CHRISTMAS TIME CRAZYS!

IT'S FINALLY DECEMBER 1ST!!! The day we've all been waiting for... well at least I've been waiting for. I know it's nothing unique, but Christmas is my absolute FAVORITE time of year. Being in college means I get nearly a whole month off from school. I get to come home and chill with my sister and annoy the crap out of my parents!

Before I kick off this blog post I wanted to share that I am gonna (try) and vlog everyday during the month of December up until Christmas! I'm also going to be posting Christmasy themed videos throughout December. This is definitely a big creative challenge, filming and editing videos everyday. But I'm looking forward to pushing myself and seeing if we can get it done.

YOUTUBE // INSTAGRAM // TWITTER

Now for the real good stuff. I somehow convinced my mother to let me decorate her house the first week in November, so I've been holding on to these pictures for a while and I'm dying to share them! We rationalized it that we had two months of fall decorations, so it was only fair to have two months of Christmas decorations. We also aren't hosting Thanksgiving this year, so DECK THE HALLS we did!

 

I like to think I have an okay eye when it comes to interior design/decorative things. Regardless it's something I have always loved doing and that's what really matters, right? So after spending a few hours digging through Pinterest for inspiration, I headed off to Michaels to grab bits and bobs for the tree. My mission was: burlap, forest green, and red. LOTS of red. I wanted to go for a minimal and very natural theme this year. I grabbed way too many strands of garland, but not enough faux cranberries (probably my favorite detail). Oh and there's some pinecones I threw in for good measure, cuz ya know, nature?

There's a few decorations that we've had as long as I've been alive, and I just have to put out every year. But in addition to the traditional decorations, I always like to try and incorporate some new things in as well! Overall, I'm pretty happy with how the tree turned out. There's honestly nothing I love more than getting up in the morning when it's still dark out and turning on all the lights. It's just so cozy and festive. Now to tackle the tree in my apartment! 

I'm so excited for the next month. Make sure to let me know how your trees turn out and what you're getting up to during December. Merry Christmas, y'all!

SHOP THE LOOK

~it's okay to hit a roadblock~

I've struggled with anxiety for a few years now. I suffered in silence for quite a while because I didn't have a word to match these feelings. Anxiety was "just stress" and not something anyone really talked about. Thankfully that has started to change and there is less stigma surrounding anxiety and other mental health issues. But even with the support of family and friends, I still find my anxiety something I struggle to speak about. 

 

Anxiety manifests itself in a million different ways. Not only is the way we experience anxiety from person to person different, but different things trigger anxious bouts for different people. Something that I've always struggled with is having unrealistic expectations for myself. I have always been a perfectionist, from my schoolwork to doing a simple cat-eye. Even when I'm doing my best, I tend to compare myself to others and feel that my best is never enough. In moderation, that way of thinking can be beneficial... a source of self-motivation. But it can be crippling when you don't take time to be proud of yourself and your work.

I got this "Say Yes" tattoo on July 10, 2016... about a year and a half ago. At that time I was doing my best, mentally and physically speaking. I was happy and excited to start the second half of my college career. The purpose of the tattoo was to serve as a personal reminder that YES I can do that scary thing, YES I am capable, YES I am worthy. I had it placed on my left wrist, somewhere very visible, so when I needed to I could look down and see that reminder. 

I often feel because I got this tattoo, because I've so openly displayed my experience, new struggles are even harder to talk about. For some reason, I should "be healed". But even as I type that, I know what utter nonsense it is. That's the horrible part about anxiety, a lot of times it's a physical feeling. I've had days where I just feel sick to my stomach and like I could cry at any moment, but I know that absolutely nothing is wrong. My brain is just a little off. I've had to tell myself a lot lately, that I'm not supposed to be perfect and have all of the things together.

The premise of this whole post is -- in part a personal pep talk -- but mainly to say: IT'S OKAY TO HIT A ROADBLOCK. I've struggled to find the words to correctly describe the feelings in my brain, but the best description I can think to say is that I've hit a roadblock... a slump. And it's okay. Sometimes you have to stop and reevaluate. Other people might not understand what you're doing, but it's not for them it's for you. Nothing is more important than your health. I'm hoping to be more open about my struggles with the people closest to me. And I hope that by putting it out there now, it can help someway else who feels the same.

