you, me, and the weather

I'm going to attempt to go a couple blog posts without complaining about the weather. this pledge, however, will not be starting today. because the weather. is. terrible.

I've been waiting for a relatively nice day to wander out of my neighbourhood and do a sensible photo shoot in this outfit, but it's clear that Scotland has other plans. so I grew tired of waiting for the rain/wind/drizzle to stop and went to get photos anyway.

ya hear that, Scotland? you can't keep a blogger down.

and yes, it is raining slightly in these pictures. but fortunately, it was not cold or windy. so I count my blessings.

a while ago Sugarlips Apparel contacted me with an invite to their blogger affiliate program and an offer for an item to review/wear in a post. first off, I was extremely flattered and excited. free stuff! association with other cool bloggers! yay! then I checked out the site and the company, and I was even more pleased. not only do they offer cute clothes, they also seem to be considerably environmentally friendly. according to the Sugarlips website;

"Designed for ultimate comfort, sustainability, and wearability - Sugarlips Apparel seamless garments are some of the most sought after sustainable fabric blends on the planet, while leaving an eco-friendly footprint that doesn't tax the environment. Sugarlips Apparel is so soft and comfortable you may not want to take it off."

and I can definitely vouch for the last part! 

this dress is the item I received, and I absolutely love it. to be honest, at first I wasn't overly excited about it; it's fairly simple and seemed an awkward length. but as soon as I saw the dress in person and put it on, I was smitten. it's so soft and comfy, and the details are so pretty! I've already worn it twice, and it received several compliments. 

it's a very versatile wardrobe piece. today I wore it belted & layered, and with one of my new favourite necklaces; with the lace bib and the little bow-tie, I thought the look was reminiscent of a girly tuxedo! 

dress- c/o sugarlips apparel // lace bodysuit + tights- american apparel // shoes- seychelles // necklace- maryanka studio 

for this drizzly day of picture-taking hubs and I paid a visit to our nearby park. it's been a while since we wandered there among the flowers and frolicking pups. not so many people there today because of the aforementioned rain, but that makes it less embarrassing when one might, say, fall flat on one's back while attempting a few spinning photos...

not that anyone did that today, or anything. 

I can't believe June is halfway through. my, time does fly when you're... doing nothing at all. 

the big plans for tonight include frozen pizzas and a yoga dvd. the two may not appear to go together, but hey, I lead an eclectic life. I might throw in the second season of Deadwood if I'm feeling saucy. 

it is quite a saucy show, actually. 

jump back, people, I'm a wild one. :)

hope you're all enjoying your weekends, and that they've been a little sunnier than mine!

s'all for today. 

love love. 

playing: you, me, & the weather- Hawksley Workman

*ps. this is not a sponsored post; just the disclosure of a kind gesture! 

down to the fair in town

just before my magical trip abroad, my friend Kaitlin (who you might remember from her blog, Adventures of the Mischief Machine) invited me to a vintage fair. yes, I know what you're thinking- a vintage fair! right here in Aberdeen! it isn't a regular occurrence, but it was very cool. so many gorgeous dresses! gah. if I hadn't been leaving for a very expensive trip I would have bought at least six.

there was a lot of great stuff, actually, and I wish events like this happened more often in Aberdeen! one of the organizers gave me her card and they have a facebook page, but I seem to have misplaced it in the frenzy of travel preparations. if I find it I will post the info here, because it's a great event to check out.

so without further ado, here are some pictures! I really hope this happens again soon, and I really hope I'm not dead broke when it does.

playing: Independence day- Martina McBride

I'm a mountain like you said to be

Hello Bloggerinos!

I'm Brandon, many of you will know me as Sarah's husband, brando, hubs, or anything other quirky name my lady has chosen to call me on here. Right now Sarah is in Rome living it up big time, but she'll tell you all about that when she gets back. She asked me/I asked permission to do a post for her while she was away. I usually write about exercise and injuries, you know the really enthralling content that people flock to. not really Today I'm stepping outside my comfort zone and doing a blog post here on the Ocean in your Bedroom.

