Why We Love Brunch

Recently Mandy, a few spectacular blogging friends, and myself were discussing brunch- making fun of ourselves and our whole generation for how ridiculously obsessed we are. These girls are just too hilarious and people probably thought I was crazy as I laughed uncontrollably at my phone screen. But, it got me thinking, we probably spend more time talking about brunch than we actually do brunching. Why are we so obsessed with it?! 

It's the prettiest meal of the day. Let's face it- we are all looking for an excuse to post a pretty photo on Instagram. Brunch foods are usually pretty colorful and photogenic. The only thing better than brunching? Showing people about how perfect our brunch is. Instagram gold. 

It's an excuse to sleep in and eat breakfast food way later than socially acceptable. Sunday mornings/afternoons may be the only day that were not called lazy or irresponsible for showing up at 2pm. 

It's an excuse to day drink. Since I'm only 18, I don't drink. But it seems like nothing goes better together than French toast and alcohol. Mimosas, Bloody Marys, champagne, you name it. I've seen quite a few 70+ year old ladies drink these concoctions like water and then stumble out of the restaurant before it's even noon! 

The wait staff will put up with your group because they know you'll over tip. Good behavior is often not something we brunch goers are great at. Often we are loud. And there is always that friend who sends her food back at least three times. And of course, the bill must be split a million different ways. The wait staff usually doesn't mind because a) they make fun of us for the rest of the day and b) often there are a few friends who over tip because they feel guilty for the table's behavior. 

And there you have it! That's why we love brunch! Do you have any crazy brunch experiences? Or any more reasons why this generation is so obsessed? Comment below! 

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This post first appeared on TheQuirkyConservative.com.

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India

I snapped this while riding through the streets of Old Dehli on rickshaw. I'm sure all those power lines aren't a fire hazard... // A snake charmer. I was really impressed/mystified/terrified by this until I learned that the cobras used in performances are defanged. Then I was just sad for them. 

Humayun's Tomb in Old Dehli. 

Painting classrooms // My sweet new friends from the school in Deepalaya! 

Teaching at Deepalaya Gusbethi. 70 of the children at this school were orphaned or abandoned and live in a home on the school's property. 

Qutab Minar // I RODE A CAMEL.

The Taj Mahal is truly the most beautiful place I have ever been. Not only is it an architectural masterpiece, but the fact that the emperor built this tomb as a symbol of his eternal love for his wife makes it even more amazing.   

Every piece of marble that makes up the Taj is hand carved. The detail is just insane!

Tea time! 

The Pink Palace in Jaipur. My favorite city that we visited. 

Riding elephants on New Years Day. I'd say this was the best way ever to kick off 2015! 

The most amazing guide ever, Sandeep! Seriously, if you are looking for a student travel company, People to People is THE. BEST. I could not recommend their programs more! 

Amer Fort

Agra Fort

In love with India's architecture. 

We painted classrooms, planted trees, flew kites, and shared so many smiles with children at this school.

These girls touched my heart and changed my life forever. My favorite experience of the whole trip was getting to know them. We are from completely different worlds, yet have so much in common. Smiles, laughs, and love are a universal language. 

Talking to this man was a privilege. His passion for his job was so inspiring and later he told me that he was the sixth generation in his family to do it.  He offered our whole group flowers to celebrate the new year. 

Methods of transportation in India: Camels, elephants, colorful busses, tiny rickshaws, you name it. I was never bored during long drives because there was always so much to look at! 

Winter in India was much colder than I expected. On the night we camped, I had to layer every warm piece of clothing I packed! Pretty stylish if I do say so myself... NOT! 

Siras, Rajasthan. I spent two days in this small, rural village and loved every second. This was the most authentic little place and everyone made us feel so welcome. 

"A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people." - Mahatma Gandhi

35 hours of travel later, I arrived home smelling like curry, feeling hazy and jet lagged, and full of the most amazing memories. This trip changed my life in all of the best ways. India is the most colorful, chaotic, beautiful place I have ever been and I can't even describe the peace and completely new perspective I came home with. India's history was so fascinating. The architecture was stunning. The almost tangible spirituality was beautiful. The food was great (and crazy spicy!). But most of all, the people were the most kind and genuinely happy I'd ever met. Don't even get me started on the people! I have never felt more connected to a community than on this trip, whether I really got to know someone or simply exchanged a smile and a "namaste". I pray for an end to the severe poverty, gender discrimination, and hardship that so much of this beautiful country faces. Seeing how little people could have, yet how happy they still were was so eyeopening. I gained a perspective on humankind in India. If you get the chance to experience India, do it! It is one of those places that I truly believe everyone must visit if they are able. 

