Welcome back, throwback outfits! It's been quite a while since I've done one thanks to vacation and taking a week off the blog to move. Whoops! But here we go with an outfit from 2012 where I still have every single piece I wore in the original look. These sandals are definitely reaching the end of their days, sadly. The straps are beginning to break and the rope on the wedge is peeling off. But I should get a few more wears at least.

Sweater: LAUREN by Ralph Lauren (Lord & Taylor), Tank: Forever 21, Snake Jeans: Jolt (Marshalls), Wedges: Madden Girl (TJ Maxx), Necklace: Vanessa Mooney (giveaway win),  Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs 'Ozzie Square Baby Aiden' (Shopbop), Sunglasses: Gucci, Eyeglasses chain: Tinksky (Amazon)



The Original:

A stroll in the park calls for a floral blouse, right? The weather is still undecided so I'm switching between wearing pants and shorts. The joys of Spring, right? When I first bought this shirt I wasn't sure how often I would wear it but I love having it in my closet for those days where I'm feeling more girly than usual.

Floral Top: Zara, Jeans: M.I.H. Jeans 'The TOMBOY' (Net-a-Porter),  Bucket Bag: Tommy Hilfiger (Clinton Crossing), Velvet Floral Embroidered Mules: Zigi Soho (T.J. Maxx), Necklace: Bubu Ruby, Sunglasses: Gucci, Eyeglasses chain: Tinksky (Amazon)

Over Memorial Day we had the first weekend guests in our new home! On Saturday we went to lunch by the "beach" (aka a rocky/shelly beach near our house) and took a stroll by the water. I went with a nautical themed look for the occasion.

Enjoy lots of bag and back of sweater pictures because we were experimenting and I liked too many of them. I also realized the majority of this outfit is from the Clinton Crossing outlets. I got each one a different year at their Spring fashion event, funny how that works out and they're all still in style.

Sweater: Club Monaco (Clinton Crossing Premium Outlet),  Shorts: Banana Republic (Clinton Crossing), Bucket Bag: Tommy Hilfiger (Clinton Crossing), Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Clio' (Nordstrom), Sunglasses: Gucci, Eyeglasses chain: Tinksky (Amazon)

I apologize for the lack of post this past week, but I can finally share why I have been trying extra hard not to buy any clothes, or anything unessential. I bought a house with my boyfriend! We've been keeping it very close to the belt because we didn't want to say something and then have it fall through. Our offer was accepted waaay back in March, but we didn't close until May 22nd, so it's been torture not telling anyone except for super close friends and family! Now I get to decorate my own home and build the closet of my dreams - after we tackle the rest of the house, of course! (It's a 3 bedroom and we're turning a small room into my closet.)  The house is only 10 minutes from my parents, which is nice because I'm a weirdo and like spending time with my family. ;)

I did make 2 clothing purchases this month but they were on vacation and I used a gift card, so it doesn't really count. ;)


THE (modified) RULES

1. Be mindful of purchases 
2. Quality over quantity
3. Basics are best

MY PROGRESS 

Clothes:

1. J. Crew 'Harlow' cardigan sweater in star print ($15, $90 retail, used gift card)
2. Robert Rodriguez tonal paisley chiffon dress via Roundabout ($16.80, $348 retail) 
3. *NEW!* Mickey Baseball Tee via Disney Character Warehouse ($14.99, used gift card)
4. *NEW!* Mickey Metallic Tank via Disney Character Warehouse ($7.99, used gift card)

Basics:

1. nothing yet

Shoes:

1. Franco Sarto 'Dolly' mule in navy via DSW ($20, $80 retail)

Bags:

1. nothing yet

Accessories:

1. nothing yet

Gifted from Brands:

1. Azaggi Jewelry Round Crescent Moon necklace w/ CZs
2. Azaggi Jewelry Tiny Owl necklace

Total spent in May: $0

Total spent in 2018:  $36.80

On our last day of Disney we started our day at Animal Kingdom and then made our way to Hollywood Studios in early afternoon for a couple rides and then it was off to Epcot for the remainder of the evening! Our morning started off with one of my favorite rides at Disney, Kilimanjaro Safaris. One of my bucket list vacations is going on a real African safari but for now this shorter Disney version will do! (I'm currently saving up for the real one)

We were lucky enough to snag fast passes for Avatar Flight of Passage so we didn't have to wait in a 3 hour line. This ride is INSANELY good. So if you are planning a trip to Disney and are staying on property make sure to book your fast passes a full 60 days in advance of your stay so you can snag a fast pass for this ride! We were actually able to ride it Thursday evening when we arrived in Florida as well. WOO!

Animal Print Top: thrifted, Shorts: Madewell boyshort in Frances wash, Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Athanasia' (Moda Operandi), Bag: Disney x Coach 'Patricia' with Mickey ears, Sunglasses: Ray Ban 'Erika', Eyeglasses chain: Tinksky (Amazon)

Meeting Characters

Donald Duck

When Kristen was going to ride Dinosaur I decided to wait in a short line for a photo with the dino-digging themed Donald Duck before sitting down to wait for her. In the end she decided not to go on the ride so we took our photo with Donald and made our way out of the park.

