Christmas Gift Guide: For Her

With Christmas just around the corner, I know that many of us are still trying to find some gifts for our family and friends! I have put together a few little gift guides to help you all out. If you need a present for your daughter, mom, girlfriend, friend, etc., check out this gift guide for tons of awesome options that just about every girl would love! Some of these things I already have, and thoroughly enjoyed, and some of these things are items that I wish I had, which is why I included them. 

Starting at the top, from left to right, these are the products listed:

• Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics
• Ugg Women's Bailey Bow II Boots
• Yankee Candle Gift Set
• GUESS Double Breasted Boucie Cutaway Coat
• Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit - Surreal Light
• Bose Bluetooth Speaker
• Lush Stardust Gift Set
• Marc Jacobs Fragrances: Daisy Gift Set 
• Sephora Collection Tools of the Trade Brush Set
• Fleece Quarter Zip Vineyard Vines Shep Shirt
• Ray-Ban Clubmaster Flash Lenses
• Tory Burch Robinson Large Zip Tote
• Bath & Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel Holiday Traditions Gift Set
• Michael Kors Women's Rose Gold Bracelet
• LL Bean Boots
• Beats In-Ear Headphones
• Cellphone Camera Lense
• Michael Kors Phone Case

I hope that this helps some of you guys out, keep a watch for my next gift guide!

xoxo, tay

Throwback Thursday: Journal #6

2010

     "I wasn't going to do much today, but ended up having some real fun. Tomorrow I was supposed to go to the youth fair, but we were looking at the tickets online and discovered that the 'pay-one-price' ticket weren't good on weekends. So we bought them, and decided to go tonight! We called Nicole, and she was free. When her mom was done with work, she met us there.
     We picked Nicole up at her house and drove an hour to the Miami-Dade Youth Fair. Since we didn't get there right away, we got a parking spot that was really far away. 
     Since we bought our tickets online, we got to go right in. The first thing we did was get in line for the swings. The line was long, but the ride sat a lot of people so it went by fast. After that we got in line for the fireball! Nicole was terrified! It's a bunch of seats in a circle facing each other. The circle spins while the whole thing rocks like a rocking chair. We had just barely made it on and we didn't have seats next to each other. I had a great time, but Niki not so much. 
     The next ride was the one that spins in one little circle while the whole ride spins in a big circle going the opposite direction. In the line for that we met two girls who sounded like they were from out of the country. But we found out they live by dolphin mall. We told them we live way south by the Everglades. They were debating on whether they should go on the ride or not. I told them it was really fun. 
     After that Nicole made me go on the haunted mansion ride. I hate those rides! They are so scary! I screamed a lot! My face was in my hands the whole time. I didn't uncover my face until Nicole told me it was over. The guy operating the ride laughed at me. 
     For the rest of the fair we rode a BUNCH of rides. Plus we pigged out on junk food. Nicole's mom joined us later. At around 11 o'clock Nicole felt sick and we went home. My mom and I ate a funnel cake and went home. By the time I was in bed it was midnight."

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     My ride description skills are quite superb, aren't they? Also, Nicole totally made me go on the haunted house ride as payback for the ride I made her go on in the beginning. Yeah, Niki, I see you. I must have felt really cool for going to bed so late with the way I stated it at the end....
     I still cringe at my writing at this point. I think what really bothers me is that I am pretty sure, at this point in my life, I thought that I was a good writer. I just keep reminding myself that I was young, and this is from my journal (so a place that I was not concentrating on making my writing itself as amazing as possible). We can't just become a decent writer over night, we all have to start from somewhere...

My Recent Reads

Books are a uniquely portable magic. -Stephen King

1. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon: The first time I heard about this book was through a book-tuber (a YouTuber who discusses books). She was obsessed with the book and raved about it in several of her videos. I made a mental note to look into the book, but never actively sought it out. Over the summer, while delving into the book section of a Goodwill, my eyes fell upon Outlander, and memories of hearing some girl on YouTube obsess over this story sparked. I picked it up from the shelf, but did not dive into it until recently. Holy moly, I am obsessed. This book is SO GOOD. I highly encourage everyone to pick this up somehow and read it. I am so excited to get the next book so I may continue into the series. The book is large, so it takes dedication, but I was so immersed in the story that I flew through it. I read it in all of my spare time. The story did have a few areas that became slow, but push through those and you will not be disappointed. The book is about a young woman who discovers a Scottish Stone Hedge and ends up being transported back in time to the medieval Scottish countryside that is full of savage Englishmen and Scottish Clans. Along the way, she comes across a young man, and you will have to read the book to find out what happens between the two!
2. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini: When I think of this book, I think of high school. Many of my friends had to read this for their English classes and loved it. I was spared from this book in my classes, and was actually a bit sad about it. I loved when we read novels in class. While in Goodwill, the same trip that I found Outlander, I came across this novel. I picked it up and kept it for when I needed something to read. I started it after I finished Outlander, and it was a bit of an adjustment. I hate to say this, but I honestly did not care for the book. It was definitely a good story, full of twists I never expected, and even touching in some parts, especially the end. However, I found myself finishing it purely to finish the story and get it out of the way. It took me longer to read than a book that size normally would. The story did, however, have some eye opening moments. It was my first time reading anything about that area of the world, and in that time period. 
3. Carrie by Stephen King: This book is very different for me. In high school, a boy I was dating absolutely LOVED Stephen Kings novel The Gunslinger, and I wanted to share that experience and discuss the story with him. However, in my mind it was quite boring. It threw me away from Stephen King for awhile, but here I am. I picked up a copy of Carrie from my schools library for this little experiment. It is a smaller book, so I figured it would be easier to get through. I have seen the movie, so this also made me curious to read this book. I regret seeing the movie before reading the book. So much. I am, again, not used to reading this style of writing, but found it much more interesting than The Gunslinger. The writing itself, in the story, was beautiful. The imagery really helps one to envision the scene in your head. The story was a creative and a unique twist to a normal magical phenomenon for other similar pieces. I am definitely interested in reading another book, one that I haven't seen the movie for already!

