On Graduating from College and Being a Postgrad

Dear reader,

I graduated college this month.

On May 17, I ran across the parking lot to the entrance of my university's auditorium, and I was carrying a cap, gown, cords, and a little tassel. I put that regalia on to walk into said auditorium, walk across a stage, and receive my degree of a Bachelor of Arts in English.

Typing that out still feels weird to me, even after a week and a half, but it's true.

So much happened before graduation that once it actually happened, it was as though I'd done something crazy, like skydiving or some other incredible feat. I went to college. In the past tense.

A ton of my dearest friends came to graduation, too. One of them asked me how it felt. He followed that with, "I know that's a loaded question." It was surreal, happy, and bittersweet, simply because I wouldn't be around the people who are basically my second family as often, but I know 100% for sure that I'll see them again.

What happens now?

In short: pausing and prayer. Let me explain.

My mom gave me Katherine Schwarzenegger's newest book, I Just Graduated: Now What?. In her introduction, Katherine retells her graduation and postgrad story, and I found parallels between my stage of life and hers at that time. What resonated with me, though, was the advice her mom gave at her commencement speech: pause. Pausing was essentially the idea of not rushing into trying to find a job (unless you have one) or a new place to live (unless that's lined up). The rushing can cause anxiety, so it isn't too bad of an idea to decompress and figure things out before really diving into the land of the workforce.

This is where prayer comes in.

I understand that I can't pause forever. I do have a gig with a print magazine, and I couldn't be happier about it. I also have other options for work, too. And I plan on starting on that first novel, short story, or what have you. The future is honestly still daunting, though, but what's keeping me going is my faith.

Romans 8:28 - And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

So, right now, in this season, I'm leaning on Him. I'm sitting at the doorway to the next opportunity that He has ready for me, and I'm waiting for the doorbell. In the meantime, I'm going to write, work, and be the best daughter, friend, person, and Christian I can possibly be.

Here I come, real life. Adventure is out there.

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The "Southern Belle" Tag

When I was browsing YouTube one day - as I often do - I discovered a tag/survey that I'd never seen before.
This is the "Southern Belle" tag. I am in fact Southern, and have lived in the South my entire life, so I thought it'd be fun to adapt this tag to my blog. That way, y'all can get to know me better, too. :)

Ready? Let's go!

1) Do you have an accent?
Kind of. I don't have a very thick accent, but it sometimes comes out when I say specific words, like "I", "I'll", and...

2) Do you say y'all?
Yes, yes I do.

3) Do you like monogrammed things?
YES. See this blog (and any end of any post I've written thus far). I've always enjoyed monogrammed things because 1) My name was considered rare back in the 90's, so it was a treat to see my name actually on something spelled correctly, and 2) they just look super pretty.

4) Do you like sweet tea?
Of course! I didn't start liking it until I was in high school, but I love it now. And I know how to sweeten regular tea if for some reason a restaurant doesn't carry sweet tea.

5) What's your favorite thing to eat at Chick-Fil-A?
It depends on what time of day it is. For lunch, I'll eat a chicken sandwich or chicken nuggets with Polynesian sauce. However, when it's breakfast, I always go for Chicken Minis. If you have never tried those, you should seriously consider it.

6) Do you own any chevron?
I do. I typically have it mostly in decor and school supplies, but I do have this one chevron dress that I got years ago from Target that makes me happy. I wore it on my 20th birthday.

7) What is your favorite college football team?
I'm not the biggest fan of college football, but for this question, I shall go with Alabama Crimson Tide.

8) Do you wear jean jackets?
I used to when I was little, but I prefer chambray shirts these days. 

9) Fire flies or lightning bugs?
To ten million fireflies, I'm weird 'cause I hate goodbyes.

10) Do you like Lilly Pulitzer? If so, do you have a favorite print?
Yes, I do! I used Lilly planners throughout my college career. My favorite print is You Gotta Regatta, which looks like this:

11) How hot/humid does it get where you live?
It depends on what month it is, but it gets very hot/humid where I live, yes.

12) Vineyard Vines or Southern Tide?
I'm most familiar with Vineyard Vines, so I'll go with that one. :)

13) Do you say "yes/no ma'am/sir"?
I do. I'm so thankful that I learned to say these when I was younger, just because how much of an impact being courteous can have on people you come into contact with.

14) What is your favorite "southern" food?
Oh my biscuits, this is a difficult question.
Breakfast: bacon, biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, eggs over medium, cheese grits, hash browns, bacon
Any other meal: fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, mac n' cheese
Usually when I'm asked a favorite food, I'll say "southern cooking". This is what it usually entails. :)

15) Do you listen to country music? If so, what's your favorite song?
I will listen to it if that's what my friends are playing, but I usually lean towards other genres of music. My brand of country pretty much entails Taylor Swift, so pretty much any song by her works for me.

I hope you enjoyed this post! I thought it was something a little different and fun that I could do.

Finals Week Shenanigans (Yikes!)

This is the last finals week of my undergraduate career. It's surreal and exciting, but also daunting. Do I have my finals schedule right? Is that final really at 8 AM? Can I just skip to Summer?

