Tag: home life

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Fabulous living Fun Ways to Organize

2020 Resolutions and Goal Recap

Hi everyone! Happy Wednesday! Can you believe that we are almost to new year. I always like to take some time to reflect on the past year and my goals and accomplishments and do a little recap. A full 2020 recap will be coming soon, so be sure to stay tuned. But today, I wanted to break down my goals from 2020 and do a little check in to see how far I have come. To see my goals for this year. You can see themĀ here.

My main goal this year was to learn and love. Since I started a new job a year ago, I wanted to learn as much as I could this first year, from the job itself, to learning from the people I work with, to learning about myself as a reporter, and learning about establishing new routines in my life. Overall, Iā€™m very, very happy with how this year has gone.

Granted, 2020, has been quite a challenging and unpredictable year, but I personally have learned a lot and grown a lot too. Iā€™ve worked hard to establish good routines, both on days I work and on my weekends. Iā€™ve learned to give myself grace, find balance, put myself first and make sure my priorities are in order. Iā€™ve learned how to be flexible and adapt to change. Iā€™ve learned to make time for my family and friends, but also put myself first when it comes to my health and wellness. Having a sense of balance and purpose in my life helps so much when I have busy work days.

Also, I live by my planner, every appointment, story I do, to-do list, or note goes in there and that helps me stay in control and have a sense of order too. I love my simplified planner and I canā€™t wait to use it again next year, there is a space to write down your bucket list for the year, I jotted some ideas down and stood by them this year. 

Here is what was on my bucket list this year: 

  • See Old Friends (although, this year was far from normal, I was glad I could still see some of my friends from high school, safe and socially distant)
  • Stay Close with College friends (Again, I wish I could have seen more friends but Iā€™m super thankful for maintaining college friendships despite not being able to see each other, plus, thank goodness for facetime!!!)
  • Travel some place new ( I wanted to travel more places, but hello pandemic!!!, my family and I did take a road trip which was fun and we created many family memories!)
  • Learn a lot at work (Yes, based on everything Iā€™ve said above, I learned a lot at work and Iā€™m still learning too!! Thatā€™s what I love about my job. Iā€™m always, always learning)
  • Get involved with the community ( Thanks to my job, I am always learning about things going on around the community and Iā€™m so lucky I get to really highlight my hometown with my job every day)
  • Make New Friends (I have made some of the best friends at my job and I learned from some incredible mentors too. Itā€™s a wonderful feeling to be learning every day and love where you are doing it, is a wonderful feeling.)

2020, has been a year, but Iā€™ve learned a lot from myself and I have grown a lot too. Hereā€™s to new beginnings, goals, and bucket lists for 2021!!

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Fabulous living

TWO Years of Blogging

Two yearsā€¦itā€™s amazing how much has changed since I started this blog after my freshmen year of college. Just to show how much I have changed, hereā€™s my first everĀ post. I started this blog as a way to talk about transitioning and adjusting to college life along with fitness, organization and fashion and it has become so much more than that. I’ve become a better writer, more open, a stronger person and stepped out of my comfort zone with this blog.

Ā Iā€™ve shared about the places Iā€™ve travelled to, likeĀ Washington D.C., Chicago, andRome.Ā 

  • Me in D.C.
  • Chilly in Chi-town!
  • ROMA

Iā€™ve talked about ways to decorate your dorm room,organize your makeup, and prepare for college exams. 

  • Junior Year dorm room
  • Makeup Organization at it’s finest
  • Finals prep

I have shared over 100 different outfits, they have ranged fromĀ semi-formal looks, outfits for the office, clothes for thewinter,Ā spring,Ā summer, andĀ fall.

  • Semi-formal
  • Professional
  • Winter
  • Fall
  • Summer
  • Spring

I have talked a lot about college living,summer internships, and the adjustments to living in college.

Getting in front of the camera too at my internship

Some of my favorite posts have been my semester recaps,summer recaps,and fun facts about me. 

