February's Favorites

I cannot believe that today is the last day of February. This month has flown by.  This week is already the seventh week of the semester, third month of 2016, and week before spring break. February was a great month filled with lots of love and birthday celebrations.  This month I finally established a routine for the spring semester. With all of the snow days this was a difficult task initially.  In February I was also able to get some things crossed off of my 101 in 1001 list too. Next month I'm thinking of crossing logging off the list by creating a video to share March's favorite with y'all...

I'd love to hear what your thoughts on this are! 

This month's favorites are a little bit of everything from clothes to school supplies to makeup products. 

Sand Pink Blush/ Herringbone Infinity Scarf / Burt's Bees Vanilla Bean Chapstick/ Essie Top Coat

Desktop Organizer Pad/ Orchard Valley Snacks/ Rum Raising Lipstick/ Face Scrub

XOXO

A Walk In My Week

Another week of spring semester gone! At the time, this week felt like it was never going to end. However, looking back it actually went by pretty quickly. Let's talk a walk through this past week together!

The weekend:

Last weekend I finished coaching field hockey for the winter. I've had so much fun coaching two teams this season. The girls have renewed my love for the game and kept me laughing after a long day at school. Some of them wrote me sweet thank you notes and even gave me a gift card. I'll miss spending my Thursday nights and Saturdays with them!

I stayed at my parents house last weekend to watch my dog while they were away.  My mom knew I was coming home and bought one of my favorites for me (smoked salmon).  She picked up pre-made flatbread to eat it on, which was absolutely delicious! 

This weekend I was able to braid my hair in a fishtail for the first time since September.  Once I took the braid out, my hair had a nice soft wave to it. 

Monday:

Mondays are consistently my longest day each week this semester.  I leave the house around 7am and don't get back until 8pm. After spending the morning at the school I'm student teaching at, I headed back to campus for my two lectures. During my first class, we walked around campus identifying the many rock types used to construct the buildings.  

(Nerd Alert: I thought it was actually pretty fun learning about the buildings and how important rocks are to the structures.) Luckily before class I was able to grab a coffee. On Mondays coffee is definitely my liquid nap! I then headed to my next course where we learned about our next assignment. The three hour class ended an hour early, which was a pleasant surprise.  I finished the day off by painting my nails and watching The Bachelor. 

Tuesday:

Tuesday was much busier than usual this week.  This semester I spend all day on Tuesday student teaching. So far I'm loving being able to spend more time in the school than ever before! I stayed after to help my mentor prepare some things for the next day. I had some time to kill before class, so I browsed the local consignment shop and found a couple things I liked.  I finished the day off with another class. Since we were working on a group project, we got out early. 

Wednesday:

I taught my first full lesson to a class. It felt great to be up in front of the classroom. After going to field, I headed back to campus for my science lab. Wednesday night I got cupcakes with a friend and dinner with two of my other friends. It was nice to finally relax! 

Thursday: 

Hello weekend! I had several  meetings on campus, completed a project, went to the gym, and headed  home to see my family. I hangout with my mom and made yummy taco nachos. I love how my campus isn't far away, so I'm able to sneak away for a night to spend quality time with my family and dog. 

Next week my goal is to post five days a week. 

Have a fabulous weekend!

XOXO

Five Things To Do More Often

Sometimes life gets a little crazy and we forget to do some things that will increase our overall happiness and well being.  This semester I'm working to become a more positive person, which means taking a step back for reflection every once in awhile. Here's a list of things to do more often to help you live a happier and healthier life. 

{via}

One: Disconnect

Have you ever taken a moment to look up from your phone, in a public place, to notice that most of the people around you are glued to their phone? Break the trend and spend some time enjoying life for real rather than through a filtered life.  Put your phone away and enjoy the people and/or places that surround you. It's important to be present in the moment without the distractions of social media or that really annoying large group chat you're a part of. 

Two: Make time

I feel like everyone in society lives such a busy life.  Taking time out of your day to do something for you is important. Me time helps decrease your stress while increasing your overall sanity.  It's also important to make time for people you care about. This could be something as small as a text letting them know how much you care about them or mailing a card.  

Three:Practice gratitude 

Practicing gratitude increases happiness and satisfaction.  Acknowledging how thankful you are makes you appreciate the little things in life.  It helps you become less materialistic, which helps you enjoy the little things in life more.  Gratitude also helps make our memories happier by reducing our envious feelings. Practicing gratitude also allows you to acknowledge how much you appreciate the people around you and what they do for you, which in turn makes them feel good too. 

