Weekly Recap #22, 2022

This was such an awesome week! And today’s post is probably my favorite weekly recap that I’ve posted – lots of cute outfits, fun backdrops for the photos, and exciting activities as I explored the East Coast with my friend and family. I suspect that once I start my job at the end of June, my weekly recaps will get a little more repetitive and monotonous… so it’s fun to share another eventful week before I settle into my new routine in Denver.

Monday, May 30

My friend and I spent Memorial Day lounging on a beach in New Hampshire, only about 40 minutes away from where she lives! It’s a bucket list item of mine to travel to every state, so I was over the moon to unexpectedly cross off another one—and during a beach day, no less. My family isn’t big into island/tropical vacations, so I think the only time I had a proper beach day was in Puerto Rico in 2012. It’s been a while!

I was excited (although a little hesitant) to wear my new scandalous swimsuit that I bought for four pounds while in Glasgow, underneath this cute beachy coverup. Mind you, my definition of ‘scandalous’ is probably a lot different than most people’s—I shopped for swim trunks in the boys’ section until high school, if that gives you an idea. My friend and I had a great time lounging, reading, and taking a dip in the frigid Atlantic water with hundreds of our closest friends. We grabbed a yummy fish taco lunch near the beach before having a restful evening playing card games—something about the sun and swimming really wipes it out of ya’.

Beachy Dress: Hand-me-down, last worn here | Flip Flops: Big 5 Sporting Goods, $12 | Sunglasses: Loft, $30 ($1.88 per wear), last worn here

Tuesday, May 31

My friend and I had more of a chill day today relaxing in the cute Boston suburb where she lives. We took her dog for a walk, watched a true crime show, and explored downtown—which had some amazing (albeit expensive) shopping. We loved wandering through all the stores, especially a really fancy dress shop—as in, the dresses cost thousands of dollars. We both agreed we would look but not touch… Later in the evening, we played more cards and went bowling—which turned out to be candlepin bowling, the kind with tiny balls and narrower pins. It was surprisingly very different than regular bowling, so I enjoyed experimenting to figure out the best strategies and techniques, even though I wasn’t very good.

I also loved today’s outfit—I think the palm print top and anorak jacket are really cute together. It’s definitely a combination I’ll be wearing again this summer!

Palm Print Top: H&M, $15 ($3.00 per wear), last worn here | Anorak Jacket: JCPenney, $30 ($0.57 per wear), last worn here | Denim Shorts: H&M, $25 ($1.32 per wear), last worn here | Sandals: DSW, $19 ($0.26 per wear), last worn here | Elephant Purse: Francesca’s, $20 ($0.39 per wear), last worn here

Wednesday, June 1

My friend and I ventured into Boston proper today and had a lot of fun exploring, though I plan on sharing the details (and more photos) in a later post. It was supposed to rain, so I wore the only long sleeve top I brought with my anorak jacket and a borrowed raincoat from my friend. I thought these white high-top sneakers looked dumb with my cropped jeans initially, but my friend (and the photos) convinced me otherwise. I actually think this look turned out really cute!

Polka Dot Sleeve Top: Loft, $20 ($2.00 per wear), last worn here | Anorak Jacket: JCPenney, $30 ($0.56 per wear), last worn here | Cropped Flared Jeans: Express, $40 ($1.90 per wear), last worn here | White High-Top Sneakers: Primark, $10 ($5.00 per wear) | Sunglasses: Loft, $30 ($1.67 per wear), last worn here | Elephant Purse: Francesca’s, $20 ($0.38 per wear), last worn here

Thursday, June 2

I joined my friend as she took her dog on a walk, and then we killed a little time before I had to catch my train back to Boston. The original purpose of this trip to the East Coast was so that my family and I could attend our good friend’s wedding in Rhode Island—but it just so happened to work out for me to come a little early and spend a few days with my college buddy, as well. After meeting up with my family at the train station downtown, we started our hour and a half drive to Newport, Rhode Island. The transmission of our rental car was completely shot, so it made for a more eventful (and jerky) ride than I would have preferred…

I loved this outfit though—I thought the colors complemented each other really well and the headband was a cute accessory to tie it all together. As my dad said, the shoes added a little sporty spice vibe to the look.

Olive Green Bodysuit: Francesca’s, $20 ($2.86 per wear), last worn here | Anorak Jacket: JCPenney, $30 ($0.55 per wear), last worn here | Cropped Flared Jeans: Express, $40 ($1.82 per wear), last worn here | White High-Top Sneakers: Primark, $10 ($3.33 per wear) | Elephant Purse: Francesca’s, $20 ($0.38 per wear), last worn here

That evening, we had our first wedding-related event, which was a clam bake. What is a clam bake, you may ask? I was wondering the same thing. Turns out, a clam bake basically entails the most food you have ever seen… Once we were seated for dinner (the venue was outside), giant buckets of clams and mussels were presented to us. Given the name of the event, we expected the clams to be the bulk of the meal, so we started chowing down enthusiastically. Little did we know, a massive plate of food was later presented to each of us; the plate included potatoes, cod, a chicken wing, two pieces of steak, coleslaw, two large sausages, and—the cherry on top—an entire lobster. It was insane! And so much fun to catch up with friends while enjoying the best seafood New England had to offer. I wore this $1 green plaid dress that I thrifted a while back—it felt East Coast-ish to me. If you ever attend a clam bake yourself, however, I recommend wearing easily washable clothes—it was a blood bath as lobster shrapnel and clam butter splattered across the tables. Thankfully they provided plastic bibs, but I think one of those rain ponchos might have been more fitting.

