102 Days!

As I sit here writing this post I am tired, exhausted, and just plain worn out. I left my apartment at 7:50 this morning and didn't get back home this evening until 9:15 p.m. This whole working full time and going to graduate school thing is kicking my butt, and to be honest, it has been for the past year and a half. That's right, I've been in school for 1.5 years! It feels like just yesterday I was going to my first day of school, but today I am happy to report that graduation is 102 days away!

102 Days!!! 

Cue the confetti and champagne!

That's just 3 months and 3 weeks away. Oh my lord, I'm so excited! I've got a ton of work to do between now and then, but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I haven't quite decided what I'm going to do to celebrate 100 days of school left, but it's in the works!

Between now and graduation, I hope to blog about all the fun things leading up to it, especially my internship, graduation cap decorating, graduation party details, and the most important part, the DRESS! Believe me, she's going to be a beauty!

In the meantime, here are a few flashbacks from this crazy journey!

The day I got my acceptance letter!

My first day of school!


One year left!

I can do this! I just know it!

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My TBD Fund

I don't know about you, but all this New York talk has me thinking about life after graduation from graduate school and what the future holds. More often than not, I find myself throwing around the idea of one day beginning an adventure in a completely new place. With that comes the feeling of giving up everything I have now. Is anyone else freaked out by this idea?

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Though I have nearly ten months until graduation, I can't help but wonder what's next. In the meantime, I figure the least I can do is start saving a little money. As we all know, you can dream all day long, but you can't take action without the funds to back these decisions. 

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Just last week, I took a small step toward my future by opening up a new savings account. I've decided that every month between now and whenever I make a life change, I'm going to put in $75.00. It doesn't seem like much, but when graduation comes, I'll have $750.00. In just one year, I'll have $900.00 to put toward whatever I please. 

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I'll be the first to admit that saving money has never been my strong suit. If I see something I love while shopping, I'll find a way to make it happen. By opening this new savings account that I've coined "My TBD Fund," this money is kept completely separate from everything else. When I am ready to make a life change, whether it's ten months or ten years from now, the money that I've saved will be waiting to help pave the way. For a girl that never stops dreaming, that sounds pretty darn good!

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Finding a Balance

Something that I've been struggling with lately is finding a balance. 

A balance between work and school, between reading, studying and having a social life.

Graduate school is difficult, much more difficult than I thought it would be. It's not so much the work that caught me off guard, but the simple fact that I spend eight hours a day at my full-time job before I even enter the mindset of being a student again. Two days a week, I drive straight from work to a class that happens to be three hours long.

When I'm not at work or in class, I'm either sleeping or studying. Usually studying leads to sleeping because I can't stay awake through the numerous reading selections that my professors tend to assign. 

This experience has definitely been a learning one.

Forty-five minutes into my three-hour class last night, my professor decided to let us go home. To an exhausted, overwhelmed and stressed out graduate student, this was the answer to my prayers!

I went straight home. I washed dishes, did laundry and got work done for both my GS classes. I already feel a sense of relief, after just those two hours. 

Tonight, I found my "balance" in having that little bit of extra time. Whether Dr. Howe knew it or not, he changed my whole mindset by letting us go early. I know that working toward my masters degree is something that I will always treasure, I've just got to remember to find the balance that's right for me.

I apologize for my lack of posting lately. Hopefully pretty soon, I'll figure out my routine, and get back to blogging regularly! Do you ever feel like you're being pulled in ten different directions?

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Post-Grad Planning

One thing that's been on my mind a lot lately, is my future. 

Hearing about all of my friends growing up, moving to new places, getting engaged, and having children (some of them more than one) has made me start thinking about my own life, and where exactly I want to be in the next few years.

Though so many things are up in the air at this point, I know that whatever happens, God will lead me in the right direction, and to wherever I'm really supposed to be. 

In the meantime, a girl can always dream!

I know for sure that I will finish with graduate school in the summer of 2015. My program is exactly 12 classes, and takes most people two full years to finish. Since I'm working full-time during graduate school, I'll only take two classes each semester, (making me a part-time student) but I'll take classes during the summer semesters as well. It's not a bad deal...getting paid while I'm in school and Appalachian paying for two classes per year sounds pretty good to me!

