Two-Four

I turned 24 years old last week and did not take one picture to commemorate it. Not one! Sorry mom! I guess my lack of indulgent birthday selfies is probably a sign I'm mature or something. Instead, here are some pictures of my visit to Duke campus in Durham, North Carolina where I survived the humidity and was schooled in the art of authentic Carolina BBQ (nothing will ever be the same).

I rang in my 24th year just about the same way I spent the actual day I was born: by sleeping 70% of the day and eating throughout the remaining 30%. I have some really great friends who threw me not one, but TWO birthday celebrations, and the next day was spent shopping with myself, for myself. I justified my excessive spending all because 24 years ago I passively let myself be born while my mom did all the work. Obviously that warrants a new outfit, right? Right.

Overall, turning 24: 10/10, would recommend.

However, I'd be lying if I said this birthday came without a tinge of sadness. Dread, even. A sense of betrayal to my 14-year-old self who was really banking on this past decade to get it all figured out. In a lot of ways, I feel like I've accomplished nothing but let that girl down.

The truth is, my life at 24 is nothing like how I had imagined it would be. I have this very specific memory of being 14-years-old and envisioning my life ten years into the future: I would be married; I would have the career I always wanted; I would have more than I do and be more than I am, and most of all, I wouldn't be scared.

At 14, the only thing I really wanted was security. At 24, I have learned enough about the unpredictability of life to understand that true security, for the most part, does not exist.

But in the past decade, I've learned that what does exist is faith--faith in God, and faith in yourself, and faith in the fact that despite all your meticulously crafted plans, you are part of something bigger. I might venture to say, you are part of something even better.

So yes, it's true. I am a failure to my 14-year-old counterpart. But for the 24-year-old me, I am exactly where I'm supposed to be. And I think that's something to celebrate.


xo,
Lo

Because ~*SpRiNgTiMe*~

jacket: gap
shirt: h&m
shorts: anthro (similar hidden shorts style)
boots: lucky via nordstrom
bag: fossil

Apparently today is the first day of spring. I know this, not because I am the least bit aware of the equinox calendar, but because of the influx of flower crowns on my Instagram feed this morning. Therefore, I thought it would be appropriate to post an outfit that doesn't contain any black, which was actually really difficult for me, seeing as my spirit animal is the hypothetical lovechild of Wednesday Addams and Kourtney Kardashian.

So here's a picture of me not looking like the Grim Reaper, because happy springtime y'all.

(ps. these photos were taken by Kelsie of Blackbird Photography & Design. She's really one of the sweetest people I've ever worked with and a super talented photographer on top of that, so be sure to check out her work!)

xo
Lo

Top Five Tuesday: Wardrobe Staples

Sometimes people ask me why I don't blog about fashion as much anymore, and to be honest, it's mostly because my wardrobe is only getting more and more basic (gosh, i'm so basic). So for this week's Top Five, I'm talking about my wardrobe staples. Seriously, everything I wear is comprised of all of these pieces, or some kind of variation of them. And no, you don't need to adjust your screen; all my clothes are just black and white (basic).

(Spoiler alert: scroll all the way down for outfit ideas in the form of a fun little widget that took me way too long to make) 

1. The Crop

Banana Republic / Forever21 / Forever21

Because, honestly, a full-length shirt can just be so restricting sometimes.

2. The Shapeless Sack

Zara (similar here) / Soel (loving this one) / CottonOn (similar)

I would be lying to you if I said I've never worn one of these dresses one day, fallen asleep in it, and continued to wear it the following day. Some say that's disgusting. I say that's versatility.

3. The Fitted Jacket

Vero Moda (similar) / Abercrombie & Fitch (similar) / SLC boutique (similar) / Gap (similar)

Denim and leather jackets are timeless. Either that, or I've been looking like an idiot since 8th grade.

4. The Mini

banana republic (similar) / madewell / banana republic (similar)

First crop tops, now mini skirts? What is this, 1998? Yes it is. Because the Cher Horowitz in me will live on forever. If you're over the age of 19 and it's not one of those "get-hot-go-out" type of Saturday nights (idk is that even a thing?), go for a skirt that hits mid-thigh and hugs your bod without being too tight.

