Thursday Threes

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I have officially started training for my 1/2 marathon that I am planning on running this fall! I am so excited to be training because I love to run, but only when I have an actual purpose. I just got new shoes for training and I love them! Shoes also tend to motivate me. The goal is to run it under 2 hours, but we'll see how that goes. 

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Last week I have been in Florida on vacation with my family. We go to the same place every year, so much so that it feels like a second home. I have been loving going out to dinner with my family, sitting by the pool and not having anything I need to do. My favorite part has always been reading at the beach with my mom. It is so relaxing to listen to the waves while reading a "fluff" book.

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 I have been wanting a pair of jacks for so long and I finally got a pair! I waited to try them on in person so I could make sure I got the right size, and luckily the first store I went it had them! Everyone says that they aren't comfortable right away, but mine aren't as bad as I expected. I know I will be wearing these a lot this summer. (P.S. isn't the floor of my grandparents patio just the coolest thing?)

What have you been up to this week?

xoxo,

Maddie

Best of June

| Pocket Tee  (code: madeleineplatten16 for 10% off) | Book | Hat | Bralette |

           I feel like I say this for every month, but June has gone by so fast. This is probably because I worked so much that I only had about half of the month free. Either way I have been really enjoying "summer" things. I have loved sitting outside and reading books while sipping my sweet tea. (find the recipe here) I have primarily been reading Nicolas Sparks books because they are always so sweet and normally have a happy ending. 

         This summer I have made a point of trying new things. My biggest new thing is tennis. Through gym class I have found a love for tennis. I don't know whether it is because I am not stressed when playing or because I can see myself continuously improving but either way I love it. Another new thing I recently tried was bralettes. I was a little skeptical about them but my sister really wanted one so I figured I would try them out. Needless to say that I really like them so I would totally recommend. I went with one from Aerie because they were having a sale which made it $10 after my sister bought hers. It seems like a really good price for them, especially compared to others I have seen online.
            So far I have been loving June. It has been great not being in school and spending some time by myself. I am on vacation now and It is such a great way to end the month and start a new one.

What have you been liking this month?

xoxo,

Maddie

Outfit: Fourth of July Pt. 2

| Shirt | Shorts | Flannel (similar) (similar) | Shoes |

Fourth of July is so close I can almost feel it! This outfit is one of my favorites because it is so simple but you feel really good in it. The plaid adds a fun accessory to the basic red and white combo, but the best part is that if it gets a little cooler while watching fireworks or eating your brat, you can easily throw on the plaid. This plaid is perfect since it is red, white and blue. I got it for Christmas this past year and right away I thought about the Fourth of July. I couldn't find the exact shirt so I linked some similar ones in a reasonable price range. I won't be wearing this for the fourth, but make sure to check out what I'm wearing next week!

Make sure you check out Part 1 of this series here!

xoxo,

Maddie

Thursday Threes

Summer is definitely in full swing. This summer I am trying to make a point of trying new things and staying off of my phone. So far it has been working well, but mainly because most of my time is spent life guarding so I don't have too much free time to begin with. My annual summer trip is coming up so I am saving all the money I can so I can treat myself on vacation! Here's a peak into my past week:

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I recently decided to play tennis for my high school this fall instead of running cross country. Well for the last two weeks I have been in a tennis camp for the school. It's been so great to finally be playing and I have found that I love the sport, but the only issue is I'm not exactly good at it. We'll see how the season goes...

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Last Saturday was the first day of the farmers market and I was so excited. It is one of my favorite parts about summer. My city has a really big one (4 blocks long) so the food from vendors is so good. There is such a variety from egg rolls, to bison, to berries. See my post on it last year here. 

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My last birthday gift was finally given to me which was a trip to a local pottery place to paint. I love painting mugs here because they are HUGE which makes them perfect for drinking coffee in the morning or hot chocolate on a cold day. The worst part is having to wait a week before it is fired, but it is always worth it in the end. 

Have a great weekend!

xoxo,

Maddie

Sweet Tea

Sweet tea isn't something that people drink the the Midwest at all. Last summer was the first time I had made sweet tea and I absolutely loved it. My biggest issue was that there are so many different recipes online that I had trouble picking which one to make. This recipe from Food Network was what I ended up making. It is super easy and really tasty, which is why I decided to share it you all. 

Sweet Tea

Ingredients:

3 quarts cold water
4 pitcher size cold brew tea bags (12 Luzianne tea bags)
Sugar Mixture (see below) 
Lemon slices and Mint sprigs for garnish

Directions:

Bring the water to a boil. Remove from heat, pour into a pitcher and steep the tea bags about 5 minutes. Mix the sugar mixture into the iced tea. Mix well. 

Pour the drink and mix over ice cubs in a glass. Garnish with 2 slices of lemon and a sprig of mint. 

Sugar Mixture

Ingredients:

1 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

Directions:

  

Bring 1 cup water to a boil and add sugar. Stir to combine.

Let me know if you try this and what you think,

xoxo,

Maddie

Outfit: Fourth of July Pt. 1

|| Dress  || Shoes || Necklace (similar) ||

One of my favorite holidays, Fourth of July, is coming up so I'm going to be doing a series of posts about outfits for the day. Since Fourth of July festivities vary greatly each outfit will be for a different type of event, ranging from a day on the boat to a casual dinner out.

