Favorite Spots in Nashville

Hey, y’all! Are you planning a trip to Nashville sometime soon? For the holiday season, a bachelorette party, a concert or even just a fun, chill girls’ weekend? Do you need some ideas and recommendations? Welp, you came to the right chica!

Nashville is no doubt one of my favorite cities in the whole country. I wouldn’t even hesitate to live there someday and start a family with my future husband. That would be a dream come true! It may be one of the most famous cities in America, especially being best known for their music and Southern lifestyle. However, there’s so much more than that. There’s so much to see and do, it’s very hip and it’s a fun place for people of all ages to visit. And all the people there (well, at least most of the people there) are super positive and outgoing. It was hard to go anywhere and receive bad service, Southern people are just so friendly!

While it’s all about having fun, planning a trip to the city can still take a lot of thought and consideration. There’s so much to do, yet you can only do so much in a few days. And Nashville can be a pretty pricy trip to plan for as well. But don’t worry, I have a few fun recommendations and ideas that should spark up your planning process and make it a little less stressful. In fact, planning a getaway should be more focused on the fun and anticipation rather than the stress! After visiting the city two times in my life so far, I’ve rounded up a few of my personal favorite hot spots that you won’t want to miss out on. So here’s a few places I highly encourage to check out for your trip!

Nashville Coffee

• Milk & Honey

  • I’ve been to Nashville two times, and I’ve been to Milk & Honey both of those times as well. It’s definitely number one on my favorite places in the city to get coffee. It’s so good, plus they have amazing and seriously fancy desserts. Gelato, macaroons, pop-tarts, you name it. It makes other coffeeshops look like they have to step their game up!

• Barista Parlor

  • My friends and I found this place close to our Airbnb during our trip this past summer, so we made a pit stop for coffee on our way to the Delight Ministries conference. I was actually surprised, I didn’t think I was going to like this place as much as I thought I would. I one hundred percent recommend, and they have three locations in Nashville! Plus, outside of the Barista Parlor has cool walls and backgrounds for photoshoots, so that’s a bonus!

• Killebrew Coffee

  • Not only does this place have really good iced lattes, this was also where me and my friends met Joel Smallbone, from the band For King & Country, and his wife Moriah during the Delight conference this past summer. It was no doubt one of the coolest moments we’ve ever experienced, so this coffee shop definitely has been a Nashville favorite based on that experience! But for real, Killebrew does have really good coffee that’s worth trying.

• Frothy Monkey

  • This is probably one of the most popular coffeeshops in Nashville and has several locations all over the city. I visited the Southside location with my friends about over a year ago and walked around the area and took pictures while drinking our coffee. What’s awesome is that it’s all locally roasted in Nashville! And not only that, they also have wine and beer options for dinnertime!

Nashville Dining/Restaurants

• Pinewood Social

  • I absolutely encourage you to check this place out, it’s my favorite restaurant in Nashville at the moment. There’s great food and drinks, the urban decor and setup is flawless, and there’s even a bowling alley! It kind of reminds me of a smaller version of the Punch Bowl Social in Cleveland. The Pinewood Social a fun place to spend a Friday or Saturday night with your gal pals!

• Burger Republic

  • Located in the Gulch, Burger Republic has been voted in the top 10 best burger restaurants in the nation. And they’re not wrong, they have burgers, garlic french fries (you heard me, garlic french fries!), and shakes that will not doubt satisfy your hungry tummy!

• Hattie B’s Hot Chicken

  • This is actually the first stop my friends and I made during our first trip to Nashville ever. It’s one of the biggest hot spots to eat at all over the city, and we were recommended to give it a try. The lines can be insanely long at times since it’s so popular, but it’s absolutely worth it if you love good Southern fried chicken!

• The Perch

  • A cute European style brunch restaurant - their hazelnut chocolate crepes are amazing!

Nashville Entertainment/Tourism

• Country Music Hall of Fame

  • I’m going to sound like a complete hypocrite, but I’ve never actually been to the Country Music Hall of Fame. But I know it’s super famous and it is my goal to go there next time I visit Nashville. As a girl who loves country music and singers like Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan, Brad Paisley and so on, I definitely recommend checking it out if you’re the same way!

• Broadway

  • It’s definitely not the Broadway that I’m sure just popped into your head. In fact, it’s the complete opposite. You honestly can’t spend a trip in Nashville without checking out all the shops, bars, and honky tonks located in the Broadway district. If you call yourself a country girl with a love for country music, beer and cowgirl boots, this is the place for you!

• Thompson Hotel Rooftop Bar

  • Even though we weren’t staying in the hotel, a few of my friends and I were allowed to go up to the rooftop bar for free since we were over 21! The balcony area is a fabulous place to sit with your friends while checking out the Nashville skyline and sipping on a few cocktails. It’s the perfect place to check out if you’re planning a getaway with you friends, especially for a bachelorette weekend!

• Marathon Music Works

  • This place holds a special place in my heart because this is where they hold the Delight leadership conference every year. But besides that, they also hold concerts with popular people and it’s super spaced out and cool. It’s also where the “I Believe in Nashville” mural with the American flag is located, so you can take a picture in front of it!

Nashville Shopping

• Draper James

  • Okay I’m not going to lie, this boutique is pretty damn expensive since it’s owned by a particular famous Southern actress … Reese Witherspoon. But since it’s owned by her, it’s still worth checking out. And if your’e not too concerned about spending a little money, they have super charming and graceful outfits!

