summer wrap-up

Wow, Liza.  Good job on the whole "I'm gonna blog at least once a week ALL SUMMER LONG," thing.
 
I really knocked that one out of the park, didn't I?

But, in my defense, this summer felt like it was about two weeks long - amiright?  June was just like any other June except that I got my uterus issues ironed out (not with an actual iron) and our house nearly flooded (nearly).  July was a blur of hot weather and summer food and going for walks in the evening even though it was way too hot to be going for walks in the evening.  Then, August saw a trip to the mountains where it was just as hot and humid as it was in Florida, the welcoming of not one, but TWO new jobs, and ended with a hurricane that left us without power for four days. 

Whew.  Now that that's out of the way and we're firmly rooted in September, here's a little look back at what you might have missed if you don't know me well or don't follow me on Instagram.

1. I did a lot of reading.

 

2.  I wore a lot of seasonally-inappropriate hats.

3.  I frequently wore ballgowns for no good reason.

4. I did a lot of painting.

5.  I swam in every body of water I could find.

6. I went on a road trip with my mama and hit up every antique store, cold stream, and scenic overlook in North Georgia and the southern part of North Carolina.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7.  I ate a lot of good food, met interesting people, bought too many hats, and managed to scrape by with only one sunburn.  All in all, a good summer.

Happy September!  

Maybe I'll actually blog once a week this fall.

(but I probably won't)

xoxo,

Eliza

summertime

I'm a big believer in having wardrobe staples - a brenton striped top, a black skirt, nude ballet flats, and the like.  And I'm also a big believer in mixing things up and not letting yourself live only within the confines of those staples.  But I'm ALSO a big believer in having a uniform for each season.  To say I'm indecisive would be an understatement, and having an outfit that I can fall back on during my frequent times of indecisiveness is a necessity.

So this season I'm getting ahead of the game and piecing together my uniform BEFORE I spend an ungodly amount of time standing in front of my closet in nothing but my skivvies.  Though with the heat we get in Florida, standing around in nothing but my skivvies would solve many problems.
  

 

So here it is!  Vintage shorts + sleeveless button up top + cateyes.  I call it "Betty Draper meets Sweaty Floridian." 

         

And it wouldn't be summer without a new pair of sunglasses.  These, from Curio Goods here in Tallahassee, are a beautiful cream color with little rhinestones in each corner.  Perfectly cool for this awfully hot weather. 

Stay cool, wherever you are!

xoxo,

Eliza

bald point

I'm almost certain that most of life's small annoyances and even some of life's great tragedies can be remedied with a trip to the beach.  Now I'm not sure that there's a scientific reason for this phenomenon, but I chalk it up to the combination of cold salt water, warm breezes, and the sweet sound of waves crashing against the shore and birds calling out to each other.

I'm sure a case can be made for every beach in North America, but you haven't truly experienced the beach until you've been to Bald Point, right here in Florida.  There's really something magical about a pristine white beach, free from the high rises and beer pong tournaments one usually finds in this part of Florida.  The hour long drive from Tallahassee takes you past all the sights that make this state such an oxymoron - first you pass government buildings and law offices, then Walmarts, Dollar Stores, and Piggly Wigglys, then onto long stretches of road with an over-abundance of bail bonds offices and tattoo shops and oyster bars streaking past the car windows.  An endless parade of fire stations, and Ace Hardware stores, and gas stations, until finally, nature takes control of the environment and for several miles its nothing but pine trees and palm trees and scrubby oak trees mixed in with open Savannahs of tall grass and alligators, as far as the eye can see.  Then a bridge, and a small marked road, and a ten minute drive past rental houses and fishing boats and boiled peanut stands, until finally, the State Park sign appears in the distance.  The beach itself is relatively small, but littered with ancient palmettos, and great masses of exposed pine tree roots, and enormous sand dunes, and wild, untouched beauty.

So I say it again - if you haven't been to Bald Point, you haven't truly experienced the beach as it was meant to be experienced.  But enough of my ramblings!

