Thursday

Hawkeye 14. LA Woman

by Matt Fraction and Annie Wu

"This really should have been 'Plan A' all along. In fact in the future whatever my first plan is -- just gonna auto-scrap it."

Kate Bishop and Clint Barton are "Hawkeye", the arrow wielding, super-power-less, human member of the Avengers. Each issue in this series of comics explains what Hawkeye does on his days off from Avenger duties.  In case you're confused, and not up on your Marvel history... there can be more than one Hawkeye at once :)  In this series, Kate and Clint focus on lower level crimes instead of superhero business.  They have a teacher-student sort of relationship, although Kate is very competitive with Clint.  In this specific issue, Kate leaves NYC for LA, takes Clint's dog Lucky, aka Pizza Dog, and tries her hand at fighting crime.

Fraction's Hawkeye is somewhat addicting.  He has lovable characters who are richly developed.  He has a great visual style, with vibrant colours and a creative font.  It's hard to explain, but Fraction has this ability to create these moments that will stay with you for days, making you ask yourself "When does the next Hawkeye come out?"  

Clint is just a regular guy, who tries to do what is right, and often gets hurt in the process.  He frequently utters, "Okay, this looks bad" before something awful happens to him.  Both Clint and Kate share very real, candid, and hilarious thoughts with the reader. This issue is awesome because Kate steps out on her own, and tries to be a superhero without Clint.  She's optimistic and enthusiastic, even after she has her "this looks bad" moment. 

I love Hawkeye.  You don't need to know much of the Avenger story line to understand this series of Hawkeye.  You just need to love a scrappy blonde guy, a kick-ass girl in purple, and a pizza-eating dog.  Not hard to love, right?

♥ Meg  xoxo

Friday

Sequins in the woods

Sometimes on the way home from work I escape the maddening commute and frolic in the woods. I think that people walking their dogs were startled by the sight of sequins in the forest.

Shirt: Forever XXI // Cardigan: TJ Maxx // Skirt: Winner's // Tights: CK // Belt: borrowed from another dress //

First, it was pretty dark and gloomy in this part of the woods.  Somehow when I lightened up the pictures, the grass changed to this strange hue.

Next, I wore stripes and stripes together, with a sequined cardigan, and beige fishnets - because I'm awesome like that.

Shirt: Forever XXI // Cardigan: TJ Maxx // Skirt: Winner's // Tights: CK // Belt: borrowed from another dress //

This outfit was also part of my I-can-wear-red-and-or-green everyday in December challenge... a challenge that only I took part in.  haha

Shirt: Forever XXI // Cardigan: TJ Maxx // Skirt: Winner's // Necklace: Forever XXI// Belt: borrowed from another dress //

When I bought this cardigan, Erin and I declared it a "staple."  Every woman should have a black [sequined] cardigan in her wardrobe, right?  :) 

♥ Meg xoxo

Monday

Red and/ or Green Challenge

So, I've challenged myself to wear some combination of red, green, or white every school day in December.  So far, I've been successful :)  Here's one of my outfits.

Tank top: La Senza // Shirt: Garage // Pants: Loft // Heels: Nine West //

I thought I'd try something subtle.  I know, I know... you're sounding it out, right?  Sub-tle? M-eg?  Doesn't really fit.  haha.  Maroon and dark green still fall into the red and green families, so I'd call this festive.

Heels: Nine West // 

Bows on my toes make me smile.  How about you guys, are you getting festive?  Are you weeding red and green things out of your closets and drawers? :) 

♥ Meg xoxo

Thursday

Winter boots and lace

As you know, I love dresses... and wearing them all year long.  This leads to some interesting outfits on my way to and from work, and on yard duty.  Voilà; winter boots and lace:

Dress: Target // Cardigan: Loft // Tights: Tag // Boots: Tretorn // 

I found this gem on the clearance rack at good old Target.  You can't really see it, but this lace number boasts a very chic Peter Pan collar.  Love. I paired the dress with another sort of lacy material in the cardigan, thick tights, and fashion boots during the day.  After work, though, it was all about my furry winter boots :)

Dress: Target // Boots: Tretorn //

Isn't lace the prettiest?  Or maybe the snow is. . . I love them both so much. 

