My Experience At The 2015 Special Olympics

When I heard that the 2015 Special Olympics were going to be held in Los Angeles, I was so excited, and knew that I had to go! I had worked with special needs kids last year (more on that here) and I really enjoyed it. The Special Olympics model the The Olympics, except that there are a few different sports, and of course, the athletes are special needs. Athletes come from all over, and I saw some from a country I had never heard of!

Anyways, today my mom and I made the journey to LA via train, which was surely an adventure. I had a lot of fun! Also, sorry for the quality of the pictures. I didn't take my camera, so they are taken with my iPhone. 

 Here is a shot of a Great Britain vs. Italy Badminton match.

 The beginning of a Handball game between Egypt and the Netherlands. Handball is a super cool sport. Can I play??

Overall, I really enjoyed my experience at the Special Olympics, and I think it would be super fun to volunteer at them! If the Special Olympics are ever near you. I highly recommend you go!

xoxo

Alyssa

What's in My Carry-On Bag?/ Travel Essentials

In about a week, I will be flying to the east coast for vacation! I'm absolutely so excited. As excited as I am about the actual trip, I'm so excited about flying! I have a strange love/obsession with airports, airplanes, and just everything about flying! I find it to be so much fun, and I love the atmosphere- airports are one of my favorite places! I could go on forever about them, but that's not the point of this post. Today I am going to be sharing with you guys what I like to take in my carry-on when I travel.

 I use a medium Longchamp le Pliage as my carry-on, and I love it!

 It can hold so much stuff for a fairly small bag.

 Here are a few of my essentials: hand sanitizer, lip balm, a hair tie, gum, and earbuds.

Next, make sure you bring a snack, your phone (obvi) and your wallet (with some form of ID).

Lastly, to keep me entertained on the plane, I bring magazines and books. Airplanes are the perfect time to catch up on any summer reading that you may be behind on (it's not like I am...). I would also make sure to wear/bring a sweater to the airport because airplanes can get pretty chilly!

What is your #1 travel essential?

Safe travels,

Alyssa

All About My Glasses

I don't think I have mentioned it on here before, but I wear glasses. They're not full-time glasses, so I usually only wear them during school.  I'm near-sighted, which means that I can see perfectly fine up close, but struggle to see the board from the back of a classroom. I ordered my glasses a year ago before school started, and I thought I should talk about them.
 

{I love Madewell's eyeglass cases (on sale)! Here is my fave}

 

 {these are the "Amber" glasses. They're matte tortoise shell glasses, with wooden arms; these are no longer carried; similar here}

 

 {these are all black "Nikolskoye" glasses, that are no longer carried :( similar here}

 

 I have two pairs of glasses because Eye Buy Direct was having an awesome sale when I purchased them! If you are in need of glasses, I highly recommend this site. I love my glasses, and I like having two pairs so I can match my outfit (#noshame). The glasses each came with a case, but I wanted a sturdier one, so I purchased this one from Madewell. I love it!

 

I hope you guys found this post helpful!

Do you wear glasses?

 

xoxo,

Alyssa

 

July Music Faves

I have been listening to a lot of music lately. Well, I always listen to music. But I have been listening to it even more than usual, if that's even possible. I use Spotify for most of my music needs, and I have been la-la-loving the "Afternoon Acoustic" playlist! It's so relaxing and has a "trendy coffee shop music" vibe to it. I definitely recommend listening to it if you haven't. Now onto the songs that have been on repeat for the past few weeks!

Georgia // Vance Joy

Tear In My Heart // Twenty One Pilots

Love We Are We Love // The Sea The Sea

Grass Widows // Iron and Wine

Stole the Show // Kygo 

Tiger Striped Sky // Roo Panes

Fight Song // Rachel Platten

I really hope you guys check these songs out, and if you do, let me know what you think of them in the comments below!

xoxo, 

Alyssa

A Style Rant

Lately I have been thinking about my style a lot. Or just style in general. A person's style reflects who they are, and how they want to dress. Everyone has a unique style... but do they show it?

Growing up in Southern California, I can definitely pin-point the "SoCal" style. Casual, laid back, comfortable, beach-y,  flow-y, "Brandy Melville-y" are all words that I would use to describe the style here. I see girls all the time that look like they could be Brandy Melville models. 

