madam secretary.

So I am completely and totally in "I'm so ready to be done school and graduate" mode. How convenient was it that my best friend and I stumbled upon Madam Secretary?! Just what I needed to ensure that all my final homework and projects are complete by... tomorrow. CBS All Access reeled me in on a free week-long trial and I'm hoping that I'm able to catch up on the 20-something episodes in the next week so that I don't have to pay $5.99 for a month's worth of viewing. But, it's a $6.00 risk I am willing to take.

This. show. is. SO. good.

I'm only five episodes in right now, but I am obsessed with Tea Leoni as the lead. Her character, Secretary of State, "Madam Secretary" Elizabeth McCord is one hell of a kick ass woman. And if there's anything I love, it's a show that redefines the roles of women in power (Scandal, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt... ). Feminism has been at the forefront of my mind and the media's for quite some time now, and I am full on loving it. 

McCord is inspiring in the role. She takes on a Chief of Staff and President who don't always accept her opinions and courses of action. She even goes so far as to completely undermine the President in a certain situation and take it on her way-- and it works out swimmingly. In a field dominated by men, she's strikingly refreshing. She stands her ground, trusts herself, admits to her mistakes, and embodies everything that (by my definition anyway...) a power woman should be.

One of the best parts in my opinion? The relationship McCord has with her husband Henry. It's not every day you'll come across a man who's completely comfortable being with a highly successful woman. More often than not, it's a woman on a man's arm-- not the other way around. Henry is a professor at Georgetown in religion and ethics, and he supports his wife and his family in a proud and moving way. When McCord is busy dealing with national security crises, he's home consoling his 15-year old daughter who's boyfriend just broke up with her... via text. And when McCord and Henry stumble into their first fight of the series, the night following their fight she brings it up. He starts to say he forgives her, and she responds immediately by saying, "No I wasn't apologizing about that." And once all is forgiven, it's Henry who ends up saying, "If you're asking me to be the man beside the woman, I'm in."

Take a peek:

Just watch the first two episodes, and tell me you're not hooked! (p.s. If you can catch up on the series in a free trial of CBS All Access, I salute you.)

xo

carve your path.

As 20-somethings, we're all sort of inherently led to believe that we are nothing special. We've had internships that have made clear we're the bottom of the food chain, we've had arguments with our parents over our independence (because who knows anything better than we do?), our confidence more often than not comes off as ignorance, and our superiors look at us like we have so much to learn and not even a clue.

Senior year of college is a particularly difficult time for all of us "young adults." I've been referred to as a "young adult" since I was 15, and I'm starting to question when being a "young adult" really ends and being an "adult" begins. I suspect it's when you graduate college and get a real job, start working the 9-5, and save up the dough. But for those of us moving back in with our parents after graduation, actually for those of us in general, all of our crutches are not yet gone. Because of all these factors that contribute to the unending confusion and curiosity that plagues 20-somethings, the path we're supposed to embark on post-graduation is more unclear than ever.

I'm among the lucky ones with a job after graduation. Only, I prefer not to refer to my getting a job as luck (and I prefer that other people do the same), but as a reward for my hard work over nearly a year and a half at the company I work for. commando has been a part of my life for well over a year now, and what started out as a gig folding underwear/kind of being an intern turned into a full blown internship in sales and public relations, and has since turned into a job as a social media and digital marketing coordinator. I'm incredibly relieved and excited for what my future at the company holds.

I will say I am lucky in that I know the company I'm working for is one that I genuinely love, and it's filled with people that I genuinely enjoy working with. That, in itself, is another weight off my shoulders. But I was meeting with the COO of the company while discussing my offer, and I thanked her for being my support at the company over my time there. More specifically, I said, "This wouldn't have happened without you." And her reply? "No, I helped get you in here. You did the rest."

