In exactly two months, I’ll be living in New Orleans again, getting ready to start my third (but probably not final) year of law school. Two months. In the Summer. That’s basically two blinks of my eyes. I’ve been sitting here trying to start my to-do list and I just keep staring at the page because it’s so overwhelming. I’ve got big things to do (sell my furniture, move out of my apartment, find a new apartment, etc.), medium things (finalize financial aid/class schedule/transfer credits, prepare to hand my work duties over to my replacement) and small things that are the easiest to put off and possibly forget (make an eye doctor appointment, pack (!!!), get a clean bill of health for my car before making that 17 hour drive, etc.). I’m literally sweating after writing that extremely long sentence.

So my goal for the week is to actually finish the list and then start tackling it. I have a family trip coming up at the end of the week for Father’s Day and my mom’s birthday followed by a quick trip to New Orleans to meet with my realtor and hopefully (Please God!) find a place. This Summer is going to be busy, but I promise to try my hardest to get back to my regular schedule here. I’m sure it’s the only thing that will keep me sane. That and weekly pitchers of my famous Summer Sangria!

And, as always, if I go missing for a little too long, you can always find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (my favorite thing ever!) Love you all!

If you follow me on Instagram, you already know that I shared some big news last week. Which likely explains why I’ve been pretty quiet around here lately. I have a tendency to get silent when a big change is coming. (Note to Self: Write Through It!) But just in case you missed it, I’m headed back to law school this Fall! I know. I said I didn’t want to go back. I said I wanted to be a teacher. A writer. And I still want those things. Might even be called to those things. But for now, I know I’m meant to finish this degree. If for no other reason, than to regain the confidence in myself that I lost during my first two years.

God has this amazing way of redirecting you to the His plans in His perfect time. During my first year of law school in New Orleans, I was hit by a major emotional blow. I talked to some people about it, but I don’t think anyone knows how deeply scarred I was as a result. But I rallied and told myself that transferring back home would help. It ultimately made things worse. My grades started to slip and I slipped into a period of depression that I’ve wrote about briefly here before. In August, I had an amazing talk with one of my pastors that led me to believe that God was calling me to teach. But as I began to work toward it, I hit wall after wall. Something just didn’t seem right, and I assumed it was just the timing.

Fast forward to last week. I had been feeling the “law school tug” for a few weeks. I just knew I needed to finish. So on a complete whim, I called Loyola and flat out asked if I could come back. I told them about my awful year at UDC and prayed that they could somehow overlook it. A few hours later, they called back and said they could. And I could re-start this Fall! And ever since I hung up the phone, doors have been flung open for me to get back to Louisiana. I have never had so much confirmation of a decision in my entire life. I know without a shadow of a doubt that this is what I should be doing. I’m terrified, but more excited than ever. I have no idea what I’ll practice, where I’ll take the bar, what I’ll do after graduation. And I’m completely ok with that. I know it’s coming.

So much has happened since I drove away from campus after my last 1L exam in May 2011. I was determined to never return to that school or that city. And yet, every single twist and turn in my life since then has led me right back to where I started. I’ve never been so happy to be wrong.

How’s everyone doing on their 12 week challenge (that still doesn’t have a cool name)? If you’re using Wednesday as a starting day, we’re coming up on Week 3. If you’re using Monday, today is the first day of week 2. I weigh myself in on Wednesdays since I started on May 1st, but I’m using Monday as my technical start day. Each week so far, I’ve set up a mini challenge for myself. The first week, it was just to start being more aware of what I ate during the day and how much (or how little) I exercised during the week. Last week, I challenged myself to cut dairy from my diet and limit my intake of animal products to dinner only. (Got that idea from Mark Bittman!) It went so well that I’m keeping it going this week! And my newest challenge is to exercise every single day this week. Even if it’s just a yoga session, I want to do something. I have had way too many days where I woke up with the intention of going to the gym and never made it. Not this week!

So what are you challenging yourself to this week? Let’s kick it up a notch! Summer is only 6 weeks away and we’ve got 10 weeks left in the challenge! Turn it up!

