What I've been up to these last few weeks! // Weekly Round Up 1.19.20 - 1.25.20

Hey, team! It's been a bit since I've done a weekly round up post, even though I said I'd be bringing them into the new year with me. 😂 WOOPS! Students are back on campus which means my weeks are a bit busier now, but I think I'm back into my usual work week rhythm now which has been nice. As much as I love my time off, having a routine is definitely helpful for the ol' mental health. Anywho, here are some things that I've been up to over the last couple weeks to get ya up to speed.

The Circle on Netflix - If you aren't on this train yet I NEED YOU TO GET ON IT! I'm a big fan of reality TV and I ate this series up like candy. 8 strangers are all in an apartment building and cannot see or hear each other. The only way they can communicate is via a social networking platform called The Circle which is voice activated. The players can play as themselves OR they can play as someone else, and there's no way of knowing if they're really who they say they are. It's a simple concept but I was HOOKED! I need season 2 immediately!!!

runDisney Vlogs - With the Walt Disney World Marathon weekend happening a couple weekends ago, I've been REALLY into watchng runDisney vlogs the past couple of weeks! I love watching different people's experiences of running various runDisney events and I've been picking up a whole ton of tips and tricks that I'll definitely be using to navigate Princess Half Marathon weekend next month. I think my favorite runDisney vloggers I've found so far are TriTwinsMom and The Brookhart Project who both have done the Dopey Challenge multiple times. Dopey is on my race bucket list so these vlogs not only have gotten me amped for Princess but also for my future Dopey Challenge adventure, whenever that might be! Here's a couple vlogs for you all to check out:




Marathon Maniacs Newsletter - My photo from Newport was featured in the Marathon Maniacs quarterly newsletter! I was also featured last quarter, so it's become a bit of a tradition. 😂 I wonder if any pictures of mine will be featured next quarter? I'll be rocking my MM yellow on the NOLA course, so you never know! 💛

#BRProud - This week the BibRave Pros were challenged to take photos in our swag, so Cassie and I decided to do a bit of a photoshoot in our BibRave beanies! We even got Abby involved but I'm not sure she was too excited about it. 😂 Sorry, girl! If you'd like to snag som BibRave swag for yourself (and tbh there's some really cool stuff!), check out the BibRave Gear Shop. (That "Easier Said Than Run" tee tho... 👀) Here's a couple of my favorite snaps from yesterday:

Making a return to YouTube - ICYMI, I have started posting to YouTube again over the last couple of weeks! After giving it quite a bit of thought, I finally have felt ready to return to the platform and start making videos again. I know I'm going to be going on quite a few adventures this year and I love making videos of my travels. I also really missed making readathon vlogs which I hope to do more of in 2020! I've posted two videos so far, and you can check them out below:



This weekend I have to run 10 miles in the morning then work sorority recruitment in the evening (😳), then I'm hanging with Cassie on Sunday! I'm hoping I can finish one of the books I have on the go this weekend since it's been a while since I've finished something, and get some serious resting and stretching in. I can't believe I leave for New Orleans 2 weeks from today, but I am SO excited to kick off spring racing season!

May 2019 Reading Wrap Up! (Featuring BOTM Month, #BorrowAThon, & Bookémon Badgethon 🌊🔥⚡)

May has been quite the busy month for reading! I've been loving getting back into the swing of reading on a more regular basis. It's been a struggle over the last few months but it's been great making it a priority again and having fun participating in the book community a bit more actively than I've been able to. I'm hopeful that this is a sign of things returning back to normal!

This month I had three different bookish type projects that I worked on. First off, I wanted to focus on reading some of my Book of the Month books, as I have quite a few that have gone unread, so all of my owned physical TBR books that I picked up this month were from my Book of the Month collection. You will be able to see which books are BOTM books below as I've marked them with a little "*".

I also participated in two readathons this month! This first was Bookémon Badgethon, a month-long readathon created by Megan from Tome Infinity, which centered around earning badges Pokémon trainer style! Each page you read and badge you earned allowed you to collect points for your team (I was obviously Team Mystic 💙). I think in the future they're planning on hosting a round where you catch different Pokémon and the type of badges you have will dictate which kinds of Pokémon you can catch, so I'm obviously SO PUMPED for that! I collected a total of 3,332 points for Team Mystic and I am so excited for when this readathon makes its return.

