Photo Challenge: Guilty Pleasure

Day Twenty Four

Who doesn't love Starbucks on a dreary day? A caramel latte was exactly what I needed for a little mid afternoon pick me up. I have a few local coffee shops that I love, but Starbucks is pretty high up on my list because I know that wherever I am, I'll always be able to order the same drink. Plus, they're the only ones that don't judge me on a day when I'm feeling difficult & my drink order is longer than anyone's should be. 

I also love trying new things-- the refreshers and shaken peach green tea are summer favorites, while I tend to stick with lattes in the winter. I'm excited for it to warm a little (& the snow to melt) so I don't freeze when I order iced drinks! I try not to drink coffee every day, especially since I'm an iced tea addict & that's more than enough caffeine for me, but it's definitely something that I make room for maybe a little more often than I should!

                                                                             xx,

^♦SPJ^♦

Photo Challenge: Something Old

Day Twenty Three

This crest was given to me by one of our seniors last year at an event that's called Willing. A week towards the end of spring semester is designated Senior Week & every year it's filled with fun events to honor our chapter members that are going to be alumnae soon. One of those events is Willing where the seniors pass down tons of different things including old t-shirts, plaques & trophies, & things that were willed to them.

I was willed this & I love having a little piece of our chapter's history in my room-- we don't know exactly how old it is, but it's been around for as long as our oldest alumnae can remember. I can't wait to will this down in April to one of our younger members for her to keep until she graduates & passes it down to someone else! As with any sorority, our crest is incredibly important & significant to all of our members & I love to having such a large version of it where I can see it every day! 

                                                                             xx,

^♦SPJ^♦

Photo Challenge: Your Shoes

Day Twenty Two

My pair of Sorel boots are my best friend during the winter. The last thing I want to do when I'm walking to class is slip on the ice & fall, so I wear them pretty often. They're warm, tall & waterproof so the snow doesn't get my feet wet, & most importantly they have amazing traction. I credit Sorel for saving me from embarrassment all winter long! 

                                                      

                                     xx,

^♦SPJ^♦

Photo Challenge: Art

Day Twenty One

For my birthday last year, one of my sisters painted me this wooden letter. I absolutely love the two patterns, navy chevron & floral, & I think they work perfectly together! I've been adding some new things to the bulletin board above my desk & this was the perfect centerpiece! 

                                          xx,

^♦SPJ^♦

Photo Challenge: Someone You Love

Day Twenty

I couldn't limit the "someone I love" to just one person. Here are some of my favorite pictures with my sisters over the past few years! 

Walking to get our new Chi Os, Bid Day 2013

Barbie Party Mixer with SAE

Spring Formal 2011

Even our school mascot thinks Chi O is number 1!

One of those terribly awkward photos but was on the perfect night where I'm pretty sure all we did was laugh

Seniors on Pref Night, Fall Recruitment 2013

                                           xx,

^♦SPJ^♦

Photo Challenge: Something You Bought

Day Nineteen

I found this gorgeous necklace through GroopDealz & instantly fell in love.

It was a great price & with how popular statement necklaces are currently, I knew that I would get a lot of use out of it. I've been looking for different ways to integrate it into my everyday outfits because it's a little bit more formal than my other ones, but I love that it's versatile & can be added to a lot of combinations. I'm planning on wearing it over Spring Break for a night out, but I recently paired it with a simple sweater & gingham shirt!

                                      xx,

^♦SPJ^♦

Photo Challenge: Sweet

Day Eighteen

I'll be the first to admit that I have a sweet tooth. I'm always the first to suggest we get dessert if I'm out to dinner with friends, which is exactly what happened for a friend's birthday. We started out the evening at a new whiskey bar & restaurant in town that has a cozy atmosphere, great food, & better cocktails. Because we were celebrating a big one (21!) I knew we needed to find an impromptu birthday cake! Another restaurant that's a few blocks down Main Street has the absolute BEST desserts, including a locally famous giant cookie served fresh out of the oven with ice cream. The six of us ordered two to share & they lasted less than ten minutes. 

