Currently... Vol. 2

Happy Friday, friends! I feel so bad for not writing a blog post earlier on in the week. This week is homecoming week at my school, and it's been fun, but I've been pretty busy between that and schoolwork so I just felt like a little mental break was necessary. However, I'm back with some exciting news - I'm starting a new series here on the blog!



If you've been a longtime reader, you know that every Friday I either write a Link Love blog post or Life Lately blog post. I love writing both of those, and I'm not planning on stopping any time soon, but I felt it was time for a new Friday series! I did a "Currently" post a while back, and y'all really seemed to like it, so I thought it was about time that I make it a weekly thing. I'll be doing this post every three weeks, so get excited!

Eating... lately I've been really obsessed with peanut butter. This is nothing new, because I've always been obsessed with it, but in the past few weeks it's become a daily essential in my after-school snacks. I love putting it on a banana and topping it with chocolate chips, putting it on an apple and topping it with chocolate chips, putting it on Trader Joe's plantain chips, spreading it on top of homemade granola bars, putting it on a spoon and eating it... you get the idea. I'm addicted. But it's sogood and at least it's somewhat healthy, right?!

Wanting... fall weather to come! I'm just so excited for fall but clearly Mother Nature is not - it's still 90ish degrees in Texas :/

Wearing... Nike shorts and t-shirts. I've basically given up on my school wardrobe. I'm so over summer fashion, but like I said, it's so hot here, so I've resorted to wearing comfy clothes to school every day. It's just so much easier to get dressed when I don't have to put on jeans...

Watching... the new season of Grey's Anatomy! It just premiered last night, and I haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but I'm planning on watching it when I get home from school today & I can't wait!

Reading... I haven't had any time to read books of my choice, which makes me so sad, but my soccer team is currently doing two book studies and I really love both of the books we're reading! We are reading The Hard Hat and The Power of Positive Leadership, both by Jon Gordon, and they are both so inspiring and eye-opening. If you're part of a team or organization of any sort, I recommend checking either one of these books out as I feel that they both have really good lessons in them. I also picked up Scrappy Little Nobody from the library, but sadly, it's not as good as I'd expected :(

Listening... to Thomas Rhett's new album. He devoted an entire album to how much he loves his wife, and if that isn't true love, then I don't know what is. My favorite songs off the album are Life Changes and Sixteen, but they're all so good!

Thanks for reading - I hope you're loving this new series! I love to hear from y'all, so leave me a comment below telling me what you've been loving as of lately. Have a great weekend!

Life Lately Vol. 28

Y'ALL... it's officially the first day of fall!!! As I said in my last blog post, fall is my favorite season, and I'm so excited for fall fashion, pumpkin spice everything, cool weather (which may be asking too much of Texas considering it's still 95 degrees here) and more! As much as I love summer, I'm so glad it's over - after school starts, I feel like summer has offically ended, and then you're just in that weird "in-between" spot from summer to fall... anyone else feel this way?

A lot has happened since my last volume of Life Lately, so grab a snack (I recommend anything pumpkin-flavored from Trader Joe's) and sit tight, because this post is going to be a long one!

I celebrated my 15th birthday a few weeks ago! My family and I went out to dinner at my favorite restaurant, The Hula Hut, to celebrate! We went there when we went to Austin, but they have another one in Dallas, and I love it because the atmosphere is gorgeous but the food tastes amazing, too! I also had a birthday brunch the next day with my friends, which was a lot of fun, because I go to a different school than some of my friends so this was a good chance for us to catch up.

Also, my sweet friend Ashley gave me a gorgeous Bible for my birthday that she hand painted herself! It has margins on the pages for Bible journaling, so I really want to start doing that, but I'm not sure what supplies to use. If you have any reccommendations, please leave them in a comment below!

I also joined YoungLife recently, and it's been incredibly fun thus far. We've only had two meetings, but I'm looking forward to going every Monday night. If you don't know what YoungLife is, it's a Christian youth group meant for high school students that meets once a week for a meeting filled with fun! They have YoungLife organizations all over the country (I actually heard about it from my friend Faith in South Carolina) and it's a great way to grow your faith and become closer to God. For our first meeting, we had a giant food fight, and it was the messiest thing I've ever done (I was pulling pancake batter out of my hair for days) but it was such a fun experience!

Just like every other basic girl, I'm completely addicted to anything and everything pumpkin flavored. Thus, when Trader Joe's released their pumpkin food, I was one very happy girl! I went with my family, and we filled an entire cart with pumpkin-centric items (#noshame). My personal favorites are the pumpkin ravioli, pumpkin pasta sauce, pumpkin pepitas cookies, pumpkin bread mix, and the pumpkin kringle. I could go on, but you get the idea - just know that if you don't go to Trader Joe's for pumpkin items on a regular basis during the fall, you're living your life wrong.

