living life.

(please note: these photos have absolutely nothing to do with the content of the writing. ha, gotcha.)

vest: ae // top: f21 // jeans: ae // shoes: gap // necklace: brandy melville // sunglasses: h&m 

honestly, this post is so unneeded. because this outfit is really just a combination of this outfit and this outfit. so go read those 2 posts and admire how boring (and convertible?) my closet is. 

anyways, this post is really just here to say hello, i am still alive, & this summer has been the best yet. really though, this summer so far has been crazy busy but i would not trade it for anything. the experiences i have been apart of just in the months of june and early july alone been incredible and truly cannot be explained through a silly little blog. maybe someday i will try. but as for now, i am trying my hardest to stay away from the computer and simply enjoy life. because, well, as cool as people make their life out to be via social media and the internet, actually having a cool life you enjoy is far better. 

enjoy life, friends!

xo. cate 

America & all that jazz.

Today was the 4th of July, which for Americans is a pretty special holiday. Shout out to independence, freedom and food, you guys. I mean, what is better than wearing red, white and blue AND having an excuse to have a bowl or five of ice cream? Maybe the fact that red highlights my pink skin undertone and the possibility of obesity in the future. But besides that, i am all for this holiday.

In my neighborhood we have an annual little parade on the morning of the 4th. Apparently, since forever, this shendid has begun at my house no matter who lives here. So ever since I moved 2 years ago, it has been super fun to have everyone and their mom (and their yappy puppy) flood our yard. 

Later in the afternoon, my best pals did the ever-so-cliche thing of swimming. Then we dressed up for no reason whatsoever and took photos (and cut watermelon into stars. it was the most adorable fruit you ever did see). Why? Because we are girls and we can do that. 

All in all, this independence day was wonderful and spent with my favorite people. Enjoy way too many photos from the day...

// candid? 

// parker and i

// sarah and i 

// eleanor (the puppy) and i 

// claire and i 

// gosh dangit, my puppy is too cute.  

// still cute? yep, i know. 

// group shot from the evening. (from left to right: me, claire, parker, kayla, lexa, and alyse)

// Alyse and i being super patriotic 

// our super adorable fruit kabobs

// lexa and i 

// alyse, lexa, and me 

What a delightful day. What a delightful week. It really has been the absolute best ever. To catch up, I got back from my trip abroad to France and Spain last week. Once i get more than a minute of free time on my hands, i will be sharing a million and one photos from my trip. Here's a little forshadowing: It rocked. And i am super happy/satisfied with my photos. It's a win win situation.

Have a wonderful day, friends! I heart you all. 

Cate 

switching gears.

whoa. long time, no blog. really. today officially marks one month since i have sat down to write a post. however, let me tell you, this last month of school has kicked my butt. many, many hours a day were spent studying & eating ice cream. do what you got to, friends. 

however, school is finally over and my first week of summer is coming to a close. being able to relax without feeling guilty is crazy awesome. plus, i have started my new job (yay!) on top of everything. 

this past week, my friends (claire//alex//elliot) and i explored downtown a bit. grab some coffee (or tea, in my case) and enjoy. 

[ top: aerie // jeans: loft // sandals: gap // bag: solesociety.com ]

[ claire & me ]

[ claire. // you cannot tell, but behind her is this awesome piece of art of the world made of wood planks. i am thinking of a way to recreate this on a miniature scale soon.... ]

[ alex & claire. // we tried these way-too-expensive drinks, too. i had the lavender lemonade one, and it was well worth it. ]

[ elliot & i. // ah, the famous coca-cola mural in my city. am i cool yet? ]

thought i would share these pictures considering they are the first ones i have taken in a while. thankfully, times such as these will be more frequent this summer. so will writing, reading, netflix-watching, cookie-eating, traveling, and sleeping. here's to you, summer! i am excited for you. 

drink (diet) coke kids, 

cate

weekend vibes.

coffee chats. cool shops. fancy friend dinners. those "i just look really good" outfits (yes, i am bragging. no, i am not ashamed.). sunday shadows. 

yeah, weekends are good. 