5. The Shoes

shoe carnival (similar) / urban outfitters (love these + these) / nike kaishi / franco sarto (similar) / new balance

So maybe I went a little overboard with the shoes here, but I couldn't just pick one.  These five options cover a wide range of outfit possibilities and go with almost anything. For a spring wardrobe, I would suggest one pair of black boots, one pair of brown boots, a couple neutral colored sneakers, and a sturdy pair of sandals.

And that's it. That's all you need. If you don't believe me, here are five easy outfits using these five staples aka, what you'll probably see me wearing this week:


xo
Lo

All Night Long

top: target
jeans: hm
jacket: f21
shoes: new balance
backpack: tessel supply

Lately I've been pulling a lot of accidental all-nighters. I say accidental because the night usually starts with me getting into bed around 10pm thinking, "Wow, look at me. I'm SO ADULT RIGHT NOW" but then one thing leads to another, and BAM--it's 3am and I'm on some obscure spam-filled website, clicking through a gallery of pictures explaining all of Justin Bieber's tattoos.

We've all been there.

But then I tell people I stayed up till 4 in the morning and they're like, "Wait, you're not even in school. What are you doing up so late?" And it's a valid question. So for anyone that's ever asked, here are some highlights from last night:

- starting this blog post, then hitting writers block after one sentence.

- "Outfit Planning," which is really just code for "pulling everything out of my closet, taking gratuitous mirror selfies, and climbing in bed after resolving to hang everything back up tomorrow."

- going through all of Taylor Swift's tumblr archives and finally reaching that point where you think, how can I get Taylor Swift to notice me and want to be my best friend and invite me over to her house to play with her cat make inside jokes with her... without sounding like a desperate fangirl?

- ...

Tinder.

- getting a burst of energy and deciding to do push ups. But actually doing maybe 4 pushups...which are really just me in plank position slightly bending my elbows.

- hearing mysterious noises in my house and classifying them into three categories: 1) normal house sounds, 2) intruder sounds, 3) ghost sounds.

- feeling extra paranoid and turning on an episode of The Colbert Show to drown out categories 2 and 3.

- having an anxiety attack over small, inconsequential embarrassing things I did like 3 years ago.

- emotionally-induced songwriting.

- deciding to become vegetarian.

- making my first ever food-related board on Pinterest, and somehow feeling like I'm finally maturing because I pinned recipes that involve quinoa.

- finally doing that one little thing for work that I've been putting off all day, and taking about 6x longer than I should because I keep getting lost in a buzzfeed vacuum.

- getting back to this blog post and falling asleep with my computer in my lap 2 minutes later.

I have now reached level-10 procrastination because I actually procrastinate doing the things I'm using to procrastinate doing actual things I have to get done. It's like procrasti-ception.

Gosh, I have issues.

xo, Lo

Post Black Friday Recovery + a Musana Jewelry Giveaway

dress: f21

jacket: gap

necklace: c/o Musana Jewelry

boots: c/o shoe carnival

If you're like me, you're probably recovering from the hellish monstrosity that was Black Friday shopping. Black Friday, I've realized, is the consumerist equivalent of a toxic relationship; The more you hate it, the more you can't resist it. But we all do it anyways, and yes, we hate ourselves for it. So as I was waiting in line just to get in to J. Crew, wearing an outfit that could only be described as something between "tired soccer mom" and "hobo," watching hoards of people destroy each other over the 3 dollar bins, I thought, there has to be more to life than this. 

So on this hollowed Cyber Monday, if you're needing your faith in humanity restored, let me introduce you to a really awesome local company called Musana Jewelry. Musana is a social enterprise that not only sells cute jewelry, but provides stable employment and educational opportunities to women in Uganda. Each piece of jewelry is designed and handcrafted by a woman in Uganda. Through the Musana enterprise, these artisans not only gain valuable skills and a steady income to lift them out of poverty, but are also empowered through classes in literacy, entrepreneurship, and health. 

