Past Me

girl next door fashion outfit
girl next door fashion outfit girl next door fashion outfit
Very, very occasionally, I do really clever things. Sometimes I think about my future self and think "Future Me, I think you need a helping hand, so I'm going to do something that will benefit my slightly older, hopefully wiser self". I often make meals in advance (Future Me loves leftovers), or buy ingredients for recipes while I'm in the grocery store just in case (Future Me likes not having to walk 30 minutes to the grocery store because there's an ingredient missing), and sometimes, just sometimes, Past Me decides to take extra blog photos, just in case Future Me is too busy but still wants to blog. Thank you, Past Me. See, today it's 100 degrees outside (according to my iPhone of course. I haven't set foot outside of the house yet), it's my day off and all I really want to do is laze around and read my kindle. But I also really, really wanted to blog. Thankfully, Past Me, while killing time for two weeks before coming to America, was smart and took extra outfit photos (I think I have another three outfits to post) so I don't have to go fry in the sun today. Yay!

girl next door fashion outfit

girl next door fashion outfit

girl next door fashion outfit
This was actually the dress I was planning on photographing today, but with slightly less banana-ry shoes. Don't get me wrong, I love my banana shoes, but I've started to prefer this dress with sandals. I've been wearing this dress a lot lately, mainly because I only brought a few dresses with me and I've been wearing the same two on rotation for about a month, so I thought I'd mix it up and bring this one into the rotation so people don't think I only own two dresses (yeah, like anyone would ever think that...). Anyway, I have been receiving a crazy amount of compliments on it! Mainly from absolute complete strangers. It is an absolutely gorgeous dress and perfect for the hot, humid summer here in New Jersey. The material is light and loose (it's actually a tad too big for me. I'm an only child, so if I want something I WANT IT NOW. And they didn't have a size 8, so I asked for a 10 instead. I do this quite a lot. I have a lot of slightly-too-big clothes as a result of my impatience), and I love the bird print and mullet hem cut. I didn't bring this pink denim jacket with me (it's a really tricky colour and doesn't work with many things), but I love it with this dress, so I am glad I took these photos so you can see a more layered look, compared to a look consisting of a dress, sandals and me glistening with sweat. Lovely.

girl next door fashion outfit
dress- c/o Glamorous
shoes- Primark
necklace- Forever 21
jacket- c/o Republic
girl next door fashion outfit
Waaaah my legs are waaaaay more tanned than this now!

I'm happy to say that I am in a really, really great place right now. I've been here for almost 6 weeks now and I'm feeling really great. The people here are awesome and I've made some great friends, and I'm feeling really comfortable with who I am. I love coming home, making dinner and reading my Kindle in bed. I don't need to go out to parties and drink and get up exhausted for work the next day. I'm also feeling really proud of myself and my decisions. I don't really give myself enough credit for my achievements, but I've been feeling really great lately. I did this big, scary thing moving here on my own. I didn't know anybody, I didn't know where I was going. I did all the program applications, visa applications, I booked flights, I prepared documents, I took four different kinds of transport to get to where I needed to be. I've travelled and I've done things. I'm going on a trip in a few weeks across America. I won't know anybody in my tour group. I'll be travelling to 12 states, 10 which I haven't been to. By the end of this summer, I will have been to a total of 18 states. I will have lived in America twice, in two different States. That's quite an achievement. I'm feeling good about things at work too. I had a bit of a confidence crisis last week. I didn't think I could retrieve the brick again, I didn't think I could work on the deep water (if you work on the deep water you have a high chance of having a rescue), and I definitely didn't think I could rescue someone. I got the brick first time, and I've worked on the deep water twice. I haven't had a rescue yet, but I'm ready. I know when that moment comes I can do it. And I feel confident that I can jump in and save somebody's life. I'm also just loving having such independence and being a grown up. I know, I've lived away from home since I was 18, but as much as I hate spending all my paycheck on rent and food, this is life. If I don't do my laundry, my clothes are dirty, if I don't buy food, I don't eat, if I don't go to work, I have no money. I just need to get a grown up job when I get home now. Now that's going to be exciting! But right now I'm living in the moment. Living for new experiences and just having an awesome time. Because pretty soon I'll be back in England and this will all be a memory. And I want the memories to be as wonderful as possible.

girl next door fashion outfit
Well I'm off to continue enjoying my day off, and by that I mean do nothing,
Have a lovely day guys!
Oh and PS. If you haven't entered Shabby Apple giveaway yet, today is the last chance to enter. I'll be picking a winner tomorrow!

