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MINE :)

Xoxo, M

Pardon Me!

My parents are flying in this evening! They have not been to Hilton Head and I can't wait to show it off. I am really falling for the island. I am very lonely and wish some of my awesome #twitfam (please follow/ tweet at me! @PrepOrBust :)) was actually here to help me enjoy it but the beach just never gets old!

That beings said... I am going to put my computer away and make the most out of my family's trip so forgive me for not posting over the long weekend. I thought I'd leave you with some silly facts about me...


The Fast Five

1. I love being called by my first and middle name. In fact my parents intended me to be called by both but somehow it rarely happens.

2. I am very very rarely spontaneous. Most of the time, I plan things carefully so they appear spontaneous.

3. I regularly delete friends from facebook. Lets ‘face’ it, we were never really friends and I’m tired of your stupid status updates. “Oh, you want to be my friend now? You didn’t even acknowledge me in high school, why would I let you stalk my life now?”

4. Horses have always been my true love. I have had several boys brave enough to ask me if they came before the horses. The answer never really went over well…

5. A lot of the time I think I am prettier in a sweatshirt with no make up and a ponytail then when I am all dressed up.

What are your plans for the weekend before the 4th?! I would love to hear them! Anyone get the lilly firework pattern? I adore it.... and plan on taking my parents to the Lilly Store here.

xoxo, M

Food for Thought

I have an eating disorder. No, I don’t puke up what I eat. No, I do eat three meals a day. No, I don’t binge. But I do spend altogether too much time on any given day obsessing over food. How many calories is this? How many fat grams? If I eat this now, will I be okay with just yogurt for dinner? If I don’t eat until 8, I can probably make it until bedtime without feeling too hungry. It is a problem.

I’ve always been a picky eater… I like my pizza with only cheese, my chicken sandwiches plain, and wish I could still eat off of plates with the little dividers. This makes me prone to thinking and planning my meals since I have often gone hungry instead of trying a new dish.

My issues with food did not really start until last fall. I always ate whatever I wanted when I wanted and while I didn’t have a 6-pack never really worried about it. I lived with a family during the summer that ate out at restaurants 3 meals a day and I put on more weight than I was comfortable with. At the end of the summer, I immediately began dieting and shed it all quickly. But the time spent staring at the scale and the nutrition labels became a habit.

I have wonderful friends at school, but they have their quirks when it comes to food as well. We have the one with 47 food allergies, the one with krohn’s disease, the vegetarians, the binge eater,  and a couple that suffer from serious eating disorders. Food and nutrition and exercise was a regular meal topic. Menus had to be looked up online for nutritional information before we went out to eat. When we weren’t eating, we were generally talking about food or planning our next meal. We would share whether we were succeeded or failing when it came to our healthy habits and would tell each other what we ate at each meal. A dinner out at my favorite pizza place would turn into hours worth of guilt and hating myself and my body. A cupcake at the local bakery became more torture than a treat. I would try to enjoy it, only to hear from my friends (who are tiny) that they can’t believe they ate that or heaven forbid they didn’t go to the gym today.

I honestly didn’t realize how food had begun to control my life until I went home and my mother called me out on it and I have been working on balancing my habits this summer. It is a frustrating process, eating is still mostly a chore and annoyance. I still plan my meals for the whole day before I even eat my breakfast, and carefully watch and compare how much my friends eat when we go out to dinner. I am terrified to have sweets in the house, and spend too much time looking at other girls bodies.  I am still trying to figure out what hungry actually feels like (that’s how confused I got about food) but I made cookies tonight and didn’t bother to count how many I ate.

I am a healthy college girl. I wear a single digit size, exercise at least a couple times a week, and like vegetables as well as a fresh pizza. I am a beautiful me.

Girls, just because you eat doesn’t mean that you don’t struggle with your relationship with food. Your fear of or desire for food should not control you. I think a truly beautiful and healthy girl listens to herself, and both her needs and her wants. We need to allow ourselves to actually eat when we go on a date (and it can’t be your only meal of the day) and bake cookies with friends.

Does anyone else struggle with this stuff? How do you keep yourself grounded in a world that equates a number on a scale or a tag with true beauty?

Xoxo, M

How Did This Happen?

I got a very exciting international the other night. It was one of my very best friends calling from Australia where she moved to be with her boyfriend that she met while vacationing in Europe. (I know... sounds more like a movie trailer than real life). But she was calling me to ask me to be her bridesmaid!

This is a first for me. I am only 20, but at home the cool thing to do is get married and while I have had close friends get married, L is older and I am in complete support of the marriage! After I had my little teary shrieking moment we moved on to talking about all the details there are.

But my mind kept wandering back to when we met in 2005, at a youth equestrian test. We studied horse parasties together, were obsessed with the movie cars, she had to teach me how to do t9 texting....

Where does the time go?

