Here’s a recap of what I wore on my second work trip of the year in California with my best friend, Andy, during our downtime!

*This trip is from the end of April/early May. Read until the end for an update on where I’ve been/why this post took a while to go up.

OUTFIT I (Temecula, CA)

This outfit was pre-loved from my sister before she went on her cruise performer contract! I paired it with stacks of bracelets, lots of rings, and these Urban Outfitters sunnies.

See below photos of my friend and I living our best lives in Temecula, CA. We LOVED the down-home feel of the place. From the saloon-style storefronts and shabby-chic main street, these two grrrls from the Heart of America felt right at home.

OUTFIT II (Temecula, CA)

Whole fit from White Fox Boutique paired with frilly socks, Air Force 1s, and a cheesin’ smile.

Below are some pics of Andy and I from our beach day in Anaheim. (We went to Disneyland the next day! *Keep an eye out for that blog post with details on Disney aka the BEST TWO DAYS OF MY LIFE.)

OUTFIT III & IV (Anaheim & Los Angeles, CA)

For fits three and four we kept it casual because these were a beach day fit and my fit for travel days. My beach day outfit was a floral shirt thrifted from Depop (that was already in my closet from Halloweeeen!), black one-piece swimsuit, jean shorts from PrettyLittleThing, a Lululemon fanny pack, Steve Madden sandals, ASOS bucket hat, and the same sunglasses from UO. The fourth fit is a crushed velvet set (that yes, was sooo hot in the California sun but sooo comfy for the airport/plane), a black White Fox bodysuit, Airforce 1s, the same bucket hat and sunnies, and Béis luggage. (My favorite part of this outfit was tipping my bucket hat over my eyes to sleep on the plane the way there because I didn’t sleep before the trip… I ALWAYS wait until the last minute to pack. I’m working on that LOL.)

This was such a great way to kick off Spring, but when I returned to reality, I realized I was overworking myself with a work schedule where my lunch break was actually travel time, I was barely sleeping, and coming to terms with the fact that one of my therapy cats was sick past the point of sustaining life. Then, I finished up online classes for the Spring term and thrown right into Summer. I had to put down my cat of nearly fourteen years, had a flop of a birthday (for the second year in a row), started processing that I am twenty-five and put in a lot of work towards my dreams but still have a ways to go to make a living doing what I LOVE to do on my own terms, car troubles not only left and right but EVERY DIRECTION IMAGINABLE (lol), am still struggling schmoney-wise, and was all around just not vibing for the entire stretch of summer. When you’re poor, summer is sooo hard because you see (what feels like) everyone else having a great life with time off and catching up with friends and such. If I didn’t have work in Cali, I wouldn’t have went on my first vacation in a long time. (*I’m ready for a truuue vacay vacay, no work all play lol.) This trip was a really big high to come down from and, to be honest, I’m still trying to find the happiness that the girl in these photos clearly felt. Life is ups and downs, and it can get the best of you if you let unhappiness become habitual. I had to take time away and focus on reevaluating what I want from life, recharging, and protecting my energy. I found a Note on my phone from mid-July that sums up how I felt this summer well: “I think I just need to be a human that exists for a little while. Not somebody making things.” But I feel myself coming out of these summer blues and already leaning into some cozy fall feels with one of my jobs replaced, starting to settle in at my new apartment with my bestie, gearing up for my third term of grad school starting this upcoming Monday, and preparing for my last work trip for another conference—this time in Florida—in October! Let’s do this! Stay fun, stay fashionable, and as always here and open to chat with the goirls.

- KJC