Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Motivation Monday: Trouble Areas

Hey guys. I know its Tuesday, but here is yesterdays post for Motivation Monday. This week's post is focusing on trouble areas in the three major zones; upper, core, and lower. This weeks cardio is running and the flexibility workout is for back flexibility.  I hope you guys enjoy.

Cardio:

Back Flexibility:


Triceps:


Lower Abs


Inner Thighs


Thanks for reading. Hope you guys enjoy the workout. What are other trouble areas for you?
XOXO,



Monday, April 13, 2015

Motivation Monday: Weekly Workout

Hey guys. Sorry it took so long to update, we had initiation and Founders Day this weekend and it was pretty crazy. So starting this week I am going to post a new work out series each Monday. Each post will include a cardio workout, a strength training for upper body, lower body, and abs, and a flexibility workout. I hope you guys find these useful.  

Weekly:



Cardio:


Flexibility:




Upper Body:


Abs:


Lower Body: 




Hope you guys find these useful. Good Luck with your workouts!
XOXO,






Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Road Trip Series

Hey Guys. So my new roommates/best friends have decided to start planning a massive summer road trip. Not for this summer though, the current plan has it for the summer between graduation and graduate school. But this trip is planned to be really big that it's going to take a lot of planning and a lot more saving for the trip. So for the next few weeks I am going to give you guys a look into how we planned our ultimate summer road trip, where we are going, and all the tips we have been giving to help us along the way. So without further adieu, here is Part 1 of my road trip series:


Here are some details:
1. We plan to hit all 48 continuous states
2. It is a 3 month time span from a week after graduation to a couple weeks before school starts in the fall
3. We have a 100 different attractions on our bracket.
4. 25 major cities. 
5. 19,278 miles round trip

Here is our Map


Part 1: Planning
When we started planning out trip we use the Ultimate Summer Road Trip created by a Michigan State University student using a mathematical algorithm (http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/eco-tourism/stories/map-points-the-way-for-the-ultimate-us-road-trip) then we started adding in cities and landmarks that we wanted to see. Then we sent out a request to family members that travel a lot asking what little treasures they had found in their travels. Then we went at it. We added the new points to the map and started connecting them. After we had the route all mapped out, came the hard part. On paper we went through a mock trip, calculating how long we were driving, where we were sleeping, and how long we wanted to stay at each attraction. And of course we put in lots of wiggle room for traffic and un planned stops. 

Part 2: The Trip
So here is what the first 2 weeks:

Week 1:
1. Mount Vernon: Mount Vernon,Virginia
2. Lost World Caverns: Lewisburg, West Virginia
3. Spring Grove Cemetery: Cincinnati, Ohio
4. West Baden Springs Hotel: West Baden Spring, Indiana
5. Mammoth Cave National Park: Mammoth Cave, Kentucky
6. Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Gatlinburg, Tennessee
7. Fort Sumter National Monument: Charleston, North Carolina
8. Savannah, Georgia
9. Cape Canaveral Space Center: Cape Canaveral, Florida
10. South Beach: Miami, Florida



Week 2: 
11. Everglades National Park: Naples Florida
12. USS Alabama: Mobile, Alabama
13. French Quarter: New Orleans, Louisiana
14. Vicksburg National Military Park: Vicksburg, Mississippi
15. Graceland: Memphis, Tennessee
16. Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park: Scott, Arkansas
17. Padre Island, Texas


What do you guys think? Anything we should add?
XOXO

Spring J.Crew

Hey guys. So spring is in the air and that means new spring clothing. With formal, founders day, and lots of philanthropy events there are a ton of occasions that call for shopping. I love J. Crew but at my school the Factory store is much closer and they are always having crazy sales. Plus they have some super cute pieces. Here are my favorite picks from J.Crew Factory spring 2015. 


What do you think? Which pieces are your favorite in the collection?
XOXO


Monday, April 6, 2015

Agenda Organization

Hey Guys. Earlier this week I posted a full look inside my school backpack, with the exception of my agenda. Your agenda is basically your life line in college life. You use it to keep track of not only your school assignments, but social events, work and important deadlines. Here is a look inside my agenda and my top tips for organization. Keep in mind that this is what works for me and what works for you might be different. 


I use a Lilly Pulitzer large agenda. This years one is of the blue Trippin and Sippin print.


