This post has been in my drafts probably since June—but every time I went to write it, I got sucked into my Dropbox archives looking at old pictures and remembering good times. I’ve always loved taking pictures when I am together with family and friends, and am so glad I have many of our good times documented for posterity. ANYWAY, a few months ago I saw this post on Oh Joy! and loved reading it so much that I wanted to write my own version. And, I thought now would the perfect time to publish this post since I just signed a lease on a new apartment in Arlington and am moving out of Dupont Circle next month—so naturally, I’ve been really nostalgic about my time here and all the homes I’ve loved before.
Of all the apartments I’ve lived in as an adult, I think this one is my favorite; it just feels like home. I also have a really soft spot in my heart for the first apartment I moved to after college graduation. I stayed their for three years, which is the longest I’ve lived anywhere besides my childhood home, so it was filled with so many great memories and those fun times 22-25 year olds have as their getting their adult sea legs. Had COVID-19 not happened, I probably would have stayed here for at least another year—but things change and I know I’ll be happier with more space, which I can get for cheaper across the Potomac. I loved my time in Arlington before and am excited to be moving back—but so, so glad I experienced living in downtown DC, too.
So let me welcome you into my home, past and present—I even dug up some photos of my college bedrooms for entertainment value. (Almost 100 percent positive I documented those homes with my trusty Canon point-and-shoot. It’s amazing how the cameras on our iPhones are better than the digital cameras we used to carry around in plastic baggies at frat parties, but I digress.) Come on in!
If you’ve read A Touch of Teal for any period of time, you know that Charleston, South Carolina is one of my favorite cities, if not my favorite city. In April when life was really bleak, my friend Emma and I decided we needed a trip to look forward to, so we booked a trip to Charleston. Because all the flexibility offered by places right now given COVID-19, we knew we could get our money back if we were still under shelter in place orders, so it was pretty low risk to book even though the entire world was shut down.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago and the trip we crossed our fingers for came to fruition. As I said in this post, I know taking a trip right now is not for everyone—and I totally respect that! Since things were open in South Carolina and we could take the precautions needed to socially distance, we decided to go. (When I got back to DC, I quarantined for two weeks since South Carolina is on the city’s mandatory quarantine list.) Obviously short of staying home, you can’t be 100% safe, but Charleston is taking the virus very seriously—there’s a mandatory mask rule and places do a great job enforcing it, tables at restaurants are spaced really far apart, and stores really limited the number of people allowed in at once. There are also way less tourists than normal in town—summer is usually so busy in Charleston—which was definitely sad to see, but meant there was more room to spread out and stay away from others. Many of the streets we walked down were completely empty.
Regardless of when you choose to travel again, I wanted to share a little bit about what we did on this trip to Charleston in case you want recs for a socially distanced visit or after we (fingers crossed it’s soon!) have a vaccine. It was a good mix of visiting my favorite CHS places, which I’ve written about in the posts above, and exploring some new places. Read more “A Long Weekend in Charleston”
Hey y’all! I can’t believe it’s August. March, April, and much of May felt like a drag, but since then, I feel like time has been passing a little more quickly. Nothing too crazy to report on my end; I pretty much work from home, take a nice long walk, watch Friday Night Lights, read, rinse, repeat. We’re finally starting to get back to more of a “business as usual” environment at work, so I’ve been super busy planning out what our fall and holiday season will look like. It’s been fun to work on some projects we had to put on pause back in March when the pandemic initially shut everything down. We’re working from home through the end of the year, and I am crossing my fingers we’ll be able to get back into the office in some capacity in 2021. I’m trying not to have too many high expectations though, because that’s how I’ve gotten hurt by this whole situation in the past (remember how naive we were at the beginning? I told my coworkers I’d see them in April. I’d laugh, but then I might cry!)—and I wrote a little bit more about how I’m feeling in this Instagram post.
Now that I’m working from home, or living at work as some would say, I’ve also been having a harder time gearing up to work on my blog after I finish my day job since there’s no physical separation of space. Lately, at night, I’d rather just lay on my couch, play on my phone, and watch TV—not continue to sit with a laptop in my lap. (I wrote a little bit more about this feeling in this Instagram post.) So thanks for hanging with me and my very irregular posting schedule—but I’d rather pop in when I actually have something to say!
It’s been a hot second, so I thought I’d share a little bit about what’s going on in my life lately.
THE NORDSTROM ANNIVERSARY SALE /
Ok, I know the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is a very polarizing event—this year especially. In the past, I’ve done full blogposts dedicated to the sale. And even though I have a relatively small following, because of those posts, have made close to $1,000 some years on the sale, which is even more than I’ve made every holiday season barring one. (I make money via affiliate links. If you click on an affiliate link of mine and purchase an item from that retailer—it doesn’t have to be the item I linked, I make a small commission off the sale. Nordstrom has traditionally had higher commissions than other retailers, which is part of the reason why they’re an influencer fave.) So I can only imagine if you’re doing this full time, the sale can be extremely lucrative, and I don’t think you can fault someone for earning an honest paycheck.
I’ve been a Nordstrom credit cardholder for 5+ years and the main reason I got the card was to shop the sale early. While a lot of people point out the sale was better a while back when they didn’t produce items specifically for the sale, over the years, I’ve actually purchased a lot of items that have become staples in my wardrobe and have held up well. But I think what can be annoying about the sale is that it creates a scarcity mindset since things sell out fast—and the truth is, even if you don’t grab something during the sale you’re interested in, you can find it a few months later on the website after people make returns or something similar when fall actually rolls around. Very candidly, I probably won’t shop the sale this year as I’m moving at the end of September and would rather save my money for movers, new apartment decor, etc. And also very candidly, my work from home wardrobe is very casual, so I don’t need that much in terms of clothing these days, hah!
That being said, I did want to share a few of my favorite things or purchases from past sales. These are things I use all the time and would happily pay full price for.
Zella Live In High Waist Leggings—these are some of my favorite leggings! I typically don’t wear these to workout, but I love them for lounging around the house, running errands, etc. I have three pairs and they hold up really well in the wash!
Barefoot Dreams CozyChic Circle Cardigan—I used to think this cardigan was a gimmick, but I can assure you it is the real deal. It is so soft and perfect for lounging. I’ve given one to my sister and my mom as gifts, and they love them, too.
Moonlight Dream Short Pajamas—these pajamas are so soft; probably even softer than my Lake pajamas that are double the price. Can’t recommend them enough!
Patagonia Radalie Water Repellent Insulated Parka—I bought this back in 2016 and am so, so glad I did. It’s the parka I wear before I bring out my super puffy jacket. Patagonia jackets are meant to last forever and I feel like mine is in as good of shape as the day I got it.
