Oktoberfest!

Dress: Ross ($5... bargain!)

Tights: Target

Hat: Hatitude (Las Vegas at the Venetian)

Shoes: Born

Rings: Street Fair (Green stone); Something Silver (blue stone)

Bracelets: All over the place. Can't even remember.

Necklace: Assorted charms from Mr. CP

Today was the first day in nearly a week that I ventured out of the house. It felt great to get out and enjoy what are likely the final days of sunshine we'll be seeing here in Seattle for quite some time. Mr. CP and I have had standing plans to attend Oktoberfest, so I was determined that my ankle injury would be healed by today (Friday)... and miraculously it was!

Oktoberfest was, as always, entertaining. I'm not a big drinker, to be honest, so after about 2 of the little 5-oz tasters I was content to plop myself down on the curb and listen with absolute delight to the ironic and hilarious conversations going on around me. Women in scandalous, cleavage-baring, very non-traditional dirndls, for example, scampered around complaining (with grins on their faces, of course) about how offended they were that men kept staring at their cleavage. Yes, well, a mini-skirt, a push-up bra, and an unbuttoned blouse (if it can even be called that) will do that for you. At one point I found myself reflecting on what I might look like in a dirndl. The mental image alone had me dissolving into a fit of giggles. In an unfortunate coincidence, Mr. CP returned to my happy little curb from a tasting booth just as I started cackling, and gave me one of those, "Can I get away with pretending I don't know her?" looks. I know that Mr. CP reads these posts, so to Mr. CP: No. You can never get away with pretending not to know me. Ne-ver. 

Wakey, Wakey!

Dress: Ross

Cardigan: Nordstrom

Tights: Target

Head band: Nordstrom

Shoes: Born (really old)

Earrings: Random boutique in Rome

Giraffe and Rooster Sweater Clip: DIY

Apparently I decided yesterday that I did not want to smile in any of the photographs, and opted instead for my best sneer or, worse still, no facial expression whatsoever. I categorically refuse, however, to include any shots wherein I'm not at the very least grimacing. You know those women who can just stare into a camera straight-faced and look sultry, seductive, and impossibly sexy? I am most certainly not one of those women. I just look unapproachable and irate. In the second photo, I decided to ask Mr. CP a question about something that probably seemed important and earth-shattering at the time. The question was likely something along the lines of, "How would you describe the color green?" or "What if the Fork really did run away with the Spoon?" because, well, those are just the sorts of questions I ask.

I'm loving my new rooster and giraffe sweater clip, by the way. It's random quirkiness fills me with glee, and makes me smile every time I see it.

On a side note, I've come to realize that in every OOTD post so far, I've been a bit... color-less, so my goal for the next OOTD post is to put one of my new colorful floral-print tops to good use!

Sunshine

 My very own Marilyn moment.

Top: Banana Republic

Skirt: Vince Camuto (via Nordstrom)

Tights: Trade Chic

Shoes: Born

Bag: Mitchell Leather (thrifted)

Headband: Nordstrom

Earrings: Random boutique in Rome

Those of you who live in perpetually or frequently sunny climes are probably like I used to be: either indifferent to the sunshine, or sick and tired of it. Depending upon the day, I think I probably fell into both categories when I lived in Colorado. 300+ days of sunshine was all I knew, all I had ever known. It was familiar and overrated, nothing at all like the romantic, infinitely more atmospheric (in my mind) Emerald City. It took nearly two full years of living in Seattle for me to truly begin to appreciate the sunshine -- to relish the feel of it on my skin, the reflection of it off the water, the smell of it.

I have yet to meet a group of people who revel in and appreciate the sunshine like Seattleites do. Every June, for example, the Summer Solstice bears witness to the aptly-named Solstice Parade in Seattle's quirky and artsy Fremont neighborhood. Characterized by rampant nudism, wild costumes, and an almost Bacchanalian abandon, it is a fascinating (and often times very, very amusing) study in cultural tradition and human interpersonal relationships.

I tend to enjoy the sunshine in a slightly less risque, but equally enjoyable way. Mr. CP and I like to walk to our neighborhood's garden on nearly every sunny day. It's only about a block away, and because the garden itself hosts a very large p-patch (tiny plots of land that anyone, provided they rent the space, can cultivate) it's always fun to see how peoples' crops are coming in. It also provides a nice quiet place to take photos. If you look closely in the first picture, you can see Mr. CP!