Travel Tuesday

I didn't get a chance to do a Travel Tuesday post last week, but I'm happy to be back. I'm sure Megan missed me. 

This week we are talking about National Parks in honor of National Park Week last week. Which is your favorite national park? What parks have you always wanted to visit? What are your favorite activities to do in a national park?


I had the opportunity to visit Mesa Verde with my family when I was younger and it was amazing. It was pretty cold, but definitely worth it. It's amazing how an entire city was built under a cliff. All of the parks are beautiful, but I think this one is especially cool because while it was man made, it provides such an insight into life then. The architecture is also really interesting. I wish I could scan my own pictures from my trip, but they are at home. 

via wikitravel

I'm hoping to make it to Yellowstone someday. I'd like to spend the day hiking, but I'd definitely want to prepare first by upping my workouts a lot. I can't wait to see what everyone wrote about! The pictures are sure to be a nice break from homework. Happy Tuesday! 

Keep Calm, Polish On

Well folks, school is still not over. I'm surprised too. I have three papers due Friday, 200 plus pages of a novel to read and two exams the week after. It's the Sunday of what we affectionately call "Dead Week" here at Mizzou and I'm getting ready to go to dry my hair and go to bed. It's 10:18. (Sidenote: I fell asleep at 10:30 last night. ON A SATURDAY NIGHT. I'm so cool.) I was feeling guilty about this, but I'm over it. I'm also in pretty good shape for these papers. I have 6 out of 8 pages for one paper, 12 out of 20 for another and 2 out of 5 for the other. I don't feel like losing my head over schoolwork, so I'm not going to. I'd rather save my worrying for more important things like which necklace to buy.

I'M KIDDING. I've worked hard all semester and my grades show it. I have never in my life not turned something in on time and I have faith in myself that I will finish everything. I'm going to take care of myself and do my best. And you better believe, my nails will good while I'm doing it. 

My mantras during this stressful time: 

via caroline on pinterest 

via caroline on pinterest 

via caroline on pinterest

If you're feeling really hopeless about all your work, (hello, every math test of my life) say a quick prayer to St. Jude, the patron Saint of hopeless cases. I have done it many, many times. Good luck with anything you're struggling with this week! 

A few things on a Friday

You may have noticed some changes around here. I decided to go for a really simple blog design because the other one was hurting my eyes. Too much color and it was just too busy. I spent all afternoon working on it, so hopefully it looks good! Let me know what you think!

I'm going to an awards banquet next weekend for work and I'm wearing my junior ring dress, but I want to get a turquoise necklace to update it. I got the dress on serious sale at J. Crew and have already gotten a lot of wear out of it and I plan to wear it to a wedding this summer. I think the turquoise would look really nice with it, but I'm having trouble deciding which necklace to get. I don't want the necklace to be too big, but I also don't want it to be too small. #pickygirlproblems After much searching, I've narrowed it down to two choices. I rarely buy jewelry and if I do, it's from Forever 21, however none of their stuff was nice enough to put with this dress. These are both a little more than I'd like to pay (I'm used to Forever prices) but I know I will wear the necklace a lot, so it'd be worth it. 

Ok, here's the dress. I didn't take a picture of the whole thing because I'm mostly concerned about the neckline. I'd like the necklace to hang down, but not too far. Sorry for the poor picture quality. 

And here are my two choices. I like them both, but can't decide. 

$15.00 etsy.com

$16.00
etsy.com 

I realize these aren't quite the same shade, but I think they'd both look nice. Thoughts? 

Really pressing stuff here, I know. I just hate to buy something I'm not totally set on. 

Thanks followers! 

Friday's Fancies

I'm so late in posting my Friday's Fancies because much like real life date night, I could not decide kind of outfit I wanted to wear. School is also crazy, but what else is new?

Most months of the year, I'm two hours away from my boyfriend, so we're pretty lucky that we get to see each other every few weeks, but I still like to spend some time deciding what to wear when I see him because we always try to do something special. I decided to go with a dressy outfit for dancing and a more casual outfit for dinner or a movie.

Purple and Gold by cmichler featuring a ruffle front dress

1. I thought this purple dress would be so cute for a night of dancing. We found a place downtown that does dinner and dancing on Friday and Saturday nights in St. Louis that we're looking to try this summer.
2. Love this color for spring!
3. My boyfriend is a foot taller, so heels are a must and I love gold.
4. I'd wear these with both outfits.
5. I love this big watch for both looks.
6. I love navy and the simplicity of this top.
7. I live in white shorts in the summer. I like that they are cuffed and longer so I could wear wedges with them.
8. Nude wedges are my go-to shoes all summer, they match everything!
9. Ryan's sister got me necklace sort of like this for Christmas. I couldn't find the exact one, but necklaces like this are great for adding a pop of color to a simple outfit. 


What's your ideal date? 

BRB

I've been cheating on Carenpants. I had to do multimedia group project that included a photo gallery, a video, audio piece and a text story and create a blog to display it, so that's where I've been hiding lately. It was due today and we submitted it last night.

via caroline on pinterest

I promise to get back on track very soon!

For the love of shoes

If my feet could talk, they would say, "Caroline, stop buying shoes that don't fit!" And I'd reply, "I'm sorry, but I just can't make you that promise. What if they're on sale?"
These shoes were $9 at Forever 21 last summer. The sixes were too small and hurt and the sevens were a tad too big. I went with the sevens despite being a consistent six.

Forgive the Blackberry camera 

I guess I thought I would grow into them, which would have been a miracle since I have not grown since fifth grade, but I was shocked when I broke them out for the first time this season on Monday and they were still too big.
I really wanted to wear them since they matched my outfit sooo well, but the strap started driving me crazy and I couldn't take it anymore. I was about to go home and change, when I had an idea. I took my pen and stabbed another hole in the strap, fastened it and now they feel fine. Viola, the $9 sandals are saved.

Fascinating stuff, I know.

Travel Tuesday: Week 8

There's this song by Michelle Branch that's called "Tuesday Morning" and it goes: 

Tuesday morning, in the dark, we were finding out who we are... 

Today I was walking to work in the dark thinking about who I am and I came to the conclusion that it was far too early to be that philosophical. Anyway, this Travel Tuesday prompt is fitting this morning because I can't travel without a blanket and all I want to do right now is curl up in the dark under one. 

My absolute must have item when traveling is my cheetah print fleece blanket I got for St. Nick's day a few years ago. It's warm and stylish and it's the perfect size for a carry on. Here's a picture of me sleeping with it on vacation. What a flattering angle. 

Also, here is a picture of Ryan enjoying his time with the blanket. 

Anyway, I didn't pack a blanket for my flight to France and I was freezing, so I will never travel without a blanket again.

 I like to be overly prepared for all situations. I don't have any particular item that I regret packing, but I always bring too many outfits. Sometimes that works in my favor if the weather changes unexpectedly, but most of the time I have more than I could wear in a few day span. Here's a picture of my very messy room while I was packing for France. 

Sorry for such a short post, school work calls! Happy Tuesday! 


P.S. Megan, the lovely host of Travel Tuesday, will be in Columbia on Friday! Coffee time!