thankyou

I recently discovered this lovely site. How lovely is the idea of daily thank you notes? I think it's important to appreciate the people and things in one's life that bring joy and happiness. And saying thank you gives those feelings back and continues the cycle. I think it's a beautiful thing!

The first about empty rows on an airplane definitely fit into my Sunday afternoon when I was on my first flight back to school from break. The plane was pretty empty so I had all this space to myself! And the day went much smoother going back than traveling home the week before. Spending eight hours in an airport is quite draining... Thankfully, the rest of my spring break was very rest-filled and pleasant! But now it's back to the daily grind... Good thing the semester ends in just over six weeks!

drop like flies

THE WEEK'S ALMOST OVER!!! All that's left is three more classes, one more paper-thing, possibly a load of laundry, and an 8:20am flight! I still have to pack too, but that's neither here nor there right now. I'm so ready for this week to be over and finally home for a bit! It almost feels like it's the end of the school year...

top, belt, cardigan & tights - Forever 21

skirt - Urban Outfitters

flats - Payless

where the ensuing melee escape

Good News: Only TWO more days until I go home for Spring Break!!!

Bad News: I have a midterm tomorrow that I'm not completely sure how to study for...

The weather was actually pretty nice today! Quite a bit of sun, which is always greatly appreciated! So I busted out by ruffled romper that I got last summer kind of on a whim because it was cute and on sale. I think this is the second time I've worn it... I think it was pleading from the bottom of my drawer the past few days to be let out finally. Haha!

I was kind of hesitant to wear it though. I can technically wear whatever I want at school, but some things get you strange looks occasionally. I almost bought this great maxi skirt at Goodwill a few weeks ago, but I didn't because 1) I'd probably just look like an even shorter midget and 2) I'd get a lot of head scratching and questions about whether I was a Sunday School mom in the 70s. And I know that people's opinions of my clothes shouldn't affect the way I dress, but I think it'd just be easier to easy my community into things. Back home in LA it'd probably be fine, so I think I might save the long skirts for the summer. I think I'll see how they actually look on me when I'm home next week and go from there...

The good news though, is that I got a lot of compliments! Even from my friends who have previously expressed their distaste for rompers. Although a lot of those compliments came when people thought it was a dress... Oh well! It was a success and I feel like I now have social permission to try some newer things that my school probably hasn't seen recently. Who knows, maybe I'll come back and the end of next week rocking a gorgeous maxi skirt!

romper - Urban Outfitters

belt & tights - Forever 21

top - JC Penny

flats - Payless

time warp

This past Saturday, I went to paint mugs with some friends just to get off campus and spend time together. I went in with completely different designs than what I actually painted, but I really liked the colors and it just sort of happened. I'm really excited to get it back after Spring Break!

Today's been kind of a strange day for me. I stayed up way too late doing homework last night and woke up at 7:00am for my 8:00am class. I know what happened today, but I don't quite remember it... The two-hour nap that I took after dinner probably isn't helping in that respect...

The average temperature's been warming up and with Daylight's Savings Time this past Sunday, the days have been getting longer and it's lighter longer. We probably won't get any more freak snow storms any time soon. But it's been raining for the past few days and everything's been grey and miserable. And it's going to continue to rain until maybe Thursday. But I suppose that's a good thing since beautiful sunny days would make me sad knowing that I couldn't go outside because of homework and studying.

photos taken by Laura

going haywire

I received a really sweet compliment today from a girl in one of my classes. I told her I love her hair (it's the cutest pixie cut and looks awesome on her) and she told me that she always looks to see what I'm wearing every day to get inspired. How sweet is that? I'm a big believer in compliments and the power they can have on people's self esteem, so I often will tell people I don't even know if I really like their shoes or shirt or something - sometimes whole outfits. And hearing that someone thinks that I dress well really makes my day! Makes me want to give out even more compliments!

Last week was insane and this week is going to be even more so. There's so much to think about and do! I was telling my mum about everything I have to do and her response was, "That sounds like my last week of school my senior year of college! Aren't you glad you're a Lit Major?" Yes, Mum, I'm quite glad I'm a Lit Major. It's the best major! I'm just a tad stressed right now. I wrote a whole rough draft in only 30 minutes between classes today. That's skills right there. And a little crazy. Now I have to revise it and write a mid-semester assessment for my dance class. Thankfully, my classes tomorrow shouldn't be too difficult. One involves a whole class-period's worth of presentations. Maybe I can study for my test on Wednesday during that time...

cardigan, belt, skirt, & tights - Forever 21

top - Target

flats (not pictured) - Urban Outfitters

breakneck speeds

Hooray! It's the weekend!

