"ConGRADulations!" All about grad parties

With graduation season comes graduation parties; a super exciting season full of gifts, food, Instagram shots and talking.

I got invited to four graduation parties this year, and luckily, J is invited to three of the same ones! This was the first time I'd ever been to a graduation party and I was kinda nervous (ok, I get nervous over everything). I'm glad I have J with me for three of them (and the last one is with the person I'm closest with, so it all works out!).

I did my research (asked other people) what gifts to get people and what outfits to wear. It ranged from gift cards to just tumbler cups filled with candy and nail polish, and dresses or just a cute top and shorts.

The first party we went to was yesterday, after graduation. We had been told that many people don't stay at grad parties for too long, as they grad party "hop," so we weren't planning on staying for more than 30 minutes.

We got to ADI's house, and it was brimming with ADI's family friends, family and friends. We found ADI in the backyard, and she introduced us to her mom, who was super sweet and inviting. We got drinks, talked to ADI's boyfriend for a bit, and the two of us just talked.

Soon, lots of familiar faces from the prom group showed up, KP came. We all talked, and it was fun mingling and getting to see everyone. J and I had a great time talking to everyone! One of my favorite guys, Mr. C, an English teacher who I've always loved talking to, showed up as well. I have never had him as a teacher, but we always love talking, so it was great to see him! It was a fun night of (badly) losing cornhole, talking with lots of friends, meeting new people, and just relaxing.

Me, ADI and J
(Wearing: Target dress, Kendra Scott Rayne necklace
Read about the necklace here!)

Me and Mr. C!
He's so sassy and fun

Today was KP's grad party. She kept telling J and I about all of the Moe's that she had gotten catered (1.5 trays of queso!! Talk about happiness). We got there, signed her yearbook (a genius idea to have at a grad party), got some food, talked, and got very tan under the very present sun. It was great to see lots of people we knew and meet new people and just talk to everyone. J's Spanish teacher (how he met ADI and KP) came, and everyone was super excited to see her! We stayed for a bit, mainly talking and eating (a lot). Lots of my friends made an appearance, so it was great to get to talk to them!

KP and me!
Wearing: Lilly Pulitzer dress

I have 2 more grad parties to go to: Student Body Pres and PP! I can't wait.

Here are great gift ideas for grad parties:

• Picture frame with the two of you: they can take it to college with them
• Mix tape: full of songs you all blasted out to throughout high school
• Tumbler with the school they're going to: filled with candy and a bottle of nail polish
• Kendra Scott Color Bar jewelry: Customize it with their fav colors or their future school colors! I was super surprised (in the best way possible) to find out that some of the Color Bar pieces are on sale, as you can customize it! I'm a huge fan of my Noelle necklace from KS Color Bar (now on sale for $64.97!) 

  

  KS Noelle necklace in green

• When in doubt, gift card it out with a nice card

Sadie's Photo Recap

Sorry for the hiatus from blogging! Time has just flown by, and I'm still recovering from an abnormal sleeping schedule from this weekend! (Getting home at 11:45pm, then staying up til 2am texting on a Saturday night is too much for this old lady!) This week, I've been extra tired and trying to sleep as much as possible to make up for it!

However... Sadie's was a blast! This was my school's first dance in 5 years and it was a success! Our school doesn't have the most school spirit, so this was a big win in our book.

Our Sadie's group!
(Left to right) J, me, GR, AV, NK and SS!

It was a really fun night. While I was really nervous (just because I'm the biggest worrier), it turned out to be, as J says, literally not figuratively the best night!

The night started off with AV and I going to SS' house to get ready. There was lots of freaking out about whether or not we'd have enough time before the guys came, samosas, and lots of laughter. It was frantic, fun and chaos! 

Then the boys made their way over, when we took lots of photos!

J and I had discussed our outfits in advance!

He hadn't shown me his tie beforehand,

But he did have me send him a pic of my dress,

And he said it'd match perfectly.

He was right! He looked so cute. I was very impressed.

Side note: I heard from a mutual friend that he was freaking out

over what tie to wear. Haha. J and I are the same person.

The day ones. No one else I'd rather get ready with,

Or spend my night with.

Left to right: me, AV, SS

SS and I!

Sorry AV, I hated the photos of the two of us together.

I looked so bad.

After lots of pictures, we went to dinner at Daniel's! I've heard many raving reviews about it before, but had never been. AV had been and suggested it for dinner. It was insanely amazing. I got a Caesar salad and shared tortellini with pink sauce with AV. (Thank goodness she suggested sharing one because the portions are huge!) 

I wasn't that hungry because of nerves and samosas earlier, but Student Body Pres said the bread there is the best. I'll try it next time!

We then made our way to Sadie's, it was kind of awkward at first, but I knew I didn't want to spend the entire night standing in the corner talking to the same group of people (love them, but not all night!). We made our way around talking to people! It was so fun meeting everyone's dates and seeing everyone's outfits. 

Before I knew it, Thinking Out Loud came on. AV grabbed GR on the dance floor. I had warned J that I didn't have a dancing bone in my body, so I was a bit hesitant on slow dancing... I asked him, and he said we should. There might or might not have been a very low-key panic moment in my head. But it disappeared quickly after we started dancing. Thankfully slow dancing isn't too much moving... We talked the entire time, which always makes it a lot better. Even without talking, he kept making me laugh.

After that, another slow song came on, so we continued dancing. It wasn't before long before some friends noticed us dancing and freaked out. RR, her boyfriend, Baby T and her boyfriend were together and noticed us, and started freaking out! They did what (I guess) any normal 21st century teen would do, start taking photos of us dancing. We noticed when we heard squeals and screams, and laughed a lot. It was pretty embarrassing, but at the same time, really cute! In the end, I'm glad they did take photos, because my favorite photo from the night was one that Baby T took of us!

The rest of the night was filled with talking, meeting new people, lots of photo booth strips and more dancing (not just slow dancing! Where J learned that I really couldn't dance. It's okay, we both can't dance together...) 

Side note: Do you like our height difference? He'd have to lean down every time I'd whisper something to him... whoops! Note taken: higher heels next time.

