Pittsburgh in Pictures

This summer I explored so many new places in Pittsburgh! It is crazy to think about how I have lived here since I was born and there are still parts that I'm not familiar with! I love it. Here are just a few of my latest Instagram shots that I captured around the city. 

Heinz Chapel in Oakland

A saturday morning in the Strip District

The County Courthouse

Gorgeous street art off of McKnight Road 

Another hair transformation!

If you're a regular reader of Lovely Travels, you will have figured out by now that I love to change my hairstyle. Since the start of this blog, I have had red hair, blonde long hair, short blonde hair, and dyed the tips of my hair blue (my favorite so far!). Well, I now have another style to add to the list!

After a long debate on whether or not to dye my hair lilac (a la Kelly Osborne), I decided not to because it would need to be redyed EVERY-SINGLE-WEEK! I am not quite sure how anyone but celebrities have the time or money to do that!

With my first idea a definite no, I needed inspiration. I wanted something that was different but within budget! After watching the finale of Pretty Little Liars, I realized how much I loved Hanna's hair (pictured below)!

Image found on Google

I decided that it was exactly what I was looking for and I headed straight over to Charise's Salon (with a recommendation from a friend)! In about two hours, I left with exactly what I wanted and felt great!

I guess I still haven't lost my no reservations attitude, whether it is a new city, a new school year, or even a new hair style, I am always up for change (and usually welcome it)! 

Time changes everything and everyone.

"But if you close your eyes,

Does it almost feel like

Nothing changed at all?
And if you close your eyes,
Does it almost feel like
You've been here before?
How am I gonna be an optimist about this?"

-Bastille 

I heard these lyrics a year and a half ago on a crowded bus in Italy on its way to Pompeii. My best friend, of just three months at that time, was obsessed with this song called 'Pompeii' and wanted me to hear it before we got to the actual city. I remember it like it was yesterday, I nodded my head along to it without really listening to the lyrics because I knew how much she liked it and I wanted to show her I cared...even though I didn't appreciate the song until much later.  

On that day, I was a sophomore in college. I was studying abroad in Rome, where I thought everything was perfect and nothing could go wrong. I had a brand-new group of friends and had a crush on one of these friends. I was nervous about what my new friends thought of me, I was trying to switch from wearing dresses to being 'edgy', and I still used Instagram filters. I was dreaming about the idea of becoming a Zia (Aunt) one day soon and thought that having a niece would be the best thing ever, but was satisfied with having two amazing dogs for the time being. I listened mostly to One Direction and had never seen a single episode of How I Met Your Mother. 

Flash forward approximately one year, the lyrics above rang through my ears everyday as I walked in towards the Farringdon Tube Station in London. I exchanged cobblestones for 'mind the gap' reminders, pasta for chips, and wine for strawberry lime cider. I have another brand new group of friends and only talk to a couple of my friends from Rome. I have replaced my dumb crush for a full-on romance with London. I am wearing boyfriend jeans, tennis shoes, and studded bracelets. I am becoming obsessed with mobile photography and street art. I have a nephew. A perfect nephew that I now can't imagine life without. I am trying to figure out how to only have one dog. And I am listening to these lyrics everyday. 

Flash forward another few months and I am writing a post about these lyrics. I am sitting in a room with my eyes closed imagining how it felt to walk down the streets of London to this song. I am thinking about how my nephew is nine months old and when I first heard this song he was just an idea. I am thinking about how maybe this song is wrong. 

When I close my eyes, I feel like everything has changed. 

Things I wanted to change, things I wanted to stay the same, things I didn't realize could change, even things I don't know have changed...have all changed. I am a different person than I was when I first heard this song in Italy and when I listened to it everyday in London and when I listen to it now.

I will be back to blogging as soon as my schedule lightens up! I love this blog and want to make sure it remains an outlet for me to document the changes in my life, good and bad. 

Back to school.

Back to school. by hopefullyfashionable featuring a beanie hat

Exploring: Connecticut

(photos via CT Science Center, Elizabeth Park, Jonathan Edwards Winery, Mystic, CT.)

Hi, it's Annie, again! Changing leaves, a chill in the air, apple cider (or wine)...I am beyond excited for Autumn. Don't get me wrong, this summer has been great (with vacations to the Jersey Shore and Rehobeth Beach, DE, all while exploring more of Pittsburgh). But I love the Fall and all that comes with it, including more traveling. OK so I've never been to New England in the Fall, but it just feels like the perfect time to visit! Which is exactly what I'll be doing during the unofficial start to the season, Labor Day. 

My little family, plus a friend from college, will be traveling to Hartford, CT to visit our dear friend Eric. We all attended Point Park University together in Pittsburgh five years ago (!), but this is the first visit up North. It will be a great time to catch up and give us a chance to explore more of this beautiful country. 

The plan is to relax, but also see as much as possible. Luckily, we have a long weekend to do it. We're looking forward to spending an afternoon in West Hartford at Elizabeth Park, which looks just beautiful! From the pictures online it almost reminds me of Regent's Park in London, where my friends, including Eric, and I studied abroad during college! Also in Hartford is the Science Center. I'm excited to take Jack there! It's apparently one of the best places in Connecticut to take kids! Eric also wants to take us to Mystic, CT. We'll probably check out the Aquarium and Seaport. I'm also looking forward to exploring the town and eating at one of their many great restaurants! And as long as there's time, we plan to do a wine tour at one of the local wineries! 

So without wishing away the summer, I'm going to soak up the last bit of the warm sun,  and know that I have a fantastic weekend planned to welcome a new season! I'll share more about my trip in September! And then I'll be off to LA! 

High Five For Friday!!!

1.) Getting ready to go back to school makes me want to kiss Molly every time I walk past her.

2.) Street art is everywhere! My mom and I were just driving and we saw this on the side of a gas station! 

3.) I think it has become mandatory to have at least one photo of my nephew in each of my 'Friday' posts! Haha. These toes are just too cute. I love them :) 

4.) North Park is GORGEOUS!! I would have never guessed that there was such an amazing escape less than 30 minutes from my house! 

5.) I have been debating lilac hair and white blonde hair (like my fav blogger @alwaysjudging)... I think I may be leaning towards the white blonde though. 

Do you have any exciting plans for tonight? Do you like lilac hair or white blonde better? 

Lovely Find!

Wow! I haven't done one of these posts in a while! I promise you all that I have been finding deals in the mean time just haven't had a chance to share them! 

The deal I got on these Jeffrey Campbell sandals is wayyyy too amazing to not share! While walking around the alleyways that make up the Rehoboth shopping area, we stopped in South Moon Under.  This store is amazing! It has a mixture of different designer clothes that are all beachy. 

No matter how tempting these designer goods were, I knew I didn't have very much money to spend so I headed to the sale section after drooling over some amazing bags and crop tops. 

These Jeffrey Campbell Sandals look just like the ones that my favorite blogger @alwaysjudging wears! They were marked at $35 while the original price was $135 so I just couldn't pass up buying them! 

Now every time I wear them, I get so happy! Not just because they are beautiful shoes but because I paid such an awesome price for them!