Getaway: Beach Style with Sarah

Hello everyone!  My name is Sarah and you can find me over at A Girl Smitten.  I'm super excited (and honored to boot!) to be guest posting for Taylor while she is in South Africa!  I'm so happy that she's getting the chance to do this, I'm sure it's going to be an amazing experience.

The theme we are focusing on here is Getaway.  Of course, summer is the perfect time for a get away, with all these beautiful destinations just beckoning.  I am and always have been partial to the beach.  I grew up going to visit my grandmother who lived in a sleepy little beach front town so that salty air always holds a bit of nostalgia for me.

Seeing as the beach is my favorite (and that I love a good style post) I thought it would be fitting to share with you how I like to do the beach getaway.  More specifically, what I like to wear and why.


A Beach Getaway


Hat  |  Sunglasses  |  Necklace  |  Swim Suit  |  Cover-Up  |  Bag  |  Nail Polish  |  Magazine  |  Beach Towel  |  Sandals

In regards to style I generally like to have the majority of my look be simple and classic.  If the basics are classic then your outfit will look instantly put together and you'll never be considered overly trendy, always classy.  The hat, glasses, swimsuit, and cover up are all simple but timeless.  That being said, my favorite thing to do is add something fun in the mix!  This bag and necklace are just the ticket.

Let's not forget the reading material!  Is it really a getaway without something to get lost in?  I'd venture to say no.  I love bringing along books (a few of my faves: The Great Gatsby or The Time Traveler's Wife) or a few magazines (Darling is a great one).

Sidenote: I share Taylor's sentiments on fashion so I really enjoyed the video she posted here!  Definitely worth a watch!)

So there we have it!  My beach style essentials that can take you from lying on the beach to exploring.  What do you always bring on your vacations?  Where is your favorite place to go?

Thanks for reading guys!

Be sure to stop by Sarah's blog!

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Taylor

Getaway: Living Locally with Madison

Allow me to introduce you to my friend Madison from Telling Oceans.


This summer my husband and I are finding ourselves working quite a bit. With my job, internship, blogging, and some other part time work it has been hard to even take a weekend off of working. We love where we are at in life, but it always nice to have a change of scenery. Our solution to getting away on a super busy schedule is finding local things we can do on our days off.  the past week we have kayaked and canoed, sometimes we take advantage of hiking, other times it is a simple day trip to a different city. A good playlist is a must have for any fun trip, even if your getaway is just 30 minutes away.



How do you get away in your every day life?

Make sure you show Madison's blog some love.

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Taylor

My Testimony


In keeping with the theme of me introducing myself, I thought I'd share my testimony with you. A testimony is such a Christian-y word. It's basically the story of God working through my life.

I grew up with two loving, Christian parents. I remember being in my room when I was about four and asking Jesus to come into my heart. I continued going to church and Sunday School and generally being a kid. I knew a lot about Jesus but it's hard to really know Him at such a young age.

In third grade, I transferred to a Christian school (and stayed there through high school graduation.) That school was both good and bad for me. It wasn't the most diverse, especially when I first came. I struggled with feeling beautiful while looking so different. The good part was that it gave me such a good foundation for my faith. Throughout elementary and middle school, I'd have these phases of being so on fire for God and then shifting into autopilot.

During high school, my faith started to solidify. There were hard times in high school. Family struggles. The loss of both of my remaining grandparents in less than a year. General drama. These things forced me to rely on God and on others for support. I learned that it was ok to ask God, "Why?" As in most high schools, everyone had labels. I think mine was a mix of the good Christian girl (yes, that label still exists at Christian schools) and the academic. When I look back at my high school self, I see a lot of insecurity, a lot of pride, and a lot of judgement. I didn't always love people well or unconditionally.

