Fall Bucket List

Happy Monday/Jewish New Year/National Mean Girls Day everyone, (#it'sOctober3rd)!

Today has been extremely boring, filled with college essays and homework. Ew. However, my immense workload is slightly lightened by the fact that it's officially Fall and it shouldn't get higher than 73 degrees for the rest of the week. It's not ideal pumpkin patch weather, but it's getting there, baby steps, guys.

 When I say that Fall is my favorite season, I'm really not messing around. I love the weather, the fact that you can't go outside with a sweater or jacket, the smells, colors, holidays, (guess who's turning 18 in November??) and the food. I am 10000% obsessed with autumn and anyone who says that they like Fall more than me is, in my opinion, delusional. I mean you'd be hard pressed to find anyone happier than me on Fall's rainy, chilly, overcast days.

Obviously I couldn't be more excited for the season's festivities, so I thought that even though we're only a few days into October, I should post my Fall Bucket List!

photo via 

I'll do my best to keep you guys updated on how I'm doing with the list, perhaps doing separate posts for each one I complete...? We'll see. I've already made some headway as I've gone to one of our high school football games, but the heat was sweltering so it doesn't really count as a Fall activity in my opinion.

What are you planning on doing this Fall?
xoxo, LC

Camp Recap

Hi everyone, long time no chat; it's been a couple of months so let's catch up! This may be a bit one sided but I'm willing to give it a try. 

How has your summer been? What have you been up to? Did you do anything interesting or meet any nice people since we last spoke? What was your favorite meal that you ate in the month of June? Have you developed a new favorite color since we had our last chat? Did you learn anything new or exciting since I left you?

Wow, that's awesome, thank you for sharing! Me? What have I been up to? Oh stop, you're too sweet. 

Well this summer, I spent seven weeks at my favorite place on earth, camp! I've been going to camp for the past eight years and this summer marked my ninth and final summer as a camper. Have no fear, I will be returning next summer as a staff member but having to say goodbye to my days as a camper at the place where I practically grew up was extremely difficult. Let's just say that I cried for hours and do not foresee any camp-related emotional stability in my near future. I had the summer of my life and as a counselor in training, or CIT, I met some amazing new people and learned so much about not only how to care for kids, but about myself as well. I also did some training as a lifeguard which was awesome and everything that I had ever dreamed it would be. I've wanted to be a camp lifeguard for as long as I can remember and actually getting the chance to shadow the lifeguards was an amazing opportunity for me.  

I loved spending the whole seven weeks rather than the short three week session that I usually attend, and it was so nice to have an extended break from not just school, but from the entire world. Camp is my safe place and second home, (click here to read my post from last summer about why I go to camp) but it is also a bubble and very isolating. I love it there and wouldn't trade these past seven weeks for anything, but I am happy and ready to be back. I need to get in the groove of things for senior year! I also have some exciting things planned for the blog so I'm stoked to get things rolling over here as well! 

I'll leave off with a few photos from this summer, until Wednesday! 

xoxo, LC

Let's chat about: The Martian by Andy Weir

I am hesitant to call this a review, because to be perfectly honest, what qualifies me to review anything? I guess no one really needs any sort of qualification to post a product or restaurant review on the internet but still, to label this post as a "review" seems so official, and significantly more boring. 

So I've decided to call this a chat. Granted, it's more of a one-sided chat, and the topic will be about a book- but nonetheless, this is a chat, not a review. Let's get into it!

If you read my last post (which you totally should btw,) you would know that I watched Interstellar a few days ago. And it totally blew my mind. Now I don't want to spoil anything so I won't go into details but let's just say that I will never look at the space time continuum the same way again. Not that I did too much looking in the first place, but still. Wow. 

Anyway, I guess I was in a 'space-y' mood , and needed a book to read whilst stuck inside so I happened upon the Martian in my kindle library. 

It had been so long since I started and finished an entire book, just for fun, and when I was a kid I used to read all the time. I mean I didn't even know what Disney Channel was until I was probably 7 or 8. TV just never interested me, and I went through tons of books. I used to devour any book I could get my hands on.  

And I didn't realize how much I had missed it until now.

The Martian in a word was: awesome.