• LifeWay Christian Store

  • Just recently, they started shutting down most of the LifeWay stores and now can only be accessed online. Thankfully; however, they still have one up and running in Downtown Nashville and is hopefully going to be there for a longer time. Better yet, it’s super big and I’m pretty sure there’s a Starbucks in the same building!

Nashville Instagram Hot Spots

• Of course … all the murals

  • I mean, that’s an obvious! Nashville is practically know for having many famous, artistically beautiful murals all over (including the famous angel wings one by Kelsey Montague pictured at the top of the post!). If you visit the city and didn’t take a picture in front of a mural, did you even go??

What's your favorite place to go in Nashville? Comment down below and share!

Conquering Heights at Cedar Point

This past Monday, me and a few friends from my trip to Italy spent the day at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. In case some people haven’t heard of it, it’s a amusement park that holds many record-breaking roller coasters including the Top Thrill Dragster (the second tallest in the world), Millennium Force (the first giga coaster ever), Valravn (the tallest dive coaster in the world), and many more. That’s why Sandusky is referred to as the Roller Coaster Capital of the World! It’s one of the most famous parks in America and most certainly one of the many hot spots in all of Ohio.

I visited Cedar Point once every summer while I was in high school with my friends, and they were some of my favorite memories during that time of my life. I haven’t been back since September of 2016, almost three years. I had been there visiting Cedar Point three times before then, so not going there for three years straight felt like a long time! When my friends reached out saying they wanted to plan a day there, I, of course, was the one of first ones to say yes!

We got there at about 11 am, which was around the same time everyone else was coming in. We picked a good day to visit since a lot of people are working on Monday, so waiting in line for rides was fairly decent. Millennium Force was only a forty-five minute wait, which normally it would be a two or even three hour wait! We also rode the Raptor and Maverick (both hour long waits), as well as a fifteen to thirty minute wait for Magnum XL-200, which is currently celebrating it’s 30th anniversary. It’s funny because while I love roller coasters, I actually have my eyes closed most of the time while riding it. I have a slight fear of heights, so I always close them on my way way up because I hate looking down. They’re open for the most part for the rest of the ride, but sometimes I still close them and either because it’s still high or if it’s super windy. If you do the same thing, please let me know in the comment section!

The biggest moment for me that day and now one of the greatest milestones in my entire existence was riding the Top Thrill Dragster for the first time ever. If you don’t believe that I was terrified of riding it, you best be wrong! I would always tell myself that I would ride the Top Thrill Dragster just to say I've done it, but I’ve denied riding it every time I visited Cedar Point because it’s literally the scariest roller coaster there. Also, the line is usually three hours long and is only seventeen seconds because it’s so fast, so I was never sure if it was worth it. But finally, my friends convinced me to ride it to get it over with and that I would feel so confident afterwards. Hesitant at first, I finally and nervously agreed to finally ride it and get it out of the way!

It was an hour or less wait, but I was so nervous that I didn’t care how long it took. The anticipation is the worst part! Thankfully, my friend Jill had never rode it either, so I wasn’t the only nervous one. Our friends were good about distracting us from the anticipation and having random conversations with us while waiting, so that helped. My friend Chris actually joked that we had to fill out a waiver before we get on the ride 😂 Honestly, I wouldn’t have been surprised if that were the case, but thankfully it wasn’t! We finally got to hop in the coasters and strap ourselves in, which is when I start having a minor panic attack. One of the employees working the ride took the time to give me a positive pep talk before taking off, saying that it’s normal for people to panic before riding the Dragster and that I was going to be smiling afterwards. And guess what? … he was right! It was so quick, and I actually really enjoyed the adrenaline! Jill loved it too, and we were high-fiving each other as soon as it was over. Now I can finally say I rode it, and I’m gonna ride it again next time I go back because it was so much fun!

At around 7, we started getting a little tired. The weather went from warm and sunny to chilly and windy, which actually prevented us from riding some the rides. We also didn’t want to wait in line for two hours for some roller coasters as it would waste the rest of our time there. So after exploring Lake Erie Shores beach for a few minutes, we made our way to the parking lot and made our way back home (along with a quick dinner at McDonald’s).

The day flew by, but it was so well worth it! I love Cedar Point and spending the whole day there with my friends. I’m even more happy now that I can finally say that I’ve rode the Top Thrill Dragster! It took me a long time to finally actually do it, but better later than never! I hope this post encourages you to conquer your fears, no matter what you’re afraid of. I also want to say it’s absolutely okay to be scared, it’s a normal human thing. Even when it comes to roller coasters, it’s normal. Roller coasters can be scary, especially something like the Dragster! It’s actually kind of good to be afraid because it means you’re aware and just care about your own safety. But don’t let fear back from doing something because it doesn’t define you. Just remind the fear that it has no control over you, and then conquer it! Trust me, your confidence will boost when you get it done and over with, whether it’s riding a roller coaster or some other kind of fear. I already can’t wait to ride the Dragster again! And next time I’m actually going to open my eyes for the whole thing … or maybe keep them closer just so I don’t get too freaked out by the fact that I can see Canada from the top.

What’s your favorite ride at Cedar Point? Comment below and share! 🎢

Studying Abroad in Italy: Week 4

Ciao, y’all!