Thanks for reading - I hope you had a great week!

10 Things You May Not Know About Me

It's been a while since I've done any sort of post directly about me, so today I thought I would sit down and share ten facts that y'all may not know about me. I've gained a lot of new readers in the past few months, and I haven't really written anything to welcome y'all. So if you've started reading my blog lately - hi! hello! nice to meet ya! I hope this post helps you get to know me better! For this post, I tried to think of some facts that I don't think I've ever told y'all. I've done a few "get-to-know-me" posts in the past, so I tried to come up with some unique facts about me that you haven't heard yet!

1 // Fall is my favorite season. I love everything about it - the crisp, cool, breeze; the ever-present hues of red and orange; the cozy sweaters and tall riding boots; pumpkin-spice everything... fall is just perfect. Sadly, I live in Texas, so my fall is usually still around 80 degrees, but I love the season all the same!

2 // If I could go anywhere in the world, I'd choose Spain. The list of destinations I want to visit is long, but Spain is definitely at the top of it. For some reason, I've always wanted to visit Spain - taste the amazing food, see a LaLiga soccer game, look at all the beautiful architecture... it just sounds like such a fun place to visit!

3 // I really love grocery shopping. It may seem like such a mundane task, but it's one that I truly enjoy. Going to Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Central Market is one of my favorite pastimes. I think it's so fun to pick out new foods to try and think up new meals to create! Also, I could most definitely carry on a conversation about Trader Joe's products for at least a good 30 minutes (they just got their pumpkin things in and I'm especially addicted to their pumpkin ravioli and fall pasta sauce.)

4 // I have a hard time falling asleep with the light on. For whatever reason, I can't fall asleep unless it is completely silent and it's completely dark. Even a small crack of light shining into my room from underneath the door makes it hard for me to fall asleep.

5 // The next skill I want to learn is Bible journaling. My sweet friend Ashley made me the most gorgeous Bible for my birthday, and it has margins in the pages for journaling and writing. I really want to learn how to start Bible journaling, but I have no clue as to what supplies to use or how to do it. If you have any tips, tricks, or suggestions, please leave a comment letting me know!

6 // I am a visual learner. I learn best through highlighters, colored pencils, and staring at pages upon pages of notes and flash cards. Figuring out my learning style has really helped me do well in school and has allowed me to effectively study for tests.

7 // My favorite color as of late is blush pink. I've been seeing it everywhere this fall, and I'm absolutely smitten! I already have quite a few pieces of clothing in the hue, and I have my eye on a few more. It's so sweet and girly, but the subdued tone makes it feel more autumnal.

8 // This year, I'm taking soccer, art, journalism, and Spanish as my school electives. Alright, I'm running out of facts here, so I thought I'd just include my school electives! Soccer has been so fun thus far, and I surprisingly am really enjoying art! My journalism class moves slowly, but is really interesting and fun, and Spanish is probably my favorite class this year.

9 // Chick-Fil-A is the only fast food place I like. Aside from chicken and fish, I don't really eat meat, so I'm not interested in a lot of fast food places anyway, but I generally think fast food places are kind of greasy and gross. However, I am completely addicted to Chick-Fil-A! I love their nuggets (who doesn't??) but my go-to order is their Grilled Chicken Sandwich with a side of fries, a packet of honey mustard, and a medium lemonade. I haven't had Chick-Fil-A in way too long, and it's making me hungry right now...

10 // I just joined YoungLife! A lot of my friends and I joined YoungLife this fall (if you don't know what YoungLife is, it's basically a youth group type organization that meets every week) and I'm loving it so far! We've only had two meetings, but they've been really fun and they allow me to get to see some of my friends who go to a different high school than I do.

I hope y'all enjoyed reading this post and it allowed you to get to know me a little better! I'd love to get to know y'all better, too, so feel free to leave a comment below telling me a fact or two about yourself!

Link Love Vol. 27

Happy Friday, friends! It feels like forever since I've sat down to write a blog post for you guys. School has been insanely stressful lately so I've had to preschedule my blog posts whenever I get a free moment. Today marks the end of the first four weeks of school, and they've honestly crawled by so slowly. The school days feel so long and I've had mountains of homework, so I apologize if my heart hasn't seemed as in it lately when it comes to blogging and YouTube.

I'm going to stop complaining now, though, because this weekend is bound to be such a fun one! My grandparents are coming to visit today and I haven't seen them for over six months so I'm beyond excited! We're celebrating my grandma's birthday, and whenever cake and festivities are involved, I'm always happy :) We're also going to have breakfast at a new little donut shop and go to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, so I can't wait!

Okay, enough word vomit... let's get on into the links I've been loving!

1 // Caroline looks so cute in this monogrammed pullover!

2 // I turned 15 last week... have you read my post on 15 things I've learned in 15 years?

