OOTDs Lately

Hey Y'all!

Life has been so busy lately, but amazing! Between all my clubs, organizations, class, social life, and everything else I couldn't possibly love Furman more. I wish I could post more often, but there is simply no time. But, as this chilly weather is beginning to set in, I have been loving these fall outfits! As a true Florida girl, dressing for the cold is new to me, but I definitely think that I am beginning to figure it out. Although when it snowed last Saturday morning I did have a minor freakout...not sure if I will make it through this winter!

Top: American Rag | Pants: J.Crew Pixie Pants | Boots: Corso Como 

Sweater: Forever 21 | Vest: J.Crew Factory | Pants: Joe Fresh | Flats: Tory Burch

Sweater: Bellatrix (Nordstrom) | Vest: J.Crew Factory | Jacket: J.Crew | Jeans: Madewell
Socks:Jack Wills | Shoes: Bean Boots

Scarf: Lilly Pulitzer | Dress: Tory Burch | Boots: Corso Como | Boot Socks: With Love From CA

Shirt: J.Crew | Vest: J.Crew Factory | Jeans: Michael Kors | Flats: Tory Burch

Top: Ann Taylor LOFT | Necklace: J.Crew | Vest: J.Crew Factory
Jeans: Madewell | Flats: Tory Burch

Scarf: Lilly Pulitzer | Vest: Crystal Faye | Dress: Amazon | Flats: Tory Burch

More to come about life {and outfits} very soon! I hope y'all are having an excellent week! As always, be sure to follow along on Instagram!

XO,

Furman So Far

Hey Y'all! 

It feels it's been forever since I've posted {oh wait, that's because it has been} but I'm hoping to be better with posting these next few months! August was crazy for me with packing & moving to college. And now I'm here! Hooray! 

Here's a little recap of all the fun I've had so far, but there's more to come! Also, as promised, there will be a dorm tour coming very soon! But for now, here's a little sneak peek...

Move in day was super stressful but fun, and luckily I had my sweet roomie Kinsey by my side through it all. The first night we were there our RA told us to go out on our balcony at 11pm {I live on the 4th floor}. We were surprised by the boys' hall below us serenading us from the field downstairs! It was so sweet and made me feel very at home and welcomed here! It's funny to think back to then when I didn't recognize any of their faces, when now many of them are some of my best friends!

A few days later we had the White Oaks Picnic which is a Furman tradition for freshman. My hall went out for lunch with our brother hall and then we were taken to White Oaks {the estate where the Furman president lives} and given a tour! It was the perfect excuse to get dressed up...

The next weekend was finally our first football game! I had a blast tailgating. Go 'dins!

Before I even arrived on campus, I had already applied to be part of a student organization on campus called the Shucker Leadership Institute. It is a multi-year program which teaches leadership skills. I was very blessed to have been selected from over 80 applicants after going through an interview process that consisted of both group and individual components. I'm now a "shucker baby" {as they call us} along with the other 28 fab members that I've gotten so close to these past few weeks! This is one of the girls on my hall and I when we attended our acceptance brunch.

The second weekend on campus I cooked dinner for all my friends on my hall and our brother hall! It was so much fun and a great way to avoid the DH (dining hall) food for a night! I think there may be more taco nights in our future...

Those of you who have been following along for awhile now know all about my beloved fish Ophelia {if not, you can read more about her here!} sadly, about two weeks into school Ophelia died. The girls' on my hall and I had a mini-funeral, but I did go to Petco for a new fish! Meet Martha!

Two weekends ago my friends and I went to our first frat house party. We had such a great time, and have been to many more since then! Many Furman students complain that there isn't much to do here, and I'm sure that it's true compared to a state school, but I have had a really great time and I feel that it's the perfect fit for me! There seems to always be something to do, and there are just enough parties and events that I get to have lots of fun, while there's enough downtime that I can manage all of my work!

Last weekend was yet another Furman tradition, the MyTie event! It was a great excuse to get dressed up and although the evening wasn't quite what I imagined, I still had a great time with all of my friends. 

