Fourth of July Favorites

bracelet | shorts | sandals | hat | croakies | clutch | wedges | earrings | red dress | bikini top | blue & white dress

Forth of July is by far and away one of my favorite days of the year. I love the sea of red, white, and blue, the immense patriotism, fireworks, and of course all of the BBQ's. I have grown up in a town that take the 4th pretty seriously which I believe is why I love the holiday so much. Our picturesque Main Street is lined with beautiful white colonial homes, each of which displays perfectly hung flags. Throughout the morning, the floats make their way down town following the annual road race and tossing candy into the crowds. Later, friends and family gather at cookouts, or by the ocean to celebrate the holiday. The festivities and the way the town comes together are 100% my favorite thing about where I live.  

Now onto the next best part, the outfit! Navy and white is my all time favorite color combination, so needless to say I never struggle too much with getting my outfit together for the day- though sometimes I need to hunt down the perfect pop of red. I am not quite sure as to what my outfit will entail this years, but look forward to an outfit post on the 4th of July! In the mean time, shop my current favorite red, white, and blue pieces! Do you love America's birthday as much as I do?!

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea

Book Review: Me Before You

One of my goals for the summer is to read a book every week. It's to be determined if I will actually stick to this plan, but I do want to do a bunch of reading this summer. I feel like there are so many books right now that I want to read, and summer is perfect time to blow through a ton of them. That being said, I just finished Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. My friend Clare recommended it to me, and told me I had to read it before seeing the movie. I realized my time frame for reading the book was quickly closing, as the film had already been in theaters for a few weeks, therefore I read the book in 3 days after school got out.

I'm certainly not the most well-read person you'll come across, but I have read my fair share of novels and I think that Me Before You might be my favorite ever. From start to finish the book is as heartbreaking as it is funny and clever. It lives up to all of the hype. It follows main character Louisa Clark, a young, quirky woman in her 20's who's family is struggling with money, as she takes a job providing care and companionship for a man, Will Traynor, who was left a quadriplegic after a motorcycle accident. Louisa helps Will to try and make the most of his life as it is now, whereas Will finds purpose in convincing Louisa to live her life to the fullest, and have dreams bigger than the sleepy hometown she has barely ventured out of her entire life.  The relationship they develop during the time they spend together is magical, and you never want the book to end. The best way I can think of describing Me Before You is intelligent; it's so well written that you feel challenged as a reader while being completely engrossed in the story. The book made me cry on three separate occasions, and I've only ever cried at one other book in my life.

As a bonus, I went and saw the movie the day after I finished the novel. I thought it was well cast an certainly kept the essence of the book, yet I just felt it was missing something invisible that I can't necessarily put my finger on that the book seemed to have provided and the move didn't (real specific, I know). I'll admit to being hyper critical, I did finish the book only the day before and therefore clearly noticed when the plot veered from what was true to the text (I'll note that this did not happen very often, thankfully!) The movie is 100% worth seeing, but I would highly suggest reading the book before.

There is a sequel to Me Before You, titled After You that came out last year. I've heard that this 2nd novel doesn't nearly live up to the first, and for some people actually tarnished the beauty of the first book for them. For this reason, I don't think I'll be reading it, but if any of our readers here have read it and have a different opinion I'd love to hear it!

Have you read Me Before You or seen the movie?

xoxo,

Julianna 

Preppy by the Sea

June Playlist

I was looking at the calendar this morning and seriously could not believe the fact that June is practically over. Because we got out of school so late this year July is quickly sneaking up on me. Now that I have so much more free time, I have been listening to a lot of music on Spotify to start my summer playlist. The radio stations on the Cape are slim to none which results on me solely relying on the aux and my own music every time I get in the car. My two favorite songs at the moment are definitely H.O.L.Y. and No Church In the Wild, but I am desperately looking for some new ones to add to my list- any recommendations are welcome! 