BOOKÉMON BADGEATHON READS

Small Fry by Lisa Brennan-Jobs

Library book (audio), 3/5

Badge earned: The Know-It-All Badge (Non-fiction)

383 pages

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman*

Physical copy, 5/5

Badge earned: The Fantastical Badge (Fantasy)

369 pages
Challenge completed: A book with magic in it

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Library book (audio), 4/5

Badge earned: The Archival Badge (Historical Fiction)

531 pages

Dog Heaven by Cynthia Rylant

Physical copy, 5/5

Badge earned: The Pictorial Badge (Book with pictures)

40 pages

Challenge completed: A book you will read within 24 hours

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan*

Physical copy, 4/5

Badge earned: The Diversity Badge (Main character or author who is a POC)

462 pages
Challenge completed: A bestseller from 2018

The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy*

Physical copy, 3/5

Badge earned: The Chiller Badge (Crime/Thriller/Mystery/Suspense)

317 pages
Challenge completed: A book that was published in your birth month

The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish
Library book (audio), 3/5
Badge earned: The Jester Badge (Humor/Comedy)
288 pages
Challenge completed: A book written by an actor

When Katie Met Cassidy by Camille Perri*

Physical copy, 3/5

Badge earned: The Rainbow Badge (LGBTQIIA+ representation)

272 pages

No Exit by Taylor Adams*

Physical copy, 5/5

Badge earned: The Panic! Badge (Horror)

336 pages

And then, of course, I participated in Round 6 of #BorrowAThon! I honestly can't believe we've had 6 rounds of this readathon already, but here we are. Every time BorrowAThon comes around again I'm reminded of all of the reasons why I'm part of this bookish community. The folks who participate in this readathon are so kind and silly and fun and just always brings such joy into my life. If you watched my May Wrap Up vlog you know I've been struggling with my mental health lately, but the folks that I interact with each round of BorrowAThon make me feel so comforted and at ease in this community. UGH I love it so much. 💖

#BORROWATHON READS

9 Days & 9 Nights by Katie Cotugno

Library copy, 4/5

263 pages

Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson

Library book (audio), 4/5

329 pages

The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell

Library copy, 3/5

393 pages

By Your Side by Kasie West

Library copy, 3/5

342 pages

OTHER READS

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty
Library book (audio), 4/5
415 pages
Challenge completed: A book set in Australia

Night Film by Marisha Pessl
Kindle eBook, 1/5
624 pages
Challenge completed: A book with a time of day in the title

TOTALS FOR MAY

Books completed: 15

Pages read: 5,380

2019 challenges completed: 7

10 Book TBR #3 books completed: 0 (7/10 total)

TOTALS FOR 2019

Books completed: 42/150

Pages read: 15,528

2019 challenges completed: 32/52

A Few of my Favorite Links {#25}

SURPRISE! IT'S A BLOG POST THAT ISN'T READING/BOOK RELATED!

I figured you all were looking for a break. ;)

It's been a bit since I've shared some links with you all so I thought it was time to compile some internet things for you all to click on and check out! This round we've got one more serious and heavy thing but mostly fun, hilarious, and ridiculous things to balance it out. I hope you all find something you're interested in, and make sure you share your favorite links of the moments in the comments!

I Replaced The Word ‘Millennials’ With ‘43-Year-Old White Men’ And Now These Headlines Are *Italian Chef Kissing Fingers Gesture*

I always get confused as to why other generations like to abuse the term "millennial" so much, as if the literally millions of people born between the years 1980 and 2000 are all the same and a single-handedly ruining society. So when things like this article come out it is beyond satisfying. Take a look at these hilarious edits and learn just how ridiculous that blaming literally everything terrible on Millennials.

Anxiety, Depression, and Being a Downer



Charlieissocoollike has been a favorite YouTuber of mine every since I started visiting the site back in 2007 (I can't believe that is nearly 10 years ago!). It means so much to me when people I admire speak out about mental health. There is so much ridiculous stigma around topics of mental illness when 1 in 4 people in the United States live with it everyday. We need more voices on this tpic, we need more dialogue regarding this difficult subject, and we need to start treating mental illness as just that - an illness that needs to be treated. It's real, and we need to treat it that way.
New Hampshire Rated Happiest State in New England

This was a cutesy little article just just relays one very important piece of information - New Hampshire, which I consider to be my home state even though I've lived in Massachusetts for pushing 10 years now, is the happiest state in New England! LIVE FREE OR DIE!

