top three [01.08.2017]

a last day of rotations tradition

medicine

• Over New Years, there was a few set of twins born in different years! 
• Mesentery, which is a fold of peritoneum that connects several abdomen organs to the abdominal wall, has now be reclassified as an organ! I found this blog post about what an organ is, how many organs there are, and who decides what is classified as an organ pretty interesting.
• Carcinomatosis: a condition where multiple carcinomas (cancer) develop at the same time. This is usually from a dissemination from a primary cancer (the cancer that developed first). 

on the internet

• After reading Grace's post on Instagram and its bots (that I didn't even know really existed or that people bought bots to comment/like for them), I read Cathy's post on etiquette for blogging and it was such a great read. I'm proud to say that while I don't have the biggest insta following, 100% of it has been organic growth. 
• Sarah nails the perfect weekend outfit. 
• Rachelle picked out some of the cutest work out clothes, and talks about her own fitness goals for the year. 

spotted

• I always love these types of pop over blouses, and seeing how they styled it, and that it comes in a large variety of sizes (petites and talls!), I'm pretty much obsessed. 
• Although I have a favorite type of shirt, I always want to try new things, so I'm very tempted by this cute flowy top from Modcloth. It's a bit different than most tops I own, but I think could still be very "me".
• My trip to Miami is in two weeks, so I'm still looking for just one or two new springy things to take with - a flutter sleeved dress looks like it would be really cute (although maybe just a bit too short?)

ask me anything

• I'm a second year medical student, and I'm starting to think about tote bags for 3rd year. I need one that fits a 13 inch Macbook Air. What would you recommend?
• I have lots of recommendations! One of the big things that I learned going through the clinical years of medical school is that every month, you are going to be working in a different space, so the area you leave your personal belongings will be different. One rotation you'll have a locker, another you'll have a corner in an office, another you'll have a closet you can keep your stuff in. So you want something that's not super expensive and that can also be squished around a bit. The first one I found and loved was this under $70 version that looks so much more expensive than it is. Everlane has a great option for under $50 that is a twill fabric which means it will hold up really well squished into a locker. The most professional option is also under $50 and is perfect for those rotations you'll be wearing professional clothes for. 
• Do you have any thoughts on doulas? Have any of your patients used one, and if so, do you have any tips on what to look for or avoid?
• I personally have only seen a professional doula used two times, and both times they were amazing at helping the mother through her delivery. I think if a woman/family decides that a doula is something they are interested in working with, they should definitely ask around for suggestions, read up on what the role of a doula is, and meet with her several times before the end of the pregnancy. I do not know about the specifics about the training requirements of becoming a doula or if anyone can just say they are a doula (and this may very well change state per state like the laws of midwifery changes state per state), but those are things that again should be researched for the area of the country you are in!
• I'm looking for shoe suggestions now that winter weather has hit! I don't always want to wear tall leather boots, but am struggling to find something that works for slushy, wet days. I'm 5'3" with wide calves, dress casual since I work from home, but do attend meetings where I can get away with black jeans/cute top type outfits.
• I think what would be a great option in this situation are waterproof booties! They give you a dry foot while still looking really cute, and are perfect for those situations where you don't need full on snow boots but don't want to have wet feet from walking outside. Cute flat options include Cole Haan's Chelsea boot or this rain boot from Bernardo that I don't think really look like rain boots! If you're looking for something with a bit of a heel, Bos & Co. makes a really cute pair (I think these are my favorite) while Sorel has a pair that's a bit more sturdy looking (but still cute!).

on franish

• on the blog: best of beauty 2016
• on the instagram: celebrating another rotation down (only four left!)
• on the snapchat (fhasselhof): the amazing items from this month's Popsugar Must Have box - get yours for $5 off with code SHOP5!

notable sales

• Boden: 20% off everything (code: 9U4J)
• OMG - I don't know why I love this open cardigan so much, but I just feel that I need to own it. Now to pick out a color...
• Another great sweater pick? A double v sweater! If only it didn't have dropped shoulders though :/
• Okay, navy + tassels makes for the perfect beach cover up. need. 
• Madewell: 30% off sale items
• Ever the chambray lover, y'all know that their shadow pocket version is right up my alley!
• I could almost see myself wearing this off the shoulder dress. Bonus, most sizes are still available!
• Block heel + ankle strap? So cute! 
• Shopbop sales picks: soooo many jeans on sale, several great Marc Jacobs crossbodies, and my favorite brand has a ton of items now marked down. 

