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Thoughts & Prayers


If you follow me on Instagram, you know that one of the teachers at my school passed away Monday evening from losing her battle to cancer. Mrs. Reidy was the science department chair at my school, and one of the most inspirational people that I ever had the priviledge of knowing. I knew about her battle of cancer that began a few years ago, but I did not know she was still sick, let alone dying, until I arrived to school Monday morning and went for the assembly in the theater to hear that she ended hospice and was going home until her passing.

Although Mrs Reidy was never my teacher, I remember her coming into my biology class freshman year and answering some questions we had about cancer. I don't remember everything she said, but I remember her saying something about how when she lost all of her hair, she felt so ugly. Cancer made her feel ugly, and she simply was not ugly. Mrs Reidy's dedication to her students and faithful heart flowed out a river of beauty that lit up her being from the inside out. I can't say I knew Mrs Reidy extraordinarily personally, and she probably didn't even know my name, but there are some people in the world whose impact you do not forget.

I arrived to school yesterday morning and upon entering my first hour, I heard that I needed to go to the theater for another assembly. Everyone entered the theater silently. It was almost eerie how quiet it was. And then my principal simply said to us, "Girls, Mrs Reidy went home. She passed away last evening"

Not everyday do you see your principal cry. Not everyday do you attend a mass at school so touching that you and your classmates cry the whole time. As a community of believers, me and my classmates are truly reminded that God is good, all the time, and that everything happens for a reason although sometimes that reason is not always known. God draws us closer to him in times of suffering and for my school community I am forever grateful.

Please keep Mrs Reidy, her family and friends, and my school in your prayers.
xoxo

PS- If this sounds familiar, you may be reminded of {this post}

Splurge vs. Save

It's finally starting to heat up a little outside, enough for only a light jacket. Because spring is in the air and splurge vs. save posts are some of my favorite to write, I wanted to share a fabulous deal on probably my favorite item in my closet. Introducing: The Downtown Field Jacket

jacket

Splurge: J. Crew Downtown Field Jacket ($150) // Save: H&M Jacket ($40)

This J. Crew jacket is hands down one of my most worn pieces in my closet. It matches with everything and can be dressed up or down so effortlessly. Needless to say, it is for sure worth the splurge, but don't fret, you can save over half the price with this cool, casual H&M option.

See how I styled the J. Crew Jacket {here} and {here}

xoxo

Happy Weekend + Inspiration


Happy Friday! This week wasn't half bad for the first week back from spring break. Catching up with friends is always fun and I didn't mind everyone's spring break tans too much this year, because I finally got a little sunkissed myself this time around! {Last year I was so burned, it wasn't even funny!}

Just a little Friday inspiration to help us stay positive- the best is out there! Speaking of the best, how to die for is this home tour of Meredith Miller's "bright abode". I wouldn't mind moving in this weekend... I'm not thaaat busy ;) 

Have a good one!
xoxo

AZ Top 10 // Spring Break Recap

Arizona was so much fun. I think the thing that I loved most about my vacation was just the fact that I could spend a week in 90 degree temps while it snowed in MKE. 


Arizona, as I mentioned {here}, was so beautiful. Although there were quite a few cacti, I still spotted a little greenery here and there.


Taking a Pink Jeep Tour was one of the highlights of my trip. Sedona is basically famous for these tours, and they are totally worthwhile.


Again, AZ is so beautiful. Not everyday do you drive through a highway with a view like this.


Sunset from the car window... We rented a Mustang Convertible. Ha


Another sunset from the back of my Pink Jeep ;)


Does this remind you of ice cream too?


The view is almost unreal


Fun fact: I'm obsessed with palm trees.


I think I would've been happy going anywhere for spring break as long as there were palm trees and it was over 70 degrees.


And another shot from an outfit post you can see {here}.

Where did you go for spring break?
xoxo

Weekend Recap


I hope you all had a lovely and blessed Easter weekend. My vacation came to an end, and my last day of spring break is today. To say I'm not looking forward to returning to school tomorrow is an understatement, but I don't really have a choice ;)


My spring break recap will be up in a few days but for now here are a few snaps from my Instagram to catch up on:


There were lots of delicious treats to be had over break, so much that I'm started to get anxiety over how I'm gonna organize my recap {#bloggerprobs}. I have to say the best food all trip was an assortment of a whole dozen Sprinkles cupcakes... #yesplease.


The best part about Arizona was the views. I seriously don't think I've ever been somewhere that everywhere you turn you can see something so beautiful. There will definitely be more pics of that to come!


Finally, yesterday was a wonderful Easter Sunday. I donned a favorite Lilly dress of mine, and of course accompanied it with a monogram.

How was your weekend?
xoxo

Stacked Rings


I hope you're all having a good week. My spring break has been fabulous so far and I've been blessed with great weather and a wonderful time. A Nordstrom Rack and Saks Off 5th opened in Milwaukee near my house a few weeks ago and I have to say that it was super exciting for me. Being the designer enthusiast that I am, I was thrilled for the new additions in the shopping realm of MKE. Unfortunately, I visited both stores and they were extraordinarily sub-par. Honestly, I don't think I'll be back any time soon. However, I did spot some cute rings at Nordstrom and it really got me into the trend of stacking rings. I wouldn't consider myself trendy, but I do like to keep up on things {hello, I am a fashion blogger!} and I think this whole stacking thing is really cute.

This ring thing is everywhere... Shop my faves below:


I think the "ring thing" is so cool because you can purchase stacks or separates, and you can even wear them in the middle of your finger. How do you feel about the trend?
xoxo

Spring Break

I arrived in Phoenix yesterday around noon, and I'm so excited to spend a few days in heat and sunshine. Spring break is something that never ceases to thrill me year after year. We are the type of family who never goes the same place twice, so I think that takes part in the fact that I'm always so excited for spring vacations. Today I'm sharing a little of what I packed... my necessities.


