I saw this on College Prepster, and I thought it was such a good idea! It's easy to look ahead to the new year that's only a day away, and it's easy to look back and think of what could have been. It's so good though to reminisce about specifically everything good that has happened in the past year. Instead of just saying this was a good or bad year, look at all of the great things that happened to you. What are you thankful for? Here are some of mine, feel free to share some of yours!

Blogger

I had a Wordpress account last year that I really liked, but eventually posting ended up seeming like a chore. I felt like I was doing it more for the viewers and how many people came to my blog everyday, which is sooo what it's not supposed to be about! I love blogging because I can find people who are just like me. I started this blog in August and I'm so happy I did! I am truly thankful for each person who comes on this blog, the people that leave comments, and the people who don't. It's nice to think that someone would come to my blog at all, really! So to whoever is reading this, thanks!!

Southern Weddings

I interned at Southern Weddings Magazine this past summer, and it completely changed my life. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to not only work somewhere I had wanted to for years, but also to meet some amazing people. My SW bosses are some of the sweetest people I've ever met, and I love keeping up with them and what's going on in their lives now! It's so easy to believe that you won't like every aspect of your job because most of the time you don't. But I really loved that internship, the people, and the opportunities that I had in front of me.

London (preparation!)

A year ago I would have never imagined I'd be preparing to go to London right now. I had just begun coming around to the idea of studying abroad, so to think that I leave in 4 days is both ridiculously exciting and ridiculously terrifying. Through everything I've had the most amazing support and love from my family and friends and it's crazy to think that I just happen to have these people being in my life. I'm the luckiest person in the world.

Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran is 100% my favorite artist of this year. My love for Mumford & Sons and One Direction (weird mix, I know) will never die, but Ed holds a special place for me. His single, + came out in June (though I may or may not have illegally downloaded it earlier), which is when I started working for SW in Chapel Hill. I listened to it on repeat every time I felt a little homesick and every day on the way to work. Whenever I hear an Ed song I think of driving through the hills and farms of Chapel Hill on the way to work. That drive was one of the highlights of my days up there.

New Friends

I had a hard time adjusting to college. I went to College of Charleston the first semester of my freshman year, and I didn't feel connected to anyone or anything there. Though Charleston is one of the most amazing cities ever, I didn't feel at home. By the time I came to USC it was hard to get into a "group" of friends. I had a few here and there, but none completely stuck until this year. I've met some amazing people and I've gotten back in touch with friends I hadn't talked to in years. Friends are the most important things in life, so I'm so ridiculously blessed to have these amazing people surrounding me!

Tumblr

Oh Tumblr, how much I love you. Really, I don't know what I did before Tumblr. Facebook? Weird.

#boys

Specifically, boys in J Crew. While meticulously flipping through the newest J Crew catalog yesterday (see: my bible) with my mom and sister, I realized some serious differences between my sister and me. First and foremost, I loved the male model and styles they put in the magazine. My sister did not. Clearly she's balls to the wall crazy, but I live with her. She is my blood. Because I can't change that, that means I have to convert her into a logical person like me.

I think this guy looks ridiculously well-dressed, but manly at the same time. My sister says the guy looks like he would rather go shopping than watch a football game. What do y'all think? I would definitely give him my number...if he were to want it. Just in case.

Back from the Holiday Hiatus

Hi everybody! I hope everyone had a great holiday week off of work and outside responsibilities! My holidays were fun, though nothing ridiculously exciting happened.

The highlights:

I had my first mini-breakdown about leaving for London next week. It was a little more intense than I had expected. It also happened in the middle of watching Les Miserables in the theater. That was fun.

PS - Les Mis was AMAZING and everyone needs to see it now!

On Christmas my cousin got a raccoon fur hat. But not an ordinary raccoon hat. I shit you not, the thing still had its face on the front. Empty eye sockets. Gross. I am definitely still in the South.

I visited Greenville, SC with my sister and mama for the first time. The downtown area was amazing!

I got to break in these babies for the first time. I don't care if (some of) my friends, my sister, and my mom all hate them. I love these boots and my family need to love me for who I am. Pink duck boots and all.

I set up my travel blog for while I'm in London! I'm not planning to completely bore y'all with the details of my travels, though I definitely will share. If you want to read about what goes down when I go abroad, click here!

I went a little crazy in J Crew. Surprised? Nope.

Things I Will Miss About The South

Pinterest

I've lived in the South my whole life. I've grown up living the culture, eating the food, soaking in the sayings and habits, and knowing how things are. I'm beyond excited about living in London for five months to get a good taste of life outside of the US (the South), but I know I'll miss certain things.

