Wanna Get Away- Mt. Lemmon

I'm a huge fan of day trips. Quick little getaways that give your soul exactly

what it needs to conquer the week ahead. Yesterday me and a couple of

friends drove up to Mount Lemmon for some cooler weather and some 

pretty scenery and it was perfect. We even found some water at Rose Canyon Lake!

Mount Lemmon is one of the wonderful secrets of Tucson (Not really a secret but a lot of people

never get the chance to go). It's 8000 feet above sea level so one moment you're 

in the desert and the next you see pine trees and the temperature drops significantly.

Also there are some very cool rock formations on the drive up. 

I think growing up near Lake Tahoe and taking vacations there multiple times a year

since I was little have made me a bit of a mountain girl. I need that

cool mountain air every once in a while to recharge and fill my lungs. 

Mt. Lemmon was perfect for that quick little recharge. Also any chance I get

to switch up my wardrobe and wear a sweatshirt is gladly taken. :)

Friday Inspiration

I found this adorable list off Tumblr and it's pretty great. 

I really do love Fall. 

Have a great and relaxing weekend!! 

Movie Recommendation:: Prisoners

If you are a fan of thrillers, then I recommend you buy yourself a movie ticket as soon as possible

and see this movie. The acting is phenomenal ((look at that listing of actors!)) and the

storyline keeps you on your toes the entire time. I'm not exaggerating. 

It's a long movie, 2.5 hours, but I promise it did not feel long at all. It was intense from the moment

it started to the minute it ended. I've been recommending it to everyone I see. 

If you see it, let me know what you thought! My roommate and I were still piecing 

it all together a while after it ended!! 

Taking It Easy

{I took this photo last weekend at the UA vs. UTSA game}

This semester has been going by very quickly. I know it's only September but next week

it'll be October and I have almost every weekend coming up booked! 

This past week was insane and jam packed with meetings, tests, review sessions,

lunch with friends, and keeping it all together. 

I had a minor meltdown mid week but recovered early and had a pretty successful

week from then on out. ((How great are moms and dads for lifting you up when

you're feeling down??)) 

I think in college the average student, definitely me, gets caught up in constantly

moving and hurrying from one thing to the next and forgets to take a day 

to just regroup away from obligations. Since school began everything has 

been non stop and this is the first day that I've barely had

anything to do. It feels like I'm being lazy and that I should call a bunch of 

people to schedule things but instead, I put the phone away and caught up

on TV shows and relaxed. 

College is a blast and there is always something going on, even in the desert ;),

but it's important to slow down maybe once a month and just reflect

and regroup. I'm sure this is the same way with a career. 

What's your favorite way to relax?

Girls Night Out

 {Just posing in an old elevator. I was a little scared it would move.}

 {Kylie being a model.}

Last Friday night I had a fashion club event (( did I not mention I joined a fashion club?

I love it!!)) where we got to dress up, head to a photography studio and mingle and 

have our pictures taken. It was a fun evening and I love any event where I get to

wear a fancy dress. :)

Before the event, we went to an amazing new restaurant in Downtown called Reilly's

and I had my first pizza that tasted the closest to the amazing pizza in Italy.

I immediately texted all the girls from Italy and told them about it and I think

a second reunion dinner is in the works now! 

Have a great day!!

Have you Heard of Moroccan Henna?

My roommate and I can't stop talking about it! It looks like green lipstick

and when you apply it to your lips, the color reacts to your body chemistry and the pH values in your lips and changes to a lovely shade of pinkish-cranberry! 

My color is more pink while my roommates came out definitely more 

towards cranberry. The other great thing is the texture.

One of the qualities I despise about lipstick is how dry it feels on your lips

and how reside is left on every glass. With this lip stain, it feels like Chapstick

when you apply and it leaves no marks! Magic!

I always feel too dressed up when I wear lipstick and with this lip stain, I can 

wear it in the day or night because it just adds a little color that completely

complements my skin tone without being dramatic. 

So if I haven't convinced you to try it out yet, let me just mention that it is also

extremely cheap. Always a win. :)

{I'm wearing it here}

I ordered mine off of eBay here and it came within a week, maybe less. 

