Categories
Fabulous living

Spring Semester Recap

Hello friends and family!! 

Happy Tuesday! 

Well, thatā€™s a wrap on my junior year of college! This year flew by, I canā€™t believe that the next time I will be back at school, I will be a senior. It seems like just yesterday I was walking on campus for the first time, now in August, I will be moving in for the last time. College is an interesting concept, itā€™s amazing in a few years how much we grow, change, learn, and live. I can honestly say that I am a completely different person now than when I moved in 3 years ago. I canā€™t wait to celebrate and enjoy my last semester of college in the fall. 

My mood though Junior year…well most of the time.. haha!

Todayā€™s post is my favorite types of posts. Another semester has gone by, which means itā€™s time for another recap. To see what I was up to last semester, you can read about it here. I love to do these recaps to show you what I have been up to, as well as reflect on how much I have accomplished both in an out of the semester. This semester was a busy one, but filled with so many fun memories. The best way to describe this semester is the fact, I typically go to the gym on Saturdayā€™s and Sundayā€™s, I always had things going on during the weekends that it wasnā€™t until the last weekend of the semester in May that I made it both days, I honestly wouldnā€™t have it any other way.

As I was preparing for this post, I realized how many things I did, that I didnā€™t take pictures of. Although, I wish I had pictures to document the fun times and moments, it is nice just to be present in the moment and enjoy who I am with, without capturing it all for social media. So, letā€™s recap this semesterā€¦

First day of the spring semester…cold and quiet

January started out with freezing weather, a few cancelled classes (which was unheard of for our school) and lots of working weekends. The cancelled classes did result in some spontaneous adventures with my friends, whether it was brunch, going thrift shopping, or heading to the mall. Iā€™ve learned this semester that some of my favorite moments were the ones that were unplanned and spontaneous, whether it was grabbing dinner with my friends, seeing a school musical, or shopping whether it was at the mall or the comic book store. 

Heading into February, classes and work were on my mind, I spent a lot of time working on my Capstone biography video, which you can watch here.

Hard at work on my Senior Capstone

I also was able to have weekly lunch dates with my sweet friend Sharon, who graduated in December and weekly dinner dates with my friend Bailey, who spent this semester student teaching. It was so special to be able to see my friends even with their busy schedules.

SO thankful for this friendship
I love getting lunch with my sweet friend Sharon

I was able to sneak home for a quick visit before I left for Rome. 

No shame in admitting this is my only photo that weekend at home…what can I say…I’m a dog lover

Moving into March, I spent the first several days in Rome. If you missed my recaps on the eternal city, you can read part one here and part two here.

Take me back to simpler days…

I came back to school after an incredible trip and got back into the swing of classes, work, and friends. I had one of my most memorable weekends of the semester with my friends at our Semi-formal dance, which you can read about here. The weekend included dinner, hanging out with friends, dancing, grilled cheese at midnight, sleepovers, hitting the gym and brunch.

One of the BEST weekends of the semester

I jetted home for another visit with my family which was much needed after returning from abroad. 

Are we really surprised that my only picture from being at home is with my dogs?

April brought lots of the end of the semester activities. In between school work, I was able to head to a bowling outing with my friends, get dinner, go on some fro-yo dates, spend a day volunteering, and get Inducted into a Communication Honor Society.

A day spent volunteering with my best friend Danielle

I also got the opportunity to tour our Library at school which is under construction and interview our schoolā€™s president about the renovations. You can watch the interview here.

Interviewing the President of my school in the new Library

Our school also hosts a spring family weekend which as so fun, I got to see and hang out with some of my closest friends, watch a few bands perform and got pied in the face for charityā€¦definitely a messy moment of the semester.

With some of my close friends Sharon and Bailey
Spring family weekend
It took a long time to get the whipped cream out
Like I mean three showers later…it was finally all out

April ended with Easter ended at home.

Surprise…not a picture of me and my dogs at home, but with my brothers for Easter

I finished out the last few weeks of April and May with end of the year dinners, from Honor Societies, to Department dinners, and senior celebrations as well as finals, Iā€™m so lucky I was able to participate in these senior festivities since so many of my close friends are seniors. Next year will be different without them.

One last DQ and catch up session with this girl!
Laughing our way into Senior year…
Celebrating senior year with my friend Olivia!
Thankful for her friendship this year, my girl Bailey, always there through thick and thin.
It wouldn’t be the end of the school year without a trip to one of our favorite places, the SP…a hidden gem near our school

The year ended with working the last few days after finals and attending graduation. I was so happy I could watch all my friends graduate, although it was sad to see them move on I know they are going to do amazing things.

Gonna miss these girls next year!
Working graduation with my sweet friend Danielle, we are up next!

Whewā€¦and thatā€™s a wrap. Junior year was by far one of the best years and I think a lot of that has to do with a mindset. I called junior year my year of joy and I wanted to find joy in every day. Even on the days that were rough, emotionally and mentally draining, or I wanted to go home, I still looked for the joy in every day.