It actually makes me sad because that’s the last time I can really say “ciao” for a while (till the next time I return to Italy). That’s right, my month long trip for studying abroad has officially come to an end 😭 It flew by so fast, it actually was a blur. I still feel like I’m spiritually there, even now I’m physically sitting outside of my house writing this final studying abroad post and drinking a Starbucks passion tea lemonade while my dogs roam around in the green grass.

June literally flew by so fast, it’s hard to believe I was even in Italy for that long. It’s like I was there for only a few seconds (okay, maybe more like a few days), and then I blinked and I was back in Ohio. Although I’m happy to be back home with my family, friends and have a normal routine again, I do really miss Italy and everything about it: the architecture, the accents, the authentic, vintage shops and, of course, the gelato. Studying abroad for a month is long enough for me, but I do kind of wish I had an extra week or two to explore more of Italy without spending time in classes, and even having the opportunity to explore other countries in Europe such as Austria, France, Spain, England, Ireland, etc. But either way, I’m EXTREMELY grateful for the opportunity to go abroad for a whole month and learn about a whole new culture. It has also helped me to mature more and become more wise and strong. I thank my parents for financially supporting me, I thank my friends and relatives for encouraging me to take this opportunity, and I thank God for giving me the strength and passion to follow this dream of mine. I’m so happy about every moment and experience during the trip, even the stressful ones.

Speaking of stressful, the the last weekend in Italy was kind of a shit show 😂 It was stressful at the time, but my friends and I laugh about it now. I spent at the Amalfi Coast with a few fashion majors and their guy friends who I’ve gotten to know throughout the study abroad trip. It was the trip I’ve been looking forward to the most because I’ve heard so many amazing things about all the islands. Y’all no joke, it was one of the most sketchiest experiences of my life …

Don’t get me wrong, it was so amazing to see the islands and see it in its truest beauty. I HIGHLY recommend seeing it before you kick the bucket! It was rather our experience with the Airbnb boat house and the two captains that we stayed with. What happened was we got on the boat and didn’t realize how small it was (there was ten of us and four bedrooms, just to give you the better picture). There were no showers, you couldn’t flush toilet paper in the toilet (you had to throw it away in a plastic bag tied near the sink counter 😖), and it was just a very tight space. But we all didn’t mind that, it was our captains that were the main issue. Not only did they speak poor English, but they were just weird to be around.

For instance, on Friday night, one of them let ten random locals of Postitano on the boat without our permission and let them drink our alcohol, smoked weed and break glass while the captain did all of the above and made out with several of the local women. The next day wasn’t as bad, although that night both our captains got drunk after their night out in Agropoli. They bought us a bottle of wine and thanked us for a “great weekend”, then proceeded to ask me and my girlfriends to take our shirts off and give them lap dances … that was my cue to go to my bedroom, go to bed and pretend that I didn’t hear what I just heard (my girlfriends obviously didn’t give them lap dances either). The next morning, our last day in Amalfi, the captains were supposed to drop us off in Salerno at 9 AM so that we could take a train back to Florence. However, by the time we all woke up, we were still in Agropoli. And our captains told us that we had ten minutes to get off the boat. We argued with them for straight ten minutes that they were supposed to drop us off in Solerna to get to the train station, but they kept refusing to listen to us. They left us no choice but to leave the boat and spend an hour in the dreadful heat trying to find a train station on an island we weren't familiar with at all. We couldn’t get any train tickets back to Florence till early in the morning, so we took a train to Naples for a beach day and to spend the night in a cheap hotel (I don’t recommend staying the night in Naples unless gun shots in the middle of the night don’t bother you).

Thankfully, we made it back to Florence the following morning without any issues! Despite that crazy and sketchy weekend, I am grateful that I not only got to see the majority of Amalfi (including Postitanto, Capri, and Agropoli) but spend time with this new group of friends who I am now very close with. We had a blast just laughing around, exploring the areas we went to, and learning about each other. Were still going to try to get a refund for the weekend after our captains screwed us over, but either way I’ll always never regret that weekend with my friends in one of the most beautiful places in all of Europe.

The final week in Florence wasn’t as thrilling, at least not as our weekend in Amalfi 😂 We were all busy with final projects and writing a five page paper for one class (boooooo), but we still managed to enjoy our last few moments in the beautiful city. I finished shopping for my relatives, friends and for myself, went to a few of my favorite local cafes and restaurants one last time, and hung out with all my friends before we all parted our ways till the upcoming fall semester. Before heading to the airport bright and early in the morning, the Kent State Florence staff hosted a special farewell dinner for students at the Palazzo Borghese Ricevimenti E Banchetti. I honestly felt spoiled having my dinner there, it was STUNNING! The ballroom we ate in looked like an art museum or a ballroom in a Disney movie such as Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast! They served us delicious zucchini rice, spinach cheese ravioli, beef and potatoes, and vanilla yogurt with fruit. It was a simple but fun way to celebrate the last few moments in Florence, with great people, a beautiful Italian ballroom and delicious food!

I will forever for this opportunity I had to study abroad in one of the most beautiful, unique countries in the world, and I look forward to revisiting it as well as exploring other beautiful, unique countries around the world. And for all of you who went on the journey with me and read all my posts about my trip, grazie!

What’s your favorite thing about Italy? If you’ve never been, what would you like to see if you ever go? Comment below and start a conversation!

Shop My Swimsuit: Yamamay

Studying Abroad in Italy: Week 3

Ciao, y’all!

