Freshman Year: What I Learned

This time last year I was just a timid High School Senior. 
The most important thing on my mind was prom. I quickly dodged any and every question regarding graduation, where I wanted to go to college and  more importantly what I wanted to even do with my life.

Just what did I want to do for the rest of my life? That was a huge question for me and something just too vast to wrap my head around. I'm not going to lie, that question still intimidates me.

Many tears were shed during my college process and I was never scared of anything more in my entire life.  I just didn't want to admit to myself that it was time to grow up.  My last week of High School was hard. My graduation was hard. Saying bye to my friends was hard and moving 6 hours away from my family was hard.

Yet as the famous phrase goes "Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it" and in retrospect I find truth in these words.

If all those moments weren't scary for me, I wouldn't be where I am right now.
 So, to timid Sarah from 9 months ago, I want to tell you just what you learned during your first year of college.

*

Sarah, this is lesson one. Like everything else  you will survive. Give it two weeks and the rest is history. Quite possibly the greatest thing you will learn all year - you will survive. Seriously. 

Another lesson that just can't be taught in a classroom, it will be hard to keep in touch with people. Your friend's stories will be vastly different than your own. Gone are the days of gossiping about high school events. However, you live in the era of technology! You need to start investing a little bit of your time to shoot someone a text or even- dare I say it- call someone. Stop being lazy and tell someone how important they are to you. It will make both of your days great.

Teachers will no longer baby you. You know, guide  you through every single project, test and homework assignment. Most teachers plop a syllabus on your desk and it's solely up to you to keep up with what is due. Stressful? Of course it will be at times, but you have been organized and you will stay organized. Yes, even if you don't want to be.

While on that topic, teachers may not baby you, but they want you to succeed. They will put in their own time and effort to help you BUT only if you do the same.  There will be classes you hate ( Ahem, 8 am public speaking) and the funny thing is that you'll realize those classes are more beneficial than you think. Reach out to teachers,  your RAs and your peer and academic advisors if you need help or better yet want to network yourself. 
Wait- that's actually possible? You better believe it, Sarah.

Things will be stressful at times, but there is still time to have fun. Go out and do the activities put on by your school. ( Sarah, you won't believe how much money you'll save on going to the movies!) Go join clubs even if you are unsure about them. The worst thing that happens is that you don't like it. If you're not having fun, let it go. Clubs allow you to meet so many great people. Everyone comes from a different place and you can learn a lot from them.

 Keep your sights on things that may seem out of your reach. Keep making goals for yourself.  What  do you want to accomplish in a month, semester or in the grand scheme of things? You will get there. I know you will. Your biggest obstacle is yourself.

The last important thing you will discover,  when you practice the before mentioned lessons, is just how at peace you will be.  You learn to let  the little things go. You live in a beautiful place and you need to enjoy it. Life is too short to only cling on to the negative, sad or even stressful things you may face. Focus on what makes you happy.

Look at the sunset as frequently as you can- one day it will no longer be that scenic. Get up early and get the most out of your day. Enjoy your alone time. Enjoy the time you get with your friends. Enjoy this great opportunity you have been given! Put effort in everything that you do and you will  be surprised what doors  will open for you.

*

College has treated me very well so far and I have to admit, I'm a little sad that I have to leave it for four months. I've learned more in and out the classroom than I could have ever imagined.  There are so many things I've done that I didn't think were possible a year ago. 

And this is just the beginning.

Best,
Sarah

Weekly Links: School's Over? That's so Fetch

This is it. 

My last Weekly Links as a college Freshman. Time really does fly. Freshman year was extremely good to me  and if you stick around you'll get to read all about it on Monday!

I can't wait to plan more recipe, outfit of the day  and diy posts  for the blog over the Summer as it will be easier to do from home. If you have any suggestions, send them my way loves.

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 I watch a ton of different things on YouTube. One of my favorite YouTuber's is Ingrid otherwise known as Missglamorazzi. I've actually blogged about Ingrid before ( see here). She's always coming up with creative tutorials and videos that it's really no surprise that I am talking about her again today! As Summer is right around the corner I thought it would be cool to include Ingrid's favorite healthy recipes in today's post. I can't wait to officially be home and try her green dream power smoothie out for myself- yum!