Four: Empathize

Empathy is the ability to care for others. By no means am I perfect at this, but this is definitely something I am working to become better at. Empathy is putting yourself in someone else's shoes in order to better understand their actions, behaviors, and words...even if they differ from your own. This certainly is no easy task. However, having empathy is a trait that will make your relationships and friendships stronger than they already are. Empathizing with people helps us become less judgmental and more accepting of others.  When you learn to better understand people, you're negative feelings towards them slowly dissipate. 

Five: Laugh

Laughing is good for the soul.  The average four year old laughs 300 times a day, but the average 40 year old only laughs four times a day. The more you laugh now, the more you will laugh the older you get. Laughing helps to invoke happy feelings and makes life less serious. If you're looking to laugh more, then surround yourself with funny people, tell more jokes, or follow some funny accounts via social media. 

Have a fabulous day!

XOXO

Brighten Your Winter

Here we are my friends. The midst of winter seems to be here.  Now that we have had a major snow storm and several smaller ones, I am most certainly ready for some warmer brighter weather. Although the winter months were going by past, it seems that lately the winter blues have hit me.  I'm tired of the clouds, cold, snow, sleet, and dullness that winter seems to bring.  I find it hard to be motivated during this weather.  I'm craving higher temperatures, flowers blooming, blue skies, and sunny days.  I cannot wait until I can walk to class without a coat on or when I can get back to running outside rather than on the treadmill.  

Today I'm here to share some tips to help you from getting the winter blues!

Fresh Flowers

I love flowers. They brighten up any room during the dreary winter days. They also give off a fresh smell, which makes you think of spring and summer.  Flowers are a great gift to give anyone as a small pick me up. I'm the person who will even by flowers for myself after having a bad day. 

Pick Me Up Playlist

Music is definitely a mood booster. Sometimes you just need to turn the music up and dance around your room.  Spotify has a ton of great playlists for this!

Create an Inspiration Board

I absolutely love quotes. This week i decided to designate one of the bulletin boards in my room as my quote board. I wrote down some of my favorite quotes and pinned them on a board next to my bed. Every morning when I wake up and each night I read them.  They are good source of daily inspiration to keep me going. 

(more to come on this in a future post!)

Coffee Dates

I am an advocate for coffee dates. Whether it's a romantic date or a friend date, coffee shops are definitely the place to be during the winter. Luckily, there are lots of them in my area. Coffee dates are fun because they get you out of the house and chatting with a friend. 

Pinterest + Blogging

Sometimes you just need to spend hours scrolling through the never ending pins on Pinterest. There are so many bright things on this sight that inspire you.  I also love to blog.  Writing and reading blogs is a great distraction for me.  They help me find some sunshine during the cold days. 

XOXO

How to Tie Bean Boots

About a month ago I talked about tips for styling bean boots.  These shoes are perfect for winter weather, but they can be a little bit tricky to wear too. I can't tell you how many times they come untied in a day.  Recently, my brother shared with me how to tie your boots so that they don't come undone throughout the day.  We also like use this technique to tie our moccasins too. 

Here's a little tutorial thanks to Prep Avenue! 

I hope this little trick helps you out!

XOXO

#Blessed

Happy Monday y'all! 

So this may not have been the blog post that I intended to share with you today, but sometimes you just have to write about what's on your mind.  

This morning I woke up with a full heart as I reflected on my weekend. This weekend was a busy one filled with good food and good company. I celebrated my 22nd birthday with the help of my friends and family, went to my sorority's date party, celebrated Galentine's day, helped a friend celebrate her 21st birthday, learned about refusing to participate in mean girl behavior, and celebrated Valentine's Day.  

Today I just wanted to say thank you to my friends and family who make me feel so loved on a daily basis.  I didn't need a birthday or Valentine's Day to know how much I am loved by the people I'm surrounded by, but it was a pleasant reminder this weekend. 

I think it is important to step a back from life every once in awhile to reflect on life.  It's important to tell the people around you how much you appreciate them.  Somedays it's easier to see how much love surrounds us than others, which is why you should always remind the ones you care about. 

Here's a few pictures from my weekend. 

