Oh! The places I want to go

In the immortal words of Dr. Seuss:

You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.
You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. 
You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. 
Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. 
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
- Oh the Places You'll Go!


This has to be one of the best quotes from the entire book! I love to think about this book when I think about traveling. There is this whole, big, great world out there and I want to see it all! This book reminds me that anything is possible, as long as you set your mind to it.

The neat thing about my family is that at the dinner table, you have absolutely positively no idea where the conversation will lead. Our latest dinner conversation was very fun, indeed. 
(It is perfectly acceptable for me to rhyme after quoting Dr. Seuss, right?)

So here it is, my top 5 travel destinations:

Memphis, Tennessee

We've already established that I'm a huge Elvis fan, so Graceland is most definitely on my list but I also want to see Sun Studios, Beale St., etc.  My dad is from Memphis and I've always wanted to see where he grew up.

Savannah, Georgia
I live in the South and have seen so much of this wonderful region but I have never been to Savannah. How crazy is that? The New York Times recently ranked Savannah as one of the top 25 art cities in the country.

Giverny, France
Located right outside of Paris, was the home of my favorite artist, Monet. Seeing his gardens at Giverny, along with his famous Japanese bridge is definitely on my bucket list.

London, England
The National Museum.. Westminster Abbey.. Parliament.. Tower of London.. Harrods. That's just a start.

Rome, Italy
I'm an art history major, Rome is a must see!

Think I forgot a destination, leave me a comment!

The Ultimate Soirée

Here's something to think about....

My family and I have this list that we've been adding to for years now.  If you could throw the ultimate cocktail or dinner party, who would you invite? There are no limitations and you can pick anyone from any point in time.

This is my list

Claude Monet

He has been my favorite artist since I was a kid. I have always dreamed of visiting his garden in Giverny and would love to just talk about art with him.

Balanchine

I was a dancer for years and my focus was ballet and lyrical dance.  Balanchine was a legend when it came to choreography and just being able to chat with him about the world of dance would be amazing.

(Maybe he'd give me a lesson or two)

Princess Grace of Monaco

As you know from reading my first post, I was named for Grace Kelly. Not only was she an amazing actress but she was also a philanthropist and established her own foundation, The Princess Grace Foundation, which is dedicated to the education of theater, dance and film.

John Hughes

Creator of the Brat Pack and director of some of my favorite movies. I would love to know what it was like to work with Andy McCarthy, Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, and Patrick Dempsey just to name a few.

Coco Chanel

Fashion icon, Chanel paved the way for women's fashion. Her feminine designs reinvented what it mean to be classy and elegant.

"In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different." -Coco Chanel

Elvis Presley
Actor, singer.. Elvis did it all and I am one of the biggest Elvis fans you might ever meet. He could definitely provide the entertainment for the evening!

Josh Duhamel
He just seems like he would be fun to have at the ultimate cocktail party! Plus, just look at him.. need I say more? :)

My list is eclectic.. to say the least, but it would most definitely be a good time with such great company. So, who makes the cut on your list?

Pink, green.... and da Vinci

Today was yet another gorgeous day in South Carolina. I was finally able to pull out my brand new Lilly Pulitzer shorts! I ordered these back in January when we had snow on the ground and have been looking at them for weeks now waiting for spring to get here so I could finally wear them, let me tell you I was so excited to wear this outfit today! It was the perfect sunny day outfit.. pink and green patchwork shorts and my pink cardigan AND I was able to pull my beloved Jack Rogers out today as well.. it was just an all around great day! 

So I'm an Art History major with a minor in Business Management with my ultimate goal being to work in a gallery or museum. I get a lot of mixed responses when someone asks me what I'm studying in school.. to be honest one of my co-workers looked at me one day and said "So.. are you doing that until you figure out what you really want to do or is it, like, for real?" Another person looked at me and said "Oh ok, so like Charlotte on Sex and the City." I had never thought about that but they had a point, I mean Charlotte and I have the same style and career goal, so that was a pretty darn good comparison.

