Hot Child in the City

 I shared my favorite way to stay cool in the sweltering heat last Thursday.

I thought I would share another dress that is great for staying cool today and where I find a lot of these dresses. (Hint: If you read last weeks post you might already know.)

I actually picked up this dress while I was in NYC earlier this Summer.

There was a TERRIBLE heat wave and I was literally looking for anything that would keep me cool.

This dress seems like it would be really hot because there is so much fabric, but it really isn't. It's also black which I know some people say to stay away from when it's hot. However, y'all know I love black and even in the Summer I find myself gravitating to it. (It definitely hides the sweat.)

The thing that really sold me was the lace-up back. I feel like an open back always helps beat the heat.

Dress: H&M sold out (similar here, love this, and this) | Shoes: Shein | Sunnies: Quay Australia | Earrings: Target sold out (similar here) | Lips: Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips Lipstick in Secret Salma 

What are your favorite pieces to wear in the Summer? Do you have any tips for staying cool? I'm heading somewhere VERY HOT on Thursday so I will take any advice. haha

Cherry Blossoms

If you've been around for a while then you know how much I love NYC.

As much as I love it and as many times as I have been (and my little bit of time living there) I have never been during spring time.

I was so happy I finally got to visit my favorite city during such a beautiful time of year.

One of the big draws to the city during this season is all the blooms. The main ones... cherry blossoms. 

I knew I had to get some shots in Central Park so I met my friend after work one day and we walked over. 

Thanks to Grace's cherry blossom guide I knew just the spot I wanted to go to. (If you are visiting during the Spring I highly recommend saving her post.) 

It was crazy busy with people getting their shot for the gram, but we were able to find a little less crowded area and ended up with some great photos.

Dress: Zara (similar here, here, & here) | Jacket: Topshop old (similar here & here) | Sunnies: Quay Australia | Shoes: Shein | Lipstick: Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips Lipstick in Secret Salma

What's your favorite season? Mine is usually Fall or Winter, but if I could have Spring in NYC every year that would hands down win every time... at least I think. Fall in the city is pretty magical too. 

Fourth of July & Lobsters

Happy Fourth of July!!

Fourth of July has always been one of my favorite holidays. I'm not sure why, but I have always loved it. (Even when I hated fireworks as a child. That has since changed which makes me love this holiday even more!) 

Since it's a holiday I want to keep things short and sweet today.

I'm sharing this outfit that I wore on Sunday when I was in New York. My best friend and I were just walking around the city, doing some shopping and ultimately ended up on the lobster boat. (So appropriate considering my earrings. hah) 

If you have never done the lobster boat in NYC it is definitely a summer must!! 

A little about the outfit.

I have been LOVING bodysuits lately and this one is no exception. It is super flattering and really comfortable to wear.  I am also a HUGE fan of high-waisted jeans. Every time I buy a new pair I fall more and more in love and these are no exception. (And so reasonably priced.) Lastly we need to talk about these earrings. They are the best pair I have purchased this summer hands down. I highly suggest scooping up a pair for yourself! 

Bodysuit: Free People | Jeans: Old Navy | Earrings: Target | Sunnies: Target | Shoes: Target | Bag: Amazon | Lipstick: Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lovesick

I hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday. I also hope that it entails all the hotdogs (turkey dogs in my case), watermelon, potato salad, and sweet treats your heart desires. Bonus points if you indulge in a lobster roll today. Those are one of my favs.  (And bud light, white claw and rosé because let's be honest... those are all super American too!)  

An Evening in the West Village

Hi friends!

Today I’m sharing my last outfit from my NYC trip in June!

This was definitely one of my favorite outfits I wore. I can’t tell y’all how many denim jumpsuits I saw this summer. This one really caught my eye with the wide legs, ruffle sleeves and it has the cutest open lace up back! I normally would pair this with heels, but in NYC that is just not always the best option. I wasn’t sure if this night would entail a ton of walking so I stuck with flats.

This was my second favorite night in the city so I thought I would share what we did. (My first was obviously the night I got engaged.)

We started the evening at While We Were Young. If you are in the city this is a MUST! First of all the place itself is the cutest thing you’ve ever seen. Their drinks are equally as beautiful and delicious. And while I didn’t actually try the truffle fries they did look really tasty. After we finished our drinks we walked a few blocks and stumbled upon the beautiful brownstone in these photos. (Someone told me it belongs to Steven Tyler, but I don’t know if that’s actually true.) After a few quick pictures we went to Aunt Jake’s for dinner. This place has been on my list the last 2 or 3 trips and I was so happy to finally try it. The food was probably the best Italian food I’ve ever had in my life. They make all of it fresh right there and it was absolutely amazing. We both finished our entire bowls and I didn’t even regret it! After dinner we split a bottle rosé at a wine bar across the street and then walked through Washington Square Park.

It was a great night spent with my best friend at some amazing places in the West Village. I would highly recommend them all.