I'm already craving another one

"The Girlfriends" before dinner

                                                                            xx,

^♦SPJ^♦

Photo Challenge: The Letter S

Day Seventeen

My room is filled with S things because it's my first initial, but for this post I chose to give a short tutorial for how I created this S that hangs on my door!

 I purchased this glitter letter from Michael's along with one for my roommate a few months ago, but I finally just got around to doing something with them.

I didn't want the glitter to fall off, so I sprayed them with Mod Podge & then let them dry overnight.

I tied ribbon through the existing hole, hammered a small nail into the door, & hung it up! I love how it adds a little sparkle & fun to our door. 

                                                                          

                                                                        xx,

^♦SPJ^♦

Photo Challenge: Morning

Day Sixteen

With 8 am class two days a week & heading to work early the other three, I don't get out for morning runs as much as I should. Today, I decided to sacrifice some sleep & run the trails close to my house before class. It was the perfect way to get myself awake & ready for the day. Seeing the beginning of the sunrise was a nice break from staring at textbooks all week, so I'm pushing myself to commit to more morning runs like today's!

                                                         xx,

^♦SPJ^♦

Photo Challenge: Happiness

Day Fifteen

The day these pictures were taken was full of happiness. It was summer, we got to spend the afternoon/evening with our friends celebrating being reunited after break, & it was the perfect start to our senior year of college! 

                                                         xx,

^♦SPJ^♦

Photo Challenge: Something You're Reading

Day Fourteen

I wish I was reading something a little more exciting right now, but I don't have a ton of free time with my busy class schedule. This is my International Law textbook & cost more than all my others combined, which was a lovely surprise when I ordered my books! 

I'm minoring in Political Science with a focus in international relations & this class was an easy choice for an upper division elective. I eventually want to work for an organization like the UN so International Law is definitely a good class to take to get me headed in that direction! I've been sitting at a coffee shop for hours reading this & I can't say it's the most thrilling book out there, but it's definitely full of more information about political systems on the international level than I could ever imagine existing. I feel like this is one of those books I should keep for reference in grad school & later on.. Now only if I can convince myself that having the resource is worth more than the money I would make selling it back! 

                                             

        

                                          xx,

^♦SPJ^♦

Attempting to Make Major Life Decisions

Potential Graduate Schools

Although my applications aren't due for almost a year, I'm hoping to visit some of my top choices for grad school and narrow down my options. Applying takes a lot of time (& money) that I would love to be spending on something else.. Like this dress I've been lusting over for formal.

Baroque Sequin Dress, courtesy of Parc Boutique

Shopping is my favorite distraction. Anyway, the number of schools that offer the program that I'll be studying, Medical Anthropology, is pretty small. There's only one school in my state that offers it & it's my university's rival (there is absolutely no way going there is an option). So, I've decided that I'm going to embrace this chance to leap instead of step outside my comfort zone. 

Here are my top choices so far..

University of Washington

I've actually had the opportunity to visit UW's campus twice in the past year, & it's absolutely beautiful. 

Pro: I would get to wear rainboots all the time. Con: I would have to wear rainboots all the time. 

University of Alabama

I plan to tour UA next fall. I feel like Tuscaloosa has a great college atmosphere & it would be fun to live somewhere where there's so much support for athletics. I've heard mixed reviews on the actual town of Tuscaloosa, but great things about their program. 

University of Alabama

East Carolina University

My mom went to NC State so I'm hoping I can convince her to plan a trip to North Carolina with me to visit ECU! I would love to live in Greenville, & after being landlocked for 21 years living close to the ocean would be a dream come true. Out of all the schools, so far I feel like Greenville is the most "me" but we'll see what happens when I go for a visit!

East Carolina University, courtesy of William Mangum

Are any of y'all from these areas or have you visited there before? I won't turn in my applications until next winter, so I have some time to visit & think about other options too, but if you have any opinions or advice on what I should make sure to see when I visit, let me know! I'm really sad that there isn't a school in the DC area with a program, because after living there for two summers I would love to there full time. I'm sure I'm going to apply to a wide variety of places & I need to do more research on the University of Memphis, the University on Kentucky, & Boston University to start! 

