blue springs

 {cardigan, old navy; dress, forver21; belt, jcrew; shoes, target; sunglasses(seen below), betsey johnson}

On Thursday, we went to Blue Springs State Park. It has a natural spring that stays at 72 degrees constantly, so when it gets cold here in Florida, the manatees come here to escape the cold water. There were 271 manatees there yesterday! I went last year, as seen in this post, and I always love coming back because it is so pretty there. The nature is all around you and the water is so pretty, it's just really calming. Take a look:

 

(My little sister Sydney and cousin Megan)

(Me, My older sister Meredith, Megan and Sydney)

What cool things do you have near you that you love to visit?

2010: a year in review

This is my 2010 in pictures, overall it was a great year full of new experiences (like going to Italy for a month!) and growing bonds and friendships stronger.

 Jarrett and I at Deleon Springs; January

 Manatee at Blue Springs; January

Crandon Park South, Miami (Beach Day!); January

 Going Ice Skating with my little, Lauren; January

 Beach Day again! Only in Florida; January

Jarrett and I at a party; January

 Valentine's Day; February

 Our delicious V-day dinner; February

Jarrett and I at another party; February

 My mom and I at our timeshare in Ormond Beach; March

 Jarrett and I before a movie; March

 Dan and I at the "T" Party, I was a towel, he tic-tac-toe; March

Sydney and I in St.Kitts, Cruise; Spring Break

 Charlotte and I at Crandon Park; April

Jarrett and I in my backyard; April

 Yellow Rose; May

 Our No Name Family; May

Jarrett and I in Key West, celebrating 2 years! May

 

 My mom and I at the ballpark; May

 Jarrett and I goofing off; July

 Jarrett and I's trip to the Miami Metro Zoo, feeding the giraffes; July

Jarrett and I deep sea fishing on his birthday; August

 Jarrett and I on a dinner date; September

Jarrett and I tailgating before the UM game; October

 Haircut! This was huge for me, no more poof!! October

Dan and I goofing off; October

Sydney and I on Thanksgiving; November

Jarrett and I before Blue Sapphire (Our winter formal); December

Jarrett and I on Christmas; December

All in all, such a great year! Here's to 2011 being even better :) Happy New Year!

black and gold

I've been so inspired lately by taking plain things in my wardrobe and mixing them with fun prints and accessories to make them into something more! You can easily mix jeans and a t-shirt with the dream catcher necklace below for a fun look, add some heels and a great bag and you're even more ready to go. I am dying for the gold nail polish, I really want to do some faux cheetah nails like Alicia did here!

black and gold by Taylorx08 featuring silky dresses

my photography

Photography has always been a hobby of mine. When I was in high school, I was in the IB program where you have to pick a "sixth subject" or basically an additional area where you study and test in. I decided on photography. I was in photography class for all four years of high school and by the end, had learned how to use both color and black&white darkrooms and print all of my own photographs. This was, and still is, my favorite way to express myself. I am constantly snapping pictures on my camera or my cell phone (whichever is closer) and love to photograph my little sister, Sydney. I am enjoying blogging so much because I get to express myself in so many new ways and continue to express myself through photography. Below are some of my favorite photographs, and I do apologize for the poor quality, they are scans/pictures of my prints. Enjoy!

 

christmas love ♥

{on jarrett: shirt, izod; jeans, levi; shoes, sperry -- on me: shirt, hollister; cardigan & skirt, f21; shoes, tory burch}

I had such a great Christmas! From Jarrett I got the sweetest gift ever, Cowboy Boots! :) I have wanted a pair for forever and these are so perfect, we have a concert to wear them to next month. I got him a nice Fossil watch that he loves as well. From my family I got a new Blackberry Bold (which I am OBSESSED with now), various cooking supplies, a Chik-fil-A calendar, and some new luggage (mine was destroyed when I went to Italy). We had such a great time with our families, I had lunch with mine, then went to dinner at his grandparents house. All in all, a great holiday. Unfortunately, Jarrett has to go back to Miami for work, but will thankfully be back for New Years Eve.