Best Sushi

Hello! Long time, no blog :'(. But I'm back finally, and I'm going to share some pictures from my dinner date last night with my sister, Alyssa. We made the journey back to Strongsville because my mom recently moved to another suburb of Cleveland, and there are no sushi restaurants here that compare to Shinto in Strongsville :/. I really miss having Shinto so close to my house. We used to order a huge platter of takeout sushi and split it between my mom, sister, and I. Those were some of my favorite nights because they usually included a movie or a few episodes of Criminal Minds after. Now we have to drive twenty minutes to get the same sushi, but we can't take it back home anymore. I guess it makes eating sushi a little more of a treat, but still missing the convenience. Last night's treat was definitely needed though! The sushi in Oxford (Ohio) is pretty good, but they just don't have my favorite rolls. So I always look forward to coming home to my favorite. And I must say, Shinto did not disappoint! The rolls are just soo good!! I ate so much I had the worst stomach ache after, but it was completely worth it :). Gosh I think I could eat sushi everyday and not get sick of it haha. If you ever are looking for good Sushi, Shinto is my recommendation!

We ordered the Jimmy #30 and the Miso Surprise with a side of fried rice!

Hugs <3

Grey Turtleneck and First Snowfall!

Hi there! It started snowing like crazy this morning! So of course once the ground had enough of the fluffy white stuff to cover it, I had to take a picture. The snow makes for such pretty back drop! I can't think of a better combination than snow and a cozy turtleneck. This one is new and is from Banana Republic. It was on a crazy sale! The sweater was originally around $90, but i got it for a little over $10. How crazy is that?! It's super comfortable and cozy. I've been wearing it for about an hour, and I don't have any itchiness. If there is one thing you should spend the money on for really good quality, it's a turtle neck. If the quality isn't good, your neck is going to be super itchy and uncomfortable. That's why I used to hate them as a child. But now that I can get the good stuff, I've started to love them more :).

The struggle of having dogs who always want to be in your pictures haha. I love them :)

Hugs <3

Dreaming of Summer

Good morning everyone! Today I was reading Kristine Ullebø's blog, and she had a post about summer and beaches. It really made me wish for summer again. I am completely in my element in the warm sun with a dark tan and a cold drink in hand. My favorite drink this past summer was lemon water. I miss having fresh lemons in the house all the time. They definitely make water much more enjoyable to drink. I mean, sometimes it can be pretty bland. And laying by the pool or beach in a bikini...I don't think it gets better than that. God I miss it! I completely idolize summer, but not without reason. Some of my favorite memories are from summer. There is so much time to spend with friends and family and do things you normally wouldn't be able to during the school year. I am definitely a summer girl haha. Hair get lighter, skin gets darker, days get longer, nights get warmer. All of my favorite things :). At least summer is only a few months away! Before we know it, it will be spring, and then summer is just around the corner! The months go by so fast now. I'm already halfway done with my sophomore year of college. That is crazy!! Only a few more years and hopefully I'll be in medical school (hopefully). Then, I cannot wait until I am done with school and can move to a place that is warmer and near a beach. Florida maybe? Or LA?? Ahh the options are endless!! How time flies...

Hugs <3

Vegan Banana Pancakes

Hi there! This morning I felt like making something for breakfast, and not just eating cereal or yogurt or soothing like that. I've really wanted to try banana pancakes for awhile because I love bananas and pancakes. So what's better than combining the two?! I should probably have turned into a monkey with how many bananas I normally eat haha. I went on Pinterest, which is my favorite place to find new recipes, and searched vegan banana pancakes. After looking through a few of them, I decided to try this recipe http://www.sprinklewithsalt.com/2015/01/25/banana-pancakes/.

1 cup ground oats (I used flour)
1 smashed banana
1/4 cup milk or non-dairy milk of your choice
1 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp baking powder

It had more ingredients than some of the others, but the cinnamon, vanilla, and maple syrup really made a difference. The pancakes were sweet and you could definitely taste the cinnamon. The cinnamon and banana really go nicely together. Instead of the ground oats, I used flower because I don't have a food processor. I needed to add about an extra 1/4 cup of soy milk and another tablespoon of maple syrup because the batter was too thick. I'm guessing it was because I used regular flour. Then you cook them in a skillet like normal pancakes, and you have breakfast! The banana pancakes were a bit chewier than regular pancakes, but that might've been because the batter was thicker. I think you could thin out the batter by adding more liquid and not affect anything. They tasted great anyway :).

I topped mine with maple syrup and fruit, but you can use whatever your favorite topping is!

Hugs <3

Homemade Smoothie Bowl

This morning I made my first smoothie bowl. I was trying to make a fun blogger breakfast, and hoping it would taste good too haha. I will admit, it looks pretty plain. I wish I had more fruit, granola, or seeds to put on top, but I don't think it turned out too bad for a first try. It did taste really yummy! I used a banana, some frozen mango, frozen peaches, and a little soy milk. I threw it all in a blender and blended it until it was smooth. Then I just pored it into a bowl and decorated the top. I topped it with sliced kiwifruit and shredded coconut. It wasn't the most artistic smoothie bowl. But it tasted like summer when I would have fresh mango with pineapple and banana in my smoothies. Those were really good! It's weird how eating something or smelling something can take you right back to a specific place. I can't wait to experiment more with smoothie bowls and decorating them in the next few weeks! I'm sure you'll see the results.

