I've got a war in my mind.

Hat: Spencer's, Coat: Aeropostale, Sweater: AE, Jeans: Hollister, Boots: JC Penney's

Brrrrr. The Midwest is a cold Midwest now!

My (seasonal) depression is kicking in a little, but I am working and going to school almost 24/7 and that really distracts me.

This outfit is mainly from the thrift store, except for the hat, boots (and the obvious socks and underwear)! I rarely ever shop at stores like Hollister or American Eagle anymore simply because their prices are ridiculous. But finding some cute clothes for the fraction of the original retail price is always nice. Retail therapy! :)

Last night was supposed to be my "off-work-Saturday-night-out", and I did go out and saw some of my friends that I barely ever get to see...yet I was in a rather sad mood. I was even wanting to go to work, wanting to be busy and distracted. 

This has nothing to do with specific people or recent events, but much rather the general feeling of loneliness. When I am at work with the residents, I feel happy and social. Those people are so loving and cute. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is: I'm ready to go home and see my family.

Christmas in Germany, I can't wait :)

Greetings from the Midwest,

LOtte

Crazy Pants

Shirt: H&M, Cardigan: Primark, Pants:Kohl's, Boots: JC Penney's

Red eyeliner: MAC

It's been quite a while since I've taken any outfit photos.

Mainly because I either work, go to school (or bike).

My car broke last week. By now, I managed to get a new one :) Love it!

I had a Friday night off work, which rarely ever happens. Time for crazy pants and red eyeliner!

On a different note: I hate men.

(Not all of them, but you know what I mean)

I am meant to live my life as a crazy cat lady wearing crazy pants! :)

Greetings from the Midwest,

Lotte

Coat

Coat, Cardigan & Heels: Thrifted, Jeans: Miss Sixty, Top: H&M

This outfit is NOT weather-appropriate. Temperatures in the 70-80 degrees range don't call out for a pink fall coat. The Midwest weather is being crazy lately, but this photo is from last week.

There's no need to stress about what to wear today - I work.

Also, I will have to get my requires flu shot. The person that never ever gets sick needs a flu shot.

WTF!!!

But that's not a decision I have control over. The nursing program says we need the shot. There is no arguing with that, let me tell you. Can I at least give myself the flu shot?

Stay flu free!

Greetings from the Midwest,

Lotte

Ladies in Hats

Sweater: Thrifted, Skirt: Zara, Tights & Boots: Kohl's

The cutest sweaters can sometimes be found in the kid's section at Goodwill :)

I've seen plenty of wine red & oxblood colors and decided to stick with my personal favorite : PINK :)

Usually, I am not the type to follow seasonal trends just for the trend.

And my favorite fashion trend for fall is figure flattering (not!) scrubs and gym clothes anyways.

Greetings from the Midwest,

Lotte

Retro Pink

Dress: Thrifted, Belt: H&M (old), Boots: Kohl's

I have a short sweet list of things that need to be mentioned:

- Love the fact that there's actually people reading this :) Wow. Thank you for the comments and for reading! That's so cool. Makes me happy.

- The weirdest most exciting things is going to happen: One of my family members from Germany is actually coming to visit me here in my small town home :) How insane is that to finally be able to show them around (not that there is a whole lot). For the longest time I didn't want anyone to visit me. That was because I felt as if I hadn't accomplished anything, felt depressed and didn't want anyone from my "other" home to interrupt my "new" life.

It sounds mean, but that's the truth. Insecurity.

But now I CAN'T WAIT.

Life is good, I have accomplished things that I am proud of. Oh and I can't wait to drive them around and pretend to be a tour guide! 

- This outfit is just another outburst of "All I can ever wear during the week is plain and boring so now I have to put together the craziest possible outfit to compensate".

- I have worked all weekend. No parties, no hanging out with friends for this girl.

That is fine with me, I love the residents and most of my co workers. Fun times!

Greetings from the Midwest,

Lotte

Pastel

Sweater & Jeans: thrifted, Wedges: Lauren Conrad (Kohl's)

It is sweater time &  I couldn't be less excited.

What I love about fall is the colors of the leaves, nice candles and hot tea.

That's about it. I freeze easily and that's my major concern about the weather getting colder.

No matter how many sweaters I'll layer, it'll be cold.

This past week, it was my turn to observe the action in the Emergency Room here at the local hospital.