RR, me and PP

I love them and our rant sessions complete with T-Swift!

Baby T

She absolutely hates dances and social events,

So I was so glad that she came because me and J asked/begged/pleaded her to.

It was a really fun night, and when the dance ended, J took me home. He had my phone in his pocket for the majority of the dance, and he still had it until we got to my house. As we said goodnight, I checked my phone and there was a text from Student Body Pres asking if we wanted to grab ice cream with him and his girlfriend, MN. Thankfully, J, the gentleman that he is, waited for me to go inside the house, before leaving, so I asked him if he wanted to and he was totally up for it!

I misread the closing times for Dairy Queen, so we got there at 10:33pm, and it closed at 10:30pm. Whoops, I thought it closed at 11pm. So we made our way to Goodberry's which is outdoors, and it was freezing cold that night- I'm pretty sure I almost froze! That being said, I had only like one bite of my ice cream. Oh well. It was still super fun talking to Student Body Pres and MN, both people I absolutely adore! It was J's first time meeting MN, but as we knew they would, they totally clicked. MN is like my twin, seriously, so it was awesome!

Overall, it was an amazing night! It's always a great time with J. Sorry for the super long post, hope it was somewhat entertaining! (If it helps, when we were dancing (not slow dancing), he twirled me and I went the wrong way, whoops! And when he hugged me the second time we said good night that night, I tripped on my heels and fell onto him... Typical Sam.)

Sadie Hawkins

So we're having a Sadie Hawkins dance at my school! At first I was a little nervous because it means I have to ask a boy! But it all turned out alright. I ended up asking J... Are y'all surprised? (Read about him in these posts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7) Can you believe those are just the seven most recent posts with him? He's a big part of my life.

How I Asked: I was really nervous, even though I was pretty sure that he would say yes. (A girl has gotta drop a couple hints here and there!) I had talked to literally all of my friends about it and we planned the perfect ask. He works at Kilwin's, a fudge and ice cream shop. I have visited him at work before and we've talked about his job a lot. (He tried to get me to apply there once! Although I already have the best job ever!)

My friend thought of the best pun: I'd be Kilwinning if you went to Sadie's with me! (Get it? Kilwins + winning = Kilwinning!) I thought it was perfect! J and I are both fans of puns (because I'm the type to make puns in daily conversation... it's cool.) I liked it because it was creative and personal!

I wanted to get J his favorite thing from Kilwin's too! While I know his favorite ice cream flavors (salted caramel and Kilwins tracks), I wasn't going to get him ice cream because it would melt! (Even though with the NC weather around here, it might stay cold!)

I came up with the idea to tell him that I was getting a birthday gift for a friend with a huge sweet tooth and I found out that his favorite thing from Kilwins (besides the ice cream) are the salted caramels! (He's a fan of salted caramel... if you can't tell!)

Plans had gotten switched around, but it all worked out for the best! I ended up going to surprise J after work. I didn't want to ask him while he was working, because he was on payroll at the time and working. JSC came with me because she rocks and I needed the moral support.

I needed to buy him some salted caramels, so JSC and I went in to buy them and talk to J. I was nervous, even though I wasn't even going to ask him then. I was probably more awkward than usual, but JSC said it was fine. JSC met J for the first time and said he was very sweet and professional (since he was at work!).

Then JSC and I waited for J to get off work. We ended up driving around the shopping center and parking in the back lot where he'd be leaving from. (Not creepy at all... right? Just parking where all the employees park and waiting for J... Thank goodness he knows me well and still tolerates me haha!)

JSC and I talked while we waited for J to come out. I was nervous, but I always love talking to JSC and we needed to catch up. Then JSC saw people coming out the back door, and the employees were taking the garbage out. She exclaimed "This is so creepy of us, Sam! Duck!"

So we did what any normal girls waiting at 10:15pm for a boy to leave work would do... ducked in JSC's car!

After they went back into the store, we continued talking, then JSC, who had been keeping an eye on her rearview mirror, exclaimed "Sam! Go now! He's in his car! He's gonna leave!"

Hurried, I grabbed the poster and caramels, and ran out of JSC's car, then exclaimed for JSC to come with me. She told me to go!

I walked as quickly as I could to his car, to find J checking his texts in the car. I knocked on the window and he came out, then the car alarm went off. Whoops! Such a typical thing to happen to me, am I right?

I said, "J, I'd be Kilwinning if you went to Sadies with me!"

He said yes, and I was literally over the moon. I told him the whole story about what had happened, and we laughed about it. JSC took photos of us, and we were all ecstatic!

After we left, JSC told me that he tried to hug me after I asked and he said yes, but I was too excited that I didn't even notice. Whoops! Next time. ;)

You can tell by my smile how excited I was!

Sorry for the super long story, but I wanted to include every little detail. It was awkward, adorable and a lot of fun! I was delighted the rest of the night, as JSC and I talked, picked up ALD, and talked some more!

I posted this photo on Instagram and all my friends were so excited! There were so many sweet comments filled with excitement and "Finally!"s. Lots of heart eye emojis were included in the comments too.

So that's the story! The next step is very important... the dress. I don't want to spend too much money on a dress since prom is right around the corner, but I want it to be cute. I'm very picky on dresses, so it will be kind of hard! 

I have a more mature style, but for Sadies, I want something young and fun! Here are my favorite pick so far:

via

I love this dress from Nordstrom! My only issue is the low-cut back which my mom isn't a fan of.

This is the only dress that even contends it for me. My only issue is that it isn't available at my local Nordstrom, so I can't try it on before purchasing it.

Do you have any ideas for Sadies dress options? Let me know. I will keep looking and post more soon!

Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all! As I'm stuffed on mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and the most delicious cornbread ever... I'm thinking all about everything I'm thankful for, which is a lot of things... I have to share how thankful I am! Here's a message...

To my friends...

To my lunch crew: Thanks for always being supportive of me and understanding when I'm gone to every club meeting possible! I don't know what I would do without you calming down all my crazy and I'm sorry when I interrupt every story.

To my APES class: Thanks for always listening to all my problems whether it be boys or APES tests... y'all are the most supportive and I love you all so much for it!

