Hey I Just Met You...

Happy Wednesday! Becky at From Mrs. to Momma had a link-up last week with a series of questions all designed to get to know some bloggers better. While I missed the opportunity to link up, I thought the idea was such a great one I just had to borrow it! I think the last '411' type post I did was when I first started my blog so things certainly have changed! Let me know if you decide to answer the questions as well...I would love to get to know some of my readers better!


1. How long have you been blogging
I started this blog (originally named Carolina Prep) in April of 2007 right before I graduated high school. Posting has been sporadic throughout the years but I am glad I did stop by every now and then to document my college years!


2. Did you go to college? If so where, and what did you study?
I graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor's Degree in Biology. DEFINITELY not the degree I thought I was going to end up with, but I survived and made it out into the "real world" (which is overrated btw)

3. Where have you traveled?
The only place I've traveled internationally has been London (recap posts coming soon!). In the US, I've been to North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, New York (specifically NYC...favorite vacation!), Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada (Las Vegas), and California. 


4. If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you would buy?
As much as I love my car and have NO reason to purchase a new one (I haven't even hit 60,000 miles yet), I would love to buy a Land Rover of some sort. 

5. What are your 3 biggest pet peeves?

• Poor customer service
• Bad drivers
• Flakey people

6. What is your favorite movie?
Week 2 of Sunday Social talked all about movies so I'll put a link to that here, so to keep it short and sweet here one of my favorite movies is The Wedding Date. 

7. What is your drink of choice: wine, beer, or liquor? Or water, soda, or tea?
Between the alcoholic beverages, I usually order a beer (Michelob Ultra). Non-alcoholic as of right now is Diet Coke, which I rediscovered while we were in London. I'm trying to get back into drink water (with Crystal Lite added of course).


8. What is something you enjoy to do when you have me time?
SLEEP! When I actually wake up, I've been enjoying going to Target by myself and just wandering around. This usually wastes about 1-2 hours and anywhere from $20-100, but I find it very relaxing! 


9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, which store would it be?
Nordstrom. They have both affordable and more high end items as well as workout wear (norts!) and cosmetics! 


10. Share with us an embarrassing moment of your past? Or present.
Not going into details, but there were some moments during my friend's bachelorette party last month that I would like to take back. Unlimited drinks are NOT your friends girls!! 


11. What day would you love to relive again?
I haven't had any true 'milestone' days in my life that I would go back and relive, so I'm going to have to say October 9, 2010. It was two days before my 21st birthday. Why that day? 

October 9, 2010 was the day that the Gamecocks beat the #1 Alabama Crimson Tide at Williams Brice. The day started VERY early on the Horseshoe on USC's campus for ESPN's College Gameday, then we were bused over to the stadium where we ran inside to get the best seats possible to see if we could beat the 'unbeatable' team. AND WE DID! I've been to some pretty insane football games over my college career, but I think this one is the top. As a fan you want to win every game, but I think this was one we were all surprised and ecstatic to win! It snapped Alabama's 20+ game winning streak and gave their quarterback his first loss since high school. GREAT early birthday present! 


12. If your life was turned into a movie, what actor would play you?
Hmm...I guess I would say Nina Dobrev. 

I'm going to be honest, I wasn't too familiar with her until people starting talking about her in regards to playing Anastasia in Fifty Shades of Grey (which I support!). We're around the same age and I think she is just a natural beauty. And I would die for her hair! 


13. What are the jobs you had in high school/college/the early years?
My senior year of high school I got a job with my best friend at Build a Bear. It was a great first job and retail experience, but would I work there now? NO! After that I got a job at CVS as a pharmacy technician since I thought I wanted to go to pharmacy school, but as you read above that obviously didn't work out. I'm still working there but I am trying to switch gears and get a job in the cosmetic industry since I've decided to get my Masters in Cosmetic Science. 

14. Show us a picture from high school or college.

This is the group of us that went down to watch the Gamecocks go down to Atlanta to play in the SEC Championship for the first time EVER!! While the game didn't have the outcome we had hoped (damn you Auburn!), it was still an electrifying atmosphere and an experience I wont forget. Hopefully we will be making a return trip to Atlanta this season!


15. If you could travel anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would you go?
Australia! HOWEVER, since this is all expenses paid I will be traveling via a lush private jet. I learned from my flights to and from London that I can NOT sleep on planes! Since the flight to Australia takes a full day, I'm going to need my space and some luxurious sleeping arrangements if I'm going to make it down under in one piece! 


16. Show us the most current picture of you, your family, or anything of meaning to you.

The parentals and I at Wimbledon tennis championships in London.

