In my last outfit post, I mentioned how summer doesn't end until September 22nd! It's amazing how fast time flies. The official start of autumn is this week! However, the temperatures in Harrisonburg are still in the 80's, so it's not time to break out sweaters and boots quite yet.
Right now is great time to stock up on some summer pieces since most of them are on sale! I wore this outfit over the summer when I went to the Farmer's Market with my mom. (Because I don't follow all traditional rules of fashion, I will probably still be wearing it for a week or two--I'm all for white after labor day.)
The Farmer's Market is always a fun time, but it was even better than normal because they were selling beautiful peonies! It was a great surprise since that stand is not normally there every week. After buying a few for my own make-shift bouquet, my mom and I headed over to grab some sweets.
It was hard for me to choose, but I went with a classic croissant. A few weekends later I came back and got a crêpe at a food truck! I just can't resist the French treats.
Besides the yummy sweets that my mom and I gravitated towards, there was a wide variety of fresh fruits and veggies at the Farmer's Market, and even some live music!
I love the classic and timeless look of gingham. Two of my favorite bloggers (Gal Meets Glam and The College Prepster) also love the pattern, but I've liked it since I saw it in the movie Daddy Long Legs, where gingham was pretty prevalent in the beginning. If you haven't watched that movie, I highly recommend it. Fred Astaire and Leslie Caron are both wonderful!
Although I'm sad summer is coming to a close, I will just have to transition from peonies to sunflowers and gingham tanks to gingham button downs. There's also a Farmer's Market near my college in Harrisonburg, so I'll probably check that out later this semester!
For the past 3 years, my job at home has been working as a
lifeguard. Last year when I was home
from college in May, part of my job was to clean up the outdoor pool before it
opened for the summer. One day, my boss
told us to bring our normal (meaning non-lifeguard) swimsuits with us. After some cleaning in the morning, we got to
change into our swimsuits and play in the pool while someone took pictures of
us! They also threw in some pizza
afterwards which was a major bonus, especially since the water was freezing. At the time, we thought they were just going
on the company’s Facebook page. But a
year later and I’m on the front cover (on the far right) of the catalog they send out!
I was also in the picture for the lifeguarding training
class. Although it’s a little hard to tell, that’s
definitely me on the top left!
All the lifeguards on the front cover were featured in the
back of the catalog as well. It was my first and only paid modeling job (so far;)! While I haven’t pursued a paid modeling career any further, I did change jobs. This summer I had my first professional internship.
This summer I worked at REHAU, an international plastics company. I was an intern in
the Furniture Department for the Senior Marketing Specialist. I worked at REHAU from the beginning of May until
just last Friday. The internship flew by
and I learned so much. My main
responsibilities were managing the company’s Twitter and Pinterest and scheduling
tweets and pins for the future. I also wrote press releases, scripts, direct mailings, and worked on REHAU’s
houzz page, which is a website for homeowners who are building or remodeling
their homes.
During my internship, I had the opportunity to sit in on
meetings with executives from Germany, Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil. This past semester, I had a really great
management professor who worked as an international executive at Time Warner
before he started teaching. It was really
cool to see what he taught in the classroom in the workplace, such as different
values and social interactions between different countries. A formal German greeting is very different
than an Argentinian kiss and hug.
In addition to my internship, I took four online classes
this summer. I am double majoring in
Marketing and Media Arts and Design with a concentration in Creative Advertising. Because of AP credits, taking classes over
the summer, and taking 18 credits for a few semesters, I will be able to
graduate in four years. Although this
summer was very busy and I was a little stressed, I know it will be worth
it to have both majors and to have saved the money. (Not to mention I’d to graduate at the same time
as most of my friends!:)
One of the most important things that I have learned this
summer is to have fun along the way. No
matter how busy you are, there are always ways to keep a positive attitude and to have fun. Although I didn’t get to blog
as much as I’d hoped this summer, I made some great friends and memories in my
few moments of free time.
These are the other interns that I worked with over the
summer. I really enjoyed the opportunity
to work in a company where there are a wide variety of departments, so the
interns I worked with had a variety of majors (Biology, Engineering, Economics,
English, Finance, etc). I think that
having an internship is a great way to gain experience in your field, but also
a good opportunity to learn what type of company you would like to work
at. Internships at different companies
can help you decide if you rather work at an advertising agency or in the
marketing department of a larger company, for example.
The interns planned part of the company picnic
together; this is a shot of me from the picnic.
I like to caption this picture as “Friday Feeling” and I'll probably be
looking at it throughout the year whenever I need a little pick-me-up.
Although this summer I missed being able to do things like this on my breaks at work...
A video posted by Michelle Mullins (@the_michellem) on
A video posted by Michelle Mullins (@the_michellem) on
I'm still very happy that I had the opportunity to work at REHAU rather than lifeguard this summer. Once I find something that I like, I usually stick with it. I'm definitely a creature of habit and feel comfortable in routines. But changing jobs this past summer helped me grow in tremendous ways and I want to encourage anyone who is on the fence about trying something new to just do it. Now that my internship and classes are all done, I finally have a little bit of time to relax before going back to school. This week I'm at Myrtle Beach for a family reunion, so I'll have some time to get the tan that I've been missing out on all summer!
And just like that, August is already here! With back-to-school displays out and the #NSale going on, it's easy to get caught up in the fall frenzy. News flash: summer doesn't end September 22nd! I'm trying to enjoy these next two months of dresses and shorts before jeans and jackets come out again for good.