SHOP THE LOOK

JUST A MILLENIAL GIRL

Before I came back to school I had a little photo shoot with my sister. This outfit is one of my ABSOLUTE favorites at the moment. I'm not totally sure how to describe the style I like currently (I've been told it's "trendy mom"). I'm really into anything that looks like it came from the 70's/80's (hence the corkscrew curls, I'll include a link to the wand I use for them at the bottom) or has floral patters. First, let's just talk about the grandpa glasses. I just love oversized glasses in general but I think the yellow is so cool and I'm kind of obsessed with these. Confession: I saw Khloe Kardashian wearing some, so that's why I originally bought them. Secondly, this avocado toast shirt is 100% my goal aesthetic (let's be real it's everyone's). Last, the slides. I almost don't have words to describe how much I love them. The fact that I've had them for about a month and wear them LITERALLY EVERYWHERE is the best I can give you. Slides are back people, let's embrace them. 

Sorry I've been absent lately! It's actually pained me to not be able to sit down and write. I was able to move back to Gainesville (in love with my new apartment and roomies, btw) and finally start school again! I'm hoping to get an August favorites post up soon, so don't worry I'm back!

Shirt | Skirt | Shoes | Sunglasses | Wand

Photos by the always amazing Mandy Hillyard!

FRIENDS, FIREWORKS AND FUN IN D.C.

I've sat down to write this quite a few times and always seem to find myself at a loss for words. I truly could never do this place justice with just a few pictures. It's something you have to see and experience for yourself to truly appreciate. Washington D.C. is one of those places I've always wanted to go but never really had the chance. I had planned to visit during spring break this year, but those plans fell through when we decided to go to Costa Rica (no ragrets). So when the Fourth rolled around I knew I had to get up there! Traveling was thankfully a breeze and I was so excited to get to get to Savannah's apartment and cuddle with her pup! 

My first day there I was on my own and decided to tackle as much of the touristy stuff as I could. Word of advice: everything is definitely within walking distance, but sacrifice fashion for comfort and just put on tennis shoes. I learned the hard way. My first stop was the Newseum. I highly recommend this if you are interested in journalism or just general history of the evolution of modern media. It's incredibly eye-opening and informational. From there I hit up a couple more museums, before I headed to meet some peeps at Dacha. For my 21+ friends, you will absolutely love this place! It's an adorable beer garden in Shaw. Between the giant umbrellas and misting fans, it was an awesome place to go and just chill on a Friday afternoon. Later that night we headed over to U-Street and adventured around and got into some trouble before heading home to our sweet puppy and some pizza.

 

Sunday morning we ventured out to the Fainting Goat for brunch with some of the other awesome kids from UF that were visiting that week. Not only do they have bottomless mimosas, you get to pick between regular orange juice, mango, and white cranberry. All of the above were BOMB -- don't even get me started on their avocado toast. After that we ran down to the Georgetown Waterfront and hopped on a boat to cruise the Potomac for the rest of the day. This was probably one of my favorite days of the entire trip. It was so nice to be able to relax and enjoy the company of friends, all while having such a unique and amazing view of the monuments. Definitely had a couple of #blessed moments that day.

 I luckily got to spend some time with my roomie and B.F.F. Emily who is spending her summer working in D.C. We first went on an adventure down to the monuments. Walking around the National Mall during the day is an adventure itself, but I didn't feel like I truly appreciated the sheer massiveness (is that a word?) and beauty of them all until I got to see them lit up at night. Nothing will beat sitting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and chatting and watching fireworks with one of my best friends. Later in the week we also "attempted" to go to a Nationals game. Mother Nature however decided it was not time for me to see my future husband aka Bryce Harper and poured rain down on us for 2 hours. The Fourth was spent lounging at the pool with margaritas and my personal favorite ATM Angry Orchards. We watched the fireworks from the rooftop -- the coolest thing was to be able to look out at the horizon and see the fireworks going off all around the District in Maryland and Virginia.

The rest of the week was jammed packed with more sightseeing, exploring Mount Vernon, 14th Street, and a whooooooooole lot of friendship and cuddles. 14th Street is probably one of my favorite areas in all of D.C. It has it's own unique character about, and for a moment you feel as if you've stepped into a different city. Every shop and restaurant is as fun and eccentric as the next. There's mural, after mural on the walls of side-streets and I never saw an unfriendly face. A few favorites and "must visit agains" were: Little Leaf Shop, Salt and Sundry, Miss Pixie's, and Buttercream Bakeshop. All recommendations of the lovely Miss Savannah Bowdoin. If you ever find yourself in the D.C. area hit her up for all the tips and tricks!

It sounds crazy because I'm 21-years old and just visiting the capital for the first time, but it was a really surreal experience at times. It felt like such a privilege to get to be in this place and I think people tend to forget that it really is just that -- a privilege. I remember the first time I saw the Statue of Liberty, I was just moved to tears when I realized the magnitude of what she is and what she means. I felt that way the entire time I was in D.C. To get to witness with my own eyes the Constitution of the United States of America... Like I said before, I could never really do this place justice with words and pictures. I am so thankful I got to go and experience it with some of my greatest friends! 12/10 recommend, truly.