I am so thrilled for her, but at the same time it hit me that I am really becoming a grown up. And I'm not sure that I am ready and equipped for it. I also don't know if I really want it... being a child was so much fun. I know we couldn't drive, still had cerfew, and were in middle and high school. At this point I am even feeling nostalgic about college and I just passed my halfway mark! Eek

 But aren't there parts of 'childhood/teenagehood' you miss? When did you realize you were growing up?


xoxo, M

The Cooler Craze

So a fun tradition I just recently learned about is the cooler painting tradition. This is one of these times when I truly appreciate that I have not just moved geographically, but I have entered a culture in of itself complete with a checklist of traditions to be observed and enjoyed. Something that fascinates me is the southern belle and beau interaction. Generous boys spoiling girls with their time, money, and adoration, and the girls returning the favor with handmade gifts, and their precious time, presence, and love. I have to admit the first time I learned anything about the painted coolers was when a boy I "talked" (def: dating but not labeled) to posted pictures of one he received this summer on facebook.

I don't know how I missed them before... but I am now obsessed. I am going to paint one for myself (for practice of course) but I'm making myself finish my dads belt first!

This has not stopped me from collecting ideas however.... These are some amazing ones I have seen.

Personal favorite!!! Y'all should follow @PotsAndPearls
on twitter! She's fantastic!

Check out this page on facebook for about million other ideas!

Have any of you painted coolers? I would LOVE to see yours or hear ideas for mine :)

xoxo,  M

Vineyard Vines Lobster Bag Giveaway

Vineyard Vines Lobster Bag Giveaway by preporbust featuring flip flop shoes

Top
$48 - vineyardvines.com

Vineyard Vines flip flop shoes
vineyardvines.com

Wallet
$125 - vineyardvines.com

Vineyard Vines bangles jewelry
$48 - vineyardvines.com

Belt
$50 - vineyardvines.com

Vineyard Vines - Sailor's Dog Leash
$35 - vineyardvines.com

Vineyard Vines - Mini Patchwork Skort
$125 - vineyardvines.com

Vineyard Vines - Fine Line Stripe Whale Shirt
$90 - vineyardvines.com

Vineyard Vines - Linen-Cotton Club Shorts
$80 - vineyardvines.com




Check out this great contest hosted by The College Prepster! Here is my submission. 
Post the link to yours in the comment section!


xoxo, M

Swimwear

I currently own more swimsuits than I ever have before. This is probably due to the fact that I live at the beach... but thats besides the point!

These are what I'm wearing (and what I wish I was wearing!)

This was my big splurge on my spring break shopping adventures!
I love the ladybugs hidden in the pattern :)

I found this at my TJ Maxx! Such a good find.
It looks super cute with a black bandeau top as well!

I have this in orange, which makes me look really tan
but I love this raspberry color!

This makes tanning so much easier and
safer with that removable strap! No more
worries about having to move quickly!

Now what I would like to add to my collection... VV of course!

Polo seersucker? No explanation needed....

What are you wearing to the beach? What do you wish you were wearing to the beach?

xoxo, M

Hungry but Not...

It is so hot. And smokey. And Hazy.

For a girl, I am hungry all the time. But here nothing sounds good, and I am always too tired (aka lazy) to actually cook a healthy meal.

So this is what I have been living on...

Preferred Kashi Cinnamon Harvest with Apples or Strawberries

Weakness= Peanut Butter

Mine doesn't normally look this amazing

These make up most of my meals with a lean pocket, panera, or skinny cow ice cream bar thrown in.

What do you rely on in the summer? I would love some more ideas for my bland diet.

xoxo, M

Needlepoint

I LOVE needlepointing. I started last summer when my boss got me into and it is so cool to needlepoint a beautiful belt yourself. It takes a lot of time and can be rather monotonous but the end product is well worth it in my opinion. I have done one for myself, one for my mom, and my dads canvas arrived in the mail today!  I will try to get pictures of mine soon to post. Who wants one next?!

If you are not into crafting, luckily you can buy or order a finished needlepoint belt. Nothing looks better with a pair of khaki shorts than a needlepoint belt. Check out Tucker Blair's collection... here are my picks for this summer.

Scratch that.... blogger isn't letting my add pictures but any of these would make a beautiful addition to any summer outfit!

Which ones do you like? The bowties are my favorite....

http://store.tuckerblair.com/product-belts.html

xoxo, M

Sailing!

My head is filled with words like bridle, port, jibe, tack, and dead zone. But all I know is that it came pretty naturally to me (yes. bragging. I thought I was going to be terrible) and that I want to do it again. And I also really want to sail competitively. Maybe someday in life...

Have you ever been sailing?

xoxo, M

Summer Bucket List

Its a little silly, I'm almost a month into summer and just now getting around to posting my summer bucket list!

1. Make an awesome sand castle.... Can I steal the sand stuff from the kids camp at work?

2. Actually have tan legs.... Normally my legs spend the whole summer in breeches which leaves me with very awkward tan arms, and painfully white legs.

Check?

3. Have a summer fling... I know its cliche but I want to experience this!

My favorite summer fling movie...

4. Go Putt-Putt Golfing.... It has been way too long.

5. Take a trip to Savannah and Charleston... fairly self explanatory.

6. Improve my golf game... I really want to make the traveling team cut this fall.

7. Get a pair of Ray Bans.... I am trying to save these measly intern stipend checks.

8. Watch a fishing tournament... totally southern experience.

9. Make a friend who has a boat... once again self explanatory.

This would be okay

10. Learn to love running.... I run a couple times a week but I still kinda despise it. :/

Do you have a summer bucket list?

