Holiday Self Care | Blog Ahead #17

Blog Ahead #17
Originally written on October 15, 2018

Like a lot of people, the holidays tend to be a challenging time for me. I deal with anxiety often and am a big introvert, and the stress of the holiday season is not easy for me. Between the commitment of spending time with friends and family almost every weekend and evening, the stress of spending money that I really shouldn't be spending on food and gifts, and the annoyance of feeling like I can't get a second to myself, I really do struggle through the holidays. I know I'm not alone, though, so I wanted to share some things that I do in order to take care of myself during this stressful time in the hopes that it may help a few of you out there.

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1. Take moments away

This one is a life saver for me. Like a lot of you, our weekends fill up with holiday parties almost every weekend and while I love seeing my friends and family, it is hard to be "on" all weekend when I've already been "on" all week for work and haven't had a moment to catch my breath and shut off. This is why I make it a point to scope out a place where I can step away where needed (be it a bedroom, a bathroom, outside, etc.) and take a quiet moment to myself. Sometimes I just need a quick 15 minute break to recharge my batteries before I can slap a smile back on my face and continue to ~mingle~. Sometimes I'm even able to grab a coffee at a nearby coffee shop which is an extra bonus! Either way, being able to steal these small moments keeps me charged and able to take on the remainder of the season. Highly recommend.

2. Keep your phone charger and headphones with you

I know it's not the most "polite" thing the world, but honestly my phone has been a life saver during the holiday season. When you're anxious or drained, sometimes it really helps to talk to someone who isn't there with you or connect on social media because EVERYONE is having a stressful time and we can all relate. :P Having a charger handy at all times ensures that you aren't left stranded (should you feel the need to connect outside of your physical environment), and having headphones is an added bonus if you have the opportunity to listen to music/a podcast/an audiobook or watch something on Netflix or YouTube! Again, it's not the most "polite" thing in the world and I try to avoid it as much as possible, but sometimes the need for self care becomes more important!

3. Be realistic and up front about what you can and can't contribute

This applies to a lot of things, but I especially mean financial contributions. The holidays are *not* cheap and, especially as you get older, there's an unspoken expectation that you're shelling out money for food and parties and booze and gifts and yankee swaps and decorations and EVERYTHING. A lot of the time, for me at least, it's not money I necessarily should be spending, so one thing that has helped me over the last few years is being up front about what I can/can't contribute and be okay with having to sit a few things out in order to feel financially stable through the craziness of December. In my experience, folks have been really understanding and it always gives me peace of mind when I'm up front about things related to this topic. Similarly, be realistic and up front about what you can and can't contribute in terms of your time, attention, and mental health. The more the people around you can understand where you're at, the more weight will be lifted off your shoulders.

4. Find time for you and be protective of it!

This definitely relates to points 1 and 3, but it's especially important for me to be protective of my down time during this season. If I can, I identify at least one day a week where I don't commit to anything and I keep it that way. The way my brain operates, I need at least one day where I don't go anywhere so I can catch up on chores, recharge my mental batteries, and maybe *gasp* do the things that I actually like to do in my down time. If I get offered to do something on that day, I do my best to respectfully decline. Why? Because I have a date with myself and it's important not to cancel hen you've made a commitment! It's hard to say no, but when it comes to self care it's necessary.

5. Have coping techniques on deck

Before we *really* get into the swing of the holidays, make sure you know what your coping mechanisms are when it comes to stress. Make a list on your phone and prepare what you need when you might not be in your comfortable place. The more you can prepare the better you'll feel as you go through the season! It'll also be an extra weight off your shoulders knowing you have go-to methods to make yourself feel a bit better when you're in a stressful environment.

Sending you all lots of love this holiday season. We will get through the stressful times together so we can enjoy making happy memories with our loved ones! <3

Happy Vlogidays 2017!

