cruise line

in about one week, i will be road tripping down to florida for the typical college spring break. it is hard to believe that it's already time to pack the bags and hit up the sand, especially by the looks of my nearly albino-like skin... and my empty suitcase. 

this year i decided to cross off an item on my bucket list and scream "i'm on a boat!" while actually on a boat. plus, it's where i'll be joined at port with over 40 of my sorority sisters and my closest friends, so i consider it an opportunity i couldn't pass up. but there is one issue. i have not a clue what to wear. throughout the years, i've had vacations in new york, colorado, and obviously, a whole lot of beaches. but otherwise than a cruise trip turned horror story when i was eleven which i thankfully hardly remember, i have never been on a cruise. for the fear of being nagging, i have steered clear of asking my friends, but at the same time, i'm at a loss of direction. 

yet, after a little online research, i have found some direction... and added a few items to my packing list. 

1) long skirt

{a little bit of flow and flirt}

2) stripes, stripes, and more stripes

{playing up the nautical theme}

3) cocktail attire

                

{who said cocktail has rules?}

4) clog heels

{no reason... but they're shoes}

5) flippy floppys & a floppy hat

{sun protection, obviously}

6) oversized sunglasses

{yes, victoria beckham style}

7) color me up swimsuit

{looking at vs swim models makes me slightly depressed, but if the suit fits...}

8) suncreen

{i have had enough dermatologist appointments to last me a lifetime}

i hope if you were lost like myself, this list provides a little bit more direction! good luck & happy cruisin'!

the jersey shore effect

as i ventured home this weekend, so did my excitement for a weekend filled with my favorite activity, shopping. as cliche as that sounds, i can't deny how much i love the excitement of pretending i am styling for a magazine cover shoot when overwhelmed by overabundance of clothes within a department store. yet, as i surround myself with some of the most fashion forward, i also see myself gaping at what seems to be a new trend... and one i can hardly tolerate.

it was friday night, and as much i like to see young teenagers that take me back to my glory days (... scratch that, i hate the screeches and omgawd's that would make dogs bark), it also made me sick to my stomach to  find multiple girls dressed like they just walked out of seaside heights, new jersey. they are dressed head to toe in a full on snooki bump (hair clip included), revealing top and shorts that make me uncomfortable just looking at them. although i do remember my middle school days being filled with a little controversy over clothing, it might as well been school girl clothes compared to what i saw. maybe i've been under a rock being in southwestern virginia for the past three years, but has the teenage idolization really gotten to the point where life is starting to mimic art? 

don't get me wrong, the jersey shore is one of my all time favorite guilty pleasures. but love it or hate it, you know why it's popular... and it isn't because it's the classiest show in the world. yet, although paris hilton was the girl of the hour turning my hay day that didn't mean i wanted to dye my hair platinum blonde and wear skimpy clothes! the fact that young girls are wearing clothing that risque has just got me thrown. 

and it's not the clothes i matter, really. whatever you wear is what you wear, as far as i see it. but it's the meaning that gets thrown with it... especially from the opposite sex. trust me, i've been there and when you are wearing something that would be more appropriate for the beach versus the local mall, it's possible that guys begin to associate you with something much less than what you're worth. 

beyond my whole babbling, i want to set this message straight. clothes don't define the human being, but it can certainly leave an impression. and i know for a fact that those girls weren't the trash they looked like when walking through the store... so i'm not entirely sure why they played themselves out like that. i know i can't control the media much like i can't control the weather, but i just hope at some point girls start showing off their beauty on the inside before any guy gets a look at what's on the outside. 

{some of my most loved confident yet beautiful girls of the hour}

ladies, it's up to you... but if you want a guy that will respect you & like you for more than what he sees on the outside, choose confidence over the camel toe and wear something that shows off your beauty, inside & out! 

and as a little "get happy" to this beautiful weekend weather... and the fact i just heard that i will be an aunt any second now, here's one of my favorite songs at the moment!

"This" - Darius Rucker