♥ Meg xoxo

Tuesday

The Awakening

by Kate Chopin

"How strange and awful it seemed to stand naked under the sky! how delicious. She felt like some newborn creature, opening its eyes in a familiar world that it had never known."

Chopin's story tells the narrative of Edna Pontellier, a mother of two sons, and a wife to a wealthy Louisiana business man.  Edna's story begins at a summer resort in Grand Isle, where she and other well-to-do Creole families spend their holidays. This is where she is first "awoken".  She spends her days with Mme Ratignolle, an elegant woman who becomes Edna's example of self-expression.  As well,  Edna spends a great deal of her time with resort owner's grown son, Robert LeBrun.  They pass days together at the beach, while her husband is distracted with business. Upon returning home to the city, Edna finds herself a changed woman - she takes up painting again, cancels all of her social obligations, and thinks of Robert all of the time.  She goes where she wants whenever she pleases, and does things that satisfy her needs and wants.  She is a free woman, emboldened by her sexuality and driven by her desires.  

It should be noted that this story was published in 1899, by a woman writer brought up in the ordered society of St Louis.  Her themes of empowered women, sex, and potential suicide were shocking to readers, as well as the manner by which she presented them.  Chopin does not condemn Edna for her lustful wishes, or for her actions. She sort of makes excuses for them with her themes of solitude in the middle/ upper class, and the effects of rapturous love. 

By today's standards, I wasn't shocked by Edna.  I loved her.  After her awakening that summer, she was bold and alive.  She was a woman driven by her passions.  Placing her in the context of her own time period, I loved Edna even more.  She went against societal norms to find out who she was, and again to act exactly as she wanted to act. 

I can see why Chopin's work is canonized as Classic, and is recommended to young women readers today. 

♥ Meg xoxo

Saturday

Cozy sweater dress

When I wore this outfit the other day, one of my students told me that I looked cozy.  When she said it, I was pretty cozy.  When I took these pictures, though, behind a building, in a wind tunnel, I was not so cozy.  :) 

Dress: Target // Shirt: Winner's // Scarf: vintage // Stockings: MacGregor // Moccasins: Minnetonka // 

Dress: Target // Shirt: Winner's // Scarf: vintage // Stockings: MacGregor // Moccasins: Minnetonka // 

I don't have much to say on this outfit that you don't already know:

1. Stripes are a neutral and can be worn under anything. 
2. Tights and scarves turn dresses that are inappropriate for work / the season into appropriate dresses.

Moccasins: Minnetonka // Dress: Target //

See what I mean about the windy-ness?

Moccasins: Minnetonka // 

These moccasins feel like house slippers to me.  I only wore them on the way to and from work for that reason... heels were added to this outfit for that professional clicking sound when I come down the hallway. 

Enjoy your windy weekend, 
♥ Meg xoxo

Sunday

Pink Fridays and church for sale?

At my place of work, we've been wearing pink on Fridays to support Breast Cancer research.  It's like we're in the NFL, but not really.  While most people have been wearing pink scarves, I've been mixin' up eclectic pink ensembles.

Sweatshirt: JC Penney // Dress (worn as skirt): Winner's // Socks: gift // Boots: Target

So.  I'm aware that this outfit has a whole lot going on.  On the first Pink Friday, I casually added pink stockings to a fairly normal outfit.  Three weeks later, this is what you'd find me putting on in the morning.  I love this sweatshirt.  I mean, it says, "you had me at bonjour."  Très mignon, oui? 

