Internship Outfit Ideas and Tips

Good morning, everyone! Here I am finding the inspiration to type up this blog -on my phone- at 6:50 a.m. on my morning train. Whew! As those of you who are my Facebook (and Instagram, and Snapchat, and Twitter, and...) friends know, I have a social media internship with a tech/web development agency in their Chicago office. I starred virtual work in late April and started in office on May 9th. The commute can get a bit long and the 5:30 wake up time isn't my exact cup of tea, but I am learning a lot so far, especially about the right kinda of clothes for traveling to the city and sitting in the office all day.

You all know that I have mentioned dressing up makes me feel more confident and prepared, and that is no exception when it is time for my internship. Let me walk you through a typical outfit you will usually find me wearing ambling my way around the city:

1. HIGH WAISTED WORK PANTS. I write this in all caps because these are a must. My office has a casual dress code and employees usually just wear whatever they are comfortable with. And yes, that includes jeans. I have worn jeans in the office a few days for work, just because they went along with the rest of the outfit I was wearing that day and were dark in color. But even if your office has a relaxed dress code, I would not recommended working in jeans, just because *ugh, the pinch* and because I feel more professional wearing dressier pants. I have a pair of black pants from Banana Republic, and a blue, polka-dot, and striped (shown in photos) pair from Gap. These pants are great because not only do they look more professional and have more fun patterns you can work with, but because hello high waist! So comfortable for whatever form of public transportation you take as well as sitting in the office all day.

2. Top of choice + sweater or cardigan: I base what top I am wearing on any given day on the pants I decide to wear, but regardless of if it is cold or hot out, I always bring a cardigan or a sweater with me to work (shown in photos). I don't know about you, but my office is C-O-L-D. Having something extra doesn't hurt, and if you walk in one day and the office is surprisingly warm, you can always take it off.

3. Comfortable, sturdy footwear: I usually opt for the shoes I am wearing in the photos, black with a very low heel. These shoes look and feel professional, and despite the heel, I am able to walk comfortably in them. The shoe is the icing on top of the outfit cake- it can make or break. Make sure it is comfortable and doesn't pop off of your feet or cause blisters when you walk (my flats are guilty of doing this in the middle of busy train station walks- not fun).

4. A watch and statement necklace: Simple accessories can add a fun pop of color. For example, my statement necklace brings a bit more to the outfit I am wearing. I also wear a watch because it helps me look and feel a bit more professional. It's nice to have something fun to look down to on your wrist.





I usually have the same exact makeup routine each day. On my lips is something usually Baby Lips related, whether the regular lip balm, gloss, or a combination of both. Hair changes each day as well. Some days I don't have enough to style my hair and I'm walking out the door with it flat (the worst feeling), but some days I curl it the night before so I have some texture in the morning. The glasses are usually to cover up those 5 a.m. under eye bags ;) Here's one other tip- for some reason, my skin feels and looks extremely oily at work, so I purchased a few packets of Walgreens oil blotting sheets. They are perfect to use discreetly in the office bathroom if you feel some major shine going on.

P.S. How is everyone doing on the no skin picking challenge? I've had my fair share of flare ups, but
since I haven't been picking, my entire skin tone looks more even. It feels good to break a habit! My current goal is to get rid of some of the acne scars I currently have. Does anyone have some tips for that or products that have worked for them? I would love to know!

I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday and have enjoyed these tips- the goal is to wear something that will make you look and feel like an utter badass at work. Because you got this!! We will talk soon!


XOX, Grace


Happy Birthday Anthony: 22 Things I Love About You!




                         Our relationship in a nutshell: Me being annoying and you tolerating it :D 


Happy Birthday, Anthony! In honor of your 22nd birthday, I made a list of 22 things I love about you:

1. That night you stayed with me all night when I had that bad migraine 

2. Helping me fix my printer 

3. Your smile and laugh when you are being goofy

4. YOU IZ SILLY BOI

5. Fert

6. You always going out of your way to take care of me

7. Your kisses

8. Your too-tall-for-me hugs

9. Your serious side

10. Your love of Dunkin

11. The time you lied to the car wash man (sorry for broadcasting it to the internet) 

12. Mustache you know what 

13. Your freckles

14. Playing with your hair

15. Your cuddles

16. Lazy days at the lake

17. Your driving skills

18. Your Snapchats

19. That you tolerate me/everything that we have gone through 

20. That you go see silly movies with me that you might not want to see

21. The you like The Bachelor now

22. The fact that you waited three months for me :)



                                         Our first ever picture together- December of 2014!!


I LOVE YOU ANTHONY! 22 will be an amazing year for you! Full of new beginnings, work, blessings, and fun times. Soak it up and enjoy every single minute of it. I am so happy to be by your side. Love you long time!!! Also, TBT to your birthday last year when I accidentally flushed your only pair of contacts down the sink and you had to wear glasses during your license picture.....