I thought I would share an outfit post... just kidding! I don't think hobo chic is actually a style, or is it? All of you lovely people would know better than I. I though I would share some pictures and tidbits of information about my biking trip with a few of my friends in the Caringorms just outside Aberdeen. What's that you say, something awesome near Aberdeen? I KNOW! To be fair, there's probably lots of awesome stuff just outside the city, our 2 person fam jam just hasn't ventured out.

The Cairgorms are a mountain range within Cairngorm national park. it's highest peak is Ben Macdhui at 1309m (that's 4294ft for the American readers). Our bike ride took us to Loch Muick, down through to lochnagar, and back to ballater. I'd love to tell you how high we rode, but I can't remember for the life of me.

Warning, photo overload headed your way.




The trip starts in Ballater, which is about an hour bus ride from Aberdeen. Once there you can rent a bike for the day for £16 (about $25). The people at the shop are very friendly and super helpful. They gave us a map and told us the best places to stop for a rest.


This lake was our first rest stop. It's about a 2 hour ride from the bike shop, up some hills, down some others, around bends and through the forest. The trail is very well groomed, so the ride isn't too challenging. There were some more difficult trails to be taken, but that's for another day I guess.
Shortly before getting to the lake there's this little brook/stream that was nice for a quick break and to sip a bit of water while taking pictures.

This was our final destination before returning back to the bike shop. It' the royal lochnagar whisky distillery. It was founded in 1826 and is one of the smallest whisky distilleries in Scotland. We took the time to go on a tour while there for £6 (~$10). About a 15 minute bike ride from the distillery is Balmoral Castle - one of the Queen's residences. Unfortunately, the castle wasn't open to the public at the time, so we weren't able to go see it.


So that was my trip in the Cairngorms. It's remarkable how similar the landscape and topography is the Gros Morne on the west coast of Newfound. It was a lovely, exhausting, and beautiful ride. If you're ever in the 'deen (that's what us cool kids call Aberdeen) then it's definitely worth your time to rent a bike and head into the mountains. Oh, I finally got up close and personal with a Highland cow.


SHAMELESS PLUG: if you're at all interesting in exercise or physical therapy then you might like my blog, Exercise Basics

 Also - all you lovely people who read my wife's blog - follow her, give her some love. She's pretty freakin' awesome, and now that's she's in Rome I can boldy ask everyone to follow her because she's too modest to do it herself. Seriously, if you're a regular reader, let her know. It makes her happy, which makes me happy - and I know you're deeply concerned about my happiness :-)

wanna go to the seaside?

I've had this blog for a while now. relatively, I mean. over three years it's grown and changed just as I have. I'd like to think that I convey a sense of myself fairly accurately in my little corner of the web, but I'm sure some of you feel like you don't know me at all.

for those of you still getting to know me, here's a quick list of some things I love:

1- getting mail
2- sunshine
3- days I don't have to work

so as you might guess, I am extremely happy when all three of these things occur on the same day. wednesday was one of those days.

...betcha thought this was the start of some meaningful, self-affirming post, didn't you?
yeah. nope.

my little sailboat dress finally arrived! I was so happy that I didn't even mind the mail man waking me up with his obnoxiously perky knock at 8:30 in the morning (I am not an early riser, another essential thing you must know about me). 

I had admired this cutie from afar for months before gathering the courage- and the funds- to make her my own. and we are in love. 

hubs and I were out errand-running and coffee-getting in the sunshine when I thought, where better to get outfit photos of a sailboat dress than with a bunch of other boats? so we took a stroll by the harbour.  it's probably the most colourful part of Aberdeen, with all the brightly painted ships and orange safety gear. it worked out pretty well. 

dress- ruche // cardigan + tights- american apparel // belt- fr. a vintage dress // shoes- primark

once we had concluded our little seaside excursion we did a quick grocery run so I could make enchiladas for dinner. I use this awesome recipe I found through pinterest- it's one of my new faves! add some spanish rice and a light beer, and your night will be made. I personally guarantee it. and that is exactly what we did, while watching season three of United States of Tara. incidentally, a good tv show is another major love of mine. 

so you see, wednesday was a good day for me. 

I hope you feel you know me a little bit better now. 

love love!

playing: easily- red hot chilli peppers