Tag: friendship

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Fabulous living

What I’m Thankful For #3

Hi everyone! Happy Tuesday!

Wow, what a weekend. I went into the city on Friday night which was so much fun! I will have a full recap of a tradition that I have carried out the last several years next Tuesday to kick off the month of December. Also, just a little blog update, there will be no look of the day on Thursday, itā€™s Thanksgiving and I am going to be spending the day with family and disconnecting for the day.

In honor of the Thanksgiving holiday and as part of my college series Iā€™m going to do a bit of a reflection post for everything that I am thankful for this last semester of college. I have done this for the past few years. Hereā€™s mine from my first year and hereā€™s mine from last year. I always think itā€™s important to reflect on all the blessings that I have in my life especially as I begin a new chapter soon. Letā€™s begin:

–My incredible and supportive family.

I donā€™t know where I would be without my family. They are my biggest supporters. I know I can count on them for advice, laughs, love, and through the good times and bad. Some of my favorite memories are made at home with my parents, brothers, and dogs. 

Love my boys

-My consistent friends who are always there when I need them

I am so lucky I have great friends both at home and at school. The biggest thing that I have learned this past semester is that itā€™s never to late to make friends. Always be open to meeting new people because you never know if they will become one of your closest friends. Iā€™m so thankful to have good friends that support me, take me as I am, and I can be myself with. I am also thankful to have them to push me out of my comfort zone, want to try new things with, and always just have a good conversation with. Iā€™m so grateful for all the friends that I have made in college and for the ones who have become like family to me. 

High school bestie
College bestie

-My unwavering faith

I wouldnā€™t be here or be able to do half the things if it werenā€™t for my faith. When I am struggling, I always turn to God for his guidance. One of the biggest things I have learned this past year is that God has a plan for everything even if it doesnā€™t always make sense in the moment and when you finally surrender yourself to him and let him do his work, then thatā€™s when the big things start to happen. I make time every day for my faith and it is so important that I make it a priority for me. I can truly do all things through God.

-Good Health

I couldnā€™t be more thankful for good health not only for me but also my family and friends. In a world with so much sickness and suffering I am happy I am healthy and I can do everything I want. I hope this next year brings more research to so many harmful illnesses. 

–Good Education

This is my last year in school and learning, in fact I only have so many classes left. It is so crazy to think in a few weeks, for the first time in my life I wonā€™t be a student any more. I canā€™t believe it. Although, college can be stressful and challenging especially at this time of year, I am so lucky to be able to go to such a good school that is a perfect fit for me. I have truly come into my own at school. I have gotten involved with my academics and found wonderful mentors in my professors and faculty. Most importantly, I have learned so much out of the classroom too.  

Early morning at school

–Good Job

I am so thankful that I have a good job at school. Although, it is stressful, I have learned so much not only about others but also myself. I can easily say that this has been of the best things that has happened to me in college. I have become more confident in this role and I have made some of my best friends through this job. I have learned so much and I will take everything what I learned and use it through my life. I am going to be deeply sad when I leave this job and friends behind. 

Last year on staff

 –My School

College has been on crazy ride. But I am so grateful for it all. I have made lifelong friends, gotten so involved, taken on leadership roles, joined Honor Societies and made countless memories. I learned so much about myself and the person I want to be. It wasnā€™t always easy but Iā€™m so happy where I am today. I have a long post about my college experience coming soon so be on the look out for that. 

This Blog

I am also super thankful for all of you who read my blog every week. This has been a passion project that I started during my freshmen year of college when I was looking for something different to do with my free time who would have thought I would still be writing today.  I love sharing parts of my life with you and I am so thankful you are all on this journey with me. This has been such a creative outlet for me through college and I love being able to have this community with all of you.

This last semester and year has been filled with so many blessings, lessons, love, and memories. I have grown so much this year and I am so happy of the person I have become and the person I will be when I graduate in a few weeks. I hope you have a wonderful holiday week celebrating with your family. Be thankful for the time spent with family and friends, itā€™s truly a special time to be with loved ones.

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
  • Lambda Pi Eta
  • A more up close picture of the outfit
  • A quick picture with my parents who came out to support me!

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 #78

LOTD

Hi Everyone!

Another week is coming to an end. I donā€™t know about you but I am so ready for Thanksgiving. It canā€™t come soon enough. I am ready for some time home to relax, see family, and most importantly, eat some delicious food. Itā€™s crazy to think itā€™s only a week away. When I think of Thanksgiving, besides food I always think of family and traveling to see family.

I have a double dose of fashion for you today. So, Iā€™m not even kidding when I tell this story. One of my closest friends, Bailey and I showed up to class in the same outfit and didnā€™t realize it until our professor told us. It wasnā€™t until he said we both looked like prison guards that we realized we were wearing the same outfit. Donā€™t believe me? Hereā€™s the picture for proof.

Crazy right?!

I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to break down both of our outfits.

Iā€™ll start with mine first, everything is pretty affordable and classic. I got this black and white striped top from Old Navy, I love stripes and black and white are such neutral colors that can go with any outfit.

I decided to match this striped top with a pair of black leather leggings from Target, I like that they are more durable than regular black leggings, not to mention warmer too!

The weather has been colder and colder, so I wore this long black sweater from Tillys.

I topped my outfit off from my go-to boots for fall, these new ones I got from DSW. Not only are they cute, but also affordable and comfortable. This is a simple outfit but itā€™s perfect for colder months.

Now, moving onto Baileyā€™s outfit. She got her dark jeans from American Eagle, another place that I always have luck finding jeans, especially one sale after the season is over.

Her black and white sweater is from Old Navy as well as her puffer vest. What can I say, good friends shop at the same stores!

