A Week at the Lake and How I Recharged

I'm reporting back post-vacation to let you know I successfully unplugged. It felt SO GOOD. I worked only about 1 hr total each day (sometimes not even that) and only actually pulled out my computer twice. 

It felt so refreshing to just ignore everything. At first, when I saw the e-mails piling up, I had anxiety. But I pushed through that. Nothing was pressing, it could all wait.

I didn't wear a stitch of makeup the entire week. In fact my makeup stayed packed as did my hair dryer/curling iron/etc.. I lived in swimsuits and lounge clothes and only brought three pairs of shoes: Havianas, Jack Rogers, and my Ultra Boost sneakers. 

I spent time sleeping in, hanging out with family, reading, sunbathing, playing games, swimming, walking, eating, watching movies, and more. It felt a little more like 2005 rather than 2017. 

As much as I love what I do and I love getting dressed up, I love connecting with others on the internet, things get daunting. The monotony of life can set in. Having a very clean, clear break is such a recharger and I could not recommend it more. Even if it is just a day or two.

After I got back, I admit, I was really overwhelmed. This week was tough trying to catch up and I am still not as caught up as I'd like to be. But, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, I survived and I don't regret a thing! 

Scroll through the photos below to see what I did while in Hiawasee, GA! 

Shorts (run small, size up)// Sneakers (most comfortable sneakers I have ever worn, worth every penny)

One morning we all went to the top of Bell Mountain. It was SUPER hot all week, so even just walking broke a major sweat. At the top, there are stairs you can climb to get to the highest point and then a rock formation you can climb. It's a little scary at some points, but the view of Lake Chatuge is stunning, don't you think?! 

Hiawassee is a very small, rural town in Northern Georgia. There are a lot of gems in this area of the state, but also not a ton of amenities that most larger cities have. One of our stops is lunch at Zaxby's. I look forward to it every year. We don't have one anywhere near Pittsburgh and I just live for their chicken, Zax's sauce, and Texas toast. It's SO good. 

Swimsuit  (also here, here, here)

I spent a lot of time down at the dock, in the water, or on the water. I made an effort to do a long swim each day... to the 'point' and back. When you are standing on the dock, it doesn't look too far, but once you are in the water swimming, it becomes a lot farther! It's a great exercise and I did it with Peyton, Taylor, and Jack, so it was fun for us, too! I also went out on the Jet Ski, and enjoyed cocktail cruises. 

Excuse my pajamas, no makeup and wet hair (I told you I wore literally nothing nice at all haha)... but we got a Shotski this year and if you took a shot out of it, you got to sign it. Most people signed it by the end of the trip! I was inspired by one of my girlfriends who has a Penn State shotski at her parent's pool.

We also enjoyed some amazing home cooked meals. Everyone is an amazing cook and since there aren't really many restaurants, we eat in most every night. We had everything from filet, to shrimp, to hot dogs, chicken, and more. Needless to say, I've been hitting the gym a lot this week! 

We watched a ton of movies... Lights Out (it was awful), The Conjuring 2, La La Land, a few Harry Potters, The Gallows. We watched RHONY, Shark Week, and a lot of bad Lifetime movies, too. We all also got addicted to an iPhone game called Dancing Lines. I NEVER play games on my iPhone, and this game is SO hard. It's mesmerizing and totally addicting and frustrating. I ended up deleting it because I got so frustrated haha! 

We also went to Dairy Queen almost every night, which is one of the only ice cream places in town. All the kids pile into my cousin's car and we blast music on the drive. We also played a lot of fun games. We played What Do You Meme, Really Bad Art, Cards Against Humanity, and Speak Out. 

I really just loved the simplicity of everything. You're slightly removed from the rest of the world, and you're with people that matter. It's such a relaxing feeling. But, I am glad to be back. I'm a creature of habit and thrive on routine, so it's nice to be back and getting back into a good groove!

Lately 8/3/2017

White Dress 

Can you believe we're into August now? Part of me is super excited that fall is right around the corner, but I also am sad to see summer passing by so quickly! I mentioned this in yesterday's post, but this week has been crazy. Trying to get back on track has been harder than I thought, I feel like I'm barely keeping my head above water, so I am hoping I'll be able to regroup today and tomorrow so I'm able to have a relaxing weekend. We'll see! 

