In the past month...

...I enjoyed Cinco de Mayo with some of my favorite people

 

...I celebrated my 22nd birthday

 

(birthday hats, a present from my little bro, birthday balloon, my favorite little man) 

...I became an alumni of my honor fraternity

 

...I got a job offer!  

One week from today, I will be starting my BIG GIRL job as a production assistant at the home office of a major clothing company. This means I've also begun hunting for a grown-up apartment, so I'm sure you'll be seeing lots of home decor inspiration from me on the blog and on my pinterest. It is still feels a little surreal that I'm graduating college Sunday and then starting a real job so quickly, but I am beyond grateful to be one of the few college graduates out there who has a job lined up. I feel extremely lucky!

Birthdays and Balloons

Occasion: 21st birthday dinner with my family
What I'm wearing: Dress free from internship, Gap espadrilles, NY & Co. outlet cuff

What a great, great weekend. I went home to Cincinnati to celebrate my 21st birthday and get ready for my move to NYC (I leave Saturday!). I spent the weekend shopping, seeing Bridesmaids (loved it...so funny!), having dinner and my first legal drink with my parents and brother, going to the bar with my family (yes, this really happened), getting a haircut, getting dinner with old friends, and ended the weekend with Mexican and margaritas with my OSU friends back in Columbus. I have so much love for all the people who made this an amazing weekend, which is making it that much harder to leave for the whole summer. But I'm also really excited for the opportunity that lies ahead. This week is about to be super busy crazy, since I am taking all of my finals early and leaving Columbus in two days. You'll hear from me after all of the madness is over, just in time for my 1 year blog birthday!

Twenty-One Years of Style

So today is the big day...I'm finally 21! To celebrate, I thought I would share with you some funny "fashionable" pics of me from over the years. My parents should have known from the beginning I would become a fashion major/personal style blogger because I sure did love posing in my crazy get-ups. Here are some of my favorites:

one word: HOT

The hat seems to be a reoccuring theme

Look at that future fashion blogger pose

And another...

And my all-time fave, just because of it's sheer ridiculousness

And here I am today, all grown up and flaunting my new horizontal ID

With my senior year of college quickly approaching and this big milestone birthday, I've been feeling all sentimental, which is what had me looking through these old photographs. I'm proud of how far I've come over the last 21 years, and I'm looking forward to what the future holds. Cheers to 21!

A Great Day

What I'm wearing: J.Crew top (2008), Gap Always Skinny jeans, Target sandals, Urban Outfitters sunglasses, NY & Co. necklace, Mondani bag via Steinmart

Today has been a really, really great day. I spent the afternoon enjoying cheap but delicious sushi (the best kind!) and then indulging in some ice cream while sitting at the park with my girlfriends. They even took my outfit pictures! (Thanks Karee and Natalie!) It was supposed to rain all day, but it's absolutely gorgeous out. I love when the weatherman is wrong! I also received my "21 shots" email from the university, which means the big 2-1 is right around the corner! I'm obviously smart enough to realize that taking 21 shots is a BAD idea, but this is the milestone email that every OSU student waits for, because it means the big birthday is finally here. In my case, Saturday! My last shift at my part-time job is Wednesday (yay!), and then I'll be spending the weekend in Cincinnati...I'm so excited to spend time celebrating, relaxing, and getting ready for my move to NYC! Two weeks from today, I start my internship! Eeeeek, so many exciting things are happening at once! I hope your Monday is going just as well as mine :)

May Is Almost Here!

To be completely honest, it's been a crappy week. Lots of little things are getting me down, so I decided I need to turn my mind to some happy thoughts. And then I realized its April 28th, which means May is almost here! May is my favorite month of the year, hands down. And here's why:

1. It's my birthday month! I lovvveeee birthdays, and mine is no exception. This picture was taken on my 19th when my roommates surprised me at midnight with cupcakes. This year I'll be turning the big 2-1 which I'm pretty excited about. Plus I love birthdays because I've been known to use it as an excuse to splurge a little. Thus, how these Michael Kors heels found their way home into my closet last year.

2. Gorgeous weather. I'm so sick of cold and rainy days, and usually (I hope I'm not jinxing us by saying this) May weather doesn't disappoint.

