Highlights of 2017: Fashion, Travel + College Moments

We officially completed the first week of 2018.

Even though I'm a couple of days late, I still wanted to highlight 2017 with a mix of categories: fashion, travel and college moments.  *At the bottom of this post, I'm sharing my thoughts on 2017 and what I learned from it.
And now without further ado...
I started 2017 off with a blog collaboration with Dormify, highlighting how to stay organized for the New Year.

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I arrived in New York City to attend NYFW in one of the coldest blizzards in February and partnered with Archer Hotel New York.

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This was one of my favorite NYFW looks. { Original post here }
I turned 22!
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I went on a cruise to the Bahamas for Spring Break with my college roommates. 

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Then, I spent St. Patrick's Day with my roomie Kayla in Charleston, South Carolina.

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Our UNC Basketball team won the National Championship game in March. Hashtag still celebrating.

I graduated from college and wrote a personal letter to UNC. 

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My family and I took a trip to Asheville, North Carolina for Memorial Day Weekend.

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I flew to LA for a week for some post-grad vacation.

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And I met this blogger babe Brianna for the first time in California.

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My sister Rebecca joined me for the remainder of my LA trip and we went to the Broad Museum and rode bikes along Santa Monica Beach.

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This was one of my favorite summer looks -- taken in LA.

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I was all about the neon brights over summer.

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 After LA, I spent some time in Charlotte with my best friend Natalie.

I flew to Austin, Texas for a blogger trip with my blogger bestie Karli. 

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We went to Irene's... and loved the avocado toast + watermelon sangrias. 

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We got to see the Hope Outdoor Gallery. This summer set was one of my favorite looks!

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We partnered with Archer Hotel Austin and had the opportunity to explore downtown Austin.

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This romper won everyone over on Instagram. I received so many questions about it.

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{ had to moment in Austin }

Karli and I roadtripped to Dallas and visited the RewardStyle headquarters.

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I did an epic Dallas wall crawl in Deep Ellum.

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I flew back to New York City for literally a New York minute.

I flew to Alberta, Canada with my family the beginning of July and visited Banff National Park. 

This was one of my favorite trips of 2017. The views were incredible. No filters necessary.

{ Original post of my Banff travel guide here }

We drove past these beautiful fields in Munson, Alberta. 

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We flew to Toronto to spend a few days there.

{ view from the CN Tower }

I wore this look while exploring Toronto.

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My sister Rebecca and I roadtripped to Raleigh to shoot in sunflower fields... except it was more painful than I expected. (See the post to read what happened)

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In August, I shared my testimony and announced my move to New York City. 

This was one of my most viewed posts of 2017.

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Before my move, I hosted a Banana Republic event in Mebane, North Carolina.

Loved this look.

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I packed up my belongings, and my family and I drove 12 hours to New York City.

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I officially moved into my apartment in New York.

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I partnered with Lidl US for New York Fashion Week and had the opportunity to meet Heidi Klum and watch her collection live on the runway.

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{ Heidi Klum x Lidl NYFW recap post here }

I met one of my Instagram blogger friends IRL -- Lindsey.
And even though our schedules are busy, we still make time to see each other. She's been one of my favorite gals to hang out with in the City.


My bestie / NYFW partner-in-crime Natalie came to town and we attended the LuLu*s Style Studio party together.


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This was one of my favorite NYFW looks.

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This was my first Brooklyn Bridge experience.

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I celebrated my 7th blogiversary at Top of the Rock.

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I flew down to Spartanburg, South Carolina to attend Rebecca's white coat ceremony.


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I got a little emotional and poured out my feelings in this post.

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I watched the leaves change and the holiday season unravel before me in NYC for the first time.
It was pure magic.

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Natalie came to visit me for a few days and I crossed ice skating in NYC off my winter bucket list.

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I spent Christmas in Miami with Natalie's family.




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I ended 2017 by ringing in the New Year at The Campbell in Grand Central.

Looking back, 2017 was a bit rough.
At least that's how it started. I ran into roadblocks -- with people, with myself -- and spent most of my senior year in college anxious for my future. Not only that, but there were many moments where I felt like I had let in the wrong people in my life.
All throughout middle and high school, I was convinced that being vulnerable was a sign of weakness. So I developed this sort of wall that made me feel powerful around others. Little did I know that learning to trust people required me to tear down that wall. And the one time I finally opened up to someone... I got hurt. 

Those memories really took a toll on me the beginning of 2017. However, as the year progressed... I developed thicker skin and allowed the pain become my motivation to work harder and focus on what I loved to do. I wasn't going to let people define me and my worth. And I think that kind of self-growth is so important. I feel like most people talk about number growth or promotions or success from a materialistic standpoint, but overlook one of the most important types of growth:
learning to love yourself.

It might sound cliché, but it took losing people to find myself. And when I look back to reflect on last year, that's what mainly comes to mind. I'm still figuring it out and there's no way I have it all together. In fact, I don't. But that's the beauty of it, really. Life is a journey, and when we look back to reflect on our past, it shouldn't be because we're "stuck" in that mindset. We reflect back on our memories to remind ourselves of how far we've come... and more importantly, how much further we have yet to go.

I worked hard my senior year of college, traveled to destinations I've never been to, and more importantly, trusted God's timing and His plans for me that led me all the way to New York City.

Do I ever wish I could go back and unmeet people or relive past situations? Absolutely.
But in all honesty, I would still relive it all the same. Those were lessons I needed to learn.

You cannot grow without the experience. 
And when you allow those experiences to remind you of who you are as a person... you'll find that strength to keep going.

Here's to 2018... and all the memories to come.