Scenes from a Trip : Pittsburgh, PA

Pittsburgh! A couple of weekends ago I made the long drive out to visit Terra in her fair city. Since our last meet up in New York we'd been planning on getting together again as soon as we could. I'd never been to Pittsburgh so it made perfect sense for me to hop in the car and make the trip to see her. The drive was long but it was worth it as soon as I put my car in park and saw Terra's smiling face. That night we took a stroll around her neighborhood and grabbed a bite to eat. Then we went back to her house to relax for the rest of night. I'm sure I talked her and her husband's ear off as we lounged, flipped through their photo albums, and played with the pups.

Saturday morning Terra and I woke up bright and early and went out on a breakfast date. She took me to Coca Cafe in a different part of town. We had been talking about all the delicious food we would have for weeks leading up the trip. Terra knew exactly which places to take me to. We both eat fairly healthy so it was easy to pick out places she knew we both would love. It was so nice just to soak up the morning sun, sip on tea, and catch up with each other lives sitting face to face. 

Of course she had to show me some of her favorite places to shop in town. Terra made sure to take me to Pavement and Jupe Boutique. We had to pick up a special item at Jupe for Terra's Style My Closet feature. I tried on a few different pieces for her, but she ultimately decided it would be the best to style a sheer polka dot top. 

We toured around Pittsburgh for the rest of the day, went grocery shopping, drove through the different neighborhoods, and gabbed it up the whole time. One of the best things about girl only time is all the brutally honest conversations you have. There are no barriers, no filters, and it's fun because we've all probably been there, wherever there is. We had some pretty lively debates, some advice giving, and of course plenty of story telling. Somewhere between seeing the city and settling in at the house, we went out to take pictures for the Style My Closet feature. 

Saturday night was spent relaxing in the backyard with some of their friends. I'm pretty sure we covered every topic imaginable, including a lengthy discussion on Nuclear Power. I may have been in a little over my head, but I enjoyed all the discussion none the less. It's always interesting for me to meet new people and hear their stories. After a late dinner of veggie burritos that Terra and I sleepily whipped up, I was off to bed. Not for nothing but they were pretty darn delicious. Sunday morning I woke up to the smell of fresh pancakes in the kitchen. Like I said, the weekend was going to be about food. The pretty lady had made her special banana pancakes. It was just what I needed before I hit the road for the long drive back to my city. 

I talked a bit about the trip already, but I honestly can't say enough good things about it. I'm so thankful that this blog has given me the opportunity to have all these new people in my life. I loved being able to stay with Terra and have her show me around her city. Terra, her husband, and the pups welcomed me into their home with open arms. The trip went by way too quickly! I can't wait until I get to see Terra again. The next time I see her she might even have a little baby girl in her arms...

If you haven't met Terra yet, make sure to check out her blog, Stylish White Female. She is one of the most generous, warm, funny, sweet people I have ever met. Not to mention extremely stylish and an exceptionally cute pregnant lady.  

Thank you so much Terra for letting me stay and showing me around your city. I miss you already!

Spring into Summer

We are at it again! Sometime after the Fall Lookbook Merl approached me about being a part of her Spring / Summer Lookbook. I jumped at the chance to get dressed up and smize for her camera once more. A few weeks ago Merl came out to visit and we spent a few days together making memories and taking photos for the combination Clyde's Rebirth & Mo Vintage Lookbook. She even put lipstick on me this time. I wanted to share a few extra images with you that didn't make the final cut. If you haven't yet, I highly recommend checking out the final product! 

  

 

 

 

  

All photography credit goes to Merl Kinzie

It was a lot of work, but we also had some delirious fun while making it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Merl puts together some of the out takes. I'm so glad that I was able to be a part of the Lookbook once again and even happier that I was able to show Merl some of my favorite places at home. I really hope that you all enjoy it! Make sure to stay tuned for a extra special part of the Lookbook still to come!