Girls at school often look like this:

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(By no means am I saying that this style is bad or anything of that sorts. I own multiple pieces from Brandy, Pacsun and other stores with this style, and love them!)

Anyways, about a year ago I "discovered" JCrew. My local mall doesn't have any stores that I would consider to be "preppy" (JCrew, Lilly Pulitzer, Vineyard Vines, Ralph Lauren, etc.) so I had never really been exposed to this style. The entire preppy "lifestyle" and look was completely new to me. All I knew was that I liked "preppy" and wanted to dress that way. 

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So 2 pairs of boat shoes and many pairs of Chino shorts later, I slowly expanded my collection of "preppy" wardrobe pieces. But it would be fair to say that I never fully embraced the preppy style. Instead of diving into the pool of prep, I was casually wading in, scared to get my hair wet. 

I was thinking about this the other day, and why I am so apprehensive to dress a certain way. I decided that it was because I would be the only one sporting that style. The lone prep in a sea of bohemian Brandy-wearing hipsters. The thing is, when I wear Sperry's no one comments. No one has ever made fun of me or said anything about how I dress (except for the occasional compliment). So why am I scared?

I guess subconsciously I want to fit in. Wear what everyone else is wearing. Shop where they shop. But that ends now. From now on, I am making the "pledge" to dress how I want to dress and wear what makes me happy, no matter if that's what someone else is wearing, or not. And I encourage everyone to as well. Your style is something that expresses who you are and is a way to express yourself. Holding back your style to dress a certain way is stupid, and a waste of what makes you unique. 

I saw a quote on Tumblr the other day that I loved:

"Don't be embarrassed of what you're wearing if you're dressed better than everyone else".

In other words, if you think that you look great and you love your outfit, then what everyone else is wearing or thinking really doesn't matter. 

I'm not saying that I'm going to try and define my style as only preppy, because I think that your style can be multiple things. But by no means am I going to be embarrassed because I'm wearing clothes that may not be the most popular where I live. 

Sorry for this post being all over the place. I just really wanted to share my opinion on this!

xoxo,

Alyssa

DIY: Gold Sharpied Mug

A while ago I saw a picture of gold sharpied mugs on pinterest and pinned it to my DIY board. It has sat there long and forgotten for many months. Anyways, we were in Office Depot when I saw the gold paint Sharpie, and I suddenly remembered the DIY, and thought that I should make it. And so I did. Here's how!

What You'll Need:

• oil-based paint Sharpie (gold, or any color, really)
• white, oven-safe mug
• an oven

 I picked up this white mug from 99 Cents Only, and it worked perfectly!

 You can choose to do any design you would like- get creative! I chose to do small polka dots on the entire mug.

 After a good 35 minutes, I finished!

When you finish your design, set your oven to 350 degrees and bake your mug for 30 minutes. This ensures that the Sharpie won't come off when you wash it. Make sure to wash your mug before using.

This DIY is so simple, and is perfect for when you are bored during the summer. I hope you try it out!

xoxo

Alyssa



Outfit: Baseball Brights

This morning my mom and I ventured down the street and took my dog to a baseball field and threw the ball for her. I often sport this outfit during the summer so i thought it would be fun to share!

 

 

 

shirt (old from Old Navy) | shorts (similar color) | bracelet (similar) | shoes

 

My neighbors went on vacation and brought me back this bracelet that kinda reminds me of a KJP bracelet. I love how it ties the pink and blue together!

 

xoxo

Alyssa

Bloggers Get Cookin' on Pinterest

When I heard that Katie from Chic in Carolina and Cathleen from Classy Cathleen were doing a link-up, I knew I had to join! The idea is that each blogger picks a recipe from their Pinterest, and makes it. This is a great idea- I pin wayyyy too many recipes (here and here), and never actually make them: until now! For this link-up, I decided to make a Greek Yogurt Fruit Tart (recipe I used here). Enjoy!

Ingredients:

15 Medjool dates

1 and 1/2 cups raw unsalted cashews

1 cup Greek yogurt (I used vanilla, but any flavor works)

any fresh fruit

To start, soak the dates in warm water for 10 minutes. After, slice the dates in half, and remove the pit of each. In a food processor, combine the dates and cashews until it looks something like this.

After you have made the crust of the tart, take a 9" cake pan or pie tin and spray it with non-stick spray, and apply parchment paper to the base. Once you have done that, press the mixture you just made into your pie tin.

