Monday, December 29, 2014

2014...

Whew! This year is about and I feel like it came around even faster than I could have imagined!
January 
I started this blog!  I had been reading Heather's blog for so long and it seemed like such a good idea to document my daily life's happenings. I had no idea how it would go because I am no where near as interesting as Heather and other bloggers out there haha. I decided to go out on a limb and start one (I mean, why not?) . Starting this blog has been one of the best decisions I've made and I have met so many sweet friends along the way and I am able to write--#winning
February
We had a crazyyy snow storm. It does not snow in South Carolina. It just doesn't so this was kind of a big deal
March
I volunteered to check blood glucose for those in the community with some sweet friends. 
April 
Our sweet puppy turned two! We also celebrated my mom's birthday in Charleston :)
May
Keith and I took a vacay to Orlando, Florida
June
We had the first of many movie dates for the summer
July 
I shared my summer reading list. One of my favorite things to do is read. Love! 
August
Keith and I celebrated 5 years of dating. Love him so much :)
September
I linked up with some of my favorite bloggers to share some of my favs!
October
My family and I took our annual trip to the South Carolina State fair 
November 
We celebrated Thanksgiving with amazing family and friends. I am so thankful for each of them  :)
December
After the hardest semester I have ever had, I shared my tips and tricks to surviving final exams :)

Each year I love to look back and reflect on the year that is about to end. I am so thankful for my family and those I have had the pleasure to meet and interact with. I hope and pray that things don't change too drastically over the next 365 days but if they do I hope to handle them in stride. The older I get, the faster the years seem to pass. I pray that I can appreciate the season I am in and learn from it, both the good and the bad. Bring it on 2015!


Thursday, December 18, 2014

Surviving Finals 101

Since I have survived a final (or 50) I thought I'd share my tips on how I make it through. 
Final exams and I have a love-hate relationship. I have had some semesters where my finals were a breeze. My first semester at Clemson, for example, most of my classes were review since I'd already taken so many AP classed in high school. I honestly wished I could be a part of the paranoia and craziness that ensued on my hall. 
Bless me. 
Be careful what you wish for.  
There have been other semesters, where I wanted to pull my hair out and just make it through haha. (Practice for parenthood/toddler years perhaps?). Since starting pharmacy school, my semesters have been much more like the latter. There was not enough caffeine in the world to keep me awake and away from pinterest ;) This semester was one of my most difficult. So I'd like to look back to see exacly what I did to make it through and maybe even help someone along the way. Because, to be honest, next year will be here before I know it! Ah!
Survival Tip #1
Plan!
This may sound kind of crazy but I write out an itinerary for my day...especially when I know I have a lot to get done. I love a good list ;) It's not super detailed..just something to make sure I don't get side tracked. On weeks leading up to finals I have several lists in full swing. This also ensures that I actually get everything done that I need to get done. You'd be surprised how much time is spent as down time throughout the day..and before you know it, it's midnight!
Survival Tip #2
Make time for yourself.
 Do the things you love. During this whole semester, there was not one time where I decided I wouldn't watch my favorite tv shows, or go out and go for walk when I needed to. However, I did try to plan this time into my day before hand. I usually wake up at 6:15, go running, take a shower, eat breakfast and be in class by 8:30 each day. Yes I realize that's a lot done in the morning but, once that's out of the way, I have the rest of my day to focus on school stuff, hanging out with friends, etc. 
Survival Tip #3
Sleep. 
This sounds so cliche but it is truly important. I am not gonna lie, when I was in undergrad, I got ALOT of sleep freshmen year...and it definitely dwindled as I got closer to graduation.  My first year in grad school, I managed to clock close to 9 hours a sleep each night. Which is a lot even still however, this summer, after looking at my upcoming course schedule, I realized I should probably re-research the minimal amount of sleep I could actually get, and still function like a normal person. Now I actually make it a point to get at least 7 hours of sleep each night. I'd say about 98% of the people I know, my boyfriend especially, can function off of only a few hours of sleep. I am not one of those people. I will probably never be one of those people. And I'm ok with that :)
Survival Tip #4
Have a little faith.
This kind of goes without saying but you never know what might happen. Besides, a little prayer never hurt anyone. Don't sweat the small stuff ;)
Survival Tip #5
Don't forget to breathe.
This is one I have to constantly remind myself of. There are so many days I get overwhelmed and my Type A personalilty would much rather do everything except breathe  ;) But then I am forced to take a deep breathe and slow down; I have to take one thing at a time in order to get the millions of things on my agenda done.
Although this season is a tad challenging, I know God is in control. Whatever higher power you believe in don't forget to keep in touch. :)
Sunday, November 30, 2014

