You had a hold on me right from the start

I'm done!!! Well almost. Sorry again for the kinda long haitus. Ever since I got back to Richmond on Monday, I've been insanely busy. This has been my last full week of classes, and just today I had 2 presentations and a paper due. I hate presentations...I'm horrible at public speaking and I especially hate when some jerk in the class asks some ridiculous question that I would never have a reason to know. Thankfully, today my more serious presentation was on the effects text messaging has had (and will continue to have) on adolescents so the only question I was asked was, "Do you text?". Thank God. Luckily, I didn't have to go to my last class because I have a high enough grade to be exempt from a big assignment and the final, so I don't have to show up to that class ever again. I have 2 exams on Tuesday, a final on Thursday, and another final the following Tuesday and then I'm home free for two weeks (just in time to celebrate my 20th birthday!!) before I have to come back for my summer class.

OUTFIT DETAILS: Sweater: Guess via Lord & Taylor. Striped shirt: Urban Outfitters. Belt: Kohl's. Jeans: Abercrombie & Fitch. Red necklace: Sundance Catalog (made out of waxed linen with silver beads). Gold Owl Necklace: Urban Outfitters. Shoes (not pictured): Sperry's

Today it was kinda cool out, so I knew I wanted to wear this sweater but I have been having a hard time styling it lately for some reason. This is the first time I've worn this striped shirt and I really like it...I'm definitely looking forward to pairing it with white shorts this summer. I threw in the belt to finish off the whole nautical look I had going on (complete with my favorite boat shoes!)...I've always loved the nautical, preppy look and I feel like it's in-style every spring/summer. By the way, I noticed after uploading these pictures that I look somewhat wild-eyed and crazed in them...that my friends, is the look of relief. Relief that I am done with the worst group project known to man and relief that although I still have 4 huge tests looming over me, I am basically done with all of my classes for the semester. I'm so pumped!!

One more reason I can't wait for summer: better pictures! I love having our grand piano in the background of my pics, and when I was home this past weekend, I scouted out some perfect places in my backyard for outfit pictures so I can't wait!

All I can taste is this moment

Happy Saturday! I think Saturdays are my absolute favorite day of the week. It's one day that I don't feel like I have to do any homework and I can just hang out with friends and run errands that I've been putting off. Today I got ready and went to the mall with one of my friends who goes to the local community college...she's hoping to transfer to the university I'm at now, and if she does, we'll be living together next fall. I also went to Target to get a belated birthday gift for my brother. Tonight I'm going out to dinner with my family...we go out to eat every Saturday and when I was living at home, I always looked forward to it because it meant I was able to dress up.

OUTFIT DETAILS: Blazer: BCBG. Jeans: 7 For All Mankind. White tee: Target. Shoes: Sperry

I hear you call my name and it feels like home

Sorry for the week-long haitus! The semester is winding down (only 19 days til I'm completely done for the spring) so that means all the professors are piling on the last-minute papers, tests, and group projects. Last weekend I had 3 papers to write, plus group projects to work on. Thankfully, I finished them early on and was able to actually go out with friends on Saturday night. I got to hang out with a friend who was visiting from Tennessee which was sooo much fun...he's adorable and it was nice to be able to spend time with someone new for a change. I'm back in NoVa this weekend, mainly because my mom's worried about me since I fainted earlier in the week (I think it was mainly due to stress and not eating right/enough). I'm fine now though, just trying to relax before finals start in a week.

OUTFIT DETAILS: Striped Sweater and Jeans: Abercrombie & Fitch. Beaded flip flops: American Eagle (from years ago). Necklace: Urban Outfitters. Buckle bracelet: Modcloth

I didn't do anything too exciting today while wearing this outfit...I just went grocery shopping with my mom and then went out to dinner with my parents and older brother. It was a little on the cooler side today so it was the perfect day for a thin sweater and jeans. I usually try to steer away from horizontal stripes, but I loved the thickness of the material of this sweater and the bright, cheerful color. These jeans are my go-to jeans...they need to be washed so they're a little slouchy in these photos, but usually they're pretty fitted but comfortable and perfect to wear around campus and to parties when I don't want to get my nice, expensive jeans messed up.

