reality bites

last week felt like a vacation. a delicious, much needed vacation. we had beautiful weather here in portland, conveniently timed with the arrival of my parents. after only hearing me complain about the never-ending rain and gloom, they were greeted with sun and warm breezes all week. way to make me look like a liar, weather.

i took a few days off from work and enjoyed some r&r at my aunt and uncle's secluded home on parrot mountain- just about 25 miles outside of portland.

we did what we do best when we all get together: eat and shop. it was the perfect dose of seeing my parents to get me through until my visit home this upcoming summer. i was hit with a wave of sadness after they left, but that comes with the territory of moving across the country away from the ones you love.

saturday boasted some of the best weather i've experienced in portland so far. my friend jill and i took advantage of it by visiting the farmer's market and laying out in a park. and despite thinking it was impossible while living here, i got a sunburn.

as a result of such a fantastic week, i was dreading my alarm this morning. it was back to reality for me, and when reality bites, it bites hard. after only being on the bus for a few stops, the driver accidentally hit a parked car. she made everyone evacuate the bus and "consoled" us by letting us know the next bus would be arriving in 28 minutes. so, i ended up walking to work. did i mention that the rain decided to come back today? i arrived at my office looking like a sweaty, disheveled maniac. 

but, i was wearing the new blouse my mom had just bought for me. and, my freckled face reminded me that i was reacquainted with vitamin d this past weekend. and, my (now slightly larger) belly was full with wine, tacos, and french macarons. all of these things were a reminder that i should be grateful for spending quality time with family and friends and enjoying life's pleasures. happy monday.

144

my recent spring fever post stirred up a strong desire within me to go shopping. lately i've been trying to quell my constant shopaholic urges in hopes of saving money for this upcoming summer. my hours in admissions will be reduced and i'll need a second job, but i'm not optimistic about my chances of finding one. ideally, i'd put my waitress and hostess experience to use, but portland is filled with people who have years of fine dining experience and come here to serve for a living. even more abysmal is my chance of getting a job as a barista. my experience consists of working in two coffee shops in connecticut, which in portland is the equivalent of someone who has had a sip of coffee before. plus, i never mastered "foam art".

i've also entertained the idea of working in retail (hire me, anthropologie?), but frankly, that is a terrible idea. mainly because i would spend my entire paycheck on store merchandise. and i have absolutely no retail experience. minor details.

despite my best efforts to save, i am powerless against a good deal. this became obvious today when i found myself handing over my credit card to the cashier at the j crew outlet. i ended up buying all of this...

...for $130.00! from left to right: floral cotton tube top dress that can also be converted to a long skirt, straw fedora, linen/cotton motorcycle jacket, white chino shorts, and a linen/cotton striped dress.

in my defense, i calculated what my total would have been without the sales and my student discount : $274.00. i saved $144.00, how could i pass that up? lauren's wardrobe: 1, summer savings: 0

i better start practicing my foam art skills.

spring fever

this past weekend certainly felt like spring. friday was so gorgeous that i walked home from downtown. i had been cooped up in my office all afternoon, and when i saw the herd of miserable people waiting for the delayed bus, i decided to hoof the 2.5 miles to my apartment. we kicked off our weekend with some friends at our place, drew's fish tacos, and margaritas. saturday was spent at the farmer's market, class (yes, you read that correctly), watching uconn beat kentucky (!!!), and seeing a band from austin play a show at a local venue.

such a weekend prompted me to start obsessing thinking about what i'm looking forward to this spring season:

a printed maxi dress like this

an eyelet skirt like this

 a breezy blouse like this

stripes + a blazer like this

coral lipstick like this sephora one (shade: it girl 06)

a straw hat like this

and espadrilles like these

if i wanted a reality check, i would acknowledge that the 5-day weather forecast is predicating rain and chilly temperatures. but tonight, while i'm home reading case studies for my legal issues in higher education class, i'm going to keep pretending that spring has arrived. this, of course, means that it is totally acceptable for me to eat a bowl of homemade guacamole for dinner.

...there's also conveniently enough tequila left from friday for one more margarita. ignorance is bliss.