I know I've definitely had some help here and there along the way. If there's anything I've learned from my internship (and trust me, there's a lot), the biggest thing I've learned is how to take constructive criticism! Less than two months ago I had no idea what I was doing with my life. A part of me had always hoped that my internship would potentially lead to a job, but I never expected anything. I've realized over the past month that I've been carving my own path this whole time though. Hard work carves a path. Perseverance carves a path. And a little bit of faith also helps. There was never a clear path for what I wanted come post-grad, but in the middle of all the confusion and anxiety, I made one for myself. So if there's anything young graduates can rest easy knowing, it's that there's a 99% chance you're already carving your path, the right path for you. You just don't know it yet.

xo

rebuilding burned bridges

Once upon a time I wrote about making the cut. I wrote about how to get rid of toxic relationships, of people who no longer made you a better person. And I think I may have been a bit pre-emptive in writing that. I will always stand by the idea that one should surround themselves with people who inspire them, challenge them, and help mold them into a better person. But it's dawned on me recently that maybe I've put too many people on my "cut" list.

I'm not one to give many chances. I suppose it has something to do with the fact that I'm not one to trust easily either. I keep my inner circle limited and I don't warm to people easily. It takes months and months. Even years in some cases. But I've found the small number of friendships I've fostered over the past six or seven years have been the best ones of my life. They still are to this day.

Then something major happened for me at the end of last week. Something amazing and exciting and all that I could have hoped for (more on that later...), and I had my family to tell, and my best friends (the majority of which happen to live out of state), and then it kind of dawned on me that I didn't really have anybody to celebrate with. I don't have a go-to here anymore. My go-to moved away recently. My roommates are my best friends and they're each other's go-to's. And that is more than okay! All my go-tos just happened to move away for college, and I see them often enough.

But what happens when your go-tos aren't picking up their phones? 

And your best friends are all at work?

You're kind of just... alone.

I'm rescinding what I said earlier about making the cut. You have to give people chances, lots of chances. I think of all the times I've screwed up and all the chances I've been given to make things right, and how I haven't allowed that for other people. And it makes me sad. My best friends standing next to me on graduation day will be the same girls who stood next to me at high school graduation, and there is something so special in that. I consider myself lucky, and I cherish how lucky I am to still have them in my life. But they're all I have here right now. Them and a few other lucky people! But it doesn't hurt to have a lot of friends either. People need all different kinds of people for different points in their lives, and I've always been so reserved that it never really dawned on me that maybe I was doing myself some harm by keeping my inner circle so limited.

Don't push people away. Give them the same courtesies you'd want to be given if you messed up. Don't let one stupid fight ruin a friendship. Everyone goes through weird things, especially in our early 20s, but that's why we all have to help each other! As Taylor Swift said, "There's a special place in hell for women who don't help other women." And I'll be the first to say that just because you assume a bridge has been burned, doesn't mean it can't be built again.

p.s. Anybody else watch Younger yet?! Hilary Duff is back!!

xo

changes.

After much contemplation, and random posts here and there, I finally realized the issue I was having. I've realized I've been experiencing what I can only call a blogger identity crisis. Class & Sass was great for the time in my life when I created it, but I created it out of pure hope that it would give me some source of inspiration or motivation (for what, I'm not sure..). Then, as the year progressed and I grew, I realized that my blog, while I LOVED it, was not necessarily the most accurate representation of myself. 

So...

This is Life, Lemons & Vodka, and it's my new baby. And I also have a feeling that it's a blog that's going to stick. I was talking with a few people (the ones who know me extremely, extremely well) about how I was feeling. I didn't know if it was time to let go of Class & Sass, but I knew deep down that it wasn't me anymore. I'm classy, but I definitely err on the sassier side more. I curse like a sailor, I drink far more wine than I should, and I can't put a face on if I try. If I'm annoyed you're going to hear about it, and if I'm happy you're going to hear about it. I will never be a "prepster" and I hate the thought that for even a minute I thought it best to identify myself that way. 

Another thing I've come to realize? I would definitely recognize my absence as a hiatus now. I was in denial that Class & Sass wasn't the right blog for me to be writing anymore. Then I ran into someone  I barely knew (at a bar of all places) who walked up to me and asked if I was still writing. His mom's a reader and he copped up to have reading before, and it just made me remember how much I love this little corner of the internet. It's my little corner of the internet, and a sort of safe haven. As I embark on my journey into the real world in the next two months, I couldn't see a better way to cope than by writing.

