ModCloth // A-Line Dress Obsession

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For my birthday this past Monday, I got a gift certificate to ModCloth, home to the world's most adorable dresses. Of course, I've wasted no time in putting in some serious research on the ModCloth site. I've been looking through their dresses non-stop. Only issue is- I can't pick one! I've found SO many that I'm in love with, I'm having a hard time choosing. One thing is for sure though, every dress I've been swooning over on their site is an A-Line dress. There's something about that silhouette that I just love! For my body-type, it's definitely the most flattering cut. You can't go wrong when you're cinched in at the waist! Also, I noticed that nearly every dress I picked out was mint green or blue. I'm a little bit obsessed, to say the least. Now I just have to decide which dress is worthy of the almighty gift certificate purchase. Decisions, decisions...

Which one would you buy?

Post-Birthday Happiness

Yesterday was a great day. Nothing spectacular happened, but it was a truly great day. I didn't have high hopes for my 25th birthday given that it's the age that getting older kind of starts to suck, but I was happily surprised. There's nothing like an outpouring of love from friends and family to make a girl feel special. Plus, chocolate covered strawberries and pineapple (courtesy of my parents) helped too! It was just the kind of day where I sat back and realized that, while everything may not be perfect, and certainly I still have a lot to learn, I am incredibly lucky to have so many awesome people in my life. Some people don't have that. It's nice to take a minute to just sit back and enjoy that fact. Abounding happiness exists, if you choose to see it. 

Mixtape Monday v15

Happy Monday, loves! This Monday also happens to be my birthday. I can't believe I'm actually 25. That sounds so substantial, doesn't it? When I was little, 25 was the age by which I knew I'd be married and living in a house complete with a dog and a white picket fence. HA! Couldn't be further from the truth. And that's fine by me. At 25, I feel less prepared than ever to "settle down." I just now feel like I'm figuring myself out- why I do what I do and why I am the way I am. Kind of an important part of being an adult, I think. But sometimes, (especially recently) I get too caught up in my head and forget about just being present in the moment. And so, I have decided to make the overarching theme of  my 25th year intentional presence, and consistently make an effort to be present and in the moment. I think we could all use a little "intentional presence" in our lives. Anyway, on this birthday Monday, I've decided to put a playlist together full of my all out emo/pop punk/punk/singer-songwriter favorites. After all, it's my birthday and I'll get emo if I want to!

1. The Menzingers / Burn After Writing

2. Against Me! / Bamboo Bones

3. I Am The Avalanche / Holy Fuck

4. The Front Bottoms / Maps

5. Polar Bear Club / Pawner

6. The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die / Victim Kin Seek Suit

7. Man Overboard / Love Your Friends, Die Laughing

8. Mansions / Dig Up The Dead

9. Now, Now / Dead Oaks

10. Good Old War / Can't Go Home

11. Fences / Sadie

12. The Middle East / Blood

13. The Lonely Forest / Coyote

14. The Gaslight Anthem / Here's Looking At You, Kid

Listen: Spotify / Grooveshark

Building A Summer T-Shirt Collection

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The heat goes up, the clothes come off. At least that's how I'm feeling lately. As the temperature inches higher and higher in Los Angeles, I'm finding more and more excuses to ditch my regular clothes in favor of the rattiest t-shirts in my closet. Something about the heat makes me just want to throw on my "play clothes" and run outside. Remember play clothes? They're what your Mom made you wear when you played outside with your friends- clothes you're allowed to get dirty. Well, when sweating is basically a prerequisite for existing, I immediately grab my adult play clothes. Unfortunately, most of the t-shirts in my dresser are from like 1998, so I'm desperately in need of an update. Who says t-shirts can't be cute? Just because I'm sweating and dying of heat exhaustion doesn't mean I can't look adorable! Bring it on, Summer. I'm going to be so freaking cute in my casual new LA look, you're going to have no choice but to bask in my awesomeness.

On that note- can someone buy me all of these t-shirts? I would wear the heck out of the "Boo you whore" t-shirt! As a bonus, it acts as a friend attracter. You can't tell me you wouldn't immediately walk up to a girl wearing that t-shirt and start spouting off Mean Girls quotes. Insta-bff maker! Love it.

A Visit from My Parents

A couple of weeks ago, two of my favorite humans- my parents- came to visit LA. I loved having them here, but the trouble with visits is that they end, and now I'm missing home more than ever. Just going through and editing these photos made me want to hop a flight to Ohio and soak up a weeks worth of hangs with my family. UGH- why can't all of my favorite people just live in the same place? Wouldn't that be perfection? Even though I'm missing them like crazy, having my parents visit was just what I needed. 5 days of family time might sound like death to some people, but for me, it's pure happiness. One of my favorite days was the day we drove to Malibu and spent laying out and goofing off at the beach. (Also, there was a squirrel that kept creeping on our little beach spot. He either wanted to eat me or befriend me. Not sure which.) This spot in Malibu is my new favorite beach- secluded, quiet and hard to get to, which means there were only 10-15 other people there the whole time. Can't wait to go back.