Sweatshirt: JC Penney // Dress (worn as skirt): Winner's // Socks: gift // Boots: Target

I like to think that summer dresses / dresses I'd wear to a bar can be made appropriate for everyday wear.  Add leggings, a sweater, and/ or a scarf, and voilà: work week ready.  I'm not sure how appropriate this outfit actually is, but since everyone else was wearing some sort of jeans, lulus, and hoodie combination, I felt good about it.

Boots: Target // 

Yay for new combat boots :)  My old Steve Maddens are totally worn out; I loved them so much.  I picked up these less expensive ones at Target a few weeks back.  They have rubber soles, as a opposed to the real wooden ones, so I actually feel better about their life expectancy.

Church for sale?

As mentioned in the title, the church where I was posing in these pictures is for sale.  Weird, right?  I wonder how churches end up on the market.  And can you turn it into whatever you like?  Family home?  Fashion boutique?  Hmm... thoughts to ponder. 

♥ Meg xoxo

Me Before You

by Jojo Moyes

"I just want to be a man who has gone to a concert with a girl in a red dress.  Just for a few minutes more."

This book is a beautiful, unlikely, heart wrenching love story about Will Traynor and Louisa Clark.  After an accident makes Will a quadriplegic, his life of adventures, travelling and extreme sports comes to an end.  Once a charming, witty and powerful man, Will is just a glimmer of his former self.  Louisa is an eclectic dresser, expert tea-maker, and recently unemployed small town girl, with no aspirations of anything more than her simple life.  When she is hired as Will's helper, she gets a lot more than she ever could have expected.

I loved this book.  Louisa and Will have such great chemistry in their banter and humour.  Louisa's presence in Will's life helps to bring back parts of his old personality, and Will's presence in Louisa's helps her to open her eyes to the great wide world.  She does everything she can to show Will that there is so much more to live for, even if he can never have his old life back.  The question is posed, though, will this life ever be enough for Will?

I saw pieces of other characters and novels in Moyes' novel.  At times, Louisa and Will were Jane Eyre and Mr Rochester, the wounded man and care-giving woman. They were Belle and the Beast, tentatively falling in love with each other. They were Lizzy and Darcy, too, when he was cold and she misjudged him.  Will and Louisa were fresh characters, though; they made me laugh and they made me cry. 

Check this book out, and think about what you would do for the one you love. 
♥ Meg xoxo

Monday

Fall leaves and leggings

Welcome back, leggings.  You help keep my legs warm when I continue to wear my summer dresses in fall.  :) 


Shirt (or short dress): Forever XXI // Leggings: vintage // Boots: Charlotte Russe // 

So, I took these photos in a tiny [somewhat creepy] cemetery behind a rural church on my way home from work the other day.  This is the only full outfit shot I managed to take though... I'll do better next time - I promise.

Shirt (or short dress): Forever XXI // Leggings: vintage // Boots: Charlotte Russe // 

One of my students informed me this week that I needed to re-do my purple streaks in my hair, and that the streaks had turned to white.  You can see the whitish yellow streak blowing in the wind here.  Student, you were right.

Shirt (or short dress): Forever XXI // 

This lacy shirt (/dress) makes me happy.  I mean, it's made of see-through lace with flowers that look like doodles embroidered on it. What's there not to like?  I'd like to think that this shirt could be a dress, but I think that its inevitably constant companion will be leggings.



Here are some pretty fall leaves, and a beautifully worn tombstone. 

Happy fall, people. 
♥ Meg xoxo

Saturday

I Was Told There'd Be Cake

Essays by Sloane Crosley

"This is where the bridesmaids come in. We live in constant fear of "ruining the wedding." Weddings don't get damaged, they don't get mediocre: they get ruined.  One lost limo driver and the entire day goes from Zero to Destroyed faster than you can say Swarovski-encrusted Vera Wang."

Here is my thought process when I chose this book from the library:  Ooh what a pretty cover. Cake?! I love that title. Oh - it's essays.  I LOVE essays; I used to write one practically every week.  Shut up - the author's name is Sloane.  Like in Ferris Bueller?!  She's got to be awesome.

