Lulu for Lululemon

Okay. I will admit it. I have officially become Lulu for Lululemon. I tried to resist. I tried to fight the urge. The voice in the back of my head was telling me that $80 for a pair of cropped leggings was $60 too much (okay, that might be an exaggeration... I don't know. I don't even buy leggings! True life: I have one pair and they're dance wear leggings). 

So how did I get sucked into the Lulu life? My (practically) godmother and I went shopping with her son's girlfriend (so pretty much, my family friend), S. S is obsessed with Lulu. We went on a major shopping spree that day and went to 3 shopping centers. At the 2nd shopping center. there was a Lulu. We went inside, and while S didn't find anything, she convinced my godmother to buy her son (S' boyfriend) a pair of Lulu shorts. Only a casual $98. No big deal. 

As I walked around, I started to fall in love with the insane sports bras... Who knew working out could look SO good?!

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Of course, I temporarily forgot that this is just a dream for me because...

a.) I don't work out in solely a sports bra. I always wear something on top, and not a cute workout tank... a big oversized t-shirt.

b.) My boobs won't be supported in this super adorable, but noted light support, sports bra.

c.) I'm not about to drop $48 on a sports bra that people won't even be able to see underneath my huge shirt. I won't even drop $48 on a nice shirt that people can see.

So the dream sounds kinda dead, right? Wrong!

We went to the third store and to the Lulu there too (because why not? Maybe some new deals... I guess. I don't know. Whatever, I'm not complaining. The store is super cute and gives me new found motivation to work out and drink kale smoothies all day.)

And then I saw it. S found them. HEADBANDS! ON SALE! Hey, I can wear headbands! To work! To school! Anywhere in the world! Not just to work out...

And in that moment, I forgot how headbands can sometimes give me a headache. I forgot that I really don't need a headband, much less for more than $5. I forgot that I own headbands.

I caved and got one. Must be that Lulu for Lulu magic they have going on in that store.

But really... it was only $7!

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But wait! There's more...

Maybe it was the cute shopping bags, or the cute employee who was so sweet, or just the vibe of the store.

But I went back and bought another headband. And one for my friend too, just to spread that Lulu craziness. ;)

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Do you have a similar store of being Lulu for Lulu? Or another store? Share your story! (Please tell me I'm not the only one!)

PS: I do wear these headbands pretty often. I prefer the purple one's fit (it's stretchier).

Summer Eats

Over the summer, I love to take this chance and adventure to try out new meals at home, since I have the time!

I've been talking to my friend YP about our favorite ways to eat healthy recently, and I wanted to share!

• Stock up on healthy food at home. My favorites include:
• Hummus | So delicious and filling (I toast tortillas and eat them with hummus!), or carrot sticks and celery sticks
• Black beans | I love adding this on the side of a meal, eating these in tortillas / quesadillas, or just eating a variation of black bean salsa!)
• Avocado | Toast, salads, pasta, tacos, homemade guacamole (toast tortillas instead of using tortilla chips)
• Lemon | My favorite way to drink water, add a squirt of lemon and let it sit for an hour (the taste is amazing), or making homemade lemonade for a sweet treat (taste test it and add as little sugar as possible!)
• Peaches | I love just slicing a peach and eating it as a refreshing, tasty snack!
• Greek yogurt | If you can get hooked onto Greek yogurt, you will be addicted! It's the perfection addition to smoothies, a delicious and filling breakfast or on top of some cereal!
• Spinach & Baby Greens mix | I love getting the packed containers of spinach and baby greens (my personal favorite combination) and making salads with them! It's much cheaper and healthier than buying salads from restaurants.
• Have salad ingredients ready. At all times. As I was saying, I love having a mixed container of spinach and baby greens at my house for anytime salads. I love having a variety of ingredients to choose from and make different combinations of salads.
• Cherry tomatoes | Slice these in half and add them to any salad. Always a winner for me (and adds lots of color!).
• Fresh mozzarella | In addition to making a caprese salad (or sandwich or panini or anything caprese really), I love adding fresh mozzarella to salads of all kinds!
• Parmesan | I love grating some parm onto my salads!
• Mandarin oranges | Confession: I use canned mandarin oranges from Trader Joe's for my salads. But literally it transforms the salad's taste. I'm in love.
• Croutons | Okay, I really love carbs. This is my one chance for bread in a salad!
• Olive oil & balsamic vinegar | I'm not huge on dressing (at least when I'm making a salad at my house, I usually add too much), so I resort to using olive oil and balsamic. It's a great combination!
• Squirt of lime juice | For an extra fresh taste, I will add a squirt of lime juice to salads without cheese.
• I promise I don't eat salads and peaches everyday... Some of my other favorite meals include:
• Zoodles | We made these in summer camp and I am hooked! Zoodles = zucchini noodles. As a huge carb/pasta fan, that is most definitely my weakness. I think I'm willing to make the switch to zoodles at home though (if only you could make zoodles in the shape of elbows so I could make mac and cheese with such!). I'm bout to buy a machine that can make zoodles. Stay tuned.
• Peanut butter & banana toast | I'm a huge fan of peanut butter. I love toasting a piece of whole grain bread, slathering on some peanut butter and slicing some bananas on top. It makes for a delicious breakfast or a filling snack to last me throughout the afternoon.
• Vegetable soup | We also made vegetable soup in summer camp and it was seriously the best thing I've ever had. We used vegetable broth, sauteed some tomatoes, garlic, onion and added some zucchini, squash and corn. Delicious!
• Cauliflower mac & cheese | Okay, I'm not sure how healthy this is (compared to the other things on this list), but it is much healthier than normal mac and cheese (and even better, if I do say so myself! You can't even taste the cauliflower! No really.)

