Summer 2k16 Style!

Ciao, darlings!
  It's been a long winter. But I have finally been released from the prison of truant law, which requires me to go to school! School really drains my energy and snatches my time, so I haven't said hello in quite a few months, and I apologize for that. It's break time at last, and to celebrate, I went on a crazy shopping spree!
  My usual daily wardrobe is a frumpy tshirt and Nike shorts. I believe if one is not going out, one does not need to look glamourous. However, if one does go out, one (me) wants to look good, not like she's been doing the dishes or something unsavory like that. Thus the shopping spree. I got several nice pieces, but I am going to share my favorite ones below. Maybe later on I'll do another post with my other outfit.

I fell instantly in love with this top, mainly because it is a turtleneck. Those who know me know that I have an obsession with turtlenecks. You may think, A collar in the summer? It's hot! And to that I reply beauty is not for the weak. And just look at these hot pink shorts! I am so in love. They even have little buttons on the side, look. 

Anyway, navy and pink are a timeless duo. Navy with most colors, actually. The shoes are something I picked up from my local DSW. What I really like about this outfit is its simplicity. I only added in some bracelets, but you can remove them and still look chic. Jewelry is pretty in moderation, but I feel that it distracts from the larger pieces and that's why I usually wear very little to none at all. The key is to have well-made, nice pieces. You only need a few, and then you can mix and match. In my next photo shoot I'll show you what I'm talking about. 

This also looks good with a low ponytail! It makes you seem younger and sweeter.  Keep the ponytail low though, because high ponytail don't mix well with turtlenecks. 

Add a trendy purse. Pictured is my favorite purse of all time. Purses, as a rule, go with anything, but the pink accents in mine just happen to match my shorts. :) 

Yay! It's finally summer! Go nuts with bright colors and remember that clothes are a great way to express yourself. 

"Fashion is what you're offered four times a year by designers. And style is what you choose" - Lauren Hutton 

This is me trying to be like Adele on the cover of Time, not an official part of my shoot😂.

Side Note: you may or may not have noticed my henna tattoo on my left (your right) hand. Sometime this summer I will do a post about henna, as I am about to commence with a small tattoo business! So stay tuned! 

// Top by Alya, retailed by Francesca's

// Shorts from Loft 

// Heels by Ralph Lauren, retailed by DSW

// Bracelets from Francesca's and DSW

Ciao, 

Bella <3 

New York City!

       I just recently returned from the city that never sleeps- NYC! It wasn't a sightseeing sort of trip- I was on a GO trip with my church. We have a sister church in Astoria Queens that is very young and so we went to help them out in any way we could for a week. By "we" I mean me and a bunch of other high schoolers along with a few adults. It was so cool!!! We went to different parks in Astoria and set up a coffee and bagel station for the moms who had brought their kids. For the kids we had fruit snacks and juice pouches, as well as some games and a face-painting station, which were manned by all the high schoolers. All of the moms there had come to expect the church's weekly setup and were eager to take a break from watching their kids. It was fun to play with the kids and tell them a little about Jesus by sharing our salvation bracelets. I also talked with some of the moms and got to help represent the church we were working with. The best day in the park was the last, because I got to share my salvation with a lovely Muslim lady. She was very friendly and open to talking about other religions, which I thank the LORD for. Me and my friend Grace also got to share a salvation bracelet with a sweet little girl named Pasha. I gave her my salvation bracelet and I hope and pray one day, some day soon she will accept Jesus. My friend Grace also got to share the gospel with Pasha's mom. Working in the park was a great time and a productive time. Besides that, we also visited a senior center in Woodside. Initially I didn't expect to interact with the seniors there, because I was working in their office and organizing shelves for the manager. But she ran out of jobs for my team and said we could talk to the seniors. I got to know a funny, honest, and talented lady named Miss Beth. I sat next to her because I was intrigued by a beautiful quilt that she was making. The next thing I knew she was handing me a pack of yarn and a knitting needle and teaching me how to make a chain, and the next day I was there she taught me to double and triple-stitch. I was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to learn, even harder than pre-algebra, which in my memory is worse than both algebra and geometry. I'm really thankful for the friendship I made with Miss Beth. One more thing we did with our sister church was "giveaways". The first giveaway was the first day we were there. We stood on street corners with water bottles and handed them out for free with a church card. The other giveaway was lemonade and flowers! I loved giving away the flowers. We didn't go to talk much with people during those times, but it was fun to see the reaction of the New Yorkers. I offered one man a water, telling him it was free, and he pulled out his wallet and said, "how much?" I had to tell him twice it was really free because he didn't believe me the first time. Oh, I almost forgot! In the evenings we got to go and see a few of the biggest features of NYC. Here are some pictures:

 

 Above: fun face-painting at the park!

