summer

Summer Goodness

Miscellaneous

I’m being a typical girl when I say this, but where has the time gone!? I can’t believe it’s mid July already! Two seconds ago it was May 19 and I was running the Cleveland Half Marathon with an entire summer before me. Now I’m sitting here on July 16 with a full calendar of events every single weekend between now and Labor Day.

This summer has been awesome — even as I started my big kid job this past month and was officially welcomed into the 40+ hour work week. (P.S. What did I do with myself before I started working full time?!) So since I’ve been feeling like a real adult lately (although I could do without the car payment) my mom and I decided to throw a wine tasting party last Saturday. Pinterest was a huge source of inspiration – check out my Wine Tasting Party Board.

We sent out super cute party invites to guest (which I had a few pictures of, but two weeks ago I ran over my cell phone with my own car — and no, alcohol was not even involved surprisingly). We ended up having around 30 guest Saturday night, and the theme quickly changed from a wine tasting to more of a wine social. By the peak of the night, we probably had 40+ bottles of wine at the “tasting” area.

Beginning of the night.

– Beginning of the night

The party was a blast though. We had grape vine lights strung up as decorations, along with cute wine quotes in pretty frames, plus the weather was gorgeous. The week of the tasting Chardon was actually going on 16 straight days of rain. It was miserable. But the wine gods were shining on us Saturday and the sun was out.

1 of 5 outside tables

– 1 of 5 outside tables

We ended up with a ton of food, even though we supplied a majority of it. Red velvet cup cakes with little frosted grapes on them (they took forever to make), veggie cups, homemade pepperoni roll, a giant platter of sushi, cheese and crackers and of course enough wine to fill a pond. Nothing was better than sitting out on a deck sipping wine with my best friends, gossiping and chatting about everything under the sun. My girlfriends and I all vowed to host a wine or BBQ event once a week from now on. Stay tuned as to how that one plays out.

Food table with a gorgeous rainbow fruit salad

– Food table with a gorgeous rainbow fruit salad

Up next on the summer list looks like Painesville’s Party in the Park event this Saturday, followed by a 5-miler called The Johnny Cake Jog. The weekend after that looks like a

An overview of the decor

An overview of the decor

trip to Put-N-Bay, then Vintage Ohio Wine Festival and a Miranda Lambert concert. Oh plus I think I’m convinced the boyfriend to do a Biathlon with me on August 25. The Biathlon includes a three mile run and a 12 mile bike ride. Check out the 2013 Bellefaire JCB Biathlon & Walk.

Hope everyone’s summer is going just as awesome as mine. If you’re in Northeast Ohio like me — enjoy it now, because we don’t get to 85 percent of the year because of the snow.

Keep Running!

My Summer Uniform.

Miscellaneous

As summer rounds to a close and I start eyeing adorable fall fashion, I think back to my summer staples. Here is a list of my 2012 summer duds that helped complete a great summer.

A black tank dress. Mine is in black with tiny white stripes on it, Old Navy clearance rack (around l2 bucks, great right?) A plan black dress will work as well, but it needs to be flowy and loose.

I wore my dress to the boyfriend’s family reunion this summer. I wore a thick black belt to dress it up, and once I changed into my bathing suit, I slipped the dress back on but left the belt off. Voilá! Instant bathing suit cover-up. The boyfriend’s sister even asked “is that the same dress you had on before?” You can easily dress up or dress down a classic black tank dress.

White shorts and wedges. I love this look. It’s a regular ‘night out at the bars’ look for me. I’m not a fan of shorts and high heels though. Not a lot of girls can pull it off. You have to have toned legs and small thighs and although I run and workout a lot, I probably wouldn’t attempt it. Instead I pair the shorts with nude wedges. (Plus wedges are way easier to walk in than heels, right?) Every guy loves a girl in the summer with tan legs and white shorts, plus nude shoes always make your legs look longer.

The Infamous Kim Kardashian sporting the look.

The Infamous Kim Kardashian sporting the look.

