Christmas Goodies

December 28, 2012


As promised, this will be my Christmas posting! I had a lovely Christmas with loved ones and received equally lovely gifts. Every year I make a list for my mom (even though she doesn't ask for one) and rarely do I actually receive anything from said list. This year was different! Here are three things that I received from my list:
Escada Rockin' Rio and Acqua di Gioia by Armani perfumes.
Gold chain bracelet from J. Crew to wear with my favorite accessory.
Going along with the jewelry theme, here are some other jewelry pieces I received from my mom and sister:
Four new pearls for my Add-A-Pearl necklace and two pairs of earrings from Francesca's.
My sister also knitted me a scarf. Green and gray infinity scarf with a cable:
 Not only did I receive fabulous gifts from my family, but from my boyfriend too. Here's a Fossil wallet to go with my purse and an iPhone case with a picture of us on it:
Lastly, here's my favorite (also from my boyfriend). A new claddagh ring to replace my old one:
It's so pretty! Like I said, it was a lovely Christmas and I am so incredibly blessed. I hope all of you had  equally wonderful holidays! xoxo

Winter Break Fun

It's been four days since I last posted and I feel like so much has happened! Christmas came and went quickly in my opinion. I'm always a little sad when it's all over, but also a little relieved to get back to everyday life. Since I last posted I have done many Fun things!
For example, I saw Les Misérables yesterday with my mom and sister. I saw the musical last December and went into it not knowing that all of the dialogue was sung, like an opera. I was hoping that the movie-musical version wouldn't also be like an opera, but alas, all the dialogue was sung. Overall I enjoyed the movie, but the operatic element put a bit of a damper on it. I enjoyed Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, Samantha Barks (Éponine) and Eddie Redmayne (Marius). Amanda Seyfried and Russel Crowe on the other hand - not so much. Another movie that I recently saw was Pitch Perfect. After hearing all of the quotes from my Friends I felt it was time to see it. It turned out to be pretty good, but didn't quite meet my expectations after hearing all of my Friends rave about it.
Another Fun event I attended since last posting was College Night at the Timberwolves game. This is the third year in a row that my boyFriend and I have gone to a game. Unfortunately the Wolves lost, but I had mini donuts, so not all was lost! Even though the Timberwolves are still in a bit of a rut it's a Fun tradition to go every year. Here's a picture from last night's game versus the Rockets:
It was  the third largest crowd in history at a regular season game!

Lot's more Friends, Fun, Fashion and Food to come over the next few weeks so be sure to come back! Tomorrow I'll be posting about some of the goodies I got for Christmas!

The Year in Lists

December 23, 2012

The year 2012 is coming to a close and it's time to rehash all the good and the bad that the year we struggled to pronounce brought with it. Remember, these are my personal opinions!

Best Restaurants I Tried (In no particular order):
1. Gardens of Salonica in Northeast Minneapolis. I have a new love for gyros and they were delish here!
2. Kafé 421 in Dinkytown. I didn't know beforehand that it was Mediterranean food, but again the gyros were yummy.
3. The Melting Pot in Minneapolis. Their chocolate fondue is worth the price!
4. Stella's Fish Café in Uptown. I'm not huge on seafood but the rooftop seating was so fun.
5. Burger Jones in Saint Louis Park. I've driven by this place for years on the way to Lake Harriet and we finally tried it last summer. The bacon cheeseburger was lovely.
6. The Dock Café in Stillwater. My family (my mom in particular) is all about being able to sit outside and eat by the water so this restaurant was perfect.
7. Fog Harbor Fish House in San Francisco. My boyfriend and I had a beautiful view while we dined here!
8. Aqua in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. My family and I enjoyed good food while sitting out by the water!
9. Saint Clair Broiler in Saint Paul. They server breakfast all day--perfect for this french toast lover!
10. Wilde Roast Café in Saint Anthony Main. I love all of the cafés on Saint Anthony Main--so cute!

Best Trends of 2012:
1. Lots of layers! Whether it's layers of clothes or jewelry. 
2. Oxblood and other rich colors. 
3. Rose gold watches. Here's mine that always adorns my wrist. 
4. Lipstick. 2012 was the year that I discovered lipstick and what an awesome accessory it can be. 
5. Perms. I got my first perm this year despite all of the negative '80's connotations that go along with them. I absolutely loved it--perfectly easy for summer.
6. Mint shorts. Colored pants and or shorts in general. I was obsessed with my mint pair from J. Crew last summer. Here they are on vacation in Virginia:

7. Puffy coats. It's weird, but they're so comfy and warm and I find them cute for whatever reason. 
8. Peplum! Love it.
9. Booties. I don't wear heels often enough to own a pair, but if I did I'd buy these ones.
10. Studded anything, whether it's shoes or a clutch.

