Finals Week

        I think every time this dreaded week rolls around I always post about how miserable it it. This semester is no different... I just finished my first final and am about to finish studying for my second one tonight. I really don't mind having two in one day but I will be lucky to keep my eyes open when my second one starts at 7:30. I have one tomorrow and two more on wednesday. If anybody calls me thursday before noon you will not be hearing a happy girl on the other end. 
       I couldn't be more excited to go home. The drive with isla is always a bit of a struggle but I am excited to be home with the family. Ole Miss is playing in the Music City bowl game which might cut my break a bit short. Nashville is my favorite city and I would LOVE to spend New Years Eve at the Grand Ole Opery perhaps even going to the Bluebird? Don't know exactly how I would spend my time but it will be fun! At least the thoughts of the week ending soon keeps me going through the long nights studying at the kitchen table. 

Just An Update

      Okay, so once again I have failed to write. I am on a plane headed home for Thanksgiving so I can only assume my last post was the LSU weekend? Thinking back on it that weekend was epic! But, since then I took a trip to the ER, worked liked crazy, hosted 9 girls from Arkansas, initiated 142 new members into my sorority, began the application process to graduate school and managed to get a new boo… who survived my sorority formal with me. Formal is the wildest and rowdiest event, it is always a great time but separates the Gentlemen from the Jerks. (He was a gentlemen… why else would I have bothered to mention him)

      I’ll start from the beginning. Ladies, drinking a cosmopolitan out of anything but a martini glass should be outlawed. The bartender was new and all night poured my cosmos into skinny glasses and stuck a straw in it… dangerous! Anyway after my new boo ordered me some water, I had no idea how much I had that night. Making it to my own bed by a miracle from God, I spent the entire next day sick to my stomach. Into the night I was tossing my cookies, not even keeping water down. So I made the decision to go get an IV and it felt wonderful. Needless to say next time I will correct the bartender and will be staying away from the cosmos for a while.

    For the record, work isn’t why I drink. But lately I have been working more than usual. Generally I only work Monday and Wednesday but lately have been ask to work on Tuesday mornings. My nanny kids aren’t bad but the mornings are a bit of a struggle with them. I am not complaining by any stretch but I do miss my Tuesday/Thursday sleeping in. I am beginning to cherish my weekends.

My adorable nanny child! 

      Speaking of weekends, I got roped into hosting NINE girls from Arkansas. One of my guy friend’s was “talking” to one of them so really eight. Anyway, we did the Grove, the Square shopping and the nightlife. But, when you get that many girls together there is bound to be drama… me being a stranger I stayed out of it but could sense the tension. Not fun. The girls were nice but the weekend was stressful to say the least. I enjoyed seeing their reactions to how we do things in Oxford. With so many home games in a row, it was refreshing to see the excitement. I cannot believe I am graduating this May.

      Never had I felt old… until initiation.  It was three very short years ago I became an active. It is something I will never forget or regret. The house is truly my home away from home and those girls are my sisters for life. Being a senior watching the new members go through the process meant so much. I was so excited for them, they don’t know it yet but its truly life changing.

What is left of my sorority family! 

        Leaving my sorority will be hard but I am excited for the next chapter of my life… graduate school! I have picked my nine schools, began the application process, took the GRE and am saying prayers every night. I know everything works out for a reason but I am really excited about working as a speech- pathologist. My classes this semester have really prepared me for what is to come.    

       It’s been so crazy I am shocked there is even time for a new guy! But I managed to squeeze one in. It’s fun, no drama, no fuss and thus far all has been well. We met our freshmen year, both dating other people and reconnected the first game in the grove (both single)! Ever sense then we have been hanging out and dating. On 11/12/13 he asked me to be exclusive with him- not using the term boyfriend because that still freaks me out. It's been very good; he’s really understanding of the chaos that is my life.

