It's been a hot second since I've posted (the usual). Last time I left y'all, I had one month of student teaching left...now it's over! Student teaching went by faster than I ever expected it to. I formed such a bond with my class and my CT, my last day was probably the most emotional I have ever been! Tears and tears and hugs and tears. That's pretty much how the day went.
I was able to gain so much experience and knowledge from my time at Hidden Valley and in Charlotte. It's crazy to think graduation is TOMORROW! I graduate from COLLEGE in ONE DAY y'all! Crazy, crazy.
As many of you know, I've always wanted a pup for graduation. It's always been at the top of my list. Who needs something to fill an apartment when a pup can fill your heart?? Amiright? So, immediately after moving my stuff out of my LAST dorm room, I went straight to the animal shelter! This is where Messi comes in...formally known as Misty.
A few weeks (probably months) before graduation, I had been sorting and searching through tons and tons of pup names. You can ask any friends, especially my sweet Mama, who had endured texts upon texts of name suggestions and "What do you think?" questions. The only thing missing was a dog! Obvi.
I settled on the name "Messi" (from 'Mesi'), because it means water. How perfect for my mermaid soul. From the start, I wanted a puppy. Fresh out the womb and ready to go. BUT, let's be honest- that wasn't realistic for my transition into "adulting" from a college student.
My mom had sent me a "do something nice everyday in December calendar" at the beginning of the month and it just so happened to be "donate food to the local animal shelter day." How fitting! So off to the shelter we went! When I went into the shelter for the first time that day, Messi wasn't in her cage and she was being walked outside, so I didn't see her. I saw a few dogs that were super cute, but not for me. Mom and I donated our food and we left. A little disappointed, mom pulled up the animal shelter website for me and there Messi was! I wondered where she was, or if she had been adopted, so I called to double check. She was still there!
I rushed home and grabbed Harley (our Chihuahua) and we were off to the shelter for the second time that day. Messi and Harley met each other outside and they got along perfectly! When I say perfectly, I mean they sniffed each other and no growling or biting happened. Harley is still adjusting to a new dog at home, but Messi has settled in like she owns the place.
She had been on adoption row just shy of two weeks. The deputies there said she is a mix of Labrador and Golden Retriever, which I can see both. However, she has a bark like a hound dog and teeny tiny ears. So we think there is definitely something else in there! She is a new 3 year old and was an owner surrender.
It's crazy how many tricks she knows! She's house trained and loves a good belly rub. She doesn't like the vet (especially the scale) and isn't a big fan of a harness either. She walks you, you don't walk her and she is strong! She can jump as high as I stand and loves treats. She's perfect in the car and the crate. Do I sound like a proud dog mama??
So there she is! She has settled in nicely and is already a part of the family, just ask MiMi and Pops how much they love her already. Our next big adventure is the beach when we can catch a warm day. Hopefully she lives up to her name!
Hello babes! I am sitting here in awe of these last 3 1/2 years in Charlotte. As cliché as it sounds, it's amazing how fast time goes by. I only have 4 more Mondays of student teaching left. I've gotten my cap and gown and have taken my senior pictures. I'm tying up strings here and there as my time in Charlotte is coming to an end. It's crazy.
I've started getting my résumé together for potential future jobs and sifting through the DPI website for job openings. I'm beginning to mentally sort through my things that I can go ahead and take home before I officially move-out of my dorm for the last time in December. Things are getting real, y'all.
Student teaching has been a crazy, emotional, and rewarding learning experience. I've learned so much about myself in these last 2 1/2 months and I know these last few weeks are going to carry a lot of weight. I have grown very attached to my little 4th grade babies and my Cooperating Teacher has been extremely helpful and supportive! She has gone the extra mile to make sure I have everything I need and I could write a book with all the awesome advice she has given me. Literally, I should've been writing it all down for future reference. I'm so grateful for my student teaching placement! I'm wrapping up another chapter of my life and it's coming to a close: College is over in 34 short days.