Although, itā€™s so good to be home and not think about school for a bit, Iā€™m going to miss my friends and being at the same place with everyone. I do have some pretty exciting plans for this summer and next semester, so stay tuned!

To everyone who made this year and semester the best one yetā€¦THANK YOU! Have a beautiful day friends! Sending love to everyone near and farā€¦xoxo!

Categories
Fashion

Look of the Day #96

LOTD

Hi everyone!

Happy, happy Thursday! I hope you all had a great week. Itā€™s crazy how fast this week went by. I am headed home for the weekend to see my family since I havenā€™t seen them since coming back from Rome. It will be nice to relax for a bit since I have been going non-stop these past few weeks. 

Last weekend, I went to a semi-formal dance with my friends from school. It was the last one for me and so many friends since they are graduating in May and Iā€™ll be graduating in December. My good friend Bailey and I made a weekend out of it and had the best time. We started out with dinner, hung out with friends, went to the dance, and hit up the gym and breakfast the next day. It was by far one of my favorite weekends of the year. I wanted to share the details of my outfit for todayā€™s look of the day. I canā€™t wait to share this more formal look with you all.Ā 

Starting out night out with the dance
I don’t know what I would do without this girl. Truly the best friend I could ask for!
My friend Danielle was also at the dance and we had a blast dancing the night away
Bailey and I along with our friend Olivia hit up the gym early the next morning
Followed by brunch, I love these girls to death, not sure what I’m going do without them next year.

I have been going to all my semi-formals in college and I havenā€™t bought one dress, Iā€™ve reworn all the dresses from past homecomings or other formal occasions. I will admit, I look much better in the dresses in college than I do in high school, itā€™s amazing what a few years can do. HA! Hereā€™s a look down memory laneā€¦

First, letā€™s start with the dress. I got this dress a few years back and I wore it for Christmas. I loved it when I wore it then and I was so excited to wear it again. The cream-colored dress was perfect for spring and the scalloped neckline was my favorite part of the dress, not to mention the unique material. I got this dress from Francescaā€™s Boutique.

All ready for a night out

Since the dress is very simple, I knew I needed a few pops of color, that came in the form of my red shoes, jewelry and makeup accents. 

Up close of the dress

I got these red pumps from DSW last year and although they arenā€™t my go-to shoes, they are great to have to add a pop of color to an outfit. I got them last year to wear with my all black dress I wore for Christmas, you can see that outfit here.  I always think itā€™s important to have a fun shoe to add a pop of color to a neutral outfit. 

I also opted for a bit of colors in my jewelry. Since the neckline was unique, I didnā€™t want anything overpowering.  

I also made the decision to wear more neutral make up but add a pop of color with my lip choice of a bright red. I wanted the accent color of red to stand out without being too over powering.

I always love the opportunity to dress up for a fun night out and last weekend was the best. After a busy week, Iā€™m looking forward to a quiet weekend at home. See you all on Tuesday!

Categories
Fabulous living

20 Things I’ve Learned in My 20 Years of Living

New day, new year, new beginnings. Today, a new decade begins for me. Yes, I am turning 20! Iā€™m really excited for not only this new year but also this new decade. A whole lot can happen from 20 to 30.

Iā€™m also excited for new adventures and beginnings with this new year ahead. Besides looking forward to this new chapter, I am reflecting a lot on these past 20 years.

After careful consideration, I have complied a list of twenty things I have learned in my twenty years of living. Some big things, others not so big and in no particular order. But, all these things have shaped me into the person I am today. Here we go!!

WHAT HAVE I LEARNED?

Always share. Whether, itā€™s your toys, talents, or thoughts. Share with others.

Always Smile. A smile can go a long way and even change someoneā€™s day or life.

It can be easy to get caught up with routines and schedules in life. But donā€™t forget to be spontaneous and go on adventures.

You can learn something new every day. Learn about the world around you.

It doesnā€™t hurt to ask questions. Always ask whether you are sure or unsure.

Yes, eating healthy and working out are important but get the dessert, I promise it will be worth it.

Work smarter, not harder.

Donā€™t be afraid to jump into the unknown. Always be open to trying new things.

A favorite movie or good book is always the answer to having a rough day.

Itā€™s okay to say No in life, sometimes it may even be for the better.

Doing small things in life, like doing your nails, or changing your hair or spending more time on your makeup, can make you feel like a different

When in doubt, take a long drive and put the music on high to clear your mind.

The hard work you put in now will benefit you in the future.

The tough times in life will make you a stronger person.

Self-care is so important, you canā€™t take care of others if you donā€™t take care of yourself.

Tell the people in your life that you love them.

Be sure to check in and make time with your friends. Tell them how much they mean to you.

Family is the most important thing in life. Donā€™t take them for granted.

Live life to the fullest and make a difference along the way.

Live, Love, Laugh, Dance.

Well, Iā€™m off to celebrate with some friends and family for my birthday. See you all on Thursday!!