Spring & Summer 2013 Bucket List

Happy Friday, everyone! I hope your week has been good to you so far - mine definitely has! Looking forward to performing at a choir festival tomorrow (I got a solo - YAY!), and just hanging out with friends. 

A couple of days ago I got a request to blog about my Spring/Summer bucket list, and this is pretty much all I could come up with for now. Enjoy!

1. Read at least 10 classic books
2. Have a family movie night
3. Make healthy raw cookie dough
4. Go to a 4th of July party
5. Have a water balloon fight
6. Blow bubbles
7. Go on a picnic 
8. Go to a zoo
9. Go to the JB, Beyoncé, and One Direction concerts
10. Make lemonade
11. Do a DIY project
12. Try a new food
13. Memorize a poem
14. Learn to cartwheel
15. Go to a movie
16. Re-organize (major clean-up) room
17. Go hiking
18. Play in the rain
19. Go to a park
20. Sleep in 

As always - leave your requests down below, and let me know what you're planning to do this spring/summer!

xoxo,

Liz

Valentine's Day: Pretty In Pink

I'm just going to put it out there - I don't necessarily like Valentine's Day. To me - it's just like any other day, only there are cute couples everywhere that make me feel miserable and forever alone. And we all know that's always fun.

Leaving the all of the negative aspects of this holiday behind, I love actually dressing up for Valentine's Day. Gives another reason to wear pink, right? It can be a subtle statement - pink nail polish or lipstick, or you can go all out and wear a pink dress or fuchsia heels.

Cute hair bow. 

Spring 2013 Essentials

Who's excited for spring? Because I sure as heck am! I figured since it's February already and some of you may or may not be shopping for the spring time - it might be helpful if I share some of my spring must-haves/what I'll be shopping for this spring.

White dress is an absolute essential for me. It just screams spring/summer, is so feminine and classy, plus effortless and chic (and super easy to style)! I wouldn't wear it in the early spring, though, 'cause where I live - the snow only melts in April... And don't you just feel like you're at the "white party" from Gossip Girl?! Or is that just me...

Body-con dress is also a must. For every time of the year, actually. Gotta show off all that hard work, right, ladies? This one is from Herve Leger...definitely saving up for one, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to spend $1,000+ on a dress that I'll probably only wear once or twice (spend your money wisely, girls!).

Nautical-inspired 3/4 sleeve shirt is perfect with red pants if you're feeling a little parisian on a bright spring day. I also love wearing this over a swimsuit as a cover-up, or just with a pair of jeans and sandals on a laid-back day. Can't go wrong with this one!

Bright cardigans are a spring essential for me...which is why I put them in this blog post... DUH LIZ. I just think pieces like these are great for your wardrobe, because you can style them so many ways! *also great bikini cover-ups*

Trench coat is definitely something you need in Europe in the spring months! It's usually super sluggish and gross around April-March here, so you can't go without a decent trench. I own a bright yellow Michael Kors one, which isn't the most practical color, but it sure does add some summer to an otherwise rainy day!

Hunter boots - or any rain boots, for that matter - are also a must-have for European springs! The story is pretty much the same as with my yellow trench coat - I own turquoise ones (I wear them with everything, nevertheless) and I absolutely love them! If you're looking into a pair of ones (and you live in a place where you'd wear them often) and just can't decide if you need them or not - YOU DO.

Neon bikini (preferably from Victoria's Secret). Now, I made a post on my must-have swimsuit of summer 2012 - which is the one shown in the collage. The bandeau top is amazing - check out the post to see a full "review" on that. I know, I know - neon is pretty much only a summer color, but who really cares, right?!

Adorable one-piece is something I don't yet have, but I will get sooner or later...anyhow, I'll call it a must-have, because I must have it. I think every girl should own a cute one-piece - they're a classic! Plus, we all have those days when we feel gross and ugly in a two-piece, right? Right?

