{laundry day} You're Movin' in Slo-Mo

Watermelon slices, like the ones I'll have at my going away party tonight

Today is my last day of work. Tomorrow is moving day. Sunday we move into our new apartment. By Monday morning, my day-to-day routine will be 100% different than it is today. I'm excited, terrified, and truly sad to leave my home, friends, and what now feels like family, in Chicago. BUT, totally ready and unbelievably happy about the changes to come. Tonight is my going away party. We're planning to serve only foods that have a freshly-gardened vegetable in them: salsa, caprese salad, green bean salad, zucchini bread...should be tasty. So in the spirit of last-day shenanigans, to-do lists that simply won't get done, and preparing myself emotionally for the goodbyes to come tonight, I'm leaving you now with a few images of my life as late.

These will be put to good use tonight!

A tasty last breakfast before the move. French toast and coffee, with bags and boxes and clutter in the background.

A better picture of our new Ecuadorian tablecloth. Joe bought it in Otavalo before I arrived. It's machine-made, but from a locally-owned and operated factory in Otavalo. The design is pretty common (there has been plenty of conflict over people copying designs), and we saw varieties of it in many craft fairs. I love the warm colors of it.

A lovely daisy from the mountains of Colorado.

I love this puffin mug, and have happily been drinking my daily brew out of it each morning.

Title song: Notorious B.I.G., "Last Day"

{meet-ups} One to Stay and One to Go

Blouse: UO * Shorts: J. Crew, thrifted * Belt: thrifted * Cuff: thrifted * Bag: Target

Now first off, I'd like to point out that I have in fact worn more shirts than this one, despite what my recent posts may indicate. I just love how this shirt toes the line between casual t-shirt and lacy blouse. It's kind of become my go-to piece this summer. So when I knew I'd be meeting up with the beautiful witty Betsy for brunch a few weekends ago, this combo seemed to just fall into my lap. It was hot, humid, and muggy as hell, so I opted for breathable fabrics, perforated shoes, and casual weekend shorts (don't chino shorts just scream "brunch!" to you?).

One thing that is really tough about moving to a new place is that you kind of have to start over with your social group. Making friends as a grown-up kind of sucks, in my opinion. There are no more playgrounds in which we can simply saunter up to someone and ask if they'll be our best friend. There are no classrooms, sports teams, or after-school clubs in which you end up spending hours upon hours just being around other people. It's not like college, when there are dorms, and parties, and the constant flowing in and out of social circles. As an adult, all of that boils down to bars, clubs, or that most dreaded word: networking. And since I'm being honest here, I'll tell ya: I suck at all three. "Night life" has never been my thing. It's loud, overwhelming, and I end up awkwardly talking about real A-plus topics like the weather, summer construction, or what people are paying for their internet service. In short, it doesn't go super well. (Also, now would be a good time to validate this stream of consciousness, and to let me know that I'm not alone in the wacky world of adult friend-making.)

But brunch? Brunch I can do. And brunch, with someone that I've "met" through their delightful blog? That I can definitely do. So when Betsy and I sat down to our tasty bloody marys and unbelievably good creamed eggs, it was a lovely change of pace. (And I'm happy to report that at no point did I mention internet service rates, though I'm pretty sure that both the weather and summer construction did enter into our conversation.) Betsy is stylish, hilarious, smart, and super motivated, and it was easy and refreshing to launch into conversations about blogs, fashion, travel, moving, relationships, and, of course, our brunch. I earnestly look forward to many more moments of meeting and chatting over a strong drink and fabulous food.

Maybe that's the key. Maybe food is the hidden ingredient in my need to meet people. I'm much more comfortable talking to someone over a meal, which might be why bars are tough for me. There are only so many beer peanuts a gal can eat. So maybe I need to start just hanging out at brunch places. Sit at the bar. Strike up a conversation with the stranger next to me, who is also quietly enjoying their creamed eggs and morning mimosa. And who knows? Maybe we'll hit it off. Maybe they'll even give me a tip on how I can pay less for my internet service...

Title song: Lou Reed, "Egg Cream"

Persius Potato

{weekend clothesline} Far Across the Distance

Joe and I in El Ejido, the main public park in Quito, Ecuador

Okay, folks, we're a go for the epic Ecuador post I've been promising. I've found that it's been nearly impossible for me to synthesize my actual thoughts about the trip, so I'm starting with a bit of a slideshow-style post, with more pictures and less words. After things settle down a bit more, I hope to be able to put words into my currently vague and scattered feelings about my summer vacation.

Most of these pictures were actually taken by Joe and/or his advisor. We didn't bring my nice DSLR, for fear of damage or theft, so these are mostly all snapped with a cheap point-and-shoot that Joe bought after his original camera did get stolen. Some of these were also actually taken before I arrived, but they are all sights that I saw and places that I went; we just decided it was pointless to re-take pictures that Joe already had. Also, we were epically bad at actually taking pictures of us. The one above is the only usable photo of both of us. Long story short, there was no taking of outfit photos on this trip. And I was just fine with that.

Anyway, enjoy!

Top to bottom: views of Cuenca, Ecuador from some Incan ruins just outside the city; tile rooftops in Cuenca and a strange bird statue that I quite admired; the massive "new" cathedral in Cuenca, which also happened to be one of the views out of our hostel.