Lincoln Park Zoo Names Baby Camel 'Alexander Camelton'

I mean... the title of this link is all you need to know. The Lincoln Park Zoo is extremely witty. And I love it. ALEXANDER CAMELTON! WE ARE WAITING IN THE WINGS FOR YOUUUU!
$ave Dat Money - Lil Dicky

Brett showed me this music video and song and I'm obsessed. I've never related to a rap song so much in my life. Seriously, give this a listen and really pay attention to the lyrics. A.) They're hilarious (I mean, that iced coffee verse at the end? PLEASE.) and B.) They're so effing smart and I'm pretty sure anyone in my age and SES group can totally relate. American Girl Dolls Ranked by Betchiness

My friend Solange had posted this on Facebook and as someone who LOVED American Girl growing up I LOLed the whole way through this clickthrough article. If you know anything about American Girl - whether you had a doll, read the books, read the magazine, or visited the store - click through this article and cry-laugh along with me.
What links have you been loving lately?

Elephant Awareness Month | Cute Elephant Videos & Fun Elephant Facts

We are already somehow halfway through August and I've been loving immersing myself in elephant videos, books, charities, and just overall awesomeness - I hope you all have been as well! Today I'm going to share a small handful of elephant facts and videos so we can all learn a little bit about these amazing animals and also bask in how adorable they are!
FACT #1
Elephants love the water and are actually very skilled swimmers! Seeing videos of elephants swimming and playing in water is always such a joy for me. Their happiness is so apparent when you see them splashing around! Here's an adorable video of two Asian elephants bathing in Cambodia:

FACT #2
Elephants express emotion similar to humans and can come very attached to the elephants in their herd. They can express distress, happiness, and they even cry. They can remember and mourn lost loved ones many years after their death, and they can remember elephants and even people if they are reunited with them after many years. Daphne Sheldrick (of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust) has many stories of reuniting with elephants after they return to the wild and it is so heartwarming! Here's a little behind the scenes video of the DSWT Nursery:

FACT #3
Elephants can feed up to 16 hours a day and can consume up to 600lbs of food! That is super epic and makes me feel like Ron Burgundy commending Baxter on eating a whole wheel of cheese in Anchorman. The DSWT posts videos of feeding time for their elephants all the time, and some of the older elephants even know how to hold bottles with the trunks and feed themselves - SO CUTE! Click play on the next video to see! And then, just for fun and because Elephant Awareness Month is the best day ever, here is an adorable video of a little baby elephant playing with birds. It almost makes you want to cry of happiness! I hope you all are enjoying these elephant posts and I will be sharing more with you over on my YouTube channel next week! <3

A Few of my Favorite Links {#23}

Hey y'all! It's been quite an eventful week/weekend thus far. I've officially moved out of my apartment and in with Brett which is super exciting! We spend most of this past weekend packing, moving, and settling into *our* new space. We're adjusting back into sharing space with one another full-time but it is so nice to only be a couple of steps away at any given moment and planning dinner every night. There are still some boxes to be unpacked and furniture to be moved but our place will feel like our home very very soon! 

We will be celebrating Fourth of July weekend with a Weezer concert tomorrow (thanks for the tickets, Lindz!) and a trip to New Hampshire to spend the actual holiday on the lake with my whole fam which includes a visit from my South Carolinian sister! It will be good to all be together again. That hasn't happened since Thanksgiving! I hope you all are planning fun, eventful holiday weekends as well!

I'm really happy with this month's selection of favorite links! It's a good combination of things that I love and things that I'm looking forward to this season. I hope that you can find something to enjoy in this handful of internet gems and be sure to share your favorite links of the moment in the comments!

Game of Thrones Houses as Pokémon 

{Source}

Talk about two of my geekiest obsessions colliding to make something awesome! This is a series of illustrations created by Kaleb Raleigh that reimagines the house sigils of Game of Thrones as Pokémon evolutions! (The series is titled A Song of Blue & Red... awesome.) All of these are pretty awesome and accurate to what I would have imagined them to be. Of course, I had to share with you my favorite house here (#TeamTargaryen fo' lyfe) but I strongly encourage you to click the link and check out the other houses as well!

