Camera Roll Roundup: 2016 Gameday Trends

I cannot believe that this was my final football season as a college student! I'm still in denial that I won't be able to sit with all of my sorority sisters in the student section next year...

This has been a season filled with ups and downs for LSU (from getting a new quarterback, losing our beloved mascot, and gaining a new head coach), but a great season for gameday fashion trends.

Here are a few of my favorite trends from this past season, as well as my favorite snaps from Saturdays filled with tailgating and tiger football:

Ted Talk: Why 30 is not the new 20

I stumbled upon this TED talk while scrolling though Facebook.

It's not often that something shared on social media has a huge impact on me (lately my feed has consisted of cooking videos and people talking about politics), but this TED talk truly knocked me off my feet. 

As a twentysomething who is about to graduate from college, I have heard people say how 30 is the new 20. I have also seen how people are waiting longer to dive into their careers, settle down, and start a family. That "later" mentality has the potential to take some of the pressure off that comes with graduation, impending adulthood, and the thought of future careers and relationships...and for many people my age, I think that's the case.  

But Meg Jay, a clinical psychologist, challenges that idea in this TED talk by asking "what do you think happens when you pat a twentysomething on the head and you say, 'You have 10 extra years to start your life'? Nothing happens. You have robbed that person of his urgency and ambition, and absolutely nothing happens." 

Nothing happens...how crazy is that? Does she actually wants twentysomethings to be stressed and feel a sense of urgency about the future?  

Yes and no...Meg is saying that we need to take that sense of urgency, and use it as motivation to propel us forward. I think that's such a powerful message. She's saying that twentysomethings should not be wasting this time in our lives. If we're unhappy in a relationship, change it. If we haven't found a career that we love, keep looking.  

As I kept reading, I was able to relate more and more to what Meg was saying. She encouraged all twentysomethings to really claim this time in their lives by doing things to boost their career opportunities and to make connections with people outside of your network.

And then she said this: 
The best time to work on your marriage is before you have one, and that means being as intentional with love as you are with work. Picking your family is about consciously choosing who and what you want rather than just making it work or killing time with whoever happens to be choosing you.  

I want to take this quote and frame it so that I can read it every day.

In our culture of texting, Tinder, and "talking" we have become complacent. We think that it's fine to settle for a relationship that's not serious, or that it's okay to spend time with that guy who you know you don't see yourself marrying. We say things like, "we're only 21" and "we have all the time in the world" because our society promotes the idea that "30 is the new 20" and that it's okay to settle down later in life.

We should not be simply "making it work" or continuing a relationship with someone because they're giving you attention. Date with marriage in mind, not just to pass the time. Be honest. Be intentional. Have high standards. Do not make excuses and do not settle. 

Wait for the man who loves you the way God intended everyone to be loved.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. 
Proverbs 4:23

My Must-Have Drugstore Beauty Products

I am 100% guilty of spending way too much time at places like Sephora and Ulta, searching out great new beauty and makeup products to try.

Over time though, I've found my go-to beauty products, and now that I've got my daily school routine down, there are a couple of products though that I use every day. The best part about these "must-haves" is that they can be picked up at any drugstore. The prices are reasonable and the results are even better!

InternBR: My Experience and the Best Way to Improve Your Professional Development

Over the summer I had the incredible opportunity to participate in the inaugural session of InternBR. This is an initiative from the Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) designed to provide area interns with professional development and training.

I was lucky to have been selected as one of 30 area interns to participate in this program, which took place over a 10-week period. We met every Friday for lunch-and-learn sessions at various places throughout Baton Rouge, and had a different guest speaker each week.

Through this program we learned important professional development skills such as, email and social media etiquette, business dinner etiquette, leadership styles and development, personal branding, crucial conversations, and interview preparedness.

I've always been a firm believer in the importance of internships, but this program showed me how equally important it is to participate in professional development and networking.

For those of you still in college, this could mean joining clubs on campus that relate to your major or intended job, holding leadership positions within that club, and participating in programs that cater to interns and young professionals, like InternBR.

If you're nearing the end of your college career or newly graduated, I highly recommend searching out formal and informal networking opportunities in your area. This can be through professional organizations that cater to your field, such as the Public Relations Association of Louisiana, or attending events hosted by community-focused organizations, like the Baton Rouge Area Chamber. You can also look into joining organizations such as Baton Rouge's Forum35 and the Junior League of Baton Rouge. These organizations give members a chance to build leadership skills and relationships through community events and service work.

