photo diary no. 4: summer recap + start of school!

9 / 22 / 22

It’s been so long since I’ve done a photo diary, but these are so fun to make! I basically just go through my photo album or VSCO and choose some of my favorite photos throughout the past few months, then give a caption about what I was up to! I feel like I’ve been so busy the past few months that this blog has been pushed to the backburner, and I haven’t really updated on my life as much as I used to. The summer seriously flew by, and now here we are almost to October… it’s insane. I was home for a few weeks in May, but I actually lived in New York all summer as a live-in nanny. I got home mid-August and had a few days with my family, and now have been in school for about five weeks now! I thought this would be a fun way to catch up on my life and share some fun pics too!

on my watchlist: tv shows and movies I want to see!

9 / 2 / 22

I’ve always loved getting sucked into a good show, but with college getting busy again and having more homework, it’s been hard to find time to watch much Netflix. I also feel like I’ve seen all the “good” shows (the popular ones) and don’t know any other shows to watch. However, last week my friend and I decided to start a show together, and it became a nightly routine to go over to her apartment, eat a quick dinner, and watch an episode or two on her cozy couch. We watched The Undoing on HBO Max, a who-done-it thriller/mystery show! There’s something so fun about watching a show with a friend, instead of just alone in my room. We would react to the show together and have a debrief after. Now that we’ve finished the season, I’ve been finding lots of other shows I want to watch, and we’re already planning our next movie night! Today I thought I’d share lots of shows and movies I want to watch, plus a few of my favorites that I’ve seen recently!

summer 2022 recap

8 / 25 / 22

Hi everyone! It’s a gloomy August day as I’m writing this, and I think it’s finally hit me that summer is over (cue tears). It honestly feels like yesterday that I moved out of my apartment and back home for the summer, I can’t believe that was almost four months ago! Summer is by far my favorite season, and I got to have so many fun experiences. I was home for about three weeks in May, but spent most of my summer in Southampton, NY as a live-in nanny! It was something super out of my comfort zone but that I’m so glad I did. Today’s post is a biggg summer recap: everything I did, what I read, and lessons I learned!

august 2022 goals + intentions

8 / 4 / 22

How is it already August?!? This summer seriously flew by. I’m not ready to go back to school and start classes again. It feels like summer literally just started! I’ve been nannying in Southampton all summer, and will head back home in about a week. I’ll have the long weekend at home to recharge and pack, then move back into school a couple days later. August is kind of a weird month because it’s half summer, half school, and it’s filled with a big change of routines and settling into the school environment again. I honestly haven’t been super motivated or inspired, like I usually am at the start of a new month. Writing these goals helped me get a little more inspired, and I hope it’s a good month ahead!

current amazon wishlist

7 / 6 / 228 / 25 / 22

I don’t know why, but I’ve been in such a shopping mood recently. I haven’t even bought very much, but I feel like I’ve been browsing a lot on different websites and looking at people’s Amazon storefronts to see their faves. Amazon is one of my favorite places to find sunglasses or jewelry for good prices, and recently I’ve been seeing cute clothes on there as well. I love hearing about other people’s current favorite products and wishlists, so today I’ve compiled twenty products on my Amazon wishlist that I’ve been eying recently!

my top 15 summer/beach read recommendations!

5 / 19 / 22

There’s no better time to read than during the summer- to lay out by the pool, cozy up under the shade, or have your toes in the sand while reading a good book. I love reading in the summer too because I have a lot more time, since I don’t have school. I’ve been fairly consistent with reading during the school year, but I haven’t had as much time as I’d hoped, and I would feel guilty for reading instead of doing homework. My reading taste is pretty all over the place, but when I think summer reads, I think of thrillers, books set at the beach, or rom coms. A lot of these I’ve recommended in other book posts before, but some are new, that I haven’t talked about yet! Here are my top fifteen recommendations for your next summer read!

summer 2022 plans

5 / 12 / 22

I finished my last exam this past Tuesday, and I am officially done with my junior year of college and on summer break! It feels crazy that I’m about to be a senior; I feel like college has flown by way faster than high school ever did. I was talking with a friend the other day about how this is technically our “last summer”, before we graduate and (hopefully) have jobs we’ll be working at over the summers. Which is kind of sad to think about, that there won’t be any more summer breaks like we’re used to during the school year. I’m super excited for this summer though, and to have a complete break from school. I had such a busy and stressful past semester that I’m so glad to not be worrying about grades or exams or projects anymore. I actually have a really exciting summer ahead, and today’s post is all about my plans and goals for the next few months!