The Accents

People who aren't from the South think of Southern accents being really twangy and strong. That, my friends, is a Texas accent, and no one else talks like that. I swear. I should specify that I'm talking about South Carolina accents, and though they are different depending on what region the person is from, South Carolina accents can all be beautiful. SC accents are slow. It takes a while to get the words out, but just listening to someone talk can put you in a daze. My grandma is from Greenwood, SC, and no one will ever have an accent like she does. It's thick and warm. When you listen to her talk you want to sit back in a rocking chair on the front porch with a glass of lemonade.

The Food

Southern food is one of the best things in the whole world. Southern, cooked by you, your mom, and your grandma, southern food. Fried chicken, homemade macaroni (nothing from a box), greens, lima beans, grits. It's times when I think about all the love shared in one kitchen preparing food for the family with my mom, grandma, aunts, and cousins that I feel bad for people out of the South that don't get to have authentic, Southern recipes passed down through the generations. I'm seriously considering bringing like 4 boxes of my own grits with me to London. I have a really hard time thinking I'll be able to find them over there.

The Culture

In the South there are codes. And generally most Southern women know them. "Bless her heart" does not mean a girl is sweet or something good has happened. When something is about to happen, it is "fixin to," not "going to." In South Carolina it is completely appropriate to wear a shirt that says Cocks on it (the University of South Carolina mascot is a Gamecock, after all). The higher the hair, the closer to God. I'm not a big church goer, but I am 100% in the minority. Your neighbors will either be Baptists, Presbyterians, or Methodists, and a lot of the time church is a part of social hour.

Of course, I'm thinking that I would miss those things even if I moved to NYC, not near as far as another country. Home will always be great, and I'm sure at first I'll miss knowing exactly how to get places or know how things just are, but then again that's the fun part about traveling, right?

Merry Christmas!

I hope that everyone has a great Christmas with their families and friends and goes into food comas and then takes a good nap! And maybe go see Les Miserables afterwards - I know I will!

The Haircut

There have been a lot of major haircuts this year (Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Princess Kate, Anne Hathaway, etc.) but this is not one of them. I've never seen this model, and I know that he's trying to look super sexy with that lip bite thing going on (it's working), but this is amazing.

And he looks so completely different! Don't you think?

Countdown to London

Before I sign off for the holidays, I wanted to share something I didn't expect to encounter about traveling abroad. While I expected finances and the general getting everything together to be nerve racking and stressful, I didn't think saying my goodbyes would necessarily be as sad and scary as they are.

Did anyone else feel like this before studying abroad/moving? Today I visited my grandparents out of town for the last time before I leave. We all had a good time, but at the end of the visit I was so anxious and sad to be saying goodbye. I don't see my grandparents as often as I'd like to, but I didn't think I would be choking back tears!

Now I can only imagine how I'll be when I say goodbye to my parents. Especially my mom. My mom and I are best friends, so I know I'll be semi-balling my eyes out. And not a cute cry. A red, puffy eyes, walrus sounds, ugly cry. Not what I would like to look like in an airport with tons of people around.

Any advice or stories would be appreciated! I can't believe I leave in less than two weeks!!

Give Me Love - Ed Sheeran

Imagine combining John Mayer, Bruno Mars, and Jesus, and you've got Ed Sheeran. I've only known about Ed Sheeran for a while, but he's definitely become one of my favorite artists. He's equal parts acoustic, pop, and poet, which makes for lyrics and music I can only imagine some divine being coming up with.
I got the chance to see him live in September, and his show was amazing - as in, one of the best shows I've ever seen. He even pulled a West Side Story part on the crowd where he divided us into Sharks and Jets and got us to sing parts of the song!
This is one of his slower songs, but it's so good. It was used in a Victoria's Secret ad earlier this year, and if you need another reason to watch it, Isabel Lucas stars in the music video. Definitely check him out - I love me some Ed Sheeran.

Sequin Season

I've been on the hunt lately. I'm looking past Christmas and straight toward New Year, a New Year's Eve dress, to be exact. Is anyone else in this with me? My family is generally pretty casual (a sweater, nice jeans, and flats) for Christmas, so the only time I dress up for the holidays is on New Years. Obviously New Years is the night to go all out, so I'm thinking sequins. But there are SO MANY different ways to wear them! Normally I would say yes, finally I have so many options, but oh no, not now. All I want is a simple sequined long sleeve, short dress. But then all of these cute looks come up and I want to wear them all in one. I'm drooling over the long sequin skirt, right?!