  • Making memories with family
  • Many moments with friends
  • Trips Abroad
  • Time spent studying
  • Family trips
  • Trips to the city

That is just a look into my favorite posts that Iā€™ve covered these past two years. I opened up about being homesick, getting used to college life, and home life, and back to college life. I have shared my friends, family, dogs, and favorite things with you- from tv shows, books, and ways to have fun.

This blog has been a great stress reliever, whenever I would be stressed or I wanted to share something new I learned, my blog was my go-to.

Ā I truly wouldnā€™t be here without you all! Thank you for your love, support and for reading my posts every day whether it is about fashion, fitness, or day to day life. I have had so many people and friends tell me they have read my blog, follow it, or make a suggestion for it. It means so much to me that you take the time out of your lives to read about my life. This next year of blogging will be different as I will be graduating college and entering a new phase in my life. There will also be some surprises in this next year, there will be new content, different types of posts, and so many fun things in the future so stay tuned!! But not to fear, the blog is not going anywhere. Iā€™m going to taking it day by day as I start a new adventure and I hope you will come with me on this journey.Ā 

Thank you for reading, the love, and support

Hereā€™s to TWO years of ups and downs and taking it one day at a time. 

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Fashion

Look of the Day #88

LOTD

Hi All!

Happy Thursday! Itā€™s almost the end of the week. This weekend is my last weekend working so Iā€™m super excited to get this weekend started and over to finish up work and then I have many exciting things in the upcoming months. Todayā€™s look of the day is perfect for the winter weather and the freezing temperatures.Ā 

all warm for a day out in the snow

This outfit is perfect for the cold weather and I am highlighting several pieces. To start off this is a simple and casual outfit that can get dressed up with accessories. I started my outfit off with a simple pair of blue jeans from Old Navy. I love these straight legged jeans. They are perfect for high black boots or uggs in the winter. I got my black boots on sale from DSW. DSW is my go-to for great shoes at a low price, my tip is stock up on shoes off season for the best deals.Ā Ā I paired these jeans with a simple long sleeve black t-shirt. Old Navy is also my go-to for black and white t-shirts that are good quality and long lasting. Jeans and a black or white t-shirt is the perfect simple look.Ā 

This scarf is the perfect accessory

I decided to add this carmel, black and red scarf to add a pop of color and texture to my look. Not only does it keep my warm but it is also stylish and a great accessory to change up a simple look with.Ā 

Staying warm in the frigid temperatures

Lastly, my favorite accessory is this black winter coat. I got it from L.L. Bean. It is not only super warm and durable but great quality. Since I live up North itā€™s crucial I have a warm and long lasting winter jacket.Ā 

My little pup Milton had to interrupt the photo shoot and I was more than okay with it…my favorite

This week were are supposed to get near freezing temperatures so I know I will be wearing this outfit os something similar to it to brave the cold.

Have a great weekend and stay warm!

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Fabulous living

Winter Break Book Review

Happy Tuesday. How is your week looking? Hectic? Calm? Too early to tell? The past few weeks have flown by for me, I think between getting into a new schedule for the semester and working the past few weekends the weeks have gone by much faster. 

Today, I am finally getting around to sharing my Winter Break Book Review, I know itā€™s way overdue, but better late than never right? During my month home I read two books. I wish I read more but time got away from me. I read ā€œMy Oxford Yearā€by Julie Whelan and ā€œThe Biggest Lie in the History of Christianityā€by Matthew Kelly. Both were very good books but very diverse in the subject matter and genre. Letā€™s dive into these tales.

My Oxford Year

ā€œMy Oxford Yearā€ tells the story of a young American student, Ella Duran who is studying in Oxford. She meets Jamie Davenport, a handsome date who turns out to be her lecturer. She has high dreams and aspirations and doesnā€™t want to be derailed by a romance abroad. There are many unexpected twists and turns, especially the ending. There were so many times when the book changed directions that I never would have expected. Overall, this book tells the story of hard work, pursing your dreams, making friends with people who never expected and putting your goals on hold for those you love. I had seen this book on many book reviews over the summer and I was so excited I could finally read it, I was not disappointed at all.

