3/16/2016

Pinterest Party: Recipes I Am Dying to Try

Pinterest is a beautiful but deep hole I often find myself falling down. If you have been following along in all the madness, you know that my real guilty Pinterest pleasure is food! I am a sucker for pinning recipes that leave my mouthwatering and my stomach wondering when the next meal is (even if I had just finished one!).

I have been really busy lately, thus eating out a lot, but hopefully after things ease up I can finally try out some of these recipes I have been meaning to try out.







Don't all of these look delicious? I am so grateful to have an apartment with a kitchen this year!

Do you have any recipes you've been wanting to try lately?

xx
Catch you next time.

Instagram Lately: NYC

I'm currently missing New York City like crazy. I had such an amazing time but I definitely didn't even get through a fraction of all of the things I wanted to do - alas, it's a sign that I am of course coming back. If you've been as busy as I have, then you haven't had too much opportunity to check out social media. Here's a roundup of a few of my NYC Instas - more pictures to come in travel posts of their own!






Have you had your Spring Break?

xx
Catch you next time.

3/11/2016

Next Stop - NYC!

Midterms are OVER and it is officially Spring Break! By the time most of you read this, I will already be in the city but as I write this little post, I am once again in the PHX airport (lol again) and headed to New York City for the first time!


A few months ago, I applied for a program called the W.P. Carey Social Capital Tour. This is a special program set the week of Spring Break to give a small group of students the opportunity to travel to cities like New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, etc., explore some of the greatest cities in America, and conduct informational interviews with successful professionals in our fields of study.

This is an amazing opportunity and I am so excited to have been chosen, given this year’s especially competitive applicant pool. I am one of the ten students who will be in New York City for the next week, and I can’t wait to meet some of the amazing people I have interviews scheduled with. I even scheduled one especially for the blog, so I hope y’all are super excited!

Do you live in NYC or visit often? I’d love your recommendations!

xx

Catch you next time.

Little Discoveries

I have been having an amazing Spring Break in New York and I am so excited to share pictures of some of my adventures here on the blog next week. This past week has been absolutely crazy with Central Park, East Village, the Upper East Side, Fifth Avenue, and more.


Tomorrow is Lunch With Lilly! | Lunch With Lilly means Lilly is doing gifts with purchase and free shipping to anywhere - have you ordered yet?! You wouldn't believe how hard it was for me to say no to this dress and this cropped set when I was shopping in-store a few days ago.

The Politics of Parks and Rec | I joined the Parks and Rec fan club really late in the game but I'm here and it's great. This video explains one of the big reasons I really like the series, Ron and Leslie's ability to be friends despite their polar opposite political views.

Obama and Trudeau Are Besties and I Love It | Have you read Obama and Trudeau's speeches to each other at the first Canadian-American State Dinners in 20 years?! The speeches are amazing to hear and even more touching to read.

Tangled on TV | Rapunzel is one of my favorite Disney princesses and the fact that it's coming to TV makes me so happy (even though I don't have a TV!). The animation is reminiscent of the older movies and solidifies Rapunzel as a true classic.

Have Books, Can Travel | Ann Morgan read one book from every country around the world and she learned a lot! Have you read any international books?

What are you looking forward to this weekend?

xx
Catch you next time.

3/09/2016

Spring Break Book Box

Earlier this year, I kept mentioning that exciting things were happening with TSP and I am so excited to announce that this is one of them - I have developed a partnership of sorts with Seventeen Magazine as part of the Seventeen Social Club! That means lots of fun stuff coming up on the blog and I hope y'all are ready for this.

It's Spring Break and for many college students, that means traveling! My two favorite things to do while traveling? Sleeping and reading! It has been a while since I've been able to simply pick up a book to read for pleasure (LOL thanks, College), which is why I was really excited when I received this Spring Break Book Box from Seventeen. These are both books I probably wouldn't have picked up on my own in the store but found interesting in their own ways.


