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This Week's Top 10



2. This bikini is scalloped, gingham, and under $30... It's the cutest look alike I've seen of the Marysia option

3. Speaking of swimsuits, spring break is coming up!!! I ordered these pants (but in a different print) that I posted in last week's top 10, and I shared the rest of my spring break wish-list here. With Jack here next weekend and spring break the following week, I'll be in Miami before I know it.

4. After Miami I'll be flying back up here for St. Patrick's day in Boston and then the rest of that weekend skiing in Killington, Vermont. I've never been to Vermont before, and I'm especially excited for spring skiing... it's the best/weirdest feeling when you're sweating but also in the snow.

5. That said, any Miami Beach recommendations are more than welcome!

I love this shirt and this shirt (both under $100)
...and this dress (!!!) and this dress (also both under $100)

7. I shared 3 easy outfit ideas for class on the blog yesterday, and all of them also include pieces under $100.


9. Tomorrow is the Alpha Phi red dress gala! You can see my favorite red dress picks here. AND THEN MONDAY.... It's the start of big/little week!!!

10. The weather has been gorgeous, so I'm hoping to get some studying done outside this weekend! I've been preparing for both of my tests next week before Jack comes and big/little starts, so I'm really trying to make this weekend productive! (Although I do wish I could be back in New York seeing the Red Hot Chili Peppers again...) Do you have any fun plans?

xoxo

Outfit Ideas for Class (That Aren't Leggings!)

I think it's time I admit that I have a problem when it comes to getting dressed for class. I am always in leggings or workout clothes, and I don't think I've ever done my hair intentionally to look half-put together for my 9 AM's. Never mind that the most makeup you'll find on me is a swipe of mascara and maybe some chapstick on a good time. It's becoming a serious issue. I need to pull it together. Maybe with a little outfit inspiration, I might be inspired to ditch the leggings and put on a just-as-easy outfit with jeans and a sweater. Plus, putting on "real" clothes shouldn't mean sacrificing comfort! With a cozy sweater and cute and comfortable shoes, it's really like a nicer version of your homeless-man outfit ;)


Outfit 1: sweater // watch // skinny jeans (BDG jeans are the best)
 slip-ons (i have these and love them!)

Outfit 2: wrap sweater // long necklace // distressed jeans // flats (only $50!)


Which outfit is your favorite? What does your typical class attire look like? I'd love some ideas!
xoxo

Red Hot Chili Peppers Weekend Recap

This weekend was so incredibly fun. Besides being perfect weather, I got to escape from Bethlehem for a few days with one of my best college friends! She is from Long Island, so I got to explore a different part of Long Island than I'm familiar with, and then we saw the Red Hot Chili Peppers on Saturday night!!!! The concert was incredibly. Seriously, it was insane. I can't even describe it! They're so cool in real life and they played every single classic/famous/old song of theirs, which was really fun to hear because I wasn't expecting that. 

A few photos...


We took an early afternoon bus out from school straight into the city on Friday just in time for an early dinner before continuing on the train to Long Island. We stopped for pasta at Il Punto in the Garment District and it was delicious!


When we got to Long Island we dropped off our backs and hopped in my friend's car to head to the mall and do a little last-minute concert-outfit shopping. I couldn't help but swoon over the bridal section of Nordstrom... typical.

We ended up getting back to her house, watching movies, falling asleep on the couch, and not rallying until noon on Saturday!


Buuuut, Saturday was the. best. day. We got New York bagels and iced coffees, drove around her town (it's a beach town, so it was gorgeous) and blasted music as I got to explore. One of her best friends from high school was also home for the weekend for the concert, so she tagged along too, which was so fun.




Her beach.... so cute.


Tomato + mozz + balsamic on a croissant = my weakness.

After a few more relaxing hours, we ventured back into the city for the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS!!!



Unreal. So unreal. Words can't even describe. 
I think I am going to work on making a master video of the videos I took at the concert to commemorate the night... If I do (which let's be real, I'll probably never get around to it), I will be sure to share it here!


