a vivid dream

I just woke up from a very vivid dream. I was somehow in Morocco. I walked outside next to my hotel with a bunch of students like me, some who I knew in real life and others that I "knew" in the dream. (Isn't that weird how your subconscious does that?) I took out my camera and walked down to the clearest, aqua blue sea next to the reddish-brown sand. A turtle tried to bite my leg. There were hundreds of small, quirky, colorful houses embedded in the tall, brown hill aligning the sea. It was gorgeous. I wanted to see more - and then I woke up.

I realized there was no way Morocco could look like the images my sleeping brain conjured! Here are some real photos of Morocco I found on Flickr:

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 Maybe I'll go to Morocco some day. :)

xo

a random place to take an outfit photo

Pink tank: Nordstrom Coat, skinnies: F21 Boots: Corso Como Necklace: Muses & Rebels

Today I was out shopping and getting a massage at the mall, and wanted to take an outfit photo outside. Well, there isn't much of a backdrop other than Game Stop apparently, haha.

I only had time for a few photos, so I tried to do a closeup on my necklace! My brother gave it to me for Christmas (his girlfriend helped pick it out) and I think it is gorgeous. I then added my new coat and riding boots for structure to balance out the bagginess of the tank.

Okay, so the photo at the top doesn't show the necklace very well. Here's a photo from their website:

Isn't it pretty?

xo

For dinner

See those twice baked potatoes in the photo above?! I actually made those! And I did it all by myself.

I'm not really one in the kitchen, but lately I've been trying to cook new meals. Why?

1. Cooking my own food allows me to control the ingredients and literally shows what I am about to put in my body. When I cook for myself, I realize I create healthier meals than some of the ones I choose to eat at restaurants.

2. I'm getting a little tired of eggs, cereal, smoothies, and toast.

I'm going to try to get out of my comfort zone of making the same things I mentioned in #2 over and over. They are healthy, but I want some variety - so I go online and search for a healthy version of the recipe I'm looking for.

I've learned that cooking is all about trial and error. I've never made twice baked potatoes before, and noticed that I didn't bake these long enough. The potatoes were more crunchy than soft, when they're supposed to be soft all over. I used larger potatoes than the recipe called for, but didn't cook them longer than the recipe said to. 

Next time I try this recipe, I'll make sure to bake the potatoes longer or shorter according to the size. The filling was fantastic, though! I sprinkled some cheddar cheese on top and switched out regular onions for green onions. It's all about the learning experience.

xo

Put it on the "Lust List"

I was at Neiman Marcus recently and spotted this adorable Milly handbag. The pattern, size, and handles are what caught my attention. 

It would be perfect for spring and summer. It would go well with many outfits. It would go well with many of my outfits! (Or future outfits, that is). Let's just say it is on my shopping lust list.

After Neiman Marcus, I popped into Jimmy Choo. I These amazing sandals from the Spring/Summer '12 collection were right in front of the entryway. It was like they were just waiting for me to see their beauty. I didn't get them because it's too early for summer shoes. Oh, and they also cost $850 per pair. The $295 Milly handbag above doesn't seem so expensive now... ;)

xo

PS - for some reason, Blogger hasn't been working on my computer the past couple of days. I could see other Blogger blogs, but not my own ... now I can. It's probably just a glitch, but explains my silence for the past few days!

Reflection

I cannot believe it is already 2012. So many new and great things happened to me in 2011, and since it is the new year, naturally, I have been reflecting on the year.

I kicked off the year with my first internship for College Fashion, and had so much fun doing it. I photographed girls on campus with unique outfits and interviewed them about their style.

Lauren, one of the girls I interviewed for CF

I took intermediate rock climbing. I became a better climber, became lead-certified, and took a lead fall. I even climbed outside. Since I didn't take the rock climbing class in the fall, I haven't climbed a lot lately. I'm taking it again this spring so I can get back into it.

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Starting Sunny Sweetheart! I began blogging in March, after thinking about wanting to write for a while. It's a great place to casually improve my writing skills, and a fun way to keep a record some of the things happening in my life. I began this blog with the hope that it would turn into a fashion blog, and am happy to have the outfit posts be a portion of what I blog about.

My very first outfit post in July  2011

Here are the two blog designs I had before my current one! I don't have a photo of my very first design; it was yellow and orange.

I visited a whole new continent for the first time. Studying abroad in Italy last summer was one of the best things I've ever done. It is an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. From Rome and Florence to Elba Island, Ireland, England, and the Amalfi Coast, I had the time of my life. I met so many great people and tried so many new things. Experiencing new culture was incredible. I cannot wait to travel again.

I made dance team for the third year in a row! Dancing is something I've been doing almost my whole life, and  it is great to bond with a group of girls about something we all love. We traveled to Canada and Seattle to perform already, and we'll see what the rest of the season has in store!

I started using new social media sites like Blogspot (obviously), Flickr, about.me, Foursquare (kind of), and Pinterest. I finally started regularly tweeting and am thinking I might start up my old Tumblr account again. Stay tuned!

I made great new friends, wrote an article for Sweet Lemon Magazine, read a lot of new books, moved into my first apartment, made Dean's List for the first time, learned so much in school, attempted to speak Italian, traveled to multiple countries, and spent time with those I love and love to laugh with.

Overall, 2011 was a pretty great year. Let's see what 2012 has to offer!

cheers & xo