Graduation Details!

 

You’re looking at an official college graduate! I, Liz Morrison, have graduated with a BA in Communications and I couldn’t be more proud! It was a long journey to get here but I’m thrilled that I made it. Starting college at 17, I had no idea what to expect and where this road would take me, but when I walked across that stage and shook hands with the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, I knew that this was exactly where I was supposed to be.

 

As a first generation college student, my parents were so thrilled! My mom ordered a cake for me from one of our favorite bakeries in Virginia Beach (it’s vanilla). After the ceremony, my parents took me to a nice restaurant on the water so we could celebrate and rehash the event. We also spent a few hours on the beach laying in the sun.

 

My dad rarely smiles for photos but on graduation day, he smiled! From the time I was a little kid, he always encouraged me to go to college and make something of myself. I’m so grateful that I was able to do just that. This accomplishment means the world to me and my graduation day was the single most important day of my life. It meant freedom, prosperity, and starting a new legacy for my family.

The morning of my graduation it was a little foggy but as the day went on the fog burned off and the sun came out in time for our ceremony. It was incredibly warm in that cap and gown sitting under the sun. One guy in front of me actually passed out from heat exhaustion. Since our school is small, everyone graduates on the same day. There were about 1500 people that graduated so we sat outside for quite some time before it was my degree program’s time to walk. That moment was well worth the wait though. When my name was read aloud I had little tears in my eyes and a smile that said it all.

 

Part of my graduation gift to myself was buying this lovely Lilly Pulitzer dress for the event. I got quite a few compliments on it once I took off the graduation gown. Lilly is for special occasions and this certainly counted as one! It was the perfect day and I’m so thankful that I have it to look back on. Tell me about your graduation day in the comments below!

First Photos with a Nikon D3300

It’s finally the weekend! Time for brunches, late nights, and my graduation! Saturday morning I’ll be receiving my diploma and throwing my graduation cap in the air! I can’t wait for this moment. The last four years of my life have been dedicated to becoming a better version of myself and filling this beautiful brain God gave me with knowledge, wisdom, and really great stories to tell.

As part of my graduation gift from my parents, they bought me a Nikon D3300 so I can take beautiful pictures to fill my blog with! I drug my wonderful photographer, William, out to the boardwalk near my house for a photoshoot. The pictures turned out amazing! I’m wearing a Lauren Conrad for Kohl’s dress and my necklace is Ann Taylor. Both items I got on clearance!

My heels are from Rampage. I’m a firm believer that the most basic shoe a girl should have in her closet is nude pumps or kitten heel. The Duchess of Cambridge never leaves home without them!

My watch was a beautiful birthday gift I got about a month ago. Kate Spade really outdid herself with this sparkly thing!

The sunset was really nice the other night and provided some great soft lighting to take pictures with. Lately, I’ve been wearing this bright red Nars lip stick everywhere and this was the perfect opportunity to show it off!

Let me know what you think of my outfit and the pictures! I’m so grateful for this camera and the memories I hope it will capture!

 

Midi Skirt Trend

Happy Tuesday everyone! This week is bound to be beautiful for many reasons but mainly because I graduate on Saturday. I can’t wait to walk across that stage and get my diploma. I guarantee I’ll cry tears of joy, after all, I cried enough tears of frustration writing all those papers. My parents and sister are the only ones that can come to my ceremony, I really wish my sweet grandmother could have been here for it but I know she’ll be there in spirit.

I caved to a major sale over the weekend at Brinabox.com. I’ve been eyeing their adorable midi skirts since last fall and they just went on sale for $23.99! I just couldn’t resist anymore, they’re too cute! I chose the blush version of this chic little skirt. It’s due to arrive tomorrow and I’m so excited to try it on and style it. It’s one of those skirts where you can really dress it up or down. I’m going to try and wear a cute tee shirt with it and then also try a printed blouse for a fancier look.

In other news, how adorable is the new little princess’ name? Charlotte is just the cutest name for a little girl! I’m not going to lie, the Duchess pretty much stole both of my favorite kid names (George and Charlotte) but she’s Kate Middleton so I’ll forgive her. I’d still consider using them someday because I’ve loved them since forever!

Have a lovely day and enjoy the sunshine!

Livin’ La Vida Liz

It’s Friday! Congrats, you made it through the week! As I get older, I realize how important a few days off are. Life is just draining at times. I’ve been commuting up to Fairfax, VA 3 times a week for my new job and between my chronic case of road rage and the money I spend on gas I’m just so ready for weekends.

Speaking of my new job, I’m absolutely loving it! I have great bosses and coworkers. Last night, a few of us went to an Irish pub to hang out and get to know each other. A few of us will be working remotely soon so having good relationships with everyone is key to getting things done. I definitely enjoyed getting to know people in an informal setting. I mentioned it in another post, but I’m the only girl that was selected to be on this contract. It’s turned out better than I thought it would. All of the guys are really great and are fun to be around.

I’m also really thrilled to say that I got my first pay check! It’s such an amazing feeling being able to earn your own money and rely on yourself and not someone else to take care of you. What’s even more exciting is that I’m going to start saving money for my future! My contract is up in November and I really would like to move to either Northern Virginia or somewhere in Florida. Since I would be getting my own apartment, I’d need to buy pretty furniture so I’m really excited about saving for that!

The biggest excitement of all right now, is my graduation next weekend! I have my Lilly Pulitzer dress all ready to go and fabulous shoes to go with it! The family and I will be headed down to Virginia Beach for a few days of celebration and beach time. Here’s hoping we have good weather! As a graduation present, my parents are buying me a really nice camera so I can have great pictures of the biggest day of my life and I’ll be able to share them with you! I guarantee I’ll be crying when I walk across the stage to accept my diploma. All these memories will just come rushing back of the greatest time in my life. I’m starting to tear up already. Lord help me.

Enjoy your weekend beautiful people! I’m off to finish some work and then go to the gym!

P.S. My top is from Banana Republic, sunglasses are from Aldo, Blazer is Ann Taylor, and red skirt is from Kenar.

Graduation Day Style

I’m happy to say I’ve finally chosen a dress for my big day! After a few months of searching, I decided on a gorgeous Lilly Pulitzer dress for my graduation. I went up to one of the nicer malls in the Washington, DC area yesterday in search of the perfect ensemble for the special day. I tried on two dresses and without a doubt chose the right one!

I want my graduation day to be special and Lilly says special to me. Better yet, it’s my very first Lilly dress! I’m not one of those girls who grew up wearing these expensive, bright clothing designs. My family didn’t have money to spend $80 on a little girl dress for the summer and that was ok. Now that I’m older and have my own income, I get to splurge on little things like this. It truly is a sense of accomplishment.

The rest of my graduation day outfit is a bit up in the air. How on Earth do you plan for something that’s outdoors and a month away? That’s right, you don’t. I’m just hoping the weather is nice and the humidity isn’t ridiculous. I’ll certainly be wearing a heel of some sort if it isn’t wet outside. Otherwise, my ballet flats will be making their graduation debut. I’ll be rocking the pearls around my neck to add that extra prep in my step. Here’s hoping they don’t get caught in my hair because it’ll be curled! Story of my life.

I’m still trying to figure out who will be taking my graduation pictures for me. I want to do them on my college campus in my Lilly dress and get a few shots of me holding my graduation cap or throwing it in the air. I have so many great ideas for pictures and no photographer to make it happen and understand my vision.

If you guys have any suggestions or ideas for great graduation day style, I’d love to hear them! Comment below!