Looking Back...

Right now, it's the beginning of my last week of college classes. I still have finals ahead of me, and graduation, but this feels like it's really the end. I had my last chapter meeting tonight and after the meeting, we had senior speeches. I can't believe that it was finally my "turn" to say my piece. Of course, instead of recapping all of the wonderful times from the last four years, I instead chose not to focus on the wonderful, or the bad (both "bad" and bad, like being betrayed by my best friend kind of bad.... which happened twice), but the "nobody wants to say these things because they don't want to be the bad guy" things, like "don't spam the Facebook group", "write down what is said at chapter", etc. Reflecting upon what my fellow seniors said, as well as some of what I have learned from my short time in the blog world, I have come to some realizations. 

While these are the "best" years of my life, they are the best yet and the best is yet to come (fingers crossed, anyways).

I am surrounded, have been surrounded, and will be surrounded by so many amazing, accomplished people. Being one of eight extremely accomplished women interviewing for the job I interviewed for last week was humbling at the least - considering the accomplishments of the women in the group, I was amazed that I was asked to interview (and very, very grateful for the chance to do so. Fingers crossed about the actual position). I need to up my game. 

That being said, my personal accomplishments seem to pale in comparison and I just do not feel as accomplished as I could or should, mostly due to my own lack of motivation. I could have gone out more, I could have studied more, I could have done more extracurriculars/jobs/internships. But I didn't, and I have to be proud of what I did do. 

I probably should have done more in college. By more I mean, go out more, go out at weird times/days of the week, go out with people I normally wouldn't have, do more average things with people (like shopping, going out to eat, or studying). Probably should have studied more, worked more, learned more. Maybe I did do enough. I'll never know..... 

I have changed so, so much since I first got to Madison. I have changed so much since the beginning of this year, or since January 1st. I am certainly more outgoing and friendly. I have developed a sense of understanding that allows me to step back and evaluate a situation and all facets of it. I learned when to fight for what I believe in and when to compromise. I have learned what I cannot tolerate in "friends" and what often turns them into acquaintances... I have learned that I need to do what makes me happy, what keeps me healthy, and what (or who) to cut out when I am not happy and healthy. I have learned, more than ever, how to thrive under pressure. I have also learned that I have a completely different sense of motivation than my peers (one my boyfriend says will thrive in the real world, whatever that means). I have learned that I need to think about what scares me instead of ignoring it, suppressing it, and sleeping to hide it. 

I have so many questions and so many experiences ahead of me. I hope that my four years in college have primed me for them. Only time will tell. I know that going forward I cannot live with regret and I must force myself to do things and have experiences that I would not get to experience if I am snuggled up in bed, watching tv. Sorry for the tone of this post - a week ago, perhaps, I would have been all excited and in love with all parts of my college experience. Unfortunately, right now, I am stressed out and have been forced into contemplating the last four years while simultaneously contemplating my future. This turning point is a big one, but not the only one. I am not ready to let go and move on, to have my friends move away and maybe never see them again. I am not ready to be a "failure" and not get a job after graduation and have to move back home where my parents will remind me of said failure every day (and tell me that I should have majored in business or something leading into the medical field). I am struggling a bit a lot with the end of the year, the end of my college career, and graduation right now. Fingers crossed it is just a passing phase of insecurity while I finish up the year. 

*Sorry for all the italics. Just wanted a way to break up the post a little..... not sure that it worked the way I wanted it to. 

Monday Motivation

Just wanted to share this song and accompanying music video by one of my favorite artists, Madeon. This song just makes me want to kick ass and dance, which is a perfect combination for the week I have ahead of me.

Shopping Guide: Gifts for Grads

It's finally May!

While I still have two and a half weeks of classes and finals left before graduation, I know graduation is  very soon for some people! As ceremonies and parties grow near, I thought it might be helpful to have some suggestions on graduation gifts. Everything I am featuring is something I would want or would have wanted as I headed off to college. I tried to pick some gifts in a variety of price ranges and also "speeds"/ease of purchasing the gift - maybe you need something fast or maybe you have some time to shop, there should be something for everyone! :)

Check out Stickgram here! $14.99

Stickygram gift certificate. I love this idea - magnets made out of your favorite Instagram photos! This is a great idea for a high school OR college grad. The magnets are super easy to add to any metal surface (a fridge, a cubicle, a file cabinet, a magnetic memo board) and you get 9 for $15 (including shipping!!!). With so many people on Instagram, you can bet that the grad you are buying for will have some favorite photos of loved ones and great memories that would be perfect to memorialize through these magnets.

