5 Things I Learned in the First Month of Living by Myself

1. I'm actually a pretty decent cook.
When I was at home, I would obviously cook for myself, but I would really just want my mom to cook for me constantly. Since starting college, I've made so many incredible meals for myself and I'm beyond proud!

2. Being independent is a lot of hard work.
When I was still at home, I considered myself quite an independent person already, but I honestly had no clue about what being independent meant. I had never opened a bank account by myself or asked questions about public transportation. Now being able to do these things by myself has been scary but extremely rewarding in so many ways.

3. I can actually have a really fun time by myself.
I went out for coffee a few weeks ago by myself for the first time and for some reason, I was terrified. But then I realized how dumb of a thought that was because nearly 50% of the place was filled with people also by themselves. Since then, I went to an exhibition, went back to more coffee shops and walked around the city many all by myself. We forget how much we need alone time when we are constantly surrounded by people.

4. Not everyone will be friendly, but you just have to brush it off.
London is a huge city. Although I love it, there are days that I hate it because some people just always seem to be really unhappy and they will show this through being rude to other people. But what I have realized, is that these peoples actions should not effect me and my day.

5. Being homesick never really ends, it just gets a little bit easier.
My first few weeks here, I was absolutely miserable. I tried so hard to stay calm and enjoy being here but it was so difficult being in a foreign country and not having my friends and family here. But in those weeks I learned a lot about myself. Each day it gets a bit easier, but I still seriously miss California.

xx
Ashley

My Life In Suitcases

Hi everyone! I have been completely absent from this blog for quite a while because I made a huge and crazy life decision… I moved my entire life to London, England for college! For as long as I can remember, I have dreamt of living in London for a least a few years of my life and I decided that college was the perfect time. So I applied, got accepted and packed up my entire life into 5 huge suitcases (mostly filled with clothes, obviously.)

This past month and a half has honestly been one of the weirdest times of my entire life. I have experienced stress, excitement, fear, loneliness and hopefulness all at once. I have been feeling so homesick these past few weeks, missing my family and California like crazy. At points, I've wanted to quit. But when I take a step back and look at the journey that I have started, I can't help but be really proud of myself already. I'm only 18. I get mad at myself when I feel homesick because I know that so many people would love to be in my shoes right now. Then I remember that I need to give myself the benefit of the doubt because the way I'm feeling is perfectly normal. When you are taken out of your comfort zone, you tend to close yourself off and get upset. And it's okay to get upset but I don't want that to hold me back from enjoying the hell out of my 3 years here.

I have been extremely lucky to have already met some friends that I know I will have for a lifetime. Being in this city will only give me independence and experiences that I will forever be grateful for.

I just wanted to give you guys a little update on everything that has been going on with me at the moment. I'm going to try my hardest to blog, YouTube and Instagram as much as I can so you guys can go on this crazy journey with me. So stay tuned for some great stuff!

xx
Ashley

Follow me on YouTube here!

And Instagram here!

Summer Bucket List 2015

1. Go on a road trip

2. Go to the county fair and try a new food

3. Get a new tattoo

4. Have a bonfire

5. Go to the beach with my friends

6. Go to a few concerts

7. Have a picnic

8. Learn how to make açai bowls

9. Enjoy California as much as I can before I leave in August!!!!!

What do you want to do this summer?

xx
Ashley

18 Things I Learned By 18

1. Your number of Instagram followers does not define your value as a person.

2. Work your ass off. Eventually it will pay off.

3. Don't trust everyone. We are given a lot of people in our life. Some are here to build us up and some are here to bring us down. Learn how to see people for who they truly are.

4. Don't be afraid to get rid of toxic people in your life. If the people you are surrounding yourself with are bringing you down, you don't need them in your life.

5. Be strong and be yourself.

6. Be honest. With yourself and with others. Speak your mind but be kind in the process.

7. Smile as often as you can.

8. It's okay to cry. If you are hurt, stressed, upset, excited or happy. Let yourself have emotions.

9. Wear what you want. Not what others tell you to. Being a trend follower can get really boring. Especially in high school.

10. Be friendly and talk to as many people as you can. You can meet really interesting people and learn so much from others perspectives.

11. Be silly, be crazy and laugh as much as you can. We are young and should be enjoying every single moment.

12. Sing as loud as you want. Get in the car with your friends, roll down the windows and sing. It is the biggest stress reliever.