I am obsessed with large statement necklaces. Heck, I might even carry this trend over into fall! Nothing brings an outfit more together than a great necklace. But be careful not to pair a great necklace with an outfit that doesn’t need it. I have a lot of girlfriends who tend to over accessorize, and then their potentially cute outfit just looks mangled. Instead focus on just the necklace. What color looks good against it? What neckline would highlight it? This summer I have been obsessed with a large turquoise necklace my roommate got me. I often paired it with bright shades of blue and plum. Together the two colors look artistic, put together and a perfect outfit for a summer date night.

Blazers. I am a fan of pretty much any style or color of blazer because it makes you look confident and savvy. However, this summer I was really into my white and navy blue striped blazer. It might have been the summer look and feel to it, but I often paired it with navy blue bottoms and then pulled my hair up into a ballerina bun. I would wear a long strand of pearls with this look a lot too. This combo is perfect for the office or for just walking around shopping. My blazer had elbow length sleeves so I could still stay cool while wearing it in the summer.

So there’s a brief rundown of my 2012 summer staples. I’ll get a bit more use out of them this summer, at least until Labor Day.

I cannot wait to see what H&M has for its fall collection. Maybe I’ll write a fall preview of fall staples – probably not though. I’m good at knowing what looks good on, not predicting it. I believe you have to know what style your body shape can rock. If you can’t rock it or you don’t feel confident, ditch it. (The same rule applies to men.)

What’s your summer fashion go to?

Nothing Sweeter Than Summertime.

Miscellaneous

“There’s a wild, wild whisper blowing in the wind, calling out my name like a long lost friend. Oh I miss those days as the years go by, oh nothing sweeter than summertime.”

American Honey by Lady Antebellum is by far one of my favorite country songs. I might even go so far as to say it’s my favorite summer anthem. This song takes me back to memories of sitting around a bonfire, driving with the windows down, laying on a beach laughing with my friends and sitting out on a patio on a warm summer night.

This song reminds me of this past summer (summer 2011 was absolutely amazing – I met the BF, lived with two of the funnest girls I know and had a killer internship) but this song also brings me back to the summers of my childhood. Running barefoot in the grass, swimming at night in my best friend’s pool, catching fireflies, entire summers filled with softball games, popsicles and trying to keep up with my brothers (since they were older and sooo cool.) I guess this songs reminds me that no matter how old you get, no matter how bad the winter was, no matter how much you think you’ve changed — the simple joys of summer can bring you back to where you belong.

No wonder I have seasonal depression. Summer is by far my favorite time of year, the memories associated with it are so sweet and so pure.

The BF and I made a quick sketch of a summer bucket list the other day, so I’ve been thinking about summer memories a lot. Starting this weekend, my summer 2012 activities kick into full swing and I cant wait to live and be a part of the memories made this summer. It all starts this Friday when I get to see this little cutie at Blossom Music Center…

Brad Paisley!

I’m going to the concert with the BF and two of my roommates and we’re meeting the girls from high school there. Yes, I am not above drinking in a field in a flannel shirt on the back of a tailgate. This is what country music and summer is all about!

The following weekend is my future sister-in-law’s bachelorette party followed by a full-out family reunion the next weekend for the actual wedding. After that is a blur of 4th of July parties, fireworks, the Tree City 5K, the BF’s family reunion, a concert at Rocking on the River, my last friend to turn 21 (complete with a party bus to Cleveland), Party in the Park, the Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney concert, a weekend trip to Put-N-Bay, Cedar Point and oh ya my college GRADUATION!

In the back of my mind I think about graduation and becoming an adult — you know getting a real job, becoming super responsible, having my life figured out… Before I know it August 11 will be here. Does graduation suddenly mean I’m an adult and can’t enjoy summer anymore? No. I’ve come to understand that I have forever to grow up and become an adult and worry about the future. In a quote from the TV show “How I met your mother” I’m going to let future Cassandra worry about the future. So for now I’m going to enjoy all the simpleness and joys that summer has to offer, and it starts by drinking a margarita on my back patio right here, right now.

Yep, there really is nothing sweeter than summertime and the memories attached to it, but more importantly are the people who share in and are a part of those memories.

Happy summer, happy girl. Keep running!