Me and the new boo before formal

      So, that's a quick update. Nothing to major! I am super excited to be headed home for a little break. It will be so great to see the family and catch up with a few friends. I am sure the week will fly by and I be back in God’s Country for dead week and finals week.

Pumpkin Carving!!

Carving pumpkins will always be my favorite part of Halloween! So when the guy I am dating mentioned it I was immediately game! Bet you can't figure out which one is mine? Just kidding everbody knows mine is the ghost with the bow! He chose a very spooky graveyard pattern! The entire afternoon so such a nice break from being an adult! 

Take that #9!

I know it's Tuesday but I am still very jazz'ed about Ole Miss' win over LSU! 

Not just because their fans smell like corn dogs but also because they WERE ranked number 10! It was down to the final field goal in the fourth quarter. The crowd went wild, the students rushed the field and the square was crazier than Bourbon street during Mardi Gras! 

Needless to say I love Ole Miss... win or lose... maybe more when we win! 

Those Three Little Letters

     A while ago/during the summer, I announced that it was time to start studying for my GRE. Well last Thursday I took it! Honestly, it could have gone a lot worse, I felt prepared and was in high spirits when I left the testing center. Generally I let these "little" things stress me out but in reality it's just another test. There will be a graduate school or a career who accepts me. I just get to endure the joys of searching for it. My LAST advising session is on Wednesday! I am excited to search for more opportunities and adventures. I am hoping to move to a young persons city. Maybe Seattle, Boston, Nashville, even back to DC if that is where the wind takes me! Better watch out because this  southern transplant may be moving to a city near you! 

Just a quick shout out to Diet Coke for getting me through last week! 

PYT

P.T.Y- Pretty Young Thetas 

This is JUST the new pledge class! 

We handed out 142 bids on Sunday! Needless to say all of the hard work we put in this recruitment season as paid off! Bid day was an absolute blast- but isn't it always! We stayed at the house to play games, dye tie pillow cases, taken millions of pictures and mingle. Words can not describe how awesome it is too see the new members with bids in hand running towards the house. Our chapter is larger than ever and I couldn't be more excited to watch it grow! 

Me and my Pansy Pal! Who is also from VA 

My sign'in sister and I! 

Happy Recruitment Week Rebels!

Happy Recruitment Week

 To the Ole Miss Ladies! 

I cannot believe it's my senior year! My sorority house has been my home for the past three years! I cannot wait to see who will call it home for the years to come. It is a stress week but watching the girls run down the hill in a week will be so worth it! 

The video reminds me just how blessed I am to find where I belong! 

Steals and Deals!

      So recently I have began to save for grad school. This means my shopping budget now is cute in half. Recently a good friend and I went to Memphis to escape the small town friday night. To have a little extra spending money I cleaned out my closet to bring to Plato's Closet- they give you cash on the spot for slightly used clothes. After leaving there with $90 dollars cash we ventured to Home Goods! Which is a dangerous move for me being on a budget and with the new hobby of cooking. I walked away from the store only spending $15... impressive for me! 

Seriously Sticky Fingers Mix makes the best scones! 

Found some at Home Goods! 

That left me with $85 left to spend... still a nice chunk of change considering I started with a bag full of sweater I wasn't going to wear again. Next we ventured to Stein Mart, where they were having a red dot sale. Of course it was all of their summer clothes, but any decent shopper knows the best deals are when you shop off season! I walked away with an adorable navy and white poka doted dress! (Picture to come I promise) With the sale and a coupon I walked away paying $11. Talk about a steal, two stores and I have only spent $36... new record for me. It wouldn't be a trip to Memphis without stopping at target. This is where things get cray cray! 

I just downloaded the Target Cartwheel application so I had some coupons! Who doesn't love virtual coupons?!? I walked away with two pairs of flats, a sweater, yoga pants, school supplies, toys for isla and a box of pumpkin cream cheese cookies for $68! My coupons where 20% off the shoes, 10% off the sweater, yoga pants and the dog toys. The school supplies was all on clearance... 4 cents a folder don't mind if I do! The only thing I paid full price for with the pumpkin cream cheese cookies and boy are those delicious!!! All in all I ended up only spending $14 out of my shopping budget, which in my book is a win! 

