But Who Lit The Black Flame Candle?

Happy Halloween!! Last weekend a bunch of us took an overnight trip to Salem, and it was so much fun. I don't even know where to begin, so I guess I'll start with the purchase of this dress.







I saw this dress on Hot Topic's website. I was looking for something Halloweeny and had this trip in mind, and when I saw it I instantly loved it. I loved the skeleton and bone print, and I loved the asymmetrical hem. It felt very witchy. I ordered it and when it finally came and I tried it on, it was SO comfy. I was really glad because I would be wearing it all day. I decided to pair it with what my mom used to refer to as my "Herman Munster" shoes. I have had these shoes since I was about 11, and it boggles my mind that they still fit.









On the first day, we got there around noon. We took some pictures really soon after getting there because we noticed these cool rows of trees. We did some shopping, got some lunch, and just walked around taking in everything. Salem is so full of energy and excitement during Halloween time, and it's always awesome. I was thinking about it, and I would definitely not mind living there for a bit. I would love to be around for the whole month of October to not have to deal with parking and to be able to do more of the stuff they have going on all month. There's so much that you miss out on when you can only go for a day or two.









For me, the highlight of the whole trip (and most of the reason why I wanted to go this particular weekend) was the Harry Potter party on that Saturday night. It was a Wizarding Ball, and it was SO much fun. Chris and I dressed up as Slytherins, but lots of people dressed up as actual characters too. There was one guy who was Voldemort, and he made the mask himself so it looked like he didn't have a nose. He really looked like him. I took a picture with him giving me the Dark Mark with his wand. It was awesome. He even had the long nails like Voldemort has.










They had specialty Harry Potter themed cocktails. Of course, they had Butterbeer. They also had a drink for each house as well as some other ones, but I had to go with the classic Butterbeer. It was really good. I might have to make it at home sometime. They also had some snacks and stuff too, but the best part about the party was that there was dancing. I'd like to see a picture  because I imagine how funny it must've looked to see a bunch of people dressed as Harry Potter characters do the Gangnam Style dance. I tried to get people to do the Thriller dance with me since I just recently learned it, but no one knew how. I left the party feeling like I was with my people. These people love Harry Potter as much as I do, and also love to dance and party. It was the best combo.







Another interesting and noteworthy thing that happened on Saturday was this standoff between two street "performers". I put that in quotes because one of the guys wasn't really performing so much as preaching about religion. There was a guy drumming on buckets and whatnot and everyone was crowded around him enjoying it and the other guy was just kinda ruining the performance by trying to talk over the drumming. The drummer ended up repeatedly yelling at the other guy and soon enough the cops got involved and just told them to separate. I felt bad for the drummer guy.









We also ran into the cutest puppy while we were walking around. He was a golden retriever puppy, and he was really cute. His name was Larry. It was hard to get pictures of him since he kept moving around, but we managed to get a few.











We visited the old cemetery that they have where a lot of the people from the Salem Witch Trials time were buried. I like looking at the old headstones and seeing the things they wrote on them. Is that weird of me? We also ate at New England Soup Factory, which has really good chili.

Dress: Hot Topic//Sweater: Take Out//Jacket: H&M//Tights: Simply Vera by Vera Wang//Boots: Rave//Belt: Forever 21

That pretty much sums up the first day there. I'll share more about the second day in a later post! Have a fun and spooky All Hallows' Eve! :)

Fall is Here, Hear The Yell

Hey! I'm still alive! I've just been super busy having lots of fall time adventures. October is always crazy. Since it's my favorite month, I try to do as much as I can in it to enjoy it. And since I've been working a full-time job at one place, I really only have weekends to fit things in. Needless to say, I end up pretty exhausted! I tire myself out and then keep going. It's a curse and a blessing, depending on the situation.









For my birthday weekend, Chris and I went on a fall foliage drive, then I went to the casino with some friends that night and then on that Sunday we went pumpkin picking. This past weekend a bunch of us went to Salem and stayed overnight. I still have one more weekend of October fun to go, and it's one of the best ones - Halloween weekend! I promise there will be posts on all this stuff in the coming weeks.









These were taken on a fall trip to see some foliage, though we couldn't find a lot of places that had good foliage. The foliage is behind this year, so I think we were a little early. We went to a couple state parks that day. This is the second one we went to. I really like state parks. They're very peaceful and pretty. I'm always excited to see a new one.











I got this golden leaf crown at the mall a couple of months ago and couldn't wait to style it with something. I tried it with a few outfits, but always ended up taking right back off. It seemed like fall was a better time to wear a crown of gold leaves. I really like it, and I like that it is adjustable in the back with an elastic. Sometimes when a crown is one size it just doesn't sit the way you want it to.









Besides my busy October adventures, everything else has been good. My new job is going well and I'm really enjoying it. The only thing that is a little stressful is dealing with the hoards of middle schoolers that come in after school and start causing a ruckus. It's interesting to not be incredibly far from my teen years and then witness how they act and interact and remember what they're feeling and how they think. I did a lot of journaling during my teen years, and I am trying to get back into that now because I think it's helpful and important. But I think that having journaled all that time, it helped me to better remember things that I felt and what I thought about certain things at the time so I can empathize more with the people who are that age now.

Top, Skirt & Belt: Forever 21//Tights: ASOS//Shoes: LifeStride//Leaf Crown: Claire's//Lipstick: Colourpop Lippie Stix in Creature

I hate having to be strict with some of them, but it's part of the job. Some of them can be really disrespectful, but I think that sometimes they don't even realize that they are being that way. There are also a good handful that are great and remind me of myself when I was younger. I have a Teen Advisory Group that is full of great kids (it's weird to me to call them kids because I don't feel old enough to) and I'm excited to be able to work with them!