I hope y'all have been enjoying the start to your school year as well! I'd love to hear all about your experiences too! Things have been so crazy for me between schoolwork and all of my extracurricular stuff, so I'm hoping to keep posts coming for y'all as much as possible!

XO,

Chicago Recap

Hey y'all! Happy Wednesday! 

If you've been following along on Instagram, you know that I was in Chicago last weekend! It was my first trip to the Windy City, and I ADORED it!! I stayed with a sweet family friend who lives there part of the year, and she was so kind to show us around her lovely city! Her condo is in West Point Tower which is THE perfect location! Right by Navy Pier, and a short walk to everything! Also, she had a beautiful corner condo on the West wing of the building that was glass all the way around so you could see both the Chicago River and Lake Michigan from her living room, how cool! 

She has a darling little dog named Roxy which I grew to love, and the dog is honestly my new BFF.

The routine: every morning I would get up {the sun seems like it rises SO EARLY there compared to in Florida!} and my sweet host would make home made lattes for the two of us from her latte machine! They were so delish! Then we'd transfer our coffee to some to-go cups and head out the door with the dog for an hour walk around the city. She does this daily, but she was gracious enough to let me tag along! How fun it really was! We went on a bit of a different  route every day. Sometimes to the beach, other times to the dog park, or even just around the city! Then it was time for breakfast and getting ready and we'd head out for the day's adventures around 10 or 11! 

The first day we arrived around 2 and then our host took us for a late lunch at an adorable little restaurant called "the breakfast club". It was super yummy! Then we got settled and headed to the Navy Pier to look around a bit. The Ferris wheel was so fun and provided a great view of the city. 

The second day started with a huge & fabulous breakfast prepared by our host! Next, we explored the city a bit more and went to the most amazing French market where I got the best macarons I've ever head at a shop called "Vanille." We took an agricultural cruise in the early evening, and then headed to dinner which was truly such a treat! We had reservations at a local Italian restaurant called "Volare" and had a wonderful time. I had a black seafood pasta...seriously so unique bad yummy!! 

The third day was full of typical tourist fun. We had lunch at "Portillos" and got to try Chicago style hot dogs (though I didn't...I was boring and ate a salad!). Next we took the water taxi to the museum campus where we went to the Shedd Aquarium, which is actually the largest indoor aquarium in the world! It was such fun and I think everyone agreed that the sea otters, penguins, and baby beluga whales were our favorites! We even squeezed in a bit of shopping on "miracle mile." For dinner we continued the trend of tourist activities by ordering deep dish pizza from Lou Malnati's. I had never eaten deep dish pizza before and I totally loved it, soooo yummy!

Our last day was fairly uneventful because we were going home, but we did visit Millennium Park and finish off all our leftovers in the fridge for lunch! Ha! 

Overall it was great fun and I'm far too tired to even comprehend that I'm on another trip while y'all are reading this (more to come later, but be sure to follow me on Instagram to see pics of my adventures!). 

Hope the rest of your week is as fab as you are!

XO,

Whaley Great Backpacks

Happy Friday Y'all!

In case you haven't seen... Vineyard Vines just announced last week that they are now selling backpacks for back to school season! I personally have been in search for the perfect backpack for college and I think that these could be the winner! I highly suggest that y'all check out the new line.

I mean...how cute are these??

1. Whale Line Backpack in Spinnaker

2. Neon Colorblock Backpack

3. Cross Fishbones Backpack

4. Whale Like Backpack in Pink

Which one is your fave??

Happy weekend!

XO,

Don't Be Afraid To Get Dirty

I am all-about anything feminine, classy, or well-mannered. However, I think it is fantastic as a woman to be unperfect at times, and okay with that. The most perfect example in my life, would be fishing. I practically grew up on a boat, and my parents would likely agree that I am not really exaggerating. Before I could walk, I was spending long days on the boat watching my parents reel in fish. As I've grown up I too have learned to enjoy fishing. I recently took one of my closest friends fishing with me, and she commented afterward that she was surprised that the polished girl who Instagrams her outfits would ever be covered in blood and fish guts and not care. That I would reel in a huge fish all my myself,  but most of all touch it...and not mind one bit. 

