October 2024 - Page 2 of 2 - The Pink Chickadee

The Life of Katie!

Recently, I have been nevertheless embracing that it’s FALL Y’ALL!!! Last Life of Katie, I was having a hardddd time accepting that Fall was coming around yet again, but I am now proud to say that I’m fully excited for this new season that I’ve been enjoying. One of my fellow Instagram (follow me @_thepinkchickadee) besties gave me the SWEETEST compliment: that my content gives her Gilmore Girls vibes (!!!!!) HOW SWEET! Anyhow, I’m hoping to continue to sharing Fall my way, however, this Fall may look for me in hopes of inspiring y’all, too!

*Disclaimer: Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase through one of my links, then I will receive a small commission. This commission is at no extra cost to you. Additionally, this post is sponsored, and all opinions are my own.*

Recent purchases – I made one *too* many purchases at the end of September into early October. One of my most notable purchases was the Urban Decay Naked eyeshadow palette reboot (since I never snagged one of these notable palettes the first time around!). And another being a pair of Kate Spade bow printed pajamas and some candles from a now favorite brand of mine Red Leaf Candles at TJ Maxx/Home Goods.
Some self care Friday afternoons – I had a busy work week, recently, so I decided to take a few hours of out my Friday for some self care. I ended up going to Washington, DC’s Georgetown neighborhood and wandered the gorgeous cobblestone streets and admired the magnificent architecture as well as had a delicious brunch at Clyde’s on M Street. The next Friday, I went to my local Giant grocery store during my lunch break to find … free wine tastings thanks to Noble Vines – a California-based wine company sold at least in some of my local grocery stores.
Walks with Rosie – One of my favorite forms of self care and ways to practice mindfulness while remaining active is to walk my dog Rosie in the afternoons. I have LOVED our walks, too! We usually stay within our neighborhood and on occasion go to the neighborhood pond, Heron Pond, and also explore some local trails. I LOVE getting to catch a few breaths of fresh air and enjoy time with my dog.
Time with friends – I have been spending and striving to prioritize LOTS of time with my friends. Briana and I visited Texas Roadhouse (it was my first time there and it DEFINITELY won’t be my last!) and the beautiful Catoctin Breeze Vineyard in Thurmont, Maryland, as well as Trummer’s in Clifton, Virginia over the past few weeks. Haley and I had a lovely dinner outdoors at The Secret Garden Cafe in Occoquan, Virginia with our high school friend Mary who was in town from Atlanta. My friend Stephanie had a lovely Birthday celebration where I got to catch up with our mutual friend from college Ashley and meet her husband Ryan for the first time. Sarah and I had a super nice pizza and Halloween movie night. I also got to meet up with my friend Andrea after briefly meeting and connecting on socials at the Lucketts Holiday House back in 2022 (WAYYYYY over due!) at Carnegie Diner in Vienna, Virginia for a lovely brunch! When it comes to family, Papa and I had a delicious Italian dinner at Villa Bella in its magnificent Amalfi-inspired atmosphere in Burke, Virginia.
Going brunette – ANDDDDD last but not least, I went …. Brunette!!!!! I have natural brunette roots and finally decided to embrace them! You can read more about my Brunette chapter here. To celebrate becoming a brunette, I treated myself to a nice solo dinner at this adorable sushi restaurant nearby my hair salon: Sushi Prince.

The beautiful atmosphere at Villa Bella (dinner with Papa)!

Finally connecting with Andrea for brunch!

Carnegie Diner ALL decked out for brunch

Stephanie celebrating her birthday with the most adorable wine bottle!

Free wine tasting + bottle purchase at Giant Food

Rose all day at Catoctin Breeze Vineyard

Styling a fun floral Fall dress to celebrate Stephanie!

Georgetown, DC Strolls:

Here’s to Fall … the Katie way!

XOXO – Katie <3

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My Brunette Chapter

In my friend groups in college, I was well-known for not being able to keep a secret – whoops! However, believe it or not, I ONLY told 2 people besides my incredible hairdresser Yaleena that I was going to become a brunette. It was definitely an AMAZING decision to make the switch, too! One of the things that I have learned in 2024 is that change IS good and that we are simply evolving human beings. And, my switch to being a brunette (and embracing my natural roots!) is confirmation of these vital 2024 life lessons.

