What I wore to Chris's dissertation defense

Photo from my campus, as I repeated the ensemble for work

Leading up to it, I wasn't sure if Chris was going to include family among the attendants at his dissertation defense. The protocol in his school and field are such that most often only the committee and doctoral candidate are there. But that week, he decided to break with the norm and include some loved ones (with the blessing of his committee). His mom and stepfather attended as well as Emilia and me. My parents and siblings wanted to attend also but the short notice (and pre-Thanksgiving timing) meant that it was too difficult to arrange work schedules.

My mother-in-law and I took turns wrangling Emilia and got to see him present his work. I'll never forget the moment when she pointed up to Chris who was explaining a PowerPoint slide and exclaimed, "DADA!!" The whole room stifled giggles but it was still my cue to take her into his office to play while he finished. We went to Legume Bistro (which was also the site of our engagement dinner) to celebrate afterwards. It was a wonderful day that I will never forget! Emilia will not have her own memories but we will help her with photos and stories. In just a year, she's attended two defenses!

Outfit details:
Anthropologie Tibur Cardigan
J. Crew Factory Retro Ponte Dress 
Ferragamo My Joy flats
Kors watch; David Yurman necklace; Amber pendant necklace (gift from Chris)

On Emilia: Isabella Garreton dress, First Impressions sweater, Stride Rite maryjanes, Gymboree tights

On Chris: Shipley and Halmos suit, Rag and Bone shirt, Vintage tie (gift from me)

Scenes from our weekend in Cleveland (part 1)

Chris just started a new job and while this is fantastic news for our family, it also means that our schedules have become a little less flexible. Naturally, he has to accumulate vacation time and is beginning from scratch. But that doesn't eliminate our shared travel bug! We decided that in the meanwhile, we would utilize any long weekends we could to take short trips. Our first voyage was over Memorial Day weekend, when we drove up to Cleveland to eat, shop, and explore.

We visited the newly remodeled Cleveland Art Museum, which is pretty fantastic and free to the general public! While there, we saw so many wedding parties taking photos, which always makes me feel a little wistful. As a spectator, I was reminded of the strangers who wished me well and snapped photos from the patio outside of Heinz Chapel, while I waited to walk down the aisle on my own wedding day.

Chris put his art history degree to use as he took Emilia on her own private tour. It was fun to compare her reactions to the art on this trip vs her previous museum visit at the National Gallery of Art (when she was two months). At six months old, she was less into impressionism and cubism. She was more into portraits of women and girls. She still liked the mobile sculptures of Alexander Calder. But she also appreciated multisensory and multimedia pieces.

 

We loved the West Side Market, where we shopped and had lunch. Because it was a Saturday on a holiday weekend, it was very crowded. Thankfully, we opted to wear her rather than try the stroller. She loved looking up at the architecture of the space in the main terminal.

There was certainly a lot to see!

 

We took a break to eat our hand pies from one of the vendors. We also gave Emilia a break from the Ergo so she could stretch her legs.

We ate at some amazing places too. I can't wait to go back!

Outfit details
Me:
Tory Burch Warren ruffle trench
J. Crew anchor dress
Old Navy leggings
Lucky Brand Emmie flats
Marc Jacobs Mercer hobo
Norman Childs glasses/Etro sunglasses

Chris:
Vince sweater
Marc Jacobs jeans (note that these are way cheaper in the mbmj store than online for some reason)
Vans slip ons
Lifetime Collective sunglasses

Emilia:
Osh Kosh cardigan (similar hoodie set she also has here)
Tea Collection dress (same in another colorway here)
Old Navy leggings
Trumpette socks
Handmade hat

By the way, I'll be drawing the Shabby Apple Giveaway winner later today and contacting them via email. The winner will also be posted in the Rafflecopter widget. Thank you to everyone who entered and to Shabby Apple for providing the prize!

Halloween and my very pregnant (potentially borderline) costume

As much as I love it because of candy and fall and all things spooky, Halloween can be challenging due to the pressure to concoct a creative and/or clever costume. And when you're 34 weeks pregnant, the costume options narrow considerably. Although I am not a person who practices a particular faith, I was raised Catholic, most of my family is Catholic, and I continue to feel a strong affinity for its history as well as its iconography.

With some trepidation (after all, despite my lack of practicing religious affiliation, I do believe in being sensitive to others' articles of faith), I decided that my very pregnant costume would be the Blessed Virgin Mary. I consulted with numerous practicing Catholic loved ones to ensure this choice wouldn't be inadvertently hurtful and found a "one size fits all" costume online that I hoped would fit a pregnant body. It was... snug. But it was also stretchy and all I had. So I wore it Saturday evening to a party and it seemed to be a big hit.

Chris was having costume block so I suggested he consider being Steven Tyler. Lots of scarves. Layers. A mic stand. Scatting. Big lips. Etc. He loved the idea! I did my best to help him execute it and it turned out way better than my own costume. Homemade costumes usually do...

