Wednesday, May 8, 2019

May Q&A

Another month has come and gone so it’s time for another monthly Q&A post (if you didn’t catch last month’s you can find it here). I always ask for y’alls questions via Instagram so be sure to follow me there to contribute next month! I love seeing what y’all are curious about and always have a lot of fun opening up in these posts. 


I’m going to school for PR and communications. Any advice?
I wish I had advice, but since I majored in education, I definitely don’t have a ton of expertise in those specific fields. Some general advice for anyone heading off to college feeling sure of your major is to make sure you don’t box yourself in too early. I had always had it in my head that I wanted to be a teacher and because of that probably didn’t explore as many other majors as I could have freshman and sophomore year. That’s not to say that I would have been sold on teaching any more or less, but it would have been nice to experiment more to gauge what I was truly interested in. So, if your school allows you to take classes outside of your major for various general requirements (that may just be a liberal arts thing, I’m not entirely sure) then do it because you never know what else you may discover that you love. 

Advice for the bride from the perspective of a bridesmaid on how to make it easier and more fun?
Such a thoughtful question! I think that the only reason I feel a little overwhelmed with how much there is going on as a bridesmaid is because I am in multiple weddings this summer. I’ve been hearing lots of details for a while now about multiple weddings, and it’s not that I don’t care to hear them, but sometimes it gets to be a lot trying to keep it all straight. At the end of the day, the most important part is that you’re married and the details aren’t quite as important as that. I think one of the best things to keep in mind is communicating the necessary information ahead of time. If you’re going to be picky or particular about something be sure to communicate that early on before someone asks a question. For example, if you have a preference on nail color, earrings worn, or shoe picks then go ahead and lay that out to your bridesmaids well before when they are packing to give them time to prepare properly without feeling rushed.

Another thing to keep in mind is the price of items you’re picking out. While you likely have a budget for your big day, your bridesmaids may not necessarily. There are plenty of places out there to buy bridesmaids dresses, and it’s likely that the $200 one you find is equally as pretty as the $400 one you find so maybe go with the less expensive of the two if the style is the same. Chances are it looks like a bridesmaids dress and they probably won’t get to re-wear it as you may think. This is coming from the girl who will be wearing three different long dusty blue bridesmaid dresses this summer :) All in all though, your bridesmaids are honored that you chose them to help you celebrate your big day so as long as your not turning into a bridezilla chances are they are going to have a lot of fun either way.

Favorite meals? 
I feel like I haven’t been all that creative with meals as of late and have instead relied on my go-to salad for lunches and whatever else I can think of for dinners. I really love the ground turkey taco bowls I make and always enjoy a home cooked meal that I haven’t prepared, haha.

Best store for preppy clothes?
For more traditionally preppy clothes I think that J.Crew and J.Crew Factory will always be a good staple as they tend to sell basics in a bunch of different colors. Vineyard Vines always has a fun selection of seersucker this time of year as well which feels especially preppy. 

 

Favorite way to keep in touch with long distance friends from college?
With graduation season upon us and students heading home for summer and scattering for new jobs now is a great time to be thinking about how to intentionally keep in touch with friends. I will say that goodbyes are a lot easier when you already have lined up the next time you’ll see each other, but in addition to that, I shared my favorite ways to keep in touch with long distance friends in this blog post

Favorite beach bag/beach bag essential?
Is it fair to say sunscreen? In the summer I keep a little pouch packed with different sunscreens that I can easily throw in my beach bag without worrying about it spilling inside and ruining it. I also like having a hat on hand and a good book to read! 

What is your favorite thing about living in Birmingham?
Birmingham has been such a great fit for me so far, and I can’t believe it will have been a year come September. It’s crazy to think back to this time last year when I had officially decided not to teach and was just beginning looking at jobs in Birmingham. As for my favorite thing, I love that it’s a “big” city but doesn’t feel that way due to all the different neighborhood areas. I especially love where I live and that I can walk to so many of my favorite places. The people here are also a definite positive. It didn’t take long to feel like I had a solid group of friends that I have so many values in common with. And even though I don’t take advantage of it that often, it is nice to have the option to go home to Fairhope (or this summer head to the beach to meet my family) for the weekend. 

 

What are some good business casual outfits for grad school? 
I tend to like the picking out an outfit process to be relatively quick in the morning which leads me to reach for dresses a lot in the spring and summer. Business casual can be hard since people interpret the formality of it differently but a skirt with a cute top tucked in seems like a safe bet! Having some good work pants to mix and match with different tops also helps to make getting dressed in the morning easier.

What was it like getting your masters and teaching at the same time? 
Whenever I tell anyone that I got my masters degree while teaching, they are always a little bit shocked. Fortunately, I didn’t know any different when it came to multitasking with these two things. Having gone to Furman for undergrad and then choosing to get my masters from there as well definitely made it feel more natural and the program was set up specifically so that teachers could do both at once. The two summers were definitely more intensive when it came to classes than during the ones we took during the school year which was a necessary balance. The only time it felt like a bummer was when I’d have a lot of teaching-related work to do over the weekends and then have masters work as well. Weekends were often spent being a student and catching up on assignments for my classes but all in all I’m glad I did it when I did (even if I’m not using either degree currently). 

What does your typical weekend look like?
Fridays pretty much always look the same with me leaving work at noon (half day Fridays are the best thing ever, and I think all workplaces should get behind this movement) and coming home to make lunch. Sometimes I’ll go for a run and take advantage of mid-day freedom but a lot of times I’ll come home and take a nap or watch a show in bed. Usually, my weekend plans are dependent on whether or not friends are in town (and not studying…looking at you my PA school friends). But typically, I spend one night of the weekend being social (aka going to dinner or going out, etc.) and one night hanging at home (usually with my roommate and sometimes other friends as well). I like to get my grocery shopping for the week out of the way on Saturday and tend to cook meals for the week on Sunday. Sunday mornings I usually go to church with Nell and my roommate and then the rest of the day I like to spend as much time outside as possible (if the weather is nice) while also getting ahead for the coming week. Sometimes that means going to a coffee shop to write blog posts while others I’m staying at home and doing laundry and cooking. 

Do you consider the impact of fast fashion and finding more ethical clothing brands?
I love this question since it has been something I have started thinking more about in the past year or so. I’m the type of person who prefers to buy things that I can wear over and over again and since my style tends to lean more toward the classic style most of the items I purchase work well for that. One thing that I want to try (and may sign up for soon) is Rent the Runway's unlimited rental program. Instead of buying clothes, they allow you to borrow items and wear them before sending them back to wear something else. It is such a smart concept and a great way to be more ethical when it comes to clothing while still looking cute. 


top (tank version) // white jeans // wedges // earrings // watch // bracelets ( 1 & 2 )

Where are your favorite places to shop online?
Tuckernuck. I wish that their prices were a bit more affordable, but all the pieces I have from them are ones I wear season after season (so the cost per wear winds up being worth it). They have the perfect assortment of on-trend yet classic pieces, and I’ve been shopping there site since I was in high school. The top (off the shoulder style is currently sold out, but the print is available in a ruffle-y tank here) I’m wearing in this post is from the new collection they designed, and I love it! I’ve included some of my favorites from Tuckernuck’s site below in case you’re in the mood to shop.

I hope you learned something new about me from this post and be sure to follow me on Instagram so that you’ll know when to submit your questions for next month’s Q&A. 


No comments :

Post a Comment

Blog Design by Get Polished