at home

• Man you guys, that mac & cheese last night was amazing. I  could only eat half of it, and was sad to leave some behind, but today we're starting back at it! This week will be a bit difficult to get in as many work outs as I'd like, but I'll be traveling for an interview and going home for a few days, so hopefully I can get in a few before and after the trips! 
• The reason I'm able to travel this week is because I am officially on vacation! We get one month per year off for vacation (rather than time around the holidays and summer), but with fourth year scheduling, I haven't been on vacation since October of 2015! No huge trips planned this time around (bummer, last time we went to Santorini), but I'm excited to spend my time with CR (since we now officially live together again!!!!), start the cleaning out process (we move in five months!), sleep in (yaassssss), and spend some more time blogging than I have recently. 
• Coming up this week: a day in the life of emergency medicine! 

healthyish, vol. 2

diet:

So many good meals this week! I had an omelet most mornings this week. For lunches, I made zoodles (I have and love this spiralizer) and combined them with turkey meatballs and a tomato pesto sauce. Later in the week I made a burrito bowl using this recipe (I substituted the rice with veggie rice from Green Giant). Dinners included chicken sausage and brussels sprouts, veggie tots and chicken breast. Snacks included turkey slices rolled up with a Laughing Cow, carrots + hummus, and pistachios. I tracked all of them on My Fitness Pal (@fhasselhof), which I'm pretty proud of because I typically track for a day or two and then give up. I've loved following you guys on there as well!

exercise:

My goal this week was to do three BBG work outs and go to three spin classes. Due to a few personal things going on in my life, doing a leg or arms work out in my cold garage just seemed so not fun. I did do the full body work out, and went to three spin classes.  My favorite one was on Monday morning - the instructor was so energetic, engaging, and encouraging! I already scheduled to go back to her class next Monday. I also started using cycling shoes, which I think helped during the workouts.

- Sunday: BBG Week 2 full body
- Monday: 60 minutes spin (23 miles)
- Wednesday: 60 minutes spin (22 miles)
- Friday: 45 minutes spin (17 miles)

goals:

Last week's goals were to drink 100 ounces of water a day, do 3 BBG work outs + 3 spin classes, and try a new recipe. I didn't track how much water I drank (I tried, but got bored) but I'm pretty sure I was close most days. I didn't do all six work outs - I'm disappointed I didn't actually do that, but I did get in four and all things considered, I feel really good about that. I did try a new recipe too as I mentioned earlier!

This week's goals? Pack enough snacks for my road trip to my interview and home so I don't get tempted by drive throughs, hit 23 miles at spin again on Monday, and actually try to track 100 ounces of water/day.

treats: 

We went out with a few friends last night and shared a small pizza and had a beer. Therefore, instead of doing a full cheat day today, we are going to eat well during the day, and then tonight we are going out with our favorite couple and I plan on eating as much lobster mac and cheese as possible. It's going to be awesome.


weigh in: 2.4 lbs down this week (4 lbs overall)

beauty tuesday: best of 2016

One of my favorite things I started doing in blogging in 2016 was focusing more on beauty and skincare posts. I had sporadically done them in previous years, but last year was really when I tried to least post a few times a month about new products or old favorites. Looking back, here are the winners out of the bunch! Most are items I use every single day - my tried and true favorites that I buy over and over..and over again. Here are my favorites from the entire year!

ONE // I haven't talked about this concealer yet, but I'm obsessed with it. Full review coming soon (I just had to reorder as mine finally ran out!) but it goes on smoothly (best blended with a beauty blender), covers all blemishes, and lasts. Plus it comes in a ton of colors so you're sure to find one that suits you (I wear the light neutral).

TWO // Holy grail dry shampoo. See how it helps me only wash my hair twice a week.

THREE // My go-to moisturizer for the past year. If you have dry skin and aren't finding a day moisturizer that really helps, highly recommend checking this one out.

FOUR // This helped me through last year's struggles with flaking and dryness from starting a tretinoin cream. Just ran out, so quickly adding this to my Sephora basket!