                                     xx,

^♦SPJ^♦

Photo Challenge: In Your Bag

Day Thirteen

Bag: Longchamp le Pliage, large

      Binders: Target

Planner: Lilly Pulitzer, deluxe in First Impression

iPad with Sleeve: Lilly Pulitzer, Fan Dance 

Pencils, Target

Lip Balm, EOS in honeydew

Water Bottle: Camelback & Etsy for monogram sticker

Other than these items, I usually have my keys, phone, & wallet in my bag as well! These are my essentials to make it through long days of class. I'll also throw in any books that I'm reading for my classes that day so that I can reference them during lecture. 

                                   xx,

^♦SPJ^♦

A Weekend in Review

I had an amazing & busy weekend that was full of time spent with my sisters!

Initiation is officially over! I've been the Member Educator for my chapter for the past two years, & it's been such a great experience. I'm so proud of these girls for how much they've grown & that they're now active members! With three of the girls  in my family initiating, it was an extra special celebration. 

♦ ♦ ♦

 

Saturday was spent relaxing after an incredibly busy & stressful week. That night, a big group of us went to a "Glory Days" themed party. Everyone dressed up in their high school athletic clothes which was not only hilarious, but also fun to see what sports everyone played. 

♦ ♦ ♦

The highlight of my Sunday was opening my package from the Lilly Pulitzer New Year Cheer sale! I've been wanting the Arlington dress ever since the fall collection was released. When I saw it was on sale for $99 instead of the regular $368, I couldn't say no! Unfortunately, it runs a bit bigger than I was expecting so I'm not sure if it's going to work for me, but I'm hoping I can it get it taken in a little & wear it to a formal this spring. 

Arlington Dress, courtesy of Lilly Pulitzer

Some of my professors apparently missed the memo that they should ease us into a new semester so I'm already drowning in the readings I have to do. I just have to keep reminding myself that there's less than four months until graduation!

I hope y'all had a great weekend!

                                xx,

^♦SPJ^♦

Photo Challenge: Beverage

Day Eleven

I am an iced tea addict. If I'm craving something, it's always unsweet iced tea. I probably drink it too much, because I definitely have some at least once a day, but since it isn't sugary like sweet tea or pop I try to tell myself that it's not the worst addiction I could have! 

                           
                                  xx,

^♦SPJ^♦

Photo Challenge: Close Up

Day Twelve

My best friend/little (tGa, from this post) got us these bracelets last year & we both wear them all the time. I love to stack mine & have it as a little reminder of how much she's always been there for me! Ignore my awkwardly child-sized wrist (left). I don't get to see her as often as I used to (aka every day because we were roommates) after she has to transfer schools but we're always trying to find ways to see each other! 

                                  xx,

^♦SPJ^♦

Photo Challenge: Childhood

Day Ten

I love looking at old photos. Here are some of my favorites I found!

My dog/best friend, Baxter, when he was a puppy.

I love these two pictures of me & older sister. Not only do they make me laugh, but they remind me how thankful I am to have someone that loves me as much as she does!

I've always loved the beach, & I'm excited at the possibility of getting to attend a grad school close to the ocean.

♦ ♦ ♦

I've gotten behind on posting the pictures for the photo challenge, so I'm going to get caught up today & get some fun posts ready for this week as well. I hope everyone is having a relaxing Sunday!

                                          xx,

^♦SPJ^♦

Photo Challenge: Daily Routine

Day Nine

There's nothing that relaxes me more before bed after a long day than a cup of tea. I saw this mug on Pinterest a few months ago & knew I had to have it! It's from Anthropologie & I'm absolutely obsessed with it. I love having a routine for the morning & night because I feel like it helps me stay organized.

                                          xx,

^♦SPJ^♦

Photo Challenge: Sky

Day Eight

I couldn't get Blogger to upload any images yesterday, but here's what the sky was like on my drive home from errands for day eight! 

