Until Next Fall, Chapman!

I can hardly believe I have now finished my fifth semester of college. Somehow, a year and a half has already gone by since I started at Chapman. I can hardly keep track of how quickly time is escaping me. 

I won't be back at Chapman until next Fall because I am spending my next semester abroad in London! I am so excited for this opportunity and even though just the thought of that 10 hour plane ride puts my stomach in knots, I am so confident that studying abroad will be such an amazing learning experience for me! And plus, when else will I have the opportunity to travel around Europe for an entire semester?! I am so ready to explore a new country, experience a different culture, and I guess take a few classes too. 

Despite my obvious excitement, I was a little sad to leave my Chapman home behind for the next basically 9 months. I will miss Chapman and the abundance of fountains on our campus, and the palm trees and the beautiful sunsets. 

All of my best friends and I wanted to do something special before we left for Christmas break. So we went out to dinner for Thai food and then had a gingerbread house making competition. 

Needless to say, things got a little out of hand with the frosting.

and we took a few dysfunctional roommate pictures along the way.

but the good news is, at least one of the gingerbread houses turned out! 

and the other one fell apart completely! 

But that's okay because I couldn't have had a better time hanging out and making a huge mess with my friends in our tiny on campus apartment!

I will miss all of my wonderful friends and roommates (except for my roomie, Morgan, who is studying abroad with me) and I will miss Chapman so much, but I can't wait for the opportunity that awaits! 

Here's to my next adventure in London!

<3Bren

*My striped sleep leggings are from Madewell

HBD Alex!

Last week, my favorite human in the entire world turned 20! It is the only birthday Alex will ever have in the mission field, as he left just a few days after his birthday last year, and he will be home before his birthday next year (in less than a year)! That's right - less than a year until I get this cute boy back. 

He is serving in Mexico City!

I miss him terribly! And I know I still have 11 months left until I get to see him again, but him coming home actually seems like a reality now! The first year Alex was gone I spent counting up and now, I can actually start counting down the days! 

In addition to Alex turning 20, he also just hit the year mark on his mission! I'm so proud of this kid and the decisions he makes and his whole-hearted desire to serve others. He is my greatest influence and inspiration and I look up to him in every way.

To celebrate both his birthday, hump day (missionaries call the year/halfway mark hump day), and fall, I sent Alex a little package! Last December, I sent him a huge Christmas package full of clothing items, candy, Gatorade packets and all sorts of cute stuff. However, the customs in Mexico are horrible and they destroyed all of the contents of the package. I was so sad! I was very careful in what I put in his package this time and kept it very small, but I still think it turned out really cute! 

It features some J. Crew socks, a camel (to signify hump day of course), a mini Seahawks football, as well as mini football beads (he loves football and fall), a birthday badge and a long long letter! I'm so excited for him to get this package! Fingers crossed this one actually makes it to him!

On his year mark (September 17th), my sweet roommates threw me a surprise "Alex hit the year mark on his mission cupcake party"! I got back from class and they were playing the song "Living on a Prayer" and had a box of cupcakes, as well as cute signs they had made! It was such a great surprise and I feel so lucky to have such supportive friends! They are there for me every step of the way through this journey!

Happy Birthday & Happy Hump Day, Alex!

I love you!

Hey LA! & Chapman

I am back in California!! I flew out last Friday from Seattle and am officially back at Chapman in the adorable city of Orange. California is wonderful and it's really good to be back in sun and palm trees, but every time I leave, part of my heart always stays in Washington. There is something about that beautiful place and its lush greenness and abundance of evergreen trees. I miss it already!

But....I am SO excited for the start of a new school year and the approach of my very favorite time of year, fall (even though I don't get much of a fall here in California)! 

For our first weekend back, my friends and I took a trip to LA. We walked around and did some downtown exploring and took pictures at the infamous pillars at LACMA! 

  

My bff Morgan and I have gotten really into Teva sandals lately! They are perfect beach or hiking shoes (necessary for California), but are also great shoes for a casual, comfortable outfit! 

 LACMA is an awesome museum full of beautiful art and sculptures and in a really cool area!

There was even a sculpture that literally looked like spaghetti noodles. 

"Who needs meatballs when you've got friends?!" - Morgan :)

It was a great weekend and it's great to be back in this place. Here's to sophomore year and many adventures to come!