My sweet mama and I got up late this morning and decided there was no time like the present to pack a lunch and head down to the coast.  One hour later we staked out our spot, dove into our lunch (three bean salad, potato salad, deviled eggs, green olives, watermelon, and baby Cokes), and spent a glorious afternoon exploring our surroundings.

 

            

 

 

There really is something magical about the beach.

xoxo,
Eliza

~ summertime ~

As the days grow shorter and summertime draws to a close, the Florida weather is creeping closer to 90 degrees/farther from 100, the air is slowly dehumidifying, and the beach trips are becoming fewer and farther between.  But as any true Floridian knows, summertime is not officially over until Halloween, even though last minute costume changes might be necessary due to overnight temperature plunges.  To celebrate my return to the U.S., the beautiful weather, and my total lack of coursework for this semester, a beach trip was most definitely in order.

I wore a vintage two-tone bathing suit that I picked up from a little shop in the UK.

It was a beautifully clear day, with only a few clouds in the sky and only a few people on the beach.  We ate quinoa salad and potato chips, read, took naps, and then headed over to Apalachicola to snoop in the shops and meet friendly people.  It was a perfect day and a even more perfect way to postpone fall as long as possible.

I'm ready to do it all again.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ tuesday ~

It's 9:30.  I'm currently sitting in bed, ceiling fan going full blast, with a record playing on a brand-spankin' new record player.  I have nothing I need to do.  No one I need to communicate with.  No papers to write, no floors to vacuum, no plans to make.

Bliss.  How would you define it?

If there's something I've forgotten to do (and there probably is), I'll remember it in the morning.  

But for now....bliss.

This morning I went to yoga, which started me off on the right foot.  And now I've just seen the most beautiful sunset - the rosey end to a hot day.

What a perfect Tuesday.  

You have some mighty big shoes to fill, Wednesday.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ tuesday tunes ~

I have to admit, as much as I love Florida, a break from the suffocating heat is nice once in a while.  Today there was a hint of fall in the 96 degree air (something only a Floridian will understand), so I decided today was as good a day as any to start my fall running routine.  It goes something like this:

Wake up.  Go to class.  Come home.  Stuff my face with food.  Study.  Study. Study.  Study.  Feel the cold grip of insanity taking hold.  Go for a run.  Listen to music.  Study.  Study.  Eat dinner.  Watch Netflix.  Study.  Eat ice cream.  Go to sleep.

And repeat.

For my running music to properly do its job (distract me from the fact that I'm running and make me feel like Beyonce) it must be upbeat, chipper, and borderline annoying.  The catchier the better!

So for today's run I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the iTunes pop station.  I only pressed the skip button 5 times (because that's the maximum amount of times they'll let you) and that was only due to the fact that Jason Derulo kept interfering with my jamming.

This week's running playlist includes the following...

I would most likely never listen to these on the way to work or while studying, but they're perfect songs to sweat to.  And to all my lovely neighbors - please forget that you saw me dance running and singing along to lyrics that I haven't yet memorized.  I get them soon enough.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ summer lovin' ~

Because today marks the end of the summer (bleh) and tomorrow marks the beginning of the semester (double bleh), I'm mourning all of the things I never got around to doing.

01. painting my room.  I bought the paint.  I made plans.  I never did it.

02. getting in shape.  Sure, I went for a few runs, I went to yoga twice a week, ALMOST every week, and I downloaded the My Fitness app on my phone, but it wasn't the "run a 5K every week and bench press my own body weight" transformation that I had my heart set on.

03. ACTUALLY cleaning my room.  Moving every piece of furniture, vacuuming my entire floor, dusting every surface (including the top of my ceiling fan), and cleaning out my closet.  However, I did organize my underwear drawer, clean out my desk, and vacuum almost all of my floor.

But you know what?  It's okay.  I have the weekends and holidays and nights when I can't sleep but also can't find the motivation to study.  So I'll get all of that done before next summer (hopefully).