FIVE // My most pricey lipstick, and one that's saved for special occasions. It gives you the perfect natural lip color (the color is nude lavalliere) and it feels so good on. I used it as my good luck charm during interviews ;)

SIX // Coloring in and defining your brows makes such a difference, especially on a blondie like me. I love how quick it is to use the thicker pencil. It lasts all day for me!

SEVEN // My go-to blush for the past six months - it's the perfect pink!

EIGHT // See my review of it here compared to my previous go-to mascara. I can't get enough of the "falsies" look it gives! I wear 2-3 layers over this primer and am asked at least weekly if "those are really my lashes"

NINE // A behind the scenes winner, this has helped drastically cut down on frizz when I wash my hair. Because of the decrease in frizz, I style my hair less, and therefore, it's healthier overall.

TEN // One of the my favorite discoveries this year! Check out my review here to see how long it truly lasted on me. Can't wait to test out more colors!

ELEVEN // I got to work with Sephora earlier this summer, and was finally able to get my hands on this amazing curling iron. I recently had to use an old iron for a few days, which made me really realize how much of a difference this curling iron makes.

TWELVE // Here's my review from earlier this year. I love this cleanser to remove my eye make  up on days I wear only eyeliner and mascara - it's definitely a great 2-in-1, plus it smells amazing! I just purchased a second bottle (the first one lasted forever). 

top three [01.01.2017]

top 3, meet top 8! 

medicine

• A hemiplegic migraine is a subtype of migraine that manifests itself as a migraine plus paralysis of one side of the body. The symptoms are very similar to a stroke, which makes it frightening experience both for the patient and for the doctor treating them. 
• During CPR, one of the ways to know if you are giving compressions at the right speed is to sing "Staying Alive" in your head with compressions. This week was the first time I had to give compressions to an actual patient, and I did this just to make sure I was doing it correctly. 
• This week I learned that children between the ages of 6 months and 8 years who are receiving the flu shot for the first time actually have to receive two shots. The CDC says that is so that the first shot "primes" the immune system, and that the second shot actually provides the immune protection. 

on the internet

• Alicia is killing it in this stunning dress + clutch for a sexy NYE look. I seriously love that clutch. 
• I found Ali's life style change post so inspiring - I've been following her for several years now, and she's part of the reason I love spiralized veggies so much! I love her outlook on living a healthy life - that it's all about balance and finding what works for you. 
• How freaking cute is Katrina in her iceskating outfit?!

spotted

• I absolutely love the look of the Givenchy Antigona purse, but at around $2,500...that's not happening. Thankfully, Sole Society has made a very very very similar styled bag. We'll just say they were inspired, rather than copied them ;)
• Another item "inspired" by another? Old Navy's herringbone jacket looks surprisingly like Lululemon's versions, for about a fifth of the price.  
• I want to buy this oversized turtleneck sweater, and wear only it for the rest of the winter. It looks so cozy!

ask me anything

• I'm searching for a warm, cozy pullover sweater (no hood, and preferably no extra long sleeves with the thumbholes) to wear with jeans, yoga pants, etc. Any suggestions?
• I definitely know exactly what you are talking about because I have a similar sweater I wear around the house all the time, except mine is an open front cardigan I wear with just a tee underneath. What I would suggest for a casual but not sloppy casual top for lounging/running errands would either be a normal v-neck in a comfy shape and fabric, a loosely knit v-neck sweater, a cowl necked sweatshirt, or a funnel necked tunic. All of them are comfy, but something you can definitely step outside the house with!
• Can you talk about the engagement ring process? Did CR surprise you completely, or had you both picked out the ring? Where did he get it?
• CR and I had discussed rings previously, so he knew what kind of look I preferred. I really wanted something very classic - there are a lot of styles that are very current and popular that I also like, but knew that I would prefer something timeless. One of our very good med school friend's dad actually works in the jewelry business, so she offered to connect CR with her dad. So CR ended up working with someone directly instead of going through a jewelry store. CR told him what he was looking for, what style he wanted, and what his budget was, and then they emailed back and forth for weeks on the specifics. In the end, it was exactly what I was hoping for - they did an amazing job! So while I was completely surprised by the proposal, I suppose I wasn't as surprised by the ring as we had discussed it previously! 
• I am currently double majoring in biology and chemistry as a pre med student! I've been set on going to med school but recently my family is telling me I need to look into pharmacy since I like chemistry so much and it's not as long of school. I have no idea what to do now! Any advice on how to figure this out before it's too late?
• Shadow!! That is really one of the best ways you can figure out what you want to do. In college, I was pre-dentistry...until I shadowed a dentist and realized it really wasn't exactly what I was looking for. Then I spent some time with a family physician and fell in love with it. Get in the pre-reqs for both types of programs (I assume they are pretty similar) and then shadow both pharmacists and physicians. It may also help joining a pre-medicine and a pre-pharmacy society, if your school has them. We had similar groups in college, and it gave me the opportunity to go to talks by both dentists and lawyers, which again helped me decide which way I was leaning! 

