Wish List Wednesday: Floral Maxi Dresses

This week isn't so much a wish list as a compilation of all the other floral maxi dresses I've been looking at since I ordered an adorable one the other night on a whim and wanted to see what else was out there! Sail to Sable is having an end of summer sale (use code: endless summer for 50% off sale!) and I just had to have this dress I've been coveting; I just love the hydrangea print. I'm planning on wearing it to a function the school is throwing for the 3Ls downtown tomorrow night.

Sail to Sable's The Centerpiece Peacoat Maxi. 

Lilly Pulitzer's Holbrook Strapless Maxi Dress. Because who makes a better floral print than Lilly? I feel like I don't see many strapless maxis, and thought this was a nice way to bare a little skin, but still be modest.

Anthropologie's Sabal Maxi Dress. Not quite floral, but still fauna. I like that the pattern almost looks like palm leaves. (Another sign I'm not ready to give up on summer?)

Anthropologie's Equinox Pleated Maxi Dress. If I really do have do give up on summer soon, I'm going to do so in this gorgeous maxi. The colors look more fall-ish, as do the sleeves. I think I could pull this off with my new brown heeled boots.

Ted Baker Alana Botanical bloom maxi dress. So so pretty with the sweetheart neckline, which I always gravitate towards- it's so flattering!

Kensie Spaced Floral Woven Maxi Dress. The darker navy color makes this an easier dress to transition to fall than some of the brighter colored options. Plus, at less than $40, I can afford to have it and another dress! 

Are you loving all these floral maxi dresses as much as I am? I think I'm just not ready to give up on summer quite yet, but I'm so excited that my STS dress should be delivered tonight! 

(Last) First Day of School

Last Tuesday was my last first day of school, (provided I don't make good on my threats to my parents and get a PhD!) which is both exciting and super scary. It's so weird to see these new freshmen walking around campus for the first time and know that I'm six years of school ahead of them. That time has made me wiser, but  I would still love to trade places and do it all over again. On one hand, I just turned 23 last week and feel a little old to be packing my lunch and my backpack every morning. But on the other hand, how weird will it be not to be walking across campus next fall?

No matter how many nostalgic memories of being a freshman come flooding back in the coming weeks, it's so exciting to have marked law school commencement on my calendar (May 8!!!). Adulthood seemed so far away six years ago when I first moved into my dorm room. Now I sit in my apartment and apply for post-grad jobs and worry about things like making sure I pay my bills on time and grocery shopping. It's weird and so so scary, but exciting at the same time.

As comforting as my security blanket backpack and lunchbox may be, it'll be time soon to give them up. It's so strange to realize that this time next year I'll be finding out whether or not I passed the bar and (hopefully) be working full time. No more summer break, but also no more homework. Like so many things in life, it will be a mix of the good, the bad, and the just plain new. But no matter how I feel about it, this year will probably fly by and pretty soon I'll be in a cap and gown. Scary, right? But also oh so exciting. No matter what happens, I'm excited for my last nine months of school and what the future holds for me after graduation.

This is me and my siblings on my first day of 5th grade. My brother was starting kindergarten and my sister was starting 3d grade. It's so weird to think that we'll all be graduating from one school or another in May!

Have you already graduated from college or graduate school? Did you feel as weird as I do right now anticipating being a real adult and not going to school every day? I'm excited but still a little scared!

Wish List Wednesday: Ballet Flats

As much as I'm in love with my new job, one thing that's weird to me is the much more relaxed dress code. I went from wearing either a suit or a business dress and blazer to working somewhere that tennis shoes are acceptable office attire. While working somewhere so much more laid back is a great change of pace, it's a little weird adjusting to the fact that I could literally wear jeans to work if I wanted to. So my heels have gone back in their boxes and I need more casual selection of work shoes. The one caveat of the dress code is that your shoes have to have a strap on the back, which knocks out a lot of my sandals. Plus, with fall coming on, I have to think about putting them away anyway. Ergo, my new shoe of choice: ballet flats. Pretty, polished, comfortable and they keep me from devolving too far into the casual choices!

I already have this pair of printed bow Viv flats from J.Crew, but I wanted to share them because I love them! They come in other colors and patterns, with and without a bow, and are perfect for dressing up jeans or pairing with a  skirt. 

Joan and David Collection Mitzie Flat- I love the fancy brocade-like pattern and the gold heels on this pair- plus the neutral color palette will pair with so many things in my closet (and they're on super sale!!)

Modcloth's Refined Stride Flat- a truly ballet-esque ballet flat with fun lace-up details at the ankle. These probably wouldn't go with as much in my closet, but at less than $40, I may get them anyway.

