2016 Planner Overview

In an attempt to be more on top of things this year, I decided to invest in a nice planner. I ordered this one from Mossery on Etsy and although I haven't really started to use it, I love it so far! I thought it would be helpful to give y'all my first impression of this planner and I included plenty of pictures if you ever want to scoop on up for yourself!

One complaint that I have so far is that all of the monthly spreads are grouped together at the front of the planner instead of being in front of the weekly spreads for that month. On the other hand, it's good for planing out big picture things and it's nice being able to easily flip between month to month to see what's going on.

You are able to choose from 5 different options how you want your planner to be organized. I chose the vertical weekly spreads and I'm really liking it so far! I like how it has the hours on the side which makes it easy to write in my schedule and plan my days out. Also on the bottom there's a checklist and spot to write quick notes.

I'm crossing my fingers that I keep up with this for the whole semester. I'm trying to be on top of everything this year and I think this is really going to help. If y'all would like a more in-depth over view of how I use my planner once I get a system going, let me know!

Photo Diary | Snow Storm Jonas

Y'ALL. Y'ALLLLLLLLL. THERE WAS A BLIZZARD AND I AM STILL ALIVE. 

Enough with the all caps, Jonas was no joke. With over two feet of snow in a day the fact that I still have all my fingers and toes is a miracle. I may have looked like a total idiot running around in the snow being stupidly happy and in awe and wonder but snow is so damn pretty. The park was absolutely covered and I took full advantage by making a snowman and having a massive snowball fight. I know that the rest of winter is gonna suck, and this winter is probably going to be brutal and long, but at least my first experience with snow was one filled with overwhelming delight and happiness– and I'm fully aware of how cheesy that sounds but being in a blizzard is truly a beautiful thing.

the look

Jacket: J.Crew Factory (similar) // Sweater: J.Crew Factory // Jeans: Topshop // Shoes: Adidas Universal // Watch: Daniel Wellington

My favorite outfits are the ones that when I look at myself in the mirror all I can think is "YES! this is it, this is the look I'm going for". I hate when I feel like an outfit is missing something so when everything comes together I feel like I'm on cloud nine. I finally picked up some turtleneck sweaters when they were on sale at J.Crew Factory and I can already tell that it's gonna take some major self restraint to not wear them everyday this winter. I really can't stand when my neck is cold, but scarves can sometimes just get in the way so this is a perfect alternative. 

I paired my cozy turtleneck with my favorite jeans (Topshop is my new go-to for jeans, these fit like a dream), my everyday accessories, a lightweight jacket to keep out the wind, and my new favorite pair of shoes. These sneakers happen to belong to my brother, but not for long because I fully intend to bring them back to New York this weekend. Adidas Superstars and Stan Smith's are all the rage right now, but I've always been a dedicated Adidas lover and my brother has quite the collection of sneakers from over the years, he totally wouldn't notice if this pair goes missing right?

I'm obsessed with this outfit because it's the right amount of smart and classic with a good dose of fun and casual. I wore this while doing a shoot this weekend but I can totally see myself wearing this to go to class, hangout at my favorite coffee shop, go to work, or even run errands. Just swap the lightweight jacket for a proper coat (nyc is expecting lots of snow!!!) add some gloves and I'll be good to go!

Meet Durand.

It finally happened– I got new glasses! I've been wanting new glasses since forever and I finally got around to getting my prescription renewed and ordering a new pair. I've worn glasses everyday since I started wearing them when I was in 1st grade until 8th grade when I finally made the switch to contacts. Ever since then I have been going between contacts and my old glasses that haven't been replaced in forever (until now!). The frames I was using before we're terrible for me, they weren't very flattering, they had awful transitions lenses (which are very practical, but also not cute at all in my opinion), and they we're hard to see out of! Most of the time I was looking out over the rims because of how narrow the glasses were and if I pushed them any further up my nose then my eyelashes would uncomfortably press against the lens. This just caused even more eyestrain and also neck strain for me and it turns out that my old prescription was just a tad too strong which is why I could never wear my glasses when doing something very close up.

I know that Bonlook is all the rage in the blogging world, but I'm also a huge fan of Warby Parker with their sleek and modern aesthetic. They also have a few showrooms in new york (and other cities!) so I had the chance to try on all their frames before hand. If you're not lucky enough to have a showroom nearby, you can order some of their pairs for a free at home try on which I think is super neat! I got the Durand pair in Whiskey Tortoise and I'm a little bit obsessed. I've been taking selfies non-stop and haven't even thought about putting my contacts in. I feel like they really fit my face and personality and I'm glad to finally have a pair of glasses that I look good in.

Carefully Curated // 1

I am a huge fan of curating beautiful things and I love it when I look at my tumblr and see a group of photos that just go together.  Here's a few pictures that are currently making me feel all heart eyes emoji. Enjoy!

January Small Goals

2016 is gonna be the year I somewhat get my life together y'all. It's gonna happen– I can feel it. I've never really been the type to set goals and actively work towards them but hopefully this will be the year that I can come a step closer to becoming the ultimate goal setter and achiever. Resolutions are not my thing (honestly, are they anyones thing?) so I'm following Nicole's lead and setting some small monthly goals for myself to work towards! I've got another 3 weeks at home and a nifty planner en route to my house so I'm hoping that this month I can ease into a more organized and ambitious lifestyle that I'll hopefully keep up all year round!

