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Choices


I'm taking economics this semester and my teacher keeps stressing the importance of understanding that every single thing you do is a choice. You had the choice to read this blog post, I had the choice to write it. I had the choice to eat my dinner and do my homework last night. Everything is a choice and the benefits must outweigh the cost. That's that hardest part.

This weekend I am invited on a field hockey tournament in St. Louis. This weekend I also got asked out on a date... kind of. I actually couldn't tell you if it's a date or not because I really have no idea. Do I make the choice to go to the tournament, better myself at a sport I love, and bond with teammates? Or do I make the choice to hang out with a super cute boy that I've been talking to a lot lately? The benefits must outweigh the cost of every choice. By choosing one thing to do this weekend, it'll cost me the other option. There's always next year for the tournament or next weekend to hang out with the boy. But will I get a lot of playing time on this tournament? But what if one of my friends also likes this boy?

How do you go about making your choices?
xoxo

What To Wear to a Football Game

First off, I want to say thank you to everyone who sent the sweetest birthday wishes on social media! I did pass my driver's test, and I do have a car- very exciting! Stay tuned for a little peak into my present coming next week. For now, I'm sharing what I would wear to a football game. Tonight is the first game of the school year! Depending on the weather I might have to opt for shorts, but I can always pull out this ensemble out for another week.


{Click the icon for a direct link to the product}

I almost always sport my Converse to these types of things because they (obviously!) make me look sporty... Or, at least I feel sporty in them. I also like to keep it casual by pairing a distressed pair of jeans with a field jacket. I love my trusty J. Crew Jacket (women's is sold out, but you can get the girl's version!), but the option from Madewell above is too cute, too. Of course, a cute crossbody is necessary for all necessities and an easy accessory. I'm excited for tonight's game, what are you up to this weekend?

xoxo

16

{double 8 today}

Today is my sixteenth birthday! I'm so thankful for all of the birthday wishes I've gotten over social media already, even though the big day hasn't really been until today! I know a lot of people thought it was Saturday because of my party, but my actual birthday is today, I just thought it would be nice to have my 16th birthday party on August 16th... get it?

This month has been crazy; I've celebrated my birthday probably five times already so today will just be the last hurrah! I have field hockey practice until 6:30, so I won't be able to do a lot of celebrating tonight, but I'm ok with that since I've done so much in general.

I have my driver's test at 8:20, which I literally just realized is ironic because my birthday is 8/20! Don't count on me passing, I happen to have a bad streak when it comes to luck and although I consider myself a fairly good driver, that doesn't mean I'll pass my test! Wish me luck, however!

xoxo

Breakfast Ideas for School Days



I'm not the type of person who can eat nothing in the morning and wait until lunch to have a meal. I've never passed out, but if I skipped a meal, I think I would probably pass out. I eat a decent sized breakfast on school days, because having a "real" breakfast, aka a real meal for breakfast, has always been a part of my routine and it's something that I'm just so used to doing that I don't think twice about it. However, I know that the idea of eating an entire meal right when you wake up sounds foreign to some people. I have friends who don't eat breakfast because they're "not hungry". The fact of the matter is that your body has gone so long without food (usually 8-10 hours), that it will take a little bit for it to show you that it's hungry. It's important to realize this so you eat right away and avoid sending your body into starvation mode right off the bat in the morning. Here are some of my favorite breakfast options...

Granola + Milk | If you have never tried Bear Naked granola, you are seriously missing out. As much as I love the "Honey Almond", the Banana and Nut flavor has got to be my favorite. Seriously, it's so good.

Yogurt | Yogurt is an extremely easy option when you get the self serving containers, and it gives you a lot of the necessary nutrients to start your day well and keep you full. I've found that I prefer greek yogurt for their taste, and they provide a lot of protein which helps you stay fuller longer and have more energy throughout the day.

Naked Acai Smoothies | Hands down my favorite thing to have for breakfast is a Naked Acai Machine Smoothie. These things are the bomb. Not only are they delicious, but they are packed with marvelous ingredients and accompany a fruit salad or a bowl of cereal perfectly. They also can be taken on the go or shared between two people for a perfectly portion controlled snack.