Each of my classes gets a different color. This is the color I use for anything related to that class, their binders, folders on my computer, my white board. 
At the beginning of the semester I put all the assignments and exam dates into my planner on the day they are due. At the beginning of each month I go through my agenda and put any major due dates (exams or projects) on my dry erase calendar. 


Assignments go at the top of the day because those are top priority. At the bottom of each day I have the classes that happen that day and their time slots because sometimes when I am scheduling I totally blank on when my classes are. At the bottom I also put in any sorority or club events along with work times in their respective colors. 
The move the legend at the top to each week and it is attached with a Kate Spade paper clip. When ever I complete something I cross it off. I use two sticker packets form Lilly, academic and greek, to not only make my planner more fun but to make it very obvious right when I open the page that I have two exams and a paper due. 

What do you think? Any organizational tips that you find very useful?
XOXO,




Friday, April 3, 2015

The 5 most Important Things I Learned my First Year of College

Hey Guys. As my first year at college comes to a close I have been reflecting back on what I have learned over the year. The first year in college and away from home is a real transition point in life and it has taught me a great deal about myself and the world in general. So here are the 5 most important things I learn my first year of college.


1. Making friends is easy. Finding true friends is difficult:
    Anyone who has been to college can tell you that the first week of school, the "welcome week", is filled to the brim with food, activities, and people. During welcome week I probably met more people then were in my high school. Between my floor, classes, and all the events aimed at getting freshmen to mingle, I met tons of people and made a good deal of friends. But after all the hype settled down, I began to realize that the new friends I had made were great but there just wasn't really any connection between us. We had all been so desperate to make friends quickly, we hadn't been looking for people we had real connections with. As time went on, these friendships weren't progressing and I had begun to really miss my old friend that were now scattered around the country. But luckily a few week into the term I decided to go out for sorority formal recruitment and ended up joining Pi Beta Phi. This was probably one of the best decisions I have made so far in my college career. It was during this time that I was lucky enough to find two of my best friends, Shannon and Jess, and later the third member of our group Morgan. I love these girls so much and we have such a great connection. I couldn't imagine college without them. We are even all rooming together next year. Before I left for school, everyone told me that the friends I made the first week of school would be with me for the rest of my life. No pressure right. Well I have learned that it isn't necessarily the first friends that make the best of friends and that true connections don't always happen instantly. For those of you headed off to school in the fall don't stress if you don't find you BFF the first or even second week of school. It may take some time, but you will find someone that you have a real connection with.

2. Be okay with being alone. 
    College life is filled with changes, both personal and academic, but one of the most striking changes for me was with eating. I know this sounds weird but hear me out. In high school and every level before that everyone your age shared one meal, lunch. Think back to those middle school years when the most terrifying thing was sitting alone at lunch. Fast forward 5 years and now your most likely sharing every meal with your peers. Those first few weeks everyone thought they had to find someone to eat with every meal. And that is very stressful, especially when all your friend have different schedules then you. But as the semester continued I began to care less about finding someone to eat with. I actually enjoyed those 1 or 2 meals by myself. In college you go from having a good deal of privacy to practically none. There is always someone around and you don't have anywhere to escape to. So cherish those moment of solitude, trust me your sanity will thank you. Also while your at it, stop thinking people are judging you for being alone. Because trust me they aren't. More likely they're thinking about whether they left their curling iron on or whether to do the reading for Econ or not. The last thing to cross their mind is you.

3. Fail. Mess up. Learn from it, then move on. 
     Academically college can be very different or very similar to your high school career depending on where you come form. But one thing that happens to every student eventually is you fail. Whether its bombing the final in Chemistry, or screwing up an English paper that counts for 30% of your final grade, everyone messes up. I remember the first bad grade I got in college. I was devastated. I had never gotten such a bad grade every, and I couldn't understand where I went wrong. Eventually I realized that sometimes you fail. It's sad but you can't be the best at everything, really you can't even be good at everything. You may have bombed Chemistry but you also got an A is Psych. Don't look at this like your a complete failure at school, look at it like maybe you shouldn't major in Chemistry but Psychology might be a good path for you. Thats kinda what gen ed courses are for, to find out what you're good at and what you're not. Now I may be saying that failing is okay but that doesn't mean you should be making it a habit. Failing is fine as long as you learn something from it. Maybe you do bad on your first test in history, but then you realize that most of the questions were from the supplementary reading. Well next time you can study the supplementary readings more and hopefully you do better. There you learned something from that failure. Just remember, one failed exam or even a class isn't going to ruin your life. Just don't make it a habit.