Another December has somehow come and gone which means Happy Vlogidays 2017 is over! I wanted to share the vlog playlist with you all here on the blog so you can have a one-stop shop for all things related to my holiday 2017 experience! (It was great, to say the least. I mean Christmas at the beach? What beats that?) You might want to grab a snack before hitting play because the majority of these videos are about a half hour long. How? Who knows. Probably because I don't know when to stop talking. :P Anyway, I hope you all enjoy and have a wonderful end to your 2017! <3

Happy Vlogidays! CHRISTMAS SPECIAL! (December 22-25, 2016)

It's the Happy Vlogidays Christmas Special! I wrap up #Cramathon, Brett and I spend Christmas with his family, and have a wonderful action-packed holiday! This video is full of gift-giving, musical  excitement, and general holiday cheer with the family. It was a wonderful holiday! I hope everyone really enjoyed their holiday as well and that you were able to make a lot of wonderful memories with you friends and loved ones! :)  There will be one more Happy Vlogidays vlogthe will feature Christmas with my parents and New Years that I will be posting next week so be on the look out for that! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone!

Holiday 2015 Recap

Hi everyone! I hope your 2016 is off to a great start. It's been a whirlwind, but the holidays are over and I have made my return to reality. I feel like so much happened during the holiday season. I can't think of one weekend when we weren't in the car travelling all over the northeast. We had so much fun though visiting friends and family, celebrating 3 years together, seeing the Patriots and Star Wars, giving each other gifts (seeing the look on Brett's face when he opened his big gift on Christmas morning was so much fun), and just enjoying each other's company throughout the season was so great.

In case you missed it, I vlogged throughout the entire season so check out the Happy Vlogidays playlist I've compiled for you! I vlogged from Thanksgiving (and my family's Christmas) through New Year's so you can see everything we got up to over the holiday season. I hope you enjoy - I got so much footage (this doesn't begin to skim the surface of what I recorded) and had a great time making these videos. I look forward to having these to look back on in the years to come!

Word & Resolution for 2016

Happy New Year's Eve! 

I honestly cannot believe how quickly this year has gone by. It seems like it was so recently that we were ringing in 2015 in New Jersey with our friends Kristen & Jeff, and today we're back in the Garden State prepping for tonight's party with them! Last year I selected a word for 2015 - Confidence. I knew that the year was going to bring many new and challenging experiences and having this constant reminder to try to find confidence in everything I faced was surprisingly helpful. Confidence has been something I've been struggling to find over the last several years, but with this reminder in my back pocket I was able to find it and build it up little by little every day which is awesome. I wanted to take the same approach this year and pick a word to last me throughout the entirety of 2016. (I also have a resolution that I want to work on because it's becoming a bit of a problem in my life - haha.)

Word: Positivity

Sometimes I feel like it's way too easy to be negative. I really want to change that - find the positive in things and see challenges as exciting opportunities instead of exhausting road blocks. Every time I'm feeling down or frustrated, I want to try and pull myself back up with positive thoughts. It's going to be tough because I consider myself far more of a realist than an optimist, but I think that adding some more positivity into my life on a regular basis is only going to bring good things!

Resolution: Kick my addiction to the snooze button

I am wayyyyy too addicted to the snooze button. It's really becoming a problem lately! Sometimes I'll hit snooze for a full hour and a half before begrudgingly getting out of bed. That's definitely not okay and scrambling to get ready 10 minutes before I need to be out the door for work is not okay. I really, really want to kick this awful habit of mine and start getting up right when my alarm goes off. My friend Jeff suggested I get one of these (which I'm definitely looking into purchasing) but any other suggestions are welcome and encouraged!

What's your word for the year? 

Do you have any New Year's resolutions?

I hope you all have a happy and safe NYE! See you in 2016!

Annual Awkward Christmas Card 2015

It wouldn't be Christmas without sharing our annual awkward Christmas card!

(Check out our card from 2013 & 2014 as well!)

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas, and if you don't celebrate Christmas, a wonderful day!

love, FivEleveNinety<3

Happy Vlogidays 2015!

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is one week away?!

Me either, but yes, the holiday season is officially upon us. I blame my busy weeks at work for making the year fly on by but we are coming right down to the end of 2015 which is crazy!