My degree will be a Master of Arts in Higher Education, (not teaching, but administration on the university level) but I still haven't decided exactly what area I'd like to work in. I know that I want to put together events on the university scale, I'm just not sure in what area. There are so many more opportunities to do this than you would think! Appalachian, and universities in general ALWAYS have things going on, whether it's Freshman Orientation, Greek Week, Commencement (which I've come to know very well), and a multitude of other events across campus. This gives me a lot of possibilities for a job that I'd be interested in. Areas like Commencement, Alumni Affairs, the Chancellor's Office, Student Development are all super appealing to me, so you just never know!

I'm also not sure exactly where I want to be! If my dream job was waiting for me at Appalachian post-graduation, then of course I'd be happy staying here. Boone is a wonderful place to raise a family, but if not, I LOVE the idea of going somewhere completely new! Chapel Hill, Wake Forest, Duke, all of which are great universities and in good areas that I'd love to live and make a life for myself, if a position presented itself. There's also the possibility of living somewhere further away, like Charleston, the Outer Banks, New York, or maybe a place that I haven't even heard of yet! 

The idea of moving somewhere completely different and being in a job that I love is beyond exciting to me, and though I don't know the answers right now...

I'm always up for a good adventure.

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Graduate School Bound!

This past Wednesday, I got some really good news! News that I wasn't expecting for another month, but it absolutely made my day!

I got my acceptance letter from graduate school!

Though the decision came much sooner than I thought, this hasn't been a short process.

In December, I attended the New Employee Orientation program at Appalachian, where I learned that ASU will pay for its employees to take two classes each year, (one per semester) at absolutely no cost to the staff member. This sparked my interest and got me thinking. College classes with no debt...sounds like a pretty good idea to me! I also spoke to a few people that decided to pursue their masters while holding a full-time job as well, to get some additional insight.

In January, I signed up for the GRE, borrowed a book from a friend (Thanks, Lizzy!) and started studying. I took the test about a week later. At that time, I hadn't decided the exact program that I wanted to pursue, but with deadlines quickly approaching, I needed my scores, and fast!

The two programs that I considered were a Masters of Arts in College Student Development and one in Higher Education. Though College Student Development sounds like the more "fun" of the two programs, it had a lot of internship/graduate assistant time commitments that would have to be met, and without being a full-time student, that was going to be very difficult! The Higher Ed. degree is just as intensive, but offers all of its courses in the evenings, for students also working full-time jobs, just like me!

A Masters of Arts in Higher Education provides a graduate the qualifications to hold a director's level position in a community college or four year institution in many different areas. It's made up of 12 classes, most of which are offered all year long (including summer), and will take me two years to complete. Though that may sound like a while, we all know that two years goes by at the speed of light in college, I know my first four did!

The deadline for priority decision for the Higher Ed. program here at Appalachian is March 15, 2013, this coming Friday. That's why I was so surprised when I heard back so soon! One of my goals for 2013 was to decide what direction I wanted my life to go in professionally. I don't know about you, but something's telling me graduate school is it.

 Cheers to the next BIG step in my life!

I can't wait!

As always, Have a Sweet Day!

New Job Prep Through Instagram!

I start my job in less than one week...six days to be exact!

The beautiful cake at my going away dinner:)

Still, there are days when it doesn't seem real that I'm moving to a new place to start a "real" job! This coming Sunday afternoon, my parents are driving their car (full of clothes & shoes), and I'm driving mine up to Boone to move me in.

My new apartment won't be ready until the middle of December since I'm picking up another girl's lease. So in the meantime, I'm living with my old boss, from the job I had when I was a student. She is just wonderful, and I feel so lucky to be staying with such a great friend/mentor during my first few weeks on the job. She works for Appalachian as well, and I'm sure will be able to answer any questions I have.

In my last few weeks living at home, I've been trying my best to take care of any new job preparations that I can! It's a real task picking up your life in one place and moving somewhere completely different!

New Job Prep:

Finding a place to live: After so much stress and worrying, I finally have a place to live! Praise the Lord! I'll be moving in around the 19th of December!

It's not a huge apartment, but I think it'll be perfect for Paisley and me!

Getting a staff parking permit: One really nice thing about being a staff member at a university, is being able to drive my car to campus and park right behind where I work! This is going to be a such a luxury, especially during the blizzards that we're known to experience in Boone.