Life, Lemons & Vodka has seemed more like me than Class & Sass from the moment I thought of it. And while I've kept my old posts active, things around here will be changing a bit. I never want to ditch Class & Sass completely, it started my blogging career after all-- but it was time to move on. It's like a relationship. When it ends, you're (hopefully) thankful for it, you've (definitely) grown from it, and you're over it.

xo

wild.

I seriously owe a lot to this book right now. Thus far, senior year has done nothing short of kick my ass. It's drained me emotionally and mentally, it's put me in the weirdest possible position I've ever found myself in life, it's made me more confused than ever. And then, sometimes, when you really need something, some sort of inspiration or perspective, something truly amazing comes along. I kid you not, my something amazing is Cheryl Strayed's wild.

It has made me laugh, it has made me literally bawl my eyes out and cry myself to sleep. It's that good. As a matter of fact, I've kind of been reading it forever (forever being at least two months)-- just a little bit every day. It's one of those books you just don't want to end. But I found myself on page 273 of 311 today and I broke out my pen. I circled the last paragraph of Chapter 16 and wrote a huge "THIS!!!" underneath it.

"This was once Mazama, I kept reminding myself. This was once a mountain that stood nearly 12,000 feet tall and then had its heart removed. This was once a wasteland of lava and pumice and ash. This was once an empty bowl that took hundreds of years to fill. But hard as I tried, I couldn't see them in my mind's eye. Not the mountain or the wasteland or the empty bowl. They simply were not there anymore. There was only the stillness and silence of that water: what a mountain and a wasteland and an empty bowl turned into after the healing began."

I feel like senior year for me has been this constant reflection. In the past six months I've thought more about who I used to be than who I am today. There have been times that I wished I was thirteen again and times that I yearned to just be thirty and have my life in order. I think back to my sophomore year of college and the girl I was before I lost my grandmother. She was different. I think back to this time last year, to the girl who was inspired by literally everything. And as corny as it sounds, she was Mazama. She was strong and brave, and at a time in my life where I feel nothing but confused and scared of what's to come, there are times I would give nearly anything to be her again.

In the past four years I've been a mountain, a wasteland, and an empty bowl. I've learned and I've grown and I've screwed up completely; I've stood strong when I needed to, I've let loose when I wanted to, I've let myself grow numb and barren of emotion, but then I've cried enough tears to fill the whole of an empty bowl. Reading that paragraph above, it dawned on me that we're always going to be in this cycle of healing. And every time we come out of it, we're better for it.

My story is nothing compared to Cheryl Strayed's. Actually, compared to her story it's basically irrelevant. It's typical, dumb but yet so real 20-something stuff. But the thing that this book has taught me the most is that life. is. wild. She nailed it right on the head. Granted, she may have been in the wild when she found herself again (I'm never hiking the PCT though, let's face it...), but I suspect she really named the book wild because she figured it out too.

No matter how wild life may be or become, you will always heal. There will come a time when you'll be the mountain again, and the wasteland, and the empty bowl. And then there will again come the time where you heal. But the wildest thing we can do throughout all of it? Just let it be.

xo

I may or may not have read the last sentence of the book... but I do that for all books I read. Just the last sentence ;)

A New Year

The funny thing about resolutions is that they are the epitome of the saying "easier said than done." Last year I set three resolutions. I had a few more written in a picture in my room, one of them being to eat more fruits and veggies. I did follow through on that one. I did not however run a half marathon, and I'm not fully comfortable saying I learned how to budget either (read: I totally didn't.) That being said, I definitely did read more than I usually do in a year-- which isn't saying much, but it's a start! 

This year is a pretty big year for me. I'll be graduating college in five months, I'm officially on the hunt for a job and a new city to explore, and I'm just very excited for the year ahead. Every 2015 horoscope I've read has said I'm going to have a great year, which I am 100% hoping actually happens. 2014 was fun, but stressful. I stretched myself too thin for the majority of the year, and needless to say, I can't wait to have a 9 to 5 where afterwards, I can just go home and sit on my couch. No more homework! No more internship work! Maybe I'll have a cute lil' work desk! Hooray for naïveté, it's going to get me through the year.

I took a few days to come up with my resolutions following the new year. It's hard to come up with goals when you don't know where your life is going to take you! But I think I've got it down.