And with that, I brandished my library card and was on my way.  Not all of my book choices are as frivolous as this one.  

I judged this book by cover, by author, and by name.  I was blown away by how much I loved this collection of random essays.  Sloane tells these fantastic stories about her life in NYC; she makes losing her wallet, moving a few blocks, volunteering at the Museum of Natural History sound exciting and hilarious.

It should be noted that these stories aren't stories, though; they're essays. Each one has a strong lead, and a great conclusion.  Each one highlights her skills at turning catastrophic situations into learning experiences.  As a character, Sloane is a mis-adventurer.  As an author, Sloane writes with a familiar, yet educated, voice.  She crafts brilliant metaphors, while talking about her random collection of toy ponies given to her by ex-boyfriends, for example.

I liked Sloane because she was real to me.  I felt like I was reading her diary, at times.  Although I connected with her and her experiences as a 20-something female, I think that readers of different ages and genders could enjoy her highs and lows.  The bizarre collection of essay topics that find themselves between the cover page and the end sheet are hard to describe.  I liked all of them. Maybe you'll like a few.

♥ Meg xoxo

PS.  There is no cake in this book.  "I was told there'd be cake" is sort of tongue-in-cheek this way. And it makes me think of the Portal video games I only know about because of M; the cake is a lie. 

Tuesday

Mismatched

A Grade One told me that my outfit was all mismatched today.  She said that she loved it, but if she wore it - her mom would make her change.  I held her compliment in my heart and loved it all day.  My Grade One self would be proud of me.

Shrug: Old Navy // Tank: Old Navy // Skirt: Joe Fresh // Heels: Aldo // 

I'd like to make the bold statement that animal print isn't supposed to match.  I often see it in accessories.  People add animal print for a fun little pop of pattern.  So I added more than a pop. Sue me. :)


Shrug: Old Navy // Tank: Old Navy // Skirt: Joe Fresh // Heels: Aldo //

Let's talk about these shoes for a minute.  They are sky high, mustard yellow, ultra-suede, skinny-heeled beauties that I wore all day.  The ankle strap makes them comfy.  I promise.  I should have taken a side view; this front view does not do them justice.  Next time.

 Skirt: Joe Fresh // Heels: Aldo //

I'm livin' it up with bare legs again.  Oh, October weather, you confuse me. 

♥ Meg xoxo

Sunday

Gone Girl

by Gillian Flynn

"Friends see most of each other’s flaws. Spouses see every awful last bit."

This book was amazing. All at once I loved it, I hated it, I was wrapped up in it, I couldn't stop thinking about it, and I couldn't stop talking about it.  I found it extremely hard not to spoil this book for everyone I talked to about it.  

The story starts out on Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary.  The day of.  Every part of the story after this is centred around or after The Day Of.  The day of Amy's disappearance, that is.  Amy goes missing on her and Nick's anniversary leaving behind a seemingly staged crime scene, a trail of questions, and whole lot of fingers pointing towards Nick.  While searching for his wife, Nick reminisces about the past a lot, wondering about his wife, her disappearance, and the state of their marriage.  Interspersed throughout the present, are passages from Amy's diary starting from the time her and Nick started dating.

Each year on their anniversary Amy leaves a romantic scavenger hunt for Nick to follow, to chronicle their year together.  This year, Nick is forced to complete the scavenger hunt correctly to hopefully help him find his wife.  As he goes about the hunt, Nick finds that everything is not as it seems.  The hunt reminds him of his wife's brilliance, foresight, and immense knowledge of his every deed or misdeed.

This read was very suspenseful.  At first, I believed everything that Nick told me and the police.  Also, at first, I believed everything Amy told me in her diary.  But as things came to be revealed, I didn't know who to trust.  This is a strange feeling as a reader; usually your narrator tells the truth, or at least some of the truth.  Deceitful and intelligent narrators, pristine word choice, excellent use of voice and pacing, along with detail upon detail made me want to stay in Flynn's world.

