The Potential of Palms

Mid terms are done, fall break is coming to an end. Things have definitely settled by this point - not to say that they were particularly unsettled to begin with, just that I had a lot more questions and uncertainties floating around in my brain. Strangely enough, I still have questions and unanswered questions, if not more now than before, that have replaced the old ones. But they are less distracting.. the kind of "wait and see" questions that really bother you but you know you can deal with. Patience is key. I've had a lot of time to think about things, let things go, and put complete trust in God. All in all, this whole life thing is going pretty well.

It's super weird being on campus during fall break. The grounds are DEAD. No joke! I'm fairly certain that 75% of the students have gone elsewhere for the four-day weekend. FC is lacking its daily hustle and bustle. It is not the same place without all the liveliness!

The building I am standing in front of is Hutchinson, or the chapel... perhaps what you'd call the focal point of Florida College campus. The shingles are looking rather nasty, but the triangular roof still stands out for its uniqueness. It's a pretty cool structure.

On the previous topic of fall break, I must admit that I feel conflicted. It doesn't really feel like fall (or that long of a break! haha). That's Florida for you. I mean, the weather has been a lovely temperature. But it's not like you can really tell what the season is by the look of the landscape or anything. In lou of trying to bring fall to Tampa, I've been beginning to take steps in the "autumn" direction. I've busted out some scarves, darker/richer colors, and layers. The good thing about the current weather conditions is that it has been cool enough for some layers; luckily I have thin enough layers to accomplish that comfortably. I'm inspired to do so much, but I'm finding that I am lacking in most of the areas needed when I look in my closet. Where are the quarter sleeved shirts? How do I not have more knits? Jackets? Vests? I utilize my resources, but I can only do so much with what I've got.

 

Top: JCPenny (altered), skirt: hand made,

scarf: thrifted, shoes: Dr. Scholl's,

ring: Charming Charlie



This skirt is the first article of clothing that I made myself. Not altered, repurposed, or changed into something else... completely made from scratch. Like, it was nothing but fabric and some buttons before I sewed it all together. The feeling of accomplishment it woven into its fibers. But moreover, I made it at my grandmother's house with her by my side, guiding me through the process. She works magic with a sewing machine. I'm totally inspired by her work room: so many tools, threads, fabrics, embellishments. She's always making things for her grandchildren (and great grandchildren). I was planning on making several items at her house, but time always got away from me. For now, this light blue skirt is the only one to live to tell the tale. There are some good memories in that skirt.

 

The longer I'm in Tampa, the more I realize what a neat place it is. There's so much out there to soak up, and I'm rarely able to experience anything off campus. Thankfully, I have Erika around for sister-date excursions. She's lived in the area for 9 years and is able to introduce me to some pretty amazing and eclectic stuff. We just completed a day in historic Ybor city: there was a "food truck war" going on, consisting of multiple kitchen trucks from local dining places parked in a lot, selling their food. The weather was fabulous. The pupusas, lobster roll, and apricot crepe, (and oh the pupusas)- delicious. Erika and I spent the day eating yummy food and enjoying each other's company. It was lovely.

After a day like that, I feel inspired to do nothing but explore new things. I wish I could make a month goal for myself, such as, "for this month, I will visit a new part of town every weekend," or, "I will stop by somewhere different before heading home everyday for a month," or, "once a week during this month, I'm going to eat a new dish at a new place." But I'm not here to live it up and eat pupusas everyday. I'm here to go to school and focus on spending as little money as possible. And I'm ok with that to a certain degree. I'm driven to dive fully into college in order to move on with my life, so I find it important to block everything else out until that task is accomplished. However, I am a very adventurous individual who craves the thrill of sinking her teeth into the flavors of a new habitat.

Man. I wish I could put serious life on hold for a period of time, take a break from what needs to be done and do the things that are out there to be done.

Twist it up a bit



Every morning, I wake up and want to get out of bed less and less. With the little time that I have, I try to figure out SOMETHING different to do with my hair other than straightening it, making it wavy, or putting it up in a bun, especially on days when I skip a wash. So I have gone on a quest to find simple ticks to amp up a hair do. Here's number one: The Maiden Twist-braid Crown (from A Beautiful Mess).

It was my first attempt, so it's clearly far from perfect.. but it's definitely a keeper. I got tons of compliments on it all day. It's fun to tell people, "Thanks! I tried this for the first time this morning, and it takes approximately 3 minutes!"

