May 2016 Favorites

May flew by! Finals week happened, and then it all went up from there. I was commissioned into the United States Army, then I graduated. I have been none stop seeing friends and family. I got to see my cousin commission and graduate, the month just never stopped! It was great. Here are a couple of things that kept me going through the month. 

Patterned Shorts//Patterned Shorts were a staple for this month. Theses were so easy to just throw on anytime someone dropped by unannounced. 

Coffee Mug// I was a big fan of caring around coffee when I was bouncing from place to place. I love this mug. 

Skinny Pop// I did a lot of back and forth between places this month. This was the best car food. 

Matcha Mask// What is better than a matcha latte? A Matcha face mask. I loved this mask, it was so gentel on the skin. 

Tassel Necklace// Throw this on with a white T and Jeans and you are good to go. 

Pointed Flats//Again something easy to dress up a casual outfit. 

Champagne hair dye//I love changing up my hair. I loved going a tiny bit darker ( no one else was really a fan)

Tarte Palette//I hate Urban Decay's eye shadow so this is a good substitute if you are on that trend. 

The Ultimate Travel Beauty Essentials

My skin gets destroyed when I travel. The change of water (well water is the bane of my existence), the food change, double the coffee, and anxiety. It does not help out the whole skin situation. I do have so go tos, to keep everything in tact. I make sure a always have a water bottle, and plenty of moisturizer to keep everything together. Also, I found that if I have a toiletry bag solely dedicated to travel that relieves some stress because I never have to pack or repack. 

1.Makeup Remover// These are the best when you do not want to go through the whole 7 step process of washing your face.

2. Face Moisturizer// This sent is amazing, number one. Number 2, this is the is the best moisturizer and it fights acne.

3. Dry Shampoo// I found the beauty in this product Junior year of college when I was taking 20 credit hours and 8ams (Not a good mix). This is perfect when you hair hair just needs a little pick me up. 

4. Mini Brushes// Holy Smokes. This is the number one thing that goes missing in my travel bag. I do not know what it is, but I can never find them. Having the own mini set that is always there is so convenient.

5. Naked Basics// This is so small and compact, plus when you are traveling you do not need 100 colors. 

6. Mini Mascara// Again, this is good to have on hand so it never goes missing.

7. Evian// This is perfect for a little face sprits when you do not want to take off your makeup.

8. Mini Blush// Benefit has the travel size blushes. Why did it take so long for this to come out?

9. Eyeliner// This is not really travel, but it is a need. Plus this is the best pen eyeliner.

Lake Weekend Needs

It is that time of year again when everyone in flocking up north on the weekends. Going to the lake will probably always be one of my favorite things. I love just not worrying about what I am wearing, not having to force a conversation, and getting plenty of relaxation in. Here is all of my lake weekend necessities. 

Towel// Tote Bag// Swim Suit// Sandals// Nike Shorts// Tshirt// Raybans// Nike shoes//Topshop Shoes// Shorts// 1/4 Zip

Spring Uniform

There is finally warm weather in Michigan! It will probably not last long, but I am taking in every moment that is given. With warmer weather comes better clothes! Michigan never gets overly hot, so my wardrobe has basically doubled. With the warmer weather, a new uniform has come. I have worn this outfit everywhere. 

At the end of the school year I had meetings with professors, last minute get togethers with friends, family get togethers, and I have worn this to everything. I am for sure a chronic outfit repeater. I have gotten lots of compliments on this outfit. People say, "I would never put that stuff together, but it looks great". With the season change the chambray shirt stays the same. This is such an easy outfit to!

Chambray Shirt// Lilly Skirt// RL Bag// Sun Glasses// Watch// Nail Polish// Sandals 

Ten Rainy Day Films

I love to watch movie trailers, it is such a weakness. If I get pulled into the YouTube black hole, next thing I know I have watched an hours worth of movie trailers.  Weirdly enough I am not a big movie watcher. I do not know what it is. I just can not focus on one movie, or I do not want to waste two hours on a movie I do not like. 

With post grad life I have found myself with a tiny bit of extra time (okay, a lot.). I am still not a huge movie fan, but I do love a couple of go-tos. I am not promising that these movies will make you a better person, but they will entertain you for an hour or two. (I refrained from putting Talladega Nights. )

Comet// I kept hearing about this movie, and never gave it a thought. If you can handle 500 days of summer, you can handle this. If you want a good cry hit this movie up. This film is very artsy, and it is amazing how there are really only two characters and you can hate both of them. 

Stuck in Love// This movie follows a family and everyone is dating someone. This shows the different stages of life, and how something can work out or fall apart. 

Can't Buy Me Love// Young Patrick Dempsey. Pre-nose job. Do I need to say anymore? This is a classic 80's movie. ( All of the fringe in the movie is completely wonderful)  

We Were Soldiers// This movie got brought up so often I broke down and watched it. It has all of the feels. Again, probably not the happiest of movies, but worth the watch.

Emma// Classic Jane Austen, can not go wrong with a classic match maker getting matched movie. 

Elizabethtown// I know, it is a city in Kentucky, give it a chance though. The movie is so cheesy, but it is a feel good film.