on franish

• on the blog: this month's budget post
• on the instagram: matching my pants to my water bottle keeps me motivated ;)
• on the twitter: seriously, 4 of those products are in my Nordstrom cart now

notable sales

• Ann Taylor: up to an extra 70% off sale items
• I just bought this popover blouse, and of course now it's on sale! Get it for a better deal than I did!
• I've had my eye on this bejeweled sweater for months now - wouldn't it look cute with just a white tee and distressed jeans for a fun sparkly casual look? 
• A houndstooth skirt with just a bit of shimmer? Yes, please!
• Anthropologie: 40% off sale items
• I love the idea of wearing a white swing top with just black jeans and colorful shoes. I don't think that top would look great on me but I still love the idea of it!
• A style that I know works on me though is a simple button up blouse - I think those types of buttons are just the cutest and hello, how fun are those swans? 
• Another item that would be fun to take with to Miami? A fringed shift dress!
• Nordstrom: half yearly sale
• The booties I've had my eye on forever is finally on sale! I love that cognac color so much. 
• I adore this fit and flare dress from Eliza J - she always makes the prettiest dresses.
• Isn't the tassel detail on this crossbody bag so fun? I love that it involves all colors of metals so it goes with everything. 

at home

• Happy New Years, you guys! Did you all have a fun night? Ours was very chill - we had a few friends over, ate some delicious food, and then went to bed at 12:15. 
• This next week is my last week of emergency medicine (although I may do another month in May). I can really see the appeal of this speciality, which is why I've enjoyed the past two months of this so much! I brushed up on a lot of things I haven't learned about in months and months, got to see some really interesting cases, and got to work with some really cool people. Next up - vacation! I haven't had vacation since October of 2015, so I.am.ready! After that I am doing another month of ObGyn (yay!) followed closely by a month of MFM (the high risk Ob doctors). Only four more rotations until graduation!
• Thank you so much for all of your positive feedback on my new wellness series. I was pretty nervous about it, but your support has made me really excited to continue with it. And thanks to Katie, I've come up with a name for it - Healthyish, which I think is just so fun. Yesterday was our cheat day, and it was great - we went out for brunch, had a pizza for dinner, and had some delicious apps for NYE. Today we're back at it with cleaner eating and a round of leg BBG (which kind of sucks because today is the first day I've been able to walk normal since the last round!)

healthyish, vol. 1

For the past few weeks, I've played with the idea of starting a new weekly post. Now that I'm done living in dorm rooms, having a lot of things to look forward to in the coming year, and having a bit more time on my hands, I'm really looking forward to dedicating myself to regularly working out, cooking more, and watching what I eat. While I do enjoy working out, and I do enjoy eating healthy, I also really enjoy sitting around marathoning tv shows and eating cheeseburgers. I was thinking about how I can hold myself accountable to sticking with eating cleaner and working out more consistently, and I thought...well, I've been documenting most other parts of my life on the internet, why not this?