*QUICK SUBJECT CHANGE TO PREVENT FURTHER SADNESS*
As usual, my BFF and forever roomie, Laura took my senior pictures! They say you meet your best friends in college and I would have to agree with "they." I'm crazy grateful for her (best)friendship and she is in almost every one of my college memories. If you're a Charlotte friend and need professional pictures taken, she is the one for you! Lar always does such a wonderful job and I think my mom has about 47 of her pictures framed around the house? Give or take.
Back to reality I go, just wanted to pop-in for a tiny update.
P.S. If you see my parents, let them know I want a puppy for graduation. I have a hint my mom already knows, given the amount of pup posts I've tagged her in on Insta and Facebook. But, just to be sure.
I've debated and debated with myself about posting this for the last hour, but this is my personal platform and my voice. As most Southern girls do, I even called my mama to get her opinion as well. This is not a post to attack anyone or a post to step on anyone's toes, because y'all know I'm not one to post about any kind of touchy subject on social media. Here goes nothing... I'm so thankful that Charlotte wasn't as heavily impacted by Hurricane Matthew as many other cities in NC were, as well as other states along the coast of the US and other countries. I'm also thankful that my parents and other family members were safe back home at the beach, around the Ocean Isle Beach area and in Wilmington. However, I am not thankful for the complaining I've been seeing all over social media about restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations, etc. being closed back home. I'm guessing the complainers decided to sit this hurricane out and will the water and wind away from their houses this go around, but quite a few people were directly hit by Hurricane Matthew, especially the islands of Ocean Isle, Sunset, Holden, and Oak, the ones where many of us spend most of our time at during summer break. I need everyone, complaining or not, to stop and think for a second where the employees of those establishments live, how they were impacted by the hurricane, how far they had to drive to get to work, or if the roads they live on were passable, to name a few thoughts. These places are closed for a reason, most likely for the safety of their employees, not just to make customers angry. Did you know that over 800 people in Haiti have died from Matthew? Did you know that down the road in Cherry Grove 5 condos went up in flames from Matthew? There were almost 900 water rescues in North Carolina alone due to flooding from Matthew according to WBTW News13. Are my eyes deceiving me or am I really seeing complaints about the gas stations being closed when Hurricane Matthew had been making its way toward NC for how many days now? The limited menu at a restaurant when most of the grocery stores were open up until the day-of Hurricane Matthew hit the area? My response to the complainers, and what my response is to most things if I'm being honest, is "I can't even." This is ridiculous y'all. I'm going to sit here and be grateful my car isn't submerged under water right now and I can drive to that closed gas station or to that closed restaurant. Oh yeah, and be grateful for my life. I'm focusing on the praises and thanks I've seen being given to the firefighters, police officers, community volunteers, and electricity companies within the past 24 hours. I'm focusing on my dad who has been riding around helping people clean up their yards and checking on their houses. I'm focusing on the people who are already on their way to countries, like Haiti, that were almost demolished from Hurricane Matthew. I'm focusing on the good that's coming from this unfortunate weather. This may be a pointless post to some of you, but like I said, it's my personal platform and it was not intended to point fingers at anyone. Some may see this as complaining about complaining, touché. I'm sorry if you feel like your toes were stomped on and I hope you're focusing on the bigger picture.
As many of you know, some things have changed since I posted the announcement of the launch of Fineapple Online Boutique. Let me fill you in if you've missed it: Sammy and I are now co-owners of Fineapple! *SQUEAL* We worked so hard over the summer to get Fineapple up and running and we are elated by the progress made and the progress we've made as business owners! Lots of lessons learned so far. The biggest thing we're looking forward to right now is the Sunset Beach Paddle Fest at the end of this month in NC. On Saturday, September 24th we will have a vendor booth displaying all-things-Fineapple from 9:00am - 5:00pm. Mark it on your calendars!