Last year I vlogged throughout the last few weeks of December and posted weekly videos on my YouTube channel. Vlogging during the Christmas season is often referred to as Vlogmas on YouTube, but because I also included New Year's I called my video series "Happy Vlogidays!" (which, in my opinion, sounds so much more like "happy holidays" than Vlogmas sounds like Christmas... but that's just me). I really loved recording my holiday season because we did so many fun things and now I can look back on them for the rest of my life. As we got closer to the end of the year, I knew I wanted to do it again!

This year I'll be starting a bit earlier than last and will be kicking my Happy Vlogidays off with Thanksgiving. My sister is flying up from South Carolina for Thanksgiving this year and because we won't be able to spend Christmas together as a family we're going to celebrate before Thanksgiving on the 25th of November instead of the 25th of December. We have some fun things planned as a family and Brett and I also have some fun events coming up in early December such as going to a Patriots Game (my first Pats game ever!) and our 3 year anniversary, so I definitely want to record those things and share them with you all as well. 

Because I don't have time in my schedule to upload on a daily basis, I'm going to record throughout the week and will be posting the videos on my YouTube channel on every Wednesday starting on December 2nd until January 6th. Make sure you're subscribed to see them as I upload them! (I will post them all as a playlist here on the blog in January as part of a holiday recap, so no worries if you don't want to head over to YouTube but still want to see them.) I'm looking forward to another fun-filled holiday season and to share it with you all!

Fast & Fun Fall

What a crazy fall it's been! October flew right by with craziness at work and and was jam packed with fun things every weekend. It's true that life seems to go by faster with each passing year, but I personally think it's because as you grow older life gets more and more fun! :) Anywho, here's what I've been up to these last few weeks.

We were all clearly thrilled to be at trivia. Especially Cullen.

Erin, Cullen, and I hit The Quarters after work a two weeks ago for round 2 of Harry Potter Trivia! We went a few months ago for the first round of HP Trivia and didn't do so great. I think we did a bit better the second time around (this time we were named "Gilderoy Pop and Lockharts" XD) but it was packed with people so being competitive was tough for everyone. (There were teams that got literally every question right >_>... putting my HP knowledge to SHAME!) We still had fun, though, which is what matters the most!

1. Reunited with Brittany & Matt at the Pageant!

2. The Homecoming Court in their best duds!

Later in the week I headed to BSU for the Homecoming Pageant! The Pageant is my absolute favorite event that is put on every year, and this year was extra special because I knew pretty much the entire Homecoming Court through working with them during Orientation or through PC. As it does every year, the court made me laugh with their talents and costumes, and made my heart melt with their interview answers. Bridgewater students love their university and every year the seniors in the court reflect on their time at BSU - it gets REAL emotional and I love it. I'm so happy I was able to make it back to campus for this special event.

1 & 2. Jenna toting Erin around in the Student Life wagon after wrapping up FallFest! XD

3 & 4. Staff photo day! We love Dinosaur Office - can you tell?

As I mentioned before, work's been crazy busy. I've found that this part of the year has been even more hectic than September (at least for my position) which is crazytown to think! In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving Break we have multiple events on almost every Friday & Saturdthat ay, meaning the time leading up to the events is spent answering emails, holding meetings, and on Fridays and Saturdays I hang out at work til the wee hours of the morning. I'm so happy that I love the work I do, but I'm even happier that I have amazing colleagues to make the craziness all bearable! (Examples of how we laugh through the stress above!)

Birthday cake surprise at midnight!

Brett had his golden birthday last week - 27 on the 27th! Unfortunately he had to work all day, but I surprised him at midnight with a slice of chocolate cake, brought him some lunch, and we we able to have some Chinese food for dinner (our fave)! Later on in the week we were able to have some fun (Halloween weekend!!!) so having a nice low-key birthday was actually pretty nice. :)

1. I was Katniss at work on the 30th - yes that's a marshmallow bow!

2. New Found Glory at the Palladium! 3. My lovely date to the #NFGYC show!
4. Our costume for *official* Halloween - a Blue Barracuda & a Temple Guard from Legends of the Hidden Temple!