It was a little science-y for me as someone who hated Chemistry, but other than that it was an easy read, appeared to me to be quite plausible, (anyone who knows any better feel free to call me out on that) and I loved it. It became a little redundant towards the end, I mean I get it; he has a life-threatening problem, and miraculously solves it using science and old tools. But still, overall a fantastic read. It only took me a day to finish it, and the science of it didn't steer me away. I was able to understand most of it, and when I didn't it didn't stop me from understanding the situation as a whole, or what was going on. It really pulled me in, and is an easy read for anyone looking for a quick fix because you won't be able to put it down.
And to be honest even though I don't usually like super science-y science fiction novels, I felt like the exact science in the book added rather than took away from its quality. The only thing I thought was missing in the movie was the science; without exact proof the film felt a bit far-fetched. So while it may be a bit daunting, it really made the whole thing believable, and even more compelling to read.

I think the main problem people have with science fiction is that you are forced to suspend all beliefs and just think, "Okay, so he can do ____. Got it." and just assume that in some hypothetical future, it could be possible. But with The Martian, you didn't need to do that, because everything is actually possible.
Another aspect of the book that I felt the author did an amazing job of was developing each character. In many science fiction books, the characters and their personalities remain untouched. Weir did an amazing job of covering all his bases about how a man being stranded on Mars would affect everyone else involved, like the crew and the higher-ups in NASA on earth. The additional conflicts between the people on earth in their attempts to save Mark Watney added to the suspension of the novel and hooked you in even deeper.

Overall: 9/10
Would definitely recommend!

xoxo, LC

8//28- Day in DC

I spent my last Friday of summer at the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum (both in the same building) and had an amazing time. I was really itching for some culture since coming home from London and got to see some really cool artwork in both museums. My favorite part was probably the contemporary art gallery in the American Art museum even one of my favorite pieces was the painting of the War of 1812 a few pictures down. (Ps the last photo is not from the museum but an Anthropologie close by that we stopped into.) 

xx

xx

UK Trip- The Second Installment

School is in less than two weeks and I am less than pleased about it. I have had the most amazing summer and am so grateful for all of the experiences I've been fortunate to have. I just don't want it to end. I genuinely feel as though this summer has changed my life for the better. Oh well, I knew I would have to go back to reality eventually. On a better note, welcome to my second (long overdue) trip recap!

We only had one day in Scotland :( which we spent in a city called Edinburgh (pronounced Ed-in-bore-oe by the English, and Ed-in-bra by the locals!) I fell absolutely in love with Edinburgh, so much so that I dragged my parents over to the visitor's center for Edinburgh University and grabbed a pamphlet or two because the school is incredible. It's a city campus similar to NYU, however these buildings are already significantly older than the entire city of New York. It was incredible and  Edinburgh stole my entire heart. Anyway, we visited the castle and did a ton of Scottish shopping around the city, purchasing three scarves and more, because when in Scotland amiright?? Overall we had an amazing day, despite the cold, darkness, and rain.
WARNING: photo overload ahead

We slept over in Edinburgh and then headed over to Ireland super early in the morning via ferry. We arrived in Belfast, a port city of Ireland where we visited the Titanic museum. The Titanic was built in Belfast and departed from their port, so the museum was built pretty much on top of the dock and primarily focused on what went into building the ship and how it affected the Irish people. Not my favorite part of the trip but still interesting nonetheless. If you follow me on Instagram (which you totally should) you'll know that I posted the same photo as below of the Titanic Museum and ironically it looked to me as thought the museum was underwater. I thought that to be a bit odd. After the museum we continued onward to Dublin, which I'll talk about in my next post!

To be continued... xx

One Moment- Why I Go To Camp

I'm back and as I say every year, I've just had the best three weeks of my life! Even though my camp experience was slightly eclipsed by the fact that I had just gotten home from Europe, the best trip I've ever been on; I still had the best time. I got a chance to be in Disney on my own with people whom I treat like family and then got to spend 2 more weeks living with them full time in one of my favorite places ever.  I honestly couldn't have asked for a better camp experience. I found my way on my own a little bit and strengthened bonds with friends that I didn't know could be any stronger! I  have loved going fo camp for the past eight summers of my life, and felt as though it needed a small tribute over here on the blog in the real world. So here we go!

For those of you who have never been to camp or went and didn't like it, you might be wondering why I choose to give up all connection to the outside world for three weeks just to hang out with friends that I could quite easily see here at home. It's a very hard thing to articulate but the easiest way I've found to explain it is by centering it around one moment. 

High school is hard. Between sports, student government, college, youth groups, friend groups, school, parents, teachers, grades, etc. I, and many others such as myself, feel as though I am being pulled in eighteen-hundred different directions at once. No matter how down-time I get (not a whole lot,) when I'm not focused on one thing, you better be sure that I'm thinking about another. Dreams are riddled with fears of failing or college rejection, friends text about which girl deserves the top spot in the boat, there is no break until school ends. So for me, camp has evolved from just a place of growth and change, to a safe place to escape the intense responsibility that I am constantly dealing with at home. 