If you've ever listened to Macklemore, you've heard of Ryan Lewis. Lewis (left) is Macklemore's silent yet still overwhelmingly talented partner in crime. This week Lewis released a video for the 30/30 project in which he talks about his mother and her struggle with being HIV positive for over 30 years. I'm glad he shared his story to spread awareness and to also open up to his fans.

I know for me, like many other people, reading Shakespeare every year in school was painful. Even No Fear Shakespeare on Sparknotes couldn't help me decipher Shakespeare's enigmas. This is just the plain truth, but this doesn't degrade his work in any way. There's a reason we still read his work after all these years and I didn't know until recently that I liked shakespeare a lot more than I thought and so have you! 

 Daniel Franzese is most commonly known as  the lovable gay best friend Damian from Mean Girls.  Iconic movie. Everyone's seen it. Everyone quotes it and 10 years later Daniel is ready to finally talk about its impact on him. This week he wrote a coming out letter to his character, Damian. Doing something like this takes courage. The letter is just the right amount of humor while still effectively talking about  an important topic and somewhere out there I just know Gretchen is reading his letter saying "That's so fetch".

Random Little Links:

1. My cupcake dreams are finally coming true

2. An unlikely mashup: Mean Girls + Winnie the Pooh

3. My friend's unique view on her relationship

4.People's most beautiful issue

5. My new favorite video app

It's a great feeling to be free of stress, school work and all things tedious. 
What time is it? Summertime!... In April. Hey, I'm not complaining!

Have a lovely weekend everyone! Enjoy the nice weather, and if all else fails watch this. 
(Honestly,  just how many times can he pull off that hat?)

Best,

Sarah

OOTD: Flannel is the Answer

Hey there darling,
No matter what your style, there's a small part in every one of us that wants to just throw on a flannel and be done with it. Flannels are cool. (in my opinion) Flannels are timeless and a good flannel? Well, it's the comfiest thing you will ever own.

This applies to this flannel from Jac Vanek. I've had it for almost a year and after numerous washes I still love how baggy, durable and comfy it is! The fun saying on the back is merely a bonus. (Sayings and flannel style often rotate on Jac's website)

Now that it's warm outside, I've been exploring my lovely town, something that has been long overdue. This beach nearby has so many hidden places perfect for an impromptu photo shoot.

Flannel: Jac Vanek

Crop Top: Forever 21

Leggings: Charlotte Russe

Riding Boots: Colin Stuart

Sunglasses: Forever 21

 My rule? No photo shoot is complete without being silly.

This is my content self basking in the sunlight before it started to get dark...

...and this moment  is about the time lighting started to get bad so now you all get to witness my photoshop wizardry. (or lack there of)

The weather this weekend was absolutely perfect.  It just needs to get a teensy bit warmer so I can swap my boots and leggings for  more appropriate summer attire. 

Have a lovely week!!

Best,

Sarah

Weekly Links: No Day But Today

Happy Friday everyone! Do like this  week's weekly links icon? I modeled it after Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show logo. No surprise there since I love everything about that man. I actually did a speech on him this week because I admire him that much.

Aright, my tangent is over. I hope you all had a lovely week.  On Monday it was a beautiful 81 degrees  and in just a mere 24 hours it. snowed. Echoing the numerous people who've said this before me: "Only in Vermont".

 Next week starts my finals which is absolutely insane. My days studying at my favorite coffee shop are numbered and all my free time is going towards filling out job applications for the summer.  There's also  a profuse amount Tumblr browsing and listening to Ed Sheeran  thrown in there as well.

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For those who celebrate, you know that Easter is this weekend! Dying eggs is always a fun tradition. This post is the holy grail of Easter Egg decorating. There are so many unique ideas on this list. I especially think the chalkboard  and the pressed flower eggs are beautiful. 

Sometimes I wonder if celebrities have actual friends or  if they only hang out with other celebrities. I know everyone claims  that they are just like us, which I believe to an extent. However, my mind tends to think of a celebrity's life quite often. I know, I know it's a bit silly.  Seriously, do they hang out with normal people? I guess I will never know,  in the meantime Distractify put up a gallery of celebrities hanging out together. To be a fly on the wall...