So there ya have it. I figure reading 12 books means I'll definitely read more this year... a book a month! Sounds good, doesn't it? And this will be the year of saving because now I actually really need to... Anyone else with me on that one? ;)

What are your resolutions for 2015?

xo

What's Your Story?

When I start writing, I usually try to think of a title first thing. I'm a very logical person, so logically it makes sense to me to think of a title and then write the post, you know? Anyway, I'm usually extremely successful at it. Or at least I was, until today. 

Sometimes I'm curious if I'm the only one who goes through weeks at a time where I just feel totally and completely uninspired by anything and everything in my life. I turned 21, so I've been a bit busier than usual. I went to New York City last weekend, and I was in Boston this past weekend. I've had a great time and spent far too much money on wine and clothes things I really needed... but in spite of all that fun, I've just been in a funk.

I went to write this post knowing that I needed to write to get whatever it was I was feeling off my chest. I write every night before bed in a journal and I looked back on what I wrote over the past two weeks. A lot of it rotated around fear. Fear of letting go, and fear of moving on. It's not a new feeling to me as I'm sure you all know given how many times I've written about it. But there it was-- what I was going to write about-- fear, yet again. And then I came to write the title of the post and was utterly lost.

photo; modified by Emily Blauvelt

It sounds funny, but I realized then and there what was wrong with me. I've been trying so hard to envision a life for myself that seems ideal, and forgetting to actually focus on the here and now. I've been trying to figure out what the title of my life story will be called, before fully appreciating and taking part in the life experiences that make it a story worth telling.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about who I could be a year from now. It feels like I'm drowning in a sea of what if's. I hate constantly asking myself whether or not I can do something. Because the truth is, up until this point in my life, I have managed to prove myself time and time again. And, if the future is anything like the past, then I'll continue to do so. But it's scary-- this point in my life. It's different than graduating high school; there is no safety net, and I've never been without a net to catch me if I fall. 

At this point in life, it's really easy to worry about how your actions now affect your future later. It's a good thing to worry about, but not in excess. I wouldn't be the woman I am today without having done the things I've done to get here. You can't forget to live because you're afraid of who you'll be a few years down the line. It's easy to miss things that are happening now because you're so focused on where you'll be in the future. But you got rid of the blinders, and get past the idea of there being any kind of prize in the future. You can't write the title of a story without actually having a story, because without a story, a title means nothing. In my rapidly expanding book of life lessons, when you're talking about people, a title is what people first judge you by, but a story consists of all the people and emotions and events that have made you you. So don't forget to write your story, but more importantly, don't forget to live it.

"Every story is based on a truth. Your truth."

xo

p.s. YES I most absolutely purposefully used a picture of Taylor Swift for this post because 1989 drops today! WHO'S EXCITED?!

21 Things

Today is my 21st birthday! My birthday has always been a favorite of mine for obvious reasons, and while in recent years it's been a little harder than usual, being alive one more year is always something to be thankful for! It's especially something to be thankful for when you can legally drink wine! Last night I celebrated at home with my family and friends and left feeling completely blessed. My best friend who goes to school in NY kept her mouth shut all weekend without letting me know she was in town and showed up at my front door, completely casual. And I cried my eyes out. Definitely a picture perfect evening. It was a great night, and tonight I celebrate with my closest girlfriends here at home! Japanese and scorpion bowls it is!

But, as I reflected last night in bed on the past 21 years of my life, I couldn't help but stumble upon all the different things I've learned. A lot of them are things I wish I'd been told when I was younger, so I brainstormed these 21 things I've learned about life thus far.

1. Hate is heavy, for your happiness you have to let it go.

2. Burning bridges hurts no one but yourself.

3. Make time for the people who make time for you.

4. Family is everything-- make them a priority, always.

5. Never leave angry.

6. Work hard, and stay humble.

7. Speak your truth.*

8. Joy is the best make-up.

9. Don't judge a book by it's cover.

10. Dance with the boy.*

11. Love with your whole heart.*

12. It's okay if you're not okay.

13. There's always a silver lining.**

14. When worst comes to worst, a friend is only a phone call, (or if you're lucky, a room) away.

15. Always be there for those you care most about, even if it's 2am and all you want to do is sleep. You never know when you'll be needing them.

