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 It's no secret that Fall gets a lot of attention from all sorts of blogs and social media outlets- who doesn't love a good selection of autumnal foliage and a plethora of cool weather outfits to pick from? Well, that hasn't quite been a reality this year in the DMV- of course the leaves have changed and fallen, daylight savings took effect, but as I type this, it's just reached 60 degrees outside! I blame global warning....

On a happier note, even if we aren't experiencing a "true" Fall at the moment, I can still share some of my most recent favorites in fashion, beauty, reading, and binge watching:

- Finding riding boots to that are both narrow enough in the calf and tall enough for me isn't easy, and I was initially disappointed by these boots last year when they tore up my heels after about an hour of walking. This year, they've finally broken in enough to wear frequently without any discomfort.

- Christmas shopping with my Mom led me to grab Vice President Joe Biden's new book, and based on the reviews and excerpts I've seen, I fully expect it to be a (incredibly poignant) tearjerker- foreign policy and the personal story of a prominent family facing tragedy? Just hand me the tissues already. Since I can't read it until Christmas, I've been enjoying The Dressmaker, an easier historical fiction read that was great to have on my recent trip to the beach.

- Who else watches This Is Us? I've found some of the characters and storylines slightly frustrating this season, but I've loved the recent episodes showing more of Kate and Kevin's backgrounds. I'm excited to see Randall's episode for tonight's fall finale- he might be my favorite of the "Big Three"!

- Although it hasn't been particularly cold here, the humidity has dropped, and I decided to try this version of Lancôme moisturizer which so far is helping me avoid dry skin- bonus points for not causing any sort of irritation.

- Finally, my picks for Giving Tuesday- The Malala Fund, Save the Children- an organization I had the opportunity to work with as an intern, and the Syrian American Medical Society, recently featured on 60 Minutes.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend with family and friends!

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Happy (almost) Friday! It's still hot on the east coast- almost ridiculously so, to be honest- so I'm spending my free time preparing for my next French immersion class, catching up on some TV, and doing a little online window shopping in hopes of cooler weather!

A few of my current favorite (and pretty random...) links around the web...

The best $15 I've spent this week: you probably need this brush! I have pretty dry hair, and I've been impressed so far at how well this brush helps keep my hair's natural oils distributed throughout its length, especially when used before going to bed.

The post-grad struggle, summarized by tumblr: I'll be honest, I complain about life post-graduation and the ever-frustrating job hunt quite a bit. On a daily basis, I find it hard to remember that I'm one of many recent grads to be experiencing the same frustrations and challenges- articles like these bring a little humor into #TheStruggle of being a young 20-something!

One of my favorite parts of my stint in New York, any of the cities I've lived in and visited, was experiencing  the rich history all around me. This website allows you to pick a location in New York and view a library of old photos taken in that location, some dating back to 1800. I found my old address on the map, and parts of Madison and 5th Avenues and Central Park certainly looked a bit different 100 years ago!

Speaking of cooler weather, my favorite Wool Sidewalk Skirts are back at J Crew Factory. I love pairing these with tights and boots through the late fall and winter, and with Jacks into the spring. I love the cabernet color linked above, but I'm also debating whether I can pull off this one without looking like I'm wearing a school uniform ;) This style in navy looks cute as well!

Real talk: I've dealt with chronic anxiety since I was pretty young. As much of an obstacle as it can be in many aspects of my life, it really is just part of who I am. I'm more than happy to see anxiety disorders gaining more mainstream exposure, like this interview with Emma Stone about her experience growing up with anxiety!
And finally, 24 frustrating things that happened on Gilmore Girls. Like many people my age, I'm a big Gilmore Girls fan- I binge-watched the full series a few years ago with my Mom, and of course saw the revival most recently. I *think* I'm still #TeamLogan. But this article makes some good points. I was annoyed with Rory's temporary dropping out of Yale, and Lorelei and Christopher's whole saga just complicated things. It's still one of my favorite shows, but I have to strongly agree with this: Lane belonged with Dave. Just saying ;)

Have a great weekend, and last few days of September!