3. All of the best movies come out in May. I admittedly have questionable taste in movies, but here are a few I'm excited about:

4. Memorial day weekend! Hello, 3 day weekend AND my birthday? There's nothing better.

5. It's strawberry chip month at Graeters. Those of you who aren't Ohioans, you have no idea what you're missing! Go order yourself a pint right now. And send me one while you're at it :)

6. This book comes out. So perfect, considering where I'll be spending my summer.

7. Along those lines, May means getting ready for NYC! I leave for my internship the first week of June, and the closer it gets, the more excited I am! I can't wait to return to one of my favorite cities.

What do you love about May?

Short on Words

What I'm wearing: Anthropologie top, Forever 21 leather jacket, Gap Always Skinny jeans, Target ankle booties

The birthday boy and I

This is what happens when Alex gets behind the camera and tells me to "whip my hair back and forth"

I'm a little short on words today. Last night I celebrated two friends' birthdays, and it was a lot of fun but boy am I tired now. Tomorrow starts week 10 of winter quarter which means finals are looming in the near future. It's time to hit the books!

Blessed With a Brother

November 1994

16 years ago today, I became a big sister! My family is super blessed to have my brother Brad. I love you buddy; happy 16th birthday!

Rebel With A Cause

On Friday, I made a quick little trip to Cincinnati to celebrate my dad's 50th birthday. We threw him a surprise party, although I think he started to catch on a little towards the end. We aren't the best liars, but that just means we are good people, right? I felt like the rebellious teenager I never was when I lied about where I was going Friday night so I could go help set up at my aunt's house. Sneaky sneaky. I decided at the last minute to come home to Cincinnati earlier than planned, so I packed super quickly and am kind of surprised how well my outfit for the night turned out.

What I'm wearing: Lace sweatshirt (free from internship), Old Navy skinny jeans, H&M booties, Scarf via NYC street vendor, Forever 21 earrings & bangles

I'm wearing OPI's Here Today...Aragon Tomorrow dark green polish. Love it!

How cute is this cake?! (My dad's a firefighter, by the way)

Happy birthday Dad! Thanks for a great weekend at home!

One "Elle" of a Night

I originally was planning to save this post until tomorrow, but I'm hoping to be feeling well enough by then to take some new outfit pictures. Yay for getting healthy again! I've spent most of my weekend in bed, trying to beat this nasty cold by getting lots of rest and catching up on all my favorite tv shows. But I did get the chance to go out Friday night to celebrate my roommate Jillian's birthday.

What I'm wearing: Forever 21 striped dress (2008), Target tights, Target suede ankle booties, J.Crew sparkly belt, Tiffany's bracelet, Old Navy cardigan (shown later)

I was so excited to have a reason to dress up and finally try out my new Target ankle booties I bought back in August. With my student lifestyle, I rarely have a good excuse to wear heels, but Friday was a special occasion. We started the evening at an adorable Thai restaurant called Basil...the pad thai was delish!

The birthday girl and I at dinner

After dinner, we headed to Jeni's Icecream, a local favorite in the Columbus area. I had only been once before, and it was even better than I remembered.

Pumpkin, Brown Butter Almond Brittle, and Salty Caramel- the perfect Fall combo

At dinner, we surprised the birthday girl with tickets to see Legally Blonde: The Musical, so after ice cream, we headed downtown to catch the show. Although I sniffled through the whole thing due to my cold, the show was very good. It was funny, just like the movie. Overall, it was a great night, and I had an awesome time getting dressed up and going out with the girls.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Photo taken on the drive moving back to school

Sometimes you have to remember to look for the light at the end of the tunnel, the rainbow in between the gray clouds. Its been a rough week, made complete by the fact that I am now getting sick. No outfit pictures today because I will be attending class in yoga pants and a sweatshirt. This goes against everything I preach about looking nice for class, but sometimes you just have to focus on making it through the day, stylish or not. The first few weeks of school are always a difficult adjustment for me, so the stress of classes, work, extracurriculars, and a social life + the drastically changing temperatures have me feeling a little under the weather. I also just realized I left my camera charger in Cincinnati, and the battery is about to die. I'm trying to remind myself to stay positive and think of things I have to look forward to instead of dwelling on my stress. Here are some things I'm looking forward to in the upcoming weeks:
-This Friday's girls night out to celebrate my roommate's birthday
-Next weekend's trip home to celebrate my dad's birthday and spend time with family
-Hopefully getting a haircut (just a trim) while I'm home
-Celebrating my boyfriend's 21st birthday
-Starting to figure out my Halloween costume(s)
-Decorating for Halloween!

Some of these things may be small, but they are all little rainbows in the midst of gray clouds. They are what is keeping me sane right now. What are you focusing on to stay positive this week?