Friday Favorites

Happy Halloween!
Sending bootiful thoughts your way :)
So thankful for this much needed weekend!
My plans for tonight include pumpkin carving (hopefully!), baking bread, and hanging out with my family :) I'm so excited!

DIY: Candy Corn (Perfect for today's holiday and a healthy alternative to the real sugar-y thing!)

Well, this week was un-productive, seeing that Taylor Swift's 5th album was released Monday, and it's been on repeat since then :)
My favorite tracks are Wildest Dreams, Wonderland, and All You Had To Do Was Stay.
So obsessed with this cd though..I've unashamedly listened to it about a million times..

This video is most definitely an example of a swoon-worthy duet.
I mean, Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran singing together?! OHMYGOSH
Watch here!

Just a few days ago, I watched The Little Mermaid. I mean, what would college be if you didn't watch random Disney movies with your best friends? Even though technically you do not have to have a reason to watch a princess movie, this Buzzfeed article inspired me to watch that one in particular. I love this photo shoot so much.

Daniel Radcliffe, you've grown up so much since we knew you as the boy wizard Harry Potter. But you're still amazing, cause you rap lyrics to an alphabet song. This will be the best thing you will watch all day.

And more HP news..you can now stay in a Harry Potter themed hotel room! Room for 1, please :) Check it out here!

I love that these three support feminism.

46 reasons to drop everything and travel the world--I agree with so many of these!

Sending you off into the weekend with precious puppy pictures!

Use these next few days to recover from the week and relax!

Stay safe this Halloween and don't forget to go to the store tomorrow to buy half-off candy :)

October 30 // College Recap

An account of how today went:

I woke up early even after going to bed at 2 because I was finishing a paper for a class I had later that morning..

No breakfast, two back to back classes..

A fire alarm went off about an hour ago..

Listened to my favorites off Taylor Swift's new cd about a dozen more times while I was cleaning my dorm room..

And ate some of the best dairy free chocolate chip and fudge brownie cookies today!

All in all, just another typical day in the life of this college student ;)

The beginning of this week was all kinds of crazy..I was stressing about school, my schedule for next semester, friendships and overreacting about 90% of it because of sleep deprivation..

Well, this is supposed to be kind of a college update post..anyway, I'm hoping to post some #ootds soon! The cold(er) part of the year is rapidly approaching..expect flannels, scarves, boots, and who knows what else! :) Can you believe that today is October 30?!

So here's to layers, fresh baked goods, and after-Halloween candy sales (just two more days!)

I dressed up as a flapper this year..I've already had several occasions where I was able to wear my costume and I've loved showing off the outfit I finally put together (I mean, I found my dress Monday and I had to wear it to an event Tuesday..that tells you what kind of procrastinator I am..)

Anyway, Halloween is an awesome holiday & college makes you want to go back to trick or treating at age 5, but dressing up with your friends is almost as great! :) The only down side is buying your own candy..I never knew it was so expensive!

So..that kinda sums up this week..oh goodness. How am I ever going to be prepared for finals in a couple weeks? Hopefully a ton of care packages :D

College is crazy, kids. Prepare yourselves. You've been warned.

(Maybe I'll write a blog post about college tips and such..)

Have an amazing rest of your Thursday & hoping that you have a fantastic Friday!

Check back tomorrow for Friday Favorites! :)

Sorry my blog posts are so random!

Friday Favorites

It's the weekend! I have time to rest & hang out with my family now :)

Yes, I know I'm in college and still watch Disney Channel..
Girl Meets World is an adorable show! It amazes me how this network can come up with such great story-lines that fit into only half an hour long episodes. I believe that what you watch greatly influences how you grow up.
I watched this episode at the beginning of the week, and had to share! :)
One scene in particular, starting at 16:45, is really powerful. Watch here.

I have found the best fall mix (and yes, I made it up)! If you combine birthday cake oreos, kettle corn, and candy corn, you will end up with the most delicious combo ever. Guaranteed.

Monday morning, bright and early, an amazing guest post by Maxie McCoy appeared on The College Prepster which I read faithfully. Read what Maxie had to say here; so inspiring!

London is the place to live! Click here to see a few of the many beautiful places you can travel to for a short day trip! Can I please move to the UK now?

And if I really wanted to go out of my comfort zone, I would go on wonderful adventures that can be found on this list..

One of my future house goals is to have a spiral staircase. I love these so much. They're beautiful. Check them out here.