This will never be a healthy living blog. My plan is just to do a quick post every week about what work outs I did, what food I made, and overall how I'm striving to live a healthier and fitter life.  I want to share what my weekly goals are - I've always said that the way to achieve a long term goal is by breaking it up into little goals, and trying to live a healthier life is no different. My long term goal is to lose 25 pounds. When you look purely at the numbers, I'm slightly in the overweight category, and while I know that I'm a healthy person otherwise, I want to strive to be healthier, and a part of that is being in the normal weight category. Trust me, that's not an easy or fun thing to admit on the internet, but I also want to go into this being honest. Here's how I plan on achieving my goals, in the short and long term!

through watching what I eat:

Two years ago, CR and I had a lot of success doing the Four Hour Body. We both lost about 15 pounds relatively easily. We spent most of our days at home studying, so we were able to control our diet really well - there weren't any temptations in our homes, so we didn't really deviate from the plan! Once clinical rotations started, we still tried to follow the diet, but life got busy, we spent less and less time at home, and the time we were together, we wanted to do fun things like get cheeseburgers and eat dessert with our friends. That, combined with those months of not living at home, and we're basically right where we started. Our (because we're doing this together again) plan is to eat pretty similar to that diet again - high in vegetables and lean meats, low in carbs and dairy. Due to my PCOS, losing weight is not the easiest for me. I can't just cut out cereal and soda and lose weight. I have to actively work on my diet, and for me, that includes not eating simple carbs most of the time. We already cook like that at home anyway, so now it's more about meal prepping during the week so I have those meals to take for lunch, and working on self control at times when I'm around other food that isn't the healthiest. So the plan is Sunday-Friday, we eat clean. Eggs and beans for breakfast, veggies and meats for lunch and dinner, and vegetables and protein (jerky, eggs, etc) for snacks. I plan on keeping track of calories on My Fitness Pal (lets be friends! I'm fhasselhof). On Saturday, we have a cheat day! We get to go out for brunch with friends, grab a pizza for dinner, and enjoy those meals together. 10% of our meals for the week are whatever food we desire, and the other time we focus on delicious healthier food. It's the right compromise for us. 

through exercising more and intentionally

In June, when we had a month off to study for Step 2, I did six weeks of the BBG / Sweat with Kayla workouts. I liked having organized work outs listed out for me, and with them lasting only 28 minutes each, it wasn't a giant time commitment. I felt stronger and leaner after that time. Then sub-internships happened, and working 75 hour weeks meant that the first thing to stop was work outs. I have one week of EM left, and then I have a month of vacation, so it's the perfect time to really get into that routine. I also have recently discovered spinning! I know, a little late on that band wagon ;) I found a nice little studio around here, and with a New Year's deal, have purchased unlimited classes for the next three months (bonus part about living in a low cost of living area? 3 months unlimited classes cost me just over $100). So the plan is 3 days of BBG a week + 2-3 spin classes a week. Having specific plans in place means I'm less likely to go to the gym and just half ass my time on a treadmill for twenty minutes. I'm scheduling my workouts a week ahead of time, so I can't back out of the workouts. Especially since I know how have to show up here every week and confess what did and did not happen!

through weekly goals

Like I said, achieving a big goal is about breaking it into little goals. So for this, it's no different! More about my goals for next week below.

through treating myself for my hard work

Part of that is through cheat days - I love all types of food too much to just say "nope, never again!". Other parts of that is, of course, cute work out clothes! I've always really liked Old Navy's work out clothes - they hold up well, they fit me well, and have really lasted. Currently in my cart I have a high waisted cropped pair of pants (my favorite style) in a cute black + blue pattern, a tank top, and a pullover (because the BBG work outs currently are happening in my cold garage).


THIS WEEK'S:

meals: 

When we got home on Monday night from our little Christmas break, I made two large spaghetti squashes, mixed in some red pasta sauce, and added frozen turkey meatballs from Wegmans. That made enough for my lunches for the week, and for CR's dinners (he's still living in a dorm an hour away for his last sub-internship). It was fairly easy to make, was delicious, and very filling too. For dinners I had my favorite new food, the veggie tots from Green Giant (they are in the freezer section) with turkey meatballs (doesn't look like much but it was so good), butternut squash with lean beef meatballs, and a lean hamburger with a poached egg and sweet potato fries (just a sweet potato cut up, drizzled with a little bit of olive oil, seasoned with salt, and baked for 30 minutes - SO GOOD). Snacks this week included carrot slices + hummus, hard boiled eggs, Hippeas, and a few protein shakes (made with this protein powder). I averaged around 1,500 calories a day and was never hungry! Which is pretty amazing since I spent last Friday-Monday eating as many cheesy potatoes and cookies as I could get my hands on ;)

exercise:

- Tuesday: BBG legs (omg, my legs have hurt so much since! Today is the first day I can halfway walk)
- Wednesday: 60 minutes of spin (18.5 miles, 590 calories burned)
- Thursday: BBG abs + arms
- Friday: 45 minutes of spin (13.5 miles, 371 calories burned)

weight lost: 1.6 lbs

goals for the upcoming week:
- Drink 100 ounces of water/day
- Do 3 BBG work outs + 3 spin work outs
- Try one new recipe (maybe these tuna cakes?)


