The Real Deal

Today's post is one of my favorite posts to write: a content roundup!  I love watching people's YouTube videos and read people's blog posts about what they've been loving, and it's been so fun rating and keeping track of everything I am reading and watching.  So here is an update on what I've consumed the past few months, and hope you all enjoy! BOOKS "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" by Taylor Jenkins Reid: 10/10 //  This is in my top 10 reads of the year so far.  It is so incredible and I was pretty much glued to my iPad throughout the book.  It's about a writer who is tasked with writing a memoir about a very prominent and private actress, Evelyn Hugo.  There was even a HUGE twist at the end of the book that I was not expecting at all, and it was just so so incredible.  Highly recommend! "In Five Years" by Rebecca Serle: 10/10 //  This is another top 5 read for the year!  This is about a girl who just got engaged and has her whole li...

As you all are reading this, it is my 23rd birthday!  This year has been absolutely crazy and definitely not what I expected to come from it, but I've loved everything about it and wouldn't change anything (except maybe the global pandemic part...).  I always love to reflect on the past year and see how I've changed.  Each year I feel like I'm growing more and more into myself and I genuinely really like who I'm becoming.  So here are just a few things that I've learned in the past year, and I can't wait to see what 23 will bring! MAN PLANS, GOD LAUGHS //  I've really learned the truth of this in the past year.  I did not see myself taking an unpaid internship after graduating from college.  But that internship opened so many doors for me.  It gave me incredible experience, taught me what I wanted in the future, introduced me to one of my best friends, and gives me great volunteering opportunities.  I also took my first adult job at the...

It's been (almost) two months of staying at home.  At the beginning of all of this, I was seeing some positives such as saving money now that I won't be going out with friends or even getting gas since I wouldn't be driving to and from work.  This is also my first time have an "adult" pay check, so having that much money in my bank account for the first time is very tempting as well.  I've started a budgeting spreadsheet to see exactly where my expenses are going each month and to hopefully prevent me from over spending.  This is somewhat working, but temptation is definitely still there for me!  Most of my purchases have been from the holy grail, Amazon, and I have loved everything that has come in so far!  I thought I would share what I've bought these past few months, both what has arrived and what hasn't yet in case you were looking for a little retail therapy, too! Amazon Basics Yoga Mat //  I bought this right at the beginning of the stay ...

Working out is one of the many things keeping me sane right now!  I used to hate working out, and I'm personally someone who thrives better in a class environment.  I get motivation from the people around me and I love the personalization from the instructors so working out by myself has been a HUGE change for me!  I've been experimenting with multiple different formats and types of workout because if I do the same thing too often, I get burnt out and just want to stop altogether.  I know there are so  many companies and apps who are doing longer free trials and free online workouts.  I think it's so  amazing what companies are doing during this crazy time.  These are the ones I've personally been using, so just because one isn't listed doesn't mean I don't like it!  So, here is how I've been liking to workout these days. MADFIT (YOUTUBE/INSTAGRAM) //  MadFit has been my go to lately!  I've been following her for a long time b...

Hello everyone!  Today is the start of Week 4 of working from home, and as of today, Missouri has implemented an official stay at home order.  It's definitely a little scary and crazy out there, but I thought I would share some things that have been keeping me sane and helping me keep my mind off of all of these crazy things going on in the world right now. PODCASTS //  I've always loved podcasts, but I am loving them even more now!  I pretty much always have one on when I'm doing something around the house, taking a shower, even just sitting and playing on my iPad with one on!  I'm currently subscribed to The Morning Toast, Girls Gotta Eat, Potterless, My Favorite Murder, Gals on the Go, and Office Ladies.  I pretty much always have one on hand and ready to listen to, and it's nice to get some insight on other people's lives and just hear them talk about something other than the virus for an hour! CHILL HITS PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY //  This is my ...

These are some very scary times.  As someone who suffers from an anxiety and panic disorder, all of the uncertainty right now is not great for my mental health.  This is why routines are so  important, especially when all four of my family members are home all day and working from home/doing online school. These times are already scary and weird, but on top of the weirdness, I started a new job on Monday!  I am now working in the Alumni and Donor Engagement office at one of the local universities and I was so excited to start.  Well, I went in for my first day on Monday, and during the day they told everyone to start working from home the next day, Tuesday.  So throughout the week I've been doing online trainings, meetings, and offering to help in whatever way that I can.  It's definitely difficult to learn the ins and outs of a new job while working from home, but we are all figuring this out together since this is a first for everyone. So, in the...

Over Valentine's Day weekend, my brother came back home to St. Louis for the weekend, which usually means a family brunch on Sunday!  We had been talking for so long about trying this boozy brunch out, and we certainly were not disappointed! We started our meal out with bottomless mimosas!  The waitress gives you a bracelet to know which members of the party ordered bottomless mimosas and bring out pitchers for refills instead of having to wait for every time the waitress comes out, which I loved!  We started with a pitcher of the classic mimosas with just champagne and orange juice, and another pitcher of the Wheelmosa, which is pineapple, Sprite, Aperol, and rosé. The Wheelmosa ended up being a favorite at the table, although the original ones were good too! We also started with an order of donut holes for the table.  You can get them with powdered sugar, chocolate sauce, or cinnamon and apple butter.  We got chocolate sauce, and WOW these ended u...

