a blogger in her natural habitat

It's cold. It's rainy. And truth be told, I'm lovin' it.
But my blog, however, is not. Instead of attempting to venture out into the cold, wind-whipped rain to shoot photos, I've been sitting in this chair (or sprawled on the couch) downing coffee & tomato soup (guilty pleasure) in tshirts/sweatshirts/sweatpants/fuzzy socks and Netflixing my life away. (Also, if Netflixing is not yet considered a verb, I absolutely think it should be.)
This morning was still fairly rainy & cold, so I opted for the good-old tripod and snapped a few photos indoors. I hope everyone appreciates my mid-90's grunge boots as much as I do. I can't even begin to tell you how many cringes and horrified looks I've gotten whilst wearing them. Sorry I never grew out of my awkward-angsty-tween phase.

In other non-pressing life news: I dropped my college algebra class because that crap was ridiculous. Count me out (the only counting I will be doing the rest of the semester). I also don't understand anything that's going on in my Spanish class. Lo que está pasando en esta clase?
Annnnd I rarely wake up in time for Sociology. So three cheers to flunking out of college without even completing one semester. (Okay, I'm exaggerating a bit. But seriously, college is ridiculous. Don't do it.)
It's also Delta week, which I couldn't be more excited about! I'm beyond thrilled to finally be an active member of my sorority (the absolute best part of my college experience thus far). And to any other recent initiates, congrats!!

• Sweater- H&M
• Beanie- c/o MySocialOutlet
• Jeans- Forever21
• Ridiculous grunge 90's boots- thrifted

xo Susie

crimson & curls

After somehow (magically) not having to go into work today, I got to shoot a bit of my fun fall/winter items I received from my good friends over at Nowistyle Japan! (And by not going into work I mean I did go in, things were slow so they said I didn't have to stay, and instead I ended up shopping for an hour while I'm trying to "save" money. Whoops.)
No work meant time to shoot these photos at the house really quickly, and then getting to go to my parents house for dinner and family time! After a day plagued with oversleeping & exams, I think it was just what the doctor ordered!

• Skirt/top/clutch- Nowistyle Japan
• Bracelet- Banana Republic (a gift from my perfect Big, Emily!)
• Booties- H&M

xo Susie

mid-semester blues

First off, let me apologize for my severe lack of posts lately! I just barely escaped midterm season. My first midterm experience. Needless to say, I definitely was not prepared for that. Can I exchange college-level coursework for highschool-level but keep the awesome social aspect of college? Please & thank you.

Now that I'm done with midterms, I'm going to try and be a little more active on here! I used to always go out and shoot/post whenever I had downtime...but now when I have downtime I pass the heck out because I need sleep. Time management never has been my strongsuit. I really should work on that.

In other news, FALL HIT TEXAS EARLY! Expect lots of sweaters and cozy outfits to come.

• Blouse- c/o Nowistyle Japan
• Clutch- c/o Nowistyle Japan
• Ripped jeans- Vanilla Star
• Shoes- Michael Kors

xo Susie

school 2 work

If you're like me, not only are you going to be tackling your first semester of college this fall, but you're also going to try and juggle a job on top of that. What was my biggest concern? "How will I find time to study when I'm also working a lot?" Nope. "When am I ever going to have time to sleep?" Nope. "How am I going to find time to get home and completely rework my school outfit into a work-appropriate outfit?"  Yes. Seriously. That was it. Should I get my priorities straight? Yeah, probably.
But on the off-chance that any of you are struggling with a similar dilemma, I threw together a little set of how I plan on going from school-to-work in a fairly easy and painless manner. I think the key is starting with basics. If you keep the base of your outfit simple, the rest of your options are endless. With a baggy sweater and a pair of boyfriend jeans, you can easily go from comfy/casual to edgy/chic with just a few quick changes. Toss your knit cardigan for a leather bomber. Kick off your converse and slide into some heels. Run a comb through your hair and spritz a bit of perfume on your wrists. In five minutes you'll have completely reworked your outfit and you'll be completely ready for work (if you work in retail like me and are allowed to wear jeans and a sweater...). If not, you're ready for a night out with your friends. Which sounds better than work anyways.

xo Susie

morning classes

Well, I've successfully made it through my first day of classes! I'm so glad I went in to today with an open mind, rather than the "this-wasn't-my-first-choice" attitude I previously had, because that made all the difference. My first two classes were wonderful....my sociology prof is from Uganda and she seems incredibly passionate and intelligent and I can't wait to begin coursework. My English prof is a very stylish young man, and from the way he spoke about the course, I'm beyond thrilled to learn from him (especially because English courses are so vital to my major).
Overall, today was a complete success and I met a lot of really amazing people. I can't wait to see how much I learn and grow over the course of this year, and the next 3 as well!

• Dress- c/o Sly
• Bag- c/o Nowistyle Japan
• Boots- Amazon find!!
• Necklace- c/o Egoist

xo Susie

college freshman essentials

Like many of you, this year I'm embarking on a new chapter of my life: college.
I was one of those highschool students who walked into their first day of freshman year thinking, "How many more days until I graduate?" So, needless to say, I've been looking forward to this day for quite some time.
I didn't, however, end up at the college of my dreams, and I'm staying in my hometown for school. I was bummed all summer over it, figuring it would ruin my entire college experience to have to stay here. But when I went to my school orientation last week, I realized how much fun it's going to be and what a great time I'm inevitably going to have. In a few weeks I'm moving out, and my classes are going to begin!
I've been noticing that every time I go out to Target or Walmart, I start searching for things I may need for my new house or school, which inspired me to throw together a little "freshman essentials" post! I hope any incoming college freshman (or even current college students) find it helpful or inspiring. Back-to-school shopping has always been the highlight of the end of every summer for me, but this year I'm getting to have a lot more fun with it!

