Goodbye Summer

Writing the title of this post took every ounce of energy I have left after what seems like a summer of working. I know we all spend our summers working, but oh my gosh. This is the first summer in the history of, well, ever, that I've thought, "Wait, summer can't end." I am a fall baby all the way. I love it. But, the thought of classes starting and having homework on top of all the other stuff I already have to do kind of makes me want to throw up. Really, you should see my to-do lists.

There are some things you just can't change though, and the fact that I have my first class at 3:00 today is one of them. Did I mention it's three hours long? Jokes on jokes. And fingers crossed it doesn't actually go that long. This summer has some major highs and major lows; it's been by far the most beneficial summer for me. I've learned a lot, worked a lot, and laughed a lot. A good combination if you do ask me!

Anyway, I've seen a lot of "Hey, it's ok!" posts out there this summer. Inspired by Glamour and my favorite blogger, The College Prepster, I've decided to do my own as a kind of testament to this summer and all it's taught me.

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To eat a completely oversized bowl of stove-popped popcorn a day.

To kiss the boy you'll never in your life see again.

To color code your planner compulsively.

To wake up to a room completely destroyed by getting ready the night before.

To eat pizza at 2a.m.
To legitimately dream about Chris Soules from The Bachelorette.

To spend a rainy day holed up with your best friend watching Dirty Dancing, eating cupcakes, and ordering in.

To drink a bottle of wine on a Wednesday night while watching Love Actually.

To spend every spare moment (though few and far between) binge-watching HIMYM. 

To drop your phone in a toilet at a country concert.

To tell all your friends you dropped your phone in a toilet at a country concert.

To forget to check that all the members of the gym you work at are out of the building BEFORE you close it up (oops!).

To hang out with friends until 6am just talking about who knows what.

To go to Mexico and indulge in as many fruity drinks as possible (#judgeme).

To practically cry at a Disney fireworks show.

To force your family to watch every  fireworks show that Disney World has to offer.

To bawl your eyes out at the movies, tissue box in hand.

To talk to your dog like they're an actual person, because really, aren't they basically?

To not want to go back to classes because holy crap, you're graduating in May.

To not want to grow up.
To, at the same time, want to grow up.

To secretly like (gasp!) Mondays.

Happy Monday!

Sundays in Bed

To say this month has thus far been a little bit unusually busy for me would be an understatement. I am rarely stressed out during the summer but wow, this week was just like, wow. I didn't even work that much, there was just a lot going on with the blog and then our toilet was being temperamental in our apartment. But the good news is we got it fixed on Friday!

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Summer Flip Flops

We landed safe and sound yesterday in Mexico! And oh my, is it gorgeous! Our resort is fantastic and it's all inclusive ;) The sun and the pool bar sand is calling my name, so this post will be a quick one! Hope all is well wherever you are!

I've been rocking flip flops for a month or so now, but as of late my all around shoe fetish has really just become a flip flop fetish. #guilty 

I'm partial to my Jacks in every way possible when it comes to flip flops and sandals. I love them. I'll be the first to admit my feet start to hurt after an extended period of time walking in them though. Although, I'll take the pain with the style I suppose. By the end of the summer I plan on investing in a new pair of Jacks and yes, I might be a little, too excited about it. Call me a flip-flop snob. But you can't wear Jacks all the time, right? (Highly debatable, I know...) so included at the bottom of this post are some equally as cute alternatives!

Sundays in Bed

Hello everybody and Happy Mother's Day to all the fantastic moms out there! I'm in an especially good mood today following my run this morning and the gorgeous weather we're having this weekend. It was supposed to rain for five days straight after Friday, so thank goodness that whoever is in charge of the weather had a change of heart!

So maybe I'm just unbelievably excited that I don't have classes again until August, or just excited that this summer is going to be one of the best yet! I move into my first apartment in three weeks, I'm living with two of my best friends, and all three of my jobs rock. Life's pretty good!

I hope that whether or not you just wrapped up exams, or are wrapping up in the next few weeks you take a minute each day to be grateful. There's so much to be happy about. Today? I'm grateful for my mama.

There's Strength in Friendships

Anyone else ever see this quote on Pinterest? If you haven't, I may or may not be mostly convinced you live under a rock. EVERY time I see this quote on Pinterest one part of me cringes, another part of me wants to punch something (mostly myself), and the other part of me is like "Yea! Let's do this!" The latter part is often overruled by the comfort of my bed or couch, and therefore I'm afraid I'll never be quite as good as Queen B. Maybe Taylor Swift though, she seems to like to relax just as much as the next girl. Hehe.