Seriously these cookies are amazing! 

For a limited time only so stock up!

Swipe Right?

         Recently I have gone through a break up. My ex boyfriend of nearly three years and I decided that it was not meant to be. We could go way in to details about all of that but instead I am through the sad and shopping stages and now on to single and ready for adventure stages. While my nanny kid was taking a nap, I came across the application Tinder. Skeptical of what it was all about, I downloaded it... why not? I am single and this is a new adventure? 
        Anyway you link it to facebook and select your sexual orientation before the application begins to show you other peoples "profiles." The profile include four pictures, a few sentences in their about me and their age. You either swipe left if you aren't interested or swipe right if you are. Kind of a cool concept if you ask me but can be very nerve racking. If you swipe right and they swipe right than you can message them. There is the option to block members as well. 
       My roommates and I have all download this app. Two thirds of us have been on dates with it already! Using our best judgement this as been a very comforting way to go on a "blind" date. I have even reconnected with an friend from freshmen year! All in all the three of us have had some fun connecting with new friends from tinder. When in doubt... swipe right! You never know what will come of it :) 

Some Mod Podge and the Fleur de Lis

Like I said before I have been on a HUGE craft kick! 

I decided to add a little something to my nightstand. I bought it at a flea market somebody painted right over the laminate which eventually lead to it peeling right off!

 I ended up peeling it all off, sanding, priming and repainting the entire piece. Well I could not decide on a color so I picked white... silly me nothing in my room is JUST white. 

So it just looked off. After consulting with my wonderful roommate I decide to mod podge scrap book paper to the top and under the drawer! 

The edges are a little rough but I really love how it turned out! 

   

From White to Red

Lately I have been on an up-cycle kick. This white J Crew dress was hanging in my closet for 3 years! I wore it last to a football game my freshmen year. Clearly since summer is coming to a close I have no reason to wear a white sundress so I decided to dye it red! Ole Miss' first home game is red so I am very excited to sport it in the grove. I used Rit liquid dye and let it soak in a bucket for over 2 hours! The color is absolutely amazing, I read many blogs and everyone said to not get your hopes up about the color because it is so hit and miss. Lucky mine turned out great!  

Lemoncello

 Fun Fact- My parents lived in Italy for three years! My sister was born in Naples, Italy and is an Italian citizen. 

This summer I set out to make Lemoncello! So far I have made two separate batches. A large batch at home and a small one back at school. 

The recipe calls for 10 lemons peeled, 750 ml of vodka, 3 1/2 cups of water, 2 1/2 cups of sugar... this makes about sevenish cups. 

For the small batch I half'ed the recipe, and for the large batched I did 1 1/2 of the recipe.

You peel the lemons and place the peels in a pitch of the vodka and let it soak for roughly 4 days at room temperate. (I used the lemons for lemonade) 

After four days, dissolve the sugar in the water, while on the stove make sure you are constantly stirring. I found this is a really key step. Now let the sugar water cool while you scoop the lemon peels out of the pitcher. Try to keep as much vodka as possible. Finally combine the sugar water and the lemon vodka. Stir before serving or bottling. 

I chose to bottle the lemoncello and my parents are using it as hostess gifts. I made the labels from a kit I got a the craft store! The bottles came from Home Goods. The bottle'ed lemoncello good for up to 6 months! 

Back from Bermuda!

      Gosh! I do not know where to begin! Last Tuesday the family & I took off for Bermuda. This trip is something we have all been looking forward too since we booked it in March! The flight to Bermuda was just over an hour… quicker there than to Memphis. We arrived in the afternoon, with the time change being one hour ahead. We spent the afternoon at the hotel beach; we stayed at the Fairmont Southampton.  Mom & I mapped out the rest of the trip, pouring over Trip Advisor reviews and excursion pamphlets.