Jack Rogers is another item that I have not yet purchased, but I'm pretty sure I'll be placing an order online pretty soon, since I want to wear them on my trip to India in March, and I've heard so many good things about these!

Cork wedges just scream spring to me. Especially if they're in a bright color! You can easily dress them up of down, and they look adorable with summery dresses! Plus, wedges are definitely the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn (besides loafers, of course) - they have the comfort of flats, but the height of heels!

Nude pumps are an essential for every month, I think - they're definitely a classic! These are from Christian Louboutin - and I really want these! I have a love-hate relationship with pointy-toe heels, but these look really good on me (tried them on in a store, okay, don't judge :P). But that's not the point. The point is - you need nude pumps in your life. I do too.

Bangles from J.Crew are the most adorable things ever, I swear! I usually don't wear much jewelry, but in the spring and summer months I definitely break out all of my cutest pieces - no idea why, I guess I'm just more in a mood for jewelry in the summer and spring!

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed, and have a great day!

xoxo,
Liz

P.S. I really appreciate all of your requests that I've been getting lately! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Valentine's Day: Boy No-No's

A couple of months ago, one of my best friends and I (we didn't sleep for more than 24 hours and had a lot of coffee, okay?) made "The Guy Rules" - approved by our best guy friend, by the way. "The Guy Rules" are basically some ground rules that were made to try and keep us sane & full of dignity. I can't really say that we've followed them since (whoops), so I deleted the file from my computer and never looked back. This weekend, however, I decided to go through everything on my computer and sort through all of it. Then, I got a request from a friend to write about the guy rules, which instantly reminded me to try and find them. After a long search in the trash of my computer, however, the search ended without a result. So, I decided to call my friend that I made the list with, and ask her if she still had it. And, to my (and your) luck, she did.

I present to you - the guy rules.

1. He cannot ask you out over Facebook/text/any social network. This one's pretty self-explanatory. You simply don't deserve a guy who asks you out over a social network. You just don't. Unless you're really desperate, of course. But you shouldn't be. Definitely rule number one.
2. Don't let a guy feel you up (unless you're dating). Simple, yet effective. If you get the "How To Keep Your Dignity" handbook (not sure if it exists or not) - I'm sure that one of the most important things not to do is let a guy feel you up. There is nothing less classy than just letting a guy feel you up whenever (& however) he wants to.
3. Cannot seduce guys (unless he's your boyfriend). Now, let me clear this one up. By seducing, I do not mean "flirting". I flirt all the time. Seduction is a tempting or attractive thing. If put into simple words - don't tempt guys. Unless you're dating. Then do whatever you want. 
4. Don't tell everything to your friends. Some private things need to stay...private. We all know that even the bestest of best friends sometimes open their mouths to others about something you said. So many relationships that I know of have just crashed because of people opening their big mouths about things that happen inside of the relationship. Of course, you can share most of the things that happen with your friends, but not everything.
5. Try to make your relationship last longer than a month. In other words, unless he breaks up with you before that, don't cut it off with a guy if you've only been dating for a couple of weeks. First of all, you don't want to seem...well, easily available to guys, and second of all - don't just quit if something isn't working out. At least try to fix whatever is wrong with your relationship.

I am, by no means at all, an expert in boys. I mean, I've never even went out with anyone! But my dear friend who I made this with has dated many guys - and I'm pretty sure it's safe to call her an expert. By putting my prudish aspects on dating and her...well...experience together - this is what we came up with. We don't live by these rules - and neither should you! But, just try and keep them in mind ;)

xoxo,

Liz

P.S. I really appreciate your comments and requests - keep 'em coming!

10 Movies to Watch On Valentine's Day

Whether you're alone or with your true love on this Valentine's Day - movies are a must. And whether you like movies like "Gone With the Wind" or "The Hangover" - this list combines romantic classics with newer releases that you can watch in your living room while cuddling with your boyfriend, or spending the evening stuffing yourself with Ben & Jerrys in your bedroom like me (minus the Ben & Jerrys).