Worst Trends of 2012:
1. Capes/ponchos. Can you say "Ugly Betty?"
2. Collars. I'm not wild about the huge collar necklace trend.
3. Printed pants. I'm all about basics and simplicity so this trend is not for me.
4. Slipper flats. I don't quite understand this hybrid, nor do I care for it.
5. Half rings. I've posted about these before because I can't get over how stupid they are. 
6. Giant heels. No real person can walk comfortably in platform 5 inch heels, not to mention how big they make feet look.
7. Pants under a dress. I wrote about it in my faux pas posting, but here it is again:


Best Movies I Saw in 2012 (Full disclosure, I enjoy "bad" movies):
1. Argo. It was phenom. "Argo f*** yourself" is easily one of the best quotes of the year.
2. Silver Linings Playbook. The ending dance scene--hilarious.
3. Avengers. My boyfriend and I had a superhero summer this year. We watched Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Hulk, Spiderman, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises.
4. Big Miracle. It was touching and I'm a sucker for John Krasinski.
5. The Vow. I love everything Rachel McAdams does. 
6. 21 Jump Street. Could. Not. Stop. Laughing.
7. The Hunger Games. I was pleased with how well the movie followed the book.
8. The Lucky One. I have loved every Nicholas Sparks book/movie.
9. Hope Springs. Meryl Streep is spectacular and it was hilarious.
10. Hotel Transylvania. "You only zing once" or 'YOZO' has become one of my roommates' and my favorite sayings. 

Shows I Loved in 2012:
1. The Office. Even though some may say it's gone downhill, I still find it hilarious.
2. Mad Men. I watched seasons 1-4 on Netflix and am anxiously awaiting season 5 to become available!
3. Grey's Anatomy. I needed a new show to watch, so I thought I'd try this out. Two and a half months later I'm halfway through season eight...
4. Pretty Little Liars. I can't believe I actually like this show--it's so addicting!
5. New Girl. I discovered it last year and season two has not disappointed.
6. Glee. Still love it, mostly for the music.
7. Smash. The original songs are fantastic and I can't wait for season two to start in January. 

YouTube Videos I LOLed at in 2012:
4. Flip Throw to Face. I crack up every time.
5. Beauty and the Beat (not J Beibs)
6. Cat. My roommate Malorie's favorite.

Best Songs of 2012:
1. "Girl on Fire" by Alicia Keys.
2. "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons
3. "As Long as You Love Me" by Justin Bieber. The video is HILARIOUS.
4. "Want U Back" by Cher Lloyd.
5. "My Body" by Young the Giant. Saw them in concert in February, it was so fun!
6. "History is Made at Night" from Smash.
7. "Free" by Haley Reinhart.
8. "I Won't Give Up" by Jason Mraz.
9. "The Age of Worry" by John Mayer. He is one of my favorites and this song could me my anthem.
10. "Boyfriend" by Justin Bieber. Unfortunately, I love this song.

Worst Songs of 2012 (and by worst I mean the most annoying):
1. "We are Never Ever Getting Back Together" by Taylor Swift. (Hate her).
2. "Blow Me (one last kiss)" by P!nk. Don't care for her either.
3. "Whistle" by Flo Rida.
4. "Payphone" by Maroon 5.
5. "Some Nights" by Fun. I initially liked this song, until I heard it 14,000 times.
6. "Wide Awake" by Katy Perry.
7. "Blackout" by Breathe Carolina.
8. "Somebody that I Used to Know" by Gotye.
9. "DJ got Us Fallin' in Love" by Usher. I normally like Usher, but can't stand this one.
10. "Both of Us" by Taylor Swift and B.o.B.

And finally, a short recap of my year's highlights! In 2012 I...
1. ...finished my first year of college in May!
2. ...held four different jobs throughout the year.
3. ...moved into my first apartment in September.
4. ...wrote my first press release in December.
5. ...shot a gun for the first time.
6. ...went to my first (and most likely last) opera in April. (Madame Butterfly)
7. ...visited Virginia, North Carolina, San Francisco, San José and Santa Clara this year.
8. ...declared my advertising major in October.
9. ...paddle boarded in North Carolina in August.
10. ...experienced the casino for the first time in August.
11. ...attended the Renaissance Festival in September with friends for the first time!

