Define normal. . .

I've had some internet issues the last few days so this post is going to be a simple one. I don't think my computer is back up to par just yet so I'm giving it a little slack and a little time to fully recover.

So. . .lets talk about books!

Most days, especially lately, I have been reading like there is no tomorrow. I read pretty much any sort of genre, but young adult fiction of any kind is my favorite. I'm also really picky about my books, they have to draw me in somehow either with the cover or the subject matter. I actually have always been really jealous of those people who can just pick up any book and suddenly be completely emersed. Well that's not me, so girly, pretty things rule in my world.

I never expected to enjoy Matched by Allie Condie as much as I did. The cover is beautiful and I read the summary a few times at Target, but always ended up not buying it. So when I saw the book at the library I thought why not give it a shot. And let me tell you, I read this in 2 nights and I am thrilled this book is being turned into a trilogy because I can't wait for more!

When I was probably in 3rd of 4th grade we read The Giver by Lois Lowry in class. This is the first thing I thought of when I started reading Matched. The society is very similar in many ways. Everything is basically decided for you in this world, what you're going to eat, where you're going to work, who you're going to marry, and when you're going to die. In The Giver the story focused mostly on job assignment and while that is touched on in Matched, it is mostly about potential marital "matches." 17 is the matching year for these kids and they can be matched at any time during that year depending on when their match also turns 17. Matches are made very scientifically through basically survival of the fittest. The person you are matched with is said to be the absolute perfect match for you.

The story follows Cassia, a girl who is matched to a boy she knows which is almost unheard of since the database is full of millions of 17 year olds. At the beginning she never questions the society or why the officials do what they do, but there is a glitch with her micro chip that reveals biographical information about her match and she sees another boys face, whom she also knows. Cassia starts realizing that maybe there are decisions to be made and she starts rebeling against the society and starts to use her own thoughts more than she ever did before.

I really enjoy dystopia and being able to imagine what it would be like to live in a world with these rules and what I would be assigned to do and in this case who I would be matched to. This book is really well written and uses some poems that make their way through the story. I love seeing really strong female characters who didn't really know they possessed this strength before, and that is definitely the description of Cassia. I kept trying to slow down not wanting it to end but at the same time I had to find out what happened next. The characters are really easy to get attached to and really relateable even though they live in this strict society. I would absolutely, 100% recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun read! I think this is one of those books that crosses lines and is easily enjoyable by almost anyone, no matter what your reading preferences. Well I guess as long as you enjoy futuristic type novels. . .

you'll like this if: you enjoyed The Giver growing up, The Uglies series by Scott Westerfield (also one of my favorites!), or The Hunger Games (which I have only heard, I still haven't read those books! I know I'm the only one who hasn't.)

Brave New Beauty by LaurenL0vesL0ve on Polyvore.com

Being a Florida girl and a self-proclaimed tan-a-holic, summer is always on my horizon even if it's Christmas. Now that it's finally almost here, here are a few of my favorite beauty picks for the upcoming most wonderful season!

I can never stress how important sunblock is. I use it like it's going out of style and one of my favorites is this Neutrogena cooling mist. Our summers are sweltering here in the South and this is perfect if there's no water to jump into.

That being said, it's way too hot to be one of those girls who never goes in the pool. Sea Salt spray is my best friend this time of year, and I am really excited to try the new Bumble and Bumble one.

The Urban Decay Naked Palette has all the perfect colors for summer. I personally love golds and champagnes to bring out a tan. I love to use a little pop of color in my makeup too, and blue and purple eyeliner to bring out my blue eyes is my favorite trick. Along the same makeup lines a good bronzer is my most important beauty product for summer fun. Benefit Hoola is my absolute favorite. Don't forget the waterproof mascara! I don't know why but any mascara with one of those plastic/silicone/bendy applicators is high on my list. So descriptive and concise right?

I don't know about any of you, but I really get sucked into buying these limited edition Stila palettes. The new summer ones look like they're going to be really pretty, although I am going to miss the cream blush from the ones last year. I'll still buy them anyway though. . .ugh!

Coral lips and nails are still my favorite like I said in yesterday's post, and my favorite blush is a little bit coral too actually. It's a MAC Cremeblend blush called Joie de Vivre, I don't think it's the exact one in the photo however.

Anyone have any essentials that I missed? And what are your summer must haves?

Love, Lauren

Garden Party

Garden Party by LaurenL0vesL0ve featuring lock bags




Happy Easter everyone! I can't believe how fast the spring has gone by! I feel like it was just finally time for some brighter colors and where I live we're already way into bikinis and flip flops! Here's a little outfit insprired by Easter and all the beautiful flowers outside!

I'm really loving these dresses and shirts that start with a trickle of the design at the top and end up (in this case) in a full on Garden Party at the bottom! I think they look fresh and flirty and perfect for the spring and summer!

I've also been into mixing harder and softer elements and I think this leather jacket looks amazing with the pretty floral dress.

Structured bags and coral lips are also atop my list for the summer this year! Coral lips seem to suit everyone with lots of different variations to choose from.

Throw on a floppy hat and some pretty heels or wedges and you're ready to go!


I'm going to go eat mass amounts of chocolate and then I think go see Water For Elephants later today! I hope you lovelies have a great day and week! Summer is coming!

Between Bolly and Hollywood

What better way to start off my re-vamped blog than with a post near and dear to my heart, fashion. Being a Florida girl (for now!) I live in flowy dresses and sandals whether I want to or not pretty much year round. It can be hard to create your own style when everywhere you turn there are girls wearing a similar variation of your outfit. I like to keep things simple by choosing a theme and adding a few eye catching accents and mixing easily attainable pieces with my own vintage or thrifted harder to find items. Right now I'm really inspired by Eastern prints and I love the mix of bright colors with more earthy, neutral tones.

This American Eagle dress is at the top of my want list right now. I love the almost tribal floral print and the pink accents in the ruffle at the neckline.

I love bright and neon colors for spring and summer. Right now I am loving that sort of hybrid neon between pink and orange that isn't quite coral and isn't quite salmon. To tie in the pink in the dress I love that hybrid neon nail polish and some pretty pink Indian bangles from Amazon.

Sam Edelman makes quite possibly my favorite shoes on the planet. These simple sandals bring in another pop of pink but are still simple and effortless.

When I visited Thailand I found this amazing elephant charm that I quickly made into a long necklace as soon as I got home. Mine looks quite similar to this little guy from Modcloth.com and I love how it brings a little rustic element back to the outfit and also adds a little more of that Indian flair.

To add a little more of the earthy element I would finish this outfit with a wide braided belt around the waist and a chunky sweater for when the sun goes down.

For prices and where to get any of the items featured just click on the picture!

She's a fake!

Growing up my mom used to tell my sister and me stories of all the places we would go someday. She told us about her senior trip to Paris and how much she wanted to take us back there someday, and how we would walk through the narrow streets of Santorini admiring the beautiful stark white and blue buildings. We haven't made it to either of those places as a family yet, but both my sister and I have dabbled in those areas of Europe, althrough separately. I've realized over the last few weeks that I fully and completely blame my mother for becoming the little nomad I claim to be today.

This is the place my mind wanders to whenever I'm stressed or am having a bad day. Beautiful Coogee in Sydney. Not many things are as perfect to me as the moment captured in this photo.

I have a secret though. I'm a fake! Yep, this nomad hasn't moved in 2 years, yes 2! In fact the only time I've been out of Florida was to go home to Chicago twice, not my idea of a crazy adventure. And while I know I'm working toward something better in my life, I can't help but feel the longing to get on a plane to somewhere beautiful and never look back.

The most beautiful place I've ever seen: New Zealand. I wish I knew the exact lake, but it's somewhere on the South Island.


My sister, Alana, and I have a not so secret dream to be on The Amazing Race. Sometimes on Sunday nights we spend the hour on the phone discussing who would do the roadblock and which detour we would take. Of course the whole time complaining that we could have done that so much faster and discussing what kind of matching outfits we would get (Come on, we're girls!). Last week we realized we have never been out of the country with each other though, except for some family cruises to the Caribbean! We both have quite a growing list of amazing places we've been to and with much regret, none of them match. The only upside to that. . .major Amazing Race advantage in a lot of different parts of the world. And none of this is good for my growing need to see the world right now!