Wearing: I have been LOVING everything from Abercrombie lately. I would say in the past year, the brand has really caught my attention. I would not have been caught dead in anything from the brand even just a few years ago. They have done a complete 180 and I just love it. The pieces are youthful but I find many, like this white dress I am wearing above, so be simple and dare I say, timeless and classic. Not to mention all of their pieces are super affordable! This dress is just around $30 on sale!

I wore it on Monday night. I had ordered Hello Fresh to arrive that Monday and it didn't show up until around 8pm. I thought it wasn't coming, though, so we grabbed a bottle of wine an headed to Noodlehead, one of my favorite places in all of Pittsburgh. It's cash only, they don't take reservations and you can't call to order take out, you have to actually go in, order it and wait for it. It really is that good. It's inexpensive, delicious and you can BYOB. They have cute little outdoor seating, too, and it's right next door to ice cream. Major win. This is one of those dresses that I just feel good in. It's so easy to throw on and it looks put together but is still very comfortable.

Drinking: I am SO excited about this one. Nespresso just launched 14oz. capsules. I love their espresso and coffee, but have always longed for a big cup. I typically drink 2 capsules when I make a cup, so it's awesome that they have realized their consumers want bigger cups! This makes it really great for mornings on the go, when I want to have a full coffee to-go! 

Reading: Have you heard that Amazon is going to start offering prepared meal kits like Hello Fresh and Blue Apron? I'm convinced Amazon is taking over the world! I seriously use Amazon almost daily now!

Wanting: These insanely comfortable blue and white pants, these blush velvet heels, this $15 basic tank, and this gorgeous blue and white flowy dress. Scroll through the above widget to see some more things that I have been loving lately!

Watching: Upon everyone's recommendation, I started Ozark, a new series on Netflix. I'm only on episode two but it's already got me hooked! Have you watched a great series lately?! 

Listening: I have started August's playlist, but it doesn't have much yet.... but I'm working on it. Stay tuned for next week where I will embed it so those who do not have Spotify can listen, too! 

Loving: I've always been a big fan of Cetaphil's moisturizer. I always have one of the big pump bottles on hand. It's light and all around just a good, solid moisturizer that you can use daily. I received a press package from them recently and I had no idea how many products Cetaphil offers! I took the Daily Facial Moisturizer with me on vacation and used it every morning after washing my face. It claims to help with redness prone skin and has the lightest tint and provides a nice lightweight moisture. It also has SPF 20. I couldn't recommend this more and will continue to use it often. I find a lot of face sunscreens to run very pricey and this is a really top notch affordable option! 

Trying: I was just recently sent some skincare products by Skinceuticals. I have never tried any of the products from the brand but have always heard rave reviews. I'm anxious to see how these work. I just started using them yesterday, so I'll be sure to report back after a few weeks!

Speaking of trying new things. I finally used the Me Sleek Hair Reduction device! It was SO insanely easy, if this works, it's going to be the most brilliant product ever. I literally just held the little 'remote' over my skin, it took all of 2 minutes to do my underarms and about 10 minutes to do my legs. I am going to continue to do it for the full 7 weeks that it suggests. But, it says after two weeks, you'll notice a reduction of up to 46%... I'll continue to report back on the progress. Right now, the machine (it's super compact), is $100 in the Nordstrom sale. 

Pittsburgh-ing: OMG you guys. If you are in Pittsburgh, do not walk, RUN to Smallman Galley in the Strip District. They just got 4 new chefs and I had the 'white pizza' from Iron Born by Chef Pete Tolman. It was probably one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten in my entire life. the pizza is made in a skillet and it had garlic cream, carmelized onions, marinated cherry tomatoes, arugula and rictotta. Definitely not your average pizza. I'm dying to go back. 

Traveling: I have nothing big planned this month and I am SO excited to enjoy my apartment, get back on a great schedule, spend time with friends and family and just enjoy Pittsburgh. September, October, November and December are all big travel months for me, so this will be a great little rest!

