Peace Out, Summer 2015

 With my twinnies going back to school this coming week, I figured now would be a good time to wrap up my summer on the blog with a little reflection! I graduated at the end of April so my first post-grad summer has been a pretty long one! During these past 3.5 months, I feel like a lot as happened. I've done some typical Atlanta summer things like going to Braves games, various little festivals, and drank on my fair share of patios, but I think the most exciting part of this past summer was definitely my trip to Canada for two weeks in June.

Previous to this trip, I'd never gone out of the country solo. I mean, it's not like I flew to Europe alone or anything but still! I didn't meet up with my friends until we all got into Winnipeg so I was kind of nervous about doing the whole Customs thing alone but it was a lot easier than I thought. I took the lead on planning this two week excursion for my friends and I think I did a pretty good job! Most things went off without a hitch and I'm pretty proud of that. 

Being at the World Cup is an experience that I'll never forget. I've been to plenty of soccer games in my life but these games were on a totally different level. I think the best part of attending the 6 games was seeing the different supporters from all of the countries. The Nigerian fans were so incredibly enthusiastic and so nice, same goes for the China/Japan/New Zealand/Australian fans. And of course, seeing the USA fan support was unprecedented. Not only did USA fans sell out hotels in Winnipeg, but so many more drove into Canada to see the USWNT play. We saw license plates from all over the country and it was seriously just amazing to see the stadium to practically transform into a USA home game. The fact that we went on to win the whole tournament just makes my memories of the trip even more exciting. My friends and I were a part of the journey and that's honestly something that will bond us together forever. We're already beginning to lay out plans for France in 2019 and even though a lot can change in four years, I truly hope that our friendships remain the same and we can experience a 2nd World Cup together as a trio!

No summer recap is complete without talking about these sweet boys. Between my trip and their own little vacations, we've spent about the same amount apart as we have together. I love my job so much and I'm incredibly thankful that I have the opportunity to influence their little lives in a small way. We have gotten to go on some fun adventures together, explore places in Atlanta, and meet new friends. Because my job with these guys, I've met so many new nanny friends that have become more than just people to go on play dates with. I cannot believe that I am about to enter my THIRD school year with them. I'm so excited to see them learn new things in the coming school year and just grow as little humans. My job is truly a blessing.

Graduation, travel, lots of soccer, and a ton of time with the twins--my summer in a nutshell! 

What has your summer been like?

xo, Sara

Fort Building > Adulting

There's something about a blanket fort that brings total security and calmness. I remember always building forts as a kid and they were sacred little places where you could just do whatever you wanted and escape the world. I hadn't built one in YEARS so when I had a day off last Friday, I figured why not? 

It also happened to be July 31st aka Harry Potter's birthday so having a movie marathon PLUS a fort seemed like the perfect way to spend an afternoon. So I did just that. I gathered my supplies and got to building. Let me tell you, this was harder than I remembered it as a kid! It took me a solid hour to get this fort exactly the way I wanted (air mattress and twinkly lights included) but it was well worth it. I watched the first 3 movies and had to call it a day. Eventually I did have to come out of my fort and be a human being again but for a good part of the day, I was so content just watching movies and relaxing inside the fort.

I'm a firm believer in taking time for yourself. We all spend so much of our lives busy and stressing about life that we don't take the time to slow down and just appreciate life's little treasures. For me, it was the nostalgia of building blanket fort that helped me slow down and hit the reset button. Plus, it's also just fun to be a kid again for a few hours. 

xo, Sara

Music Favs |August|

Hey y'all! Today I want to share my current music favorites. I do a lot of driving so my aux cord and Spotify account are my absolute best friends. I put a few of my current favorite songs the playlist below!




A few notes: X Ambassadors are amazing. I knew of them last summer because of their single, "Jungle", which was a song during the 2014 World Cup. I re-discovered them and I've been listening to them constantly. Halsey is another major favorite! She has an album, "Badlands", that comes out on August 28th and I highly suggest checking it out. She's an amazing song writer and singer, support her!! Lastly, Luke Combs is an artist that I found on Vine/Youtube and his new song, "Hurricane", is a love song that I'm sure a lot of us can relate to.

Hope y'all enjoy! Happy listening!

xo, Sara 

Makeup Favorites!!

I don't wear makeup. On a daily basis, my makeup consists of a LUSH moisturizer and lip balm. Seriously. I've never been the kind of girl require a full face of makeup to go outside of the house (except I DO always need my hair to look good) so I'm honestly not even that good at applying my own makeup. That being said, when I do wear makeup (2 times a month, maybe??), I need products that I know will work well. I used to pick up mainly drug store products but those just don't work for me. When I need to have makeup on, it's usually for an event or night out so it needs to look good. 

Before went on my trip to Canada earlier this summer, I went to Sephora and spent about 2 hours picking out makeup with one of their consultants. Let me tell you, these products are honestly amazing. They're seriously fool proof. Since I don't wear makeup often, it's also important for me to feel confident with it on (weird, shouldn't it be the opposite?!) and with these products, I always feel amazing!! So, let's get into it!! (ps- none of the following links are affiliated in any way)

Years ago, I used a primer by Benefit but I turned out to be allergic to it. Since then, I'd steered clear of using primers. However, since I need my makeup to last a long time, a primer is pretty imperative. I LOVE the Smashbox photo finish primer! It goes on easily, dries quickly, and really does help keep my foundation in place.

