Making a statement

This month, I've had a pretty important announcement to make to my family. I have had this pinned for almost 2 years now waiting for the moment I could make my own and know that it will come true! And here it is!

My family and I had brunch this morning, and I decided to give my sis and mom souvenirs from my trip to Universal Studios and as I told my dad I had something for him I took this out of my bag. My sister and mother wanted to know what I was showing him, and as I turned the frame towards them they laughed, asked if it was true, and then started crying!

Yup, I got into med school and I'll be a doctor in four years!! There's still a long road ahead of me.... Wish me luck!

PS. Linking up with Anne on her Pin to Present linkup. What Pinspiration have you been using recently?

Shopping review | May edition

This month I took some of my tax return and treated myself to things I needed to replace, to add to my wardrobe, or that looked too good to be true. The first item I bought this month was during the sidewalk sale in Delaware. Thank you tax free shopping! I didn't think about it until I was ready at the register, but I was super excited! I bought this pencil skirt with leather trimmings. The rest of the material is stretchy, so it grips the curves well! It was originally $98, but I was able to get it for a steal ($10).  I love it and cannot wait to wear it. 

A few weeks went by and I did a pretty good job of not shopping for clothes. I went on a rather extravagant shopping spree in April (I hadn't done a good job of keeping track of things then so I didn't do an April post). But then I had my trip to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida! I had to buy some good walking shoes because 1) the athletic sneakers and jeans combination reminds me of the 90s and seems like a big no-no trend to me, and 2) I had worn through my Target converse shoes. I had literally worn out the insole and the fabric located behind the heel. Although the outside looks semi-decent, the inside was just too much to keep up and my feet were starting to feel it. Definitely wouldn't work for 10+ hours walking around in amusement parks. I went on a shopping hunt at DSW looking for white sneakers that I've seen many blogger favorites wearing, like Anne and Amanda. I decided they were a good fit to replace my black converse. But they weren't exactly great for amusement park walking... Am I weird for being afraid of getting them dirty so quickly? I found the New Balance sneakers and I'm so glad I did! I decided to look for these thanks to Anne who has been sporting a version of the look here. Unfortunately I did not have any DSW coupons at the time of the purchase, so I bought them at full price. I'm kinda cringing at that, but I'll be wearing them tons so they are worth it. The New balance shoes have actually been worn 4 of the 5 days of my Florida vacation. 60 divided by 4 = 15 dollars per wear already! In my book = worth it!!

 

 These shoes ($49.99) | Those shoes ($59.99)

 

On the last day of my trip, we went to the outlet stores in Orlando. I was looking for a leather and denim jacket and maybe hoping to find a some Ray Ban sunglasses or some nice sandals that look very similar to my current Kenneth Cole Reaction sandals. After about 3 hours of disappointment, I persuaded my friends to spend just a few more minutes in J. Crew Factory before we headed home for dinner. 

Oh man! I would buy the entire store if I could! I love their items so much!! When I walked in, one of the employers handed me a scratch-off card. And huzzah! I got a $20 off coupon if I spent $100 in addition to the 50% off the entire store deal they were having for Memorial Day weekend. I found the denim jacket I was looking for and while my friend was eyeing this dress, I found myself drawn to the one below. It has a lovely low V-neck, and at a size 4, it fits perfectly enough that I don't need to wear a bra. (Merci Maman for the small bosom genes...) 

So originally priced total at: $128 + $85 = $213. With the discounts: $213 - %50 = $106.5 and with $20 off gives a TOTAL OF = $86.5! They are currently having a 60% off everything with an additional 15% today only. Go go go!!!

This dress (originally $128) | This jacket (originally $85)

Lastly, while we were in Harry Potter World in Florida, I bought a Gryffindor sweater ($65) (according to my friends I'd be in that house if the sorting hat were to put me in a house. Each one of us were made for a certain house, and the last believes he'd be better as a teacher there. Worked out quite well :D )

Month Total

$10 + $49.99 + $59.99 + $86.5 + $65 = $271.48 + tax

Ah!! Man this hurts my wallet just looking at that dollar sign, but I'm happy with every item I bought. The dress will be a great item for fancy events and weddings and I've worn the Gryffindor sweater all over the house since it's so comfy. No regrets here! Just gonna have to watch my spendings in June.

Linking up with Fran and the other budget bloggers here.

Taking a brief break...

Helllooooooooo!!

I'm currently on vacation in Orlando, Florida and having a blast! Me and my college friends had this trip planned out for several months and it's been a once in a lifetime experience to visit Universal Studios with people that love me for my dorkiness. I'll get back to blogging in a little bit and you can follow me on Instagram @roxanefar for Harry Potter mania!! I'm off to enjoy my last few days of absolute bliss!

I need you in my closet | 6

This sweater

This cardigan

These shoes

Lewes, Delaware

Here are a few pictures from my trip to Lewes, Delaware.

For breakfast, we'd go to this cute coffee shop with tons of different flavors and delicious treats. I personally got a breakfast croissant and a quiche during my trip. They were so delicious! If you get a chance to head down there, make sure to get an ooey gooey!

The shop itself has really great character and the baristas are the sweetest! I wish we had a place like that around my place.

 
There were also several sidewalk sales. Oh my, look at all the scarves! I wanted to buy every single one of them, I love scarves!!

The town of Lewes also has several antique shops, and I absolutely love antiques. There's so much history behind a piece. It's almost as if you can take yourself back to that time period when folks used a specific item.