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea

The Perfect Case

A few weeks ago I was walking to my car and dropped my phone. This was not something out of the ordinary seeing as a I drop my phone daily on various surfaces #clumsy. However, this time it shattered. I have had an iPhone for five years and have prided myself on never shattering one, but I guess my little streak had to come to an end. This fall was short but my Lilly case just was not protective enough on the corners. Since then I have been on the hunt for a new durable, cute, and protective case. When I opened my email one day and saw a message regarding jimmyCASE I knew right away that it would be the perfect product to share on Preppy by the Sea. I selected the iPhone 6 Wallet case in the pink and gray stripe pattern with a white bumper. I am so impressed with the amazing quality of the case, and the fact that its price tag is under $40! Also, they are made in America which is always a big plus!

I rarely carry a purse with me, and thus have been trying to stuff cash and cards in-between my phone and case for years. Unfortunately this stretched out so many cases, and made my phone super thick. My favorite part about the jimmyCASE is that it has a stretchy and durable pocket that can hold up to 6 cards, and does not stretch out. The striped pattern and military grade mahogany provide the perfect contrast. It comes in 13 different standard patterns, and there is also an option to customize them. One of the best parts about these cases are that they make great gifts for both guys and girls- my dad thinks it is the coolest thing ever :)

My phone case arrived on Saturday afternoon right before I was headed out to the Keith Urban concert which was such a great surprise. It's such a pain to bring a bag into a concert, and sometimes not even allowed, so this case is a complete life savor. Having your license and some cash with you at all times will keep you prepared for anything. I know that my case will come in handy so many more times though out the summer! Have you heard of jimmyCASE before?

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday everyone! This past week officially marked the beginning of summer and I could not be more happy to finally have time to relax. Exams finished up on Tuesday morning and then my friends and I all headed off to the Cape for the rest of the week. It has been such a relief to not worry about balancing a busy schedule and just spend time at beach. We may or may not have gone out to ice cream every night- but who's counting, right?! I start working on Monday, so I am excited to enjoy the weekend before getting into the swing of my summer schedule. 

One: Day Trips

Yesterday a bunch of my friends and I went over to the Vineyard for the day. It's such a quick trip over on the ferry and fun to get a little change of scenery. We got coffee, did a little bit of shopping, and got lunch at the Atlantic in Edgartown. The weather was so much nicer than expected and walking around the quaint Vineyard streets is never a disappointment. 

Two: It's Not Summer Without You 

I just finished The Summer I Turned Pretty series. The books are definitely a cliché beachy romance read, however they are so easy to read and definitely hook you in. I just gave them to my friends to read and they have already finished the first one! 

Three: Beach/Pool

Because I was so busy this spring, I never really had the chance to go to the beach or pool during the school year. Thankfully it has been really sunny this week and I have been able to sit in the sun and attempt to start getting "tan". 

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea

My Summer Running Schedule

image via

Today was my last exam and as of 9:30 I am on summer break! During the summer, I find myself a lot more motivated to workout as my schedule is very low-key and manageable. Because the weather is so nice I try to do most of my exercising outside, though I will really miss going to spinning classes while I'm on the Cape. My cross country summer training schedule started last week and I have been determined to stick to it as much as possible this year. I have already increased my distance by 1.5 miles and my pace is slowly but surely getting faster as well. There is no question that easing yourself into a rigorous running schedule is challenging, so I thought I would discuss the gradual plan for the entire summer that has been outlined for my school's team. 