Charlotte x

Comments

  1. This is absolutely gorgeous, I'm not surprised you've had loads of comments on it, I love it!!


    http://fridayisforever.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  2. Have an absolutely wonderful day off in the heat!! I loooove this dress the print is so amazing, and it looks like the perfect thing for the heat! You look gorgeous, love the dress with the pink jacket!
    xJennaD

    ReplyDelete
  3. loving this dress on you and feel so proud for you for all your great achievements, the travelling sounds awesome, I can't wait to experience similar things next year! inspirational, C, thank you! enjoy the sunshine and your days off, it's currently a storm here hahaha xx

    ReplyDelete
  4. I would totally compliment you on that dress too if I saw you on the street, it's gorgeous!
    Sounds like you're having the time of your life, and I'm so happy for you! And jealous of course :D xx

    ReplyDelete
  5. LOVE the dress! But LOVED the motivational speech even more - I've planned and booked a last minute month travelling across America and despite being really excited I've been getting major cold feet and this post couldn't have come at a better time. You should be really proud of yourself - moving away for a summer is scary but this blogs given me faith that the scary bit makes it worth so much more so thankyou. And some excellent packing tips! I hope your road trip is awesome and real life wont be going anywhere so make the most of it!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh good, I'm so glad! A month travelling across America will be awesome. You'll have so much fun!
    I think sometimes you have to just...do things. I was skyping my parents earlier and I started to freak out about my flights from San Francisco to Minnesota because they're more expensive than I expected, but this is my life and I have to go back to MN and see my friends. And that's the most important thing.
    Money and time should be spent on unforgettable experiences. This is what I keep telling myself anyway!
    Let me know how you get on, I'd love to hear about it!

    Charlotte x

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm happy you're feeling great at the moment. You're looking great as well! that dress is stunning, your style just gets better and better!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love this post. I've had the absolute worst weekend, but you know what? I'm a big girl, and I'll be ok. Thanks. 

    ReplyDelete
  9. Just curious - do you feel like you dress differently than everyone else at Jersey Shore?  I feel like you'd look so lovely and pretty amongst all the "guidos"!  (I used to live near there, so I feel like I can say that ;) )  

    I'd also love to hear some of your thoughts on the culture of Jersey versus MN versus your hometown!  (blog post idea?)

    ReplyDelete
  10. That dress looks really lovely. The bird print is amazing.


    I'm so glad you're feeling better now. It's great that you're enjoying yourself so much.

    Beckyxx

    http://www.beckybedbug.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great post, love you bird print dress worn with the pink jacket :) and sounds like your actually getting a summer, its been muggy but really dull and rainy again in the UK today.

    Jo. x

    ReplyDelete
  12. Yes, definitely! I always get some strange looks when I'm flouncing around in my dresses!
    That would be a really interesting post, thank you! MN and NJ are very different, but the worst part is how much people here judge Minnesota without having been! I don't understand how people have these stereotyped opinions on places they haven't been to!
    I actually wrote an article last year though on my experiences of British Vs. US style. You can find it here! http://www.collegefashion.net/fashion-tips/british-vs-american-style-observations-from-a-british-girl-abroad/

    Charlotte x

    ReplyDelete
  13. I really liked this post. It's good to hear how things are going for you and that you are having a lot of fun. The dress is absolutely gorgeous and pretty much the epitome of a summer outfit. I'm looking forward to hearing about you travelling all across America. I've only been to three states and they were all super hot ones (California, Texas, Arizona) and would love to go to the other side of the states and see them too.

    www.origamigirlheroics.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow! Love thy dress and the way you styled it!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Great article - it was so well thought out. I totally recognize the American stereotype against Minnesota, but more so I think it's a stereotype of the entire midwest which stems from TV & movies. Of course, I spent a little time in Minneapolis when I did my cross-country road trip and the people I stayed with were just too cool. It's really just a stereotype.

    ReplyDelete
  16. what a pretty dress! 

    www.behindtheleopardglasses.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  17. Yes, I love when I have extra outfit posts in line for the many days I decide I want to sit inside and not come in contact with the muggy Georgia summer. You look so pretty in this outfit too! I love the hem on your floral dress and that jacket looks awesome with it. 

    ReplyDelete
  18. Your face is very beautiful. The dress is also beautiful. I am always trying to read your blog and get new ideas about fashion. I have a shop where I sell some women's Sexy Plus Size Jumpsuits,wholesale plus size jackets, wholesale custom clothing, and other women's accessories. Thanks to your blogs for helping me gently share something new with my business, it has helped me a lot.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts