Homeward Bound.

I'm

      Comin'
   

                   Home...

Comin' home. Tell the world that I'm comin' home... if you can finish that lyric we are probably friends, if not we should be.

Yes people. I am returning to the Big D and I don't mean Detroit (an answer I got from someone last weekend when I said the Big D...what? Do I look like I'm from...whatever.)

I have been incredibly busy trying to keep up with school, work, finding a job and being a 22-year-old college girl who's graduating in 5 weeks. *GASPS* literally

So busy that I just screened my sister's phone call to try and get a quick post in before my next class. Sorry Katie... you can complain to me about it in person tomorrow over margs :)

Things I'm looking forward to in a nutshell:

1. Seeing my family for the first time since January. Wow that's been a minute!
2. Mexican food. Nom nom nom...margaritas.
3. Throwing Beau a birthday party
4. Long walks and talks with my main gal pals that will be in town (shout out to Savannah and Erin).
5. DALLAS FASHION!!

I love packing when I go home because I feel like my wardrobe has a chance to truly shine and be appreciated for what it is. Although packing in one duffle bag proves tricky for a girl who thinks knows every day is a fashion show...

I also love to get inspiration while I'm there. Ah the perks of being in a big city.

Also y'all...I'm FINALLY GETTING A HAIRCUT. (My last cut was in August. I will deny this fact if you ever try to use it against me).

I have a few fun posts about work coming your way too when I get a chance to breathe. But I advise you to not hold your breath on that one...it could be a while...


Xx,

Lo.

Spring Break.

Once upon a time there was a wise, wise person who decided to reward students by giving them a week off from school to play with their friends. They could go anywhere they wanted to go, and do most anything they wanted to do. The only rules of the week were to relax and have fun. And all the students lived happily ever after.

...Until they had to return to school...

But seriously what is up with the Monday after spring break? I think I heard Mother Nature chuckling this morning as she told the rain to start falling as soon as my alarm went off at 7:15. It's a cruel, cruel world we live in... 

This spring break was my first break spent with my college friends. For various reasons I have been unable to attend in years past so I was extra excited to see what I was getting into. 

After a LOT of back and forth planning we settled on venturing to Perdido Keys, Fla. (commonly referred to as Flora-Bama because of its strategic placement on the Alabama/Florida border...which, I am embarrassed to admit, I didn't know existed until this trip...)

 If you're looking for a destination of sightseeing, fine dining and activities galore...go elsewhere. There's not a whole lot to do but with a group of roughly 22 people you don't need a whole lot. We are a group that very much brings our own entertainment and were more than content with the company of one another (and our alcoholic beverages). 

We all stayed in the same building, boys on the 11th floor and girls on the 6th, in what was referred to as a "penthouse" which I laughed at until we walked in. It honestly was too nice for us. We're talking wrap-around balcony, 4 bedrooms, 4 1/2 bathrooms complete with steam showers, jacuzzi bathtub, private elevator access, granite and stainless steel kitchen, separate bar area, original paintings on the wall... it was amazing. 

Not to mention the fact that our place had a heated pool with beach access, was a whopping 352 feet from the (only) bar: The Flora-Bama (which is a whole other post in itself) and directly across the street from a Waffle House and liquor store. So there's that. 

I can't believe that the week has already come and gone. I always viewed it as a marker of "you're almost done with college" and I am just really not ready for that. But it's here. It's happening and there is nothing I can do about it. So thank God I'm enjoying it with the best of them (said in Kristin Wiig accent from Bridesmaids plane scene). 

Xx, 

Lo. 

Ya Heard.

I've been on my Frank Ocean grind as of late and was extremely pleased when I found that my other new favorite artist did a W O N D E R F U L cover of his "Thinkin Bout You" song.

If you don't know who Mr. Ocean is (pictured below)...it's ok. He is more of an unknown but he won a grammy or two this year (despite his less than stellar performance at the awards show which I'm still irritated about).