To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before – Jenny Han

Before I read this book, I had only ever heard one of my roommates mention that a friend of theirs was reading a Jenny Han book. When I saw the title, I honestly cringed because I was scared it was going to be the YA-est of YA novels.

What ended up happening, you ask? I actually really liked it. The beginning was admittedly a bit slow and difficult to get into, but I really fell in love with Han’s characters, from main character Lara Jean to her adorable little sister Kitty.

Lara Jean is so normal and some of the thoughts she has, without spoiling the story, are just so relatable. Writing letters for closure on a crush isn’t a crazy idea, it’s definitely something I thought about when I was younger. I am no great writer, but there is just something about being able to put your thoughts on paper (or in the case of this blog, in type) that makes it easier to deal with them.

It has been a long time since I’ve read a fiction novel that actually gave me feels. Right in the heart. I liked this book so much that I went looking for and binge-read the sequel (as per usual trend, the sequel is never as great as the original, but I felt too invested in the story to stop reading).

So if you need a nice novel to read in the car or on the plane, I’d definitely recommend Han’s TATBILB. It’s a good length for a trip and is eventful and relatable enough to keep you reading.

Kill the Boy Band – Goldy Moldavsky

Kill the Boy Band caught me completely off-guard. I had no knowledge of this book whatsoever before picking it up to read. When my little sister saw me pull it out of my purse to begin reading this past weekend, she literally yelled “Oh my god, that book – you have to tell me what you think of it. The reviews are so mixed.”

Well, sorry-but-not-too-sorry to say I’m adding to that pile of confusion.

This book is… Interesting. To say the least.

For those of you who follow me on Tumblr, you very well know that I identify myself as a fangirl. I will definitely geek out over Harry Potter, Marvel characters, and adorable gifs of Benedict Cumberbatch. It happens. But Moldavsky’s debut novel is filled with pieces of hilarity interspersed with dark craziness and a little too much reality for my liking.

You may be thinking, “Reality? What in the world are you talking about, Mikkaela?” Well, being a fangirl I have an idea of how crazy people can go over their favorite celebrities. I am very happy to say I have never gone ballistic over someone, but my time on Tumblr and at a few concerts has definitely exposed me to the reality that characters like those in Modavsky’s novel quite frankly exist.

This is not a cute beach read, unless confusing and slightly dark comedy is right up your alley. Would I read this book again? Maybe, probably in an attempt to absorb the story once again with a little less shock from the first go-around.

Special thanks to the Seventeen Social Club for sponsoring this post!

xx
Catch you next time.

3/02/2016

Barrett Ladies Tea 2016

Last Sunday I attended the Fourth Annual Barrett Ladies Tea. With brunch, adorable antique tea cups, and 80 fabulous ladies in one room, it is an understatement to say this was an amazing time!

I had the distinct pleasure of being a part of the committee (pictured below!) organizing the tea this year, along with my two fellow founders of the Barrett Women's League (fun fact: last year's tea was the catalyst for us starting our own organization!).


The theme for the event was "A Royal Tea" - we had adorable flower and jam centerpieces, scones, antique tea cups for each participant to keep, and a great classical playlist.



One of our esteemed speakers was the wonderful Associate Dean of Students Dr. Kristen Hermann! Dean Hermann actually helped Barrett Women's League get off the ground and we are so happy she helped start the tradition of the Barrett Ladies Tea four years ago.


Our keynote speaker of the event was Kathy Peach, a children's author. One of the fascinating things Kathy talked about was how her Honors Thesis turned into her newly-published book, The Tiniest Tumbleweed!


It was such an honor to aid in the planning of this Barrett tradition. I forever stand by the idea that becoming involved and investing yourself in events and organizations is the best way to develop connections with your community as well as develop yourself. I am proud to be a Barrett student and can't wait to see the next group of ladies who take part in this tradition.




What traditions have you taken part in lately? Does your university hold a similar event?

xx
Catch you next time.

Latest Instagrams

© Southwest Prep. Design by Fearne.