The countdown begins. 10.

Ten days from now, I'll be 700 miles away from the home I've lived in for the past twenty years.

I don't know whether to laugh, smile, cry, or scream. I've never felt so excited yet so nervous in my life. I know everything is going to be fine, only because it has to be. 
Because I need it to be.

Five days from now will be my last day at the job I've had for over two years. A silly little part time job which turned into my first ever manager position, and left me with a second family, a home away from home if you will.

Maybe I'm not completely freaking out because I'm not fully packed yet, because in my mind I still have ten days. It took me this long to realize how fast ten days actually passes. 

I've decided that for the next ten days, I'm going to journal on this blog as if it were my diary. I'm going to document it on here so that maybe in ten years, ill look back and remember how empty and how full I felt at this very moment. 

If you're beginning a new journey, you're not alone. 
You're allowed to laugh, smile, scream, and cry. 
You're allowed to feel homesick, and free.
 It's okay. Because it has to be. 

I'll see you tomorrow, lovelies.

And if your journey begins then, I wish you nothing but the best.

Until then,

K.

Carolina on my mind

Southern State Of Mind

So as some of you may or may not know, in a very short few weeks I will be picking up and heading down to North Carolina to continue on my journey to a Bachelors degree. This has been a very very very big dream of mine, and I cannot believe that everything is finally coming together.

For those of you starting college, going away to school, touring campuses, or just going to orientation, this post is for y'all 

(see what I did there?).

Some words of wisdom from the not so wise..

Do not underestimate the power of community college.

I will be the first person to thank the lord for having the opportunity to better myself at a community college. Junior and senior year of high school, I was not the best student. I couldn't care less about going to classes, and homework? Yeah right. My GPA on a 4.0 scale was about a 2.7. I look back now and wish I could slap my 17 year old self across the face. 

The thing is, everyone here makes fun of the community colleges. "13th grade." It's not. Take it seriously and you will open so many doors for yourself. I am going to the school of my dreams in a few weeks, with a 3.8 GPA, and almost a full ride scholarship for proving myself at my community college. 

You need to take it for what it's worth. This is your life. You can do whatever you want with it, and if you decide to treat classes like a joke, then that's what you're setting yourself up for. 

Believe in yourself, even when others don't.

Believe it or not, not everyone wants to support you. Not everyone cares if you finish your homework, or get good grades. As cliche as this may sound, you need to believe in yourself. Believe that there is a bright future, believe that things will work out. As hard and as rough as the road before you may seem, there's a clear path defined for all of us. Do your best when no one is watching. 

For me, as out going as I may seem to some of my friends and family, meeting new people isn't the easiest thing for me. I'm extremely self conscious. and have mile high walls up. Something about the North Carolina air and southern drawl of everyone there helped pull them down even if only for a short time, and I found myself meeting new friends, and having the time of my life south of the mason dixon. My advice is to enjoy every second of the opportunities before you. I just went to orientation, and had the time of my life. I met amazing friends from opposite sides of the country, and continue to snapchat them daily. 

And finally, breathe.

Let everything soak in. Do not be afraid to let your guard down once in a while. You're allowed to freak out this summer. It's okay. You're only this young once, and to have a panic attack about what duvet cover you want to use is totally okay. ( Take it from me). Love the bumps in the road, because they're the moments you'll look back on and appreciate in the future.

And again, thank you all for following along with my crazy rambles.

I genuinely appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.

If you'd like to see more college related posts in the future, let me know in the comments!

Talk to y'all soon. ( the city girl said y'all twice now.)

;) 

Until then, 

-K.

Blog loving - advice style?

Hey guys,

So clearly you can tell by this page that I love writing about and reviewing products. But writing in general is something I really really adore doing. I think most people could write something better than they could possibly say it. It's an easy way you express yourself. 

Recently, I was excited to hear that an advice piece I wrote for " Get Smart Coaching" is going to be published on their website either 5/27, or 6/3! It's a column piece directed towards upcoming high school graduates, and my advice on how to handle these last few weeks of school. 

Here's their mission statement : 

"Get Smart Coaching's mission is to make sure every young  

women on the planet knows how awesome they are. Through positive use of social media 

young women can change the world."