Welp, week 3 of studying abroad here in Florence is officially history and now the final week is around the corner! I can’t believe it! It feels like just yesterday I flew in from Ohio (with two layovers in Boston and Amsterdam) and am still learning my way around the European city. Thankfully, it didn’t take me that long to navigate around and memorize specific locations, and I hardly feel homesick now! I’ve just been absolutely grateful for the opportunities God has given me during this trip and the experiences I’ve been having, both with myself and my friends.

Thursday was super intriguing because I went to my first ever fashion trade show! It’s called Pitti Uomo, and it takes place in Florence annually during this time of year. Like any fashion trade show, it showcases all different kinds of apparel, both menswear and womenswear, from different unique companies that are predicted to be big trends for the next year. I went with my European Fashion Study Tour class to get an better perspective of how these kinds of fashion trade shows run. I was definitely very impressed and mesmerized, along with all my fellow fashion classmates. There were countless amazing trends that are for sure going to kill the 2020 runway next year, and I’m so grateful I was one of the first ones to preview it!

One of the sessions at the trade show, specifically for shoes.

On Friday, we took a train and traveled to the one and only Rome during our day off of classes. I’ve been to Rome before during my trip with my family and neighbors when I was 17, but I was more than happy to go back and see it all again in person. Looking back now, I don’t regret it one bit. Rome is a amazing city with so many things to do. We did all the important staple locations while touring: the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Vatican City, and just walked around a little bit. No joke, we got in over 20,000 steps from the whole day! That meant we could treat ourselves to some good ol’ gelato. Speaking of which, we went to the famous Giolitti and had amazing gelato. It was so creamy and cold, perfect since we were exhausted and sweating our asses off! It was so good that two of my roommates literally went back for second cones 😂🙌🏻

Gelato at Giolitti!

The following weekend, my roommates and I did two trips to San Gimignano and Cinque Terre, both through a student travel program called Bus2Alps. It was absolutely one of the best wine tastings I’ve ever been on! Drinking wine in Tuscany … not many people can say they did that! The first winery we stopped at was Fattoria Poggio Alloro, located about ten minutes outside of San Gimignano. They had great wine, STUNNING sceneries of the countryside, and adorable white cows!

Shortly after, we drove over to explore San Gimignano before the next wine tasting. It was such a beautiful medieval town. I could honestly see myself living there near the Tuscany countryside, I would never get sick of it! Unless the WiFi is terrible ... but it would still cool! After getting some gelato and shopping at the outdoor market, we headed back down into the countryside for the second and final wine tasting at Tenuta Torciano, an absolutely gorgeous winery. They shared at least eight different types of wine with all of us and gave us food to different wine, including the owner’s grandma’s special lasagna recipe which tasted AMAZING! It’s safe to say we were a little exhausted (and tipsy) by the end of the day, but I don’t regret anything!

This view of the Tuscany countryside is absolutely breathtaking!

From left to right: me, Jackie, Haylee, and Marj

San Gimignano

My roommates and I spent the last day of the third weekend by spending our Sunday in Cinque Terre with Bus2Alps. Y’all, it was absolutely unreal. It was even better than I anticipated it to be. It looked even cooler in person than on Pinterest! 😂 My favorite part of the whole day trip was hiking up the Monterosso mountains over the the beach. It was extremely high up and I felt a bit nervous at some parts of the hike, but the gorgeous scenery made the sweat and nervousness all worth it.

And you wanna know what made even more worth it? Getting to layout on the beach and drink a frozen strawberry Corona margarita bucket! They legit put a Corona bottle in the bucket. I’m not a big fan of beer, but I enjoyed drinking it during my beach time! Safe to say, me and my friends got a little too tipsy two days in a row 😂 But we still made wise decisions and still had fun, that’s all that matters!

Margarita (and Corona) time! 🍹

This week for our European Fashion Study Tour class, we took two field trips. The first one was on Tuesday in Prato, where we explored the textile district. On Wednesday and Thursday was a big one for us fashion majors ... Milan! It’s the trip all of the fashion students, including myself, have been looking forward to all this month! I mean, it’s basically one of the top fashion capitals of the world, so who wouldn’t be excited?!

We stayed there for one night in a hostel and spent the two days with fashion museum tours for our class and exploring during our free time. Honestly, it didn’t feel like we had enough time to explore the city because we had to be back at certain times to meet with our two professors for the next tours. But there were two major staple locations I wanted to see, and that were the Milan Cathedral and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Thankfully, there was plenty of time to see those places and they were so beautiful to see in person, so I’m very grateful! It was definitely an awesome getaway with my fellow fashion major friends. Not bad for a class field trip!

Milan Cathedral

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

For the last week here in Italia (sigh), I’ll be spending the weekend with my friends at the Amalfi Coast and the following week in Florence exploring and living it up (and trying not to procrastinate on my final projects) before I head back to good ol’ America!

While I’m definitely excited to go back home and see my family/friends, cuddle with my dogs and not have to pay for water at every restaurant, I do feel very bittersweet about leaving Italy. Even though I think one month is a long time to be in another country, it has started to become more like home. I’ve met so many great people, learned a lot about the culture, ate whatever I wanted and not feel guilty about it (thanks to the amount of walking involved every day!), and of course, I’ve learned a lot about myself. I know that sounds cliche, but it’s true. I am more independent, confident, wise, and strong than before!

Any last recommendations you have for me before I head into my final week of studying abroad in Florence? Don’t be shy, comment down below and tell me so! 

Studying Abroad in Italy: Week 2

Another week in Italy gone, and now it’s halfway through the month! Only two weeks left in this beautiful country, which is bizarre to even think about!

