bomb dot com. the water was turquoise, the weather was warm, and the pools were equipped with bars in the water so you didn't even have to get out!! talk about heaven on earth. i tried to take as many photos as i could because every single view was just beautiful. the resort we stayed at, oasis sens, was awesome. it was in a great location, all-inclusive, and everyone there was super friendly. we found a great deal on expedia a few months ago and we definitely felt like we got our money's worth.

there were multiple restaurants open through out the day, and all you had to do was walk in, get seated, order, eat, and leave! it was so weird not paying a bill at the end of the meal-- ha! it was nice to just relax and not worry about money while we were there, because everything was paid up front. we drank wine at the italian restaurant, magaritas at the mexican restaurant, and summery cocktails by the pool. YUM.

another awesome thing about the resort was the fact that there was nightly entertainment. there were burlesque dancers, piano players, acrobats, mayan dancers, and water performers. there was always something fun to do at the end of the day. music, drinks, dancing-- it was great to hang out and meet some other couples who were on vacation, too!

it was such a relaxing and fun and exciting and amazing week. vacations to tropical places in the middle of winter are magical.  i highly recommend it. well, now it's back to the real world! happy friday, all.

xxoo,
n

a day in nyc

last wednesday anthony and i hopped on the megabus and headed up to new york city for the day. the city is just so beautiful around the holidays we thought a day trip would be a perfect way to kick off our christmas break. it was only a 24 hour trip, but it couldn't have been more fun. we started our day at 5 am and grabbed some coffee for our bus ride up to new york. the weather was gorgeous, the sun was shining, and the temperatures were way higher than normal. we had no complaints. 

we still bundled up in layers to fight the winds and i wore my lovely (and extremely puffy) steve madden coat i picked up from burlington in pittsburgh when the weather started getting colder. burlington is truly the best place to buy a coat-- i mean come on, it is called a coat factory for a reason, people. i got this baby for quite the steal; only 50$! i love the color and it's perfect for keeping warm and dry in the winter rain and snow.

we arrived in the big apple around 10 am and our first stop of the day was a cute little bakery to pick up some breakfast. i got the most delicious almond croissant ever. they are one of my fave morning treats. we then reviewed our plan for the day. anthony had already made us an itinerary (he loves plans and scheduling if ya can't tell haha) and we had so many fun places to visit. next, we made our way to chelsea market to do some christmas shopping. we had quite a few little presents to pick up for some family members and were extremely successful. the inside of the market was beautiful all decorated for christmas.

i was glad i was wearing my favorite rain boots because the streets were super slushy and i was able to keep my feet nice and toasty. i got these from payless last year for a great price and they have served me very well. i always pair them with some knee socks, and these army green ones are awesome. i kept my outfit all neutral colors with a thrifted grey striped sweater and a patterned infinity scarf. to top it all off, i borrowed anthony's green messenger bag to carry around all my purchases for the day. and by the time we left, it was full to brim. who woulda thought? 

next on our list was the union square holiday market. we perused all the aisles while i restrained myself from buying every cute little knick-knack and trinket i came into contact with. there were mini buddhas and sugar skulls and hats and scarves and it was pretty much my own little personal heaven. after the market, we stopped off at a pub to grab a beer before hitting up some awesome vintage shops. i may have gone a little over board with shopping but hey, i was in new york city! what did you expect? ;)

after our shopping adventures, it was dinner time. we went to brother jimmy's barbecue and got a feast of yummy ribs, brisket, and chicken wings. moral of the story: we were two happy campers. the final stop of the trip was making our way over to madison square garden, to see the broadway version of a christmas story. it is anthony's favorite christmas movies of all time and he found an awesome groupon deal for two tickets to the show. we've seen a couple other broadway shows together, and this one definitely did not disappoint. all of the kids in the show were so amazingly talented and we were laughing so hard we were in tears. bravo!



after the show it was time to head back and catch our megabus home. we were so exhausted at this point we couldn't wait to sit down and take a nice long nap until we were back in baltimore. we had such an amazing trip, i honestly couldn't have asked for it to have gone better. we saw so many beautiful christmas trees, did so much holiday shopping, and just enjoyed taking in all of the breath taking sights that new york city has to offer.

we definitely want to keep up our yearly tradition of making a trip up to new york. the energy and beauty cannot be beat. 

xxoo,

n

outfit details

boots: payless

sweater: thrifted

jeans: american eagle

headband: forever 21

coat: steve madden via burlington

city of bridges

last weekend was a great one, and this one is bound to be even better. when anthony got into town on friday, we had an extremely picturesque pittsburgh day. the sun was shining, the sky was blue, and we spent the entire day outdoors exploring the city. i've been so busy on campus the past few weeks with school and work, i realized i haven't ventured outside of my little downtown bubble where my school is. it was nice to get off campus and enjoy some of my favorite things pittsburgh has to offer.

pittsburgh is famous for having the most bridges out of any city in the entire world. it has 446. crazy, right?! the bridges downtown are this cool yellow color dubbed "alohmon," a phrase combining the names of the three rivers that intersect downtown at point state park: allegheny, ohio, and monongahela. just a little pittsburgh history lesson in case you're interested. ha! this city is so dang awesome i can't even handle it sometimes. 

our first on the list of things to do was ice cream. because i clearly have an obsession with candy and sweets and pretty much all different kinds of food in general. we went to dream cream ice cream which is one of the best spots downtown. it's a little ice cream parlor that allows people with "dreams" to choose a fun flavor, and everytime that flavor is sold they give a portion of the sales to their cause! i got a cup of "fools gold" and helped support a girl who is running a marathon to benefit the leukemia & lymphoma society. like i needed more of a reason to eat ice cream! ;)

this shirt is my first time venturing into the world of peplum, and i must say: i love it! i got it at forever 21 a few weeks ago for suuuuper cheap. it's so simple and comfy. but makes me feel like i look a little more dressed up. i paired it with my fave gray skinnies and my brand new boots. i got these babies on amazon for 30$. i also have a prime account, so all i had to do was click "purchase" and two days later they were at my door! man, i love the internet. i've been doing A LOT of online shopping lately. hehe.

the next part of our adventure was visiting the andy warhol museum. andy warhol was from pittsburgh, and it's the largest museum in the world featuring a single artist! this place is so cool. andy warhol was super unique and creative and the museum does a kick ass job at displaying that. i've included some of my favorite pieces in this post so you could see.

i would seriously love to decorate my house with warhol as inspiration. it's so bright and colorful. each floor had a different colored wall. and these skull paintings were my ultimate favorite. what are some of your favorite museums? pittsburgh has so many cool ones within walking distance. and with my school id i get free entry! sweeeeet.

spending the day out and about doing some of my favorite pittsburgh things made me fall in love with this city all over again. living in baltimore this summer was great, but i'm happy to be back in pittsburgh, the first big city i ever lived in, as well as my first home away from home. even though i don't plan on living here forever, pittsburgh will always hold a special place in my heart.

this coming weekend is going to be filled with wedding fun! i'm excited. as usual, thanks for reading.

xxoo,

n

outfit details

peplum top: forever 21

boots: dwds shoes

jeans: tj maxx

purse: urban outfitters

necklace: forever 21