LIFE LATELY
Whelp, I certainly did not intended to take a three-week blogging hiatus. But December got away from me real quick. I started the month with my trip to Indiana and just four days later I left for a long work trip in Spain. From Spain, I traveled to Paris for a quick holiday getaway before heading back to Florida for a little family time and warm weather.
As I packed between Indiana and Spain, I realized that I was only going to spend a total of four nights at home in December! Stupidly, I thought I could keep up with blogging through all of this, but I was so wrong!
Spain turned out to be amazing but insanely busy. I was invited by the Spanish government and Education commission to participate in two weeks of travel through Spain that connected US institutions with Spanish universities in the hopes of cultivating more study abroad opportunities. My university is looking to expand in Spain, so it was the perfect opportunity. Over the two weeks I visited seven cities and met with more than 30 universities! Like I said, amazing but busy.
Over the years I have learned that whenever someone else is paying for your trans-Atlantic plane ticket, you make the most of it. Flying from the US to Europe is expensive but the ticket price is almost always the same whether you are traveling for 12 days or 19 days. So, I always try to extend my stay and pick up a cheap European flight to somewhere new, or one of my favorite cities. In this case it was Paris. Don’t worry, I will be sharing all of my Parisian adventures and a couple of Spain travel posts this month.
PRESENTS, SALES, AND SUCH
I love this time of year. Not only are there gift cards to be spent, but sales are abundant. While in Paris, I picked up a couple of cute items from Maje and Sandro, two of my favorite Parisian brands. I picked up this pretty dress (currently 30% off with an additional 20% off) and this fun bomber jacket and red skirt (both on sale!). And of course, the famed Lilly After Party sale starts tomorrow online and today in stores!
As far as Christmas presents go, I received some pretty amazing ones this year. My sis donated to Emily’s List in my name, which I think was my favorite gift of all! We also got matching “Wild Feminist” tees and I got her these epic notebooks lol.
UP NEXT
Now that I am back home I am hoping to get back to my regular schedule and healthier eating and sleeping habits. I definitely indulged way to much in Europe and over the holidays, so it is time to get back in the gym and lay off the sugar! Fortunately, this spring is looking fairly calm in terms of travel, which is good as I enter the final stages of my dissertation. I am hoping to defend when I get back from Italy this summer (fingers and toes crossed).
Up next on the blog will be a fashion-focused recap of Paris followed by travel posts highlighting Seville, Cordova, and Palm Beach.
As far as the blog goes, I have not set any new goals. I plan to just keep sharing my style, travel, and academic career. That said, I would love to hear what you would like to see more or less of here. Feel free to comment below.
If you’re curious, this was my most popular post of 2017!
Happy New Year!