Then, my favorite part of the year, Halloween! This year was particularly fun because the holiday fell on a Saturday which works perfectly for both Brett and my schedules and we were able to plan lots of fun activities for ourselves! On Friday our office hosted a trick-or-treat for students so we all dressed up in costumes. I was dressed at Katniss from The Hunger Games and was complete with a marshmallow bow and arrow (these are the things you'll find in your office when you work in Student Activities). Everyone else had great costumes, so I highly encourage you to check out our Instagram page to check them out!

Friday evening was something that Brett and I had been waiting for since June - the New Found Glory & Yellowcard concert at the Palladium! NFG and Yellowcard both played for about an hour and it. was. awesome. It's so amazing to see such a passionate crowd and performances that had so much energy after nearly 20 years of each band being together. We had a blast belting out nearly every song of both sets and dancing around. Even though each set was an hour I wish they could have been longer! Hopefully, because NFG's 20 year anniversary is in 2017, they'll be touring again very soon!

Finally, on the 31st, we were able to hang out with Erin, Cullen, Tim, and a bunch of their friends for a Halloween party! Brett and I went as a Blue Barracuda and a Temple Guard from Legends of the Hidden Temple, a Nickelodeon game show from we were kids. True 90's kids right here! I loved our costumes this year and we got a lot of compliments on them (though there were quite a few people who didn't understand what we were, haha!). We had a really great time hanging out with everyone and having a fun, relaxing time for a change!

Clearly, things have been crazy, but they've been lots of fun as well!

How have things been for you all?

Valentine's Day on a Budget

Brett and I are both in graduate school right now and are both living exclusively off a graduate assistant's salary*. Needless to say, big date nights are few and far between as we are typically spending our money on bills, food, and gas. Special occasions like Valentine's day are unfortunately not an exception to the rule at this point in our lives, but luckily we don't mind all that much! We are just happy to be making time in our crazy schedules to be spending time together, and have actually made it a tradition to order our Brett & Riley Special** every Valentine's Day.

Just because you're rocking a tight budget like Brett and I, doesn't mean you have to forego this fun holiday as a couple all together! In the spirit of the holiday, I thought I would share a post with some ideas on how to have a special February 14th with your sweetheart without emptying your wallet!

1. Handmade Valentines

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Throw it back to elementary school and make each other Valentine's Day cards! I like to do this because I love to draw and be creative, but I realize that's not everyone's cup of tea. Try writing a letter to your loved one or even just coming up with a list of things you like about them in your head and telling them that list, item by item, periodically throughout the day. It's sweet and thoughtful and something that will be one of a kind from you to them. PLUS, it's usually free! :)

2. Take Out & a DVD

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This is usually Brett & I's go to Valentine's plan - getting our traditional pizza order to-go and watching a DVD of some sort. Our first year together, Brett was just introducing me to Game of Thrones and we spent the evening watching the first season on DVD, and then last year I believe we had Wreck-It Ralph from Netflix. It's always nice to get out of your own little world and watch the same thing together while enjoying something delicious!

3. Get Outside

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Fun fact: most outdoor activities are free! We New Englanders are currently under several feet of snow*** so Brett and I will likely be remaining indoors this weekend, but it doesn't mean you have to! Take a walk, build a snowman, or visit a park and challenge yourself to not use any electronic devices. Make it a moment for just you and your Valentine to share!

4. Start Something Fun Together and Make it "Just Yours"

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Whether it's a new show that neither of you have seen before, a 1,000 piece puzzle you've been meaning to conquer, or a book you're both interested in reading, start something for just you and your Valentine to share! One of my favorite things Brett and I have done recently is listen to the Serial podcast together. I had heard about it from my supervisor and thought we could give it a go on a recent road trip. We fell in love with it because a. it was awesome and b. it was something that we were doing together. Anything you and your Valentine do this February 14th will be special as long as you're doing it together!

I hope this post was helpful in finding the perfect
Valentine's plan without breaking the bank!