Getting a staff ID card: By having a staff AppCard (what we call it at Appalachian) I can get into the parking area, buy supplies in the bookstore, grab lunch, whatever I need, and it all comes out of my check each month. I also LOVE that since I'm staff, I can get into any gym on campus for $4.00/month! This is probably what I'm most looking forward to!

Getting my hair cut: I have been going to the same hairdresser for ten years! That's a long time! When my job's start date was set, I made sure to give Lisa a call. I wanted my hair/color to look really good for my first day. My appointment was yesterday, and I think my hair turned out the best it's ever looked! Go Lisa:)

Switching Banks: I love the bank that I've been using for years, but since there was no branch in Boone, I had to make a change. My Dad and I spent one day a couple of weeks ago closing out old accounts and opening new ones. I also decided to cash in my piggy bank that I'd been saving up for few months!


I'm sure getting all this out of the way will make my transition into a new place and job go much more smoothly. I'm so excited and nervous!

As always, Have a Sweet Day!

Starting a New Chapter!

After watching Sex and the City the movie a few nights ago, I am filled with an immense amount of ambition, drive and so many dreams for my future!

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There's something about following along with the escapades of Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha, that makes me really excited about living on my own! Big things can happen when you're in charge of your life!

This got me thinking!

I'm about to be in a new place, and though I've lived there before, there's a big difference between living somewhere as a student, and living there as a staff member!

With that said, I'm making a list of 20 things I'd like to accomplish during my first year of being on my own. It's not a full year, it's actually an eight month time period from November 26th, 2012 until August 1st, 2013. After that time, I'll have a roommate, so these are things I want to do before that!

Your first year post-college and out on your own is a big deal, that's why I've decided to make it a memorable one!

20 Things to do by August 1st, 2013:

1. Go to the gym everyday for a full week
2. Cook dinner for a group of friends
3. Visit a new church
4. Learn the names of everyone in my office
5. Go hiking on the parkway
6. Go skiing this winter
7. Watch 10 movies that I've never seen
8. Read 10 new books
9. Make friends with a neighbor
10. Take Paisley to the Greenway
11. Spend a day in downtown Blowing Rock
12. Do something fun for New Years Eve
13. Personalize my new desk
14. Buy an outfit from a local boutique
15. Attend an Appalachian basketball game
16. Do something that benefits my whole office (bring breakfast, write birthday cards, something!)
17. Eat at 5 restaurants that I've never tried
18. Throw a super fun housewarming party
19. Make my new apartment warm, inviting and like home
20. Make time to grab coffee before going to work (or buy a Keurig!)

I will be adding so many more things to this list as I transition to life working 8am-5pm, and living on my own, so I'm not stopping here! I'll update you all on my progress! Thanks so much so following along during this amazing journey of my life!

Interested in reading more?

I'm guest posting for Rachel at A Preppy State of Mind today about one of my favorite cold-weather patterns:
Plaid!

Read my post HERE.

As always, Have a Sweet Day!

Let's Catch Up: My New Job!

With so much going on the past few weeks, I have a lot to catch you up on! This is the first of many "Let's Catch Up" posts that I will be writing in the next few days.

So, I'm employed! Woohoo!

I know in my first post about my new job, I was very vague as to what my position was and what it entailed, but I happy to announce that I finally have time to elaborate on this fab opportunity!

I will be working in my college town of Boone, North Carolina! When I moved there four years ago as an undergrad, I instantly fell in love! The people, the town, the pretty weather, everything! I knew when I saw this particular opening, I just had to apply!

I applied at the end of September, and then waited...and waited some more! I was completely caught off, when the call for an interview finally came! They wanted me to come to Boone just a few days later. I was SO nervous, but SO excited to be back in a place that I love so much!

That following Friday at 10am, I had my interview, and it went better than well, it went fabulously! I hit it off instantly with the panel of 5 ladies interviewing me. They loved me, and I really loved them.

I knew this was the place I was meant to be.

I left Appalachian that day feeling amazing, and though I thought I had it in the bag, I tried my best not to get my hopes up too much. A week and half later, I got a call from my future supervisor offering me the position in Boone! To be honest, I think I froze for a few minutes. I couldn't believe the moment had finally come! 

I am so proud to be the new Assistant to the University Registrar. The Registrar is an office on campus, as well as a person that deals with everything graduation, class, transfer, registration-related. My favorite part, I'm also part of the event management team for our many graduation ceremonies, as well as convocation. Woohoo!

