glimpse of summer

{image credit}

I was feeling very overwhelmed and uninspired lately, I have been so busy and just feel blah.

Until I saw this photo…I feel as though it describes everything I want my summer to be so much. Glittery, glamorous, colorful, bright and different :) Hope you enjoy!

can I get a ray of sunshine?

Happy Monday everyone!! I hope you all had great weekends filled with sun and happiness. It is still being bipolar here in Michigan but who can not be in a good mood with 4th of July being this weekend :) YAY! So excited. Hope you all have a great week!

{meet Apollo, my moms doberman, he’s camera shy)

top: forever 21

scarf: old navy

jeans: gap

purse: coach

belt: jcrew

sandals: UO

Awkward & Awesome Thursday!!

Have you ever check out Sydney's blog The Daybook before? She’s one quite entertaining pregnant woman and she does a weekly thing called awkward & awesome…I decided to join the band wagon because I am pretty much awkward & awesome on a daily basis. Read on below to find out my weekly awkward & awesome moments…

 

blouse: forever 21, shorts: UO, shoes: toms

 

Awkward:

-my creepy face in the photo above ^

-having to tell one of your best friends that she is playing with fire dating someone who is engaged, you know she won’t be happy or want to hear it but the girl has gotta hear it anyways!

-the whole pack/gang of 50+ bicyclists that passed by on the street while shooting photos…I didn’t know there was bicycle gangs on 24 speeds…what’s next push scooters?

-meeting a dentist out, thinking he’s cute and then all he can talk about is your teeth (alright dude…time to change subject. girl is bored by you being fascinated with her mouth. work on your game)

-eating a whole large pizza to ones self late at night (umm yes Rachel…it’s time to hit the gym!)

-not wearing underwear with a maxi skirt (oh girl you did not go there…) HA yes I did!

Awesome:

-the amazing billowy blouse in these photos that I just got from Forever 21. So light and airy, it will be perfect for summer.

-it is officially summer according to whoever makes the calendars' :)

-my goal and plan to participate in and survive Warrior Dash.

-meeting really cute dentist. I guess I could listen to someone ramble on about how beautiful my smile was over dinner?

-after going to a million shops and places looking for gowns yesterday and trying on tons and tons of dresses I finally found a yellow one that I really liked and was about to buy. But something told me to look around the store one more time, so I did and I found three more dresses, one pink, one green and one blue. I tried the pink and green one on only to realize I still liked the yellow one the best. I figured I would just try the last one on just in case, as I put on the blue one, zipped it up and looked in the mirror, an overwhelming feeling came over me telling me that this blue dress was-the one! I walked out and my mother and said this is it! It just felt right and I almost started crying because I knew I had found my gown for Miss Michigan USA.

-doing this awkward & awesome post for the first time :)

{5 Favorite Things}

{image on pinterest}

I have ran almost my whole life, I think I came out of the womb running. It has always been a thing on my dads side of the family. I ran track in middle school and in high school and was really good. I owe all my achievements to my dad who pushed me when I didn’t want to be pushed. Before I got my license if I wanted to go somewhere in our town, he would make me run along side of the car to wherever I wanted to go. oh girl! I am not joking!

However in college despite my dads disapproval I stopped. It might have been due to the fact that the neighborhood outside campus was dangerous or because I was just plain lazy but either way I stopped. Well I am proud to say that I am FINALLY running again! I don’t plan to go do marathons or anything (listen…I am too busy for that) But every night I find myself going for a run and it has turned into my favorite part of my day :)

Here is what else is making me smile this week…
 

{the cutest pendants in the world}

{two amazing pillows my mother bought me that go perfectly on my guest bed}

{my floral nails…yes I know they were yesterdays post…but I LOVE THEM}

{my gown board on pinterest to attempt to find the one for the pageant}

how is everyone's week going so far?

{mod about my nails}

Thought I would give the Sally Hansen nails strips a try and I am very glad I did…because I LOVE them. Even though it says you get one use out of the box, I get two because I keep my nails shorter! I have had them on for a few days and they are holding up well. I give Sally Hansen a big thumbs up for these babes!
 

They were super easy to put on too…just follow the directions. I put a top coat over mine though :)

a day to honor a man

I know you met him here when I celebrated his birthday but he is too great of a man not to honor again. 

~

You may have thought I didn't see,
Or that I hadn't heard,
Life lessons that you taught to me,
But I got every word.

Perhaps you thought I missed it all,
And that we'd grow apart,
But Dad, I picked up everything,
It's written on my heart.

Without you, Dad, I wouldn't be
The woman I am today;
You built a strong foundation
No one can take away.

I've grown up with your values,
And I'm very glad I did;
So here's to you, dear father,
From your forever grateful kid.

By Joanna Fuchs

~

He holds my heart in his hands since the day I was born…

there is no man that can ever compare…

I look up to him in more ways than he will ever know

I don’t think he realizes how amazing of a father he is…

always there to make me laugh & cry when I need it most…

and to push me to do better than everyone else.

Dad, I love you for making me who I am today.

Happy Fathers Day Dad!