Networking and professional development is so important in life and in business today. You never know who you're going to meet, what you could learn along the way, and what exciting opportunities are in store for you!

The Best Ways to Stay Healthy While Living on Campus

I recently moved back into my sorority house so that we could begin preparing for fall sorority recruitment and the start of my senior year. It was absolutely amazing to see all of my friends and sorority sisters after a long summer of working and living at home, but spending two weeks in a house with a couple hundred girls does not come without its health risks.

Fevers, colds, and stomach viruses can spread so quickly when you live in close quarters - whether it's a sorority house or a dorm room, so I wanted to do a quick post to highlight the best, and easiest ways to stay healthy when you're living in a shared space.

I'm in no way a medial professional, but these tips have helped keep me feeling healthy and happy while living on campus.

My Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Finds

Since summer is still in full swing down in Baton Rouge, it's hard to think about fall fashion and shopping for cold weather clothing. The only thing that could make me think about cardigans, jeans, and booties though is the annual Nordstrom Anniversary Sale because it is too good to pass up...

With that in mind, I decided to hop on board and take advantage of some great fall fashion steals!

Weekend Road Trip: Crossett and Little Rock

I absolutely love weekend road trips and exploring new places!

This summer my friend, Laura, was interning in Crossett, Arkansas. To be honest, I'd never heard of that town before, so when she asked me to come visit, I jumped on the opportunity for a new adventure!

On Friday I picked up my friend Alex and we started our drive to Crossett. We had the best time catching up (she had been interning in New Orleans all summer), singing Taylor Swift songs, and enjoying the gorgeous scenery along the way (the drive to Crossett goes though a lot of small towns and farmland).

We finally arrived in Crossett, after a minor map mishap...

If you're traveling in a rural area, do NOT use a GPS/app that finds the shortest route to your destination. The app we were using told us to turn down a gravel road...in the forest...at night. After a couple of turns in the road and being chased by a dog, we lost cell phone service and were completely terrified! We ended up turning back around and getting back on the main road...but needless to say, we did not use that app for the reminder of our trip.

and met up with Laura at her apartment to plan out what we would do the next day!

Saturday in Little Rock

On Saturday we drove two hours from Crossett to Little Rock. We planned on exploring downtown, getting lunch and shopping, but we just so happened to be there on the day that the River Market District was celebrating their 20th anniversary. To celebrate, they had the Little Rock Farmers’ Market, train rides and bounce houses for kids, and live music and food trucks in the evening.

We were lucky to catch all of the fun things they had going on that day!

We started out at the Farmers’ Market before visiting a few of the local boutiques nearby. My favorite was Fringe. They had a great selection of on-trend pieces for great prices. I absolutely recommend stopping by if you're in Little Rock!

After shopping, we walked to check out the nearby Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center, which highlights the many different types of animals and fish in Arkansas. It was a great (free) place to stop in, cool off, and learn a little bit more about the state.

I'm hooked on Arkansas!

We were pretty hungry after walking around all morning, so we grabbed lunch from Stickyz Rock 'N' Roll Chicken Shack. I definitely recommend eating here! The food was great and the atmosphere and décor was so cool!

Our last adventure of the day was a walk across Junction Bridge, which goes over the Arkansas River, to North Little Rock. The view was great and on the other side of the bridge we ended up finding a mural that shows the history of the state.

Sunday in Crossett

Before heading back to Baton Rouge on Sunday, Laura, Alex and I went to church and then had brunch at Country Vittles. This is a cafeteria style restaurant on Main Street in Crossett with incredible, friendly service and amazing home-style food. It's definitely the place to be on a Sunday afternoon because everyone there knew each other!

After brunch, Alex and I loaded up the car, said goodbye to Laura, and started our drive back to Baton Rouge. We had a great weekend visit and we thankfully didn't get lost on the way home!

Did we miss anything while we were on our road trip to Arkansas? Let me know in the comments below!

Spring Break in Gatlinburg

This year's Spring Break fell in March, so the Gulf Coast was still pretty chilly. Because of this, my friends and I decided to embrace the cold weather and travel north, to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, for our week off of school.

We booked a cabin on VRBO and spent the week hiking, horseback riding, and exploring during the day, and cooking, chatting in the hot tub, and enjoying the beautiful scenery at night.

Saturday

On Saturday we left Baton Rouge. We took two cars and had three people to a car - so we rotated drivers about every two-three hours and it worked great! As a southern girl who's used to pretty flat scenery, watching the hills and mountains get bigger as we drove was incredible, and so beautiful!

