Lover's Point Beach Cove

Time for some Spring break recapping at long last! First things first, if any of you Utah local readers ever feel like making the trip out to the Monterey/Big Sur area be sure to FLY there. We decided to road trip and make a drive of it, and boy, oh boy, it was a LOOOOONG drive. Longest drive of my life. Thirteen hours to be exact! And 26 hours round trip! I seriously couldn't sit without discomfort for three days after we came back. I seriously thought I might have broken my butt or something, haha. Anyway, though, when we DID at last reach our destination we spent a glorious day laying out at Lover's Point Beach Cove (where these photos were snapped) and paddle boarding! It was such a warm sunny day; such bliss! None of us had ever been paddle boarding before, but it was surprisingly easy! I even managed to do some Yoga inversions on my board too! While we were adrift in the ocean we spotted some cute lil' sea lions and it was such an exciting/inspiring moment until we realized we had drifted a little to close to them. Next thing we know they've all leapt from their rock and have disappeared into the water somewhere. Of course, we start freaking out that the lil' suckers that we'd been "ooo-ing, and awww-ing" just seconds before were now under the water preparing to sneak attack us and eat us! Yes, I realize, how ridiculous that sounds but we were seriously freaked out and rowed away as quick as we could, haha! Sigh, the Lover's Point Cove was DIVINE, though. Seriously, one of the most scenic little beaches I've ever been to! And it was so surprisingly uncrowded! I loved that aspect! All the other beaches I've ever been to have been annoyingly packed but this cute little cove was nice and quiet! Oh, and don't get me started on the surrounding houses! Guys, they were SO dreamy! If I could afford one of those adorable beach houses I would buy it in an instant!

Tribal Print One-Piece: c/o aerie
Floppy Sun Hat: h&m almost exact
Photos: Romina

Aerie was awesome enough to send me this cute suit for my Spring break trip and, guys, it is seriously one of my new faves! I never thought I'd be one to be huge on one-pieces but this baby changed my mind completely! The fit is oh so flattering, super cute, and still SUPER flirty! I even sort of think it's flirtier than a two-piece! I mean, look at that back! And the tribal print on the front! Yum, yum! Aerie seriously knocked it out of the park, but then again, they always knock it out of the park with their swimwear! I honestly haven't bought a bathing suit anywhere else in a good five years! You should seriously all go check out their collection! They've got SO many cute suits! Seriously, I want all of them STAT!

Much love!

NYE with Aerie "Night In"

Time for part two of my New Year's Eve looks with Aerie! Yippee! This look was all about a "night in", which, I thought was so fun because, as a teenager, this is how I spent most of my New Years. I was a pretty tame kid. :) Of course, now a days, I'm more a fan of going out dancing and driving around at night excitedly anticipating a new year and a "new me" but I'm sure soon enough I'll be back to celebrating the new year snuggled in at home! Also, I just have to throw this out there, I don't know how many of you are Foster the People fans, but I am and every time I wear this beanie all I can think of is that lyric, "I'm Superman and it's my show" from the song "Don't Stop". Soooo, I'm Superman and this is my show. ;) Anyway, posting twice in one day means I'm kind of short on things to talk about. Yikes! How were yer weekends? Mine was pretty dang fab! I saw the "Tree of Life" for the first time which was super nice and then I got my butt pretty much whooped at just about every board game I own. Stink. Don't worry, though, this will not be a regular occurrence. ;)

henley: c/o aerie
sequined bralette: c/o aerie
knit boxer shorts: c/o aerie
beanie: F21 similar
photos: EmmyLowePhoto

For a night in, watching the ball drop on Times Square on the good old television, the key to a cute look is keeping it cozy while bringing in fun sparkly elements that make it so it doesn't feel like just another boring night at home! This sequined bralette layered underneath this soft henley is the perfect way to add that bit of New Year's fun while these cozy little knit PJ shorts keep things casual and comfy! Thanks again to Aerie for sponsoring this fun NYE series and I hope you guys got some fun outfit inspiration from it! I'll be back tomorrow with a couple more NYE looks for you all!

Much love!

NYE with Aerie "Night Out"

Oh my flippin' heck, you guys! Can you all believe it's the 29th?!! It's mind boggling, right? Like, how in the heck did we get here so fast?! I know everybody says this about every year, but 2014 felt like the fastest year I've lived to date! It just flew by! Soooo much happened this year, it's wild! Is it crazy to miss years? Buhcause I'm already missing 2014! It was just such a stinkin' good year, ja feel? I'll get to all the "things-I-accomplished" sappy talk in a couple of days, so for now I'll just say, "2014, baby, you were good to me!" Man, I have a love-hate relationship with New Years. I love the excitement and prospects for new opportunities, but I'm also a mild hater of change. I get emotionally attached to silly things like what year the calendar says. Insane, right? I guess I'm just an Emotional Edith. ;) No harm in loving years, right?!

star print sweater: c/o ChicWish
sequined leggings: c/o aerie
lace bralette: c/o aerie
shoes: F21 similar
photos: EmmyLowePhoto

