What I Wore: Wednesday 1/29/14

Top: Express, Sweater: Sirens, Similar leggings: Victoria's Secret, Shoes: Dr. Martens

I’m not sure that just because we get to where we want to be, that the desire to be/have/accomplish more will ever go away. Life, at least from what I have found, is all about being content and happy with where we are at and absorbing the moments of beauty.

We are all always searching for more. I seem to stress it in nearly every post, but it’s so important that we don’t get so caught up in our search for more that we begin to lose sight of what we already have.

Take time to do whatever it is that makes you happy. Take time to be with the people who make you happy. Be curious about the things that you don’t understand and have an equal amount of determination to learn about these things.

Surround yourself with people who are excited about life. Find the people who help you grow, and go out and live your lives with them by your side. So much of life truly is about the people and environment you choose to surround yourself with.

Here’s to an amazing Wednesday!

-          Alissa 

New York: 1/16/14-1/19/14

This past weekend, I went to New York to visit my best friend for her birthday. Being away from home, both at school and in travels, teaches you a lot: about yourself, about others and about who you want to become in the future. It is so, so important to experience new environments. Don't stay in the same place with the same people doing the same things day in and day out. Even the smallest change in scenery can be refreshing.

In the city, we roamed around without directions and no idea as to where we were headed. As we began to stress over our attempt to get back to the train station to return home, we realized that we were nearly entirely unaware of our surroundings. Feeling a bit unsure as to where you may be headed in life is not a bad thing. In New York City, the roads eventually led a couple of lost girls to we needed to be. In life, too, we will find that our paths eventually lead us all to where we need to be.

We may not always be sure of where we are going. We may not be sure of how we are going to get there. But we should never forget that worrying and stressing won't lead us to where we need to be. Freaking out about being lost will not lead you to being found. Stressing over feeling behind will not push you forward. 

I spent my weekend with some truly amazing people. I explored beautiful places that I wasn't familiar with. I tried new foods. I became even more inspired. After everything, I came back with a bunch of new ideas.

With my little space here in the cyber world, I have been able to share my thoughts and my heart with the 5,000 people from all around the world who have decided that they want to hear what I have to say and see what inspires me. It means the world to me that you listen and keep coming back. I want to dedicate more of my time to Vogue and Vibes. This weekend emphasized on the fact that beauty is everywhere. It is in everything. 

My time spent away and exploring with friends has lead me a number of realizations: blogging makes me happy, the people in my life make me happy, beautiful things make me happy, I am so lucky to be where I am at in life and I am so happy I decided to do what I want to do in order to pursue my dreams. 

There are so many beautiful things in life- so many beautiful people to meet, beautiful sights to see, beautiful places to go, and beautiful things to create. Go out there and find these things for yourself. Open your eyes to just how much is out there. 

Here are some photos from my time in Lynbrook, New York and New York City!

What I Wore: Monday 1/27/14

Sweater: H&M, Pants: H&M, Shoes: Dr. Martens, Beanie: Zumiez

Sorry for the lack of posts lately!

After a weekend in the city, I am back at school and ready to return to working and blogging. On Thursday night, we were stuck in the train station since our train was delayed for four hours. Though it was such a minor situation, it opened my eyes to the fact that we spend so much of our time fretting and planning, while we should be smiling, enjoying things, and just living. By freaking out every time something small and meaningless happens, we waste all of the energy that should be focused on the meaningful situations that are going to count.

Sometimes, our paths may not be laid out the way that we imagined them to be. Go with it. Roll with it. Stop letting disappoints overshadow all of the good things in life and all of the things that we have yet to experience that could bring us immeasurable amounts of joy.

Be content with where you are. Sometimes we focus so much on what we want to achieve that we are unable to relish in current successes. Live for now. Everything else will fall into place.

We still have so much growing to do and so many life lessons to learn before we are able to move on to the next stage of life. Don’t just appreciate the big moments. Appreciate the little things in life that make the big moments seem so huge.

Here’s to celebrating every moment- little and big.

-          Alissa 

What I Wore: Wednesday 1/22/14

Sweater: Garage, Top: American Eagle: Pants: H&M, Boots: Hunter, Welly socks: Hunter, Wallet: Michael Kors

Last night, on my nightly Pinterest browse, I came across and was reminded of a quote I had once seen and loved: “A ship is safe in the harbor but that’s not why ships are built.” This quote got me thinking about one important realization: Doing what you’ve always done will give you what you have always gotten. If we want different results, we must try different things.

It is so easy to sit around and think about what you want to be doing. What truly matters is getting up and doing it. The people who ultimately succeed are the ones crazy enough to believe that they can.

We are all so fortunate to have so much potential. We have talents and gifts and abilities that we may not even know about. You will never know what you are capable of achieving unless you try.

