Fourth of July + Florida Picture Party

I've been on the go for what seems like all of summer, so I've decided to wait to post recaps of my different trips. I'm planning on going in reverse order starting with this most recent trip: Florida. 

My aunt and uncle live in Melbourne Beach, aka one of the cutest Florida beach towns ever. We go every few years because it's a solid thirteen hour drive from home. (For reference, their house is about an hour or so southeast from Disney World). 

Because this was a family trip, it was pretty chill. We mostly just visited with our family and didn't go on many "adventures" besides to the beach or on the boat. 

We went to the beach almost every day. It's a little different from the beaches here (I don't know if Grand Isle, LA is really the grandest of beaches). 

Currently reading The Cuckoo's Calling. It's a little slow-moving for my taste, but it's okay. 

Under normal circumstances, I would have just stopped reading and switched to another book by now, but anything by J.K. Rowling deserves to be finished. 

(Side note, is anyone else really excited for Harper Lee's new book?)

On the Fourth of July we went out on the boat and set up next to a little island in the river. 

My festive headband is from @OhHeyItsSarahJean on Instagram! She has an Etsy shop! 

Paddle boarding isn't really as hard as I thought it would be, but boy did I feel it in my legs after! They were like jello! I guess it's time to get back to the gym. 

Even mom did a great job on the paddle boards! 

We only stayed out on the boat for a few hours before the rain came. Once we were back on land, mom and I ventured to an adorable little shop called Mica and Molly's. 

It was full of Lilly Pulitzer, Vineyard Vines, Jack Rogers, KJP, Lauren James, and pretty much every other preppy brand you could imagine! Basically my favorite store ever. 

My souvenirs from this trip included one of these pearl bracelets along with some Lilly wine glasses (because birthday number twenty-one will be here oh so soon). 

I wanted to buy all the Lilly shorts, but settled on trying them on to get my size for the After Party Sale that's coming up! 

Still wishing I could wrap my own Jeep in Lilly prints! (Flashback to the Nantucket Lilly Jeep!) 

Maybe not the most flattering picture, but this was such a great day so I don't really care ;)

This was probably the most relaxing trip I've taken all summer. Lots of sand, sun, and salty sea air! And, perhaps the best part: I finally have a tan! (And I didn't even get a little bit burnt! Winning!)

Here are some of my favorite pieces that my credit card wouldn't let me get at Mica and Molly's 

Massachusetts Photo Recap!

If you follow me on Instagram, you probably know that had an amazing Memorial Day weekend in Cape Cod and on Nantucket Island! We lucked out and avoided some dreary weather (but did get hit with a surprise cool-front!). 

I'll admit, I was a little sad about being back in Louisiana, but I'm working on being thankful and appreciative and that goes for my little hometown, too. Thibodaux can be beautiful… 

But Massachusetts was absolutely gorgeous! These are some of my favorite pictures from the trip :)

Nautical outfits with Mom at the Hingham Shipyard Marina. We stopped near Quincy to eat lunch at Walburgers. Apparently, there's a reality TV show that her friend watched and since it was on the way to the cape, we had to stop for lunch. The food didn't disappoint. 

Next stop, Cape Cod. We hit some serious traffic, but finally made it to our hotel. We stayed at The Hyannis Resort and Conference Center. It was really nice, and only a quick car ride away from the beach! 

This is at Kalmus Park beach; it's got a lovely view of the harbor. Since it was late in the afternoon and still early in the season, it was completely deserted. 

So much fun! 

#LoveMyJacks

It was Figawi Race Weekend, so we saw all the sailboats on the ferry from Hyannis to Nantucket! 

If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say, "Where the Figawi?", I'd be able to take another trip to Nantucket next weekend! 

The whole island is absolutely delightful. 

The Lilly Jeep! If only my dad would let me wrap my jeep like this...

We attended mass at St. Mary's (Our Lady of the Isle). It was beautiful. 

Check out the serious cobble stone street. And I thought New Orleans was hard to walk through...

Mom snapped this as we were heading back to the ferry. Wishing we could have had another day on the island! 

I cannot wait to go back because this trip seemed to fly by.

I'll definitely experience another Figawi weekend again, hopefully with friends after we turn twenty-one so we can fully appreciate the experience: Mimosas on the ferry (the girls seated next to me seemed to be having a ball), Dark & Stormies, and all the fun at Cisco Brewery ;)  

To see a few more pictures from my trip, check out my Instagram!

Back from Disney

Y'all, spring break was absolutely perfect! I couldn't have asked for a better time.

I was able to check off another item from my 20 Before 20:

15. Go on a trip with friends. 

I flew to Disney World with two friends to meet my big sis who is working there in the college program for the semester. We spent the whole week with her and had so much fun! We visited all the parks (for free because Katie rocks), did a ton of walking & eating, and had quite a few laughs.

As excited as I am to be back in my dorm and have my bed to myself, I'm practically drowning in all the school work and newspaper writing I've got to do.

Since I should really be writing a speech and two news articles right now, I'll leave y'all with some pictures from the trip!