When it comes to NYE we all know there are really only two ways to celebrate: out on the town with friends, or snuggled in at home with loved ones! To make your New Year's Eve a little easier I've put together a few looks for you all for each way to celebrate! I don't know about you guys, but when I'm ringing in the new year with a night out on the town I want to be warm, comfortable, and cute! I don't want to have to worry about tugging a dress down all night or having freezing bare legs! These cute sequined leggings are THE perfect piece to meet those needs without having to compromise looking great! To complete the look and keep it fun, I paired these bad boys with a fun printed sweater and wedges that are comfy enough to dance the night away in! Sequins are really a no brainer when it comes to NYE and some other fun ways to style some cute sequined leggings would be with a fun graphic tee and classic pair of pumps, or with a boyfriend blazer and plain white tee! The possibilities are endless and there's really no way to go wrong with these leggings! Also, although you can't see it, I'm wearing one of Aerie's lace bralettes and it is AMAZE-ing!! It's seriously the most comfortable bra ma girls have ever worn, not to mention it's SUPER cute! That's a win-win when it comes to bras for me! Especially the comfort factor! I seriously HATE wearing bras so finding one that is comfortable and barely noticeable is HUGE for me! I'm seriously never buying any other kind of bra ever again. Not even kidding! Anyway, stay tuned because a little later on today I'll be posting my second look with Aerie for a "night in"! :)

Much love!

*Thank you to Aerie for Sponsoring this post*

LOVE THE REAL YOU!

Guys, I've been sooooo excited for this post from the moment that aerie contacted me and I got a package full of these lovely goodies in the mail! First, because I'm such a HUGE fan of the Aerie Real Campaign. Second, because they're seriously the ONLY store I buy undies from so I had a minor freak out when I saw they had emailed me, heehee! I remember the first time I noticed one of their "re-touch" free photos. I had a complete double take moment from the sheer shock of it! I ran home and told my sister, "Guess what?! I was just in the aerie store and one of the pictures in the store was of a girl who had a couple of stretch marks on her butt!!! Isn't that the coolest thing ever?!" In the spirit of butt stretch marks being awesome and all lets get on to what this post is really about, self love. Such a tricky topic. I've already talked about my own personal journey with weight here and I could do that again today because it played such a huge role in my own journey to self love but let's be real, as heart felt as that topic is to me, it's an exhausted one. Not because it isn't important, but because if we're being honest nothing is more frustrating/annoying than a skinny girl hopping up on a soapbox to say, "Hey, I was sort of chubby once, I hated it, it was hard, but guess what? I'm skinny againnnn! Hooray!" Not. If we're being honest that's just straight up annoying and kind of unproductive. It sends out the message that, "Hey, I was unhappy being a little heavier but now that I'm not heavy anymore I can be happy again because my level of happiness is only dictated by how small the number on the scale is." Again I say, NOT. Was I at one point that type of girl? Sure. Name a girl who hasn't been and that is a girl who's straight up got her shiz together and we should learn her secrets. Everyone has got their insecurities and 90% of the female population has felt insecure about their weight. (That's not an actual factual figure so don't quote me.) Whether it's because they get shamed for being too thin or they get shamed for being too large. There seems to be no medium here, we're all getting shamed for the shape of our bodies and the only ones who seem to be passing the "test" of what's acceptable are the PhotoShopped models. What's up with that? Taking it further, though, there's this obsessive pressure put on us as females to reach the idyllic "size zero". Do you know what the value of zero is? NOTHING. The number zero has no value. How sad is it that we're essentially pushing ourselves to reach "no value"? Even now that I believe that I've come leaps and bounds in loving the REAL me I'll still occasionally find myself thinking, "Why can't I be a size zero that actually looks like a size zero. Why do I have to be a size zero that has a big butt and wide hips?" Uhhhhh, and even that statement right there shows that even I still have work to do if I felt it necessary to underhandedly flout my size.When it comes to size, WHO CARES?! Are you physically healthy? Then guess what? You've passed the metaphorical "test"! The only one who can give you permission to love yourself is you! Self love is a choice. Choose to be happy with who you are, regardless of how big or small you are! I promise you, nothing shines brighter than self love and happiness! The most radiant girls on this planet are the ones that are happy and have a deep sense of self worth! Remember that the root of ALL love starts with SELF love!

tshirt: c/o aerie
kangaroo print boxers: c/o aerie
socks: aerie
phone case: c/o aerie
#aeriereal undies: c/o aerie
shrug: c/o OASAP
photos: Shailynn

I'm happy because I'm alive, I have amazing people in my life whom I love, I have a safe home, and countless blessings! A scale doesn't rule my happiness or level of self love because I choose to not LET it! I'm happy and I LOVE the REAL me! And in that spirit, what are some of YOUR traits that make up the REAL you that you've learned to, or always have, loved?! Here are some of mine!

1. My big ol' butt and birthing hips. That thing is planetary but ya know what? I like it. I have my own planet. ;)
2. My wide toothy smile, that when it comes from the heart, causes my nose to scrunch up. I used to hate it but what the heck did my parents pay for braces for if I was going to hate on my big teeth?
3. My freckles. They're hard to notice in photos, but they're there. When I was a kid I was insecure as heck about them until my little sister told me they were my "sprinkling of brown sugar".
4. The fact that my under-eye "sleep baggies" don't go away until at least noon. Annoying? Sure. Do they make me unlovable? Heck to the no!
5. Dimples, dimples, dimples. I've always loved my dimples even, though, when I'm old they're just going to be two MASSIVE wrinkles. I'm looking forward to it! ;)

I can't wait to hear the traits you love about yourselves! After all, it's those little quirks that make us unique that are truly beautiful!

Much love!

*A big thank you to Aerie for starting a campaign that's all about loving the REAL you, stretch marks, muffin tops, and all and for showing us a wide variety of equally beautiful models as they really are!*