Impromptu Philadelphia: Day 1

Flip, flip, Flipadelphia! (Anyone else an Always Sunny fan?). Chris and I went on a very mini vacation last month to Philadelphia. We originally planned to go for a day trip, but turned it into an overnight stay instead. I've only been there once, and he had never been there so it was fun to explore and see some new things together.











We started the day off with a little sightseeing in the neighborhood of our hotel. We were right in the Rittenhouse Square area, so we visited that park. It was very nice, though they were doing some sort of construction on it while we were there.

Dress: ModCloth (Gift from Chris years ago)//Shoes: Thrifted//Lipstick: LORAC Cosmetics

We walked around that area a bit and then eventually ventured to some of the more touristy spots like the LOVE Statue and City Hall. I love tourist things, so I get excited when I see famous landmarks and whatnot. After a while, it got a little too hot and we went back to the hotel to change and figure out where to eat.

















Chris was determined to have a really amazing Philly cheesesteak while we were there. After doing some research, he decided on a place called John's Roast Pork. It was about a half hour walk or so from where we were, and they were closing soon so we speed-walked there and made it with about 15 minutes to spare. We even had time to stop and admire some of the cool stuff along the way. I got a meatball sub because I'm not a huge fan of cheesesteak, but I had a bite of Chris's because I at least had to try it. Both of the sandwiches were really good. (Excuse the iPhone pictures. I didn't feel like lugging the camera around that night!)





On the way back, I wanted to stop at Spruce Street Harbor Park. I had read about it online, and it sounded AWESOME (and it was, but more on that in a bit). Anyway...we were very full and hot and sick of walking when we happened upon a kiosk of bicycles. Apparently in Philadelphia, there are kiosks of about 12-15 bicycles all over the city and it's only $4 a half hour to use one. I'm pretty sure they are spaced pretty well where you wouldn't need to pay more than that between kiosks, but I am definitely not certain.



Spruce Street Harbor Park is probably one the coolest places I've ever been to. I am not exaggerating. It was so simple, but so amazing. What makes it cool is that it has everything you need, plus more. They have food trucks, they also have drink stands where they serve beer, wine, and cocktails. There's lights in the trees, it's right by the water, and there are hammocks for anyone to lay in. HAMMOCKS, PEOPLE. So cool! You do have to wait a while for someone to finally give up their hammock, though. They also have giant Jenga and giant chess to play. This place is awesome, and I wish I had a park like this near me.







After we were done with the park, that was pretty much the end of our first day. We explored some stuff on the way back to the hotel, but we were pretty pooped from the day. I'll share day two with you soon! :)

Seaside Exploration

It wouldn't be summer for me without a nautical-themed outfit post. You all know how I love my seaside towns, coastline, lighthouses, and beachy adventures. I also love nautical-themed clothing. I definitely couldn't pass up this red sailor Hell Bunny sweater when I saw it on clearance for only $25 at Hot Topic.







I feel like I am really slacking in the blogging area, lately. I would normally try to do 2-3 posts a week, and now it seems I barely do one a week. I'm not sure what it is. I finished school, so that stress and time-sucker is gone. I have no other real obligations in my free time. I think I'm just exhausted for some reason. I never get enough sleep. I'm horrible at going to sleep at a decent hour and making sure I get enough each night. Some nights I only get 5 hours. You'd think that with all that time I'm not sleeping I could work on blogging, but I don't know. Something about staring at the computer for long periods of time just drains me and I need to just read a book or watch Netflix or go for a walk.







Chris and I just finished binge watching 30 Rock, which took up a lot of time. I think maybe I just needed a very long break from worrying about getting things done on a certain schedule or by a deadline. It's very stressful to have to do that and after school, I think I sort of just let go of that mindset for a bit because I could, and that carried over to blogging. I love blogging and I have no intentions of stopping, but I think it is nice to not worry so much about it sometimes. Just let it happen naturally because in the end, it should never be something that causes stress. This is for me and it's something I enjoy, so I think it's important to do it at whatever pace is comfortable for you at the moment.







I do want to be on top of my blogging game again. I want to not post about holidays weeks after. I want to post more often again. I know that the summer is usually also a time where I feel less inspired, fashion-wise. It gets hot and humid and I just end up wearing the same things all the time. I am most inspired in the fall and spring with the colors and layers and patterns and textures. I am counting down to October (but only October because I HATE WINTER).







I had a really fun, but incredibly exhausting 4th of July weekend. I had Friday off since the holiday was a Saturday, and it was nice to have the long weekend. We had a bunch of people over on Thursday night for an impromptu party, our friend had a party the next night, I went to a cookout with Chris at his dad's on the 4th, and Sunday a few of us went to a big waterfall and state park. It was fun to get to see so many people in one weekend. Can't we just have long weekends all the time? :)

Dress: Jennifer Lopez//Sweater: Hell Bunny//Shoes: LifeStride//Belt: Forever 21//Hat: Vintage//Sunglasses: Lucky Brand

My cousin and I made a list of trips to take this summer, both local and non-local and we have them all planned out for the weekends. I am really excited about them. I am glad to have another travel buddy! Expect lots of adventures in the next couple of months! Travel and getting to explore and see new places is very important to me, so I am always extremely happy when I get to do so. It means the world to me...Pun intended. ;)

July Wishlist (And a Coupon!)

I am more and more into jumpsuits and rompers, lately. Well...I have always been into rompers. They are just such an easy outfit! That's probably why I have a few on my wishlist this month. I love the fruit-print ones from Unique Vintage, and I have the burgundy jumpsuit from ModCloth in black, so I know that it's absolutely comfortable and flattering. I wish I could wear it everyday. I want it in every color.

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eShakti is such a wonderful company. They are really accommodating because they can custom make any of their products to your measurements! It's great! I am really liking the pair of shorts I featured in my wishlist because they are high-waisted, but not too short and cheeky. They actually have more jumpsuits and shorts now, which I'm really excited about...especially since sometimes it can be hard to find a jumpsuit that fits my leg length. They also have themed collections such as Bohemian and Contemporary. I sometimes enjoy shopping within a theme if I know that I'm looking for something specific. I really just like having a lot of different options on how to shop and search a website, which eShakti has. eShakti is actually offering my readers a $35 gift coupon for you all to use! Just use code SWINDAYWAYES35 at checkout to receive the discount! This code expires on 7/10/15 and your order must total a minimum of $30 in order to use it.

Lindy Bop forever steals my heart with their dresses. I love the nautical feel that the navy striped halter dress gives. Speaking of nautical, I love that lighthouse print dress from Bonne Chance Collections. Lighthouses are one of my favorite things ever! :D

Finally, I am so excited about ColourPop's new line of ultra matte lipsticks. Unfortunately, their website got really overwhelmed with everyone trying to buy them when they came out that it was very hard to get an order in and then they were sold out within about a day or two. I was really disappointed. I am eagerly waiting for an announcement that they are back in stock. I particularly want to try out LAX, Bumble, Tulle, and Limbo. Pacific looks really pretty as well. Hopefully they will be back in stock soon!