Have a lovely Valentine's Day, everyone!

*For those of you who may be unfamiliar with a GA's salary, it varies between institutions and positions, but it is usually not a whole lot higher than the minimum wage ($9/hour where we live) and assistantships usually have hourly restrictions in place of about 20-30 hours a week, though we often work much more than that (especially him!).

**Half cheese, half bacon pizza!

***Not an exaggeration.

Holiday Recap

Hello everyone! The holiday season has officially come to a close and though it was long and involved lots of travelling for Brett and I, it was a blast! 

The first holiday we celebrated this season was Christmas! Pretty much as soon as I was done with classes, I headed out to spend time with Brett and his family. Removing myself from my on-campus apartment was a much needed change for the holidays, and allowed me to mentally unplug from all the stress. We spent the first couple days of break doing holiday themed activities, like going to the Millis Wonderland light display, watching Christmas movies, and drinking eggnog (our favorite). (P.S. Did you guys try the eggnog shakes from McDonald's? HEAVEN.)

The weekend before Christmas we headed to my parents' house in NH to spend some time with them and the pups. We played a lot of Wii Sports, ate lots of good food, and caught up on our lazy days and puppy cuddles (the rainy weather really made us feel pretty guilt-free about this!). In honor of our upcoming family trip to Mexico and the Western Caribbean, we indulged in a Mexican fiesta Christmas Eve complete with Margaritas and quesadillas! We ended the day full of shooting*, drinking, and eating, with a hilarious game of Heads Up with my parents before patiently waiting for Santa to arrive.

We woke up to a full tree and stockings for all! Santa was extremely generous to us this year, and I feel so lucky to have such caring people in my life. It's been hard for me around Christmas the past few years because I'm at a point in my life where I want to give so much more to my loved ones than I am currently financially able to, but I know in the years to come I'll be able to treat everyone else the same way they treat me around the holidays. I am truly, truly the luckiest girl in the world!

After presents and a Christmas lunch of steak tips, sweet potatoes, and green bean casserole (SO AMAZING), we packed up our gifts and headed to MA to spend the rest of Christmas Day with Brett's family. We gave some gifts, ate an awesome dinner, and I bonded with his 2 year-old niece by reading a book about colors and watching Go, Diego, Go! #precious We sleepily left this Christmas celebration for our third and final stop, our friend Kyle's house. I made my favorite buffalo chicken dip while the guys played the new Madden on the PS4 and I tried not to fall asleep on the couch. (Christmas is exhausting!) 

After about week of recuperating from the Christmas hangover, Brett and I ventured down to New Jersey to spend time with my good friends Noble and Jeff! It had been about a year and half since I had last seen them, so New Year's was the perfect excuse to make the trip down! The drive is only about 3 and a half hours if traffic doesn't tangle you up, so it was definitely time for a road trip. We packed up Dory and headed down on the 30th so as to not get caught in the mad rush into NYC for their New Year's Eve festivities. We made it to their apartment right around dinner time!

Brett had never had a true New Jersey experience, so we made sure we got him a Taylor Ham sandwich (which he obviously loved, and we definitely got more than just one during the time we were there). Jeff and Noble threw two parties during our stay as well - one for New Year's Eve, and one for a group of Jeff's friends. We played lots of fun party games like Catchphrase, Heads Up, and Cards Against Humanity, had tons of yummy food and drinks like S'mores Pie (UNREAL), Cannoli Cookies (DOUBLE UNREAL), and chocolate wine (WHAT), and had an overall fantastic time.

It was a wonderful holiday season and I got to spend it with the best people in the world! Brett and I did a little bit of vlogging throughout the holidays, so make sure you check out the playlist below if you'd like to see more of what we got up to!:

I hope you all had a fantastic holiday season! :)

*I'll be posting more about this later this week! ;)

Merry Christmas!

(The 2014 Awkward Christmas Card. It's become a bit of a tradition...)

Happy Holidays, everyone! Hope your day is wonderful!

love, FivEleveNinety

Dear Santa...

