Fall Nails

Last week, I did something that I rarely do.  I actually took a step back from my life and surveyed how I was doing with my New Years resolutions.  Self reflection...crazy concept right? I realized that I was doing pretty well on almost all fronts.  I have been working diligently to pay off my bills and use down the stashes of make-up, body lotion, perfume and candles I have. Yes, these are my hoards...I like things that smell nice. So sue me. I had also lost weight.  I had stuck with another resolution, which rarely yields results.   The one I had been failing miserably at, however, was "stop biting my nails."  So in a last stitch effort to keep my resolutions I had created for myself, I took a trip to the nail salon and I got a set of acrylic tips put on. These physically prohibit me from biting my nails...perfect.

I opted for a fall color and rather than go choose one from the salon that I may or may not be enthralled with, I brought my own color. It turned out the be the perfect color for fall.  Spinning Again by Essie from their Fall 2012 collection is perfect for this time of year.

Unofficially Fall

Well folks, it's past Labor Day.  Summer is over.  And while I will certainly miss it, I'm ready for fall.  I've already had a pumpkin spice latte and it was bliss. I've got an arsenal of "thin girl" clothes that I am ready to wear along with loads of other fall wear including cardigans, boots and jackets...oh my.

This weekend was also the most lovely that I can recall.  I was lucky enough to have 2 days of absolutely no real plans. Plus a bonus day, today, Monday(even though I had work in the evening).   I was lucky enough to spend lots of time with my lovely boyfriend, as well as some time with family and friends.  I'm gearing up for more fall activities and I'm beyond excited.  The first I'll be partaking in is the Mushroom Festival; and while it may sound weird, I love it and think it's incredibly fun.  Find out more about it here: Kennett Square Mushroom Festival!

That aside, I've also got this incredibly relaxed and peaceful feeling going into this fall.  This is the first fall since I was a toddler that I will not be facing school.  It's a wonderful feeling.  I'm even planning to enjoy my free time.  This is a whole new feeling for me; entirely new.  I've never really had free time in the fall before. On another "big-girl" note, I'm also feeling incredibly accomplished.  My credit cards are almost all completely paid off.  The reason they are so high from the get-go is thanks to college, but thankfully I'm almost done paying for that.

Revived Outlook

Well, life got the better of me yet again. During my last post, I was fortunate enough to be sitting in the lovely town of Duck, North Carolina and basking in the southern sun.  Upon coming back home, I think life just became crazier than I would have ever anticipated and I'm just now beginning to settle back into things.  As always, pockets of my life remain something of a disaster zone, while I've been conquering other small areas of my life.

Maybe it's because of the seasons changing soon and the anticipation of fall and all of the things I love about it, but I'm feeling optimistic about life in general.  Most importantly, I cannot wait to wear fall clothes! I love everything about all that fall allows me to wear. Boots, coats, sweaters, leggings, leather.  All of it just brings sheer joy to me.  Other things I cannot wait to wear (though these are more of a winter item) are my new boats I just ordered. They're the first pair of Uggs that I have ever bought.  I figure go big or go home.

Ugg Heirloom Lace Up in apricot

Either way, I think the fall has a lot to offer and I'm feeling quite inspired by it.  Stay tuned. I feel this fall will be full of DIY and photographic evidence.  

Southern Living

So I'm writing this post with the most lovely change of scenery possible.  I'm currently sitting in the Ship's watch of our house in the Outer Banks and looking at both the sound and the ocean.  Life doesn't get any better than this.  As I'm sitting here with my coffee and thinking of what to write, I just want to ramble on and on about how gorgeous it is down here, but no one really cares about that without pictures...and I forgot my camera.

Life is good though, I'm working a bit from down here, which I don't even mind given the views from my "office" and my tan is steadily getting darker. I've bought some lovely new things that I didn't really need, but that's also okay. A splurge here and there never killed anyone, did it?

Regardless, life down here IS lovely and far less stressful than anything else I know.  Today's planned activities include going out to lunch and then one or two wine tastings in the afternoon and maybe some beach or pool time.  I'm sure I'll have more to write later, but til then, enjoy your day!

So close.

All I can say is that this summer has been shaping up to be nothing short of wonderful.  I've been lucky enough to see my great friends and family and enjoy this summer to the fullest that I can.  Do I work a bit more than I would like to? Sure, but that's life.  Isn't it?  

I finally feel relaxed and somewhat on the track I feel I am supposed to be on.  Everything is slowly getting accomplished.  I also know these posts may seem repetitive, but I need to keep writing them to reinforce to myself that I am in fact on track. I feel like my never-ending struggle to get things organized is slowly starting to come to an end.  The final organization is near.  Thank god.  This past week, I managed to conquer both of my closets and the tip of the laundry iceberg.  I even found a home for all of my shoes.  I just need to move them into it.  It's scary...the thought of being organized.  I'm afraid I won't know what to do with myself once I don't have that goal looming over my head.  

That being said, I cannot wait to get free time back.  I have all of these incredibly dorky things that I would love to occupy myself with.  I miss reading.  I miss scrapbooking.  I want to try about 1 million things I've found on Pinterest.  Amazingly enough, I have a sneaking suspicion that I will be able to do some of this before the end of the summer too!   Updates to come.  I swear someday, you'll get pictures of everything...once it's fabulous.  

Routine Change

So as I woke up this morning, I came to a conclusion.  I don't know that my current routine is working for me.  I'm not talking about the wonderful people in my life, or the things I do with my time, but rather how I spend my time.  I feel like if I woke up early in the day and had a more relaxed morning instead of the hectic ones that I currently have, life would generally run in a much smoother fashion.  I've never been a morning person, but I would love to work on making myself more of one.  I definitely think it could improve my mood in the morning and I just feel like it might be good to give a try.

This is my endeavor for the rest of the summer...to become a morning person (and of course get my life organized or close to it). By the end of the summer, I want to be closer to living a normal life for a 25-year old woman.  I feel like right now, I am not, but I would love to change this..so that is my mission.

Nostalgia of Summers Past

Do you ever wake up and think, "Oh my god, what happened to me?"  From time to time, I think that, but this is an occurrence saved solely for the summer.  I think of what my summers used to be when I was younger and it was amazing.  I used to wake up and play outside, whether it be from rope swings hanging from trees at the top of my grandparents' hill or just going to the local swim club.  Life was good.

This whole sense of nostalgia was brought on by a couple of pictures of me feeding a horse at Linvilla Orchards and my old Shark Watch and swimmer's badge to use the high dive at the swim club.  These few choice items summed up years and years of happiness and fun under the summer sun.

Not only was I lucky enough to have a great day-to-day life during the summer, but I was also lucky enough to go on vacation to the Outer Banks in north Carolina for a week or two each summer. 

Now, each weekend, I struggle to get to the pool for an hour or two in the late afternoon after work. Life is very different, but I feel like soon, it will have to pay off. I love my life now and am incredibly happy with it.  The only pitfall I seem to be able to find is my lack of free time during the daylight hours.  Hopefully soon, I'll be getting a bit of that too. Happy Summer.