I do believe I'll  have my hair down and wavy with it next time, as in the pictures. But I'm very pleased with how it turned out overall.

 

When You Wish Upon a List...

Help me win $250 for Mod Cloth. Check out my wish list!

Dotted Half Note

Where has September gone?? It's nearly October. Time slips away so quickly.

I've been doing a lot of reflecting on life lately. There's been many changes and eye-opening experiences in a short span of time. I guess I'll just get straight to the point: music is my true passion; I've never wanted to excel in something as much as I do in it. The downside? It gets overwhelming. I know I'm nowhere near as advanced as the talented musicians I share classes with, and I am constantly pushing myself just to stay on what I feel is the same level as them. Though I absolutely love learning all about theory and whatnot, it begins to wear on me. It's worn on me to the point where I've been doubting my ability/decisions. I am my own worst critic: I know I'm not awful, but I know I'm far from anything spectacular. When I was feeling my most hopeless, Dr. Bassett (my voice teacher) somehow knew exactly what I needed to hear. Without going into too much detail, I can tell you that he revitalized me spirits. He shocked me with his words, dusted me off and stood me back up on my feet again... then [gently] shoved me in the direction I know I want to continue in. I can't express how much I already appreciate him and the vast amount of knowledge he's imparting.

 I felt very whimsical wearing this outfit. It has a lot of youthful personality, mixed with just enough classy sophistication. Out of all the colors in my wardrobe, black is one of the least used (which is in complete contrast to Erin's style choice). However, I felt it made the white polka dots pop that much more. I experimented with the layering of two tops, and I was very pleased with the end result! Of course, I can't help that I love neck-tie shirts so much.



Blouse (under): A'GACI, skirt: Gap
top, shoes, earrings: Forever 21,
tights: JcPenny

One of the unique things about Florida College is the number of rooms/corridors you will find. Featured in these pictures is the historic Sutton lobby,.. but I'm going to save the explanation of the FC campus for a different time. I'm keeping this entry short and sweet. (Like me!)

Swamp Creature

So here I am, a month into life at Florida College... and only one outfit post thus far. Life has been really busy! Oh well. I'm not going to apologize too much. It could be worse.
My birthday was last Wednesday, and it was one of the sweetest birthdays I have experienced in the 19 years of my life! And the word "sweet" is to be taken literally. I was treated so wonderfully by all of my friends, old and new, as well as my family. One of my shelves is still full of candy and cards/notes of kind words. I cannot express my appreciation.
Branching off from the previous topic, lately I have been extremely appreciative of the simple things in life. With the stresses and seriousness of studying/college life, tiny beams of joy will penetrate the dullness and really cause me to smile: the sunny walk from the dorm to my classes, a warm cup of my daily Colombian roast coffee, the mysteriously swampy coloring of river road (the area in the pictures), finding happy mail in my mailbox, a newly vacuumed floor, unexpectedly running into a friend and having a good chat... It doesn't take a lot to brighten my day. I think a large part of it is how much I really love living on my own. I feel like I've been given this clean slate, and now I'm experiencing life anew with all of my senses wide open, and every little thing is so special. Life is just so pleasantly full of... life!

Mint is such a popular color lately, it's not even funny. It's not funny because I totally owned it before everyone began obsessing over it. (Hah, ok. I kid. Sort of.) Since it entered the fashion scene, I've seen it most prominently in nail color and pants. It's one of those colors that can easily be incorporated into most outfits. My one pair of mint denim is a treasured item as it is the only pair of "colorful" pants I own... and they aren't even that far off from light-wash denim, just more green-blue tinted. I've just recently begun to be very interested in unique colors or prints on pants. They're an alternative to a statement shirt or jewelry. Thinking about the different clothing combinations with a coral or deep teal pair makes my head twirl. If I had the money for it, I would add so many more trousers to my wardrobe.

This broach is a gorgeously dainty little piece. I picked it up along with a couple other accent accessories at an antique store back in Tennessee, but I don't feel like I do it the justice it deserves. I wish I was able to show broaches off more, but I generally only wear them in two ways:

1. On the lapel of a blazer/cardigan, or
2. To hold a scarf in place

I guess those are really the only few ways to style a broach, but I want to challenge that. Any suggestions? I'm always open to new ideas.


Top: Forever 21, pants: A'GACI,
blazer: A'GACI, shoes: ModCloth, broach: antique store