A few people have asked if there's a way we can make this interactive, and I really love that idea! I'm just not quite sure how we go about it - do you guys want to share what work outs you did and what new recipes your tried in the comments section? Do you want to just follow each other on My Fitness Pal? Do you want to make a Wellness group on facebook? I'm definitely game for anything!

ps. I can't not for the life of me come up with a good name for this series. What do you guys think? Weekend Wellness Update? Working on my Fritness (fran+ fitness - CR loves making up new words with my name). The 90/10 list?

it's going to be lit.

New Year's Eve is one of my favorite holidays - what's better than a holiday that you get to spend with friends, have to stay up until midnight sipping on champagne, and wake up with the excitement of a whole new year ahead of you? Sometimes there's even fireworks, which are one of my favorite things. Champagne + fireworks = best holiday ever.

When it comes to the NYE party, there's two ways to go - big and fancy or small and intimate. I've gone to a few big New Years party - think fun dresses, high heels, and lipstick  you may not wear in your day to day life. This faux wrap dress from Kohl's is a perfect example of that special dress you save for these parties - I love that it holds on to the holiday spirit with a bright Christmas red, but with a bit more va va voom than you would wear to Grandma's family get together. On the other side of the NYE spectrum is a smaller get together with friends, which is what we are doing this year. I'll be wearing something very similar to this tomorrow night! Classic black jeans paired with a fun top and loose blazer is pulled together, but comfy enough to cozy up on the couch eating deep fried apps and drinking Christmas Ale to toast the new year. I'm going to keep it a bit more special by pairing my outfit with these amazing velvet heels, because when else am I going to get to wear something this fun in my daily life? 

outfit one:

Dress: Chaps c/o Kohl's 

Shoes: Apt. 9 c/o Kohl's 

Lipstick: Cargo c/o Kohl's 

Clutch: similar

outfit two:

Blazer: LC Lauren Conrad c/o Kohl's

Top: Apt. 9 c/o Kohl's

Necklace: Simply Vera Vera Wang c/o Kohl's

Shoes: LC Lauren Conrad c/o Kohl's (go down half a size!)

Purse: Apt. 9 c/o Kohl's

Pants: similar

If you are still looking for something special to wear tomorrow night, Kohl's has a ton of options where you can buy a piece online, and then can pick up in store that day so you have it for tomorrow (which is what I did with these pieces I'm wearing). You can use code FIREWORK to receive 15% off your order (good through January 1st). Below are a few options that you can pick up in store! 

Thank you to Kohl's and ShopStyle for sponsoring this post. Happy New Year!

2016: a year in review

For many people, 2016 was not a great year. Between the election, some of our favorite celebrities dying, and whatever else the year has brought, I think many people are excited to have a fresh start. 2016 was definitely an interesting year for me, luckily one with more ups than downs. The beginning of the year brought a ton of learning opportunities, and the chance to do two months of ObGyn that solidified my decision to pursue it as a career. Over the summer, CR and I kicked Step 2's ass (and scored the exact same score #soulmates), went to my ten year high school reunion, and have since spent the past six months living apart as we each did our sub-internships. It was a great learning experience for our relationship - it required us to focus on our communication skills, we learned to cherish our limited time together, and in the end, we are coming out of it stronger than ever...and engaged! We spent weekends camping and catching up with Dave. The fall brought us to California for a long weekend, and the chance for me to visit ObGyn programs for residency interviews all over the eastern side of the country. 2016 was a good year, and I have a feeling 2017 may be the best yet. Between Match Day, graduation, moving for residency, starting our careers, and planning our wedding, it may just be the busiest yet! But before we look ahead...we have to look back, at the good, the not so good, and everything in between. Thank you for being such an encouraging part of my life - I hope 2017 is your best year yet!