So..my birthday falls during the month of April..and William & Kate are expecting their second child then! What if their new son/daughter just happened to be born on my birthday? How awesome! Read here.

In other royalty news, the Queen sent her first tweet this morning. Even she's up to date with the times. She really is the coolest.

I'm such a nerd. I became really excited when I saw these!
On my wishlist: Infinite USB, virtual keyboard (who wouldn't?), window phone charger, and a Polaroid camera (!!!!).

COLLEGE UPDATE!
These past few weeks have been challenging. I can't pinpoint exactly what it is, because there are various issues to take into account, but so far, I know that college has been a very interesting experience so far for me. All I know is that I'm growing. I'm finding out who I am, and who I could be. It's interesting discovering and developing things about yourself that you never knew before. College is just the part of life's journey I'm traveling at the moment, and it's been really cool. This is definitely a huge part of my life, which overall I am so happy about. But there are also moments when at times I'm wrestling with myself, and trying not to over-analyze multiple situations. Anyway, maybe I'll write another post about that at a later time..

Moving on to other topics..I cannot believe that this is the last weekend in October!
WHAT?! Also, Halloween is next week, which I am so excited about!

May your weekend be full of sweater weather, apple cider, and riding boots!
Enjoy fall these next two days..go visit a pumpkin patch or jump in a pile of leaves.
Love on your family and friends; wishing you the best weekend! :)

I Know This Is Corny But..

So..this is sort of a weekend recap!

Fall is officially one of my favorite seasons.
There are so many activities and do not even get more started on the style element of fall!
I went to a corn maze and I have to say they are so fun & will definitely become a new tradition for me! :) I had such a great time! I "got lost" four different times, ate half a huge bag of kettle corn, watched couples waltz (!!!), and walked on hay bales. Whoever invented the idea of a corn maze rocks, because it is possibly one of the coolest things ever. My favorite time to visit a corn maze is at night. I love how peaceful it is and how the sunset looks behind the corn stalks.

this picture does not do justice to how magnificent and gorgeous and beautiful the sky was

i want these lights; love!

blurry yet beautiful

kettle corn + bonfire

become one with nature (aka the corn maze)

loving the decorations of fall

walked across these hay bales

#ootn

Shirt: Ralph Lauren

Jeans: Old Navy (similar)

Boots: Kohl's (similar)

To you, my beautiful readers:

I hope this inspires you to go and experience a corn maze for yourself!

Have a wonderful rest of today!

You made it halfway through the week--I'm so proud of you!

Keep it up :)

Friday Favorites

Thank goodness it's Friday!

This week was a tiring one, but it was great and very productive!

I wish it was a long weekend, and even though it will just be the normal two days, I'm going to make the best of it! This weekend is going to be one of the best! Celebrating fall with some friends in the form of a corn maze and maybe visiting a pumpkin patch (?!) will be so fun!

College life rocks, I'm telling you :) I promise I'll update on my college life soon!

That will be a post hopefully next week! :)

If you haven't already heard (and really, how could you miss it?!), at the beginning of this week, Taylor Swift released a brand new song from her album '1989' due out in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS!

No article could describe the new track more perfectly than this one here.

Plus, she's released a few photos that showcase lyrics from various songs off her new album and will continue to do so leading up to her album release & I love it! Her use of social media to draw in her fans into the experience is awesome!

Skip to 2:50 of this video. She is adorable!

I love what TS has to say. She is so mature for her age and girls like myself look to her for inspiration.

One of my favorite quotes from this article is: "There's always a bit of your self-perception that's frozen in junior high, when you trained yourself to not feel cool. You'll never really feel like you're part of the ‘in' crowd, but growing up means that matters to you less and less every day." With Taylor promoting her new album, she is gracing the cover of many magazines this fall so that means many new articles with more words of wisdom.

(Sorry for so many Taylor Swift items on this list! Love her and what she brings to this world!)

I think I found someone who is more excited about this season than me. This dog loves fall.

What?! Wish I lived here, if only for THIS DAY! I heart pizza!

My blogger friend sent me this video & it is too good not to post! I love London and cannot wait to travel on the tube! This is a crazy challenge: watch it here!

I know this is really old (aka 2 weeks old--which basically is old news in this day and age, but I never have time to read all the news stories/blog posts I want [I'm a nerd] but I love ) so tonight, I finally read this article and had to share! I love baking and loved reading how making pies helped this woman learn to overcome the struggles of her everyday life and to find something that makes her want to wake up in the morning. Now I'm craving apple pie..