(From Tumblr)

Thankfully, I've decided that besides keeping all my study guides and notes from this semester straight, I'm going to use this week to really enjoy my last week here in my college town.
I want to share my ideas for a less stressful finals week with you, dear readers, so I guess it's time for a numbered list:

1. Study Sheets. Oh my biscuits, I can't stress how much these have helped me during my tenure as a student, from middle school up to now. I type my own study guides, then I'll print them, highlight them, scribble on them, or anything else that will help me remember material.
2. Spending time with people you enjoy. Whether that's through study groups or impromptu lunch parties or girls days, this helps alleviate the stress and pressure that comes with this week. In fact, today, my and my crew ate Chinese food! And it was awesome.
3. Find a study method that works for you and stick with it. For me, it's typing study sheets and having either a YouTube video, a Disney movie, or amazing music in the background. I just have to make the decision to get serious and work.
4. Don't pull all-nighters if you physically can't. I actually sometimes work better in the early mornings, but it's better to get stuff done as early as you can and get a good night's rest before an exam day than stay up all night, especially if you have a lot to do. Not to mention you're more likely to fall ill.

That's the best advice I can give for a week like this, but I do want to mention one more thing. Remember who you are and Whose you are. Place God at the center of your crazy-busy week, and of course your life, and I promise, things will fall into place and work exactly as they should.

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Adventures with Lipstick and Unicorns

It's no secret that I'm very, very girly. I love fashion, makeup, and expressing myself with the two. Because of this, I will try out trends and wear fun things like, for example, bright lipstick.
Say hello to my new little friends:

If you're not already familiar with the packaging, these beauties are from Lime Crime Cosmetics. Not only is the packaging amazing (um, holographic unicorns...need I say more?) but the colors I chose are SO pretty. I picked up Retrofuturist and Countessa Fluorescent.

When I was browsing the shades, I figured a classic red would be good to try. I wore Retrofuturist all day today and LOVED it. It's like a candy apple color in person, and it's kind of glossy. It does transfer, though, so I wouldn't recommend it for heavy duty longwear. I have some shades of Lime Crime's Velvetine liquid lipsticks, and oh my biscuits, those last a WHILE.

Countessa Fluorescent is not for the faint of heart. Yes, it shocked me how bright it was, but this is pretty much what I signed up for: an unabashed neon blue-based pink. But the more I see it on, the more I love it. I'm planning on wearing it to a function I have coming up, and I plan to keep my eye and face makeup minimal/natural to balance the lipstick out.
Overall, with the swatches and some wear, I love these lipsticks. They make me super happy, and I imagine their other lip shades are nice as well. They do have some interesting shades that are both wearable and daring, so do check Lime Crime out if you're into adventurous lip colors and other such things. :)
I hope y'all enjoyed this review! I think I want to do more of these with random products I love, so hopefully you'll see more of me playing with makeup on this blog!

Disclaimer: I am not sponsored by Lime Crime. These lipsticks were just too awesome not to share with y'all :)

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March Favorites

March was a really, really fun month. I think it was mainly because I got to travel out of state, and the fact that it was Spring Break, but I really enjoyed it.

So, here are some favorites!

People, Places, Things

The Snow Day

At the beginning of this month, my university canceled school due to a winter storm. I loved having the day off to relax, and hey, who doesn't love a snow day, even when you're a senior in college? (I wrote a post about it on here if you'd like to check out how I spent my snow day)

Spring Break 2014

I'll be writing a full post on my Spring Break trip very soon, but I got to go to the Florida Panhandle with a group of my closest friends. It was absolutely awesome getting to show my friends pieces of my childhood and my favorite places at the beach.

Grayton Beach, Florida

See above. ;)

God's Not Dead

Sometimes, people doubt the legitimacy of movies that are Bible-based or Bible-inspired. These people need not worry. This movie is powerful and it shows the impact of standing up for your beliefs. My friends and I saw this in Florida and loved it. Also, I really love the Newsboys song of the same name and was thrilled that they were featured and had speaking roles.

Divergent

Speaking of great movies, I got to see the movie adaptation of one of my favorite Young Adult books of all time. The casting was great, and so was the setting. I will say I still love the book, though...and if I could pick a faction in real life, I'd want to be Dauntless.

Too Faced Cosmetics

In particular, Too Faced's Chocolate Bar eyeshadow palette. It boasts eyeshadows that are infused with cocoa powder and they smell awesome. How cool is that?!

Tea

I have been drinking so much tea lately. From classic Earl Grey to a fruity Rooibos that we had in FL, I have come to love drinking tea in my dorm room to relax. Caffeinated tea in particular helps me get awake if I'm feeling groggy from a nap.

Colors of the month: Lavender, pale pink

I loved lavender this month still, but I opened myself back up to pale/ballerina pink towards the end of the month. Lately, I love lighter pinks on my nails.

The Radio

I do newscasts for my campus radio station. I've also been picking up live shows and guest-hosting on a 90's Kid Flashback Hour. Talking on live radio is SO much fun, especially since I have to either pre-plan what I want to talk to my co-host about or talk off the cuff.

Music

Pumpin Blood - NONONO

Best Day of My Life - American Authors

Magic - Coldplay

Recess - Skrillex

Everything is Awesome!!! - Tegan and Sara (feat. The Lonely Island)

He Loves You Not - Dream

All of Me - John Legend

Happy - Pharrell Williams