when i spotted this top in the latest j.crew catalog i instantly fell in love (how could you not?!). it has two of my favorite things -ruffles and stripes. i only wish it had come out earlier in the season so i could have worn it all summer long. at any rate, i chose to take it out for a spin over the holiday weekend and it was the perfect outfit to wear as we said so long to summer.

j.crew top (I’ve linked more below, too!) || similar jeans || similar flats

natalie borton necklace (c/o) || similar bag || urban outfitters sunglasses

on sunday, we drove up to orange county to spend the morning with S’s parents. we hadn’t seen them since father’s day so it was wonderful to log a few hours of quality time. i know i’ve said it before, but i can’t reiterate enough how huge of a blessing it is to have such wonderful (future) in-laws. it’s such a gift!

given that it was a holiday weekend, we got stuck in some pretty gnarly traffic on the way home. thankfully we had plenty of podcasts (and each other) to keep ourselves entertained. when we finally pulled off the freeway en route to trader joe’s, we stopped by this mural to snap a few photos. if you can’t tell it reads “joy” and it’s in front of a chocolate company’s headquarters because of course it is.

at any rate, these three simple (giant) letters were a perfect reminder to find the joy in every situation. even amidst a bad case of traffic over labor day weekend.

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