What are your favorite school day breakfast options?
xoxo

Birthday Party Recap


Hello, everyone! Today is my first day of school, and I'm glad I finished off the summer on a positive note by hosting my 16th birthday party on Saturday. I asked for your help with what to wear a few weeks ago {here}, and I did order the dress that had the most votes {this one here}, but I ended up changing my venue and I needed a much more casual outfit for the party. I decided to go with an all-white look and neutral sandals and naturally wavy hair! I was really happy with my outfit, and you can see the entire look from my instagram {here}



I had a rooftop party at one of the most delicious restaurants in the cutest section of downtown called the Third Ward. Think great food, cool stores (Anthropologie, little boutiques), and interesting people watching. I curated a custom menu and the salmon salad was definitely the most popular meal of choice! One of my favorites, too!





I hosted 10 girls for the lunch/late brunch at 2 PM, but I invited 14 (I think?). Four of my closest friends actually couldn't make it for sports tournaments. In fact, I had a field hockey tournament that day too that I skipped!



It was a very Kate Spade filled party! My friends know me so well ;)


The bakery botched my cake... I wanted it completely plain on the outside with a lavender monogram and they went overboard. Not going to lie, I was near tears when I saw it (it was kind of horrendous), however, it was very delicious, which is all that really matters! It was a lemon cake with raspberry filling and buttercream frosting.


Hydrangeas for the table, of course! I also gave the cutest caramel apples as the party favor!


I matched with my mom which I thought was so fun. The party was a great success all thanks to her!

Wish me luck on my first day of school!
xoxo

Undeniable Pinterest




One of the best parts about blogging is all of the cool people you get to meet and the cool opportunities you're introduced to. When I was asked to take charge of the Undeniable Report's Pinterest account, I knew I would love to accept the challenge. Coming up with a unique aesthetic for another brand can be tricky, but working with a niche is important to understanding a brand and thus expanding their growth. 

With that said, please take a minute to pop over and follow along Undeniable on Pinterest {HERE}. Leave a link to your Pinterest below and I'll check out your boards and pins as well! Follow my personal Pinterest {HERE}
xo

My Birthday Party Invitations

If you follow me on Instagram (thanks for helping me hit 2000!), then you probably saw my snap of my birthday party invitations. Hands down the question I get asked the most about my blog is who designed my website... I actually designed it myself because I have this secret love for graphic designing. Although I don't think I would pursue a career in it (I'm not that good), I'm creative and capable enough to tickle my own fancy every once in a while.


I designed my party invites myself, and I'm super happy with the way they turned out. I chose pink and orange as the two main colors because they are some of my favorites and they compliment a lot. The process was something like...

Picking and designing a monogram with the Mark & Graham Monogram Maker

Pasting this image into Photoshop where I was able to size the white space around the monogram and add a border.

Copy and paste this image into Microsoft Word where I added the text and break line.

***

It was a super easy process; I hope this gives you a little inspiration to play around and get creative with your graphic design skills!
xoxo

Birkenstocks


If you talked to me two days ago (literally), I would've told you I thought Birkenstocks were peasant shoes and made people look like followers of Jesus... not that that's necessarily a bad thing, I just don't consider it a very fashion-forward move. Talk to me now, and I am obsessed. My dad and brother have a pair of Birkenstocks and my dad is kind of addicted. He literally told me he believes everyone should own a pair. 

Story time: We went shopping on Tuesday night and I tried on a bunch of regular styles at a store. Think two strap in shades of brown, and the Mayari in more shades of brown. The lady working at the store was sporting the Mayari's, but before I noticed that I accidentally told my dad that I thought they were hideous and I felt like a peasant who was heading into the wilderness to pick grapes. Um, I sincerely apologize for saying that. I think she thought I was insane! I ended up leaving the store all frustrated because I really wanted a pair to change into for after field hockey practices and such, but I just couldn't swing the peasant shoe look. 5 minutes later you could find me in another store carrying Birkenstocks, and the day is saved. Sitting on the shelf is a beautiful pair of silver Arizona Birkenstocks.

Long story short, I ended up falling in love with the silver pair. I'm kind of obsessed.. they are really casual but also super chill and I feel like I'll be able to work them into some regular outfits (maybe... we'll see). Not to mention, metallic birks are all the rage right now... Shop more below!