It was important for me to have a foundation that was full coverage but also versatile enough to be worn on light makeup days. I've used this foundation for events and just for when I wanted some coverage and it has totally delivered! I use this brush from Tarte to apply it. I'm in the shade "N128".

I have the WORST bags under my eyes, even when I get quality rest *insert crying emoji* so having a concealer that can tackle those without making my under-eyes look cakey, was important. I LOVE this NARS radiant creamy concealer so much. I'm in the shade "medium 1 custard".

If your eyeshadow ever creases or cakes, you NEED this. I know there's now a bunch of different variations of the UD Primer Potion but the Original works great for me.

I am obsessed with this palette. I always am very simple with my eye makeup so the Naked 2 basics is a godsend. I remember getting the huge Naked 3 palette when it came out (mainly because of the hype) and I was so overwhelmed by all the choices that I ended up returning it. This palette is much more my speed.

Benefit mascara... duh. I remember seeing one of my favorite bloggers Nicole aka Stone Cold Betch rave about the Roller Lash so this was a no brainer.

My eyes are VERY sensitive and this eyeliner is a dream to apply. It's so smooth and pigmented. 

My face is always a few shades lighter than the rest of my body so bronzer is beyond necessary. I love the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil and I use the medium matte shade.

I actually purchased this highlighter after my trip because I'd seen a lot of girls raving about it on twitter. It's the Jaclyn Hill champagne pop highlighter and it totally lived up to the hype! I think it's limited edition so if you don't have it, I'd order quick.

Lip glosses > lipstick. I love this UD Naked lipgloss in Beso. It works so well for both day and night.

Lastly (seriously, if you read this whole post, you get a gold star) is my finishing spray! I prefer more dewy looks over matte so this is perfect for me. I've only used it a few times but it really does help set everything in place.

So there you have it!! What are some of y'alls makeup favorites?

xo, Sara

Exploring Winnipeg! |WWC '15 Experience|

As I've mentioned before, I went on a two week long trip to Winnipeg, Manitoba for the FIFA Women's World Cup. It was an amazing experience and I seriously cannot believe it has been close to 2 months since I was there :/ I plan on doing a sort of reflection post soon on my personal WWC experience but also about the USWNT winning the damn thing (still in shock, not gonna lie) so stay tuned for that!!

Since we were going to be in Winnipeg for 2 weeks, we went ahead and rented a car. When I went to pick it up, I was a little disappointed in the original car that was offered so after a little bit of negotiation, the Hertz guy presented me with an offer that I could NOT refuse and this was the result...

Driving around Winnipeg in this Jeep was an absolute dream. I love Wranglers so much and cannot wait to own one of my own in the future. 

When we weren't attending games, we spent a lot of time going to various landmarks in the city. We visited the Winnipeg Zoo, which was a lot of fun. We picked a decent day to go because it wasn't too crowded or too hot outside. My favorite part about the zoo was their polar bear exhibit! Zoo Atlanta doesn't have polar bears so it was such a treat to see them up close. Throughout the grounds, there were at least 5 different peacocks just walking about which was also really fun to see. 

In addition to the zoo, we spent the better part of an afternoon walking around a place called The Forks! It's a market with a bunch of different little shops and restaurants around. It's also situated next to a river, which included a ton of different walking trails. We had breakfast at our favorite spot (The Pancake House) and then walked for at least 2 miles in a loop around the river. 

All in all, Winnipeg was a nice city to call home for two weeks! It was full of hidden gems such as a coffee shop called Fools & Horses and also a bakery called Jenna Rae Cakes (best macarons I've ever had, seriously).

I can't wait to share with y'all my game day experiences and also a more personal reflection on the tournament as a whole!

xo, Sara

Nike WWC Roshe One

As mentioned before, I took a trip to Canada for the Women's World Cup. Since it only comes around every 4 years, there have been a lot of new merchandise popping up from various companies. Nike is a huge sponsor for US Soccer so it was no surprise to find out that they had made a few pairs of shoes to commemorate the event. These shoes came out in the middle of June but I didn't actually find out about them until after the tournament.

I'd noticed that a few of the Nike sponsored athletes (Hope Solo & Alyssa Naeher) were wearing some really cool shoes in their post-WWC victory appearances. I loved the color of the sole and knew I wanted them for my collection. One of my friends who was on the trip with me was visiting California and found them in a Nike store there. We FINALLY had a product number and I ordered them on the spot. 

My favorite part of these shoes are the iridescent/glitter details. They're so unique and to be honest, kind of remind me of mermaids. Like, if mermaids had feet, THESE would be their Nikes!

Not only are they gorgeous but they're so comfortable! I wouldn't necessarily use these to work out in but they're great lifestyle shoes. They'd be great to wear when you know you'll be walking around a lot or even just while running errands. 

The shoes can be found here and run TTS! Also, this isn't sponsored by Nike (I wish) nor is the link an affiliated with any 3rd party.

xo, Sara

|big thanks to my brother for taking these pictures for me!!|