I listened to this book as an audio book, because there was such a long queue for the actual book at my library.  Let me tell you, I am happy there was such a line.  The voice actors who read the audio book were amazing.  I think that I could connect to the characters even more than usual because it was as if they were actually speaking to me.  If you get the chance, I one hundred percent recommend listening to this book on audio book format.

Read it. The critics aren't wrong.  It was gripping; I never knew what would happen next.  It made me think about how much we really know about one another, about lies and how they can be built upon for years, and about toxic relationships and how far one would go to be correct.  Flynn is a force to be reckoned with, and an extremely talented writer.  I can't wait to read more of her work.

♥ Meg xoxo

Tuesday

Tattoo Tuesday

Guys.  I didn't get a tattoo.  BUT.  I got these sweet tights that look like I got a tattoo.  Everyone, and I mean everyone, freaked out.  It was pretty fun.  And I felt pretty hardcore for a day.  haha.

Shirt: Old Navy // Shorts: RW & Co. // Tights: TopShop // Heels: Nine West // 

I loved rocking shorts today.  I love dresses and skirts, but they often leave you worrying about how you sit and what you wear underneath them and so on.  Shorts are freeing :) You can sit how you like and still look profesh.  Obvi, you don't sound so profesh if you say profesh, but you get the point.

Shirt: Old Navy // Shorts: RW & Co. // Tights: TopShop // Heels: Nine West // 

In these pictures, my tights definitely look like tights here.  But I guess in real life, they were enough to startle people.  For the record, I don't think that I could ever get a tattoo that I'd love forever.  I'm too indecisive; I chose a double major and minor to avoid choosing one thing over the other, and I sometimes change parts of my outfit four times before I leave the door.

Tights: TopShop // Heels: Nine West //

Even though I don't have a tattoo, I think it's cool if you have one.  I am a big fan of self expression.  That being said, M and I were in love with watching tattoo reality shows on Spike TV in the summer.  My guilty pleasures are Ink Master and Tattoo Nightmares.  They are epic in a Spike TV kind of way.  Sadly, we've been so busy that we have a million episodes to catch up on.  Tattoo Tuesday might turn into Tattoo Saturday this week.

Tights: TopShop // 

What would you tattoo on your left leg if you only had to have your tattoo for a day?

♥ Meg xoxo

PS. I'm listening to a book on CD, that's why it's such a strange shape in the photo.

Wednesday

Hello autumn

I know.  It's been forever.  Sorry.  That's all. :)


Shirt: Forever XXI // Belt: borrowed from another dress // Skirt: Old Navy

Fall leaves are here.  I love the crunch of fall leaves underfoot.  But, I also love bare legs.  Et volià: perfect fall weather.  The sky is super blue, the sun is shining an autumn sort of shine, I'm wearing a long skirt with bare legs.  Happiness.

Shirt: Forever XXI // Belt: borrowed from another dress // Skirt: Old Navy // Boots: Burlington Coat Factory //

I think this is blurry because it was so sunny. . . C'est la vie.

Skirt: Old Navy // Boots: Burlington Coat Factory //

I'm continuing my love affair with lace from the summer right into fall.  It makes everything feel a little prettier.

Shirt: Forever XXI // Belt: borrowed from another dress // Skirt: Old Navy // Boots: Burlington Coat Factory // 

My shirt in this outfit is actually a really short dress that I tucked into a skirt.  I rode the skirt really high (above my waist)  and added a big belt.  Also, I thought that adding scrunched down knee socks could only add to this outfit.  :)

Boots: Burlington Coat Factory // 

Breathe in the fall air.  Crunch into a crispy apple.  Dance around in a lacy skirt and bare legs. 