This opportunity gives me the full-time position that I've been craving, and still allows me to work weddings any Saturday that we have one. It's win, win. 

I feel so incredibly lucky.

My new office!

As always, Have a Sweet Day!

Sorry, No Vacancy

Throughout this whole new job/picking up my life in one place and taking it to another process, the most difficult part has been finding a place to live.

I know it has a lot to do with the town that I'm going to being super small, and revolving around its students, but I never imagined there would be nothing available. Seriously, nothing.

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To be honest, it's had me a little discouraged because it's hard to get excited about going somewhere and starting a new job when you don't know where you'll be laying your head down at night.

I'm sure anyone that has ever moved in their lifetime understands my feelings of getting your hopes up about one place, and having it fall through, or finding out it isn't exactly as nice as you hoped it would be. I've had this happen countless times over the past few days, but I'm trying my best to stay optimistic.

Unlike most people, I have never really moved before. Don't get me wrong, I did move into my college dorm for a year, but that was pretty much decided for me. Then I went from there to an apartment with two roommates, where a ton of other students lived, but this is a little different. I'm literally looking for a place to start my adult life, a place that I will come home to during the good days at work and the not-so-good, the place that I will have most of my "firsts" as an adult in the real world. 

Forgive me for being nostalgic, but that's a big deal!

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I've quickly realized that picking up your life and following a job is also expensive. There are a lot of initial costs of living by yourself that I hadn't taken into consideration before. These things combined with the rent of a one/two bedroom apartment for an entry-level position can be stressful. 

Yesterday, I spoke to a man over email that owns an apartment complex in Boone. He was very nice, and told me that though I preferred a one-bedroom, he had a two-bedroom unit available immediately! I've never been inside of this place (they're super new), but the outside is gorgeous. It gave me the ray of hope that I'd been searching for. I'm going to the university to sign paperwork on Monday, and my parents and I are planning to go see the unit!

Say a prayer, cross you fingers, send happy thoughts our way, please! I feel good about this one!

Have you had these same problems when moving to a new place?

As always, Have a Sweet Day!

Interior Designer Needed!

Before I begin this post, there are two big changes that have taken place in my life that I must update you on!

1. I got a job!

One week ago, I got a call from a job that I had applied for in late September. I had an interview at the beginning of October that went fabulously, and this was the call that I had been waiting on! I was offered a wonderful full-time position at the university that I graduated from in May, and I cannot wait to be back! Woohoo!

This leads me to my next big change...

2. I'm moving!

I'm picking up my life and moving back to my college town! I have a little less than a month to get back and have everything ready, and I'm stressing! I'm trying my best to find a place to live, but places are few and far between because it's such an odd time to move in. Everyone already has a place to live, a lease in the works and roommates. This has me worrying, and scrambling for the perfect apartment and the perfect decor. 

I've made a few big decisions concerning my bedroom decor, which I think has me on the right track!

1. I want my room to be pink, gold, and white, with black accents.

Here are a few bits of Pinspiration:

All images via Pinterest

2. I want quatrefoil bedding in some combination of those colors.

I love this white quatrefoil, but it's only sold in size queen and king, and I have a size full bed! So frustrating!

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3. I want to use small pops of other patterns in the room.

Here are a few things I've bought so far!

Follow me on Instagram!

Thought this isn't quatrefoil, I found this black and white bedding, and I am in love!!!

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Seriously, could a bed be any more gorgeous?! 

Too bad the comforter alone is nearly $1500! Yes, outrageous!

I just can't seem to find the perfect bedding that I'm looking for! Everything is the wrong color or the wrong size. That's where I would love your help! Have you seen cute quatrefoil bedding anywhere lately? Or another fun pattern that you really liked? I'm open for suggestions!

As always, Have a Sweet Day!

Goodbye 21, Hello 22!

Tomorrow, I'll say goodbye to being 21. 

I'll say goodbye to the age that everyone waits their whole lives for, and I'll be on my way to bigger and better things. While 21 has been an amazing year, I am so excited to see what 22 has to offer!

I feel like just yesterday I was having my birthday parties at Chuck E. Cheese, skating rinks, and my sweet sixteen at the Holiday Inn! How things have changed since then! I can even remember as a teenager, thinking that 22 was so old, but now my view has changed.

At 22 years old, I will be a whole year wiser than I was last September, and every year before that!

