My Life is Ridiculous(ly Blessed)

I took these pictures a while ago, but didn't feel like posting them that day because I was feeling rather down and stressed. My friends and I had been anticipating moving off campus for our senior year of college, but we found out that the place we had planned to rent was not going to be available anymore. So, after having looked a long while before finding that place, I was feeling anxious about having to find another place, especially well into the summer when many good places had already been taken.

But we managed to find a possibility, and then found out that our original place had opened up again. We went from having no idea where we would be living to having options in a matter of days! We ended deciding that we would pass up the original place because this new location is actually closer to campus (they were both close, but this one is only about a five minute walk to my classes). There was much scrambling, as my two friends and I hurried to put in our application and deposit, as there were many other people interested in the apartment, and two days ago we signed the lease and got our keys :)

I'm very excited about the apartment, and feeling a little regretful about having been so stressed out - everything is working out, and I feel quite blessed!

Outfit details: Shirt and pants - Ruche

Nashville :)

You may remember that I went to Nashville a few months ago. Because that was just for a school conference though, I still felt like there was so much of the city that I hadn't explored, so I jumped at the chance when my summer roommate invited me to go with her and a friend to Nashville for a day trip! I finally was able to see more of the city, and since I'm not going on any big trips this summer, I'll take any chance I can to do a day trip :) My roommate used to live in Nashville and acted as our tour guide. 

We started out downtown, which happened to be when the CMA festival was. Never in my life have I seen more cowboy boot and hats! I'm really not a country music person myself, but it was certainly an interesting experience to see - haha. 

After lunch and walking around downtown, we headed to the Parthenon in Centennial Park. Pretty cool! 

We also went someplace outside of Nashville (I'm not sure of the exact location) for frozen yogurt. We then walked around a bit more, which is when this picture was taken. My blue shirt, by the way, is from Francesca's Collections, and the white cardi-vest is from Forever 21. 

The day ended with what was my favorite part - exploring the Opryland Hotel! I had no idea how big it was. I was thinking, "Hmm, we're going to look at the inside of a big hotel. I guess it has a neat lobby and such?" I didn't know there were gorgeous gardens and fountains and shops - very fun :) I'd love to actually stay there someday. Who knows? It could happen. 

And that was our day. On a completely unrelated note, who's excited about the Bath and Body Works Semi-Annual Sale this week?? Can't wait to stock up. 

"I've dreamt in my life dreams that have stayed with me ever after"

Lately I've been re-reading Wuthering Heights, one of my very favorite books. A friend gave me this beautiful copy for my birthday this past year, and I'm finally getting a chance to read it. Plus, I found out that we're covering it in one of my classes this fall, so I'm getting a head start on reading it. 
I just love the story. Granted, it's kind of depressing, but it's the sort of book you can curl up with and find yourself taken someplace far away and image rambling about the moors with Catherine and Heathcliff. 

This past week I started my new job at last, and have been busy working quite a few hours doing training and such. But I'm liking my job so far and am just glad to finally be working :) 

Dress: Ruche; Shoes: Target

Hope you're having a great week!

Liebster Award

Yesterday I found out that Jana of Small Town, Big Smile nominated me for a Liebster Award :) Thank you so, so much, Jana - this really made me excited. From what I can gather, the Liebster Award is an award to pass on to other bloggers and share the love with those who may be less well-known. There are so many great blogs out there, and it seems like a great way to highlight more blogs. 


Here are the rules for being nominated:
1. thank the person who gave you the award and link their blog.
2. copy and paste the award to your blog.
3. present the award to five others who you think deserve it (who have less than 200 followers).
4. let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
5. have faith that your nominees will spread the love too.


