A Sunny State of Mind

On May 10th, I turned eighteen! I celebrated the start of a new year in the same way I did last year, with lots of pizza and good company. After dinner, my boyfriend, Greg, handed me an envelope that said "Open on Friday night" and asked that I keep my entire Saturday free. I'm not usually one for surprises, but I knew he had something good up his sleeve so I happily agreed. Come Friday night, I tore into the envelope to find a very formal letter printed in calligraphy font that read, "Today you will partake in a Blog-able Birthday, consisting of great fun documented by a nice camera. Are you up for the day?" followed by a packing list and some instructions. I packed a bag of some "dope outfits" (in Greg's words), and went to bed-- excited for what the day would hold! In this post, I wanted to share not only the photos that Greg took, but also the day's agenda because it was one of the most fun and well thought out days I've ever had!

Greg picked me up at 11, handed me a blindfold to wear in the car, and took me for a "blog-able" coffee run: iced lavender and orange zest lattes.

Practicing his newly aquired photography skills

We then headed downtown for lunch on an adorable outdoor patio. Like any good blogger, Greg pulled the car over when he saw some aesthetically pleasing backgrounds for photos.

outfit details: pants | platform sandals (3 colors!) | similar shirt

After lunch, my blindfold went back on and Greg drove us to a dog park, where some of my best friends and THEIR DOGS and MY DOG were waiting! We played at the park for a while then sat outside to eat ice cream at Ben and Jerry's (my favorite).

After that, we got back in the car for what Greg told me would be a "20 minute drive." Well, an hour later, we were in Newport, Kentucky. We had matcha lemonades on a balcony that overlooked the river and snapped some photos before heading 10 minutes south into Cincinnati.

outfit details: leather sandals | top | similar skirt

When I took off my blindfold in Cincinnati, I immediately recognized the venue as Washington Park, but I had no idea what was going on or why so many people were gathered. Greg told me it was the annual Asian Food Festival, which got me excited because I love international foods. Little did I know that Greg had schemed with my best friend, Caroline, who goes to Miami University to meet us at the festival. Needless to say, I freaked out ~~a little~~ when I saw her.

This day was the perfect start to my 18th year, and I can't wait to see what other good things are to come during it!

Thank you, Greg, for planning this day and thank you to all of my friends who joined us in the fun!

Stay Sunny,

Meg

I have to say, I thought pom poms had their moment. I assumed that after their popularity last summer, they were on their way to the land of forgotten trends along with chevron and bubble statement necklaces (cringe). That was, until these J.Crew pants proved me wrong. I love the mix of the refined, structured linen pant with the fun yet subtle touch of pom poms. Both of my internships this summer have creative, casual dress codes so I am looking forward to wearing these!

I styled the pants with a tie shoulder tank top, my Cuffed by Nano choker, and white platform sandals. See more colors and sizing information linked at the end of this post!