XOXO

Galentine's Day Bloggers Link Up

Galentine's Day is celebrated the day before Valentine's day each year. It originated two years ago on the famous comedy Parks and Recreation.  Leslie throws a party for all of her lady friends and they celebrate love together.  I think it's important for women to celebrate together and not feel some type of way because they are in a relationship or single.  For the next week I'm hosting a link up to celebrate Galentine's day and all of my wonderful blogging friends! 

Several of us chatted about a month ago and decided to do a small gift exchange to celebrate.  My blogging friend and sister, Lindsey over at With Southern Grace has me has her Galentine.  She wrote me the sweetest note and also sent a t-shirt as well as a de-stressor coloring book. A little fun fact is that she helped my chapter of Alpha Delta Pi colonize a few years ago. Thanks so much for the gift, L!

So how can you celebrate Galentine's Day? 
21 ideas for Galentine's Day
Host a brunch
Send a gift
Whatever you decide to do, make sure you celebrate like Leslie Knope.

I'll be celebrating with sorority sisters, waffles, and ice-cream in the city of brotherly love!
Join my link up and share your thoughts on Galentine's Day, how you'll be celebrating, gift ideas, etc.
xoxo

An InLinkz Link-up

21 Lessons I've Learned in 21 Years

Welcome back! Today is February 11th also known as my birthday. I don't know about you but today I'm feeling twenty-two (insert Taylor Swift singing 22). The older I get the less exciting birthdays have become.  Having a winter birthday as a child always meant that it was spent in school most years, which made it kind of special because everyone acknowledged it.  I have had quite the number of birthdays that have been snow days too. Today I'm sharing 21 lessons I have learned over the years with y'all. I hope you enjoy them!

1. Apologizing doesn't always mean that you are wrong. It actually means that you value your relationships more than your ego.  
2. Living a healthy life will make you happier. This doesn't mean you have to be a vegetarian or go to the gym seven days a week.  Just make healthy choices when possible.  It's actually not healthy to obsess over eating incredibly healthy or being a workout addict. 
3. Numbers don't define you. Sure it helps if you have a high GPA, more money in your bank account, enough money to be used as an emergency fund in your savings account, can reach your goal weight, obtain more likes on your Instagram picture than your rival, etc.  However, these numbers don't define who you are. If anything, focusing on them just tares you down.
4. Surrounding yourself with positivity will go a long way.  Don't waste your time surrounding yourself with those who are negative. Even if you don't share the same thoughts as they do, they are actually having a negative impact on you. Take time to find positivity in life whether it's taking a minute to laugh at your mistakes or searching for an inspirational quote each day. 
5.  Keep an open mind. It's important to try new things, experiences, and be adventurous. You will never know if you don't like something until you try it.  Don't pass judgement on something you don't actually know about. 
6. Don't take people for granted. You never know what's going to happen.  Tomorrow the person you love the most could be gone. 
7. Make time of yourself.  It's easy to get caught up in life, so remember to take an hour each day to do something that makes YOU happy.  If you are always doing things for other people, eventually you will wear yourself down. 
8. Ask for help when you need it. It's okay to not know everything or be able to do everything on your own. Asking for help when necessary is important. 
9. Brunch + Coffee dates are important. It is so important to take the time out of your day to actually sit down with someone you care about.  Today we live in a world where everything has a to go option. Taking time to sit down face to face and talk is a luxury that we often forget about.  It's always great to add great food and coffee/tea to these chats too!
10. Set goals.  Goals give you purpose and direction in life.  Setting them will help you make more out of each day.  Both short term and long term goals are important to have, especially as you transition out of college and into the real world of adulting. 
11. Respect yourself. If you don't respect yourself, then you cannot expect to receive respect from others. 
12. Never go to bed angry at the ones you love.  Stay up a little later to solve whatever the issue is. You will get a better night's sleep, wake up happier, and if anything should happen you won't ever have regrets about what you did or didn't say. 
13. Honor your word. It is important to follow through and do the say the things you will do.  People will respect you for it. 
14. College is important.  College isn't for everyone, but if you have the opportunity to go do it. You will learn so much about life during those four years. You will learn about yourself  and about the world outside of the community you've grown up in. 
15. It's okay to go out and not drink.  Just because you are of age doesn't mean that you have to be drunk at every social event.  You can still have fun being sober. In fact, it can be comical to watch how ridiculous other people act when drunk.  Drunk adults are really like toddlers. 
16. Communication is must for maintaining good relationships.  Communication is the base for any good relationship (romantic or friendship).  It is what allows you to stay close to friends who live far away.  It also is the way that you and the other person are able to understand each other.  It also prevents silly arguments from occurring. 
17. Everything happens for a reason. Life has a crazy way of giving us lots of ups and downs. We many not always know why things are happening, but it is important to know that one day we will figure out the reason why. 
18. Stop to enjoy the little things in life.  Sometimes you literally need to stop and smell the spring flowers.  When you take a small step back to enjoy your surroundings, it will make you much happier. It also allows you to be more present. 
19. Stand up for what you believe in. People aren't always going to be on your side, but it is important to fight for what you believe in.  As long as you are not obnoxious about your beliefs, chances are people will respect you for standing up for what you believe in rather than being wishy washy and changing your thoughts based on those around you. 
20. Do good things for others.  There's a little thing called karma.  When you do good things for others, then something good will eventually come back to you. 
21. I have more grown up to do and more lessons to learn. Sure, I have learned a ton, but I still have so much life to live and lots to learn along the way. 

