spring break travel: florida gulf coast

spring break, did you really happen or were you just a dream? its hard to believe that this time last week, i was in florida with my mom and grandmother. not your typical college senior spring break, i opted for a few days spent in perdido key, florida, with my mom and grandmother over the usual collegiate trip. i have been going to perdido and staying at sandy key condos since i was in diapers and it was just the escape i needed. the past month and a half have been stressful and trying, and a beach trip with the two women i admire most was just what the doctor ordered. i have always loved period key, nestled right next to pensacola and sitting on the florida-alabama line. there is no better place to go for white sand and clear water on the gulf of mexico.

we hit a few of our favorite restaurants but also tried some new ones that i know we will go to again. the drive to florida wouldn't be complete without a stop at durbin farms and a scoop or two of homemade ice cream. if only it was peach season! lillian's pizza is a tradition on the night we get there and it was everything we had been dreaming about. i am a pretty simple pizza girl (thin crust, light cheese, extra sauce with pepperoni) but it was heavenly.

the next night we went to a favorite of just about everyone, mcguire's irish pub. we decided it was best not to attempt to get near it on actual st. patrick's day, so we celebrated our irish heritage early. their 18 cent navy bean soup was delicious and i had that with an iceberg salad and some filet tips. we all sampled each others meals and not one thing was disappointing, as usual! i do regret not getting a burger just a little bit, as they do grill up a delicious burger!

since i was finally old enough to get past the gift shop, a trip to the infamous flora-bama was in store. we decided to eat across the street at flora-bama yacht club before walking over to the actual flora-bama. the yacht club was delicious and offered a family friendly side of the venue that has pull-up boat space, live music, firepits and seating! i had the chicken pontchartrain and ate every bite of it!

one morning we had brunch at brick and spoon in orange beach, a restaurant that had been recommended to us by some friends. it was a cute little breakfast spot that was a great way to start the day. splurge and get the beignets and the bacon, along with some of the grits! a little bird (aka mom) said their bloody mary's were amazing and another bird (mawsie) said their mimosas were light on orange juice and heavy on champagne!

on our last day, me being too sunburned to even put on a swimsuit and mom and mawsie being the nice ladies they are, we went into downtown pensacola to do some shopping and try a new restaurant. we went into a store mom shopped in when she lived in pensacola for her residency and we also picked up some great jewelry and a dress at a cute store called bluetique. we had an early supper at the fish house, a pensacola tradition on the water. hands down, it was the best meal i had all week (and clearly i didn't have a bad one). if you go and don't want seafood, get the bacon-herb crusted chicken but sub smoked gouda grits for the risotto. you won't be sorry. i ate a good amount of it and just couldn't eat another bite but lord i tried. taking a slice of key lime pie made in-house by their pastry chef was the perfect way to end the trip.

i couldn't have asked for a better spring break. i realized how lucky i was to have my mom and grandmother in my life when i was in tears on the couch laughing at their stories. they don't know how much i appreciate them spoiling me rotten on my last ever college spring break.

it was certainly a tease and coming back to knoxville on sunday was a big reality check. but with six weeks to go until graduation, the real world will be here before i can turn around! i am so excited to say that i am the newest addition to the Logo Chairs Inc. team in franklin. ending spring break with a job offer and acceptance was the icing on the cake of a perfect spring break. i am still on cloud 9 from accepting their offer and am looking forward to the future and opportunities at and with logo!

i should probably stop rambling here (and reliving my spring break trip) and get to work on the 60+ pages of supply chain reading i have and the multiple group projects that are coming due soon! i promise to post something fun soon!

xoxo,
clp

vacation style OOTD

beach vacations are meant to be laid-back and that's exactly what this outfit is. i wore it shopping in pensacola and then to dinner out at the fish house, which is a new favorite restaurant for us. i loved that the sweater was oversized and had the classic cable knit and the jeans were the perfect wash to pair with navy. completed with a long necklace and a floral print bag, this outfit was the definition of vacation style.