As I'm sitting in my Art History lecture class this past week, we had just started discussing the High Renaissance. When we got to Da Vinci's The Last Supper, we were talking about the context of the piece. This fresco is taking place right when Christ is telling the apostles that one of them will betray him.  Well, my professor points to one of the apostles, referring James the Greater, and says "Ok class, so here is an example of the first OMG moment ever recorded." I mean da Vinci was an incredible man, he thought of ideas that were way beyond his time, but who would have ever thought we would give him credit for documenting the first OMG moment? Interesting.

The Last Supper Leonardo da Vinci

(James the Greater is the second on the right from Christ)

I've really been enjoying writing my blog and giving my readers a little bit of insight into my world. As you can tell I write about everything under the sun from Lilly Pulitzer to the High Renaissance. The great thing about blogging is that you can literally blog about anything. I'm really interested to hear what y'all have to say about my posts and am even open to suggestions on what my readers would like to see me post next! 

Why hello again world, I'm back!

So the weather in South Carolina at the moment is absolutely wonderful.  Today close to 80 degrees and full of sunshine.. might I mention that its February? As I walked across campus today there were tons of students just lounging on the Horseshoe enjoying the beautiful weather.  That has to be one of the hundreds of reasons I love living in the South and being a USC student.  Although I spent my Valentine's Day weekend sick from all of the constant weather changes.. so not good for your sinuses!

Lately, everything seems to be happening and changing so fast.. we're already half way through February and I keep wondering where the time has gone.  Everything around me lately seems to be moving so incredibly fast.. it makes me think, wouldn't it be great if life had a pause and rewind button! I turn to music a lot to help me put things in perspective or just reflect on what is on my mind. Tonight, "Never Grow Up" by Taylor Swift is a great choice and brought me to tears, good tears though.. that made me realize just how important it is to appreciate what and who I have. That is something I think all people tend to forget when life gets tough. When things are difficult if we forget the important things and people especially, we'll be left with nothing.

On a brighter note, I think it is important to approach each day with a positive attitude and a smile. Someone once said "Remember to be happy because you never know who is falling in love with your smile." I think that's just so cute but so true. People notice your emotions and your body language and they'll remember that.. I'd rather someone remember me being the bubbly sometimes quixotic girl than the unhappy, mad at the world kind of girl.

So tonight I'm enjoying a wonderful dark chocolate and sea salt bar (sounds strange I know but its SO good) in my new spa shea moisturizing socks (or as my dad would say my "blogging" socks) listening to music, its a total relaxation night! 

That's all for tonight, check back with me tomorrow and we'll see what adventures the weekend has in store! 

What Would I Do Without You? My Winter Must Haves

In South Carolina we have the most strange winter season anyone could imagine. Somedays it is just down right cold and a few days later it feels like spring. To be honest, I'm ready for a little bit warmer weather, not to mention I just bought a really great pair of Lilly Pulitzer shorts that I can't wait to wear! So here they are, my winter must haves:

Patagonia Fleece Jacket

I don't have this exact jacket but mine is from a few years ago and one of the best investments. Its the perfect everyday fleece jacket, just throw it on and go! The neat thing about mine is that its reversible so its good in rain or shine. This is the Retro X jacket, its about time for a new Patagonia so this one might have to be my next investment.

Ray Ban's New Wayfarer 

Ok, so these are a year round must have for me. I always have my Ray Bans with me and the New Wayfarer are a little bit smaller frame wise than the original, which is perfect for me because I'm a smaller girl. The great thing about these glasses in particular is that they will NEVER go out of style. They are a timeless classic and I will be wearing mine 20 years from now. 

Cowboy Boots

These boots were made for walking. I love love love my cowboy boots. I have these pictured above, the cutouts add a girly touch and the heel is the perfect height. I have gotten my money's worth out of these and they are a great addition to a lot of my outfits. 

Pashmina Scarf

So I have this scarf in almost all colors. If you know me, you'll see me in one of my pashminas a few days out of the week. They are great and can add a little something extra to all of your outfits. They aren't too heavy and are great to wear from early fall to early spring. 