XOXO

Love is in the air: Links to Love

Today my weekend begins! Field and my other class were cancelled today due to the dusting of snow we got last night.  No complaints here. I'm taking advantage of the time by catching up on reading posts I've missed, drafting some posts, and getting ahead on my school work.  This morning I'm joining a few of my favorite bloggers for a link up.  Head over to Rachel's blog Seashells + Sparkles to see who else is chatting about love today. #galpallinkup

I think everyone has a little bit of hopeless romantic in them. Over the past few months I have been collecting links to create this post.  Each of these links talk about acts of love, how to love yourself  and love stories that will make your heart happy. Living in a generation where casual hookups, one night stands, and very little chivalry occur it's nice to hear that real love still exists. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

The moment I knew he was the one

The Relationship Secret

Words every woman needs to hear

Valentine's Day cards for long term couples

Celebrate love, coupled or not

36 questions to fall in love

Why you need to love yourself first

Anti Valentine's Day Gossip Girl edition

Learning to love again

Love advice from "Jane the Virgin"

Valentine's Day Eve

XOXO

A Walk in my Week

Welcome to my second ever walk through the week.  Last month I switched things up from my regular Friday post and I received nothing but positive feedback.  This week was week three of Spring semester, the first week in February, and the fifth week of 2016.  Read below for a glance at my week:

The Weekend:

On Monday I shared that I attended my university's Fraternity and Sorority life Awards.  While my chapter might not have received Sorority of the Year again, we did qualify for excellence in all six areas of qualification. We even received overall excellence in community service, which is a great improvement.  I had the pleasure of accepting the award of Panhellenic President of the year for 2015.  This award is given to one Panhellenic, on Fraternity, and one Black Latino Greek Council President.  I was in shock when my name was the one called after a speech filled with all these wonderful things that women of my chapter wrote.  Receiving this award is definitely the cherry topper to my presidency. If you didn't read about my life as Sister President, then you can check it out here to realize why I appreciate this acknowledge so much. 

Monday:

Believe it or not this was my first Monday filled with classes so far this semester. I have a three hour class, a break, a two hour class, and then another three hour class to finish up the day.  It was definitely a long day. I think Mondays will be my least favorite day of the week this semester.  Despite it being a long day I was able to find some humor in life.  Check out my embarrassing story here. I finished off the day by watching the Bachelor.  

Tuesday:

This was definitely my favorite day this week.  I woke up early and went to the gym for an early morning workout. I love going to the gym early because it's empty, but I hate waking up and going there when it's still dark out.  I spent the morning volunteering with a few sisters at our philanthropy, Ronald McDonald House Charities. We drove to one of the nearby houses and helped them organize all the Wishlist donations they had received during the holiday season. I couldn't help but smile when I saw how generous people have been.  The rest of the day was spent doing homework.  Later in the night,  Todd and I drove into Philadelphia to see the Flyers play.  It was a fun night out, and I was able to have some crab fries, which always makes me a happy camper. 

Wednesday:

The word lazy pretty much defines this day.  It poured rain pretty much all day long, which made getting out of bed a bit of a struggle.  This was my last day of not having field, so I took full advantage of it. I attended my two classes in leggings and a crew neck sweatshirt paired with my Hunter Boots. I watched some Netflix and took a power nap in between two classes too. Later in the day I spent some time drafting blog posts.  