Another Thanksgiving

Ah! Another Thanksgiving  has come and gone. So many times we take things for granted. We always think the grass is greener on the other side; mostly because its so much easier to see our grass as brown when we are standing on top of it. I thank God everyday for his favor, grace and mercy. This year I am especially thankful for:
Family
Friends
My amazing support system
School (gasp) 
Cubby ;)
Being healthy
and SLEEP (which is a a pretty big deal) 
It always seems like we spend so much time preparing for the actually holiday, that when it finally gets here, the actual day goes by super fast! Our day was pretty laid back. Keith and I hung out with his side of the family and at many points throughout the day we contemplated swinging by a store or two 'really quick'. Not gonna lie it was VERY tempting, especially since the stores and outlets we wanted to visit were literally 5 minutes from home! Santa had several things on his list that were on sale at places like Target and Best buy. But we showed some restraint and got up at a normal time, like normal people, on Friday. We surely did pay for not getting up and going out on the way back home on Thursday but in my opinion, family time is a little more important than a Keurig ;). I only have 2 more weeks left until this crazy semester is over and I can. not. wait. It's gonna be epic. :)
Thursday, November 27, 2014

Thankful

Today I am thankful for my family, my health and being almost done with this semester! We will be spending today watching plenty of football, good, yummy food and even better friends and family. I hope you take time out to fellowship with those you love most.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

What's on....My bucket list

I love a good list! Today I am linking up with Andrea to share what's on my bucket list ;)

  • Ride a plane 



I am almost smack dab in the middle of my twenties and I have never ever been on a plane. Shocker. When ever we'd take vacations, we would just drive... even to Disney World haha. Everyone needs 7+ hours of family bonding time right? :)
  • Travel more
School kinda complicates this just a tad. But I can't wait to take on the world ;) My ultimate dream destinations are these two places. Swoon

 
Australia....Love!
 
Paris...Double love! 
  • Which brings me to my next point: Finish School! 
This one is a huge, gigantic major kind of a biggie.  Don't get me wrong, Its not that I don't love spending hours on end studying,  however, I cant wait until the day comes when I am officially D.O.N.E! 
  • Learn to cook. 
Thankfully my mom is an awesome cook. I've just always figured why should I learn to cook when I'll always have her ;) Thankfully my sweet boyfriend is not picky and always asks for seconds every time I have tried to 'cook'  over the past 5 years. {bless his heart :)}. But as I get older I realize cooking is a valuable skill every wife/home maker needs to have, so I suppose I had better learn too...eventually :)
  • Get back to this place.
  • Dear old Clemson University.  I loove Death Valley and my alma mater! Even if you aren't from South Carolina  you'd love a good Clemson game. Go Tigers :)

  • Run a marathon!
 More on this a little later but this brings me to my last and most important point....
  • Continue to build a relationship with Jesus.
 Each morning I try to have a little quiet time with God which a lot of times is during my morning runs. Sometimes our quiet time is long, other times it may be short but it's mostly just to say "What's up God?" and a quick thank you. I love zoning out everything and having 'me time' along with talking to the Lord. After our little chats, I feel more than ready to conquer the day.

These are just a few of my short-term goals. Stay tuned for the long-term list ;)
Thursday, October 30, 2014

State Fair

Once the leaves truly begin to change around here, the South Carolina State Fair also rolls around. This has been a tradition for my family since I can remember! When I was younger, I would look forward to riding the rides every year...but as I've gotten older, I look forward to the food for sure! ;) Most of my family are 'anti-selfies' but rest assured,  it was truly a family adventure with my mom as the photographer ;)


Baby Chicks! 



Funny story about these baby chicks: These cute little ducklings were sliding down this little slide one at a time. It seemed like so much fun until my mom informed me that they hate getting wet at this age...and that they weren't voluntarily falling but rather being pushed by one another! Very entertaining but apparently not for the baby ducks. Poor things


Then we went to check out the bigger birds

and I found cubby's twin :) No one else in my family saw the resemblance except me. :)
 
Impromptu photo opp duh ;)


This is pretty much all I go for every. single. year. Fried goodies. Um. Yum! This little stand takes treats, dips them in batter and serves em up fried with powdered sugar.