talbots cable poncho / j. crew boyfriend jeans (similar) / tory burch miller sandals (similar) / tory burch purse (from last year) / j. crew pineapple necklace (similar)

xoxo,

clp

packing list: beach bound

long time no see! i apologize for being MIA for two plus weeks. its been a bit of a whirlwind blur these past few weeks and i haven't had the brain power, creative thinking or time to come up with a decent post for y'all! but i'm back! today, i am trying to get over a no fun cold i have and so since i had finished up most of the homework i could do for the day, i decided to get to blogging!

with the warmer weather and sunshine this weekend, as well as the fact that this time next week i will have my feet in the sand, spring break is on my mind. just four days of classes and a couple other commitments and then i will be beach bound for a girls trip to florida with my mama and grandmother! to say i am looking forward to it is an understatement. with spring break, comes packing which, at least for me, is always a problem. "packing light" is a foreign phrase. i mean, what if something comes up and you don't have the perfect outfit?! you have got to pack options and choices! so today, i'm all about packing for spring break! cover-ups, books, oversize sunnies and tees are key this time of year. i can't wait to break out some of my bright spring colors and move the winter shades to the back of my closet!

beach towel / graphic tee / beach cover-up pants / straw hat / denim espadrilles / beach reading / wooden bracelets / patio dress / sunscreen / sunglasses / printed one-piece / straw tote

now if everything could only pack itself... 

xoxo,

clp

spring break is in the books

well, the spring break of my junior year is in the books. and what a wonderful, couldn't have dreamt it to be any better spring break it was. mom and i flew to miami on saturday and boarded the ship on sunday. from there the phones were turned off and we sailed into the sunny horizon of the caribbean sea towards mexico and the bahamas. after a morning spent in the spa getting a much needed facial and hot stone massage, multiple naps by the pool, plenty of good food (and free ice cream 24-7), a walk through cozumel (mexico is not my favorite place), yoga on the beach at castaway cay and all the disney characters, it safe to say that mom and i had a great time. i am so lucky to have a mother who will take me on a cruise and one that i enjoy spending so much time with. i couldn't thank her more for everything she did for me on the cruise! it was truly the only way i would have wanted to spend my spring break!

i quite enjoyed dressing up in all my summery clothes for dinner so i made sure to document each outfit to share! some things i had saved to wear for the cruise and then other things were favorite outfits that deserved an encore!

tory burch linen tunic, lilly pulitzer white beach pants, dolce vita green heels, lilly pulitzer bangle 

j. crew top and shorts, kork-ease wedge sandals, kate spade necklace 

lilly pulitzer originals whit shift, tory burch sandals

lilly pulitzer print top, lilly pulitzer beach linen pants, jack rogers sandals

j. crew button down and linen skirt, kork-ease wedges, j. crew pineapple necklace

la roque shell, leona blue linen pants, tory burch sandals

lilly pulitzer knit sweater and linen skirt, j. crew orange tank, tory burch sunglasses and sandals 

kate spade shirt, j. crew pixie pants, tory burch reva flats, kate spade necklace

everything went absolutely perfect and mom and i both wore stretchy pants home if that tells you how good the food was. disney cruise line has spoiled me and i don't know if i could go on a different cruise line! daddy met us at the airport and we ate at a nashville favorite, taco mamacita's, for supper then it was home to phillip, stella and sapphire! this morning came early because phillip and i signed up for the Special Kids 5k! we ran on ally davis's team, who is a family friend with down syndrome and one of my favorite people. she is always smiling and cheering on her dad's team, the blue raiders! i finished third in my age group with a time of 27:03, which i was quite proud of since i hadn't run since the last 5k i ran in december! it was fun to run with phillip and also one of my best friends megan and kelsi, who i went to high school with. exercising for a good cause is always a fun thing!

unfortunately it is back to the real world tomorrow (and regular meals). i am headed back to knoxville and will be back home for easter! it hard to believe that there are only about 8 weeks left of this semester! where did the time go? today i am meal planning, unpacking to repack and target-ing. pretty much, today and tomorrow will be spent reorganizing my life! i couldn't have asked for a better spring break and am already looking forward to my next girls trip with my mama! 

xoxo,

clp

p.s. i am back in the sublease market for a place in nashville this summer! let me know if you hear of anything!