I always think that "Dear Santa" posts are the most adorable things. It's really cool to take a peak into what is on someone's wish lists because it can really say a lot of what type of person they are and where their priorities lie at the time. I thought I'd jump aboard the bandwagon and share what's on my wish list this year!

1. Books

Reading for pleasure is a bit of a rarity in grad school, and when I have free time my brain is usually so fried that opening a book for fun just sounds like work. I love reading, so this is a huge bummer! This winter break, though, I won't have any reading obligations (unlike last year), and would love to stock up on some of the books I've been missing out on! The top three I have on my to-read list are all autobiographies by some of my favorite entertainers: Yes Please by Amy Poehler, Choose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris, and Grace's Guide: The Art of Pretending to be a Grown Up by Grace Helbig!

2. Boat Shoes

I've had my same pair of boat shoes since about February of 2009. That's coming up on a solid 6 years of the same pair, and I still wear them on the regular. That's pretty solid in my opinion, but they are starting to be in pretty rough shape. I would love to have a new pair of boat shoes to enjoy for the next 6 years! (Shown above: Sperry Authentic Original in Sahara Leather)

3. Happie Scrappie Subscription

I stepped up my planner game for 2015 and invested in my first Filofax. The pages of the Filofax can be pretty plain, so there is a large community out there on Facebook and Instagram revolving around decorating and personalizing your daily planning system, which I tend to drool over. I want to try my hand at making my planner more of my own, and while I use my planner more for function than style, would love to start decorating my pages as well. Happie Scrappie is a company run by a woman from Malaysia/Singapore that puts together monthly planner kits just for this reason, and the things that go in these kits make my face turn into the heart-eyes Emoji. They're so freaking cute! I would love to get a subscription to her personal size planner kit for 2015, priced at about $20 a month, including shipping (which is much less than if I were to go and buy all of the things that she includes on my own)! I'M IN LOVE!

4. GoPro Hero

Getting myself a GoPro is on my 25 Before 25 list, and having one of these in my possession before heading down to the Western Caribbean with my family would be so clutch! We're planning a lot of fun excursions while we are on our cruise, and getting to record them without worrying my camera will be totally demolish would be so awesome! Though there are much fancier GoPros on the market, I think the Hero would work perfectly for what I would need it for.

5. Gift Cards

I don't usually ask for gift cards, but because job searching and interviewing is looking at me in the face at this point, my wardrobe is in dire need of a update! Getting gift cards to some of  the essential shops I visit would be perfect in looking and feeling put together during this nerve wracking time. I definitely need something beyond a basic tee and colored khakis to wear to work everyday! (Shown above: Macy's, Gap, Victoria's Secret, Sephora)

What are you asking Santa for this year?

A Snowy Thanksgiving

Hello friends and family! I've been extra busy with school work the past few weeks (#finals -_-) so I've fallen off my blogging game a bit. I am so close to the end of the semester, though! Today I finished coursework for 2 of 3 classes, and I only have two assignments to complete and two more classes to go to before I can officially be on winter break! I CAN'T WAIT! Anyway, here's what I've been up to while I've been drowning in homework.

I went up north for Thanksgiving and New Hampshire got hit with a nice holiday snowstorm. Of course, the power went out in the whole state (the news said about 200,000 homes lost power!) and we were without power for a solid 3 days. Luckily, we went to my grandmother's house in Maine, where they had  power, for the holiday. Though we were without power, the snow made for some pretty beautiful scenery the next morning!

We packed the car full of food, people, and puppies and drove to Maine on Thanksgiving Day! It was so good to see everyone (even though I was doing homework the entire time), eat some good food, and just catch up with everything that's been going on with the rest of my family that I don't get to see all that often. I also got to participate in a new family Turkey Day Tradition - the Silly String 5K! It's a fun run my family came up with last year. This year my parents made bibs for everyone, including Kiwi and Mikey! Such a fun way to kick of Thanksgiving (and not feel as guilty for stuffing your face)!