Last Friday, every Kent student in the program, no matter what major, had to take a mandatory field trip to Siena, an hour and a half outside of Florence. To be honest, I’m not sure exactly why it was considered “mandatory”, especially because they waited to tell us till we got to the orientation the previous weekend. Despite that though, I’m really glad I went and experienced it in person. Siena is BEAUTIFUL! We didn’t have all day but we still made the best out of it. We went to the Siena Cathedral, walked around the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, climbed the Facciatone to a get a view of the whole city and Tuscan countryside (ABSOLUTELY worth it, despite the amount of steps!), explored the Palazzo Pubblico, and, of course, ate some gelato. I highly recommend visiting Siena if you have never been. It’s such a charming, vintage European town with so much history and wonder. It kind of reminded me of a village you would see in an old-fashioned movie or also the opening scene of Beauty and the Beast!

View of Siena from Facciatone

Palazzo Pubblico

The following day, me and my friends Megan and Chelsey decided to spend the day exploring Pisa. It took less than an hour to get there by train (we didn’t take the faster train, we just took the normal one), and it was only around $8 euros per person. In my personal opinion, while the city is beautiful and iconic, it’s only worth a day to visit rather than a whole weekend. The only thing that most tourists really do there is take pictures with the Leaning Tower of Pisa 😂 But I still recommend going for a day and exploring. It’s totally worth it and you’'ll learn so much more about the city than you did before!

Baby got back!

From right to left: Chelsea, me, and Megan

On Sunday, to end the weekend, me and two of my roommates, Marj and Haylee, took a day trip to Viareggio to hang out at the beach. It was 90 FREAKING DEGREES in Florence, and we felt that we would probably die if we decided to stay there for the day. So that’s when we looked up some train tickets and booked them for a beach day! We left in the morning to take a train there and we arrived there within an hour and a half. By the time we were on the train and at Viareggio, it was PACKED. There were a lot of students who, just like us, were on their weekend break going to the beach for some fun in the sun. We met two really nice Italian girls, Francesca and Demet, who were heading to the beach as well and they spoke clear English, so they let us hang out with them! We chatted with them on the train and went to a grocery store to get some snacks and drinks, then we headed towards the beach. Thank goodness that we met them because Francesca spoke Italian to all the employees there and helped us get chairs by the water to layout on! It was such a nice day. We went for a few dips in the ocean, ate, drank, took some fun pics, and just chilled in the sun. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

From right to left: Marj, me, and Haylee

Selfie at the beach with our new friends Francesca (top right) and Demet (bottom right)!

Week 2 of classes started off with another field trip to the Palazzo Vecchio for my Italian Fashion & Culture course. I’ve only seen the outside of the museum, so I was definitely excited to see the inside of it. It was absolutely stunning, just so purely authentic and historical! Later that day, I went to a food tasting with a bunch of other students hosted by Pozzo Divino. The owner was so sweet and intelligent, he gave us so many insightful information as he served us cheese, bread (with no salt!), olive oil, balsamic vinegar, prosciutto, and salami. He also said that the restaurant hosts special wine tasting events every week, and that Kent State students get a 20% discount on wine bottles … I’m certainly going to one those for sure for good wine with good discounts!

On Tuesday, my first class met for our next field trip at the Pitti Palace, home of the famous Boboli Gardens. It was so beautiful and majestic! Except I didn’t have time to use the bathroom beforehand, so I had to hold it in for at least over an hour which was a little uncomfortable, especially in a big ass museum 🙃 Afterwards, me and a few friends in my fashion classes decided to get lunch at La Milkeria (of course after I was finally able to pee). Y’all, I HIGHLY recommend going there if you ever come to Florence! It’s soooo good. They serve Nutella crepes, pancakes, and waffles that are unreal. They also have delicious iced vanilla lattes. It’s now officially one of my new favorite restaurants in Firenze that I’m definitely going back to at least ten more times this month! Later that night, me, my roommates and a few of our gal pals decided to hit up a sports bar called Reserve, which a lot of Kent State students go to for Tuesday night discounts on drinks. Despite not being a big partner, that was one of the best nights of my life! We drank, we danced, we drank, we danced … thankfully, I drank plenty of water afterwards to avoid having a hangover. Still, I enjoyed that night with my friends and all the other students (at least the ones I know). It was much needed break for all of us!

On Wednesday, for our European Fashion Study Tour class, we went to the Salvatore Ferragamo to learn about how sustainability plays a major role in the fashion industry. They showed off a bunch of displays featuring outfits made out of reused material that are environmental friendly and help decrease pollution (the fashion industry actually ranks in the top of most polluted industries). It was seriously one of the most intriguing museums I’ve ever visited. I love that sustainability is becoming more of an awareness in the fashion world, we need it now more than ever! And the sustainable outfits that were on display at the museum were CHIC AF. I’d definitely wear them!

Another successful and amazing week in Italia, if I do say so myself. This weekend I will be spending Friday in Rome, Saturday in Chianti and San Gimignano for a wine tasting tour as well as spending Sunday in Cinque Terre. I also have field trips to Prato and Milan for my European Fashion Study Tour class, so stay tuned to hear about them all in next week’s post! 

I’m here in Florence for another two weeks and I’m still open for any recommendations, so comment below if you have any for me!

