more color, please! {frocktober, day 23}

Dress (remixed 1, 2, 3): Ruche, Sweater: LOFT outlet, Shoes (remixed): Zulily

Yesterday was my first full day in a new office. 

I'm still at the same job, but I've switched over to a new cubicle in my boss's office so she can just yell out her door whenever we need to communicate. It has actually been a rather delightful change for both of us, I think. I'm around more people (it's an office of 8 women), I'm closer to the food (this office is known for having lots of food-related celebrations), and I'm more motivated to work, ask questions, learn, etc.! 

Most of the girls are out of the office this week since it's Fall break, so it's rather quiet. But I'm excited to be a part of this environment. I'm the youngest one here, and I think this outfit packed full of polka dots and color, and my head of braids, definitely reiterated that fact. 

I'm alright with it, though. This week my husband and I have been listening to old high school music and reminiscing about the good ol' days of those oh-so-2000's whiny ballads from the likes of Good Charlotte, Yellowcard, Avril Lavigne, Michelle Branch, etc. It's so funny how music changes from generation to generation. It tends to go on a loop, though, and certain trends and music styles creep back into the mainstream every few decades. 

I'm currently loving Taylor Swift's new song Welcome to New York from her soon-to-be-released album, 1989. (I guess I'm in a Taylor Swift groove). I'm gonna go ahead and confess that I've always been semi-skeptical of her insane fame, but over the years (and after seeing her in concert in New York), I've realized that she has actually grown into a really interesting, smart, creative musician. She sounded amazing live, which wasn't always the case. I know a lot of people hate that she has deviated from her Country beginnings, but I think it's incredible that she's experimenting and this new album is a really impressive example of that. She started so young, it's no surprise to me that her sound has changed and that she's breaking into other genres. For this new album she honed in on one specific sound, inspired by the 80's (really pop, cosmic, techno), and just ran with the wind. I think it's a really promising album and I'm surprised by how excited I am to hear the entire thing in 3 days!

What's currently on your playlist? 

Happy Friday!

simple sunday {frocktober, day 12}

Keeping things nice and simple yesterday. 

One of the greatest things about dresses is that even though they're fun to layer and they're extremely versatile, they're also a simple ready-to-go outfit in and of themselves. Dress and sandals, go.

I had my book club last night, and we met at a local donut shop that's open late which I think is a superb idea. My dear friend bought a book for me this weekend, The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt, so she brought it with her to book club. It was a book I started reading in Virginia, but had to return before I finished it. I'm so excited to get back into it! It's fantastic. If you're interested in the history and society of Venice, I'd highly recommend it. Books are the best gifts. 

I'm fighting a nasty cold this morning, so this work day is going to be long and dull. I'm counting down the minutes until lunch, when I can sneak away to Starbucks for a hot drink to soothe my throat! I'm foreseeing immediate pajamas when I get home this evening. 

Currently loving: 

My book club! #theCGbookends

Currently reading: 

Emma by Jane Austen (for book club), 

The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt,

 and The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (a.k.a J.K. Rowling!)

Currently watching: 

A to Z, the cutest new rom-com show that feels like a mix between the quirky and sadly canceled-way-too-soon Pushing Daisies and classics like You've Got Mail. I'm totally in love with it. 

Currently listening to:

My Reign playlist on Spotify. You should listen to it!

sir paul mccartney

On Tuesday around noon I received a text message from my dad:

"You busy tonight?" 

Nope! Why?

"Father daughter date, just us two!"

Oh ok! Sure! 

My dad is a rather fabulous fellow, fun and exuberant and loving. He has brought a lot of joy to my life, including a large portion of my taste in music. He also loves surprises. Probably at the top of his list is "surprising" my mom with some extravagant gift from Santa every year, though she has always disliked the idea of Santa. Which might be why he does it. Despite her decades-long protest, Santa has never missed a Christmas at the O'Neil house.

I've mentioned before that I love the Beatles. That's all dad's fault. I stole his British Invasion CDs at a young age, twisted and shouted probably before I could walk. 

Dad and I left for our dinner date around 530. He told me it was a new restaurant opening up, something he called "Sororise", that had groovy ambience music that he thought I would love. It was a private opening that apparently required tickets. As we began our drive he handed me a piece of paper and said, "I printed the address here, can you look it up?"

Unfolding the paper I discovered a ticketmaster ticket.

To PAUL MCCARTNEY.

Liar liar pants on fire! I had been tricked, swindled, kidnapped, surprised.

He of course began dancing like a maniac and we blasted Paul McCartney music all the way there.

He was so excited he exclaimed, grinning, 

"We gotta take a picture in our seats with the stage behind us. Selffiiieee!!"

It was one of the most surreal (and wonderful and exhilarating and life-changing) moments of my life. I kept crying because I felt like I had always dreamed of being in the same room with Paul McCartney. With my dad. Of course this room was actually a gargantuan stadium with thousands of other humans, but the dream was still being realized.

This was the incredible set list of the evening:

Eight Days a Week 

Save Us

All My Loving 

Listen to What the Man Said 

Let Me Roll It

Paperback Writer 

My Valentine

My Love

The Long and Winding Road

Baby I'm Amazed 

I've Just Seen a Face 

We Can Work It Out

It's Just Another Day 

And I Love Her

Blackbird

Here Today 

New

Queenie Eye

Lady Madonna

All Together Now

Lovely Rita 

Everybody Out There

Eleanor Rigby

For the Benefit of Mr. Kite 

Something

Ob La Di Ob La Da

If We Ever Get Out Of Here 

Band On The Run

Back in the USSR

Let it Be

Live and Let Die 

Hey Jude

Day Tripper 

High on Life

Get Back! 