I couldn't wait to get out of my high school. Nine years with basically the same people gets really old. Post high school, I started reading books about my faith. They talked about who Jesus was and what he did and who he cared about. Jesus loved messy people. He hung out with the people it was politically incorrect to hang out with the prostitutes, the people from different ethnic groups, the diseased. He loved people well. He met their physical and spiritual needs. That summer changed my faith. I realized that faith was meant to be lived out. It's not just a private belief. That's where I am now, trying to figure out what it looks like for me to live my faith. I am beyond blessed. You are too. In most parts of the world, I'd be considered rich, even as a "broke" college student. I think Jesus wants more from me than a comfortable life. I'm trying to be open to his leading.

This isn't my whole story. I could post every day for a year about what God did and continues to do in and through me.  If you have questions about what it means to actually start a relationship with Jesus, you can read my faith page or email me at taylor.liveandmoveblog@gmail.com. You can even email me if you completely disagree and you want to discuss things with me. I have friends who are atheist and agnostic and practice different religions. I'm always happy to chat about whatever.

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Taylor

Getaway: Greek Island Style with Corina

Meet Corina from Cocorrina!

A big hello to all Taylor's readers!! I'm basically new here, I just recently discovered Taylor's amazing place, and I am just simply in love with her! I couldn't be more excited when she asked me to do a guest post while she's in South Africa. So, since the theme is getaway, and I live in a Greek island, I thought it would really cool to share with you a Style Guide on a Getaway to Greek Islands!

Mykonos is one of the most popular and well known islands in Greece and for a good reason. It's a vacation paradise,white, colors and lots of music, style and life! If i had to put one word to Mykonos, it would be colors! Besides the white, wherever you look the island is full of colors. Colorful details, chairs, flowers! I would go crazy on that island with colors on my outfits if i was there. It's the island of style, so you can just go big! Color blocks, crazy colorful patterns and neons.

From Left to Right

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Santorini, again one of the most beautiful islands in Greece, is dressed all white and blue. The white houses are the main characteristic of the island, which makes it so traditionally wonderful! Santorini, is all about ethereal greek dresses, total whites, laces and touches of gold and blue.
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Last but not least my home island, Kefalonia! Kefalonia combines everything, beautiful crystal clear water, white houses, colors and most of all, lots of green and nature! The streets of Kefalonia always smell like thyme and it's the only place in Greece that has a forest with black firs. As a Kefalonian, I wear mostly everything and all of styles of course, but the perfect style that matches the Kefalonian feeling is natural colors and, plant prints.

From Left to Right

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Be sure to share Corina's blog some love!

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Taylor

Getaway: Pinapple-ade with Sophie




DIY Pineapple-ade
Hi y'all. I am Sophie from Rare Beauty and I'm so excited to be here on Live and Move. I have a simple drink mix that would be perfect for a great getaway. I love experimenting with plain juice and its fun how the flavours combine. What you will need for this drink:

·       Pineapple juice
·       Fizzy soda
·       Honey
·       2 lemons
·       Ice cubes
·       A pineapple wedge

In a pitcher, add two tablespoons of honey and ice cubes, then add the pineapple juice and the soda. Squeeze the lemons in and finally garnish with the pineapple wedge(you can choose to cube the pineapple and just let it soak in the mixture). Measurements will be according to you(I tend to like less sugary drinks), but in my case I used 1 litre of pineapple juice(sugar free) added a 500ml soda(I used Mirinda fruity, but you can substitute anything!).  I hope you have fun making and drinking(the best part) this Pineapple-ade.

Make sure you show Sophie's blog some love!

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Taylor

Getaway: A Getaway Deconstructed with Kristyn


Today you get to hear from my friend Kristyn from Milk+Crown.

Often times when I think of the word getaway, I think of travel; adventures in foreign countries, relaxing escapes to tropical beaches, taking a break from the hustle and bustle of daily life. 

But this summer, I don't have that opportunity--that chance to get away, physically at least. I haven't left the city since April and yet, this summer has surprisingly been full of all those things a getaway entails: adventure, relaxation, and new experiences. 

You see, there are other ways to getaway, too. 

For me, it's found in words. 

