The Beautiful Little Things


There are some photos that bring you back to little memories you had forgotten and this photo
is one of those. While my parents were visiting Orvieto with me, we saw a Wisteria 
growing beautifully on the side of someone's house so we went over to smell the flowers. 
As we were sneaking a smell, the lady who had grown the wisteria was gardening in her
tiny yard and saw we loved her work of art so she proceeded to cut a small branch for 
both my mom and I. We were so struck by her kindness that we thanked her a thousand
times over and continued to smell the sweet smelling flower for the rest of our walk.

I think the kind woman understood the notion of sharing beautiful little things. What good
are they if we hoard them for ourselves? Pretty things are meant to be enjoyed and shared,
at least I believe so. 

It's funny how memories come to you right when you need them. I didn't know I 
needed a little reminder of the simpler, Italy days until now.
I miss Italy every single day. 

All is Merry and Bright


I hope you had a blessed Christmas day with all your loved ones. (My sisters and I clearly love one another haha. But really, we do.). We had a lovely day and I can't wait to share
some photos soon! Right now I'm doing some work on my winter class so I'm a little
busy but I wanted to drop in and make sure everyone had a wonderful day. :)

Enjoy the rest of December! 

Let's Play Catch-Up

Merry Almost Christmas!!
I am finally home for the holidays and there hasn't really been a moment to blog since
arriving home! 

First I left my adorably decorated home in Tucson after my Wednesday morning final
and headed straight to San Diego to see my sister. 

On Friday we drove the blissful 8 hours home which takes you right through
the farming central of California. It's a long drive with not a lot to look at but we were
giddy to be heading home!

 After we got home I quickly changed and freshened up and headed off to my friend's 21st
birthday party! It was so wonderful having all my friends from home in one place again.

I seriously can't believe Christmas Eve is tomorrow! I am trying to soak up as much of the
Christmas spirit as possible before it's gone. 

Hopefully I'll take out my camera this week and snap some real shots. :)
Have a wonderful day!

Little Frustrations

{amazing Everygirl print}

I'm in that stage where I am just waiting (referring to the quote above). I have had a lot
of faith lately and not a lot of moments that pick me up. I've worked extremely hard and
there have been no results showing my hard work. I think that's the most frustrating
thing about grades. Then on top of your own guilt and frustration, everyone around you is
announcing their good work and you feel defeated. (One of those moments that I really
hate social media.) 

Finals suck and we all know that but when it comes down to what you are choosing to 
major in and you still aren't producing results, finals suck even more. 
I'm currently in San Diego visiting my sister at her school until we both drive home.
I keep trying to put on a happy face and let all the school frustrations go but boy is it hard!

Tomorrow I am going to go to the beach, do a little shopping, and not check my grades
because who needs them anyways? (roll with me on this one)
We'll see how I do...

(I missed blogging A TON by the way!!)

I'll Be Home For Christmas

{This girl with a pineapple has nothing to do with what I'm about to say but I like the colors and it
reminds me of warmer days}

I am here to say I won't be posting this week due to finals. Honestly, it will probably be quieter around
here for quite some time. For the next week and a half my mind will be thinking about 
communication disorders, disability studies and language science non stop. 
Bare with me and when I come back I'll be in San Diego picking my sister up from 
school so I'll have some fun San Diego stories. 

Basically, I'll see you when I'm home for Christmas though. 
Have a wonderful week. :) 

Friday Inspiration


A serious girl, when she finds someone who calms her spirit and quiets her busy thoughts, will love you so fiercely, it will defy even her own logic and reasoning.” 
- Unknown.

Anna from Little Reminders of Love always has the best quotes on her blog and 
I had to share this one. I can't wait to find that man who quiets my busy thoughts.

Have a beautiful day.  

The Perfect Little Gifts


Everyone and their brother is putting together gift guides right now and a lot of the time
I end up becoming overwhelmed by the long lists. I thought I would just throw together 
a little stocking stuffer gift list that is short and sweet and any of these gifts would be
perfect for friends! 

Everyone has been talking about the gold monogrammed mugs from Anthropologie 
but what about the books cut out into letters? I have been wanting the 'A' for
quite some time. The Kate Spade glitter coaster would also be perfect for that friend
who is always throwing little parties. Maybe for your sister you throw in some of
the hair ties that don't crease your hair and give her some of those fun colorful
pencils! 

What are some of your favorite little gifts to give someone? 
(And all these gifts are $25 and below!!) 

Outfit Post:: Out in the Country







I absolutely loved being home this past week. There's nothing better than seeing some
real Fall and being surrounded by family and friends from home. 
We went on a little adventure up to Apple Hill on the first day I was there
 and stumbled upon this little farm. 
It was too picturesque to pass up so I immediately told my aunt to pull over 
because I needed to take photos. Everyone had a photo shoot promptly after. 

This outfit is one of my favorite because it was cheap (everything is from F21, Target or
Twice.com) and it is incredibly comfortable. My boots are the trusty ones I brought
with me all through Europe and this was the first time they made an appearance since
then. (We had to take a little break...) 

I dream about living on a little farm like this someday. While we were taking
the photos there was smoke coming out of the chimney and it was perfect. 
Doesn't it kind of make you want to sing and frolick around? Also,
it's possibly the best place ever for a wedding. 

Have a great Tuesday!

"I like this place and could willingly waste my time in it."
-Shakespeare

Thanksgiving Break in Snapshots

I had an absolutely amazing time being home for the short Thanksgiving break and 
thought I'd document some of what we did. We always go down to the Bay Area for
Thanksgiving to visit with family and stuff our faces and this  year was no exception.
On Friday we headed into the city for some shopping and while it was hectic,
we got a ton done so all was well.

Here's some snapshots::
 My cousin just opened up a new Philz coffee in south San Francisco and so the entire
family went to visit her at work and we all swooned over the delicious coffee.

 I went into J.Crew in San Francisco to dream about one day owning this perfect 
cranberry coat. (My mom and sister walked in soon after and told me to
put. the. coat. down. haha) 

 We went up to Apple Hill and frolicked in the leaves and experienced
some of a real fall. 

My dad and sister posed with our Gap bag (with the perfect gold accent) on 
pier 39 and it was the perfect product placement and picturesque scene that I had
to sneak a photo. (Also the fact that we were in SF where Gap originates was too 
perfect as well) 

And last but not least we decorated for Christmas!! We got the biggest tree we've 
had yet and it required 4 men to carry it into the house. The stump was also too
big for our stand so they had to saw off a good chunk. In the end the tree is
beautiful and one of the best we've ever had.

Did anything exciting happen during your Thanksgiving?