4-5-2026 MY WEEK: spring's fresh picks

 work this week almost broke my spirit - just difficult issues to handle left and right, and while i tried practicing being zen, and i even did my confession at the beginning of the week, i still called sib bitching about work on my way home. 

i had good friday off and i was happy to focus on church obligations for the holiday, rather than everyday work stuff. thankfully, the croatian catholic church keeps you busy. friday procession and bowing to the cross, saturday blessing of the food, and sunday the actual easter mass. not to mention numerous other events we don't attend.

the weather was pleasant all weekend long (sans easter day), making church outfits fun to style, and it was a great opportunity to take afternoon walks, see friends, and have good food outside. astrology and religion kind of match here with the "rejuvenation" trope, the reawakening and rebirth. new year should start now - people would probably find better motivation to complete their resolutions.

damage was done.
a remaining 6 reunion at martha's on the fly and the overlook watching nyc cleveland

had a couple creative moments:

decorated eggs
in this photo i have some eggs i decorated a couple years ago with decoupage and acrylics
this year i used the usual egg dye kits, but used candle wax to seal the previous color 

current nails: pink and red polka dots.

this week's looks

i challenged myself to put zen-x into practice. while the fits looked simple and cute, i did lots of modifications to the point where my looks did not differ from usual. could it be that i struggled because it was a holiday week and i had to work on fancy vs casual? i just think i'm not zen-x like that. between work dress code and the weather too, i don't think i unleashed the zen girl fully. we try and we fail. do you agree with my ratings below?

monday for work, i wore a blue bateau top and white maxi skirt. tote bag from cro, jewelry, sunnies, and loafer flats. zen-x rating: 7/10, if i opted for a neutral top instead of cerulean i think the look would really be it.

monday's confession look. for five minutes in the booth with the priest, i donned a puma sporty top, cargo pants, my "cloudlike" sneakers, a white headband and another tote from cro. some jewelry to decorate. zen-x rating: 8/10. i think this has most components of the zen-x vibes. something still feels very 2026 about it.

since we finished that church part quick, we had time for a walk around the block: a hawaiian diver tee, sweatpants, a cropped 2000s jacket, and 4ocean bracelet with sneakers. zen-x rating: 9/10, everything is pretty much vintage/secondhand, maybe if i color coordinated mindfully it would really pop. 

tuesday i wore a vintage pantsuit and green top underneath (for the nature undertones). the pants are super comfy with elastic. uniqlo tote, loafer flats, headband, jewelry and sunnies. zen-x rating: 9/10. i think the green and earth tones, as well as the material really are it. 

easter grocery shopping tuesday night. wore my andy warhol banana striped tee, sweatpants and birkenstocks, tote from cro, 2000s style sunnies from steve madden and a boho bracelet. ended up stuck in the break room due to a tornado warning. not chic. zen-x rating: 8/10. not sure how i feel about the stripes

work wednesday - grey satin maxi skirt, knit cream 3/4 top, fisherman loafers, moon earrings, vogue tote, and claw clip. zen-x rating: 9/10. i think the shoes and bag are a bit off-ish but everything else meets (my) criteria.

thursday work. wish i had a photo without the cardigan. it was so warm i left it in the office most of the day. j crew top that i recently thrifted in columbus, a cream maxi skirt, brushed suede booties. vogue tote, jewelry and tortoise shell sunnies 90s style. zen-x rating: 8/10. points knocked for boots and bag. 

friday morning walk. navy top and short set with my sneakers and steve madden sunnies + gemstone ring. zen-x rating: 10/10. coordinated with two unrelated clothing pieces, 2000s sunnies, and some effective sneakers.

friday night church: stations of the cross. huge procession, lots of standing, basically a 2-hour church ordeal. dressed in mindful black with some tan details in the raffia sandal heels, ralph lauren khaki denim jacket, tan uniqlo bag. the sandals were sturdy (even though i was nervous about tripping on potholes), but after standing majority of the time, the prayers were redirected to the pain in my feet. zen-x rating: 6/10. the sandals kind of give the vibe off, not sure how i feel about the jacket, maybe i jangled a bit too hard... the core shirt, pant and purse are good.

saturday morning - a wonderful fresh walk after last night's rain. tibi t shirt, champion yoga pants, and the walking sneakers. zen-x rating: 9/10. shirt with catchphrase? not sure about that

i had the audacity to jingle during blessing of the food at church saturday. but this fit translated well for our remaining 6 brunch in ohio city. i even got a slight sunburn?! zen-x rating: 6/10. ok we're neutral, but i don't think the top shape is zen-x. i had lots of busy jewelry and i'm on the fence with the wedges.

saturday nite - dinner with boyfriend and his family. comfort necessary for the good food! cotton white tee, khaki cargo pants, the new flip flops, uniqlo and some jewelry to elevate this look. zen-x rating: 10/10. totally neutral, even most jewelry was very zen-x, flip flop and long pant combo just does wonders.

sunday - easter look. i wore a david meister asymmetrical dark green dress from therealreal, calvin klein slingback patent heels, leather jacket and a woven tan purse. zen-x rating: 3/10. the dress' form feels a bit organic and the purse has the zen-x vibe, but not anything else really.

what am i looking forward to next week?

currently in a food coma as i am proofreading the blog - not really excited to go back to work, but this coming weekend sib and i are doing trip #2: hoboken, new jersey. why there? the flight tickets seemed he cheapest and we haven't been there before. tourists, baby!