Nowadays everybody and their mother knows Idina Menzel as Elsa from Disney's Frozen. Way back when, Idina was one of the breakout stars of this small Broadway show Rent. You might of heard of it. In all seriousness, Rent is a musical that is unprecedented and is still a powerful voice for numerous generations. Idina is currently starring in a new Broadway musical called If/Then with Anthony Rapp who was also in Rent and the pair decided to sing Seasons of Love this week and  I couldn't be happier.  I now have a propensity to curl up in bed and watch the movie adaptation of  Rent aka one of the best musicals ever made. No day but today, right?

Being able to write twice a week on my blog is mad fun and now that it's Friday I can turn up. Swerve! For real doe, can I get an amen that it's Friday?  If you had no idea what I just said then you should probably read this post. I was reading this to my roommate the other day and we could not stop laughing.  Teenagers these days, I can't even.

Random Little Links

1. Living proof that your tattoo will always look rad

2.Coachella rule #1 : Don't wear pants?

3. Free yoga clip that equates to 3 hours of rest

4. A mom's beautiful reaction to her daughter becoming transgender

5. How to get free shipping

Have a great weekend everyone! Only one more week of school- YASSSSS!!! (oh god, last time I will ever talk like a teen, I promise).

Best,

Sarah

Monday Just Got a Whole Lot Better

Good morning everyone!

Ok, yes it sucks that today is Monday.

However, the birds are chirping, the sun is shining and I woke up to this:

source: here

Wowza.

I missed the MTV movie awards, but  after seeing this gif set I think I'm all caught up...

Yep, definitely.

Did you watch the MTV movie awards? Did this make your Monday morning a little more tolerable? :)

Best,

Sarah

Weekly Links: The Power of Pictures

 Hello everyone! Another week for the books.

 Monday night I saw The Dirty Heads and they put on a great, relaxing show. If you haven't heard of them before, do yourself a favor and give their songs a listen! They're the perfect summer band. 

Tuesday was Free Cone Day at Ben and Jerry's and as you can imagine, being in Vermont practically  means you're obligated to go. I had cookies and milk and it did not disappoint. Ice cream is always great, but it's even better when it's free!

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In March I visited Boston with my friend Jill. While I only went to Boston one other time prior to our trip, I absolutely love the city. Much of the city was exactly as I remembered it with one exception.  Boylston Street still has a beautiful yellow finish line to remember the Boston Marathon bombing that happened almost a year ago. In seeing this, I couldn't help but feel sad. To remember the tragic event, but more importantly its survivors, Dear World did photoshoots with the marathon's survivors.  These photos and the strong people in them are what we should be looking to and remembering next Tuesday.

I may have mentioned this before, but I love vintage ads. The 50s and 60s especially had  a special feel to them.  (Also something cool to look into: Inner Sanctum Mysteries. Oh,  how I love the era of newly discovered product placements and cheery, over dramatic voices on the radio.) Anyways,  art director David Redon also loves vintage ads. He takes popular songs and takes their title and artist to recreate what they would look like as an ad. You can see his work here.

I just had a feeling this would happen. This week, David Letterman announced that he would be leaving  The Late Show. The first thing that came to my mind was " Stephen Colbert is going to replace him."  And who was right? This gal right here. Colbert will replace Letterman in 2015. The bigger question? Who will replace Colbert? The shuffling of Late Night hosts continues...

 A Picture is worth a thousand words. Pictures capture so many emotions and important events or memories. Distractify put up a post showcasing the 60 most powerful photos showing the human experience. I was in awe looking at this gallery. I really wish I could put all of my favorites right here, but then this post would be unnecessarily long! Absolutely lovely and definitely a  must see.

I'm just going to come out and say it: this picture creeps me out to no end. If you haven't heard, somewhere roaming this earth are the human versions of Barbie and Ken. I wouldn't spend all my time and money trying to look like the iconic dolls, but hey to each their own. I'm also just going to go out on a limb here and say they both don't even look like the beloved figures? To make this story even more odd, Justin Jedlica aka human Ken says that human Barbie is his arch nemesis. Not only that, but he goes on to say that she dresses like a drag queen and is fake....  talk about  a great example of a hypocrite.

