The Best Sandals Ever!

Last year I stumbled upon the best sandals ever created, and proceded to purchase them in brown. I have worn them over 50 times for sure (maybe more). I have yet to get a single blister, and they are still going strong a year later. Because of this, I purchased another pair this year, except in black, and I'm loving them. I highly recommend these sandals, and the best part is that they are $20 from Target! There are 5 colors to choose from (or you can buy a pair of each!).

They are so comfy, and I seriously recommend purchasing a pair-they're perfect for spring and summer!

xoxo

Alyssa

What I Learned From Working With A Special Needs Boy

My school has a special (and awesome) program. For one school year, it partners 20ish able 8th graders each with a special needs buddy who would otherwise not be able to participate in P.E. For the past school year, I was a tutor, and my buddy was Brian, one of the more severely-disabled buddies of the bunch. He could not run, was easily distracted, and did not talk other than simple words like "shower", "water", "sleepy", etc. He was taller than me, making controlling him a complicated task. Today I'm going to be sharing lessons that I have learned from working with Brian.

1. Be thankful for your abilities.

    I think that sometimes we take for granted the simple things that we are very lucky to be able to do,
such as play sports, run, and even speak in sentences, none of which some of the buddies could do.

2. Patience will get you far in life.

    When working with someone with special needs, patience is extremely important. There is a slim
chance that he or she will understand what you are trying to tell them the first time you instruct them, and repeating yourself will become a must. However, if you stay calm and patient, you will realize that everything will be okay, and that getting angry or frustrated is not going to help anything.

3. It's not all about winning.
    In the regular P.E. classes at my school, everyone is really competitive, and it's truly all
    about winning (and staying safe/having fun- or so they say). However, when working with
    special needs kids, it's important to celebrate the small victories (high-fives are often used) such
    as kicking a ball towards the right goal, or shooting the ball somewhat near the basket. No one
     was really keeping score all year- everyone was encouraging.

4. Give effort in everything you do.
    Although my buddy was unable to truly play any of the sports, he still came out to P.E. each
    day and attempted to do what I requested of him. Even though it may not be your favorite thing
    in the world, giving effort goes a long way.

Despite the challenges that went along woth working with Brian, I'm so glad that I did this class and I feel like it was a life-changing experience!

xoxo

Alyssa

Outfit: Navy and White for Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day! In honor of a national US holiday, I thought that it would be fun to incorporate some of our country's colors into an outfit- navy and white. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

top- J.Crew (similar) | shorts | belt (thrifted) | Sperry's

 

I think that this outfit is perfect for spring and summer, and it's so cute!

 

xoxo

Alyssa

 

P.S. How pretty are these hydrangeas that we have in our garden?

 

 

Change is Good

As you may of noticed, my blog is looking a bit different. When I first started my blog, I was not loving the name I had chosen: Sun, Style and Squats. I had been wanting to change it for around a week now, and today I finally decided to change the name of it to Lots of Lys. I think this name has a better connection to my blog posts, and it's a better representation of me. I also changed the design of my blog a bit, making it more clean-cut, and minimalistic. I hope you guys enjoy!

 

 

xoxo

Alyssa

The Liebster Award

I was recently nominated for the Liebster Award by a few of my fellow bloggers, Alyssa from Running Alyssa, Faith from The Petite Pearl, Katie from Chic In Carolina, Maria from Essentially Maria, and Desirae from A Flower In the Rough.

Here are the rules:

-Thank and link the bloggers who nominated you.

-Nominate about eleven bloggers(or less) (with less than two hundred followers)

who you think deserve the award, and leave links to their blogs.

-Answer the eleven questions posted by the blogger(s) who nominated you, then write

 eleven (or less) new questions for your nominees to answer.

-Notify your nominees.

I  nominate:

Classically Kasey
A Flower In the Rough
Miss Lauren Alston


My Questions:
What would your dream subject in school be?
What did you want to be when you grew up as a kid, and do you still want to be that?
Favorite form of social media?
Where do you think you'll be in 7 years?
What is the most fun you've ever had?
Beach or mountains, and why?
What is your dream place to live?
Favorite girl and boy names?
What is your middle name?
Top 3 books you've read?
Do you play any sports?

Alyssa's Questions:

1. What's the story behind your blog name?
I tried to come up with a blog name for months, and finally settled on this one (which I'm not in love with). I live in California, so sun. I wanted to blog about fashion, so style. And I wanted to incorporate health/ fitness, so squats.

2.What's your favorite state and why?
My favorite state is California. It's such a diverse state, with both beautiful beaches and majestic mountains. I do tire of the constant hot weather, but I'm very lucky to live here.

