I turned 19 on Saturday. 

If you ask me, that is such an irrelevant age – I’m already an adult but still a teenager. There’s no fun in being 19 so I’ll just lie to people and tell them I’m older.

I take back the no fun part – there was a little fun when my fam came up for the weekend and took me to The Big E. “The Big E” is a giant state fair in Springfield, MA that I’ve attended almost every year of my life, beginning when I was just a little fetus (but actually). Unfortunately Sunday was the last day but if you haven’t already been, I HIGHLY recommend you plan a trip next year – you’re tasetbuds will thank you. And if you don’t believe me, I have snapchat to prove it to you. Prepare to get hungry…

*Background Info* There are five “houses” (more like big brick buildings) at The Big E and each house represents a state in New England. The houses are full of food vendors selling food from their state. Example: the Vermont house sells maple syrup and the Rhode Island house has a bunch of seafood. Get it? Good, let’s continue.

New Hampshire’s corn – a personal favorite.

Donuts from… well, I don’t really remember.

The line for this bad boy was crazy long but totally worth it.

A little something to remind me of summer.

Obvi not chicken, but kettle corn.

And ice cream on the way out, just because.

 

It’s currently 9pm and I’m struggling to keep my eyes open – too much birthday, not enough sleep. Goodnight.

Samantha

Why you should go buy sneakers. Now. Right now.

via The Sartorialist  

I was scrolling through The Sartorialist the other night and could not help but notice that every single image portrayed an impeccably dressed woman… WEARING SNEAKERS. It didn’t matter how expensive the outfit or how exquisite the dress, everyone completed their ensemble with a sporty and very casual shoe. Up until now I had this idea that women who paired skirts with sneakers were more functional than fashionable but suddenly I’ve been forced to question that theory. Sneakers are no longer for the mere use of comfort and practicality but to actually make a fashion statement (what?!??).

If I really put my brain to work, it all kind of starts to make sense. That whole “effortless” look is in, right? So what says “I totally didn’t try, except I totally did” than a pair of fashion-forward sneaks (eek, never thought I’d say that); the answer is nothing. We must also accredit Stella McCartney for this trend, who paired up with Adidas to create her adidas by Stella McCartney line. Stella showed us that we can wear sneakers to red-carpet events as wall as/instead of the gym.

By no means am I protesting this trend that’s basically telling me it’s ok not to force my feet into a teeny tiny space with a super high heel. But I must admit this is all a little weird for me and will take some getting used to. Before this I thought sneakers were for moms and athletes, not the world’s finest fashionistas. Though I am very proud to announce that I’ve taken a baby step into the trendy direction and ordered a pair of white leather high-tops which I am super duper psyched about. My next step is summoning up the guts to pair them with my finest attire. We’ll see how well that goes.

via The Sartorialist

via The Sartorialist

Samantha

I wish I could put into words how crazy this past week has been, but I can’t.

I’ve started a new school year, in a new home, with new classes, and new faces – it is exhausting. With so many new things happening I’ve struggled to find a new training routine that works for my schedule. I’m slowly figuring out when I can run and where I can run but I still don’t have everything down-pat. Speaking of where to run, I got lost a few times last week while running outdoors, but then again it’s all part of the learning process. I also found myself unintentionally running an extremely hilly route and struggling to finish. On top of a new routine, my shins are struggling to grow accustom to my change in paths. At home I often run on dirt/gravel trails, but while at school I often run on the sidewalk or in the road. Hello shinsplints. While on my life-is-so-difficult rant I must add that I’ve been sick these past couple of days. There appears to be mold growing in my ceiling and my sinuses decided to go a-wall on me. Things got so bad on Sunday (my long run day) that I had to skip my run altogether. So now that I’ve bored you with all of my stresses, let me add that I am slowly but surely figuring my new routine out. Balancing classes, homework, training, work, and attempting to have a social like is very difficult – but then again, I love being busy. (That wasn’t sarcasm, I swear).

Samantha