In sheets of paper overflowing with stories of things imagined in the mind of another, where I can escape into a world unlike my own and be someone else for awhile. 

It's found in pens and notebooks, creating the tales of adventures I imagine myself, the ink seeping into faint blue lines on the page with exciting certainty. 

In small bowls of strawberries that I devour in seconds, but taste like summertime and remind me of open fields and fresh air in the country. 

It's found in early morning walks, before the world wakes up and starts the day. When everything is silent and new and all the plants begin to perk up and say hello. 

It's found in a warm cup of tea and time alone, where I can relax and be myself, unbridled by the demands of anyone or anything. 

A getaway can be found in these simple, little things. The things that matter most to you and give you pleasure, a sense of happiness. A getaway may be where you least expect it. Sometimes, you need only look around you.

Image via

Be sure to give Kristyn's blog a visit!

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Taylor

Getaway: Wanderlust List with Louisa


Hey everyone! It’s Louisa here from Circa Sunday Afternoon. I’m blogging today for Taylor while she’s on her trip. I’m actually super jealous of her trip to South Africa and it got me thinking—if I were able to getaway, to travel anywhere in the world, where would I go? I’ve made a list of the top five places I’d love to go. Make a list and see if any match up!

1. Florence, Italy—While I’ve been to Rome I just really want to go back and experience another
side of Italy. I want to experience the food and the culture.

Image via tumblr 

2. Santorini, Greece- I’ve heard nothing but great things.

Image via 



3. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil- I was recently in Peru and couldn’t get enough of South America. I’d love
to go back and this time, to Brazil!

Image via 


4. Dubai- I always hear about how extravagant it is over there and I’ve love to see it in person.

Image via 


5. South Africa- To journey where Taylor is would be such an amazing experience, no doubt.
Image via 

Don't forget to show Louisa's blog some love!

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Taylor

Ten Facts About Me


When I started this blog, I thought that my readers would be people I knew already. I felt like I didn't need to introduce myself. Now my readers live across the country and around the globe. It's probably time to introduce myself.

Hi, my name is Taylor. Here are ten facts about me.

1. I split my time between college in Nashville and school breaks in Chicago. I love both cities dearly.

2. I have a boyfriend of nearly two and a half years. We're a long distance relationship. I still haven't really decided if I'll ever formally introduce him to you. 

3. I'm a proud member of Alpha Omicron Pi.

4. I love Audrey Hepburn. My favorite movie of hers is Charade followed closely by Breakfast at Tiffany's.

5. I'm majoring in Human and Organizational Development (think psychology based business) and Spanish.

6. I absolutely love tea, non-caffeinated if possible.

7. I consider myself an introvert. People are great, but I need my alone time to be able to enjoy them.

8. Kids are the best. They have no worries and so much joy. They also say hilarious things. I could do a whole post on the things my nieces and nephews say. One example, my youngest niece used to consider chicken nugget to be a derogatory word. As in, "Fine, be that way you chicken nugget!"

9. Carbs are my favorite food. I love pasta and bread and desserts. Ugh. 

10. I'm starting a business... you'll have to stay tuned for more!

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Taylor

The You Are Project



The You Are Project is a project that I'm proud to be a part of. I wanted to let you know a little bit more about it. Lauren, the founder, wrote up a great piece!

Hi everyone!

My name is Lauren, and I’m the co-founder and Web Manager for The You Are Project, an online magazine for Christian women.

Our Vision

The mission of The You Are Project is to help women discover WHO THEY ARE in Christ. Once we know who God created us to be and are confident in Him, amazing things begin to happen:

1. Our confidence, paired with a Godly love for others, will draw people out of their insecurity. I firmly believe that a compliment or support from a confident woman has more power than we realize. Our confidence isn’t for ourselves-- it is meant to change the people around us.

2. Jealously will evaporate, and relationships between women will be restored. Our unity is a weapon, and will further destroy the enemy’s strongholds on us.

