For the Love of Turtlenecks

Turtlenecks are great - especially during this time of the year when the wind and the air start to cool down rapidly. It's a sweater and a scarf, basically it's a two for one deal! Turtlenecks are an essential part of my winter wardrobe. I love my tissue turtlenecks from J.Crew, but I am also super excited about the Cambridge Cable Turtleneck Sweater (it's most definitely on my Christmas list).

Cambridge Cable Turtleneck Sweater

This color is perfect for both fall and the holiday season! There are 11 different colors to choose from if this one doesn't excite you.

Striped Turtleneck Sweater

This turtleneck is great because it allows you to do black or brown shoes/accessories!

Solid Turtleneck

These thin turtlenecks are perfect for the mild winter weather of Florida, and the best part is, they're only $9!

Do you have any essential parts of your winter wardrobe?

Etsy Spotlight: Girl's Day Out

Almost every Saturday morning, I go to the Downtown Charlottesville Farmer's Market - aka the cutest place in the world. There are a ton of local vendors there, selling everything from fresh granola to beautiful dahlias. Most of the merchandise is food or beverages, but there are a couple of booths that sell children's clothes, rocking chairs, and my personal favorite... jewelry.

As soon as I arrive to the farmer's market, I beeline to the Mudhouse coffee booth and score a free cup. Last week, they were selling a dry roast produced on a microfarm in Honduras that was raspberry flavored, and I think it was love at first sip. After this trip, I head straight for the Girls Day Out booth.

I bought these two bracelets to join my arm party family to add a vintage flair to my style when I'm feeling bold.

My mom bought this necklace for me when she was in town for Parent's Weekend in September. It's so cute, and matches everything! 

I have never gone to this booth without opening up my wallet and buying some sort of trinket, but I am proud to say it is not always for myself! I bought my mom a pair of earrings there for her birthday in October, and my friend Courtney a bracelet just for fun. They really do have the cutest jewelry, and it's not too expensive - definitely an ideal price for birthday or Christmas gifts for friends/mothers - They rarely have a price tag over $30.

And the great news is, they have an Etsy shop! Click here to see. Here's a collection of my favorite online offers from Girl's Day Out:

destination matte gold earrings

cascade matte gold dogwood earrings

tango pendant necklace

gatsby florence rhinestone necklace

crystal cross bracelet in turquoise

You definitely have to make sure to check up on them periodically, because their inventory is constantly changing with new arrivals! 

5 Things I Can't Live Without

I am a huge fan of lists. I am constantly making them throughout the day, and they really can range from a typical to-do list (or five), to a list of people I need to check in on, to a grocery list, etc etc etc. Consider this post the first of many of my lists that I share with you! Here are the top 5 things I can't live without: 

1. Coffee/Coffee Shops

I am 150% dependent on caffeine, and I really don't like soft drinks so my coffee intake is off the charts. Really, I was that girl that became a Starbucks Gold Card member at the age of 16. I became dependent on coffee in high school as a result of trying to balance my school work with all my extracurriculars, and have been hooked ever since.

I really love local coffee places more than the ever popular Starbucks. Starbucks is great, and I drink Pike's Roast every morning from my Keurig, but local coffee shops are just so cool, and in my opinion, carry better roasts. My favorite coffee spots in Charlottesville are Para and Mudhouse (Para is pictured above.) Para is cool because it's only a 15 minute walk from my dorm, and they have a really cool upstairs area with tables and comfy chairs to work. Mudhouse is absolutely amazing, but I have to take a bus to get there. All their employees are coffee nerds, and they even offer classes on the weekends for people to take on the basics of coffee tasting! Once things calm down, I am definitely going.

2. Books

As Thomas Jefferson plainly states it, "I cannot live without books." Books are great, and I really try to read for pleasure as much as I can - I am currently tackling The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle... but it's slow going considering I am genuinely more than 600 pages behind in my reading for my Politics class (two days out of class and this is what happens). Pictured above is my favorite place at UVa to read - The McGregor Room in Alderman Library. It is referred to as the Harry Potter room, because it looks exactly like the Gryffindor common room.

3. Arm Parties

Arm parties are basically magic - they can turn any casual outfit into a dressy one, which is perfect for me because I am usually in a rush to get to everywhere due to my busy schedule. Because I am left-handed, I party on my right arm, which is a little unconventional, but I think that makes it even more of a party... maybe? 

4. Artistic Expression

Though I am definitely on the novice status in terms of artistic expression, I really do love it and do it as often as I can because it is my number one stress reliever. My friends think it's super weird that I Photoshop for fun, but I find it weirdly calming. I also love to paint, but the dorm environment isn't very conducive to that. I will definitely be making up for lost time over Christmas break with lots of painting! 

5. Avocados

This one is a little weird, but it's also really spot on. I can't remember the last time I went out for breakfast and didn't order an avocado on the side, and in Tampa I eat guacamole every day. If there is anything on a restaurant menu that has avocado on it, I order it with no questions asked. My favorite lunch time treat is a provolone grilled cheese sandwich with a avocado and balsamic vinaigrette... yum. I can't get enough.

What are 5 things you can't live without?

Sick Day

I have been super under the weather for the past few days. It is definitely that time of the year when the cold weather steps up its game in Virginia, and this Florida girl can't compete with the seasons. I am definitely on the road to recovery, but I have been spending the past few days curled up in my bed and hiding from all my obligations and the world as I try to get better.

