Halloween 2016!

Happy Halloween! I'd say this holiday is honestly in a tie for my favorite. I love the spookiness, the movies, the candy, the pumpkins, the fun. It's so great! Just as there is a quietness in the air when it snows, I feel the same way with carved pumpkins. Is it just me? When you walk by a carved pumpkin with a candle in it, there is almost a moment of silence and stillness. It's weird...

Anyway. Since I've been at school, I've done something really different every year on Halloween. It's weird for me because I really got into a routine when I was at home and coming to school it was so different. I talked about it in my post last year, but it's just interesting to me. I think that most holidays I can get away with change, but for Halloween I just can't wait to have kids of my own so I can dress up and have the fun that I think of when I think of Halloween. You know?

I hope you all had a great day! This was probably the lamest one I had yet, with classes from 8am-2:15 and then work from 3-9, with a lot of stress in between all that. Yikes, talk about scary! I tried to get in sprint though, with my light-up pumpkin earrings and some dark lipstick. What did you do?

Past Halloween posts: 2015 (Northampton), 2012 (home), 2011 (home).

Photo from my Instagram.

Currently

Loving: This one is super random, but every Thursday after my internship, I come back at night and clean my room. I put my clothes away, Swiffer the floor, make my bed, sometimes do laundry, organize, and it feels SO good. I love having that one day to really get myself together and afterward I feel so good.

Watching: This is Us on NBC! Have you been watching it? I just love it. I've also been re-watching Gilmore Girls... I finished the series, but then I wanted more, so I said might as well go again! Yikes, I've watched that show so many times at this point.

Reading: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. I'm about halfway through and really enjoying it! I find it to be a little slow, as I'm getting closer to the end and still am waiting for something big to happen. I'm excited to see the movie afterward though!

Anticipating: I would say I'm just enjoying life right now. It's busy, but I wake up everyday and never wish for the day to be over. If anything, I'm excited for the upcoming holidays and the possibility of going abroad for 4 months next year! I also am excited to start getting Christmas gifts for people. I'm a little behind schedule on that, as I usually like to start mid-October.

Listening: I haven't really been listening to anything new... I started listening to the Suicide Squad soundtrack a bit, just because of the song Heathens by Twenty One Pilots. I've never actually even seen the movie, so that's kinda weird. Other than that, it's usually Bon Iver or Mumford and Sons. Ya know, the norm.

Working on: Time management. Even right now, there are a million things I need to get done before I leave for work! I just have a lot on my plate, most of it just being getting things signed and filled out for study abroad. It's really stressing me out! I'm just trying to take each day as it comes, and trying to find some time to enjoy the city and relax, while also getting my work done and stuff. I've just been really stressed lately and I need t find better ways to get things done.

As usual, this post was inspired by Danielle over at Sometimes Sweet (who recently gave the news that she's expecting her 3rd child - so exciting!) and the photo is from my Tumblr. Hope your week is fabulous!

Link Love - clothing edition

Photo from here.

These sunglasses are my current favorite. I own them and love them!

These PJ pants. Omg, I kid you not, best pajama pants I've ever owned. So comfy!

I tried this jacket on the other and wish SO badly that I could afford it.

I just started wearing turtlenecks last year and love them so much. This one looks crazy comfy!

I've been really obsessed with the green clothing color lately. I love this simple dress.

I bought this headband the other day and lovelovelove it. I love that it actually stays on my head!

Speaking of headbands, how pretty is this one?! But if I ever spend $525 on a headband...

Does anyone have these shoes? Are they worth it? I'm looking for a good walking shoe that isn't a sneaker.

I'm oddly really into these boots - I'd just really want to wear socks and that might look funny... maybe not though?

What have you had your eye on lately?

Good day

This is so random, but I feel like I haven't really written a personal post lately. The other day, I just had the best day! It was just one of those days where nothing goes wrong. You smile the whole day, and when it's over you just think "wow, today was good." They're rare, so when I do have one, it really makes me happy!

Some highlights of that day:

-I woke up around 6 am to get to my internship and I got to attend a staff meeting with the nurses, doctors, and social workers which was AWESOME.

-I met with my supervisor and talked with her about ideas and concerns and it felt so good to finally get together with her to discuss.

-The rest of the time at my internship site was awesome as well-it's really unpredictable how the day will go there, so the fact that it was a good day was really nice.

-I stopped into Anthropologie, as it's only a 5 minute walk from my room, just to see what was new, and in the sale section they had a mug I've had my eye on for so long! On top of that, they had 25% off of sale items. It was a dream come true!

-I went home and relaxed for a bit, actually falling asleep and taking about the 30 minute nap, woohoo!

-I left again and went down the road to a chocolate shop I've never been to-it was SO cute and reminded me of MarieBelle in NYC. I got an insanely good hot chocolate and read The Girl on the Train for about an hour and a half.

-While I was there, my mom sent me a picture of my passport-it arrived!! I've been SO anxious about it not getting here in time, so the fact that it's early nearly made me jump for joy with my hot chocolate.