I go to camp for that one single solitary moment. That second of my life that I can be four years old again and spin around in a circle as fast as I can while laughing at the top of my lungs, trying my best not to fall over. I go to camp because I only have to stress about why there are only green apples instead of red; or whether we're going to the pool or the lake that day. Camp is a safe place where I can grow into myself and figure out who I want to be without any pressure from anyone. Camp is home, which is why I go back summer after summer. 

xx

Stand Out

Warning: Slightly rant-y post ahead which I highly recommend you read because I worked incredibly hard attempting to articulate how I've been feeling for quite some time AND this is a post that could be extremely beneficial for anyone to read. However if you choose not to and would prefer to wait for a more lighthearted post when I get back from campI totally understand; just know that my feelings will be hurt and I will have to seriously reconsider our friendship as a a whole. Thank you for your time, enjoy!

Being different was never something I struggled with. For as long as I can remember people were always telling me how unique I was, because I was always the loud, ants-in-your-pants type, (not to mention I was a major tomboy from the age of 8-11) . I was always voicing my opinions whether people wanted to hear them or not, I was running around with my friends doing whatever seemed the most fun at the time, and when everyone else was buying whatever was super trendy from Justice or Limited Too, I was proud to turn my nose up and walk away in my Etnies, basketball shorts, and swim-meet t-shirt. (Yes I am aware that I looked ridiculous, but c'mon, everyone had an awkward pre-teen phase.)

Then somewhere along the way I lost that. Now I'm just not talking about wanting different clothes, (growing out of that phase was definitely a blessing,) I'm talking more along the lines of interests. Out of nowhere I almost stopped taking pictures altogether, which was a hobby that I was passionate about, yet never had the time to focus on. Even thought I loved art and reading I never seemed to have the time for those either; it was always about which show I was watching on Netflix next. When I first realized that everyone was wearing Brandy Melville, it suddenly became an emergency for me to buy one of their tank tops that barely fit me.
I started hating school because it felt like I had no friends. So I blamed it on high school as a whole, figuring that everyone hates high school and that it really is just the worst four years of your life and you just get through it. Then once you're done, life gets better. Turns out, it was mainly because the friends I had, I didn't like all that much. They were shallow and petty and always seemed to be complaining about something. By spending my time with them, I totally forgot to embrace the positive things that were going on around me.
 From the best posting hour to the perfect filter, Instagram posts took hours to prepare rather than seconds. It's absurd to think that an app that was originally created to share what was going on instantaneously, was being used to create a carefully curated museum of photographs of how much fun one might be having with their friends. Phrases like, "She's not that skinny in person," or "My like-to-minute ratio is so bad right now," and "I would never post two days in a row," had become so mundane that I had also fallen victim to them. I looked at my personal account and realized that although it was filled to the brim of photos of my friends and me, laughing and smiling, it didn't actually say anything about myself. And that's the whole point right, expressing yourself? So why wasn't I doing that?
All of a sudden I felt like I was two different people, there was me at home, who was more creative and actually shared what I thought, and then when I left my house, there was a totally different version of myself that wasn't all that interesting. That girl was too interested in which episode of Gossip Girl she was on or what shirt she wanted to buy next.

So here I am, writing this now as sort of a promise. A promise to myself, and to anyone who might be reading this, that I'm sincerely going to try to be myself as much as I can.
When I was in Ireland, we went to the amazing farm were we saw an actual sheep dog run around and herd sheep. The funny thing about it was that no matter what the dog did, the sheep all stayed together no matter where they went. They all followed each other, and couldn't find their way without one another. Well, I'm sick of being a sheep. My mom always said that teenagers were like sheep, I just hadn't realized that I had become one. From now on, I only want to spend my time with friends that inspire me to be more creative, not to blend in better. I am truly sick of not being with people I enjoy, or feeling like I have to be ten separate people just to walk down the hallway. 

Now I'm not trying to say that this is easy. I mean who knows; a year from now I could be in the exact same position I am in right now, only because I didn't have the courage to break away. Which is not an unreasonable assumption. It's scary to stand out, because when you break about from the familiar, the results become an unknown; and that's pretty terrifying.
However I hope that I figure it out. Because I don't know what's to come in the year ahead and I really hope that I'm happy and more myself this time. And overall, I hope to share that person here, without any barriers. I want to be able to express myself however I can without getting caught up in whatever bs might be trending at that moment. It is so important to be yourself; which is never part of a cookie cutter mold. Stand out. 

