Looking for inspiration

Okay friends, I need some inspiration! I really enjoy the feeling after a good workout however the motivation to do the workout in the first place is so difficult to find sometimes! I have decided I want to start running however need some advice/tips/inspiration/anything! I know my experiences in the past and I don't normally make it past a couple days before I am back to no motivation. It also doesnt help that I hate the feeling of being out of breath mid run.. anndd the fact that my arm starts hurting (is that weird?) anyways please share some ideas with me so that I can go from this...

to this...



I'm SO excited..

So Carolina Cup is just around the corner and I am SO excited! For those of you who don't know Carolina Cup is a horse derby held in Camden, South Carolina. It is an all day event full of six steeplechase horse races and most importantly sundress, straw hats, bow ties and tailgating. I went last year and had an absolute blast! I'm spending the entire weekend in SC along with most of the Greek life from my school. Carolina Cup is the main event however I also enjoy everything having to do with USC! I wish I could transfer because I love the campus! I am also extremely excited to see the boy as he will be attending as well!

I'm sad I will not be in Lilly Pulitzer attire this year):

however here is my outfit I have planned that I am still excited about!

although mine is a light pink

I will be in platinum jacks instead of gold

Will anyone else be there??

What ever happend to...

Handwritten Thank You Notes??

I don't think there is anything more sincere than a handwritten thank you note, get well card, birthday card, etc. The art has unfortuantly been lost and replaced with online cards and happy birthday text messages. I sent someone a get well soon card not to long ago and received a phone call thanking me for my thoughtfulness. The person said she had only been receiving phone calls and the card meant so much. Thats when I realized it's time we all get back on the train of handwriting our thank you cards!

Here are some tips for writing yours and making it thoughtful!

1. Get some adorable stationary

(I prefore stationary that does not actually say "thank you" in large letters on the front, with this kind you can use it for more than just a thank you card. You can also get them personalized! This site has some great ones.)

2. Some postage stamps to keep at your house

3. Greet who the card is for with a simple " Dear Abby, "

4. Express your gratitude (and mean it!)

5. Say something nice about the item and how you will use it

6. Make it personal

"It was great to see you at the park last month, will you be at Realy for Life this year?"

7. Grace "Thanks again for your gift/help/etc

8. Regards "Love, Amanda"

(and yes your signature means cursive please)

Have a wonderful day!

If all the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops

I think I got spoiled with 80 degree weather last week because it is now cold and rainy. yuck! Here are some of my favorite songs/video that ALWAYS cheer me up on a blah rainy day(:

This is so precious, I laugh every time



Have an awesome Monday!

Inspirational Sunday

Okay I am going to be a little more serious in this post today but firstttt, let me just tell you about yesterday.. As I had posted, yesterday my sorority had initiation. It tends to last a while so about 30 minutes before it started I decided to warm some lunch up at the house in the toaster over. (Let me just set the scene: the house has my entire chapter inside and everyone is anxious to begin) So I am warming up my food and turn my back for just a few seconds to grab something out of the fridge. When I returned I was met by the toaster oven on FIRE. yes, completely up in flames! There was smoke everywhere, girls screaming, and smoke alarms going off. One of my sorority sisters grabbed the outdoor fire extinguisher to put out the flames before they got bigger and we were then left with a huge burnt mess. So yes, for the past 24 hours I have been addressed by my sisters as the girl who almost burnt down ZTA. How embarrassing?!

Haha but on a more serious note, I just love Sundays! Starting the day with church and lunch with close friends/family is just perfect. I have been thinking a lot lately about how I want my life to turn out and what is really important to me. The Lord is such an important aspect of my life. Unfortunately sometimes with the college lifestyle it is easy to loose sight of that. I heard a very motivational sermon this morning reminding me just how powerful God is. I hate always stressing about school, work and petty little things. I know if I spent more time in prayer things like school and work would not be nearly as stressful as they are! I will be trying to better myself as a person this week.

I was thinking, what if I made a point to go out of my way to do ONE nice thing for someone a day? It could really make a difference, I'm going to try that this week- it would be awesome if you did as well! I hope yall have a blessed Sunday!

oh and GO HEELS!