3 // Kate got to tour the Southern Living showcase home and it's everything dreams are made of.

4 // Over the past year, I've slowly become more of a morning person, so I can definitely attest to all of these tips, tricks, & benefits that Fran shared!

5 // Jessica and Hallie opened up about their friendship struggles and I loved their posts.

6 // I'm always at a loss on how to style button downs, so I found Isabella's post insanely helpful!

7 // Molly's travel guides are always so colorful and inspiring, and her San Francisco one was no exception!

8 // Speaking of travel guides... Caitlyn's Banff post has me really wanting to visit Canada!

9 // These peanut butter brownies are probably my favorite recipe I've ever made, so I'm making them this weekend for my grandparents!

10 // Carly debuted a new series on her blog, and I'm so excited to read all the future posts!

11 // Faith shares three ways to style the most versatile shirt ever

12 // Not gonna lie, this Instagram news is kind of disturbing but also kind of intriguing... I wonder if it will turn out to be true!

Have a great weekend!

Ruffled Sleeves & Colorful Beads

Just because Labor Day has passed and summer is technically over doesn't mean I'm going to stop wearing summer outfits any time soon. As much as I love fall fashion, it always breaks my heart to put away the white jeans and colorful clothes and exchange them for cozy sweaters and tall boots. Today I'm sharing one last summer outfit, featuring this gorgeous top from Francesca's. The ruffle sleeves make such a statement and are so much fun!

Ruffle Sleeve Blouse // Beaded Tassel Necklace (no longer available, but the exact style comes in turquoise and this colorway comes in a similar style) // Pink Earrings (same color, different style) // Gold Bracelet // White Jeans // Lace-up Sandals (similar)

The top itself is cute, especially since statement sleeves are a huge trend right now, but I feel like it's the necklace that really makes the whole outfit come together. It's such a fun piece, and when I saw it I knew I had to have it. It goes perfectly with the shirt, and I'm already thinking of other ways to wear it! My pink Kendra Scott earrings match this necklace perfectly, so I added them as well as my everyday Kendra Scott bracelet, and I finished off the look with my white jeans and Jack Rogers!

I also think this top would be perfect for fall when paired with some burgundy jeans and the necklace I wore in this post. I have my eye on these jeans simply so I can pair them with this top and have an excuse to wear it even more!

What's your favorite way to wear statement sleeves? Let me know by leaving a comment below!

15 Things I've Learned in 15 Years

Cue Taylor Swift's old music because today I'm officially fifteen!! I thought I would sit down today and share fifteen things I've learned in my fifteen years of this insane adventure called life. I know fifteen years isn't nearly long enough to learn all of life's lessons, but I've had some crazy ups and downs during the past fifteen years so I thought I would share them with y'all today. Enjoy!

1 // Nothing compares to getting to travel to new places and experience different cultures and things.

2 // Not everyone is going to like you. And that's okay.

3 // Even your worst days are only 24 hours.

4 // Learn how to give up your worries to God and live peacefully.

5 // You can't let negative people ruin your day.

6 // As much as you want to strangle your siblings sometimes, you really can't survive without them.

7 // Practice really does make perfect. If you set aside the time to practice something every day, you will get better.

8 // Life goes by crazy fast, and you'll end up looking back the little things you never dreamed you'd miss. So live in the moment, and enjoy every little thing.

9 // Getting caught up in technology and social media can completely ruin a moment. Know when to put your phone down and look around.

10 // Be open to trying new things and going on new adventures, because passions and interests emerge from the most random things.

11 // Smile more. Not only will it put you in a better mood, but it will make the people around you happier too!

12 // Some weeks will be harder and longer than others. Take everything day by day, and you'll get through it.

13 // Nothing is more important than having close friends. As the famous Pinterest quote goes, find your tribe & love them hard.

14 // Some days are all about salads and quinoa, and others are all about peanut butter and chocolate.

15 // Not everything will go according to your plan, but it will go according to God's plan, which is a million times better than yours. He has a plan for you and everything will turn out okay in the end. (This is the most important lesson I've learned so I'm putting it last because if there's one thing I want you to remember from this post, it's this lesson.)

Blogger Bloopers Vol. 2

I'm a firm believer in showing the behind-the-scenes of social media and blogging. I've shared my thoughts behind Instagram themes, stories behind some of my most popular pictures, and blooper photos that prove that not every photo is Instagram-worthy. I haven't shown a blooper reel in quite a few months now, so I figured that a new volume of Blogger Bloopers was incredibly overdue. I hope these photos make you laugh and hopefully if you're a fellow blogger you can relate to some of these! Enjoy!

from this post

I just have a lot of really weird pictures of me making faces like this and I really can't explain why. Also, it looks like I'm eating my hair in this picture...