I hope you all have an amazing day and happy fathers day to all the dads out there including my stepfather and my grandpas :) 

“Let me tell you a secret about a father's love,
A secret that my daddy said was just between us."
He said, "Daddies don't just love their children every now and then.
It's a love without end, amen, it's a love without end, amen."

hey...I'm over here

Oh hey there! 

I am not here today...I am over here guest posting for Brittni...so jump on over and check out Brittni's blog (we are both from Michigan...YAY!) and see the rest of my outfit post!

the evil stepfather

Once upon a time in a far away land, the Prince of Westland courted a fair maiden. It was not long until the two were in love and together had a beautiful baby girl whom they named Princess Rachel. As time drew on the maiden and prince were no longer happy together, they just knew that it wasn’t meant to be forever. After many sleepless nights and heartfelt thoughts they decided to go apart. But agreed to both take care of Princess Rachel.
 

Years went by and baby Rachel turned into a curly haired, little Princess in the making. One day Rachel was playing in the grass of her beautiful backyard and her mother told her that there was someone that she wanted Rachel to meet. Rachel went skipping up to her mother, only to find her with a lad that wasn’t her father. :O

“I would like you to meet Sir Lawrence of Bloomfield, Rachel.” said her mother. Princess Rachel quickly ran inside as she was not happy to meet this sir that was now courting her mother. She heard many stories of evil stepfathers with intentions no good and this was something she understood. But it was no use to express her feelings, her mother had already fallen in love with Sir Lawrence.

“What to do?” pondered little Rachel, “I have already a father, I need not another!” Just in the moment her fairy godmother arrived, she must have been near by. “He does not wish to replace your father,” said her fairy godmother, “he knows there is no use to bother.” Little Rachel still did not understand, she was a mere child and an evil stepfather wasn’t in the plan. Her fairy godmother told her not to fret, Sir Lawrence was there to make her mother happy, and that was that.

Many years went by and Princess Rachel and Sir Lawrence grew very close, she knows he is there when she needs him the most. 

Today Sir Lawrence celebrates his birthday and Princess Rachel just wanted to say…

Thank you for being there, when you didn’t have to bother, 

through thick and thin I will always love my evil stepfather.

Neon & Neutral

I couldn’t be more excited for this post because it is my first time participating in ‘Bloggers Do It Better’ by Kristina from Pretty Shiny Sparkly.

‘Bloggers Do It Better’ is a movement I to inspire bloggers to recreate a trend assigned by Kristina to prove that fashion bloggers are the absolute best at re-creating trends. I plan to always participate!

This assignment was a trend that I totally love right now: Neon + Neutrals. Ordinarily I would have never thought of pairing this outfit together but because of this assignment I happen to think its perfect :)
 

{Tucky had to say hi!}

 bolero & belt: forever 21

tank: h&m

skirt: jcrew

shoes: thirfted

 

Jump on over to Kristina's blog and see all the other bloggers participating in the Neon & Neutral trend here and maybe next time you can participate in ‘Bloggers Do It Better” with us :)

{5 Favorite Things} and my big news

{image via weheartit}

Remember a few weeks ago here when I was talking about some really great news that I received and wanted her share?!?! I am sure you have been on the edge of you seat in anticipation! (or not…but just let me pretend) Well I just can’t keep it from any of you any longer, especially because it truly is one of my favorite things currently.

You ready for it?
 

Are you sure you want to know what it is?

Muahaha…if you couldn’t guess by the picture above. 

I am going to be competing in the Miss Michigan USA pageant in September! I am completely ecstatic and thrilled to be representing my area in the state pageant…so currently I am eat, sleep and breathing pageant. It is going to be a lot of hard work and dedication but I am completely ready. I haven’t competed in a LONG time and I am happy to get involved again. So my life until September will be busy busy busy: gym 5 days a week, eat healthy, find sponsors, meet with coach, find the perfect gown, find the perfect swimsuit, etc. etc. (whoo I am exhausted already!) and I promise I will not turn this into a pageant blog!

Here are a few other things making me smile:

{Vogue Italia brought back by my mother and a perfect lace bandeau bra}

{buying a whole watermelon & cutting it up to eat whenever}

{forever 21 platforms that have been sold out since I wanted them here since February…yes they are finally mine!}

{time I get to spend with my paps this weekend for fathers day!}

What is making you happy loves?

tricked out tips

I saw this editorial is Cosmo and couldn’t help but love it. I am nail obsessed, nail polish, manicures, nail art…you name it…I love it. These nails look amazing and will definitely be trying out the trends soon!

Which is your favorite?   

stealing the spotlight

So I am not road-tripping to Nashville currently as planned. I have been too stressed and too busy that I almost had a nervous break down yesterday and decided that it probably wasn’t best if I went and caused myself more stress. So I am staying put for now.

On a different note…I am wearing the dress from yesterday I showed you that my mom brought me back from Italy. It is perfect. As usual when I am trying to take my daily photos…my two dogs absolutely have to try and get in the photos. spotlight stealers they are! especially Tucky, the white one, read about how he came into my life here

watch how they are in almost every shot…

 

 

dress: from some store in venice

belt: forever 21

shoes: sam edelman

necklace: pieces of terra