4. Talk!!
     I know this one sounds weird. What do you mean talk, everyone talks. Let me explain. When I was in high school I had a teacher that told us that the best conversations we would ever have would take place in college. Most likely about politics or world issues or the economy. And most likely at 3 am. Now trust me when I say we all thought she was crazy. We were like ok Ms. Moy that is not going to happen. But what do you know, she was right. After coming from high school, I was rarely ever able to have good thoughtful conversations with people my age, and if I did it happened in a classroom environment after being prompted by a teacher. But when I got to college it was different. Sure we still had great discussions in the classroom, I was even surprised at how well thought out people's answer were, but the best discussions happened outside of the classroom. I didn't even occur to me the scope of the discussions until I was writing this, but what Ms. Moy said was true. When something happened in the world, and a lot of really controversial stuff has happened in the past year, I would nonchalantly have discussions about it with my friend as we walked to get food. Sometimes the discussions in class would continue between you and a classmate as you both walked to your next lesson. To top it off, the conversations were actually thoughtful, not aggressive, and open minded. All things I didn't think were possible in general discussion. In college you are blessed with being surrounded by a lot of people that are open minded and relatively un jaded by life, that can think in an academic way. Looking back on this year, I have probably learned more from discussion with other students then I have in lecture. Take advantage of your time at school and express your opinions, learn from other, explore different points of view. You'll be surprise with how much you learn.

5. Have Fun.
     Years from now, when you become a "real adult" with a job and a mortgage and maybe a kid, you're going to look back on your college experience. You're not going to remember that A on your American Politics midterm, but you will remember that weekend road trip you made with your friends. You know the one when you got lost twice, ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere, and could never agree on a radio station. College isn't just about school and grades, sure those are important, but if you let those rule your life you will miss out on so many moments. So go ahead, go out on a Thursday when you have a 7am on Friday. Skip your lecture on Tuesday and go to a concert. Trust me you will carry those memories with you forever. For most of us this is the only time in our lives when we can truly be wild and take risks. Don't focus so much on the future that you miss out of the present.

What do you guys think? What was the most important thing you learned Freshman year?
XOXO,

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

What's in my Backpack?

Hey guys. Todays post is a look inside my school backpack. Some days I am in class from 10 am to 10 pm and my backpack is filled to the brim with my necessities for schoolwork and my sanity. So here is a look inside my backpack on a typical day.


My backpack is a gray and pink North Face backpack. I love the North Face backpacks because it doesn't hurt my back when I am carrying around 20 pounds of stuff all across campus. The backpack also has a lot of pockets, which is great for someone like me who needs to be super organized. On it are several pins from various student organizations and campaigns on my campus. 



In the two side pockets of my backpack I keep my water bottle and my tumbler. My water bottle is a pink camelbak with my monogram on it in Lilly she she shells pattern (which is my favorite). I got it form the Etsy shop PreppyandProud and I absolutely love it. I try to stay super hydrated during the day especially when it gets really hot and humid here in Virginia. My tumbler is in my sorority's (Pi Beta Phi) Lilly Print. My tumbler is usually filled with Emergen - C which is my go to in avoiding the plague of colds that always hit freshmen. So far I have avoided them.  


In the main pocket in my backpack, the first thing I have is my laptop. My laptop is a must for me because I take notes on them. Most of my professors teach with powerpoints, and post those powerpoints online before class. So it's super easy for me to take notes on them and then when its time to study everything is in one portable place. My laptop is a macbook pro 13 in. which was an amazing graduation present from my grandparents. On it I have a soft pink hard shell with my monogram on it in she she shells Lilly print. The decal is from another Etsy shop, cestlaviedesignss, which is also where I got the monogram decals for my car and my sisters. The neoprene sleeve for my laptop is my absolute favorite. It took forever to find a sleeve that matched the color of my shell and the Lilly print and I was super lucky to find this one by LoveyDoveyCreations on Etsy. 


Next in my main pocket are my pencil holders. Both of them are Lilly, one in the first impressions print and the other in the may flowers print. The may flower case hold my pencils. I love writing and taking notes in pencil, but I learned long ago that if I stored the pencils and their sharpener with all my other writing utensils then everything would be covered in pencil lead. So I keep them separate. In the first impressions case I keep my pens for my agenda. My pens are Staedtler triplus fineliner,  I love them for my agenda because they come in fun colors, write super smoothly, and most importantly they don't bleed through. Also in the case I keep my highlighters, sharpies, paper clips (Kate Spade Bows), and a lens cleaner for my computer and phone screen.  


