what's in my bag?

So one of my favorite blog posts to read are "What's in my Bag" posts and today, I figured I would join the club and do my own :) I must say that this post is slightly edited as when I was emptying my bag to do the post, I had a Dewalt power-drill battery, my boyfriend's car keys, not one, but two hair brushes and one of my cat's toys. Who knows what I actually carry around everyday but this is what I normally have with me. 

These are what I consider to be my "three essentials" that I cannot leave the house without:
Phone
Keys
& Money
I swear I say this check list to myself each time I leave the house. My iPhone is my lifeline at work to my boss and co-workers and just like everyone else, I am obsessed with it (and cannot wait for iOS7!!). My wallet (well, it's more like a pouch) is designed to look like a post card and has to be close to 4 years old. I think I picked it up at H&M for like $3? I absolutely love it! Finally, my keys! I swear I have close to 10 keys on my key chain and my "thirty-one hang it up key fob" makes it easier to manage them.

You might be able to already tell that my favorite color is pink :) But my kindle and iPad typically go where ever I go. My sleeve for my iPad came from Etsy and I like it because it has a front pouch where I can slip my iPad accessories such as my charger, stylus and cleaning cloth.

I believe I got this cosmetics bag from Target a while ago to hold all my "little things" that I carry with me. There is nothing I hate more than searching for chap-stick in the bottom of a huge bag.

I always make sure I have band-aides with me mainly because some of my shoes tend to give me blisters, that and I'm a clutz. My Benadryl anti-itch cream was a lifesaver in the summer months for bug bite and this stuff works like a charm! I then carry two travel size perfumes, "Love Express" by Express and "Amazing Grace" by Philosophy. These fragrances have a fresh, clean smell and are perfect for work. There is nothing worse than bad breath, which is why I try and carry either gum or mints in my bag. I like the Altoids Smalls because they do not take up too much room in my small pouch.

For my birthday in July, my gift from Sephora was a set of "Sugar Lip Treatments" with SPF 15 and they may be my new favorite chap-sticks. Due to where I work, I am constantly washing my hands and using hand sanitizer and it dries out my hands horribly which is why I always make sure I have a small bottle of hand lotion on me. Finally, now that the fall and winter months are coming, my allergies are will be in full swing and I do not leave the house without my nasal sprays to stop my nosebleeds.

I LOVE my sunglasses and the only thing I'm missing is a pink eyeglass case :)

My iPod Nano tends to always be in my bag because it connects to my car and sometimes I just need to tune the world out.

Finally, here's my bag that all this seems to fit into. I purchased this bag last year from American Eagle from their "Deux Lux" collection that they carried last fall. I just love how much room this bag has but I find that I manage to fill it with the most random things. 

If I could meet myself at 16...

So if I had the chance to meet my 16 year old self, I'd have lots to say but I am going to limit this post to only five :) So let's go back to 2005 when I was in my junior year of high school. 

And what fun would this post be without a photo of myself at the age of 16?

1.  You know that boy you have known since you were 5? He loves you as much as you love him so stop pushing him away. Trust me because he's pretty amazing.

My 1st Car! 1995 Pontiac Grand Am

2. Failing your road test two times is not the end of the world and some day you will joke about it, especially when Tori fails hers. Remember, the third time is a charm!

3. You know that really cute faceplate you just HAD to have for your "oh so cool" flip phone? Yeah, keep walking by that kiosk in the mall because the guy that works there is a creep. He will take your number from your cell phone and call you at strange hours of the night which will force you to change your cell phone number.  Not worth it. Besides, it was ugly.

4. While this may seem, like your hardest year of high school, you'll get through it but let's just put more effort into it! You can really surprise yourself because you'll kick butt in college :)

5. So Anthony is going to ask you to junior prom and when he asks what color your dress is, (now this is really important) make sure you emphasize when you say "light green". Why may you ask? Anthony thought you said "cream" not "green" and when you find out two days before prom, ya won't be too thrilled.  

One more thing, your "sweet 16" birthday party will actually be a barbie themed surprise party, thanks Tara for that!

bring on fall

I cannot believe that I am saying this but, I am ready for fall!! Yes, summer is my all time favorite season but I am sick and tired of this endless heat and I am ready to cool down! I think this may be the first time since I can remember that I am actually excited for fall and I think that it has to do with the fact that I no longer associate fall with school.

So here are my favorite things about fall:

Changing colors of the leaves

This is the first designation that fall is officially here and you have to admit, watching the leaves change colors during the autumn months is beautiful! I can not wait to take pictures of the changing colors this fall.

Football

Football season officially begins next Thursday I am ready to break out my New England Patriots gear. I cannot wait to spend my Sunday nights watching football and since I finished school, I do not have to worry about homework or studying!