♥ Meg xoxo

Thursday

Bridges and fields

Pumpkin Spice everything has hit stores and the internet.  In my part of the world, though, summer and summer dresses are both going strong. Today it was 40C (around 100F), in the shade.



Dress: Topshop // Boots: Burlington Coat Factory //

I wore this outfit last week to celebrate the end of summer.  Little did I know that the hot, hot summer would be continuing on into September. I know, my laces are untied and my hair is crazy.  This outfit sums up my summer :) I bought this dress in Chicago, along with a few others with the sides cut out.  It appears that my love of exposed midriff in my beloved bikinis has seeped over into the rest of my summer style.

Boots: Burlington Coat Factory //

My tough black boots made my white sun dress seem even more girly, in my opinion.  I like contrasting different styles in one outfit.  You can't see it because of my book, but I am also wearing a gold chain headband as a crown on top of my wild waves.

Dress: Topshop // Boots: Burlington Coat Factory //

I traipsed through this field to get to the bridge for my pictures.  I decided on the way back that the field would've been just as nice a location... so I snapped some more pics.  I love the feel of the summer breeze floating through the lace cut outs in my dress and in my boots.

Dress: Topshop // Boots: Burlington Coat Factory //

So long wild summer outfits.  That is, until the weekend ;)

♥ Meg xoxo

Tuesday

Cum Laude

by Cecily von Ziegesar

"For the first week of school you cling to the people you met on orientation, not because you have anything in common, but because you don't know who else to talk to..."

This novel follows the lives of a group of freshmen students through their first year at Dexter College, in the 1990s.  The narratives include those of Shipley, a beautiful blonde who the boys love and the girls hate.  She focuses her early weeks at college on trying new things, in order to shed her good girl persona.  Her roommate is Eliza, a loudmouthed, "edgy" sort of girl.  Then there's Tom, athlete turned artist, and his roommate Nick, a hippie who appreciates marijuana - a lot.  These four navigate the waters of living away from home together in residence.  Alongside their stories, is that of Adam and his younger sister Tragedy.  Adam is a day student who lives in the countryside near Dexter.  With the help of his outgoing high-school aged sister, Adam becomes involved in school and with the other students.  

This story is told in a strange sort of style.  At times the author addresses the reader, as if he or she is coming to college and experiencing its drama.  Other times, the author uses free indirect discourse to describe what is going on in the minds of her characters.  I usually love this style of narration, but found it to be "just okay" in this novel.  It's gets a bit confusing when the perspective jumps around in the same paragraph.  

The themes in this novel are very adult, especially coming from the author of the YA Gossip Girl series.  There is a lot of sex, drugs, and alcohol at Dexter College.  The events in the novel are super extreme.  It seemed like a bad soap opera to me for a while when I was reading it.  All at once, though, I stopped looking at it as a Sweet Valley University book on acid, and saw it for what it really was: a satire.  Once you figure that out, the book proves to be more enjoyable.  

Overall, I thought it was an alright book... nothing too challenging or thought-provoking.  And no real definitive ending for these characters. Read it and let me know what you think. 

♥ Meg xoxo

Thursday

Purples overalls

So, September's here... and the madness of back to school has left me a few post behind.  This is an end-of-summer outfit if I ever saw one ;) 

Shirt: Forever XXI // Overalls: thrifted and diy // Sunnies: Target // 

When I bought these overalls at the thrift shop, they were beige.  I bought a box of purple Rit dye from the dollar store, and dyed these bad boys in my kitchen sink. They turned out even more beautifully than I ever imagined. They are well worth the $2.99 spent at the thrift store, and the $1.25 spent at the dollar store.  I'm in love.

Sandals: Target // Overalls: thrifted and diy // 

Take a look at the beige thread.  I love when the thread stays the original colour when you dye something.

Shirt: Forever XXI // Overalls: thrifted and diy // Sandals: Target //

I'll tell you a secret.  This shirt is actually a crop top.  I know, I know - I fully reverted to the 90s with this outfit.  It fit so well under these overalls because there was no bulky fabric to tuck in.  Genius, right? 