april favorites

5 / 5 / 22

How crazy is it that it’s already May? This year is flying by, and April was a blur. I only have a few more days left of my junior year of college, with just two more exams. I’ve had a good semester, but it’s been very busy and stressful, so I’m so ready for summer break. I want to do a whole post dedicated to my summer goals and plans, but I’m so excited to soak up all the free time from classes and do all my favorite things back at home over the next few weeks. I will be home in Oxford for the rest of May, but starting in June, I’ll be moving to New York to nanny for the summer! I’m so excited, and I think it’s going to be such a fun experience. Be on the lookout for that post coming soon, but today I wanted to share some of my favorite products, activities, and food from April!

spring 2022 bucket list

4 / 6 / 22

With it warming up and spring on the way, I feel like my mood has done a complete 180. Even though I’ve been very busy and had a lot going on, I have felt so much better and in a more positive mood the past few weeks, and I know it has to do with the weather. I was so tired of walking to class in the cold, dreary rain or getting home from work and it already being dark. I love that the sun goes down later and the weather is nicer. Tulips are planted all around campus, and it seems like everything is coming alive again! I only have about four more weeks left of the spring semester, and I want to take advantage of the good weather as much as possible! I came up with some fun ideas, a sort of spring mood board, to get me inspired for the season. I want to take better care of myself, eat well and workout more, be outside as much as possible, and make time for fun. I feel like I’ve gotten so consumed with schoolwork and my usual schedule that I haven’t stopped to appreciate the weather and all the fun that comes with a new season!

recent reads: march 2022

3 / 25 / 223 / 25 / 22

Long time, no post! I haven’t made much time for the blog recently, and this semester has been crazy busy between classes, my internship, clubs, and homework. I’m so glad it’s finally warming up, and summer is only a little over a month away! We just got back from spring break, and it was honestly such a good week to unwind and relax. I didn’t do much, just went home for the week, but I got on a big reading kick again! I had barely been reading the weeks prior because of school, but over spring break I read… 10 books. From Sunday to Sunday. Yes, two of them I was already mostly done with because I had started them earlier, but still- I read nonstop! After coming back from spring break, I’m trying to keep my reading motivation alive and make time for it throughout the school day. Today I’m sharing all the books I’ve read this month and telling you my top recommendations!

february favorites

3 / 1 / 22

Happy March! Wow, I am so ready for a new month, a fresh start. I feel like March always inspires me and brings the promises of spring and warmer weather. February flew by, and it was a bit of an up and down month for me. I feel like I’ve finally gotten into a routine with classes and work and other commitments, but I haven’t made time to prioritize my health, time for myself, or time with God. I’m going to try to stick to new habits and be more disciplined to prioritize my time better this month, instead of getting to the end of the day worn out and overwhelmed. And warmer weather always makes such a big difference in my mood and energy levels too! Today I’m sharing some of my top favorites from the past month, enjoy!

january recap + february goals

2 / 6 / 222 / 6 / 22

Happy February! January was weird, because it felt like two months in one. The first half of the month I was at home, still enjoying my winter break. But as soon as I came back to school January 17, I was thrown into busy schedules and homework and meetings. January flew by for me, but I also did some fun stuff this month and had lots of big changes. I got a little down on myself because I was so motivated with my 2022 goals and really trying to stick with them, but I didn’t accomplish as much as I’d hoped. Usually I feel really productive and motivated the first month of the year, but not this time, haha. It’s okay though! February is a new month and a fresh start, and I’m really going to try to make it a good month ahead. Today I’m sharing a little January recap and some of my goals for February!

sunday reset: how I plan for the week ahead

1 / 27 / 22

I know I’m not alone in saying that Sundays are my big prep and reset day for the week ahead. Even if I’ve had the craziest weekend, taking some time on a Sunday night to plan out my week and get organized is a nonnegotiable for me. I’m a big planner and to-do list type of person, and writing everything out helps me to visualize how busy my upcoming week is about to be. I’ve kind of bounced around with a few different planning methods, whether it’s digital or with a paper planner, and I’ve found a mix of both that keeps me on top of things. Today I’m sharing all about how I use Sundays to plan my week ahead!

focusing on simplicity

1 / 23 / 22

I always choose a word of the year to focus on and apply to each week, and this year I was struggling to come up with what word to pick. I was going back and forth about a few, and one morning when I was doing my quiet time, it came to me: simplicity. This word applies to me in a lot of different aspects, and I’ve started to notice more and more throughout each day how much I fail at it, haha. I just started noticing how anxious I get when I’m at school and how easily I get stressed. A big reason for this is I let myself get so overwhelmed with dozens of tiny details and tasks instead of focusing on one thing at a time. I could write for pages about this topic, but I wanted to touch on the topic of simplicity and a few aspects of my life where I’m looking to apply this concept!