Focusing My Heart on Advent

12 / 5 / 19

It’s officially my favorite time of year- the holiday season. Christmas has always been my favorite season, and there’s just something about December that makes me feel so much happier and in such a good mood. Christmas trees are everywhere, jolly music is blasting through the car speakers, and gifts are perfectly wrapped with a bow. But even though there are so many great material things that go along with Christmas, it can be hard for me to keep in mind the real reason for the season- Jesus’s birth. I say it every year- I really want to focus on the Lord this year. But it’s so hard for me to stay consistent with my advent readings and focusing on my relationship with Jesus. So far this December, I’ve been trying to really focus my heart and stay calm this advent season.

Link Roundup

11 / 30 / 19

Hello from my comfy living room couch! I am finally out for Thanksgiving Break and being home makes me so happy. I ran some errands with my mom, went to the bookstore with my brother, went for a run, then the whole fam set up our Christmas tree and ate soup for dinner. Now we’re all watching Elf together- so happy! Over the past few months, I’ve collected a bunch of random websites, blog posts, and other links that I wanted to share. These are in no particular order, but enjoy!

Photo Diary No. 2

11 / 22 / 19

Hello and happy Friday! We’re so close to the end of the semester, and I seriously cannot wait. I have three more classes until I can go home for Thanksgiving break, and it couldn’t get here soon enough. It’s weird because during the week I feel like time drags by, but when I look back, the semester went by pretty fast. I’m almost done with my first semester of college, which is absolutely crazy. I want to do a full recap with more of my thoughts in a different post, but today’s post is a photo diary of some of the highlights of first semester.

my favorite ways to unwind

11 / 19 / 1911 / 20 / 19

The past few months at college have probably been some of the hardest and most stressful of my life. I worked hard in high school and thought I studied a lot, but it’s been nothing compared to how much I have to study at college. With all the stress of tests and homework and grades comes the need to relax. I won’t lie, I’m still not the best of this at times, because I can get so caught up in my busy to do list that I can’t get school out of my mind. I need to learn to switch from school mode to relaxing mode. The longer I’ve been here, the better I’ve gotten at learning time management and realizing the importance of self care. Taking a chunk out of your day solely for yourself can make you feel so much better, and these are some of my favorite ways to do so!

November Goals

11 / 5 / 1911 / 20 / 19

Long time no post! I had a goal to post every day in September, and I stuck with it, but October I slacked off a lot. I just got so so busy with school and unfortunately the blog got put to the back burner. The past few days tho, I’ve gotten really motivated to start back up with my blog and photography and I hope I can continue with the inspiration! I’m so happy it’s November. October was good, but I feel like I didn’t fully take advantage of the spooky season and get in the fall mood as much as I wanted. Anyone who knows me knows Christmas is my FAVORITE holiday, and Christmas season starts in November for me. I started listening to Christmas music November 1st, and my family went to Target and we got a cute mini Christmas tree for the dorm. It’s crazy how fast the semester is going by; I have a few weeks until Thanksgiving break and then after that, two weeks until Christmas break!

My Freshman Year Dorm Room

10 / 6 / 19

I know I’ve been at college for about two months now, but I realized I haven’t shared any dorm pics yet! If you didn’t know, I’m currently a freshman at Mississippi State University, and I’m majoring in public relations. Ever since I made my college decision, I was really excited to start dorm shopping and planning all the details of the room, and I like how it ended up turning out! My roommate and I actually went to high school together, so we knew each other going into it, which made it easier to meet up and talk about planning dorm styles and decor. We didn’t match everything like I know some of my friends did, but we have a few key pieces that we coordinated. Our bedspreads and throw blankets are the same, but we bought our own pillows to add our own personal touch. I ended up using a lot of decor pieces from my room at home to save money, and Target and Marshall’s were my go-to places for cute pieces that didn’t break the bank!

September Recap

9 / 29 / 1910 / 4 / 19

Another recap post! I used to do these every month back in the spring, but I haven’t done one in a while. I think they’re fun to write and update on what’s been going on in my life, and I love looking back on them months later. September… probably one of the craziest and hardest months of 2019. This has been my first full month of college, and it has definitely taken some getting used to. Obviously I knew the workload in college would be more than in high school, but gosh- college is hard. I’m slowly but surely getting into a routine, but it’s definitely been a process. I’m ready to get into the swing of things and really find my place here at college. I’ve got lots to update on, so enjoy my rambles from this month!

My Fall Sneaker Wishlist

9 / 20 / 199 / 19 / 19

If I could pick one item of clothing to have unlimited access to for the rest of my life, it would probably be shoes. I love a good pair of shoes, especially sneakers. I feel like they can really dress up an outfit and give it the perfect vibe: casual, sporty, fancy, preppy, take your pick. It’s no surprise that my first word was literally “shoe” and I worked in a shoe store for the past year and a half in my hometown. I love a good sneaker, and recently I’ve been looking for sneakers that look good with jeans. I know it’s not time yet, but I’m already thinking ahead to fall, and I can’t wait to pair a good pair of denim with some chunky, cool sneakers.

September Goals

9 / 14 / 199 / 13 / 19

I know we’re already a couple of weeks into the month, but I wanted to get out my September goals before it’s already October, haha. This is officially my first full month of college! As of now, I’ve been away from home for about a month, and I’m slowly but surely getting into a routine. I want to really throw myself into everything and get super involved. I want to make new friends and be confident enough to make the first move sometimes. I also really want to focus on my relationship with Christ and giving him control. I loved summer and definitely miss it, but now that school has started again, I can’t wait for fall! I’m so ready for fall football games, sweaters, and leaves everywhere. I’m both nervous and excited for this new chapter of my life, but here we go!

Summer Recap // Life Update

9 / 7 / 199 / 6 / 19

I know it’s only been a few months, but it feels like its been forever since I last sat down to write a blog post! I was using a school computer all last year, so when I graduated, I had to return it. I’ve been computer-less all summer until last month, when I bought a new Macbook Pro for college. I didn’t realize how much I used my laptop until I was without it, and I’m so glad to be back with one. There are so many new things I want to do in the next few months, and focusing on my blog is definitely a big one. I have lots to update on from the past few months, and there are some really exciting things in the future!

Summer Bucket List

5 / 15 / 1911 / 19 / 19

It’s officially summer! I just took my last AP exam- ever- on Monday and I’m out for break! Three months of no school and sunny weather, I’m so excited. I have such a fun summer planned with a few trips at the beginning of June, but other than that, I’ll be working a lot and spending lots of time in Oxford. I really want to make the most of my last summer before college and do as many fun things as possible. I feel like last year I really took summer for granted and wasted so much time inside or on my phone, and I’m not making the same mistake this time! I browsed Pinterest and came up with a big list of everything I want to do this summer- let’s see how many I can check off!

Habits I Want to Add to My Daily Routine

5 / 10 / 195 / 9 / 19

I don’t know why, but something about the warm weather and the thought of summer always puts me in such a motivated, energetic mood. Recently I’ve just been feeling so inspired to better myself and make tiny changes to my routine. I’ve been reading lots of blog posts, watching youtube videos, and browsing Pinterest and have just gotten inspired to work hard and stay consistent with my goals. I think it’s all about making small changes but not backing down on them and giving up after a few days (which is what I usually do, ha). I’ve heard that 21 days makes a habit, so I’m going to try and do these every day of May and see if they become a habitual routine. It’s also nice that I get out of school soon so I’ll have no excuse that I “didn’t have time” to finish this list of habits.

April Recap

5 / 3 / 195 / 2 / 19

How the heck is it May? April went by so fast, it was a blur. I graduate this month…what? I really tried to make the most of April and make memories because it was my last full month of high school before exams and AP tests and the busyness of graduation. Even though April went by fast for me, SO much happened, probably more than any other month so far. There were lots of track meets, sunny weather, yummy recipes, and fun days, but I also had a couple of really hard weeks in the middle of April that I grew a lot through. I got really sick the night of my senior prom and ended up having to stay at the hospital for two nights. It really taught me to prioritize my health and nutrition and to make the most of every day. Ever since I started recovering and feeling better, I’ve had such a better outlook on life. I feel so much happier and I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to the month.

Daily Workouts + Summer Health Goals

5 / 1 / 194 / 30 / 19

Ever since this past fall during cross country season, I have gotten suuuuper into running. I’ve always run cross country and enjoyed it, but I’ve almost always had bad shin problems so it was super painful to run. This season I was able to run almost pain free, so I ran so much more than my other seasons and really fell in love with it. While I ran a lot, I didn’t actually do many other workouts/strength training. We did some in cross country season, but I realized that October was the last time I did regular plyometrics! A few days ago I got a sudden burst of motivation to start doing daily workouts and get into a regular workout routine. Hopefully I can keep up the motivation and stick with my health goals, especially with summer fast approaching!