Vacation Style: Down Tha Shore in Pictures

I'm adjusting to reality.

I'm not sure I like it.

So while I figure it out, and in case you weren't following along on Instagram (@DCCeline) while we were Down Tha Shore, here's a peek at our two weeks in relative heaven.

There were new bathing suits, attitude, and waves.

(35th Street Beach, Sea Isle City, NJ)

We dressed to the Nines, celebrated a 77th birthday (seriously, does this amazing lady look even removely 77?), and hugged. A lot.

(The Whitebriar, Avalon, NJ)

We found our new Favorite Activity, dined on the bay, and ate lots of chocolate and ice cream, and chocolate ice cream. There might have been chocolate every day.

(Sea Isle City inlet, Deauville Inn, Ocean City NJ Boardwalk)

And then it was our last few days, in which we shopped, had our last afternoon on the beach, and then Met Elmo. Apparently we're in love with Elmo and we didn't know it.

(Ocean City NJ "main street", 35th Street Beach SIC, Shoobie's)

There were mornings at the playground, bike rides on the promenade, visits from friends, more fishing, a new favorite restaurant (Fuze in Avalon), solo days at Revel Resort's Bask Spa for both Mama and Papa, and there may or may not have been a Big Dinner at our favorite Atlantic City indulgence, The Palm.

Then we drove back into a storm (literally), and were back In the City, with an almost-5-year-old (where has the time gone? #sadmama posts ensuing, I'm sure) and a new addiction to All Things Batman.

(Washington, DC, aka Home Sweet Home)

Once again, a special thanks to the Ladies of the Guest Posts (link to all of them here) who kept things running here while we were doing all of the things in this post. If you're not already following them on every social media vehicle available to you, do!

Favorite Post: Rockin' It Old Skool

I had grand plans for a lovely post on our date night at Mussel Bar Revel. I promise, it was fantastic, and I promise a post soon. But like at the end of last week, Real Life got in the way, and between a day job deadline today, the Beans' ballet & music classes & meeting Stacy London on Saturday (thanks, Allie!*), preparing traditional Romanian dishes and table for Easter No. 2 (Orthodox Easter was this weekend), a visit from my Mommy, and a long-scheduled date night to see H's hometown favorite, Blues Traveler, I just couldn't find the time to sit down and write it up.

So will you forgive me if I give you yet another Favorite Post? Way back when, when The Bean was still teeny, I posted about trying to find my style mojo again - with a Metallica T. Trust me, after last night's phenomenal concert, I considered one of my 2 remaining concert Ts ('tallica or The Wedding Present) with my pinstripes, but both shirts are Very Fitted. Give 'em a month.

So while you read about my 'tallica T, I'll knock out another proposal. If I still haven't posted a new one by the time you're done, borrow some of my inspiration from last night's concert, and go rock out to whatever is yours right now. Me? I'm missing John Popper and the boys in my collection, so I'll go country with some old school Randy. Randy Travis, that is.

*Allie of Wardrobe Oxygen invited me and The Bean to join her and her E to meet the Grande Dame of style consulting. It's not up quite yet this morning, but I'm sure she'll have it up soon.

I've got lots of thoughts brewing on this lil' ol' blog here, and while I mull them over, I thought I'd pull some of my favorite posts from the past 6+ years (yes, I'm an Old Blogger).


If you have thoughts, ideas, questions, Style Dilemmas, please do send them along! I'd love to hear what you want to read!

Favorite Post: Hooker Dress Style Dilemma

I wanted to post about our date at Mussel Bar Revel for today, but I just couldn't get to it. (Silly day job. Silly family.) Look for it Monday...I hope...in the meantime, here's another favorite.

We've all seen those people who really, really, really should have written into a style blogger to ask a question or two. Or three. Here's one who should have. My friend M and his wife Sugarplum (dear, dear, dear friends) witnessed an unfortunate style choice. And then he emailed me about it. It's a rare foray into snark for me.

Snicker again with me, will you?

I've got lots of thoughts brewing on this lil' ol' blog here, and while I mull them over, I thought I'd pull some of my favorite posts from the past 6+ years (yes, I'm an Old Blogger).

If you have thoughts, ideas, questions, Style Dilemmas, please do send them along! I'd love to hear what you want to read!

Style Dilemma Solved: Tar-ZHAY run

Last Thursday, I was working hard on a proposal with a Friday deadline. I was taking Friday off. You know, Good Friday and all. I was also, therefore, staring at a screen, editing my eyeballs off. Almost literally.

So about 1:30, while I was waiting for someone else to edit a piece or review it or track down missing information, I decided to take a treat break.

Yes, yes, I'm doing #healthyme, big time. And yes, I looked up my options at Starbucks before I went. I was a good #healthyme-er. Planning ahead, as in "I looked at the points values (or calories or fat or whatever else you're tracking) for all of the mini-treats at Starbucks, and the mini pink donut is my best choice and won't blow it for the day." Coffee and a donut would be the perfect antidote to my proposal eyes.

But I was tired, and I accidentally pulled into the left-hand turn lane at the light, which would take me past Target first, then Starbucks.

I'm sure I need toothpaste for the beans. And those Easter baskets. And looooove those dollar bins for their socks (seriously, the best source of socks for the beans).

And, well, hey! there's a Starbucks right there.

But wouldn't you know it, they didn't have any pink mini-donuts. All they had in "mini" was the red velvet whoopie pie, which, though delicious, I'm quite certain is not as good a choice as the pink mini-donut (cream cheese icing as filling, anyone?). So I got a tall bold (I'm a stick-your-spoon-up-straight-in-the-coffee kind of girl), and passed on the treat.

And then I compensated with a basketful of Tar-ZHAY purchases.

I did buy socks and Easter dollar toys for the beans. I also bought socks for myself. Neon argyle ones. They're awesome.

If only Tar-ZHAY would show everything online, you could see their awesomeness.

I browsed the belts and hats, not finding anything in the purses. Big floppy navy hat that can double as an Easter bonnet and a beach hat? Jump in my cart, please! Mr. jute and leather loopy-type belt that can replace the wide brown belt Bean No. 2 seems to have confiscated and hidden (he loves, loves, loves my belt drawer)? Join that floppy hat, please! 3 pair of less than $15 sunglasses I can afford to lose or have snapped by teeny hands? Yup.

I also, despite my ban on buying anything until I get to goal weight, splurged (emotionally, more than anything else) and grabbed a purple-on-purple striped henley in...ta-dah! Medium! There was also a bold print dress I grabbed in a Large (bodycon + juniors department = Large, thankyouverymuch). No, I didn't try them on. I didn't even try them on until the next morning.

But guess what? They fit! Both of them! I ended up wearing the henley (it has those great buttoned up half-sleeves) with a pair of tobacco cords on my crazy-long solo drive down tha shore. I could wear it every day, I love it's fitted comfortable casual sleekness so much.

The dress, you ask? Well, it fits. It fits nicely. It fits so nicely that I wore it out on Saturday's date to the new Robert Wiedmaier outpost, Mussel Bar Revel. With my new lillybee (yes, I have another pair) Kristins and their soft, supple neutral leather, I felt hot. Really hot.

Oh...and the pink mini-donut? Gone. Unfortunately replaced by a peep and some jelly beans, but gone from my mind. Treat v. style dilemma conquered.

Tar-ZHAY run by dcceline