Apple Picking

Spending a Sunday afternoon at an apple orchard debating on which perfect apples you are going to bring home with you is my ideal fall Sunday and I cannot wait!!

Pumpkin Carving

I'm not sure what's more fun, going to the pumpkin patch to find the perfect pumpkin or deciding on how to make it your own. I have both carved and painted pumpkins in the past and while carving is messy, I believe it's more fun!


Hot Chocolate

There is nothing that describes fall better than a tall mug of hot chocolate with whipped cream to warm you up. I swear by the Cold Stone Hot Chocolate mix that you can buy at the grocery store and the trick is to add half and half to make it even creamer.

Haunted Hay Rides

Or hay rides for those who do not like the thrill of being scared by teenagers dressed up as ghosts and masked murders. There is just something about bring outside during the fall season.



Apple Cider Donuts 

You cannot possibly go through the fall season without eating fresh warm apple cider donuts! They are the flavor of fall and they go very well with hot chocolate.

Jeans

Goodbye shorts, bring on the dark washed denim jeans that complement warm and neutral tones for the fall season. I am now on a mission to find the perfect jeans for the fall season.

Cute Chunky Sweaters

To go with the perfect pair of jeans, you need to cute chunky sweater to keep you warm. Ditch the hoodie and jacket and cuddle up in a big sweater!


Adorable Boots

Fall means goodbye flip flops and sandals and hello cute fall boots! These would actually compliment the dark washed jeans!


Scarves

This maybe one of my ultimate favorite fall items! I am absolutely in love with scarves, no matter the color, the style or size. No outfit in fall is complete without a scarf.



Leg Warmers

As they say, fashion repeats itself and it stands true with this particular accessory. let's bring back the 80's. This will be a new for me but I am determined to purchase a cute pair of leg warmers to go in an adorable poor of boots and over the perfect pair of jeans. 

And finally, some "fall bucket lists" I found:

 

I personally agree with the final item on this one ^

I can not believe I forgot moccasins!!

 

And a corn maze! That's it, I'm ready for fall! 

 

... & stay away winter

twenty random facts

I suppose that this will be a good time to sort of introduce myself through 20 random facts :)

#1 I love to take pictures. I love to take pictures of anything and everything. I have over 2,000 pictures on my iPhone alone. I can't wait to go on vacation just to take pictures of the ocean.

 #2 If you ask me, Starbucks has it all over Dunkin donuts. I swear that Starbucks coffee is better than Dunkin Donuts, trust me!

 #3 If I could wear a dress everyday, I would. And one time I went about 2 weeks wearing nothing but summer dresses and it was amazing :) Now that I work in an office setting, I find it more difficult to find cute dresses to wear.

#4 I wish I could marry Andrew Garfield. O.M.G. I love this man and if given the opportunity, I'd marry him. Ha! only in my dreams though. Some day?

#5 I could watch friends everyday. Okay, I do watch it everyday. I wait until 11:00 at night to watch Friends on nick@nite. Even though I know some of the episodes word for word, I can not help but watching them over and over. Did I mention that I own the COMPLETE series??

#6 I am a HORRIBLE speller. If it was not for spell check, I would not have graduated college. Hell, I'd still be in high school.

#7 There is nothing I love more than getting lost in a great book. I could sit and read for hours on end without getting bored or even become aware of the environment around me. I find that getting lost in a great book is a perfect way to escape from reality. Although I do become a little too attached to my books and I hate it when I finish them.

#8 I want overalls. More. Than. Anything. Okay, maybe I'm being over dramatic. If I had overalls, I'd wear them everyday. Okay, at least once a week!


#9 I. Am. A. Slob. I can't help it!! I don't know if it's because I'm lazy or what but I have always been this way. It's a terrible habit that I am trying to break.

#10 Family is everything. I do not know what I would do without my family. They mean the world to me

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#11 I swear I have the best boyfriend in the entire world. He is truly amazing and he has been with me for almost my entire life! At least 20 years and I can't imagine my life without him. He is my everything. And he's a cutie ;)

#12 I have to sleep with the television on. And yes, it is always to an episode of Friends.

#13 My nails must ALWAYS be painted. I enjoy spending time painting my nails every color under the sun and I can't remember the last time my nails were not painted.

#14 I am rarely on time. It's a problem really. It is horrible and I believe that it is getting worse! I need to start getting my ass in gear and faster!

#15 I'm terrified of turning 25. Turning 1/2 of 50 is crazy! If these 25 years flew by, what about the next?! I don't want to be old!!

#16 I have my father's sense of humor and my mother's determination. My dad and I have identical sense of humors and it drives my grandmother insane. I can see why it is obnoxious I suppose. On the other hand I believe that I have my mother's determination and it is what drove me through college.