The Little Prince Official US Release Trailer



The Little Prince is one of my all time favorite stories and I am OVER THE MOON that it is being released as an animated feature on Netflix in July. I guess this film was dropped by its original studio at some point in the process so I am extremely happy that Netflix did the smart thing and picked it back up! If you haven't read The Little Prince, I strongly - STRONGLY - encourage you to do so and be just as excited as me that this is happening!
Simone Biles Floor Routine at the P&G Gymnastics Championship
Raise your hand if you're excited for the Olympics! ME: *flails arms both arms around in the air like an idiot* So I've been watching some of the Olympic trials and championships for Olympic sports in preparation for the summer games and getting SO PUMPED for the Olympics! It's just over a month away and I can't wait to sit on the couch all month and be amazed at how talented these athletes are while I shove handfuls of chips and Oreos into my face. This gymnast, Simone Biles, is incredible and a force to be reckoned with. Just look at this floor routine - especially that last pass. WOW. She won this championship and will be going to the Olympic trials for the Women's team, but I don't have a doubt (barring disaster) that she will be representing the USA in Rio. She is amazing! Strawberry Ravioli with Balsamic and Basil

{Source}

This recipe looks incredible. It looks complex to make, but sooooo delicious to eat. And a perfect dish for summer, too! The blogger that wrote about this recipe said that it took them a few attempts to make it the way it appears in the image above (I'm pretty sure that making pasta is ALWAYS a pain in the ass) but that the pay off is super worth it. I would love to attempt this recipe some time this summer because it looks so yummy!

What links have you been loving lately?

A Few of my Favorite Links {#22}

Hello friends! I can't believe today is the last day of May. We are already nearing the halfway mark of 2016. HOW?! Brett and I have been enjoying the slow down in our schedules lately - spending more time with family and we were even able to venture up to New Hampshire over Memorial Day weekend and spend time with my parents and pups! We were lucky enough for it to be nice and hot enough for a MAY SWIM (always a big deal when that's able to happen!) and, of course, we made our usual pilgrimage to La Festa!

I have a handful of amazing links to share with you all today, and each one reflects a different interest of mine or part of my life! I hope you all find something in this post that you're able to enjoy, and don't forget to share your favorite links of the moment in the comments so I can check out some more internet awesomeness! <3

The #SAgrad Development Theory

This is a cute little Zine created by a fellow member of the Student Affairs community! It's a student development theory for Student Affairs grad students that include vectors like "You've eaten cold, old, leftovers over your kitchen sink at midnight AND you didn't cry this time." Super adorable and painfully true!

Kittens vs. Thugs

This is a hilarious video where a adorable puffball of a kitten has a staring contest with some tough looking dudes. I was giggling the whole way through this video and needed to share!
6 Reasons You Need to Run the Utah Valley Marathon

I always have an eye out for new races to add to my race wishlist. I have a life goal of running a marathon in all 50 states, and so when different marathons get featured on race websites it always grabs my eye. This race - the Utah Valley Marathon - seems like the perfect 26.2 for my Utah stop. Beautiful scenery, fast, and downhill - it seems like the perfect formula for a PR and, more importantly, a wonderful experience!

Mint Julep Popsicles

I know we're a bit past the perfect time of year for a Mint Julep, but this article was posted right around the time of the Kentucky Derby and I think this would be the *perfect* summertime treat. Take a refreshing drink, freeze it, and put it on a stick - who wouldn't love to enjoy something like that on the beach?!

Doug the Pug TV Show Compilation

It wouldn't be a Favorite Links post if I didn't include SOMETHING that has a dog in it, right? This video made me laugh so much I needed to share it with my friend Erin who loves pugs. Have a favorite show? It's likely that Doug the Pug parodies the intro to it in this video. If you need a smile or some sort of pick me up then press play on this amazing video and get ready to be cheered up! :)
What links have you been loving lately?

Hand Lettering Play

I've been trying out new hand lettering techniques in my planner lately. I've been really inspired by bullet journal Instagram posts and YouTube videos and have been pushing myself to try new designs each time I sit down to make my pages for the week. Part of using a bullet journal system is having the freedom to be as creative as you'd like, and I've found that many of the bullet journals I'm drawn to are extremely artistic and aesthetically beautiful. I'm a big fan, and have been challenging myself to try out some of the techniques I admire! Here are a few videos of bullet journalers that have handwriting and illustration styles that I'm a big fan of:


Kara (aka Boho Berry) is really popular in the bullet journal world right now and rightfully so because her spreads are gorgeous! This is a video of her practicing banners and headers that she can potentially use in her bullet journal in the future. (Which is also a great point - practice, practice, practice! Skills like the ones I admire take time, patience, and practice and do not come over night. Keep working at your style!) Check out her YouTube and Instagram for more inspiration!