16. There's a Taylor Swift song for everything.

17. Learn to budget.

18. Call your mom.

19. Accept others for who they are, flaws and all.

20. Accept yourself for who you are, flaws and all.

21. You are beautiful, no matter what voices or people tell you otherwise, you are beautiful. Inside and out.

* These lessons have been inspired by close friends and family, two of the largest influences on all that I've learned in my life.

** This lesson is definitely from Silver Linings Playbook, because it's in my top 3 favorite movies, and "the world will break your heart ten ways to Sunday", but "you have to do everything you can, you have to work your hardest, and if you do, you have a shot at a silver lining." So yeah, to me, there's always a silver lining-- if you remember to find it.

xo

Favorite Fall Phone Backgrounds

I'm definitely the kind of person who changes her phone cases and phone backgrounds with the season. It gets particularly crazy around the holidays, but fall is a big transition from the bright colors of summer too. Since I upgraded to the iPhone 5, I've been rocking this adorable case and I'm loving it. I love it even more than other cases I've had in the past because it's basically a neutral, and the anal side of myself enjoys when everything on my phone matches. #sorrrynotsorry

Lately I've been seeing some pretty cute phone backgrounds on Pinterest, and it got me inspired for the upcoming cooler days! You can bet I'll be rocking some of these this fall!

Feels like Fall

Fitzgerald / Harvest / Fall In Love / Hello, Autumn / Pumpkins / I love you, fall! / Let it fall... / Leaves

Which one is your favorite?

xo

A Pumpkin Fetish

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It was brought to my attention last week when I did my fall to-do list that it was "aggressively about apples." It was also brought to my attention that the whole list could have been more #basic. It then turned into this thing about how I could be more basic. Good times!! I'm not sure how I feel about this #basic thing, but I swore then and there that I would dedicate a whole post about how much basics (and me) love pumpkins. Here it is!

Good Reads

I've been battling this rotten cold since Sunday, and it legitimately sucks. All I want to do is curl up in bed forever and read every book imaginable in between naps. Like, how nice would that be? But guess what. Life must go on and I can't wait until this weekend when I hopefully have some recovery time (most likely to occur whilst procrastinating on writing a paper and studying for an exam...). 

Yesterday I may not have had classes but I did work 13 hours straight. So that was fun! Safe to say I climbed into bed and passed out, after attempting to read for 15 minutes.

I went to write the summaries/synopses (is that even the right plural for synopsis?), but then I realized I was exhausted and had only read four of the ten books on the list. So in my complete and utter laziness, I looked up the summaries. Turns out the internet is a lifesaver for bloggers who don't feel like writing summaries of books they want to read. Click away!

What To Do This Fall

Fall is my all-time favorite season. Where I live, people come visit for the foliage. And I can't say I blame them because it's all just so gorgeous around this time of year. We got a taste of fall this past week, and while we seem to be getting one more heat rush, I still find myself dreaming of apple picking and hot cider.

Fall has always been the best of seasons for me because it's when my birthday is (less than three weeks to 21 people!!), but it's also a favorite amongst a lot of my family members. My parents always made it special growing up by carving pumpkins and making pies and doing all that fun stuff. To this day, the smell of apples is an instant mood-booster (although, that might just be because I love apple pie.)

Emily Ley Designs

Okay, so I've known about Emily Ley for a while now. I'm not sure how Emily's Simplified Planner didn't make the cut for my top 5 planners for life list, but wow, am I regretting that! I'm also seriously questioning how I overlooked that.

The Simplified Journal / 2015 Simplified Planner / Grace Not Perfection / Do What Matters Art Print / Notepad-To Do / Magazine Box / Memory Box

Goodbye Summer

Writing the title of this post took every ounce of energy I have left after what seems like a summer of working. I know we all spend our summers working, but oh my gosh. This is the first summer in the history of, well, ever, that I've thought, "Wait, summer can't end." I am a fall baby all the way. I love it. But, the thought of classes starting and having homework on top of all the other stuff I already have to do kind of makes me want to throw up. Really, you should see my to-do lists.