17. Where do you see your life 5 years from now?
I got asked this question in a job interview recently and had to pause and think! I definitely hope to be either working at my dream job or at least have figured out what it is and going after it. I would like to be in the process of settling down and thinking about having kids, although I have the feeling I'm going to be someone who does her settling down closer to 30 than 25, which I'm ok with! 5 years ago I was getting ready to start college and had my next couple years somewhat mapped out. I honestly have NO CLUE what the next 5 years hold, which is both a thrilling and scary feeling!!


Hope you guys enjoyed this little Q&A session and learned something new whether you're a long-time reader or a new follower! If there's something else you would like to know, feel free to comment or email me. 

Top 5 Tuesday: Jewelry Loves!

Happy 2012 everyone! Hope the first couple days of the new year have treated you well. I've spent the last couple days finishing up dog sitting for my aunt and DEEP cleaning my apartment, which has been WAYYYY overdue!! My baby cousin is moving in for the semester so I needed to get all of my things out of her room and closet as well as clean out my closet and throw away all the things that had piled up throughout the semester! Now that almost all the laundry is done and trash thrown away, now comes the more fun stuff....buying new organization things! Once I have everything situated how I want it I'm hoping to do an apartment tour post that has been overdue for about 3 years!! I'm also hoping to put together my first ever blog sale!

Once again I am linking up with Rachel @ Just Peachy for Top 5 Tuesday and this week's topic is jewelry! So here are some of my favorite pieces...

1. Michael Kors Multifunction Bracelet Watch in Tortoise - My parents got me this watch for Christmas last year and it hasn't left my arm since!! I absolutely love it and would be lost without it!

2. Sapphire Ring - This was a gift for my 22nd birthday and like my watch it has become an everyday staple! Sapphires aren't that delicate of stones (compared to pearls for example) so I feel safe wearing it. I usually don't go for this style of ring (more old-fashioned) but you all know since Kate Middleton came on the scene with Princess Diana's engagement ring that this ring has been popping up everywhere. I remember looking through all the jewelry stores' flyers and every single one had a similar ring.

3. David Yurman inspired chain necklace - I bought this necklace two years ago at Columbia's Junior League Holiday market and it immediately became a regular in my jewelry wardrobe. A lot of my friends have mistaken it for a DY piece and while the quality is not exactly DY, it's still a good substitution until I can afford the real thing!

4. Tiffany & Co. Return to Tiffany Heart Ring - I got this on my 17th birthday and it was my first piece of really nice jewelry. I wore it daily on my pinky finger and eventually the band molded to how it sat on my finger because I wore it so much! I thought I had lost this after I couldn't find it for over year but during this deep cleaning I found it my old Vera Bradley tote! 

5. Mabe Pearl Earrings - I think pearls of any kind are timeless, so when my parents gave me these for my high school graduation I was SO excited! These are my daily go-to earrings and I always feel more put together when I wear them. These also started the tradition of my parents giving me pearls for a milestone event (necklace on my 21st birthday, bracelet for college graduation). 

What are some of your favorite jewelry pieces?

xoxo

Natalie

Top 5 Tuesday: Finals Distractions

Once again I am linking up with Rachel from Just Peachy for Top 5 Tuesday! Of course this week's topic is something that is lingering on the minds of college student everywhere...finals! I am in the middle of what is hopefully my last week of *undergrad* finals EVER! My first true final is Thursday evening and then the one that I am most worried about is Friday at 2pm.

Since I have had 4+ years of finals experience, I am an EXPERT at procrastination and finding things to distract me from studying! Here are what I have as my Top 5 distractions this exam season (in no particular order)...

1. College Football

Even though the regular season of college football is over, this post-season is giving us TONS to talk about (I'm currently watching the Experts on ESPNU)! I spent all day this past Saturday watching the SEC and ACC Championship games and now there's tons of talk about the BSC National Championship game and the Heisman. I've always been a big college football fan but for some reason this year I am OBSESSED! I love hearing all the differing opinions and we all love a good rivalry or two! ;)

2. Youtube

O my goodness Youtube is a HUGE distraction!! Yall know I am a beauty junkie and Youtube does nothing but contribute to this obsession! I subscribe to 40+ "beauty gurus", meaning I have about 60 videos sitting in my subscription box ready to watch. This also does nothing for my spending problem...so many items get added to my beauty shopping list from these videos!