My nominees are as follows:
1. "Welcome to the Moon" from Mileva and Elsa 
2. Danielle from Tongue Tied in Awe 
3. Jenny from Jeneric Generation 
4. Kelli from Chronicles of She
5. Rhi and Lauren from She Dressed in Black

Please check out these lovely blogs, and thanks again Jana :) 

Mild Mint Obsession

The color mint has obviously been one of the latest fashion trends, and I must say that I love it! To be sure, I don't follow every trend that comes along, as I think it's important to wear things that you like and that look good on you. But I think I love mint because a) it's a pretty color that I never really thought much about wearing and b) I think it suits me well. Thus, this spring I've slowly been adding mint into my wardrobe and currently have two mint shirts including this one (you can see my other one in my last post),  a mint dress and nail polish.

Outfit details: Shirt - Francesca's Collections; Jeans - AE
Shoes - Kohls; Hair flower - Rue 21

I may not be particularly original for wearing mint (today alone two of the ladies whose blogs I read daily, Little Tree Vintage and Scathingly Brilliant, are sporting mint) - but it's definitely a color that I'm a fan of :)

I haven't started my new job yet, unfortunately, and am trying to keep some semblance of routine going even though I don't have much to do at all.
It may sound nice not to have much to do, but it's hard not to be quite bored and worried at my lack of income. I've tried to do as much as I can (that doesn't cost much if anything). I've worked out every day this week at my school's rec center, which is free, and also read 2.5 books since school has ended. I'm doing my best to keep up a positive outlook for this summer!

summers, moving, and goals (aka the smorgasbord blog post)

Hi friends! Just wanted to say hello and say that I still plan on blogging even though I took an unofficial break for a bit. This past month was busy with end-of-the-semester activities like studying for finals and writing papers and then a move. I had to move out of my dorm about a week and a half ago, so I packed up all of my belongings into my car. I am staying around my college town this summer where I will be working, but I couldn't move into my new place immediately. As a result, I was a bit of gypsy, moving around with my belongings in my car until my house was available. I stayed with my roommate's family for a few days before going back home to visit my family briefly. This week, however, I drove back and have been settling in to my lovely place where I am living for the summer with a friend. 


I am feeling cautiously optimistic about this summer. I tend to actually not like summers a great deal, as I have often had jobs that I don't love and tend to get bored. Last summer was especially not great, other than the couple of weeks that I spent in Italy, so I decided it was time for a change and planned to stay in my college town. I have a number of friends who will be around, at least for portions of the summer, so I don't think I will get too lonely. Additionally, I have a lot of little goals for myself that will hopefully keep my busy. I want to work out more than I did during the school year and cook lots of healthy food. I want to read books and write for fun. I would also definitely like to do more with this blog, focusing on consistency and more variety. I also hope to have some other little adventures, even though I don't have a big trip planned like last year. 


What are some of your summer plans or goals? 

Outfit details: Shirt - Ruche; Shorts - UO;
Shoes - Blowfish via Ross; Leggings - ? 

Here's a peak at my new bedroom :) 

Spring Break Adventures Part Three: Downtown Disney

On one of my favorite days in Florida we visited Downtown Disney - an area owned by Disney that has lots of shops and places to explore and eat. Best of all, it's free to visit (although of course I ended up spending money), and it was a fun pre-Disney World adventure.

A few friends and I did some shopping in the many stores and purchased a few souvenirs. Plus we just played around a little bit, connecting with our inner child, by building Mr. Potato Heads. 

Had to get the quintessential Disney mouse-ears photo ;)

Lunch was pretty amazing. We ended up at Planet Hollywood, which was a very memorable experience - my food was decent but the best  part was seeing all of the Hollywood memorabilia. So cool!

Spring Break Adventures Part Two: Howard Park Beach

After I got back from the conference in New Orleans, I headed straight back on the road the following morning, this time to another state I'd never been to yet: Florida! Yes, even though I live in the southeast, I'd never made it all the way to Florida so you can imagine how excited I was when one of my good friends from college invited a group of us to come stay with her family near Orlando. Her family was awfully brave because by the time everybody had made up their decision on whether to come there were twelve of us, plus her family, staying at their house. Many days, however, we were out and about visiting places, which gave them some space I hope. 