Lastly, last week I won a scarf in a giveway from Jen Loves Kev. I can't wait to get it in the mail and figure out fun ways to style it!! It's especially exciting since I haven't won anything in AGES. I think the last thing I won in a contest was back in high school at our honor roll night when I won $100. Needless to say, that email from Jen made my day! Not only because I won the scarf, but also because I absolutely adore her blog...her's was one of the first blogs I stumbled upon and made sure to bookmark. Now, I read it every single day and love reading about her adorable life...I hope one day I'll be as lucky as her in love and in life in general. :) Oh and in case you were wondering, yes my title is from a Madonna song...I've been playing it nonstop since I watched Glee this week. Anyone else a Gleek?? Because I totally am and I'm not ashamed to admit it!!

Live for 32

I really never intended to let it slip where I used to attend college--I figured this blog would be about my life now, and mainly a place for me to be creative. Plus, whenever I tell people where I transferred from and where I transferred to, they act all weird. I'm still keeping quiet about where I go now (although it's pretty easy to figure out), but once I realized that April 16th was rolling around, I knew I couldn't keep quiet about Virginia Tech, my first home away from home.

Living in Virginia my entire life, Virginia Tech has always been the school everyone wants to go to. The campus is beautiful and sits in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the students are filled with school spirit, the school is known for their great academics and high standards, and don't even get me started on their football team! Long story short: I worked hard, got into and attended Virginia Tech, and then made the hard decision to leave Hokie Nation to find the school that I was meant to be at. Whenever people ask me if I miss Virginia Tech, I say no, that I love the city I'm in now and there's so much more to do here. That's true at times, but what I do miss is walking to the football games and realizing I'm in a sea of maroon and orange. I do miss looking at the buildings made of Hokie Stone that I can't help but compare to Hogwart's. I do miss the pride I felt whenever I said "I attend Virginia Tech", because I knew that our student body was totally united as one.

Although I wasn't a student at VT on April 16, 2007, I do remember that day vividly, as many Virginians (and everyone else for that matter) probably do. Whenever I walked across the drillfield and walked by the memorial for those 32 Hokies that lost their lives, I would think about it. Think about how they were walking to class just as I do every single morning and they had no idea that it would be their last. So I end this post with a quote by a Virginia Tech alumnus, Michael Olsen: "Let us all lift upon our shoulders the victims we have chosen and carry them with us so that they may, through us, live the lives that they should have. Every time we don the orange and maroon, let's think of them. ... Let us carry them forward so that we can forget the one name we shouldn't remember and instead recall more than just a date."

neVer forgeT - All my fellow Hokies are on my mind and in my heart today as well as every other day. Once a Hokie, always a Hokie.

picture from here

I've walked for miles, my feet are hurtin

Hello all! Sorry for the kinda long absence...totally didn't expect to be M.I.A. for so long. Whoops! The semester is coming to an end in the next few weeks so all of my professors are piling on the papers and presentation. So annoying! I have 3 papers and 3 presentations within the next two weeks...most of which are due on the same 2 days. Greaaaat. I've also been stressing out about house/apartment hunting for next semester...everything is super expensive and I'm a broke college student. Those two things don't really go together too well...plus the girl I'm living with is insisting we live in a house which totally limits our options. I'm gonna have to tell her that we need to totally keep our options open at this point--we'll see how that goes. Today actually went really well though...my classes seemed to go by pretty quickly and I got to meet up with a friend who I haven't really seen much of since last semester. It was so nice to sit outside in this beautiful weather, sipping chai tea, and gossiping.

Outfit Details: Oxford shirt, gray tank, and trousers: Abercrombie & Fitch Boat shoes: Sperry.

In case you haven't noticed, I usually dress extremely preppy. And today's outfit is a total example of that. Part of my reason for starting this blog was to sort of shift away from that whole prepster look, but alas, I have way too many A&F clothes in my closet to do too much of that. I know so many people don't like that store, but a lot of my go-to items I own have come from there. Like the shirt I'm wearing today...it's flattering, comfortable, and I can dress it up or down. I've worn it with jeans, trousers, blazers, leather skirts, etc. They also sell a ton of really good layering tanks and have recently done a good job of changing up the style of their clothes that they sell (i.e. offering more pretty, flowy blouses rather than just an assortment of polos). My everyday, worn in jeans are also from A&F, mainly because they're the only store that aren't super long on me (I'm just barely too tall for short lengths and a little too short for regular lengths, hence the awkward cuffing of these pants) and I'm always able to find at least one pair in their store that fits my body correctly that aren't insanely expensive like at department stores.

What a weekend...