To my calc group R^ 2 & P^2: I love telling y'all anything. I'm glad you're #TeamSC and are willing to back me up in any fight, and even throw in a punch or two. ;)

To J: Thanks for always being there for me and being my everything. You're my best friend and we are the #DreamTeam. I wouldn't be half the person I am today without you. You've made me accomplish goals I never even knew I had.

To A: You a tru homie. You swaggie yo. Thx for always being there. U cool, u cool.

To HM: Thanks for always listening to me and my millions of rants. I love all of our conversations, and I love telling you everything.

To MS: There's nothing I love more than our talks. From politics to life, you are so inspiring and I'll always be a loser with you.

To SW: AYE. I'm sorry I couldn't be with you this Thanksgiving, but I'm always thankful for our rants about school and I love telling you everything. You get my cheesy lame jokes and you rock.

To the swim crew (ALD and JSC): I never have loved a car ride so much until we went on them. I love talking with y'all about everything and learning all the high school details.

To my family...

Thanks for putting up with my crazy, from mood swings to singing every lyric.

To all my readers...

Thanks for reading. Preppy in NC would be nothing without y'all and it's truly my escape into the blogger world, having my own space in the Internet is so cool!

Happy Turkey Day, y'all! Hope you have an amazing day.

17 Reasons

Happy Sunday! Today is a very special day. It's J's birthday.

So here's a very special post just dedicated to him...

Acting silly at the football game.
We can't really do serious.

After editing each other's NHS essays and applications,
We made it! Here's us at inductions.

17 Reasons Why I Love J:

1. He's my #1 supporter. Whenever I'm worried about something, I can always go to him for encouragement. He's the best at pep talks.
2. He's the voice of reason in my life. I'm known to be pretty stubborn. However, he helps me slow down and evaluate the pros and cons of my decisions. If I'm ever at a crossroads, I can just tell him the situation, and he'll talk about both sides, before offering me a final verdict on his take.
3. He's always there for me. While this is similar to the last two, it just means through the good, the bad and the nonsense, he's there for me with open ears, a smile and kind words.
4. He laughs at my lame jokes. I love making calc jokes and APES jokes. But hey, he actually thinks they're pretty funny.
5. We think alike. We have the same worries, and while I might be a little bit more worrisome than him, he always gets where I'm coming from. We have a similar style of thinking and humor.
6. He's kind. I don't know anyone who has something against J. Everyone knows J as a fantastic guy. He's likable, courteous and fun to be around.
7. We could talk forever and not get bored. This was proven during our almost-nightly phone calls when they'd turn into 90-minute phone calls because we'd get off topic quickly.
8. He always has something to say about every topic. I love learning every detail about him, especially when we talk about... well, anything. I love hearing about where he's from, Melbourne, Australia.
9. He loves to listen to me talk about my passions. What other boy will start the conversation about shopping and J.Crew? He loves talking about how much I love Washington D.C.
10. He shares the same interests as me. Well he is Student Council President... so we have that in common. ;) We have similar taste in TV shows (Sherlock, Arrow, White Collar, Psych and much more), places (he loves DC and traveling!) and even restaurants (Chipotle, Noodles & Co!).
11. He remembers the little details. Whether it's a tiny detail I mentioned several months ago, he'll bring it up when we're talking about the same thing months later. Nothing makes me happier than to know that he's paying attention when I'm rambling.
12. I look up to him. Whether it's his incredible work ethic to his awesome leadership skills, I'm always learning from him.
13. My mom adores him.  This is lame, but my mom doesn't usually say much about my friends. However, when she met J, she fell in love with him. He's courteous, mature, responsible and just a great guy.
14. He makes me laugh. Whether it's a casual joke thrown in there or a hilarious text where I'm actually laughing out loud, he knows exactly what to say.
15. He's smart. Not just his 4.0 GPA, but he knows what to say and how to act. Not something I can say for all high school boys these days.
16. He knows everything about me, and accepts me. I'm definitely the same weird self I always am when I'm with him. I don't mind saying everything on my mind, and you'll always catch me whispering to him.
17. He's my best friend. Every time something happens, he's the one I tell it to. As little as that moment was, he loves hearing about it.

Even volunteering with him is fun

Country Day!
He was wearing a cowboy hat on top and I went country club.

Happy birthday J! I'm so thankful that you're my best friend. I love you!

You Gotta Regatta

This was one of every girl's all time fav Lilly prints, am I right? I have always loved sailing, kayaking, boats, anything dealing with water. I went sailing with my Girl Scout troop on a camping trip focused on sailing, kayaking and canoeing, and I fell in love. While I'm not the best to set up a Sunfish boat, I'm amazing at manning the sails. That's actually a dream date: with friends or boyfriends... to go sailing! It's so relaxing and just so enjoyable.

This girl who I have the highest regards for, HJ, is a rower. I read Carly's blog, and I remember hearing about her rowing adventures. It's always seemed like a cool sport. The only thing stopping me was the fear that I'd be behind since I started so late, the time commitment (M/Tu/Th/F/Sat), and how far away the location was (45 minutes away!). 

On Friday, I was talking with the sweetest girl in my calculus class, and she was talking about how she wishes she did rowing or fencing or a rather uncommon sport, (she plays soccer) because it helps a lot with college admissions. It sparked my interest, since I was already interested in rowing, and I seriously considered it. The other girls in the conversation listened to me weigh the pros and cons (are you even surprised?), and I don't play a sport yet... My next semester won't be too hard. 

Today, I talked to HJ about rowing, and she got really excited. She said I'd have to come to the "try-it-out" round in February. I might be a coxswain, except I believe I might weigh too much, I'm not sure though. I'll talk with her more about it, and do lots of research before February. Seeing as how its such a huge time commitment, I'll have to talk to my mom. I also have to see if I actually like the sport. We'll see, but I'm really excited to dive into this world and maybe find my calling?

It just seems like an ideal sport for me. The whole "starter pack" is trending on Twitter right now, and HJ made one for rowers which included Patagonias and Bean boots. Yes please! I love the water, and the sport itself. It's so interesting and I love how preppy it is (I am Preppy in NC... right?). It seems like the ideal sport for me.