On the first day I was there, we drove a few hours to a place called Howard Park Beach -- it was a fairly small and uncrowded beach, and we spent time swimming in the water (which was actually very chilly) and watching the sun set over the ocean. 

I hesitated to put up this picture of me in a swimsuit, mostly because I realize that I don't have a particularly great "swimsuit body" -- but I wanted to share this swimsuit because I think it's very cute, flattering and modest. You can find it at Modcloth or Esther Williams Swimwear. It was my first Modcloth purchase - as cute as their clothes often are, I find their prices are generally too much for my standards. I had, however, been eyeing their swimsuits for many months and needed a new one badly so I decided to make the investment and buy it. I think that I will enjoy swimming in it many times, and was very happy about how it ended up looking :) 

More Florida adventures are soon to come!

Spring Break Adventures Part One: New Orleans

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to do a bit of traveling during my spring break, which was exciting for me because I enjoy traveling but have not gotten to see nearly as much of the United States as I would like to yet. I was able to visit two new states, beginning with Louisiana, over the course of about twelve days. I'm going to do a couple of posts about my trip - so I hope you enjoy :)


My trip to New Orleans was with a group of English majors from my college to present at the international English honor society's annual conference. During the time when we weren't listening to students presenting or authors speaking, we were free to roam around New Orleans' French Quarter.

Saint Louis Cathedral

We ate the Cafe Du Monde, famous for their coffee and beignets

Beignets! So good we went to get them twice :) 

A store just for me 

My outfit for the formal dinner the last night --
I hadn't intended to wear the cape with the dress, but the weather was chilly.
It ended up looking cute though, I think. 

New Orleans was certainly fun to explore for a few days. I enjoyed its distinct culture that was different than anything I'd ever experienced before. The food too was so unique: I learned what a "po boy" sandwich was and sampled jambalaya and gumbo (but we stayed away from any of the alcohol). The conference was great as well, even if presenting is rather nerve-wracking!

nashville skyline

Last weekend I went with a group of students from my college to present at an academic conference in Nashville. I'd only been to Nashville once before and even still I don't feel like I've seen nearly enough of the city - but it was certainly fun to see a little more than I had before. The evening before the conference we went to the Belcourt Theatre to check out the Oscar-nominated short films, and during a conference break we walked up to the Nashville State Capitol Building. 


Any suggestions for places to visit in Nashville if I've over that way again? 

This was my first time presenting at a conference at any other place than my own college - and really, presenting can be quite enjoyable despite the fact that I tend to get nervous when speaking in front of people. 

I've been very inconsistent in my blogging this month, unfortunately. I suddenly was hit with a heavy load of assignment that have kept me busy. But - my spring break is coming up soon and I will be going on two exciting adventures in the next couple of weeks. I hope to take many pictures and have many stories to share when I get back :)

searching for uncrowded places...

Last week I finally bought myself a tripod so I could actually take some outfit shots by myself outdoors around campus. The tricky part is just trying to find uncrowded places where I can take pictures and not feel too awkward. I decided that I will try to take photos on Saturday mornings (by which I really mean around 11:30 or 12 - I'm not an early riser!) when many people have either gone home for the weekend or aren't up and out and about yet. 


I found a building that I thought would be fairly empty, but there might have been some sort of event going on because a couple people walked by. I hoped I would look like I knew what I was doing, fiddling around with my camera and tripod (in reality I have no particular photography experience - ha). 


Any tips for taking outfit photos in somewhat public places? 