Jumpsuit: Ashley Gryre sold out (similar here shorts version here) | Shoes: Steve Madden | Purse: Rebecca Minkoff old (similar here) | Sunnies: Amazon | Earrings: Target | Lipstick: Make Up For Ever Artist Rouge Lipstick in Rose Wood

Athleisure in the Park

Happy Tuesday!!

Today I’m sharing one of the outfits I actually got to shoot while I was in NYC. This was on Friday when we decided to check out the botanical gardens in central park. My friend and I had never been and it was actually really pretty and peaceful. After that we walked about 40+ blocks to lay out in Sheep Meadow. I was so glad I wore these shorts and not denim or running shorts.  I’ve been living in these shorts since I got them about a month ago. (I think I wore them 3 times on my trip!!) In this post I talked about how I’ve been on the hunt for ALL the soft shorts this summer; and when I went into Aerie before my trip they had a HUGE selection! I think what I love about these is that you can throw on a t-shirt and sneakers, and you have a really cute casual/athleisure look for running around in. Plus it took zero thought or effort to look somewhat put together. They are also a great option to throw in your beach/pool bag this summer.

Top: Target | Shorts: Aerie sold out (similar here also love these) | Shoes: New Balance | Sunnies: Nordstrom | Purse: 3.1 Phillip Lim | Hat: New Era

I hope everyone is having a good week so far. I’m slowly getting back into the swing of things after being sick last week. Yuck!

Engagement Story

Hi friends!!

I’m sorry I have been MIA for the last 2 weeks. If you follow me on Instagram you probably know why. If you don’t, I have some BIG news to share! About 2 weeks ago J completely surprised me and got down on one knee and we are officially engaged!!!! I could not be happier and today I thought I would share the full story with y’all! (Because who doesn’t love a good engagement story? I know this gal does.) So, let’s get to it shall we?

As most of you know I went to NYC a few weeks ago, and spent the first weekend in the Hamptons. J was out there working so, my bestie & I thought we would take full advantage of a Summer House moment. Fast forward to Wednesday, and I was back in the city; and J was heading home to Florida. (Or so I thought) He was texting me all day standard texts like "made it to the airport” & “just boarded my flight”. My best friend had also texted me around 11am that day and said “Change of plans tonight. I’m skipping my volleyball practice, and we are going to this rooftop in Brooklyn. My co-worker told me about it, and they do live music on Wednesdays! Dress cute and we’ll do a shoot for the blog then head there. I’m also getting off early so meet me at my office at 4:30.” I literally thought nothing of it, and just said, “Sounds good. See ya at 4:30.” I went about my day then went home to get ready and meet my friend. On the way to Brooklyn I was starving and really wanted Shake Shack. There’s a Shake Shack right there so, I kept begging my friend to go when we got off the train. He kept saying no which I thought was kind of weird, but finally he was like "Let’s just eat at the rooftop. My co-worker said the food is good." I agreed and dropped my Shake Shack crusade. (I think I skipped lunch that day.) When we got to Brooklyn we headed straight to the water and walking around the dock for a few. We decided the other side would be better for a shoot and made our way to the other side of the bridge by the carousal. There were a ton of prom kids taking photos so; we finally found a more secluded spot, so I could take blog pics without anyone in the background. We started shooting and maybe 5 minutes in, I saw a guy out of the corner of my eye that looked like J. I immediately did a double take and confirmed it was him. As soon as I knew it was him I looked at my best friend and said "What the $@*! is J doing here?!?" He just smiled at me and put down my DSLR camera and whipped out his phone. I started to walk towards J and lost it. Full on ugly cry with hyperventilating included. He walked me back toward the water got down on one knee and I could not even begin to tell you what he said other than I was his best friend and "Katie Helena Baird will you marry me?". I immediately said yes and the crying continued. Thankfully I was wearing sunglasses, so we were able to snap a few pics together before we toasted with a bottle of rosé, (J snagged a bottle right before he met us. Such a sweetheart!) and FaceTimed/called all our family & friends. J only told his parents, my dad and my best friend so it was really nice to tell my mom, brother and friends and have them be in total shock as well. It was a day I will never forget and I'm actually tearing up as I write this. (I can't watch the video without crying.)

I have dreamed of this day for so long, and it could not have been more perfect. New York is my favorite city in the entire world, and to have the skyline as the backdrop to my proposal was something I have always wished for. To say it was one of the most overwhelming feelings (in the best way) is an understatement. I think I was shaking for a solid 30 minutes after it happened. I was totally not expecting it which makes it that much sweeter.

As for the ring he proposed with his grandmother’s ring, which was absolutely beautiful. I did decide to get it reset and I have included a photo of both below.

Original ring

New ring

Dress: Target old (similar here & here) | Shoes: Target | Purse: 3.1 Phillip Lim (currently on sale) | Sunnies: Lulu's | Earrings: Target | Lip Color: NYX Butter Gloss in Praline 

P.S. J still isn't ready to make his debut on the blog. These were the photos we were taking before he got there.

P.P.S. The last 2 photos are when I realized J was there.