Sorry for being gone so long...I ended up visiting my brother for the weekend at JMU (the school he attends) and it ended up being CRAZY. Like SWAT teams, fires, throwing of bottles and furniture, tear-gas, and 8000 people. Luckily I wasn't in the neighborhood that was experiencing all the riots...and thankfully my brother lives in a neighborhood that was far from the haze of tear-gas that was floating all through the town/campus. Needless to say, I didn't have the time or the energy to take outfit pictures. And honestly, I only brought 2 outfits with me for the weekend. Not including random t-shirts from the college I used to attend. I ended up getting sick last night...the night I was supposed to play keyboard with the band that was coming over to my brother's house. And no, I wasn't drunk. I get these horrible migraines where I get really nauseous and usually sleeping helps, but because there was a band playing upstairs and a party in the rest of the house, I couldn't manage to fall asleep. And yes, I am proud to say I was the girl wandering around the party in pajamas trying to find water. I know everyone was like, "Where the heck did this girl come from??" In other crazy school news, apparently today at the school I transferred out of, a deer crashed through a window at this off-campus place where you have to take all of your math quizzes and tests. Is weird stuff happening at all the universities in Virginia this weekend???

Whatever comes up comes out

So no outfit post today :( But hopefully there will be one tomorrow!! I've been listening to this song 'Forest Whitaker' by Brother Ali nonstop today. I used to listen to it all the time when I was a senior and it's one of the very few songs my brother has recommended to me that I've actually liked and continue to listen to. It's a hilarious song but today when I looked up the lyrics online, it really got me thinking.

I try to be a positive person and I am pretty confident with the way I look and my body and all that. But a few weeks into this semester, this guy friend of mine (who is known to be very blunt and at times, rude) said to me multiple times in front of a huge group of people that I wasn't pretty. Usually I don't care what people say, but for some reason, it really hurt me. And I feel like it's affected me so much since then. I know I'm not gorgeous or anything, but I am happy with the way I look. At least I was up until this guy said something. Another time after that, he made a negative comment about my weight. I really have no qualms about my weight at all--in fact, I am very proud of my body and the fact that I'm not a stick thin girl. I like that I have boobs and hips and I have never been on a diet, but I do try to stay healthy by trying to go to the gym as much as I can (trying is the key word here haha). I hadn't really told anyone about the comments he made (except for my parents, who actually took offense to it more than I did) because honestly, I was just so embarrassed by it! I tried to put it behind me but I realized today that ever since he criticized the way I look, I've been thinking it myself! Like when I went out to a party with one of my gorgeous friends, I didn't even try to get dressed up much because I figured everyone would be looking at her anyway and not me. It's crazy that a few mean comments can totally change the way I see myself. The whole point of this post is that now that I've realized how much I've let negative things affect me, I need to change my way of thinking and ignore the bad and focus on the good! That's why this weekend, my friend and I are making the trip to my brother's school and staying with him. He complimented my piano playing last week and invited me to come play with this little band he's been playing iwth, saying he had told all of his friends about me, so instead of surrounding myself with guys (and people in general) who have nothing nice to say to me, I will be surrounded by other creative, nice people, including my good friend and the best twin brother a girl could ask for. Hopefully all of you will be seeing a happier, more confident girl in the near future! I just figure if I put it in writing, then it'll be easier for me to stay positive. I hope everyone is having a fantastic week!!

Back in Richmond...

I'm writing this post as I take a break from studying for my exam tomorrow...thankfully, it's the only one I have this week! I get to spend the rest of my days eating Easter candy and watching online TV, my favorite pasttimes. I don't have much time, but here are my Easter outfit pictures, as promised:

Outfit details: Dress: Free People, Shoes: Seychelles via Nordstrom, Bracelet: Sundance Catalog, Necklace: Urban Outfitters

These are my new favorite shoes. I had been eyeing them everytime I went on the Modcloth website, and when my mom and I walked into Nordstrom over spring break, I gravitated toward them like a moth to a light! I totally didn't expect her to buy them for me, I wasn't even going to try them on but I'm sooo glad she did. I totally see them being a pair I wear constantly this spring/summer.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, everyone! Today's been a pretty relaxing day...I woke up and watched a Shirley Temple movie on tv with my mom which was fun and then looked at all the cute little gifts in my basket. I got a necklace I saw at Urban Outfitters that I really wanted as well as some other knick knacks. We just ate an early dinner and I'm taking a break before I dig into dessert so I'll be posting my Easter outfit tomorrow. I thought I'd post some pictures of this year's Washington Post Peep Diorama Contest submissions. They're all so creative and adorable to look at!