After a solid month of travel, I finally just unpacked my carryon and toiletries bag and am settling back in to a regular routine. From New York City to India, back home, and then to LA and Portland, I have absolutely loved every moment of this adventure! I am so excited to document my travels here on Practically Imperfect. My plan is to add a post about each place once a week in addition to regular posting, so make sure to check back often! If you are planning a trip to India or have any questions, send me an email and 

I would be so happy to talk with you! Happy travels and namaste.

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Exactly by Alex

Last weekend, Practically Imperfect got a little makeover! I had been wanting to add a few updates to my design for a while, but they were just a little too far past my tech knowledge. I didn't want to start messing with code and then end up deleting half my content (probably an irrational fear, I know) and was honestly just too nervous to let someone else mess with my blog. So I kept a running list of updates that I needed/wanted and just let the list sit on my desk for a bit.

Then, I discovered that one of my favorite up-and-coming bloggers, Alex, also has a digital design company. I did a little research, looked at Alex's work, and decided to reach out to her! And I am so glad I did! She added new features including more widgets, my Pinterest feed, a featured page and fixed some glitches I had been encountering. Thanks to Exactly by Alex, Practically Imperfect is now looking and running smoother than ever!

Alex offers packages ranging from complete professional site design to smaller site revamps. She is so great at what she does and I think it might be due in part to the fact that she has her own blog. She knows that digital design is so much more than aesthetics, its an expression of your personality, voice, and vision being allowed to shine through the design. Head over to Exactly by Alex! It's your one stop shop for all things digital design! 

PS: Even better news- she offers a big discount to college students! Yay! 

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Winter on the West Coast

shirt//jeans//jacket (similar)//boots//watch//necklace//earrings//belt (similar)

Photos by Bill Payne

Right now I'm pretty sure that I live in one of the only places in the country that isn't being drenched with rain or snow storms. Funny story, I was in Utah for the Sundance Film Festival a few years ago and the temperature dipped to -2 degrees. I didn't know it was even possible for the air to feel that cold and honestly was the biggest drama queen! Well, now that much of the Midwest is experiencing a wind chill of -50 degrees, I am happier than ever to be a California girl. Living in California definitely has it's perks, including (most of the time) nice weather. To me, winters usually mean a light jacket and sunny, 60 degree days... and I am perfectly okay with that! Today I'm partnering up with another California blogger, Sophia of California Belle! We're sharing how we do winter here on the West Coast. Head over to Sophia's blog to see what she wore! 

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#BestFriendProblems

Hey there readers of Hannah’s amazing blog, Practically Imperfect! I’m Mandy from TheQuirkyConservative.com, other wise known as Hannah’s Blogger Bestie! Ever since meeting Hannah at the Smart Girls Group conference in NYC last July, her and I have been “inseparable”. I put “inseparable” in quotes because we actually live across the country from each other but rarely an hour goes by that we are not in contact. From our almost daily hour(s) long phone calls, to our obsessive letter writing, snapchatting, and instagram tagging, Hannah and I never leave each others sides… our phone’s sides that is. I have no doubt Hannah is having the time of her life in India! Not being able to talk to her every second of every day is heart breaking. However, our distance has shown me exactly how important it is to have a best friend.

A best friend is someone who will listen to whatever you have to say and act like it is the most important thing in the world. Whether its random, unnecessary, a total rant, a not funny joke, a life or death situation, boy drama- a best friend provides you with a listening ear and advice when you need it. They will carry your pain during the worst times in your life and celebrate with you during your best. They make the good memories unforgettable and the bad memories barabble.

Being able to talk to someone about anything and everything knowing they will not form judgement, tell a single soul, and sometimes not even respond is one of the most amazing parts of having a best friend. Sometimes when Hannah and I can’t get ahold of each other (mainly because there is a three hour time difference and we both live busy, busy lives) we will leave a voicemail instead of a text. Do we always respond to these voicemails? No, not at all. But just the thought makes me smile and brightens my day. Other times, we have multiple conversations going at once (some on email, Twitter DM’s {lame, right}, over iMessage, snail mail, and voicemails) that things just go uncommented on. Its not so much that we don’t care about what the other has to say and more we have too much to share and not enough hours in the day to hear it.