The sun showed up today and warmed the earth all around! It was glorious! Made it a very happy day.

So last night's event was... interesting. We all looked really good and had awesome crowns and wands. The actual auction itself was really awkward and made me feel incredibly uncomfortable, but it was over fairly quickly and I could get back to my mountains of homework.

Everything is going so fast! I keep forgetting it's Friday... Next week is midterms week. I only have two tests, but there's still A LOT to do. The good news is that once it's over, I get a week off to read Gawain and the Green Knight for my Arthurian research paper in its entirety and relax and eat real food! I want to go see jane Eyre in theatres then if I can too. It looks really good and it's one of the books that I've read multiple, multiple times. I hope it lives up to expectations!

dress - Forever 21

tiara & wand - Dollar Tree

the rain came down

I have so much to do today! There are about four essays of varying lengths that are due tomorrow and I haven't even looked at most of them...! It's been such a busy week though that there has simply been no time to get to everything until the night before. I'm really feeling the pressure right now! And next week will be just as busy if not more so! Gah!

Today is also my eldest brother's birthday! Hooray! He turns 23 today. It feels so old, but it's not in the long run...

Tonight is also a charity auction event that I'm participating in. It's one of those date auctions where people pay money to go on a date with the participants, either individually or as a group. Some friends and I are in a group together, so it should be fun but incredibly nerve wracking! What if no one bids one me?? I'm trying not to think about it too much and focus on the fun aspects and the fact that everything is going toward MS research and treatments. The only thing that is really freaking me out about tonight is that it's coinciding with my homework for tonight... I'll get everything done though. Hopefully. (Can you say all-nighter??)

coat, scarf, hat, skirt, belt, tights & boots - Forever 21

blouse - thrifted

socks - Target

stay up all night

I love these boots so much it's not even funny. I bought them for the treads because we're still getting snow fairly regularly and I really don't like slipping on ice and slush. They're pretty good puddle traversing boots too. The top part is actually supposed to fold over to reveal shearling lining, but I wear them more like this.

I woke up this morning and there was new snow on the ground. It's ridiculous! We were getting spring-ish conditions just a few days ago! I can't wait to go home next weekend! I'm going to run around in shorts and tank tops all week. Even if it's only in the 60s!

top - JC Penny

skirt - H&M

socks - Target

necklace, tights & boots - Forever 21

just because it's real don't mean it's gonna work

I've passed by this spot before on my way to dance class and have always thought that it looked like a nice little spot to take pictures. But every time I walk by, I'm in dance clothes and hurrying to go to class. I recently had time after classes to go exploring with my camera and decided to venture down. The little tunnel intrigued me, especially with the graffiti inside so that's where I chose to take some outfit photos.

The sun has been coming out more recently and it's slowly warming up! Which means that the scarf might be a little overkill... But it pulls everything together more since I spend more time outside wearing a coat than without one. And I've just gotten used to throwing on a scarf with my coat before I go out. The warmer weather recently also means that tops like this are more okay. Last month I practically lived in sweaters and long sleeves. This past week I've been donning more lighter layers because I can. (And I'm getting really anxious to go home where it's in the 60s and 70s on average compared to the 30s and 40s up here...)

I'm also trying out more styles with my hair recently. It's finally long enough for Heidi braids! I normally just put it up in messy buns during class and leave it alone most of the time, but I've been getting really anxious to cut it again and make a big (BIG!) change. So I figured that since I probably won't cut it up here in the next few months (or even during the summer, to be honest...) I might as well take advantage of how long it is. Which probably means more Heidi braids over the next few months...

(Laura said I looked very patriotic this morning because of the red/white/blue color scheme of my clothes... I just liked how they looked together and wanted to wear my red tights... I don't really even wear "patriotic colors" for Fourth of July anymore. She later told me I looked like I was promoting our school because of my scarf, tights and coat since our colors are crimson and black. Again, not my intention. She was just making fun of me...)

coat & top - Forever 21

cardigan - Alloy

skirt - H&M

tights - Target

flats - Payless(?)

circle scarf - knitted by my mum

mix and match

What I wore a few days ago. I'm attempting to get out this rut that I've been in for the past month or so when it comes to my wardrobe. So I've been trying out some things that I wouldn't have tried earlier in the year and bringing back some things that I haven't worn in a while. Like skirts. Last year was full of skirts and this year I've been gravitating towards jeans a lot more. I think what's helping right now in mixing up my wardrobe is having lots of scarves and hats that I can mix and match with colors and textures. It's been fairly inspiring this past week so far!

skirt, belt, coat, hat & striped sweater - Forever 21

tights & socks - Target

scarf - knitted by my mum

boots - Alloy