 Human Barbie, Valeria Lukyanova, was recently interviewed by GQ and has since been criticized for her family views and for being a racist which can be read here.

Random Little Links

1.Total Beauty's list of the best products of 2014

2.Oldest message in a bottle found

3. Baby's first (hilarious) car wash!

4. Say what? we can draw energy from others just like plants?

5. Coming to a college near you?

 My family is coming up to visit this weekend and luckily for them, the weather will be beautiful. I miss them very much and am counting down the hours until they arrive. I hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Best,

Sarah

There's Good in Every Day

Hello everyone! 
On Friday I talked about a special project that I  have started to work on. As promised, I'm going to share it with you all today. Credit goes to my friend Rachel who first told me about this idea and prompted me to start doing it!

There's an event on Facebook called Gratitude Journal. It has recently surged in popularity  and its sole purpose is to write three things that you are thankful for every single day. I love looking at everyone's posts to see what makes them happy whether it be genuine or something silly.

 I absolutely love this idea, yet I also feel like if you cherish certain things that much, you don't really need to tell a plethora of strangers on the internet. Right?

It's great to share what makes you happy! 
I wholeheartedly don't think people do it enough- hence why events like these are on Facebook. Time and time again we seem to only dwell on the bad things that have happened to us - why is that? We all deserve to be happy. My special project goes off of the idea of seeing the good things in your life.

The task is simple. 
Every day write as many things you can think of that were good  or positive that day. Even if you think your day sucked. Pick one thing.  Then, tuck it away somewhere. An envelope, a jar, a box, but whatever you do, don't look at it again. Stick with this, because it will all be worth it in the end.

At the end of the year, I want you to find that envelope, jar or box and take a look at it. A lot can happen in a day, week, month or year. Our lives are made up of  a lot of big events, but there are also a ton of  precious, simple moments tucked in there that we often overlook. 

By writing down those little things, you can see what made you happy or smile within the past year.  It's a sentimental way to celebrate just how much good is in your day, even if at times it's hard to keep that in mind.

"Everyday may not be good, but there's good in every day" and that's something to sincerely be grateful for.

Best,

Sarah

Weekly Links: A Pet Kangaroo? I'll Take Ten!

Hello everyone!

Happy Friday. The weeks are just starting to fly, aren't they? It is finally warm and beautiful in Vermont and I hope it's warm where you are too.

Clear air clears the mind and that is much needed right now as school starts to wrap up.

I started a little project that I'l be sharing with you all soon. What is it? Well, you'll just have to wait and see! It's something that I am loving so far and has given me a much more positive mind and maybe you'll start doing it as well. You'll find out what it is soon!

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A couple weeks ago Target was in hot water after many people noticed the horrible photoshop that was done to one of their models. Apparently, no one double checks pictures  to see if there's a manipulated thigh gap, alien arms or chopped armpit as you can see from the photo above. Target has since removed the picture and updated it without the awful photoshopping travesty. This week, Ellen Degeneres invited the Target model on her show and they decided to have some fun with the whole situation.

Have you ever wanted a unique animal for a pet? Children's author, Julia  Heckathorn owns a baby kangaroo. Boomaroo the kangaroo is the inspiration behind  many of Julia's books. Julia also owns an anteater and sugar glider possums which automatically makes her one of  coolest people around. I love watching this video because Boomaroo is just so darn cute. Just look at that face.

Rapper Harry Hudson's newest music video is one of a kind.  Quite a few artists nowadays tend format their videos to be sort of  documentary where they show us a behind the scenes look at their life on tour and what not. Hudson took a different approach by documenting his battle with cancer. The video is very touching and I think it can relate to many of us who unfortunately know someone going through the same thing. It's very empowering and extremely well done.

I'm sure this is one plane ride no one will forget. Passengers on the Virgin Australia flight 0970 were in for a treat when  the cast of the Australian production of The Lion King sang
 " The Circle of Life". As one could imagine, it was amazing.  Long live The Lion King!

Random Little Links

1. I am never eating anything except french toast again

2. This is why your phone keeps dying

3.The best high protein snacks

4. Hulu just added The Mindy Project and Brooklyn Nine Nine

5. Buy mascara, make education possible for girls in need

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Best,
Sarah