This outfit is very comfy, but I think the red pants make it still look stylish. Style + comfort is definitely a winner for me :) 


Shirt: Maurices
Cardigan: H&M
Pants: Ruche 

Beauty and the Beast

Last weekend I went with some friends to see Beauty and the Beast in 3D at the movie theater :) The movie is a favorite from our childhood, and it was such fun to see it again in the theater. I love the story and the music!
Maybe some people would say we're too old to be watching Disney movies, but honestly I still really enjoy watching them occasionally.
I was inspired by Kate's tribute to Belle's gown that she wore to the film, but I don't have any yellow dresses myself (I don't think yellow is a great color for me). I still tried to pick an outfit that would go with the theme of Beauty and the Beast though, so I ended up wearing this dress with roses on it since the rose is an important part of the movie :)


Outfit details:
Dress - Ruche
Tights - Francesca's Collections
Cardigan - H&M

Precious time

I know that I've only had classes for about a week, but so far it has been so much easier than past semesters! I have only had small amounts of homework, making me able to actually be done with homework for an evening because I've done everything I need to. Usually, I try to squeeze in as much homework as I can but still feel like I should do more, but this past week I actually feel as if I've finished. I even have extra time on my hands... 

Photo sources: 1, 2, 3

I know that once the semester gets going, I won't have as much time and will wish for more. It's too bad we can't store up hours in a bank, but I've been trying to stay productive since we only have the time we're given each day. I've exercised several times since classes started, which is a great improvement over last semester. My goal is to really make it a priority to exercise regularly this semester because I've slacked on that in the past. But so far, so good. 

How do you try to make the most of your time? 

Re-organizing my closet

When I arrived back to college with a couple suitcases full of clothes (I have nearly all of my clothes here with me) and started unpacking, I realized how many clothes I seem to have. I've never had trouble fitting everything in my apartment closet and drawer, but this time I was having trouble squeezing in everything! I did receive quite a few clothing items for Christmas, but I also realized that I have a number of pieces that I just don't wear anymore. My style naturally has changed some over the past few years as I transitioned from high school to college attire and I've also changed in clothing size (I've gone down, thankfully) - so I've been thinking it's okay for me to get rid of some things that I honestly never wear anymore. 

My side of the closet

I've gotten rid of some clothes back at home, but I'm thinking I will need to here as well since now even here I have things I don't wear. I'm planning to go through them soon and donate them or maybe sell a few to a consignment shop, though I doubt I'd really make any money. 


Today on the Ruche website, I found their ideas for re-organizing and revamping your closet.

Read the full article here. It gives ideas for not only getting rid of things you don't wear but also for being creative with what you do have :) 


So what are your ideas for re-organizing? How long do you wait before you get rid of clothing? Do you give it to friends or Goodwill or try to sell it? 

DIY - Redecorate Your Toms Shoes

About a year ago, I got my first pair of Toms Shoes. I really liked that the company gives a pair of shoes to a child in need with each purchase of a pair of shoes. When I got my shoes, I also discovered that they are super comfortable, and I think I wore them most days last winter and spring. They were even surprisingly comfortable to wear when walking around Italy. And so, even though I think they are good-quality shoes, they got a little worn out from my rather excessive use of them. I tried mending the hole they got in them, but they just weren't looking so great.

Sad Toms

Then last month I saw my friend Kelsy's adorable Toms, which she had redecorated herself with fabric, and I decided that I would try to do the same. I personally wouldn't try this with Toms that are in good shape, just in case something would mess up and ruin them, but these were nearing their end if they didn't get help soon!


I found this tutorial to use as guidance, but did mine a little differently.

The only supplies were a few types of fabric and fabric glue

I stuffed the inside of the shoes so they would keep their shape

I started with the toe, and tried to line it up with the fabric on the shoe
Then I cut it so it was close to the same size and glued it, tucking in the pieces at the bottom so that they would not look frayed

Here it is after the first section is finished

Then I did the rest of the shoe in two more sections
It's a little tricky to explain exactly how to do it... I played around with it some, trying to line up the fabric.  I'm sure you could do this in a variety of ways. One tip I have is to put glue on smaller sections at at time. 

Here's the finished product!

The only problem I had was that on the tan section, the glue showed through (as you can see in the pictures). I'm not sure if I used too much glue, or if that type of fabric just did that. I'm trying to decide if I should try to do something to fix it, or leave it as it is because I don't think it will be too noticeable when I'm wearing them. Let me know if you have any advice on how to improve them :)