Lastly, she got these cute high boots from Nordstromā€™s. Not only are the stylish but also comfortable.

Whewā€¦there you have it, two look of the days for the price of one. This weekend is going to be a fun one, Bailey and I are heading to the city to get into the holiday spirit with Light Up Night which well be fun and then Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Stay tuned for a post on Tuesday all about our Light Up Night adventure.

Have a great weekend!

Categories
Fabulous living

Making Time for Friends in the Summer

Summer can be a very busy time, between work, getting enough sleep, and getting used to a new routine, it can be hard to see those close to you.

I am very fortunate that I live at home in the summer. I love spending time and doing things with my family. We always try to eat dinner together every night, and we spend our weekends and weeknights doing things together. I love spending time with my family.

However, I often find myself not spending a lot of time with my friends. I live about two hours from most of my friends from college, so I donā€™t often see them, luckily, I am still close to a few friends from high school who I try to see frequently. Most of the times our work schedules donā€™t line up, we have other commitments going on or we live far apart. I have been very good about trying to see friends in the summer, which I am proud of. Here are a few things Iā€™ve learned about making time to see your friends in the summer.

  • Donā€™t just say it, Do It!

When school is winding down, you may catch yourself saying, ā€œwe have to see each other this summer!ā€, but does it happen? We often get caught up in our busy lives that we forget about others. If you truly want to see someone, make it happen. Due to my friends from college living so far away, I know Iā€™m not going to see all of them, but maybe I can try seeing one or two.Ā  A few weeks ago, I was in need of some girl time with one of my close friends from college, Olivia. We both found a day we were free and met up to get lunch and go shopping. Rather than me driving two hours to her or vice versa. We met halfway for both of us. It worked out perfectly. We got to visit, grab lunch, scored some sales, but most importantly, just catch up. Iā€™m so glad we did something rather than just saying we were and not follow through.

Much needed retail therapy

  • A few hours is better than nothing

I have a few close friends from high school who I try to see often in the summer and on breaks. However, we all work different times and schedules, so it can be hard for all of us to get together for a long time. We find it works best for us to just grab dinner, ice cream or brunch for a few hours rather than try to find a full day to spend together. We try to also get together for big events. For example, my family and I throw a fourth July party and my close friends are always invited. Itā€™s a great time to see each other and celebrate.

Fourth of July spent with my favorites

  • Be Spontaneous

Yes, itā€™s great to plan ahead when you are seeing someone from out of town, but also be spontaneous with your outings. My close friend and I both work downtown in the summer. We both had the same lunch break and met up for lunch downtown. It was unexpected and yet, so fun. My other friend was free for dinner so him and I just went to grab something quick. Even if you canā€™t get your whole group of friends together, it is good just to catch up with one rather than none.

Grabbing lunch with my girl downtown

Grabbing dinner with my high school bud

I think most college students can relate to not seeing their friends or family as much as they want in the summer. What do you struggle with? Spending more time at home with family or out with friends? Letā€™s Discuss!!

Categories
Travel

Saturdays are for the Souls

Happy Tuesday!

Today Iā€™m sharing something that Iā€™m trying to incorporate more in my life: self-care. Whether itā€™s a quiet night in with a good book or a girlā€™s night out with friends, we all need to take care of ourselves. Ā This past weekend, my best friend, Shay and I took a day trip to the city. We both have a heavy course schedule this semester and we decided to take some time before the semester got crazy to adventure and relax.

Walking through the streets of Pittsburgh on a rainy Saturday!

We left mid morning and got to Pittsburgh around 12:00, our first stop was the National Aviary. I had never been there before, but Shay had and assured me it would be an enjoyable time. It was a smaller, interactive place. We spent an hour there but, there were a lot of activities geared towards children that would be great for families. Ā There were lots of exhibits and it was very colorful, most importantly, there was a wide variety of birds.

Flamingo’s hanging out at the Aviary.

Can you spot the bird in this picture?

After we finished at the Aviary, we headed to Burgatory for lunch on the North Shore. It was a 10-minute walk, so we opted for the exercise rather than an Uber.

Although, I have eaten the delicious make your own burgers at Burgatory, I opted for a grilled ham and cheese sandwich was their fresh cut fries. I love their burgers but, they are huge and since we had more things planned I decided to go with something more manageable. I couldnā€™t leave without getting one of their famous milkshakes. I got the cookie monster and Shay got the Sā€™mores milkshake.

I love grilled cheese, but grilled ham and cheese is even better!

Treating ourselves and our sweet teeth to a milkshake!

Checking out some artwork in the Warhol exhibit.

After a delicious and filling lunch, we walked to the Andy Warhol museum. It was a first for both of us. It was a 10 minute walk from lunch to the museum.Ā  The Seven floor museum took us an hour and a half to get through. Tickets for students were only $10, which was a great deal for a few hours of entertainment. There were great displays of Warholā€™s pieces as well as a great history of Warholā€™s life. I personally loved his bright pieces of portraits of different well-known figures.

A few of my favorite pieces from the Andy Warhol exhibit. All photographs of Jackie Kennedy.

I love the bright colors in these flower paintings

We have to talk about the elephant in the room…

Warhol’s famous Campbells Soup artwork

Before, we headed back to school, we grabbed smoothies at Crazy Mocha. A cute cafƩ in the North Shore.

Smoothies at Crazy Mocha!

Definitely a must stop if you are in the North Shore area

Many memories were made during our fun Saturday excursion. We get wrapped up in our busy lives that we often forget to take care of ourselves. My challenge for you this week is to take some time out of your busy day/week for yourself. Have a great week!