Best friends can read your mind- literally. Sometimes when I’m telling Hannah about a situation that occurred, she’ll jump in and say something about how I felt/reacted before I have the chance to tell her. We think a lot alike, which I guess makes us each other's mind readers? We exchanged Christmas presents this year and she bought me an adorable Kate Spade mug with an “M” on it. The funny thing is… I almost bought her the same mug with an “H” on it. Having a mind reader as a best friend also comes in handy when you are trying to plan out an outfit. When I can’t decide if a certain necklace, pair of shoes, or sweater belongs in my wardrobe, Hannah weighs in her opinion. I have this addiction to buying shoes and I never know if I should splurge or skip. Sadly, Hannah is always telling me to splurge…. oh well! At least I have her approval. Hannah knows its her obligation to tell me if my outfit needs some re-evaluation. If my clothes clash, she’ll tell me. If my outfit isn't appropriate for the event, she’ll let me know.

When Hannah and I met and discovered we both were rising seniors in high school we knew we had to be roommates. In fact, before we started referring to ourselves as “Blogger Besties” we called ourselves “Future Roomies”. Sadly I couldn’t convince Hannah to go to school in the South and we have given up on our short term dream of being college roommates...but we plan to intern in New York and maybe even Paris together someday! To be completely honest, I never imagined Hannah and I becoming this close. Heck, I only spent two days with the girl! Staying in touch with Hannah doesn’t feel like work. It’s gotten to the point where I need to talk to Hannah to stay sane (and her being in India for ten days is not helping in this case). When you find your best friend, you’ll just know. And if you haven’t found that one friend that you can imagine yourself sitting on a porch in a rocking chair, drinking iced tea, researching anti-aging techniques, and complaining about having oh so much gray hair with, don’t worry. Hannah and I have waited 17 years to find each other. Sure I have had “best friends” here and there throughout my life, but I have never experienced a friendship as practically imperfect (que wink) as this one.

Thank you for allowing me the pleasure of guest posting, Hannah! I cannot wait until you get back!

XOX,

Mandy from TheQuirkyConservative.com

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Kick Start 2015 With Caroline

Happy New Year from India! Caroline was so sweet to help ring in the new year here at Practically Imperfect with this fun post. Caroline is definitely one of my favorite up-and-coming bloggers. She always keeps it young and fresh while staying mature and poised. And her health and fashion tips are always so inspiring. Here's to kick starting a healthier 2015! 

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Hi everyone! I'm Caroline from citrus & style and I'm so thrilled to be guest posting for Hannah today. Since 2015 is finally here, let's be real, you're probably wanting to make some changes to your lifestyle to make it a bit healthier (I know I am!). I am generally a pretty healthy person, but when it comes to exam time or the holiday season, everything gets out of whack. One of my main goals for the new year is to create a perfect workout routine for myself, one that not only I won't mind doing but will be easy to stick with for the rest of the year. Below I have some tips + tricks for making your own workout plan, as well as my routine for inspiration for yours! 

+ Motivate yourself 
The first crucial step in this entire process is to make sure you are motivated to workout and engage in a healthy lifestyle. I personally keep a health + fitness board on Pinterest and often scroll through it when I'm lacking in the motivation department. Find your own way to get yourself enthusiastic to be healthy and I promise you will stick with your new routine!

+ Make a List of Exercise Activities 
Next it's important to decide which activities you actually enjoy doing, rather than ones you know you won't be able to get yourself to do. For me, I know I hate swimming, so I can cross that off the workout routine possibilities.

+ Be Realistic
It's one thing to say you're going to go run 5 miles and then do 100 push ups, but it's quite another to actually get your butt to the gym and do it. It's important to figure out what works for you, not just what you find on a Pinterest version!

+ Test It Out 
Once you have come up with a list of exercise activities, go test it out! Whether it's taking a jog around your neighborhood for 30 minutes and then coming home to do a plank and some wall sits, or going to play tennis for an hour, test out what you've come up with to make sure it is something you enjoy and is easy to stick with.

+ Display Your Routine 
It's funny: I always have the intention to workout everyday, but sometimes that just doesn't happen ;) To make sure you don't get in that bad habit of forgetting to workout, make your routine visible either on your desk, as a picture on your phone or a file on your computer. Don't forget about it otherwise you will forget to go shred some calories!

Ok, now onto my routine! Mine changes depending on the season and what sports I have going on, but during the winter I do pre-season training for lacrosse which consists of a lot of running on the treadmill.

Comment below if you're excited to start off the year with a healthy lifestyle!

Check out my blog citrus & style for more healthy things as well as some fashion related things as well!

xoxo

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Thank you again for guest posting, Caroline!  Awesome tips! I know I am inspired to hit the gym! Be sure to follow along with citrus&style on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr too!

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