Nothing too exciting happened, but it was still really neat to be in a different environment at the hospital. I can definitely see myself working either in the ER or in surgery.

Blood and wounds!

Greetings from the Midwest,

Lotte

Boots & Dogs

Blazer: H&M, Shirt: Primark, Skirt: Zara, Boots: thrifted 

I kinda wish there were cats on my blazer, instead of dogs.

Oh well, can't always have EVERYTHING go my way.

Besides the pattern on my clothes, everything else is falling into place.

Therefore I shouldn't complain.

Greetings from the Midwest,

Lotte

Purple Patterns

Cardigan, Shirt & Pants: Thrifted

Purple Pattern Overload!

I wore this outfit about a week ago, after leaving the house in either scrubs or gym clothes for days,

I must have been so color & pattern deprived. This was the result :D

My mom couldn't believe that I was serious when she saw this photo.

The good thing about living abut 6,000 miles away from home:

There is nothing my dear mother can say or do to make me change my outfit...

Rebellious!

I will be working all weekend. No time for anything but school and work, but that's alright.

Love my work, school is going great.

But I had no idea that older people can behave like high schoolers sometimes...

The drama continues, who would have thought that ;)

Purple greetings from the Midwest,

Lotte

Shirt $ Belt: Thrifted, Cardigan: Family, Pants: Lauren Conrad (Kohl's), Shoes: Vera Wang (Kohl's)

Here are my $6 shoes! YAY

It is now Monday morning and I am currently working on 3 care plans for nursing class!

My weekend was spend with amazing people & such American activities (steak & bowling), and now I have to go back to reality, step down from the cloud & get all my school work done.

"Real nurses" apparently don't ever create care maps and such things, but as a student I have to learn critical thinking and develop patient teaching methods.

Since this weeks is literally gonna be super crazy busy, I HAVE TO get this all done ahead of time.

Wish me luck!

Greetings from the Midwest,

Lotte

Outfit: Striped

Yesterday's outfit was a random mix of random stripes & random flowers.

I was very happy to find a shirt with vertical stripes finally!

There's constant talk about the "slimming" effect of vertical stripes - but then they're nowhere to be found.

I'm not in desperate need of slimming stripes, but I find they make me look taller and leaner.

Lately, I really enjoy throwing different patterns together. 

Today, my friend and I went to a garage sale! Those are always fun, especially when the clothes are nice quality, and even nicer price :)

I remember times when I refused to shop at second hand stores, and my mom would try to drag me to discount clothing shops.

Now I barely buy clothing at the mall anymore. Thrifting is not only much more affordable, but you can also find unique pieces and brands.

(Ich kann mich noch gut dran erinnern, als meine Mama versucht hat, mich bei KIK und ALDI rein zu schleppen. Billig- will ich nicht! war damals meine Einstellung.

Jetzt ist das völlig anders. Zwar kauf ich trotzdem gern hochwertige Kleidung, aber nur noch Second Hand. Steht ja schliesslich nicht dran wo genau Frau es gekauft hat ;) )

Ok, one thing I need to admit about garage sales: 

As a foreigner in this country, I still find it slightly odd to walk into another random person's garage.

In Germany, people go to flea markets to buy and sell things. I have never heard of anyone that has a garage sale! 

(Schon irgendwie merkwürdig wenn man bei fremden Leuten in die Garage reinspaziert...)

Anyhow, I'm glad Americans are so friendly to let me walk into their garage, buy cheap stuff & leave with a smile on my face! 

This shopaholic loves garage sales :)

Garage-Greetings from the Midwest,

Lotte

Outfit: Oh, Sweet Child O' Mine

Shirt, Skirt: H&M, Shoes: Street, Earrings: Thrift Store

Do you have that one song that reminds you of a certain place, person, or event?

"Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses is one of those for me -

Brings back memories of the happiest day of my life!

It has a very personal meaning, besides the fact that I absolutely LOVE Guns N' Roses music!

I'm a classic rock girl, that is for sure!

When my iTunes DJ shuffled to "Sweet Child O' Mine", I decided to wear this shirt. 

Originally, it felt like a girly outfit day, and therefore I paired the band shirt with a very feminine skirt.

The shoes are totally random, and so are my apple earrings.

