5-31-2026 MY WEEK: rookie

 short work weeks are great, especially after a long road trip. in this week's case, though, i am not catching a break. i have two weeks between two trips (vermont last week and - surprise! - croatia mid june) and for some reason i have doctors' appointments, birthdays, shopping trips (for mom), and beauty appointments lined up almost each morning before work and every evening. there's no rest for girls who are insatiable travelers, i tell you.

here's a picturesque postcard from our final day in vermont:

it was such a warm day hidden behind the clouds, and our whole ride was filled with light as we chased the sunset back to ohio. 

sib and i treated ourselves to a sushi dinner

friday was a great day to take it easy, as we got mocktails at kava sol, glanced through garden centers, and had homemade paninis for dinner, treating ourselves at the end with delicious ice cream cones at king kone.

it's our tradition to shop for mom each time we visit the family, and we often have one giant suitcase filled with goodies for her. her wishlist varies ever so slightly each year, usually asking for kraft mac and cheeses, ocean spray cranberry sauce, a specific list for dad (skechers tennis shoes, extra strength tylenol, jeans only from dollar general), and a shopping spree at burlington and jcpenney. 

below is this year's humble haul, fittingly a birthday gift as we are visiting her for her birthday:

- worthington navy blazer (jcpenney)
- liz claiborne dusty rose peplum top (jcpenney)
- floral tops (burlington)
- white sleeveless button down (burlington)
- floral maxi dress (burlington)
- brown pinstripe blazer (burlington)
-slingback kitten heels (jcpenney)

mom's guidelines are specific when it comes to what she wants. nothing cropped, no block heels or tall heels, pants can't be too wide, shirts preferably need sleeves. mom was eager to get more blazers this year (we got her a couple suit sets last time), and she was mostly focused on tops that had summer patterns, sleeves, and shouldn't be too baggy. the dress was something she thought was cute as we facetimed in the middle of the store even though it wasn't a priority. mom and i share the same shoe size, and these slingbacks were so comfy i may borrow them during my visit. 

we wouldn't be our mother's daughters if we didn't take a peek at some stuff for ourselves, here's a mini style my haul:

- calvin klein athletic top sib bought at burlington
- vintage knit and beaded beach tote bought at miney mo consignment in geneva
- cocktail ring from miney mo consignment
- already owned: flip flops, pants, sunnies

sib's strawberries are coming in full force, and i made a delicious cocktail of the week with them. in blender add the following:

2 shots white rum
1 shot passoa (passionfruit liqueur)
1 shot triple sec
1 bowl fresh strawberries
5 leaves of fresh mint leaves
frozen chunks of mango, peach, pineapple

blend these ingredients until smoothie-consistency, and voila! you have a great after-lunch smoothie that will keep you fresh and relaxed. 

this week's looks

you'll notice a particularly dark trend this week. i got inspired when listening to an archived episode of rookie podcast. guest krista burton shares to the rookie youth how to feel tres tres chic without spending tres tres amounts of money. the formula is simple and achievable: wear black + splurge on a good shoe + add fun jewelry and accessories. i enjoyed the simplicity of choosing fits for walking, work, and travel, and i noticed my pop of color always ended up being red. 

monday i wore my i❤italia tee, tadashi flowy pants, birkenstocks, and longchamp tote. a cozy fit for a 7-hour drive, but the pants give a sense of elegance.

back to work on tuesday. i borrowed sib's pierre cardin knit top, paired with black calvin klein jeans. doc martens loafers were the shoe of choice, and i added giant fendi sunnies, a bunch of jewelry with pops of red, white and tan, to help tie in the tote with roses and cream-colored cardigan. 

for a walk and sushi dinner, i opted for a sporty chic tennis skirt, casual converse, and a utilitarian crescent shaped uniqlo bag. for a statement, fendi sunnies stayed.

wednesday work. inspiration comes from 1/2 olsen sisters. i left my fave maxi skirt in cro (and am excited to bring it back here), so i chose a flowy midi skirt instead, and to keep going with the all-black theme, instead of a grey tee i chose this vintage rhcp graphic tee. more pops of red plus extra rockstar vibes with the tote. chunky sandals (as i don't own gladiator ones like the olsen girls), and giant chunky bangle set. 

evening walk: layered in crop and hoodie, added biker shorts, walking shoes, headphones for some relaxing trip hop.

thursday i borrowed another one of sib's knit tops and styled it with my h&m slim pants, and an oversized blazer. slingback flats, round sunnies from urban outfitters, and vlajternativa tote. 

another evening walk, paired with more layers: uniqlo top with the yoga crop top, and large adidas sweatpants. ray ban sunnies.

friday work: diesel top, gap ankle trousers, uniqlo crescent bag, white loafers. pants are more of a charcoal shade, so i'm deviating a bit from the true black.

shopped in sib's closet for the start of the weekend: borrowed a ribbed bodysuit, and yoga pants. to elevate this look, i added tons of oversized bangles, matched the brown tones with the sunnies and flip flops, and uniqlo bag again.

mom's shopping trip: bratz tee, diane von furstenburg trousers, steve madden tabis, uniqlo bag.

errands

church

sunday we went to church and did some last-minute shopping, baking, and spending time with family. for church, i wore a black blouse, tibi pants, and vintage gianni bini strappy heels. new vintage tote was debuted. for the daily run, i swapped for something more comfortable, a ribbed top and brown flip flops. rest of the ensemble stayed. 

what am i looking forward to this week?

i have an agenda, a to-do list of all last-minute plans. some are boring checkups, some are pampering sessions (lash lift and nails), and some are fun birthday plans for work friends. i think we're gonna have some long blog entries the following few weeks. are you ready? i can barely contain my excitement!