Is anyone a rower? A coxswain? I'd love to hear about your experience! 

Back At It

It's weird to be blogging after so long! Sorry guys. I'll be coming back slowly but surely. School has seriously been such a stress, and I actually got sick on Thursday, and I'm pretty sure one of the factors is just stress. I really need to get my grades up, but once I do, I'll be blogging- don't worry! Here's a quick recap of the past couple weeks (Edit: sorry not really quick, it's been a crazy few weeks!)

• (9/27) I volunteered for APES with J, and we got out of mulching! Yay! Mulching was rough that day too, it was a hilly path. We got to garden and make a stepping stone... Yep, we were lucky. It was a lot of fun! I went to a Garba party at SS' house! I had a blast and tried my first samosa. I'm hooked. 

  

  I wanted to wear this skirt so badly for Twin Day with SS! She refused.
  I will find a way to wear this skirt to school sometime.
  It was SS' mom's skirt, and I loved it! So much fun to wear.
  Love SS' family, they're like a second family.
  (I'm on the left and SS is on the right!)

• (9/28) Got up the next morning bright and early to decorate our class hallway for Spirit Week. It looked awesome if I do say so, myself. But in all seriousness, we rocked the hallway and it was the best hallway in the school. ;) 
• The theme was contients and we were Australia. I didn't even get a good picture of the tree, so I'm really sad about that! It was by far the coolest part of the locker bay. It used the pole in the middle and we had 3D branches and vines hangin gwith leaves with everyone's names on them! It looked super cool. There was even a hole with an owl in it. We also had a safari wall with kangaroos, dingoes, koalas, and a safari car; and aboriginal dot art!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• (9/29) Went to the quarterly work meeting, where we celebrated the museum's birthday! Complete with party games, cupcake decorating, a magician and Moe's, it was a great night. I love my job and my coworkers. (I sound like a broken record about my job. Sorry (not sorry!))
• (9/30-10/3) Spirit Week! So much fun. Monday was Mismatched, Tuesday was Twin, Wednesday was Country, Thursday was Continents (For us, Australia) and Friday was School Spirit Day! 

  

  Mismatched Day with TD and SS!
  I'm wearing: Polo Ralph Lauren buttondown,
  Vestique shorts, REI leggings, J.Crew socks

  

  Country Day with J!
  He had the cutest cowboy hat on.
  I went country club (thinkin' outside the box?).
  I'm wearing: Ralph Lauren sweater, J.Crew shorts,
  Tory Burch sandals

• (10/3) Homecoming tailgate and game! I wish I could post photos from homecoming because they are so cute, but we all got free t-shirts for participating in Spirit Week, and all the t-shirts have our school's name and mascot on them... It was a very fun night! SS, AV, TD, Kai-D and I had a blast! AV also had her crush, G, hang out with us! I knew him because he was a Beta Club member and I was an officer. He's seriously the nicest guy ever and least awkward guy ever. 
• The highlight of the night was homecoming court! A couple with Down Syndrome won Homecoming King and Queen, and they were soo excited! I ran into the HC King after and tweeted a photo of him smiling after they announced HC King and Queen on the Student Council Twitter J and I run.
• It was a really fun night with them! Kai-D and TD left early, and after the 3rd quarter (and losing very badly... Why do we decide to play the best team on HC night?!), AV, SS, G and I decided to go visit J at the ice cream and fudge shop he works at. I had never been yet, and I was planning on visiting J at work sometime soon. G loves the shop and SS was craving ice-cream, so we went and hung out. It all worked out perfectly, because I knew J had wanted to go to the game, but he had work. So I got to talk with J, which made my night. He's seriously my fav person ever! Per his recommendation, I got the salted caramel ice cream. It was reallllly good! Thanks J! 
• We also ran into the Homecoming Queen with her sister, who came up with the idea of having the couple run for HC King/Queen, and they were talking about the King's photo on our Twitter, so I snapped a photo of the Queen! It was so cute. Her sister said "Work it, G!" The girl replied, "I'm always working my sh!t!" She is the sassiest and an awesome dancer! 
• G left and SS, AV, and I sat outside after it closed and just talked. J was closing and we VSCO Cam'd our Instagrams and talked about what a great night it was. It was seriously one of the best nights in a while. So much love for my friends and my school!
• (10/4) I went to Garba at the temple with A! I don't think I'd ever spent that much time getting ready... ever! It was so much fun getting to see her again. It's been too long! We danced for a little while, but it was pretty crowded. We spent most of our time talking because that's what girls do when they haven't seen each other in forever, right?! 
• I also ran into a girl, MN, who recongized me through our mutual friend, JSC. I didn't know MN, and it was so funny! I texted JSC about it, and JSC told me that MN was dating a boy at my school. It turns out she was dating the Student Body Pres, who I know really well because of STUCO! (And he's in my 4th period!) Then the Student Body Pres came in, and I told him what had happened! 
• MN and I bonded over our love for Tory Burch and our love for preppy things. (Sorry Student Body Pres! He had to listen to our Longchamp, Gossip Girl and riding boot talk!)
• Student Body Pres is awesome! He's extremely likable, funny and so nice! J had Spanish 4 with Student Body Pres last year, and has Calc and Microsoft Word with him this year. I have Entrepreneurship with Student Body Pres this year. We also volunteered at the prom he planned last year. J told me that he's doing early admission to Duke... I know Student Body Pres will be a future blue devil! 

  

  Left to right: me and A!
  I wore her outfit from Diwali last year!

  
  

  

  (Left) My STUCO treasurer who I adore, RR and me!