We're bringing new merch that's not on the site, as well as many of our top sellers on the site to purchase! We have ideas scrolling through our brains about what we want our booth to look like and how we want to set it up- Pinterest has been a life saver to us for fun booth ideas! Sammy and I sincerely hope all of our local Fineapple customers can pop by the booth and say "hi!" and possibly even some of our out-of-state customers! We can't express how grateful we are for the continuous support we receive as we navigate through the small business world!
Hey y'all! (written on 8/23/16) It's that time of the year again! I'm all moved and settled into my dorm for MY LAST SEMESTER OF COLLEGE. Y'all, it's finally here. I will graduate FROM COLLEGE in December. This is unreal. I begin full-fledged Student Teaching 4th grade on Monday and to say I'm nervous is an understatement. I'm not really sure how I can sum it up into one word...maybe terrifiedexcitedscared? That should do it. Open house is tomorrow and I'm anxious to meet my students and their families! I am already adapting to teacher life. As in I'm showered, in my PJ's, and in bed already. It's pretty fantastic, I won't lie. I wanted to share with you all my room this year! Before the semester gets too crazy, I snapped some pictures of my dorm room and some of my favorite decorations I used this year. I reused a lot of my decorations from last year, but it's a completely different vibe and I love it! I'm in a new dorm building this year. It's still apartment style and I have my own room. I share the kitchen and living room with my 3 roommates and the bathroom with 1 roommate. The best part about this apartment is it has a washer and dryer! The last 3 years I have had to go downstairs or down the hall to the laundry room. This is by far the newest/nicest building I have lived in on campus. The only thing I don't love are the beige walls. It makes it feel really dark!
These are a couple of panoramic shots. Click on them to enlarge the images. The walls are a lot less decorated than last year, which is something I'm trying to get used to! I'm debating on whether or not I want to add more to them.
I reused my curtains, throw pillows, rug (not pictured), lamp, throw blanket, bulletin board, and much of the wall decor. I changed out the pictures in my frames and this gallery wall is a different arrangement than the last!
These shots are of some of my favorite pieces on the gallery wall! Here's a breakdown:
4x6 White Frames + White Oval Hanging Mirror - Walmart
Turquoise North Carolina Painting, Navy Striped Canvases, +Wreath - DIY
All of these 5x7 prints are courtesy of Pinterest. I didn't go for a specific theme this year, I think I told my mom I was wanting a 'woodland mermaid' feeling? I made the intuition print, but I found the quote on Pinterest. I love the monkey quote, it's one my mom says all the time!
Lar and I made these headboards over the summer while I was living with her for summer school. They were super easy! It's poster board, quilt batting, lots of staples, and fabric. Lars' has a cute gold and white pineapple print! It was time consuming, but so worth it. I think it makes the room feel cozy. My bedspread + curtains are from Target.
This step stool has been with me since Freshman year. It's had what feels like 10 different lives! It's originally from Target and was lime green, hot pink, and navy. I think my mom pulled off 4 or 5 different pieces of fabric when we recovered it to match my head board this go around. I love it! The fabric is from Hobby Lobby.
I'll be living in this happy, little room for about 4 months. I still can't believe graduation is so soon. I'm sure you'll be seeing/hearing me write/say that a lot from now until then! I'll get back to you when I'm ready to adult.
How much do you love online shopping? Not as much as me! No need to worry about a line, a crowd, or rummaging through racks to find the size you need...that sounds like pure bliss.
My sweet friend Sammy is launching an online boutique tomorrow, July 11, 2016! I'm telling you guys, it's going to be great! MaryLou and I have helped her pick out her selection and I think we all did a pretty snazzy job, but I may be biased.