**Side note: I've been thinking about doing a post highlighting my favorite Youtube "gurus". Would yall be interested in that?**

3. Law and Order SVU

Yall know this had to make the list! It's not only the show itself that causes a distraction (hello Tuesday marathons!) but its going online to watch sneak preview clips and get updated on the latest news. And it doesn't help that Mariska Hargitay has been out and about all over NYC, meaning there's tons of photos to ohh and ahh over!

Sephora Wants by swtcarolinagrl on polyvore.com

4. Sephora

A beauty junkie's dream! As a VIB Sephora sent me a $20 gift card to use but you have to spend a minimum of $50. So of course I've spend hours trying to decide what I wanted to purchase and making sure that no new items have been posted that I just have to have!!

5. Pinterest

I think Pinterest would show up on any college girl's procrastination list! At first you don't really get it, but then you start filling up your boards and it becomes an obsession! Pretty soon you have 20+ boards with hundreds of pins and you can't stop! Here are a few things I have pinned over the last couple days (click here to follow my boards!)

Source: theamericanlegacy.tumblr.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: media.photobucket.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: collegefootballstore.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: polyvore.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Some honorable mentions: Facebook, Twitter (I sorta don't count this cuz I have TweetDeck so all my tweets are directly on my desktop), Tumblr, Target

What are you Top 5 distractions? How did you get yourself to focus and actually get stuff done?!?

xoxo

Natalie

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Lilly Pulitzer Tote in Kappa Kappa Gamma print

Lilly came out with four sorority prints last year and lucky for me Kappa was one of them, along with Delta Zeta, Tri Delta, and Kappa Delta. My friend has the DZ tote and these things are HUGE! Since I got my new laptop I've had issues because its too big to carry around in my Vineyard Vines or Coastal Traditions tote. So this would be PERFECT, even though this is my last semester in Kappa :(

Viva la Juicy Perfume

I am in LOVE LOVE LOVE with this perfume!!! I was at Kohls with my mom and she had a 30% off coupon so I thought it would be a perfect time to pick up a new scent, since perfume NEVER goes on sale! I originally wanted to pick up one of the Ralph Lauren scents, but both Kohls we went to didn't have ANY :( So I sprayed this on and as I continued to walk around and smell it, I quickly fell in love...even my mom loves it! The bottle I picked up is on the smaller size, retailing for $29, but with the coupon and a leftover merchandise credit I had, I only ended up paying $12!! If you like girly scents I definitely recommend giving this one a try!

TOMS Sparkle in Black

When these shoes first came out I didn't get the attraction. But as I see them more and more on campus the more I want a pair!....specifically one of the sparkle pairs! I originally wanted to gold ones but I love the black too! Anybody have a sparkle pair they just love?

I have made some headway in deciding what I'm doing in the next couple months

Over spring break I had some time to think about my plans for the future. If you have been reading for a while or follow me on twitter, you know I have been trying for THREE years now to get into pharmacy school with little success. With it now being the middle of March and I still haven't heard anything from any school, I've had to make some decisions that right now I am content with. I have decided that instead of graduating in August with my Biology degree, I have decided to postpone graduation to December, when I would graduate with my Biology degree with a minor in chemistry. I only have 7 more hours of biology to complete and only need 8 more hours of chemistry for the minor. Ill be taking 1 class and 1 lab each summer session, so in the fall I can finish up the hours for me degree in addition to taking some classes that are prerequisites for schools that I may be applying to in the fall.

SOOO....that is my plan!

What are you loving this Wednesday?

Random Early Morning Thoughts

• My phone had decided to fritz out for the last couple days. It randomly drops calls, won't hold charge for longer than a couple hours, and it takes hours to get texts. FRUSTRATING!
• I finally signed up for skype! Leave your skype name in a comment or email it and we can chat :)
• My pharmacy application is FINALLY sent it! I procrastinated as long as I could. goodness only knows why
• I went to the library for the first time this semester Tuesday night. My friend Kate and I sat there for 3 hour talking about how much we do NOT know for our biochem class and wanted to go get mexican
• we went to Monterrey's afterwards :)
• the jingle at the beginning of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson makes me happy everytime I hear it!

• My mom signed us up to do the Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston in April. Have I even started running yet??? NOPE! :O
• Did anyone else watch Castle Monday night??? If so, WE MUST DISCUSS!! This is quickly becoming my second fave tv show after SVU
• SVU star and fellow Kappa Mariska Hargitay's 47th birthday was on Sunday. I can only hope I look half as good as she does at that age. She's gorgeous!!
• I really want to go see Black Swan, but I feel like my mind has to be completely empty of everything else so I can take it all in. When that will be, who knows!
• Let me know if you like this style of posting!! Hope everyone is having a wonderful week!

Wait-listed....

