ruined by the rain

So today I wore this adorable vintage shirtdress to work - see it here, as you're not going to see it at all in the post today. And why is that, you may ask? Because it's soaking wet! My supervisor at the office took me and a few of the other interns to the state capitol today to sit in on a meeting between our State Senate Majority Leader and a visiting group (this one happened to be made up of Parliamentarians from the U.K. - a.k.a. amazing accents ^^). But as the meeting went on, the weather got uglier and uglier outside, and when it was over we had to make a run for it to the car. Long story short, I was basically a wet tshirt contest, and got to go home early since it would be inhumane to make me sit at my desk for another hour in a damp dress. The end. Outfit change:

vera vera wang cardigan

martin&osa tshirt and shorts

thrifted belt

 nordstrom bp watch

toms shoes

Oh  how I love this cardigan! It's so perfect for days when it's just a bit chilly and damp and you want to curl up in something fuzzy :) Never mind that it's basically the length of my shorts, I'm sure no one minds. Also, note the head cut off in most of these photos? Sorry about that, once again it was not intentional. Sigh, the trials of self-photographing

 Whenever I wear these shorts, I just feel required to wear this belt along with it! I don't know why, but they just look so perfect together - very utilitarian-chic. 

So besides my meeting at the capitol (which was lots of fun despite the weather, by the way. The parliamentarians seemed so nice! Wish I could've actually chatted with them) I haven't done much today! Made myself some pasta in lieu of going to Noodles&Company, which turned out to be a bit disappointing - I'm really craving some good pesto! In other news, I've finally reached 100 followers! I know, you are probably looking at the sidebar and thinking "no, no you haven't. You are currently at 87. Close Alison, but no cigar" - I, however, am also counting my bloglovin followers, which puts me in at 103. Sooo, I'm going to do my first giveaway! Not positive what all it's going to be yet, but I should put it up this week, so stay tuned! I know that in the grand scheme of things 100 isn't that many, but I just want to thank everyone for reading and commenting, it makes me quite happy. xx love you all

favorite shirt

You know, I've always thought that picking a favorite piece of clothing in my wardrobe would be difficult. But to be honest, when I think about it, this button down is probably the greatest thing I own! I wear it all the time (probably more than I should sometimes), it's versatile, it's light... it's perfect! 

Self-timer again, didn't work so well though? Give you a hint why - my head wasn't actually supposed to be cut off in this one...

old navy button-down

gap tank

banana republic shorts

forlove21 necklace

toms shoes

 Look at me, being a good little brand-ambassador for the Gap Inc. brands! I'm wearing a piece from each of their stores. I should get a raise for this or something...

 This necklace is just perfect for dressing up any outfit. While I love my outfit without it too (kind of simple, preppy, sportswear-ish?), add the necklace and it instantly has more flair. Can't remember exactly what I got it for, but since it's Forever 21 I'm sure it was less than $10, and with how often I wear it, I'm sure the cost-per-wear is in the penny range now (kind of like this shirt -  "clothes I wear too much," seems to be the theme of this post, right?)

Nothing interesting has happened today, to be honest. I had a voice lesson, made myself a pizza for lunch (with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil from the garden? yummm) and, as I said yesterday, Mckenna and I are doing zumba tonight! That I'm quite excited for. That, and the fact that I'm going to make some new frosting for these cupcakes that Natalie made a few days ago. They're gluten-free and vegan I believe (from that book the bakery Babycakes put out?) and they're actually quite good, but I'm not really a fan of the frosting Natalie made to go with them, it's a bit coconut-ey and not quite fluffy enough for my taste. So I'm going to make up a batch of the heart-attack-in-a-bowl, three-ingredient (butter - lots of butter - sugar, and milk) perfection that is my mom's classic frosting. Should be good :)

my feet hurt

So last night I had my first shift working at Old Navy, and it was actually pretty fun! Despite all the folding...  it sort of makes you bitter, making a pile of clothes absolutely perfect only to have someone knock it over and rummage through it for their size only to decide that they don't really want it anyways. I think I enjoyed the fitting room the most, since you got to chat with people and there was always something going on. Working the closing shift is not much fun though, as it means you spend an hour or so (or longer) after everyone has left the store folding. And folding. And folding some more. I'm doing the same shift tomorrow night too, so I suppose I'll be doing it again! Maybe my folding skills will improve with time? Anyways, here is my outfit yesterday from work

old navy tshirt

 jcrew belt

banana republic shorts

I am loving these shorts! For one, I got them for a great price, thanks to my lovely employee discount, and two, they are so comfortable! Oh, and I really like the length. Wow, this employee discount thing really works in the company's advantage! I'm already spending money at their stores and recommending products to people... very clever, Old Navy, very clever

This  morning I volunteered at the carousel, which as usual was lots of fun, even if my poor feet (still tired from last night) barely made it through. Then Natalie came to visit me and we walked around the gardens at the zoo! They even have this gorgeous Japanese tea garden where they have tea ceremonies during the summer, and just as Natalie and I were looking at each other like we should sign up for one, the volunteer tells us they have a waiting list of a year and that we should sign up for next summer. Oh. But it was okay because we got mini donuts, a.k.a. the tastiest things in the world! I always smell them on my way to the car after leaving the carousel but never let myself get them. And now I see why. They are so perfect, so crisp and sugary, that now that I've had them I don't know if I'll ever be able to walk by them again! Such a lack of self-control I have. Darn.

So for now my tentative plan for the rest of the afternoon is to sit my butt down on the couch and not move until my feet stop throbbing. Seems fair, doesn't it? Tomorrow at least I'm at the Minnesota International Center for the morning, so that's a few hours in a chair before the evening shift at Old Navy. Yay for me actually being busy! Hope you had a lovely weekend!