So I invite anyone who might ever see this to be yourself. Do whatever it takes, no matter how scary to make yourself happy. Good luck!

Sidenote: After I wrote this I saw a post on Classy Cathleen's blog about how bloggers should try to be themselves which I think sort of ties into what I was saying so click here to get to it!

xoxo

UK Trip- The First Installment

Welcome to the first official recap of my trip to the UK, (and as I recently discovered, does not include most of Ireland, which I did also visit!) I thought that I'd just go through what we did each day of the tour and post a few pictures, all in four different posts over the course of the next few weeks! So here goes:

For our trip my family decided to go with a tour group because it was our first time there. Although we didn't know who was going to be on the tour, or what age bracket it would consist of (I was the youngest person there,) I'm really glad we did. It was an awesome opportunity to meet some really great people, including a 75 year old couple who summer in an RV in Mexico and are currently backpacking across Europe. Pretty amazing, I know. Anyway, the tour was ten days long, however we felt as though that wasn't long enough, so we flew up two days early, and rented a flat for about five days after the tour had ended (more on the flat later.) So when I posted a few weeks ago about falling in love with London, that was during our time on our own before the tour had started. In hindsight, I am really glad we had two days on our own because we got a chance to figure out what we wanted to do on the backend that the tour didn't include.

So the first place we went to with the group was Cambridge University! While I could never get in there, I'm glad I went because the school is gorgeous. Every building you see has these beautiful, ornate, gothic carvings that you hardly see in America, if ever. Then we went to two small cities called York and Durham, which were just as amazing. We walked around these great big churches and whilst walking through the towns, I actually felt like I was in Harry Potter. The buildings are all sticking out into the alleys full of cobblestone streets and the houses are pretty much leaning on top of each other because they're so old. It was in awe at how seemingly every single thing we walked by had some sort of historical significance.

Bridge near the entrance to Cambridge

Beautiful buildings in York

It was then that we ventured up north to my new favorite place, Scotland. Putting aside the ridiculous looking kilts and the fact that their national animal is a Unicorn; Scotland is just an amazing place. I loved it from the second I stepped off the bus and then promptly ran back on for my jacket because it was like 50 degrees in the middle of July. I honestly can't put into words how much I loved it because it would take too long, so I'll just carry on with the end of this post. Our first stop in Scotland was the home of Sir Walter Scott, a world renowned (now dead) writer who was given the title of Baronet when he recovered the Crown Jewels in Edinburgh Castle. This guy was incredible. He was obsessed with collecting things, and wanted his mansion to look just like a medieval castle so in every hallway, every stretch of wall had some odd artifact on it. It was awesome. We then drove to our hotel and crashed for the evening because we had some pretty amazing things to do the next day in Scotland!

To be continued...

xoxo

{june favorites}

Long time no read everyone! Sorry I've been so busy, I had some personal things going on last week, so unfortunately timely blogging won't get crossed off of my summer bucket list :( However, I did get a few other things done! As of right now I have been to a pool party, made some money, and been to a baseball game! Summer so far has been treating me pretty well; and only 4 days until I am off to the UK! I wasn't sure about how blogging would go once I'm over there, but I think I'm going to be able to blog twice a week there. Anyway, here are a few things that I've been into this month!

TV Show/Suits

Seasons 1-4 available on Amazon Prime, and how could you not with these faces?

Song/Cheerleader

ultimate summer jam song. enough said. 

Book/Cleopatra: A Life- Stacey Schiff

Clothing Item/ Sundresses. It get pretty frickin hot in Maryland. Like 90 degrees with 70% humidity king of hot. And this year I have finally figured out how to step outside without melting, the answer to my problem lies in sundresses. Here's a link to a recent post I did about a sundress I picked up from Forever 21 for 30 dollars. (!!)

Store/This has to go to Forever 21, a store that been the the greatest provider for my Summer 2015 clothing update. For the longest time I judged Forever 21 for their cheap, super trendy clothes that I couldn't imagine even looking at someone wearing, let alone buying myself. But once I realized that it simply wasn't realistic for me to buy every single single in the J. Crew store, I hauled my judgemental butt over to the massive, two-story monstrosity that is Forever 21. And I actually found some cute, reasonably priced items! So much so, that I've been back a few times since, walking out with one or two things each time and happy that I went. So I hereby admit defeat and have become a typical teenager. Oh well, it had to happen eventually. 