A little bit last minute, Mom, Grammy and I all decided to head out to the mall at 12:00AM for Black Friday! We somehow managed to avoid the crowds and waiting outside, and scored some pretty sweet deals at Macy's! I got a much needed new bed set (which I'm in love with... so comfy!) and the fact that I went out on Black Friday to get bedding made my childhood cry a little bit, haha. But it was fun to go and take part in a fun event with them!

Last week, I submitted my application for graduation! I don't finish my course work until May, but you have to let the college know that you're about to finish far in advance so they can include you in all of the graduation planning, prepare your diploma, etc. It's so surreal that all of this craziness will be coming to an end in 5 months!

I also finally got my Filofax in the mail! After a lot of consideration and research, I made the choice to make the switch from an Erin Condren Life Planner to a Filofax, and I'm loving it! I got the personal size Cover Story in Floral Burst, which I thought was the perfect starter Filofax. (I'm almost positive I'll graduate to the A5 next, and I've only had it for a week!) I can't wait to start using it on a daily basis! I'm definitely going to be doing a comparison and set-up post so you all can see how I'm going to use it!

PC had their Secret Snowflake gift exchange last night, and my student got me an adorable mason jar cookie mix! He also got me a Tina Belcher shirt (which I am PUMPED about) but it hadn't come in the mail yet, but I'm sure I'll post it to Instagram as soon as I get it! :) I made a arm knit infinity scarf for the student I had, and she said she really liked it! Very encouraging to continue to give craft gifts in the future.

Winter break is so close I can taste it, meaning I'll be posting more regularly, so look forward to that!
I hope all is well with everyone!

Thankful in 2014

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Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! 

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday, and for those of you who do not celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you're having a great day! This year, I'm heading up to Maine with my parents and pups to spend time with my extended family on my mom's side. It's great to be able to have time in my schedule this year to travel and spend time with them, because it's one of the only times of the year where I get to see them all at one time! As I mentioned last year, I always try to take a second to reflect what I'm thankful for. I'd like to just *ditto* everything from last year (I will always be thankful for friends, family, health, and jobs!) and also add a few things that are unique to this year in particular.

I'm on track to graduate with my Master's degree in May. At this point last year, the thought of graduation seemed pretty non-existent (I mean, even in the spring I still wasn't sure if graduating on time was in the cards for me). Now that my third semester is winding down and the assignments that I need to complete can be done pretty easily, it looks more and more that I'll be crossing the stage in the spring! It's a relief to be a bit more at ease about graduating on time as it was causing a lot of anxiety throughout my first year!

I've been able to balance everything in my life successfully this semester. Again, something I was very anxious about leading up to this fall! But I think I've done a really great job of taking care of all of my responsibilities, making sure my relationships are in a great spot, and also making sure I'm not losing my mind in the process. Taking things a day at a time and keeping a positive attitude has been extremely helpful, and I'm hoping it continues to get me through the rest of the academic year (even through the job/apartment search and an additional class during the spring semester!).

I've been given so many awesome professional opportunities this year and as a grad student, that's awesome. I was invited to present at a national convention and regional conference, I was offered a really cool graduate internship for the 2014-2015 year, I was offered a summer internship that allowed me to gain so much great hands-on experience with an orientation program, and I've been encouraged to do or apply to as many awesome things as I can get my hands on. It's really amazing to work with people who see professional potential in me in the field that I want to go into, and has really given me the confidence to step out of my comfort zone and dream big!

What are you thankful for this year?

Happy Halloween #bestholiday

Happy Halloween, everyone! Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year and while I'm spending it at a conference this year, it doesn't mean I didn't celebrate! I was pretty proud of my last minute costume. I had the idea while I was exhausted and driving from one campus to the other and REALLY wanted coffee, so I decided to channel my craving into my creativity and turn myself into a coffee! What do you think?

Wednesday night my CA staff (as well as some other ResLifers) had a reverse trick-or-treat program where we walked around in costume (mostly just my CAs and I were dressed up... I have the best staff, clearly) and gave our residents candy! It was a fun and laid back way to work my favorite holiday into my schedule, and I'm very happy it worked out so I didn't have to miss out on the fun!