There are some things you just can't change though, and the fact that I have my first class at 3:00 today is one of them. Did I mention it's three hours long? Jokes on jokes. And fingers crossed it doesn't actually go that long. This summer has some major highs and major lows; it's been by far the most beneficial summer for me. I've learned a lot, worked a lot, and laughed a lot. A good combination if you do ask me!

Anyway, I've seen a lot of "Hey, it's ok!" posts out there this summer. Inspired by Glamour and my favorite blogger, The College Prepster, I've decided to do my own as a kind of testament to this summer and all it's taught me.

photo

To eat a completely oversized bowl of stove-popped popcorn a day.

To kiss the boy you'll never in your life see again.

To color code your planner compulsively.

To wake up to a room completely destroyed by getting ready the night before.

To eat pizza at 2a.m.
To legitimately dream about Chris Soules from The Bachelorette.

To spend a rainy day holed up with your best friend watching Dirty Dancing, eating cupcakes, and ordering in.

To drink a bottle of wine on a Wednesday night while watching Love Actually.

To spend every spare moment (though few and far between) binge-watching HIMYM. 

To drop your phone in a toilet at a country concert.

To tell all your friends you dropped your phone in a toilet at a country concert.

To forget to check that all the members of the gym you work at are out of the building BEFORE you close it up (oops!).

To hang out with friends until 6am just talking about who knows what.

To go to Mexico and indulge in as many fruity drinks as possible (#judgeme).

To practically cry at a Disney fireworks show.

To force your family to watch every  fireworks show that Disney World has to offer.

To bawl your eyes out at the movies, tissue box in hand.

To talk to your dog like they're an actual person, because really, aren't they basically?

To not want to go back to classes because holy crap, you're graduating in May.

To not want to grow up.
To, at the same time, want to grow up.

To secretly like (gasp!) Mondays.

Happy Monday!

The Past 36 Hours

If there was a motto I've been abiding by for the past 36 hours it's this one:

That's actually all I can say about the past two days because they were, for lack of a better word, a shit-show. You know those weeks when everything is just going so bad/weird? But everything that happens isn't detrimental to your existence or long-term happiness? It's just when life is so random and awful and nuts at the same time that you seriously just have to laugh. 

Your recap, because sometimes my life can be slightly comical.

WARNING: Some of this information people would find inappropriate, but it's my blog and I'll be honest with y'all.

Things that happened when Emily and Paige left to go see Luke Bryan in New York Sunday morning.

Full disclosure here folks. You were warned.

We easily spent $200 between gas, food, beverages, parking, and coffee in the span of 12 hours. We're in college. We get stuck in traffic in literally the most tempting place on the planet. Outlets. The J. Crew outlet. The shoe sales. Sneak in a quick sing-a-long to "Ain't Nothin' 'Bout You" by Brooks & Dunn because duh. Get to the concert venue, spy cops. Just like that $30 worth of beverages is gone. Whatever, cops. Sit in car in wrong parking lot fuming about lost money and (eh, hem) beverages. The cops are gone! We're leaving and hitting the nearest gas station. Cops can't get us down! $20 later and a few white lies to the gatekeepers so we didn't have to pay for parking again and we're back in business! Let's find our friends and have fun! Can't find our friends. Decide to have fun anyways. I have to go to the bathroom. Phone is in back pocket. You see where this is going? Phone is in toilet. 

You needn't know the rest, but I am now using a great lil flip phone that the woman I work for gave me to use for the next week! Woo! Here comes the carpal tunnel. Still, I'm semi-connected to society so really, thank-freakin-goodness. 12 hours pass. Children I nanny consistently make fun of me for dropping my phone in a toilet. Roommates make fun of me for dropping my phone in a toilet. My old, previously undamaged iPhone is sitting pretty in a bag of rice.

I got back to my apartment last night and some stupidhead was parked in my parking space. #annoying And yes, I called for a tow. #sorrynotsorry #suckstosuck #atleastyouhaveacellphone Had to move my car back to my parking space once stupidhead's car was gone, and couldn't find my keys anywhere. Here's the kicker: they were in my car!!! Good.

I'm down a phone, about 17 notches of patience, and 30,000 units of sanity. The plus side? I'm up about three good stories and a s*** ton of laughing.

That's all I've got for you. Happy Tuesday.