Fran (aka Frannerd) is a freelance illustrator and has been someone I've been LOVING over the last few months. Her illustration style is so whimsical and wonderful and her personality keeps me coming back to watch all of her videos. (I not-so-secretly want to be her best friend.) I love her handwriting and her style, and while I don't really try to emulate it myself, I still come away from all of her videos feeling super inspired and motivated to create, so I thought that this video showcasing her planning method deserved a spot on this post! If you're interested in seeing more of her artwork check out her Instagram, and for more behind the scenes stuff check out her YouTube! 

Anna (aka Pixel Pearls) is another artist who makes polymer charms and (surprise!) uses a bullet journal. Her style is very similar to Kara's, but I love this video because it shows you a different technique of creating headers and banners for her bullet journal. This video shows that it's okay to use tools to reach the look that you want to get to and, like Kara, it's important to take time to practice! Her YouTube shows more of her planner page development, and her adorable charms can be found on her Etsy shop!
I'm going to leave you with a few of my favorite hand lettered banners in my planner that I've made in the last couple of weeks. I'm always looking for more inspiration, so if you have any bullet journalers you think I should check out, please leave them in the comments!

Happy planning! <3

Considering a Diet Change

For a little while now I've been interested in researching different diet regimens. I've looked into paleo diets, raw diets, and even vegan diets, and I have to say that the prospect of changing my lifestyle to something a bit simpler really interests and excites me. At this point in time I don't think I could 100% commit to a full lifestyle change (i.e. going 100% cold-turkey vegan... no pun intended) but focusing more on a plant-based diet, weening my dairy and red meat intake, and trying to live more in accordance to a high-carb, high fruit, vegetable, and nut diet is something I feel like I can do.

I've been watching a lot of Freelee the Banana Girl (Warning: A lot of her videos feature graphic photos and videos of animal abuse in the meat and dairy industries and can be very hard to watch, but I applaud her for being courageous enough to speak out about the truth.) and she talks in length about living a high-carb vegan lifestyle and the health and fitness benefits that the lifestyle can bring you. She is very unapologetic and upfront, and a lot of people are put off by her in-your-face approach to her opinion on the importance of veganism, but she is speaking the truth throughout her videos and you can't blame someone for being real, even if it makes you uncomfortable.

Again, I caution you to tread carefully on this YouTube channel if you don't want to see the graphic images of animal abuse, but her videos are fascinating and she does a good job about suggesting awesome recipes and ways to approach a vegan diet. Here a couple of her videos regarding veganism that I find very interesting and a peak into what she does on YouTube. *Don't worry - I've watched all of these all the way through and there are no graphic images or videos of abuse! There is footage of a roadkill snake in the last video, but other than that, you're good.*







Again, I don't see myself going full vegan or even full vegetarian at this point in my life, and I'm not sure I ever will. There are some things about the vegan lifestyle that I don't 100% agree with (i.e. not eating honey because that's harmful to bees) but transitioning my focus to having a more plant-based diet is really appealing to me. I don't think I'm going to stop eating fish or completely stopping eating meat, but I'm open to cutting down on poultry and red meat. I'm probably not going to completely stop eating cheese (I mean.... c'mon. Cheese.), but I am open to springing more for almond/soy milk over dairy milk (I already do this occasionally). 
I know that changing your lifestyle can be challenging, but I'm looking forward to experimenting and finding a diet that works for me and is healthier overall. I'm curious to see how this goes and I know there will be slip ups along the way, but right now I'm feeling inspired to make a positive change!
Have any of you tried an alternative diet like veganism, paleo, or a raw food diet?  Please let me know in the comments! I would love to hear about your experiences!

A Few of my Favorite Links {#19}

Hello everyone! I took a little (unintentional) week's break off from the blog last week. I was feeling very exhausted throughout the week as a lot was weighing on my mind, and when that happens blogging is typically the last thing I'd like to do, but through journaling and creativity and of course the incredible support from B,  I've been able to process through it and I'm feeling much better. Sometimes you just need to take a mental health break!