Throwback Thursday: Journal #5

2009-2010

     "Hannah's Dad drove us to church camp today. It took a good six hours. Maybe more. We watched 2 movies on the way up; Yours, Mine, and Ours and The Day after Tomorrow. That and we listened to music and talked. Hannah's Dad took us to Quizznoss's for lunch although he kept pestering us to go to McDonalds!
     When we finally got there we had to wait in a long line for check in. Then we went to our cabin to unpack and hang out. When everyone in our cabin was here we went to Praise Time. Its where some of our counselors that can play instruments get together and make a band. They sing awesome Christian songs about God and Jesus. Everyone sings and dances along! Hannah would not dance though, only clap to the beat.
     From there we were separated into small groups after plating a bunch of games. We went to a big room. Like a gym. The games we played were: People to People, Ghost in the Graveyard, and two others who's names I don't remember. One was like a rock paper scissors type thing and the other is a Simon Says kind of thing. 
     Once in our small groups we went to little mini buildings, sat in a circle, and talked. We had to use our name to put with a word than put a movement with it. Mine was Terrific Taylor with jazz hands. We also told what grade we are going into and our hobbies. I was surprised to notice that Hannah and I are some of the youngest in our group. Most of the kids are going into eighth grade. None in sixth. Three or four in seventh. One was even supposed to be a freshman in high school, but signed up as middle school to be with friends."

So, that is the description of my first day going to camp. At that point in my life I did not have any sort of relationship with God, so camp was a very eyeopening experience for me. Also, I would like to note that this entry actually ends a paragraph later. I left out the last paragraph because it was literally like five sentences of me going on about some boy that I thought was cute in my small group. .. smh middle school Taylor smh....

xoxo, tay

Black Friday Haul 2016

Black Friday is my one of my favorite times of the year. The sales are crazy! It has become a yearly tradition for my mom and I to battle the crowds in search of the best deals at our favorite stores. The mall we go too has a separate, smaller mall that houses the higher end stores. This is where my we tend to stay. The lines are long, but the sales are well worth the wait. Most of the time, we stay away from all of the clothing stores, and usually leave with mostly accessories that we have found missing from our collections at home. 

Here are my purchases for this year: 

Michael Kors 

Hamilton Large Saffiaan Leather Tote in Black

I have been dreaming about owning one of these totes ever since MK first came out with this style, and my dreams finally came true! My mom picked one up in burgundy, while I bought one in black. I did not have a large black purse, so when I saw this one on a display, I snatched it up right away. I love to wear black, so I will get a lot of use out of it, and it will match just about everything! When I saw this bag, I automatically noted that it was big enough for notebooks and my laptop to fit very comfortably for school, something that is important for a college student like me. 

Tory Burch

Billy Slipper in Black Suade

When I saw this loafer, I knew I wanted it immediately. The more I look at them, the more I love them! I have been wanting to get a loafer, but had not seen any that jumped out at me. I am excited for these because they are a more casual loafer, made from suade, and have a super comfy layer of fur  inside. These will be perfect for going to the library when I am on campus!

Laura Ballet Flat in Tory Navy/Gold Leather

Ever since about a year ago, when I got my first pair of Tory Birch ballet flats, I have sworn by these! I was excited to pick up a new pair in navy, and these are the most comfortable ones I have come across yet! I tend to have bad luck finding flats that don't end up giving me painful blisters, but I rarely have issues with my Tory flats. I highly recommend everyone to pick up a pair of these! I absolutely love that I found these in navy, one of my favorite neutral colors!

Landon Combo Cross-Body in Soft Gold

I have always been one to wear a lot of gold, so not always having a purse to match was frustrating sometimes. Lucky for me, Tory had this cute little gold cross body bag on sale for black friday. This will match everything, and I am excited to have this to add to my growing collection of handbags! 

Kate Spade

Brynlee Handbag in Black

Like I said before, I wear a good amount of black, so having a solid small purses was something I desperately needed. I saw this one in the Kate Spade store and picked it up right away. It is a bit unique, because while most purses are made of leather, this is made of shiny paten. It dresses it up a big more and makes it perfect for a variety of occasions. 