In high school and our early college years, we’re pretty much expected to decide what we want to do for the rest of our lives. I had the HARDEST time trying to decide what I wanted to do. I could barely decide what I wanted for lunch or dinner in the dining hall in college let alone decide what career path to pursue. Career paths feel like such a HUGE lifelong commitment and can feel very daunting during our college years. I have SOOOO many different interests, so it was extremely difficult to make one big decision. However, flash-forward to today and now having a few years of my career under my belt, I have learned about the power of evolution in our careers and in our lives, too.

When it comes to my appearance, ever since I was 13, I have been getting blonde highlights in my hair. I adore my blonde highlights (and still do!), as I felt youthful and if I could take on the world. My blonde hair began to fade during that time in my life and my hair started to become more brunette. My Grandma once told me that “you may become a beautiful brunette and love it” as I was loathing the natural and normal change in my hair color. Still, despite what my Grandma said, I kept getting these same blonde highlights for almost 13 MORE YEARS. And, to my Grandma’s words, at about 13 years later, I knew it was time for a change. I had always wondered what it’d be like to be a brunette since those lovely words of Grandma’s. I LOVE watching Sex and the City and fully identify as a Charlotte (if you know, you know!) aka the token brunette of the main friend group! The same goes for Gossip Girl’s Blair Waldorf (whom I proudly also identify as in some ways!) another token brunette bestie. So, I made that change. I became a brunette.

Just like as our careers can and will evolve, so can other parts of ourselves, whether it be embracing our natural roots more so (with a few highlights in the mix!). And, it’s important to show love and gratitude and bring on changes with excitement and grace. While change may be difficult and take some adjustments, change is and can be good.

Here’s to my Brunette Chapter!!!

A special thanks to my amazing hairdresser and stylist Yaleena of Dante Salon and Spa for making this amazing transformation happen!!!

XOXO – Katie <3

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Another 48 Hours in Indianapolis, Indiana

Over the Summer, I went on my second-ever trip to “the crossroads of America” aka Indiana to visit my fellow influencer bestie Lindsay of @sunshineandstairclimbs (go follow her!). I wrote more about my experiences in Indianapolis where I also visited last year (here) and brought my since purchased camera this time around. This time around, we enjoyed time catching up as well as connecting with one of Lindsay’s best friends Rica (who is SO sweet!) and our fellow influencer bestie Taia of @taiajo on Instagram (go follow her!). Overall, I came to love Indianapolis for a second time and am looking forward to a future visit!

For more United States travel inspiration, check out my Exploring 50 States expedition page.

What We Did:

Lunch and Sightseeing at RH Indianapolis – RH Indianapolis is a unique asset to the Restoration Hardware storefronts and restaurants! Transformed into a dining room and gallery at the Dehaan Estate, RH Indianapolis lives on the grounds of the Dehaan family’s property. The Dehaan family loved unique sculptures and artistic creations which can be seen on their lakeside mansion estate that RH Indianapolis is currently at for many guests to enjoy. Most RH locations including the Dallas and Charlotte locations that I dined at earlier this year are located on the top floor of the Restoration Hardware storefronts. However, RH Indianapolis is located on the main floor, surrounded by galleries and patios and additional floors of showrooms filled with Restoration Hardware merchandise. Lindsay and I went with her best friend (who has since become my friend!) Rica to celebrate her birthday. While we waited for our table, we went to the gorgeous adjacent wine bar to enjoy some coffee and wine before getting seated. At lunch, we enjoyed the standard RH menu in their main dining room that looked out over Dehaan Estate’s lake and celebrated Rica. Afterwards, we got lost in the gallery and back patio and pool (!!!!) and admired it all. Truly, this was an RH experience for the books and one I would indeed be down to enjoy again! At the same time, I LOVED getting to meet Rica and celebrate her, as I’ve heard amazing things about her from Lindsay and LOVED getting to make her feel special. I look forward to connecting with Rica again IRL, too!

