Paris!

For me, one of the absolute biggest motivating factors for studying abroad in Europe rather than Mexico or South America was the endless possibilities for weekend travel.  Its cheap (well, the flights are cheap, but everything else adds up wayyyy too fast) and it's actually suprisingly easy as long as you plan ahead.  Before this semester, the only time I had ever left the States was to visit my friend in Canada, so this semester in Europe is such a crazy amazing experience I can't even put it into words.  I understand that traveling like this is such a blessing (especially for Americans!) and I'm trying to soak it in as much as possible.  

With that being said, I spent last weekend in.... PARIS!   I've wanted to visit Paris for as long as I can remember, and now I can officially say that it was even better than I expected!  I have a friend studying abroad in London and another studying abroad in Rome, and the three of us met up to experience the city for a weekend.  

Advice to future travelers, a weekend is not nearly enough time!  There are super long lines to everything, and there was so much I didn't get to see.  

Over the course of three days, we saw the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, The Arc de Triumph, Sacre Cour and so much more.  We (especially me)  had so many crepes that I'm almost ashamed, and we even tried macaroons (yum!) and escargot (NOT so yum!)  The snails actually tasted good, and both my friends liked them, but the texture got to me.  Imagine boiling an actual snail, then eating it- yeah, it felt just. like. that.  

One of my favorite parts of the trip was sitting under the Eiffel tower at night, eating crepes and drinking wine of course, while it sparkled.  Yes, sparkled.  The first five minutes of every hour the Tower lights up, but the way the lights work, it literally makes it look like it's glittering.  If you have a love affair with the Eiffel Tower like I do, you would definitely die.  I know I did.  

One last thing, as far as style goes, I have to say I was expecting more.  I mean, I was seriously stressing out about what to wear to such a stylish city, but while I was there I didn't really feel like it was too different than anywhere else in Europe.  Granted, all Europeans dress better than Americans, and every country (that I've seen so far) kind of has its own little styles, but Parisians as a group were an understated classic kind of thing.  With a lot of what-not-to-wears present too.  And all the shopping I found was either HIGH end, or tourist, so no clothes from the style capital for me :(

Alright, picture time!

Outfit Details

Pink Skirt Outfit
Top: H&M, € 9.95
Skirt: H&M, € 19.95
Tights: Gift from Greg
Belt: J. Crew Outlet, $9
Necklace: Sfera, € 4
Blazer: Thirfted, $4
Bag: Target, $9
Flats: Pull and Bear, € 19.95

Striped Dress Outfit
Dress: H&M, € 7.95
Belt: Mom's
Tights: Mom's
Chambray Shirt: J. Crew Outlet, $35
Boots: Target, $35
Necklace: Sfera, €4.95

Sequin Skirt Outfit!
Skirt: H&M, €24.95
Chambray Top: J. Crew, $35
Tights: WeLoveColors.com, $12
Flats: Pull and Bear, € 19.95
Necklace: American Eagle, $4

Hello Summer!

                           

{Skirt: H&M, $17}

{Top: Loft, thrifted, $2}

{Wedges: American Eagle, $20}

{Necklace: Gift}

Wow.  I never intended to take that long off blogging.  But it did pay off- I made As in every class except my hardest one, and I still made a pretty good grade in there too :)

I hope everyone's summer is getting off to a good start.  I get to start my 2 internships as soon as I get my wisdom teeth out (ughhhhhhh.) Until then, I'm just getting some unpacking done and finishing up some random loose ends.  Here's to getting back to regular blogging again!

Summer Fields

What

Dress: ShopMamie.com, $35

Top: Target, $7

Wedges: Target, $15

Earrings: Claire's, $2

Why

I love this little tank top dress, mainly because of the whimsical print (airplanes and roses.) But I decided to add this black ruffle sleeved top underneath in lieu of a jacket or cardigan that I would normally wear with it. I'm sad my shoes didnt show up in any of these pictures though- the black and cork wedges were so cute with the dress!

Every Vacation Must Come to an End...

What

Dress: Target, gift

Wedges: Target, $15

Trench: Old Navy, $9

Necklace: Steve and Barry's, $6

Where

Back to work...

Why

It's been SO incredibly hot and humid here lately, so today's solution was a dress and ponytail. I know I say this about lots of things, but I seriously do love this dress. Since I normally want to wear it way too often, I figured it would be a good fit for the 3o for 30.... That's how I picked most of my items actually (pictures coming tomorrow!), just by choosing the items I would love to wear over and over again.... plus a few randoms to make everything fit together. If you're doing the 30 for 30, how's it coming?

Gosh I Love Vacation

What

Shorts: Old Navy, $4

Tanks: Old Navy, $3 each

Denim Shirt: gift

Sandals: Old Navy, $5

Ring: Charlotte Russe, $4

Bangles: Rue 21, Forever 21, Old Navy- about $10

Headband: Forever 21, $4

Bag: TJ Maxx, $20

Iced Coffee: Mucky Duck, $4- If you're ever in Duck, NC go to the Duck Bookstore and coffee shop and order this. It's pretty much amazing.

Where

With the exception of trying to disguise myself as a nature photographer while getting blog pictures (I admit, I'm still a little embarrassed when people catch me taking pictures of myself) today's little outing was amazingly peaceful. I got in a last little bit of shopping before starting my 30 for 30, then enjoyed this delicious iced coffee while getting pictures on the nature boardwalk at sunset, and to top it off, there was a lovely jazz band playing in the background somewhere.

I Like My Size... Most of the Time

What

Me

Top: J.C. Penney's, 97¢

Shorts: Target, $6

Vest: Old Navy, $4

Necklace: Vintage, Mom's

Bracelet: Target, $5

Ring: Charlotte Russe, $4

Sandals: Forever 21, $18

My Sister

Top: Old Navy

Shorts: Target

Belt: Old Navy

Necklace: Lucky and Tiffany's

Sandals: Old Navy

Where

Shopping and taking fun pictures on the lawn during vacation on the Outer Banks

Why

I try to exercise and be healthy, but I'm not afraid to eat ice cream too, so I honestly am one of those people that are fairly happy with their size... until I go shopping and the last remaining item that I fall in love with is not my size. Then I usually wish I was whatever size needed to fit into that item. Usually when this happens I just sigh and walk away, but every once and awhile that thing comes home with me anyways... such was the case with these shorts. They seriously fit perfect in everywhere but the high waist. For $6, a long shirt covers the too tight waist just fine :)

30 for 30

Kendi Everyday is one of my favorite blogs. From the cute outfits to the hilarious posts, I seriously just love reading it. Back in April, Kendi challenged herself to something called "30 for 30" in which she had to choose thirty items which included tops, skirts, pants, dresses, AND shoes, and wear only those thirty items (accessories not included) for thirty days. She's doing it again this month, and she's asking other fashion lovers to join...

I'm in...

For someone who loves variety and hates to re-wear the same pieces quickly, this will definitely be a challenge. Ironically though, I'm REALLY excited because this challenge will force me to think outside the box and come up with totally new ways to wear items I already love.

Since I'm on vacation for the rest of the week, I won't be able to post my items and start the remix until I get home, rest assured I'm already planning out some fun stuff though :)

If you want to join in too, head over to KendiEveryday to get the rest of the details!

Happy Fourth!

What

Dress: TJ Maxx, $20

Scarf: Old Navy, $2

Cuff: gift

Where

Taking pictures on the beach and then spending time with my family

Why

Today was pretty simple outfit wise- I wore my new white dress with a nautical red,white, and blue scarf tied in my hair. It was the perfect no fuss outfit for lounging around the beach with my family for the holiday (that's my little sister pictured above)