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I’ve been raving about Suja Juice for the past few days. I just discovered this company last week while I was at Whole Foods on a health foods mission. Outside of making my own juices and smoothies, I’ve only tried BluePrint Cleanse bottled juices. And to be honest, I only truly love the Pineapple Apple Mint juice. But these juices are, dare I even say it, DELICIOUS! Either I’m just becoming more accustomed to the taste of liquid vegetables or these are actually just better. My favorite is Green Supreme, a simple mix of apples, kale and lemon. I’m addicted to kale and I love anything tart. It’s like my very own green lemonade. But they are all really great. So great, that I went back and filled the bottom half of my fridge with them.

For now, I’ll be adding a juice or two into my daily routine. I can’t decide if I want to do a full cleanse while on this 12 week challenge, since I’ll be working out. Maybe I’ll just finish the challenge off with one? Who knows. But I highly encourage each of you to try them. If you’d like a more in-depth review of each juice, let me know. But in the meantime, you can get them at your local Whole Foods or order them through Suja’s website. My WF doesn’t carry Spark (I’m dyinggg to try this one. Strawberries are my favorite!), 12 Essentials (scared of this one!) or Lemon Love so I’ll definitely be ordering those online come payday!

Try them and let me know what you think. And if you have any other juices I should try, please leave a comment and let us all know. I’ve heard Goûter is a great local brand so I’m going to pick up a few of their bottles this week at Salud in Great Falls. Any other favorites?

One of my favorite ways to treat myself is on art prints. I think prints are one of the best ways to add character to a wall/space without spending a ton of money. I have an insane print collection and I cannot wait to put them all up on a gallery wall in my new place. I’m thinking of painting the wall black with chalkboard paint and hanging them, along with some of my favorite pictures, with bright washi tape. Anyway, I wanted to share some of my current favorite prints with you all. Be sure to click on the links below because each of these print shops have wayyy more where this came from! Enjoy!

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Highlight of the Week: finally figuring out what to do for my 27th birthday. You all know that I take birthdays very seriously and believe they should all be celebrated, no matter what age you are. I wanted to do something fun, but also kind of relaxing and definitely cost-effective. And once I decided that I would begin a new health and fitness journey, I knew I needed to be on the beach somewhere to celebrate. So after a day of intense travel planning, I decided on a cruise to the bahamas! And in an effort to peer pressure my friends into definitely coming with me, I booked it yesterday!

And so the countdown has begun. It’s only a 3 day cruise, but I already have about 300 outfits picked out in my mind. And I’m already researching all of the different activities I’d like to do while we’re in Nassau and CocoCay. I actually went on this exact cruise with my entire family 2 years ago, but I was battling a mean case of seasickness, so I didn’t really do many water activities. This time, I plan to be armed with every naseau remedy known to man. I will get on that banana boat!

Ok enough about my  super far away vacation…let’s get to the highlights!

Looking for a simple and healthy breakfast option? Try these (and don’t forget the cute little labels!)

I’m loving all of the Joie A La Plage sandals this season. How am I ever going to choose just one pair?

I think I love this Norma Kamali bathing suit but I have a slight panic attack when I look at the price. Currently on the hunt for a less expensive alternative.

I’m kind of obsessed with my kitchen and I’m always buying new things for it. My newest kitchen purchase are these Williams-Sonoma Working Glasses with Lids. I love them for smoothies, juices and dressings. You can buy them in sets of 4 online, but I just went into the store and bought a bunch of them in both sizes.

Have you seen the new Pierre Hardy collection for NARS? I got this amazing blush (boys don’t cry) and these fun nail colors (ethno run) yesterday from Sephora. I just couldn’t resist. They’re limited edition so go check them out now!

Speaking of makeup, I bought this plum mascara from YSL a few months ago and after wearing it 3 times, I’ve realized that I am completely allergic to it. Every single time I wear it my eyes are irritated for days. I’m so bummed because I love colored mascaras (plum/purple/navy) and the color payoff on that one was fantastic. Have any of you tried the Chanel colored mascaras? Or do you know of any others I should try?

That’s it for today, loves! Mainly because I need to get my workday finished so I can start my weekend early. I hope you all have a beautiful and relaxing weekend!