Had to throw in some fruit, ya know ;)     

Now I'm in a Guns N' Roses mood,

time for more music! :)

Greetings from the now loud singing Midwest-Lotte...

Spring Make-up

This puts me in a Garden Party Mood :)

Dior Garden Party 2012

Und jetzt vermisse ich Douglas :(

Inspired by: Floral Dress

outblush.com via Pinterest

Perfect Dress.

Outfit of the (Mother's) Day

Dress: Thrifted, Cardigan: Zara, Necklace: Bijou Brigitte

Another Outfit with a lot of red and pink tones. Now that I am back to blonde, I've been loving very girly colors. The necklace used to be my mom's, and I took it with me when I came back to the States last summer. Unfortunately, the anticipated Mother's Day -Skyping turned out a little different than we expected due to turbulences with the internet connection :(

I've always assumed that Mother's Day is an International thing, that everyone "celebrates" it (and on the same day). But then today, I was asked whether people in Germany have "something like a Mother's Day" and "what day it would be celebrated". Well, for everyone who doesn't know: In Germany we do have a Mother's Day, and it falls on the exact same day as the American Mother's Day. 

No, our department stores do NOT make nearly as much money with this occasion. I really truly love this place dearly, but with each holiday coming up, I am shocked about the variety of products, and the amount of money one could spend. 

Now, I will say this: We (speaking for my family!) show our appreciation towards mom, give her a card and maybe flowers, chocolate, and let her relax (that one day out of 365). That's how Mother's Day is at my house.

Here is what we did today (USA style): My roommate spent all morning cooking a delicious meal for her mother. I think that as well is a fantastic idea. Usually it is the mom that cooks, right? 

Bottom line (and to finish this ramble which was supposed to be a quick outfit post):

Mother's Day exists in Germany as well as in the US!

Mein Muttertags Outfit, kombiniert mit Mama's Kette! 

Wurde heute gefragt ob wir in Deutschland denn auch so etwas wie einen Muttertag haben, und wann der denn gefeiert werden würde...Hachja wie ich solche Momente liebe. Man kann doch immer noch was dazu lernen, nicht wahr? 

Naja jedenfalls habe ich dann schön erklärt, dass auch wir drüben in Good Old Germany Muttertag feiern und der doch tatsächlich auf den gleichen Tag fällt. Der einzig grosse Unterschied zwischen Deutschland und USA ist wirklich die Menge an Karten, Geschenken und all möglichem Krims Krams den man Mama schenken kann. Hier geht wirklich zu jedem Feiertag im Supermarkt richtig die Post ab!

(In diesem Fall alles schön in pink gehüllt, Regale voller Plüsch, Blumen und Schokolade)

Abgesehen davon, haben wir hier auch einfach was leckeres gekocht, also kein allzu grosser Aufwand.

Aber genug mit dem Geschwätz: Muttertag existiert sowohl in Deutschland als auch den USA! Da haben die Amis mal wieder was gelernt ;)

Greetings from the Midwest,

Lotte

Outfit: Last Day of School!

Shirt: Urban Outfitters, Cardigan: H&M, Skirt: Thrifted, Shoes: Guess

Today was the last day of the Spring semester, and with that I have completed my 4th semester at the Community College! It's crazy how time flies!
Now I have 3 weeks of freedom to enjoy the warm sunny weather, hang out with friends and relax. Then I will start summer classes: Pharmacology, Statistics and Composition II.
It will be the first time I'm going to take a Math course online, we'll see how that works out for me (I'm not really a Math-person!)

About the outfit: Now that I have more time & the weather is nice, I have the motivation to dress up! At my busiest times during the school year, my daily outfits consisted of gym clothes, sweat pants, or scrubs. Now it's time for my beloved floral patterns and bright shoes. (I found these flats at a resale store for $5!)
Most of my wardrobe is thrifted, since I enjoy the hunt for treasures, but also because I can't afford to shop all the time! But I did today (at the resale store of course) - finally I had the FREE TIME to dig through old books and dresses. It's quite amusing to see what some people are trying to sell (make-up? Personally, I'd rather not buy that 2nd hand)...
But I did find some sweet deals that I will show tomorrow!