As soon as I saw these old cubes, I remembered Disney's Peter Pan and Nana trying to clear the blocks before bedtime.

On the same street was this adorable little candy shop, super chic and colorful. The organization is just impeccable.

 

There were several clothing shops on the street offering great sidewalk sales. Going inside one of them... probably my favorite. They took an old grocery shop and kept the shelves and overall design of the shop and made a very unique clothing store. It's got an old vintage feel, I loved it!

 

And finally the beach! Amazing view, there was no one there and perfect weather :D

Enjoying the vitamin D and a good book!

 

Hope you guys are finally enjoying the weather!

Currently...

... learning: Usually we are not allowed to have drinks near the nurses station in the Emergency Department. There is a special hallway that is staff designated only, and a staff lounge in the hallway that allows for small breaks for snacks. So I was very confused when I saw these soda cans by the nurses desks. One of the nurses grabbed them and thanked another nurse for getting them. I was quite baffled. But anyway, I continued on with my work and then found these two cans AGAIN in a patient's room. The nurse came in and stated, "It's time to unclog that G-tube!" and grabbed the cans with excitement. Apparently coke is used medically to unclog the tubes; it has corrosive characteristics that's used in a medical setting. That's both awesome and insane!

... wearing: the weather is getting warmer, so I gotta rearrange my wardrobe. I'm not really looking forward to this. Warm seasons are not my favorite, it means wearing less clothes. And I like to bundle up. I've learned ways around this, like wearing light scarves, t-shirts, and sandals. I'm not a fan of shorts - it's not really something I ever wore in France and never could find a flattering pair. What's better than a white-t and jeans?

... enjoying: coffee. My roommate and I are heavily influencing each other's food and drink habits. Before we lived together, I was a very big tea drinker. I have 5-6 varieties at home, if not more, and am constantly finding the next one that I could enjoy. My roommate on the other hand, enjoys coffee and buys a different bag every once in a while. Sometimes, I tap into her stash and she does the same. So I figured I'd bring her a bag from a small coffee shop, and they had TONS to choose from. It smelled so good in there!

... relaxing: at the beach! Spent a weekend with some girl friends and got some much needed Vitamin C. We went to Lewes, Delaware to get away for a while and I definitely needed a change of scenery. I had such a good time!! The best part was being able to unplug from the internet! Bye bye Netflix and Hulu! Did a little bit of texting but otherwise I spent my days recharging and making connections with the small town. There ended up being some sweet sidewalk sales. I found a pencil skirt for $10, originally $80! And the bookstore also had a sale: I got Eat, Pray, Love for $1 and The Zookeeper's Wife for $5. Since I got back from the trip, I've been reading books. Thank you Lewes, for making me love books again!!

... eating: yummy yummy sushi! Currently visiting my friend in North Carolina, and she gave me a tour of Duke University and then brought me to a restaurant named "SushiLove". The campus is absolutely gorgeous! Have any of you gone to school there? The medical school, the nursing school, the graduate school, the undergraduate school... all on my immense campus! And it's so greeeeeen!! It almost feels like they purposefully built around the trees. My friend likes to call it our little Hogwarts. And there's Sarah P. Duke Gardens, I think I would have studied there all the time if I had gone to Duke, it's gorgeous there. Anyway, the sushi was amazing! The one pictured above is named Sunrise Lava Roll and it is hooooooot. At first your mouth is on fire, but then it settles down and you are kept at this heightened level of heat. Tongue continuously buzzing as you eat. I'd recommend it, but my friend would say otherwise ;)

PS. Linking up with Anne and friends here!

The Ann Taylor dress

A few posts back I linked this beautiful dress onto the blog as an item I wanted in my closet. I finally managed to head up Ann Taylor and figure out what size was right for me so I could order it online with a few promo codes.

First, let's talk about the importance of playing with your size. Here I am wearing a 4P, thinking that since I usually have short people problems, this was an easy fit. I also brought a 6P in the dressing room just in case I needed to size up. Unfortunately, it didn't quite fit - it's way to short. I felt like I was dressing up for a high school date night and felt incredibly underage. I had really quickly decided to give up on this dress, and then realized "Oh look! They have normal sizes too!!" So I tried a 4 normal. What a difference that makes! I felt like a grown up. You can tell from the first two photos above that the dress is too short - cuts me a good 2 to 3 inches above my knees - and the waist does not sit at my natural waistline. 

Comparing the first two photos to the ones below, you can tell the fit is much better.

 

 Necklace: one of the 3 H&M necklaces | Dress: Ann Taylor Dress | Sandals: Kenneth Cole Reaction

 

In the end I chose not to get the dress. I don't feel like it's a fit for my body shape, if I had a larger chest maybe? Or a smaller waist or larger hips? I don't know, it just doesn't give me a flattering figure, and that's my personal preference when it comes to dresses. Otherwise, the fabric is very tough and I wouldn't be afraid about see through stuff, the seams are done well - no lose threads. It's light enough for spring and summer, but warm enough for 60 degree weather. I would definitely wear this with a jean jacket and wedges or sneakers. 

I so wanted to love this dress, but this dress didn't scream "Pick me!" Check out how the dress looks on Fran, and let me know if you'd tried it on and what you think!

I need you in my closet | 5

This dress | That dress

These amazingly comfortable shoes 

This peasant blouse

PS. I apologize for the lack of posts in the last two weeks. I've literally gone from work to traveling to work and now back to traveling. It makes for some hectic posting schedules :( Anyhoo, things should start to die down so stay tuned!