Friday, April 29, 2016

Cherry Blossoms

Now that it's the end of April, spring is in full bloom.  In late March, I went home for the weekend of Easter.  My family visited D.C. on Saturday to see the cherry blossoms with my cousins.  Although we live about 45 minutes from D.C., we still don't visit enough.  It was my first time at the Cherry Blossom Festival and it was absolutely beautiful.  

There were so many people there.  My dad said this was the best he would ever see the cherry blossoms, because he was never driving through all of these people again.  If I ever do go again, I would go early in the morning before the crowds arrive.  Going early, you could probably find parking closer to the Jefferson Memorial.  If you go later in the day, I would recommend taking the metro.  While there aren't metro stops at the festival, by the time it's late afternoon, the only parking available is past the closest metro stop anyway.  If it's a nice spring day, a walk along the Mall to the cherry blossoms just enhances the D.C. experience, especially when there are so many different food trucks to stop at along the way!










The outfit I wore here is a timeless classic.  You can never go wrong with a white button downdark jeans, and Sperrys.  My watch is fairly old, but you can find a similar one here.  I would highly recommend any Kate Spade watch; I am big fan of all of their products. (See my planner, here.)


















We ended the outing with a gorgeous sunset on our walk back to the car.  It was a wonderful day with my family; sometimes the best times are spent doing simple things together.  Special thanks to my cousins for taking pictures of me!

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While I was writing this post, my roommate showed me an awesome Maroon 5 Medley.  I would have to say this is my song of the week.  With Victoria Justice and Max Schneider, it reminds me of the days when I used to go home, watch Nickelodeon, and not worry about anything!  Would you all be interested in a song of the week every post?  If you want to see more of what I listen to, you can follow me on Spotify, here

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Hakuna Matata

As mentioned in my last post, I went to Florida over my spring break.  That honestly feels like forever ago; it was a little over a month ago!  (Which feels like forever in my life right now.)  The post title, Hakuna Matata or "No Worries" definitely describes how I was feeling when these pictures were taken, but not as much right now. Schoolwork and activities have been seemingly non-stop since I got back from this vacation.  Looking back at these pictures reminds me that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and that the schoolwork and constant business will end soon.  (Actually, it will only end temporarily since I have an internship and I am taking classes this summer--but more on that later.)

These pictures were taken at Disney's Art of Animation resort.  As mentioned in my Snow Ready for Spring Break post, my sister is working at Disney this semester through the Disney College Program. That being said, I definitely got my fill of Disney for the week!  We stayed in The Lion King section of the resort.  I loved how everything throughout the resort was themed, having a real Pride Rock and Simba outside of my room made my visit even more magical.



A few years ago, my sister gave me this shirt.  She bought it online through the website Serengetee. This business gives 10% of its profits to a diverse range of causes all throughout the world.  They also purchase their fabrics from over 25 countries, supporting artisans and age-old fabric making traditions.  One thing that I think is really neat about this company is that each article of clothing supports a different cause. 

The shirt that my sister gave me helped support some region of Africa, though I do not remember which specific one.  Even within their selection of products supporting Africa, each design supports a different cause.  For example, buying something with this design will help provide medical care to women in Ghana where the fabric was made.  Whereas this design from South Africa supports sustainable community development in Kwazulu-Natal.

On the Serengetee website, you can shop by the style that you're interested in or the region you want to support. The majority of their products include t-shirts, sweaters, and tank tops with different frocket designs.  I love how the fabrics are designed and made by people who live in the regions, which reflects authenticity in the patterns.  What is even better is how they the support the people living there, like this fabric that is made in Nepal and provides aid to victims of last year's earthquake.

While I did not actually travel to Africa for my Serengetee shirt or my vacation, Disney transported me there through the decor outside and inside of the rooms.  Since this was my first time staying in a Disney resort, it was very special to me.  (I'm a firm believer that age is just a number!)  Even the bathrooms had a mural from the opening scene of The Lion King on the shower tiles; Disney certainly understands the importance of the details.  Our room was suite style, my parents stayed in the room shown above.

These classy giraffes reigned over the second bed in the room, the pull-out couch that my sister slept on. 

Since it was my family's first time going to any of the Disney parks besides Magic Kingdom, my sister wanted to go all out.  We designed our own shirts at Design-a-Tee in Disney Springs, formerly known as Downtown Disney.  The shirts proudly donned Mullins Family Vacation and a lion king graphic, which can be seen here and here.  Pure tourists and proud!  

One of my favorite things about our room was my sleeping spot.  When you pulled down on the handles next to the birds and pushed the chairs out of the way, my breakfast table transformed into my bed!  As a kid I always wanted to live in New York City and have a bed that collapsed into the wall, at the time I thought that was the coolest thing ever. After many fun, but very long and tiring, days of walking around the parks, my hidden nook with Simba was the perfect place to rest.  Just looking at this photo makes me feel at peace.


Don't forget to check out Serengetee for some cool shirts for great causes.  They also sell bags and accessories, which could make a unique birthday present, or gift to yourself!

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Wednesday, April 6, 2016

A Change in the Weather

When I went to Florida over spring break, there was a drastic (and pleasant!) change in the weather.  I have always loved Florida.  Ever since I was a kid, we would go to Florida once a year to visit my family who live in Tampa.  I've walked around their neighborhood dozens of times, but taking pictures this year made me notice the details of the surroundings so much more.  The colorful houses and flowers definitely fit the sunshine state vibe.



























Despite walking through some snow flurries yesterday morning on my way to class, I think (and hope) that now we have seen the last of freezing temperatures.  I wore this outfit in about 80 degrees, but it can certainly translate to any spring-time look by adding a sweater or switching the shorts to capris or jeans.  With only about a month left until my summer break, my spring fever is reaching an all time high.  I am ready to be wearing shorts and light colors for spring and summer again.  What did you all do for spring break?

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P.S. Everyday I'm considering moving to Florida more and more, snow in April is unacceptable.