This outfit is such an easy one to throw on. I got the dress from Nordstrom's last month and it has quickly become one of my favorite dresses. Just adding a red necklace allowed me to make it red, white, and blue which is perfect for any outing for the fourth.

Next Sunday will have the next outfit!

xoxo,

Maddie

Thursday Threes

This last week has been one of the first times that I have been able to relax completely. It has been so nice to just sit down and do nothing. With that being said is is what I have been up to in the past couple of days:

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One of my best friends invited to go boating with last weekend and it was so much fun. Since we went in the late afternoon we got to see the prettiest sunset. But overall the best part was tubing with her. Even though we got tons of bugs in our faces, flying across the water is always a great idea. 

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This summer I really wanted to do something new. I decided to try calligraphy. I am no pro at it, but I think I'm getting pretty good considering that I have only been doing it for a week!

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I love summer because they is when there is fruit everywhere! I have been eating berries with almost every meal. My favorite is granola, milk and mix of berries.

Have a great week!

xoxo,

Maddie

Best Lilly Pulitzer

| T-shirt Dress | Agenda | Pullover |

| Earrings | Skort | T-shirt Dress | 

| Tunic | White Dress  Buttercup Shorts | 

I wear Lilly almost year round, but the summer is always my favorite time to wear it. The bright colors and loud prints just scream summer in every way. The shorts are my favorite Lilly thing to wear because you can just add a white tee and the outfit is finished. Lilly Pulitzer is so easy to wear the it is my go to for summer days. I am loving the summer line this year! The new prints are adorable and so different from the older ones which is great. These are new clothes are cute that I will just have to consider getting myself something this summer. 

What's your favorite piece?

xoxo,

Maddie

Cheers to One Year!

| Shirt (similar) | Shorts | Belt | Shoes | Earrings | Watch |

I can't believe I've been blogging for a year now! This blog just started off as a way for the me have something to do during my summer but it has become more than that now. It is my way to express my creative side as well as being my stress reliever from school. I am so proud of how much it has grown and I can't wait to see where it takes me!

xoxo,

Madie

Thursday Threes

I've decided to do a weekly post about three things that have happened in my week. I feel this will help readers get to know me better. I'm also hoping it will show more about my life and what is important to me. These are my favorite types of posts to read from other bloggers, so I hope you'll enjoy mine.

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It's the first week of summer and I'm so happy about it. I got to go on a picnic and hike already. I almost stepped on a turtle which would have been unfortunate. It was a really simple picnic, but a great way to start the summer. 

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This summer I'm making a point of spending as much time with my friends as possible. We had a bonfire this week which was a blast. Everything from the s'mores to the ukuleles made it a night to remember! 

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I got this pocket tee from Frat Collection this week and I am in love with it! It's so comfortable and will be perfect for the fourth of July. I am definitely planning of getting more shirts from Frat Collection. 

Any fun plans this summer?

xoxo,

Maddie

Summer Bucket List

This was part of summer link-up! Go check it out here!

xoxo,

Maddie

What I Learned From Junior Year

It's finally over. I got through the year the year that was supposed to be the hardest one of all. And most importantly, I'm still alive and well. These year wasn't what I would call easy. With the ACT, managing clubs, sports, blogging and trying to maintain my GPA, it left little time to relax. This year definitely had tears, but there were also tons of great times that I will never forget. 

For me, this year really showed me that hard work pays off. I studied for my ACT for months and I am so proud of myself for my score. The studying started in July when I got my book and continued to October when I took the test the first time. Keeping my GPA was my biggest priority this year. I had tried hard in my freshman and sophomore year, but that was nothing compared to this year. Three AP classes was enough to keep me on my toes, as well as a teacher who only put in grades once a semester... at the end. I had no idea what I was getting in that class which was super stressful. The outcome of this year really showed that the work paid off. Staying up late a few times and talking to teachers helped me this year. Overall it proved that hard work does pay off. 

The biggest lesson of all was to find ways to relax. I put a lot of pressure on myself this year and at times it proved to be too much. It was clear that I needed a way to relax and calm down. Chai tea was my life saver. I currently have about 5 different types in my house because was how much I drank. The act of making the tea and slowly drinking it, calmed me down and helped relieve my stress induced headaches. Running also helped a bunch. Going out and taking a run made me forget about any of my worries for the time being. The short reprieve made me ready to go for whatever came at me. Take the time to find what helps you relax because if you don't the year is going to be that much harder for you. 

Coming to the realization that I don't have to be perfect was a hard one for me this year. I am under falsehood that I am perfect in anyway. That sure didn't stop me from trying to be. Whether it was with friends, soccer or school, everything I did this year I wanted to be perfect. Sometimes things don't work out and it can be a hard pill to swallow. You just have to take a deep breath and keep going.

Part of me is so sad that junior year is over. I have had a great time getting to know my friends better and I had some amazing classes that I will miss. This year was one for the books and I am so blessed that everything ended out the way it did. 

Now of course for the year in pictures:

I guess there were good things about cross country

Gross Picture. Best Friend.

I took too many pictures of my feet this year

Still too proud of this whale

There were a large number of college tours this year and I'm so nervous to start applying!

Now on to senior year!

xoxo,

Maddie