Next we have my agenda. Since high school I have use a Lilly Pulitzer planner and I love them. Not only are they fun and colorful but they provide plenty of space in their weekly calendars for all my assignments and their monthly calendars are great for general overviews. I use a large planner and this one is in trippin sippin. I will do a full post about how I organize my agenda later this week. 


Along with my agenda, I also always keep a notebook and a pleasure reading book in my bag. The notebook is a cute owl print from Target that holds all of my life plans in it. I'm serious, the notebook contains all of my university requirements, major and minor requirements, class schedules, what professors to take and which ones to avoid (curtesy of my upperclassmen friends), internship and application requirements, blog post idea, etc... Basically my whole life is in that notebook and if I were to every lose it I would probably cry. So I just keep it with me at all times, I mean you never know when someone will give you really good advice or an idea will suddenly come to you. I also always keep a book with me for when I have down time in between classes. Right now I am reading a book called Adulting: How to be a Grown-Up in 468 easy(ish) steps by Kelly Williams Brown. I love this book. I like most advise books in general because they usually do give good advise, even though you usually have to weed it out, but this book is amazing. The author is so blunt and sassy that it makes reading the book enjoyable and absorbing the advise a secondary bi-product. The formatting is also done in a way that it is also a great reference book if your looking for specific advise later. 


Lastly we have the small front pocket. This is where I store the stuff that I don't use regularly but is great to have on me just incase. First, and not pictured, are my chargers for my phone and laptop because lets face it I am gonna run out of battery during the day. The best part is that with the newer lecture halls on my campus, each seat has its own outlet in the arm rest which makes charging super easy. On that same note my second item is my portable battery. This is a must have because as most people know your phone is going to die at the most inconvenient time and when there are no outlets in sight. Next I have my fashion emergency kit. This is great, inside it had a needle and thread, buttons, static remover, wrinkle remover, fashion tape, and a whole bunch of great things for when you outfits don't agree with you. With that I also keep a tide stain stick in my bag because the chances of me spilling something on myself, especially if I am wearing white, is very high. I also keep Kleenex, tic tacs, and my lip balm in the front pocket since you are always going to need those thing. Lastly I store my keys in my front pocket.  

So what did you think? Anything that is an absolute essential in your bag?
XOXO,

Monday, March 30, 2015

Greek Week!!

Hey guys. This past week at my school has been Greek Week. Its an awesome week where the greek community pairs off into teams of 1 social sorority, 2 social fraternities, 1 ethnic fraternity, and 1 academic/service fraternity. We then spend the week competing against each other and raising money and donations for charities. Greek week has an overall theme, which for this year was Disney, and each team gets assigned a theme inside of that, which for us was History. I want to share with you guys some of the awesome fun we had during the week.

   The first event of the week was banner. All the teams had to paint a banner related to their theme to be hung in our main student center.


This is my sororities. Team History


Team Woodlands


Team Jungle


Team Fantasy


Team Suburbs


Team Desert 


Team Under the Sea

The next event in Greek Week was Shack-a-thon. Each team had to build a "shack" related to their theme out of cardboard, duck tape, and paint. At least 4 people for each team had to be at the shack for 8 am to 9 pm for 3 days. Each team collected money for Habitat for Humanity for the event.


Team History 


Team Woodlands


Team Jungle


Team Fantasy 


Team Suburbs


Team Desert


Team Under the Sea

Next we did a volunteer event where we paired with Full Circle Home to create care packages. Together all the teams also collected over 24,300 cans for Food for Others and over 19,000 toiletries for the Ronald McDonald Foundation.


All the volunteers for Full Circle Home

 

Making Scarves


Boxing up care packages


Some of the cans 

Next was the Amazing Disney Race, the Disney Field Day, and Aquatics night. The Amazing Disney Race was basically a footrace/trivia game across campus. Field Day was made up of events like three legged race, sack race, and tug of war. Aquatics night was made up of relay races and a synchronized swimming competition. 


Our Amazing Disney Race team


Our Tug-of-war team


Synchronized swimming team

Lastly, Greek Week concluded with Greek Sing. Greek Sing is a 15 minute performance involving a massive amount of props, singing, intense dance numbers, and really bad acting. 


Team History


Team Fantasy


Team Fantasy


Team Fantasy


Team Desert


Team Under the Sea


Team Under the Sea
Till next time guys.

XOXO,