Today, Musana is also giving away a necklace or jewelry item of your choice to one lucky Awkward Girls reader! All you have to do is like their Facebook page, and follow the instructions in the widget below. The contest will end next Monday, and a winner will be chosen and contacted through email the next day. Good luck! 

Oh, and for all you Cyber Monday shoppers out there, Musana is offering 20% off their entire website, today only, with the code: CYBERMONDAY

xo, Lo

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Thing About November

top: hm

skirt: hm (similar)

shoes: bass

Historically, the autumn months are not a good time for me. In the past, this time of the year is typically racked with breakups, sad playlists, and that post-summer weight gain that inevitably comes when your body is physically prepping for the winter like animals do when they're getting ready for hibernation (and it has nothing to do with the fact that I ate 7 cookies for breakfast this morning because they were the closest edible thing in proximity to my bed). It's science. Look it up.

But this year, I'm finally starting to embrace November. September and October have and always will suck, I've accepted that. But, November, people. November is when things get good again. 

When all it takes to keep you going is the knowledge that you're getting at least one giant home-cooked meal this month.

When you can wear all black and not be asked if you're supposed to be a witch or a cat. 

When you don't feel obligated to go out on the weekends because the icy cold weather is curbing FOMO, and replacing it with FODITS (Fear Of Driving In The Snow).

When you can finally decide that this will be the year you start wearing turtlenecks again, and buy one, only to return it the next day because you can't get over how much you look like Steve Jobs in it. 

When November Sweeps pulls through and your favorite TV couples finally get together and everything is right with the world.

When beanies and beards start making their long awaited comeback and every male becomes instantaneously more attractive (or maybe you're just getting more desperate but either way, it's good).

So here's to November and all the beautiful little things that come with it. I would advise you to go to Trader Joe's and buy all the "pumpkin" flavored items you can get ahold of. Watch the Thanksgiving episode of Gossip Girl just to get into the spirit of the season. Take game-changing pictures of your feet in the fall leaves like no one has ever done before, because you can. November is a time to do what you wanna do and be who you wanna be, and no one can stop you. 

Plus, our diet starts December 1st. 

xoxo

Lo

At Least I'm Not Addicted to Meth: A Swimsuit Story

swimsuit: pacsun (sold out, but other cool options here and here)
shorts: thrifted vintage levi's
shoes: converse
photos: Kenzie Gossling Photography

I know summer is basically over, but either I just totally forgot about these pictures, or I subconsciously try to block any visuals of me in a swimsuit from my mind. At some point I had big plans to write up a post about my ultimate guilty pleasure buys (swimsuits), yet here we are at the end of August and that's probably useless to you now. But I'm gonna do it anyways. The good news though, pretty much all swimsuits everywhere are on sale right now, and yes, I have a few coming for me in the mail as we speak (which will probably be returned because... my butt).

I don't know what it is, but I buy swimsuits all year long. Let's keep in mind that I live in Utah; where there are no beaches, no pools open past September 1st, and winter clothes are required 8 months out of the year. But I can't stop. They're like the Blue Sky of the online shopping world, and I'm Walter White. Did that metaphor even make sense? Don't think about it. It sounded cool in my head.

Anyways, if you have the same problem, let me be an enabler and direct you to my favorite suits, all under $50. Happy shopping (addiction)!

Farmers Only

dress: hm (similar style but with sleeves)
boots: bass
*Photos by Kenzie Gossling Photography 

I know the last thing the internet needs is a thousand more pictures of me, but when your friend asks if you wanna trespass onto a secluded farm and do a photo shoot, you can't really say no. So last week, Kenzie and I drove to the outskirts of Provo and found this perfect little spot with sunflowers, orchards, and a horse who had no problem violating my personal space. We snapped a few pics, got in touch with our country roots, then ended our excursion with some shaved ice, because I believe all perfect summer days involve eating something with a high amount of sugar and a low amount of substance.

The thing is, Kenzie is a really great photographer. I know this because she still managed to make me look decent after day three of not showering. If that's not talent, I don't know what is. Check out more of her photography here. You won't regret it.

xoxo
Lo