What do y'all think? What is the best way to wear sequins? What are y'all planning to wear for New Years?

Canvas Lands End, Calvin Klein, Madewell, Dolce Vita, Alice + Olivia, LOFT

Merry Christmas, Rebecca Minkoff (and Tiffanys)

As a marketing student, I beyond love when businesses come up with fun holiday videos. It makes me like their brand that much more, and it gets me more in the Christmas mood. From the looks of Rebecca Minkoff's new Christmas video, I would like to be her best friend. Because I can't count how many times I lip-sync "All I Want for Christmas is You" in the average week.


Also, you can't say that you don't get all mushy gushy and lovey dovey inside when you're watching this Tiffany's video from a few years ago.  Are there any other holiday videos y'all like? I'm obsessed? Let a sista know!

I Would Never Kidnap a Child

Except maybe Romeo Beckham. Because he is adorable.

I'd Like Your Eyebrows, Please

Hi y'all! I'm back from the dead after exams...and I seriously could not be happier. Besides the fact that classes and exams are over, Christmas is in exactly one week, and cookies/brownies/sweets are filling up my kitchen (to give to friends, coworkers, etc.) I leave for London in two and a half weeks! YAY!

I've been catching up on my magazines post-finals. And let. me. tell. you. I'm seeing some pretty eyebrows out there. Maybe it's the "you always want what you can't have" type of thing, but I want me some bushy eyebrows. My eyebrows are super sparse and kind of sad looking, so one of the first things I notice about people are their eyebrows. A little weird? Probs.

Enjoy the eyebrow porn.

 

 

 Photos via Tumblr

Quick Study Break!

I'm half dead. Accounting cannot end any sooner....which is why I needed to come on here and procrastinate. Here are a few songs I've been listening to pretty much non-stop since finals preparation has begun. It's an eclectic bunch - enjoy!

Finals Week

I love y'all, I really do, but Finals Week is going to murder me. Therefore, I'm taking a leave of absence until next Sunday, when all of my exams will be over, and I can breathe fresh air, feel happiness in the world, and see in color.

Let me leave you with some wise words about finals week. #finalsweekugh

Wedding Love

Since the V5 issue of Southern Weddings Magazine came out a few weeks ago I've been pouring over its pages. It's so fun to see something that you worked on in print! One of my favorite parts of interning at the magazine this past summer was critiquing wedding dresses. And how amazing are the backs of these wedding dresses?! I've never liked the super popular strapless wedding dresses because they all look the same (in my opinion, at least in that area). What do y'all think? That backless dress is beautiful in every single way, but I'm not sure if I could ever pull it off. I would probably go for the one on the far right...or the one on the far left. So beautiful!

Accent Gold

pillow, sweater, print, earrings, watch, bracelet, eyes

What I Actually Need From Santa

This is a time of year when I pretty much live inside online stores. J Crew, Zappos, ASOS, Target, Kate Spade, Pinterest, etc. I ball so hard motherfuckers wanna fine me. But besides material things there are definitely some things I need way more that can't be found in stores. That includes...

A Lock on my Tumblr.

I spend more time on Tumblr than I should. Maybe it's weird that I'm 20 and still obsessed with it, but as they say, long hair don't care. It's the best. All I do is reblog photos over and over again for HOURS, y'all. If I'm tired in bed, I'll get out my phone to reblog. If I'm bored in class I reblog. If I have an exam tomorrow, I spend extra time reblogging. Check out my insanity here.





Time Management Skills.

I'm not saying that I don't manage my school or professional time well. At work I'm almost always going from project to project, so I don't have time to mess around. School is almost over (exams are next week...ick), so I wouldn't ask for that necessarily. But in my free time, I need some help. I plan to sit down and read a book or magazine, but I end up on Tumblr for hours (surprise?). When I plan to volunteer at Pets Inc. I end up napping. I think I need to start making lists.

A Lock on my Bank Account.

I'm trying to save for London. I really am...but holiday sales are getting to me. I can't help it. J Crew needs to stop doing this to me. They're doing it on purpose and it's just not nice. Why are they giving 25-30% discounts on everything? I hate that I love you so much.

Sleep.

I regularly get between 4 and 7 hours of sleep per night nowadays, and though I got some good sleep one night last weekend, I need a week's worth. If Santa would bring me some hardcore Sandman dust, I'd be super grateful. This magnificent creature is Eddie, my basset/lab pup. He sleeps about 12 hours a day. Show off.

