Pokagon State Park

On Tuesday, my father and I set off on an adventure.  We try to make a special daddy-daughter bonding trip every time I come home and this time we went to the Potawatomi Inn at Pokagon State Park in Angola, Indiana.  My father went to Pokagon every summer growing up to go camping and as my sisters and I grew up we joined the tradition in returning to the park (although we traded tents for cabins and a lodge).  Pokagon sits on three lakes and has a variety of swimming/boating/hiking activities in the summer and tobogganing in the winter.  This trip my dad and I discovered a new restaurant that serves up home cooking and "fried biscuts" that are the closest thing to beignets since Cafe du Monde in New Orleans.

We took a night hike where we made some new friends.

The next morning I had a throwback to 7yearsold and went to the Arts and Crafts room and painted a ceramic turtle to join my sisters' chipmunk and ladybug in our indoor garden at home (of course it was complete with hot pink feet, tiffany blue nail polish, and glitter).  After craft time, I headed over to the stables and went horseback riding and the trail was absolutely beautiful.

When I was finished, my dad met me at the stables and we went for a picnic and then sticking our feet in the lake.  As Wednesday afternoon waned, we headed homeward, first stopping at a local outdoor mall and doing a bit of shopping.  New yoga pants, 3 new shirts, 2 pairs of jeans, a leopard print belt, comfy flats, and a sweatshirt cardigan that screams New England are the new additions to my wardrobe arsenal.  Now I just have to figure out how I am getting all of this back to school in two suitcases!

I had so much fun spending time with my dad.  It was a really great way to finish off the summer.  Now I am only a few days away from trudging through Hurricane Irene and beginning my junior year at Babson College!

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What I'm Wearing

I really love this dress and wish I wore it more often.  I never think anything will go with it, but then everything does.  This morning I had a navy cardigan on with it and it looked great, but then my silver shoes wouldn’t match the gold in the belt and black shoes wouldn’t align with the navy cardigan and the brown belt.  But the dress looked great.  I settled for the black shoes and grey cardigan and think it’s a success.  The texture in my hair was calling for low side pony, something I rarely do, but I think that goes well too.  The dress and belt are from Express, shoes are Hatties by Bakers, and the cardigan is by Zara.

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xoxo, mfh

How to be Polished.

I go to a business school and if you are wearing anything less than this season’s trends, you are scoffed at. When I’m at home or slumming it watching Gossip Girl, you betcha I’m in yoga pants, hoodie, and hair like Bozo. But during class days, I have to be on my game. I’ve found that adding a cardigan or blazer to anything is an instant upgrade. Designer jeans really do fit better than $20 jeans, but when there’s a heavy detail on the pocket, it looks like you stepped out of junior high. American Eagle is fairly inexpensive has really great fitting jeans. Dresses are an instant put-together move, it’s an outfit in one piece. You’ll always look polished in a structured, well-fitting LBD, I found mine at Nordstrom for $25 and I wear it at almost every business meeting.

I find heels are a pain to walk in and stick by 4 staple shoes: detailed sandals (I like the ones with the strap in the back, makes it easier to walk in than flip flops), simple black flats (my faves have sheepskin on the inside, Target $6), brown loafers, and caramel brown riding boots.

As far as makeup goes, I’m blessed with clear alabaster skin, so I stick to waterproof black eyeliner, light mascara, Burts Bees chapstick, and bronzer. It takes me max 3 minutes to do my makeup. I keep a small hairbrush with me and between classes or during bathroom breaks I wipe off any spreading eyeliner and give my hair a quick brush. I have crazy curly hair which is great for texture and throwing my hair in a pile on the top of my head, but I prefer straight hair on important days because it’s shinier and looks more polished.

When you’re on the run, go for big (but face-framing) sun glasses and a coffee cup. I don’t know why, but these accessories always seem to look good.

The most important thing is confidence. It may sound cheesy, but you can definitely tell the difference between a confident self-assured woman and a unhappy woman. Stand up straight in a mirror and tell yourself you’re beautiful, because you are!

*This post was inspired by Already Pretty's post on being Perfectly Polished.

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How to Be Polished by mariiboo featuring long jeans

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