What have you been into this June?

xoxo, Chesapeake Classic

{Summer Reading List}

I spent last summer trying to get through The Goldfinch. Eventually, I got to the finish line and it only took a year and a half. I did take frequent and elongated breaks, but that book is still a trek rather than a stroll. It was good, and definitely worth it, but this summer I hope to read more than just one book (fingers crossed.) These are the books I hope to get through by September and will attempt to review on the blog as I complete them; feel free to read along side me! xx

Cleopatra: A Life- Stacey Schiff

Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be- Frank Bruni

Chanel No. 5-Tilar J. Mazzeo 

This Town-Mark Leibovich

Boys In The Boat- Daniel James Brown

1984- George Orwell on my school's summer reading list :(

As you can probably tell, I'm taking a bit of a non-fiction route this summer. What do you plan to read this summer?

xoxo, Chesapeake Classic

{Workout Tips}

Happy Thursday everyone, we're almost to Memorial Day Weekend! This week has honestly flown by so quickly, it's ridiculous to think that in about two weeks I'll be taking my finals and then a junior in high school. That's insane. 

Anyway, today's post is about fitness! Mainly inspired by this video I saw of Michelle Obama on twitter yesterday, but also because crew season just ended and the time has come for me to work out on my own. Yes, feel free to shed a tear. No, it's really not that bad, I am just much more motivated to when I'm with my friends and we're actually out on the water.  Not only is crew over, but the thought of being in a bikini all summer scares the living daylights out of me, so consistently working out is pretty important right now. 

I am extremely grateful that my family has an elliptical, rowing machine, and a treadmill in the house so it's pretty easy to work out at home. My dad is also retired air force so if we need to use a gym we just go down to Walter Reed (a military base and hospital) and use theirs, they have the nicest pool. I've tried running outside, but in the humid Maryland summers I really don't see that working out too well for me. Here are a few tips for working out on your own! xx

Stay hydrated-While drinking during your workout is important, staying hydrated throughout the day is just as vital, (if not more.) I know from my own workout experiences that when I don't drink the whole day my mouth gets super dry right in the middle of my cardio, which kinda sucks. I personally like to keep a water bottle with me at all times during school to remind myself to keep drinking.

Invest in Clothing- I know a lot of people think that workout clothes are a waste because all you do is sweat in them, but I definitely recommend investing in some cute gear. It doesn't have to be expensive, but I know that I always feel more powerful when I feel good about my body and know that I look cute. Doesn't sound like much, but is a serious game-changer for me.

Get on a Schedule- Routine is key here. When transitioning from a structured, practice-every-day life into a practice-free life, it can be hard to stick with a fitness routine. That's why making a schedule is so important. If you write down when you plan to work out, the odds of actually going through with it are much higher!

*via pinterest*

What do you do to stay fit? xoxo, Chesapeake Classic

{Lilly x Target}

All I have to say about Lilly for Target is wow. Oh my god, the stories I've heard are insane. One of my friends told me that she had to physically shove someone within 5 minutes of the store's opening just to get the pants she wanted. And so, just like any other blogger, I feel the need to share my Target Lilly story. So here goes.

We sort of missed Lilly for Target.  On the nineteenth, I had a regatta (#crewislife) and had to drive all the way up to Philadelphia and back. So my mom and I hadn't really focused on it until around 7 AM when we both freaked out because we had forgotten. My mom went on the Target website, only to discover that everything on site was either sold out, or crashing due to the insane amount of people trying to order online. It was then that we thought we would never see Lilly x Target again. 

But, the next day my mom, (who definitely wins mom of the year by the end of this story) went to four different Targets to find what was left over or had been returned. And she found a phone case, some candle holders, and two headbands! So she kept going. From last Sunday to today, my mother has probably been to Target at least 15 times. In the past five days. If that's not dedication then I don't know what is. And all of her efforts have paid off! 

In summation, if I had to take something meaningful away from this absolutely crazy experience, it's that patience does in fact pay off. We weren't the first people in the store, fighting for that last Lilly flip-flop; but we still managed to get an amazing haul! Here are a few things that  I got! (not everything I got is pictured) 

xoxo, Chesapeake Classic

{What's in My Carry On}

Traveling is probably one of my favorite things to do. I've been flying since I was little and have since grown to be obsessed with anything travel related. Flying, airports, planes, car rides, rest stops; anything. I love traveling; every aspect of it. So the fact that I am flying to Memphis tomorrow to visit one of my best friends is pretty exciting for me.

Now despite how much I love to fly, it does come with a lot of preparation, which is why I tend to gravitate towards the same few things that I seem to be needing in my carry-on every time I fly. Here they are!

Earbuds//Longchamp//iPod//Book//Hand Lotion//Magazines//Wallet//Sunglasses//Pinch Kit

xoxo, Chesapeake Classic