Love Grace


2016 Christie Clinic Illinois Half-Marathon Race Recap


I survived!!!!!

Well, looking back, I'm not sure why I didn't think I would survive this race. It was partly because I had done a 10 mile training run at the beginning of April and afterwards I stuck to mostly 1 mile runs for the next few weeks. I felt bored and burned out, and therefore in my mind, I "wasn't ready". I love running so much and love having a goal to work towards, but sometimes, knowing that I "HAVE" to go out and do a run can be a bit of a drag sometimes, especially if it is something that is done so often during the week. I did an 8k (around 5 miles) trail race back in October with Anthony, who ended up doing the 5k, but that has been about it since the 2014 Chicago Marathon. I think that I had psyched myself out so much before this race because I haven't ran a distance race since 2014.


Anthony and I at Timber Pointe for the Run The Woods 5k and 8k- Anthony got 2nd in his age division and I took 1st.

Because of my worrying/anxiety/spazzing out about the whole thing, I sent a text to Anthony right before leaving for packet pickup saying "I don't think I can do this". I was seriously considering just calling it a day and sleeping in the next morning. But our friend Devin was running as well, and calmed me down right before we left. Having her there truly made me feel better, and I went to the expo/packet pickup sucking it up and knowing that I had to stick with it.

Expo/Packet Pickup: Located in the ARC at the U of I campus. Went very smoothly, and there were so many great vendors at the expo as well as wonderful volunteers. After walking around the expo, Anthony and I drove around the campus to see all of the fraternity/sorority houses. 



Race day: Anthony and I woke up bright and early at 4:50 to get ready to leave. We wanted to take as much time as we needed since we had the drive to make. I had my pre-race steel cut oatmeal breakfast and Anthony got six donuts from Dunkin'... LOL. We then filled up my car and were on our way!

Besides for slight traffic, parking went smoothly and we headed out to the starting line. The whole day was rainy and gross, and it was actually one of the things I was really nervous for with this race. I had never ran a distance race in the rain before, so I was nervous it would mess with me. Luckily, it didn't. Besides just getting totally soaked like Splash Mountain, the rain didn't bother me as much as time went on, I was so focused on finishing I didn't actually notice it. I ran with Devin and her mom for the first four or so miles, then we naturally separated with different paces. Just before mile two, however, I dropped my phone and it fell into a puddle with hundreds of runners stampeding around it. I had to run back into the sea of runners, grab my phone, made sure it still worked, and then ran back to Devin and her mom. WHEW.

Besides that, the rest of the run went very smooth. I usually stop a lot to stretch/catch my breath during training runs, and this time I didn't stop at all. By mile six, I had found my groove and was in the mindset to finish this thing. The individual miles seemed to stretch on and go by fast at the same time. We ran through charming Urbana neighborhoods, streets lined with shops, and the U of I campus. I was so surprised I didn't stop, and my legs felt like heavy bricks by mile 11. My pace slowed, but I knew I would be able to finish. I saw Anthony standing with Devin's boyfriend at mile 10, I was able to give him a quick kiss and look at the sign he made for me: "Grace runs and I eat donuts". 

The race finished in the U of I football stadium, which was super awesome. I pulled out my phone to film myself running across the finish line for Snapchat, which was awesome because now I can go back and savor the memory as much as I want to. After finishing the run, it hit me how COLD and RAINY and GROSS it was, and I needed to get warmed up! I didn't prepare as well as I thought, and I didn't bring any dry clothes for after the race. Luckily, Devin had some dry clothes for me to wear, so shout out to Devin because she seriously saved my life.

After changing/stretching/shivering, we went to get food at The Original Pancake House in Urbana. It was a super busy day, but the food was excellent. Anthony got a meat lovers omelet, Devin got a veggie omelet, Devin's boyfriend Ethan got a stack of chocolate chip pancakes, and I got Eggs Benedict. Everything was so yummy with great portion sizes (the omelets were huge). We all left full and happy, but still a little cold. 


Devin and I after breakfast!

Overall, I have learned to never doubt myself, because I exceeded my expectations on race day. I am so proud of myself that I crossed the finish line! Now, it is time for foam rolling and lots of stretching! Special thank you to Devin for giving me dry clothes and running with me, and Anthony for waking up with me so early, going to packet pickup with me, and supporting me through this whole thing. I am so incredibly grateful! Overall, wonderful spectators and volunteers, such kind people and a wonderfully executed race. Congratulations to everyone that finished! 

P.S., I have had many friends tell me that running a distance race is something they have always wanted to do, but don't know where to get started. Let me tell you that anyone can do these runs, it all comes down to training properly and having the right mindset! Maybe I will write a future blog post about running advice, how I started, and how to train properly for distance races!

Have a great Monday, everyone!

Grace