• Don't worry, my next week isn't that exciting. I got sick and had to leave early on Thursday.
• I had lunch with J on Thursday and told him about my headache. J and I aren't in the same calc class, but since I left at the beginning of calc, I texted him that night (since we had a calc quiz the next day!) asking him if he could send me his calc notes.
• Several minutes later, I get a phone call from him. I thought it was about Student Council, since we talk on the phone about 3 times a week about STUCO. No this tall angel called to explain the calc lesson to me. Seriously so blessed to have someone like him in my life. I was in no way expecting this! Love you so much J.
• (10/10) After coming in late to ensure I was better, I took my calc quiz (rough, but it's whatever) and felt pretty good for the rest of the day. When in doubt, juice it out! (And by juice it out, I mean carrot and celery juice. Vegetable broth doesn't hurt either. And lots of sleep! And a hot hot hot shower!) But that night, Kai-D and SS called to see if I could hang. I was debating it because schoooool, but I'm so glad I went! They decided to carve pumpkins, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to carve a pumpkin yet. (We might be doing another round soon though!) But it was so much fun sitting on the back of Kai-D's porch, talking, carving pumpkins and contemplating why pumpkins have guts. 
  

What a long recap! Hope you've had some good weeks. This year is flying by! I'll be back with lots of posts soon! (I hope!) I just need to get through a couple more busy weeks!

Cause You Had a Bad Day

Today was one of the worst days I've had in a long time. Maybe I've been lucky enough to have a lot of good days, because it wasn't like anything life changingly horrible happened... but it was bad. Hopefully things will be sorted out soon...

But who really wants to hear me complain for an entire post? I know I wouldn't. So instead I'm going to list some of the little things I'm really happy about today:

• The random people you're sitting next to who you can talk to, when you're about to explode with emotion (and the people you randomly bump into... sorry HH!)
• My sweet sweet friends who'll listen to my problems with care and provide logical solutions and reassurance (Love you so much J and IQ!)
• The girls in my fourth period who'll listen to my problems and tell me not to worry. They're a grade older and know what they're doing, right?! I should listen to them.
• The same sweet senior girls who tell me that it'll be okay and I'll be president one day. Thanks, a little reassurance that it'll be okay goes a long way.
• This song: 
• My sweet friends who manage to put a smile on my face regardless. (Love you lunch crew!)
• The fact that I'm invited to a Garba party at SS' house! Thanks SS' mom, I'm so excited!
• The fact that my APES teacher has all homework and labs due at 3pm every day. (Instead of the beginning of class- lifesaver for us to finish labs at lunch!)
• Fun class activities where you get to be creative and silly.

Here's to the good moments that occur every day. Don't take anything for granted!

Still Here!

Sorry about the lack of posts this week. If you couldn't tell from the lack of posts or from reading my old posts, I'm back in school! Surprisingly, I had a great first day. (The year before, I wasn't happy and the year before that, I cried over the stress. Note: I cry. A lot. Sorry bout it.) The day after was harder, and today (the third day), I've gotten used to the schedule (but not the traffic situation: only one way in & out of my school at the moment as they're building another entrance... ugh!). I really like my classes that I'm taking this semester: AP US History, AP Environmental Science, Calculus AB and Entrepreneurship 1 Honors.

APUSH could be a little bit better, I'm a little sick of boring lectures and taking notes. I prefer hands-on activities, which is why APUSH isn't my ideal class. I love social studies, but more on the economics, government, current events side... I love debates, seminars and argumentative essays! I am very passionate about specific issues.

AP Environmental Science might be my favorite class. I have the best teacher ever! Mr. R is really relaxed, kind, always there to help, funny and the most organized person ever. I want to be as cool as him when I grow up! The classroom is huge and really cool- with painted marine animals on the walls (he also teaches marine ecology, I want to take it next year, as long as I get him as a teacher!), a class fish tank and gecko.

Calculus isn't too bad so far, even though we are only 3 days in. We are currently doing review, so it's not too bad and it's a nice refresh on pre-calc. I really like the way my teacher teaches, which is awesome. He explains it in a way that I understand, and (I'm weird) I like the fact that we have a mandatory homework notebook.

Entrepreneurship 1 is the best way to end my day. After all my AP classes, a fun, hilarious class is just what I need! Mr. T is this old, crazy, fun guy who always makes class fun. While we haven't done that much "fun stuff" yet, I know it will be! Mr. T told us about the two projects we'll be doing this semester: an interview with an entrepreneur, and making our own business plan! I immediately started thinking about these projects (I'm quite the crazy), and I would love the chance to interview the owners of Vestique, my favorite local boutique! The business has grown a lot since it opened, so it'd be awesome if I found the chance to get to talk to the owners in person, or even over the phone. Another idea could be my friend AV, as she has her own business, VuVu Designs! It'd be cool to hear her side as an entrepreneur, especially to hear how she balances her business, social life and school! (Perhaps a future interview on the blog? I think yes! This all just came to me, haha. I'll ask her!) I am excited to create a business plan for a fashion company similar to Vestique for my project next quarter!

It's been great seeing lots of my friends again, even though I get to school late now (thanks traffic!), so I don't get to see them in the morning, which sucks. Lunch is a whole different world now that we can go off-campus, you don't even see people if you don't off to lunch with them.

I went off to lunch with JG, Kai-D, SS and EPP on Tuesday; it was so much fun. We ended up going to Harris Teeter, Starbucks and Planet Smoothie. I got a Berry Bada Bing at Planet Smoothie and it was awesome! I could go for a smoothie daily.

We decided not to go off today, and it was a good idea! They started checking off-campus passes today, and although we all had ours, it caused a major wait to leave the parking lot. Most people didn't get to leave until halfway through lunch! Around 50 people didn't get to go off since they didn't have their pass. It's crazy with only one way in and out of the school- we're all very frustrated. Tomorrow, I'm going off with bae, MS, and hopefully the lunch situation gets better! I haven't seen him since school starts, so excited is an understatement. (MS, if you're reading this- hi!)

Again, sorry for the lack of blog posts. With the long weekend coming up (yay!), I will be blogging lots of drafts to post throughout the week so you can still enjoy Traveling and Buttondowns! Thanks for reading, y'all are the best. I have lots of exciting posts including lots of Back to School themed posts, how to personalize your school supplies (cute binder covers tutorial!), organization, eating healthy, and lots more! Let me know what posts you want to see! Lots of my posts will be relating to school since that's the main thing going on in my life. Every time I do something somewhat cool, I think "Hey! I should put this on the blog!"

Have a great rest of the week!