We took an extremely long bus ride from Cuenca to Quito about halfway through the trip. Since both are in the high sierra area of the Andes, the bus ride involved many a winding S-curve road (and therefore, much Dramamine for me), and breathtakingly beautiful views of the region. Remember what I said before about the high altitude being cleansing and mind-clearing? Yeah, that's what this is like. Whole towns (albeit tiny ones) are nestled in the highlands at 13,000 feet, and the harshness of the climate and landscape only makes for an even more surreal experience when passing through from the inside of an over-crowded bus.

Here's where we digress from my and Joe's experiences. I didn't actually make it up to the Quilotoa crater lake, though I was witness to two massive and absolutely picturesque volcanoes as we ventured through the country, Cotopaxi and Chimborazo. Joe took these pictures of the crater lake and its surrounding tourist area earlier in his trip, but I couldn't help but share them with you anyway. To me, they are positively breathtaking, and I can't wait to go back to Ecuador and see it for myself.

Quinoa! As I've mentioned before, I've spent a lot of time in South America, particularly Bolivia, and have been well-aware of the origins and traditions of this favorite grain of mine. But up until this trip, I'd never seen it growing. Unlike wheat, or rice, or, truly, any other simple grain I've seen, quinoa fields are beautiful, colorful, vibrant plots of land, a veritable rainbow of food. Harvesting happens after all the plants have reached a certain color, and up until then, the fields are a striking contrast against their highland backdrop. (The last picture above is actually of lupin, which there was also plenty of.)

I also had no idea what quinoa looked like up close. Incredible. I'm still sort of in the dark on how it is harvested, but seeing the plants in person totally changed how I feel about this tasty little grain. I wonder if we can grow it in the garden next year... (Also, an interesting side note: not once, in my 12 days or Joe's 52 days, did either of us get the chance to actually eat quinoa. I know it's mostly a home-cooking staple, but I was amazed to find that not one of the traditional Ecuadorian restaurants that either of us went to had it on the menu.)

Top to bottom: views of Quito, the capitol of Ecuador, from a vantage point just above the city; me in the plaza of San Francisco; one of the many gorgeous churches in the colonial architectural style. Most of the buildings in the old parts of both Cuenca and Quito were dominated by this kind of architecture. In the U.S., we're used to "old" meaning late 1800s (or, in some parts of the Northeast, late 1700s), but in huge parts of Latin America, "old" buildings truly date back to the late 1500s or early 1600s. Some of these are buildings that were constructed just after the end of the conquest, and have as varied and fascinating a history as any of the greats in Europe.

One of my favorite things about visiting a new place is the art, signage, and graffiti that sprinkles the area. I love it when bloggers do full posts dedicated to the street art in a particular city, and although we didn't get enough pictures to warrant a whole post, these are a few of the images that were particularly compelling to me. (The painting in the second-to-last photo was in the museum in Cuenca. I loved how it chronicles the life of man.)

The basilica in Quito, literally towering over the city.

Title song: Celine Dion, "My Heart Will Go On" (You guys. We were in an archeological museum in Cuenca, looking at pots and sculptures that were thousands of years old, and suddenly, with no notice at all, an instrumental version of "My heart will go on" blasted from the speakers in the museum. Instrumental. Played entirely with pan-pipes (to keep with the Andean theme?). Followed by a stirring rendition of "Stairway to Heaven" and "Bridge Over Troubled Waters". It was truly, and utterly, fantastic.)

{outfit} More Lightnin' Bugs than Stars in the Sky

Blouse: UO * Jeans: H&M * Booties: UO * Necklace: heirloom from my grandmother * Belt: thrifted

I think I'm experiencing reverse culture shock. In all my travels, in all my life (and I've been incredibly fortunate to have many of them...travels, that is, not lives...), I've never really experienced culture shock. My arrival in a place is usually consumed with curiosity and exploration (and sometimes jet-lag). Instead, the moment that my world-view gets all wonky is when I finally get home, back into the good ol' US of A. That's when my rhythm gets thrown off, when I start noticing ridiculous cultural idiosyncrasies, and when I start feeling uncomfortable in my own space. All that to say that I sort of feel like I still have one foot in South America and one foot in the Midwest, which means I'm not quite mentally up to the task of documenting our trip to Ecuador yet. I'm definitely planning to tackle it this week, but in the meantime I'm going to happily use a few old backlogged pictures as a crutch for my inability to switch completely out of Spanish mode.

And I'm actually quite happy to finally post these pictures. This was a simple weekend outfit earlier this summer, one which I wore to run errands, do laundry, make dinner, and other simple, straightforward weekend tasks. I fell in love with the combo when I wore it, and then just swooned over the early evening light that graced the street in front of Joe's apartment. It was one of those ideal photo moments that you don't always get to capture, so I was thrilled that we were able to preserve those precious last few moments of the day.

I've been all about comfort and ease this summer, and feel a bit of a change in the sartorial winds. My summer uniform, though I've been consistently failing to document it, has been a faithful pattern of jean shorts, oxford or bankers blouses, and Sperry Topsiders. Casual cool is winning the day, and I've been immersing myself in comfortable tomboy-esque style, eschewing wrinkle-free skirts and heavy accessories in favor of rolled-up sleeves and frayed hems. This outfit falls somewhere in the middle, which is maybe why it is a fast favorite. I felt totally comfortable and simply summery, but appreciated the clean lines and simple jewelry of this somewhat-polished ensemble.

Title song: Gillian Welch, "Summer Evening"