Sunday Fun Day and a Shark Attack Snack

Dress: So, Kohl's

Bow barrette: Wild Fable, Target

Last Sunday, my parents kindly offered to watch Charlotte so that the husband and I could go out.  Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, we set off for parts unknown.  Which means that we went twenty minutes up the Garden State Parkway to Allen's Clam Bar.  I couldn't remember the last time I'd had fried shrimp, which is one of my favorite foods, so I was psyched to devour a platter in a place quirky enough to feature a shark tearing through its roof.  Once we were full of seafood goodness, we hit (where else?) Michaels and Kohl's, where we scoped out the Halloween décor and picked up some essentials for Char Bar.  Then it was off to Rita's for a root beer gelati for me and a chocolate concrete for the husband, followed by an actual walk in the park.  

It was a beautiful and simple and memorable day, the kind I couldn't remember having in a long time.  And that includes when we went out in July for our anniversary.  Probably because Charlotte is a little older and sturdier now and because we put less pressure on the outing.  

That said, it's always nice to have a day away.  

But it's even nicer to come home.

Hair Flair Dare: Shady Lady

Top: Hippie Rose, Macy's

Belt: Dolls Kill; Shoes: Jessica Simpson, DSW; Bag: Zulily; Heart ring: Candie's, Kohl's; Flower ring: Gifted; Bracelets: So, Kohl's

Kimono: Love By Design, JCPenney

Sweet Squad Necklace

Flip flops: Katy Perry Collection

Punky Potholder Necklace

Dress: Live To Be Spoiled, Kohl's

Yellow bangle: Silver Linings, Ocean City; Pink bangle: Don't Ask, Zulily; Brown ring: Charlotte Russe; Barrettes: The Tote Trove; Bag: Skinnydip London, Macy's; Striped and other yellow bangle: B Fabulous; Blue bangle: So, Kohl's; Maroon bangle: Iris Apfel for INC, Macy's; Floral bracelets: Amazon; Floral heart ring: JCPenney; Blue heart ring: Delia's; Pompom bracelet: Zulily

 

Tank top: Amazon

Bag: Violet Ray, Kohl's; Sunglasses: Michaels; Ring: PinkBopp, Etsy; Hair clips: Amazon; Ribbon necklace: The Tote Trove; Bracelet: Amrita Singh, Zulily

Shoes: Nine West, Kohl's

Fairy Fish Tale Necklace

Dress: Speechless, Kohl's

Orange Grapeade Necklace

Shoes: Cape Robbin, Ami Clubwear; Bag: Circus by Sam Edelman, Kohl's; Bangle trio: B Fabulous; Barrette: The Tote Trove; Ring: Making Waves, Ocean City; Chunky bangle: Mixit, JCPenney

Ninety-nine percent of the outfits I wear in these posts include things I've worn or would wear in public.  Then there's the other one percent, which is where this candy boxful of rainbow hair comes in: 

I ordered these clips (which are, by the way, for children) from Amazon almost a year ago, and they've been sitting on my dresser ever since.  Then, not too long ago, I got the idea to team them with my most voluminous kimono and Jessica Simpson sandals for festival vibes.  And it turned out to be exactly what I was going for, Lady Lovely Locks crashes Coachella.    

So, why then, wouldn't I wear this look to the post office or Hobby Lobby or Rita's?  I'm not sure, but it might have something to do with the fact that in all of my forty years, I've never, ever colored my hair.  Not even just highlights or for Halloween.  Despite my love of color, I've always been content with my natural dark brown and felt no need to mess with it.  But with each passing day and brand new white strand, I know that that era is ending.  Before long, I'll be checking out boxes of DIY dye, trying to figure out if I'm more of a September Siena or Chocolate Chicory.  And I think, in its way, that that'll be fun -- if also a little scary.  Maybe playing with these pixie tails (to use the official Lady Lovely Locks term) is my way of testing the tress waters.         

Because the answers to all of life's questions lie deep in the archives of '80s pop culture.

You, Me, and the Sea: Nine Years and Counting

So, why You, Me, and the Sea?  Obviously, because it rhymes with Owen Wilson's, You, Me, and Dupree!  Which makes even less sense than "sea" unless Dupree equals Van Gogh, Hokusai's The Waves being the inspiration for Starry Night.

For our ninth wedding anniversary, which was yesterday, the husband suggested going to see Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience.  A traveling exhibit, it had landed just miles away in Atlantic City at the Hard Rock Casino, so it seemed like a fun, local option.  Yet at first I was like, I don't know.  With COVID still looming large, going to a casino seemed dicey.  And yet, I was wavering.  The husband is a huge Van Gogh fan, and I like him too.  Also, an "immersive experience," whatever that was, seemed intriguing.  Finally, we'd marked our last two anniversaries with takeout.  Maybe it was time for a risk.        

So I ordered the tickets, and we embarked upon our day of, as the husband put it, "culture and COVID."  It goes without saying that we had a wonderful time, as evidenced by this pic of us posed at the café table in the gift shop.  An older couple took it for us after asking us to take one of them.  And yes, we whipped off our masks for the second or so it took to "click."  Like I said, risk ruled the day.