Get yourself some overalls before summer is over.  They are comfy, and come with a bunch of pockets.  What's not to love?

♥ Meg xoxo

PS. Please note how bizarre the face on the book looks on my face in the first pic. I only noticed right now.

Sunday

Eleanor and Park

by Rainbow Rowell

"He knows I'll like a song before I've heard it. He laughs before I even get to the punch line. There's only one of him."

Rewind to high school in 1986.  Mixed taped and comic books are the important things in life.  At least they are to Park.  Half-Korean, and small in stature, Park tries to lie low on his bus to avoid being bullied, on his way to and from school.  He has a seat to himself and likes it that way.  One day, an eclectically dressed, new girl with curly red hair is forced to sit beside Park.  Eleanor sits down next to Park, and changes his life forever.  

This teenage romance is much more complicated than it seems.  Park and Eleanor are so unlikely.  They don't talk at first; they simply share Park's comic books and avoid the obnoxious popular kids on the bus.  The reader is treated to perspective switches every few pages or paragraphs, so we are able to read what is going on in both Park and Eleanor's minds. Park struggles with making his father proud, learning to drive standard, taking on Eleanor's tormentors, and trying to focus on what Eleanor is saying instead of just looking at her beautiful mouth.  Eleanor struggles with keeping her guard up around Park, and wanting to tell him about her family situation and abusive stepfather. Although they both know that their all-consuming first-love can't last forever, they try courageously to make it last. 

I loved Park - he's a comic book loving, mixed tape making, sweetheart, who stands up for his girlfriend to everyone who's always picked on him.  And I loved Eleanor too - she's got a love for strange outfits, and doesn't seem to fit in anywhere.  She valiantly tries to protect all of her younger siblings, and herself, while falling in love with Park and his family. 

Although this is technically a YA novel, I think that it deals with themes that can be appreciated by older audiences.  I laughed and cried with Park and Eleanor when I read this. Their story is familiar, yet complicated.  It's fresh and new.  I recommend this read to those of you who can remember high school, the 1980s, or that giddy feeling of falling in love.  

♥ Meg xoxo

Monday

The Windy City

M and I took a road trip to the Windy City, the Second City, the home of the Cubs, Bulls, Sox, Hawks, and Bears. . . none other than Chicago.  It was an awesome adventure.  We saw the sights, ate great food, and had a fab time overall.  These pics are all taken in the city's very cool Millennium Park.

Dress: Forever XXI // Purse: Urban Outfitters // Moccasins: Minnetonka //
Dress: Forever XXI // Purse: Urban Outfitters // Moccasins: Minnetonka //

Here I am, in front of "The Bean." This giant, chrome, jelly bean-esque statue is by Anish Kapoor, and is actually called, "Cloud Gate."  Tourists like taking photos of themselves in it.  M and I were no exceptions.  (Look closely and see if you can find M taking my picture.)

Moccasins: Minnetonka // 

Dress: Forever XXI // Purse: Urban Outfitters // Moccasins: Minnetonka //

Here I am posing with one of Jun Kaneko's tanukis- a creepy looking pig-dog* trickster with polka dots :)
  
Dress: Forever XXI // Purse: Urban Outfitters // Coat: can't remember; it's super old //

It started raining.  I went to play in the Crown Fountain nonetheless.  It's a video sculpture/ fountain, I guess.  There are different faces projected on the fountain that seem to spit water into it. I frolicked.  Maybe a little too much.  But, who's to say how much is too much?


My maxi dress was great to tour around in.  It was flowy and comfy.  It was tied in a knot when it got hot out, and dried out nicely after I sat in a puddle.

Millennium Park is like a free outdoor art museum.  Check it out if you're ever in Chicago.
♥ Meg xoxo

*This is the technical name, made up by M.