The Best of Me// Okay, this is just a Nicholas Sparks movie. If you want a good cry this is your movie. 

Bridget Jone's Diary// Maybe I am a little biased to this movie because it has my name in it. Bridget Jone's is so amazingly cringe worthy, that you can not stop watching. 

The Royal Tenenbaums// Hands down my favorite movie. The characters in every Wes Anderson movie are just too good.  Gwyneth Paltrow in this film is my spirit animal. Plus, this movie will make your family seem totally normal. 

Sixteen Candles//  Another 80's movie hits the list. It takes you back to your high school days where nothing went right, and you couldn't do anything about it. (We all had those days) 

New York Graduation

New York never disappoints. You do not even have to be in the city to have a great time. It is breath taking.  I love how you can be in the city, and then drive down the block and see mountains and great views. 





I was suppose to be working this past weekend, and was going to be unable to go. Some 
things worked out, and there I was all packed and ready for a 10 hour car ride. (Shout out to my mom she packed an amazing snack bag). 

Michigan is for the most part extremely flat, so driving through Pennsylvanian seeing the mountains was amazing. Once we got to New York, the house we stayed in was the cutest. There were 20 people staying in there, so you as you can imagine there was complete chaos. It was a great time to just kick back and hang out with the family. 

The graduations was great, Joe Biden was the speaker. He was a trip. He was roasting the cadets. I love how other schools have such set in stone traditions. Overall, It was awesome seeing my cousin graduate.

Carry on Bag

My secret skill is that I am an expert packer. I can pack two weeks worth of stuff in a carry on. Shoes included! Even thought I always pack last minute, I can do it pretty well. What took me a little longer to master is how to pack a carry on. I am an over packer and a carry on is all about minimalism. Here is what I pack to get me through the travel. 

The Tote Bag// I hate  backpacks, and they are even worse even when traveling. It is impossible to easily grab your stuff when you are confined to a tight space. That is why I take a tote bag, plus if you are going on a work trip that looks so much more professional. In my tote bag I throw in this sweater. It is basically a blanket, and I do not know about you but I am always freezing on a plane. The necessities are these headphones and this togo charger. I also get super bored on flights, but I can not focus so I make sure to bring a magazine or two. The most important thing in my tote is a huge water bottle. I get so dehydrated when I travel and that is a must have.

Cross Body Bag// Put all of the things I can not loose in my cross body bag I have my Wallet if I need one a Passport Holder. Then of course I put my phone (Phone case). Again I get bored when I travel. I make sure to have a couple of podcast downloaded. 

Makeup bag// I put everything I need to have to fix my skin after traveling. Again, my skin gets destroyed so i have: Hand Cream// EOS// Mascara// Blush (This is my sister's favorite blush)// face powder// Powder Brush

Statement

I love taking a dress and wearing a million different ways. Most of the clothes I wear I make sure that that they are classics so they can last for forever. I have a pretty set in stone wardrobe. I would classify it as classic, with a trendy twist. The things I like to add that are a little more trendy are the accessories. I love a good statement necklace. It can really make an outfit something new. 

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Dress

If the shoe fits, Wear it

I am still currently wearing boots here in Michigan (The boots are cute, but I would like the warm weather). I have always been a shoe person, but lately I have fallen off the bandwagon. Over winter break I picked up a few shoes for the winter, so I need to pick up some for the summer time. Not that it ever gets warm in Michigan. Big News though! I have "moving" to South Carolina for 3 months! I have not even had time to think about it, but hopefully the weather is warmer down there. For those a little bit closer to the equator, here is what I would be wearing on my feet this summer. 

I love the good old Birkenstock for running errands. If you can wear leggings still in the summer, these look super cute.// Kate Spade Keds// I love these Easy Wedges to wear everywhere// Jack Rogers// Vans are my favorite shoes ever// On the Town// Chic Sandals

Grad Weekend Packing List

I did not end up going to my own graduation, I did however get suckered into going to some family member's graduation. ( I do not know how that worked out either). That being said, at least it is a reason to celebrate and wear a cute dress! Here is a peak at what will be in my suitcase. 

Ceremony: Dress/Wedges (should probably wear flats if it is outside)/ Lipstick/ Sunglasses/ Camera 

Outfit for the day after: Chambray Shirt/ Summer Blazer/ White Jeans/ Watch/ Necklace/ Sandals 

Packet it all in: Tote bag/ Makeup bag

So Help me God

The day finally arrived. It was the longest day, yet it went by in a blur. I woke up at 6am to go through rehearsals. I was running around town trying to get the last finishing touches of my uniform in place. There was a tailoring emergency. I had to last minute make some phone calls and do some begging. In the end my uniform ended up pretty great. I got to pick up one of my biggest career role models from the airport. I gave her a tour of our building. It was awesome to see her in action! She is one of those people that you can just listen to, and you want to be her best friend. 