XOXO,
Emily

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As September rolled around, my Mom joked that she actually missed back to school shopping. For the first time in who knows how many years, there is no purchasing of supplies of textbooks or lugging anything into campus housing! As a December grad, this is the first time I haven't been headed back to school in the Fall.

Instead, I'll be spending my free time tackling something I've been meaning to do for a while- practicing (and improving!) my French skills. Instead of back to school, it's back to full immersion French classes (at French Academy DC) for me!

I'm both nervous and pretty excited- I actually started studying French early by American standards. Starting in seventh grade, we had the option of adding French or Spanish to our schedule. I was already interested in French, and had taken a short course for middle schoolers the previous Summer. I was so excited to start- I decorated my binder, bought my first French dictionary, and dutifully studied my vocabulary and conjugations. I had an amazing French teacher through middle school, and it quickly became one of my favorite subjects.

As I've mentioned before, my department required all undergraduates to pick a language to study through the 300 level. Of course, I picked French, making it my minor. Here's the kicker- no matter how much quality academic instruction you have, it's nearly impossible to become fluent in a foreign language without living in a country that speaks said language.

As a result, my French is very academic- I can read and write much better than I can understand. This was confirmed during my time interning at the United Nations- some of my attempts to practice by listening to speeches on complex political and humanitarian issues given by native speakers weren't particularly successful :)

This is just another little step in my path towards ultimately entering the diplomatic world, so I'll face my fear of actually speaking up in my second language, gather up my notebooks, and enjoy my back to class, but not back to school :)

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Oh, social media... what would we all do without the ability to see exactly what friends (and strangers) are doing on a daily basis? ;)

No matter how simultaneously rewarding and frustrating it can be having social media so embedded in our daily lives, there is certainly one benefit: the ability to mentally "visit" anywhere you can think of.

Scrolling through Facebook, I would occasionally notice pictures posted by an acquaintance I'd met through Model UN. While admiring his pictures of the multitude of European cities he was visiting, I noticed he would always include a particular hashtag with each picture and "check in": #30Before30

As it turns out, this was in reference to his goal of visiting 30 countries before he turned 30- pretty cool, right? Of course, I immediately started thinking about all the different places I'm anxious to visit!

I should mention that aforementioned acquaintance happened to being enrolled in grad school in Italy, making short trips to multiple countries a lot more realistic!

So I did a little more research, and apparently, this is much more of a thing than I realized- countless people are sharing their experiences online, including this blog feature and 30xTHIRTY- a whole community of 20-somethings attempting #30Before30!

I don't necessarily have a travel bucket list to speak of, aside from visiting every country in Europe at some point. I know.... good luck with that one, Emily! ;) I'm 24 now, and I've visited six countries in Europe and North America- experiences that I'll always be grateful for! I'm not sure I'll be able to visit 24 more countries in six years- but for now, it's something to work towards!

Do you have any travel bucket list items, or number of new places you'd like to experience? Leave me a comment with your favorite travel experiences :)

Hope you have a great week!
Emily

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Happy Tuesday! A quick look into some of my current favorites and what's been on my mind as of late!

On my watch list: I haven't really binge watched anything in a while, so I'm trying to catch up on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt so I can finally start the new season- which I'm probably the last person under 40 to watch!

I missed its theater run back in the Spring, so I'm looking forward to watching (and possibly crying my way through...) The Promise, and Chris Evans' new movie Gifted once they're available to rent, and after seeing the previews, I think I need to see The Big Sick now that it's in theaters.

On my nightstand: ...My old French textbooks- seriously! While written practice obviously doesn't compare to actually speaking or being immersed in the language, I'm determined not to let my years of drilling les démonstratifs into my head and those countless pages of work in translation class slip!

Along the lines of actual reading, I'm finally getting around to starting The Light Between Oceans, which has been laying around my room for a while now, and after reading Sarah's recommendation, Post Grad sounds extremely appropriate for me at the moment!