Goals: August 2014 - June 2015

I recently received a lovely email from my dear friend, H. Those who've been reading Traveling & Buttondowns know that H is currently in India. For the past 27 days, she's been without WiFi. She sent me an email with some of her goals for the upcoming school year, and I thought that was a genius idea, so I had to try it out.

via

Here are my goals! I'm really excited to be able to check some of them off as the year goes on!

Goals for August 2014 - June 2015 

1. Make the best out of every situation
2. Complete the 30-Day Happiness Challenge
3. Pack healthier, more inventive lunches
4. Work-out at least 3 times each school week
5. Travel more
6. Travel to a new place
7. Save up and purchase a more expensive, quality item (maybe these or a DLSR camera?)
8. Improve photography skills
9. Get my license
10. Find another organization to volunteer at (I'm now working at the organization I volunteered at for the past 3 years)
11. Find time to work at my job
12. Try out a new restaurant
13. Try something new each month
14. Stay organized
15. Redecorate my room
16. Continue blogging
17. Try out new recipes
18. Do my best in school, at all times
19. Get rid of / help my procrastinating problem
20. Take a cooking, photography or art class (or all 3!)
21. Go 24 hours without social media (for text messages- only responding to emergencies, family, and school related topics)
22. Read at least one book every month (and blog about it)
23. Eat more fruits and veggies
24. Attend more school events (ex: football games, plays, etc.)
25. Make a new friend in each class
26. Complement others more
27. Spend more time worrying about myself and less time worrying about others (as in getting caught up in others' Twitter drama, gossiping, etc)
28. Go a month without shopping (AH!)
29. Craft more often... including gifts for friends (Inspiration here and here!)
30. Go thrifting
31. Have a "crafternoon" with a friend (Any takers?)
32. Attend a fitness class
33. Listen to new music
34. Go to a concert
35. Get enough sleep

More goals will be added when I think of them! I'm excited to share with you when I complete these goals.

PS: I found this via Carly at College Prepster today. I think it's a great slideshow to view for everyone and I'm only a few slides in. It emphasizes why you should write down your goals!

Five on Saturday + A (Not So) Quick Recap

Seeing as how I crashed around 9pm (I don't remember, to be certain) and got much-needed 12 hours of sleep. After an amazing last week of camp, I can't believe it's already over! Doing before care with an awesome co-worker, working with preschoolers for the first time (and loving it!), and finally getting my hair cut and donated (and finally starting to love it!)... it's been an awesome week!

A (Not So) quick recap of my week...

I worked my last week of summer camp.

The limit for my love of summer camp DNE. (Pre-calc joke because I'm lame... sorry!) I truly love everything about where I work. I've said it once, twice, and many more times that it's annoying, I know. I'm going to miss my fun, enthusiastic co-workers who are always ready to lend a hand, I'm going to miss my adorable kids who never failed to make me laugh and smile, I'm going to miss telling knock-knock jokes with my 5-6 year olds, watching bovies (book-movies) with my kids and watching them die of laughter during the not-so-funny but funny jokes, seeing a kid feel so accomplished after making a necklace, watching kids interact with each other and learn. I'm going to miss everything so much. Here's to an amazing summer... and the best job ever! ;)

I worked with pre-schoolers for the first time this week and it was quite an adventure! They were so cute and as my boss M said, "Pre-school camp flies by because they do everything in slow motion." I couldn't agree more, while taking their time to wash their hands and playing with shaving cream, it was such a fun, relaxed week. Time truly flew by! It was amazing. They were so cute and teaching them to share toys, clean up after themselves and having to walk in a giant line where everyone was holding someone's hand was a lot of fun! I now adore pre-schoolers. My personal favorite age group is 5-6, but 3-4 is a close second! We received a card on the last day of camp from one of our preschooler's parents thanking us for a great week. It was really awesome, especially since this preschooler had difficulty leaving mom on the first day of camp.

This morning, I woke up to an email from my boss, who forwarded me and my co-camp counselor for this week an email from a copy writer (one who works with social media), sending us a kind Facebook post a parent posted. The post was so sweet and thanking us for a terrific week of our preschool camp, it made my heart so happy.

Knowing that my preschoolers had a great week of camp brings me so much happiness, it's indescribable. Sorry, I'm really mushy and cheesy... which is why I love summer camp and kids so much.

I also made a trip to Mellow Mushroom to celebrate their 40th anniversary! They had the items on their menu from 40 years ago as the same prices they were 40 years ago! A small cheese pizza was only $2.50! Coca-Cola products were only $0.30 and select beers were only $0.75! It was a lot of fun.

That night, I went to dinner at PDQ with JSC and ALD... We ordered 3 sides of fries... separately. Every time we finished one, one of us got up to order another. We tried so many of their different sauces from Buffalo BBQ, Ranch and Honey Mustard, and got milkshakes. It was so much fun! Although my stomach the next morning didn't quite agree with me! Good thing stomachaches come and go, memories stay forever! (How cheesy am I?) We drove around all night after just talking and listening to the radio. It's those nights that you cherish. (Mushiness out of the roof, sorry!)

I received a phone call from the presidents of Robotics club, I'm currently the social media coordinator for Robotics. I told them that I wouldn't mind doing more than tweeting cool links to robot articles and reminders, so they found me the perfect position. They needed more positions for the club, and they gave me a phone call about being the HR Director. As HR Director, I will be in charge of interest meetings, informing everyone about what the team is like, details about when we meet, being knowledgeable about the club, be in charge of the waiting list, working on the application and transfer requests, and if there are any problems within the team, being a mediator. It's the perfect job for me, since I'm enthusiastic, bubbly, love to talk (I may be the only person who loves public speaking), and love to work with others and help them with their problems. I'm really excited for this position! I love to be active in clubs and keep myself busy (post on that soon!), so this is perfect! As I want to go into PR, I think this position is similar to PR, which will be a great "trial" into the world of PR/HR!

