Red, White, and Hearts and Found

Happy Fourth of July, everyone! I've honestly felt more conflicted than usual about celebrating the Fourth this year, and I wasn't even sure if I wanted to mark the holiday with a post. As I said last year, I'm not much of a flag-waver.

Babymoon: A Walk in the Park

I'm still playing catch-up in the ongoing quest to document all my Chicago adventures, so it's time for another installment of food-and-sightseeing Stuff We Did. Jeff and I enjoyed last year's staycation so much that we decided to revisit the idea for a mini-babymoon last month. Needless to say, our babymoon itinerary was all about good food and interesting local destinations, and we started off on a high note: with Frontera Grill and some relaxed sightseeing around downtown Chicago.

21 Things I'm Thankful For

This year has tested my natural optimism quite a bit. Recently, I wrote about my journey to accept my feelings of sadness and anxiety. And while I do think it's crucially important to learn to be ok with not feeling ok or upbeat all the time, I also make it a habit to consciously look for the bright side.

It's Bumpin'

If I'm perfectly honest, one of the things I was most concerned about after I got pregnant (after the baby's health of course!) was how I'd live without my wardrobe for months on end. After all, I've put serious effort into assembling an A-Team of brightly printed, cheery, full-skirted dresses and skirts.

Pirate Treasure

What does my favorite neighborhood mural have to do with a pirate-print Trashy Diva dress? Well...nothing, unless 'both things make me happy' counts.

A Star Wars Ethical Dilemma

Well, it's happened: I'm grappling with my first parenting-related ethical dilemma, and I have no idea what to do. No, this isn't about whether to use cloth or disposable diapers, or whether to cosleep, or anything like that. My dilemma involves a much weightier issue: raising a child in the post-Star Wars-prequel era.

Review: Trashy Diva Birds of a Feather

One of my favorite places at the Field Museum is the birds collection. It's always a hotbed of activity and there's usually something nifty to see, whether it's eggs collected near Shelter Island in the 19th century, rainbow-bright stuffed birds from all over the world, or a live peregrine falcon accompanying its owner to work. So when Trashy Diva released their latest collection, Birds of a Feather, I was flying high! (Sorry.) And with a dress in my all-time favorite TD cut, the circle Day Dress, this collection felt like it was meant to be.

Chicago Botanic Garden

Chicago is filled with breathtaking sights, from Lake Michigan to the historical architecture all over the city, but one of my very favorite things about living here is all of the green space. It's quite a change from Los Angeles to have so many public parks and open space in the very heart of the city, and I'm always so charmed by all the flowers planted along the city's streets.

It's ok to not be ok.

I spend a LOT of time trying to maintain a positive attitude. Usually, this is great: I've found that focusing on happy thoughts helps to keep anxiety at bay, and helps me to dwell on what I have rather than what I've lost or wish I had.

Lately, though, I've found that it's much harder to maintain my usual equilibrium. This year has brought some truly difficult times, which have made even the happiest moments bittersweet. While I haven't lost hope for improvements on one front, I'm still mourning for the days when my family was still more whole than it currently is, and still coming to terms with losing my grandma.

Berry Chantilly Hopscotch

Every time Trashy Diva releases a new collection, I drop everything, flail around in excitement for a little while, and order immediately. Every time, that is, except once. The Berry Chantilly release coincided with my unintentional hiatus from the internet, so I discovered that the new collection had dropped several days after the fact. The horror! Thankfully, my new favorite cut, the Hopscotch, was still in stock in my size, so this tale has a happy ending.