Check it out and let me know how it looks!! 

Also, The Man Repeller wrote an awesome review of the product, here!
And Olivia from Everyday Musings is a fan as well! 

Friday Inspiration

{image}

"The only way to find true happiness is to risk being completely cut open."

-Chuck Palahniuk, Invisible Monsters


As always, some Friday Inspiration for you. :)
Have a lovely weekend!

All Around the Web

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1. I'm currently obsessed with the band, The 1975, and my friend wrote an awesome write up of them.        
     You can also listen to their entire album on this link. I recommend Heart Out.

2. This Peter Pan inspired wedding tugs on my heart strings.

3. A good post on friends.

4. I'm really loving Piperlime right now. A good range of prices and the clothes are beautiful!

5. Because babies really are awesome.

6. I've always loved Marchesa and they didn't disappoint for NYFW.

7. This picture is the ideal Fall photo.

Timshel

You know the song, Timshel, by Mumford & Sons? 

I absolutely adore that song for multiple reasons. 

Mostly, it makes me feel a range of different emotions. 

That was the song I blasted when I knew my grandfather was about to pass away 

and also the song I played when I knew I had to break up with a boy. 

This song has a way of bringing out any and every emotion you may be holding inside.

Even emotions you didn't know you had will be brought up while listening

to this song. But in a kind of amazing way.

I'm a firm believer in letting go of emotions whether they are good or bad.
Just let it out, ya know?
I never regret a good cry. It's the best type of cleanse.

Do you have a song that pulls every emotion out of you?

What I'm Loving!

Sweater, shoe, necklace and notepad from J.Crew. Dress from Kate Spade.

I bought the necklace this weekend and I can't wait to style it! Also, how adorable

is the navy daisy dress from Kate Spade? I'm on a shift dress kick right now.

I don't think they'll ever go out of style. I also love the idea

of always carrying around a notepad for when ideas, brilliant or not, pop up.

The one above is perfect. 

What are you loving right now?

We Are Young

Something happened recently where I was left disappointed and frustrated. A little hurt, but mostly 

disappointed and mad at myself for always believing in people maybe a little too much.

So the morning was difficult because on top of that we were out of milk 

and I realized my half and half went bad after I put it in my coffee. 

Just a morning of little frustrations. 

But then the day ended up being one of the very best after I let my mind

not dwell on the disappointments and instead turned to my friends. 

And then I thought of one of my favorite songs and the line that says, "We are young,

we are one, let us shine for what it's worth."

And so I let it go and look where it got me.

Here's the song::

{the picture is of me and my little sister in Hawaii}

Life Lately...

Lately life has been good my friends! Tucson has been showing off, weather wise, (although

it's going to get warmer starting this week) I was reunited with the people I studied abroad with

and we had an Italian themed dinner that was a blast, and school is kicking into gear.

My beloved SaltWaters have been mastering puddles like a boss with the monsoon weather we've 

been having and last night it was so beautiful outside I couldn't do anything but sit on our front

stoop and look at the sky (Top photo). So that's where I'm at. 

I hope life has been treating you well. :)

Don't Forget to Love Yourself

And kid, you’ve got to love yourself. You’ve got wake up at four in the morning, brew black coffee, and stare at the birds drowning in the darkness of the dawn. You’ve got to sit next to the man at the train station who’s reading your favorite book and start a conversation. You’ve got to come home after a bad day and burn your skin from a shower. Then you’ve got to wash all your sheets until they smell of lemon detergent you bought for four dollars at the local grocery store. You’ve got to stop taking everything so damn personally. You are not the moon kissing the black sky. You’ve got to compliment someones crooked brows at an art fair and tell them that their eyes remind you of green swimming pools in mid July. You’ve got to stop letting yourself get upset about things that won’t matter in two years. Sleep in on Saturday mornings and wake yourself up early on Sunday. You’ve got to stop worrying about what you’re going to tell her when she finds out. You’ve got to stop over thinking why he stopped caring about you over six months ago. You’ve got to stop asking everyone for their opinions. F--- it. Love yourself, kiddo. You’ve got to love yourself.

