Advice to Freshman

Today is move in day for all the new freshman, so I figured this could not be a more perfect post. It seems like just yesterday that my family was dropping me off to start the new chapter in my life. As a sophomore, here are a few words of advice that I would've liked to heard before my freshman year!

1. It's okay to get homesick. There were nights last year when my roommate was at the library super late and I was alone, so I would sit in my bed and have a good cry. I'm not saying I wasn't happy because I absolutely loved my freshman year. Every so often, a wave of emotions engulf me causing my heart to miss my mom, my cats, my bed, or my friends. The only way to make to make it better is to cry it out. I could not be more excited to be heading back to school in a few short weeks, but I know that I will still get homesick and that its okay.

2. Buy an agenda, and stay organized. Taking four or five classes will be much more to handle than you expect. I went into school registered for four classes with two labs or about 15 hours, thinking that it would be a piece of cake. Little did I know that I would have over 100 pages of reading for my classes each night in addition to classes and homework assignments. Having my Lilly Pulitzer agenda helped my stay organized, so that I was only super stressed out like 25% of the time! 

3. Find your spot in the library, and stick with it. The library can be a scary place. With numerous floors and different section, finding a spot can be difficult. Once you find a spot where its easy to stay focused and do homework, going back to that spot every time will ensure you stay on top of your work! For me, it's the silent section at a table with complete strangers. I am such a chatterbox and love to talk to anyone that will listen. Being in a place that forces me to stay quiet and focused on my work. 

4. Don't be afraid of getting rejected. The worst part of going off to college is not knowing anyone. In order to combat this, I joined Young Life and the Global Health Club. I also applied to be a Tour Guide, for a special Living and Learning program, on Honor Council and a few other things I can't remember right now, ran for Student Government, and rushed a sorority! While this seems like a lot, I wasn't accepted into all of them. In fact, I faced rejection many times this year. While it was hard, I was able to learn that rejection is part of life. When I found out I was accepted into my living and learning program and Honor Council, and received a bid from the Sorority I really wanted, having gone through rejection made the acceptances so much sweeter! 

5. Be yourself. While this seems like a common cliché, it could not be more true. Moving into a new environment and having to make all new friends is extremely daunting. It is also one of the best parts of college. Being 100% yourself will make sure that the friends you make are genuine. Having special friends that know you and love you for who you are will make being away from home so much easier! 

6. Download the Self Control App. Literally this app is a lifesaver, for social media addicts like me. It's for the computer and allows you to block certain websites for a given amount of time. This app forces you to stay focused while studying and honestly makes me so much more productive. I know that when my time limit is over, I can get on Instagram and Facebook for a quick study break! 

7. Don't sign up for everything. In high school, I was involved in basically everything. I played two sports for my school, played travel volleyball, was in Spanish National Honor Society, National Honor Society, a singing group, in addition to taking a total of 9 AP classes, but this was totally normal at my school. In college its totally different. While joining clubs allows you to make new friends, college classes are so much harder and the work necessary to do well takes so much longer. Now, I am involved in three extracurricular activities in addition to nannying and I think its the perfect amount.

Here are a few pictures from the first few weeks of my freshman year! 

Exploring the city of Richmond

Tailgating at the first football game

Dressing up as the Disney princesses for Halloween. I was Ariel, of course.

Enjoying the president's picnic over Parent's weekend

Love, 

Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale

The Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale is actually one of my favorite days of the year! To wake up early, and try to snatch up your favorite pieces at an incredible price is thrilling. Last year, I ended up getting to the sale late so many of the things I wanted were sold out. This year I made sure to be up and logged into my account before the sale even started. 

So far I've picked up the Marigold skirt in Jellies be Jammin' and a pair of Callahan shorts in Sweet Tart Yellow Crazy Cat House! 

Because everything sells out so quickly, the people at Lilly will add some new stuff tomorrow morning! I've been wanting a shift dress, so hopefully I will find one I like tomorrow. 

Happy Hunting! Let me know what you snag at the sale! 

Love, 

Sophomore Year Goals

With my sophomore year rapidly approaching, I've started making a list of things that I hope to accomplish. They aren't simply goals like keep my room clean or get good grades, but more emotional and personal goals. 

1. Confidence is key- After facing multiple rejections last year, my confidence was pretty low. I wanted to continue to apply to organizations or leadership positions but because of my track record of rejection I held back. Confidence is truly the best accessory and is essential in order to accomplish your goals. This year, I really want to focus on remaining confident in myself and my abilities no matter what negative or positive feedback I receive.

