OMG School!

Uhm, I leave for NYC in literally three days... is that not crazy?!?!  That said, I have so many mixed feelings about leaving for school.  I am super excited, but at the same time incredibly scared.

Everything I know is where I've grown up including my family, my best friend, and Seth.  The thought of being without them is so weird and unnerving that I have cried a lot over the past few days.  The unknown is terrifying and I keep asking myself, will Seth and I stay together? Will my career as an actress really work out?  I don't know, but that is okay.

For my acting school, I had a few books I needed to read before class and one really spoke to me-- Comfortable with Uncertainty by Pema Chondron.  Pema's book is all about accepting the uncertainty of life, enjoying everything that comes your way, and staying positive in the face of panic and fear.  It is such a great read and really has helped me get through my fears of leaving.

Here's to new adventures in NYC!

 

Curating My School Wardrobe

I feel like it took me forever to finally get my fall wardrobe in order.  Much like Abbey, I wanted to have a more streamlined wardrobe for fall, one with some great neutrals a few statement pieces.  With this in mind, I started going through my closet and getting everything ready for college and here is a little layout of what I came up with!

orange dress/cords/skirt/t.la tees/long sleeve blouse/wine colored blouse/jeans/short trench/hat/necklace/earrings

I especially love the wine colored colored linden blouse (featured next to the white button down).  It is a great casual piece, but is still neutral enough that you can wear it season to season, and it is so flattering on every figure.

Two other pieces I want to highlight are the Pilcro cords and jeans.  For those of you who shop Anthro, you probably know that Pilcro is one of our signature brands with a great selection of cords, jeans, and chinos, as well as some other fun pieces.  The reason I want to highlight this brand is that they have been re-branding for Fall.  Pilcro is now starting to make more comfortable denim with better quality, yet still at the Pilcro price.  So, you should all check out Pilcro if you have the chance!

How did you curate your wardrobe for school? 

Shopping Probs

Honestly, the hardest thing I have had to figure out for NYC is my wardrobe.  I can't bring a whole lot and what I can bring needs to be super tailored because I am NOT going to be purchasing any clothes/accessories in NYC.  That, of course, has led me to do a lot of returns at work and I feel terrible.

Every time I come in I feel like I am returning or exchanging and I am just "that girl".  At least I work with people that get it, so it isn't that big of a deal, but this has brought me a lot of frustration with myself.  If I could change one thing about me, well two things, they would be my compulsiveness and my indecisiveness.  These two quirks do not go well together and lead me to make a lot of rash decisions (mostly on clothes) that then leave me regretting the decisions I made.

Luckily, I vented to a few coworkers and I feel a lot better about myself-- it is just who I am and I will always be that way.  Hopefully going on a break from shopping will help me cut down on those bad habits and on stress buying.  With school coming up, I have been so anxious that I haven't really been thinking a lot of my purchases through, however, once I am occupied with school, I think I will do a lot better.  Here is to a break from shopping!!

Are any of stress buyers like me?  How are you curating your wardrobe for school?

P.S. I will have a post up (hopefully) tomorrow on curating my wardrobe for the city!!

 

National Girlfriend's Day: Help a Girl Out

I'm normally not one to post about health aside from Yoga and relationships, however, National Girlfriend's Day really sparked my interest.  It is a day all about empowering women to take their health into their own hands, which I love; however, I feel like a lot of us, including myself, are very unsure of where to start when it comes to our health.

Since I am just now in college I am really starting to learn how to take care of myself, but there are a lot of things I don't know.  Luckily, I was introduced to Oscar Insurance and their fun info graphic for my blog (It is so cute, easy to follow, and super helpful, especially if you are where I am right now)!  They are running an awareness campaign to highlight the seriousness of empowering your girlfriends to concentrate on their health.

 I hope this info graphic was helpful and I hope it helps you to take your health into your own hands!  Feel free to save it and use it as a reference as you navigate growing up, and Happy National Girlfriend's Day :)

The Miss Information

About two months ago I became part of the Miss Information Blogger network and was given the opportunity to write for their site as well.  I cannot begin to explain how great this opportunity has been for me.  I have met so many great women and I love getting to write for such an awesome site!

What I really like about TMI though is the sense of community I have felt.  Everyone is there for each other.  I always feel like I have someone I can reach out to and I love sharing all of my thoughts with everyone.  It is great to have a group of people to bounce ideas off of!  

I could not be more thankful :)

Head on over and check out TMI!

A Break from Shopping

 (I did buy this shirt haha, but I will officially be taking the shopping break starting in September)

So, I am ACTUALLY going to take a shopping break.  I always say that, and as both Abbey and Seth know, it never really works out well.  I was supposed to take a break this month, but, with employee appreciation and going back to school, I ended up spending my money again.  I do, however, have a good reason:  I will NOT be shopping (clothes, shoes, and accessories that is) while in NYC.

I really want to take those months to save up money to pay off my loans and, to be honest, I am really excited about doing it because I feel like I will actually follow through this time.  I don't need anything else and I really want to be able to write about more than what I want to buy and what I just bought.  I also really want to be able to post more of my outfits, and with a more streamlined wardrobe, I feel like that will be much more feasible!

So, this fall, look for more outfits, more recommendations other than Anthro, and all of my thoughts on school!  I can't wait to share them all with you :)

Glimpse of Gail: My Friend's New Blog

(from Abbey's great Insta!)

After a little bit of convincing, my friend Abbey (Abigail, thus the title) decided to start her own blog and I could not be more excited for her!  Her blog, A Glimpse of Gail, will cover not only Abbey's personal style, but her favorite reads and eats as well.

