It’s been a minute! I blinked and it’s somehow almost July- this year is flying by! I haven’t posted since April, and quite a bit has happened since then. I finished exams, graduated college, packed up my apartment and moved back to Oxford, went on a few trips, and got a job- a busy two months to say the least! Summer is no doubt my favorite season, and I’ve been loving being done with school and having a bit of a slower pace the past few weeks. Trying to soak it all up the next few days, because I actually leave to nanny next Wednesday! I nannied last summer in Southampton, and this summer I will be up north again- in Connecticut and Nantucket. I kind of decided to nanny last minute, but I’m so thankful for the opportunity to travel a bit and live in a new place!
My last semester of college was definitely the best yet, and I was glad it ended on a good note! I definitely had a hard first few years at school, and I feel like senior year I finally found community and felt more at ease at MSU. April was a blur with a trip home for Easter, applying and stressing for jobs, and lots of final papers/projects! I was trying to soak it all up and make the most of my last few weeks there, but I was super stressed with figuring out my future plans and applying for jobs, too.
Do you really wanna know where I was April 29? My friend Lucy had an extra Taylor Swift ticket she was selling for the Atlanta show, and I immediately took her up on it! I have only ever been to one other concert, and the Eras Tour was AMAZING. I can’t believe she performed for over three hours straight. I loved getting to hear some of my favorite songs from every album, and it’s safe to say my throat was raw from singing the next day.
The first couple of weeks of May were very busy, with final exams and wrapping things up at school. I had exams in every class, which meant many hours spent at the coffee shop studying and cramming. I also took grad pictures for people, had my own grad pictures taken, and had my family in town for my graduation weekend! It was so fun to have my parents and grandparents all there, and the ceremony was in the football stadium! I graduated Friday morning, and that afternoon I packed up my apartment and moved out. It felt weird to be “officially done” and leaving Starkville for good. I still don’t think it’s fully hit me that I’m not going back next semester! Then the next weekend, my sister graduated high school, which was another fun celebration. Lots of family and friends came to our house afterwards for dinner and it was a great night!
The same weekend Ella graduated, the six of us loaded up to head to Orlando for the week. We actually went to Universal in 2019, after I graduated, so it was full circle to come back after we both graduated in 2023! The drive was almost 13 hours, so we split up the trip and didn’t make it there until Monday afternoon. We did the traditional Publix grocery run to stock up for the week, and we had a cute hotel room at one of the Universal resorts. Every day, we would wake up early to get to the park by 8:00, right when the gates opened. We rode as many rides as we could and walked around the parks until we were starving and came back to the hotel for a late lunch, then went back to the parks mid-afternoon for a few more hours. The Hagrid’s Motorbike ride was probably my favorite- which of course meant it always had the longest line. I’m so glad we got to go, and it was the best way to kick off summer! I vlogged the trip, if you want to watch here.
Shortly after getting back from Universal, I went with a group of friends on a beach trip to 30A in Florida. I usually go to Orange Beach with my family, and Florida beaches are just so much better, in my opinion. I went with four other girls and we got a cute little condo in Santa Rosa Beach for the week! It was such a fun trip filled with morning runs, long days at the beach, lots of reading, and many late night trips to get ice cream! I love how the 30A strip is filled with cute stores, bakeries, coffee shops, and adorable beach cottages. I want to live there one day, haha.
I got home from the beach on Saturday, my 22nd birthday was Sunday, and the following Monday I had my first day of work! I got a job working at a photography agency as their marketing and social media manager, which I’m so thankful for. I was stressing for months about where to move and not hearing back from any job applications. Around April, I started considering moving back home and living in Oxford again, and it has been such an answered prayer to find a job here! I’ve been working part time the past three weeks, slowly learning how everything works and helping design wedding albums and plan the Instagram feed. I will be working remote while I nanny for the next two months, and then start full time when I move home in the fall! I’ll definitely talk more about it once I start full time, but right now I’m just learning the ropes.
Like I mentioned, nannying wasn’t originally in my plans for the summer at all. I did it last year and was so glad I did, but I just assumed that would be my last chance to do it because I would need to start a job right after I graduated. But as the summer started approaching, I starting considering nannying more and more, and applied super last minute through a couple different agencies. I just realized I didn’t want to jump straight into work, and I probably will never get this opportunity again. I ended up getting paired with a sweet family from New York, and I will be back and forth between Connecticut and Nantucket all summer! These are both places I’ve never been, so I’m really looking forward to getting to travel a bit and to get close with the kids! I leave so soon, I can’t believe it’s really happening!
I definitely want to stay more consistent with my blog throughout the summer and as I enter this next season of life. I feel like there’s so much to say and I’m constantly thinking of creative new ideas, and I really want to make time for this little corner of the internet. You can also follow me on Instagram for more day-today content!
Thanks for reading <3