Next, spread your greek yogurt over the crust. Try to make it so that no crust shows through. The next step is fruit! I think that the more fruit the better! I used blueberries, strawberries, a nectarine, and a kiwi.

This is the fun part. You can arrange the fruit in any way you would like- get creative!

This is my finished tart: perfect for breakfast or dessert!

 I hope you guys enjoyed this! Definitely try it out- it's pretty easy!

xoxo

Alyssa

P.S. Don't forget to check out Katie and Cathleen's recipes on their blogs!

Outfit: Lilly for Lunch

On Friday, my parents and I drove down to San Diego to meet my grandparents for lunch to celebrate my grandpa's 95th (!!!) birthday! It was a ton of fun, and of course I took some pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

dress (Lilly for Target Dress-Fan Dance- check ebay) | shoes | bracelet | nails

 

It was a beautiful day, and I think my outfit was perfect for the occasion! I picked these shoes up at Payless last week (on sale!), and realized that they kind of look like Tory Burch sandals, so if you are looking for a dupe, check these out!

 

xoxo

Alyssa

 



Lust List #1

Recently, I have spotted many things that I would love to have, or items that would be a great addition to my wardrobe. I decided to combine all of the items into one list of lust-ness (97% sure that isn't a word). And believe me, if I were to win the lottery tomorrow, I would probably treat myself to a few of these items, without a doubt #treatyoself

1. Macbook Air

The Macbook is the best of the laptops (in my opinion)- who doesn't want one? Dear Apple, could you make them half price? Please...?

2. Lilly Pulitzer Agenda in Pink Lemonade

I have never owned a Lilly agenda, but from what I have heard, they are pretty sweet. I think Pink Lemonade might be my favorite print of the 2015-2016 ones, but I don't know... they're all so pretty!

3. Aerie Lace Bralette

I've been wanting a white bralette for a while now because they look so comfy and are perfect for layering.

4. North Face Jester Backpack

I actually just ordered this backpack in a grey and black combo and I'm so excited to use it for school! It seems really durable and looks like it will hold everything I need.

5. Kate Spade Gramercy Watch

I love the look of this watch- I think that it's so classy and timeless. I prefer gold jewelry to silver, so that's a plus!

6. White Vans Slip-Ons

I saw a few people wearing these at my school at the end of last year, and I thought they were cute. They give off a very laid-back and casual vibe. I think that would be fun to style and experiment with.

7. The Mini Transport Crossbody from Madewell

This bag is the perfect size to hold all of the things that you would need on a day-to-day basis. The color goes with everything and the bag is good quality because, I mean, it was made well (;

8. Jonathon Adler Champagne Pop Candle  

I love the look and sleek design of this candle, and the description of the smell sounds pretty good. But $42 for a candle seems a little steep...

9. How to be Parisian Wherever You Are

I saw this book on Pinterest, and thought that it looked like such a cute read! I really enjoyed the "Parisian Lifestyle" when I was there a year and a half ago, and I really want to read this!



What's on your lust list?

xoxo

Alyssa  

4th of July Outfit Ideas

I can't believe that July is here, and that I have less than two months until school starts once again! Because today is July 1st, 4th of July is just a few short days away! Therefore, I dug around in my closet and found my most patriotic and American clothes, and created some outfits that are perfect for the upcoming holiday!

= Outfit 1 =

dress (color is unavailable) | jacket (similar) | bracelet | shoes | nails

 

This dress is a soft shift dress, which is perfect for summer. I added a jean jacket which makes it much cuter,  and it's perfect if you will be spending 4th of July somewhere cool. My white Converse are so comfy and I lovvveee them. 

= Outfit 2 =

 

 

shirt (color is unavailable) | shorts (thrifted jeans that I cut) | necklace | shoes

 

This outfit is super casual, and is something that I often sport at school. This 3/4 length-sleeve tee is great when tucked into jean shorts. My monogrammed necklace dresses up the look a bit.

 

 

= Outfit 3 =

 

shirt (old from Hollister) | shorts | shoes | bracelet

 

I have had this shirt for forever, and I have never really worn it. I thought that it would look cute with some white shorts, for yet another casual outfit.

 

Which outfit is your favorite?

 

xoxo

Alyssa