-Later, I ate dinner, cleaned up my room, got some homework done, watched Edward Scissorhands, and wrote some letters to friends. Productive night, I'd say.

That's about it! Little things throughout the day made it better, as well.

Do you have days like this? Aren't they fabulous? I feel good just writing it all out on here.

Have a happy day!

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Mmmm... I drink a cup of sleepy time tea every night. When I'm home, I love to fill the tea pot my friend got me while she lived in China. It's SO pretty and I just couldn't bring myself to take it with me to school, for the risk of it breaking. Are you a tea lover?

Lovely photos by Lorena Arance.

A memoir about food, wine, and love

I wanted to talk about this book I read a few weeks ago! I rented it from the public library and started and finished it in 2 days. It just kept me hooked! I think I want to start reading more memoirs. They feel so real - as if I'm there with these people, experiencing what they are.



This was about Michael and his wife, Jill, and basically how they packed up and moved to the Tuscany area once their kids went to college. They left their jobs and friends and moved to a little house in a place with very little people. It was so great to hear about everything they went through. Even just about the pasta they liked to make or the butcher they became friends with. I do a terrible job and describing books, but if you're craving a taste of something different - traveling without actually leaving your bed - I totally recumbent this book.

Have you read many memoirs? Are there any you recommend? There's one about France I've been wanting to read, but the title is escaping me at the moment...

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10 Things I Hate About You, 1999

"It is late at night, and someone across the way is playing “La Vie En Rose”. It is the French way of saying, “I am looking at the world through rose-coloured glasses,” and it says everything I feel."

Audrey Hepburn, Sabrina

5 happy things

1. Snail mail

What's better than getting a handwritten letter in the mail? I know... writing a letter to someone else. There's something about the personalization that goes into writing a letter and mailing it, as well as the excitement you have when you see a letter waiting for you in the mailbox.

2. Changing leaves

This doesn't need too much explanation. I love Fall and I'm so happy the leaves are finally starting to change here in Boston!

3. New York City

It's been too long since I've been in this beautiful city and I need to go back ASAP. Usually during this time of year I go there with my college friends, but since I transferred it's different this year. It's the first Fall I haven't taken a trip to the Met and Soho and it's so weird!

4. Cozy nights in

The weather is getting chillier and life is getting busier and I think one the best feelings is coming home, kicking off my shoes, turning on Full House, and cozying up in bed. After a long day, we deserve an early bedtime!

5. Flower tattoos

I've been thinking about my next tattoo and I really want black and white flowers. They're so pretty and I've been looking up pictures non stop. I think next Summer would be a good time to move forward with these plans? Yes!

It was really hard to narrow this list down to only 5! I should do these posts more often. All the pictures are from my Tumblr and the idea was from Cat from What Cat Says!

I hope you're all having a lovely Friday. I woke up early but laid in bed for a while before getting up, put on some comfy clothes, ate lunch and fixed myself dinner, and now I'm getting some homework and reading done before I head off to work from 3-9!

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From here.

Duomo di Milano

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The Cathedral of Nativity of the Holy Virgin of Milan in Milan, Italy. Is this not the most beautiful building you've seen? And in the snow... heart eyes!

Photo from here.

Stuck in Love

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Photos from here.

"Like my addiction"

Louise Delage created a fake Instagram to show how prevalent and alcoholism is and how we can miss it so easily. It's pretty powerful, just scrolling through. I think it's a really unique way to show how important it is!

Clowns

Can I just say that clowns are my ultimate worst nightmare?! I'm terrified of them - always have been and always will be. When I was young, my pop pop would take me to the circus and it was SO fun, but I would always have to leave because the clowns scared me too much.

There was one phase in my life when I like them and wanted to be a creepy clown for Halloween (you might remember that time) but I'm SO over that. I hate them so much.

So this new clown thing? The country is being taken over by clowns? It's actually scaring me way beyond belief. I've been looking up all the stuff that's going on and I even followed an account on Twitter that tweets out when there's another sighting. How crazy is it that we're living in a time when there's a "clown problem"? What?

It sounds super nuts, but I'm even scared to go outside. This weekend I'm going home and my parents got a new house and it's kind of in the middle of nowhere, and that's kind of freaking me out. There's been a bunch of sightings close to where I am and it makes me so sad because I really want to explore the city at night, but I'm not about to go out there. I also walk home from work at night and now I'm in constant fear. My heart beats so fast everyday! I'm so worried I'm going to see one. I'm just so scared.

I was going to post a picture of one of the sightings on this post, but I wouldn't do that to you! So here's a picture of a cute puppy to lift your spirits.

It kind of sounds silly, but I thought I'd talk about it a little bit. What are your thoughts about it? Are you as worried or haven't really thought about it? I'm hoping it blows over by the time Halloween is over, but it probably won't. UGH.

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So true! From here.

Krakow, Poland

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If I go to Italy next semester, I'll also be spending a few days mid-semester in Poland. I got to choose between Sicily, Milan, and Krakow. I figured I might as well venture out into Europe and see as much as I can! Isn't it lovely?

Photos by Gary Hebding.

Also... HAPPY OCTOBER! This has always been and will always be my favorite month.