Dinner at The Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers – After an incredible lunch (and some nap time post-early morning flight and a crazy boarding process at Dulles Airport!), Lindsay and I met up with our fellow influencer bestie Taia for dinner at The Cake Bake Shop! Taia and I have become Instagram friends over the past few years and she is an in real life friend of Lindsay’s. Our dinner at Cake Bake was my first time meeting Taia IRL (!!!!). I wrote more in-depth about my Cake Bake experience last year here, but indeed, it was extremely magical to be back at this fairytale of a restaurant. This time around, I ordered the soup and salad combination with their AMAZING French onion soup and Caesar salad alongside the restaurant’s signature pink and glittery Cosmopolitan. Needless to say, it was SUCH A BLESSING to be able to finally meet Taia in-person and look forward to connecting with her more in-person, too, and *of course* enjoy a nice outing at Cake Bake!

Sightseeing at Monument Circle – Last year when I went to Indianapolis, I didn’t explore much of downtown and wanted to the next time I came. This time around, we did just that – we did some sightseeing at Monument Circle aka the heart of Indianapolis’s downtown! We *even* stumbled upon the Soldiers and Sailors Monument (which I write more in-depth about our experience at here) which is a free to all monument that commemorates and honors those who served in Indiana. I *of course* brought my camera to snap some photos of the gorgeous architecture that I admired at EVERY turn, including of the gorgeous Christ Church cathedral. At Monument Circle, there was also a super adorable station where visitors could send out postcards for free to anyone across the world and take a few for themselves. Lindsay and I did just that which made for an incredible experience at Monument Circle!

Sightseeing and Shopping at Mass Ave – After a nice stroll and climbing the Soldiers and Sailors Monument at Monument Circle, Lindsay and I headed to Mass Ave. Massachusetts Avenue (regularly known as Mass Ave) is known for gorgeous architecture, shops, hotels, and restaurants. We ended up parking by the old Coca Cola Factory and strolled by and through the gorgeous lobby of the adjacent Bottleworks Hotel. We walked up Mass Avenue and saw plenty of gorgeous architecture which I *of course* snapped several photos of (!!!!) and stopped by the adorable Francis + Fern boutique which sells several adorable Taylor Swift-themed merchandise as well as adorable clothing! We also danced a bit with the iconic dancing lady on her automated screen that I got to meet for the first time in 2023. Mass Ave is definitely a charming and beautiful part of Indianapolis!

Dinner at Maialina Italian Kitchen + Bar – Maialina Italian Kitchen + Bar was located in a unique Indianapolis district that I am forgetting the name of (whoops!) that is off of Prospect Street. The staff were super kind and the food was DELICIOUS! I definitely enjoyed the atmosphere and affordability of the food compared to Washington, DC area Italian restaurants. I would definitely come back and was highly impressed (as was Lindsay!).

And, last but not least, I got to enjoy seeing SEVERAL …. Tiffany Blue fire hydrants aka an Indianapolis signature!!!!

I always have an amazing time with Lindsay and I loved getting to know and meet those who are important to her that I have since grown to love, too. Blogging and content creation has truly taught me the importance of long distance friendships and what value they bring to our lives. Til next time, Indy!

XOXO – Katie <3

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What I Wore to Work – September 2024

Transitional from Summer to Fall and out with the old and in with the new is how I felt this past month. The September 2024 work month fashion wise and professionally has definitely evolved with the change of seasons in a few ways. While I won’t get into too much details, I have truly enjoyed getting to style my work outfits as the weather changes. To kick off September 2024, I spent the first week in Hawaii where I had an incredible time exploring pretty much all of the island of Oahu in its true beauty as well as a bit of the island of Maui. And, to close out September 2024, in the Washington, DC area, we experienced several rainy days to kick off Fall 2024. Truly, I still cannot believe as I am writing this on September 30, 2024 that on September 1, 2024 I was in Hawaii – it feels like a CENTURY ago!

As the seasons change and I am striving to embrace the Fall season, I am also focusing on learning to set boundaries and take care of me. As much as I despise slowing down and being told to do so (thank you to those who did in my community!), it is still a blessing to be able to take a step back, as I am starting to learn to do. Even if that means one less event or one less trip, being able to do what I need to do and want to achieve can only be done if I and others, too, care for ourselves first.

For more preppy style & grand millennial home content, check out my Preppy Fashion & Grand Millennial Home page.