Travel Essentials

Hey everyone! Today I'm headed off to Charleston, South Carolina to visit a friend who actually used to be my boss when I worked at her boutique in the Fall! I am so excited to visit and catch up and see the Charleston area. I always love traveling so I decided to put some of my travel essentials together that I always take with me. I cannot recommend the large long champ enough! It literally holds everything for me and theres nothing I have to hold onto. It doesn't get better than that! I am also big on snacks so I included some of my favorite snacks (especially gummy bears!) and what makeup I usually take with me. My outfit is also included, I always, always dress as comfy as possible. Enjoy!

Currently Coveting No. 2

Hey friends! So glad to publish another 'Currently Coveting' post. I absolutely love writing these and sharing all my current favorites, goes to show just how much I shop online! I've bene loving a lot of pink lately. Not sure if its because I'm about to go back to blonde and I'm just really feeling the whole legally blonde theme or what but it's definitely been in lots of my favorites lately. Like I can't get over how cute these Tory Burch sneakers are, seriously, so cute! I love them for Spring & Summer but also to wear in the fall to add pops of color. And I can't get over the pink gingham tank, it's all my favorite styles in one and it's pink! I'm also heading to Charleston next week and since I'll be by the beach, I think it's only acceptable to have a SEA sweater right? This one from Loft is so classic and it's 50% off right now, it doesn't get better than that! Also can't get over the button down jeans, they are incredible. I tried them on at J. Crew a few months ago and clearly they were that amazing if I'm still talking about them, right?! Definitely buying them for fall! And my all time favorite, the button down top from Carolina Clothing Company, every detail is gorgeous. From the bell sleeves to the stripes to the ruffle collar, what's not to love? And you can get 10% off with code PrettyInPearls10! This weeks favorites are definitely in my to buy list because there is so many good deals and all so versatile! Enjoy!

Gingham Top | SEA Sweater | Basket Purse | Sneakers | Choker | Button Jeans | Gingham PJ's (Top / Bottoms ) | Stripe Skirt | Bell Sleeve Button Down | Gold Bracelet

Life After High School

When it comes to life after high school, some look at those four years and think of the toxic friendships and bitter words, the words said behind your back and the judgements made towards you. They choose to look at those years of their life and pretend they never existed but it won't change the fact that they happened and just how much their life changed in those years. From the moment you walk through those doors your freshman year to the day you walk out of them your senior year, you're a completely different person. You look different, you act different and you carry yourself differently. Face it, the words said, the experiences, the friendships you made or lost, they changed you. You can choose to ignore that they happened but one day you'll appreciate how they helped shape you into the person you are today.

There may have been some point where I felt this way but looking back, I entered High School as an extremely quiet and shy girl who struggled to make friends and was severely struggling with depression to a girl who made friends with everyone and who had a smile on her face and laughed all the time. But while those years in High School changed you, the years after count just as much. Because one you step off that stage at graduation, diploma in hand, suddenly you're much older and the word 'High School' becomes the past. A term you'll only use when your describing what used to be, you find yourself saying 'back in High School' more than you thought you ever would like it was years and years ago. And maybe it was, or maybe it was only one or two years ago. Fact is, when you step off that stage, you do become older.

If you ask me, when you step off that stage, you can either be older and more mature or you can act the same, the choice is up to you. I've seen it go both ways. I've seen my friends work hard towards their goals, you can see that they're more mature just through the way they act and the decisions they make. But I've also seen others act just the same way they did in High School. It's the bitter words they say and frivolous actions they take that tell you they haven't grown. They say High School prepares you for the real world and in some ways it does, but in a lot of ways it doesn't. You see, High School does change you but after it ends, you're either still stuck there mentally or you've moved on. That doesn't mean you can't stay close to your High School friends and look back on those  High School years as some of the greatest and worst. It just means each action you take now defines you because its not just those within your High School watching and listening, it's everyone around you. When you walked out those doors and stepped off that stage, so did everyone else. Each action you take and every word you say, it's not just a fellow classmate listening to you, it's most likely someone who's grown and matured. So if you haven't grown like they have, well, it shows.

I realized then, not everyone changes right after High School. Some of us stay there mentally for a while and still act the same as we did. While the rest of us go on and try to be different, to grow and be more mature. We're all taking our paths of life one at a time and some of us go slower than others. That doesn't excuse the bitter words and petty actions we still see but it gives an understanding. None of us are perfect, we all have our flaws and we're all growing in our own separate ways. Just know that after High School, your actions speak a lot louder than they used to, especially to those who knew you in High School.

There's not many words that describe life after High School because it's different for everyone but just know that it counts. It counts far more than you can imagine. Here's to growing, becoming better everyday and taking it all one step at a time.

New Year's Resolutions Update: How I'm Doing

It's so crazy to think that we're already more than halfway through 2018, it seems like just yesterday I was with my best friends drinking sparkling juice with my favorite boursin cheese & crackers and ringing in the new year. They're really right when they say time flies. The other day I was thinking about my New Years resolutions and whether I'm achieving them or not. Most people forget about theirs at the end of January but there's a few I've been really working on this years, some kind of and others I have forgotten about. In case you didn't see them or don't remember them, here they are below!

So, how have I done on them? Lets take a look!