They have everything you can think of...even fried butter. Yep, that's right. This year I tried the fried Snicker bar...I usually do the fried Oreos. After trying the Snicker, I think I'll just stick to the Oreos ;)

Then in true fall fashion, we headed over to see the Great Pumpkin(s) 
I dont think I have ever seen a pumpkin that weighed twice as much as I did.

On this particular night, I found two ;)

I love love love little family outings that involve awesome food and fun! I kinda wish the fair 'lived' here that way we could have Fried Oreos all year round :)


Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Highlights from Fall Break


With Fall, comes fall break. Love fall break and all of its awesomely, wonderful goodness!
It usually comes smack dab right in the middle of the semester which is around the time I am typically running off fumes. I typically use this time to catch up on sleep, go to that dentist appointment I've been putting off for a few months, and hang out with my family without worrying about  cramming for an exam I have the next day.
Some of the highlights of this year's fall break were: 
The end of my rotation. 
 sigh. 
I was super happy fall break finally came around but I was a little bummed about leaving this rotation in particular. I'd learned so much and met so many wonderful people. I hope to rotate through again in the future

My new rotation is at a Dialysis Clinic in one of the towns near my school :)

First PSL of the season! 
Notice the epic name fail hahah. The different variations of spelling my name have never ceased to amaze me after all these years that's for sure!  I also could not help but notice the perfect caption that's photo bombing the pic. Pumpkin spice lattes are the perfect drink and I supposed they deserve their own perfect captions. 'Charming'
Football
My family are football fanatics to say the least. So during my break we were able to catch a football game at my sister's school where it just so happen to be homecoming.
About 10 minutes after getting there, my mom and I both agreed that we have been totally spoiled over the years by Clemson football.  I still love the sport, but I'd probably be fine waiting a while to go back to a high school game ;)


Hanging out with Cubby

About a year ago, Keith and I found some little spots that were beginning to come on Cub's belly. We didn't really thing much of it until they got worse. Eventually we found out he has severe allergies to pretty much everything.
 Awesome. 
So this past summer, we had to start taking him to an allergy specialist that could help and potentially treat his allergies. Here we are waiting on our appointment.
Our happy buddy :)
You'd never guess how many rounds of antibiotics and steroids he's been on by that face :). The people were super sweet. One of the vet techs said she'd never seen a dog as happy about being at the vet as Cubby always was haha.

So happy to be halfway done with this semester! 


Wednesday, October 1, 2014

It's October!


I love the first day of every month but I especially love October. In my opinion, it is the official begin of the holiday season. I consider Halloween a holiday and now it is only a month away! So exciting :)
I just wish the temperatures would get with the program. Here in SC its still mid 80s on a good day. Most days we are talking 90s.
 sigh
This semester is in full swing. I have officially finished my first round of exams! We have actually been testing since about the second week of school but they have come in spurts. This past week, I had a little run of exams--4 exams in 5 days...hello insanity ;)
 
One of my favorite parts about this semester has by far been my rotation. I have had quite a few up until this point but I am in love with this one. It just so happens to be at the exact same hospital I was born in which makes it even more exciting! So far I have been able to meet so many amazing people and hear so many of there insights and perspectives. About 3 weeks ago, we were able to round with a pediatrician and his residents in the NICU. Talk about a humbling experience. Last week, I was able to round with one of the pharmacists in the geriatric unit of the hospital. This time it was huge team: the pharmacist, her interns (me and one of my class mates), a case nurse, a nurse tech, an actual nurse, two doctors and their residents. Imagine having about 10 people walk into your hospital room all at once. Ha! It was uplifting considering the majority of the patients were super happy to have so much company :)
This week is health week at the hospital. Yesterday, we were able to educate first graders from local schools about the importance of poisons. 


 There were different little stations

The bad blogger in me totally forgot to take pictures of the pharmacy section haha. I was running off very limited sleep and at this point I just wanted to make it through the day without falling over and getting a concussion ;). And once the children arrived, I didn't want to take pictures and risk accidentally getting someone's face in the mix. But it was so much fun. There were about 250 children who came with their respective schools. Each of them were so full of energy and life which was pure energizing.  ;)
Friday, September 19, 2014

Friday Favs

TGIF! Woot! I am so happy it's finally Friday. My second favorite day of the week. (My first is probably Sunday) Today I am linking up again with some of my favorite ladies for...
Momfessionals
One:
 Reality TV
It's no secret how much I looove my tv shows.
The biggest indication of summer being over is the ending of  BB! This is one of my favorite summer shows and its about to wrap up for the summer. #sad But I am sooo ready for the fall shows to come back!
 I love Survivor.