On my wish list: I just splurged on this bag in cream while using my last birthday gift card, so I've been taking it easy on any online browsing, but I did make the mistake of allowing myself to take a look at the Nordstrom's sale sneak peak. (Big mistake!) Now I'm trying to convince myself that I really don't need new boots yet, even if they are a good deal...

On my mind: Last weekend, I took a quick trip to New York for a friend's going away weekend before she moved back to Australia, which provided me with four days of friends, food, and hanging around the city with very few adult responsibilities- so this past week has been all about work and job applications, as per usual. No one really tells you that undergrad and all of the random responsibilities that come with interning will be the fun part! I won't sugarcoat it- this part of the career process is completely frustrating, but I'm trying to stay optimistic.....

Have a great week! 

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*I've been inspired by my friend Katina at Lost & Found in the City to start writing quick photo-diary style posts recapping whatever recent photos I find on my camera roll while I'm out and about. This is my first time posting something a little less structured, but I hope you enjoy these little peeks into whatever catches my eye*

If you've grown up outside of a city that can be considered a tourism or vacation destination, you've likely experienced the phenomenon of never seeming to visit more popular locations that are really only a quick trip away. Really- when was the last time I visited the Washington Monument, the Inner Harbor, or some of the Smithsonian museums?? So when my friend Roxy mentioned she was visiting her friend in DC, I jumped at the chance to make the trip into the city and spend the day in Georgetown.

It's easy to see why Georgetown is such a frequently instagram-ed neighborhood- the historic buildings,well-known townhouses, busy shopping areas, and quaint side streets are enough to make anyone, tourist or local, pull out their phone and start snapping! Not to mention my panic excitement over the close proximity to my dream grad school- but that's another post!

Someday, I would love to live in this beautiful corner of Washington DC, something that hopefully, isn't too far from reach! But for now, I was happy to spend a breezy day exploring with friends, doing a bit of shopping, and enjoying iced coffee outside on the patio.

If you're in the DC area, and it isn't too hot, take the time to walk beyond the Metro line and check out Georgetown- more than just instagrammable ;)









If you liked this little photo diary style post, leave me a comment, and follow me on Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr :)

Long time no see, and happy Spring! As it turns out blogging while also working full time and figuring out life in the city is a lot to fit in- who would've thought? ;)

Nevertheless, I have lots to share. Enjoy a little summary of the past month or so...

Life Lately:

My aunt and cousins came up for a very busy, but of course very fun weekend. We enjoyed the view of the city from the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building, as well as visiting The Met and Central Park Zoo... and enjoying Shake Shack, lots of coffee, and Levain's cookies... thank you for feeding me enough for a week, Jennifer!

Noelle calls me Sleeping Beauty and Alice in Wonderland and honestly I'm okay with that 😂❤️🎀👑🌺 #SleepingBeauty #AliceInWonderland #CentralPark #NYCIntern #nycinternlife #UpperEastSide #CestLaVieEmily

A post shared by Emily Love (@elove428) on Mar 25, 2017 at 11:38am PDT

I also loved playing tour guide at the UN and showing my family some of the places I have the privilege of working and learning from. Also confirmed on this tour? The fact that I'm on my way to being the short cousin- That's my nearly 18-year-old cousin next to me, and I'm over 5'9", and wearing boots!

🎉🎂🍰❤️️🎀🎁 A big thank you to everyone who spoiled me yesterday! A busy (and diplomatic 😊😂)birthday in #NYC with great friends ❤️ #birthday #NewYork #nycinternlife #NYCIntern #DiplomatInTraining #PreppyStyle #CestLaVieEmily

A post shared by Emily Love (@elove428) on Apr 29, 2017 at 11:14am PDT

 Work Lately:
I'm still so thankful for the opportunity to work in both a diplomatic Mission and the UN. Every day I learn something new from my colleagues, and I still get a thrill out of walking through the delegate's entrance at the UN, and swiping my ID to enter the staff-only floor. But as of late, I've also been dealing with self-doubt.