When Sam told me about this idea, I was immediately intrigued. I love to shop, but I also love to be creative. I went to work fast on creating a logo that fit her spunky Fineapple name and something that would draw attention. I'm in love with the final product and I'm so happy she loves it too! I've gotten a peek at the website and I think it is precious! Most importantly, it's easy to navigate, descriptive, and affordable! Something we all can appreciate.
We've created a newsletter of some key things that will be offered once Fineapple is launched tomorrow, July 11, 2016! You'll want to grab the 15% off discount code as soon as you can! As any business, clothing and sizes will expand once the business grows. Keep checking back for new arrivals and follow Fineapple's social media accounts! I'm so proud of Sammy!
'21' has been one of my most memorable birthdays by far. Celebrations started about a week before my actual birthday because I'm a princess. As many of you know, I'm currently in Charlotte completing a summer course. Since I wasn't going to be home for my actual birthday, my parents threw a little get together at home with friends and family.
The day before the cookout, I told my mom I wanted a mermaid-inspired birthday cake because I'm a princess. Since I can remember, my mom has made every one of my birthday cakes, so I didn't think my request was weird. However, my mom looked at me like I was crazy! My mom always underestimates her baking abilities. She made a beachy cake that I didn't want to cut because it was so beautiful! She's the best. Not only did it look like it belonged in the ocean among all of the mermaids, it was delicious as well!
Side note: We're one of those families where we don't buy Halloween costumes or birthday cakes, because "those can be made." This is something I cherish now, but when I was little it drove me crazy! I've had one store-bought Halloween costume and I used it for about 5 years in a row (a witch costume, if you were wondering.)
I had a great time celebrating with everyone and getting stuffed on chicken and shrimp! My daddy can throw down in the kitchen, too. We ended the night with sparklers and more cake.
I headed back to Charlotte that Sunday to began preparing for the big trip to Texas! If y'all remember, in collaboration with my parents, Laura planned a trip to Texas for my birthday. We had a jam-packed schedule and I still had a week of summer school a head of me before we were off to Texas on Friday. That Wednesday was my actual 21st birthday. My mom happened to be in Charlotte for a transportation conference, so I had breakfast with her that morning. When I walked into Laura's house after I drove back from class, it was oddly quiet. I turned the corner to go into Laura's room and was repeatedly greeted with a birthday horn. It was so funny! She handed me an iced caramel macchiato (my favorite) and stepped aside to reveal a pile of presents and crafty wall decorations. She had my mom, Sam, and MaryLou write me notes on the back of pictures. I didn't expect a thing! I cried like a baby.
Laura is known for making altered books for people for special occasions. She takes old books, mod podges the pages together to create thicker pages, and glues pictures onto the pages and paints them to make them beautiful! I never expected to ever get a book because it takes her months and a lot of time to make them. She started mine at the beginning of December and finished in June. It's just amazing. Some of my favorite pages are below!
Mrs. Carolyn and Mr. Malcolm (Laura's awesome parents) took me out to dinner to celebrate with Eli and Laura. It was so yummy- thank y'all again!
After a week of birthday celebrations and anticipation, it was time to pack for Texas! This trip was my first time traveling on a plane and going to Texas. If y'all remember, Laura and I traveled to New York last year by car. We would have killed each other driving We wouldn't of made it to Texas driving, that's would've been 16+ hours! Flying was so much fun and such a cool experience for me. Landing made me uneasy, but it was so worth it! The flight was about 2 hours and 40 minutes. We landed at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, grabbed our rental car, and headed for Waco, TX!
We had a busy schedule for the next two days and we hit the ground running. We planned to do the following:
Day 1: June 17th
Magnolia Market
Lunch on Magnolia Market Grounds
Common Grounds Coffee Shop
Reunion Tower ($16)
Day 2: June 18th
Dallas Farmers Market
Bishop Arts District
Sprinkles ATM Cupcake Machine
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza - John F. Kennedy ($16)
We didn't get to the Reunion Tower, due to extra time spent in Waco looking for Chip and JoJo's farm. We didn't find it and wasted a lot of gas, but we had fun exploring Crawford, TX! It's a cute little town outside of Waco that consists of lots of farms and open space.