Thank you so much for sticking around while I get myself back together. I have some exciting things I can't wait to share the rest of this week and next! Make sure you check out the Lookbook and of course don't forget to keep an eye on Clyde's Rebirth and Mo Vintage as Merl starts to list the pieces in her shops. 

Laugh It Off

Things don't always go exactly the way we plan. It's a hard idea to accept. A few weekends ago I had to stop, step away from everything and hit the reset button. At least I felt like I did. Things weren't going the way I thought they should've been and I felt defeated and deflated. So I took the weekend to adjust my frame of mind and try to figure out why I was so unsettled thinking about where I should be versus where I was. That's when I realized it's hard to reset when all you're doing is thinking about the past. 

I drove past my alma mater this weekend on a road trip. As I was approaching the exit I had a little debate. Do I drive through my old college campus and stir up all those outdated feelings or do I keep driving towards my new destination. In a dramatic move I merged into the far lane, stepped down hard on the gas, and kept driving. I realized in that moment going back to my school wouldn't help anything, just as thinking about other past experiences might not help me figure out any new ones. My trip this weekend was all about getting to know new people and having fresh experiences in a city I've never been to. So I kept driving. 

 

And also last week I laughed. Full, out loud, head in my hands, laughed. I got together with a few friends to see a comedian in the city Thursday night. I put on my best jeans and headed down with high hopes for the evening's events. I had no idea what to expect, but I certainly didn't expect for that night to be exactly what I needed. It helped me get some necessary perspective. If you're patient, and you wait long enough for it, things tend to turn around just when you think they never will.

My shift in perspective carried over to this past weekend in Pittsburgh. I got to be exactly who I am right now. I wasn't trying to impress anyone or be someone who I thought they might like. I was sarcastic at times, then apologetic, perhaps even sweet at others. And I laughed. I laughed a lot. I laughed with people, at situations, to myself. The best part was that I wasn't over thinking anything. It was a much needed break from my usual level of self awareness. For a moment there, I was living in the present. I wasn't thinking about who I had been or who I should be, I was just being myself.  

Selima Optique Sunglasses, Top from Anthropologie, Old Jeans, Minnetonka Moccasins
Ring from Anthropologie, Necklaces from Clyde's Rebirth

I can't feel sorry for myself because I had a difficult weekend a few weekends ago. Especially when there are plenty of new ones waiting for me. If you can push through the grayer days, there are usually more exciting ones up next. Ones where I get to travel, meet new people, laugh until my sides ache, and continue to learn about myself and who I am right now. Things can be really great if you just relax and let them be. 

Photos taken on May 7th by Val

In the spirit of spreading the laughter around, are there any California people interested in having the same belly laugh experience I did? You can check out Colin Kane in the flesh on the West Coast, starting June 9th. If there are any New York locals interested in getting together to see his next NYC show, shoot me an email! It's a great excuse to finally meet a bunch of you. I would tell you that he puts on a good show, but you can decide for yourself.
Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Scenes from a Weekend : XIX

I've been spending more time in the city this month than I have in a very long while. Part of it is due to imperfectly made plans, part of it is due to the fact that I know I'll be spending more time out of the city as the weather continues to get warmer so I'm trying to soak up my time in the city while I can. A few weekends ago I was in the city with no particular plans so I called my friends Val and Drew to meet up for Saturday morning brunch. I rushed down to their neighborhood while they waited patiently at the restaurant for me to show up. 

After an exceptionally lovely brunch in the sun we strolled over to Chelsea Market. There are still so many places that I haven't been in the city yet, and until that weekend I had still never been there. The market was really interesting to walk around. It's a big tourist stop, but there's obviously a good reason for that. We meandered, picked up a few things, stopped by their apartment, then headed into the West Village for the rest of the afternoon.