We arrived at our cabin in Sevierville late Saturday night (after only some minor confusion as to the location of the cabin), unpacked, and got some much needed rest.

Sunday

Today was probably our most relaxing day. We started the morning off at Pancake Pantry and had the most incredible brunch. (This place is well worth the wait, and I highly recommend the blueberry pancakes!)

After we ate, we walked around for a bit, before starting on the Rocky Top Wine Trail. This is a wine tour of the five wineries in a twelve mile area around Gatlinburg, and I absolutely recommend it (if you're of age and have a designated driver, of course!). Each stop gave us free wine tastings and a few of them even offered tours to show how they made the wine. It was so much fun to figure out all of our favorite wines, while exploring the area and learning a lot!

Monday

On Monday we visited Ober Gatlinburg, which is an amusement park and ski area in Gatlinburg. We were excited about the wide variety of activities the park offered, so we planned to spend the whole day there. We soon realized that it was a pretty popular tourist destination (which can be a good or bad thing depending on what you enjoy doing when you travel) and many of the things we wanted to do were not in season. Once we purchased tickets (and waited in some long lines), we took the aerial tramway up to the top and (after buying more tickets) ended up going though the wildlife encounter and rode the scenic chairlift.

Taking the chairlift up to the top of the mountain was our favorite thing to do at Ober. We were able to see the most incredible views of the nearby mountain ranges and take some great pictures

Tuesday

This was by far the most memorable day of our trip!

We decided the night before that we were going to hike the Chimney Tops Trail, because it's only 3.8 miles - which, we thought, was nothing compared to our usual 4-mile trail around the LSU Lake in Baton Rouge. We noticed, but didn't pay much attention to the note on the website stating that many hikers don't even reach the top because it is such a steep trail.

The hike started out leisurely and fun. We were taking pictures and playing in the snow that had fallen the night before...and then the trail curved and it immediately became so steep! Plus, because it had snowed, the ground was frozen solid. Imagine climbing up a 75-degree angle ice skating rink. We were slipping and sliding down the trail, but eventually got past the icy part. The rest of the trail had stars built into it, so we easily made it to the top. The views at the top of the trail were absolutely breathtaking and that made the hard climb worth it.

Our trip down the mountain was almost more exciting and exhilarating than the climb up. The trail was so slippery, that we ended up basically skiing and sliding down the mountain in our tennis shoes, instead of walking, but when we finally reached the bottom, we were soaking wet and exhausted.

After our hike, we drove to the nearby Sugarlands Riding Stables to go horseback riding in the mountains. The wait was a little long, but we didn't mind because it gave us a chance to rest after our hike. This ended up being one of my favorite things to do on our trip. I absolutely love horseback riding, and being able to ride though the mountain trail was such a cool experience.

Wednesday

We spent Wednesday exploring the local shops in Gatlinburg. We stumbled upon the Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum, a jam shop, and a yarn shop - where the owner had just finished baking a loaf of homemade bread and she sold it to us.

We tried to go tubing or whitewater rafting today, but it was during the off-season and the river wasn't high enough - so keep that in mind if you plan a trip to Gatlinburg and want to experience water adventures.

Thursday

Thursday was our last day in Gatlinburg. We tried out another, much less intense hiking trial and got to see a couple of waterfalls and beautiful streams. We ended the day with dinner in Gatlinburg and playing board games in our cabin.

Friday

On Friday we started our long drive back to Baton Rouge. We were sad to leave, but happy that we were able to spend a couple of days in such an incredible place.

I highly recommend that everyone take a trip to Gatlinburg. I can't wait to go back!

Have you been to Gatlinburg and have any recommendations for my next visit? Let me know in the comments below!

Spring Break in Gatlinburg

This year's Spring Break fell in March, so the Gulf Coast was still pretty chilly. Because of this, my friends and I decided to embrace the cold weather and travel north, to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, for our week off of school.

We booked a cabin on VRBO and spent the week hiking, horseback riding, and exploring during the day, and cooking, chatting in the hot tub, and enjoying the beautiful scenery at night.

Saturday

On Saturday we left Baton Rouge. We took two cars and had three people to a car - so we rotated drivers about every two-three hours and it worked great! As a southern girl who's used to pretty flat scenery, watching the hills and mountains get bigger as we drove was incredible, and so beautiful!

We arrived at our cabin in Sevierville late Saturday night (after only some minor confusion as to the location of the cabin), unpacked, and got some much needed rest.

Sunday

Today was probably our most relaxing day. We started the morning off at Pancake Pantry and had the most incredible brunch. (This place is well worth the wait, and I highly recommend the blueberry pancakes!)