Winner: based on the movie 'Up'

Finalist: "The Mad Hatter's Peep Party"

Semi-finalist: "Peepaline" based on the book "Madeline"

Semi-finalist (and my personal favorite): "The Mad Peeps of Sterling Coopeep" based on the episode "Guy Walks into an Advertising Agency"

Check out this Washington Post photo gallery to see other adorable contest submissions! All of these photos came from that site. I hope everyone is having a relaxing end to their weekend!

Look at the stars, look how they shine for you

This morning I woke up way earlier than I wanted to, but couldn't get back to sleep so I did a little bit of studying for an upcoming Abnormal Psych exam. My twin brother was supposed to come home last night but wanted to stay since he's been playing drums with this band on Friday nights. His friend gave him a ride to my dad's store (he owns several music stores up here in NoVa) so I decided to be nice and drive out to pick him up. He actually invited me down to visit him for a weekend because he wants me to play keyboard with the band.

I got this dress for my birthday last year and it's probably one of my favorites that I own. I had stalked Modcloth for weeks to see if it ever came back in stock so I was super excited when I received it just in time to wear for the summer months. Yellow is one of those colors that I don't wear often, but when I do, I instantly feel happy.

Outfit details: Dress: BB Dakota from Modcloth, Cropped cardigan: Abercrombie & Fitch, Shoes: BC Footwear from Nordstrom, Key necklace: Tiffany Co., Pearl bracelet: gift from my sister.

Hope everyone has been having a great weekend! Btw did anyone notice that the title of this post was lyrics from the Coldplay song 'Yellow'? I know, I'm so clever haha. :)

In the daylight anywhere feels like home

I absolutely adore being home. I got here at like 1 AM since my dad couldn't drive down to pick me up til after he got off work...and then we decided we were craving pancakes so we stopped at Denny's. It was delicious, especially since I haven't had legit breakfast foods in a looong time.

I was awakened this morning by my mom asking if I wanted to go out to lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, of course I got up immediately to get ready. My sister met us there and we spent the entire time gossiping and eating yummy sandwiches. The weather was beautiful so we were able to sit out on the patio where we could people watch, which was always fun.

I love this outfit. I got this dress my junior year of high school to wear to my sister's grad school graduation and I've incorporated it into my wardrobe every season since. I especially love pairing it with tights and cardigans in the winter. It's really a tent dress, but I love that when I belt it, I get these adorable pleats down the skirt. I am a total sucker for pleats. The necklace is actually a birthday gift from one of my sisters--she makes jewelry in her free time and they are all absolutely beautiful. I'm trying to convince her to open an Etsy shop so more people can enjoy her pieces as much as I do.



Outfit details: Dress: Kimchi Blue from Urban Outfitters, Belt: Urban Outfitters, Sandals: Ruche, Necklace: made by my sister, Earrings: Gift from my other sister from Athena Jewelers in Athens, Georgia. I'm also wearing my favorite ring, a pearl one from Sundance Catalog, but I was unable to get a really good shot of it.

Hope everyone's having a good Friday!!

Just for the weekend let's jump off the deep end

Thank God this week is finally over! I had my last exam of the week today and I think it went pretty well! It's also beautifully warm outside today and is supposed to get even warmer with each day, which means the only articles of clothing that I've packed in my bag for this weekend are dresses and sandals. I can't wait! Last night, right after I put up my post for the day, my friend invited me to go to a bar with her to hear her brother sing/play guitar. It was a totally different crowd than I'm used to hanging out with and I know that my friend and I stood out like sore thumbs but it was actually a lot of fun! And his music was pretty good too! Everyone seemed to be really into it and it was really cool to see how supportive everyone was to all the acts that played. Actually, what a lot of my friends here at college don't know about me, is that in high school (and for years prior), I was really into my music. I play flute and piano (piano since I was 4, flute since I was 8), but I really only perform on flute. I was drum major of my high school marching band for two years (there's a little bit of my nerdy side for ya), and made top chairs both at All-District and All-Region competitions all through high school, as well as qualified to audition for All-State. I got to play with a ton of really great musicians and my entire high school life was based around auditions for various competitions and groups. I really think I was born to be on stage...even though I tend to be insanely shy, once I get on stage and start performing, all that shyness melts away. I really miss it and hope to join one of my university's music ensembles next semester.

Outfit details: Dress: Nordstrom, Sandals: American Eagle from forever ago, Necklace: Urban Outfitters, Headband: Urban Outfitters.

This is one of my go-to outfits for the spring/summer. I have this dress in pink also and it's soooo comfortable! Anyway, I hope everyone has a great end to their week!