Green Plaid Dress: Thrifted, $1 ($0.33 per wear), last worn here | White Heels: DSW, $50 ($2.63 per wear), last worn here | Floral Purse: Kate Spade New York, $100 ($5.26 per wear), last worn here

Friday, June 3

We happened to meet some of the bride’s extended family during breakfast in our hotel this morning, and we ended up spending the whole day with them! First we did a drive along the coast to see all of the incredible Rhode Island mansions—the very definition of opulent and “old money”. We then stopped for drinks at a hotel/mansion on the water, wandered around Fort Adams, and ventured into what is supposedly the oldest tavern in the U.S., located in downtown Newport. Apparently George Washington himself used to frequent the place! We finished the evening by having a picnic dinner at the Air B&B of some of the extended family members. They were so much fun to hang out with, and even though my family isn’t related to the bride, we sure felt like we were by the end of the weekend.

As a side note, I did a terrible job packing for this trip. I always check the weather before going on vacation, but there seems to be a major disconnect in my brain between certain temperatures and what clothes are necessary for those temperatures. Thankfully, aside from the day in Boston, I ended up being warm enough, due to the humidity and active nature of the activities we did there. However, I completely failed to dress for the East Coast vibes. While I was packing for this vacation (and simultaneously packing for my move to Denver), I pictured lots of navy and white, stripes, beachy accessories, etc. For some reason—I think because half my clothes were already packed for Denver—I convinced myself that I didn’t have many East Coast clothes. Turns out… I was wrong. Today while lounging by the water, I saw lots of cute outfits on other ladies that I totally could have recreated with pieces in my own closet. Dang it! My boho outfit today was definitely not the waterfront vibe.

Beige and Black Jumpsuit: Francesca’s, $16 ($1.14 per wear), last worn here | Denim Jacket: JCPenney, $19 ($0.12 per wear), last worn here | Sandals: DSW, $19 ($0.26 per wear), last worn here | Elephant Purse: Francesca’s, $20 ($0.37 per wear), last worn here

Saturday, June 4

Today’s outfit is nearly identical to Thursday’s, except I swapped out the olive green bodysuit for an olive green knit tank top. My family and I did the Cliff Walk this morning, which is a hiking trail along the coast on one side and the backside of some of those gorgeous mansions on the other. It was a long but very enjoyable walk! I will say that my feet were not loving these knock-off Converse by the end, though. We grabbed lunch at a seafood place (because what else do you eat while on the coast?) and then went back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding.

Olive Green Sweater Tank: Francesca’s, $15 ($5.00 per wear), last worn here | Anorak Jacket: JCPenney, $30 ($0.54 per wear), last worn here | Cropped Flared Jeans: Express, $40 ($1.74 per wear), last worn here | White High-Top Sneakers: Primark, $10 ($2.50 per wear) | Elephant Purse: Francesca’s, $20 ($0.36 per wear), last worn here

The wedding was at 6 pm at a beautiful vineyard, as you can see! With the last wedding I attended being my own brother’s, it was fun to sit back and relax at this event, not having to worry about any of the details aside from having fun. The ceremony took place outside and was thankfully short and sweet, as it was getting a little chilly. We then had dinner and of course, danced the night away! It was such a fun evening—I absolutely love weddings.

As for my outfit… I did a little fashion show for my parents back home before heading to the East Coast, and they agreed I should wear this cobalt blue dress, which I hadn’t worn before. I decided to style it with silver accessories, including my clutch, heels, and sparkly necklace. However, as much as I love the color, I did not end up feeling very confident in this outfit. I thought the fit of the dress was a little unflattering in my stomach area, and I think I should have worn my hair up instead—both to contain the humidity frizz and to show off the neckline and back of the dress better. I love this pic, though, and still scored lots of compliments!

Cobalt Blue Dress: Thrifted, $35 ($35 per wear) | Silver Heels: DSW, $40 ($2.50 per wear), last worn here | Silver Clutch: DSW, $5 ($1.00 per wear), last worn here

Sunday, June 5

We drove from Newport back to Boston this morning to drop off our rental car and head to the airport. My brother and his wife’s flight was much sooner than ours, but since we had to return our car early, we ended up staying at the airport most of the day (hence the not-so-cute airport pic). We had two flights and didn’t get home until about one in the morning… It was a long travel day, but at least I liked my outfit!

Striped Flamingo Tee: JCrew, $25 ($3.13 per wear), last worn here | Anorak Jacket: JCPenney, $30 ($0.53 per wear), last worn here | Dark Wash Cropped Jeans: Express, $25 ($2.08 per wear), last worn here | White Sandals: DSW, $45 ($1.32 per wear), last worn here

. . . . .

Which of this week’s outfits is your favorite? I completed most of this post on Sunday while waiting in the airport but couldn’t quite finish it before my first flight. My plan was to post it as soon as I got home, but at that point I was so tired and cranky that I just went to bed. Hope you had a good week and are having a great start to the new one!

 

Miles of smiles,
Grace