3. We will be unafraid to use our passion and God-given talents in the way that He asks us to.

Can you imagine what God could do with a group of women who are confident, strong, unified, and in love with Him? The world would never be the same! Catherine (my co-founder) and I dream of seeing women set free and seeing this vision realized.

We recently launched our print magazine, You Are REAL, and we’re excited to announce that the Summer issue is now available! It’s full of awesome entertaining ideas, delicious recipes, stylish summer outfits, and inspiration for your walk with God.



Order your copy of YouAre REAL today and you could have a new magazine and a new book to tote to the beach with you this summer!

Thanks for your time and support! Feel free to email me at lauren@theyouareproject.com with any questions or feedback--I love to hear from you!




Getaway: Finding Your Worth with Taylor




How often do you look in the mirror and base your worth off your looks? How often do you find a pang of jealousy or lack of self-confidence by believing you are worth less because your beauty is 'not up to par' as other women's? 

Ladies, you are valuable, precious, delicate, strong, beautiful, and your worth has nothing to do with the color of your skin, the size of your body, the width of your hips, or the size bra you wear. You are not defined by physicality. You are not beautifulbecause you have brown hair, blonde hair, blue eyes, brown eyes, long legs, short legs, big hips, small hips, or whatever else you could point out about yourself. 

You are beautiful because you are you.

No amount of make-up, no amount of exercise, of hair-dye, of clothing could lessen your worth. You worth is not based on beauty alone. Your worth is based on your spirit, your passion, your knowledge, your intentions, your dreams, your flaws that make you exactly who you are. Why do you let the world tell you your worth is only fleeting based on a bunch of sizes and brands? Why do you fall for lies and schemes that say you are worthless?

Worth has nothing to do with what one may only see from the outside.

Ladies, you heart is the source of life. Your spirit is your worth. Take care of your heart, your body, your mind, and your soul. Do not focus on the world alone, on the body alone because a body will wither and a world will end, but your Spirit will stay alive. Take heart in your passion, your knowledge, your courage, your boldness, your love. Feed yourself security and comfort in your skin, but more-so in your heart. Your hair will go grey, make-up will stop working, skin will have wrinkles, and your clothing size will change, but your heart is what remains. 

Each one of you is delicately, passionately, and perfectly made. 

So show it with boldness. Do not be afraid of the world, of the physical aspect of yourself. Do not be afraid of physical self-worth and physical self-consciousness. Nothing on this earth could make you unworthy of love, of healing, of joy, of happiness, and of grace. The world does not deem you worthy, nor can they make you anything less than beautiful. 

You are beautifully and wonderfully made, so believe it.

Getaway: Traveling Well with Yelle





Say hello to my friend Yelle from Tender Roots!

I hope Taylor is enjoying herself and her travels in South Africa! It's the trip of a lifetime - a place definitely on my list of destinations to visit someday. I travel as much as I can, especially now that I graduated college. Even while attending college, I found it so important to take advantage of the semester breaks and use them to travel. 

My favorite place that I have ever been is Paris, France. It was so inspiring that it even sparked my love for blogging. I started a blog while in Paris so that my family and friends could keep up with our travels and everything that we did. I enjoyed it so much that I obviously continue to blog to this day. Not only did Paris inspire me to continue blogging, but it inspired me to create a template for that getaway and every getaway after that. Naturally, I'm an event planner, so I am inherently organized and a template was my best travel companion.

My template is an Excel spreadsheet, but could easily be transferred to a Word document. It consists of three pages: Sightseeing, Budget, and Itinerary.

  1. The sightseeing page is where I listed all of the places that I researched beforehand and was extremely excited to visit. I listed them according to location, that way if I was in the area of one destination, I knew what was nearby so that I didn't pass it up. I also listed things like hours and tips like student discounts so that on the go, without a phone to look things up, I was prepared. 
  2. The budget page is where I kept track of my expenses. I saved up enough money to allot myself 100 euro a day to spend on food, museum admissions, souvenirs, gifts, and even drinks. Some days I spent less than 40 euro, and some I spent a little more than my budget but in the end - it was so helpful to not lose track of my spending. I even specified when I had bills coming out of my bank account so that I didn't over estimate my bank account balance. 
  3. The last page was a summary of my itinerary including important information like my flight number and passport number. I always recommend making multiple copies of your passport. I made enough for my suitcase, my purse, each of my parents houses, and if all else failed, my own home too. 