Are you doing anything fun for Halloween? Let me know in the comments! :)

Boyfriend/Girlfriend Tag!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Brett and I are lucky enough to find the time in our hectic schedules to see each other today. (I'm currently doing work at his place waiting for him to return from work in a few hours! #makingitwork) We actually weren't anticipating being able to see each other today, so we decided to make a little Valentine's Day video for my YouTube channel, which we shot a few weeks ago. If you'd like to know a little bit more about us/our relationship, click play!

(Sorry about the bad audio. I'm still learning best practices for filming!)
When I arrived today I got to see Brett for about 5 minutes before he had to run back to work. Before he did, though, he surprised me with a slew of sweet gifts for Valentine's Day! I definitely wasn't expecting that - that was very sweet of him! :) I'm so lucky to have someone that loves to make me smile! 

A cute stuffed monkey, a chocolate rose, and CADBURY EGGS! Thank you, Brett! You're the sweetest! :)

I'm not sure what we're going to get up to once Brett gets out of work, but I'm sure it will be fun (and I'm sure pizza will be involved... #yum)! I hope you guys have a wonderful weekend!

Most Memorable Moments of 2013

Believe it or not, we're in the final days of 2013! Can you believe how quickly this year has flashed by?

As a blogger, I'm a huge fan of reflecting. It's just what we bloggers do. So as the year draws to a close, I'd like to share with you some of the most memorable moments of this past year, month by month. I say most memorable moments instead of favorite moments, as not all of these are memories that I'll look back and smile upon (see April, for example), but definitely ones that will not soon be forgotten.

Also, since this little blog of mine has only been alive and kickin' since March, you readers out there will get two months of never-before-read stories! Hooray! :)

So, without further adieu, here are the Most Memorable Moments of 2013!

Season's Greetings!

(Our 2013 Christmas card. Obviously.)

Hope you all have a great Christmas!

love, fiveleveninety <3

LudaChristmas 2013!

Merry Christmas Eve, everybody! I hope everyone's having a nice holiday, and if you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you're having a fabulous week! I thought I'd celebrate the 24th by sharing some pictures from the Christmas party Brett and I threw on Friday! (Endearingly called LudaChristmas, because of my 30 Rock obsession.)

With the end of my first semester of grad school approaching and our perfectly sized living space, we thought it would be awesome to invite our friends over for a Friendsmas of sorts. Thus, the first annual LudaChristmas was scheduled, ugly sweaters were purchased, and delicious snacks were cooked to share with our bestest of buds. We listened to holiday themed music, played holiday themed games, and had an all-together holiday themed good time!

Two of my very favorite guys :)

Jimmy & Kristen!

 

Jimmy & Tywan getting silly

Ah, yes. The elusive Daniel Bryan photo. The story of this pic takes us back to October when Nick, Louie and I all ran the Hartford Marathon. Almost at every photographer the three of us ran by as a group, we pulled this pose. All of us were excited to receive that photo back from the photography company, as we all planned to buy it, print it, and frame it. Lo and behold, when the race photos were released, this one didn't make the cut. *le sigh* That race just never fails to disappoint. Oh well, at least we have the photo now, right? :P

Can't have a party without a little dance party action, right?

It was a spectacular night, and I hope to turn LudaChristmas into a yearly holiday tradition! :)

Causeway Street

There's a property in Brett's hometown that opens its gates to the public during the holidays and puts on a pretty extravagant light display for anyone who cares to see. All that is asked in return is to donate to the Salvation Army, whose volunteers waited patiently with their bright red buckets at the midpoint as you drive through. Brett took me on a bit of a holi-date last week to see the lights, and I was so thrilled to see the display that he had tried to explain to me in the days leading up to our visit!

Brett helped with the photography!

I love that Brett has been showing me a bunch of his usual holiday traditions. He grew up close to where we currently live, and it's nice that he has some knowledge of fun things to do this time of year! :)

What are some traditions you have during the holidays?