Order this iPhone case here from StudioCicada on Etsy!

State love items! I love this iPhone case! It is customizable with a state, country, and hometown, plus you get to pick the case color and pattern (they have chevron!) and have the option of adding a name. You can get one of these for your grad's hometown or for their future college (I would be torn between which one to get!). Not to mention - these are super affordable. $16 for one case and they even offer a special deal where you can get two cases made for $25! Easy gift if you have multiple grads or just need a new phone case for yourself. 

Another option from StudioCicada!

More state love! Monogrammed State tank from Southern Prep Co. on Etsy

Monogrammed anything! Monograms are a huge trend right now but I think they are one way to make a gift personal as well as clearly label "your" stuff at school. I love this monogrammed state tank from Southern Prep Co. on Etsy (they also have a ton of great monogrammed items, like 1/4 zip sweatshirts, hats, and PJs!). I also love the monogrammed jewelry box below - perfect for keeping jewelry all in one place in a small dorm room. They also come in different sizes and have different options available.

Monogrammed jewelry boxes (in different sizes, styles and colors) from PBTeen

Bonus - add a little piece of jewelry to the jewelry box when you gift it to the grad! Might I suggest this delicate monogrammed necklace from Etsy?  

Only $29! 

Room Essentials Microfleece Blanket from Target, $13.99-16.99

A cozy blanket. This gift is perfect for grads who are heading off to college. I have bought three of these blankets throughout my four years of college: the blue blanket above in a twin/twin xl for my freshman year dorm (now a favorite of my sister's), a black twin/twin xl blanket for sophomore year in my sorority house (and now on my bed at home), and a black full/queen blanket for my junior and senior years in apartments. They are super light and yet extremely cozy and warm in the winter (but amazingly cool in the warmer months), wash easily (a must have if you're dragging it around the dorm for movie nights or studying), and so, so soft. It's like a hug from your favorite stuffed animal. Hope that isn't weird. Anyways, I love this blanket from Target, but I also love the standard collegiate fleece blankets and this throw from Lands' End (gotta love the mint color!). Bonus points if you get it monogrammed - if you get the blanket from a store that doesn't offer monogramming, check out what local custom/embroidery shops are in your area! 

A basket I made for my sister's high school graduation

A gift basket full of themed goodies. This is a gift more suited for middle school or high school grads (although an alumni/real world prep basket could be fun for a college grad!). While collegiate items are abundant, many high schools also have fun spirit wear available for purchase for gifting. Some good items to include in a gift basket would be a Tervis tumbler (including a lid!), a Camelbak water bottle, gameday beads, pins, or temporary tattoos, earwarmers/mittens/gloves/scarf, apparel items such as t-shirts, running shorts (my favorites are Nike!), or sweatshirts, iTunes gift cards, or gift cards for restaurants and stores on campus. If you can get away with it, you could also include items like koozies, flasks, drinkware, or ping pong balls! For the basket I made for my sister (shown above), I included a Tervis tumbler and lid (I got mine at Bed Bath & Beyond), plastic cups, gameday beads, and face tattoos from a local party supply store, logo Nike shorts, and a Threadless Tees College Collection Tee in a metal bucket from Hobby Lobby. A basket like this will jump start your grad's school spirit collection and be useful when they start school! 

Gift cards/cash. Okay, so normally gift cards and/or cash gets labeled the "easy" and "impersonal" gift. To some degree this can be true, but for grads, having a bit of money will prove beneficial down the road when they figure out that they don't have something that they need. Whether you are buying for a middle school, high school, or college grad, gift cards will prove beneficial six months down the road. The life changes that accompany graduating and starting a new chapter will throw new things at your recent grad, and they might find themselves not as prepared as they hoped. I asked for Bed Bath & Beyond gift cards when I graduated high school and I used them when I was dorm shopping - if I had been given the same amount in cash, I would have had it spent soon after I got it! As a soon to be college grad, I know I would appreciate gift cards to stores where I could buy clothes to wear to work (J.Crew, Lands' End, Ann Taylor/LOFT, etc) or money that I could deposit and save for later. I think another fun idea would be to buy an assortment of gift cards to restaurants on your grad's campus (or new home city if they have been hired!) - get a couple for favorites like Chipotle or Starbucks and a couple for a couple of local places so your grad can branch out! 