You can find the travel template here via Dropbox. I hope that you are all taking a wonderful trip soon so that you may utilize it. Even if you aren't as organized as me, this template should be easy enough to print and quickly fill out at the end of each day. Bon voyage! 

Be sure to show Yelle's blog some love!

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Taylor

Getaway: Travel Mixtape with Hanna

Meet my friend Hanna!

Hello everybody! My name is Hanna and I blog over on a little blog called Hanna's Places. I like nothing more than going out to explore, with my friends or on my own, just for a day or a whole month,on a vacation far away or just in my own city (that still has beautiful parts I yet don't know). I love it all. I believe God made this earth a wonderful place for us to discover. Seeing all the beauty around us can really take your breath away, don't you think? There's so much I could write about the happy moments I was able to experience while traveling, one blog post would probably not be enough for that. I guess Taylor knows exactly what I'm talking about, while she learns new things and gets to know different people in her time in South Africa. I can't wait to hear all about it afterwards.

  A Travel Mixtape by Hanna Ulala

Anyway, whether you travel far away or just go for a small trip to the next town, one thing that is definitely required while traveling (in my opinion), is a real killer good mixtape! I think I've created one for every trip I took in the last ten years. A mix of my current favourite tracks, that perfectly fit the mood of a sunny road trip or a day by the beach reading new books. Once I'm back at home and listen to the mix again, I instantly feel like I'm back on holiday again. Do you know that feeling? So here's a little mix for you to enjoy, either traveling or at home. I hope you like it!

You can listen to it on Spotify over here.
 1. Boy - This is the beginning
2. Joshua Radin - Beautiful Day
3. Florian Ostertag - I Don't Know What to Say
4. Emiliana Torrini - Sunny Road
5. Mumford & Sons - Hopeless Wanderer
6. Lisa Mitchell - Oh! Hark!
7. Radical Face - Welcome Home
8. Passion Pit - Take A Walk
 9. Jars of Clay - Headphones

Be sure to show Hanna's blog some love!

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Taylor

Musings: How South Africa Happened


Well here it is. My first post while I'm in South Africa! For the next few Mondays, I've decided to introduce myself. When I started this blog, I was mostly writing to people who knew me. Now it's grown to something bigger than that. I think it's fitting that I share with you how this whole South Africa business got started.

Truthfully, I did not want to go to South Africa. I'm a double major in Spanish and had my heart set on spending my summer serving in Central America. Early first semester, I met with the advisor for my summer stipend. I showed her the program I wanted to do. She was not impressed. She grilled me and broke me and eventually gave me a page long list of questions to ask the program. Mind you, I still had to apply to the program. It's more than a little awkward to say, "Hey, I know I haven't applied to your program yet, but can you answer this list of questions for me?"

I left the office feeling awful and called my dad. He suggested that I ask a South African family friend of ours to help set me up with a summer trip. I blew it off because I still wanted to use my Spanish. Over time, however, after phone calls and emails with the other programs, South Africa started to grow on me.

I emailed our family friend. He hooked me up with his sister almost immediately! I told her I was interested in children and social enterprise. Just like that, she started working out an itinerary for me. I originally wanted to stay all summer but it worked out for me to stay for a month. God knew what I needed. I've had great family time and I'm able to be with my boyfriend while he's in the hospital.

So, what am I doing while I'm gone? I'll spend two weeks doing after school tutoring at a church, one week staying with two college students who have an after school sports ministry, four days working with a missionary who helps people start their own small businesses, and the rest of the time is for sight seeing.

If you think of me, I'd love your prayers! I lined up tons of friends to share their own tips for enjoying a getaway. Enjoy!