Studying Abroad in Italy: Week 1

Soooooo y’all know that I’m currently in Florence, Italy taking a few summer courses for my major. It’s been a BLAST! It’s still so unreal that I’m living here right now, like it still hasn't hit me yet. I walk around the city exploring every day (eating gelato of course) and even just chilling in my apartment and I’ll think to myself, “I’m literally in Europe right now. How did this happen?” 😂 But here I am starting out my summer in the best way possible and I’m just absolutely grateful that God blessed me with this incredible opportunity. And now I get to share my so-far amazing experience with ya!

My month-long adventure in Florence officially started last Thursday. I flew from Cleveland to Boston for a two hour layover, then we flew over to Amsterdam and got there around 6 am European time (I think I only got 30 minutes of sleep and spent most of the time watching Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Grease), and then we flew over to Florence shortly after. Needless to say, I was completely jet-lagged. I honestly spent my first day in Florence drifting off and taking a bunch of naps. I was also the only person in my apartment (my roommates moved in a day after me) and was feeling super homesick. It hit me then that I was going to be living in Europe far away from home for a whole freaking month. Honestly, I’m still homesick, but thankfully I’ve adjusted a lot more to the Italian city lifestyle.

My first night was spent out on the town with my friend Jill, whom I met on the group flight. We played it simple by going to a small restaurant near her apartment (no joke, it’s literally called The Small!), where we had glasses of Chardonnay and DELICIOUS gnocco alla sorrentina. Afterwards, we got some gelato and rode the carousal in Piazza Della Signora (it was only 2 euros per adult!). and went back to our apartments to get a good night’s sleep. It was a simple yet perfect first night!

Due to still being jet-lagged, I slept till 10:30 am. It was so nice, especially from being jet-lagged for so long! One of my roommates/friends, Marj, arrived at that same time and spent most of her day napping (from being jet-lagged of course). I was very hungry and still exhausted from the plane rides, so I went for a Nutella croissant and iced cappuccino at a cafe called the Habitat. After sitting in the sun enjoying my late breakfast (and trying to not let the pigeons take it), I decided to take a stroll around the city for a while to get a feel of Florence. I walked around Piazza Della Signora, the Duomo, the shopping districts, and much more. I was amazed by all the architecture and the diversity of people. It started to make some of my homesickness fade away. I just felt so grateful to be in Europe traveling around independently and learning about another culture. I felt so empowered during just one stroll! My other roommates finally arrived later in the day and we went out together for a pasta dinner, red wine and gelato for dessert. Another perfect night well spent!

The next two days of the weekend were orientation for the KSU summer institute program. It held basic lectures about how to adjust to life in Florence and details about the summer program. It wasn’t the most exciting thing in the world obviously, but I’m still glad I went. There were also two tours per day around the city, which wasn’t much sightseeing but still super intriguing. The best part about the weekend was hanging out with my roommates and the new friends I’ve made. The highlight was on Saturday night when a group of us walked over the river (and took pictures at golden hour of course) to get dinner at Regine Pizzeria. It was a little hard because all the waiters only spoke Italian, but it was such a fun night. We ate margherita pizza and calzones, drank red wine, and just had an overall great time laughing and smiling. The waiters also surprised us with a Nutella pizza dessert, which we didn’t even ask for since we didn’t speak their language! It was so delicious, and it kinda made me relieved that we didn’t go out for gelato sooner. We later went to a night club called Space to have a few drinks and dance around till midnight. I’m not a big party girl, but I just had so much fun with all my gal pals. It helped me start adjusting to life in Florence even more!

Classes officially started on Monday. I’m taking Italian Fashion & Culture and Field Experience: European Fashion Study Tour. They are super intriguing, not very hard and I love the professors (especially their Italian accents!), and they both involve field trips which I absolutely love. For the first class so far, we visited the Verrocchio exhibition at the Palazzo Strozzi and the Aquaflor (which I highly recommend checking out if you’re a perfume junkie like me!). For the Study Tour class, we took a day trip to Carpi (two hours north of Florence) to visit the Liu-Jo headquarters. There we got a perspective of what it’s like to look for a fashion company. It was really good to learn more about the fashion industry and just made me appreciate my major even more. I’m so blessed for this opportunity to study abroad in the Italian fashion culture and for the opportunities to come!

There’s more updates to come in the next three weeks of the trip. This weekend I’ll be visiting Siena on Friday and then just chilling Florence for the rest of the weekend and upcoming week, so you’ll definitely hear all about those trips!

If you’ve been to Italy before and loved it, what were your favorite things about it? Give me some recommendations while I’m here for the remaining time!

Chicago Getaway

Hey, y’all! I hope everyone had a fabulous and well-rested weekend. I certainly did, I went to Chicago with my cousin and mom to hang out with my sister Lauren! Her fiancé Jordan was out of town to watch the Cleveland Indians play a few pre-season games in Arizona, so the three of us ladies decided to fly over to the Windy City to keep her - and her adorable dog Marvel - company for the few days. It was absolutely a much-needed girls’ weekend!

Normally, I have a bunch of pictures from my trips featured on my travel blog posts, usually more than enough 😂 But I honestly didn’t take that many pictures during this trip to Chicago. Mainly because I’ve been there so many times that I didn’t feel the need to take more pictures. I was also too focused on staying in the present moment and enjoying my time with my mom, sister, and cousin. Even bloggers need a social media detox every once in a while! Although I still managed to post a good amount of stuff on my Instagram stories … mostly food. But I don’t regret that even one bit, Chicago food is AMAZING!