Some brownstones we walked by everyday coming from the subway.

The subway!!! Be glad I didn't put a picture of the underground subway because it was nasty down there. I saw a rat.

The beautiful quilt the Miss Beth was making

Times Square was a shock for the senses. I'll admit I had Taylor Swift lyrics running through my head when we walked through that busy, insane, claustrophobic, overpriced, AWESOME place. 

 

Random inner-city pictures taken while searching for reasonably priced food 

Inside Central Park!!!

We went to a Mets and Dodgers game at Citi Field. I love baseball games. Oooh and I tried Cracker Jack for the first time!!! Yum

I saved the best pictures for last. My favorite thing we went to see was the Empire State Building. It was possibly the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I loved it so much and I will never forget standing up there and feeling like I was one of the luckiest people alive. 

So that was New York City, and it was unparalleled. 

Acts 13:47 - "This is the command the LORD has given to you: I have placed you here as a light to the Gentiles. You are to go and take the saving power of God to people everywhere on earth." 

Romans 10:14- "But how can they call on Him to save them if they do not believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him unless they hear of Him? And how can they hear of Him unless someone tells them?" 

 I'd love to hear from you guys! If you have questions or comments feel free to say them!

Italy

Ciao, darlings! 

   Earlier this summer I went to Italy!!! It was truly an amazing trip. One could talk on and on about Italy but I'm sure you've heard it all before so here are some pictures. 

The streets of Florence 

The Duomo

Above 3 pictures: Art from the Uffizi Gallery

The streets of Trequanda:the small Italian village where I stayed in a fabulous villa

The view from my villa room! Gorgeous!

Rolling Tuscan hills

Hiking the Cinque Terre  

In the Vatican museum 

St. Peter's Basilica!!! More beautiful than the Sistine Chapel (which I was not allowed to take a picture of). The second pic is actually the spot where Saint Peter was crucified... I actually stood there. 

And finally the second most famous landmark in the World. The Coliseum!!!

Ciao, 

Bella

Zoo Trip

¡Ciao, Darlings!


"Then God said, 'Let the earth produce every sort of animal' "- Genesis 1:24

     As a writer, I personally have experienced some writer's block. It can be hard to get those creative juices flowing, as art teachers say. I'm not always creative. Sometimes I sit on the couch all day watching entire seasons of Once Upon A Time or watching Pitch Perfect on a loop. Writers have those days. Humans are creative, sure, but we are limited in our creativity. God, however is not limited by anything. He's infinitely creative. People living in big cities rarely see evidence of His creativity. There are no trees and the stars are blocked out by pollutive gases, yikes. Where I live there are enough trees and squirrels to go around, but sometimes I forget that there's more out there that God has made. Things that blow my mind.
     I went to the zoo with my friends after finals week (don't even get me started about finals) on our 2nd annual trip. We have decided to make it a tradition, but that's not the point. When we went I saw some crazy animals that really reminded me of how creative God is.

Look at this penguin. Does anyone else think penguins are really weird? It's a bird that doesn't fly. It swims. Why is this? Because God felt like it, that's why. And they're adorable. 

 

First: the cow things. I forgot their proper name, and they aren't cows, but they look like giant, red, scary cows. Their horns stretched seven feet across!!!! And the zebras- classic zoo material, but aren't they cool? 

Mr. Grizz was pretty annoyed when my group stopped to talk by his exhibit. More like Mr. Grouch. He needs an attitude check, but I wouldn't want to be the one to tell him that!!! Look at those claws!!!

  

THIS. It's basically a giant guinea pig. Actually it's a capybara, the largest rodent on earth. I could put a saddle on that thing.

Flamingos!!! I love flamingos. They're pink. Animals in Arkansas are all brown, so seeing a pink animal is basically life changing. And pink is my favorite color. Thank you God, for the flamingo.

The turtles at the zoo were very tired today. I have never seen a sleeping turtle in my life, but today I saw two. Turtles are cute when they sleep. By the way, the tortoise in the top was 50 years old. Why do turtles live so long!?! I'm not sure but I kind of want to ask God. Of all the animals! Why not dogs? Why turtles? They don't even do anything. I wonder. 

The fire-bellied salamander is tiny and most would think it was unimpressive, but LOOK AT IT! It's belly is orange and black and the top is pink. I love it. It's the sports car of salamanders. I want one, in a little terrarium in my room. 

Look at that cute monkey. I wish those lived in Arkansas. The orangutan was so funny! He kept lumbering around his exhibit with his blanket. Have you ever seen a monkey with a blanket!?

Crocodiles are scary. That's really my only opinion on crocodiles. 

Big cats! I would want to pet them if they weren't life threatening and carnivorous. The beautiful leopard was my favorite. 

God made some seriously cool animals!!! 

   What's your favorite animal???