Over the past year, I have experience some of the happiest times of my life: here, here and here. I've also experience heartbreak, and the feeling of a relationship at its end. I've experience graduating college, and closing a huge chapter of my life. Then there was the beginning of another great chapter, a wonderful furry addition, and finding some of my biggest passions.

Credit to: Liz Grogan Photography

I've experienced having a bad roommate situation, sorority high and lows, feeling on top of the world and feeling defeated at times. But if I've learned anything in these 22 short years, it's that everything happens for a reason. Everything makes you stronger, and for that, I am thankful.

I feel so lucky to have gone through what I have, and while I don't know what 22 has to offer, I know it will be a great year!

I have a family that loves me, 

friends that will last a lifetime,

and an amazing dog that I love more than life! 

My life is not perfect by any means, but it's going well. God has blessed me beyond belief and I am so thankful.

Cheers to 22!

As always, Have a Sweet Day!

Changes All Around!

Happy Tuesday, Everyone! 

There are all kinds of changes that have been happening around me recently, some small, while others have completely changed my life. Here they are just for you!

1. New design!

You may have noticed that my blog looks a little differently than it did yesterday. I loved my previous blog design in the beginning, but I started feeling like it didn't reflect my personality. It was bland, dry and not me at all! Messing with blog design makes me so nervous. I'm scared that if I mess something up, I won't be able to change it back. I ended up creating a practice blog to try everything on and then once I liked it, I went at it on mine!

I also created a new blog button, so make sure to grab it!

What do you think?

2. Getting Paisley!

I learned very quickly that puppies are a lot of work! I knew she was going to keep me busy, but getting up 2-3 times a night for 8 days straight and not sleeping past 6am is taxing on a person! My Mom keeps saying "It's just like having a baby!" Every day is something new and she ceases to amaze me! Even though she is a lot of work and wears me out, I wouldn't change a thing. I love her so much!

3. Going back to work!

The restaurant where I work closes for the entire week surrounding July 4th. The time off is great for those that travel out of town with their families, but for people like me that don't do much for the Fourth, it sucks! I've had nothing to do for the past week and without work, there's no money to spend! Luckily, we re-open today and I'll be back on my regular schedule. Who ever heard of wanting to go back to work?!

Thank Goodness I'm Graduating!

I have an 8AM class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and as the semester draws to a close, it's getting more and more difficult to make myself get up and go. I don't think it would be so hard if the class was actually interesting, but believe me, it's far from it. Broadcast Media Regulations. The title just makes me cringe, but I can proudly say, I have yet to miss a class!

As I was sitting there this morning, all I could think about while I should have been taking notes, are the things that I'm so excited to do and be a part of once I'm not a student and no longer taking classes!

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1. I'll be able to eat home-cooked food with my family! 

This is something I miss so much! Food in college has been great and it was especially nice when I had a meal plan on campus, but I'm ready to have my mom's macaroni casserole and my dad's BBQ chicken on the grill! Maybe I'll even learn to cook some dishes that I can use when I move out on my own.

2. I won't have to rush back to school on the weekends!

At first it wasn't so bad, you know "Sorry yall, gotta go back to college and all my friends!" but it's gotten a bit annoying having to leave baby showers, church dinners and other family events early, just to get back to school in time for a group meeting or event. I'm ready to relax!

3. No more cramming for tests!

It is going to feel so good having no tests written in my planner! They'll be no more getting up at 5am to study. Though I'm sure I'll have to get up early sometimes, it makes a difference when whatever you're doing is something you're interested in. Tests do not fall into that category.

4. No more appointments at crazy times!

One thing that I've become very accustomed to in college is having doctor, dentist and hair appointments at the craziest times, usually being first thing in the morning before everyone else is even awake. All of these appointments are at home for me, meaning I have to drive two hours from school on a random day to get there. I'm so excited to be able to drive twenty minutes to an appointment and schedule things like a normal person.

5. I'll have time to see movies like The Hunger Games!

I had to throw this one in because no, I still haven't seen it! I tried to go to the premier, sold out. I tried to go the next week, too busy. I am determined to go either tomorrow or sometime this weekend, before it leaves theaters. When I graduate, I'll hopefully have a little bit of free time to do the things I enjoy:)

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Now while I have a whole list of things that I'm looking forward to when I graduate, I have an even bigger list of things that I'm going to miss like crazy when I'm gone! I guess that's just part of life though, change is inevitable, so we might as well take advantage of it!