up!

I haven't been wearing this dress very much lately because it makes me look even younger than I already do (people always seem surprised when I assure them I am not fifteen). I've been thinking maybe it's time to pack the poor thing away -- the same sort of grown-up initiative my six-year-old self exhibited when handing over my "bankie" (an absolute rag of a blanket that was tattered, torn, and safety-pinned back together in places) and telling my mother that I didn't "need it anymore" (I may have been younger than six -- the first ten years of my life are rather blurry).

I believe this may have been my first purchase at H&M. Ever. I remember when it opened on Newbury Street in Boston and I entered the world of affordable fashion (and credit card crises -- cheap new clothes are only cheap if you don't go back every week for more).

Anyway, I'm not quite ready to surrender it just yet. I love the flattering baby-doll fit and little puffy sleeves. Maybe I am still a child at heart.

(dress: H&M; tights: HUE ; shoes: Journey's)

For some reason the dress always makes me think of a hot air balloon.

But maybe that's just me.

Does anyone else out there think about how incredibly awesome it would be to float lazily across the sky in one of those big, beautiful balloons? I sure do!