One thing that was different about my experience with this book is that I tried the audiobook of it instead of reading it. Iā€™ve heard many people make the transition from reading books to listening to them, and at this point, I hate to say I am not one of them. It was nice to listen to the book while I did other things such as clean, wash, or computer work, but I still like the feeling of reading for leisure. Now, I know people listen to the books while they drive and I havenā€™t tried that yet, so I plan on giving it another try soon but for now I think Iā€™m going to stick to the reading of books.Ā 

The Biggest Lie in the History of Christianity

The next book I read was ā€œThe Biggest Lie in the History of Christianityā€ by Matthew Kelly. Last summer I read ā€œPerfectly Yourselfā€by Matthew Kelly and I loved it so I couldnā€™t wait to read this on and it didnā€™t disappoint. Hereā€™s my book review with Perfectly Yourself.ā€œThe Biggest Lie in the History of Christianityā€ is all about living life to the fullest and doing things and making choices that truly make us happy. It also shows us what things we can do to make our lives happier and be more content and not be overwhelmed by so much noise. I found this book to be therapeutic and relaxing. I read a chapter or two a day and I loved the positive message that it spread. I loved it so much I went on to gift it to two other people. I read this book as opposed to listening to it and I preferred it much better, especially when I was reading it with a candle burning and a warm cup of hot coco, can you think of anything better?!

One of my favorite quotes from Matthew Kelly’s book

Thatā€™s a bit of a recap of two great books I read over break. Although, I am back to school and in classes, Iā€™m trying to carve some time every day to read, even if it is just a chapter. 

What are you guys currently reading? I love new suggestions? Also, do you guys prefer to listen to books or read them?

See you on Thursday for warm and toasty outfit for the winter months!

Categories
Fabulous living

Letā€™s get REAL: Transitioning from Home Life to College after a break

Hello Everyone! 

Happy Tuesday. I hope you week is off to a great start. Classes started back yesterday so I am in the process of getting into a new routine for a new semester. This semester is going to be a busy one, but I have lots of fun things planned, Iā€™m looking forward to what the semester has in store for me. I always love putting everything on my calendar and seeing what things Iā€™ll be doing. There is no better feeling than a clean and organized calendar. You can see my system for organizing my calendar and planningĀ here.Ā One thing I try to do with this blog is be open, honest and real with you all.Ā The good, the bad, and the real life stuff.

Although, the start of every semester is new and exciting I always experience a few days of transition between going from home life to back to school life. When I am at home, I am constantly on the go whether it is at work, running errands, carpooling, or spending time with family. Although, it may seem overwhelming and a lot to manage, I love it. Iā€™ve always been used to a busy home life, so it seems natural to always be on the go and taking care of others and pitching in to help.Ā Ā After all, thatā€™s the importance of family, always being there for each other. When I was home over break I got a lot of family time in which I love. But, when I come back to school after a long break it’s always weird to go from constantly being on the go and being surrounded by my family to just taking care of myself. Itā€™s definitely a lot quieter and I have a lot more downtime. Although, this can be nice and relaxing, at the same time, I donā€™t always know what to do with all my free time before classes start. These days of transition are always interesting to navigate. Of course, I have commitments and meetings that keep me busy and I am catching up with friends, but these days are weird.

I was talking about the odd in between days with a friend and they felt the same way, they described it as the Sunday feeling, the feeling when you know you have a new week (or semester) in front of you and you have a lot to do and you want to get started, but at the same time you want to relax and not think about that long to do list. I was so happy to talk to someone who shared the same feeling as I did. It was encouraging to hear that my feelings and thoughts were shared with someone else.Ā 

I started this blog to share tips and tricks I had with organization, fashion, and fitness but also to share about life as a college student. The good, the bad, and the real-life stuff. I hope if you ever felt the same about the transition days between home and school you find comfort that you arenā€™t alone with your feelings. Now, that I am back into the swing of classes and a new routine, the in between days are behind me.

Always remember that there are so many adventures to be had, but there is truly no place like home. See you on Thursday for new wintery look of the day! Have a great week!