Featuring my stepdad in the background trying to photobomb me...

I was trying to get a cute picture of me eating a Popsicle but really I just wanted to eat it before it melted.

When your sister tries to be funny but you're clearly not amused...

from this post

I'm honestly so embarrassed that I'm putting this one on the Internet for the whole world to see... but I hope it makes you laugh!

from this post

Here is yet another picture of my sister trying to be funny, but again, I'm not amused...

from this post

This would've been cute but what on earth is my hand even doing??

from this post

Clearly I was way too excited about pancakes for dinner...

I honestly have no idea what's happening in this one so I'm not even going to begin to try to explain it.

The wind was crazy that day and I was not having it.

these pictures haven't been featured yet... stay tuned to see them next week!

Same thing here... the wind was all kinds of insane

from this post

I'm not really sure how to describe this one except for the fact that my psychotic smile is ten kinds of creepy.

The sad thing is, this would've actually been a cute picture if I had been smiling!

Again, I hope these pictures made you laugh and showed you that behind every cute picture, there's about twenty outtakes. Thanks for reading!

Red & Blue for Labor Day

Happy Labor Day, friends! Today I'm sharing this festive red, white, and blue outfit that I wore the other night to dinner. I think it's perfect for any patriotic holiday, especially Labor Day!

Red Lace Shirt (similar) // White Bralette // White Jeans // Tassel Earrings c/o // Necklace c/o // Lace-Up Sandals (similar)

Do you ever just find that one small item that absolutely makes an outfit? That was the way it was for me when I discovered these tassel earrings by The Tiny Tassel. I'm typically not one to wear dangly earrings (they scare me a little bit because I feel like they could easily get caught on something), but these earrings are incredibly lightweight and don't hurt my ears whatsoever. Overall, they're just too fun and exciting to pass up! They make such a statement and take any outfit to the next level.

I've had this red shirt for ages, and I love how it looks paired with a lace bralette and some statement jewelry. I think it's so fun to pair these navy earrings with any solid color top - after all, navy is my neutral! I also added my Achieve The Impossible Necklace from 212 West (read more about it here) and paired this shirt with my everyday white jeans and my favorite sandals of the summer.

Have a great Labor Day!

Life Lately Vol. 27

Happy Friday, friends! We've finally made it to the weekend, but this weekend is even better because it's Labor Day weekend, which means no school for me on Monday! Labor Day weekend is always bittersweet to me, because it symbolizes the end of summer, which is always sad, but it gets me excited for all things fall & cooler weather & pumpkin spice everything. Although school has been going on, these past few weeks have gone by in the blink of an eye and have been a lot of fun, despite the copious amounts of homework I've been assigned. (I honestly should be studying for my math quiz right now, but writing blog posts is wayyy more fun...)

Also, can we talk about the fact that it's already September (and only eight days until my birthday!)? This year has gone by so fast!

If you're new here, my Life Lately posts are basically really fun posts where I sit down and chat with y'all about what's been going on in my life + what I've been up to. They're some of my favorite posts to write, so I really hope y'all like reading them as well. Enjoy!


Starting off with the most important thing first... if you've been paying any attention to anything lately, you've probably heard about all of the damage that Hurricane Harvey has done. I just wanted to briefly talk about the incredible act of generosity that the girls at Jadelynn Brooke are doing! For $30, you can click here to buy a backpack filled with school supplies. This backpack will go to a child in the Houston area who no longer has school supplies thanks to flooding. It's a great way to help the Harvey victims and will definitely make someone's day!

On a lighter note, my little sister celebrated her sixth birthday last weekend, and while I can't believe she's already that old (where does the time go?) I had a lot of fun celebrating her birthday. We went to the American Girl store for shopping and lunch, and it was honestly so fun and nostalgic because I hadn't been there in at least eight years. They were celebrating the release of a new Hawaiian doll, so we got to see some hula dancers perform and taste some delicious cupcakes. We had lunch in their bistro, and I was actually surprised at how good the food was. I got pretzel poppers for an appetizer, and they were to die for! For lunch, I got a salad with chicken and apricots, and while it wasn't the best, the ice cream sundae I had for dessert certainly was!

I also made this cookie cake for her later that night, and she said she preferred it to the Whole Foods cake that she had at her birthday party, so that made me feel pretty good :)

Other than that, I'm not going to lie, school has pretty much been all that I've done. My teachers have assigned a lot of homework, and I actually had three quizzes this week, so I've definitely spent a lot of time studying. I am also on my school's soccer team, so we've been practicing every morning which has been a lot of fun! I also joined my school's Student Council, which I'm excited for too.

I'm going to make a full YouTube video where I just sit down and talk about my first day of school experience, since some of y'all requested that, but I just wanted to give y'all a brief update on school! :)

I'm going to go finish my homework now... have a great Labor Day weekend!