*note* grainy iphone photos ahead. don't you worry, i'll be a good blogger soon & actually not forget my camera everywhere i go. 

(this is isabella. she rocks. )

(parks and rec. ... i mean parks and me. )

(excuse the mirror photo. desperate times call for desperate measures. )

happy monday!

xo. cate 

phePROMenal.

whoa, by that title you probably would think i went to prom. newsflash peeps, that did not happen. 

however a few days ago, parker (the best friend) and i helped two of our favorite people (claire and alyse) get ready for their school's prom. and by "help"get ready, what i really mean is be on easing-the-stress-duty and the photographers for the night. it was perfect weather, and they both looked beautiful. below are some photos that were snapped that night. 

[ parker and i ]

[ claire and i ]

[ alyse and i ]

[ the deets. //top: ae. necklace: francesscas// ]

[ #dramatic ]

have a lovely week friends! 16 more days left until my summer break... i can('t) do it. 

xo. cate 

the veggie wall.

[ outfit details: top, loft. vest, ae. belt, j.crew. shorts, ?. shoes, forever 21. ]

so there is this really neat veggie mural on the side of a building in my city that i have been meaning to take photos in front of for the longest of times. thankfully, i have cool friends to do it with. though these photos are from a few weeks ago, this wall (and these pals) still brighten my face. yay for somewhat-cool-yet-scary-veggie people and that fact that we can model along side them.

eat your veggies, kids (and smile too),
cate

crazy pants, crazy life.

[ the pants. ]

[ pretending to be a model, dazed & confused, or just itching my head? i do not even know. ]

[ still cannot believe how short my hair is. woooowzers. ]

[ the annual "okay we're done for today" walk to the camera ]

the great thing about clothes is that you can dress how you feel. the fact that i wore these pants (to church, i might add) this past weekend, means i am wild and crazy and scream PARTY right?! wrong. the other great thing about clothes is that there is a high chance (if you shop with this girl) of them being versatile for multiple situations. that is these pants right here-- yellin' timber in the streets (please tell me someone else is lame enough to get the reference), and "i haven't left the house in three days" on the couch. now THAT my friends, is what you call the perfect purchase.

hugs & happiness,

cate.

10 happy moments.

this has been one of those weekends. where nothing really goes right, yet nothing really goes wrong. i cannot really explain it, yet i am done being in this weird mood.  therefore, i thought i would share 10 moments from the past week(s) that have just made me smile for days on end.

1. a strictly just grilled cheese place open up in my city. it is glorious, needless to say.

2. 6 more weeks left of my last term for the year! hooray, hooray, hooray.

3. i turned in my huge research paper finally. the relief i felt placing my gigantic file of information into my teachers hands is unreal.

4. i have had one of my first meetings with the group i am traveling with to France and Spain this summer! i have the itinerary almost memorized, roommates chosen, and much more learning to do before the big day.

5. (^photos above relate to this one^) just down the street from my home, the most adorable coffee shop opened. it has been less than a week since it has been up and running, yet i have been 3 times. i am pretty sure that is place will be my new afternoon scene.

6. i bought myself a dress that is truly "me in dress form" as a friend described it. i am sure it will be up on the blog  here shortly.

7. i have gotten to spend a lot of quality time with my best friend, parker, which was long overdue.

8. chai tea. you guys, i am addicted.

9. the phrase "the presence of the Lord will sustain you". so much beauty and truth in that statement.

10. 61 followers on this blog! i remember when i was excited to have 6 (not lying, i promise) or 13, so this is big. so thank you to my new followers and my consistent readers along the way. i really do appreciate your interest into my chaos of a (lovely) life.

there have been many more moments that have occurred, but these are just the ones that come to mind first. here's to happy moments and dreary sundays that call for writing! have a just darling week, pals. 

p.s. want to see more happy moments happening in my life? follow me on instagram (@cateeewillis) and twitter (@catemarg). ya won't regret it. ;)