KATIE KENNEDY

What I’m Looking Forward To

Blouse || Jeans || Wedges || Clutch || Earrings || Bracelet || Watch

Even though I’ve been spending nearly all of my time at home, I still feel incredibly busy. Anyone else? Between virtual teaching, maintaining my blog, and cleaning around the apartment, I’m exhausted at the end of the day. We’re in week four of this and I can tell a little bit of cabin fever is starting to set in. Honestly, sometimes I feel waves of despair, annoyance, and lethargy. These are normal reactions to what we are all enduring. It’s hard sometimes, but I’m working to stay optimistic. To do that, I’m thinking to the future. We have so much to look forward to. Here are my top picks!

A Big Family Dinner

Even though my parents only live 30 minutes away, it’s been over a month since I’ve seen them. No amount of FaceTiming in the world can replace being with my family face-to-face. My dad is an incredible chef. The first weekend we have the all-clear, I can’t wait to schedule a family dinner with his amazing Southern cooking. Having Sunday get-togethers at least twice a month will no longer be a question. The same goes for mother-daughter get togethers.

Happy Hour with Friends

My closest friends are an extension of my family, many of them working in the service industry. I can’t remember the last time I went so long without meeting up with a crew for cocktails and happy hour. We may all have different local favorites, but the our first night out together is going to be one for the books. I truly can’t wait to see how all of St. Pete chooses to celebrate our newly appreciated freedoms and health.

Traveling With David

Some of our travel plans have already been put on the back burner, including a visit to New Orleans and a wedding in Sea Island. Our scheduled trip to Peru is still hanging in the balance, but I’m not feeling particularly optimistic. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in the wake of this pandemic is not to procrastinate on those bucket list trips. In one sweeping motion, the luxury of travel has been taken away. To keep my sanity, I have been daydreaming about travel and can’t wait to start booking.

Eating At My Favorite Restaurants

Apart from a weekly cup of coffee to-go, we have been laying low and eating solely at home. Don’t worry, we’ve been supporting our local businesses in other ways too! Something that makes St. Pete truly special is its long list of local restaurants. While David and I have saved a lot of money by abstaining from eating out, I can’t wait to get back to our social routines. I’ll never take eating out for granted ever again!

This is just a friendly reminder to stay positive and make the best of the situation that we’re in. Try and find the silver linings. Most importantly, thank you so much for continually choosing to join me on my adventures and stories. I promise to be that little slice of optimism you may need.

Love from Florida,
Katie

As always, thanks for stopping by! To keep up with all things about the Sunshine State, be sure to visit my exclusive Florida page, here.

My Work From Home Uniform

Dress (similar) || Wedges || Clutch || Bracelet || Earrings

WFH is an abbreviation that we’ve all gotten to know and some of us have learned to love. Yes, even I’m working from home and attempting to teach my 40 plus kids in the process. You may be surprised to hear that I don’t own a lot in the loungewear department. That works for me, though, because I would much rather go that extra step and get gussied up as if it were a normal work day. Here’s a quick look at what I’ve made my daily work from home uniform.

Flowing Dresses

In my home, there’s nothing more comfortable than a flowing midi or max dress. In my opinion, the more over-sized the better. I’ve been joking with David that my wardrobe as a Palm Beach retiree is starting to take shape, but I’ll need to add a few more caftans for that. To the untrained eye, a maxi dress looks to be very dressy, but it’s actually the simplest outfit to throw together. I put the dress on in one swoop and I’m ready to tackle my at-home day. Whether it be a virtual lesson, walking the dog, or grabbing the mail, I’m more comfortable in this than any pair of sweats.

Barefoot

Although in these pictures I’m wearing a cheerful red pair of espadrilles, my preferred footwear has been my own toe feet. If you could ask my students, they will tell you that I’m very often pair foot, why would I be any different in my own home? Since having some pair of shoes on standby is always a good call. After all, Publix won’t exactly appreciate my laissez-faire approach. So, my rattan loafers and brown flat sandals are waiting by the door in case I need to run outside.

Makeup Free

My skin has never been happier than in the world of bunkering at home. My makeup routine has always been extremely minimal, I think I only use a total of three things, but that has been taken down to zero. I’m taking the time as an excuse to detox. Even my nails have been pair and I’m starting to simply love the natural look.

All Natural Hair

The final piece to my daily work from home uniform is my all natural hair. Without my weekly blowouts from Sip and Dry, who I’ll be sharing more on Thursday, the hair is back its frizzy and wavy self. Surprisingly, I’ve been wearing down more than I ever did at school. Just like my skin and nails, my hair is loving this time. Trying to find the silver lining, at least I can appreciate my healthy hair.

I think the most important thing to remember during this time is to keep things as close to normalcy as possible. Whether that’s for your diet, your workout routine, or your work outfit, a little bit goes a long way. Who knows, we may come out of this with better habits.

Love from Florida,
Katie

As always, thanks for stopping by! To keep up with all things about the Sunshine State, be sure to visit my exclusive Florida page, here.

Cleaning Out My Closet

Blouse || Jeans || Wedges || Handbag || Earrings || Bracelet || Watch

Just like everyone else in the country, I’ve been spending a good bulk of my time indoors. While running a virtual 4th Grade classroom is keeping me pretty busy, I’m trying to get through a long list of chores for around my apartment. On the top of list is to clean and purge my closet. You would think that a move across the country would have made me toss the pieces that I don’t use, but there are still so many pieces that should have stayed in NYC. As I go through my wardrobe, here are some things to keep in mind for a seamless process.

What Is Less Than Perfect Condition?

This is probably the number one deciding factor when looking at my closet. I’ve had some pieces since my college days and they’re starting to show it. Even though the clothes are still practical and fit, they just have been loved way too much to stay. If something has a slight stain or tear, it’s sadly time to say goodbye. The good new is, this is your opportunity to shop and replace something you know you’ll wear.

What’s Out of Season?

Since moving back to Florida, I’ve had no use for a lot of the sweaters I’ve collected while living in New York. I don’t want get rid of them because we often travel to Vermont to visit David’s family. Instead, they’re leaving the closet and going into storage (i.e. under our bed). Even though I didn’t get rid of anything, I have so much more room in my closet for more Floridian pieces.

What’s Just Not My Style?

It’s taken these few weeks of staying at home to get a refreshed sense of my personal style. For the most part, I’ve been attempting to get dressed each day as if it were a regular work day, although a barefoot one. There are still some things I don’t want to wear, even if it’s just around my apartment. That’s a huge hint that something in my closet isn’t my style any more and the more I think about it, I realize that I haven’t some of these pieces in years!

When Should I Donate?

Now that I’ve cleared out my closet, I have a few bags worth that I want to donate. Although some donation locations are still open around the city, I don’t feel comfortable just yet venturing out. If the Goodwill or Salvation Army locations in my city specifically request donations, I will be sure to do my part. Until then, I’m storing things in my laundry room, ready to donate when life as returned back to normal. Although we’re not sure when that’s going to be, it’s nice to know that I can do something for my community right away.

Since we’re all, hopefully, riding things out at home, it’s the perfect opportunity to check off the chores that have been on our list for awhile. Whether that includes going through your closet or not, let’s make the most and the best of staying at home.

Love from Florida,
Katie

As always, thanks for stopping by! To keep up with all things about the Sunshine State, be sure to visit my exclusive Florida page, here.