Leighann Satchel Handbag in Offshore (Navy)

This bag is BEAUTIFUL. It is a great purse in every color it comes in, but if you are a lover of navy, like me, you will really appreciate this bag in this shade of dark, winter navy. It was even the perfect size for my Yorkie to sleep comfortably in the bottom of the middle section! It is the perfect size for any small dog, or school work, whatever your priorities are...

Throwback Thursday: Journal #4

Journal #4: 2009

     "We drove to Saint Augustine today. After checking into the hotel, we took a trolley tour. I had to wear this sticker. The trolley dropped us off down the street from Castillo De San Marco's Fort. So we visited there. It was cool. 

     At night we had a ghost tour. There was three places we visited that is haunted. The old school house, the graveyard, and the Castillo De San Marco's Fort. One of the younger boys got so freaked out. I let him hide behind me. The tour guide told us that we can't see the spirits that we would visit, but we can photograph them. If we were lucky we could see a spirit without looking at a picture. Monica and Lacie got pictures of yellow orbs. I got a picture of yellow streaks (moving spirits). 

     The school house is very active. A lady's spirit is supposed to haunt there. 

     The fort had many spirits. Monica and Lacie got pictures of orbs. Alex saw a figure walking on the top floor of the fort. We saw where the executions were held . 

     The last place was the graveyard. There are a few different spirits that haunt it. My favorite is the three boys. When the boys were alive, they were apparently adorable. They could make every woman in the village smile. They were very young. All three of them got sick and died. There spirits haunt the cemetery. When a girl stops by the cemetery, if they feel a hand tickle their back, its the boys. They like you. Sometimes you even get a big, sloppy kiss on the back of your neck."

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     I have made some progress in spelling and length at this point in my journalling career. However, I seem to have developed an issue with tense that makes me cringe every time I come across a new error. When I write these entries, I make sure to spell things and write them grammatically the same as what is in my journal. This has to do with me wanting to show how my writing has evolved over the years. It takes every ounce of strength not to correct everything that is wrong with the writing in my older journals, and there is definitely a lot of corrections that could be made. 

    Another one of my issues I am noticing is that I have yet to learn how to express my emotions in a more obvious way in my writing. I sound pretty monotone and unamused, in my opinion. It definitely sounds like the ghost tour did not scare me, and I am pretty sure parts of the tour had me scared out of my mind. That was during one of my tomboy stages, and part of that stage was acting like I didn't care about certain things. For this situation I felt that I needed to be the "cool" girl who doesn't get scared of the spirits while everyone else is about to pee their pants. I'm sure I didn't pull this off whatsoever...

xoxo, tay 

Bloggers Who Inspire Me...

As I become more and more immersed into the world of blogging I have found some blogs that I am quite inspired by...

Zoella

I have been following her blog and YouTube channel since I was in high school. I can relate to Zoe is a lot of ways and that really attracts me to her work. I look up to her, she inspires me! I love her videos as well as her photography. The photos are always original, clear, and beautiful to look at. Her blog is a lifestyle blog that I strive toward becoming similar too. I look forward to reading about her life, recipes, fashion & beauty tips, and adventures of being a writer and YouTuber.

Classy Girls Wear Pearls

Sarah Vickers is one of my biggest fashion and blogging icons! All of her photos almost seem to have a vintage look to them, perfect for the New England setting. The photography on her blog beautifully captures the clothes without them always being the only interesting element. You can really tell how each setting is carefully planned with the outfit. The pictures themselves are candid and sometimes even look like they are telling a story. Each fashion post isn't just about the clothes, its also about the scene. I love the way she weaves these two things together so well. What I love most is the way she edits her pictures, they have a bit of a vintage vibe to them that I adore. I can scroll through Sarah's blog all day and never get bored of marveling over the photos...

Aspyn Ovard 

She isn't much older than I am and she has achieved so much! While I do not agree with some of her personal life choices that made me skeptical of following her blog and YouTube channel, I have moved past those and follow to appreciate her excellent photography and videography. I also love everything about her style, which is how I found her in the first place. One of my favorite ways of following her is through the vlogs that Aspyn does with her husband,  Parker. 

Golly Miss Molly

When I think of this blogger I like to consider her a southern belle with an edgy side. Her style varies so widely and I love that she isn't stuck in one mindset when it comes to clothes. It changes and evolves with the seasons and trends. I can relate to her in this kind of way because, while I usually call my style preppy, I do fall toward other trends and styles at times. I like to appreciate the different styles, even if they are not something I would necessarily wear myself, and I think that Molly really shows variety on her blog, and I really like this about her.

Fleur De Force

I have one word to describe Fleur: Chic. She takes high fashion and somehow makes it wearable. She is also another blogger with a YouTube channel, and I would have never guessed from her personality that she would take the fashion risks that she does! From beauty to fashion, she seems to be good at everything and has become widely successful in both blogging and YouTube. Fleur is another that, like Zoe, I have been following since high school, and I won't be stopping anytime soon!

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All of these photos belong to the bloggers mentioned in this post.

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xoxo, tay