Happy birthday Stephbot!

 Outfit:

top, shorts, belt, shoes, rings, AND bag - Forever 21 (I obviously shop there too much)

sheer black tights - Target

Octopus necklace - ModCloth

Today we went to Olive Garden for my friend Stephanie's 21st birthday! The only person we were missing from our little crew was my boyfriend Daniel :( ... he's in North Carolina until Sunday visiting family and doing a few photo shoots while he's out there. Anyway, the people you see in the photos above are the birthday girl Stephanie, her boyfriend Jc, our friend Catalina, and of course yours truly! Poor Jc had to fend for himself against the girls throughout the whole meal. Haha he usually has Daniel to back him up because whenever us three girls get together it only leads to trouble, and ghetto girl talk. The drink you also see above was AMAZING and I felt it was definitely worthy of its own photo. I'm not sure what it's called but it had Bailey's and amaretto in it and tasted just like a milkshake :)

I'm running out of things to say... I love these people! They are like fam for sure, and I'm so blessed to have them in my life. So if you guys are reading this... I ove ya'll! I had Jc snap a quick photo of my outfit for you all to see. Sorry I couldn't get any up-close shots of my rings and necklace, but I will in the future!

NEW ADDITIONS

 Details:

Sunglasses. rings, boot heels - Forever 21

Scarf - H&M

This week I did a little shopping and found some great stuff! I've been dying for some oxford-like boot heels and finally found some really cute ones, plus they are really easy to walk in! I've also been in serious need of new sunglasses. Since mine constantly get scratched and/or banged up I usually opt for the cheap ones, but I'll  probably invest in some Raybans eventually. As for the scarf and rings, I am becoming a little too obsessed with adding more to my collection. I love how easy it is to spruce up an otherwise plain or boring outfit with a few accessories here and there to make it something special. I also bought a ton of new workout clothes (it's all I basically wear to school due to extra long days and my Pilates class being in the middle of it), and I did buy a few clothing pieces but decided not to upload photos of them because I didn't want to "get ready" in order to take photos of myself. Haha anyways, I'm off to make some lunch, study at the coffee shop, and browse around Target. I want to pick up that Spin Pin by Goody since I have such a hard time doing a chignon with my hair. Has anybody tried it yet?

LATELY WITH THIS STATE I'M IN I CAN'T HELP MYSELF BUT SPIN

Photography by: Daniel Cruz Photography

Outfit:

faux leather jacket - H&M

dress and socks - Forever 21

sheer tights - Target

heels - Sheikh Shoes

ring - bought at a random store in the Philippines

hat - no idea

bag - Urban Outfitters

As I sit here with my morning cup of coffee watching tv, I'm thinking about all of the things I need to do this week but would rather be back on winter break doing nothing. All I can think about is school, my future, money, etc etc. The thought of possibly being delayed yet another year for graduation bothers me so much but I realize that if I give it everything I've got and it still doesn't work out, then hey at least I tried and I need to make the best of my situation. It truly stresses me out but I promised myself that I would stop worrying so much about the future and concentrate on making the best out of my life right now. There are plenty of people in this world that have taken a little longer to do things so what's so wrong with that? I came across a quote that helps calm my worries a bit: "It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you don't stop" - Confucius. That says it all, and I'm never going to stop.

***UPDATE: Shortly after I wrote this, my luck changed. I had entered my name in a lottery yesterday to get into a Biology class I was in DESPERATE need of, and to my surprise I was one out of five others who were chosen to be added! Over 50 people had put their names down and I got it! We also had our first pop quiz at the end of lab today and I got an A after not having any time to study since I found out so last minute. SO HAPPY! In addition to all that, I was able to get into another class that is only offered once a year that I was in serious need of as well! This means that I won't be delayed an extra year for graduation after all. So today actually turned out to be one of the best I've had in a long time. I definitely have God to thank for this!***

Now as for my outfit Daniel took these photos the same day as my previous post. I figured I might as well knock out two in one day! My heels kept sinking in the snow-covered grass, which is why they seem to not look at high as they really were. Hope everyone has a great Tuesday!

THERE'S ONLY US WHEN LIGHTS GO DOWN

 Photos by: Daniel Cruz Photography

Outfit:

striped top, denim shorts, black beanie - Forever 21

leather jacket - H&M

black tights - Target

blue scarf - Charlotte Russe

boots - borrowed from Jessica (purchased from Forever 21)

ring - bought at a random store in the Philippines

Living in California you would think that the word 'snow' is part of a foreign language. Sadly for me I don't live near the typical beachy coast with glittering sand, crashing waves, and surfer bods. The desert is where I reside and although it's not something I always like, it will always be home. Since we're so close to the mountains the weather up here is usually colder than our counterparts "down the hill" so we get snow at least once a year and when we do everyone freaks out about it. The other night my boyfriend and I decided to have a mini photo shoot before all the snow melted in his backyard. Although it was warm enough to melt the snow it was still definitely freezing, and by the end of this shoot you could chop my toes clean off my foot and I wouldn't have felt a thing. I also never realized how red my hair was until I saw these photos. I originally had my hair dyed to get that ombre hairstyle everyone is raving about, but after a while it just wasn't working for me so I dyed a reddish brown over it to mask the bleach. I didn't expect the red to be so noticeable though. Anyway, with his sister Jessica helping out with lighting we were able to snap a few photos of my outfit. I've been searching high and low for cute black boots like the ones I'm wearing in these photos, so much that I told Jessica I was willing to buy hers off of her. Haha I guess I'll just have to keep on looking...

MAKE THE MOST OUT OF TONIGHT

 

 Photos by: Daniel Cruz Photography

Outfit:

dress & earrings - Forever 21

For NYE this year we hosted a party with a fun little photo booth. It always helps when your boyfriend is a photographer ;) Check out his website to see more of his work here: Daniel Cruz Photography

I've attached a few of our favorite photos from the night. I had made about twenty little mustache props (5 different styles) to make the pictures a little more interesting. The more arts & crafts the better, I can't get enough. Enjoy!