Jenna, my cousin, hadn’t been to Chicago since we were at an appropriate age to shop at the American Girl Doll store. Ironically, that was the one thing she remembered from her first trip! So we had to show her all (or at least most) of our favorite spots in the city. We took her to the Water Tower, the Magnificent Mile, Macy’s (originally Marshall Field’s), and Lincoln Park. We also introduced her to a few of our favorite restaurants: Cafe Ba Ba Reeba, BomboBar, Foodlife, and Yolk. Something new that none of us have done before is take the Untouchable bus tour, which consists of history about Chicago gangsters (Al Capone, John Dillinger, Bugs Moran, etc.) and tour guides acting as 1920’s gangsters. They showed us the sites of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, the Biograph Theatre, and Holy Name Cathedral. It was a very intriguing tour. It was something I never thought we would ever do but I’m glad we did!

It was overall a perfect girls’ trip! What are your favorite things to do in Chicago? Comment down below and share!

I also want to say that I LOVE my outfit in the picture above! These striped wide-legged pants from Altar’d State are my current obsession. They’re so chic and so cozy, double bonus! The grey sweater I’m wearing from Jones New York used to be owned by my late grandmother, so I’m wearing it in honor of her ❤️ The two pieces, along with the military boots, gold layered necklace and silver cat eye sunglasses, match perfectly together. It was perfect to wear on the plane ride and all around Chicago, especially in the chilly weather. It’s my new go-to outfit for anything! Unfortunately, I don’t have all the available links to these fashion pieces, but you can shop a similar look down below!

SHOP MY OUTFIT

One Short Day in NYC

Hey, y’all! I hope everybody is having a fabulous week so far! I’m now back to my regular schedule and attending classes after a much needed fall break. It’s not even close to Friday yet and I already miss having time off! This year was actually Kent State’s first fall break ever. You would think it would have one like the other big schools like Ohio State University and Miami University. But they’re now finally allowing students to enjoy a four day long break from studying! Although there are still plenty of deadlines due once we all come back ....

For fall break, I got the chance to go to Sparta, New Jersey to visit my aunt, uncle, and two cousins. It was such a fun weekend spent with them since I don’t get to see them that often. One of the best parts about the visit was spending one whole day in New York City with my aunt and uncle! Although I’m more of a Chicago girl, NYC is definitely one of my favorite places to visit. There’s just so much to do and see, so you can never be bored. What also love is that it’s a very diverse city, which makes it great for people watching! Although we didn’t spend more than one day in the Big Apple, we still got the best out of it and managed to find the city’s best treasures.

We left New Jersey around 9:30ish and it took us about an hour to get to NYC. It was windy and chilly outside since we parked closer to the river. But then we walked over to Times Square, one of my favorite places to explore and snap pics, and the buildings blocked out the wind. After observing Times Square, we made our way to explore Bryant Park. There’s not much to do there, but it’s a great place to hang out during your work break and chat with some friends. It was very sunny and mild outside, so we decided to take Chipotle to go and ate at the park near the gorgeous fountain. It was the perfect day to eat outside. Not too hot or too cold, not overly crowded (although we had to sit near the steps because all the tables were taken), and a delicious steak burrito bowl makes it even better!

One of my favorite things that we did during our time was visiting the Rosé Mansion, which runs from July to October (so go now before it leaves!!!) My aunt was telling me all about it beforehand and how it’s so perfect to get cute pictures for Instagram, and she was totally right! The two of us went (my uncle decided to go to a bar and let us have some “girl time”) and spent about a little over an hour trying different kinds of rosé and taking fun, silly pictures. It was basically like going to a wine tasting event, but with more rooms based for quirky photoshoots. We took so many cute pictures and boomerangs, it was hard to choose what to post!

Rosé all day!

We met up with my uncle at an Irish pub before going out again to explore and shop a bit. We stopped by Pasta Lovers for dinner before going to see Pretty Woman on Broadway. It was so fun and a surprise for me, because my aunt and uncle didn’t tell me that we were going until the night before. It was such an outstanding show and so worth seeing! If you are a fan of the original movie with Julia Roberts, you would absolutely enjoy the musical performance!

To end the perfect day, we stopped by Dunkin Donuts to pick up a few donuts - my aunt and uncle’s special post-Broadway show tradition - for the ride home and we were back on the road to New Jersey right after. The busy Manhattan traffic held us back for almost an hour, but it wasn’t that bad when we got a view of the beautiful city skyline on our way out.

I want to send a HUGE thank you to Aunt Mindy and Uncle Mark for taking the time out of their busy schedules to spend time with me in NYC, as well as the rest of the weekend in New Jersey! I love you guys so much and I’m so grateful for this past weekend. Thank you for a wonderful fall break!

Me and Aunt Mindy at Bryant Park!

Have you visited NYC? What are your favorite spots and treasures to check out? Let me know in the comments for some future recommendations for my next visit!

Delight Takes On Nashville

Hey, y'all! 

I know I say "y'all" quite often, but I'm really starting to think that I'm developing a Southern accent. Why? Because I recently came back from my first ever trip to Nashville! Why? Because me and my Delight Ministries group at Akron attended the national leadership conference and it was AMAZING! I'm going to be a social media coordinator and leader for Akron's Delight chapter this fall semester, so this conference was the perfect opportunity for me to get some leadership advice and connect with other Delight chapters around the nation. It was all so worth it and I wish I could relive those past two days! 