Of course all wardrobes have the essentials to go with your must haves. Jeans are a daily staple of mine, bootcut and skinny of course. My white and black solid long sleeve tee's go great with my pashminas. When I'm not in my cowboy boots, ballet flats are a go to item.  Basic sweaters are perfect for South Carolina weather and you can never go wrong with a good cashmere sweater. Can't wait to share with you my must haves for Spring! :)

Hi Y'all!

Welcome to my blog! So this is my first post, ever and I'm really excited to share with my readers more about me and what I find interesting. Let's talk about the title first.  John Hughes is a legend in the movie business. I'm sure we are all familiar with his timeless classics such as Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, and The Breakfast Club just to name a few.  I was asked in my Art House Cinema class on the first day, what film has changed your life the most? I would definitely have to say Pretty in Pink. The story line is a classic girl meets boy, girl and boy fall in love, girl and boy break up, then boy and girl live happily ever after, you know the story that every girl wants.  Therefore, I thought that would be a perfect title (not to mention that the soundtrack is amazing and I can literally quote every, single line from the entire movie). I recently saw a film that referenced John Hughes and his films and I must say, this quote is genius and I think that all us girls would most definitely agree:
"Whatever happened to chivalry? Does it only exist in 80's movies? I want John Cusack holding a boombox outside my window. I wanna ride off on a lawnmower with Patrick Dempsey. I want Jake from Sixteen Candles waiting outside the church for me. I want Judd Nelson thrusting his fist into the air because he knows he got me. Just once I want my life to be like an 80's movie, preferably one with a really awesome musical number for no apparent reason. But no, no, John Hughes did not direct my life."
- Olive Penderghast, Easy A
How great of a quote is that? Don't we all wish John Hughes directed our lives? Enough about movies and love and chivalry, lets talk about style! 


I believe that pink and green were two colors that were meant for each other and yes I'm a little on the preppy side (a little is a total understatement). I love all shades of pink and I believe that if there is one color that can truly brighten your day and make you feel like you are a great girl, then its pink (I also like yellow and Tiffany blue ;) ). We all have style icons and here's my list:

I should first mention my number one style icon and role model, my mom. This is a picture of she and I from my sweet sixteen birthday weekend a few years back.  She is my ultimate role model and the queen of style herself.  She taught me how to dress and to be confident. I have so much respect for her because she wears what she wants, how she wants and doesn't let anyone get her down. I mean she can even take an outfit from the 80s and make it work now, there isn't a direct style you could label her as. Its  the Jodi style and there aren't words to describe just how cool that is.

Grace Kelly
I should definitely include the person who was my dad's inspiration when naming me. Grace Kelly always exuded such great class and elegance and she is a true role model to me. I even wore an outfit almost exactly like this one for a pageant I was in and each contestant had to be a Hollywood icon, mine was definitely Grace Kelly. Her look was timeless and will never go out of style.

Lilly Pulitzer

I absolutely, positively love any and everything Lilly Pulitzer, always have. Any Lilly design can just brighten your day and should be a staple to your wardrobe. The pattern above is called "Checking In." I LOVE this pattern, I have the coozie, the day planner, oh yeah and its the background on my BlackBerry. The dress is the Adelson Shift dress from this Resort collection. This is my dream dress, I would love to add this to my wardrobe, but in pink of course! 

Audrey Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn is a style icon. She introduced us to the little black dress, pearls and of course the big sunglasses, all of which are staples in my wardrobe (you can never have too many little black dresses, I have quite a few and Saks 5th Ave has an entire floor dedicated to them). 

Jackie Kennedy

Sometimes I think I would have fit in perfectly with the 1960s. Jackie Kennedy reinvented the pill box hat, reminds us that pearls are an essential for our daily wardrobe and even introduced us to Jack Rogers sandals. Jackie has been one of my style icons since the 6th grade when I was given a book about the life and style of Jackie Kennedy as a gift. Classy and elegant, two things us girls should always remember to work into our wardrobe.

Whew, that was a lot for a first post! Check back with me soon and see what fashion items I could not live without!