I've said it once and I'll say it again, Shonda Rhimes is a genius! I can not wait to check out her new 
show also!

Two: 
Candles
I looove the smell of a candle burning because they make whatever season you're in that much more festive. I almost always have a candle of some type burning or on my candle warmer. 
My favorite scents for fall usually involve some type of pumpkin or cinnamon smell.

I recently added these two scents to my collection and they just happen to have both the cinnamon-y and the pumpkin-y smell to them. Love!

Three:
I kind of like Nail Polish....


...alot :) 
 Ulta is having their 21 days of beauty event right now and this weekend I was able to stock upon some AH-mazing fall colors.


My favorite right now:  La Moss

A note about this week:



This past week, at my rotation, I was able to round with the residents and doctors of the Children's hospital. (No pictures inside of course). We were in the NICU on this particular day and it really put things into perspective for me. As we were walking in, I saw the little beds, some of which were empty, others had the teeniest, tiniest humans I had ever seen in my life. Most of them were no bigger than my hand. I realize it takes a very special person to be a mother...actually to be a parent in general but especially a mom. Although I am a fully functioning adult, I still depend on my mom for the majority of my needs/wants (not kidding!). If I'm sick the first person I'm calling is my mama; when I witnessed my first wreck, I called her first just out of insinct...even before the cops! She's been my best friend from the very beginning and I have not once heard her complain nor has she ever left my side and I love her for that. I really commend all mothers and parents out there. I encourage you to take time out to pray for your children or the children in your life. Pray for their health, their well-being, and guidance from whatever higher power you believe in :) 
Have a great weekend!
Friday, September 5, 2014

Friday Favs

Today is Friday! Yaaaay! School is back in full swing and I am slowing but surely getting my act together.  Today I am linking up with some of my favorite ladies for Friday favs :)
Momfessionals


It can be soo overwelming after such a relaxing summer to get back into the groove of things. I still don't feel like my feet have stopped moving since they hit the floor on the 25th of August. I'm convinced my life would be in shambles if it werent for my agenda and calender.  It so funny how many of us type A people don't realize how type A we are until we are separated from our calender/agenda.
This is what my desk looks like on a regular basis. Calender, notecards and colored pencils pretty much sums it up. Try not to be jealous of my calculators. Double-fisting anyone?

So sorry this upside down #oops.  This is my little handheld agenda that I take with me to class. Seriously I might have a mini heart attack if I'm ever separated from my little planners. They make life somewhat simple which is why they're my favs :)


Coffee is an absolute must for me. I've been drinking some variation of coffee (instant, decaf etc) since I was 3 years old Ha! Being in pharmacy school kind of justifies my love for coffee. I really try to limit myself and keep it in moderation. However, during finals and test weeks, anything goes.
I love my new coffee cup. It has the word 'courage' on the other side and on the side shown it has a cute little motivational saying. I have to have my liquid courage..and the saying that goes along with it. Its seriously my fav!

I have to admit, I was a tad skeptical of these little k-cups at first. They just seemed like a complete waste to me. So I'd just use the old fashion filters. Then I got a new coffee maker last year and converted to the filters shaped like k-cups. Theeen I just so happen to luck up and find a value pack of k-cups for a huge deal and I decided to put my love for the environment aside and just try them. And now...I am obsessed! I save so much time in the mornings and I can decided if I want an extra bold cup or a medium bold cup. Love love love!
And who doesn't love a cute coffee organizer?!  I made sure to stock this baby up before school started back. I also have my reserves (not pictured)  ready to go ;) 

I also started my first rotation of the year this past week. I love it because it is at the Children's hospital I was born in haha. #ohtheirony I was able to meet my preceptor and even got a little badge.
After getting my badge, I posted this picture on instagram and lots of people thought this was my first rotation ever. But nope its actually my 4th that I've done through school and my 5th including my regular internship. I love it so far though. I think it may be one of my favs!  
And my absolute FAVORITE season is upon us...Happy Fall! :)