Though there are many downsides to being sick, there are definitely some silver linings. Usually my days are completely consumed with classes, club meetings, homework, and food/coffee dates. But since Thursday, I haven't been doing any of these things - and my type A self has been having a minor panic attack with just constantly laying around and not getting anything constructive done.

But, even though this is the opposite of how I normally spend my time, I must admit it has been nice getting to be lazy and focus on recovering. I have also perfected the recipe for the perfect sick day, which I will share with you! 

Do you have any favorite sick day activities?

Thanksgiving: the Verb, Not the Noun

Immediately when I hear the word Thanksgiving, I capitalize it and picture a beautiful turkey, family, and most importantly pie. And I definitely do not think I am alone in this. But really, the first thought that should cross our minds when we hear the world 'thanksgiving' should be the act of giving thanks, not the event that we celebrate.

I am totally not trying to toss Thanksgiving out the window. It is most definitely my favorite holiday by a landslide. I mean, you get the benefits of family and food without the obligation of finding the perfect gift for everyone... what's not to love? But I think we have taken the word thanksgiving to only be a noun, and not a verb - it's an event, not an action.

When I think about the countless things I have to be thankful for, I get a little embarrassed when I think about the extent to which I take them for granted. The season of Thanksgiving always reminds us to be thankful, but oftentimes that lasts for a few days and then we go back to the busyness that we are so accustomed to. 

When I realized all of this, it really struck me. I really do have so incredibly much to be thankful over, but I usually spend most of my thought processing time worrying about insignificant things or wishing some aspect of my life could be improved in some way. This quote really encompasses all of this:

“Something wonderful begins to happen with the simple realization that life, like an automobile, is driven from the inside out, not the other way around. As you focus more on becoming more peaceful with where you are, rather than focusing on where you would rather be, you begin to find peace right now, in the present. Then, as you move around, try new things, and meet new people, you carry that sense of inner peace with you. It's absolutely true that, 'Wherever you go, there you are.'" -Richard Carlson

Being thankful and content during the short term will translate into being peaceful and happy in the long term. This really hit me, and inspired me to not sweat the small things so much. I've found myself saying "Will this matter in a week? month? A year? " a lot, and it's put a lot of things in perspective. 

I made this last week and set it as my phone background to hold myself accountable to all of this! I encourage you to join me in placing this on your phone screen, your computer desktop, or anywhere that you'll see it if this post rang true for you.  

Being 'Edgy'

The title of this post just makes me laugh. I mean, I think I am the textbook definition for the antonym of 'edgy'. But, the idea of limiting my wardrobe and my personality to only one stigma is just no fun at all. I mean, am I always happy? Am I always put together and organized? Do I always get enough sleep to pull this outfit off effortlessly?

No. But that's the connotation of my style.

I think a major problem with today's culture is the idea that girls are immediately defined and stereotyped through their style. Not even so much brand names, but really just the style of clothing they wear - whether it be preppy, sporty, chic, hobo, etc. Just because you're preppy doesn't mean you are innocent and happy all the time, just like girls who wear black all the time are not depressed (black after all is slimming, they're onto something!). This is why I think it's important to display a variety of elements into our style - you don't want to limit yourself to just one persona when making a first impression!

Anyways, when I realized all of this, I began a conscious effort to incorporate things outside my comfort zone into my wardrobe, paired with things that are 100% in my comfort zone. I guess you could say this is the guide for how to be edgy when you are the exact opposite of edgy. 

These are all pieces that I would definitely say lie outside of my comfort zone, but that I really really love! 

multicolor pear crystal necklace

gold pyramid ring

double helix headband

mannie boots

oversized top

kapital spotted socks

jewelled baseball cap

leather oval-buckle belt 

Are you feeling bold this Monday? 

Sunday Wisdom: Beauty

Royal splendor radiates from Him; a powerful beauty sets him apart. -Psalm 96:6

A couple of weeks ago on my birthday, I decided to do a sunrise hike. This is basically a combination of things I really don't enjoy - hiking in 30 degree weather and waking up at 4:30 am. However, when we finally reached the top of the mountain, I was absolutely dumbfounded by the splendor revealed to me.

My boyfriend snapped this picture on his iPhone - that's right, an iPhone. No abundance of megapixels or Photoshop in this image - when we arrived at the top. 

How absolutely amazing is that? 

Ever since we finished the hike, I have found myself revisiting this picture. And every time I look at it, I am at a complete loss of words to express the thanksgiving I want to express to be made in the image of a Father who has the power to make this landscape, this sunrise, and this universe happen every day. 

I mean, look at that beauty. The sky, the mountains, the rock. It is flawless.

Each of us is made and formed by the same God who created this. 

How comforting and humbling is that? 

To think that the Lord gave us as humans the complete reign over his magnificent, beautiful creation is only a small glimpse of how much he cares for us. And to think I sometimes get caught up in things like body image seems absolutely ridiculous when I look at the beauty the Lord has provided us with.

On top of that, this beauty is not even a sliver of the beauty God instills in each and every one of us. He views us, His children, as more precious than this landscape. 

So God created human beings in His own image. -Genesis 1:27

This is ridiculous. We say it all the time, but take a second to think about it. God's image is perfect, is as flawless as this beautiful sunrise. We are carefully thought out and made in the image of a perfect God.

The fact that God's beauty is our beauty - manifested not only in the world He gave us but also in each of us as sons and daughters of Him - just really gives me a reason to rejoice on this Sunday. 

Taken at Humpback Mountain on October 25, 2013

Also, this worship song by Phil Wickham is ringing so true when I look at this picture. 

Happy Sunday!