May Favorites.

Hey y'all!

I would have to say May is one of my favorite months. This could be because the best meme ever was created to welcome the month in (Hey JT, I'm lookin' at you) or because it's warming up and that perfect beach weather is near. Fall is my favorite season, but May makes summertime look better & better. A new month calls for a new set of favorites and I'm excited to share mine with y'all!

Let's kick things off with those pretty little pineapple earrings, shall we? These earrings are from Fineapple and they are a steal for $5! These studs are the signature Fineapple Studs and they're available in 3 different colors. We always have them in stock!

Moving right along to the distressed boyfriend jeans that I. Live. In. I can't speak enough good things about them. The light wash is perfect for the summer and you can catch me in them pretty much every day. Is that gross? They are from Tilly's and are the RSQ Brooklyn Slouch jean. Bonus: they are on major sale right now! Go, go, go!

The palm leaf phone case is from Etsy. I love a good, bright printed case! I buy all of my phone cases through Etsy and I love to switch them up. This one is from the shop Sugar Yeti and it's a clear silicone case. It pops on the rose gold iPhone!

Anybody else love a good pair of simple sandals? I do! These Madden Girl Bryceee (yes, spelled with 3 e's) sandals in the color Cognac are a staple in my wardrobe! I wear them just about everyday with the Brooklyn Slouch jeans! I scooped mine up from Belk, but they are all over the internet as well.

Let's talk about body wash. About 2 or 3 months ago, my mom and I went totally sulfate free with our hair care and soap products. Let me tell y'all how expensive sulfate free products can be! Especially body washes. I am a strict body wash girl and I hate using bar soap. It was really hard for me to find a sulfate free body wash. Tree Hut body wash is sulfate free and smells so good! It can be found at Walmart and other department stores. There's a variety of scents and you can't beat $5!

I finally jumped on the setting spray train and I have to say that I'm loving it. I was using beauty blenders for a while without wetting them, because I honestly thought it was a waste of time! I am no makeup expert, so I kind of ignored that rule. I bought the Wet and Wild Setting Spray one day out of curiosity and it sat on the counter for a long time. I came across a video one day on Instagram and I saw this girl spray her setting spray on her beauty blender to wet it. Genius! I have done that everyday since I saw that video and I will never go back.

Lastly, my absolute favorite bathing suit I have ever had! I'm all for the one pieces this year and I would buy this one over and over again if it wouldn't be weird to have 100 of the same bathing suits in my closet. It's by the brand Nlife and I ordered it through Walmart online. I saw this same suit on different websites, but Walmart had the best price. It has a complete open back, not too cheeky, and the lace-up front detail is my favorite!

OOTD [Weekend Style]

Happy Saturday!

I love a good weekend-approved outfit and I added a new piece to my closet yesterday that I think's going to be a fresh staple.                                                  

These shorts came from no other than Bass Pro Shops! Yesterday, I went with my parents to look for a new gadget for the boat and came across these beauts for $19.97. I have never been a booty short gal, mostly because of these thighs (one step closer to being a mermaid, right?), but I'm not a fan of butt cheeks hanging out of shorts. These are the perfect length and they roll up as well!                      

The gray V-neck tee was a TJ Maxx score. I love the split neckline, it takes the simple t-shirt look up a notch. A halter lace bralette underneath peeks through the splits perfectly!                                    

The cardigan was scooped up at Ross and is the greatest oatmeal neutral to pull an outfit together. It's also hooded, which is a bonus! The weather on the coast of NC today is pretty crappy, so a light cardigan was a good idea. I threw on a pair of my Birkenstock wannabe's and I was out the door! Be on the lookout for these shoes in Monday's post because they are magic. I hope y'all are having a great Mother's Day weekend!

Preparing to #Adult

Hey y'all!

Welcome back. Since college graduation last December, I've been slowly hoarding gathering items and decorations for my own apartment. It has been so fun finding little things in thrift stores or from family and friends. The very first thing I bought for my "own place" was a teeny, tiny footstool. If you know my mama, you know this was a fitting purchase. I have a corner of the guest room filled with stuff and it is not organized whatsoever. It's a pile o' junk honestly if you're just looking at it.

However, I do have some of my favorite pieces that I cannot wait to see in a place of my own! I wanted to share those with y'all. If you're needing some decoration inspiration of your own, maybe this will help. Every room I've ever decorated or have helped to decorate has had a theme. This imaginary apartment does not (yet) and I'm pretending like that doesn't bother me. We'll see how everything comes together in the end, but for now I'll keep collecting my little pieces. Also, be warned these are pretty ordinary pictures. Let's all focus on the big picture.