Anyway, if you haven't picked up on it yet, my motivation has seriously been lacking.

I may have the same amount of hours in a day as Beyonce...

But I also thoroughly enjoy sleeping in. And spending time making a yummy breakfast. Writing blog posts, reading my favorite blogs, Pinterest-ing, Tumblr-ing, stalking people catching up on Facebook, tweeting celebs in hopes that maybe (just maybe!) they'll tweet me back. Note: The closest thing to a celebrity that's ever tweeted at me/favorited a tweet/retweeted a tweet include The College Prepster and KJP/Sarah KJP. And yes, I do squeal and jump up and down every time it happens. Whatever.

I look at weekends (like I think most normal people do...) as a time to relax, sit on the couch, watch some Netflix, maybe read a bit. Sure,  to some it kinda comes off as slacking, laziness, and so on, but I enjoy my lazy slacker Saturdays and Sundays! Sue me. I've found this past year I've just been so busy that I need the weekends to decompress. It's the very reason I don't like to go out! Some people love to go crazy with their friends to unwind after a long week; I like to go to bed, sleep in, watch TV, and not have a pounding headache the entire time!

I've been taking the entire school year to kind of try and come to terms with the fact that I'm not the crazy child I was for my first two years of college. I'm really mellowing out, kinda turning into a grandma. Don't really care about it. To be honest, I'm really quite content by myself most of the time! My family and my friends don't really get it. Sometimes I don't even get it! Why am I so content to hang out by my lonesome when all everybody else wants to do is be with their friends every second of the day?

I guess it's time to stop asking that question.

You've gotta do what makes YOU happy. The way I'm starting to look at it is like this. If your friends are really your friends, they'll understand. I do make my friends a priority; I think the older you get, the busier you get, and you need friends to get by... So you have to make them a priority. Yes, you've gotta do what makes you happy, but you've got to make choices with the people you care about in mind. 

Like relationships, friendships are hard work. You have to invest in them in order for them to become any good. I often find myself getting so wrapped up in my life that I forget to check in with people I care about. It's something I really need to work on. I mean, what's the point of being happy if you can't share that happiness with the people you love?

"There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate."

Don't focus so much on yourself that you forget the people who have helped to make you you in the first place. Self-love and acceptance are important, but the people who've stood by you through your triumphs and failures, the people who've taught you lesson after lesson, are the people who are going to continue to help you on your journey to discovering who you really are. Life can be lonely, but it doesn't have to be. And that's all up to you.

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Happy Monday!

xoxo

Sundays In Bed

Sundays are my absolute favorite. Don't get me wrong, I love Saturdays too, but they're usually more busy and stressful. Sundays on the other hand mean sleeping in, brunches, and a day of relaxing in bed (at least if you're me!) And what makes this Sunday even more spectacular? The fact that I'm on spring break and have no school tomorrow!! So what if I'm not in Mexico? I get to sleep in (almost) every day and lounge around my house, with not a care in the world but blogging.

Okay, so maybe that's a little too ideal. But, if I had it my way, that's how it would be! It's essentially why I was in heaven for all most of winter break. I will be working away some of my days this break, between schoolwork and my job(s). I don't mind though, while I enjoy being lazy, the busy bee in me just won't quit. There's always something to do! But Sunday mornings? They're reserved for reading.

A Well-Read Woman is a Dangerous Creature

1. Can't ever start the week without reading my horoscope. Scary accurate.

2. Going somewhere for spring break? Meet the TSA's guidelines and pack your products right. There's nothing worse than watching your favorite shampoo get tossed in the trash can by some dude with an attitude problem.

3. Don't forget these packing tips  either (from none other than the main prepster herself, The College Prepster)! Make sure you have all your must-haves!

4. Now that you're packed, remind yourself of just how ready you are to get to the beach.

5. My first article for Her Campus!

6. If you love J. Law and have a lot of time on your hands, might as well read up on what it really means to be "a cool girl."

7. Guy problems? Chances are, it's probably not your fault. In their 20s, men are even more of a completely different breed of human.