 When Harry Met Sally

 Valentine's Day

 Lady and the Tramp

 A Walk to Remember

 Breakfast at Tiffany's

 Pretty Woman

 The Notebook

 The Breakfast Club

 The Vow

Titanic

Hope you enjoyed this post! More Valentine's Day themed posts to come!

xoxo,

Liz

February Workout Schedule

To go along with my no-cheat February I just finished my February workout schedule and I figured I'd share it with you girls! But first, a little background info. In June of 2012 (back when I just started blogging!) I made a "My Daily Workout Plan" post, which basically explains what I used to do for my workouts up until September. Looking back at it now, I can see how much I've progressed health-wise - I wasn't 100% sure what I was doing and I just think I was overworking myself. But, I have became much more educated in fitness and eating right, so I guess this is a somewhat updated version of my last post.

If any of you like these, I might do these every month, so let me know! 

To start off, this is what my general, every month, workout schedule looks like:

• Monday - legs & butt
• Tuesday - run
• Wednesday - arms & back
• Thursday - run
• Friday - abs
• Saturday - long walk + legs & butt
• Sunday - rest day

As you can see, I run about twice a week (sometimes on Fridays, too, when I have time), and do strength workouts every other day. As for running, I've just started - so I follow an 8-week program (tell me if you want to see it!). Now, onto the actual schedule. Oh, and all of the strength workouts that I do are Blogilates videos - not sponsored or anything - I just love her videos! She is so happy and encouraging, plus, her workouts kick butt!

Legs & Butt: 

• POP Pilates: Perky Butt 'n Long Lean Legs (13 minutes)
• Call Me Maybe Mighty Squat Challenge (5 minutes)
• POP Pilates: Slimmer Inner Thighs & Runner's Calves (12 minutes)
• POP Pilates: Pippa's Butt (10 minutes)

Arms & Back:

• Bikini Blaster: Awesomesauce Arms (20 minutes)
• Sleek & Sexy Arms for Beginners  (13 minutes)

Abs:

• Bikini Blaster: Abs Abs Abs! (13 minutes)
• As Long As You Love Me Love Handles Challenge (6 minutes)
• POP Pilates: Miley Cyrus Ab Workout (12 minutes)

Each workout is about 30 minutes long, and it's like that for two reasons. First of all, I don't think I'd be able to handle more than 3-4 Blogilates videos a day. And second, I just don't have time. 30 minutes a day is really all I can dedicate to working out. Of course, there are some days when I have more free time, and on those days I try to do more, but on an everyday basis I just have too many things to do.

Don't forget to stay hydrated during your workouts, and let me know if you enjoyed this post!

xoxo,

Liz

February Goals

Happy February everyone!

This month I have decided to set a couple of goals for myself to help me - in the long run - reach the big goals in my life. Since February is the shortest month of the year, one of my goals is "no-cheat February". In case you're not sure of what "no-cheats" means - it's basically a fitness/health freak kind of thing - usually once a week (on Sundays) I have a "cheat" meal. Every week my cheat meal consists of 2-3 scoops of Pinkberry frozen yogurt, plus some chocolate chips and candy on top. I've always wanted to do a no-cheat month at least once a year, and since February only has 28 days I figured this was my chance (who knows how long I can go without Pinkberry)!

Another one of my goals is to blog every single day. I'm pretty excited, but also quite terrified, since every time I try to do something like this, something is bound to go wrong and instead of having 28 blog posts in a month - I end up with, let's say, 23. I'm most likely going to just sit down one day and type up a couple of blog posts to cue them, but I really do hope I don't get off track with this! And besides, Valentine's Day is coming up, so in case I run out of ideas - I have that as a backup plan!

If you have any ideas on what I can blog about this month - please do leave a comment below!

xoxo,
Liz