J.Crew Striped Shirt // Lily Pulitzer Scalloped Shorts // J.Crew Gladiator Sandals {sold out, but I like these similar ones here, here and here} // Valentino Purse {sold out, but I love this one and this one} // Locket {sold out, but love this monogram version!} // Jeweled Bracelet {I also love this emerald one too!}

How is the weekend over already? Didn’t it just begin? Every time Monday morning rolls around I’m hit with another 5 day countdown until the weekend is officially back on. Don’t get my wrong – I love my new job, but sleeping in each day and adventuring at the beach is also my forte. So while I don’t really have too bad a case of the Sunday scaries anymore, I still feel a little {okay, a lot} sad waving goodbye to the weekend.

Sunday nights have also become the time where I catch up on “life” {aka, my overflowing inboxes, work emails, this ‘ole blog and those pesky things like laundry and planning for the week}, which gets me into work mode for the week a little sooner than it used to. While doing work isn’t always fun, blogging has become a pretty amazing creative outlet over the past few years – and I’ve come to relish those Sunday nights where I tuck away in my pjs, grab a glass of wine and get the chance to share a little pieces of my life with the world {which mostly includes my mom, but also anyone else who’s kind enough to read it!}.

And I’m lucky to do some pretty fun things because of it – like shoot summery photos in front of the gorgeous carousel in the Lincoln Park zoo. I’m pretty sure you don’t need “blogging” as an excuse to do that, but it helps to have one when random strangers walk by wondering what you’re doing. And yes, that does happen pretty much every time 😉   Now, a little bit about this little summery outfit! Since I always have a stripes obsession, I snagged this red long sleeve earlier this spring to pair with these Lily Pulitzer scalloped shorts I bought at the beginning of the year. I spent a week in Captiva Island Florida with my parents and family in February thinking that it would be the perfect warm weather getaway. Of course, Florida in the winter ranges from being 55-75 degrees, so I barely had the chance to wear shorts while I was there. But low and behold, I found these preppy shorts at a beach-side shop and I knew I had to buy them to wear them…someday. 6 months later I finally had the chance to share them in a blog post, oops! Good things take time, right?! While I’m not usually one for anything too preppy, I definitely have a soft spot for the perfect scallops – and these seersucker shorts have been on repeat all summer long. Since it’s still beautiful in Chicago, I’m planning on wearing this comfy casual outfit as long as I can – and it’s perfect for weekend adventures around the neighborhood. While some of us are hoping for fall to start in the next few weeks, I’m trying to hold onto summer for as long as I can. More margaritas, beach weather and warm weekends, please!

Thanks to Jules Kennedy Photography for the photos!