Photos by Sarah Veyna

Outfit Details:

Anne Klein Satchel

Forever 21 Sunglasses

Tommy Girl Coat

Forever 21 Marled Sweater (Similar)

Old Navy Skirt

Madewell Ames Boots (Available In Suede)

This whole outfit post is just an excuse to show off my new Madewell boots that I bought as a very early birthday present to myself. I was a little hesitant to buy these boots when I saw them in store because buying them meant spending a significant portion of my clothing budget for the next three months. Thank goodness that my friend Carly was there to make me realize that buying these boots would be a great investment. I’m so happy with my purchase because I haven’t stopped wearing these boots since I got them. They go well with so many of my outfits, and I also love that they’re something that I know will be in my wardrobe for many years to come.

I have to admit that it took me a while to come up with resolutions for 2015, and I was never the kind of person to make them until recent years. The reason that I never felt inclined to make goals for the new year in the past, is that I used to think about resolutions as being extreme and restrictive goals, such as going on a diet. I’ve come to realize that sometimes making goals is about searching for new opportunities. In the past year I made a goal to start a blog and travel. Although I hadn’t taken a trip in almost two years, I managed to fit in trips to Portland and Austin in 2014. I also documented those trips and many other things on this blog. In hopes that 2015 will be just as great as last year, I thought I’d go ahead and share some of my goals with you.

Practice being more flexible with whatever life throws. If you followed my blog last year, you might have noticed that there were several times that I mentioned that I was feeling like I was in a rut. I tend to be very hard on myself when life doesn’t go my way and it often leads me to feeling anxious and depressed. I really want to do my best to break that cycle in 2015 and focus on being grateful for what I have.

Spend more quality time with family and friends. When times are rough, my family and friends have always been there to listen and offer me support. I think my negative attitude sometimes drives me be very self-centered at times, but I have to remember that much of my success is largely due to the wonderful and loving people that surround me. It’s only fair that I strive to show them all the same amount of care and love that they do me.

Be less materialistic, save more money and be more mindful about the items that I do invest in. I plan to achieve that goal by reducing the amount that I spend on clothes and learning how to appreciate my existing wardrobe. I was reading this post by Emma of A Beautiful Mess called “Being Content with My Closet,” and I definitely agree with Emma in that learning how to be content with your wardrobe is a good way to practice being happy with what you have in other aspects of your life. I recently donated/sold a huge bag of clothing, and I was ashamed at how many of the pieces that I got rid of had only been worn once or twice. I want to grow out of the habit of shopping impulsively, and purchase items that will enhance my existing wardrobe.

Put an effort on being healthy and place an emphasis on self-care. I want to make sure that I get enough hours of sleep every night, eat breakfast every morning, eat my vegetables, and take time to relax and unwind.

Move to a new city. As many of you already know, I’m applying to grad school and hoping to move to a new city by the end of this year. I’ve lived in Pasadena all my life and went to college only a half-hour away, so I think it’s time for a change. Living in the LA area is great, don’t get me wrong,  but I feel that living in this city has certain barriers that are preventing me from living my life to the fullest. I want to move somewhere with a more affordable cost of living, better public transportation and where I have a stronger sense of community.

Read more books. I spent way too much time procrastinating on social media and online shopping. I want to make a serious effort to turn off all electronics by a certain time, and set apart some time to read a book.

Continue to grow this blog and use it to its full potential. I started this space so that I could have an outlet to express my creativity and grow my skills set. Although I did a lot of that in the past year, there’s still much more room for growth. Instead of having such a large focus on outfit posts, in the future I want to include more travel, DIY tutorials and recipe posts.