All of their social media links include:

https://www.facebook.com/getsmartcoach
http://www.thegetsmartcoach.com/Home_Page.html

I think this site is an incredible outlet for women, both young and old to give advice to us fellow girls. If we have the knowledge, why not spread it?

Look out for my post and let me know what you think!
Until then, 
-K.

Mayday, mayday..

Dear Earth, 

Could ya slow down just a little bit so that maybe this year wouldn't fly by so fast?

Is it actually May 2nd already, or is this some kind of sick joke? 

Just curious,

Love,

The girl in disbelief.

Now, I'm not sure if it's just me, or students in general right now who are loving and absolutely hating the month of May. I think there are general pros and cons to each month, but May really enjoys confusing the hell out of all of us. Here's my pro's and cons..

-Pro: It's finally starting to warm up, and there's not 18+ inches of snow on the ground!

-Con: All of the really obnoxious and disgusting bugs decide it's okay to come out...and it's actually not okay.

-Con#2: It's still about 65 degrees here, which in theory is not THAT warm. Apparently, someone sent a memo to girls that it's okay to wear shorts ( and when I say shorts I should actually be saying underwear with a denim lining) with Ugg boots. WHY. Please someone explain to me why Ugg boots with shorts was ever considered "trendy" by anyone, anywhere, ever..

-Pro: The spring 2013 semester is almost over, which means summer is right around the corner..

-Con: You read it, the spring semester is almost over. I have two weeks left...which also means that finals week is in one week..Stress anyone? I think the most terrible part of finals week, is that you know that it's coming, but since it's so nice out you neglect your notes and decide to drive around and relax...or maybe that's just me.

Alright, I'll stop whining for now. I'm really genuinely happy that it's May, and it's finally starting to feel like spring. This semester in college was my absolute hardest. Shout out to me for saving two math classes until my last full semester. Thank you, advisement board, for not telling me what a terrible decision that was. Anyone who is in their final semester of school knows that the stress right now is out of control. I find myself thinking all the time, " when did we all grow up?" I feel like I was just walking across the stage at my high school graduation, when in two weeks, I'll be walking across the stage getting my Associates degree. 

    

I find it insane how fast time flies. It's so very cliche, but here's how I see it. I've had my IPhone since 2011 

( which seems like last year, right?) and I was going through the pictures on it.  I have pictures from prom, and graduation, and senior day (circa 2011). I have photos of my god daughter  from the day she was  born up (2012) until about a week ago. This beautiful, precious little (not-so-)baby anymore has grown up right before my eyes. She now can walk...and talks a mile a minute. Wasn't she just born? It's easy to see how fast time is really going as you see someone grow. 

PS: Just want to give my best friend of 20 years the biggest congratulations in the world for receiving the most incredible internship opportunity in the world. No one deserves it more than you, and I am so proud. 

London's waiting. And I'll  be waiting for stories when you get home!

April wasn't too bad, right? And even if it was, it's now long gone. 

Here's to the pro's of May, and the months to come. 

Here's to the sleepless nights and studying that are to come as well.

So here's to us, and another month in the history books.

I hope you all have a lovely May.

Thank you for following along with me through April, it means the world and more to me.

I'll be sure to post more soon.

And until then,

-K.

Re-vamped.

Here we go again, 

                                 
When I move, I'm planning on using a trunk that I currently use as a TV stand in my bedroom, as a coffee table in my living room. I saw youtuber HRHCollection's video on how she styles her coffee table, and she uses a tray to ensure the wood on her trunk doesn't scratch. I found this multicolored tray at Pier 1 on clearance for about $12. It was badly damaged, there were paint chips everywhere, and a couple of the bottom strips of wood actually weren't attached. It needed some loving. SO, therefore I couldn't resist...

I'm not sure when I would ever use a rainbow tray. But what sold me on this piece was that even though some of the pieces were a bit shakey, overall it seemed like a sturdy piece. Plus, the bottom is really interesting. I love the cut outs, and it adds a bit to the tray.



 I have a strange obsession for things like this. Knowing that I can make it look brand new was a selling point. Where can you buy a good, sturdy tray for $6? 







