Shopping For College

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Brita. All opinions are 100% mine.

Over the past month, I have made numerous trips to Target to purchase necessities for my dorm room. I move in to my dorm room in about a week, so I have begun to pack all of my clothes and dorm things into boxes and crates. I am getting very excited to decorate my dorm on move in day, and for the upcoming semester! I wanted to share my dorm room necessities with y'all, as well as some of my favorite decor items! 

1. Lilly Pulitzer Bedding- My roommate and I decided to get matching Lilly bedding in the pattern "Checking in Blue". Garnet Hill has so many beautiful Lilly bedspreads and accessories available on their website!

2. A couch- We will be lofting our beds, and putting a couch beneath one of them, which will allow for more space and a place to relax!

3. A Brita® Pitcher- I purchased a Brita® pitcher from Target so that my roommate and I would always have access to filtered water in our fridge and to take on the go! It fits perfectly in the door of our minifridge, so that we still have enough space for food. It is also an environmentally and economically friendly alternative to purchasing waterbottles. available at Target

4. A Shower Caddy- This will make my life much easier when using a community bathroom. I purchased mine from PBteen and had it monogrammed.

5. A Northface Backpack- The North Face makes very durable backpacks that are perfect for a college student. I will be using mine every day for classes!

These are just a few of my college essentials. I would love to hear what you have purchased for college!

Fall Collections

Thea Triple Zip // Scalloped Kitten Heel // Open Dome Satchel // Cordette Dress // Velda Tunic // Myra Espadrille // Couri Lace Coat // Metallic Edge Mini City // Rain Boots

These are a few things that caught my eye while I was in NYC this past weekend. All of the new fall lines are making me very excited to break out my boots and vests!

Fitbit Flex

{Fitbit App}

{Sleep Log}

At the beginning of this summer, I purchased a Fitbit Flex for myself from Target. In general, I am a very active person, so a Fitbit seemed to be a great investment. The Fitbit Flex is a tracker that is worn inside of an adjustable bracelet, and tracks your daily steps, milage, sleep and calories burned, and syncs to an app on your phone. The sleep log works by detecting when you go through a cycle of REM sleep, and shows when you are restless throughout the night. You can also enter your daily intake into a food log, which is great! I use my Fitbit mainly for the total daily milage (so that I can see how far I've run if I run outside), the sleep tracking, and the burned calories (which is calculated based off of the weight you enter). The device is also waterproof, which has been great for me this summer. Overall, I am very pleased with my Fitbit and would recommend them to anyone living an active lifestyle. I'm planning on using mine in college to see how far I walking each day (my dorm is up on a huge hill). I have also used mine to calculate how far I walk when I'm in NYC (I never take public transportation; walking is the way to go). And to add to the excitement, Tory Burch has released a line for Fitbit which is now available for pre-order!

Do any of y'all have a Fitbit?

The Last Hurrah {In NYC}

I spent this past weekend wandering around New York City with my best friend as a last getaway before I leave for college in a week. I did some shopping in SoHo and on the Upper East Side and picked up a few things from Tory Burch, Anthropologie, Lululemon, and Kiehl's. Overall, the weekend was wonderful, the weather was perfect and New York was beautiful as always. 

My Yoga Practice

Yoga Mat // Strap {Similar} // Mat Towel

Over the past few months I have become very interested in the practice of yoga for strength, flexibility, and mindfulness, and I wanted to share some of my thoughts with y'all! I usually go to my studio a few times a week and take either a Vinyasa flow or Bikram class. As some of y'all know, I run every day, so adding yoga to my daily routine leaves me feeling so great!

 My new love for yoga has definitely left a dent in my wallet; shopping for athletic apparel might be my new favorite thing. I have become a Lululemon addict, whether it be their running apparel or yoga mats- I love it all. I also find a lot of fun leggings at Gap and TJMaxx. I have heard wonders about Manduka yoga gear as well!

I get a lot of fitness inspiration from the internet, whether it be Tumblr or Pinterest, the inspiration is everywhere! Rachael Dee's Tumblr is one of my absolute favorites! She takes wonderful pictures and gives great advice! I also have Pinterest boards dedicated to Yoga and Fitness where I pin all of my favorite tips and ideas!

I would love to hear about your fitness routines! What are your favorite ways to stay in shape?

Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale

I visited the Nordstrom's Anniversary sale the day it opened to the public, and was very impressed with this year's deals. A lot of the jewelry and designer handbags (including Kate Spade and Tory Burch) were included in the sale. I found some great deals in the athletic wear section, including Zella cropped leggings, a Northface 1/4 zip, and Nike Free trainers (only $60!). I would definitely suggest checking out the sale- whether it be online or in a Nordstrom store!