Hugs <3

New Year's Day

Here are some pictures from the first party I went to on New Year's Day. It was an Ohio State party at one of my mom's friend's house. It was really funny watching the game with a bunch of loud adults haha. Oh my gosh they were yelling and swearing at the TV when Joey Bosa got kicked out of the game. It was so funny I had to take a Snapchat video, and I usually always forget to snapchat things haha. I was comfy in my own chair curled up with my blanket scarf. One of the best things about blanket scarves is that they can actually double as a blanket. It was so cozy I almost fell asleep haha. The food at the party was absolutely amazing! There was so much! It all looked so pretty, I had to take some pictures. The first picture is of this huge plate of nachos! I don't know if you can see the size from the picture, but trust me, it was huge. The second is a plate of Ukrainian sandwiches. They have a butter/cream cheese sauce, cucumber, radish, hard boiled egg, tomato, ham, and cheese. According to one of the adults they taste amazing when you are drunk haha. I was laughing at that. And finally, look at the cute minion I found!! I just had to take a picture with him! The rest of the day we went to another party, and finally my grandparents' for New Year's Day dinner.

Hugs <3

My 2015 Story

Heyy! I love it when bloggers post the main events that happened to them throughout the past year. It's really cool to see how far I've come in terms of blogging and how I've changed as a person. So let's get into my year!

January

In January I made a New Year's resolution to start blogging more seriously. I started taking more pictures and experimenting with different styles than I used to. I was still a newbie to the fashion world. This is still one of my favorite sweaters :)

February

I went through sorority rush in February. It was a crazy two weeks of meeting a whole bunch of great girls and continually being exhausted from hours of talking a primping. This outfit I actually spilled tomato soup on about an hour and a half before I had to go to another rush event. I had just enough time to wash it before I had to leave it was so crazy! But it was so worth it haha.

Annddd on bid day I became a Phi Mu!

March

In March we finally had big/little reveal and the entire week before I was spoiled by my big, but had no idea who she was! At the end of the week I finally met my big and wonderful family!!

 I also came home for spring break and tried to keep up with blogging, but by now I only posted about 8 times a month. I also was on Gossip Girl Season 1 :)

April

In April it was finally warm again! The flowers were blooming and I enjoyed Starbucks before my English class. I actually remember this morning because it was so nice to wake up, go get breakfast, and read a magazine. A really nice morning :)

It was actually warm enough to tan one day!

May

In May I finished up my second semester of my freshman year at Miami and came home for summer break. I also started going to Tri-C so I could take chemistry over the summer and stay on track with my major. This was an outfit I wore on my first day of class. And loved this lighting!!

I also did my first photo shoot ever for Gladys Magazine. It was one of the best experiences of my life! I had so much fun that day. Here is a behind the scenes photo of Erica (my makeup artist for the day) and I.

June

June was a really great month! I was working at my development pool as a life guard and getting my tan on in the amazing weather. I made so many smoothies because all the fruit was fresh :)

At the end of the month my mom, sister, my mom's best friend Sherri and I went to Port Clinton on Lake Erie for the weekend. It is my favorite trip every  year. We just spend the weekend eating the best breakfast and ice-cream and laughing. It's just my favorite :)

July

In July my blogging probably reached it's peak. I loved every outfit I put up. I felt so stylish. And Just look at my tan! How crazy dark am I?! Ugh I miss summer :(

One of my favorite bloggers, Kenza Zouiten, like my Instagram picture!! Oh my gosh I was so excited!

August

In August I was able to see the results of my photo shoot for Gladys Magazine in print! This was when it hit me, like whoa I'm in a magazine. Like how crazy is that?! One of the best feelings ever!

September

The weather was still so hot and beautiful in September. I went home for Labor Day weekend because my mom missed me haha. And I of course missed her. It was great to be home for the long weekend. And the grass was so green!

My dad also came up for my Phi Mu Dad's Weekend. We had a social with all the dads and daughters one night. My dad and I went to the Red's vs. Cardinals baseball game and I caught my first baseball!

October

The weather was still crazy nice in October and I went on an adventure run and found these super pretty trails down by the football field.

I also visited my dad in St. Louis for fall break. It was a really fun weekend! My dad showed me all around St. Louis because I had never been there. It's a really cool city! I could totally live there one day.

I also went out for Halloween with some of my sorority sisters as the Seven Dwarfs. We were such a bunch of goofballs and it was a great night haha.

November

The Navy's Birthday Ball was in November. I went with my boyfriend, Ryan. I got to wear a beautiful dress, and he looked so handsome in his dress blues. Here we are fooling around having him salute me haha.

This month was the month of dances because I also went to semi-formal for my sorority. This dress was absolutely amazing! It fit perfectly, and I loved the high neck line. Definitely a keeper! Thank you mom for sending me it haha.

December

December was a rough month for the blog because I went back to school after Thanksgiving break and had two weeks until final exams. I was stressed to the max with all the studying I had to do. It was finally cold out and I didn't want to venture outside to take pictures haha. So sorry for the repetitive background of my dorm room. But one of the last few days I saw one of the prettiest sunsets making all the stress a little better.

I finished the year off at home. I spent time with my family and got my boyfriend to take pictures of me haha. He really doesn't mind, but I always feel bad asking him to. He found this super pretty spot by a pond. These shots were my favorite.

Here was my year! I hope this post isn't too long and boring for you. I really tried to streamline my year for you guys and pick the best pictures/events. Looking back on my year, it was a really good year. Even though there were some points that were really bad at the time, I had so many more good days than bad. Sometimes perspective is what you need. Happy New Year everyone!

Hugs <3