Big/Little pictures in front of the castle! :)

Dole Pineapple Whips are my #1 Disney must-have!

There were plenty of breaks to "recharge" (both ourselves and our iPhones!) and rehydrate. 

I can't believe I'd never gotten a pair of sunglasses croakies before this trip. These from Lilly Pulitzer were so handy, since I hate wearing sunglasses on my head and stretching them out. (Mine are from Dillard's but it looks like they're sold out. I can only find them in this online boutique, now.)

Typical blogger picture with macarons… They're just so tasty and pretty (except for this banana flavored one… Not the tastiest of the box.) 

Have y'all seen the Instagram account YouDidNotEatThat? Sooo funny. Except I really did eat this whole box of macs… in one sitting. 

And when I got home, my new Eno hammock was waiting for me! 

Check out my Chaco tan lines…lol.

Back to School + Inside My Backpack!

Well, you guys, my first day was a success! The nice thing about starting school on a Friday is that it's already the weekend and you have time to prepare everything for the next, real first week!

I was so excited to do an Inside My Backpack post, that I couldn't even wait until morning when my dorm room has better lighting! 

These are some of my favorite types of posts to read on other blogs because I'm so nosy. 

So inside my backpack, all styled and ready for the beginning of the new semester, you will find:

Monogrammed binders (one for MWF classes, one for T/Th classes. I'm trying this method out for the first time!) I made the monogrammed papers the with the same method that I used in this video tutorial, but changed the size to 8.5x11 inches. 

Erin Condren Life Planner I just bought this after Christmas and I'm loving it! (It's only the first semester, so I'll give y'all an update in a few weeks). Check out the Erin Condren site for some adorable personalized desktop goodies! 

Vera Bradley pencil case I believe this one is a makeup brush case, but it's lined which is great since my ink pens always seem to leak. It even has a little pocket where I keep my USB drive. 

portable phone charger This one is from J.Crew Factory, but I got it last semester and they will probably be sold out soon. My friend just bought this one from J.Crew and she says it works really well! Plus, it charges the iPhone 5, iPads, tablets, cameras, and pretty much everything else with a USB cable!

umbrella I think you know why you need to keep an umbrella on you. Especially if you live in South Louisiana. 

calculator I have this pink graphing calculator that I use for economics class! The pink makes math just a little bit brighter. 

iClicker I decorated mine with Tiffany blue washi tape! There's so much that you can do with washi tape! It's sticky enough to stay where you put it, but comes off clean and can be reapplied! I used it inside my planner, too, and it doesn't tear the paper when I move it around! 

Vera Bradley little notebook Mostly for making lists of things I need to bring from home to my dorm room. Perks of going to college ten minutes from home. (These notebooks came in a three pack, but are super old and I don't think they sell them anymore.)

student ID card I need to find a wallet that can connect to my keys so that I never forget my Colonel Card! They charge $15 to let you back into the residence hall when you forget it more than once! Outrageous!

keys There's also a $15 charge if you lock yourself out of your room. That's why I had to install the handy dandy hook at the start of last semester! 

headphones For drowning out noise in the library when studying. 

EOS lip balm I just really like these! I have one in my purse, one in my backpack, and one on my desk!

granola bar For those rare days when I'm running late and skip breakfast in the cafeteria. 

peppermints I took a test taking class once and the teacher claimed your brain is more alert and works better when you suck on peppermints. I'm not actually sure if this is true, but I always have some for test days just incase. 

Not pictured:

My iPad and my MacBook Air. 

I'll most likely alternate between these throughout the beginning of the semester until I get into a good groove. Hopefully, I'll be able to pick just one because last semester I brought the wrong piece of technology a few times and it messed up my note-taking patterns.  

College Wish List

So I've always been the nerd girl that gets super excited when school is about to start. This year is no exception. In fact, my pre-school impatience this year is probably the worst it's ever been. 

The end of August means a new place to call home (yay dorm life!), new friends (I'm hoping to join a sorority!), and a whole new routine! And what else could help prepare for a brand new life than fun new accessories?

Here's what I plan on picking up before school starts:

Women's Recon Backpack - The Northface

Monogrammed Agenda - May Designs

Flash drive Keychain - Lilly Pulitzer/Lifeguard Press

Navy Longchamp Tote - Nordstrom

Monogrammed Rain Jacket - Sweet Sarahs

My countdown is on! 15 days, 16 hours, and 43 minutes until I can move into my new dorm, and then another three days before classes start!
I better order these soon!

What are some of your 'can't live without' back-to-school picks? 

DIY: Monogram Wallpaper via Photoshop

One of my more popular posts on my Tumblr was this picture of my laptop. I love monograms and I think Lilly Pulitzer prints are super fun and summery so this is perfect for my summer wallpaper!

I had lots of requests for a tutorial, so I made a video and posted it to YouTube! 

If you have Adobe Photoshop and want to try to make one of these, it's your lucky day!

Please excuse my voice and my mispronunciation of Lilly Pulitzer... 

If I'm not clear enough, or you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! 

And if you'd like for me to make a monogram wallpaper for you, I'd love to! Just comment below :)