I need to budget my money, but right now I'm online window shopping..can we make that an actual thing? :)

Anthropologie, Kate Spade, and J. Crew all have AMAZING sales going on right now!

I really want this t-shirt (it's unique!), these pencils (I'm on the lookout for some!), and this skirt (my favorite!).

This week, my friend agreed to take pictures for this blog which I am so excited about!

Now I can post more #ootds, and I can't wait! Many of the bloggers I follow have a very expensive wardrobe that I am a huge fan of but sadly cannot afford. Because of that, I try to find cheaper alternatives to the clothes they wear. Note: cheap as in money wise and not quality wise.

Hopefully, I'm not alone and others can relate to my college budget! :)

Off to enjoy fall-related activities + schoolwork, because that's what college is.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you have a wonderful weekend! :)

Road Trippin' & Apple Picking

The colors of fall

Pretty pumpkins

Lovely little bridge

Attempt at an artsy photo

The most beautiful view

Leaves changing color

Fall in a picture

Take the (apple orchard) path less traveled by

Panorama pictures are my favorite

Wagon to carry all the apples we picked

Cool contrast, thanks iPhone

At least my sister thought this picture was cool..

Hidden treasure aka more apples

Perfect combination

Apple to apples

Through these photos, you can experience what I was able to witness in person. This orchard and its beauty never becomes old to me. I look forward to coming here every year because I love the scenic landscapes & everything that accompanies apple picking. The time spent walking in-between apple trees with friends and family this weekend are memories that I will treasure forever. Who knew there were so many varieties of apples to choose from?! Feeling carefree and full of energy, I enjoyed spending my morning with a few of the people I love. Apple orchards are very muddy, and deciding to wear my Hunters was one of the best life decisions I've ever made at 7 a.m. With my rain boots, I was able to add a special touch to my outfit without forsaking style!

That's a wrap on this weekend recap! :)

I'll Be Over Here..Alone With My Headphones On

I have so much work I need to complete..
BUT...Taylor Swift's new song 'Out Of The Woods' just came out! I've had it on replay since finding out it was released early, and NOT at midnight like she said!
I AM SO HAPPY AND EXCITED AND LOVING THIS SONG CAUSE AS I TYPE THIS BLOG POST IT'S STILL PLAYING :)
Listen to the full version here (instead of replaying the iTunes preview like me).
ENJOY AND WITH THE REST OF THE TAYLOR SWIFT FANDOM CRY TEARS OF JOY AND NOW WE ARE ONE STEP CLOSER TO HEARING HER NEW BEAUTIFUL ALBUM
And later today, when I have quizzes or tests, I'll just remember that I was listening to this awesome song and not studying and hope for the best! :)

Friday Favorites

I'm so sorry that I wasn't able to post a Friday Favorites last week! I had a busy schedule and I didn't leave time (which is sad, because I love my blog!) to make one. Again, I apologize, I didn't have a post prepared and also, because writing FF is one of the highlights of my week :)

Recently I've been almost overwhelmed by such wonderful music everywhere I turn and I just had to share a few of my favorites!

First, Ed Sheeran's new music video for his latest single is just about the best thing ever.

I mean, his gorgeous voice paired with an incredible choreographed dance for the entire length of the song!

And did I mention the spotlight heart? Precious! Watch here.

A few weeks ago, Demi was performing a few throwback songs at her one of her concerts and one of them included a reunion with Joe Jonas! Everyone was surprised but LOVED IT! They sang their Camp Rock duet (here)!

Taylor Swift--flawless as always.

Check out her cover of Vance Joy's 'Riptide' here.

I know this is a little old, but for some reason it kept popping up on Facebook this week. If you've never had a chance to watch, check it out here. This kid makes me laugh every single time!

Nothing makes this girl happier than food. When I saw that Dominique Ansel released his official at-home recipe on how to make cronuts, I was SO EXCITED! I became aware of this baker and his legendary confections via The College Prepster and I'm hoping to one day visit NYC and taste one of the treats from his store firsthand!

Until then, I'll (attempt to) whip up some of my own in my kitchen at home. Recipe here.

Apparently this chipmunk enjoys pizza just as much as I do. Watch the video here..

Man's best friend--watch here.

I actually would prefer it to rain on my wedding day!

One of my favorite pairs of shoes is my Hunter rain boots. Love at first sight (both the footwear & my dream guy). Wedding pictures like these would be gorgeous!