1. I've really been trying to work on this one lately but I'm still struggling. I have been getting out more outfit posts which I really like but I want to be more committed to blogging. I decided the other day I wanted to have at least 3-4 posts a week. This may mean some late nights or early mornings but it's something I love so I don't mind making time for it!

2. Okay, this is definitely one of those ones I've put on the back burner. Honestly? I completely forgot about it! Now that I see it though, I'm ready to get back on the reading train. I used to read all the time, and I mean all the time (we're talking at least a book a day, probably 5 a week!), I just love it but lately I've been really busy so I guess that something else I'll make time for!

3. This one is definitely a success! This year I've gone on some mini trips along with going to Washington D.C., Mackinac Island and I'll be on my way to Charleston in a couple weeks (SO excited!!). And in the Fall, I'm planning on taking a couple more trips!

4. Another one I'm still working on but getting there! Everyones walk in faith is different and we all grow in our own ways. I've definitely grown more in my relationship with god but I'm still struggling with sharing it more publicly on my blog because I've always been a private person and my faith is a more personal thing but when I do share a faith post, with each one (and I've written a lot unposted) I grow in my faith. Sometimes that publish button is where I get stuck and I need to work on that.

5. Success! This summer I've been spending more time with my best friends, in fact we just went to the pool and got dinner together. We all want to spend more time together this summer so while we've been working, we're also making time for each other!

6. This one, I really don't know how well I'm doing. Today I drank green tea but yesterday I had coffee so it's kind of 50/50, here's to green tea the rest of the week!

7. Definitely failing this one. I am ALWAYS in a rush, whether I'm rushing to work or to meet friends, theres never a moment to take a break. I was listening to the radio the other day and the song Just Breathe came on and I thought 'wow, I need to hear this more often'. Now it's in my saved songs because there are some days I really need to hear that. Moving forward, I need to wake up earlier and give myself more time to get myself together and then I can take a breath and smell the flowers.

8. Fail. So need to work on it though! I want to eat better consistently which means prepped and cooked meals and healthier baked goods so this one is going to get better for sure.

9. Success! Sometimes I just put the phone away, sit on the porch and enjoy the weather or spend time with friends without checking Instagram or twitter every five minutes and it is so nice. (Even nicer when it's a whole day!!)

10. Working on this one but I'd say so far, so good! My best friends and I try to spend our Fridays and days off together and I think some are filled with new adventures and I love it. It's always something new and we're always planning the next one!

11. This one is sometimes a success and sometimes a failure. I need to get into a constant eating healthy and exercising instead of just when I feel like it. It's a bad habit that I want to break. I actually decided early I wanted to eat strictly healthy and them start moving forward to a consistent workout instead of a sporadic one. I plan on sticking to it and I'll blog about it too! Even going to a barre class Friday!

12. Working on it. I'm thankful for the big things but sometimes I struggle being thankful for the small things or when things don't go exactly my way. I forget how lucky I am for so many reasons and I want to change this, I think I need to reflect on the small things more often.

So far, I am succeeding in a couple, working on a few and failing a couple. I'm hoping to really focus on them these next few weeks and really dedicate myself to being better, maybe work on two a week and build on them after. New Year's resolutions are so easy to write but much harder to carry out. I hope to work on these not just these next few weeks but these next six months. I hope to come back to this topic in December with results like how much weight I've lost, how many books I've read and how I haven't had coffee in months. For now, we'll be thankful for where I'm at (already doing great with 12)!

Happy Fourth of July!

Hey everyone! I can't believe its already the Fourth of July, one of my favorite holidays! I always love spending the day with family and enjoying the day off. This past weekend I had some friends over for a picnic to celebrate the holiday and it was so much fun! I got to see a lot of people I haven't seen for quite a while so I really loved that. We had so much delicious food and I'm sharing some of my favorite recipe from it below as well as some pictures!

Recipes: Cauliflower Broccoli Salad, Berry Cake, Lemon Custard, Lavender Lemonade

For the Fourth of July I wore one of my new favorite tops I got from Lauren James along with the cutest pair of white denim shorts from Free People. I can't recommend Free People shorts enough, they are so comfortable, not too tight and always look so cute! I paired it with my new straw bag I got along with a festive glasses necklace and my favorite white jack rogers. Enjoy!

Top | White Shorts | Bag | Necklace | Bangle

Summer Dresses & Summer Florals

Hey everyone! I hope you all are having a fantastic summer, I know I am! While I've been working more lately, I've still been setting time aside to have fun, something I regretted not doing last summer. The other day I wore this dress from Kiel James Patrick and it's quickly becoming my favorite dress! It is so comfortable and flattering and has the cutest little details like the anchor detailed buttons and ruffle collar. I paired it with this purse I bought recently from Shein for under $25, such a good deal! I have been wanting one for forever and I couldn't pass it up for such a great price. I wore my white jack rogers which I've been wearing a lot lately along with my favorite Kate Spade sunnies. I love how classic and simple this look is for summer time and I can't wait to wear this dress in the fall with some loafers! Enjoy!

 

Dress | Pearl Bracelet | Pearl Necklace | Sunglasses Necklace | Shoes | Purse (I cut the tassels off) | Ring (Similiar)