Just got the letter today that I have been put on the wait list for pharmacy school. Definitely not the answer I was wanted. Now I have to send back a paper stating the latest date I would be willing to accept a spot and whether I would be willing to go to either the Columbia or Charleston campus. This pretty much throws off everything until I get a sure answer. I still have to go to registration as if I'm continuing with my biology degree, which is a very real possibility. I have NO idea what I would do with that degree. like none. I had no intentions of going to college and getting a biology degree. This is the only thing I want to do. And I REALLY don't wanna have to apply again next year and do this process all over again.

As I'm writing this post, I'm realizing that not only do I have to do REALLY REALLY well the rest of the semester, but also that I need to just fully put myself into God's hands. He's knows whether or not pharmacy school is the best thing for me (even though I feel like it is and so does my family) and exactly what I am meant to do in life career-wise. It's a hard lesson to learn, one I'm gonna have to keep learning and keep in mind as this whole process continues. I'm just hoping to hear sometime before school lets out in April, but it could be as late as a couple days before classes starting in August.

Speaking of staying on task this semester, I have a lab report, history paper, and biology test calling my name....

Another "its been forever" kinda thing...

I highly doubt anybody is still reading this thing. I thought a blog would be a good way for me to express myself, since I figured I was on the computer all the time anyways. But as it turns out college has been kicking my butt a lot harder than I had originally anticipated.

Im in the pharmacy program at USC, the kind of degree that when you tell someone, they automatically say "im sorry" or "good luck with that" I consider myself a pretty smart person, throughout high school I got all As and Bs with relatively no studying. But college it a totally different story. Its not that I've had to adjust to a totally different environment...my parents decided that since I was going to the local college that I would live at home the first year and then if my grades were ok they would find me a place. Well first semester came and went, and I managed to come out with a 3.0, the bare minimum I need in order to keep my scholarships. So I made a vow to myself that I would really apply myself 2nd semester and pull that up. But here I am, 10 days away from exams, and already know that I'm going to have to go to summer school and repeat a course if I want to keep it on track to get into Pharmacy school. I don't know really why I felt compelled to write this down here, maybe because I'm tired of hearing the parent's mantra of "we know you can do so much better than this, you just need to apply yourself" and "we're disappointed" I know I royally screwed up this semester and the 3 As that I have in other course is not gonna make up for my slacking in Chemistry. Maybe looking at this tomorrow I will have a more positive outlook, that in the long scheme of things, this will be a huge learning tool and that come the beginning of fall semester sophomore year, this will be behind me. But right now all I can think about is how I failed at something...

Ive been a bag blogger. I'll admit it. Since my last post MONTHS ago I have started college, adjusted as best as I could, and atempted to keep a job going. I love college, but the work was nothing like I was expecting. That was the biggest adjustment. In high school I got A's barely studying, and now I have to deal with the mindset that C is average when I study my butt off. But I have made some great new friends even though I live at home. The first week I rushed for a sorority, but decided not to join one my freshman year so I wouldn't be so overwhelmed. But I am so glad I went through rush (even thought it was the most tiring week of my life) because that is where I met most of the girls I hang out with now. So its all good!! :)

Football has been a pretty big part of my college life too. The first 6 games of the season were GREAT!!! Our Gamecocks were ranked number #6 in the nation! But of course if any of yall keep up with SEC football, it all went downhill from there. Even our last game looked like we were going to pull out a win against Clemson, but of course in the last seconds they won. O well, like every devoted Gamecock says, there's always next year!!

This week I'm working for a family friend at our local Holiday Market. Tonight was the opening night and I'm lovin it!! The whole feel of the room is that Christmas is just around the corner (ahh!!) and not to mention all the vendors are FABULOUS!!! I'll be doing my shopping there Saturday morning and looking forward to shopping til I drop for the first time in the LONGEST time!!!

My other job that I've had for almost 2 years is at Build-a-Bear workshop. Yes, its a cute job...for high school. If early childhood education was just college major, yea it would work out great. But sadly its not. Things got so stressful at one point that I turned in my 2 weeks notice, but my boss wanted me to stay so bad she was willing to let me work for as little as once a month. So I stayed. But I just got a call today from CVS Pharmacy and now have an interview Monday for a opening in their pharmacy. Hopefully *crosses fingers* this job will work out since pharmacy IS my major, and this would give me a legit reason to part ways from BABW.

Well I guess that its for now in a nutshell. Next week are finals so once that is overwith I'll be on here more often. I highly doubt anyone is reading this thing, but if you're out that I appreciate it!!! Everyone have a safe and happy weekend!!! :)