We also had a Student Council meeting, and it was so much fun! Prom is coming so soon! (And when I mean soon, I mean 9 months!) I feel like we're planning a wedding, there's so much to do! I'm a little nervous especially with the number of STUCO members, how many will be participating and whatnot, but I'm also really excited! It's going to be an awesome year. PS: I attended my Student Council meeting soaking wet. I won Counselor of the Week and was surprised with a bucket of water poured on me by my boss (Friendly reminder that I have the best job EVER). All the kids at carpool laughed and once one of the campers realized that we had water tables out, and we were soaking wet, he screamed "Let's get the counselors wet!" We laughed and got super soaked. It was so much fun! Best ending to my summer job ever.

Oh and H is back in town! Yay! H and I are really excited for her guest posts on my blog to come soon. Sadly, she's really sick right now, so I haven't gotten the chance to see her yet, but I'm so excited to see her really soon!

Yay for a fun last week before school starts! I've got a lot of work to do this weekend of my summer assignments... fun stuff ;)

Here's my Five on Saturday!

1. Preschoolers: Are you surprised? I loved working with them this week. Although they didn't know how to walk in line, share toys or clean up after themselves... they learned so much that week! It was amazing to see them grow and mature as the week went on. I absolutely adore them and their way of life: taking things slow, easy and one thing at a time. With all the chaos that's about to come with school, it was the perfect way to end the summer.
2. Old Friends and New Friends: I talked to some old friends this week and it was amazing how we started right where we left off, even though it's been months or even years (in some cases) since we last talked. And here's to all my new friends I've met this summer! From my co-workers to friends I've met through other friends, I'm so excited to have met you and get to know you better. Here's to exciting times to come soon! I'm so blessed to have the most amazing people in my life. I hope I never take it for granted. 
3. Donating Hair: There's no better feeling than getting your hair cut 9+ inches! It feels like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders (seriously!). And the amount of complements you'll get about your hair won't stop! When my co-workers stared at me on Monday, I was like "what is it?!", then they said "Your hair!" One of my sweet, sweet co-workers C ran over and hugged me, she loved it so much! She might be a recent grad of college and cheer, but I already think of her like an older sister/aunt, she's so much fun, sweet and caring. PS: I donated my hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, an organization I love and have supported 3 times now!
   
4. Collegiate Shirts: I don't know why, but I love a t-shirt 1939 times more if it's a collegiate shirt. (Example in photo above!) I'm currently wearing another Duke t-shirt right now. I love to wear my Brown long-sleeved tee as well, maybe it's the false pretense that I could get into Brown or Duke? Haha.
5. Mouthful of Diamonds: I really love the tune to this song! In before care for summer camp, my boss M played this song for a bit before the campers came in, and was like "I don't think this song is bad, and then she was like "Wait! It talks about getting high on your own supply." Right after that, the song said that lyric. I love the tune, and M has the best taste in music. I was jamming to the kid-friendly indie songs she played all morning! [Side note: I adore M! She's so cool. She's the type of person who's allergic to cats, but has two of them, because she loves them too much and hasn't found a better home for them yet. Side side note: Oh and her boyfriend and her are the cutest! He works here too, and I worked with him the week I did guest experience- such a sweet guy! He saw me working with one of the preschoolers this week, who had Down Syndrome, and said "You're doing a great job, Sam!"]

Hope everyone has a great last couple days of summer/first days of school!

Rejection

I have many flaws, but the one that stands out the most is that I'm a worrywart.

I'm always worrying and stressing over something, perhaps it's my need to not fall under expectations, or my fear that I'm not good enough... but I'm always worrying. I don't handle rejection or fear well at all.

Am I the only one? I don't take rejection well. After working so hard for something, (it hurts the most for me when it's something like a job, officer position, etc.) and not getting it, it makes me question everything... "What did I do wrong?", "What could I have done better?", "Why am I not good enough?", and I usually compare myself to the others who got the job, and wonder "What do they have that I don't have?"

This is most definitely not the healthiest response for rejection.

I don't mean to sound snobby or anything, but I haven't had to deal with that much rejection in my life. All the things that I've worked really hard for (officer positions, jobs, etc.), I've gotten. I've been really lucky, but I did apply to jobs that I knew I was prepared for and I worked very hard to prepare for job interviews with my mom.

Since I don't think I'm the only one who has this fear of rejection (hopefully my fear of rejection is greater than yours), here are some tips that I found online* (words are not my own!) to help deal with rejection:

• Don't get angry. You are likely to feel angry, since you're human and it's hard to not take rejection personally. However, the reason you didn't get the job was probably the result of a variety of factors and not just a fault of yours. (source)
• Exercise. Though you may not feel like it, hitting the gym or getting outside can help you feel better, especially after you get a rejection letter or call. “It takes about 20 minutes of exercise for the endorphins to start being released in your body,” says Richard Deems, co-author of Make Job Loss Work for You. Endorphins are natural pain and stress fighters produced by your body. The activity will help you clear your head, expend some energy and recharge for the next round. (source)
• Accept it and move on. Put full steam into the next best opportunity you are working on. (source)
• Understand That You Aren't Alone: Many more people are turned down for jobs than land them - that's a simple fact. Once you accept that, you can focus on the next opportunity. (source)

I think these tips are all great for healthily dealing with rejection. Rejection is tough. It's nice to talk to a close friend and seek advice. It's nice to go on a run to clear your thoughts. It's nice to write/talk about it. (Like I am right now!)

If you're not sure if you're about to be, don't worry over the fact that you've been rejected, but enjoy the time you still have. If you show how happy you are, your peers will see and notice that. Always be appreciative.

[Side note: While all this post has to deal with rejection with jobs and positions, rejection from friends and crushes also sucks. Just remember what Oprah said: "I don't want anyone that doesn't want me." Take time to appreciate your true friends and spend your time with them, appreciating them instead of being upset over those who rejected you.]

Pint-Sized Recap

What's going on in my life...

I fell in love with the confidence wearing a black bra gives me.

I tried out a new job at my job... from summer camps to working in the museum gallery exhibits.

I found out what I want to major in, with some help of a college student... public relations.

I received the sweetest email from my sweet friend from elementary school. It made me tear up. For real. I'm considering printing it out to look at it daily. AF is the kindest girl in the world and has a way with words.

I did some major shopping. I got some new Clinique supplies (my all time fav, post coming soon) and a LaRoque dress!

PS: I got this LaRoque dress for $30... you read that correctly.