Included in my essentials list:

• Oversized sweater & baggy boyfriend jeans: Come cooler weather, it's going to be miserable having to drag your sleep-deprived body out of bed to your 8am stats class. But these two pieces will be a lifesaver and keep you looking cute & comfy rather than just arriving in leggings & a tee!
• Sandals/flats/boots/nikes/converse: Notice a trend here? They're all comfy shoes. Although I'm a huge heel-wearer, I'm not going to be that one girl hobbling across campus struggling to get to her classes. There's also a huge gym on my campus that I bought a new pair of nike's for (the ones pictured above) because I've resolved not to gain my "freshman 15" this year. So if you have access to a gym, make time for it!
• Backpack & overized purse: I don't know how it is for everyone else, but a lot of my classes have several huge textbooks that I'm going to have to haul back and forth. Although I'm not a huge backpack-wearer, I've already realized that a backpack is going to be my most comfortable/reasonable bag option this year. And for the days that I only have one class, I'm opting for an oversize shoulder bag that I can still get all of the things I need into!
• Lotion/chapstick/perfume: These are all really obvious essentials. I don't really feel like they need any sort of explanation.
• Stationary/notebooks: I was under the impression that once I got to college, I could just bring my laptop and take notes with it. I recently found out, though, that a lot of professors don't let you do that because they know that kids will inevitably end up on Facebook/tumblr/etc. So notebooks will be something you'll need for most classes! And what would make your family happier than a hand-written note from their college kiddo every now and then? Invest in some cute stationary and make it a habit. Your family will be so grateful.
• Bobby pins: You. Can. Never. Have. Enough. Bobby. Pins. Seriously. Where do they go?! 
• Keys/cash: If you're driving your own car up to school and leaving it parked in a lot, keep your keys in a very safe place. And your cash. You'll most likely be having friends (and strangers) coming in and out of your dorm room, and you don't want to take any chances. Have a "safe place" for those things where only you know where they are if you're not going to be home when your roommate has friends over!
• Coffee: I bet you've already noticed the abundance of coffee shops on campus. Coffee will most likely be your best friend this year when you're slammed with studying (especially around exam time!). I know that on my campus, every Monday in the convenience store in our gym, they offer free coffee all day. Check for cool things like that on your campus and take advantage of them!
• Papersack: This was my way of referencing: bring your own snacks for in-between classes. I have some classes that I have 1-2 hours to kill before my next class. I caught myself thinking the other day, "That's the perfect amount of time to run by the chick fil a on campus and grab something to eat and do a little bit of studying." Then I realized how much money I would be wasting/how much weight I'd be gaining if I stopped for fastfood in between classes like that. Bring your own snacks to munch on between classes to save money & avoid freshman 15!

I hope you're all as excited as I am to start classes! 

xo Susie

white // green

Happy graduation day! (For me, at least.)
For anyone who graduated today, or just recently graduated, or will soon....congratulations! It's an exciting thing to move on from high school.
Unfortunately, I didn't get many photos at graduation, so I'll forego an entire post about that.

In other news, I'm typing this post from my brand new Macbook Pro! Thanks, mom and dad!
My last laptop was very close to death, and this was a total surprise, so I'm very excited...a computer that works properly is like a brand new world!
Today has made me so excited to start the next chapter of my life...now the countdown until college begins! :)

• Dress- c/o Snidel
• Belt- c/o Nowistyle Japan
• Headband- c/o Snidel
• Necklace- Forever21

xo Susie

winding down

HOW is it possible that prom is this weekend? HOW is it possible that I graduate in 6-weeks?
HOW is it possible that I'm off to college in a little over 3 months? How how how?
I can't believe I'm old enough for this. I'm so excited to close this chapter of my life and start a new one!
Senioritus has been hitting me HARD lately, though. Getting dressed for school at 6am is rapidly getting tougher and tougher. Waking up PERIOD is rough. There's not enough coffee in the world to keep me afloat these last few weeks of school. I've already accepted it.
But now that I'm all ready for prom (I can't wait to post photos!), I'm on the hunt for a nice graduation dress! As stressful as dress shopping is, I can't help but love it!
Are any of you graduating soon? How are you feeling about it?!

• Shirt- c/o nowistyle Japan
• Studded bag- c/o nowistyle Japan
• Cutout leggings- Ebay
• Watch- Target
• Necklace- Forever21

xo Susie

where is the november weather

It's November (where has the year gone?!) and it's back up to 85 degrees.
I shouldn't be surprised...this happens every year in Texas...but it still irritates me to death. I'm ready for cold weather!!

In other news, I took the SAT today. That was ridiculous. I better have gotten a good score because there's no way in heck I'm doing that again.

Shorts- thrifted w/ DIY lace trim
Shirt- Mossimo (given to me from a friend) and tied with a knot in the front
Necklace- forever21

xx