Happy 2020, everyone!  I hope you all had a great holiday season!  I seriously cannot believe that the holidays are already over.  Christmas is my favorite holiday and I'm already looking forward to next year's Christmas.  Now that it is a new year, it is time for some new goals.  I like making a post for this every year because it keeps me accountable, and I love looking back on the past year to see if I accomplished what I wanted and made myself that much better.  So, before I get into what I want to accomplish this year, here is a recap of my 2019 goals: BETTER DENTAL HEALTH //  This was probably my top goal for the year since I had surgery at the beginning of the year for not having great dental health.  I now brush my teeth twice a day and incorporate flossing once a day, and have not had any more gum problems since!  I also got a Sonicare electric tooth brush for Christmas so my dental health will continue to get better in 2020! REA...

In case you didn’t know, my family and I (well, mainly my mom and I) are huge Disney fans. We love Disney World and try and go as often as we can. I also used to exclusively watch Disney Channel as a kid, and I have been missing so many classic Disney movies that have entered the Vault. Enter, Disney+. Ever since the release date, I had been begging my mom to get it, and the only response I was getting was “Eventually”. Finally, after it had been out for about two weeks, my wonderful mother made the purchase. We are all so impressed with the service and the amount of movies and shows that are available. My family and I watch something together from Disney+ every single night, and my brother is even excited about it so he can binge all of the Marvel movies. With the incredibly large amount of content available on Disney+, it’s so hard to figure out what exactly to start with. If I shared my list of what I want to watch on Disney+, we would be here forever (it’s 4 pages single-spa...

After months (not even joking, it’s been months) of wanting to try a spin class, I bit the bullet and booked a class for yesterday! I’ve seen so much hype from so many people both in real life and on social media and YouTube. I was worried it would be too hard, it would be too awkward, and that I just wouldn’t know how to do it. My fun fact I tell people is that I never even learned how to ride a bike! Obviously the spin bikes don’t go anywhere, but I was worried that it would feel too foreign or weird to me and that I would make a fool of myself in class. I had also read a lot of reviews that you won’t get the hang of it for four or five classes, and that really intimidated me. I didn’t want to go to a work out class where I would be bad no matter what. I finally decided to try spin because the studio closest to me, MO Cycle Studio, has classes for $12, which is one of the cheapest I have ever seen. It’s also close to home, so it wouldn’t be a long drive, and the class schedule a...

I always love the start of a new month. Although I know you don’t have to wait for a new month or year to start acting on goals, it gives me a good timeline to make sure all of my ducks are in a row so that I can hit the ground running on the first of the month. So without further ado, here are a few things that I have been wanting to accomplish as we get into November.                       TRY A CYCLING CLASS // I’ve always wanted to try cycling, but there’s no Soul Cycle in St. Louis and we have a CycleBar, but neither of them are close to where I live. However, I recently discovered a new studio that is literally 10 minutes from my house, and is not incredibly expensive for memberships or bulk classes. I’ve always thought about trying it out, but never made the jump to do so. So, for November, I want to take my first cycling class. I like work out classes so much better than working out at home or at the gym because...

It is so  crazy to me that it is August right now!  My family and I leave next weekend to drop my brother off for his sophomore year of college.  This summer has flown by, and it still hasn't sunk in that I will not be going back to school this year.  Back to school is something that I have known pretty much my whole life.  I do start an internship next week (woohoo, making big girl moves over here!) so my "summer break" is coming to an end, although it will not end in the beginning of a school year, like every other summer has. So, in order to contribute to back to school season, I decided to talk about the ten things that I wish I knew before college.  Most of these things I am actually happy that I learned during college because they helped to shape me into the person I am today.  But it also would have meant a lot to me if someone had given me this advice as well.  So, here are 10 things I wish I knew before college! ONE // YOU DON'T NE...

Long time, no post!  As usual, school got the best of me, BUT, I'm here for a little update!  Last Sunday, May 19, I graduated Cum Laude from Bradley University. It still feels so surreal to me!  I've talked about this on my blog before, but I had a really really hard freshman year.  I called my mom and wanted to transfer at least once a week, I was homesick all the time, and became a shell of my former self.  It was a huge transition and instead of pushing myself, I drew myself into my shell and waiting for something good to happen to me. But you know what?  It got so much better.  I started meeting the right people, joined so many organizations and got more involved in organizations that I was already a part of, and finally started to find myself.  I now have friends that have become my family, and it was so incredibly hard to leave them.  I've had the most amazing professors and faculty who I feel have truly prepared me for my fu...

As a second semester senior, I feel like I have mastered the art of using my planner.  Of course, everyone is different and has their own method that may work for them for setting up their planner, but I thought I would share my method and what works for me.  I have used the same planner since my senior year of high school: the Lilly Pulitzer Large Agenda.  It's so cute, is the perfect size for everything I want to do, and has made me come back year after year.  There are three different agenda sizes: Medium, Large, and Jumbo.  The large size is just the one that works the best for me.  This  is the exact planner I have right now (same print, too!), but it is no longer available since it is 2018-2019.  But new agendas should be released within the next few months, so keep an eye out if you want one! So, without further ado, here is how I use my planner in college! COLOR CODE // Color coding is the easiest way to see, at a glance, what nee...

Since I was absent on this blog for so long, I think it's time for a sort of "life update" type post.  I've posted what I've done and everything, but what are my favorites?  What am I currently loving or doing?  I found a template on Pinterest filled with questions to answer, and thought it would be a nice way to document where I'm at for me, and for you guys to see what I've been doing and loving lately! READING:   P.S. I Still Love You  by Jenny Han.  It's the sequel to To All the Boys I've Loved Before .  I had seen the Netflix movie, so I figured, why not read the book?  It's very  high school and a quick and easy read, but I seriously enjoyed it!  It ended with a pretty big cliffhanger, and I'm already about 60 pages into this one.  I'll most likely end up reading the third one too. WATCHING:  I'm honestly in the middle of a lot of Netflix shows right now...oops.  I'm almost done with the first season of How to...