Roll With It

One important lesson that my life lately has reminded me of is that it's important to 'roll with it.' My job wasn't going the way I wanted it too, the renovation on my apartment got behind and I haven't moved in yet, and people keep coming in and out of my life. It's hard to keep up with sometimes. In keeping with my resolution from a few weeks ago to go for it and say yes to new experiences, I'm also trying to learn to 'roll with it' and be more flexible.
The two philosophies go hand-in-hand. Part of my trouble with learning to say yes to everything was that the things I was saying yes to didn't always go the way I planned. It's hard when you envision a situation going a certain way and it then being a radically different experience. I was so excited to go to Boston a few weekends ago. It seemed perfect that my friend had an airline ticket voucher and I needed to get out of town. I envisioned a big girls weekend where we'd have fun, be super touristy, and catch up. Instead, even though we did a little of those things, I spent a lot of the weekend feeling awkward that she and her boyfriend kept bickering with each other. At the end of it all, I realized that I just needed to be there for her and shrug off the expectations I'd had. As disappointed as I was and as selfish as I felt in wishing things had gone differently, it's way more important for her to be happy than for me to pout about what I had wanted. I needed to learn to roll with the fact that my weekend took a different turn.
It's the same thing with my apartment situation. I was so excited to go buy paint and pick out fabric. Then my landlady decided that she wanted to replace the plumbing and the kitchen floor before I move.  That was two weeks ago. It was hard to let go of the fact that I was ready to move and accept that it's obviously not happening at the speed I would like. It's something I don't have any control over and just have to let go of. Instead of being upset, I've been trying to remind myself that I should be grateful that my parents live nearby and I have a roof over my head. It's hard not to have my independence, but it truly could be so much worse. I'm not happy about the way it's going, but I'm not going to change anything by being upset- I have to let it go.
The people in my life have presented a similar dilemma. The past month or so has been a constant stream of people in and out of my life. It's been hard to keep up with, let alone understand. People I loved decided that they didn't want to see me anymore; that was unbearably hard. People I haven't seen in years have suddenly moved back to town and we're navigating a new friendship. Classmates that I hadn't talked to before are now calling me to go places. It's confusing. It's not easy. But I had to realize that it wasn't making it any easier to dwell on it. I was driving myself crazy trying to understand how other people think and that's just not always possible. As long as I haven't done anything wrong to someone (in which case, obviously baked goods and apologies galore), I have to let it go.
Learning to roll with it is not easy for me at all. I've always been a type-A, obsessive sort of person who wants to know the why behind everything. But this summer I'm trying to unlearn those tendencies and understand that the only person I can control is myself. My stressing doesn't help the situation and it only hurts me. I know right now it's not going to be an easy lesson to learn, but it's certainly an important one.

What do you do when things don't go your way? Do you stress and try to explain the situation? How do you remind yourself to 'roll with it?'

Kate Spade Swimwear

Kate Spade has just announced that it will be expanding to include swimwear. The collection won't be unveiled until this fall, but until then, here's a sneak peek:

photo: Kate Spade

I loooove pretty much everything Kate Spade puts out and am so excited to see them bring their fun prints, bows, and overall flair to the swimwear market. I'm already a fan of this bow-decked bandeau two-piece.

Read more here at Lucky Mag.

How excited are you about Kate Spade's expanding collection?

Wish List Wednesday: Shower Curtains

For this week's wish list, I'm still on the lookout for apartment items, specifically a new shower curtain. Before I left for London, I let my little sister take the blue and green paisley shower curtain I had in my last apartment. I had meant it to be a temporary fix for the fact that couldn't find one she liked, but it appears that it's taken permanent residence in her bathroom and I'll be searching for another. Obviously I hate shopping and this is a real hardship for me. I'm really not a fan of the retro brown and white tile in the bathroom in my new place, so I want something bright and fun to distract from it. I also don't want to spend a ton of money because I tend to get tired of things (which is fine, since by then my sister has decided to 'borrow' whatever it is anyway). Here are a few of the options I've found poking around online:

Pottery Barn's Pom Pom Trimmed Shower Curtain is one of the first ones I found in my search. I love the fun of the pom poms, but I think the plain white may be a little too dull for what I'm looking for.

Danica Studio's Prim and Proper Shower Curtain is a lot of fun. The bows are so girly and whimsical. But again, I think I need more color- maybe I could monogram it in hot pink?

I absolutely love this Stepped Chevron Shower Curtain from Jonathan Adler, but at $122 I'm really not sure I want to spend that much.

West Elm's Stripe Shower Curtain looks like a good option. The stripes are fun and preppy, but classic and I can totally see it with a big pink monogram to add an accent color.

Trina Turk's Coastline Ikat Shower Curtain is soooo pretty. I love that it's got multiple bright colors to pull from for towels and accessories. Plus, it's more reasonably priced at $59.99 and available at Macy's, so I can use my mom's coupons! This may be the winner.

