Best of 2013: Music

Music has always been a passion of mine and I genuinely enjoy all kinds of music (except like heavy metal scream...I'll never understand that). I'm constantly looking for new music/artists/bands and I've definitely come across some amazing artists this year. Here are 5 of my favorite songs from this year, take a listen if you haven't heard before and let me know what you think! 

1. After performing at my school's homecoming concert, I'm BEYOND obsessed with Hoodie Allen. Beyond. His music is fun, catchy, and the acoustic versions are heart melting. I'm also a big fan of him personally, he seems like he's down to earth and very grateful for all his fans. He tweets links to download his music for free too, which I think is amazing. It was hard for me to pick a favorite song but I think this is the one that could convert anyone into a Hoodie fan. 

2. I've been a Summer Set fan for a long time now and I was lucky enough to see them in concert on Halloween this year! I absolutely died when I met the lead singer, Brian, after the show. He's adorable and has the voice of an angel. I can never get this song stuck out of my head so beware - very addicting. 

3. Here's another artist that I was lucky enough to see in concert and meet this year! He's a friend of a friend in Nashville so my roommate and I got to hang with Jon and the band on their tour bus before the show, so cool! So excited his new album is coming out on January 14th (also my birthday!). He's more well known for his single Up All Night but I like this one better. 

4. I've recently discovered Lana and I worship her now. She's sassy and her songs are almost hypnotic, I'm just obsessed. This one's my favorite, although this entire album is perfection. 

5. I don't care what anyone says, I have loved and will always love Blurred Lines. Some lyrics are meant to be taken literally and some aren't. It's simply a fun song and critics went overboard analyzing it. Okay, rant over. How can you not enjoy the three hotties singing it either? Just makes me want to dance! Give It 2 U is also pure gold. #THICKE 

Honorable mentions: 

• 23 - Mike Will Made-It (feat. Miley, Wiz, Juicy J)
• This is How We Roll - Florida Georgia Line (feat. Luke Bryan)
• Swoon - Timeflies
• Best Day Ever - One Direction 
• I Love It - Icona Pop 

Anyone else a fan of these songs or artists? If not, I hope you are now! 

xoxo,

rFe 

A quick hello and today's steals!

Hello loves!

Wow seriously how long has it been since my last post?! This semester is just flying by, I can't believe it's almost winter break (and my birthday!). I really miss the blogging world and I'm definitely going to try and make this blog more of a priority starting now! With finals week approaching, I don't feel nearly as prepared as I should for my exams but hopefully it'll be a productive week :) In more exciting news, my sorority's initiation week was absolutely amazing and I got another little! She's absolutely adorable and we are two peas in pod so I couldn't be happier. We are both avid country fans and are attending the CMT Jake Owen, Love and Theft, and Florida Georgia Line concert this Thursday in Minneapolis! SO beyond thrilled to throw on my cowboy boots and see all those sexy men perform live. I'm anticipating it will be an amazing concert and I'll definitely let you guys know how it went on Friday.

Now, I love bargains just as much as the next shopaholic but today I got some incredible (and unexpected) deals from the one and only Ann Taylor! I consider myself kind of an expert in finding great clothes for affordable prices. I would much rather catch an Ann Taylor/J. Crew sale than buy things for the same price at Forever 21. Not trying to knock Forever 21, I do like to buy certain things there but for me, quality always comes before quantity. My first rule of thumb for finding good deals is to shop in stores, working retail has taught me that the actual stores ALWAYS have better deals than the websites do. Case in point, I bought a dress from Banana Republic this summer for $12 in store while it was still "on sale" online for $70. Craziness I know and I see it happen all the time. Anyway, today Ann Taylor had 25% off their sale items so these are the dandies I picked up!

This blouse is actually navy blue with the coral and white details, not black, which gives it a much more preppy/nautical look! Totally my style so obviously I had to get this at a mere $11. 

This adorable sweater is going to go with some Banana Republic burgundy cigarette pants for Christmas :) unfortunately, you can't see the back detail but there's a bow tie at the top and the whole back is sheer - love! This again was only $11. 

My last sale purchase was this burgundy top (can you tell I'm obsessed with this color?) which is a great causal top for me to wear to class! I seriously wear these kind of oversized, comfy tops to class everyday and how could I not buy it for $7?!

I couldn't resist putting up some of Ann Taylor's new arrivals as well. They're featuring this mint color, which is my absolute favorite color of all time. I couldn't justify buying any of it though because 1.) my budget would not allow this and 2.) I don't think it's a very season appropriate color (especially the pants) I just wouldn't feel right wearing pastel before Spring came! Call me crazy but it's almost as bad as wearing white this time of year...almost...

Anyone else finding any awesome deals lately? Let me know what you think about mine!

