Wednesday, December 31, 2014

2014 In Review

Happy New Years Eve! I love the fact that we are nearing only hours away from a refresh of opportunities. Admittedly, I am not the biggest fan of New Years Eve. I feel like it is always so hyped up but for me it ends up being a big non-event. However,  I do enjoy waking up on the first (usually later than I would care to admit considering staying up a bit later the night before) with a blank slate of a year waiting to be filled with fun memories. Before I dive head first into the turn of my calendar page I feel like a proper goodbye is in order for 2014. 

All in all 2014 was pretty great. I don't understand how people can categorize their years either good or bad considering there is going to be a mix of the two within. Ups and downs are just a part of life and getting older I suppose. This current academic year specifically seems to be filled with lots of these peaks and pits because of the rigor of classes, business of my schedule, and changes that come with a new academic term. Aside from my not so favorite moments in 2014 (read… overwhelmed in the library with 2 tests the next day and not enough sleep) I have been fortunate enough to have some amazing memories from 2014.

1. Joining a sorority.
This was something I knew from the get go that I wanted to be a part of my collegiate career. I had such a great experience during recruitment and am so happy to have been invited to join Kappa Delta, my favorite at Furman from the beginning. I've met so many incredible people and formed friendships with people I may not have gotten to know otherwise. In addition to joining KD I also took on some different leadership roles this year within our chapter so I am excited to see where that takes me in the upcoming year!




2. Traveling with friends.
2014 held a lot of trips! Whether it was going to a pledge retreat with my sorority at a nearby camp, New York City for spring break, bringing friends home with me, the Biltmore for Easter, a beach trip with my best friends, and even a trip to the country for fall break I went a lot of places with some of my favorite people! 



  


3. Camp.
The place I've called home my past 9 summers. I've done a lot of growing up in this place and have adored being a counselor just as much if not more than being a camper. The relationships I've formed and skills I've gained from my summers at camp are absolutely irreplaceable. Where else can you be way too goofy and 110% you without ever thinking twice about it? Our mission statement at camp is "Enriching young girls in God, relationships, and self" and it done that and so much more for me!




  


I mean watch around 31 seconds in this video. I completely wiped out when playing world cup with the campers and was in a fit of laughter only to get up and keep playing. (I'm in the yellow shirt). Also that sunset at the end…a true mountaintop view and experience!



4. Blogging (and Pinterest).
My favorite ways to escape reality and have a little bit of me time. Writing a post, mindlessly pinning, and responding to emails or tweets from y'all is so refreshing. I can get so stuck in monotony of school that this is my way to escape, my perfect little internet oasis. I am really proud of my consistency and the quality of my posts this past year and I can't wait to kick 2015 into high gear with lots of blogging goals formulating in my head already.

And I can't forget to mention my friends and family! Everyone needs their personal cheerleaders and I am glad to have mine scattered about at home, at Furman with me, and my friends at other schools who will gladly cheer me on whenever I need it!







I'll stop with those for fear that this post would be far too long if I didn't.

One thing that puzzles me about the New Year however, is that sometimes it feels as though people think the changes they want to see are going to be instantaneous. Just because resolutions are made and the clock strikes twelve doesn't necessarily mean that our goals will automatically be reached, sadly we can't all be Cinderella with her glass slipper. Just remember that a goal without a plan is just a wish  and in order to make your wish a reality it's going to require some persistence and a lot of motivation. 

Enjoy celebrating the evening and the year to come tonight and be sure to check back tomorrow to hear some of my resolutions! As for me, my night will be pretty low key. In my mind New Years Eve correlates with crowds which I am not the most fond of so some friends and I will be spending the evening together enjoying each others company!

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

My Favorite Blog Posts of 2014

How ironic that this is a post that I love doing. If you know me at all then you would know how indecisive I am and how hard it is for me to choose favorites. Regardless, I love scrolling back through the posts I've written this year and choosing and re-sharing my favorites. Because of my typical indecision some months I just couldn't help but choose more than one post as a favorite but I hope y'all won't mind! Be sure to read back through them as well.