To start off the month, Abbey plans on writing style profiles of major designers or fashion icons.  This month she chose to write about Coco Chanel, a great and classic option in my opinion, and very well written to; There is so much I never knew about her!

Along with the style profiles, Glimpse of Gail will cover wardrobe essentials every season, so be on the lookout for a fall post coming soon!  If you are as into Audrey Hepburn as I am, I know you will love it because Abbey is pulling some of this season's essentials from Audrey's looks!

To read Abbey's blog and learn more about her, click here.  You can also find her on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram!

Please go check her out and follow along for some great posts!

Roman Holiday

As many of you know, I am kind of obsessed with Audrey Hepburn.  She is my fashion icon and a person I deeply admire.  That is why I decided to recreate her iconic look from Roman Holiday.  This was her first major film and thus her first debut with the iconic Audrey style (did you know she helped design her costumes for every film and kept a lot of them too??), thus I thought it was the perfect outfit to recreate!

 shirt/skirt/shoes

This skirt is perfect and seriously worth the investment.  It has to be one of the best fits I have had in a long time and it looks cute with every top in my wardrobe-- I seriously have to stop myself from wearing it all the time!

Do you have a favorite inspired look?  Who is your fashion icon?

Chill Pill

I have a tendency to get upset over the smallest things, which of course happened just yesterday.  There are times in my life that I have become so frustrated because of other people, something that I saw online, or just being late to an event.  However, after meditating yesterday during my morning yoga, I realized I should stop getting frustrated because it just gets in the way of my own success.

Yes, there are things that will get under your skin, but when you let that happen you stop yourself from asking the question, why not me? Why not now?  I am huge believer in making your own success and that is exactly what I need to do.  By disallowing myself to get frustrated with minor incidents, I know I can be more driven and less distracted, ultimately making it easier for me to focus on myself and not others.

This is the exact mindset I am going to have when I go to school in the fall (omg only 3 weeks!!).  It is seriously the only way I know I can stay positive and be happy being me, because who else would I rather be?  Haha, I didn't mean for that to rhyme, but it is such a true statement and I can't wait to see what the future brings!

Have you ever felt frustrated over the small things?  How do you cope?

Kate Spade Address Book

I cannot tell you how long I have been looking for an address book!  It seems like they aren't hardly made anymore, mostly because we store so much info on our phones or computers now, but, despite all odds, I found one.

Yesterday, I got an email regarding Kate Spade's new arrivals and sure enough they had the perfect addresses and occasions book.  I can't wait to start adding all of my addresses and finally having a place where I can find everyone's address without having to search my entire phone-- I have a particular knack for never having or losing people's addresses all the time.

So, if you are in the market for a cute address book, I recommend Kate Spade!

Do you keep your addresses in a book still?  Where did you find yours?

August Anthro Edits: Back to School

Last week, I was invited to be part of a back to school linkup with Cathleen and Nicole and I am so happy to be participating in the back to school fashion linkup.  Since all I wear is Anthro and since always post a monthly Anthro edit, I figured it would be perfect to combine the two.

For this month's Anthro edits, I pulled together some great pieces for school that any high school or college girl would love.  I am especially enjoying all of the great casual pieces Anthro is bringing in this fall!  So, without further ado, here are the August #BloggersBTS Edits!

military jacket/polka dot blouse/turtleneck tank/t-shirt dress/cardigan/jeans/flats/pendant necklace/felt floppy hat/scarf

The two items I really want to point out in this month's edits are the polka dot top and the t-shirt dress.  Both are great for school and are still super fashionable, and, as an added bonus, are amazingly comfortable!  If you are in the market for a new top or dress, I highly recommend you look into these two!

Another piece I love, and love year round, are the AG Stevie Ankle Jeans.  They are pricy, but are the best jeans I've owned and will last a long time.  They have nothing but good reviews from all of our Anthro usuals.

What are your favorite pieces for school? 

Be Positive, Be Mindful, Be Thankful

In the Yoga with Adriene video I shared last Friday, Adriene instructs us to set a tone for our day during the meditation practice at the beginning of the video.  That aspect of my morning yoga helps me to keep an open mind throughout the day and to enjoy life instead of getting frustrated.  Because of this meditation I think I am a much better and more rational human being.

Last week, I finally came up with the phrase I need to set the tone for day: Be Positive, Be Mindful, Be Thankful.  These three words perfectly describe how I should be seeing things and I am so much happier when I surround my thoughts and actions with that phrase.  Another thing, my life seems more in control when I do this morning practice because it makes me have a GOOD expectation for the day, rather than a negative one.

So, why those three words.  Well, be positive because, if you think about it, there isn't anything to be negative about.  Yes things don't work out the way they should sometimes, but that is the beauty of life isn't it?  There is always a way to make a positive situation out of a negative one.

Be mindful because people can be frustrating (trust me, I work with them everyday), but I don't know what is going on in their life that made them feel they need to act the way they do.  When you are mindful of someone else's situation you can a) better understand yourself and b) you can view people as people, which is how they should be viewed.

And finally, be thankful because there is so much to be thankful for.  No matter where you are in life, be thankful for all of the good things that have come your way.  By being thankful, we can be humble, which is so important for success.  This, along with be mindful, is probably my favorite of the three phrases in my meditation because there truly is a lot many of us can be thankful for.

What is your phrase for the day?  Do you practice morning yoga?

Unproductive Vibes

For some reason I have been so unproductive lately.  Last week, I took a short trip to NYC and ever since that I have been in a complete slump.  It's not that I don't want to do things, it's just that it has become so difficult to find time to do things, including writing on my blog.

Hopefully this week things will get better and I will find more time to blog again, especially because I have some great things coming up that I don't want you guys to miss out on!

Here is to a good start to the week and hoping it is more productive than the last!