~ tuesday tunes ~

I have to admit, as much as I love Florida, a break from the suffocating heat is nice once in a while.  Today there was a hint of fall in the 96 degree air (something only a Floridian will understand), so I decided today was as good a day as any to start my fall running routine.  It goes something like this:

Wake up.  Go to class.  Come home.  Stuff my face with food.  Study.  Study. Study.  Study.  Feel the cold grip of insanity taking hold.  Go for a run.  Listen to music.  Study.  Study.  Eat dinner.  Watch Netflix.  Study.  Eat ice cream.  Go to sleep.

And repeat.

For my running music to properly do its job (distract me from the fact that I'm running and make me feel like Beyonce) it must be upbeat, chipper, and borderline annoying.  The catchier the better!

So for today's run I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the iTunes pop station.  I only pressed the skip button 5 times (because that's the maximum amount of times they'll let you) and that was only due to the fact that Jason Derulo kept interfering with my jamming.

This week's running playlist includes the following...

I would most likely never listen to these on the way to work or while studying, but they're perfect songs to sweat to.  And to all my lovely neighbors - please forget that you saw me dance running and singing along to lyrics that I haven't yet memorized.  I get them soon enough.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ summer lovin' ~

Because today marks the end of the summer (bleh) and tomorrow marks the beginning of the semester (double bleh), I'm mourning all of the things I never got around to doing.

01. painting my room.  I bought the paint.  I made plans.  I never did it.

02. getting in shape.  Sure, I went for a few runs, I went to yoga twice a week, ALMOST every week, and I downloaded the My Fitness app on my phone, but it wasn't the "run a 5K every week and bench press my own body weight" transformation that I had my heart set on.

03. ACTUALLY cleaning my room.  Moving every piece of furniture, vacuuming my entire floor, dusting every surface (including the top of my ceiling fan), and cleaning out my closet.  However, I did organize my underwear drawer, clean out my desk, and vacuum almost all of my floor.

But you know what?  It's okay.  I have the weekends and holidays and nights when I can't sleep but also can't find the motivation to study.  So I'll get all of that done before next summer (hopefully).

I did a lot this summer, though.  I discovered a channel on my TV that plays nothing but old movies, I went to the beach countless times, bought two vintage hats, modeled several times and had tons of photoshoots, spent lots of time with my family and friends, and even made some new friends.  And now that summer has come to an end (although I'm in denial, so in my mind it doesn't end until tonight at midnight) maybe I'll actually know what day it is (wednesday?  friday?  saturday?  Who knows...), I'll have a wake up time and a bed time, and I'll finally have something to complain about.

But onto the main point of my rambling!  To celebrate the summer and spend time with good friends, I went to a Clue-themed party last night and had a blast.  Plus, I wore vintage.  So win/win!

{I'm using this photo only to show what my hair looked like before the humidity hit}

{Col. Mustard, Mrs. White, Miss Scarlet, Prof. Plum, Miss Peacock, and Mrs. Green}

We ate Chinese food, played Clue until midnight, listened to music, and had an awesome time!  I'm going to miss everyone when they go back to college and grad school.

It was a good summer.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ clean and clear ~

I remember clearly the first time I wore makeup.  I was in New York City, I was 11, and I had snuck a tube of mascara past my mom.  For some reason I was under the impression that I wasn't allowed to wear makeup so there was an unnecessary feeling of guilt and excitement.  That green and pink tube of mascara made me feel grown up and sophisticated, even though my suitcase was chock full of boot cut jeans, Crocs, t-shirts with ponies, and my American Girl Doll.

My relationship with makeup has been on and off since then.  Cat eye and red lips is my go-to look, but I'm finding myself losing that panicky feeling I used to get when I left the house without eyeliner.  A couple years ago I was wearing makeup to the gym, to the beach, and on every trip to the grocery store, but the older I get, the less dependent I am on what used to be my mask.

I mean really...who the fuck cares if I have a huge pimple on my nose, dark circles under my eyes, or stubby eyelashes?  If you really notice any of that then I'm gonna have to ask you to take a step back and respect my personal bubble because only creepy people stand that close.