Ocean is kind of...how do I describe him... an indie rapper? I don't know...it's rap but it's not Weezy or Drake. He has received major support from Queen Bey and Jay Z (do they ever steer us wrong?) and he's openly gay which is sort of unheard of in the rap world. So good for you Frankie. Although I will say he's not for everyone. In fact I can name a few people that I know will really dislike his style. But hey, that's what makes the world go 'round.

Also I do have to say that I was disappointed when I found out he's not British. At the risk of sounding racist or naive I think it was the gap in his front teeth that had me really expecting (dare I say excited) to hear a British accent when he spoke. Kid's from New Orleans.... bummer. (Also this adorable pic with Adele didn't help either ok?)

Anyhow, my other discovery is a girl named Yuna. She's a Malaysian singer and a straight up g. But for real... love her. And I think she's BEAUTIFUL. Her music makes me want to do candle light yoga or online shop at Anthro. She is remarkably calming and who doesn't need calming in their lives right now? Thought so.

So I think you should check her out. You can thank me later.

Here is one of my favorite songs of hers called Decorate: 

 

And if you like what you heard, here is her Frank Ocean cover of "Think Bout You" which is particularly impressive because she recorded this live in her home: 

Well that's what's been bumpin through my speaks these days. Enjoy.

Xx,
Lo.

Swiftly surprised.

It's Saturday afternoon and I finally made time to read my March Elle magazine that came to me in the mail weeks ago.

I must admit that I was a little disappointed when I saw Taylor Swift on the cover. It's no secret that I'm a fan, but I like to think of Elle as more high fashion rather than pop culture inspired and as of late I view Swift as growing less and less relevant so I was curious as to what they were going to talk to her about.

As I began my venture into the 510 page edition (quite the upgrade from last months 272 pages), ogling at Hermes, Versace and Givenchy's spring ads I quietly prepared myself for the eye rolling that was sure to come upon reading Swift's article. Visions of her many acceptance speeches danced round and round in my head ("Oh my gosh, thank you so much! I am so surprise!"...yeah, yeah, yeah).

Well it turns out that despite her relevancy to teens and 20-something-year-olds, I found myself just as enthralled with her as I was when I first listened to her Speak Now album.

You know when something is really trendy, like The Hunger Games and peplum tops, and you just really don't want to like them because EVERYONE likes them, but no matter how hard you fight, you just friggin love 'em? Yeah. That's how this article was for me. And just about every article/song/thing associated with Taylor Swift...

What can I say? The girl knows how to capture a moment. (And any girl who can write a song like Revenge and has the kahunas to write and release Dear John is someone I can hang with.) 

But in all seriousness, I often feel like certain celebrities are misunderstood because of how the media portrays things and I think Taylor Swift falls into this category a lot.

Yes her personality is a little off beat, yes I'm sure she is sickeningly positive sometimes and what is her deal with cats? But despite all of that, there is something very intriguing about her and I decided after this article that what intrigues me about her is her normalcy.

She's goofy and super awkward and sometimes obnoxious, but aren't we all?

The article says "Swift has benefited creatively from the tunnel vision that comes with being a teenager. Not even fame can save you from the trials of early adulthood: figuring out who you are, falling in love, going out in the world on your own, having your heart broken, inflicting heartbreak, forgetting who you are and having to discover it all over again. When you're really young, you are blessed and cursed with the certainty that nothing in the world is more important than your feelings. Swift writes songs from that place."

Despite her fame, private planes, world tours and celebrity boyfriends, she's living life as a typical 23-year-old girl and instead of writing in a diary, blog or eating a pint of ice cream (which hey, she might do that too) she writes a song about it. And more power to her. Many people pin her as being dramatic or just "too much" and yes...I can see that. But don't you dare try and tell me that you haven't listened to at least one of her songs and thought "damn...preach sister."

That's what I thought.

Xx,
-Lo.