Right before everyone who was being commissioned was suppose to walk on stage, I realized that I had my name tag on my uniform shirt from earlier, and it was not on my jacket! If you know anything about the uniform shirt, you have to take off the tie and completely unbutton the shirt to get there name off of it. The once you have the name tag off you have to make sure the name tag is in the right place on the jacket. This sounds easy, but will take about 5 minutes to complete. 

The girls next to me realize what is wrong, they throw my tie off, rip my shirt open, button it back up, put my tie back on, and somehow manage to get my name tag on in the right place. I made it on time to walk on stage. That was hands down one of the best moments of the night!

From there it was time for commissioning. My cousin came in to do my oath of office.  It was awesome to see the family. There was a lot of crowd interaction from the speakers, and my parents were eating it up. They loved it. 

After the ceremony, there were so many pictures! (Sorry for everyone who is friends with me on Facebook, I am probably spamming you) I remember getting home and just sitting on my couch of 20 minutes, all I could think was wow, this really just happened. 

 

 I could not have asked for a better commissioning day. 

Get in The Good Book: May

For post-grad goals  I wanted to read more so I am starting my own book club (party of one). I am not organized enough to get my friends in on this. Mostly because I just steal books from them when they are done with it. Anyways, I'm going to do a monthly book club. I want to be reading a new book every two weeks, but I do not want to start out too ambitious. So for the time being I want to read one for fun book, and a non-fiction book a month. (I probably will not keep you updated on the non-fiction books because they are borderline text books)

I wanted to wait until after graduation, but my sister gave me Yes Please! And I can not  put it down. Seriously, Amy Poehler is a bad ass. Her book is basically like reading a magazine she has so many pictures, and the pages are pretty sleek. 

I bought/ have so many books that I wanted to read during college, I pumped to finally get be able to dive into it! 

All in a Day's Work

Its finals season, I end up spending the most time organizing everything. I do not distract myself with my phone or laptop (some self control), so I procrastinate by doing something else productive. When my desk is nice and organized I feel like I have somethings figured out. 

I will say one thing. I am so happy that this is my last finals season. This is something I will not miss about college. Here are some fun little knick-knacks for your desk. Good luck with finals season! (PS how cute are those gold pens?!)

|Totes on the Same Page Pencils| Pinnapple Pencil holder| Paper Holder| Mail Holder| Gold Pens | Stationary Set | Desk |

College Favorites

Graduation is a thing, and coming up way too fast. Everyone is having a melt down, and one of the most stressed out people in the world, is NOT. I have no clue why. I am weirdly content. I think it is because this is where I wanted my life to end up. I knew I always wanted to go into business, and it is happening. It is not a big surprise. 

With that said this is coming to a close. College was so fun. I had a blast, met some amazing people, did some amazing things. Here were all of my favorites from all four year. 

1. Michigan State University// I grew up so much these past three years. The quote "You need to keep breaking until you completely open." -Rumi can be applied here. There were a lot of break downs, I tried to drop out of school almost every semester, there were a lot of funks, but I think I'm better for it. This was an amazing experience, that I know I am truly fortunate to have had. The campus is beautiful, the people were great, it was truly an honor to be a spartan. 

2. Interning// I had the amazing opportunity to work in Detroit three summers in a row. I learned so much in those summers. Not to mention I got to write for their company blog! (here and here) I met some pretty amazing people and over one of my favorite things I did while in college.

3. Tailgating// In the north this is a commitment. You are going out in sometimes horrible weather. It is not like the south where you can go out in a little game day dress. This was my favorite thing about fall. I met some awesome people at tailgates, and made even better friends because of it. I can tell you I did not make it to very many games, but the tailgates were the best. 

4. Brody// This was the dorm I lived in my first year at MSU. I met my very best friend there. There were so many fun spur of the moment nights, someone to go get a second breakfast with, and over all just a fun time. 

5. Military Balls// Lets be real the only real reason to join ROTC (kidding) went to my fair share of military balls and each one was as fun as you can have at a black tie affair. I did enjoy getting my hair done and picking out a new dress. 

6. Mini Trips// I went on soooo many mini trips in college. I did not get a chance to be gone for too long, but I did get to go here and there for weekends at a time. I went places I thought I would hate, a million museums (okay a few), a few places I did not like, and a couple I loved. 

7. Army 10-miler// One of the best experiences I had while in college. Arlington cemetery was something I will never forget. Also the run is a run of a lifetime. You get to run by all of the monuments while the sun is rising. It was also crazy, that a general recognized my school and started chit-chatting with me about his visit. It was seriously surreal. 

8. Running// Again with 10-miler. I got really big on running in college. I was kind of burnt out by the end. I impromptu signed up for a half marathon, which was fun. In the summer its really nice here in Michigan because it never gets hot, plus at my parents house there are a ton of lake trails. However, in the winter that is a different story. 

9. Fort Knox// I had the biggest love hate relationship with Fort Knox. There were soooo many bad times, but I met so many amazing people that I really can not complain. Plus, you have so many good stories when you get out. (like the time my leg swelled to double its size because I got poison ivy)

10. The People// I am so fortunate to have met some of the most amazing people in college. I learned so much from listening to people and their stories. My friends, classmates, professors, family members, as I said before, my village is truly amazing.