kate's and regina's spring break adventure

i took a crazy fun trip this past week to a place near and dear to my heart...

  that's right. we went to college for spring break. and we had a blast.

we had a late night flight on saturday...and by late i mean we got in at 11pm. big brother conner and honorary big brother noah drove out to the airport to pick us up around 12. have you ever been in a tiny airport late at night? it's a ghost town.

we arrived on campus around 1 am, settled in with our sweet host katie, and went to bed around 2. we (kind of) slept in, and got ready for mass. there was a ton of time to kill before brunch so we walked around campus and took pictures in front of the big university sign. i'm still amazed we were able to climb up in our church clothes!

we had brunch with conner and his friends, went to mass, went grocery shopping, came back to the room for some down time, and went to dinner with conner again. wonderfully low key :)

on tuesday afternoon we we had a great time on the beach by naples' pier. laying on the beach in the sun with a good book was the best. after a couple hours we packed up in search of food. it was a long trek into town, but eventually we found a nice italian place, where we bought a pizza and fancy water (that actually tasted kind of horrible to us unsophisticated people.) you know you're an adult when you try to be fancy and order seven-dollar-a-bottle water, then force yourself to drink the fancy water that tastes like crap *only* because it costs seven dollars a bottle. haha. we got some tasty gelato at the cutest little organic sweet shop with the coolest flavors, like blueberry lavender and strawberry rose (mine was strawberry basil!) then, after a shady walk through the local neighborhood in the dark, we got back in the car and headed back to campus.

i ordered a kortnijeane swimmer for the trip and oh my gosh i love it! cute, comfy, and a hint of vintage? perfect. i highly recommend--and that's my personal opinion, no affiliates or anything :) check them out here!

wednesday i spent a lot of time doing algebra homework (yaaaaay haha) but of course it's spring break so i haaaaad to get out and walk around campus a bit more. it rained quite a bit, but that didn't stop us! regina got a manicure and pedicure, which ended up taking two hours, but at least she had fabulous toes ;) we had dinner at the pub, which was *amazing.* a week of cafeteria food and microwave mac n cheese made me appreciate my nice juicy burger, fries, and coke. then after dinner we visited with a friend and her roommate. it was a really lovely, relaxing way to end the day. since we didn't really do anything exciting, I don't have pictures from wednesday--so here's some more tuesday pictures for you!!

thursday was our last day on campus. we spent most of our time chilled out in the room, and i visited with the admissions counselor for michigan. we walked over to the lady of quadalupe statue, which was beautifully surrounded by flowers and little benches to sit on. For dinner we had pizza at the place in town. boy was it good...after that we visited with an old friend, and then off to the cafe to hang out with conner one last time. lots of his friends came over to introduce themselves and chat, and they were all hilarious. we ended up staying until 11:30, and it took us another half our of walking back to the dorms (read: goofing off) before we got into bed. I think my favorite part was meeting a little corgi puppy on the way back to the dorms--i squealed and jumped up and down and almost cried. i was *that* excited--although it could've been a bit of sleep deprivation too ;) i almost asked for a picture with the dog (lola was her name) but i didn't want to come off as crazy....hehe. then it was up at 5 am to catch our flight and be home by lunch time. there was a huge winter storm in michigan while we were gone, so it was quite weird going from 70 degrees and palm trees to below freezing and 13 inches of snow--but it's home :)

after a long exciting week, it's good to be home--even if it's 30 degrees colder and significantly less sunny :)

xoxo, kate

18 things i've learned in 18 years

today i turn 18! in honor of my 18th year, i want to share 18 bits of wisdom i've acquired over the past 18 years. i don't always apply these to my life, but that's the cool thing--every day is a fresh start :)

kindness is free 
it takes way more energy to be mean than it does to smile, give a compliment, or simply not say anything. in the end, both parties leave happy--instead of feeling gross and mucky. it's the little things

seek to understand, not to be understood
did you listen to them, or did you simply just hear them?

time is precious 
i've spent so much time doing focusing on the wrong things, or worse--doing nothing. time is very valuable; it's one of the few things in life that you will never get back. use it wisely. however, don't rush it. which leads us to...