I call this #OOTD "I love this dress, but I need to do laundry, I'm tired of winter, and I'm exhausted." 😂❤️🎀 #InternStyle #DiplomatInTraining #NYCIntern #UpperEastSide #Preppy #Fashion #PreppyStyle #CestLaVieEmily

A post shared by Emily Love (@elove428) on Apr 7, 2017 at 6:15pm PDT

• Work dresses! My Mom tells me that eventually, I'll appreciate a nice pair of office-appropriate pants. I tell her that I love dresses, and they're just too easy to pass up. My blazers are at work if needed. Dress. Tights. Shoes. Cardigan. Done :) This simple shift dress I picked this one up on a whim at H&M, and also bought this dress and this skirt while home for Easter. Perfect for Spring- and easily within the budget of a recent graduate living in New York- ack!
• Skincare upgrade- I've tried several different moisturizers, but recently tried out this one by Lancome, and so far I love it. My skin is dry in some areas, but also sensitive, and this particular moisturizer handles both of these, and isn't greasy in the slightest.
• Sandal season! As much as I love my sweater tights and boots, I'm excited to break out some Spring shoes- I may or may not be trying to figure out a way to wear my new Jack Rogers (similar to these) and still look professional enough for a diplomatic environment... might not happen ;)
• Bingeworthy TV- Continuing my habit of starting popular shows after they've already aired, I'm finally giving This Is Us a try, and I might be hooked- I've seen some spoilers, but so far I've loved every episode.
• Book recommendations! When I was younger, I used to read constantly, and I miss that! Comment below what you're reading, or just longtime favorites!

XOXO,
Emily

If you read my last post, you may have noticed that I was being (deliberately) vague on what I was actually doing in New York. Since I had to get a security clearance before starting my internship, I wasn't sure how much I was allowed to talk about, or publish, about where I'm working or what I typically find myself doing day-to-day- especially since I'm *technically* not a full employee ;) But then this past week our digital director stopped by my office and asked me when I was going to blog about my experiences thus far- turns out the (awesome!) communications team actively encourages us to use social media and blogging outlets if we want.

So I'm excited to write a little about my experiences so far interning at.....

Honestly, while this is temporary, I'm still pretty surprised, and more than a bit nervous, about working and living in a new city. I love New York- it's hardly my first time here, having visited through the years for ballet, Model UN, and just with family- but I hadn't anticipated living here, unless you count the very much idealized New York dream life that so many 20-something girls have! Needless to say, this is an amazing opportunity to help start my career, which I'm very grateful to have, no matter how nerve wracking it may be!

(Side note- I can't get over the fact that I just used the word "career" without speaking of my dream job farther down the line. When did I become adult enough for this? Who let this happen? Help!?!?)

This has been my second week at my new internship, which has been going well so far, knock on wood. Of course, I'm looking for new ideas to fill up my free time and weekends, and to write about here, so if you have any New York must-do items aside from anything very touristy, I'd love to hear your suggestions!


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XOXO,
Emily

Long time no see- I hope that everyone who's stuck with this tiny little blog of mine had an amazing holiday season and a happy new year! The past few weeks have been more than a little hectic with final papers, nerve-wracking exams, and of course, keeping up with Christmas shopping and decorating.

Finally, my fog of comparative foreign policy and human rights law cleared, and.....


I graduated with my Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs and a minor in French!

After we crossed the stage, our departmental director, who is also my academic advisor, hugged all of us as we walked back to our row in the auditorium. You know that professor who you might have every semester, whose classes cause you major stress, you're a little scared of, but who really teaches you so much? That's definitely Dr. S! I'm grateful for her classes, and all of the faculty that pushed my classmates and I every day to prepare us for grad school and our future careers.


All of those classes, papers, Model UN conferences, and a semester abroad. Undergrad? Check!

And the best way to celebrate graduating? Finally taking some time to catch up on my favorite shows (Poldark, anyone? I'm hooked!) and reading actual books (remember those?) before I'm completely immersed in internship and job applications and the possibility of....

*gulp*

...grad school!
(More on that later!)

So long, 2016!