Tory Burch Tumbled Leather Ballet Flats - I used to have these in both tan and black, but my semester in London running around over the cobblestones ruined them. Needing non-heel shoes for work reminds me that I should order another pair of these in plenty of colors!

Loeffler Randall's Milla Haircalf Flats from SHOPBOP- scallops and pink, what more could a girl want? For those days when you need a pick-me-up, what's better than bright, fancy feet.

Salvatore Ferragamo Varina Perforated flats- these are a bit of a splurge, but I love my Ferragamo heels so much,  I can't help but want the flats. And especially in this gorgeous royal blue color!

Any of these flats tickle your fancy? Do you ever have trouble balancing looking work appropriate while also not overdressing (I know I have trouble with the latter!)?

Keep On Keeping On

This past week and a half has been super tough. After four days of on boarding, I finally started my internship last Friday. School started on Tuesday. I had planned to do all my reading Monday, but my boss asked me to come in and work. The bookstore was sold out of a book I needed. My friend unexpectedly showed up in town from Boston and wanted to plan her wedding. Life started piling up way too fast- the good, the bad, and the ugly. I started to feel really overwhelmed. I felt like I didn't have enough time for anything, let alone the next five things that were headed my way. As much as I wanted to crawl under the covers and hide from the world in my bed, I knew I couldn't.

Sometimes the best you can do is just keep going. I started Monday with a gigantic coffee so I could put a smile on and kick ass at work. No matter how tired I was, or how concerned I was with getting my reading done, I want this internship to turn into a real job so I need to impress my boss. As worried as I was about school, the best I could do was take advantage of my hour long lunch break by reading my casebook in the lunchroom. I needed to just be in the moment and give the contracts and assignments in front of me the best effort I could. All I could do was keep on reading, scanning, and emailing until the clock hit 5.

As soon as I got off work I went home and spent hours reading for my classes the next day. When I couldn't read anymore I went to bed and woke up early to make coffee and finish reading before my first class. I wanted to watch tv, finish reading my novel, shop for new shoes - but I knew that I couldn't. As long as the cases were, I just had to keep on going. And when I had four classes that day, I knew that I had to keep on. When my friend wanted to get together and talk about her wedding, I knew I needed to show up and be there for her. As stressed as I was, it's more important to be a friend. Sometimes even the good things are just another thing on your plate that needs attention. I needed to remind myself to appreciate our time together.

Life isn't always easy. You don't always get to schedule everything and can't always anticipate or account for the unexpected. Sometimes the best thing you can do is just show up, put a smile on, and keep on going. But here's hoping that next week slows down some!

How do you deal with being over scheduled and overwhelmed? All I could manage this week was showing up and trying to do my best. I fell short plenty of times, but I kept on going!

Wish List Wednesday: Trench Coats

Fall is definitely on it's way if the past few days of weird temperatures and pouring rain are any indication! The cooler temperatures have me thinking about how I'm going to cover up when the go even lower in the coming weeks. One piece I always love is a trench coat. They're classic, but plenty of designers offer fun twists - fun patterns, fabrics, and colors. I have three already (black, khaki, and red) but love them so much I'm tempted to add a fun one from the selection below to my growing collection!

Calvin Klein Double Breasted Trench Coat. When fall brings those yucky, rainy days what could be better to cheer you up than this cherry-red number?

Burberry London Double Breasted Trench Coat. Burberry is THE name in trench coats. Theirs are expensive, but absolutely the authority on classic design and quality - They're out of my student budget right now, but I plan on treating myself to one when I get my first big-girl job!

Ann Taylor's Edgy Trench takes the classic trench silhouette and adds leather accents to take it up a notch. The black and khaki go with everything, but are far from boring!

Ann Taylor Loft's Cotton Plaid Trench-I'm a sucker for plaid in the fall, and I love this lightweight option from Loft. It's muted color palette keeps it from being too loud, but is still a step up from a solid black.

Ralph Lauren Slim-Fit Cotton Trench Coat. One problem I sometimes have with trench coats is that they're cut too wide or too long for my frame. I'm tempted to try the slimmer lines of this trench and add this more tailored classic khaki one to my closet.

Rachel Zoe's Christopher Tweed Trench Coat. This coat is probably my favorite of the ones I've seen for this fall season. The tweed and leather combination could carry me all the way through to March when the temperature (finally!) comes back up. I wish they hadn't sold out of my size or I'd have this on with my black Frye boots and tights!

Does anyone else love trench coats as much as I do? I think they're the perfect transition piece for those awkward summer to fall temperatures and, in the right material, carry right on through winter!