moderation is key
i can't think of much that is totally wrong and evil--most things in life are okay, so long as moderation is exercised. finding balance is essential

there is strength in vulnerability 
the world we live in today seems to have a very flat, very incorrect definition of strength. not being afraid to admit you're imperfect, owning your soft side, letting yourself be sad or hurt, and therefore human...those take incredible strength. don't let people roughen up your edges.

change is okay
part of being human is evolving and changing. life is a journey, and if you stay the same throughout, you're doing something wrong. fighting change is fighting human nature. let it be.

honesty is (usually) the best policy
if you do something wrong, own up to it. if you have an opinion, state it. this doesn't mean you can be loud about it--grace is key. but don't just sit in the corner like a mouse either.

don't take their word for it
take your life into your own hands and educate yourself. do your own research, have your own opinions. don't let people just tell you what something is. just make sure to honestly hear them out when they express their side of the topic.

seek to serve rather than be served
the secret to a happy, healthy, fulfilling life is to serve others. give your heart--all of it. share your struggles with people. help them with their own struggles.

don't assume--EVER.
it makes an ass our of you and me--plain and simple.

YOLO
kidding--you actually live twice. the first is for as long as God wills, the second is forever. Act accordingly.

it's okay to ask for help
one of the greatest things about community is the support it provides. you don't have to do everything by yourself--let people help you.

beauty is more than skin deep
it's also incredibly subjective. you're beautiful. don't sweat it.

fake it till you make it
confidence goes a long way--if you don't have any, then just pretend you do, and poof! you have confidence. See how that works? ;)

it's okay to put yourself first sometimes
i know i literally *just* said to serve instead of be served, and i meant every word of it. however, there is a time when it's appropriate to say no and look out for yourself first. the line is usually pretty clear, and you'll know it when you see it.

surround yourself with the right people
a friend should be loyal, honest, uplifting and generous, so hold yours to a high standard.  if you feel like crap on a regular basis, take a look around.  it's a two way street, so make sure you're being a good friend, too. also, notice I used the plural people. More than one. 

know your worth
if someone isn't appreciating you, then leave. it sounds simple, but it's not always easy. this is where those super loving supportive friends come in.

do everything for (and with) the Lord
this one is definitely the most important--that's why I saved it for last. God is *the* only one you need to please. don't ever forget that.


now i'm going to go eat another donut, cause I'm an adult.
xoxo, kate

outfit post: valentine's day

this valentine's was a special one--my very first one*not* single! i had a wonderful dinner with my lovey, followed by a cozy movie night back at his house with family. then, when i got home, i found some yummy chocolate and sweet notes waiting for me in my room. it was lots of fun and super special :) i know valentine's day is a rather taboo holiday, in which you're usually either a lovestruck sap or a lonely, bitter singleton...but i don't see why it necessarily has to be that way. valentine's day is a celebration of all love, not just romantic. i have really beautiful childhood memories of getting candy and cards from my parents; memories that i still treasure today. plus it's four days before my birthday, so growing up there was always bunches of cute party decor in the stores. i may be a little bit partial.

i had lots of different ideas for a valentine's day look, from the classic little black dress to winter whites, but in the end, i loved how the edginess of the leopard print & black leather worked with the delicate nature of the pink top & sparkly jewelry. you can't tell from the pictures, but the hem & sleeves of the shirt are scalloped--super cute and chic ;)

if there's one thing i love about winter (besides christmas and cozy nights by the fire) it's that i'm finally on an equal playing field in terms of skin tone. everyone gets super pale from november-march, whereas i stay the same year round. while everyone is mourning their lack of a tan, i'm totally in my element. gotta love those irish genes!

i also want to add that i just learned how to curl my hair with a flat iron and it is quite literally a life changer. i am obsessed with the loose curly/wavy look! i'm seeing a wavy hair tutorial in the future... 

so, how did you celebrate valentine's day?

 {jacket: eropostale / top: mode / skirt: homemade / shoes: katie & kelly / purse: target / necklace: target / bracelet: target / earrings: lauren conrad}

xoxo, kate