After we ate, we walked around for a bit, before starting on the Rocky Top Wine Trail. This is a wine tour of the five wineries in a twelve mile area around Gatlinburg, and I absolutely recommend it (if you're of age and have a designated driver, of course!). Each stop gave us free wine tastings and a few of them even offered tours to show how they made the wine. It was so much fun to figure out all of our favorite wines, while exploring the area and learning a lot!

Monday

On Monday we visited Ober Gatlinburg, which is an amusement park and ski area in Gatlinburg. We were excited about the wide variety of activities the park offered, so we planned to spend the whole day there. We soon realized that it was a pretty popular tourist destination (which can be a good or bad thing depending on what you enjoy doing when you travel) and many of the things we wanted to do were not in season. Once we purchased tickets (and waited in some long lines), we took the aerial tramway up to the top and (after buying more tickets) ended up going though the wildlife encounter and rode the scenic chairlift.

Taking the chairlift up to the top of the mountain was our favorite thing to do at Ober. We were able to see the most incredible views of the nearby mountain ranges and take some great pictures

Tuesday

This was by far the most memorable day of our trip!

We decided the night before that we were going to hike the Chimney Tops Trail, because it's only 3.8 miles - which, we thought, was nothing compared to our usual 4-mile trail around the LSU Lake in Baton Rouge. We noticed, but didn't pay much attention to the note on the website stating that many hikers don't even reach the top because it is such a steep trail.

The hike started out leisurely and fun. We were taking pictures and playing in the snow that had fallen the night before...and then the trail curved and it immediately became so steep! Plus, because it had snowed, the ground was frozen solid. Imagine climbing up a 75-degree angle ice skating rink. We were slipping and sliding down the trail, but eventually got past the icy part. The rest of the trail had stars built into it, so we easily made it to the top. The views at the top of the trail were absolutely breathtaking and that made the hard climb worth it.

Our trip down the mountain was almost more exciting and exhilarating than the climb up. The trail was so slippery, that we ended up basically skiing and sliding down the mountain in our tennis shoes, instead of walking, but when we finally reached the bottom, we were soaking wet and exhausted.

After our hike, we drove to the nearby Sugarlands Riding Stables to go horseback riding in the mountains. The wait was a little long, but we didn't mind because it gave us a chance to rest after our hike. This ended up being one of my favorite things to do on our trip. I absolutely love horseback riding, and being able to ride though the mountain trail was such a cool experience.

Wednesday

We spent Wednesday exploring the local shops in Gatlinburg. We stumbled upon the Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum, a jam shop, and a yarn shop - where the owner had just finished baking a loaf of homemade bread and she sold it to us.

We tried to go tubing or whitewater rafting today, but it was during the off-season and the river wasn't high enough - so keep that in mind if you plan a trip to Gatlinburg and want to experience water adventures.

Thursday

Thursday was our last day in Gatlinburg. We tried out another, much less intense hiking trial and got to see a couple of waterfalls and beautiful streams. We ended the day with dinner in Gatlinburg and playing board games in our cabin.

Friday

On Friday we started our long drive back to Baton Rouge. We were sad to leave, but happy that we were able to spend a couple of days in such an incredible place.

I highly recommend that everyone take a trip to Gatlinburg. I can't wait to go back!

Have you been to Gatlinburg and have any recommendations for my next visit? Let me know in the comments below!

New Year, New Resolutions! Welcome to 2016

Happy New Year!

I love the start of a new year. I like having a chance to reflect on the previous year - on everything I've done, accomplished, and learned - and to look forward to all of the exciting things coming up and what I would like to focus on.

As someone who enjoys making lists - and checking things off of them, I love to write down my goals for the year. This year, I'm writing them down in my planner under the categories of personal goals, heart and spirit goals, financial goals, and work, career, or study goals.

Personal Goals

For my personal goals, I want to take care of my body by staying active and strong. I want to stay hydrated by drinking the recommended amount of water each day. I also want to stay organized and explore my creative side.

Heart and Spirit Goals

This year I really want to focus on what God has planned for my life. I want to build my relationship with Him and learn to rely on Him more.

Financial Goals

It's important to me to work hard and to be financially responsible. I learned that 20% of your income should go to savings, so this year I want to make a more conscious effort to save money.

Work, Career, or Study Goals

For my work goals, I want to continue to have experiences that benefit my professional development and build my resume. I also want to stay on top of all of my school assignments and work ahead.



I would love to know what your goals and resolutions are for 2016! Let me know in the comments below.