Finally, I wanted to send my thoughts to those along the eastern seaboard who have been effected by Hurricane Sandy. It is hard to fathom the losses but I hope for a speedy and efficient recovery. You can contribute help for those in need through the Red Cross website.

Happy Halloween!

Two years ago...

We spent the day enveloped by love. I feel more lucky and more in love with every passing moment and milestone. And in just two months we'll have made our duo into three. I can't anticipate fully how our lives will change. I can't know for certain that everything is going to get even better. Things have been so good already. And I imagine some things we take for granted will become a lot harder. But I do know that I am excited immensely to parent with my partner in life and love. He is a great husband and he's going to be an amazing dad. Happy Anniversary! 

Day Tripper

This year, I've tried to hunker down in preparation for some big life changes to come. It has meant that my summer travel plans were kept to a minimum. Although I find myself itching to lay on a beach somewhere warm, it doesn't make sense in terms of the lost writing time or my finances. After San Diego in April and New York in May, Chris and I have not ventured far outside of the greater Pittsburgh area. We will be going to New Orleans in September for a conference, but otherwise no big trips are on the horizon. I will be presenting at my field's major conference in November, but I have to do so remotely, as I will be too pregnant to fly by then.

To combat our wanderlust, we've taken a few fun, interesting day trips that don't require the same level of commitment as more elaborate vacations. And last weekend we went to the lake to spend some time outside.

Although it was pretty chilly, Speck loved it!

We brought some picnic friendly foods and had lunch outside.

Outfit details:
Old Navy Maternity maxi dress (similar; similar maternity)
Levis denim jacket (similar)
Coach flats
YSL sunglasses
Oasap newspaper print bag (c/o)

Chris is wearing:
J. Crew shorts 
Rag and Bone pullover (striped version here)
LL Bean rain jacket
Pittsburgh Pirates hat (from Mitchell and Ness)
Sperry Topsiders

Scenes from my December holiday

Last year Chris and I were lucky enough to be reunited in Brazil, where summer had just begun. This year we left together for St. Lucia to enjoy a little sunshine and relaxation at the semester's end. And it was as beautiful and inspiring as every other voyage we've taken.

Our villa had incredible views and on clear days, we could even see Martinique! It was named aptly the "Windsong," nestled at the northern most part of the island in an area called Cap Estates. Although it was somewhat remote, we loved how quiet and secluded we were from the bustle. The trade winds were so strong that they whistled at night. The property had a hot tub, which proved clutch on windier and therefore chilly evenings.

The famous pitons from a vista on our day trip, driving south. 

 At the Botanical Gardens where we soaked in the hot mineral baths (hence Chris's bathing suit trunks).

The "drive in" volcano and bubbling sulfur springs in Soufriere

Jalousie Plantation (now a resort) nestled between the Pitons

The property owner greeted us with this beautiful tropical flower arrangement on the evening of our arrival. On the right I'm resting during our hike up Pigeon Point.

The view at Pigeon Point. You can see one of the three Sandals resorts on the island.

We were so fortunate to get to take such a trip. I doubt we'll be traveling next December so we relished every moment of this particular pre-winter escape. Everyone we met was so friendly. And everything we ate was delicious. We can only hope to return to St. Lucia someday!


St. Lucian favorites:
The neighborhood of Gros Islet where we ate many meals and went to the Friday night Jump Up
Agnes's Bar near Pigeon Point where we met locals who gave us great recommendations
Flavours of the Grill which had our favorite rum punches and delicious meats!
Sea View's blue marlin plates (so cheap and delicious... only on Sat. and Wed. nights)
Prudee's House of Roti (delicious pockets of curried meats and veggies but go early cause she sells out!)
Le Sport beach (public beach with staff that allow visitors to use the chairs and umbrellas without charge)
Razmatazz (expensive but delicious... plus the chef kindly helped us change our flat tire in the parking lot!)
Drive-a-matic who rented us the adorable Suzuki Jimny that we drove while there
Shopping at Rodney Bay for ladies sandals and other things
The roaming livestock and dogs
The many beautiful views

My last minute costume

Chris and I went as Revenge of the Nerds-themed Greek geeks. These costumes were not much of a stretch for bookish academics. But this semester has been crazy and we have had little free time for costume brainstorming/creation. Going as a Tri-Lamb was Chris's idea entirely. My own laziness led me to co-opt it by going as an Omega Mu. Judy was my inspiration and Chris already resembles Anthony Edwards, the actor who played Gilbert. I realized when I got home that I forgot to finish cutting out the bottom of the Omega symbol. Oh well! Here is Judy:

We went to a Halloween themed punk show where local bands covered full sets of Joy Division, Kiss, the Misfits and more. It was great fun. The fog over Pittsburgh Saturday night was exceptional. It was also pretty creepy! I live very close to the oldest cemetery in the city, which added additional spookiness to our walk home. Chris looks like a zombie here.

 

What was your costume?