It has been rather trying to get into a happy, "Christmasy" mood lately.  I've recently talked a bit about my anxiety and depression.  Wrestling with that this time of year makes an endless cycle of emotions that keep me from enjoying things.  I've been in a much better head space as of late and been able to be more in-the-moment and enjoy activities new and old.

I've wanted to visit our local zoo's ZooLights festivities for a few years now.  We were going to attend a 21+ night there, but tickets sold out fast.  Instead, we decided to head out to the zoo the Monday after Thanksgiving, with my mother-in-law along for the ride.  In today's post, I'm reviewing this new City Chic coat that helped keep me warm, and taking you through the zoo to see animals and lights!







Since I don't leave the house much during the week, I have a rather basic jacket/coat wardrobe of mostly lighter jackets to get me through the rainy months here.  Basically, I just need something to guard me from cold rain while I run from the parking lot to the store.  Lately though, I've been buying more jackets to enhance that wardrobe.  I had a severe lack of hooded options, especially for this rainy region, so hooded coats were top of my list.

Occasionally, City Chic will have a huge extra discount on their sale items.  It was during one such recent sale that I grabbed this London Look Parka (regular $150) for $30!  It was a steal of a deal!  I am wearing a size XXL, which translates to a 24.  City Chic has an online survey that tells you what size most people your height/weight/bra size wear.  It always tells me I should be in a XL/22, but a 22 usually doesn't have hip room for me.  The 24 fits pretty true to size.  The arms are a little long, but other than that I felt it was a really great fit.  There was plenty of room in the body and hips for me to move around and also layer my clothing underneath.  I bought the color Gargoyle, which is a bit of a hybrid of navy and dark grey.  I wanted something other than black, but that is hard to find in a budget-friendly and practical coat.  This color is a great compromise for me.

The coat itself is thinner than what I would think a "parka" would be, so if you are visiting the ice planet of Hoth this coat would not be a good idea in terms of keeping you warm.  Personally, it works well for me.  As I have discussed previously, I am not much into heavy, warm coats because I don't need to wear one often and most places are so hot in the winter that I am sweating in no time.  I don't want to carry a super heavy coat around.  While this London Look coat is lighter and thinner than a heavy winter coat, it still worked well in keeping me warm on a cold, cloudy-ish day and night.


As I mentioned, I loved that the color wasn't just black.  It has pockets, front zipper and snaps, and an attached hood.  The hood has a fur trim that can be removed.  (The fur trim is secured in place with buttons.  It is extremely easy to take it off or put it on.) I chose to remove the fur because I like the way the jacket looks without it.  I also love the drawstring waist feature.  This helps so much in terms of giving me a shape and making me feel cute, instead of being in a shapeless or boxy coat.  This was a really great purchase for me, especially for such an amazing deal!  I've been ignoring City Chic because I have had such inconsistently sized items in my previous purchases, but this coat makes me want to give them another chance.

I never used to be that susceptible to cold.  When I was a kid my dad kept his apartment around 55 degrees, so that was really the only time I got cold.  Ever since my thyroid removal, I am more susceptible to the cold.  I get cold easier and find it hard to warm back up.  For this trip Sean encouraged me to layer.  I am wearing leggings underneath my jeans, wool socks, a long-sleeve tee, and a fleece vest.  I did wear my scarf for part of the day, but my layers and coat kept me warm enough that I didn't need the earmuffs, winter hat, and gloves I brought with me.  I didn't sweat or get too warm either, which was seriously mind-blowing.  Like Goldilocks, I was juuuuuuusst right!

City Chic London Look Parka - City Chic (Also sold at Nordstrom; Also available in black)
Deconstructed Girlfriend Jeans - Catherines
Trail Grip 4.0 - Reebok (similar)
Scarf - c/o Lane Bryant circa 2015 (similar)


This was our first year checking out ZooLights.  We decided to go right after Thanksgiving, on a Monday, to avoid big crowds.  There were still an awful lot of people as the sun went down.  And these days, most people are so rude and stupid.  It makes me so angry when people can't use basic manners.  So if crowds and dumb people give you as much anxiety as they do me, go early in the season.  I would also add that the food carts and food trucks that were marketed all over the website apparently don't open on weekdays.  We were able to get a hot cocoa towards the middle of the zoo, but the only open elephant ear stand was near the train.  Bring some protein bars to hold you until you can leave and get dinner.

We also decided to get to the zoo earlier in the day, around 2 pm, so we could walk around and see all the animals first.  This ended up being our best decision because there was ample parking when we arrived and few people during the first few hours we were there.  Overall (and despite my panic attack), we had a great time.  I'm glad my mother-in-law could come spend the day with us and share in the experience.  We took tons of photos, especially of the three of us.  So without further ado, come with me to ZooLights!
PS - You can check out our videos of the rhinos running and the otter beating the frozen fish out of his bottle.

I LOVE this tree so much!

I hate to disappoint the fat shamers, but I'm actually not as big as an elephant!  hahahahaha

Sean looks like the bear from ShowBiz Pizza!