Day Trip

St. Augustine, the oldest city in America, happens to only be about forty minutes south of where I live. So this makes it a great destination for a day trip! During high school it was nothing for me and a couple of my girl friends to hop in the car and hit the old city for a night out. In St. Augustine, there is something for everyone. The old fort and numerous other historical sites, many pubs and bars, quaint bed and breakfasts, cute boutiques, great seafoods dives, and many other attractions put St. Augustine on the map as one of the biggest tourist traps. 

Today, I drove down to St. Augustine with my mom and sister to enjoy a day of leisurely walking around the city. Since it was a Monday, we forgot about all the people who were still off of work or off of school for the winter holidays. We drove around the cobblestone streets aimlessly searching for anywhere to park since the garage and many other lots were completely full. After about an hour we finally made it down St. George Street to Al's Pizza for lunch. We have many Al's Pizza back at home, so that was nothing special. Normally, we love to eat at O'Steen's because they have the best fried shrimp on this planet, but they're closed on Monday's. Following our veggie pizza, we walked back up St. George Street to The Hyppo, where we got some delightful ice pops. You can check them out here.

 I got the coconut ice pop, and it was wonderful! It was very refreshing and even had pieces of coconut in it. Yummy! The Hyppo is like a little hut, located outside. You would never expect that they would have such amazing gourmet ice pops!

Lauren got Banilla Vanana, and Mom got Chocolate Cheesecake!

Mmmmmm!

We also stopped in one of my favorite boutiques on St. George Street, the Red Pineapple. They have adorable dresses, jewelry, shoes, and vintage gifts. Check out their facebook page!

Cathedral Basilica and the Casa Monica are also some of my most favorite places in St. Augustine. No, I don't have my entire wedding planned out on Pinterest yet, but it would be quite lovely to have a Catholic ceremony in the cathedral and a reception at Casa Monica. A girl can dream. . .

When visiting, I sometimes envy the kids that get to go to Flagler. UF is a far better school overall, but Flagler is located in the heart of one of the prettiest cities. With so much history and charm, how can someone not love St. Augustine? I know I always will, and I can't wait for many more day trips to come.

xoxo - Elizabeth

The Bridge of Lions

In front of the Lightner Museum

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OOTD

Today I went to the St. John's Town Center with my mom, which is one of my favorite things to do. Who doesn't love shopping? So I thought that I would take this shopping opportunity to wear some of my new Christmas clothes.

I wore my new Ralph Lauren plaid ruffle shirt under my Ann Taylor vest (that I've had since 6th grade), my Ralph Lauren jeans, and my Ralph Lauren riding boots. I wore my gold monogram necklace along with my Juicy Couture watch, a gold bracelet that my best friend Hannah gave me for Christmas last year, and my great Aunt Mary's pearls. 

At the Town Center, I picked up my usual makeup. For my foundation, I wear Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24H Makeup that has a SPF 15 and doesn't clog my pores at like other liquid foundations have. For my concealer I wear Lancome Effacernes Waterproof and the coverage is great, but not cakey. I finish that off with the Lancome Dual Finish powder which I absolutely adore. It's great for getting a matte look, or touching up throughout the day. I also picked up some of the Lancome Hypnose Star mascara in Noir Midnight. It is my all time favorite and makes my lashes look super full, but not clumpy. 

Also I received a $30 gift card to Sephora, so I thought I would take a look at some of their products. I didn't want to spend that much money on other lines since I usually wear Lancome, so I decided to check out Sephora's line. I purchased Sephora's MicroSmooth Baked Sculpting Trio, perfect for contouring and highlighting, Sephora's Long Lasting Blush in icy fuchsia, and Sephora's Rough Shine lipstick. The colors are pretty bright compared to what I wear on a daily basis, but I thought they would be fun for a change! After I try them out I'll let y'all know what I think!

xoxo - Elizabeth

Domesticated

Most of my life I've had my mom there to do everything for me. Going to college this year has really opened my eyes up to trying and doing new things. One task I have really been trying to get better at is cooking. It's quite obvious that I LOVE to bake and I'm pretty good at it, but cooking is a different animal. There's not exactly a set time or set amount of ingredients you need to use like there is with baking. Cooking allows for more freedom and exploration, which is exciting since you can make a dish your own. It is also a bit intimidating for a novice chef like myself. Growing up, the most cooking I did was making the scrambled eggs on Saturdays for our big breakfast. I was so excited when I moved to Lakeside because there was a kitchen for just us, unlike the other dorms.  Now I have been able to practice my cooking for a whole semester and decided that I needed to share my new skills with my family back at home.

Sooo tonight I made this tasty Lime Cilantro Chicken and it was wonderful. I also made some of my favorite homemade baked fries. The dinner was a success with everyone, especially my dad who is a very picky eater. It's just a start, but I'm excited to try new things and explore different recipes!

xoxo - Elizabeth

Christmas

     This Christmas was probably one of the best so far. It was the first Christmas that I didn't feel like a child anymore. Instead, I took my time enjoying each present I was unwrapping and doted on my 9 year old sister and what Santa had brought her. The feeling was great. I enjoyed watching everyone else open their gifts, especially my mom. My favorite present had to be the "Barbie, I Can Be A Reporter" camera and microphone my mom gave me to be silly. She thought that I would be able to practice for when I'm actually a news anchor, quite funny.

