Does a "smart phone" make me smarter?

The other day was a really big deal in my little life.  I finally got an iphone! Now I felt pretty behind the loop when it came to technology, but my parents told me I really didn't need to be able to email where ever I was and facebook was a treat not a necessity. And honestly I just couldn't argue with them. But over the summer I spent lots of time traveling (and living) in places with no internet access and missing school and work correspondences.

So when my mom called me and asked if I wanted a bike... I said no, I just wanted an iPhone and ta da!!!

So after getting my iPhone the first thing I did was go get a Lilly cover for it (navy bloomers, if anyone is interested) and it has been glued to my hand ever since. (On a side note I really like this cover, its not hard but not gelly or sticky either, and it still fits in my pocket!)

So far I am loving Whatsapp, Instagram, and of course Twitter!

 

What apps can you not live without?

xoxo, M

The Greatest Love

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13 






Thank you to all of those who laid down their lives for friends they never met in the World Trade Centers, and to those who have laid down their lives trying to protect our future.

All the Cool Kids...

... CRAFT. Turns out crafting is a pretty pearl girl/ sorority girl thing to do!

And I'm not just saying that, we joke that we are getting a degree in crafting! A great night here at school is movies, best friends, and whatever item you can find to craft!

I have been (im)patiently waiting to craft until I felt like I was kind of caught up on school and unpacking and since I was in class from 9 until 5 today, with only one class tomorrow I decided tonight was the night.

Ever since middle school, I have taken great pains to decorate my school supplies. I try to do something different every year....

This is last years...

Looking a little worn these days...

Tonight I was feeling brave and decided to try my hand at painting Lilly...

I was okay with how it turned out!

Do you ever personalize your binders or notebooks? What have you tried?

xoxo, M

You Can't Wash Away Style

When it is rainy and cold outside it is easy to revert to hoodies with sweatpants tucked into rainboots, but if it rains for a week straight that is just no fun! 

I am taking a class at a nearby college that is co-ed and so I'm finding that I actually want to make an effort! Even if it is raining! And for the record I don't just get dressed because there are boys, I mean.... well, okay maybe that is a minor part of my reasoning. But seriously... just minor.

So here are my ideas for a style that can't be washed away! 

Hunters... No explanation needed

 

Dubarry's! Actually riding boots
 but they are so beautiful, I wear
mine all the time!

I could never choose between Hunter's and Dubarry's! They are both very versatile but I get tons of use out of them both. 

I normally go for the dark well fitting jeans... you don't want bunching in your boots, and the lighter the fabric the faster they will dry during class! There are many things in life worse than soggy pants, but I am not ready to put it up there on things I enjoy either.

Today, I went for the long sleeve t-shirt. Simple, fits well under a rain coat, but still looks neat and tidy!

J. Crew has some of the best in the business...

A color like this will brighten up your
day and your space :)

A scarf will make your outfit a little more polished while still working for indoor and outdoors!

The obvious choice is Lilly. #wishlist

A quality raincoat is a must in the south! In the west, the temperature drops suddenly when it rains and so a heavy waterproof coat will do just fine... however here in the south you can be getting rained on and sweating at the same time so weight is a very important consideration.

I'm a North Face girl. I have
this one.. "octopus blue"

But I really like this Mountain Hardware One!

And now we only need one thing to finish up our look....

This is my FAVORITE umbrella that
I picked up randomly at Gap one day.
Brightened my day today thats for sure!

How do you keep feeling cute in the rain? I would love some advice since we are currently in a flood watch...

xoxo, M

Rain Rain Please Stay

Here we are less than a week into school and I feel like I am already behind! It has been pouring rain though due to all the tropical storms and I must say I love it.

The rain means I have an excuse to wear my comfy clothes I haven't seen all, listen to slow songs, and lock myself away in the library or room to study and get stuff done.

It has been a tough adjustment getting back into the school routine and today at least, the rain matches my mood.

But I always think of rain as cleaning the slate, a time to take time to tidy things up and knowing that tomorrow is a fresh day.

Anyone else love the rain as much as me?

xoxo, M

Mix and Match

Growing up, one of my goals was to have everything of mine match. We are talking same shade, style, everything. In fact if something didn't match I used to just put it away in a box rather than enjoy it. 

The problem with this was that I have a VERY hard time making decisions and I would change my mind every couple of years about what exactly I wanted my style to be. So in the end I ended up with not matching things since my parents would not let me change my room every couple of months (which looking back I totally understand!). 

But now I'm living in my very first apartment and I have to say that I am learning to mix and match. I bought some very cute pink bowls to go with green and white plates.

Not mine.. but I love these!

My room is far from decorated but I'm actually liking my blue bedspread combined with pink, orange, and quilted pillows. (I will post a room picture later).

I call this colorful...

Someday I want to have a collection of mismatched mugs. While I still think its important to keep an theme or style, I am starting to embrace the Lilly concept of "live a colorful life."

I know I have been very reflective lately, but I can't help but think that maybe my learning to mix and match and give up the pursuit of the perfect looking room is a metaphor for something bigger in my life. I am trying to mix and match my passions and responsibilities. Sometimes as college kids we are told to focus on how our life will look on a piece of paper, what will we have to put on our resume? I have always let myself be a one dimensional person, afraid to let myself be the horse-girl and a prep and a nerd all at the same time, because I wasn't sure that all those things matched.

I have this mug in my bathroom to remind myself :)

This semester, I am going to mix and match not only my room but myself, embracing all the different colors that I am made of.

Do y'all like to mix or match? Do you ever feel like you have different personas?

xoxo, M

Welcome Back

Hello! I missed blogging so much, but I was having the time of my life and really wanted to focus on all the opportunities I was getting. There will be much more on my summer later (and I hope y'all will share some summer experiences with me too)!

I had a totally blonde moment (I'm not even blonde naturally...) and mixed up the days of the week that school started! I needed to be at school on Monday not Tuesday, but it was about 10 o'clock on Monday when I figured that out. Needless to say my life was in complete chaos and I was an exhausted mess by the time I got to school. All I wanted to do was curl up in my bed or beast through my unpacking.

This stressed me out.. big time

However, at a small school especially we have so many traditions like opening convocation and first step, and I was surrounded by some of the most amazing girls and some of my best friends who I hadn't seen in months.

So what was I to do?

After some reflection I realized that I needed to put on my Lilly (I didn't even get a shower) and go celebrate with my school, take pictures with my senior friends who were popping champagne on front quad, and make an appearance at the block parties. I needed to go make dinner with my closest friends in our new apartments and catch up on our lives. I needed to let loose and visit the frozen yogurt place, facebook stalk new crushes, drive around singing country songs at the top of my lungs and watching the outdoor movie "Gnomeo and Juliet" with my roommate of 3 years.

Somethings that I have come to learn this summer is that a perfect looking life can be a false front. Having my room completely unpacked, adorable, and full of new craft projects is not going to make me happy.Getting a little bit more sleep isn't worth not supporting my senior friends, these are after all the last time they get to do these things. College is short, and while there are many things we have to do, don't forget to enjoy the moments with those you love the most.

So here is to a room that is still not completely unpacked, a roommate who is sharing her toilet paper with me since I have yet to make it to the store, and a wonderful junior year!

Have you found a balance?
xoxo, M