Please re-direct to www.of-north.com

Some time ago, I purchased web-space and a domain to transfer the blog over to Wordpress. I got caught up in a million things and it never got done. But now it has and I'm excited to debut the new site! All of the previous Of North content is there, but it's at a new, cleaner, and hopefully easier to navigate site. I'm really excited for this - I can expand the blog into even bigger and better things! 

www.of-north.com

Let me know what you think of the new site - update your bookmarks xxxx

At the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

Bell bottoms: handmade ; Halter crop top & turquoise necklace: PYLO ; Assorted rings: heirlooms and gifts ; Sandals: something from the kids' section of JC Penney's

Yesterday my parents invited me to go along with them to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. I happily agreed as I hadn't been since I was a kid and as it's free for University of Minnesota students (me! or rather, formerly me, who still has her school ID). It was really gorgeous with tons of koi ponds, walking trails, and just general being-in-nature-peacefulness.

I wore this being-in-nature-peacefulness outfit to go along with the vibes of the MN Landscape Arboretum. I'm trying to get as much wear as possible out of these bell bottoms before cooler months hit Minnesota. I'm still so in love with them, though they feel more like something I should be walking along a sandy beach in rather than through a city (or, in this case, a mulch-y walking trail). These pants are pretty much my pride and joy, especially when I remember that the curtain they're made out of cost me two bucks and they were one of the easiest sewing projects ever!

I'm also wearing this really excellent halter crop top from PYLO. Halter tops seem so simple to make, and I really like this one in particular, so I bought it and am already examining it in order to make my own pattern. I love halter tops! They're so simple and sexy and summery. They're also a reminder that I need to work out more. I just did a couple of yoga routines on Grokker and ye gods am I out of shape! I'm officially scheduling 20 minutes every day to yoga to get back in shape. My balance and core strength have just become terrible, I'm so ashamed. Time to get back up and kick butt!

Sidenote: I'm more than happy to rock a halter top without having a muscular back and major guns to go with because fuck societal pressure. But I really just want to get strong and limber again.

Tomorrow I'm going to the Minnesota State Fair (aka deep fried chaos) and then I finish my last day at my internship before starting a new part-time retail gig I took on. I'm also finishing up with re-decorating and sealing up the porch so that I can sleep there while we have family staying. It will be a busy but rewarding week! What do all of your guys have going on? xx

Adventures in Biking in a Pencil Skirt

Skirt: Halogen ; Shirt: Tommy Bahama (secondhand) ; Sweater: Alice & Olivia ; Shoes: Cinderella of Boston ; Briefcase: secondhand ; Necklace: PYLO

I had a job interview yesterday that I decided to ride my bike to. I haven't been able to get out on my bike as much as I would have liked to this summer due to my confusing work schedule and my allergies being so bloody terrible, but the place I was interviewing at was nearby and so I jumped at the opportunity to bike there. In a non-stretch pencil skirt. And heels.

Bad idea.

Who knew that biking required such mobility in the leg area! Getting on and off the bike was a complete laugh in itself, but then I had to hike my skirt way up just to get the full leg motion of biking... The heels weren't so bad once you got used to them but the skirt...no getting used to that. There was one time in particular when I dismounted my bike and I thought this guy was about to cause a traffic collision because he was ogling me so intensely. I can't say I blame him. My dismount was terrible.

So despite the rough riding, this outfit at the very least looks good with my bike - amiright or amiright? The place I was interviewing with is really fun and quirky, so I wanted my outfit to match! And what's more fun and quirky than a tasteful Hawaiian t-shirt? I threw in the lime green cardigan because a) the shirt is sleeveless and you can't wear that to an interview and b) the navy blue and red were a bolder clash than I preferred. The green helped take it down a notch, and also played up the turquoise necklace.

Obviously a lot of detail in this outfit. I hope that this employer saw that (among my other qualifications!) and will give me the job. As of Monday I will be completely unemployed and receiving my last known paycheck. Yay, post-grad life and soul crushing student loans...

I'm sorry that my smile does not reach my eyes in any of these photos, making me look like a hollowed out, soulless creep. The sun was bright or something - let's just go with that.

I'm all ready to get back into blogging! It was good to go light this summer - there has been so much stress in my life and I have had to take on a lot of responsibility that required my mind and heart to be elsewhere. But here I am, ready to take the internet by storm once again and be my obnoxiously outspoken self per usual xx