What is on it?

xoxo, M

5 Reasons I Love My Dad

Happy Fathers Day!

I am spending mine far away from my daddy dearest, but luckily I get to see him in a little less than two weeks so its not too hard to deal with. In fact I am taking my dad's own advice and being 'frugal' aka I am not shipping him his present. He is going to get in hand delivered when he arrives! For the record though, he did get a card to open today. So today my post is dedicated to bragging about my dad.

#1. He is never afraid to try new things. My dad dreamed about becoming a pilot his whole life but thought he couldn't because of his migraines. Yet we met a family who were all pilots and they set the record straight and my dad began working on his pilots license. Less than 10 years later, he has gotten several levels of certification, has his own twin engine plane, and even taught at the local aviation college. Just within the last year he has gotten into acting. He has been in two murder mysteries at out local studio theatre and even had to learn how to do a british accent. He actually just got nominated for their year end awards as best supporting actor. Thank you dad for showing me how important it is to try new things and never give up.

#2. He is a ladies man. No... I don't mean that kind of ladies man! In my house its me, my two sisters, my mom, and then my dad. Lets just say that when we put the family movie night choice to a vote... he never wins. He has made the most of it, even learning how to braid and curl my hair when I was little and helping us choose what shoes go better with our outfits.

#3. He works really hard. What ever he is doing, my dad works hard and does it the right way. He has instilled in me that if you are going to spend your time doing something. Do it right so that you don't have to do it again. He is really good at his job. I have to say I spent most of my childhood being bored by my parents discussion of my dad's firm, however the more I learn and the more I talk to other people about it I realize my dad is very very good at his job. I just wish that more people could appreciate that.

#4. Our dreams are his dreams. My dad is a big sports fan, but he was so patient with all of us as when we found our passion and talent within the world of horses. He picked up riding so he could spend more time with us and started competing. He even made the front page of the paper! He spent so much of his hard earned money and valuable time off to buy us horses that we would be safe on and taking us far and wide across the United States to compete. He was patient and supporting as I started pursuing other athletic endeavors such as skiing and golf and tennis, but I never ever felt like I was disappointing him.

#5. I love you, you love me, we're a happy family, with a great big hug and a kiss from me to you. Won't you say you love me too? He is a wonderful dad who has done everything in his ability to love, support me and challenge me. He has a wicked sense of humor, never complains about my cooking, and is always there to take my side.

Miss you Dad. Happy Fathers Day!
xoxo, M

The True Cost of Prep

Love this....

I love being preppy. I understand that there is a stereotype: being preppy comes from a lifestyle filled with leisure and trust funds. I have been very lucky in my life, but my parents never let me forget that I am lucky and that I need to work hard for the things I want. It is easy to be put off by the preppy style if you feel like you can't afford it.  It is important to remember a little bit about where the style comes from and one of the biggest reasons I am such a fan.

Prep never goes out of style. Yes, color hues and patterns will come and go by the season but the classic cuts and quality of the clothes will never be out of style. You can spend your money buying something trendy that you wear a couple of times one summer, or you can invest in a great vineyard vines dress you can wear a couple of times multiple summers. The philosophy of prep is making good investments.  When your closet is so classy and balanced, you can mix and match and will never be not dressed to perfection.

Yes... that is Lilly! Where can I get this one?

Fun old Lilly

I would totally wear one of these!

I will be the first to admit that many of the popular prep staples have high initial costs, and many preppy people can buy Lilly in every print and style they desire.

 That should not deter you from pursuing and enjoying the style. In the book True Prep by Lisa Birnbach, she confides that you should be frugal where you can (like never flying first class) and splurge instead on a nicer hotel or something that is truly going to impact your experience at home or traveling. 

Chris Hogan phrased it nicely in his blog (I highly recommend reading the rest of it here), "Yes, it started mostly at New England prep schools and ivy walled colleges. But the roots of preppy style can also be traced to a focus on social achievement, uniformity of style, propriety, proper decorum and class distinction. Conformity of dress at school resulted in the basic uniform of coat, tie, button down shirt, grey flannels or chinos and loafers or lace ups. Codes, traditions and sports also helped to nurture a bond and familiarity among budding preps and instilled in them a feeling of belonging."

I am materialistic. I will be the first to admit it as one of my major flaws. That being said, I am a huge bargain hunter and will always try to get the best that I can for the least amount of money. You don't wear your clothes with the price tag still on, so there is nothing to be ashamed of! I will be sharing tips sporadically to help everyone make the most of there money while embracing the prep. The thing that is much more important to me than where you bought your Lilly and if you paid full price or not, is how you conduct yourself. Being preppy is much more than how you dress yourself, it speaks to your character, interests, morals, and values. Don't be afraid to join the prepsters, just stay classy on the inside and the outside and you will fit in just fine.

Just look at all these classy people :)

xoxo, M