1. File my taxes and fill out my FAFSA | 2015 was the year I got my first job which means that taxes are a thing I have to do now. I also need to fill out my FAFSA for the 16-17 school year as soon as possible! NYU is quite a financial burden, so the sooner I get this done the more relieved I'll feel and the more time I'll have to seek more outside scholarships. I'm trusting that the next school year will bring even more financial aid than this year so me and my family can breathe a little bit easier. 

2. Post at least twice a week (M/Th) | posting consistently has always been one of my biggest struggles with blogging. This blog is something that I really love and want to continue to grow and pursue so this month I'm trying to be a bit stricter with myself when it comes to posting. I already have my schedule set for the month and my mini goal is to always be a week ahead with scheduled posts. I think it really helps that I now have someone helping me plan content because I feel like she keeps me accountable. 

3. Use my blog Facebook more | I honestly don't even know the last time I used my blog Facebook! This month I want to really focus on using it more often to see if it helps at all with the amount of people reading the blog and attracting new people. If my numbers grow, I'll work or keeping up with it. If not, then I just won't worry about it. 

4. Do something with my writing | I never thought I'd say this, but I have really been getting into writing. Nothing lengthy, but just writing short little tidbits and insights about life and such. I'm not sure if anyone would be interested in reading them on the blog, but I'd love to at least make a plan on what to do with all the things I write. The past few weeks I started to feel really passionate about writing a short book of essays like my friend Jocelyn (book website here) and that's something that I think I'm gonna look into this month!

2015: A Year in Review

HAPPY NEW YEAR FRIENDS! I hope y'all had a smashing time ringing in the new year! I've never been the one to do much for the New Year, but I did really enjoy putting together this post and reflecting on 2015. So much has happened and so much as changed and I'm just really grateful to be where I'm at now. I always make sure to remember that not everyone made it to today and any day that I am here, living and breathing, surrounded by people who I love and who love me, I should be grateful. I'm grateful for making it out of 2015 and I'm even more grateful to be facing 2016!

LIFE

Big things happened this year. I graduated high school and said goodbye to my school of 13 years, moved out of my childhood home, oh and then I moved to NEW YORK CITY. So crazy. I honestly don’t know how this is my life. I think it weird how quickly and easily we can adapt to these huge and massive changes in our lives. I remember that I almost passed out at the airport in Nashville when I was moving to New York because I was so anxious that I couldn’t eat and I hadn’t been eating much the days leading up to my move. I actually had to force myself to get something to eat at the airport and even then I could only manage a few bites, that’s how nervous I was. And now, just a few months later I’m going about my day walking around new york doing my own thing without batting an eye. I admire how I was able to sum up the courage to take on the craziness that is New York, but when you’re truely meant to be somewhere, you just find a way to suck it up and make it happen.

ACADEMIC

 Y’all. College is hard. In retrospect, it really wasn’t that bad, but I’m not taking classes I love yet so it was hard to get jazzed about going to class and doing my work. One thing that I do think is surprising is how much I loved my english class. Majority of the schools at NYU require that you take a class called Writing The Essay and it seemed from my research and questioning of upper classmen that that was the worst class ever created. It also didn’t help that I had never really been a fan of english ever, so I didn’t have very high expectations. I got lucky and had an awesome professor and some pretty cool classmates (there were only 14 people in my class) so that made the experience that much smoother. I also wrote some of my best essays in that class and throrughly enjoyed what I was writing about which is how I feel all writing classes should make you feel. I also had a mini crisis when I came back from thanksgiving break about what I want to major in and do with my life. I haven't officially declared my major yet, but at the moment I am pursuing marketing but am constantly considering transferring to NYU's school of individualized study to do fashion marketing and interior design. I don't think I can really make a decision after only one semester, but that's something that I really have to think about as the year moves forward.

SOCIAL

One of my biggest fears about going to college was that I wouldn’t make friends. I grew up with most of my friends from school and I’ve never been in such a large environment before and to top it all off I struggle to relate to people my age because I basically act like I’m 45 years old. I get along well with my roommates which is great, I have a few friends who live in my dorm, made a few friends in my classes and the business school, and I got a little friend group going on. I really don’t think I’ve had this many friends in my life if I’m being honest. I’m grateful for all the friends I’ve made so far but if I’m being 100% honest, which is what I strive to be here on the blog, I don’t think I’ve truely found my group yet, which is a little bit dissapointing when I look around and see so many people with really solid friendships, but that’s kinda expected from me. Sometimes I’m just so focused on my own thing that it takes a lot for me to be focused on another person. I’m just really picky when it comes to people which sounds totally selfish and shallow but I think you’re allowed to be picky when it comes to who you want to surround yourself with and who you want to be able to depend on. Either way I still have plenty of time to meet new people and grow relationships.

STYLE

 I feel like this year was the year I really started to refine my style. It didn’t change much, I don’t think but I got pickier about the items I bought and where I shop, I found some new pieces and styles that feel like me and are quickly becoming staples in my wardrobe and my proudest moment of all I think I’m one step closer to reaching J.Crew model status, my ultimate goal in life. I’m hoping that in 2016 I can edit my wardrobe to be filled more with things I love rather than things I tolerate and that I have the patience and motivation to save up for a few big ticket items that I think would be valuable in my closet (hello regent blazer!).

Hopefully 2015 was a grand ol time for you! I'd love to hear how your year went in the comments below!