     I was very busy this Christmas. From mass, family gatherings, crafting, baking, and sport outings, my time was not very disposable. For all the ladies in my family, I made initial and monogram ornaments. They came out much better than I expected, especially after I thought to add a special bow on each one! They were a huge success and added a flare of prep and bling to everyone's Christmas tree.

     

     I also made a wonderful Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake Cake that was to die for. I don't know what I would do without Pinterest. It came out perfect!

xoxo Merry Christmas 

-Elizabeth

   

Time To Get To Work

Today was the first day of classes, and what a surprise, the Sunshine State did not forget about it's daily downpour. Luckily for me while I was at the bookstore picking up my textbooks, I found an adorable umbrella in the Lilly P. accessories section!

It seemed like in high school, all I was concerned about everyday was what outfit I was going to wear. Not so much the case as a college student. People show up in norts, t-shirts, and really anything goes. But since today was my first ever day of college, I wanted to look nice without overdoing it. So of course I turned to one of my favorite J.Crew pieces, the Tilda blouse, because it is semi casual with a special pop of bling. I absolutely adore the top because you don't need many fussy accessories since the shirt does the job on its own! I paired it with a pair of Ralph Lauren jeans, and my favorite pink fluorescent, sequined Sperrys! 

Once I finished struggling to understand the bus schedule, I finally made it to Rolfs Hall, where my 12:30 pm Intro to Public Speaking class is located. Luckily the class only has about 20 students in it, ranging from freshmen, seniors, football players, sorority girls, and the enthusiastic bookworms. My professor asked that we call her by her first name since she recently graduated in 2012. I can already tell that this is going to be a stress free class!

After spending an hour back at the dorm watching my favorite series, Dexter, I ventured out once again on the bus to the Computer Science Engineering building, which is located right next to Rolfs Hall. Here I have my 3:30 pm Mass Media and You class. While walking into the auditorium, my professor had Sublime's Santeria pumping through the speakers. Later we learned that he usually teaches the Rock and Roll class that UF offers, so hopefully this will also be another stressless course! 

Later, I grabbed my friends and hit the gym for an intense cardio workout! Working out with friends is absolutely my favorite because we all push each other to give our all. One of my goals is to spend at least an hour everyday in the gym, if not more! A benefit from hitting the gym is a good nights sleep, and I'm already struggling to finish this post I'm so worn out!

But, I hope whoever started summer classes today had a great experience and is ready to ace this semester! I know I am! 

xoxo Elizabeth

Dorm Sweet Dorm

Last Wednesday I moved into my dorm at the University of Florida. It was so exciting, but overall the day was very exhausting (it took me 8 hours to move in, you'll see why :] ). College is a major transition. You're leaving your family and friends behind, the city you've grown to know like the back of your hand, and your daily routines that have been engraved in your "comfort zone" schedule. Luckily for me, one of my roommates is my best friend from high school, Jaime!

Look how adorable we are!

I've only been in Gainesville for four days, but already we've jumped on the Gator for a photo shoot, been approached by the football team, got in a fight with a frat boy, checked out the gym, aimlessly walked circles around midtown with new friends, and had my car towed at 1:00 am. Needless to say I can only imagine what else is to come. Moving on is a big change, but if you put your heart into your school work and are passionate about your career choice, it will become so much easier to temporarily leave behind everyone you love. That's my biggest problem and fear in life. Leaving behind the people I love, hoping that I don't become just a memory to them! But enough sappy, emotional talk. Let's talk about DORM DECORATING!!!!!

My Aunt Beverly has always been in the building industry, and used to decorate model homes (her home was the gorgeous backdrop for my prom pictures in my last post!). I absolutely adore her and sometimes feel like she and I are somehow the same person, that's how alike we are! Once I knew that I would be living in Lakeside with my own room, I came to her for inspiration for my dorm, showing her some of my Pinterest ideas. With a little thought, we decided to create foam panel boards wrapped in fabric, all materials were found at Lowe's and Hobby Lobby! Using double sided tape, we stuck the panels to the wall, creating the perfect pop of color for my room. Of course being a Lilly lover, one of my favorite color combos is pink and green! Anyone who walks into my dorm would not have to guess what my favorite color is (it's quite obvious). I got my bedding from Anthropologie and the Garnet Hill Lilly Pulitzer collection, with accent pieces from Target, Home Goods, and some cute boutiques in Hilton Head, SC. It's not budget breaking to create an amazing dorm room, you just need some creativity and savvy shopping skills! Here are some pictures of my dorm room! I hope these inspire you to go above and beyond with your decorating because it definitely makes a difference!

xoxo Elizabeth

PROM PROM PROM

So with school coming to an end, I've been BEYOND busy. Cramming for finals and stressing to get NHS projects finished up has kept me on a tight schedule and away from blogging... not fun! 

But back in April, I went to my senior prom, the most celebrated of all high school formals! 

In my Sherri Hill gown, Mason, one of my best friends (going to UF with me, yay!) and I looked like a scene from Gone With the Wind outside of my aunt's southern estate. Because everyone in our group dropped out, we had a limo for two, which I thought could be awkward, but turned out to be really fun. 

For dinner, we enjoyed a lovely meal at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Ponte Vedra, one of my most favorite spots. I definitely recommend the spicy lobster appetizer, it was delish. On my way to the bathroom, I ran into some friends who were also celebrating prom! Overall the dance was such a great time, but I think my favorite part of the night was taking so many pictures! I definitely love the camera...

Madeleine and I at Ruth's Chris!

LOVE MY JACKS!

xoxo hope everyone else who attended prom had a fabulous time!