What do you think of Birkenstocks? Do you have a pair?
xoxo

Instagram vs. What Was Really Happening

I read this article the other day where a girl shared pictures from her Instagram and said what it looked like vs what was really going on... it was hilarious. I think it's so easy to feel like everyone lives a fabulous life on insta and so funny to hear about what they really had going on! Here's a peek into my feed:


What it looks like... I curled my hair for Father's Day and put on a nice outfit for brunch so I could take a quick snap before running out the door to meet my dad and celebrate.

What was really happening... My hair looked disgusting that day so it was in a a ponytail which is why it looks so short. In fact, I don't know how to curl my hair and it was so gross that I curled it with my fingers and stood in front of my closet door to get a decent picture. I don't even remember what I did on Father's Day, and I probably slept in that shirt.


What it looks like... Ahh, arrived at NYC and hanging out around Columbus Circle. Entered the shops and got a cool picture of the circle from my view inside.

What was really happening... I was in J. Crew at the shops on Columbus and I almost fell down the stairs / ran into someone trying to get this picture. I'm pretty sure they thought I was insane and after taking the picture I proceeded to knock over a pair of shoes.


What it looks like... Caroline and I casually spent an afternoon trying to make macarons. They didn't turn out perfect, but they were still delicious! Oh, and we have the same shirt too, isn't that funny? We always look cute when we bake because we are cute people with great lives. After all, doesn't everyone make macarons in June?

What really happened... We had to make macarons for a guest post for Gracey that never even got drafted because they turned out so horrible I almost threw up. In fact, there might still be some leftover filling in my fridge if you'd like to witness it. Also, Carin's wearing my shirt because we made the macarons on maybe the hottest day of the summer and we had to change out of our workout clothes so we could do it for the 'gram... #secretsout


What it looks like... Just shooting for my monogram necklace post! Doesn't my hair look great? That's natural.

What really happened... I'm not wearing a bra. I also made Caroline take this picture 5409438 times at a million different angles because I didn't think it was good enough.


What it looks like... Finally in Rhode Island! Stopped for ice cream and having a great time walking around town with the fam. 

What really happened... I was alone... in the middle of a street... at 9 o'clock at night, when I took this picture. Edited? Nah... Only had to bump up the exposure like 100%.

***

Let me know if you enjoyed this post! I thought it was super fun!!
xoxo

Stripes + Madras






top // shorts (similar) // converse

Today I'm linking up with Scarlett and participating in a collab wearing a printed item, or in my case, two! I wore this outfit in Rhode Island for a day of shopping and hanging out, but I was too busy to actually shoot it while on vacation. I came back home and recreated the look to show what I typically wear on a summer day... something comfortable, casual, and still cute enough to run around in public in.

Also, this doesn't usually happen, but I swear I'm not going anonymous because I didn't show my face in this post... oops! I kind of looked bad this day, hence the messy topknot ;)

#patternpartylinkup
xoxo

My Favorite: Peaches + Brie Recipe


Do you ever go to the grocery store and get so excited about everything in your cart that you just want to find the best way to eat all of it at the same time? Me too. Enter the inspiration behind this recipe... a cart full of peaches, cheeses, and crackers. My favorites! I opted for brie and long crackers because I've seen a few variations of this recipe floating around on the web. This is hands down the most delicious thing I've ever eaten, and I'm not just saying that! The fact that it's so easy to make that I can do it myself could get bad...



All you need are peaches, brie, crackers, and honey!



The recipe is relatively self explanatory. Cracker + Brie


Cracker + Brie + Slice of Peach


Drizzle a little honey on top...


That's it! One bite and you're hooked. Try it out and let me know what you think!
xoxo

Where'd You Go, Bernadette... Help Needed!

My favorite month of the year...


Something about my birthday month has me swooning over the entire 31 days we have coming our way. School starts in less than three weeks, but I still have a vacation to look forward to, and plenty of time to brush up on my field hockey skills before tryouts. Also, I have a little time to finish up Where'd You Go, Bernadette...


I really need your opinion. I haven't even made it halfway through this book and I'm ready to toss it out my window and forget about it. I'm bored and frankly, the book is just not interesting to me at all. If you've read it, please let me know if it gets better! I've heard so many great things that are encouraging me to keep reading, but I really don't know if I can! Even my mom and best friend read it and told me it's fabulous. I hate to ask for your help for the second time in one week, but desperate times call for desperate measures...

xoxo