3. Why did you start blogging?
I enjoy reading other people's blogs, so I decided to start my own in the hopes of inspiring others.

4. How long have you been blogging?
I started at the end of March, so almost a month and a half.

5. Who's your favorite artist?
Taylor Swift!

6. Do you play any sports? If so, what sport?
Yes, I play soccer.

7. Who inspires you the most?
Taylor Swift, or KJP.

8. What are you doing right now?
Typing this on a computer in my mom's office space in our house.

9. Do you have any advice about high school?
I'm still in 8th grade (one month left!), so I do not have any advice on high school!

10. What's your favorite thing to do on a Saturday?
Play soccer, hang out with friends, paint my nails, and relax.

11. What are your goals?
Get good grades, have a successful blog, play soccer in college, and travel.

Faith's Questions:

1. What do you enjoy most about blogging?

I enjoy having a creative outlet, being able to use photography, and meeting blogging friends!

2. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

I would love to have the power to fly because I could travel to anywhere I wanted to!

3. If you could meet any person- living or deceased- who would it be and why?

I would love to meet either Taylor Swift (I'm a huge fan, and she seems like a genuinely good person), or Neil Armstrong (we could discuss what it's like to be on the moon!).

4. If you could travel anyplace in the world, where would you most like to visit? Or, where is your favorite place you have been?

My favorite place I've been is London, and I would love to go to quaint, cute French towns in the countryside- they look like they're from a movie!

5  What or who inspires you the most?

Instagram inspires me because I gain inspiration from people's pictures.

6. What is one thing you could not live without?

Realistically, shoes. But I probably would live a sad life without a camera/phone.

7. What is your dream job?

I would love to be a professional adventure (shoutout to Alastair Humphreys), or an editor of a magazine.

8. What is the most bizarre thing you have ever done or tried?

These aren't very bizarre, but I've been zip lining, and I've also put a starfish on my head.

9. What is your favorite book or movie, and why?

As much as I love everything Harry Potter, I love Paper Towns by John Green. It is wonderfully written, and I love the plot and sense of adventure/mystery.

10. Who are your main style icons? How would you describe your personal style?

For style icons, I would say Carly from TCP, Sarah Vickers, and Alex Yeske. I would describe my personal style as a bit of everything. Sometimes it's more preppy, while other times I'm influenced by the "Southern California" style.

11. What is something interesting about yourself that someone wouldn't guess about you?
I really enjoy watching the news.

Katie's Questions:

1. Why did you start blogging?

{answered this above (; }

2. If you could only shop at one store for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Clothes wise, Madewell, but it's so expensive, so I'm going to have to go with Target, because they have everything.

3. How would you describe yourself in one word?

Ambitious

4. Favorite food?

Orange Chicken

5. What is one fun fact about yourself?

I always want to go on adventures, and sometimes force my neighbor to go on them with me.

6. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I will be 24 years old, living in a flat in London with a cat, being a successful woman with a job I love.

7. What is your dream city to live in?

London, England.

8. Weirdest experience that's happened in your life?

When I was 9, my parents and I were in the car on our way to a place we were going to be

vacationing. A telephone wire broke and hit our car windshield, cracking it. If it had gone through the windshield, both of my parents would be dead. I think that the timing is insane- it had to be perfectly timed to hit our car.

9. What does your perfect day consist of?

To start off, I would have an early soccer game, because I enjoy playing early. After we win, I would go to Jamba Juice (Mango A-Go-Go ftw). Later in the day,  I would head to the beach with my friends and go surfing. To end the day, we would go exploring on the beach.

10. East Coast or West Coast?

I live on the West Coast, but I really want to go to college on the east coast, or live there at some point in my life.

11. Pet peeve?

People who put no effort into anything, or don't care about their grades.

Maria's Questions:

1. What do you hope to get out of your blog?
I hope to make new friends, become more creative, and get better at writing and photography.

2. What is one thing you struggle with?
I struggle with procrastination. I tend to put projects off until the last  moment.

3. What type of job career do you want to go into?
I enjoy and am good at math, so maybe something with math, but  I would love to be able to travel as part of my job.

4. Do you really believe that "preppy" is a thing?
I believe that people may dress in a certain way that is distinct and "preppy". There is also a certain lifestyle that is often associated with being preppy, but I believe that it is not needed to live a certain way in order to dress preppy.

5. What is your favorite unhealthy food?
Anything with chocolate!

6. What do you want your readers to gain once they finish reading a blog post?
I want my readers to feel positive and happy after reading my blog.

7. All time favorite song? Why?
I'm a big music person, so this is really hard. I really like Mary's Song by Taylor Swift because it's from her first album and never gets old.