The main reason we went to Texas is because we are HGTV's biggest fans and religiously watch the show Fixer Upper, which is filmed in Texas. Chip and JoJo Gaines, the show's main characters, have a huge store in Waco, Texas called Magnolia Market. It's this beautiful store located next to two huge silos and holds lots of household goodies and decorations. A lot of the houses on Fixer Upper feature products from Magnolia Market and we wanted to check this place out for ourselves.
Starting with the positives:
The atmosphere was very family-oriented and so happy. It was the most beautiful day and the place was bustling with people. There was an AstroTurf courtyard space with yard games and shady picnic tables to sit and snack at. We had a delicious lunch of gourmet grilled cheeses and strawberry limeades from food trucks onsite. So yummy!
The staff was so friendly and welcoming. If there was a picture opportunity, a staff member was there to take one. If there was a question, it was answered. If there wasn't an item, it was restocked. Everyone had a positive attitude!
There was something to see every direction you turned and you had to circle the place twice to take it all in, probably more than twice.
(Click to Enlarge)
Everything from the postcards to the wall decorations to the furniture was beautiful. I. WANTED. IT. ALL. I even loved the shopping totes they gave you to carry around the store!
Parking was free, easy to find, and in walking distance (if you knew where to look.)
Ending with the negatives:
Although I would put everything in the store in my future house, I wouldn't be able to afford the house if I wanted the decorations. It was a little pricey, which was to be expected. I came out with a mug, postcard, and sticker, spending right at $20. Laura bought a t-shirt, poster, and postcard, spending right at $37. We found those things to be the most reasonably priced.
We know TV can make things look bigger and better and in this case, it was true. HGTV makes Magnolia Market look like it's isolated and away from town. It's literally smack dab in the middle of the little town of Waco and a lot smaller in person. We were a little disappointed in location and size.
There was quite a bit of construction going on onsite. It made taking pictures annoying because you couldn't help but get construction fencing and machinery in the shot. A positive to this is that we're going to have to go back to see it when everything is finished and the bakery is opened.
1,071 to be exact!
After we left Magnolia's, we went to Common Grounds coffee shop. It was so delicious. They have live music on certain nights and really neat seating and lighting outside. All sorts of old couches, rustic chairs, and benches were on the porch and grassy areas in front of a big stage. We sat outside and enjoyed some shade before we headed back to Dallas for the night.
The next day, we were off to downtown Dallas to do some exploring at the Farmers Market. It was so cute! We sipped on a couple of homemade pineapple green teas while we walked the market. It's set up in two sections, 'The Shed' and 'The Market.' The shed holds the fruits and veggies, while the market houses the retail vendors. Parking is also free here!
It was a quick drive to The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. This museum is dedicated to the presidency of John F. Kennedy, Jr. and his assassination. The museum is housed in the book factory that Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK from. It was really neat to see the "crime scene," pictures, and news articles from his time in office to his assassination. You wore a headset that guided you through the museum. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the museum, but Laura snapped a quick one of the exhibit honoring his presidency campaign.
We grabbed a quick lunch at Oddfellows while walking through the stylish, yet pricey, Bishop Arts District. Lunch was so scrumptious! I had chicken and waffles, Laura had a chicken sandwich with fries. I can't do it justice with words. Just know if you haven't been to Oddfellows, I feel sorry for you.
We took video the whole time we were in Texas (hence the lack of quality photos) and Eli put together an incredible video for us with all of our footage! He spent some major time on this. Thanks so much E for the video! Check it out below:
We ended our trip with a drive to the rental car center and a bus ride to our airport terminal. This trip was so much fun! I would suggest Magnolia Market to anyone, especially if you love Fixer Upper as much as we do! Texas is a great state and I would go back in a heartbeat.