-found here author unknown.

Some quotes just make you sit up and reflect and this quote made me do just that. 

Don't forget to love yourself. 

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Outfit Post:: Stripes!

I love stripes. I probably own too many striped pieces of clothing but I think they never

go out of style. This skirt is a favorite of mine that I've had for a while. It's super 

high waisted so this crop top was the perfect fit for it. I wore this outfit

to school and was comfortable all day running out of classes and meetings. :)

Are you obsessed with stripes like I am?

{Here are the facts: shirt, skirt from Anthropologie years ago (similar cut), shoes}

Have You Seen the New iPhone?

The iPhone 5s is super slick! I love that we can now have a gold phone!

I am a complete sucker for gold and would honestly think about 

buying this phone just so I could make it gold. They even make cases

to protect but still see the shiny gold color.

(Because we all know a naked iPhone = forever stress)

But in case I still want a case, this one would completely do. 

Honestly, I probably won't spend the money to get the newest phone but 

I may upgrade my 4s to the original 5 so I can get the gold case

and call it a day. :)

What do you think of the new phone?

NY Fashion Week Spring 2014:: Kate Spade

One of my dreams (along with every other girl) is to attend New York Fashion Week.

I don't know if it'll ever happen but for now I'm content looking through

all the photos and the beautiful, beautiful clothes.

Here's Kate Spade's Spring 2014 collection:

 This navy dress is perfect. So classy. 

 These looks remind me of the Kentucky Derby. And I want them all. 

 And this reminds me of the 1950's so obviously I want every outfit here as well. 

That pink dress!!! The necklace!! The book clutch!! Her top knot!! 

Ok I'll stop, but really, I love it. 

{all images from Fashionologie}

A Quote a Day

“I am learning every day to allow the space between where I am and where I want to be to inspire me and not terrify me.”

—	Tracee Ellis Ross, in an interview for UPTOWN

Two Doors

I'm in a good place. It's the second week of school so we haven't had an exam yet (just

a pop quiz that I nailed!!) but I'm in a standstill in that I'm currently facing

two doors, two paths.

One (maybe the white one?) could be hectic and stressful but also bring a large amount

 of good into my life and the other (brown/purple one) could also be stressful but in a manageable 

way and would allow me more time to branch out in other directions.

I'm in that place that most adults reach a thousand times over and it's never easy. 

You'll always wonder about the door you didn't open or the path you didn't take. 

But I'm hoping I have no regrets after I make the decision looming over me. 

I've prayed and I guess that's all I can do until I ultimately make a decision.

But now, we wait. 

photos: (1) and (2)

Hello September!

{This was my outfit yesterday. Polka dots and flowers make the perfect 

combination. And yes, it's definitely still summer here.}

I think I've been in denial about it already being September. And not only that,

we are 3 days in! We don't really get a fall in Tucson (the next place I live will definitely

have a fall because it's one of my favorite seasons) so nothing is changing around here

besides a hectic school and life schedule. 

I'm definitely more of a November and December gal. September and October around

these parts mean the first exams and then midterms. But November means cooler weather,

I have some visitors coming, and it means Thanksgiving break!

And then, of course, December means Christmas and a nice long break. 

But I'm doing this new thing where I am trying to take things day by day (see what I did there?)

and maybe week by week but definitely not month by month. If we focus too much

on the future, the present at hand goes unnoticed. 

Have a wonderful Wednesday and do yourself a favor and listen to this beautiful
song. It's been on constant rotation around here.

A Peek at the Weekend

Here are some snapshots from my weekend spent in San Diego dropping my

sister off at college. I didn't think I would shed a few tears but I definitely did during

their ending ceremony for the weekend festivities. Her dorm is adorable

and I can't wait to share a few photos this week! 

Every night we had amazing sunsets and the one pictured in the last photo is the one

from the very last night, and this is the view from her campus. Amazing right?

I can't wait to hear all the stories she'll share about her first semester in college!

And after a beautiful weekend in San Diego, and a sunburn to show for it, it's back to reality. 

Have a wonderful Tuesday!