#17 When I'm alone in my car, I sing obnoxiously loud. It truly is embarrassing. I am serious. I'm sure the people in the car next to me are wondering what in the world is wrong with me but it's something I look forward to. Have I mentioned that I am a TERRIBLE singer?

#18 My hair maybe blonde but I swear if I never started dying it when I was 13, I'd be a brunette. My roots are brown as brown can be and since my hair started to turn darker, I have been in absolute denial. Blondes have more fun :)

#19 Butter creeps me out. Seriously. I can't stand looking at it, I think it stinks and I refuse to even touch it. Ugh. I'm getting the creeps just thinking of the yellow substance sitting in its wax greasy paper now. Gross.

# 20 My favorite place to be is on the beach watching the waves. I could sit on the beach and just watch the ocean for hours and hours and not be bored. I don't know what it is about the ocean but I am absolutely memorized by it.

off to school...

After spending the past six years of my life in college, I have learned a thing or two on my own and some of which I wish I learned sooner. So here it is, my tips for surviving college:

GO TO CLASS!!

 

While this may seem quite obvious, it is very easy to skip class in college as you are not being monitored like you were in high school. Now everyone will tell you to go to class because of the obvious reasons such as you're paying for it (and a lot too!), to learn and to take notes. Now I believe that it is a good idea to go to class because of that one annoying, obnoxious student (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!) who's life goal is to find out what is on the exam before the exam is given The best part about these students is they succeed 99% of the time and you want to be there when the teacher spills! This way you can study exactly what is on the exam (and not the night before!!). Another benefit of going to class on a regular basis is to meet classmates that can help you outside of class. I can not tell you how often I would text or even receive a text from someone in class regarding material previously covered. Not only are these friendships helpful, they help you determine which students are "group member worthy" because there is nothing worse than having a terrible group member.

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Do not procrastinate!

Yes, after the end of your college career you will become the master of procrastination and you will learn how much unnecessary stress that it causes. While it can be quite overwhelming when a project is assigned and while due date is months away, there is no motivation to begin. Take it from me, the sooner you start the project, the better off you will be. Even if you make a short and quick outline or even just "googling" ideas, it will get the ball running. There is nothing worse than waiting to the last minute as you will be more concentrated on how stressed you are than the project on hand. Learn from my mistakes!!

Make friends!

Making friends is what will make your college years a blast (do people even still use that saying??)! Your college friends will be able to relate to you better than anyone else and they will help you de-stress on the weekends and even make class more fun!

Use breaks to your advantage

There is nothing more annoying than having an hour break in between classes, especially if you're a commuter student like I was for six years. There is not enough time to go home or even leave campus and you do not have a dorm to retreat to so, where do you go? Depending on the day and my work load, I would go into the campus center and eat a snack and take time to re-organize to make sure that I was aware of all upcoming assignments and exam dates. Then I would take the remaining time to prepare for my next class such as looking over previous notes or reading the assigned material (okay, I skimmed it!). Trust me, these breaks turn into lifesavers throughout the semester!

Use an agenda

Or an even a mobile app to keep track of due dates, group meetings, and events on campus that you might not want to miss. This will keep you from missing due dates and will allow for you to plan accordingly for major projects or exams. Besides, the prettier the agenda, the more likely you are to use it!

Go to office hours!

Who wants to see the professor after class? I know, it might be awkward to see the professor one on one but do not be afraid to approach them during their designated office hours as they can help you with not only their class but even your career! Remember: professors can write awesome recommendation letters and besides, ya might learn a thing or two.

Check your school e-mail

And check it on a daily basis if not more frequently. Your school e-mail is your lifeline to the college and ya never know, there might be a class cancellation and the last thing you want to do is go to a cancelled class. Not only that but information regarding campus events are often sent to your e-mail.

Get your Zzzz's

I know, I know, easier said than done but sleep is important! You cannot properly concentrate in class if you're more concentrated on keeping your eyes open and your head from nodding forward. You will feel more refreshed if you are able to get your body on a normal sleep schedule. Try and go to bed the same time every night, trust me, it will help!

Create good study habits

Such as highlighting in text books, using flash cards, taking notes while reading or joining a study group. It is also beneficial to find a place where you find that you can best concentrate such as a corner in the library or an area in your room. My favorite place to study was anywhere that allowed me to spread out. I would have books, paper, note cards, highlighters and pens all scattered but it was how I found that I best studied.

 Participate in an internship

This is CRUCIAL!! As a pain in the neck as it might sounds, obtaining an internship is an awesome way to not only boost your resume but it allows you to gain experience in your desired field. When you graduate from college, future employers want to see actual field experience that proves you can apply what you have learned in the class room. If you’re having difficulty locating an internship, do not be shy to contact your academic adviser or a professor!

Good luck and remember, have fun!