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Taylor

Shop Your Way: Packing for South Africa with Sears

Remember when I told you that I was a member of Collective Bias®? This is another sponsored post that I am so happy to be a part of! I'm so excited to share it with you. Before you get worried, remember that all the opinions are my own!

It's winter in South Africa. The weather can change by as much as 30 degrees throughout one day. I knew that I'd need to find clothes that would be versatile. Layering will be my best friend in South Africa. I decided that the best Sears Style pieces for me to buy would be a pair of shorts, a cardigan, a camisole, and cute walking shoes. I downloaded the Shop Your Way app before I went to Sears. It's got hand picked coupons, offers, and it stores all your rewards information in one place. (My phone actually died in the store so I didn't get to use the app at the time of purchase. The cashier looked it up for me and the information magically appeared in the app after my phone was charged!) You can see my whole trip here.

Here they are! I chose the cardigan because it can be professional and casual. The color is perfect for my skin tone. It can say summer or winter with some simple accessory changes. The camisole is just a travel staple. When layering is important, a camisole is the way to go. The shorts are great because they are convertible. Sometimes other countries have different standards of appropriate dress. These shorts can become Bermuda shorts in a matter of moments. And the shoes are the best! I broke them in the week before while walking around the city. They couldn't be more comfortable and I couldn't be happier.

And here are three restyles using some of what I plan to pack for the trip.






Which one is your favorite? You can see more Sears Style in the Live SoFab Summer Magazine.


By the time you read this I'll be on my way to South Africa, rocking some of my new looks. Versatile pieces are definitely the way to go for international travel. What are your go to travel pieces?

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Taylor


So What's Gonna Happen While I'm in South Africa?


Some of you may be wondering what will be going on while I'm away for a month. No, the blog isn't taking a month-long hiatus. I thought this was the perfect time for me to formally introduce myself and to introduce you to a lot of my favorite bloggers! You can expect to see a few posts from me where I'll tell you more about the me outside of the blog. (You'll be able to tell a post is from me because it will have a similar graphic to the one on this post.) Sometimes I forget I haven't met all of you! Hopefully, these posts will make you feel like you know me a little better. The majority of the posts you see will be from other bloggers. I gave them a theme, Getaway, and let them run with. Get excited for some great style posts, DIYs, recipes, playlists, and awesome photography. I think this time away will be good for me and I know I couldn't leave the blog in better hands.

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Taylor

Summer Snapshots: Chicago Botanical Gardens

We had a final family outing in anticipation of my trip to South Africa. (I leave this Friday... ahhhh!) On Saturday, we went to the Chicago Botanical Gardens to see all the flora and fauna and also see the art show that they had. The last time I went there was when I was really little. The place is huge, 375 acres! We didn't walk all of it but we certainly did our fair share. Here are the highlights:






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Taylor

P.S. I wrote a guest post over at Love, Caroline today!


Musings: Five Things That Will Be Weird About South Africa

Joburg Nights - South Africa
I've been thinking a lot about what's going to make this trip so different than anything else I've every experienced. This is what I came up with:

1. People of color will be in the majority. It's really hard for me to imagine a country where this is true. I wonder what it will feel like.

2. Nelson Mandela is on his deathbed. What would happen if they took him off of life support while I was there?

3. The language barrier. When I went to Spain, I still more or less understood what everyone was saying (once I got past the accent, that is.) In South Africa, and especially Johannesburg, a good number of people speak English. However, there are all these tribal languages and Afrikaans that I can't even begin to understand.

4. It's winter there. In one day, the temperature can go from 40 degrees to 70 and back down to 40. I forgot what 40 degrees feels like.

5. Not knowing anyone. I went to Spain by myself but I lived with a friend I met through a summer exchange program.  Even though I hadn't met her family, I knew Pilar. In South Africa, I'll stay with the sister of a family friend and the people she's set me up to serve with. I haven't met her face to face yet and it will be strange, yet thrilling, to actually meet the person I've been emailing for so long.

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Taylor