2012 was a full, busy, eventful year and I can't wait to see what 2013 has to bring! Now to think of a New Year's Resolution...

Farewell Finals!

December 20, 2012

Finals are over (sigh), and winter break has half started! I had a lovely evening with my boyFriend at the Mall of America where we saw these enormous trees with pretty lights! We are all aware of my obsession with lights so I thought it necessary to take pictures.
We had delicious Food at Crave--Mark had a jumbalaya burger. I wasn't quite as adventurous, but...
...this was honestly one of the best margherita pizzas I've ever had (and the prettiest if you ask me). And another 'F' was involved tonight--Fashion! Here was my outfit for our night out:
I was really excited about this cozy sweater since I've only worn it twice. Might I add that I spent four hours at the Mall of America and didn't buy anything, yay for saving money!

December 17, 2012

Tis the season...
to wear Christmas pajamas and t-shirts, guilt free! Not to mention all of the sparkly red nail polishes and red lipsticks to explore. Only eight more days to don all of the ugly sweaters and Christmas accessories you own, don't waste them!

December 15, 2012

I just saw this awesome page that restores our faith in humanity. Check it out! I thought with it being the Christmas season and all it was appropriate to be inspired by people doing selfless things.

December 13, 2012

It has been a long week and it's about to get longer with finals starting in two days. I just needed to take a break from the monotony of my political science flashcards:
I'm trying, and struggling, to make studying fun. What I've tried so far: lighting candles and plugging in my mini Christmas tree:
It's not working very well, although I've been pretty good about focusing! I'm also listening to Kenny G holiday Pandora so that's kind of fun :) I just needed a quick break so I thought I'd post and keep you guys updated on my misery. The boredom is just making me all the more excited for all of the friends, fun, fashion and food that winter break will bring! Merry studying...

Weekend Snapshots

December 9, 2012

I had a fun weekend at home! I played in the snow with my dog, painted my nails and enjoyed some hot chocolate (with lots of marshmallows!) while writing a paper. Loving this winter wonderland <3

December 8, 2012

Last night was a night for three of my four "F's." I went ice skating in Rice Park in Saint Paul (Fun) with two of my wonderful roommates (Friends) and then went out for a fabulous meal at the Cheesecake Factory (Food)! It was a wonderful night out, probably the last one for a while with finals coming up. I've said it before, I love lights, they make everything pretty. My night was beautiful because of the snow (!!) and all the pretty lights. Here are some pictures:

These are some of the lights in Rice Park. Judging by the crowd that was there it's a great date location!

This is my aunt and uncle's house! They really go all out, their neighbors don't even try to compete.

December 4, 2012

I got some new items for my new internship! Here's my new tote:
Perfect for my laptop and pad-folio. It looks expensive, but it's from JCPenny's ;)
And here is a new work shirt:
I love the simplicity with a touch of sparkle from Ann Taylor.

Fashion Faux Pas

December 3, 2012

Ladies and gentlemen, it is time for Catherine's list of faux pas. You should know I am very opinionated when it comes to fashion. My roommates helped me model some of the looks! We had a lot of fun thinking up ideas to add to the faux pas list. Let's get started!

1. Light wash jeans. We threw in acid washed and rips for good measure.

2. Bedazzled jeans à la Buckle

3. When a belt doesn't fit and comes up higher than pants.

4. Skinny jeans and tennis shoes.

5. Nice clothes and sloppy hair.

6. The belt bulge.

7. Boots and flared jeans.

8. Similar to boots and flared jeans: flared jeans tucked into boots.

9. Panty lines.

10. Dressing nice at sporting events.

11. Poorly rolled jeans.

12. Nice coats with sloppy clothes.

13. Riding boots with sweatshirts.

14. Pants under a dress. Apparently this is in style...I disagree.

15. Racer back tank tops with bra straps showing.

16. Sloppy buns.

17. Chipped nail polish.


18. Large fake diamonds.


Again, I am very particular. Hope you enjoyed!

Party Outfit

December 2, 2012

We hosted our very first party last night! It was a Christmas party and I'd say a success. I have to say I enjoyed being a hostess. Here's my outfit:
The dress is from Forever21. I've had it for about two months now but had no reason to wear it, so I thought I'd break it out. The open back is so fun!

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