Expand your horizons. There is more to see than what you have seen. There is more to do than what you have done. There are more people to meet than who you have met. As we finish up the first month of a new year, make the decision to step out of your comfort zone this year. Who knows what you will find out there?

Allow yourself to feel vulnerable and uncomfortable. Life is too short to do the same thing every single day. Don’t accept monotony.

Be persistent. If you are passionate and willing to put in effort, you will never be disappointed, for you will get what you want out of life. There is so much to experience. Experience it.

Here’s to stepping out of our comfort zones,

-          Alissa  

Snow Day: 1/21/14

If it’s as cold where you are as it is in Fairfield, I hope you’re managing to stay warm and safe in the snow! Classes were cancelled for today and tomorrow morning, so my roommate and I decided to brave the elements as we ventured out to get some snacks. We decided that if we were going to get snowed in, the best way to do it is with movies and delicious (and extremely fattening!) snacks! For lunch, we made grilled cheese with mac and cheese on the inside. After, we made a dessert with a layer of brownies, an Oreo, a Reese's cup and cookie dough on top (I would definitely recommend it!)

These past few weeks, I’ve been obsessing over this group and ALL of their music. After I found them last month, I decided to buy all of their music- they are so unbelievably talented and such a perfect couple!

I’ve been hearing so many wonderful artists lately- artists who I feel don’t quite get the recognition they deserve- so I thought I would share some of my favorite music with you guys! Another band I can’t seem to get enough of lately (as I’m sure you all know, since I’ve been posting on here and tweeting nonstop about them) is The Lonely Biscuits. You can check them out here!

I’ve also been loving this website and this website. Lulu’s has such adorable (and affordable!) clothing and Tobi is offering 50% off (use the code: FREESHIPPING50). I hope you guys find these sites as amazing as I do!

Here's to an amazing start of the week!

- Alissa 

What I Wore: Monday 1/20/14

Top: Forever 21, Jacket: Love Culture, Pants: H&M, Shoes: Forever 21

One thing I think that we all need to focus more on is doing more of what makes us happy. Don’t be so quick to fall under the pressure of constantly pleasing others. Focus on making yourself proud. Make yourself happy.

Never, ever- no matter what- compromise yourself to impress someone else. You are exactly who you are for a number of reasons. All of your trials and experiences- whether good or bad- have molded you into the amazing person that you are today- believe that you are amazing. This is your life. Impress yourself.

Life has a funny way of working out. Despite what you may believe, things will work out. It is so, so important to make our time here count. What are you going to make of yourself? Relish in your youth. Never, ever wish your years away. There are a countless number of wonderful adventures we have yet to endure. These are the times we will wish we could experience again when we are older… Both the good ones and the bad.

If you are not happy with your friends, make new ones. If you are not happy with where you are at in life, move. If there is something that you want to do, just do it already. Consider the fact that you are the one who can alter things to better accommodate you.

There is something so unbelievably inspiring about the fact that we will one day get to where we hope to be. The way we fear it, the way we dream it- the way it has yet to come- thus meaning that we have so much to look forward to.

Be happy with who you are. Today- impress yourself.

If you wait for the right moment, you will be waiting all your life. Make today the day you find what it is you are passionate about, and go after it.

Here's to an amazing week!

- Alissa 

What I Wore: Sunday 1/19/14

Sweater: Ralph Lauren, Cardigan: H&M, Pants: Urban Outfitters, Shoes: Berks, Bag: Urban Outfitters 

Patience is defined as “the capacity for calmly enduring pain, trying situations, etc.” There are so many things in life that take time to develop in order for us to see them in a positive way. Many people are unhappy because they expect immediate results and gratification. Good things take time.

Life is so much easier once you come to terms with the fact that sometimes, things may not happen as soon as we would like them to or the way that we would like them to. Life is all about the journey. If we all got exactly what we wanted at once, there would be no point in living. There is a reason why we sometimes do not get what we want. There is a reason why we sometimes must wait for what we want. 

Have faith in your journey. Though it may not be clear at the time- you’ll often find that you will be grateful for disappointments. Know that you will get to exactly where you need to be one day. These “setbacks” are really leaps forward. The reason that things seem like unfortunate disappointments is because we are unable to see the bigger picture right now. Dreams and goals worth having won’t be handed to us. Dreams and goals worth having won’t be fulfilled right now. Instead of seeing this as a bad thing, realize that this is where the excitement lies. We are working each day towards making the “bigger picture” a beautiful one. 

Everything is within reach. Stay true to your path and you will find what you seek. 

Happy Sunday, everybody!

-          Alissa

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PS: My sister and I both came home for the weekend and today we went to our favorite diner and coffee shop in RI. Nothing cheers me up more than time with my family. To my RI readers: if you haven’t yet, check out Jigger’s Diner and Main Street Coffee in East Greenwich- I promise you won’t regret it!

