Christmas Crash

The Christmas rush is over and I literally haven't taken my pajamas off in the past 2 days. It's the best part of the holidays! My family always spends Christmas day in our PJ's and we eat and play games all day...which just continues throughout Christmas break meaning that all I wear is pajamas for a ridiculous amount of time - but don't get me wrong, I LOVE it. These jammies from Evy's Tree are my new favorites. They are sooo soft and luxurious, literally never want to take them off. The most comfortable set I've ever owned!

The holidays are always so magical, but also really exhausting. So I love that my family keeps it chill most of the time. But with all the traveling and catch-up time, there's just no way to not get a little run down. Now that Christmas is over, I've just been reveling in my time off by hanging with the family and reading my favorite new series (Red Queen). Anyone else love pre-teen novel series? I have a weakness. Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Mortal Instruments - I don't think I've read a book intended for my own age in years. Hah! But I love them, what can I say?

I hope you all had the best Christmas and are enjoying time spent with loved ones!

xoxo

Merry Christmas!

Twirling in excitement because IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS!!! My absolute favorite time of the year. Christmas lights, hot chocolate, family time - nothing beats it. I'm soaking up every minute! Only downside of Christmas time is that it's freezing outside. But I found the perfect solution to your winter-chill woes! 

This poncho is essential for the holidays because not only does it keep you warm and toasty, but it's still festive and fashion forward. I played mine over a red plaid button-up, but you could pair this with a dress too! It doesn't have set "sleeves" so you can just drape it over whatever you happen to be wearing. You can snag it from Chicwish (ps - it's on sale!).

Shop this look below. Happy Holidays!

xoxo

cape

shirt (similar)

leggings

beanie (similar)

Merry Christmas x Happy Socks

Merry Christmas!!! Wow - crazy how fast this year went by. It's been filled with lots of ups and downs and I can't wait to see what the next year brings. I recently got the opportunity to work with one of my favorite companies - Happy Socks. And although you might just see cute socks, this little brand means so much more to me and my family.

A few years ago, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Thankfully we caught it early, and a few surgeries later she is cancer free! But this time was really hard for us all and we often found ourselves in tears, wondering why? It was a time filled with lots of pain and sadness. Anytime someone close to you isn't healthy, it's scary. But my grandmother decided that even though we were in a tough situation, you must always seek the joy. So she sent our entire family (cousins included) a pair of Happy Socks. These brightly colored socks were a fun reminder to look for the happiness in every situation. Yes, my mother had cancer - but we were SO fortunate to find it early and were blessed with an incredible support system. 

I think the moral of the story is that there is always a silver lining. Even if it's hard to see, there's always some hope to cling to. And even in the Christmas season I'm reminded that no matter what I'm going through - my Lord and Savior loves me and died for my sins so that I could have life. And that is the greatest hope of them all!

So, whether it be friends, family, a good luck charm or Happy Socks - don't forget to remind yourself that you are so loved this holiday season! Wishing you all the best in the upcoming year! And don't forget to check out Happy Socks here! 

NYC with StyleWatch x Sorel

So, for those of you who don't know, I recently won a trip to NYC! A few months ago, I entered the SORELxStyleWatchContest on Instagram by uploading some of my "fall fashion faves" and ended up being chosen! People StyleWatch and SOREL flew me and two friends (AKA my mom and sister) to NYC for a styling session with the fabulous Kami Stewart from StyleWatch and a shopping spree with SOREL! Needless to say, we had an incredible time! Here'a a little recap:

You can't go to New York without seeing a Braodway show, right?! So the day we flew in, we dropped our bags off at the hotel and went to Times Square to see what tickets we could get! We ended up choosing A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder and HOLY COW! It was SO good - the actors are crazy talented! If you haven't had a chance to see it, you have to go! Their last show is coming up soon, so don't miss it!

(and of course we had to take a selfie while in Times Square)

After a crazy long day of flights and exploring, we were absolutely exhausted and headed back to our hotel. We stayed at Hotel Empire - which is where several Gossip Girl scenes were filmed, so I might have had a few "fan-girl" moments. We walked around the hotel a bit, and then headed to bed to get some sleep before the big day!

At 7:30am, hair and makeup arrived to get us photo-ready. The makeup artist, Maya Calhoun, and hair stylist, Koni Bennett, were two of the sweetest people ever! They were both so incredibly talented and we had the best time getting ready, chatting and of course (in typical tourist fashion) getting all the New York info - including the best food spots.

After hair and makeup were done, we headed to the SOREL store in the Meatpacking District!

The store is absolutely gorgeous by the way. And can I just say...I wanted every single pair of boots. They were all so cute! 

Once we arrived, we were met by the StyleWatch team and got started! We all tried on endless pairs of boots and got to pick our favorites. Kami (the lovely lady in blue) gave us some fashion pointers and brought some fun accessories for us to try on. 

I ended up picking the Winter Fancy Lace Boot in Black. They go with everything and they'll be perfect for walking on campus in the rain and snow!

After a ridiculously fun day, we headed to Sugar Factory for lunch and drinks. And I've officially decided that every drink needs to be served with candy in it. Seriously, so delicious. 

Then we did a little shopping and explored the city. We made a quick stop by the NBC store so I could hang with my bestie Jimmy. 

This was my first time in NYC around Christmas time and it was absolutely magical. Lights and music everywhere! Rockefeller Center and Saks Fifth Avenue were our favorites - all decked out in Christmas-y goodness!

I can't say thank you enough to everyone at StyleWatch and SOREL! We had the best time on this trip and I couldn't be more thankful! Thanks for giving me such an incredible opportunity!