Oh, it's good to be back :) xoxo,

rFe

Flats on flats on flats

Hey lovies! I hope everyone's enjoying their weekend, I've been waiting for what seems like forever for it to finally get here! I'm still extremely stressed and busy with school, my sorority, tennis, and working (not to mention trying to keep up with friends and family!) I feel like I literally never have a free moment and it's still soo overwhelming dealing with everything right now. If anyone has any good tips for relieving stress, that's not time consuming, I would love to get some advice! On a brighter note, one AMAZING thing I did this week was attend an impromptu afternoon concert held by Hunter Hayes! He was in town with Carrie Underwood and did a pre-show performance at a local bar/restaurant. A couple friends and I heard about it on the radio the morning of and decided to skip class and take a little adventure! It was great because it was at noon on a Thursday so it was a very exclusive and private show. I absolutely adore him so seeing him in that intimate of a setting was the best experience ever!

I just love him so much 

Another reason I've been looking forward to this weekend is because my mom, grandma, and aunt came into town yesterday! We spent the day shopping which was exactly what I needed to get my mind off this crazy week. I made some great purchases but I think my favorite was my new Cole Haan ballet flats (dying with excitement inside) from Nordstrom Rack! I've been wanting a nice pair of flats forever and I'm so happy I found a quality pair and got the best deal on them :) I feel like it's the perfect weather for flats right now because it's still a smidge too warm to wear boots, my feet and legs get way too hot! I'm a little obsessed with flats right now which is funny because I used to hate them - I thought they made my feet look big...haha but now I definitely appreciate them and their classiness so much more! Here are some more amazing flats that I'm lusting over, if only I had unlimited funds to buy them! Oh well, it makes getting a really nice part that much more special. The middle, shimmery ones are the ones I bought today :)

Tory Burch flat heels, $290 / Sam Edelman animal print ballet flat / Vera Wang ballet flat shoes / Kate Spade wedge heel shoes / Cole Haan grey ballet flat / Kate Spade ballet shoes flat

Let me know what you think and enjoy this beautiful weekend!

xoxo,

rFe

Saturday's Songs

I'm always looking for new music and once I find something I like, I listen to it over and over again. I love discovering new artists that aren't on the radio and in turn showing people those artists/songs! I think I might doing a Saturday's Songs post every week for all my fellow music lovers out there. I really don't like listening to the radio, especially lately because hearing Katy Perry's Wide Awake every time I turn it on is getting a smidge annoying. It's a depressing song and I don't feel any sympathy in regards to her recent divorce from Russell Brand. Seriously that was doomed from the start. Haha okay rant over! Anyway, one radio song I can't stop listening to Nicki Minaj's Pound the Alarm. It's classic Nicki and I looove it. If you haven't heard it yet, take a listen!

What's everyone listening to now? I'd love to hear!

xoxo,

rFe

Sunday Social

Very excited to be doing my second Sunday Social this week! I'll be linking up with Neely at A Complete Waste of Make Up and Ashley at Ashley's Carnival Ride. This week is all about music - enjoy! :)

1. What is your all time favorite song? Oh lord, this is a tough one. I love love love music and I listen to so many different genres it's hard to pick just one favorite. I'll give you my favorites by genre though. Country: Sparks Fly by Taylor Swift and Drunk On You by Luke Bryan, alternative: A Party Song (Walk of Shame) by All Time Low, pop: Tik Tok by Ke$ha (haha slightly embarrassing...), acoustic: Skinny Love by Bon Iver, rap: Donald Trump by Mac Miller. 

2. Who is your favorite singer/band? Another toughie! There's a couple for this question too...Luke Bryan (obviously), Taylor Swift, Pistol Annies, All Time Low, Jack Johnson, 3OH!3, Hey Monday and Shania Twain.

3. What is your theme song/song that best describes your life? Well usually when I'm going through any sort of relationship problem, it's a Taylor Swift song haha but otherwise I'd say these 2 songs describe my life pretty well :)

Sorority Girl by Luke Bryan "You got that high school boyfriend you still think about, you know how to make him jealous when he comes into town. You drive your little love bug when you're skipping class and your sisters get you home when you're drunk off your ass. You know how to be a lady, yeah you're still your daddy's baby. You drive the band and the boys and the bartenders crazy."

Labels or Love by Fergie (made for Sex and the City Soundtrack) "I already know what my addiction is, I be looking for labels, I ain't looking for love. I shop for purses while he walks out the door, don't cry buy a bag and get over it. Love's like a runway but which one do I love more? No emotional baggage just big bags filled with Dior. Love's like a runway so what's all the fussing for? Let's stop chasing those boys and shop some more." 

4. What song puts you in a good mood? This one's easy, for sure Banana Pancakes by Jack Johnson. It's such a happy/calming song, it instantly relaxes me and puts me in a good mood!