Hope this helped jump-start some of your graduation shopping! If anyone wants to send me a thank you, my monogram is aHe... Maybe I should send this post to my mom (hint, hint).

Do you plan on purchasing any of these gifts for grads in your life? If not, what are you gifting those lucky grads? (Congrats to them!)

Cue the Next Three Weeks of Crazy

I wish I had it in me to say "Happy Monday" to everyone, but I'm literally living for the weekend this week (more so than usual). Why? Well, I have a huge presentation tomorrow and a paper due Thursday (that I need to rock) and, completely out of the blue, an on-site job interview this week. A day and a half complete with a major project and a kind of casual corporate environment (seriously, what do I wear!?) so the whole thing, while very exciting, has thrown me for a loop. And, once this week is done, I have three final papers due the Wednesday/Thursday/Friday after that and finals quickly approaching once I've jumped that hurdle. May 19th is a looooong ways away.

So for today, I don't have anything major to post besides that fun little announcement that I'm probably going to be laying low this week. I do have an awesome grad gift post that I am hoping to post in the next couple of days (just need a little bit of free time to tweak it and publish it!). One of these days I will get it together and just sit down and write my posts in advance but for now... I will save all of my cute baby cow pictures from this weekend for another day when I need a pick me up!

Positive thoughts would be welcome this week :)

Last Formal!

Happy Friday everyone!

I have my last sorority formal tomorrow night so I thought I would share a preview of my dress. I bought it last winter from ASOS and luckily I found some pictures online of it in the other colors offered. 

I got it in the white and I am pairing it with nude pumps (wish I had some minimalist strappy heels!) and light green and gold jewelry. 

Our formal is Gatsby themed and I've been hearing rumors of lots of decoration boxes at my sorority house so I can't wait to see how the venue turns out! Hopefully I remember to take a lot of pictures (and hopefully they turn out) so I can share them with you next week. 

Also.... next week I'm going to have a huge post with graduation gift ideas, so keep an eye out for that! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

What I'm Loving Wednesday: GroopDealz

When did it become Wednesday!? I mean, I'm not going to complain because I can't wait for this weekend (my last sorority formal, waddupppp, and I have a handsome date to boot) but it still sort of snuck up on me! Anyways, I'm here today to share one of my favorite websites right now, GroopDealz. 

My obsession with this website has reached a new high, thanks to the knockoff J.Crew rose statement necklace I just recieved in the mail. If you aren't familiar, GroopDealz is a flash sale site, kinda sorta like Groupon and kinda like Etsy. They have a ton of cute, affordable jewelry, home decor items, gifts, and more. I mostly check it for the jewelry (they have some awesome J.Crew-like pieces on a regular basis) and for things like monogrammed items or iPhone cases. Today I'm going to feature my favorite pieces currently on the site! 

First, the J.Crew inspired rose necklace! Each necklace is $19.99 and comes in any of the colors features above: turquoise, black, mint, coral, gray, yellow, or white. 

I just got mine in the mail last weekend - I am obsessed! I can't wait to wear it. 

 Next up, this pave heart ring which is also a J.Crew dupe! I tried the J.Crew version last winter but I was in between sizes in the small/medium/large size system so I passsed. Then I found this ring on GroopDealz, immediately ordered, it and I love it. One of my favorites - it is small and delicate and I like it enough to make sure I won't leave it in a bathroom or something. Best part about this ring? It's only $3.95.

My last favorite: these solid color infinity scarves! Each scarf is $8.95 and you can pick coral, gray, mint, ivory, or yellow. These are perfect to add a pop of color to your spring wardrobe, and considering how many people are still stuck in chilly climates right now (seriously, where is spring!?) I don't think we are retiring the scarves officially yet! 