I did a lot this summer, though.  I discovered a channel on my TV that plays nothing but old movies, I went to the beach countless times, bought two vintage hats, modeled several times and had tons of photoshoots, spent lots of time with my family and friends, and even made some new friends.  And now that summer has come to an end (although I'm in denial, so in my mind it doesn't end until tonight at midnight) maybe I'll actually know what day it is (wednesday?  friday?  saturday?  Who knows...), I'll have a wake up time and a bed time, and I'll finally have something to complain about.

But onto the main point of my rambling!  To celebrate the summer and spend time with good friends, I went to a Clue-themed party last night and had a blast.  Plus, I wore vintage.  So win/win!

{I'm using this photo only to show what my hair looked like before the humidity hit}

{Col. Mustard, Mrs. White, Miss Scarlet, Prof. Plum, Miss Peacock, and Mrs. Green}

We ate Chinese food, played Clue until midnight, listened to music, and had an awesome time!  I'm going to miss everyone when they go back to college and grad school.

It was a good summer.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ clean and clear ~

I remember clearly the first time I wore makeup.  I was in New York City, I was 11, and I had snuck a tube of mascara past my mom.  For some reason I was under the impression that I wasn't allowed to wear makeup so there was an unnecessary feeling of guilt and excitement.  That green and pink tube of mascara made me feel grown up and sophisticated, even though my suitcase was chock full of boot cut jeans, Crocs, t-shirts with ponies, and my American Girl Doll.

My relationship with makeup has been on and off since then.  Cat eye and red lips is my go-to look, but I'm finding myself losing that panicky feeling I used to get when I left the house without eyeliner.  A couple years ago I was wearing makeup to the gym, to the beach, and on every trip to the grocery store, but the older I get, the less dependent I am on what used to be my mask.

I mean really...who the fuck cares if I have a huge pimple on my nose, dark circles under my eyes, or stubby eyelashes?  If you really notice any of that then I'm gonna have to ask you to take a step back and respect my personal bubble because only creepy people stand that close.

Sure, some days I look like I've stayed up for 72 hours straight, or my face has decided to display its rendition of Starry Night: Zit Addition, and yeah...sometimes the bags under my eyes are big enough to carry a week's worth of groceries.  But I've stopped letting that ruin my day.  Got a pimple?  Wear a busy dress.  Horrible dark circles?  Wear a scowl and then people won't talk to you, so, win/win.

I've got weird bumps, acne scars, baby wrinkles, and a few independent eyebrows that like to strike out on their own.  But that's okay.

I don't have time to worry about that shit anyway.  With highs in the 100s, anything that goes on your face ends up in a puddle of sweat by the end of the day.

xoxo,
Eliza

~ 12 days of summer ~

I don't want summer to end.  But unfortunately for me, I only have 12 full, uninterrupted days of summer vacation.  Because that number is depressing and the idea of going back to composition books,  note cards, highlighters, and massive amounts of caffeine is horrible, I'm cherishing every minute of free time and filling it with fun things!

12 days left.
After sleeping in, running errands, and eating good food, I baked a cake and watched Key Largo.

 

11 days left.

Spent the day lounging by the pool, drawing skeletons, going to an art show in the evening, and finished the day with a hot bath.

{gap top and shoes, old navy pants}

10 days left.

In the morning we left to make the drive to Thomasville where we met my sister who was making her way back home from Atlanta.  We shopped, we ate, and then we jammed to good music.  

Then after a quick nap and a quick dinner, I went to a movie with friends in the evening.

9 days left.

This morning I worked out with my mama and sister, ran errands, and caught up on all the news from Atlanta.  Then we all had an amazing lunch!  I think I'll head up to the pool for some swimming and a quick nap before catching a movie tonight (has anyone seen Boyhood yet?).

Hanging up my new map

Spicy southwestern vegetable soup and sweet kale salad with cabbage, brussels sprouts, roasted pumpkin seeds, cranberries, broccoli, and a poppyseed dressing.

Today I reluctantly bought notebooks, but I'm trying not to let it kill my vibe.  Besides, even though classes start soon, it'll be shorts weather until October.  

Nine days left of summer.

xoxo,

Eliza