13. Be kind to adults. Especially your parents. Spend as much time with them as you can. You'll miss them later.

14. Take as many photos as you possibly can, and not just of yourself, but your friends and your surroundings as well.

15. Be bold. If you believe strongly in something, don't let others put out your fire.

16. Everyone gets embarrassed. Don't beat yourself up over missteps.

17. Don't spend money you don't have.

18. Be badass. Love what you love, not what others tell you to.

xx
Ashley

Coachella Snaps

I'm so sorry for the lack of blog posts! I have been extremely busy the past few weeks. I got back from Coachella last Monday and had an incredible time. Here are some of my favorite photos from the weekend!

xx
Ashley

Road Less Traveled

I’m not sure what I’ll do, but I want to go places, and see people. I want my mind to grow. I want to live where things happen on a big scale.

I've always been an extremely deep thinker. Thinking and interpreting things that not many people of my age care about. My thoughts have always been out of the ordinary for anyone who has a suburban mindset. From a very young age, I knew I wanted to take the road less traveled. I knew I didn't want to play anything safe.

I recently came across an outline for a novel that I wanted to write about 7 years ago… 7 years ago? Yes, I wanted to write a novel when I was 10 years old. The main character was a girl named Beth who was 18 years old. The further I got to reading, I realized that I had modeled Beth as the person who I wanted to be in the future. She was curious, endearing, smart, independent and strong. She wanted to travel across the world to study journalism in London… Reading the outline made me emotional because it made me realize that I have had the same dream for years, and now I'm finally trying to make that happen.

As leaving home is getting even closer, more and more people I know are starting to believe that I am genuinely crazy for wanting to pick up my whole life and move to another country. But, it always leaves me wondering why they think I'm so strange. When people ask me why I want to move, I always answer with the same thing, "Why the hell not? I want to explore and experience a different culture, meet new people and have new adventures."

If I wanted to be comfortable my whole life, then I wouldn't have experienced nearly half of the things I have in my life so far. I don't want to regret not taking chances. I want to see things that open my mind to the rest of the world. I don't want to play it safe and have a white-picket fence life. I want to have a crazy adventurous life where I never know what exciting thing is going to happen next.

My parents have always told me never to stop dreaming. And I always tell them, "Don't worry. I never will."

If you have something you have always wanted to do, go for it. There is a lot more regret in not trying than in trying.

xx
Ashley

2015 New Years Resolutions

I always have a long list of New Years resolutions, but I usually only manage to tackle about half of them. This new year, I plan on trying to finish all of them. So here they are!

1. Minimize & Maximize my closet. (By this, I mean, minimizing the amount of clothes that I have, but maximizing the quality of everything. Such as a good quality pair of jean and a leather jacket instead of having 10 pairs of crappy jeans.)

2. Become more organized. (With London fast approaching, I really need to organize and plan things a bit better. I admit, I can be very messy and all over the place majority of the time.)

3. Stop being so preoccupied with others opinion of me. (We have heard it time and time again, but I really want to stop spending so much of my time worrying about others. It is my life, not theirs.)

4. Worry less. (Similar to #3. This is very vague, but is certainly needed.)

5. Go on daily walks around the city. (Now that I'm moving to a new place, discovering more of the city is high up on my to do list. With this resolution, I'll be getting exercise and exploring.)

Last but not least...

6. DO MORE LOOKBOOKS!!! (I was most proud of this blog when I was in London, doing lookbooks every day. So be on the look out for many more of them in 2015!)

I would love to hear your New Years resolutions! So let me know down below!

xx
Ashley

Christmas Gift Guide: Best Friend

I can't believe that it is already the beginning of December! Now the preparations for Christmas finally begin!

I know that a lot of people have trouble finding gifts for people close to them around this time, so decided that it would be a good idea to create a few gift guides with some ideas for the special people in your life. This week is ideas for your Best Friend! I always love to shop for my Best Friend because she is the person I know the best and it's always fun to buy cute and girly things!

I hope this helps you on your quest for Christmas presents!

