September Budget

Happy Monday all! Can you believe September is basically over already?! It feels like I blinked and those first four weeks of class just zipped by! This month's spending was definitely under budget, which is great in my book. Beginning to pay rent and buy school books probably played a part in that, along with having zero free time to even browse some shops. Yay grad school! First up is this beautiful rose-covered dress that I bought in Ecuador. While we were there, we spent some time with a woman who owns her own clothing store. She graciously spoke with me and my students in the back of her store where she does all of her sewing and designing. I had noticed this beautiful floral...

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When Fall Still Feels Like Summer...

It's fall, y'all! Crack out the pumpkins, apple cider, and beautiful oranges and reds because the best time of the year is here!  I would LOVE to be wearing some riding boots, flannel and a scarf, but alas, it's still in the mid to upper 80's where I am in California. Currently it's 88 degrees and feels nothing like a good old Ohio fall. However, rather than stare longingly at pictures of my ideal autumn weather, I've decided to be thankful for the warmth and sunshine and keep on wearing the sundresses in my closet that I can (sort of) sneak by as not specifically for spring or summer. Dress: Gap (similar) Flats: Old from Target (similar) Necklace: Charming...

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Reflections On My Ecuador Trip

Before I begin, I wanted to let you all know that unlike my other travel posts on the blog, this one is going to be only text, so if you usually visit to skim through photos (#guilty), I apologize in advance.  Last week I had the privilege to spend 10 days accompanying a group of 12 students and another staff member on an immersion trip to Ecuador. You may be wondering, what is an immersion trip? Basically, an immersion trip is an experience in which the participants travel to a location (either domestic or abroad) and immerse themselves in the culture and community they are visiting. A well-done immersion does not intend to simply enter a community to fix a problem, build houses, etc....

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The Last Days of Summer

I am loving reading new posts about fall styles and ideas, but I still have a few summer outfits to share with y'all and since it's technically not fall yet, I think I'm in the clear. (Apparently I had a thing for holding my sunglasses at my face...) I wore this super simple outfit on my first day in Florence. While a fun breezy dress is my usual go-to in the warm weather, a flowy tank with jeans is just as nice. And while in these photos the blouse is clearly for summer, I plan to add a navy cardigan to make it work and weather appropriate as the new school year kicks off!  Top: Lilly for Target (another option) Jeans: Gap Factory (similar) Watch: South Korean...

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Let's Review

I'm about to bring up a sale that most of you have probably forgotten by now: The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.  I know what you're all thinking: What's she doing? Doesn't she know it's been over for nearly a month? The end of summer clearance sale has already started! And you're right my friends. You are right. However, if you read my posts about the sale, you may remember that because I was in Italy and my purchases were sent to California, I was not able to try on my haul. Luckily, the NSale featured items that Nordstrom still carries which means if you were interested in anything I'm about to share, it's still up for grabs! (Just not at the sale price.) First up, the BP Striped...

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Simple Thoughts vol. 5

One of the amazing sunsets over the Golden Gate taken from my apartment balcony. This weekend I moved back to Berkeley for my final year of graduate studies (and hopefully final year of studies ever). It's a little bit of an adjustment getting used to new housemates and new students around, but I am very much looking forward to starting classes. Speaking of classes, I will actually be missing my first week of them (we start on the 8th) for a trip to Ecuador with 12 students for work. We'll spend 10 days immersing ourselves in the community and learning from the friends we meet. I have to admit, I'm fighting between feelings of being excited for this opportunity and not so thrilled...

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