Things I'm Loving Lately.

Summer is in full swing here. I'm practically living in swimsuits every day [I'm a Florida girl, so I've got an unhealthy stash of swimsuits + flops], working on my tan while simultaneously doing yoga [using my ADHD to my advantage for once] + taking it easy with the best friends a gal could ask for. I figured kicking off a new season with some new faves would be fun!

A few years ago, one of my cousins introduced me to Havaianas flip flops. Growing up close to the beach with warm weather year round, I had a never-ending supply of those bad boys. But, as usual, she was right + I didn't know what I was missing til I tried them on. So soft + squishy delicious, they are a staple in my wardrobe. I found that Amazon is loads cheaper, plus with free shipping, so snag them there.

For months, I had been meaning to check out The Honest Company, home + beauty products co-created by actress Jessica Alba. Finally, I hopped online to snag a free trial of the Essentials Bundle [all you have to do is cover shipping]. I'm. In. Love. Chemical-free products for cleaning your abode, your bod + your babe [if you've spawned offspring, that is]. Plus, a portion of the proceeds are donated to Baby2Baby, which helps clothe over 50,000 children per year [not to mention they also help new moms out with essentials for their babies]. for $10 off your first order, use the link I've provided for shopping with The Honest Company.

I can't stop listening to Miley Cyrus' new single, "We Can't Stop." For all the flack the former Disney star has received recently, you can't deny that the girl can sing without relying on Auto-Tune to make the track palatable. This summer anthem is edgier than normal for the girl formerly known as Hannah Montana, but I highly recommend adding this to your party playlist. Another Summer dance essential = Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines."

If you follow me on Instagram, you've noticed that i'm sliiiiiiiiightly obsessed with Black Milk Clothing [understatement of the year, I know]. I'm also a big Star Wars fan [also, another understatement]. Since this is the season for pool parties,  I'll definitely be sporting my Star Wars Manga Swim.

Justine, the babe that redesigned my blog, has started a tumblr for her adventures in raw veganism. She has some amazing smoothie recipes, which I plan on trying out after I make a trip to one of the farm stands out east. I have definitely been putting my new Vitamix to work lately + I am never looking back.

What else are you stoked about lately? New summer trends, shops, recipes, etc. I'm always looking for new songs to add to my Spotify playlist, Lucky Summer '13, so as always, toss some tunes my way!

Currently.

Double Tall Salted Carmel Mocha in my Rodarte x Starbucks mug, yum!

Making me happy: Simple, little things. Deliciously sinful drinks, made to perfection by my barista boyfriend. Spending time with my family + friends. Writing thank you notes [which I keep forgetting to mail].

Loving: Hello Apparel + Hi for Kids, created by Sam + Anita Means. I ordered the Hello sweatshirt in red - when Erich' calls me, a picture of him with his feet up in a jacuzzi bathtub pops up + Lionel Richie's Hello blares from my phone. I laugh every single time. Also: Baudelaire 2 in 1 Oil Absorbing Primer + Mask = my new BFF. All natural + also helps dry up unwanted blemishes in record time [in a matter of hours, its crazy].

Listening: Now, Now - Threads. I discovered them while perusing the Hello Merch store last week. Not only does their music rule, but I LOVE the Meow, Meow sweatshirt.

Reading: Daily Decadence. Filled with stories, recipes + wine pairings, Sherri Dobay gives readers an intimate look into her journal + her kitchen. I can't wait to test out some of the recipes I've read [especially the one that urges readers to pour a glass of champagne before cooking, ha].

Watching: R. Kelly's Trapped In The Closet. Believe it or not, I've never watched these in their entirety, or in consecutive order, for that matter. IFC has them all posted [digitally remastered], so I have been watching a few at a time.

Thinking about: The holidays, graduating + applying for more teaching positions. I can't believe its almost December.

Looking forward to: Making a ginormous announcement on the blog on Monday. I can't tell you much, but I can tell you that its gonna be awesome.

Here, There, and Everywhere.

Recently, I have been MIA on the blog. Things have been pretty hectic over here, but in a good way. I finally snagged a part-time job, which means I will have income rolling in. Its not what I thought I would be doing, but its close to home and its money. One school starts up I have to find a month-long student teaching placement. The hours will collide, so I don't know how that will pan out. I'm really not concerned at the moment, because I need to figure out what the academic deal is on the first day of class. Speaking of class, I started summer classes: part deux. Same professor, less classes, but much longer hours. I love the professor and the course, and my classmates are great - definitely makes a five-hour classes bearable. Next week is the final week, but due to the holiday vacation, I will be in class 25 hours next week. Not to mention I still have to go to work, put in some hours at my internship, plus do required schoolwork. I can't wait until the weekend is here, and this weekend isn't even over already!


Lets see, what else is new in my neck of the woods. Oh, I colored my hair again. I decided that before I head back to the classroom, my mane needed some fun colors. My friend Christina redid my highlights, then added some pink, purple, and teal. The teal (which was a mixture of a green and blue hair dye) wound up spreading all over my head, so its a unique shade at the moment, but it looks pretty cool. She plans on adding more pink into it, so she can enter a color contest this summer. 

Lazing around on July 4.

I keep forgetting to post about this, but I met Tony Lucca! He played a free show at Tanger Outlets in Deer Park at the end of June (told you I was behind on posts). I wound up running the merch table and met some really nice local fans of his, which I will see at the NYC show in November - the show is during the week of my 30th birthday, so if you dig his music you should definitely join me! Like I mentioned in a previous post, Lucca sounds phenomenal during live performances, and now I got to experience it in the flesh. It was pretty hot out, but that didn't affect him or his bandmates. Vocals were on pitch, guitars were in tune, and the audience loved it. Seeing as the venue did little to no promotion for the event, there was a decent turnout. Had they actually promoted it, even if it were just a week prior to the show, the turnout would have been at least double. I took my photographer, Avalon, with me. This was her first show, and she was a bit nervous. I told her to just go for it, and I think she did pretty well, seeing as this was new territory for her. Sometimes you need to be thrown into the water in order to learn how to swim. While slinging merch, a lot of folks came up to me and said they had never heard of Tony Lucca before, but they really enjoyed his music. Every single person who said that to me bought at least one CD, which was awesome. 

Soundcheck.

 I didn't speak to Lucca until after the show, but he's a really nice guy. His bandmates, Steve and Mic, are pretty awesome as well. Definitely folks you could sit down and bullshit with over a cold beer or three. Too bad there wasn't time to catch another interview over a game of darts. Maybe next time. 

Me and Tony after the Tanger show.

One of my best friends since childhood came for a quick visit on Friday. Sean came to New York on business, but caught a flight to Long Island so we could hang for the earlier part of the day. We feasted on bagel egg sandwiches at Corey Beach, lunched with my friends The Rachel's (they are both named Rachel and they are best friends, its awesome) at C'est Cheese, and Sean had his first taste of Ralph's Famous Italian Ices. It was a fun-filled afternoon, and I was sad to see him go. Hopefully I will be able to see him after he gets back from London - he will be at the Olympics this year!

C'est Cheese in Port Jefferson = insanely delicious!

I wish I could write more, but I have an overabundance of schoolwork to complete before class tomorrow. I had planned on getting some done during the week, but I decided that enjoying myself was a bit more important. Sometimes you just need to live a little. When it comes to academics, I perform best under pressure anyway, so getting everything done in one day is a challenge I enjoy. I hope you all enjoyed your weekend and have a great week!