SPRINGSPIRATION

Hi everyone! Can I just tell you how great it feels to have a day off from work?! Mondays and Tuesdays have become my weekend down here in Florida (i have my creativity and innovation class on tuesdays) and today has been a productive Monday so far so I thought I would do a fashion post for you all! The warm Florida weather and sunshine have had me in a springy sort of mood lately...and I had a peek at either Billabong or Roxy's (can't remember which one...i was at city walk the other day in a big store with both brands) spring/summer collection and I was so inspired by it! I would have bought every single piece if I could only afford it...sigh...

When I was looking at the Roxy/Billabong collection the other day, I saw the most beautiful white kimono! To me it screamed spring, as white brings to mind newness and lightness. You can't go wrong with Converse and I really like the zipper detail on these white ones!

  

I love crop tops! I think it is so adorable to wear a crop top with high waisted shorts or a high waisted skirt (or in this case a skort, throw back to elementary school much?) and show just a sliver of stomach. Also, can we talk about the return of the jelly sandal?! Like my temporary aversion to scrunchies, I was a bit hesitant to embrace the jelly sandal's new found popularity but I won't lie...I really want a pair! I especially like this high heeled pair because it puts a more grown up twist on a childhood classic. Oh, and I think this shirt is hilarious...sassy, just how I like it ;)

If this outift looks even vaguely familiar to you, then congrats! You are an avid watcher of American Horror Story like me and we are now best friends ;) AHS is one of my favorite shows and although the third season was not my favorite by any means, the fashion featured in the third season was! Witches in New Orleans made for some very interesting outfit choices, and ever since then I have always yearned to wear black floppy hats and peasant dresses. I have a slight obsession with platform wedges like these ones, there is just something about them! I'm a sucker for grunge, what can I say.

Polyvore is a great tool, but man does it make me want to go shopping...if anyone would like to donate to the Shannon Is A Poor College Student shopping fund feel free because girl needs to hit up Forever 21 really soon ;) I hope you all enjoyed this fashion post, I love putting outfits together so if this is something you would like to see more of let me know down below! I'm open to any and all suggestions and I love hearing from you guys, so don't be shy!

until next time,

BYE BYE MUGGLE WORLD, HELLO HOGWARTS

Hi everyone! It finally happened. After years of fawning and flailing about whenever a commercial would come on, I laid eyes on The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal for the first time and it was the most magical experience of my entire life. For a hardcore HP fan like me (circa 2000, what what), walking into a life size Diagon Alley and Hogwarts is an actual dream come true.

I wore my Platform 9 and 3/4 t-shirt (duh) that I purchased at the real King's Cross in London because it was only appropriate!

I had a nice chat with the Knight Bus driver (I call him Stan Shunpike because that is what his name is in the books but I'm not actually sure if that's who he is supposed to be or not...lol) but his shrunken head friend in the window wasn't so polite. He told me I have a big head! He's one to talk...he's only a head! And that's exactly what I told him...sure shut him up! ;)

My friend/fellow apartment mate and HP mega fan Brittany and I ate lunch at The Leaky Cauldron and it was perfection. I was so stoked about the traditional British menu because it made me felt like I was back in London :) I had the bangers and mash and it was delicious! The portion was a pretty decent size so I felt like the price was fair. Unlike at Disney where you pay ten dollars for a burger...sorry Disney, I love you but it aint worth it! And of course, I had to try the butterbeer! I got the normal non-frozen kind and it was heavenly! Towards the end of it I felt a little bit sick because it is quite sweet, but overall I really enjoyed it and I can't wait to try the frozen kind next time!

I was really naughty and not only got butterbeer, but ice cream too! The flavors at Florean Fortescue's are so funky and I just had to try some. I got chocolate chili and clotted cream, and they certainly were interesting! Brittany got the butterbeer soft serve because she's had butterbeer already and she wanted to try something new. I had a lick and it was tasty!

Brittany and I took the Hogwarts Express from Diagon Alley to Hogsmeade and it was basically the raddest thing ever.

They did a fantastic job with both the platform itself and the Hogwarts Express! When I stepped foot on the train and sat down in one of the compartments, I felt like I was transported right into the books and movies. To be quite honest, I got a little bit emotional riding the Hogwarts Express because ever since I was little I've always dreamed of going to Hogwarts and in a way the physical journey between the two places made that dream a little more real.

Brittany and I rode both Escape from Gringotts and Forbidden Journey twice, and I must say that these two rides are my favorite rides ever. Sure, I'm biased because I absolutely love Harry Potter and of course I'll always have those Disney rides that are my favorites. However, Gringotts and Forbidden Journey are on a different level altogether because of sheer innovation and emotional connection. When I got off of Forbidden Journey for the first time, I was speechless and floored by what I had just experienced! Both rides are so immersive and technologically advanced, I can't wait to ride them again just so I can figure out how they work!

Sidenote: Brittany and I went into a phonebooth in the London section of Wizarding World and I found this! It's a list of all the areas in and surrounding London, and Mike's town is on the list! It made me so happy and I sent this picture to him :) His mum got a kick out of it too!

I am proud to say that I am an Annual Passholder for Universal which means I can go back (almost) anytime I want for the next year! I plan on going a lot (like a lot a lot) before I leave Florida in May so you can definitely expect more posts about Wizarding World from me! I didn't get to take nearly as many pictures as I wanted when I went the other day because it rained the whole day so next time I will take loads! Oh, and I bought an interactive Hermione wand at Ollivander's so I can't wait to cast some spells next time I am in the park :D

until next time,

DCP 2015: A REAL WILD TIME

Hi everyone! On Saturday, I went to Animal Kingdom with my lovely roommates Kayla and Amy. The last time I went to Animal Kingdom was about 10 years ago, but even now it looks almost exactly how I remember it :) When we went to make Fastpass reservations for some of the bigger rides, the cast member that was helping us was nice enough to give us a Fastpass that we could use for whatever ride we wanted! The wait for Kilimanjaro Safari was already long and there weren't any Fastpasses left for the day, so we decided to use our freebie on that! Our roommate Brittany is training to be a tour guide on Kilimanjaro Safari and she happened to be training that day. We looked all over for her while we were in line waiting to get on the safari, and we finally found her right before we departed! She just started taking guests a few days ago and I can't wait to go on a safari with her as my tour guide! :)

the zebras were so close!

Later on, my roommates and I decided to get in line to meet Dug and Russell from Up!

They were so adorable! They are also the first characters I've ever officially met! When I was younger, I used to be scared of characters so I'm starting to make up for all that lost time :)

I met Pocahontas as well and she complimented the "stones" that I wore in my ears! ;) As a blogger who loves fashion, a compliment coming from straight from a princess is much appreciated! My OOTD for the day was a crop top from Nollie, my favorite black high waisted shorts from American Apparel, and my brown booties from DSW.

I've been getting great feedback since I've started posting about my adventures on the Disney College Program! I hope you've been enjoying my posts so far, I've had so much fun doing them. Leave me suggestions down below for any other posts that you would like to see or just say hi! :)

until next time,