Last, but definitely not least: using surfboarding to raise awareness of mental health! It's basically the most interesting, awesome and fun support group ever! Hang ten!

P.S. Remember that day trip I was planning on taking a few weeks ago?

Well, it never happened..but it's okay!

Because I'm taking it tomorrow! I can't wait! Pictures + recap soon! :)

Have THE best weekend ever!

Stay safe, enjoy a break from the rushing around of the week, and be appreciative of every single moment that comes your way! :)

What Saturdays Are For

Today has been better than expected.

At first, I thought it was going to be another long day where I would just study for hours on end with no fun in-between.

Staying on campus during the weekend is both good and bad.

Sometimes with the right people, a few days at your school can be exciting!

And then there are those times where the weekend drags on and you cannot wait for people to come back on campus if only to hear about the fun times that they had over their weekend.

This weekend wasn't the most exciting and yes, it has only been a day so far.

But, today I was able to accomplish a few things--check at least two off my to-do list and prepare myself for the upcoming week.

I studied outside, because who wouldn't want to on a gorgeous sunny day like today?

And as soon as I stepped out this evening, it felt like perfect fall weather.

All I wished for was a big bonfire so I could make s'mores. (I'm always hungry!)

I met up with a few friends to eat lunch today, then studied for a few of my classes outside, went to a concert, and now I'm back in my dorm to study some more and work on a paper.

No procrastination for this girl (well, there are exceptions..I always take a few short breaks so I can scroll Tumblr for a bit and read some blogs, but then back to studying!), or else it will show when my work comes back to me.

I hope everyone's having a wonderful weekend.

I cannot wait to start planning fall activities. Just let me make it through this week, then I think I have a few events in the works that I cannot wait to see happen. I promise there will be pictures eventually!

I'm sorry there was no Friday Favorites this week--I didn't have the time or inspiration. I'll be back at it next week! I ordered a few items off Etsy recently and I cannot wait to feature them on here!

This is what Saturdays are for--the perfect mix of lazy and (kinda) productive.

Accomplishment + procrastination is the combination I would label myself achieving as I watched a football game at the same time as I worked math problems this afternoon.

Thanks to my wonderful friends for keeping my spirits up, my roommate offering to go buy food that's not from our school cafeteria (not that it's not good--but there's only so much of the same repetitive meal you can eat), laughter, music and love. Because there have been SO many reminders of love to me this weekend.

Love will always be there to heal and comfort. I can only thank those and share love with others and help offer encouragement to the people around me. No matter if I'm close to them or not, blood-related or not, I will give love to humans. (This is just inspiring me to write a completely different blog post about this! :)

Rest. Eat. Sleep. Relax. Dream. Walk. Read. But most importantly, love.

Love others today and everyday.

This is what Saturdays are for--to remind me no matter how busy my week has been, I need to take some time for myself and be thankful for this extraordinary life I'm living. It's the little things, truly.

SNAIL MAIL IS ALWAYS IN SEASON

October 1 means bring on the annual autumn activities. I'm thrilled because this season is all about pumpkin patches, apple orchards, and corn mazes.

Who wouldn't love this time of year?! Sweaters & bonfires make the perfect pair.

Though fall is meant for seasonal things such as these, what's really neat is that snail mail is always in season.

Coming to college & having my own P.O. box was exciting! My own personal mailbox!

The only problem is: I never get any mail!

I order items from Etsy or clothing stores, so I have something to look forward to! I check my mailbox at least 3x a day. I've always thought that working at a post office was the coolest thing to do!

Write a letter to a loved one today & don't let the important art of letter-writing fade out!

Some of my most treasured possessions are letters I have received from family & friends throughout the years, sending their love and well wishes to me through pen and paper. I have a tangible piece of them, something I am able to carry with me and re-read whenever I need it. I think letters are so very important.

They are what I turn to for comfort in days of sadness, and make me smile when I need it most.

Handwriting is unique to each and every one of us. I believe that you can learn much about a person based on their writing style. We are all different, and not one of us is the same.

(And a side note: I'm hoping to be able to post my handwriting on my blog, just like Mackenzie Horan! I am absolutely in love with the look of it and I think it adds a personal touch to the webpage. That's one of my blog goals!)

This was kind of a random post, but I felt I wanted to share it!

Have a wonderful rest of today & an awesome Thursday!

I cannot wait to post Week 5 of Friday Favorites :)