What are your favorite meals? I'm always looking for new ideas! 

The Best Way to Explore Downtown (or Chapel Hill or Charlotte or Durham)

Now that I work in a cool place (Downtown Raleigh), I'm obsessed with exploring the town. (Especially if I have time after work!)

Yesterday, I worked until 2pm, and I had a work meeting at 5:30. Not wanting to go home, I decided to take the time to do something I've been wanting to do for a while now... explore Downtown Raleigh!

With my phone charger, my favorite backpack (on sale here!), and phone ready to take lots of VSCO pics... I set off on an adventure! After getting lunch at a place I found on Stealz, and visiting the natural science museum, I was refreshed (food in my stomach and AC on my skin) and ready to conquer the world...

But I quickly stopped in my tracks. Where do I go? I didn't really know the area that well (only Fayetteville Street from all the DTR festivals I go to)... but I really wanted to go somewhere I hadn't been before.

Then I pulled out my handy dandy (notebook! JK...) app... Offline. I found this app through the recommendation of one of the blogs I follow. I found out that the local jewelry store Moon & Lola was only .14 miles away from where I was standing! The pictures and description sounded perfect. Ditching the coffee store I was going to visit (don't worry, I headed there later for: AC, a charger, and good coffee), I headed towards Moon & Lola with plans just to window shop.

I fell in love with Moon & Lola as soon as I walked in. The jewelry was pretty, dainty, and the store was absolutely gorgeous. I could live there, happily.

This gallery wall. I can't even. So cute!

Surprisingly (actually not really that surprising), I was so in love with the shop, I spent forever in there... and I ended up buying a bracelet (it was 60% off, okay?! Cons of getting a paycheck: feeling like you can buy the world. My motto of the day? Treat Yo' Self!).

Got this bracelet for only $16! So cute!

I also found the cutest map at the register at Moon & Lola... I had to follow the map to many more cute local shops!

Side note: I'm so bad at reading maps, it's embarrassing. Geography is not my thing... I got lost, even using this map (oh gosh, I know!). Thankfully Downtown Raleigh isn't that big (at least the area I explored wasn't that far apart), so I found my way (just took the long scenic route!).

After exploring Moon & Lola, I went into the shops nearby: Feelgoodz and Stitch. Feelgoodz is a sandal brand that has a beachy, relaxed vibe to it. Stitch is hand sewn goods made right in Raleigh, NC! I took the scenic route to find High Cotton, Nora & Nicky's and Deco Raleigh. 

I totally fell in love with Deco Raleigh as soon as I went inside. It was quirky and artsy, filled with local crafts, and lots of Raleigh items. Raleigh pride!

Deco Raleigh

After visiting all of the shops, my phone was coming close to its end (and myself, to be honest, I do not deal with heat well, and I had been walking all day!). I decided to give me and my phone a recharge as I stopped by one of my favorite coffee spots: Joule Coffee.

Accidentally added way too much cream while filming the cream mixing with the coffee...
Typical.

After reflecting on how much I had done that day (and totally wishing I had a FitBit to see how much I had walked that day!), I sipped my coffee, and made my way back to work!

I'm so glad I had my Offline app that led to my adventures around Downtown Raleigh!

