This is my final outfit post from Palm Beach, I promise! This dress so perfectly on brand for the location, that I threw it on after an hour at the pool to take some photos. Hence my beachy hair and no makeup situation. I’ve literally never seen more banana leaf print in one place… Except perhaps for my guest room that will finally be revealed on Thursday. So excited for that, btw!

I don’t really have a whole lot to say about this look except that it makes me very happy. I wish I could book a million tropical vacations just to wear this dress.

In other news, my nine year blogging anniversary is coming up in June, and as it approaches, I’ve been thinking more and more about how my blog and this platform, in general, has changed over the last decade. On my “blogoversary” I’m putting together a round-up of my favorite posts from each year, so I’ve been looking back through them and feeling so nostalgic.

This was my very first post. There were no affiliate links, no rules, no stylized photos, and no expectations. I wrote my blogspot-hosted blog (Lemons & Loafers, at the time) for my friends who would ask me questions about how to cook certain veggies or wear new trends. I never once in a million years thought that anyone outside of my circle would read it. To this day, I’m not sure how it grew but I’m so grateful that it did.

What’s funny is that when I started Lemons & Loafers, I had never read a fashion or lifestyle blog. I didn’t even know that existed. Times were very different back then! I soon discovered Cupcakes & Cashmere and immediately felt embarrassed about the name I had chosen, but the alliteration situation became quite common among bloggers so L&L was definitely on trend for a while there.

About a year later, I incorporated “outfit posts” into the mix with photos that I’d have Anel or my coworkers take with our iPhone 4s. Here is an example of one of my extremely special early day outfit posts where I would write one or two sentences about the look and call it a day. It was basically like an Instagram caption. I would never smile in my photos because that’s what the bloggers were doing those days, so I’d have to take a million pictures because Anel would always make me laugh!

A few years later, I realized that I didn’t have to do what everyone else was doing. I could (gasp) smile in my photos and still be a blogger. Shocker! As I naturally moved into more lifestyle content and then became a mom, what is now Lemon Stripes has shifted and expanded in ways I had never even dreamed of.

In many ways, I love how the crazy world of blogging has grown and evolved, but in many ways, I wish it were as simple as the old days. I loved this amazing Palm Beach trip because it was fun and creative and beautiful. But at the same time, I felt all the pressure to create the best content and was never really able to turn off. That has been the case for pretty much every trip I’ve taken in the last five years whether for work or vacation. I’m not complaining, trust me! I love what I do, but it’s also nice to have a little respite from it all.

Because of that, I’ve decided to leave our big camera at home for our family trip to Sarasota this week and I’m excited to spend some amazing QT with my husband and baby girl!

Banana Leaf Dress (Also comes in this style) / Earrings (Similar for $38) / Clutch c/o / Shoes c/o

Banana Leaf Dress (Also comes in this style) / Earrings (Similar for $38) / Clutch c/o / Shoes c/o

Photos by Julia Dags.