H&M Silk pyjamas - $110

Frends Taylor Rose Gold Over-Ear Headphones - $285

Herve Leger Cutout iPhone 5 Case - $58

butter LONDON Gilded Gears Holiday Lacquer Set 1 ea - $28

Impossible Refurbished '80s-Style Polaroid 600 Camera and Film Set - $250

kate spade new york Bracelet, 12k Gold-Plated Bridesmaid Engraved Idiom - $58

Tory Burch Robinson Small Makeup Case - $95

Wool Tweed Cowl - $49

Rifle Paper Co. Pocket Notebooks - $10

Large Antler Necklace - $190

Byredo Gingembre Holiday Candle - $94

xx
Ashley

Black & White Cookies

I wish that I could bake every day of my life. Especially cookies. I've been making a lot of cookies lately for friends and family, and they've all been asking for recipes so I knew I had to write them down and blog them. So here is the first recipe. It's my black & white cookies. This recipe is a slightly adapted version of the white & milk chocolate ones that Tanya Burr made in a video.

Make sure to tell me how you like them if you make them!

Ingredients You Will Need:

200g butter
300g granulated sugar
1 egg
325g self raising flour
dash of milk
100g of milk chocolate
100g of dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F*

First step is to mix together your room temperature butter and sugar with an electric whisk or Kitchen Aid (that's what I'm using here.) Just mix it until creamed together.

Next step is to crack in the egg and whisk it in as well.

Now take your flour and gradually add it in. (Make sure you don't put all of the flour in at one time because it will be a disaster, trust me.)

If it looks a little dry once it's been mixed all together, then this is the point where you could add a dash of milk.

Now is the chance to put away the mixer and start using your hands or a spoon. Break up the chocolate into chunks and evenly mix it into the cookie dough.

Once the chocolate is mixed through, start forming balls of dough. I got about 16 out of the batch.

When that is done, put the cookies in the oven for about 16 minutes, swapping the trays positions about half way through so that each tray can get enough time under the heat.

Once they are done, take them out and let them cool for at least 20 minutes.

Voila! The cookies are finally done!

I hope you guys have fun!

xx
Ashley

Hipster?

"Hipsters are a subculture of men and women typically in their 20's and 30's that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter. The greatest concentrations of hipsters can be found living in the Williamsburg, Wicker Park, and Mission District neighborhoods of major cosmopolitan centers such as New York, Chicago, and San Francisco respectively."

"Hipster" is such a confusing word. I, myself, often get called a "hipster" and I always question why. Does listening to indie music and going to coffee shops make you a "hipster"? Or does being a young teenager and wearing high waisted shorts and crop tops make you one? Is it cool to be a "hipster"? What does liking something ironically even mean?

I find people who label themselves as a "hipsters" to be quite hilarious because aren't "hipsters" supposed to not want to be called that? Who knows.

Also

This

VS

This

Although one photo is of men and one is of women, I consider these groups extremely different. Don't you?
Which group do you think are "hipsters?"

The guys who work at the coffee shop down the street? Or the Tumblr girls?

xx
Ashley

Autumn Bucket List

Happy Autumn, Down In The City readers! Autumn is by far my favorite season! I love everything about it; the colors, the pumpkins, the weather and the clothing. This season, I made a quick bucket list of all of the things that i want to accomplish and here it is! Also, comment down below with what's on your Autumn Bucket List!

1. Successfully bake a pumpkin loaf from scratch.

2. Break out all of the scarves that have been sleeping this summer!

3. Come up with a signature autumn makeup look.

4. Have a themed photo shoot in the mountains.

5. Bake a pie.

6. Watch Halloweentown (all of my 90's kids will hopefully agree with this one!)

7. Go on a hayride.

8. And enjoy my last autumn at home before moving to England for college!!!

Hope you all are having a lovely season so far!

xx
Ashley

Throwback Thursday

Last weekend, I was up in LA for the One Direction concert. Before heading to the concert, we went to one of my favorite lunch restaurants, Joan's on Third. While eating our lunch, I spotted my first ever favorite designer Betsey Johnson coming out of a car. I was so shocked and knew that I had to take the opportunity to ask for a photo. So, I shuffled over and asked. She was one of the loveliest people I have ever met! I told her that I wore one of her dresses for my 6th grade promotion and she was quite amused and told me she was flattered. We then started to talk about her new spot on Dancing With The Stars, which I obviously told her that she had my vote. Overall, it was such an amazing experience, I just had to share!

xx
Ashley

Insta-July

July was a really busy and fun month for me. So, here are a few of the things I got on to.

Follow me on Instagram : @ashleygummerson



xx
Ashley