Yesterday 

Helter Skelter

Golden Slumber/The End

As you can see, it was a pretty extensive list. It was three hours of musical history, rock and roll and beyond.

The giant screens were active the entire time, showing photos and videos of the young Beatles (also made me cry) and other artistic displays. I find it fascinating to imagine myself in the 60's when they first arrived. What must that have been like? What were they like? What was life like for them in those days, writing music and finding love and stumbling around as the headmasters of Beatlemania.
It's amazing to be here now, to see how it all turned out for those young strapping British boys that the whole world fell in love with. It's an honor to hold the knowledge of their story, in all it's bittersweet glory.

The band was phenomenal and watching Paul perform was so fun. He's so full of life and talent, and we were just seeing a glimpse of the music he has written in his lifetime. It's absolutely astounding.

Some of my favorite moments included, obviously, the earlier Beatles music. He performed "Paperback Writer" on the original guitar he recorded it on! 

He also performed a ukulele version of "Something", which was a beautiful and sentimental tribute to a fabulous song written by the late George Harrison. 

I think my heart would have exploded if he had sang "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", but even so, it was fit to burst. 

Needless to say I've been listening to Paul McCartney all week long!

I will remember that night forever. What a wonderful gift to spend a night with my dad and his favorite Beatle, honoring the musical legacy he has cherished and passed on to me.

needtobreathe

This weekend we took a trip to Richmond to see one of my all-time favorite bands. 

A couple weeks ago, Needtobreathe put on a contest through Tunespeak. And I won. 

I got 2 free tickets to the show of my choice on their Stomping Grounds Tour, as well as a signed CD and a meet & greet with the band.

I was kind of ecstatic. Lots of squeals, excitement, anticipation.

Saturday was the day. We had already been to 4 concerts, so we knew how great they were. They're unbelievable live, and their new record is due sometime at the end of this year/beginning of next year. 

The best part about this tour is that they decided to play really small venues in the south, sort of to pay homage to some of their favorite clubs that helped them get started, and also because the experience of live music in an intimate setting is hard to beat. 

Enter: the Canal Club in Richmond, VA.

It's tucked away in this really cool, industrial-type cove in downtown Richmond.
We got there really early to get in the VIP line, and the place was pretty much deserted, save for the handful of other souls on the other side of the building waiting to get in.
We took a few minutes to take these photos and to just kind of breathe in the coolness of it all.

Tee (shop!): Needtobreathe, Purse (shop!): Target, Boots (shop!): Urbanog

My outfit is a hodgepodge of gifts and hand me downs.
The dress is one I got from my best friend's closet years ago (with her permission), the leather jacket and the boots are amazing gifts from my mom, and the tank top is actually a Needtobreathe souvenir from the last concert we went to in Charlotte.
I wanted to wear something of the band, while still staying true to the spirit of Frocktober.
It's a pretty funky outfit, but I kind of loved it.

The concert itself was indescribable.
Definitely a high point of my year. Like I said, we've seen them before -- this was our fifth Needtobreathe concert. We have been able to see them every tour since I first fell in love with their music in college -- the first concert we went to was when they were on tour with Train, and Dusty surprised me with tickets for my birthday.
This time was so powerful though, so close (as in, we couldn't hear once we left), so amazing.

The opening band was called Ivan and Alyosha, and I highly recommend giving them a listen! Their albums are on Spotify. Their drummer was at another show that night, so they did the entire set acoustically, and it was pretty incredible. (Have a listen here, here and here!)
We got to talk to them after the show, and they're definitely some of our new favorites! Hopefully we'll get to see them in concert again soon.
And obviously, if you don't know of Needtobreathe...listen to them asap! Start with their new album and work your way backwards.

They wouldn't allow us to bring our camera in (even though everyone else just had smaller cameras hidden in their purse), so the only pictures I have are from my phone, except for the last one of us with Needtobreathe at the meet & greet before the show!
I will never forget it!

the little things

Just a few little things I've come across this week that have made me smile!


-- 21 Important Style Lessons from Disney Princesses

-- A sweet boutique called Colie's. 
(some of my favorites):

Leopard + Bow = Love.

How cute is she? Ashley, the owner of Colie's, modeling the Neon Aztec dress.

I'm really intrigued by monograms! This could be really cute!

Obsessing on bows.

-- Currently Reading: One Day by David Nicholls

-- Currently Listening to: NEEDTOBREATHE

-- And of course, my giveaway!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a gift box valued at $40+ from Posies by Cait!

Pass it along to your friends, and keep checking back for more sneak peeks and ways to earn more entries by sharing the giveaway.

You can keep up with me on Instagram (@caitschan) and with new items and updates on the giveaway at Facebook.com/PosiesbyCait.

The giveaway ends May 1st!

floral pants are made to dance

Pants: Ruche (shop!), Boots: Urbanog, Purse: Target
Scarf/Coat/Hat: Gifted/Bought long ago

By our third day in London, dressing in the morning had become more about comfort and how many layers you could fit on your body than it did about cuteness.
Although I have to say, having these floral pants along sure did help the process.
While I spent most of the day burying my face in my scarf to block the wind, every time that bright floral came into view I could at least imagine some sunshine.

It also somehow seemed extremely appropriate to be wearing such brightly patterned pants while walking in the footsteps of the Beatles at Abbey Road.
Definitely a highlight for me, having been raised listening to the Beatles with my brothers.
I can't quite describe how amazing it was to stand there imagining what it must have been like in the days when the Beatles recorded at Abbey Road Studios - and writing my own little note on the wall, along with thousands of others.

We also visited The Tower of London, and the Tower Bridge. It was another really great day for us.
We finished the day by seeing Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, and then heading back to our apartment to get ready to leave for Paris in the morning!

(To see more of our trip, feel free to visit my personal blog.)