Monday-Friday (Easy/Moderate Pace)

• First week starts at 25 minutes and builds up to 45 minutes by the end of the summer
• 2-3 days of core workouts after runs- do six different core workouts for 1 minute each 
• Personal Favorites: Sit-ups, reverse crunches, crunches, Russian twists with 8 pound weight, scullers crunches, plank, side plank, leg lowers
• 2 days of leg/hip/glute workouts 
• Personal Favorites: squats, wall sits, lunges, heel raises
• Strides- add halfway through summer and do 2-3 times a week
• Aerobic Threshold Pace- add halfway through summer 1-2 times a week 
• 30 minutes of on and off between a fast pace where it is difficult to talk and your easy moderate pace (3 min on, 1 min off) 

Saturday- Long Run

• First week start at 35-40 minutes and build up to 65-70 minutes by the end of the summer
• Slower pace to build up distance 

Sunday- Rest Day

If you are really looking to get into running over the next few months, I highly recommend trying out the schedule. I would be lying to you if I said I followed this everyday all summer to a tee, however I try to stick to it as much as possible. Make slight modifications that will help you get better, and know when you need to rest. Running too much and starting too quickly can lead to injuries, so start slow and at distances in your comfort zone. My first week I started doing just 2 miles and at a 9'30" pace to ease my way into summer training. I really want to be able to run at least 7 miles by the end of the summer, and maybe even try to run a half-marathon in the fall. However, for tryouts we just have to run 2 miles at an 8'30" pace, which is totally doable! If you don't have it already, I highly recommend downloading the Nike Running App to keep track of all of your runs! Are you planning on running this summer? Let me know if you have any tips and tricks that help you build running endurance! 

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea

2016 Summer Bucket List

Since making my 101 in 1001 list back in January, I have crossed 13 things off the list. I have been having so much fun checking things off, from meeting other bloggers in person, to playing in my first varsity golf match, to baking a tiered cake with friends. Even if you don't have a blog, I highly recommend creating your own 101 in 1001 list as it helps you organize and execute your ideas and plans for the next three-ish years in a fun and unique platform. Personally I find crossing things off of a list extremely rewarding, so this has encouraged me to try new things and check as much as possible off of my bucket list. 

Because tomorrow is my last day of school and we are finally kicking off the start of summer, I thought that I would pull out 10 things from my list and try to accomplish them over the next few months. Taking advantage of free time during the summer is so important. I think that these ten bucket list items can definitely be accomplished this summer, especially as some of them are specific to the Cape and spending time at the beach. My top two items I want to accomplish this summer are definitely going on a road trip with friends and learning to drive our boat. We are already planning on driving up to New York to visit my friend Clare at her house on Lake Ontario, and my dad has been nagging me about driving the boat for the past two years. Fingers crossed I get all of these accomplished- I will report back Labor Day Weekend! 

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!! I honestly can't believe that after today I have one more exam and then I am done with my junior year. Although this week has been filled with lots of exams, end of the year research presentations, and meetings, it has surprisingly been pretty manageable. Because of my exam schedule I actually have a three day weekend. In some ways this is nice and will give me more study time, however I would honestly much rather just finish up my classes and start my summer ASAP. This weekend I am going to my friend's birthday dinner and then will probably do something fun and low key with my dad on father's day! Do you have any fun plans for the weekend? 

One: Golf Banquet 

Monday night we had our end of the season golf banquet. It was so nice to get to have one last event with this team, especially with the seniors before they leave for college. The venue along with the extensive ice cream bar made the night so much fun! Julianna is going to be one of the captains for next year and I seriously could not be more excited or happy for her!! You can see my outfit details here and purchase Julianna's dress here. 

Two: Car Shopping

Last week I was rear ended on the way to school and unfortunately we just heard back from the insurance company that my car is totaled. I was really holding out hope that they could just fix it, but the damage ended up being far worse than initially expected. Now I am on the hunt for a new car and and going to look at some this weekend with my dad. Fingers crossed I find something similar to what I had before. 

Three: Running

This week marked the start of cross country summer training, which is kind of crazy seeing that we aren't even out of school yet! I have slowly eased myself back into somewhat of a running routine and am excited to build up my distance and pace throughout the summer. I'm still adjusting to working out in the heat as my workout routine had previously consisted of solely indoor spinning classes. The Lululemon tracker shorts are my absolute favorite for running and I highly recommend purchasing a pair if you are looking for something breathable and flattering. 