The hotel beach! 

      We decided that public transportation was going to be most economic friendly and our first day managed to explore the Dockyards, which is where the cruise ships make port. The Rum cake was AMAZING. Also we journeyed to Sea Glass Beach, which was gorgeous. It was fairly empty for the late morning hour, which played out to be a great thing as we collected bits of sea glass.  We spent the rest of the afternoon by the beach, relaxing and climbing the rocks. 

                                                      Sea Glass Beach! I feel a sea glass craft coming on! 

On Wednesday night’s in Hamilton- the major city the streets close down for a market. Of course we had to check that out! I managed to find three great prints of different local landmarks to add to my collection. The market was fun although after 9 the streets were just about empty.

       

Streets of Hamilton! 

     Once again we jumped on the bus although this time ventured down to St. George’s, which reminded me of a small beach town. It was adorable. We came across the oldest Anglican Church outside of the British Island called St. Peter’s. The church was nearly 400 years old!

The street view of St. Peter's 

      We strolled around for a bit and than headed to the perfumery. Bermuda has wonderful perfume! After learning about how it is made I managed to pick a perfume! So many wonderful scents, it was difficult to chose just one! The perfumery is online so I might just have to treat myself to another bottle! 

       

Sister & I outside of the Perfumery! 

        As a family we do two things snorkel and ski… so naturally on Friday we took a glass bottom boat to a shipwreck to snorkel. On many different occasions we have snorkeled reefs so the shipwreck was very different. The possessions on the ocean floor really made me understand just how dangerous it is to sail around the island. One ship was wooden, so it was mostly the possessions and the other was iron, which made for an awesome fish habitat. We saw so many pretty fish and amazing artifacts. 

Pretty Fish! 

Although I have to admit I got sea sick… it wasn’t a bad thing because the cute fist mate offered to stand with me in the back. We chatted for nearly an hour, he was pointing out different fish, I attempted to glace at them while managing to not toss my cookies.

     

Sipping Ginger Ale with the first mate! 

      The weekend flew by… we rented motor scooters to check out different bays and parks along the shore. With our snorkel gear in our backpacks we managed to stop along Church’s Bay, John Smith Beach, Clearwater Beach, Elbow Beach and Horseshoe bay. The fish were pretty, the waves were rough and the sand was pink! Between driving on the left side of the road and the rough tide each night called for a well-deserved happy hour. With the weekend over it is back to reality as we head back home. Tonight will be a quick unpack and pack as tomorrow I depart for school again. The summer as truly flown by!

John Smith Bay- amazing snorkeling 

Elbow Beach- very pink sand 

Goodbye Bermuda! See you again (hopefully soon!)

Bermuda Baby!

Greetings from Bermuda!

Hope you'all are having a smashing week!

I have been adventuring around Bermuda this past week. 

Look for more posts to come, it has been a great trip thus far. 

A Good Laugh...

This is marketing at it's finest! 

Watch it until the end.  

Not suitable for under 18... 

Shopping Spree

       The boyfriend and I are in a rough spot which as resulted in an increase of spending/shopping. It wasn't on one big item but rather several smaller items of the course a while. Honestly I do not know which is worse. Today I purchased:

For Sorority Recruitment

and these because well they are cute! 

In addition to my running shoes I got yesterday...

I haven't had a chance to try them out as it was rainy today but trust me I am excited! 

Also today I did some damaged and picked up three tops from Forever 21 along with an adorable teal high to low dress. Oh and a classic black with a gold chain purse.

 I love Forever 21 but nothing I get in the store I can ever find on their website and vice versa! No problem especially since I will be packing all of them for my trip to Bermuda next week!!! 

  

Old Town Adventure!