Where do you shop for fun, affordable home accents? I love having pretty things, but I just can't justify some of the prices out there on my student budget!

Wish List Wednesday: Budget Friendly Furnishings

On Monday, I got to pick up the keys to my new apartment. After spending the semester in London living with four other people in a small flat and then spending May and June at my parents sharing a bathroom with my little brother while I looked for a place to live, I am more than ready to be back in my own space. I love my family and my friends, but sometimes it's nice to just lay on the living room sofa with a novel on a Saturday and read the whole thing with no interruptions. Pure bliss. I'm also excited to have more space than I have previously. I've always had a one bedroom (or two and used one as an office) but now I'm going to have an entire duplex! It'll be nice to have space to spread out. I'm going to paint the whole place before I move in (the last tenant was an art student who made crazy color choices) so I'm not making the shift there just yet. But while I'm gearing up for the move, I've been looking for new furniture, bedding, and decorations to make the space my own. I was surprised by how many cute, affordable options there are available right now- just perfect for my student budget. Here's a spotlight on two of my favorite lines I found: Happy Chic by Jonathan Adler for JCPenny and the Threshold collection at Target.

Happy Chic by Jonathan Adler Crescent Heights Collection: I love the navy patterned rug that anchors this gorgeously done living room.

Jonathan Adler Happy Chic Bleecker Dining Room Table, Bleecker Side Chairs, Chevron Wool Rectangular Rug. Fun end chairs and a bright rug punch up a traditional dining room table.

Jonathan Adler Happy Chic Elizabeth Comforter Set and Accessories. I'll have one of everything from the Elizabeth collection. What could be more relaxing than these pretty shades of blue?

Threshold Slipper Chair in Navy Floral. Target has definitely stepped up it's home collection in recent years. I feel like this patterned slipper chair could just as easily be from Pottery Barn -- but this version is as cute and budget friendly!

Threshold X-Stool: Available in six patterns to match and color scheme, these stools will be perfect under my library table against a wall most of the time, but then be easily brought out to provide extra seating for guests. (And they're on sale!)

Threshold Windham 2 Door Cabinet with Center Shelves: For my new apartment, I know I'll need a new piece on which to put my television. I love the fun colors this cabinet comes in and that there's both open and closed storage options - the center shelves are perfect for my DVR and router, and the closed shelves will be great for storing DVDs etc.

Threshold Kilim Square Pouf: It seems like poufs are everywhere this season, but with prices ranging up to hundreds of dollars, many just aren't a student budget option. I think this one (also available in other patterns) are much closer to a price that a student like me can justify spending.

Any of these items coming to your apartment? Where else do you love for budget friendly home shopping?

Party like it's 1776: Weekend in Boston

This weekend I went to visit a friend of mine in Boston. It's been a rough couple of weeks and I was grateful when she called to offer me a chance to get out of town for the long weekend and celebrate the Fourth with her. I flew out Friday morning super early (5:00 exists in the a.m. too???) so I had almost a full day when I landed.

Knowing me as she does, our first stop was coffee and lots of it. We got an early lunch and then she took me to see her apartment. She lives in this awesome converted mill outside Boston- exposed brickwork and beams, tons of windows. It's gorgeous. After that, we spent the afternoon/evening at their friends' cookout. Unfortunately, it rained so we couldn't swim and the fireworks were cancelled, but we still made the most of it inside.

On Saturday, we went to Boston Common and walked around. We followed the Freedom Trail through the historic district and up to the North End for lunch, where the smell of garlic pervaded the streets. We ate an absurd amount of delicious pasta at a tiny corner restaurant until I could barely move. Nonetheless, I found it within me to eat cannolis from Mike's Pastry, which were so good and definitely worth having to cross the Mason-Dixon to taste. There wasn't room to eat there with the crowd, so we took them to the Harbor (that's hah-bah) and ate on a bench overlooking the boats. It was an absolutely perfect afternoon.

No, I didn't eat all four myself!

I love you Mike, whoever you are!

It's pronounced 'hah-bah.'

So delicious.

After my sugar crash subsided, we made our way to catch the T to Fenway Park. We were still a little early for baseball, so we went to a place called the Cask and Flagon to get a quick drink and watch the end of the World Cup game between the Netherlands and Costa Rica. I was glad we stopped since the game went to penalty kicks and an exciting finish. After cheering the Netherlands to victory, we walked on to Fenway. Even though the Red Sox lost to the Orioles, it was still a super fun experience and I'm so glad we got tickets so I could visit the 'Green Monstah.'

Those are our new friends photobombing us. They were so amused by the fact that I call my friend's boyfriend 'Yankee.'

Yesterday, I had to be back at the airport around 3, so we shopped around a little bit and got a late lunch at Legal Seafoods. My crab cake was delicious and the perfect last New England meal! All in all, my first foray to Boston was great. It was so nice to see my friend, be shown around her city, see new sights, and eat new things. Even if people kept looking at me funny when I said ya'll!

What fun things did you do this past holiday weekend?