Trust me, I'm a little surprised too. I still jump on a chair when I see a lizard running across the floor. I suppose I've just grown up with fishing though, so it all just seems so normal. I really hope that wherever I end up in life, I never take myself too seriously that I can't be out on a boat getting messy. 

From then till now... I thought that y'all would enjoy seeing some photos of me fishing over the years. Because as they say..."reel women fish too!"

PS- Hey dad, congrats on being the only man I've ever seen fishing in a polo shirt. You look great in these photos from the 90's! Haha

I caught that flying fish by myself... I had a barney fishing rod at the time and I totally rocked it.

Is there something that you love to do that most people wouldn't expect? I'd love to hear about it!

Hope y'all have enjoyed this "throwback thursday" of sorts!

XO,

Before I Die...

It's not that uncommon these days for people to make bucket lists. Often, they are full of things like "go skydiving" or "visit Paris." There is something wonderful though about having "adventure goals" as I like to call them. It is so easy to get caught up in our everyday lives and become too focused on all of the things we have to get done that we begin to lose sight of the bigger things we want out of life. Which is exactly why I think that everyone should have a bucket list. 

You don't have to write it all at once. You don't even have to do everything, you really just should have it. I started mine about two years ago, and I keep it saved as a note on my phone. That way, if I find out about something I'd like to add, I can do it easily. My list is full of strange and random things, as well as others that are pretty normal. But most importantly, keep track of when you complete things. I write down the date as well as any other important info I'll want to remember. 

I wanted to share with y'all a few things from my bucket list, in hopes that you will start one too!

While those are only a few of the around 30 things on my bucket list... you get the idea. I really encourage all of you to start one however. I have already crossed off four things since I started it, but I aim to do about one per year as a minimum.

I hope that this inspires you to start your own bucket list & to start enjoying all that life has to offer you.

What else should I add to my list?

XO,

Mini Facelift

Happy Friday Y'all!

As you are reading this fancy post I am en-route to somewhere very exciting... stay tuned to my Instagram to see where I'm headed!

Yesterday the "bloggity blog" (as Fancy Ashley would say) got a mini-facelift! The "about me" section got updated and is a little more fab now. It's complete with new fonts, better image resolution,  and SPARKLES! Oh, how I love it.

Here's what the old looked like, and here's the fab/fancy/awesome new version!

         

I love changes especially pretty ones! I hope y'all love the new "mini-facelift" too!

XO,

Orlando Trip Recap

If y'all follow me on Instagram then you know that I just recently got home from Orlando! Two of my best friends and I took a girls' road trip last week and spent 3 days enjoying all that the city has to offer. While it rained every single day which put a bit of a damper on our fun, we still managed to see and do SO much! Here's a little recap of all the fun that we had!

Day 1: Universal, Islands of Adventure, Harry Potter World

We started off our morning with a Brooklyn Water Bagels run {perfect beginning to any road trip!} and bumped into one of our old teachers and her husband which was so fun. Then we embarked on our 2.5 hour drive to Orlando! After arriving we went straight to Universal/Islands of Adventure's Harry Potter World! The day started off on a high {or should I say sugary?} note with a cup of the famous ButterBeer!

Unfortunately, the storms set in around lunchtime and it poured from then on! Luckily they only shut down the rides for a little while due to thunderstorms. The highlights of the day were definitely riding the Hulk in the pouring rain (which I must add, was very painful - having rain hit your face at 60 mph isn't exactly relaxing) & being allowed to ride Popeye endless times without ever getting off the ride because there was not another soul in line (the rain really clears people out!) This photo is fantastic and well captures our soaking-wet glory...we were a little soggy but still in great spirits and having TONS of fun!