A little Sunday morning brunchin' to follow... We went to this cool spot in Astoria called "create" where I had a quinoa bowl with egg whites, avocado, black beans, and chipotle, and then a delicious smoothie on the side! The smoothie sounded kind of intriguing so I had to order it... I think it was avocado, banana, pineapple and almond milk! Pretty simple, but I was fascinated about avocado in a smoothie. I would definitely recommend! So refreshing with the pineapple and super creamy.


After, we did a little bit of exploring in Astoria Park, which was also new to me. Her cousin lives in Astoria and came to the concert with us, so we stayed with her Saturday night which was both fun and super convenient. The weather was perfect so we walked around the park a bit before rushing back to school in time to finish all our homework.

Overall, it was a short, quick, and eventful weekend, but so, so fun. I can't believe I got to see the chili peppers in real life too!!

How was your weekend?
xoxo

This Week's Top 10


1. I'M SEEING THE RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS TOMORROW!!! I am so excited, you have no idea. This is going to be legendary.

2. Another exciting note of the week: Julia shared the gender of her baby! So excited for her.

3. My roommate and I decided we want to start making nachos and quesadillas in our room, lol. Here are other 23 other random meals you can make in your dorm microwave.


5. I think I need these pants for Miami.

6. I am in love with this living room by Studio McGee.

7. Thank you to everyone for your kind feedback on my more personal post this week. You're all the best!

8. Exactly three weeks until break, and two weeks as of yesterday until Jack gets here! Next weekend is red dress and this weekend will be spent in New York, so we definitely have a few things to look forward to my friends ;)

9. Speaking of break, the first half of mine will be spent in Miami, and the second half in Vermont. I've never been to Vermont before, but I know it'll be beautiful and the skiing will be great. 


What's on your agenda for this weekend?
xoxo

Anchor Hat


One of the best decisions I made over winter break was bringing my favorite navy coat to school! It's still cold here at Lehigh, but it's definitely starting to warm up a little bit (thank goodness!). As much as I'm going to have to ditch the wool coat soon, this hat is so fun whether it's wool coat season or puffy vest weather. I love how easy it is to add navy and white and a classic preppy pattern to an otherwise simple outfit. See how I also styled this hat in this post!

Valentine's Day 2017


Jack's big Valentine's Day gift to me this year is his trip out to see me at Lehigh in a few weeks. Of course, he wouldn't go out without raising the bar, so he also surprised me with a four pound box full of all the Reese's... every kind from the dark chocolate to the giant cups and even the pieces. He's crazy but it was so, so thoughtful. They're my favorite!!! I'm actually a little scared now to have them all in my position.... 24 days until spring break.... pray for me.

Thank you all for your kind feedback on yesterday's post! It fits in well with today, so if you haven't seen it yet, read about my experience doing long distance in college right here.

Happy Valentine's Day! Do you have any plans for today? I wish I could see Jack but knowing he's coming in just two weeks is good enough for me!! Today you all can be my Valentines instead; I love each of you!!!
xoxoxoxoxo fran

PS- I had no idea these photos were being taken, but how funny are they? My friend took them as I was opening the box. I couldn't not share :)

Having a Long Distance Relationship in College

Writing this post is a little funny to me because when I originally started dating Jack (almost two years ago!) I never, ever thought we would stay together once college came around. In fact, we both kind of made a point in agreeing that we would break up before we left, but obviously that just didn't happen :) This post was super requested, and I thought around Valentine's Day would be the perfect time to share. I'll start at the beginning! 


At the end of senior year around graduation, Jack and I decided that we probably weren't going to be breaking up for school. As much as we wanted to go to college without limiting ourselves or feeling restricted, it just didn't make sense for us to break up when nothing was necessarily "wrong" in our relationship. SO, to make the transition a little bit easier, Jack spent the summer in Door County instead of at home. This way we got used to seeing each other less and less, and although it was hard, it definitely made the idea of doing long-distance in college more bearable. I even went up to Door County one weekend with my best friend to surprise him!