           I have been home for 5 days and LOVE it! The small town is great but the big city is were I belong. Yesterday my sister and I went to Old Town Alexandria. We shopped consignment stores and small boutiques. She walked away with a Burberry coat for under $200! I picked up some tops- nothing big.  Current Boutique was a gem! They had a ton of Lilly Pulitzer and other name brands all at a great price! Several other stores were great!

   Lou Lou was an adorable accessory shop which I picked up some earrings and a little something for my sisters upcoming birthday! The staff was great and so helpful. The scarf I got for her birthday had a snag where the tag was and without question the associate gave me 10% off! The entire store was organized by color so it was easy to sort through. 

    Another super cute store was The Lucky Knot, with a great view of the water this was a preppster's paradise! With brands like Vineyard Vines, Lilly Pulitzer and the Frat Collection is was hard to walk out without breaking my bank account! However, I managed and added many things to my wish list. We ate amazing pizza at RedRocks Pizza! They had a great pizza and was able to sit outside on the sidewalk! All in all our trip                                                   was a blast and  a success! 

Southwest is in Memphis!

Now that my own flight is booked for Thanksgiving I can share that Southwest is booking flights out of Memphis!! My flight was $75 one way! How awesome is that?!

Yes I am planning way ahead but it pays off! No pun intended

Personally I can not be happier Southwest is in Memphis. They are my go to airline when booking a flight. Also now that they have two bags for free, I am no long mercy to shoving everything in one heavy bag. 

Anyone else super excited that Southwest is in Memphis?

No? Just me? 

May Book!

Guess what just arrived on this soggy raining day? 

My new May Book!!

I saw on a fellow blogger's post how great their products are and decided to give it a whirl!

I choose a nautical rope cover with my monogram in green! 

The inside is just line paper. 

I considered about ordering an agenda 

although am so picky about the layout played it safe.

(Even the packaging was adorable!) 

Being a college student I try to budget 

and this great find did not break the budget!

Adorable, Monogramed and Affordable... Definitely a win! 

Click here for your own May Book!

Where did the Time Go??

Gah this summer truly flew by!

I am finishing up my second summer course 

and while I love the class, I am ready to sleep in!

Those 8am mornings are really taking a toll on me.

Knowing of course it is going become a regular thing...

if I ever join the real world? 

Graduate school is looking really good about now 

Although the GRE is no fun studying for!

Kapaln's blog makes it a little more fun. 

Although it is still a dreaded task. 

Can I just say one thing though... for real?

This time next year I will be a college graduate! 

How scary is that? One of my best friends from high school 

got engaged this week.... that's even scarier!!!

I am so not ready to grow up... 

why can't I just stay an undergrad student forever!!

Workin' On My Fitness

... She's My Witness

Like I said earlier working out has been a regular thing lately. 

I begin with a 1.5 mile jog/run around the park. 

After simple hamstring and calf stretches 

(ex. attempting to touch my toes, butterfly and leaning back with my toes flexed)

I begin with a body circuit and core circuit. 

Naturally it gets changed up based on how humid it is 

and...

what muscles are sore from the day before. 

Below are my cheat sheets I made for myself. 

The numbers are personalized to my fitness, 

and are constantly changing as I get in shape

remember quality over quantity!  

Anyone else working to get in shape this summer?

Sweet Isla!

I just noticed my lack of Isla pictures! She is adorable and sassy. On the Fourth of July I put a bow on her and she acted like such a queen bee! Anyway Isla and I have been going for runs and getting our "fit" on. I surely feel a difference and she seems to sleep better at night. It's so nice to have a little workout buddy. I feel like she judges me if I slow down. Promise my next post will be about the killer workouts I have been doing at the park. Isla isn't one for a body circuit, she just sits and enjoys the attention from the male dogs. Isla is such a flirt... oh wait she gets that from me! 