Sundays In Bed

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I'm currently on my way to Saratoga, NY for a Luke Bryan concert with my best friend!! If you're wondering if I already saw him this summer, the answer is yes. In DC. But my motto is that you can never have too much Luke. And I will stand by that forever. But if you're relaxing all day and laying around (which is just what I did literally all day yesterday), then I've got your reading for you :)

"No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world."

1. Monday was a hard day for so, so many people. We lost such a great actor and comedian. I love that Disney now recognizes the loss at the end of Aladdin, and of all the tributes out there, this one has been my favorite.

2. On that note, the profound quotes from Robin Williams that helped shape our generation.

3. An experience earlier this week really taught me that you can't let the little, stupid things break your happiness. Really, sticks and stones, my friends.

4. I fell in love with this print while shopping around on Etsy this week. Oh, and this one. And this one.

5. There are no words for how jealous I am of Rach Parcell's closet. No doubt about it, it's my dream closet.

6. Summer is coming to an end in (UGH) one week! Excuse me while I go cry. The 21 highs and lows girls go through when summer ends. Jeans and sweatpants = no shaving season (AKA the only good thing about summer ending)!

7. Loving these ALS Ice Bucket Challenge videos! Have you been nominated?!

8. THIS IS HAPPENING TOMORROW AND I CAN'T WAIT.

9. Check out the latest post on my other (newer) blog, life, lemons & vodka (LL&V)! What is the perfect relationship?

10. A new playlist for the end of summer and a new school year!

Sticks and Stones

I missed Monday's usual post because I had a hell of a weekend and life just got in the way of things. And just when I thought my reign of bad luck was at an end, I met an asshole at the gym while I was working yesterday. Really, I kid you not.

Let me tell you what happened.

(p.s. can you tell I'm not too happy about it?)

DIY Sugar Scrub

So, last Saturday I was really struggling with just that "Ew I feel gross" feeling. I don't know if it was the stress from the week prior that did it, but my skin was a mess and I was in dire need of a relaxing/skin soothing remedy. Obviously, I took to Pinterest and found a sugar scrub that I thought would be simple enough to try on this site.

I. loved. it. 

My skin felt so smooth after washing my face with it, and it smelled good too! Win-win situation, right? Right. I highly recommend this recipe. It honestly felt like I had bought a scrub from Lush. The scrub I bought last summer in London clearly ran out within two months and I haven't made it to a store since.. and yes, believe it or not, that time in London was my only time in the store. #smalltownproblems

Eat, Sleep, Be, Repeat

Alright friends. If I'm being completely honest with you, I sat down to write a different post at 12:30 last night and realized that I. just. could. not. The past four nights I've been up until 3am doing work and it's killing me. I'm exhausted. So exhausted in fact that Wednesday night after work when I went to my friend's house, I nearly passed out on her couch. Work ended at 9pm mind you, after starting at 10am. Hooray for long, summer days!

I really can't complain because my jobs are awesome and I'm incredibly lucky to have them, but you guys, I need a break today. I'm currently in MA (at the beach as we speak), and I want to enjoy every minute of the remaining five or so hours I have of this mini-break without being stressed or exhausted. It makes me act like a b**** to people I care about and easily irritated (which is saying something because it doesn't take much to irritate me in the first place.) Anyway, it's finally Friday and I seriously, seriously, challenge you to really take care of yourself this weekend. We all need a little TLC from time to time.

3 Things to Know Before Getting an Internship

So a few weeks ago I landed a new internship! It's virtual so I can do it from here, but the woman I'm working for is based in NYC (!!!). I landed it on none other than Internships.com and it's been going really well so far. I've already learned so much in the few weeks I've been working with her, I'm actually amazed. Not only am I learning things that I will be using in my career, but a lot of the things I'm learning I can apply to my blog as well.

I waited a long time to get my first internship. I didn't land my first one until the start of last semester (er... junior year), and now I'm taking on my third internship! Come fall, I'm pretty sure I'll be doing three and taking a full schedule of classes. (*Insert panic attack here*) I may or may not have bit off more than I can chew, but what's new? The bottom line is, I feel like I've learned enough from my experience to give you a few pointers if you're starting on the hunt for an internship this coming semester.