If pictures and quotes could describe my life...

Basically how I live my life on the regular...

Coolers Sarah!!! :)

"There's just something about a boy with colored pants, bow ties, sperrys, seersucker, anything polo, southern tide, or vineyard vines, one who opens the door, says yes sir and yes ma'am, treats his mom right, and treats you like the southern belle you deserve to be treated like."

"If Cinderella could find Prince Charming without having to take her dress off, so can you."

Sisterhood as sweet as our tea

One of the biggest draws to CSU-Chico for me was the fact that they had a chapter of my sorority, Sigma Alpha Omega.  While I knew that the girls would be different, I was really looking forward to getting to meet a new group of sisters.  

It didn't take me long to realize that Greek Life on the West coast was WAY different than back home-- CSU-Chico has 5 Panhell sororities and a handful of multicultural's, whereas UNCW has 8 (soon to be 9) Panhell's in addition to their NPHC organizations and IFC fraternities.  The Panhell chapter sizes at Chico for the most part are HUGE, but SAO out here is a very small, which was a big adjustment for me as well.  

My bea-you-tiful UNCW sisters

Future roomies!! (With room for me) :)

The Hippo family <3

The greatest blessings

Megan, one of our Chico sisters :)

Having a group of girls on the other side of the country to call your sisters has been a wonderful blessing, regardless of how different they may be from our ladies at home.  I definitely miss my Wilmington girls though, and am counting the days until we're reunited!  

Dove.Love. <3

A Southern Bride

I went back to North Carolina this past weekend to help one of my best friends celebrate her wedding.  While no two weddings are alike, here's a look at how this southern bride did her big day:

 All ready to board the plane...

 The happy couple.

Practice makes perfect 

The dress!!

We somehow convinced Thomas to lose the visor 

before he walked down the aisle.

The Groom.

The Bride!

Their cake... monogrammed of course.

The MOH caught the bouquet.

Retrieving, 

Tossing, 

and catching the garter 

Mr. and Mrs. Keeley

They love us in spite of what we did to their car.

Beautiful sorority sisters.

We didn't exactly have time to eat when they cut the cake...

Relaxing after a long weekend.  

The weekend was amazing and I was so thankful to be a part of Rachel and Patrick's special day.  I love them both so much and look forward to all of the blessings that their life together will bring.  

Sometimes a girl just needs her mama

When I first moved to California I knew I would be faced with my fair share of challenges, but I never imagined how hard it would be to be so far away from my mama-- 2,914.6 miles away to be exact.  Now like parent-child relationship we've had our ups and downs, but I soon realized how I took going to school two hours away from home for granted.

I could come home for the night when I wanted to, surprise her for the occasional weekend, and I was always home for my birthday.  None of those things were possible anymore when I moved out here, and I realized that my senior year that would typically be a "year of lasts" had now become my "year of firsts".

I won't lie-- first semester was hard.  I was faced with new challenges, experiences, and relationships that I had never before encountered and while I typically tell my mama everything, some things just can't be explained in a text or a five minute phone conversation.  But along the way I found new ways of dealing with my stress and talking through my problems (okay, a lot of these "newfound ways" were shopping online...).  Nevertheless, I made it out on the other side and realized that I not only survived, I did alright.

This semester I came back to California more prepared for what the next few months had in store.  I also came back with the knowledge that my mama would be coming to visit in a few short months.  And after much anticipation, that time finally came this past week.  Easter has always been a big holiday for our family so she decided to come out to celebrate with me and then stay for a few days after.  

She's Here!!!

Day in SF

Fellow CSU-Chico National Student Exchange student-- the apple doesn't fall far from the tree

We had an amazing time while she was here.  I introduced her to all of my friends, residents, bosses, and anyone who stopped to talk to us for more than 30 seconds over the course of the past week.  I was sorry to say goodbye to her this morning as we both left for our respective airports (her back to SF and me to Sac, on my way home for my grandbig's wedding!!), but I was so thankful for her visit.

Seeing her and getting to show her around the places that have become my home for the past 8 months and letting her meet the people who have become my family really helped me to develop a greater appreciation for the gift that this NSE Experience has truly been.  It hasn't always been easy, in fact most days it's been really hard, but somewhere along this journey I found my own way.  I lost my true year of lasts by leaving UNCW as a senior, but if it opened my eyes and heart to the world outside of my comfort zone and allowed me to have a whole new year of firsts, maybe it was the best choice for me.

To new beginnings...

Don't Just Weather the Storm!

If there's anything I've learned since being in Chico, it's that it rains a LOT.  But while rain is not my favorite weather, it does give me a chance to show off my stylish rain gear accessories!

Take jackets, for example.  There are so many options-- you can keep it basic with a North Face, or go for the more classic option of a trench coat or waterproof zip up.  All of the colored trenches are really popular now too, which is always a fun way to brighten the day.  Personally, I like to switch it up.  These three have proven to be staples for me this season, although I have been known to break out my red and kelly green trenches every now and then too.  