By far the scariest and most enlightening trip of my life. Even though it's probably inappropriate, this picture was taken in Bangkok, Thailand. My ideal home decor is a mix of Thai and Indian patterns. I love the rich colors and the abstract geometric designs.

There is a lot of change going on in my life and the lives of my family right now. With all of this said, this blog is going to be changing a lot. I've realized I don't write much because I don't really know what to write anymore. I've grown up a lot since I started this and I want this blog to reflect that. I'm more interested in diy interior design and decorating now, ugh! I think that means I'm getting old! Also cooking and fashion have always been passions of mine. So I think this will be turning into a more diy type blog. Some home improvement projects I've been doing, outfits I'm putting together and loving, recipes I've made. All while still focusing on my love of travel and need to see the world. I find a lot of my home projects and the clothes I wear are reflections of far off beautiful places that I've either seen or would love to see someday. I'm also going to be sharing some stories from my travels. I find myself remembering crazy stories occasionally and not being able to believe that I almost forgot about that. I want them written down somewhere so they'll never be forgotten.

Stay tuned for the changes! It will be fun! xoxo

What better time than now?

A month into 2011 and this little nomad has already moved. . .twice! Ok once my stuff and once my sister's stuff but it still counts. I am happy to report that my new apartment is adorable and I love my new roommate. Drama free year here I come!

Taking my sister home to Chicago and back to school was sad to say the least. I lost my built in friend, and with my somewhat new single relationship status I quickly began to realize that I am low in the friends department. Partly because of where I live, people my age are constantly being shuffled in and out, but mostly because I was relying too much on my sister and boyfriend to provide my entertainment. So resolution number 1 for the year: make friends without agenda and regardless of whether they will still be here in 6 months. So far so good, I'm having lots of fun with my girls and some Brazilians!

I have also decided this is going to be the year to make some serious life decisions. I applied for an exciting new job a few days ago and I will hopefully see an outcome from that in a few weeks. No jinxing, more details to come. I've had some serious petitioning for my return to Australia and I'm really thinking about it. It always was my plan to go back to live there, life just kind of got in the way. I think that if nothing career-wise has happened for me by the end of this year there will be a big move happening. I miss Sydney so much. And I realized last week it has been almost 3 years since I was there. WHAT??? That's crazy talk. How could 3 years possibly go by that quickly? It's nuts. 3 years ago today I was absolutely freaking out about leaving in 10 days having no idea what to expect.

There are these new Disney commercials for the new memories celebration that started this year. It's hard to remember every single day how special my world is to most of the people coming through my park on a daily basis. I take it for granted and wonder what weird/frustrating guests I'll meet today. But seeing those commercials brings me back to just how magical my world is. Every few months I have one of these moments where something happens and I am reminded of just how lucky I am to be spending my days with Mickey Mouse. It really brings me back to where I need to be and suddenly it's not about the annoying guests or co-workers anymore. It's about the magic and it's perfect.

I'm going to live this year to the fullest of my ability. I want to step out of the shadows, take hold of my life and make it what I want it to be. This year is going to be amazing!

Happy Thanksgiving!

There's no day better, or sadder for this little nomad on one of her first holidays out in the real world. True, I have been away from my family on holidays before but it always eats at your heart just a little bit. This year I have my sister with me though and we're planning a big night!

Both of us are working today, but on holidays at Disney we form an even tighter knit family within our units and areas as we all share in the unfortunate circumstance of having to work on this day when everyone else is eating to their hearts content and more! So if I were all by lonesome I would actually prefer to be at work, which is so wrong I can't even begin on that subject. The same goes for Christmas, not to mention how magical my little Hollywood stage is on that day just a month away now!

So by 9 tonight my sister and I will both be home to make an abridged version of Thanksigiving dinner, for the sake of time as well as my vegetarian status. We'll eat way too much green bean casserole and watch Elf (because sister darling claims she has never seen it before!) and prepare for our 4am wake up call to shop our way to sleep by 9 or 10am. I have actually never really done the whole Black Friday thing before except for Target and Walmart to get cheap movies, so I'm pretty excited and nervous for this whole experience.

Until then I'm just preparing for work and making brownies for later, all while watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade just like I did with my mom when I was younger. Reminding myself how thankful I am for everything I have and to be with family on this lovely holiday when I know there are so many people out there spending today by themselves.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!