New blog, who dis?

Hello, hello, hello!

If you've been around this part of the internet before, then you know the blog has undergone a little makeover. Figuring Out Post-Grad, formerly Because College, has a whole new look! There's also a new URL, so if you bookmarked the last one, that's time for an update too!

Each new post will be "filed" under one of the new tabs at the top of the page and the new URL links directly to the updated homepage (insert heart-eyed emoji here) that I am so in love with! My goal is to post at least once a week on different things, but we all know I've said that before. We'll see how this goes.

For now, I want to introduce y'all to the "new" blog on the block. Browse around, see what you think, & then comeback when there's more!

Meet Messi

Hello!

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.

Photos by Laura Miller Photography (the best!!!)

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!

   

4 More Mondays

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.

Hurricane Matthew

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.

Fineapple Goes Festive

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!

Shop Fall fashion here: fineappleboutique.com

My Last Dorm Room?!

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:

Gold 5x7 Frames - Dollar Tree

'Save the Mermaids' 5x7 Print - Pinterest

Whale Tail Hook, 'Mermaids Please Enter' Arrow + Gold Antelope Head Hook - Hobby Lobby

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.

Fineapple Online Boutique

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!