Teeny Wooden Footstool
This original purchase made so much sense for me. My mom and I were shopping at Habitat one afternoon and came across this little baby for $5 and I could not leave it there! It reminds me of home and how my mom decorates, we genuinely have a footstool in every room. Why? I don't know, but you would be surprised how it can pull a room together. I've linked some similar ones here, here, and here.

Welcome Doormat
Technically, I don't have this goody yet. I don't get it until my birthday next month, but I know it's coming and I'm super excited about it! My mom was at Roses (we are avid Roses shoppers, it's amazing) and found this mat for 12 whole dollars. She scooped it up for me! I stole it out of the trunk of the car for a quick snap. I believe it captures my personality perfectly. Nice undies! I have linked similar ones here, here, and here.

Diploma Frame

My brother graduated from college a few years before I did and ever since then I have been thinking about how I wanted to frame my own diploma. Silly? Maybe. I didn't just want a big, plain frame. I wanted something that was going to be a staple piece for a gallery wall! I found just that at my go-to, good ole faithful Hobby Lobby. It's rustic, hints of turquoise peek through, and it's shabby chic! Plus, there's always a 40% off coupon awaiting your usage! [Tip for upcoming graduates: do not buy an expensive diploma frame! An 11x14 frame is all you need!] You can find mine here, and two similar ones here and here.

Those are just a few staple pieces that are going to make my future apartment feel more like home. Find all of the linked goodies under the Shop the Blog tab! I can't wait to style these and show them to y'all again! Hopefully, these will be put to use in August! Keep your fingers crossed for me. Under the 'Shop the Blog' tab above, you can find all of these goodies linked. Check it out!

Preparing to #Adult: Shop the Blog

The linked images to my Preparing to #Adult post are below. Happy shopping!

Teeny Wooden Footstool:

$41.00 - Click here.

$12.99 - Click here.

$16.00+ - Click here.

Welcome Doormat:

$7.97 - Click here.

$38.00 - Click here.

$12.99 - Click here.

Diploma Frame:

$29.99 (use 40% off coupon!) - Click here.

$28.74 - Click here.

$7.97 - Click here.

Business Partner Jackpot

Hey y'all!

As many of you know, I am a co-owner of a small online business with my best friend, Sammy. Sam started Fineapple last year and I thought it was a great idea and sounded like so much fun! I soon hopped on with her and Fineapple officially launched in July of 2016.

I won't say this entire journey has been easy for both of us. Many days we are discouraged, we can't find the time or we feel like we're stuck, but we do a really great job at being each other's encouragers. My favorite thing about our partnership (and friendship) is that we get excited over the little things. The littlest victories keep us going. Every sale, rockin' product picture, Facebook or Instagram tag/post, handmade piece of jewelry, inventory delivery, office decoration, pop-up shop, and post office trip is celebrated. There's not a day that goes by that one of us doesn't text the other something positive about the business, even if we're frustrated with one another or the world.

My biggest pieces of advice, and I think Sam would agree with me, is to always have fun running your business and be each others' biggest supporters when things start getting a little cray. Fineapple has been more fun than I ever thought it could be. I think a huge part of that is because Sam and I work really well together. We know when something isn't right, whether it's personal or business related, but most importantly we know how to fix it, or at least how to help. We balance each other out because we are so opposite.

We are always bouncing ideas off of one another and trying to figure out how

we can better the business as a whole. Since it is the two of us running the show, our opposite traits really aid our decision making. For example, Sam and I have very different styles. You can usually catch her in jeans, a t-shirt, and checkered Vans. I love a good pair of boyfriend jeans, simple sandals, and a flowy top. This helps in giving us a variety of clothing in the shop. We are close, so it's no big deal for one of us to say, "I don't think that will work" or "That doesn't sound like a good idea." Most of the time we bust out laughing when we disagree, but some days we need to take time to individually think about the tougher decisions or how we feel about something. That's okay too. We're not afraid to tell each other exactly what we're thinking and I think that has worked wonders for Fineapple.

These things help to make Fineapple successful in it's little corner of the internet. All-in-all, I'm so thankful for Sam, her business partnership, honesty, and her friendship. I couldn't imagine pulling this little business off with anyone else. Each high-five, 'YAY!' text message, disagreement, lunch coffee date, conversation, business meeting, joke, happy dance, photoshoot, and "You're my best friend" line is appreciated more than you know! Tough weeks and decisions happen, we get frustrated, but we know how to turn it around.

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!