Simple Saturday

Hello friends! I am feeling amazing on this Saturday morning! I had a very low key Friday night. I stayed home and got caught up on some school work and read some of Picking Cotton (That's the book I'm reading now and its amazing. I'm sure I will post on it when I finish) I got to bed pretty early which is crazy for a Friday night. Now don't get me wrong I LOVE going out with my friends on a Friday after a long hard week of class but sometimes it feels nice to wake up early on Saturday feeling refreshed and energized!  I am now ready to take on the rest of the day which mainly involves my sororities Initiation ceremony. I am so excited all of our little babies and my grand little will finally be official ZTA's!

flowers for the grand little

I hope yall have a wonderful Saturday!

Pretty in Pink

Pink Pink Pink!

Who doesn't love the color pink? During the spring it's such a pretty color.

I am especially fond of the peachy pink color that I am starting to see everywhere!

Here are some of my favorite pink items!

blush is my favorite makeup item, I'm ready to add this number to my makeup bag!

LOVE this Lilly Pulitzer pattern! It's actually my desktop background(:

Vineyard Vines Day Boat Capri Pants

and this Vineyard Vines corduroy tote! I'd love to put my books in this for classes!

 pink cocktails!

and last but not least this Vineyard Vines sweater.. I guess

I got carried away on there site today haha

How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Someday in life you will have been all of these.

--George Washington Carver

Meet the boys

I'm still new to this so I want to share another piece of information

about me! Meet the main boys in my life..

This is Cooper, he is a little over a year old and spoiled rotten!

anddd this is the NEWEST addition Charlie!

just wanted to share but now I'm off to bed, goodnight! 

Thursdays Things I Love

Here are a few things I loveeee

and possibly couldn't live without 

1. J Crew Chino shorts

I live in these shorts in the summer. They are honestly the perfect

 summer short! And they come in tons of fun colors!

2. Chick Fil A

Chick Fil A is by far the best fast food place ever!

3. Girls night out

A recent girls night out for sushi and drinks reminded me just how 

essential it is to have a girls night out occasionally!  Life gets hectic and no

 one can relieve your stress like your friends. Call yours up right now and plan a night out!

4. Summer dresses and skirts!

If I could I would have only dresses/skirts and yoga clothes in my closet.

I just love the one of a kind girly feeling a new dress can bring. I'm especially in

love with this little Vineyard Vines beauty. Maybe it will be in my closet one day..

5. My Ipod

Not so much my ipod but just music in general really. My ipod is

about as random as they come. Everything from Brad Paisley to Beach

music and Lil Wayne. Music gets me through by days and especially long rides!


and last but definitly not least..




6. Paula Deen's Celebrates! Best Dishes and Best
Wishes for the Best Times of Your Life 

Okay, seriously. If you enjoy cooking/baking and enjoy hosting events BUY
THIS BOOK! It brings a smile to my face everytime! Of course we all love
the one and only Mrs. Paula Deen! This book is filled with tips and advice for living a
 happy life and most importantly recepie ideas for special occasions such as New Years,
 Valentines Day, Marti Gras, Easter, May Day, The Fourth of July, and many more.
I'm always looking for any excuse to have a party so this is just perfect!
.. I'm currently planning a pink and white May day party inspired by this book.
I'll stop now but seriously- its good!

What do you love? Have a wonderful day!

Summer Shades

With the warm weather and summer styles everywhere I'm having a hard time resisting the urge to splurge on a new pair of sunglasses for the summer! I love a good pair of sunglasses and don't mind the extra cost because I wear them year round. I got my last pair two summers ago (I still can't believe I have not lost/broken them) but I think it's time for an update. I can't decide what style to go with, I would LOVE your opinion!

Here is my last pair that has served me well!

They are Burberry in the tortoise shell pattern

What I am debating on ...

Another Burberry pair in tortoise shell 

          

                                                             Classic Ray-Bans

    I've never been a big fan of Gucci but I am fond of these.

Any suggestions or ideas that I left out?? Such a hard decision!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Lilly Pulitzer Planner

Greatest invention ever? Possibly! I am obsessed with my Lilly Pulitzer planner. I constantly have thoughts running through my head of things that need to be done and it's so easy to open up my planner and jot it down! I'm OCD when it comes to organization, you should see a typical week in this thing haha. Not to mention the cheerful prints on each page! The whole thing is just down right adorable! It even has stickers! My favorite part are the quotes at the beginning of the months. Every college student should have a planner and as much as you look at it I advising getting one of these! You will never want another! As you can see it's my obsession. What's yours??

Seventy Salamanders Slither Swiftly Seaward To Swim