Did you score any great deals at the sale?

Applying to College

About a year ago I began the preparation of applying to my chosen colleges. I am generally a very proactive person, but I know people who are the complete opposite and ended up putting off applications until their due dates. For about a year, I was certain that I would end up going to Clemson University in South Carolina. I visited the campus twice, and absolutely loved it. On a whim, I decided to apply to the University of Georgia, because it also had everything I was looking for (including my major, which most schools do not have). I ended up being accepted at every school I applied to, and chose to visit Clemson and UGA within the same weekend, so that I would be able to compare my top two schools back-to-back. I ended up falling in love with the University of Georgia. The campus is beautiful year round, they have a well developed genetics program, and a tremendous greek system. I am so glad that I ultimately chose UGA, and I am so excited to be a Dawg! I wanted to share some of my tips with y'all, because my application and decision making process was fairly smooth sailing.

1. Do your research- Find out everything there is to know about your top schools. This will make your college visits and final decisions much easier!

2. Create a list of all of the colleges that you are interested in and their stats- It was very helpful for me to have all the facts about each school displayed in front of me, and made narrowing down my choices much easier. I ended up making a spread sheet on Microsoft Office to do so.

3. Visit each school that you are applying to- It is 100% true that you will not be able to tell if you truly love a school without visiting the campus. The school's atmosphere is definitely a part of the experience.

4. Get your applications done early- I had all of my applications submitted by early October, which allowed for a relatively stress-free application process. This also gave me the opportunity to apply for early action (non-binding) application review, and receive my admission status early in the winter/spring. 

Back To School

Isabella Backpack / Nike Free TR / Chaco Yampa Sandal / Travel Umbrella / ID Wristlet / Ray Ban Aviators / Large Agenda / Seersucker SoPro Hat / MacBook Air


I just recently got back from college orientation and have begun to purchase my back-to-school necessities. I'm going to school in the south (Go Dawgs!) and these are a few of the things that I know I will be using a ton!

What are your back to school essentials?

Kaitlin Kendall Design: Katiebowhead Bracelets

After following Kaitlin on Instagram and watching her new business grow, I finally decided to place an order on her Etsy shop. She was extremely willing to work with me to make a custom bracelet, and I absolutely love it! I can definitely say that I like Kaitlin's bow bracelets much, much more than the other bow bracelets out on the market. It is the perfect addition to my bracelet collection and I know I will be wearing it a ton throughout my freshman year of college! 

Colonial Williamsburg

I spent this warm July morning exploring Colonial Williamsburg with my family. I finally had the chance to wear my favorite Lilly Pulitzer dress from last summer's collection. It is very simple and has beautiful detailing. I paired the dress with my well-loved black Jack Rogers. Colonial Williamsburg has so many interesting buildings with great history behind them, and it was great to spend the morning out and about!

July Playlist

{via}

My Running Essentials

{Armband for iPhone / Nike Flyknit Lunar2 / Running Socks / Headband}

For the past year, I have made an effort to go running, or do some type of cardiovascular exercise every day. Now that the weather has warmed up, I have begun to run outside on a path near my house. I usually run 4+ miles each day, and when I don't run outside, I run on my treadmill. I used to absolutely hate running. I grew up as a competitive gymnast, and that was my exercise. Due to an injury, I am no longer able to do gymnastics as rigorously as I used to, so I began to run. Now that I have been running regularly for about a year, I love it. My runs are usually one of my favorite parts of the day. It keeps endorphins flowing and is a great way to de-stress. 

I always listen to music while I run, so an iPhone armband and earbuds are a must! I recently got a pair of Nike Flyknit Lunar2 running shoes to replace my old Nikes, and these are my absolutely favorite. They are more minimal, but still have great support and are extremely comfortable. Lululemon headbands are my favorite to keep my hair out of my face during my runs; they are definitely worth the price! I recently bought myself a Fitbit Flex, which I will be doing a separate post on soon. It has been a great way to monitor my running and sleep schedule!

What are some of your exercise essentials?

Brunch on the Upper West Side

 Before catching the train to return home, I was able to enjoy Brunch on the Upper West Side of Manhattan at a cute street-side restaurant called Isabella's. The bread pudding french toast was to die for, and the nearby scenery was absolutely gorgeous.

Exploring Central Park

I have to admit, I had never had the opportunity to spend much time exploring Central Park until this past weekend. I was able to see the Lakes and relax on some of the rock formations that overlook the fields. The park is absolutely breathtaking. You would never expect to find such beauty amongst the hustle and bustle of New York City.