So these are my favorite items right now... let's see which ones end up in my shopping cart and in my closet! I am debating another rose necklace, this time either in yellow or mint! 

Have a great Wednesday everyone!

Taste of Tuesday: Speedy Spaghetti + Cheesy (Garlic) Bread

Happy Tuesday friends!

I am finally (!!!!) joining in on the Taste of Tuesday fun! I love to cook (and am apparently pretty good at it) but I am really bad at taking pictures while I am cooking/hate my iPhone pics/my apartment's kitchen is normally not very pretty. Regardless, I have some things up my sleeve for the coming weeks so stay tuned! 

Today's recipe is for a very quick spaghetti sauce and cheesy (garlic) bread. I whipped this up after some trusty Pinterest searching (which, by the way, you should follow me! Click here to do so) and did a couple of modifications to fit what I was looking for. I adapted the sauce recipe from Gina at Skinnytaste (which is an awesome food blog - lots of healthy recipes that are family friendly) and the bread from a recipe submission website, Key Ingredient. When I say "adapted" in regards to the bread it is because I spaced and forgot to add the garlic to the cheese mixture. I added meat to the sauce because I was cooking for the boyfriend - next time I make this for myself I will make it without meat. The whole meal was boyfriend approved (even though I forgot the garlic on the bread!) and very quick. I think the most difficult part of making it was searching for the ingredients at my grocery store! Gotta love being on a college campus with limited shopping some days. That being said, everything turned out really well with what I could find on campus on a Sunday night! 

Speedy Spaghetti Sauce 

(can be made with or without meat!) 

*Adapted from Gina at Skinnytaste

1 tsp olive oil 

2 cloves of minced garlic (I used the kind from a jar)

2 15 oz. cans crushed tomatoes

1 small bay leaf (I omitted this)

1 tsp oregano (I subbed 1 tsp of pre-made Italian seasoning blend)

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil (I omitted this - our store was out but there is some in the seasoning blend!)

Salt and pepper, to taste

*1 lb ground beef (or turkey or Italian sausage, whatever!), if desired (possibly consider adding chopped onions to this!)

1. In a saucepan or pot, add 1 tsp olive oil and heat over medium heat. When hot, add 2 cloves of minced garlic and saute until golden. (Try very very hard not to burn this! Use medium heat, not high)

2. Add crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, and herbs (either a seasoning blend or oregano and the bay leaf).  Stir until combined. 

3. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan/pot, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

4. After the sauce has finished simmering, remove from heat. Remove the bay leaf from the sauce (or don't, if you want to surprise your guests) and add the basil. 

5. Adding meat: While the sauce is simmering, heat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan. Salt and pepper your ground beef (or turkey, etc) and add it to the pan once it's hot. Brown the meat, adding more salt and pepper as needed (I normally add more salt and pepper before I stir/flip the meat to brown the other, already seasoned side). Once the meat is fully cooked, drain off the fat and add to the sauce, stirring to combine. 

*Served 2 people with leftovers. 

Cheesy Garlic Bread

(awesome with or without garlic!)

*Adapted from Key Ingredient (which has a recipe to serve more people!)

1 small baguette (I used La Brea Bakery's French Demi Baguette - one of my faves!) 

      * You could also substitute slices of a larger loaf of bread if you wanted to

2 tbsp butter, melted

1 tbsp parsley

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste (I used a sprinkling of each)

1. Preheat your broiler (I used the high setting). 

2. Slice the baguette in half lengthwise. 

3. Mix the melted butter, parsley, minced garlic, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper together in a bowl. 

4. Spread the mixture on each half of the baguette. Place the bread onto a baking sheet or a baking dish. 

5. Place under the broiler for about 3 minutes (time will vary depending on your broiler - make sure you watch it otherwise it will burn!) until the bread gets crispy and warm and the cheese is bubbling, golden, and melty. 

6. Let cool for about 3 minutes, slice, and enjoy! Garnish with some extra parm if you wish :)

Hope you enjoyed these recipes! Making this sauce was waaaay easier than I expected and much tastier than jarred pasta sauce (which is good in a pinch). I am addicted to the cheesy bread now and can't wait for another excuse to make it.