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea

Book Review: 11/22/63

I'd consider myself to be a person who genuinely likes reading, which is why I was disappointed that this past school year I didn't read as many books for my own pleasure as I would have liked. As I'm sure many of you understand, high school (junior year in particular) is crazy busy. I did all I could just to keep up with the reading assignments in my English class...The Grapes of Wrath wasn't exactly a page turner. About a month ago, my history teacher explained to us that we would be choosing books off a pre-approved list to do a group video project as our final grade. Most of the options were non-fiction and long, both things that didn't appeal to me. So, I opted for the only fiction option on the list, 11/22/63 by Stephen King. Best. Choice. Ever.

11/22/63 follows protagonist Jake Epping after he discovers a time-travel portal, transporting him back to the late 1950's. Jake makes it his mission to save president John F. Kennedy from being assassinated with the hopes that his actions with change the future for the better. With various plot lines going beyond this main story-arc, Jake becomes deeply connected to the past and the people he meets while there, complicating his intentions for the future and his plans to change history. 

I honestly can't explain how much I enjoyed this book. It's very fast paced, and never once did I have to re-read a section because my eyes glazed over or it was just too boring to hold my attention. The main character, Jake, is so likable that you root for him and his cause the entire way. There's a perfect balance between historical facts and fictional character development; even if you're not into history, this book will still captivate you with the more fictional aspects that make you love the characters. The scariest part about this book isn't actually anything that happens in the text, but rather the fact that it is about 1080 pages. I know what you're thinking, but hear me out. It reads so, so fast, I honestly read 400 pages in a day. The pages are narrow and the font is large; to me it reads more like a 350-400 page book. It doesn't ever feel like it drags on too long. Every chapter has a clear purpose to engage the reader. This was the first truly great book I've read in a while. I hope you take my advice and love it as much as I do!

Have you read any good books lately?

xoxo,

Julianna 

Preppy by the Sea

Red Dress

dress | wedges | necklace

Monday night was our end of the season golf banquet and the UPS man arrived ten minutes before I had to leave with this dress... miracles do happen, right!? After ripping the package open I quickly changed before heading out. I got lots of compliments throughout the night and not only was the dress flattering, but it is a great eating dress to conceal a food baby that comes naturally after devouring an ice cream sundae :) 

This spring/summer I have been loving the off the shoulder trend and have been hunting down the perfect dress. When aimlessly browsing the asos website one night, I stumbled upon this little red dress for $25 and knew that I had to give it a try. Red has always been a bold color choice for me, but it is really starting to grow on me and I think that it will look really nice later in the summer with more of a natural glow. For reference I am 5'6" and am wearing a size 4 (typically wear a 2). I carry most of my hight in my legs and the dress is definitely on the shorter side for me- just FYI for the taller girls out there. It also comes in petite and maternity sizes, and different colors including black, white, orange, and yellow!

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea

Junior Year

For as long as I can remember people have been saying that junior year of high school is really rough. It's the year of the SAT, the ACT, the last full year before applying to college, NHS induction, getting teachers to write recommendation letters, and the list just keeps going on and on. So, this past September I went into school with the expectation that my life would basically be miserable for the next 180 school days. Don't get me wrong, there were lots of late nights spent studying, earlier mornings, tears, and times spent after school with teachers. However, junior year was not horrible. Instead of writing a long and quite frankly boring post about my experience, I thought I would share a list of 25 things I have learned over the past ten months. It has been quite the learning experience both in and out of the classroom and although I could not be more excited that it is over and I am almost a senior, I definitely think I have grown a lot in the past year. Here's to the last week of junior year!