This dress from Old Navy is lightweight and extremely comfortable (and on sale)! I love the ease of dresses in the summer--you can just throw them on and don't have to think about anything else for your outfit. This dress comes in 9 different patterns to suit any style. I chose this one because I have always been a fan of purple, but it was hard to pass on the gingham option! Like the title suggests, this dress is very flowy, which was evident on the windy day when Lauren took these pictures of me.
For my internship at REHAU, I market modern cabinet doors and surfaces; my primary job is to manage the company's social media. I think some of my tweets for REHAU have rubbed off on my personal style, as shown by this minimalist outfit! Typically, my style is preppy and girly, with much more navy blue rather than black. However, I love the simplicity of this outfit and how versatile it is. It's perfect for errands, grabbing lunch with a friend, going to class, or even a concert!
This tank is perfect for a hot and humid summer, like we have here in Virginia. I bought this top a while ago atAmerican Eagle, but they still sell an open back tank and a knit tank that are both pretty similar.
It's been a long time coming, but I am finally posting my outfit from First Friday! One of the reasons I like this outfit so much is because it can easily transition from the office (since I can wear jeans on Fridays) to a night look for going out with friends, or a movie or dinner date. I bought this top a few years ago in Mexico when my family went on a cruise. I found some similar options here, here, here, here, and here. My earrings and jeans are both from American Eagle. My purse is actually my mom's from a while ago. You can get one that's extremely similar, just a little larger, at Nordstrom. Off Broadway Shoes doesn't sell my heels anymore, but there's a pair that's almost identical at DSW.Sadly, I haven't been able to post on the blog as often because my summer has been pretty hectic. Yesterday, my cousin showed me this picture, which kind of describes how my summer has been. While that pictures describes how I've spent a lot of my summer, I have also been busy with some very fun traveling too! I just got back from a 10 day trip to Israel that my family went on with a group from our church--to say it was amazing would be an understatement. I posted a few pictures on instagram here and here, but I mostly took pictures on my camera and not my phone, so I'll post those on the blog...eventually.What have you all been busy with this summer? Any traveling plans? Sometimes, the best traveling can be a stay-cation where you can relax at home and explore your own hometown. So, if you're from Leesburg or around the area, be sure to read my last post for fun things to! Bloglovin' | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Pinterest | Snapchat: @the_michellem
I live in Loudoun County, Virginia, very close to the town of
Leesburg. In Leesburg, they have a quaint little downtown area, with
shops and restaurants. On the first Friday of every month, musicians play
at many businesses and sometimes there are special events going on. This
weekend event is creatively called "First Friday."
There's a little garden hidden away right by the parking garage in
downtown. I think these girls taking pictures are destined to be future
bloggers, especially with their matching outfits!
There are so many unique stores and restaurants that I could
probably do a post on each one, but for this post, I wanted to give a general
overview of the entire downtown area. While I mainly took pictures of retail
establishments, there are many other businesses downtown. Law firms,
banks, plumbers, media companies, hair salons, and more, all have offices
downtown. Most of my pictures were of the main street, but if you go down
side streets you'll also find dozens and dozens of beautiful and historic homes.
The restaurant, Lightfoot, is one of the nicest in Leesburg.
Last year, my boyfriend surprised me with reservations there for my
birthday! A very long time ago it used to be The People's National Bank
of Leesburg, it even still has the original vault in it.
Directly across from the Courthouse there's a biker bar. The
best thing about that place is the neon sign that says, "Better off here than across the street,"
which I think is hilarious.
The Tally Housed to be a movie theatre, but now it's a concert venue. It's a little small for the likes of say, Justin Bieber or Taylor Swift, but it's a nice place for tribute bands and comedy acts. It also doesn't hurt that they havetacosright next door.
Over winter break I went to Shoes with Lauren (which you can read about, here). I remember it was so freezing that day! Now that it's summer time, Shoes has opened up their outdoor dining, and it is even more gorgeous than I had remembered.
Many people from Virginia, particularly northern Virginia, refer
to the area outside of D.C. as "NOVA." At JMU when people ask
where you're from, many people will respond with "NOVA." Even though
Leesburg is one of the most northern parts of Virginia, most people associate
the term NOVA with how close in proximity you are to D.C. Because of
this, I like to say I'm from the "outskirts" of NOVA. Leesburg
is outside of the beltway, about 45 minutes from D.C.
In Leesburg there are things typical of
northern Virginia, like a large outlet mall, a competitive and busy atmosphere,
and plenty of traffic. But historic downtown Leesburg sets it apart as a
true gem. While 47,500+ people live in Leesburg, the downtown area makes
it feel much smaller. Having somewhat of a picturesque, small town feel
while still being close to D.C. is one of the best things about this area.
When I was younger and I saw people
walking around with cameras, I wondered why they were traveling here.
Since I live in the area, I didn't see anything that special about
it. Now that I'm older, I understand how valuable this location really
is.
A lot of people travel to D.C., but I guarantee
that making a stop to the outskirts for a day would be a relaxing, fun, and
unique experience you'd never forget. For character, history, and charm,
come to Leesburg.
This post is a link-up with Gal Pal Girl Gang bloggers. I'd like to give a huge shout-out and many thanks
to Savannah Ward for coming up with this idea and making the link-up a reality!
Besides the yummy sweets that my mom and I gravitated towards, there was a wide variety of fresh fruits and veggies at the Farmer's Market, and even some live music!