We left for the conference in two separate cars (four people per car) almost about a week ago. After a long but fun eight hour drive that consisted of both worship and Disney music, we finally made it to Music City. We were starving, so our first stop was at Hattie B’s Hot Chicken which is a hot spot among natives and tourists. Their mild jumbo chicken tenders with fries, mac n cheese, and ranch dressing is sooooo divine! 

After dinner, we went on a mini night adventure and explored Broadway. It was full of honky Tonks and Western boot shops, basically every country loving girl's dream! After a night out on the town, we went to Brentwood where we were staying at a host's home. The residents living there weren't there because they were out of town for the summer, but they and their friends who hooked us up with the house were so kind enough to let us say. It was a beautiful home and we were so grateful to stay there!

The following day, we woke up bright and early to attend the first day of the conference, which took place at Marathon Music Works. We got there sometime between 8-8:30 and spent that time getting our swag bags, meeting girls from other chapters, taking pictures, drinking coffee, eating donuts (Krispy Kreme to be more specific), and buying some cute merchandise! 

Donut mind if I do!

The conference started around 9, which was introduced by Delight co-founders Mac and Kenz, who are basically celebrities. They both started the ministry as a small Bible study at Belmont University, which then turned into a national college organization for women. They were so cute and so friendly, they are literally the perfect role models for women. They opened up with an adorable and hilarious dance number with all the regional directors, dancing to the song "The Middle" by Maren Morris and making all of us in the audience dance along with them! 

The rest of the morning consisted of worship, an inspiring speech by Hannah Brencher, and journaling before heading into lunch. During the meal, I got to sit at a table with different women from other chapters and learn more about each of them. They were all so down to earth and I plan on staying in touch with them always. Overall, it was so amazing to be in the same room as so many other women in different chapters around the United States! 

After more discussions during the conference, we were all let out around four o'clock for a two hour break. That gave me and my friends enough to explore Downtown Nashville. We managed to find the famous and artsy #WhatLiftsYou wings mural located on 302 11th Avenue S, along with a few other mini murals. I was so happy, that definitely checks off one goal on my bucket list!

 Afterward, we stopped by Milk and Honey Nashville for some iced coffee before heading back to the conference. I highly recommend it, one of the best of many Nashville coffee shops! 

My iced almond vanilla latte from Milk and Honey Nashville

For dinner, they served delicious tacos either choices of either steak or grilled chicken. It was like we were catered by a mini version of Chipotle! I ate with the same group I ate lunch with, and we got to get to know each other by sharing testimonies with one another. It was a very special breakout session, I even teared up a bit sharing my testimony and listening to others tell theirs. That first day of the conference, I made some new amazing friendships as well as spent quality time with my Akron friends. The eight of us stayed up till two in the morning that night at our host's home. We were just laughing and having a good time with one another! 

Day Two - the second and final day of the conference - we woke up bright and early once again to take more pictures (thank you to the kind woman who took our pictures and let us hold her adorable dog!). This time, we all wore our Delight merchandise in honor of merchandise day. From sweaters to hats, every girl was all decked out and full of pride for the ministry! 

The first half of the second day was pretty similar to the other day, consisting of worship, speeches from other leaders/directors and lunch. However, we also played a super fun trivia game that involved groups selecting a runner to run over, chug a can of La Croix and answer the trivia question. Then at the end, the two groups with the most points had a tug-of-war battle. It was a blast, so much feisty action and laughs! Unfortunately my team didn't make it to the final "battle", but we still had a fantastic time!

After more speeches and group chats, we had another break period from four to seven before the conference worship finale. We met one of the photographs at the event named Jayda and she went to explore 12th South with us. Y'all, she is one of THE most kind-hearted, pure, creative, optimistic and beautiful women I have ever met! Her photography skills are amazing, and we had so much fun with her. We got coffee with her and talked about Jesus and other good things. She also took the time out of her break to do aesthetic photoshoots with us! 

The University of Akron chapter with Mac (far right) and Kenz (bottom right)!!!

The University of Akron chapter with Jayda (center to the left)!!!

After shopping and dinner, we went back to Marathon Music Works for the final worship. The band played a few songs before Mac came out to give the most inspiring speech ever. She talked about John 21:17 in which God asked Peter, "Do you love me?" to which Peter responded "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you" and the Lord replied, "Feed my sheep." 

That verse is so powerful in so many ways. Despite when we're confused as to why God puts us through challenges, what matters most is that we must love Him and feed His sheep. This was an important message for me after a long, busy summer with happy moments yet also disappointing moments. Mac preached about how important it is to feed Jesus's sheep no matter what, whether during positive or negative situations. And during the worship, I kept telling God that I wanted to keep feeding His sheep for the rest of my life. That night, I felt so much weight and anxiety lifted off my shoulders. I prayed with friends and other girls, teared up with joy, sang my heart out, and praised His name. I've never felt so blessed in my whole life. That night, I was changed and I left the conference feeling that exact same way. I'm so grateful for everything that God put in front of me during those two days. The leadership conference will in fact be one of the most memorable, raw, and weightlifting memories of my lifetime. I am now even more eager to be a leader for the University of Akron Delight chapter this fall semester! 

S/O to Jenna Clare for capturing this beautiful of me praying for my friend Abby!

If you want to learn more about Delight, how to join and possibly how to start a chapter on your campus, check out their website and follow them on Instagram!

Have you ever been to Nashville? Comment about your experience down below and also like this post! 

But for real though, LIKE this post ⬆️😉