2. Enjoy life while studying more effectively- Last year I spent almost every second of free time in the library. Every free hours I would take a break and browse the internet or go grab some frozen yogurt with my big, Sweet Frog is our go to spot! While that was fun and a good way relax, this year I really want to focus on speeding deliberate time in the library to finish all my work, so that I can take time to do things I love like going shopping or to the gym! I will also be nannying this year in addition to being on Honor Council, so I will have to make time to do the things I enjoy!

3. Spend less time worrying- The amount of time worrying about my classes, my friends, or what I was going to do on the weekend last year was absolutely absurd. The anxiety that was caused by my doubt and worry made me miss out on some amazing un-planned memories. While I will always be a planner keeping my life extremely organized, this year I hope to allow myself to let loose a little. I want to make the most out of every experience that comes my way, even if its not written in my agenda. 

4. Go the gym (almost) everyday, if only for 30 minutes- This summer, I spent a lot of my time at the gym and have absolutely loved it. I've gotten back into yoga, taking a class once or twice a week and have seen a really positive change in my body! Spending time at the gym allows me to relax and feel better about myself. I'm not saying I need to lose weight, but as Elle Woods says, "Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy."

I hope this post helps insure y'all to make your own goals for this school year!

Love, 

Fashion Friday: Back to School

Nike Running Shoes // Backpack // Monogrammed Baseball Hat // Boyfriend Jeans  // Oxford Shirt // Hunter Rainboots // Watch

Even though it's no longer Friday, or Saturday for that matter, I still wanted to share with you all some of my back to school essentials. I have been super busy packing up my life to head back to school and while you're reading this I'm currently driving up to Richmond! 

Let me know what your back to school essentials are! 

Love, 

Modern-Day Slavery

Next year, I have been accepted to partake in the Sophomore Scholar in Residence program at the University of Richmond. This program is described as "sophomores with shared interests immerse themselves in an academic topic during a year in which they live, study, and travel together". After an extensive application and interview process, sixteen students are accepted into one of the ten programs offered by the university. The students will then live together in suite style dorms, (I am so excited to only have to share a bathroom with three other girls), take a class together, and then travel together to a location relevant to the class.

The program I have been accepted into is called Human Rights and Modern Day Slavery which will focus on the flourishing enterprise of human trafficking that not only exists in the United States but all over the world. As heavy as the topic will be, I am so excited to learn about something so prevalent in the United States, especially because of my interest in forensics and passion for the justice system! 

Through the class, we will be traveling to Washington D.C to speak with congressional representatives and trafficking survivors, Cincinnati, Ohio to visit the Freedom Museum, and finally to Los Angeles for a week long trip where we will attend a conference on trafficking. Los Angeles is a city that I probably would not visit on my own and am extraordinarily excited to have this opportunity to see the city that countless beauty guru's and bloggers rave about. 

I cannot wait to see what this course has to offer and will be sure to update y'all on all of our adventures! 

Love,

NYC Recap: Part 2

Sorry for the recent lack of posts, but I was super busy last week, working and starting to pack for school!

But last Friday morning we woke up bright and early to head out to the Hampton's. I had never been out East before, so I was super excited! Because my friend works at Soul Cycle, we were able to take a class right when we got out there. Soul Cycle isn't in the South, so I hadn't really heard of it before. The atmosphere of the studio was very laid-back  and I absolutely loved the class. For those of you that don't know, Soul Cycle is an hour long spin class with 45 minutes of intense cycling and 15 minutes of weights and stretches. It was an awesome workout and definitely felt sore the next day! We then headed back to my friends house, ate some lunch, and hung out by her pool even though it wasn't super sunny. I loved being able to catch up with my friends on all their summer adventures! 

That night we got all dolled up and went out to dinner at Dockside in Sag Harbor. The food was absolutely delicious and the view of the harbor is gorgeous. We were able to watch the sunset while eating some yummy frozen yogurt after walking through the town! 

Saturday morning, we woke up and because it was raining we were able to hang out and watch the Great Gatsby. I had never seen the movie before, but loved the book when I read it in high school. The movie lived up to all of my expectation and I would definitely recommend it to anyone! Then to my request we drove around the Hampton's and looked at all of the beautiful houses. One the way home we stopped by Citarella's for lunch and then hung out in the hot tub while my friend was at work. For dinner, the family had friends over so we hung out in the kitchen and ate some amazing authentic Italian food! 

