i owe you.

wiley wears:

tanks: both l.a. made

scarf: vintage

shorts: op

     sorry for another viewing of my very pale legs, but spf is important and i am attempting to be the blogosphere's very own poster child for sunblock.  on our last day at the beach we spent some time in the arcade, ate boardwalk fries and took a long walk along the beach.  before we headed back to the city we drove up the coast so i could see my favorite views of rye.  we jumped out of the car at a safe spot and jeb shot a few photos.  my outfit for the day was uber-casual, but i still think it's important to add a touch of something flashy to even the most comfortable of ensembles.  one of my favorite vintage scarves made the perfect accessory to bring a little bit of life into a tank and shorts kind of day.

     on another note, i want to take an opportunity to ask you all a favor.  just a small favor.  recently my cousin created a brickfish social media page to raise autism awareness.  she wrote a beautiful little paragraph about austin, her brother and my cousin, who suffers from austism.  austin is one of the most amazing people i know and a total light of my life.  stacey does an amazing job of pinpointing exactly why it is that you always feel so happy and at ease when you are around austin.  he sees the world as a flawless place and never worries about more than his family and friends.  go to this page and click 'vote.'  no registering necessary, but it would mean a lot to me, and a lot to stacey.

xoxo

that seventies vibe.

wiley wears:

dress: vintage

belt: uo

hat: peter grimm

     we have just returned from our weekend in new hampshire and as has been happening a lot after thse weekends away i feel equally as refreshed as i do exhausted.  how is this possible, one might ask.  well, for me, the weekend away is just a little tease to my brain.  we leave the pressures of the city behind for two glorious days where we eat, drink, walk the beaches and engage in multiple types of relaxation only to return to the harsh realities of the real world; work, chores, and the oppressive city heat.  in my head i try to work out multiple scenarios where this could be my 'real' life.  so far...no luck.  but it does remind me to be so grateful that we have a place to go and get away on the weekends and place to spend time with family and friends.

    on this particular day, jeb and i decided to go for a walk on the beach before a big storm hit town.  the skies were wild...sunny one moment and treacherous-looking the next.  i took the opportunity to wear my fullest-bodied dress and my biggest sun hat.  i was hoping for a seventies feel to the photos and i think that was fully accomplished.  i had very specific ideas of what i wanted the pictures to look like, but jeb, being the stubborn man that he is informed me that, 'brooke, i've been doing this for a long time. i know what looks good,' and directed our little photo shoot.  so glad that taking my blog photos has given him an artistic eye.  in the end, he is as fabulous as he thinks he is because i love the way all the photos turned out.

well my friends,  the week is beginning and i am sending out lots of optimistic thoughts to everyone.

exhale.

we are off to new hampshire for a relaxing weekend by the shore. after last weekend's festivities and a busy week at work a weekend of rest and relaxation is feeling very necessary. looking forward to the thunderstorms that will be sweeping up the coast this weekend. makes you feel less guilty about reading in bed til' noon.

xoxo

{image via wehearit}

ernst, the birthday cat.

today is ernst's first birthday.

jeb and i have managed to keep another living thing alive for a whole year!  so off to new hampshire we go with little ernsty with jingley balls and tuna in tow.

here is a photo of him in his majestic glory perched atop the hamper he so dearly loves.

myself.

wiley wears:

tube top: uo

skirt: vintage

belt: vintage

sandals: rainbow

scarf: vintage

     i loved this outfit and found it to be the perfect festival ensemble.  this skirt was one of my favorite finds of the last year and i typically wear it as a tube-dress, but decided to wear it as a high-waisted skirt over a basic green tube top.  i belted the skirt with my vintage beaded belt to give the outfit more shape and threw a scarf in my hair to finish it off.  sadly, this is my last 'wiley wears' photo from nateva.  i have realized that a weekend like this allowed me to be completely myself and wear some of my very favorite pieces that may not always be so realistic in my real life.  i included the last photo of jeb and i, mostly because it just makes me so happy.  this was nateva for me; complete joy and appreciation for the people i love.  i probably sound like i 'drank the kool-aid' at this point, but in all seriousness, it was just an incredible experience to share a weekend with likeminded caring people.  tomorrow i will post some pictures of my time with the people who made it so special.

the she, of she & him.

yes, my friends, i was this close!   and yes, she is really this beautiful in real life!

the 'she & him' show was incredible.  they played all of my favorite songs and it was awesome to see how talented zooey is on so many instruments. but oh man, that voice.  and of course, that sundress.  i have seen her wear this same style in various patterns for different performances and i love that she has taken this style and made it completely her own.  up there in the 95 degree heat she rocked out; red lips and all.

(oh, and i also love her sunnies.)

be sure to wear...

wiley wears:

dress: vintage

flower: on loan from poppy and leo

espadrilles: uo

     the perfect dress to keep my pale skin covered during the sunniest hours of the day.  another one of my great vintage finds from bobby's of boston, this dress needed a few inches taken off the bottom and a bit of hemming.  the product was a wonderful day dress in a bright floral pattern.  i thought the flower in my hair would add a nice touch.  also, i find it nearly impossible to wear less than two articles at once.  stay tuned for tomorrow's post on the 'she & him' show with lots of gorgeous shots of zooey.  off to spend some time with some wonderful friends.