dresses for the fourth of july

I can't get enough of fun, summer dresses and have spotted so many adorable options when perusing shops online. Here are three of my current favorites that would be perfect for the Fourth of July!

dresses: left, middle, right

I also have a really fun giveaway starting tomorrow!! Stay tuned and check back July 1st at midnight PST to enter!

xo-ally

friday's fancies - beach ready

This week's Friday's Fancies theme with Long Distance Loving is beach ready. I love the red, white, and blue bikini (very patriotic to get ready for the Fourth) with the aviators, sandals, adorable Lilly romper and fun VS Pink water bottle. Cheers to summer!

swimsuit, romper, sunglasses, sandals, water bottle

xo-ally

from new york...

Good morning! Yesterday I recapped my time in DC so far in this post, and today is all about New York. We spent a few days with the scholars there before heading back to DC for this past weekend. I loved it!

First we had a quick lunch in Chinatown:

 Saw Matilda on Broadway: 

The campus we stayed at has a distant view of the NY skyline (it doesn't seem quite as far away in person):

We found the minions from Despicable Me! Can't wait for the second movie to come out (and hopefully will find time to see it): 

Went to John's for dinner. There was a Gilmore Girls episode (season 4, episode 1) where Loreli reads "pizza at John's" off the to-do list -- maybe this was what they were talking about? 

Times Square 

 Went on an evening cruise that boated around the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline:

 I took a video of the view from the top deck, it's always easier to "get the feel" for the view that way!

I'm excited to be back in New York next weekend. Not sure how regular posting will be this week as I start another busy session today, but be sure to follow on Bloglovin', Instagram, and Twitter for updates!

xo-ally

playing catch-up

These past two weeks have been a whirlwind. Seriously, such a whirlwind. I love my job, however, it is very exhausting. At the end of the day it is definitely rewarding, but being "on" all day for 10 days straight can get a little tiring. I've loved all the new people I've met, the places I've gotten to go, and the experiences that have occurred these past couple of weeks! After the first session of 10 days, we had a few days off before the next one starts (which is tomorrow morning). Since I've had very little access to wifi, and the wifi is slow when it's there, I've been playing catch-up this evening on my last day off. It's nice to finally get a chance to upload photos to the blog :) without further ado, here's what I've been up to in DC:

The first day of summer was glorious. It was the best, sunny day, we went to the jazz festival in DC, and had our feet in the water while sipping sangria.

I wish I had time to do "real" outfit posts! Most days all I get is a quick chance to do mirror selfies ;) haha. Lots of pencil skirts, button-downs, blazers. Basically lots of J. Crew and accessorizing with piled-on bracelets and a necklace or two! Hoping I get to do an outfit post outside in normal clothes sometime soon :)

I've also been doing a little exploring:

Love the street packed with food trucks! There were so many options for lunch one day.

The students (we call them "scholars") are great. I really liked my first group, and hoping the second and third batches are just as good! My group of scholars was hilarious, one of them wrote the series of events on the board when we they were coming up with ideas for a skit:

 (By the way, I wasn't actually angry, I was just getting attention in a mock-angry way...) Maybe you had to be there, but I just found it so funny.

 The first day off was devoted to shopping! I got four things: all pink and/or striped. Maybe the next shopping trip needs to include more diverse items...haha.

Went to a Vineyard Vines store for the first time :) (there aren't any of the west coast) and got that bow tank above and a pink tshirt. I also couldn't resist the J. Crew sale (the pink and lime striped cardi), and exchanged something at Forever 21 and for the adorable pink striped dress (which I believe may be inspired by this Kate Spade dress?)

 I spotted the Capitol Building at sunset. It was so gorgeous.

That's all for now! Tomorrow I'll be recapping my time in New York with some more photos. Love you all, thanks for being patient with my posting, and please follow on Instagram and Twitter for updates in the meantime!

xo-ally

friday's fancies - summer ready!

This week's Friday's Fancies theme with Long Distance Loving is Summer Ready. While it's officially the first day of summer (woohoo!) but I've been incorporating summer staples into my wardrobe all spring! For this week's outfit I paired a lovely pink striped top I recently splurged on (it was the bow - I couldn't resist!) with yellow shorts and neutral accessories. It's so brights-on-brights and stripes-on-stripes.

top, shorts, sandals, sunglasses, necklace, bag

xo-ally

I'm in New York!

I'm in New York! I'll be working up here for the next few days. I haven't been to the city in five years so it'll be nice to be back :)

I'll update more when I have time!

xo-ally

friday's fancies - wedding guest chic

This week's Friday's Fancies theme with Long Distnace Loving is wedding guest chic. Here is a fun dress I'd wear!

dress

xo-ally

pool outfit, and like salad and stuff

I can't believe it's already Wednesday night! Monday was the first day officially on the job with the conference, and I'm already exhausted on day three. My work hours are 7am-midnight with very few breaks! The breaks are actually spent prepping for the next meeting or activity....haha. Even though I'm exhausted, I'm really liking this job and being in DC so far!

Anyways, last weekend I wore this outfit, and even threw it on to go to the pool:

Okay, Georgetown is THE cutest part of DC I've seen yet. I loved it.

I had a reaaaally good salad at Sweetgreen.

Also, the wifi is limited to one small area (not my room, ugh). Sooooo I will do my absolute best to keep up with posting :) love you all!

xo-ally

friday's fancies - serious sunnies

This week's Friday's Fancies theme with Long Distance Loving is Serious Sunnies. I totally adore the subtle butterfly shaped sunglasses. This week's outfit is a little more bohemian than I'd usually wear, I just love the bright red maxi!

sunglasses, dress, necklace, sandals, bracelets

xo-ally

"relaxed professional" outfit

Hello, hello! Today is my first day off after training for my new job in DC. I can't believe training is over so quickly! We have a couple days off before starting the real thing next week, and I am really excited to begin. After brunch at a little nearby diner, I went shopping with a few other girls. I really need more "professional clothes" because I've already mixed and matched quite a few of my pieces! Haha. Luckily I found a J. Crew and picked up a few things ;) AND everything is 25% off, including sale items! Love a good sale.

Here is what I wore one of the days - pencil skirt, my favorite white top, a watch, and statement jewelry:

I also wore my swimsuit to the pool after training ended. It was nice to be outside in the sun after spending the days inside! The one I got was a recent purchase from Victoria's Secret (great swimsuit selection, always):

swimsuit (it just went on clearance!)

Hope you're having a wonderful week!

xo-ally