I'm not handy, really, at all. For some reason though, I thought it would be easy to completely sand all of the paint off of it. And I tried to.

 I used the 3M sand plaster with an 80 coarse rank and tried to take as much sand as I could off. I smoothed out any imperfections in the wood, and the rest is history.


 This is after about an hour and a half of non stop sanding. It was though, completely smooth and the wood was even. 

I didn't take any pictures during the painting process because knowing myself, my Iphone would have been covered in paint. I used a Rustoleum black gloss spray paint to completely cover the tray.


I let it set for about an hour before spraying a final coat on it. I waited about 2 hours until it was completely dry to ensure that there were no wet spots left. I chose the black gloss because for one, it is very chic now, compared to how obnoxiously colored it was before. Below is the finished product!

I'm really happy with the end result of this. I can't wait to fill it with candles, and vases with fresh florals. I want to buy some coffee table books as well to set inside of this. I can't wait to actually start decorating, but this is a foot in the right direction for me. For now, I'll add it to the stock pile in the corner of my room of things I'm waiting to use.

Hope you're all having a lovely night.

Talk to you soon.

Until then, 

-K.

I built my life around you.

I need to vent.
So if you're not ready to hear me ramble, I'd run now.
Maybe I'm being over dramatic, or maybe I'm just crazy. But it's half past midnight and I was going through old photos on my phone ( and honestly I cannot believe I've had my IPhone for this long) and seeing pictures of my hometown are really hitting me hard.


I've lived here my whole life. 
Twenty years. 
Never been south of Virginia, never been west of Pennsylvania, and I've been up to Maine. What sick inner conscience is telling me to pack my boxes full of those twenty years and move to a new state, that I've never been to, and start a new life? Is it strange that I want to leave? Is it? I know I need a change. I know I can do this. But talking about it, and actually doing it are two completely different things. 


I'm excited.
And please family if you're reading this don't get me wrong, I am beyond excited. I am excited for a fresh start out of this tired old town. I know there are better things for me south of the Mason Dixon. I am beyond blessed that my family is so incredibly supportive of me. I just wish I could see the future. I wish I could see where I'll be in five months, ten months, two years, ten years. Don't you? This is where the whole religious debate comes into play, and I'm not even going to get into that. But, if God or a higher power does exist, does he have a plan for me? Is my future laid out and I'm just strolling along a pre-determined route? Okay, maybe I am crazy.

Crazy is buying place settings for a table of four before you have a down payment on an apartment. Crazy is buying canisters, Windex, and dish soap for a kitchen that you've never seen. Crazy is falling so in love with a place you've never been. Crazy is me. I am so determined to make my future as bright and as beautiful as I possibly can. I hope you, whoever you are reading this (if you've hung in there this long, I sincerely thank you) is as excited as I am for what lies before us. 

This world is sick, and cruel as we've seen in the past week. There's a whole lot of evil out there. My issues are ridiculously stupid compared so people who have been through the hand that the world has dealt them this week. I pray for you, to whoever is up there. I pray that like I said earlier, your future is bright. Take each step as it is. Take a deep breath. We're all in this together.( I'm rambling. I need to do this though. If anyone has ever found comfort in writing, or any form of expression, you'll know how relieving this is after a long day.)


There's an incredible song on the " We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things" album by Jason Mraz called Details in the Fabric. It features James Morrison and has been my serenity for the past five years. When I'm high, (no, not literally), it brings me back down, and when I'm low, it lifts me back up. If you've ever heard it, you'll know what I mean. Maybe to me it just has greater meaning, but I have never been so in love with a piece of music in my life. I'm listening to it right now, and that's why I'm raving about it. I've been so stressed lately, between school and work and making these crazy future plans that I'm making.
Anyway, there's a line that says:
" Are the details in the fabric, are the things that make you panic, are your thoughts results of static cling? Are the things that make you blow, hell no reason go on and scream. If you're shocked it's just the fault of faulty manufacturing." 
And that made me fall in love with this song.
And it brings me back down.



End rant.
Thank you for being a part of this journey with me. Thank you, once again, if you've read along this whole jumbled mess of a diary entry. I appreciate it. 
We're in this together.
I'll talk to you all soon.
Until then,
-K.


" And everything will be fine."