Quoting: 'Think about all that you are instead of all that you're not.'

Wear to Work: A Twinset and a Leather Skirt

 

Cardigan// Shell
Pleated Skirt (on sale, in black here)// Louis Vuitton Speedy 30

Suede Pumps (similar)// Sunglasses 

First off, I want to thank each and every one of you for your kind comments, sweet e-mails, direct messages, tweets, etc. in regard to my new branding/site! I was SO excited for this and it was such a labor of love on the back end, so I am so pleased that you all love it, too! Your support and enthusiasm has created more energy and excitement for me and the content that I create. THANK YOU!

To be honest, this week has already wiped me out. Is it Friday yet?! Between returning from vacation, trying to make time to see friends I haven't seen in a while, creating content for this week, dealing with my disaster of an inbox, and launching my new branding, I'm totally ready to throw in the towel and take a nice long nap. 

On top of everything else, I've had real difficulty sleeping for weeks now due to a very painful shoulder (hence the real need for a nap), so I have been working on getting an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon to try and get to the bottom of the issue. I'm hoping in a big way that it is nothing major... I HATE going to the doctor, so this just goes to show how badly the pain is for me. 

Now, onto today's topic: This Skirt. You last saw me wear this great navy blue pleated skirt, here. It is a part of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (which ends this Sunday, August 6th!). You save around $32 by shopping it now and I also like that it is something you can almost wear year round. 

I LOVE this skirt. I already have it in black as well as burgundy. It is such a closet staple for me. The length is modest but not frumpy, the classic a-line cut with the pleats keep it traditional, but the real twist is the 'leather' that makes it slightly edgy and adds some texture. I think it runs a tad big, especially in the waist. I am wearing a size 2. However, check out the reviews, because a lot of people are saying they think it runs a little small in the waist... I think it might just be because the waist has absolutely no give to it whatsoever, so you really need to choose a perfect fit! 

Here, I styled it in a work appropriate way. When you think 'leather skirt', your mind probably thinks there is no way you could wear it to work, but I think if you work in a less conservative office, the outfit above would be perfect! It also looks great with drape-y crepe/silky tanks for nights out, with a blazer or chunky sweater and booties during the fall months, and then well into winter with tights and a turtleneck.

More Pieces from the Nordstrom Sale That I Love:

Summer Wind Is All Grown Up!

Eyelet and Blush Top// White Jeans

My Everyday Jewelry

Ferragamo Vara Flats// Ferragamo Aileen Bag

Sunglasses 

Welcome to the improved Summer Wind! For the longest time, I've felt like my site has felt childish... I have had the same look for several years now, I knew it was time for a change. 

I am not one for big changes, and I also know you all have been coming here for years and years, so I didn't want to stray too far from what I, and everyone else, is accustomed to when coming to Summer Wind. 

But, I did want an updated look. Something that would reflect me as I am now, in 2017. A little more mature, a little more sophisticated. This has been a long time coming. I started brainstorming back in November 2016, then started to find vendors that would be able to do what I was envisioning. I finally started getting the ball rolling in early 2017 and now it has all come to fruition!

I worked with Arabella June, who is the sweetest and so easy to work with. She is based out of South Africa and is very well-known for creating the most beautiful watercolor crests. She's also done a lot of impressive branding work, so it was a no-brainer for me to work with her in my logo design. 

I wanted something familiar, but also something more simple and sophisticated. When I did my inspiration/mood board, I used a lot of luxury hotels and champagne labels as my inspiration and ultimately, Arabella brought everything I could have wanted to life. 

She provided me with several options and each design was so beautiful, it was very difficult to narrow it down. But eventually, we got everything to how it is now! I hope you all love it as much as I do! 

Once I received my branding from Arabella, I turned to Kelly, to implement everything. She was able to work with all the colors and logos/fonts and really create something that flowed seamlessly. 

So, welcome to Summer Wind all grown up! Please know, the content will be the same as you are used to and the general layout is all still the same! My posting schedule will be staying the same and I will continue to share my fashion, travel, lifestyle, and beauty posts with all of you!

Please bear with me the first few days as I work out the general kinks/updates to get it all running smoothly! Thank you all so much for your support!!!