Then of course, there's the issue of shoes.  Whether you're in boots, boat shoes, or those new sassy rain loafers that are popping up everywhere-- rainy days have become more about keeping your feet dry these days.  Rain just gives us another opportunity to accessorize, so why not take full advantage?

So what happens when you pair cute rain coats with sassy boots?  

Why the perfectly preppy rain look of course!

Now don't get me wrong, I will always stand by my beliefs of staying inside, taking naps, watching classic movies, and drinking hot tea on rainy days-- but if you must go out you might as well look cute! :)

And remember...

<3

The West Coast vs. The Best Coast

I moved to North Carolina when I was 6 months old and apart from my angsty teenage phase, I've never seriously wanted to leave.  Last year however, I stumbled upon an opportunity to move to Chico, California for a year and attend CSU-C as a National Student Exchange Student.  The hope for a year of new experiences, paired with the irony of the fact that it was the same school and program that my mama had participated in 25 years before pushed me to apply, and later accept, the position.  

It didn't take long after getting off the plane in Sacramento that I realized I wasn't in Kansas anymore-- or in this case, Wilmington.  Although the initial shock has worn off, there are a lot of things I have learned about Californians that are a LOT different than the good ole folks back home.

Guys: There are NO southern gentlemen in California.  Sure, there are plenty of nice guys, but no one like the ones at home.  Most of it is just little things, but they make all the difference.  Like holding the door for instance.  I've gotten so used to guys doing it back home that I find myself awkwardly standing in front of doors when I go places, only to realize that they're waiting for me to open the door and get out of their way.  Another big difference is the way that they dress.  On a typical day at UNCW, you're bound to see at least 100 guys in polos or button downs.  I've lived in California for almost 8 months now, and I can tell you that I haven't seen 100 button downs or polos since I've been here.  Guys wear tshirts and shorts-- no matter how old they are.  Their ideas of "college bros" is anyone from SoCal, and I'm pretty sure that half of the guys don't even own shirts with sleeves.  Don't get me wrong, being in California has been an amazing experience, but it didn't take me long to realize that I wasn't going to meet the guy of my dreams here.   

Style:  All of my friends teased me when I was leaving to come to California because they said that everyone would be wearing Patagonia and tie dye everyday.  Well that's not 100% true, but they definitely dress differently than I do.  When I first got here none of my friends knew what jacks, norts, croakies, or monograms were and they just thought that Lilly was a friend from back home that I really missed.  My style hasn't changed since being here, but it's definitely given me a better appreciation for the shopping we have back home and the fact that I won't have to pay to have everything shipping out to me anytime I want to buy something.  

Labeling:  I came to California expecting for everyone to label me as the preppy new girl and call it a day.  One of the most shocking lessons I learned in my first few weeks was that my style wouldn't even be considered preppy here-- it would be classic.  Preppy on the west coast equates Hollister and Abercrombie, not J Crew and Loft.  Everything that I'm used to being called, judged, or just associated with back home is completely different here.  It's kind of invigorating in a way: to just be 100% yourself and to dress and act however you want because you know that people won't judge you one way or another. 

While those are the major differences I've found from life in California, but there are some other lessons that I've learned since being here, like:

People constantly confuse NC and SC

They don't know what sweet tea or Bojangles is, which is really devestating

They've have never had Sundrop

When people find out that you're from the east coast, they tell stories about people they know from the east coast or a trip they've taken there once to relate to you

The only associations people ever make with NC is Nicholas Sparks and One Tree Hill

I have loved my time in Cali and I love all of the people that I've met, but I have to say that my time here has really helped me to see how much I love home and just how fortunate I am to be a Carolina Girl.  

Spring Essentials

Spring is hands down my favorite time of year.  Summer's right around the corner and if you're in North Carolina, it's not too hot yet.  The days are beautiful and it's the perfect opportunity to break out all of the bright colors that have been stuck in the back of your closet all winter.  Now every preppy girl is different, but these are the staples that my spring collection just wouldn't be the same without...

Skinny Belts:  paired with capris, jeans, or shorts-- but always with the shirt tucked in.

Print Shorts: They match everything (or nothing) in your closet, but it's just so hard to say no to something so cute!

Stud Earrings: I love earrings, but they have to be small and light if I'm gonna keep them in all day!  Fortunately, these studs are exactly what I needed.  

Loafers: Whether they're sparkly or standard, every day can be a loafers day.  

Sun dresses: Spring is wonderful because people start wearing dresses all the time instead of just to church. Let's be honest, I wear dresses 12 months out of the year-- but some of my favorites are the ones I get to wear in the spring and summer. 

Scarves: I'm obsessed with them.  Unfortunately, it's hard to pull off Lilly summer prints in November and December, which is yet another reason why I love love LOVE spring.  Coral, nautical, and lilly oh my!  But of course I couldn't leave out my pashmina's-- they're in style all year long.  

So that's my spring collection-- what does yours look like?