Friday:

Today I'll be catching up on reading blog posts I missed this week and getting ahead on drafting next week's posts. Starting next week I'll be spending about fifteen hours a week in field, so I want to make sure I'm still able to publish posts for y'all to read despite being busier.  

XOXO

Super Bowl 50

This year is the fiftieth anniversary of the Super Bowl! It's crazy that this has become such a tradition to some people.  Growing up, football wasn't too big of a deal.  Sure we would watch the Philadelphia Eagles play when it was convenient, but I definitely wouldn't describe my family as die hard fans.  When your hometown team doesn't usually make it far in playoffs, actually watching the Super Bowl isn't that big of a deal to you.  The Super Bowl has always been an excuse to get together with family friends to have a party.  If you're not really into the sport, then you probably participate in the activities surrounding it to watch the commercials, socialize, eat some tasty but not so healthy food, watch the half time show and maybe even drink a little.  

This year I will be at school for Super Bowl Sunday.  My roommates and I are hosting a Dip Bowl.  We're inviting our friends over and asking them to bring some sort of dip for everyone to eat while we hangout/watch the halftime show game. This is a fun way to be festive and an excuse so have some people over.  

Whether you're going somewhere to watch the game or just staying in, dips are great to make for Super Bowl.  Here are some links to some dips you could potentially make for this weekend. 

Philly Cheese steak Dip

Corn Dip

Bean Dip

Smoked Salmon Dip

Chocolate Peanut butter Batter 

Chocolate Chip Canoli Dip

Monster Cookie Dough Dip

What are you making for Super Bowl Sunday?

XOXO

Oldies But Goodies: Throwback Playlist

If you're looking for the perfect playlist to listen to while doing homework, blogging, driving, working out, or whatever else you might do, then I have the answer for you.  Check out my Oldies But Goodies Spotify playlist.  It has a little Beyonce, Missy Elliot, Backstreet Boys, Usher, Britney Spears, and so much more! There is something about a good throwback that many of us just can't resist. This playlist is filled with all of those songs.  I hope you enjoy it! 

XOXO

Adult Coloring Books

Who doesn't love a little relaxation after a stressful day? 

Last semester was a busy one filled with more stress than I would have liked. During a rough week, I treated myself to an adult coloring book from Barnes and Noble.  I definitely don't regret the $8 I spent on it.  It has definitely been a great way for me to unwind after a long day.  Spending time coloring is very soothing and actually makes me sleepy. It has been a great way to forget whatever was on my mind before going to bed. Although I might not be the best at coloring, I still enjoy it!

Have any of you used an adult coloring book?

XOXO

Monday Motivation: A Case of the Mondays

Happy Monday! 

I hope you had a fabulous weekend. I cannot believe that this was the last weekend in the month of January. This weekend was a busy but fun one. I got to spend time with my family, celebrate Todd's birthday with friends, went to a sorority workshop and attended my university's Fraternity and Sorority Life Awards (more details to come here!). After a great weekend, I was definitely not ready for Monday morning to come.  It was hard getting out of my warm comfy bed this morning to go to my 8 a.m.  After pressing the snooze button a few times,  I got out of bed and started my day.  Today wasn't so bad, even though I spent a total of eight hours in classes.  

I wanted to share today's Monday Motivation earlier in the day, but sometimes you can't just do everything you want to during the day. So here I sit watching the Bachelor in my pajama set writing today's blog post... such a great way to end a long Monday. 

Here's a little quote to keep you motivated throughout the rest of the week!

If you think your week is off to a rough start, I have a humorous story for you.  With all the snow days we have had, today I had my first class for one of my courses. I got there twenty minutes early because I was already on campus, so I sat there and scrolled through social media while waiting for the class to start. I noticed a peer sitting next to me was looking at her syllabus. As I glanced over I realized the syllabus I had printed looked nothing like that. I quickly pulled out my syllabus to realize I WAS IN THE WRONG CLASS! After laughing at myself and gathering my belongings, I got up and went next door to the class where I was supposed to be.  I walked in just as roll was being called. Hours later I'm still laughing because..

 I was that senior student who had to get up and leave because they weren't in the right class. 

I hope you all have a great week!

XOXO