8. I've been loving denim on denim lately, and I love these tips from LC even more!

9. If you're not going anywhere for spring break, or this never-ending winter is bumming you out/it seems like literally everything is going wrong, remember this. We all have our weeks right?

10. I'm not opposed to ending the weekend with a glass of wine (or two). Working the late shift tonight? Find out just what kind of drink you'll need once you're finally plopped down on your couch.

Sunday, the day for the language of leisure

I hope your day is spent relaxing and refueling. With the busy weeks ahead (summer come faster!), we could all use a little extra down time.

xoxo

Weekly Wonders: Instagram Edition

I really love Instagram... it's kind of one of my obsessions. I'm working on being artsy enough to become some kind of "cool" Instagrammer, but again, I lack in the creativity department. But what I lack in creativity I make up for in good writing (or at least I like to think so)! Anyways, I thought it would be fun to compile a list of my top ten favorite Instagram accounts for this week's round-up! All of these ladies are amazing role models for those of us with a love for style, fashion, and all things that seem effortlessly cool. I've read on a few of their blogs that they spend a lot of time setting up and staging photos, and for that I admire them.

#ladieswhorock

1. amy_stone

2. collegeprepster

3. garypeppergirl

4. katespadeny

5. laurenconrad

6. lillypulitzer

7. parisinfourmonths

8. sarahkjp

9. thestyleline

10. devonrachel

These ladies/companies have it figured out. They capture beautiful photos that set them apart from so many others. The talent they have when it comes to putting together an amazing photograph is something I hope to acquire in the coming years. So unique, so perfect. 

xoxo

Emily

2014 Style Resolutions

How cute is this sketch from Inslee?! I love all of her drawings, and may or may not like every single Instagram photo she posts (#notashamed). While clothes have always more or less been an obsession of mine, I am still in the process of building my perfect wardrobe. Actually, I feel like I only just started taking the matter seriously this summer after developing an obsession with blogs. Ask my friends... Boring classes where we were allowed to use our laptops, I was reading life advice (among other things...) on The College Prepster and admiring just how perfect Sarah Vickers wardrobe is on Classy Girls Wear Pearls. My two favorite blogs. Easily. (Honorable mention: Design Darling... also rapidly becoming a favorite!)

That being said, taking all I've learned from the countless hours I've spent online shopping and obsessing over style bloggers' looks, I've developed some style resolutions for 2014! But if we're being honest here, how well I carry through with these resolutions all depends on how I manage learning to budget...

The higher the heel, the closer to heaven?

Emily + heels = a joke. But actually, I kid you not. I'm 5'8", where I live isn't necessarily an environment that calls for heels, and half the year we have snow anyways. Heeled boots? I can do. Wedges? I got it. Actual big girl heels? Disaster.

In 2014, I'm hoping to finally conquer the heel situation. The J. Crew Etta Pumps are so adorable, and I've been wanting them for months. "Heels for the girl who wears only flats..." Sounds like a good starting place, right?

Only Style Remains the Same...

When I was growing up, I constantly felt the pressure to go along with all the trends. Now looking back at old pictures I wonder why in the world I would ever  wear a shirt sporting Aeropostale's take on the monkey. I cringe thinking about it. And while I still fall victim to the occasional trend (peplums will never flatter me...), I feel like I'm on the way to developing my own style.

I had to learn the hard way to not invest in trends that come and go, and to invest my money in classic pieces. How much money I've wasted on items I literally never wear is actually depressing. My goal for 2014 is to be extra cautious of what I'm buying. I firmly believe that things you love are worth investing in (and that doesn't just apply to clothes!). So hopefully when 2015 rolls around I'll have a closet to die for!

Make a Statement

I love statement pieces, but I'm still trying to figure out how to incorporate them into my wardrobe. A pop of color, a piece of jewelry, a bag with character... I love it all. I want it all. Figuring out what I can and can't pull off is going to be a lot of fun this year! Thank goodness for honest friends, right?

This doesn't just apply to necklaces or jewelry. Experimenting with different lip colors, breaking out the green coat in the middle of winter (I fell in love with one this summer in Zara...), and taking chances with your wardrobe are all ways to grow! I'm getting excited just thinking about it. I own nothing leopard print. I've been eyeing these flats from J. Crew for weeks, but they're not like anything else I'd wear. People say leopard print is a neutral; for me it's like "Woah, watch out! She's trying something new!" But, maybe it's worth the risk? I could totally rock it.

xoxo