What Cheer

It's a beautiful day in Central Park. As I sit eating my lunch in Sheep's Meadow, people less pale than me are lying in blankets getting sun and some shirtless dude is meditating. Oh look! Another shirtless dude just arrived. This one has a baby with him. It's my last few hours in the city and I'm washed over with a certain feeling of calmness mixed with nostalgia. I really hate saying goodbye. Even if I know I won't see someone soon, I always tell them I'll see them later. So, it's not good bye, not entirely. Being the overly-organized person I am, I finished cramming all my personal possessions into suitcases yesterday and have been left in a weird limbo of waiting for my ride share tonight with nothing else to do. Do I make an effort to have one last adventure in the city? I never did get to Ellis Island. But nah, it's best I just enjoy my time leisurely and try to suppress my stress about fitting all my suitcases in the car. I walked 10

I'm not sure which is more nerve-wracking: having your father meet your boyfriend or your judicious little sister meet your boyfriend.  This past weekend, I was down in Wilmington, North Carolina with my boyfriend Isaac.  Though my dad had met Isaac a few years prior in Montreal, the rest of my family had only encountered him through the wonders of Facetime.  So, this past weekend was a very exciting time given the fact that I have three younger half-siblings, grandparents, aunts, and cousins who all had to meet Isaac.  Thankfully (and not surprisingly) they all adored him as much as I do. On Saturday night, after a beautiful day on the beach we went to dinner downtown with some more family.  Isaac and I went for a little walk before dinner to snap some outfit photos.  Since only my extended family lives in Wilmington, I hadn't spent much time in the area on my own.  As we strolled along the tree-lined streets, I fell in love with the old houses and hidden gardens behind i

This past weekend it was insufferably hot in the city! Like, walk-outside-and-sweat-a-bucket hot.  My best friend Haleigh and I had planned to do a few fun things during the day but that just turned into hanging out in my air conditioned apartment until it was manageable enough to enjoy the sunset from Sheep Meadow in Central Park.  Fortunately, iced coffee and loose slip dresses go well with the humid heat that gripped the city that day.  I picked up this dress a few weeks ago from Urban Outfitters and it has been just perfect for braving the weather without feeling entirely stifled.  Paired with a red lip and a colorful bag, I made the heat work without looking like the hot mess I felt. Dress - Silence + Noise  

Does anyone else miss having a set list of things they had to read each summer? I mean, theoretically I can give myself a set list of things to read but it's not exactly the same, is it? This summer I've been blowing through historical mysteries like nothing.  I've loved reading the book reviews from Lizzy at Shot From the Street so I thought I'd go through some of the books I've been flying through this summer! Check out my list of reading below, and let me know in the comments if you think I should continue with this series! Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr - So last year I blew through Carr's first book, The Alienist. Angel of Darkness is the sequel to The Alienist and is told from a different character's perspective as the group traverses downtown Manhattan and the Hudson Valley trying to find an entirely different killer.  The first book was infinitely better, but Angel of Darkness wasn't far behind.  It's one of those things where the sequ