In the middle of August, I went on my big trip to New York, Rhode Island, and Maine, and Jack came along. It was the best trip because I spent two and half weeks with my dad, Jack came for the majority, and my brother came for Maine. Spending so much time in my favorite places with the three of them made it one of the best trips and so memorable. Of course, this was completely different from the rest of the summer because instead of seeing Jack sporadically, we were together 24/7 for two weeks straight. Spending so much time together made us realize how compatible we really are, and how much we love just being together and spending time together. That said, the timing between the trip and heading to school wasn't the best (I was home for 24 hours between Maine and heading to Lehigh). Going from being together 24/7 to me leaving for Pennsylvania was so hard, and when it was coupled with my difficult adjustment to school, it made me miss him even more.


Before I left (just for reference, Jack goes to school in Wisconsin!), we laid out some ground rules. Different things work for everyone, but setting up some guidelines was really helpful for us. We talked about what we each wanted and then found a way to meet in the middle. This worked out super well at the beginning!

However, I went home in October and saw Jack for a weekend and it made it so much harder to come back to Lehigh for the second time when I wasn't loving it here. I felt like every time we got to spend time together it made spending time apart harder.

This semester, things have been going smoothly. Spending a month at home over winter break was the perfect time to feel settled at home and give us opportunities to figure out what worked last semester and what we wanted to do differently. At the end of the day, we just knew we had to be patient with each other and respectful. We know where we stand with each other and we trust each other enough to not have to worry about what the other is doing. We don't keep secrets from each other, but we also don't do anything that would be something that needed to be kept secret. In short: we respect each other and try to look at things from each other's point of view, without getting in each other's business.

It's been working so, so well. Jack is coming to Lehigh for the first time to visit in just over two weeks!!! I can't wait.

Long distance can be hard, but so worth it. There are times where it's even kind of fun... like picking each other up from the airport or getting to spend a whole month together over break doing our favorite things. Jack even sends me postcards almost everyday to school, and they seriously are the cutest. Little things like that make it different from just being together all the time. It makes the good times great and the hard times bearable. 

To all of you in a long distance relationship, best of luck! Do you have any suggestions, tips, or things that work for you?
xoxo

This Week's Top 10


1. Yesterday was a snow day at Lehigh! Wednesday was in the 60s and Thursday was a complete blizzard. The whole school looks so pretty; too bad I have been stuck in bed with the stomach flu!! Ugh, I don't know what's worse: the stomach flu, or when I had tonsillitis in December...

2. Even though everything sounds unappetizing right now, I still loved this article on the best brunch spot in every state,

3. Since I am missing my classes today (the flu...), I'm wondering if any of you have remedies? I haven't had an appetite, but I was able to drink a bottle of Kombucha yesterday.

4. I shared my favorite Christmas gift on the blog this week! Perfect for Valentine's Day, too. And you can check out my Valentine's Day gift guide here.

5. Speaking of Valentine's Day gifts... I picked up what I ordered for Jack from the mail center and completely lost it. I have been freaking out looking for it since I lost it on Tuesday... I retraced my steps and even called the mail center itself to see if anyone returned it. No such luck! I am so upset! I swear I can remember bringing it back to my dorm, so now I'm nervous that I threw it out... ugh. This is not my week.

6. The only thing that would make these few days in my bed more comfortable would be this pajama set, tbh. Or my mom #missher

7. Making a mental note that all of these bedrooms are gorgeous. (Future home, please!)

8.  At least the Alpha Phi date party is tomorrow night! It should be a ton of fun; I'm excited... Crossing my fingers that I feel better by then.

9. Oh, did I mention, I'm seeing the Red Hot Chili Peppers one week from today at Madison Square Garden!!!!!!! Literally can't contain my excitement.