I got my eyebrows threaded for the first time. I teared up, not because of pain, just because of reaction. I feel fierce now.

I hung out with one of my STUCO advisers, and we sold 65+ class t-shirts. Yay!

I got the real scoop on college from a family friend.

I was reunited with SW at a family friend party at her house. SW and I could talk for hours. We have so much to catch up on!

I am constantly reminded of how lucky I am to have the best job ever. I adore my coworkers, bosses, job and the atmosphere which I work in. Not many people can say they leave their job happier than they came in... I can.

I've read 80% of Mindy Kaling's "Is Everyone Else Hanging Out Without Me" book on the Kindle. I adore it.

As a result, I've been rewatching The Office recently. I've fallen back in love with Michael Scott and the rest of Dunder Mifflin.

I am reminded of how awesome, my president, J is. He's the best!

I got my official schedule, and 3 out of my 4 classes first semester are APs... ah!

I was reminded of just how much I love kids. So so so much.

My aunt drove all the way up from Florida, just to drop off my car. She's the best and I'm so blessed. Leather seats and a sunroof? I'm hype. (It might be my mom's car though, since it might be harder for me to park since it's bigger... but eventually it'll be mine. Hopefully eventually is soon.)

I'm ready for college for one reason: free stuff! My aunt dropped off some stuff my cousin didn't want, which included a handful of my favorite things: collegiate shirts. My cousin went to Duke, and she had so many Duke shirts, as well as a Boston College and Brown shirt, which I'm wearing now! She also dropped off some make-up for me... I love having older cousins!

I am still waiting for someone to nominate me for the ALS Challenge. Anyone?

And I'm still procrastinating on my summer assignments. Yep, there's that.

Prom planning is still on its way... hopefully we'll pick a venue soon! We're trying to find the perfect one that's within the budget and has all of our requirements. Fingers crossed the one we're looking at now will work!

Just (Romp)in' Around

[Warning: Super long post! A Recap and Fashion post all in one. You get two for the price of one. (free?)]

Today was quite a productive day (minus the part where I didn't do any of my summer assignments... I'm really going to be regretting that by this time next week. I woke up bright and early to go with J to the school to get our class t-shirts approved. Yay! The one J and I loved and thought would win the survey is surprisingly not winning or even close to winning. I guess you never know what others truly think. It was crazy being back at school and the fact that school starts in a few weeks really sunk in. (Ahhh!)

Then I went to hang out with SS and AV at our favorite lunch spot, Noodles & Co. I got a mac & cheese (what can I say? I love it!) and a side Caesar salad. I forgot to take a photo because I was so hungry. It was amazing. Oh and I copped a prom date at Noodles! ;)

[Side note: SS, AV, EPP and I all hung out yesterday at SS' house too. We tie-dyed shirts and ate all of SS' food. Her ice cream selection is like a mini Harris Teeter!]

We went window shopping at a local boutique, Ulta and Charming Charlie's. Personally I'm not huge into make-up or jewelry, but it's also fun to window shop, especially with friends!

Then we got froyo (my fav!). I got the peanut butter & white chocolate mousse swirl and the strawberry & pina colada swirl with whipped cream and Nutella. Weird combination, but froyo is froyo- which means it's good.

We, then, made our way to everyone's favorite shop, Target! We went straight to the clothes. AV tried on some swimsuits and got a really cute top that I loved!

For the life of me, I can't find it on the website, but this is a similar one.

Junior's Flounce Swim Top -Mint

I fell in love with this swimsuit. I'm coming back for ya!

Xhilaration® Junior's Push Up Swim Top -Stripe

Background story: SS wore a romper to lunch and it was so cute! She told us she got it from Rue 21, where I don't usually shop. Such a funny story about how she got that romper! It was super cute, and unfortunately no longer available online. We talked in the clothing boutique 

Back in Target... After finding this romper in the clearance section; SS and I both fell in love. She tried it on first since she's tiny and it was a XS. It was way too small on her, so I tried it on and it fit! A happy surprise since I'm usually a S. I love it! I'm so glad AV and SS convinced me to buy it. We've already decided that I'm wearing it the next time we go out.

Junior's Printed Romper

I am now in love with rompers. I always have been but now that I have another one, I'm totally in love. I need a million rompers. I could wear them everyday. A complete outfit. Only downside? So hard to go to the bathroom in!

Here are some really cute rompers:

Sweet Tie-Front Romper

Don't Tempt Me Romper

Everything Leads To You Romper

Abstract Floral Strapless Romper

Some Nights Romper

Take Me Away Romper

Jetsetter Romper-Royal

Sweep Me Off My Feet Romper

Riverwalking Romper

What do you think about rompers? Which ones do you love?

Late Nights & Long Talks

Nights like last night are the nights I cherish the most.

Let me paint the scene: it starts with a simple "Hey, are you busy?" text and "Let's hang out. Come over!" It's simple, easy- no complications, no drama, no fuss. And just like that, we just start talking. 

The night includes... 

• Trying on the other's closet (just us? We love trying on each other clothes. I just had to try on JSC's gorgeous prom dress. Love! 

JSC rocking her prom dress.
How gorgeous is it? LOVE!

• Talking about life
• Looking at cute boys' Instagrams (pretty sure that is a ritual every time we hang out- am I right?)
• Eating chocolate cake and ice cream (thanks JSC's dad! You rock!)
• Reading Lauren Conrad (life goal: to be her)'s book
• Planning future trips (so excited to post about the trip after it happens- get excited!)
• Having a GM while hanging out

And before you know it...

• Deep, meaningful conversations

Do you have those friends that you can just talk about anything and everything with? JSC and ALD are definitely two of those friends. While we are all laying on JSC's bed just talking, these are the nights I won't forget. The lunch dates and shopping trips are always fun, but just talking and being 100% genuine with each other is the best. Listening to each other's goals and dreams is amazing. So much love for these two girls and nights like these.

JSC, ALD and me ice-skating!
PS: This was from last year aka my short hair days. I miss it!
[Side bar: So excited for my hair to get long enough
that I'll be able to donate it for the 3rd time to
Pantene Beautiful Lengths.