Jay Z is adorable

VS Fashion Show Review

I was never one to watch the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show until I got to college, but let me be clear when I say how STOKED I was to watch this year's show! And I looooooved it. Biebsy was precious. His diaper/ penguin pants outfit made him look like a little doll and I just wanted to pick him up.

photo

My favorite part of the show was Bruno Mars! He and his band were amazing and I loved how into the music they got! Little known fact: I played saxophone in middle school band, and that group almost made me want to do it again...almost.

I know I'm not the only one who felt this way. Wasn't the show great?!

photo

I'm Dying to Ask...

In response to The Man Repeller's call to action, I'm answering some questions from the Proust Questionnaire, to give y'all a better look at the weird person I am. Y'all answer these questions too! Because, honestly, everyone loves talking about themselves. Don't deny it.

Let's Do This

Your favorite virtue: I say impatience can be a virtue. I'm an impatient person. Whoever made up those virtues is incorrect.

Your favorite qualities in a man: the ability to laugh at yourself, but at the same time respect yourself.

Your favorite qualities in a woman: the ability to not look at my outfit and laugh.

Your favorite occupation: I love being a student. I love being a blogger, and working in communications. I love traveling. If I could do something that combines all of those, I'd be a very happy person (not that I'm not already).

Your chief characteristic: I like to think I'm a pretty easy going person. I try not to get too wrapped up in little things that don't matter. Not saying that doesn't happen, but I think I try to look at the big picture more often.

Your idea of happiness: I actually thought about this when I was with my family over Thanksgiving. We were in the boat heading from one house to the next, and I could help but think that going out on the boat, family beside me, a beautiful day, and amazing food is the definition of happiness. I couldn't help thinking that that's what Heaven's got to be like.

Your idea of misery: It's always important to have someone be next to you, no matter what kind of situation you're in. Maybe they don't have to understand what you're going through, but just have someone to talk to. If I didn't have one person, in any situation, to talk to, I'd be pretty miserable.

Your favorite color and flower: Whenever I see this question I think of the line "deep greens and blues are the colors I choose" from Sweet Baby James by James Taylor. So I'm going with those. And as for flowers, I love peonies!

If not yourself, who would you be? I don't know... I kind of like being me.

Where would you like to live? I don't know where I want to live. Maybe Charleston? It's beautiful there, and I'd love being in a city that's right next to the coast. I've always been curious about New York, but I don't think I could live there for the rest of my life.

Your favorite prose authors: I don't think I could say.

Your favorite poets: I'll always love Shel Silverstein's poems.

Your favorite painters and composers: I'm not much of an art follower, but I think Chris Martin from Coldplay is pretty spectacular. 

Your favorite heroes in real life: I've never really had a "hero" I guess. There are definitely people I look up to. I think my mom is one of the most amazing people to ever walk the earth. My grandpa too. They're the most caring and thoughtful people I've ever met.

Your favorite heroines in real life: Refer to above.

Your favorite heroes in fiction: Harry Potter - DUH

Your favorite heroines in fiction: Hermione Granger - DUH

Your favorite food and drink: I think I could eat my grandpa's blackened flounder all day erry day.

Your favorite names: Boy: Jackson Girl: Cooper, Katharine

Your pet aversion: I love dogs and puppies, but I detest little yippy dogs. If your dog is loud, I will hate it. Sorry.

What characters in history do you most dislike? Hitler's definitely up on that list.

What is your present state of mind? Content. Done with three exams this week, excited about the weekend, Christmas, and london!

For what fault have you most toleration? Maybe being a little immature? I'm young, I don't have to grow up quite yet.

Your favorite motto. Liquor before beer, you're in the clear. Toothpaste before orange juice, death. 

Sweet and Low

Cozy

I'll always love modern houses. They're cool and angular, and thoughts of pretty new homes in Los Angeles or New York City will forever make my heart go pitter patter, but I could never actually live in one.

Like clockwork I steal my mom's Southern Living Magazine every month. I'm not so much into the recipes or other articles, but they feature a new house in each issue, and I fly directly to that section. They (usually) have amazing balance between clean and fresh, and cozy. I'll always need my home to be cozy. It doesn't really matter the size.

Which is why I love this house so much. I've never been a big fan of  vaulted ceilings, but the paint in the house (especially in the kitchen and living room) make the rooms warmer and not so stark and overwhelming. Don't y'all love this house? How beautiful are those stairs?!

I found these photos in a blogpost by one of my favorite blogs, House of Turquoise. To see more photos go here!