10. Exactly one month until spring break! Are you heading anywhere?

xoxo

Spring Break 2017 Shopping Guide

I am so excited about spring break this year. Because my spring break falls the week before my brother's, my dad is taking us on a mini ski weekend during the overlap, but I will be heading to Miami with my best friend for the week prior! I am so, so excited because I love traveling with friends, and I haven't been to Miami since freshman year of high school. It will be especially fun, too, because it'll be just the two of us, so we can lounge by the pool, hang out at the beach, or do as much shopping and exploring as we want to. I seriously can't wait!

I've already started looking into a few outfits that I'll want to pack for the trip, and I've made this fun Spring Break guide to share with all of you as well. I am thinking of making a "resort" tab at the top, which would be similar to the "shop" tab, but all vacation clothes/accessories. This way all of you can come here for vacation packing essentials and fun pieces... let me know if that's something you'd like!

Without further adieu...


Cover-ups + dresses


Swimsuits


Shoes +Accessories



Do you have Spring Break plans? I would love to hear!! Also, if there are any Miami suggestions out there, I am all ears :)
xoxo

Red Dresses

As a member of Alpha Phi, who's philanthropy is women's heart health, we celebrate an annual Red Dress Gala in February, because this month is Cardiac Awareness month! It's fun too, because it's Valentine's Day in just a week, and of course we are all thinking of love, our hearts, and the like at the same time. How convenient ;)

The Red Dress Gala for my chapter at Lehigh is coming up in a few weeks, and I've been on the hunt for the perfect red dress! If you're making any Valentine's Day plans yourself, or getting a head start on prom dresses, maybe you'll find this round-up of reds useful as well...

I'm not huge into red, but it's fun to have an opportunity to wear something different from my typical black, navy, or other neutral-colored dress for once! I'm especially loving that velvet option, which is on major sale right now! Shop all of the dresses below:



xoxo

Monogrammed Patagonia



Okay, if it's not already obvious enough, I'm just going to come out and say it: I'm obsessed with gifting. Gift-giving, gift-receiving, gift wrapping, gift exchanging, writing gift guides.... It never ends! This year for Christmas I got Jack these UGG Slippers (on major sale right here!), and he got me the monogrammed Patagonia that I'm wearing in this post. It's just the kind of thing every college girl needs; it's comfy, it's cute, it's monogrammed (hello!) and it's perfect for class, the library, sleeping, and Netflixing alll dayyyy long. Oh, and it's also perfect if you needed another idea in addition to my Valentine's Day gift guide! Of course, he didn't actually buy it online already monogrammed... once it came in he took it to a local monogrammed to have it done. #dedication

This Week's Top 10


1. So, the groundhog saw his shadow yesterday, and I definitely think this sweater is the perfect transition for the next six weeks of winter to spring.

2. Olivia's wedding was seriously gorgeous. Now I totally want to get married in Texas?

3. This week I switched up my workouts from 75% cardio / 25% strength to more of a 50/50 situation and I really liked it... Here is a really good article that explains the benefits if you're on the fence about switching!

4. Speaking of fitness, I loved Carly's post the other day.

5. Old Navy has a ton of amazing workout leggings and they're all on sale right now.


7. Did you see my Valentine's Day gift ideas on the blog this week?

8. ...or how about my February playlist?

9. These sunnies are one of my favorite from my Valentine's Day post.

10. Alpha Phi is having our first date party next Friday and I'm in need of a dress! Any dress site suggestions for me?

xoxo

February Playlist

Hello, hellooooo! Happy February! I'm excited to post another playlist today, because these are some of the posts that I am most passionate about, and I have so much fun selecting songs from my current queue to share. Now that I'm in a sorority we have to go out more than I was used to last semester, so I've definitely been hearing a lot more party music at the frats and such, haha. This playlist, therefore, is definitely a little more upbeat than my usual chill/lowkey/mellow stuff. But take a listen and let me know how you like it....



What's on your current playlist?
xoxo