****Shades of Beige - Shopping Diary****

Yeahhhhh..I know the shopping will soon need to come to a halt once the big day budgeting kicks in but for now I can't help but give in to a few of my guilty pleasures....shoes, beads and now bridal magazines.  Let me start off by saying that unlike Vogue, Elle or W magazine, the content within bridal magazines doesn't exactly change month to month.  At $10 a pop on the low end I would like to think that I can get "new" wedding ideas to feed my need for inspiration but instead I've been getting one big idea and everyone else's attempts at doing it.  Many of you may think that the seasonal fashion trends are no different and you are probably right but for some reason I don't feel as ripped off when I get to the end of a Marie Claire.  Nonetheless when I saw the the september issue of The Knot and noticed its thickness I couldn't resist.  This will be my last one, I promise...

Outside of the wedding and work, Brian(the fiance) and I have been putting this fantastic weather to good use and checking out all the near by walking/hiking trails and nature reserves. Here's a tip about Connecticut ....there's a lot of marshland and I never really realized just how much until every destination we have come across is atleast speckled with a bit of swampy terrain.  Another tip, don't visit said marshland in your new neon citrus faux suede ballet flats as you will have to throw them out...guess I'd be the only one who'd do something like that but just incase.  

On one trip to a park/beach I came across the gorgeous quartz stones seen above (not the pyrite, that was discovered at a bead store...I would have chiseled the whole rock off if I'd come across vast amounts of fools gold) and of course shells.  Last Sunday we managed to visit another beach at low tide. The cool thing about it was that a sandbar revealed itself around that time connecting the beach to a somewhat famous island (apparently pirates buried their treasure on the island on the way to and from Boston which basically means is cursed).  From afar it looks as if people are walking on water but its far scarier when you're actually on it.  The water gently crashes up and over what is not sand at all but rather barnacles and muscles clustered together and it is extremely slippery.  You kind of want to walk fast but the realization that you could slip and fall into the water keeps you from rushing.  The other scary tidbit was that the window to walk there and back wasn't very long. The minute we got to the island a lifeguard informs us we really only had 30min before the tide began to come back in and we would be stranded....no pressure.  The whole trip ( a walk around a quarter of the island as it isn't really set up for tourists rather wildlife) I couldn't keep my head up enough to take in the amazing scenery.  I found myself more interested in the gorgeous shell and stone variety underneath my completely muddied new shoes.  Brian kept having to look back and make sure I was following and hadn't fallen over the rocks.  I started off picking up everything that caught my eye but eventually curbed my hoarding tendencies and left with the ones that really spoke to me.  Besides it's not like they're going anywhere.

As for the shoes, I picked them up at DSW while out with my best friend and for $20 on sale I couldn't pass them up.  The bow and soft color makes them extremely feminine but I can't wait to toughen them up a bit with a pair of black skinnies or leather pants. Anywho I hope your weekend has kicked off to a good start.  Today marks the official beginning of my vacation and I couldn't be happier.  See ya next post...