*My overalls are from Aritzia

*My striped tank is from Madewell

*Morgan's striped shift dress is from Nordstrom

*Both of are Teva sandals are available at teva.com

Summer days are best spent...

definitely with friends! 

It was so good to see my best friend today and be able to hang out with her. My summer has been pretty uneventful, as I am working constantly and my boyfriend currently lives in another country, so needless to say, I was beyond happy to have company today. I took her all around my town and we spent time running random errands, looking at beautiful houses, reading through random books at barnes and noble (one of our favorite places), eating food, getting starbucks, and taking dorky pics. It wasn't any crazy excursion, but it was so much fun. Sometimes the simplest things are the best.

also, with good food!

Just a few weeks ago, my hometown opened up a sustainable sandwich shop called Homegrown. The restaurant is based only throughout the Seattle area and the ingredients are all local and organic. Plus, the restaurant has partnered up with Tom Douglas, who owns one of my favorite Seattle restaurants (Serious Pie). I am super excited that this restaurant is so close. It is tiny and kind of pricey, but totally worth it. Plus, the logo is awesome and I definitely want a tee shirt or water bottle with it.

I got the chicken pesto sandwich, which was delicious. But I am dying to try the ham and beechers, and I will definitely have to soon. 

and lastly, with a little shopping.

My parents are building a new house and are constantly looking for new stuff to add. One of my mom and my favorite places to go is Glassy Baby and there is one only about 20 minutes away from me. The votives are always gorgeous and I love that they create new colors for each seasons. I have the princess color, which is a classic light pink that I love.

My weeks have been kind of boring lately with a whole lot of retail work, but this one was particularly fun. :)

*my shirt is from lululemon - it is called the here to there tank, but I bought it a while ago

*my skirt is here from j. crew factory (and is on sale)

*both of our shoes are birkenstocks

*morgan's pants are these from nordstrom

Bucket List

Tonight, I am feeling inspired and excited!

So I've decided to create a bucket list of all the things I want to accomplish in my LIFE.

1. Spend a semester abroad in London
2. Visit the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay
3. Convince Starbucks to develop an herbal iced chai tea latte concentrate
4. Do locks of love
5. Go celebrity hunting in Hollywood
6. Live in New York at some point for some period of time
7. Work in fashion merchandising
8. Learn to love running
9. Purchase a really nice piece of jewelry that I can have for the rest of my life
10. Have a fall wedding
11. Meet JK Rowling and chat Harry Potter
12. See as many Broadway plays as possible
13. Be true to myself always!

If there is one thing I have discovered recently, it's the importance of being true to yourself and making decisions for you! I've spent so much of my time worrying about what others will think of me and acting in order to please others and avoid judgment. I finally realized that it doesn't really matter what people think about me, as long as I am leading a life that I am proud of.

This quote captures my emotions perfectly.

Live your life the way you want to live it and don't worry about the rest. The people who truly love you will always support you.

xx

July Wishlist!

I love clothes and my wishlist for clothing always continues to grow. Here are some things I am loving for July!

1. Teva Sandals from Urban Outfitters (so excited these seem to be making a come-back)

2. Perfect for summer Chambray Romper from J. Crew

3. So cute and comfy Spring Breakaway Short from Lululemon

4. Tie Back Dress from Madewell

5. The Sightseer Sandal from Madewell

6. Versatile Pull-On Shorts from Madewell

7. Verse Dress from Madewell (currently on sale!!)

8. White Jeans from Gap

9. In love with this Lace One-piece from Anthro

10. Completely adorable Camo Espadrille Sandals from J. Crew

11. Love, love this two piece, yet modest Tori Praver Swimsuit from Anthro

Love all this stuff, and my fingers are crossed that more of it will go on sale soon! Happy July shopping!:)

Starting a blog!

The blogging world has always fascinated me. 

I've always enjoyed reading different lifestyle blogs I find on the internet, while also secretly envying the creator of each blog. I have considered making a blog for several years now, but have continually hesitated out of fear that it wouldn't be successful. I finally decided that it doesn't matter how many people follow me, this is a place for me to express my personal style. Without further thought, I decided to act! So here is my blog! I don't have much experience in this and I am certainly not a professional photographer, but I am so excited to share bits and pieces of my life, and I hope you will enjoy reading them.

Happy Blogging!

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