 

The West Village is such a pretty neighborhood to walk around. I love the narrow sideways, the cobblestone streets, and the small storefronts. A few of my favorite stores to browse are down there, including the store where I bought my favorite and only pair of sunglasses. Val, Drew, and I chatted some more, picked up coffee, and then went our separate ways. I took advantage of the gorgeous weather and went for a long run with Lua by the river at the end of the day. 

On Sunday I drove home to celebrate Mother's Day with my family. We spent the day relaxing, mostly outside. Lua got her fill of backyard time while I ran a few errands around town. My mom made a salad with the greens from her garden and put some chicken on the grill for dinner. It was a relaxing night at home with my parents before another long week of work in the city. 

Thank you to Jentine for re-posting a few pictures from my last outfit post! She really was the behind the scenes cheering section for me; Team Work. And thanks to all of you for sticking around while I lost my head a little these last few weeks. It's been harder than usual to keep up with the blog, but hopefully I'll get back on track soon!

Sarcastic Sweets

I am, in real life, an extremely sarcastic, occasionally quite abrupt person. It doesn't always come across in my writing because I try to write with the mindset that no one else is reading this. That tends to make everything seem intimate and read much more like a diary. So here we go: Dear Diary, 

I know I'm a sarcastic, sometimes a little rough around the edges type of person. The problem I have is when my sarcasm goes from light hearted to coming off as mean spirited. Unfortunately it happens much more than I would like it to. Quite a few of my friends have stories in their back pockets about specific times when I was far too unedited with people. It tends to be people who haven't been around me long enough to know that I don't really mean everything that I say. Especially if I'm meeting a person for the first time or if I'm particularly nervous, the comments start to fly. 

  

I've been trying really hard the past few months to reshape some things about my personality. I will always be who I am, but I want to be the best possible version of myself I can be. I know I'll always be slightly harder to take than the stereotypical bubbly blond, miss giggles a lot, but I'm ok with that. I just don't want to bombarded people within the first five minutes of meeting me with an unexpected or  exceedingly short comment. I know I wouldn't like it, so why have I always been that way towards other people?

It's especially hard for me to remember that this is something I've been working on when I'm around people who are also extremely sarcastic. I forget to pause for that breath before I respond. Then it escalates. Sarcasm can go from kind of funny to completely mean with the change of a few words or a tilt of the head. 

  

I can and have to some extent become much better at curbing my initial rude and sarcastic comments to people I've just met. Luckily, I decided this was something I wanted to work on before I started meeting a whole slew of new people. As time went on and I started to work on a hundred different things about myself, I naturally forget about a few. I feel like as I begin to get more comfortable in my own skin again, every once in a while I see my attitude starting to shift back.

Then I start to think about the whole theory of love and be loved. If I want to be a better person, than I have to start treating people the way that I want to be treated. One of the oldest lessons we've all ever learned, but sometimes it takes a little reminder before things really start to sink in. You can't expect people to be sweet and kind to you, if you don't act the same way to everyone else out there, right? 

Tank from H & M, Skirt from Anthropologie, Heels from Bloomingdales 
Vintage Ring from my Grandma, Pink Lipstick borrowed
Harness Necklace Borrowed from Clyde's Rebirth 2011 Spring/Summer Lookbook

I've very aware of the fact that I'll never be described or introduced as the "sweet girl". I think I'm ok with that too. There has to be a way for me to keep my sarcastic nature in tact, while still being a nice person. I am a kind, warmhearted, compassionate person and I generally only have the best of intentions. I just don't always know how to say the right thing at the right time. I'm working on it. 

Goodnight dear diary. xoxo, Morgan

Photos by Merl, Cheering section by Jentine

Many thanks to Merl and Jentine for helping me get ready on Saturday night. I had the basic idea of what I wanted to wear all lined up, but they really helped me pull everything together. I figured I'd give the lipstick look a try after Merl slapped some on me for a few of the Lookbook shots. Jentine was basically my cheering section the whole night out. I did feel slightly fancy walking around with the long flowy hot pink skirt on, but it was my party and I'll cry, I mean dress up if I want to.