Sure, some days I look like I've stayed up for 72 hours straight, or my face has decided to display its rendition of Starry Night: Zit Addition, and yeah...sometimes the bags under my eyes are big enough to carry a week's worth of groceries.  But I've stopped letting that ruin my day.  Got a pimple?  Wear a busy dress.  Horrible dark circles?  Wear a scowl and then people won't talk to you, so, win/win.

I've got weird bumps, acne scars, baby wrinkles, and a few independent eyebrows that like to strike out on their own.  But that's okay.

I don't have time to worry about that shit anyway.  With highs in the 100s, anything that goes on your face ends up in a puddle of sweat by the end of the day.

xoxo,
Eliza

~ 12 days of summer ~

I don't want summer to end.  But unfortunately for me, I only have 12 full, uninterrupted days of summer vacation.  Because that number is depressing and the idea of going back to composition books,  note cards, highlighters, and massive amounts of caffeine is horrible, I'm cherishing every minute of free time and filling it with fun things!

12 days left.
After sleeping in, running errands, and eating good food, I baked a cake and watched Key Largo.

 

11 days left.

Spent the day lounging by the pool, drawing skeletons, going to an art show in the evening, and finished the day with a hot bath.

{gap top and shoes, old navy pants}

10 days left.

In the morning we left to make the drive to Thomasville where we met my sister who was making her way back home from Atlanta.  We shopped, we ate, and then we jammed to good music.  

Then after a quick nap and a quick dinner, I went to a movie with friends in the evening.

9 days left.

This morning I worked out with my mama and sister, ran errands, and caught up on all the news from Atlanta.  Then we all had an amazing lunch!  I think I'll head up to the pool for some swimming and a quick nap before catching a movie tonight (has anyone seen Boyhood yet?).

Hanging up my new map

Spicy southwestern vegetable soup and sweet kale salad with cabbage, brussels sprouts, roasted pumpkin seeds, cranberries, broccoli, and a poppyseed dressing.

Today I reluctantly bought notebooks, but I'm trying not to let it kill my vibe.  Besides, even though classes start soon, it'll be shorts weather until October.  

Nine days left of summer.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ ~

I'm sad.

Here are the things I'm doing to combat my sadness:

01. Eating lots and lots of bread.

02. Going for walks.

03. Watching lots of Scrubs on Netflix.

04. Talking to good friends.

and

05. Giving lots of thought to the changes I would like to make in my life and the ways that I can make those changes.  Everything you want is achievable and life is precious.

"Nothing is permanent in this wicked world - not even our troubles." Charlie Chaplin

xoxo,

Eliza

~ blues and greens and polka dots ~

I've always loved polka dots, yet I don't wear them that often.  Probably because they can be a little hard to style.  But I found some inspiration on pinterest this morning and decided to give them a shot!

{gap shirt, shoes, and scarf, old navy pants, target belt and purse}

I ended a day of working with chinese food and watching A Room With a View.

And happy Throwback Thursday everyone!

xoxo,

Eliza

~ roman holiday ~

I've always been fascinated with ancient Rome and Greece.

Maybe it stems from my childhood obsession with My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Or maybe from my childhood obsession with Mamma Mia.

Or maybe from my childhood obsession with Roman Holiday.

Whatever the reason, my obsession still holds strong.

Now...onto the point of this post.  Let's talk about Diana the Huntress, the biggest badass mother f*cker in Roman history (if you ask me).  Daughter of Latona and Jupiter, twin sister of Apollo, Roman equivalent of Greece's Artemis.  A virgin goddess of childbirth, women, the hunt, and the moon, who swore to never marry.  Could talk to and control animals.  Carried a bow and a quiver.  Made several appearances in Shakespeare's work, and is still a popular subject in the art world.

So when I recently found myself with some free time, and some inspiration, I figured it was time to fully accept my complete obsession with every aspect of her life.

Unfortunately, inspiration struck before I had time to a) make a toga, b) find a bow and/or quiver, and c) construct a head piece.  But later that day, my neighbor's cat (who up until then had run in the opposite direction of me every time I got within ten feet of it) licked my hand and started purring.  I like to think Diana had a part in that.

xoxo,

Eliza