As 2015 quickly approaches I would love to hear what type of posts y'all enjoyed this year so I can give you more of those this upcoming year. Also, if you have any request for posts I would love to see those as well!

January 2014




February 2014






March 2014




April 2014




May 2014




June 2014



July 2014



August 2014





September 2014





October 2014





November 2014




December 2014



Let me know your favorite posts!

Monday, December 29, 2014

Holiday Photo Roundup + Fun Announcement

Crazy how fast the holiday season has come and gone. It was a fabulous and relaxing break filled with family and far too many sweet treats and delicious dishes. Ever since getting home for break I knew that my time before the holiday was quickly ticking away and I definitely did my best to make the best of every minute. I must admit that I wasn't quite able to finish watching all of my favorite Christmas movies so I may have to watch them over the remainder of my break. If you follow me on instagram (which you should, @prepinyourstep) then you would know that there was no lack of red and green to fill my feed. 









Fortunately for me, the post Christmas sadness is a bit delayed considering my birthday is the 26th. I celebrated with my family and Nell came over to join for lunch and cake as well. The rest of the day was spent lingering about my grandparents house and wrapping up the day with our own version of a pizza party in our pjs.

 



Ever since returning home on Saturday I have been doing a combination of unpacking with procrastination in the form of Harry Potter watching (thank you ABC Family)! This years Christmas should've been themed pajamas and books which looks optimistic for the future of my break! 

 


What on Earth could this girl use so many books on Paris and travel accessories for? Well … I'm going to Paris and London this summer! EEP. Sorry if you were able to hear those squeals through your computer! I am so excited to finally be going abroad and this trip is the perfect opportunity for me to see two of the cities I've been desperately lusting over! I'm glad Furman offers month long trips like this to kick off the summer and even more ecstatic that my best friend Nell is going as well. Seeing as we have tons of time before we depart (can we skip this semester and go straight to May?) you'll surely be seeing plenty of travel posts and I would love your recommendations if you have ever been to these cities!
 
Lastly, I would adore any recommendations y'all may have for posts you are hoping to see in the upcoming year! Honestly any and every idea that has popped into your head would be more than appreciated seeing as I need to preschedule posts prior to recruitment this upcoming month!

Friday, December 26, 2014

Another Year Older, Another Year Wiser? {Celebrating 20}

Two major holidays in one week? Yep, that's how I celebrate December! Props to those who can celebrate their birthday for an entire month, I don't exactly get that option since Christmas clearly takes the cake considering it is more universally celebrated than my birthday (although if you want to celebrate my birthday with me then by all means, you have my permission)! Today I have left teenage shenanigans behind and officially enter my sophisticated twenties. I hope you laughed with me at that one seeing as that is to be determined by this upcoming decade. I am not exactly sure how I feel about this considering most of the time I don't feel old enough to be in college let alone out of my teens. 


Birthdays are exciting and I love a reason to celebrate but I never actually feel older. Earlier this month I was at the grocery store getting milk and I looked at the milk and noticed that the expiration date was after my birthday (go organic milk!). I proceeded to tell my friend, this milk expires after my 18th birthday. I am not sure why 18 is the age I have in my head but that is definitely not the age I am turning today. 

I've always heard the phrase "Another year older, another year wiser" and while I have learned more through my years of life I never exactly feel wiser. I have more experiences and I guess in turn have learned more lessons but I definitely don't feel wiser just yet. A vast majority of my memories are contained in the past decade of my life so it seems odd to be leaving that behind. I am however, quite excited to be entering an unwritten decade that will surely be filled with a realm of possibility and excitement. 



To begin this new decade I am spending the day with my family at my grandparents house and enjoying a delicious lunch and birthday cake with my family and Nell (perk of her grandparents having a house near my grandparents, what are the odds).

Maybe if I think ahead next year I can snag some of these cute birthday goodies!


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