A Different Approach

            Today I had an interview with a family looking for a nanny. All seemed fine until they mentioned she will be attended a Montessori school. They described it to me as giving their 2 year old independence to discover her talents. At two years old I was concerned what her talents are... napping? coloring? They were proud to tell me she will be learning cursive block letters and will not have a teacher but a "guide". The students learn from each other... there is no curriculum, in fact their are only three different levels in the school. In fact they will not have any homework. This "method of the child" approach seems very off for me.   In all of my studies we learn how children need structure so this concept is very foreign to me. This is a very different approach... but does it work?? 

Defiantly Some Heat Here

      Craft and I laid out by the pool last week. Needless, to say I invested in an Aloe Plant. I read you could drink the juice for some great benefits but I stuck with the more traditional methods. Once I got over the texture it worked like a charm! Don't bother with the bottle of green goo and just get the plant. I don't have much of a green thumb but will make the effort to get this one through the summer! Besides working fantastically on sunburn it also helps with cold sores and frostbite... neither of which I have to worry about but defiantly a plus! 

Join The Band Wagon!

      I have encouraged my sister to join me in a heatless summer. Together we are conditioning and working towards healthier, more to life hair. It sounds crazy but after years of the 300 degree flat iron style it's great to let it just be. It has been at least four years since I let my hair just be natural, I guess this is me embracing it? As for my sister she's been nearly 7 years(!!!) that's a lot of damage from heat! I had to dig all they way back to 1994 to find a picture with both our curls "free"

Look at all those curls! 

Ladies I encourage you to put down the heat tools down and pick up the conditioner! Let those curls go wild! 

A Heatless Summer

    I don't mean the temperature outside... I mean heated hair tools. This summer I am attempting to put away the blow dryer and step away from the flat iron. It may be ugly but in the beginning but this is my attempt for healthier hair. Conditioner will be in high demand along with every sort of curly hair creme and spray possible. I am putting down my paddle brush and letting the curls go wild... well kind of. (By no means do I plan on wearing a ball cap all summer.)

Nutty Neighbors

My neighbors are a little on the wild side. They often are outside doing not so typical things. Recently they had a guy on a bike pulling another guy on a skateboard. All seemed to be going well until he hit a speed bump. OUCH! They had a pair of downhill skis outside today, I can't even think of what they are using those for in the middle of June in Mississippi!  

For the record the "pond" doesn't have fish in it but they have fishing poles

This is typical after a late night...

Wedding Weekend!

Joe's Wedding was last Saturday! 

Needless to say it was a blast. His father was the best man and the bride was just gorgeous. The ceremony was so great. The groom is the closest thing I will have to a brother so I cried during almost the entire ceremony (sorry not sorry). The afternoon reception was fun. The DJ played awesome music we danced majority of the time! We had the after party at the hotel which was really close by. It was so nice to get us all together even if it was for just a weekend! 

Family Picture! 

The Groom and His Mother!

Jan's Cancer Treatment Fund

Please Donate

I do not know her personally or really at all but imagine everything you have learned from you mother. Now imagine life without her? For Grace and her brother that might be a reality. She did not ask me to do this but I feel compelled to share her story. Please donate or spread the word! Let's make Jen's last year one where she can spend time with her children and relieve some of her stress. Let's follow the golden rule- treat others the way we want to be treated. 

And let the celebration begin

I cannot believe how quickly this week has gone by!! 

Trust me I am not complaining, I couldn't be more excited for the weekend.

This weekend I am flying to Raleigh, NC to celebrate my friend get married!!

This is the first of my friends to get married!  So it's just the beginning of many more to come. Seeing my family this weekend will make my last couple of days without my wonderful boyfriend fly by.  I have tried to keep myself busy since he's been gone but the extra support never hurts!

My dress for the wedding! 

Because it is only a weekend I am carrying on and packing has not been easy!

Everything has to fit in a hanging bag and my vineyard vines tote. Which is challenging when you like to have options. With my mom and sister coming I can be stingy with my totalities which is sorta helpful. 

Wish me luck! Look for pictures from the wedding!