favorite outfits

one | two | three | four

five | six | seven | eight

2016 was the year that I blogged the least amount of outfits - there were many weeks where I didn't post a single one! Most of my rotations this year have been hospital based, so I wore scrubs all of those rotations (9 out of 11 rotations this year), plus busy months of studying for Step 2 and living away from home for sub-internships - all together, it left little time to wear real clothes, much less take pictures of them! I did manage to get in quite a few I loved though. It's quite interesting to look through the previous year in review posts, and see how my style has changed over the years. My wardrobe now is very neutral based - the colors I do wear are either blush or blue, with red accessories mixed in. This means I can mix and match more, and it also makes it easier to shop! 

least favorite

There is nothing really inherently wrong with any of these outfits, but as I looked through the last year's worth of posts, these are the ones I was mostly meh about. Sometimes that's what it's like to wear your normal clothes in your real life - sometimes they will be just fine outfits, but maybe not really worth putting on the internet. Finding that balance between sharing every day outfits with trying to keeping it interesting is definitely something I'm still working on.


best purchases

These were pretty easy to pick out, just quickly scrolling through the last year's worth of budget posts. The poncho is one I love to wear, and pack with me on every colder weather trip we go on (see it on here). I wear my Michael Kors loafers constantly. The J.Crew blazer is definitely the best purchase I made this year (see my review here and it on here). I haven't shown my Coach purse a ton on the blog, but it's currently my go-to purse on the weekends.

regret purchases
My least favorite purchase was the flared jeans I bought earlier in the year. I never grab for them, and it was definitely one of those instances where I fell prey to the trendiness of it. Lesson learned!


most popular posts
Looking at my stats for the 169 posts I've written this year, the ones that always get the most views are ones related to school or review posts. The highest viewed post of the year is a post about what to wear on clinical rotations, followed by posts about what a day on internal medicine is like and a 24 Ob call. My review posts are always the most popular of the month - I'm not sure if it's because people like to see how truly awful some clothes look on me, or if it's because google searches bring people here. Either way, I plan on continuing both types of posts in the future as they are clearly what people are most interested in!

beauty
This was the year I really started to incorporate more beauty and skincare posts, and it's been one of the things I'm most excited to write about nowadays! I'm always looking for the next best mascara / dry shampoo / face mask, so having a way to share those with you has been so much fun for me. Highlights included:
    - How I wash my hair only twice a week (with this lifesaver of a dry shampoo!)
    - A review of Essie's new gel couture line (possibly my favorite beauty product of the year)
    - How to trick people into thinking you have thick hair
    - The easiest way to apply self tanner
    - Before and after pictures using a tretinoin gel
    - My current skincare routine
 

medical school
Now in my fourth and final year, life was very busy, and now is very awesome. The first part of the year involved taking Step 2, doing three sub-internships, going on residency interviews, and now it's about enjoying the last five months until graduation! Posts throughout the year about school include:
    - A day in the life on Internal Medicine
    - 24 hour Ob call
    - A day of Step 2 studying
    - Great discussions about residency interview suits
    - Essentials for clinical rotations
    - Gift guide for medical students


in written form
I've always enjoyed writing, so I definitely enjoy writing longer posts once in a while. Longer posts this year included:
    - How we found our wedding venue
    - Thoughts on being curvy
    - Our engagement story
    - Real tips and tricks for growing your blog
    - My experience with Invisalign (complete with before and afters!)


favorite instagrams

Still my favorite social media app of choice (although snapchat is getting up there - follow along @ fhasselhof). This is an older post about how I edit pictures, although I've changed a few things. Any interest in an updated post?

resolutions for 2017
I like the idea of coming up with a few things you want to work on every year. Not vowing to become a whole new person, but just a few things to improve on. This year I want to:
    - Not wish my time away. I'm excited for our future, but want to enjoy every month of the year.
    - Start a wellness series on here, mostly to hold myself accountable to stick with cleaner eating
    - Read real books. for fun. First up: the history of cancer. Should be a quick read ;)

P.S. 

2012 review

2013 review

2014 review

2015 review