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!

my 2022 reading list

1 / 10 / 22

It’s a new year, but I’m still just as into reading as ever! Last year I read 84 books, which honestly I’m surprised at myself for, haha. I didn’t think I had enough time to read that much, which just goes to show that it’s about making time, not waiting until you “find” time. I read a lot of thrillers last year, which is probably my favorite genre. As I was coming up with this year’s reading list, I wanted to branch out and read books from new authors and new genres. Some genres I haven’t really explored are historical fiction, self improvement, and memoirs, so I definitely want to read more of those this year. I came up with a list of books that I want to try to tackle over the next few months. Knowing me though, I usually get hooked on an author or series and then read whatever I’m feeling, haha. Even if I add more books to the mix, I do really want to try to check these off my list this year!

2022 goals + intentions

1 / 6 / 22

Happy 2022! It’s weird, because I usually get really excited and build myself up for the coming of a new year. I have all these big changes I want to make and start thinking about how the old “chapter” of the year before is closing. I honestly didn’t really feel that for 2022 though. Not sure if that’s a good or bad thing, haha, but I feel like it hasn’t really hit me that 2021 is over and a new year is upon us. I definitely have some goals for the year ahead and some changes that I want to make in my life, but it doesn’t feel like this extreme, looming pressure to become a whole new me or do a complete 180. The week after Christmas was spent working, doing my online class, and spending time with family. Then January 2, I went to Passion Conference for three days, which was such a great experience. It feels like I’ve only just now had time to sit down and reflect and create the routines that I want to adopt for the new year, almost a week into 2022, haha. Today I wanted to reflect a bit on 2021 and go into some of my goals for this year!

my current skincare/makeup routine

12 / 29 / 21

If you know me, you know that I’ve never really been into makeup. I rarely ever wear it, and “getting ready” usually means swiping on some mascara and brow gel. Thankfully, I have pretty clear skin, and so I kind of just let my skincare routine slip and never really put much thought into trying new products. But for some reason, over the past month or so, I’ve started to get more into makeup and taking better care of my skin. I think it’s because since I’m back at home, I’ve been working at a boutique almost every day. It’s fun to have something to dress up and get ready for, and I’ve started to develop a makeup routine (even if it’s very minimal haha). Today I wanted to share some of the products I’ve been using recently, plus some that are on my list to try in the future.

christmas brunch menu

12 / 22 / 21

How are there only three days until Christmas? The holiday season has flown by. I’ve been home for a little over a week now, and it’s been so nice to relax for a bit and spend time with family/my hometown friends. I’ve been working a lot at a local boutique, finishing up my Christmas shopping, working on my online class, and doing lots of baking! Yesterday, our family went to Memphis to see Hamilton at the Orpheum- it was so good! I was curious how it would compare to the original, since it’s a whole new cast. It was really similar, but each character put their own twist on their lines, which was cool. It was such a fun Christmas outing. With Christmas coming up so soon, we’ve finally started planning the Christmas brunch menu. Every Christmas morning, my grandmother, uncle, and cousin come over and we all have a huge brunch, then open presents. We have a few items that we have every year, like monkey bread, but we’re trying a few new recipes this year too!

fall semester recap + winter break goals

12 / 15 / 21

I’m officially done with fall semester and out for winter break! I don’t think it’s really hit me yet that fall semester is over, it seriously flew by. It feels like one month ago that I was moving into my apartment and starting classes, not four, haha. I don’t have any crazy plans for winter break, but I want to focus on relaxing, spending time with friends and family, and having more time to work on my side projects. I can’t believe Christmas is less than two weeks away, how is it coming up so soon? I feel like I’ve been so focused on school and finals that I haven’t felt as in the Christmas mood like I usually am. I wanted to write a little recap of my junior year so far and brainstorm some fun things to do during the break!