In Flight Material // A good magazine, a light read, and Sudoku because {not kidding} I'm a math enthusiast and secret nerd.


Pool Essentials // My favorite sunnies, a cute suit, and tried-and-true leather flip flops.


The Basics // The all-around perfect tote for traveling, my iPhone, jewels, a pretty scent, polish, and earbuds.


Vacation Attire // A beachy print for this desert weather and my absolute favorite sandals.

What are / were your spring break plans?
xoxo

My Camera

I've been talking about it a lot, so I figured I should discuss my camera situation in it's entirety.


For Christmas, I received the Nikon D3100 {It's actually a lot cheaper now than it was almost five months ago.. go snatch it up!}.I heard great things about this camera, including that it is one of the best options for a beginner. The Nikon D3100 is the perfect price considering I have a history with losing things and breaking them. Also, I couldn't even take a picture that wasn't super blurry for like three hours after I opened it. However, I spent a lot of my free time in those first few months watching and reading tutorials about how to get the most out of my camera, and I have definitely benefitted from that.

When I first got my Camera, it came with the "kit" lens. For most DSLR cameras, this is an 18-55mm lens. That simply means that the range on the lens zooms from 18 up to 55mm. Shortly after getting my camera, I realized I wanted more from my photography. This camera is really good option because it will take some wonderful shots, but as most cameras are, it's more about the lens than the body. Last week I upgraded to the Nikkor 50mm f1.8g lens, and I'm obsessed. Because the lens is 50mm, this means there is no zoom range, so basically you have to walk closer or further from your subject to zoom. It really is not that bad or inconvenient, which is something I was kind of worried about. The main selling point for me to get this lens was that the aperture is f1.8. Aperture basically {sorry if you're a camera genius and I'm getting this all wrong!} is the ability of a camera to focus more on the subject of the picture and soften the background. A lower aperture, a softer background.
  


Both of these pictures were taken at the Madewell event. A really nice thing about this new lens is that it's an easy transition from the kit lens even for someone who doesn't always know what they're doing :)

What kind of camera do you have? If you have any other questions, comment below or shoot me an email. I'll be sure to answer any and all of them! Also, I'm all ears for any suggestions and tips for my 50mm!
xoxo

Weekend Wear

Living by the water definitely has it's perks... Sunday was super windy when I shot these photos, but they turned out pretty well for what I was working with!

I'm posting this outfit because it's definitely not one of my cutest looks, but it's an outfit that's in constant rotation in my closet. I think it's so easy as a blogger {especially a teenage blogger!} to put on an outfit that you're never going to get a chance to wear and honestly, if there is one thing that an all girls school has taught me, it's that I just don't care that much about how I look half the time... I'm not even wearing a dash of makeup in these pics! 

Introducing my weekend uniform...






jacket: j. crew // top: j. crew // jeans: gap

xoxo

Madewell Event {Video}

Wooo, we've made it halfway through the week!! Only a few more days until I leave for break and I could not be more excited. However, today I am sharing something that I am equally excited about as well.

My lens arrived Thursday, so I was just learning how to use it come Friday and the Madewell event. The low aperture was perfect for shooting some clips around the store, so today I am thrilled to share this video Caroline and I worked on!


Video content has become a big part of blogs and we are super excited to share this video with you all. Please leave a comment and tell us what you think!

The party was super fun and this video barely does it justice. I mean, we did not drive 2 hours in rush hour traffic for nothing, the event was completely worth it. 

xoxo

Weekend Recap

Hello, hello, and happy Monday! I feel like I fell off the face of the {blogging} earth this week with my little blogging hiatus... oops! I'm back with some motivation and a new blogging schedule {the erratic posting is coming to an end, people!}. I could not be more excited for what is coming to this little blog. This weekend was a big step for me as a blogger and I'm too excited to share with you all the fun things I have planned!


If you follow me on Insta {OMG, thank you all for helping me hit 1,000!}, you know I had the lovely opportunity to head down to Chicago on Friday after school with Caroline to attend the Madewell event hosted by Liz Schneider. SO much fun! More pics to come in a few days..


Post-Madewell I was pleased to enjoy the hands-down best meal of my life at Luxbar. I've posted about Luxbar before {here}, and once again, my expectations were exceeded. Sharing the truffle fries, caesar salad, and mac and cheese, Caroline and I were flung straight into a food coma and also, a relatively heavenly experience. It was that good. But also extremely bad for me... YOLO?


Not kidding, more food {I should probably go to the gym}; Saturday was yet another brunch!


On Sunday, I did a little shooting for the blog :) As I mentioned a few days ago, I got a new lens, hence why I had a bit too much fun snapping pics and playing around this weekend. Along with other things, my camera will be featured soon!

How was your weekend?
xoxo

How To Combat The Rain

Happy April! It's hard to believe how fast 2014 is flying by... I still feel like New Year's was just yesterday!

We've all heard the saying, "April showers bring May flowers!" and this year I'm actually debating whether or not it's going to rain this month or just keep snowing. Seriously, I googled it, and this was the longest winter in Wisconsin since 1936. On a brighter note, it can literally only go up from here (temperature wise, too).

rain

If it actually rains this month (praying it does), I will for sure be donning my trench and prized hunter boots. A fun fact about me: I love when it rains. As much as I dream of a day by the pool (in other states of course considering I'm trapped in a polar vortex), I'm a rainy day aficionado. 

Shop my favorite umbrella's...


Trench coats...


and Rainboots...

xoxo