One of the sweetest surprises was when we pulled out of the parking garage after leaving the park, we were greeted by this beautiful sunset! I have never seen a "double rainbow" or a rainbow that went the whole way across the sky, so both in one was truly breathtaking!

At Night: CityWalk

After showering and relaxing a bit from our day full of adventures, we headed back to Universal for dinner and exploring at Citywalk. We had a great dinner at Margaritaville {try the volcano nachos - they're awesome!} and then enjoyed yummy ice cream from Cold Stone! Since we didn't even eat dinner till around 10pm that night, we were definitely wiped out from our day full of activities and adrenaline! I'm amazed we all looked this good after a full day at the theme park!

Day 2: Ohana Breakfast at the Polynesian Resort & Magic Kingdom

Growing up one of my favorite things at Disney was always the character breakfasts, so of course we had to attend one while in Orlando! We went to the Ohana breakfast at the Polynesian Resort which was delish and very unique because it is served family style. My friends and I got to meet Pluto, Mickey Mouse, Lilo, and Stitch!

To be totally honest no matter how old I get I will never stop adoring all of the disney characters!

After breakfast we headed to everyone's favorite park... Magic Kingdom! Also you may have noticed in the first photo from the Ohana breakfast, but I made my friends and I matching tanks to wear to the Disney park! They were so comfy and we got TONS of compliments. Nothing like monogrammed Minnie Mouse ears!

We really had the most magical day despite the fact that it poured for the majority of our time at the park. We're all Floridians... we're used to the obnoxious rain!

Day 3: Downtown Disney

 The last day we had originally planned to go to Typhoon Lagoon, Disney's water park. But unfortunately when we woke up the weather report showed thunderstorms all day long. So instead, we spent the day exploring Downtown Disney! We did a little bowling at Splitsville {coolest bowling alley ever, by the way}, ate lunch at Rainforest Cafe, and even ended our day with some ice cream sundaes from the Ghirardelli store!

Overall we had a blast and I know that it was a trip that we will remember for years! Since we are all going to different states for college (TX, SC, & FL) these last moments together are even more special!

XO,

Surprise - Part 2

Hip Hip Hooray! It's Tuesday!

I hope y'all enjoyed my video yesterday about all of my dorm decor, if you missed that post you can view it here. As promised, today is part 2 where I am chatting all about everything other than bedding & bath! Enjoy!

Here are links to many of the products mentioned in the video:

1. Black & Decker Dustbuster via Bed Bath & Beyond

2. White Shag Rug via Target

3. Necklace Organizer via Container Store

4. Power Outlet Bed Risers via Bed Bath & Beyond
5. CamelBak Water Filter
6. "My Very Healthy Snacks" Container
7. White Body Mirror via Target
8. Keurig Vue Coffee Maker
9. Tassel Garland via Studio Mucci
10. Gold Gumball Desk Lamp via Urban Outfitters

Hope y'all have a great rest of your week! Stay tuned tomorrow for a recap of my trip to Orlando last week!

XO,

Surprise!

Hey Y'all! I have some very exciting news today!

For months I have been wanting to start making videos, because for some things that I want to share with y'all it is just so much easier to do that way. Finally, today is the day! I will be doing these videos fairly often from now on, and they will range from things like my most recent purchases, a funny story, or even answering questions that y'all might have!



Here are links to some of the items mentioned in the video:
1. Lilly Pulitzer Bedding via Garnet Hill
2. Felt Rose Shaped Pillow via Ebay
3. Gold Monogram Throw Pillow via Etsy
4. Green Coral Print EcoPillow via Hattan Home
5. White Ruffle Pillow Sham via Bed Bath & Beyond
6. Pink Polka Dot Sheet Set {similar}
7. Whale Pillow via Thro by Marlo Lorenz
8. Sequin Seahorse Pillow (similar) via Thro by Marlo Lorenz
9. Duvet via Amazon

Hope y'all have enjoyed! I really am so excited to begin this new chapter & start something new for my blog! Thank you for always being so sweet & supportive.
Part 2 will be up tomorrow and will include all kinds of fun decor!

XO,