Sunday morning after a delicious breakfast, we packed up the car so that I could catch my 3:30pm flight. I was sad to leave, but being with my friends made me so excited to head back up to Richmond next weekend! 

Love, Emily 

NYC Recap: Part 1

This weekend, I flew up to New York City to visit three of my friends from college! Let me tell you, it was one of the most fun weekends and made me so excited to head back. For the first two nights, right outside the City before we headed out to the Hampton's.

Two of my friends happen to live ten minutes away from each other picked me up form the airport and we went straight to their local farmers market! My flight was right through lunch, so I picked up a delicious mozzarella and tomato sandwich at the market as a snack. Then we went back to my friend's house and were able to catch up and reminisce before dinner! 

Her family is members of the Beach Club, so we were able to have a sunset cook-out by the water! 

Thursday morning we woke up, ate breakfast, and took the 10:15 a.m. train into the City! Because I had been to the city before, we avoided doing the "touristy" things. First, we walked from Grand Central Station up Fifth Ave to Central Park. I absolutely loved looking in the windows of all the big name designer stores. It was so intriguing to see brands that I have seen at Nordstrom or TJMaxx with their own storefront! 
Once we got to Central Park, we wandered past the zoo, the conservatory pond to see all of the little sailboats, the lake with the rowboats and Boathouse Restaurant, and finally to Bethesda fountain. Man it was a lot of walking! Central Park is absolutely gorgeous though. It amazing to see such vast expanse of green in such a crowded city.

Next we walked to Butterfield Market on 77th and Lex to grab some lunch which we took to the Met steps to eat! It was such a Gossip Girl moment, even with all of the people.
After lunch, we walked through the Met stopping at the Egyptian Wing, the Anna Wintour Costume Collection, and finally the Gary Winogrand special photography exhibit. I absolutely loved the Met, and could probably spend all day wandering through all of the exhibits. 
Next, we took the Subway down to Union Square, grabbed a snack from Whole Foods, and then hung out in the Park for a while. It was a nice little break from all of the walking we did that morning. 

Then we decided to walk to SoHo, just to do a little shopping. I had my first Brandy Melville experience, where we happened to see Candace, the Victoria's Secret super model! After shopping, we hopped back on the Subway to catch the 6:20 p.m. train back to her house! 
It was literally the perfect day in the City! To read about the rest of my weekend in the Hamptons, check out tomorrow's post!

Love, 

Charleston City Guide: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

While wandering Upper King Street after dinner last weekend, the family and I stumbled upon Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams! There has been a lot of new construction on upper King lately, so of course we had to check out some new menus and stop in for some ice cream. 

Jeni's has the most adorable decor! With sunflowers on every table, a blue and white chevron decorative wall, and chalkboard menu, and exotic flavors, Jeni's is the perfect addition to Downtown Charleston.

I decided to try The Buckeye State, which is a peanut butter ice cream with chocolate freckles, and The Milkiest Chocolate in the World, a delicious chocolate ice cream! It was amazing and tasted just like a Reese's Cup! 

If you're ever in Charleston, be sure to check out Jeni's on King Street or check out #jenischs for more delicious pictures! Jeni's also has multiple locations in the United States! 

Love, 

Fashion Friday: The Shift Dress

I was sitting at my desk the other day, stumped on what I was going to feature for this week's Fashion Friday. While summer is the best time to wear bright colors and experiment with styles and hemlines, I typically stick to the uniform of chino shorts, sandals, and a statement necklace. Then it came to me, the Shift Dress! As a matter of fact, a shift dress was even my outfit of choice that day. Of course, I had to take a selfie in the gorgeous Lilly dressing room at my Belk. Lilly Pulitzer was the front runner in the creation of the Shift!

Dress: Old from Gap // Shoes: Target (On sale for $10) // Necklace: Ebay // Bag: Steinmart (Similar)

While Shift dress is not the most flattering, they are super light and breezy on a hot summer  day. Here are a few of my favorites! 

From left to right: Lilly Pulitzer // J. Crew Factory // Ruche // J. Crew Factory

What's your favorite style of dress? Hope you have wonderful weekend. I will be sending mine in New York with some of my closest college friends! I can't wait.

Love,