With it being the middle of winter, we have a pretty decent amount of snow so the roads can get a little icy but it's still worth getting outside to see views like this one! This week is our initiation, & as our Member Educator I've been busy getting everything prepared. Even though my errands were sorority-related, it was still so nice to have a little break from my hectic schedule the past few days!

                                            xx,

^♦SPJ^♦

Photo Challenge: Makes You Smile//Favorite

Days Six & Seven

This week marks the beginning of the new semester, as well as my last semester of college, so I've been running around like crazy trying to get packed, moved, unpacked, & settled in. My boyfriend got back into town yesterday,  & we finally got to exchange our Christmas presents. These two days of the photo challenge are combined because this beauty deserves (even more than) two days worth of attention!

E knows my love for anything Kate Spade & it's his go to for where to shop for me. My new "alessa" bag is absolutely perfect & everything I could ever want. It makes me smile when I look at it & of course it's my new favorite! I'm so thankful that he got it for me-- he's definitely a keeper in my book.  

                                           xx,

^♦SPJ^♦

December Birchbox Review

I am a subscription box addict. I love getting surprises & mail, so combining the two is a definite win for me! The first box that I ever subscribed to was Birchbox. That was two years ago, & I've been a loyal fan ever since. Around the 15th of every month, I receive a cute little box in the mail. Inside are several different samples of high end beauty-related products. Sometimes there's a full-sized item included which is always a nice bonus!

The best surprise to come back to after break!

The packaging of December's Box

Inside each month's box is a cute little card explaining why the products included were chosen. 

On the back of the card is a list of all of the products inside as well as their full-sized retail price. 

Dr. Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips, $14.50

After getting past the fact that this was originally made for breastfeeding mothers, I fell in love. My lips are always, always chapped & I will welcome anything that can help me stop using chapstick every half hour. 

Greenleaf Starlight Candle, $17.00

I've never gotten a candle in my Birchbox before & I love them, so this was a nice surprise! It's a great scent, but pretty strong so I know I'll be burning this alone or with other candles that are a bit more neutral. 

dr. brandt BB matte with signature SHINERASE, $39.00

BB cream is amazing. I've never tried this brand, but I definitely want to see how it compares to my everyday brand. I received two samples of both light to medium & medium to dark, which is great so people with a range of skin tones can try the product. I have fair skin, so I'm going to give the darker samples to a friend!

ARCONA Magic White Ice, $40.00

I definitely had to read the description on this one. Turns out it's supposed to be an AMAZING moisturizer. My skin is incredibly dry during the winter, so I was excited to give this a try! From a couple days of using it, I've been really happy with it. I have a feeling I won't be purchasing the full-sized version considering the price, but this was a nice way to try such a great product. 

TONI&GUY Casual Sea Salt Texturising Spray, $15.00

My hair usually falls limp about halfway through the day, but texturising sprays work great for me if I need a little extra boost. I've been using a different sample that I got a few months ago that's lasted forever, but I might sneak this one in to see how it compares! 

♦ ♦ ♦

I obsess over Birchbox to the point that girls in my sorority have now subscribed, and I purchase them as gifts! Here are some of the reasons I love Birchbox:

1. It's only $10 per month
2. For every product you receive that month, you have the opportunity to do a review. After you finish your review, they give you 10 Birchbox points. Each 100 of those is worth $10 in their online store! I use these to purchase the full-sized items of things that I've loved. 
3. You also get a Birchbox point for every dollar you spend in the online store
4. They do promos often, and usually they're for extra points with purchases of a certain amount. 
5. I rarely receive an item that I don't use or love!

If you've ever thought about purchasing a subscription box, I definitely recommend Birchbox! It's a great one to start with & if you're not completely satisfied, they have amazing customer service & are more than happy to solve whatever issue you might have. 

If you receive any subscription boxes & love them, let me know! I'm always on the lookout for new ones to try.

                                     xx,

^♦SPJ^♦