5. What is your favorite road trip music? I make road trips frequently since the University I go to is about 4 and a half hours away from my house. My favorite songs to listen to while driving are usually high energy songs because they keep me in a good mood and excited to be driving wherever I'm going! (plus they keep me awake) Right now the two favorites are Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepson and What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction. Also good sing-a-longs haha :)

6. What song are you embarrassed to admit you love? Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly. This was my song back in the day, I would listen to it on repeat for hours - don't ask me why, I have no idea either haha. I still get giddy inside whenever I hear it come on the radio. 

As always, let me know what you think loves :)

xoxo,

rFe

Putting on my big girl panties

Today, I took one step closer in figuring out exactly what I want to do with my life, yay! I decided it was time to give up the dream that I would get my MRS degree and be some lucky man's trophy wife...I know, sad day. Anyhoo, I've always wanted to go to law school but I was never quite sure what kind of law I eventually wanted to practice. At first I was thinking Family Law, I totally saw myself doing divorces and saying "we're gonna sue that son-of-a-bitch for everything he's got" to heartbroken gals. In reality, it's a lot more complicated, messy, and less glamourous than that. But after talking to numerous lawyers, I think I found my calling in the law world...Entertainment Law. Now some of you may ask, what in the hell is that? Well...it's pretty much how it sounds. Entertainment Law focuses on providing legal services to the entertainment industry, whether that be film, music, television, etc. It's right up my alley. There's something about the entertainment industry that I'm just drawn to, and yes I know it's not all glamour there's a lot more that goes into it behind the scenes. I don't know, it's just so intriguing to me and it's always been that way. Going into this type of law would mean I would have to move to a big media city (L.A., New York, NASHVILLE!) Just thinking about it makes me giddy inside! 

And this brings me to my next dilemma. My major is Sociology of Law, Criminology, and Deviance with a minor in Management (the only Business minor non-Business schoolers are allowed to have). I'm not so worried about my major, it's a little too late to change that anyway but I'm wondering if I should I change my minor to something with media? Or is business applicable to everything? I'm not sure, I guess it'll be something to talk to my counselor about but I swear, sometimes my guess is as good as theirs...At least I have a little more direction in life at the moment! It's always a good feeling :)

Already decided this is my future home in Nashville - how cute! (I concern myself sometimes...)

Also, I'd die and go to heaven if I were Luke Bryan's lawyer...I imagine our conversations would go something like this. 

Anyone else slowly but surely figuring out their plans for the future?! I'd love to hear the schools y'all attend and your majors too :)

xoxo,

rFe

Boy band Thursday

I'm going to be honest, I couldn't be happier with the recent return of boy bands! I was such a huge N'Sync/Backstreet Boys/Jonas Brothers fan back in the day and now that they're becoming popular again,  I'm jumping back on the bandwagon :) One Direction is blowing up and I love it. They can actually sing, they're cute, and they're BRITISH! Seriously, what's not to love? The only downside is having to pick a favorite because they're all so damn cute. I think I've narrowed it down to two though, Liam and Niall (who's Irish!). These are my two favorite songs that have been playing on repeat constantly.

What Makes You Beautiful - their most popular song but for good reason - it's so catchy! I would be 100% okay with any of them serenading me with this song on the beach :)

One Thing - starting to get played more on the radio and I looove it. If you don't know their names but want to know my favs, Liam sings first in this video and Niall is the blondie :)

Who's your favorite One Direction hottie?!

xoxo,

rFe

What I'm listening to

Music plays a pretty big role in my life, I'm constantly listening to something whether I'm getting ready in the morning, walking to class, or studying. It can really brighten up my day or comfort me when I'm feeling down - I literally have every genre of music on my iPod (besides heavy metal, screamo music - there is never a right time for that). A couple of my favorite artists include All Time Low, Luke Bryan, We the Kings, Hey Monday, Taylor Swift, Pistol Annies, and Mac Miller. I often have one or two songs that I'm always playing on repeat until either 1.) I get sick of them or 2.) everyone around me gets sick of listening to them (usually the latter...haha) Anyway, this blog is dedicated to the two songs I'm currently obsessed with :) let me know what you think!

1.) Angel Eyes - Love and Theft: I've been on a country kick lately (probably because it's almost summertime) but I am so in love with this song! Love and Theft recently performed this song on one of the GCB episodes too which made me very happy :) 

2.) Payphone - Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa: this is Maroon 5's latest single, it's seriously SO catchy I've been singing it all day. I usually like Wiz Khalifa but I expected more from his part, however, Adam Levine is simply amazing. This is them performing on The Voice and the sound is a little quiet so you'll have to turn it up :)

And that's what I'm listening to! I'm always looking for new music so if anything of you have suggestions or would like to share what you're listening to right now, I'd love to hear it!

xoxo,

rFe