I’ve mentioned previously that I’ve been enjoying the chance to explore my neighborhood a bit more, and this set of photos is really a product of that. Dinkel’s is something of a Chicago institution - this German bakery was founded in 1922, and even before I realized it was in my area I’d heard about from native Chicagoans who would purchase lamb-shaped Easter cakes from there every year. While I don’t much care of that particular cake (it’s like 75% frosting, which is a little much for me), I do enjoy their freshly made bread and their pastries. Danish, anyone? Between their old school sign and the cool historic building they’re located in, it seemed like the perfect place to shoot this relaxed, 1950s inspired look.

So, I’ve lost quite a bit of weight during quarantine. I kind of weird talking about it, just because that’s not been everyone’s experience and it can come across a little braggy, but hey, it’s my blog, and I’m pretty happy about it! When I was in my early 20s I developed some issues around food - restricting what I ate for weeks at a time, then binge eating and taking laxatives. It went on for a couple of years, and while I’m past that now, I do have to sort of keep an eye on myself in terms of how I think about food and how I think about my body. Although I had put on a few pounds over the past couple of years, I was generally pretty happy with my weight and my appearance. When quarantine started, like everyone else I was stuck in my house all day, and exercise went from being a chore that I would do occasionally to one of the things that was keeping me sane. I was also making all of my own food, and I’m generally a pretty healthy eater when I’m not going out. I’m down about 20 pounds from where I was a year ago, and I feel strong and energetic and confident. What’s funny about it is that when I was obsessive about food, I didn’t lose a whole lot of weight; this time around it wasn’t even something that I set out to do, but a side effect of developing a healthy coping mechanism.

Top: Knee Deep Vintage
Capri pants: Unique Vintage
Bangles: Vintage