Heute war der letzte Schultag des Semesters, und damit das Ende meines 4. Semesters am Community College! Wie doch die Zeit verfliegt!
Jetzt habe ich 3 Wochen frei, und kann das schöne Wetter geniessen, mich mit Freunden treffen und einfach mal entspannen. Danach geht fuer mich die Schule wieder los: Sommerkurse.
Ich werde Pharmakologie, Statistik und Englisch belegen (Englisch im Sinne von Aufsätze schreiben).
Zum ersten Mal werde ich dann einen Mathekurs online belegen, mal schaun wie das wird (Bin nicht unbedingt ein Mathe Talent).


Zum Outfit: Da ich jetzt mehr Zeit habe, und das Wetter so toll ist, habe ich mehr Motivation und bemühe mich schick auszusehen. Mitten im Schulstress sah das anders aus: Sport Klamotten, Pyjamas oder Uniform. Aber jetzt hole ich die bunten Blumenmuster aus dem Kleiderschrank! (Die Schuhe von Guess habe ich hier in einem 2nd Hand Laden für $5 gefunden!)
Der Größte Anteil meiner Kleidung ist mittlerweile 2nd Hand, da ich total gern nach Schätzen suche, aber auch weil ich es mir einfach nicht leisten kann so viel zu shoppen! ;)
Heute habe ich das aber gemacht, da ich nun endlich mal Zeit hatte durch Kleider und Bücher zu wühlen. Es ist schon amüsant zu sehen was manche Leute da versuchen zu verkaufen! (Make-up!?Ich würde das nicht gebraucht kaufen...)
Aber ich habe andere schöne Sachen gefunden, über die ich morgen berichten werde!


Greetings from the bright floral Midwest,

Lotte

OOTD: Shades of Red

Jacket: H&M, Shirt: A&F, Pants: Pimkie, Heels: JC Penny's

When I was younger, my mother would always tell me to not wear pink with red. Good thing I am older now and that  I don't care who says what about combining colors.

I miss my family very much, but by the time they take a look at this outfit, the "crime" has been committed already, and they can't do anything about it ;) 

Of course I  made sure to organize a red car for the neighbors down the street to match with my outfit!

Als ich klein war, hat mir meine Mama oft gesagt dass man rot und pink nicht zusammen anziehen sollte. Gut, dass ich nicht mehr klein bin und mir egal ist was andere zu Farbkombinationen zu sagen haben.

Zwar vermisse ich meine Familie, aber von Vorteil ist die Tatsache dass keiner was unternehmen kann um die rot-pink Kombi jetzt noch zu stoppen! Es ist bereits passiert ;)

Natürlich habe ich dafür gesorgt, dass der Nachbar ein rotes Auto hat. Passend zu meinem Outfit!

Blogging....

...AGAIN!

This is one if my favorite photos from my exchange year in the US (2007/2008)

Yes, I am not completely new to the whole blogging thing:
When I spent my year as an exchange student at a high school here, I created a blog for friends and family to keep them updated. I think they really enjoyed reading it, therefore I decided to blog again once I moved t the US for college. In the beginning, that went very well. After a while, though, I posted less and less, mainly due to the fact that I had a difficult time here. I did not feel like sharing negative experiences, and I started being very busy with school. It felt as if there was not too much worth sharing.

Now I am blogging AGAIN! And this time my motifs are a little different. Of course I still want my family and friends to know what I experience here. But I also feel like I have finally found my niche and my purpose of being here. I am in a much better and happier place than last year and want to share this happy place (Midwest) with everyone that is interested in reading this blog!

What I would like to include in my blog is a little information about the past 2 years, and what has happened to me since I moved to the United States (it's kind of a crazy story).
I would also like to use this blog as a way to connect with people and share my thoughts and inspirations.

With that being said, I have so much more to say.
It's about time I start to blog ...AGAIN!

Greetings from the finally sunny Midwest!

Midwest-Lotte


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Welcome to the Midwest!

My name is Charlotte!

Location: Midwest
Passion: Fashion
Occupation: (Student)Nurse

I am a 21-year old German girl who moved to the US to pursue a career in the medical field. Currently, I live in a small town in the Midwest, where I attend a Community College.

With this blog I would like to share:
- Experiences as an International student in the US
- My love for the American culture & lifestyle
- Passion for fashion
- Stressful times of being a nursing student
 & other fun, crazy, American or German things I experience throughout the days!

 Greetings & Good night from the Midwest (where people should be asleep by now)!

 Midwest-Lotte