I totally recommend using Offline to find out about cool restaurants, shops, and upcoming events in the area! I love checking off items, writing recommendations, and reading others'! 

Use my link for Offline if you liked this post!

(These were all my own opinions)

Late Night Crafting

My new all-time favorite thing to do is craft! A and I love hanging out, and crafting together. After a successful night of tie-dye, we decided to try something else. After spending hours (literally hours) in AC Moore, we picked these letters as a last resort. I'm so glad we did! It's much more fun than watching Netflix (and much more productive!). 

It was so much fun painting, getting inspiration off Pinterest, talking, and blasting old Disney Channel songs (Cheetah Girls, anyone?). The K was by far my best letter. I'm very proud! (All of A's letters are amazing. I personally love her R!) I sketched the giraffe with pencil first, and got my inspiration from Pinterest. A has inspired me to buy my own set of acrylics! 

Check out this awesome timelapse! I'm obsessed with timelapse and watching 30 minutes of work in 30 seconds!

I highly recommend crafting as an activity to do at a girls' night or just a night at home! I love using Pinterest as my inspiration for ideas!

The Season of Netflix Binge Watching

Summer. Sunshine. Swimming. And... Netflix binge watching?! Of course! With no responsibilities with school, there's no better time to start/finish your favorite show (or ten shows you're currently juggling, if you're like me!).

I wrote a post on my fav Netflix shows forever ago, so many of my favorite shows have changed since then, but here are some oldies but goodies. It's funny how much my style has changed since last year!

Portlandia: I'm currently watching this fun, satirical, quirky show. It's full of skits in Portland, Oregon. I didn't really get it at first, but you learn to love it. On the other hand, it's definitely an acquired taste. People who are sarcastic, witty and (typically) liberal will love it. Carrie reminds me of my all time favorite person, my AP English teacher, Ms. N. If you like Saturday Night Live, you might like this show. I'm a huge fan and it makes me want to go check out Portland for real! ;)

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The West Wing: My new all-time favorite show. I've talked about it before briefly here. After taking AP Government & Politics this semester, I think I might want to major in polysci! My parents are not thrilled... but I'm not sure yet. I really love politics and government. This show is so interesting and makes me really want to work in The West Wing! I love all of the characters. It's a very smart show with lots of wit. There's nothing better than a great political show (and young Rob Lowe! That man doesn't age!).

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Parks & Recreation: If The West Wing isn't my favorite show, it'd be Parks & Recreation. Hands down. Similar to The Office (but better in my opinion), Parks & Rec is the most adorable, witty, wonderful show of a parks and rec department in Pawnee, Indiana. I am literally Leslie Knope. I would be content with being her for the rest of my life. I'd love to have her job (and am considering it!).

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Scandal: I think J would shun me if I didn't include this show. While I used to be obsessed, the obsession has now passed onto J. Olivia Pope is such a BA and she's so fierce. After the first episode, you're like "I want to be Olivia Pope. I want to be Olivia Pope. Olivia Pope, I want to be." She is a gladiator in a white hat. The show really gets to you, as you learn more and more about the characters. Huck, 7:52... that's all I'm going to say. Another show set in DC, but more drama than politics.

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House of Cards: Another political show (Do I love politics or what?!). This one is filled with drama, corruption, and the search for power. Definitely a guilty pleasure. Frank Underwood is an evil genius. The first five minutes is enough for you to be like "What?! Give me more..." The show is great and really puts you into the mind of a genius, an evil genius, but nonetheless a genius. I can't help but find myself cheering for Frank.

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Arrested Development: Another quirky, hilarious show about quite a family. It is a little weird, and after the first episode, I was like "what even is this show?..." but I'm a huge fan. The characters are quirky and lovable.

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My taste in shows has changed A LOT since my last post on Netflix shows... check it out here!

VSCO Cam(era)

I'm thinking about asking for a DSLR camera for Christmas. I love photography and I'd love to get back into the hobby of taking photos. H takes a lot of photos on her DSLR camera (check out her insta here).

I was talking with J about photography this weekend. We talked about his GoPro abilities, timelapses, editing apps and Instagrams.

J showed me some amazing GoPro photos he had taken at Yellowstone, and they were amazing photos, the filters were horrendous. I asked him what he filtered his photos with, and he said Instagram sheepishly.

He asked what he should edit his photos with, and I told him VSCO Cam. I used to use a million of different apps, but now I only use VSCO Cam.