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday everyone! Next week is my last week of classes followed by one exam the next week and then it's summer! I could not be more excited to be done with my junior year and finally be a senior- we just ordered our senior shirts for next year which is absolutely crazy. Apologies for being MIA for the past few days, it has not been the greatest week. On Monday morning I was driving to school and got rear-ended which was a major bummer. Everyone was okay, however both of the cars are in really bad shape and might be totaled, so we have been dealing with the insurance company, rental car place, and repair shop all week. Fingers crossed I don't have to get a new car. On to brighter things, this weekend is my friend's birthday so I think we are all going to get together to do something to celebrate!

One: Graduation

This past Saturday was graduation at our school. All of my friends and I went and had so much fun seeing our friends get their diplomas and finish up high school! We made sure to snap a picture with our friend, Lea who was one of our golf captains this year. The ceremony was really well done and has me super excited for our graduation. It's crazy to think that it will be us in less than a year. Congrats to the class of 2016 and good luck next year! 

Two: Peonies 

Guys, It's officially peonies season and I seriously could not be more excited! Peonies are by far and away my favorite flower, I love the soft shape and light hues that just scream summer. I picked this bouquet up at Trader Joe's this week and know that I will be back quite a few times in the near future to purchase more. 

Three: Chocolate Covered Banana Slices 

I have been absolutely obsessed with these "Gone Bananas" from Trader Joe's recently. They're frozen bananas covered in dark chocolate, so they are refreshing on a hot day but they are so much better for you than indulging in an ice cream cone. I am not even the biggest fan of bananas and I have literally gone through 2 and half boxes in the past week. Definitely pick up a box the next time you find yourself at Trader Joe's!

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea

Summer Dresses

chevron tassel | lace up | red off the shoulder | blue & white | green ruffles light blue off the shoulder | white 

Over the past four weeks or so, I have been very busy with all sorts of events. Between awards nights, graduation, sports banquets, and graduation parties, there have been a ton of things that I have needed to look dressy for, but not over the top. I thought that I had a lot of dresses, however in getting ready for these events I have noticed that my dresses are either very formal, or extremely casual tee shirt dresses. Also, I am bussing and hostessing at a restaurant on the Cape this summer so I will need some more dresses for that as well- always a good excuse to go shopping, right?! So, I am now on the hunt for the perfect "day dress". You would think it wouldn't be too difficult to find dresses in this category, however I am definitely struggling. Let me know if you have stumbled upon any sites with lots of cute summery options as I am in desperate need of some new pieces.

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea 

Healthy Coconut & Chocolate Chip Cookies

Now that it is almost summer and I will be in a bikini on the reg, I have been trying to reduce my sugar consumption (I'm looking at you ice cream). A few weeks ago one of my friends brought these cookies to lunch. After trying them I knew that I needed to get the recipe and make them at home! Not only are the cookies absolutely delicious, but they are not that bad for you as most of the ingredients are natural. Thanks to this recipe I can now satisfy my sweet tooth guilt free. Also, if you are gluten free, Paleo, or have a wild diet (not sure what that consists of) you can enjoy them as well! The recipe itself is super easy and only takes about 25 min from start to finish. Let me know if you end up making them as I would love to hear your thoughts! 

**there is 1/2 cup of coconut oil-I forgot to include that for ingredients**

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea

Zara Collection

 

white skirt

bell sleeves

off the shoulder 

embroidered tunic

shoulder cut-outs

white dress

criss cross top

striped skirt

Over the past year or so I have been really obsessed with Zara, it's the prefect mix of classic staples and trendy pieces, and their prices are great for a high school or college budget without sacrificing quality. This year their spring/summer collection has been on point and I thought that I would share a few of my favorite pieces. Think lots of blues, crisp and clean designs, with a fun feminine flare! The other weekend when I was in Boston with my mom we stopped in the store on Newbury Street. I have been on the hunt for the perfect off the shoulder top forever and finally found this one which is to die for! I can't wait to style it with white jeans and wedges later this summer when I am a little bit tanner :) Also, the white skirt is definitely at the top of my summer wish list! What are you favorite pieces from the collection?

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea