photo diary no. 5

Long time, no photo dump! I realized the last time I wrote one of these was September, so there were so many photos to sift through and choose from. I really need to be better at doing them every month or two so it’s not like a hundred pictures every time, haha. I’ve done a few of these in the past, but basically I go through my VSCO and pick out some of my favorite photos from the past few months that sum up what I’ve been up to. Looking back, I think senior year of college has been my favorite so far. I just finally feel rooted and comfortable here at school and have made some good friends, which I’m so thankful for! Catching up since October, so enjoy some flashbacks!

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amazon home decor faves

Happy Monday! My weekend flew by, but it was a really fun one here in Starkville. I went to a college retreat with my church here, so Friday and Saturday were filled with worship/teaching sessions, games, and lots of quality time with friends. We had different activities each night, and Saturday I played pickleball for the first time! Very late to the game, I know. But now I’m obsessed and can’t wait to play again. I’m so ready for spring and warm weather for lots of outdoor activities! On a different note, I’ve been saving so many home decor items to my Amazon list recently. I’m starting to realize that I have basically no furniture or new decor, because I’ve used the same stuff since freshman year.  I’ve been finding so many cute (and pretty reasonably priced) items online, and now I’m excited to decorate a new apartment after I graduate!

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february goals + habits 💘

Here we are already a week into February, and 2023 is flying by! I always set big goals and intentions for January, but I feel like the last few weeks of the month I started to slack off and neglect my habits. It was hard transitioning back to school from being home for winter break, and I really want to get into a good routine! This will be my first full month back in classes, and my main goal is to set up a good morning routine that I look forward to and makes me feel good afterwards. It’s always hard at first, but I know being consistent with waking up early and working out will be so beneficial for me. I’ve been trying to stay consistent with my habits through a habit tracker, and I definitely feel more inclined to do the small things each day when I know I have to check it off each night!

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how to fight the winter blues

It’s a freezing cold, rainy day as I type this, and I’m wishing for summer more than ever. I’m definitely a warm weather girl, and winter hits me hard every year. I think I overlooked the cold when I was home for winter break, because it was the holidays and cozy and not ~too~ cold yet. But being back at school for spring semester, the past few weeks have been very cold and gloomy and I’ve been very uninspired. I was so motivated when I wrote out my 2023 goals, and the first few weeks of January I felt like I was on my grind. But the past few weeks I’ve definitely found myself slipping and feeling really lazy, and I think it has a lot to do with the weather. I really want to pull myself out of this little rut and re-motivate myself, and that really comes down to discipline and not letting the weather affect me so much! Today’s post is a roundup of things I do/am trying to do this winter to stay inspired and happy in the cold winter months.

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graduation dress roundup

This morning I applied for graduation… what?!? I graduate college in May, which is just insane to me. I still don’t think it’s fully hit me that this is my last semester, because I still feel like I’m a sophomore in my head, haha. I just had my first week of classes of spring semester, and I’m really looking forward to the next few months! I always enjoy spring semester, with the weather starting to warm up, baseball games, and new classes. I just want to make the most of it and soak it all up! I need to schedule senior pictures soon, and I know people usually wear white dresses for pictures/the graduation ceremony. I found so many cute dresses on Revolve that I’m trying to decide between- all for under $100!

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recent skincare/makeup favorites

I never used to really be into skincare, and I just washed my face with water in the shower or some random face wash from years ago. But over the past few months, I’ve really gotten into trying new skincare and makeup products, and I love having a morning and night skincare routine each day! I’m still no skincare expert by any means, but I like to find products with simple ingredients that are gentle on my face. I also have so many more items on my wishlist that I’ve heard good things about and want to try in the future!

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2023 goals + intentions

I know I’m over a week late with this post, but I always love reflecting on my goals and having these posts to look back on! It’s still crazy to me that we are in 2023, I feel like last year flew by. I finished up my junior year of college, went on a family trip to the mountains, nannied in New York all summer, started my senior year and a new internship, and finished my capstone class- it was a big year! I have a feeling 2023 will be even more exciting tho. I’m studying abroad over spring break, graduating in May, and (hopefully) finding a job and moving to a new city…scary but exciting at the same time. I always like the idea of a new year and a fresh start, and I’ve been trying to stay motivated to start new habits and add some new lifestyle changes. Read on for some of my top goals of the year!

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my top 22 books of 2022

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love reading, and I think 2022 was my biggest reading year ever. I didn’t even intend to read as much as I did, but I read 110 books throughout the year, and found some new favorites! I love how reading has become part of my daily routine, from finding 20 minutes to read between classes to reading a few chapters before bed. I tried to explore some new genres this year, and I read fantasy for the first time in forever. I also re-read some old favorites, some great Christian books, and found my new favorite duology! This was hard to narrow down, but today I’m sharing my 22 favorite books I read in 2022!

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fall 2022 reading list

It was 55 degrees on my walk to class today, so I feel like fall is finally on its way here! I have been pretty busy with school the past few weeks and haven’t had as much time to read as I hoped, but I’m trying to be better about making more time for it! One thing that has helped me knock a few books off my list is listening to audiobooks, which I usually check out on Libby from my library for free. It’s nice to be able to have a book on in the background while driving, walking to class, or even cleaning/laundry. However, nothing compares to a physical copy of a book, and I think fall is the perfect time for cozying up with a good read! This list is a mix of thrillers, fantasy, and “dark academia” genres, which I don’t usually read. I feel like fall is the perfect time to try new genres and experiment with books that may be out of my comfort zone!

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

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!

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

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!

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summer 2022 recap

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!

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august 2022 goals + intentions

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!

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