The first part of the exhibit was a room filled with texts about Van Gogh's life interspersed with empty picture frames for photo ops.  But the main event was an enormous room, which was first superimposed with Van Gogh's self portraits.  This was probably the most iconic, and my favorite:  

In some portraits he looked angry, in others old, and, yes, in one his head was bandaged because he'd cut off his ear.  Yet although his faces were both magnificent and haunting, part of me was wondering, is this it?  Then the colors shifted, filling the entire room, floor and all, with a breathtaking landscape.  I actually gasped, causing a teen sitting on the floor to shoot me a dirty look.  I scooted away, not wanting her to harsh my mellow. 

This painting and the many that followed jibed with one of my favorite blurbs from the previous room about Van Gogh's gift for making the ordinary extraordinary:

Not surprisingly, I liked the sunflowers best of all:

And then, of course, there was Starry Night.  Painted from Van Gogh's view from his room in the asylum, it epitomizes finding light in the dark:

People always think of Van Gogh as the crazy guy who cut off his ear and eventually took his own life, but Beyond Van Gogh shows us a hopeful, sensitive artist who never stopped believing in the power of his vision.  And that's beautiful.  

As is this pic of the husband at the entrance -- yes, playing up the auricular angle.  Check out that crazy casino carpet!  

This wouldn't be a Tote Trove post if I didn't 1) show off my gift shop buy (a scrunchie!) and 2) expound upon my outfit.  As we were leaving the immersion room, the docent (not sure if that's the right word for a casino showing, but whatevs) stopped me and asked, "Did you wear that sunflower barrette just for today?"  I nodded.  "And the dress, too?"  Again, I confirmed.  She smiled and then said, "Thank you."  I was a little embarrassed but nonetheless pleased.  

Necklace: The Tote Trove; Sunglasses: Party City; Flower clip: The Tote Trove; Bangles: B Fabulous; Ring: Mixit, JCPenney

Dress: So, Kohl's; Bag: Dancing Days, Banned, Modcloth

Flipflops: Katy Perry Collection (they smell like pineapples!)

Even after we left the Hard Rock, there was one more piece of art to see.  I was absolutely delighted by this colorful food hut, which I caught outside the window as we exited the city:

On the way home, we stopped for an outdoor meal at this blessedly deserted spot, followed by dessert at Rita's:

It was a lovely nine-year anniversary celebration, not to mention a lovely nine years.  

And maybe Van Gogh is a little bit like Dupree after all.  Misunderstood but following the beat of his own brilliant drum, riding Hokusai's waves out to sea.

Sunflowers snapped at the farm stand a couple of Sundays ago.

Pinwheel Reel: My Oh My, it's the Fourth of July

Sunglasses: Wild Fable, Target

Shoes: Mix No. 6, DSW; Headband: Celebrate, Kohl's; Bag: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's; Light blue bangle: Burlington Coat Factory; Royal blue bangle: So, Kohl's; Red bangle: B Fabulous 

Americana Rama Necklace

Dress: Lily Rose, Kohl's

Pinwheel: Hobby Lobby

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Modcloth

Patriotic Parrot Necklace

Striped top: Self Esteem, Macy's; Polka dot skirt: So, Kohl's

Scrunchies: Celebrate, Kohl's

Shorts: Merona, Target

Flip flops: Katy Perry Collection, Nordstrom Rack

Bag: INC, Macy's

Sparkly Sailboat Necklace

Top: Molly Bracken, Modcloth

Heart ring: Delia's; Headband: Lady Arya, Zulily; Bangles: B Fabulous; Bow bangle: Holiday Lane, Macy's; Red ring: Miami accessories cart; Multi ring: Wet Seal

Shoes: Impo, DSW; Ring: Making Waves, Ocean City; Yellow bangles: B Fabulous; Multi bangle: ?; Striped bangle: ZAD, Zulily 

Dress: So, Kohl's

Sunset Sail Barrette Brooch

Bag: Royal Monk, Modcloth

Funky Flag Necklace

Maybe I should've called this post Boat Brigade, given all the nautical paraphernalia.  Sailboats, anchors, marina flags -- even a parrot.  But it didn't have the same ring as Pinwheel Reel, nor its symbolism about keeping things spinning.

Because it was a whirlwind of a Fourth of July weekend, which means two outings instead of zero.  As you know, Saturday was my parents' BBQ, and today the husband and I went to Rita's.  I kept the Swedish fish theme going by getting that flavor gelati.  Sometime in between I remembered to eat the blueberries from the farm stand (I had to sneak in some antioxidants) -- and photograph our fortuitously red, white, and blue kitchen mat.  All of the flowers are at my parents'.  They're both gifted gardeners, unlike yours truly.    

The husband, Chippo champ. 

Life is just a bowl of berries.

Hi, Mom!

One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish.

Flags of our flowers.

Blah backdrop?  Paint it mellow yellow!

Here comes happy!

I can't believe that another Fourth has come and gone, and that this marks the third one since the beginning of the pandemic.  But I'm still here and so are you.  And I think that that, along with America's birthday, is something worth celebrating.