Food

Satu'li Canteen

This was our second time eating at Satu'li Canteen this trip, we previously went on Thursday evening when we got to Florida. I love it because it's a healthier option and the price is really good. I buy the kid's meals so my meal was about $8! Kristen is also obsessed with their Blueberry Cream Cheese Mousse. Kristen's brother joined us and had the adult version of my meal.

My Chopped Wood-Grilled Chicken bowl on a base of mixed whole grains and rice with crunchy vegetable slaw from the kid's menu

Kristen's Slow Roasted Sliced Grilled Beef Bowl on a base of romaine and kale salad with crunchy vegetable slaw from the kid's menu

Kristen's Blueberry Cream Cheese Mousse

Kristen's brother's Chopped Wood-Grilled Chicken Bowl on a base of red and sweet potato hash with crunchy vegetable slaw, boba balls and charred green onion vinaigrette

Rides, Entertainment & Shows

Kilimanjaro Safaris

Unfortunately we had some annoying fellow passangers on our safari on this particular day. BUT on Thursday evening we had a really good group of travelers and our guide was amazing. We also got pretty lucky with animal sightings with some being VERY close to the vehicle. The safari is always one of the highlights of my trip. It's best to go in the morning or evening when it's not as hot so the animals will be more active. On my next trip to Disney I'm thinking about doing one of the special safari experiences, we'll see if I can save up the money in time!

Rivers of Light

When we were at animal kingdom at night we watched the Rivers of Light show on the water. I had never been in Animal Kingdom at night so it was my first time watching the show. It was pretty cool to see the interaction of lights, boats and water. Definitely a must-see at least once during your Disney travels.

Before going on this trip I researched some Disney outlets and Kristen and I stopped by the 2 near Disney on the first couple days of our trip. They are located on International Drive and Vineland Avenue for those of you that are interested. The outlets carry merchandise exclusive to the Disney parks, even items from Shanghai Disney! I actually had a gift card for the outlet chain so I was able to buy myself some souvenirs for free! SCORE! I picked up this tank top for $7.99 and it's regularly $32.99 in the parks. INSANE!

I wore it on our second day at Magic Kingdom. We got to go into the park an hour and 15 minutes early because we had 8am breakfast reservations. Pro-tip: get early reservations if you can because you'll get to a enjoy pretty empty park for a few minutes before you head back to the restaurant of your choice! I almost had some photos with no one in the background but there was one family dilly-dallying near the photopass spot. GRR!

On this day there were also extra magic hours for families staying at Disney hotels so we could have stayed until midnight. We left around 11:30 since we had been up for way too long already and couldn't make it the extra half hour.

Mickey Tank Top: Disney Character Warehouse, Shorts: Madewell, Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Alethea' (bought in Greece), Bag: Disney x Coach 'Patricia' with Mickey ears, Sunglasses: Ray Ban 'Erika', Eyeglasses chain: Tinksky (Amazon)

Food

Be Our Guest

For our early morning breakfast, we went to our favorite - Be Our Guest for some French Toast (off the kid's menu!) I also had my favorite dessert, The Grey Stuff. Unfortunately it wasn't very good this trip so I wasted my $6 on it since they wouldn't refund me. Blegh. I guess having so many good ones I was bound to get a dud (or two since they brought me a second one that had the same issue as the first...stale and no flavor.) Luckily you also get a plate of pastries with your breakfast so I still had plenty of tasty food to eat.

Casey's Corner

On this trip we tried to visit new-to-us locations for food. For a late lunch we decided to try out Casey's for hot dogs. Kristen loved her chili dog but I wasn't as happy with my regular hot dog. If I didn't added relish I wouldn't have enjoyed it at all. For the price - $10.50 - I wouldn't go again.

Meeting Characters

Since we've ridden all the rides so many times, we decided to wait in character photo lines that we normally wouldn't wait in because we go to the parks with people who aren't into character pictures or long lines. It was a nice, different way, to spend the day in the park. We also made sure to enjoy our favorite rides as well thanks to fast passes and short lines.

Gaston

Who doesn't love to hate Gaston? He's such a smug, guy and makes it known that you're lucky to be taking photos with him. It's quite amusing.

Mickey Mouse

We were actually very lucky with the timing of this trip. This particular Mickey Mouse talked to visitors taking photos with him up until Saturday May 12th. We saw him on May 7th so we juuuust squeezed in getting to chat with him. He showed us one of his magic tricks before posing for photos. I got the whole thing on video and it's adorable.

Pooh and Tigger

Winnie the Pooh has always been one of my favorites so we waited in line to meet him and Tigger. So soft and cuddly!

Chip & Dale

Chip & Dale were one of my favorite photo ops. They were just so funny, they loved the gold chain I hold my sunglasses on and then fought over hugging Kristen and I at the end.

Rapunzel & Tiana

Rapunzel and Tiana are in the same line so it's not as bad as waiting for single characters. You get to wait in line in a beautiful castle full of portraits of princesses.

Disney Character Warehouse

Below are my buys from the Disney outlet! (The Merlin and Sorcerer Mickey pins are not from the outlet) All of this was under $50 and I paid $0 thanks to a gift card! The purple tee was $0.99! It's a kid's small but I love Sorcerer Mickey so I figured I'd turn it into a pillow or tote bag!