With VSCO Cam, you can edit each individual factor like exposure, temperature, saturation and the tint of the photo.

Above shows the before and after VSCO Cam. I thought the first photo was alright, and then it went through VSCO Cam- ta da!

I personally really like the soft look on most of my food photos, but that's just me. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea. You can also make your photos very sharp and bright via VSCO cam.

Tip: Go to the shop and download the additional free filters! I really love the aesthetic series! I just got them and wish I downloaded it earlier.

What apps do you use for your photos?

Eating Healthy This Summer

This summer, I'm determined to eat healthy. I say this every break, but it never really works. Here are my tips for making this summer different than all of the rest.

Fill your house with healthy food. If you're surrounded by healthy food, you have to eat it. If possible, get rid of as much junk food as possible. You won't be tempted to eat it if you don't see it.

Go grocery shopping. You can go pick the food that you love, whether it's strawberries, avocado, or spinach. I find a way to incorporate avocado and spinach into as many meals as possible because I love it so much. It makes it that much easier to eat healthy.

Find easy recipes you love. The key word is easy. When I'm hungry, I want to eat whatever I can make fastest. Whether it's grabbing a handful of goldfish or microwaving something, I don't want to spend 30 minutes making a nice meal. I love making avocado toast, omelettes, fruit, or peanuts when I want something right away.

Don't go out to eat! When you go out to eat, it's so easy to say "just this one time," and get that ice cream that looks oh so good. Even when you do get a salad, they load it up with dressing and sides. If you do end up going out with friends, eat a snack before going out, and order the smallest portion possible. If possible, look at the nutritional facts before, or weigh pros and cons. If you live somewhere where there isn't much to do (like me), suggest other options like going shopping (walking around the mall is fun!), going to the park, kayaking, going to a painting class, or taking a dance class.

Don't overeat. Did you know by the time you're full, you've already overate? Eat just enough that you're feeling good.

Have a friend do this with you. If you have another friend trying to eat healthy this summer, team up with them! My friend AV is my friend I'm teaming up with this summer. Every time one of us eats something healthy, we send a photo to the other. She sent me a picture of her banana pancakes and I sent her a picture of my omelet.

Make your meals Insta-worthy. Doing this isn't just for Facebook bragging rights, but it also helps you perfect your meal and include more colors (which typically is more fruits). I love sending pics to AV because I add more to my meals. This morning, I was just going to have my omelet. But since I knew I was sending a pic to AV, I added a slice of whole wheat toast, some strawberries, and a glass of skim milk. It tasted much better and I had a complete meal perfect for the rest of the day.

Let your friends know that you're eating healthy. They'll encourage you on when you aren't feeling it, and they'll stop asking if you want to grab froyo for lunch.

Make the switch from soda to sparkling water. If you're a soda addict, switch to sparkling water with some lemon. It still has all of the bubbles you love, but none of the sugar.

Always have water on you. It makes all the difference. If you have a reusable bottle in your car, filled with ice-cold water, you'll be drinking water more than ever. Don't forget to remind yourself to drink water.

Some of my favorite things to eat...

• Omelet: I personally only like egg whites, but that's just my preference. I add some cheese (I can't cut cheese out of my life sadly), ham, tomatoes, onions, spinach and arugula. I love adding avocado on top and freshly ground pepper. It makes for a great breakfast with a half-slice of whole wheat toast and some fruit.
• Avocado toast: I have a slice of whole wheat toast with a thin layer of olive oil drizzled over. I mash up some avocados, add chopped tomatoes and freshly ground pepper. I spread the mixture on top of toast. 
• Greek yogurt: It took me a while to get used to Greek yogurt, but now there's no going back. I love Greek yogurt, especially with some granola or honey mixed in.
• Nuts: This year at school, I also had a container of peanuts, academia nuts, almonds or walnuts in my bag, they're filling and the perfect snack because they're very healthy and filled with good oils for you.
• Fruit: I love strawberries, pineapples, peaches, plums... all of it! I typically ask my parents to buy strawberries and they'll buy whatever's in season and stock in the stores. I'm excited to slice up some peaches soon! I eat strawberries whenever I'm hungry.
• Frozen grapes: If you've never tried frozen grapes, try it! I love love love it. Such a treat.
• Celery and peanut butter: I'm a huge fan of peanut butter, so there's that.

Do you have any tips on eating healthy? What are some of your favorite healthy things to eat? Anyone have any other habits? My friend RR is going vegetarian this summer.