8. Northern or Southern states?
Assuming this (kinda) means east coast, I am not the person to ask because I have only visited Washington D.C., which I loved. I guess I have to go with North, but I've never been to the South.

Desirae's Questions:

1. Favorite guilty pleasure song?
The Real Slim Shady by Eminem

2. If you could switch closets with anyone, who would you choose?
Alex Yeske

3. What is your Starbucks order?
Grande Passion Fruit Iced Tea Sweetened

4. What is the oldest article of clothing you own in your closet?
I have a navy blue sweater that was actually my dad's in the 80's.

5. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?
{ansered this above (: }

6. Favorite childhood movie?
Madagascar- I love that movie so much!

7. What is your favorite place to shop?
J Crew/ J Crew Factory

8. Serena Van der Woodsen or Blair Waldorf?
Serena!

9. Favorite social media to use?
I love all forms of social media, but probably Instagram.

10. Favorite school subject?
Math!

11. How do you define happiness?
Being positive in everything you do, not letting little things upset you, and spreading your happiness to others.


I hope you enjoyed this; sorry for it being so long! Thanks again to the girls who nominated me!
xoxo
Alyssa

Mother's Day Brunch

This year for Mother's Day, I decided  to make us all brunch. So this morning I set up everything, and made most of it (minus the omelet), and I decided to share some pics of how it turned out.

 

 

 

 

 

It is such a beautiful day outside, and my mom really enjoyed her brunch.

 

What did you do for Mother's Day?

xoxo

Alyssa

 

My Favorite Instagram Accounts

Instagram is probably my favorite social media. I like the more visual forms of social media. During my time spent on Instagram, I have come across a few must follow accounts, and I thought I should share.

@HumansOfNY

The owner of this account, Brandon, walks around New York City and photographs people that he meets. While taking the photo, he interviews them. The interview then becomes the caption, and it's super interesting to read all of the different stories.

@anyeske

Alex is a graphic designer at Madewell, meaning that her feed is perfection. Her style and lifestyle really show through her pictures, and I loooovve her feed.

@daniellemarieyt

Danielle is a youtuber whom I love. Her style is great (sometimes she posts ootd's) and she is overall a very happy and positive person, which you can tell from looking at her feed. Plus, she lives in a beautiful area of Florida, and her pictures make me envy this.

@sarahkjp @kjp @audreyclaire2 @jennasweeney3

Sarah and Keil are the mains when it comes to KJP, but sometimes Audrey and Jenna tag along for their adventures and photoshoots, which look so fun. Their posts are full of preppy fashion, which makes it even better.

@nikewomen

If you are a girl and are somewhat active/a fan of Nike, following this account is a must. It has pics of the super cute gear, along with pics that make you want to get up and workout.

What are your favorite Instagram accounts?

xoxo

Alyssa

P.S. You can follow me on Instagram at @sunstyleandsquats

Hey, I'm Alyssa, Nice to Meet You

Well, I have officially had my blog for a little over a month, so that's exciting! Anyways, a few weeks ago Faith tagged me to do a 20 Facts About Me post on Instagram, and I never got around to it. However, a few days ago I was tagged by Maria to do a similar thing, except in blog post form. I decided to just go ahead and do it in blog form, so here it is. Thanks to both of you for the tag!

1. I absolutely love airports. They're one of my favorite places- I love the atmosphere.
2. I LOVE Harry Potter, and have read all the books and seen each movie too many times.
3. I am an only child, but have always wanted siblings.
4. I love concerts and have been to 3- Imagine Dragons, Neon Trees, and KONGOS.
5. I have been playing soccer for 10 years.
6. I'm always cold, even when I shouldn't be.
7. The rain is my favorite weather, but it rarely rains here in So Cal ):
8. I'm quite tall (5'11").
9. I love going on adventures and exploring new places.
10. I am not a homebody, and don't really mind being away from home.
11. My favorite place I have traveled to is London, and I really hope to live there someday!
12. I want to play D1 soccer in a college on the east coast.
13. I take school seriously and worry about my grades.
14. I love everything with bread- pizza, pastries, donuts, rolls, etc.
15. I love reading quotes and pin too many of them.
16. I have 3 cats, named Taylor, Charlie and Kaylee.
17. I also have a dog named Cookie, who is a German-Wirehaired Pointer mix.
18. My favorite TV shows are Dance Moms, The Middle, and Modern Family.
19. I love to bake. Some of my favorite things to bake are muffins, brownies, and cupcakes.
20. I really enjoy watching the news, especially when car chases are on.
21. Roller coasters are my favorite- I love anything with adrenaline. I hope to go bungee jumping sometime!

(I decided to throw in a bonus fact)

I tag Alyssa &  Maggie & Katelyn & anyone else who would like to do it!

xoxo

Alyssa