What I Wore: Saturday 1/18/14

Sweater: H&M, Top: Zumiez, Shoes: Brash, Leggings: Urban Outfitters, Lipstick: Ruby Woo by MAC Cosmetics

 “She had just realized there were two things that prevent us from achieving our dreams: believing them to be impossible or seeing those dreams made possible by some sudden turn of the wheel of fortune, when you least expected it. For at that moment, all our fears suddenly surface: the fear of setting off along a road heading who knows where, the fear of a life full of new challenges, the fear of losing forever everything that is familiar.” – Paulo Coelho

Lately- whether it is because of a song, a quote, a movie, a conversation, a beautiful place, etc.- I've been thinking a lot about my dreams and the way that I view them. Often, the only thing stopping us from going after what we want is fear that we will never achieve it. I’m sure that we can all say that this, (if not currently, then previously) was the case for us. Wouldn’t it be better to know- even if you find that you cannot fulfill all of your dreams the way that you would like to- that you at least tried? You are alive. You face a world of endless possibilities. Nothing is impossible if you are willing to work for it. At the end of the day, we will find comfort in knowing that we did all that we could to go after our dreams.

The journey is ultimately our destination. Focus on what you have here and now. Make the most out of this moment, and the ones to follow will be nothing short of wonderful. Choose to believe. Believe in yourself, believe in your dreams, believe that there is nothing in this world that you cannot achieve. Don’t focus on the outcome. Focus on your journey, and make it something beautiful.

Happy Saturday, everyone!

-          Alissa 

What I Wore: Friday 1/17/14

Top: Zara, Sweater: H&M, Pants: Urban Outfitters, Flats: Franco Sarto

We’ve all heard the age-old mantra “Everything happens for a reason”. For so many years, I believed that this wasn’t true. I believed that good things happened to good people and bad people, and bad things happened to good people and bad people. Lately, however, I’ve been finding truth in this statement.

I have always believed that every person is put into your life for a reason. There are the amazing people who show you what love is about and always have your best interest in mind. Then there are the people we believed were perfect at the time but didn’t necessarily work out the way we had hoped. Every single one of these individuals was placed in our journeys for a reason, but they aren’t all meant to stay there until the end. Whether they are there to strengthen and prepare us for future relationships that do work out, to teach love, or to teach life lessons, they all teach us about ourselves, and that’s the most important thing of all. Know who you are and know it’s enough.

Your relationships with others show a lot about who you are as a person. At the end of the day, we learn from our experiences. We grow and move on throughout our lives despite those setbacks, turmoil, and messy relationships- whether they are with family members, significant others or friends. We all learn to love again. It’s all about having faith in the right people. Knowing who they are. Knowing how much they matter and how important they are in your journey. So many people will wander in and out of your life… Appreciate the ones who choose to stay. Appreciate the ones who value you the way that you value them.

There are some really great people in this world. You just have to find them and give them a chance. Find the ones who want to see you succeed. The ones who want to see you be happy. Hope that they, in return, receive nothing but success and happiness. We don’t know where life will take us. Choose to celebrate it with the people that matter.

Here’s to the start of an amazing weekend,

-          Alissa 

What I Wore: Thursday 1/16/14

 

Cardigan: Gap, Top: Aerie, Leggings: American Eagle, Boots: Yoki

Have you ever had those moments of complete contentment? The moments where everything just feels right? The moments that don't necessarily make you feel like you are exactly where you need to be- but emphasize the fact that you will get there eventually. These moments, though often fleeting, always manage to come back. They restore a sense of positivity to life and remind us of how good we really do have it. 

These moments come in different forms. For me, I find them in songs that make me feel (lately, “Look and Sea” by The Lonely Biscuits, “Riptide” by Vance Joy and “Young at Heart” by Frank Sinatra on a daily basis). They come to me in my random little adventures with friends (the ones that open my eyes to how much the world has to offer for us and how much is out there… The unknown places ready for us to explore), and in time spent with my family.

Life, as I have found lately, has an element of rapidity. Take these wonderful little moments for what they are. They are precious and they are put into our lives for all sorts of reasons. These moments tell us to never give up- to keep going when we feel as if we cannot any longer- to slow down, take a look around, and take in the beauty that is around us. 

At the end of the day, these moments are meant to be celebrated. They may come few and far between- but they are simply good feelings and lovely chances. Life is all about living the one you believe you deserve. Choose to believe that you are meant to celebrate great experiences. Choose to believe that you should make the best of every situation. Choose to believe that you can (and you will) overcome the rocky patches. Choose to believe that you deserve the world. Life is meant to be celebrated.

Live a life that you will be proud of. Recognize, appreciate, and celebrate those goal-reaching moments. Make them the ones you will share stories about. Make them count. 

Devote this weekend to doing something amazing. You are alive. You have the world at your feet. You are capable of whatever you put your mind to. Take advantage of these opportunities and appreciate those beautiful and fleeting moments.

Here’s to a wonderful weekend,

-          Alissa