In 12 weeks (and two days, to be exact), I’ll be leaving on a jetplane (and hopefully a cruise ship!) to celebrate my 27th birthday. 27 is by no means old, although my current 10pm bedtime might suggest otherwise, but it’s definitely not 20. Long gone are the days of eating junk food all day, calling walking across campus exercise and miraculously staying in the same jeans year after year. I remember when my only source of insecurity in college was a tiny bit of fat around my belly button. If my 20 year old self could see what my stomach has become now, she would cry herself to sleep at night and spend all day in the gym!

But in all seriousness, I realize that it’s time to take control of my health and fitness now. Every year, it gets more difficult to get and stay in shape. And I don’t want to spend the rest of my summers covered up on the beach or struggling into a pair of Spanx every time I have somewhere nice to go. And I definitely don’t want to keep going in and out of shape. There’s nothing worse than that first workout after weeks/months off. It’s so embarrassing, you think your lungs are caving in, you’re sore for days after and pretty soon you give up. I’m done with all of that. It’s time to start believing I can do it and going after it.

So I propose that we all do this together! A 12 week challenge to take control of our health. Pick a goal you can stick with and get started by weighing yourself and taking your measurements. If you’re happy with your weight, but want to take control of your diet, start by cleaning out your kitchen. If you want to make exercise a habit, create (or download) a workout calendar. You may even want to join a gym. We’ll check in every week on Workout Wednesday to discuss our progress and all things health and fitness related. Please keep me accountable, ladies (and the one gentleman that reads my blog)! Comment, ask questions, leave suggestions, tell me how you’re doing. We are all in this together! Any ideas for what we should call this challenge? Something fun that will look good as a hashtag :)

Ok now, let’s go workout!

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I’m a huge believer in treating yourself. It’s not about being greedy or living in excess. It’s just about being good to yourself. Sometimes, I like to brighten my own day instead of waiting for someone else to do it for me. So I’ve decided to add a fun new column to the blog, Treat Yo Self Tuesday! I’ll be posting some of the things I like to treat myself to and I’m hoping that some of you will share your own. This week, I want to talk about flowers. I believe that flowers instantly brighten up a space and make things feel more beautiful. And with all of the fantastic farmer’s markets opening back up for Spring and Summer, you can always find your favorite flowers at pretty good prices. Last week, I got the most beautiful bunch of tulips and they made me smile every time I looked at them. So the treat of the week is a gorgeous flower arrangement! It could be a big bunch, just one or two stems, or something in between. And don’t forget to pick an unexpected or eye-catching vase. I love using mason jars. Here are a few more ideas…

What’s your favorite kind of flower? And how do you display them?

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It’s Monday morning. I’m having some kind of cold/allergy attack. I have approximately one thousand emails to respond to. Graduate school applications to start on (more about that later). An apartment to clean…deep clean. And I can’t.stop.sneezing! I need all of the coffee above plus an equal amount of tea to make it through this day. But I’ll probably just make a smoothie instead (these look delicious 1/2/3/4).

Despite my complaining, Happy Monday! I hope we all have a fantastic week!

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This was a pretty darn good week. My Mini League kids are on vacation (I miss them though! Nanny problems.) so I got sleep in a little bit. I spent lots of time with my friends and sorors. I got one terrible run in. And I decided that when my lease is up (in June), I’m moving to a 1 bedroom apartment. Look out for tons of home decor posts in the near future! Even though I had a great week, I am more than ready to relax this weekend. I’m just hoping the weather stays beautiful so I can spend as much time outdoors as possible. What do you guys have planned?

Who says dinner for one has to be boring? Making this next week and serving it on one of the prettiest plates I can find.

I want to start collecting antique jars and vases (DIY coming soon). Where are the best places to shop for antiques in the Northern VA/DC area?

I also have a farmer’s market obsession. I’ve only been to the ones in Loudoun County so far. Where’s the best farmer’s market in our area?

Tumblr of the Week: Mine!

April’s Manifesto T is a must have. Can’t get enough of this shirt line! You’re a genius, Meg Biram!

Does anyone use pencils anymore? I’m obsessed with these, these and these.

Inslee has finally launched her “Potpourri” card collection and it is realllly good. Buy yours here!

I’m putting together a massive StickyGram order this weekend. I can’t believe I haven’t done this sooner.

That’s all I’ve got for today. Enjoy your weekends, kids!