Activities and events are back in full swing at MHC and it feels like I'm finally settling into my routine. My colleagues and I have come up with a solid plan so no single one of us is always caught at work late on Fridays or Saturdays. It seems like things are progressing forward in a very positive way which is always a glorious feeling to have while you're at work. I'm very lucky to be a part of such a cohesive staff! #blessed #sockgameonpoint

I'm creeping up toward a butt load of travel in these last weeks of winter and I'm super excited about them! First off I will taking a vacation down to Fort Lauderdale next week (!!!) with my friend Rob while Brett is recruiting for work. We found some really cheap round trip flights (Under $200 to get there and back! Uhm, yes please.) and I'm staying at this cute little Air BnB that's not far from the house the coaches are renting, and about a 10 minute bike ride from the beach! I'm definitely planning on renting a bike for my time down there so I can travel around in the warm Florida air easily. I'm looking forward to spending time far away from stress. I'm (of course) planning on hitting the beach, but in my down time journaling, drawing, reading, filming videos, and blogging. It's going to be so niccceeeee. Cannot wait.

Shortly after I return I will be travelling to the exact opposite climate - Canada. My friend and colleague Erin and I are going up to Montréal for the ACPA International Convention which will be so much fun! I'm excited to attend some educational sessions, network, and eat lots and lots of poutine. We're planning on doing some touristy things in our down time as well as Erin's never been to Montréal and the last time I went I was about 14 years old and was there for my sister's softball tournament so I don't remember too much of the city. I'm definitely looking forward to it!

Now that we're all caught up on my life, I'm going to hop right into my favorite links as of late. First of which is very exciting... I'm published, y'all!

Changing Campus Traditions

My two BSU counterparts (my former supervisor, Matt, and former co-advisor, Casey) and I wrote this article that was finally published in the first 2016 issue of Programming magazine - the publication for the field of Campus Activities! We've been working on this initiative to make our Homecoming pageants more inclusive since I arrived as a graduate student in 2013, and thought that sharing our experience - both the challenges and the successes - would be a great thing to contribute to our field. I'm really proud of this article and proud of OSIL for being courageous in the face of changing a beloved campus tradition!

$100 Donut Iced with Cristal Champagne and 24k Gold

This.... this is ridiculous. I can't decide if I hate this because it's so ridiculous or love it because it's so ridiculous. I mean, the donut is $100 and made of gold, but it sounds pretty disgusting if you ask me. "It's a donut filled with ube mousse, champagne jelly, and covered with a glaze made from Cristal champagne and 24k gold flakes." Probably not something I want to be eating. What do you think? Either way this was too out of control to not share, so it's making this edition Favorite Links.

Cocktail Chemistry - Ice Ball Cocktail

This is one of the coolest things I've seen in a while! While this is definitely not a super simple process to recreate, you can't beat the presentation! I mean, how cool would it be to be served your drink in an ice ball?! I have a feeling if I attempted this I would fail miserably, but the idea of this is so awesome.

I Tried to Become the Most Popular Person on a Cruise

I loved this little article! This is the story of a guy who went on a cruise on his own and tried to make as many friends as he could. Being very socially anxious and introverted, stories of people who have the guts to take on a challenge like this is so fascinating and inspiring to me! If you need a little pick me up or a cheerful story, give this article a read!

Cuddle Clones

I basically fell out of my chair when I found out that this was a thing. HOW CUTE ARE THESE?! This company will create custom plush replicas of your pet and I'm IN LOVE. Granted, they are quite pricey, but if you're far away from your pet or want something to remember a furry friend that you might have lost in the past, I think this would be so incredible. Whoever thought of this is a genius.

New, Female-Powered 'Ghostbusters' LEGO Set Unleashed

In girl power news, LEGO has released their new Ghostbusters set featuring the new cast of lady characters! I love when toy companies great "girl toys" that are more than just pink, purple, princessey, and stereotypically "girly". Love. It. I bet I would love to have some female LEGO characters to play with when I was growing up. My sister and I had a huge box of LEGOs that we always played with as kids and I can't really think of ever having a girl LEGO person. This set features exclusively female LEGO people and it's awesome and deserves to be praised.

THE EIGHTH HARRY POTTER BOOK!

My brain basically exploded when I found out about this earlier this week. I knew this play was being released but I had no idea that the story was also being released in book form! I'm still not entirely sure if this is a novel or the script to the play, but either way I'm excited AF and am obviously going to pre-order it. How could you not?!

What links are you loving lately?

Fall Favorites 2015!

Bad news: it's officially winter and soon the snow-pocalypse will be upon us again. Good news: the days are going to start getting longer, so at least there's that! With the end of the season comes time for me to review all of my favorites for you all, and that's exactly what I'm doing in this post! To make things a bit more ~streamlined~ I'm going to try to keep my favorites posts under 10 items from now on (this summer's favorites post was a little out of control), so you're not going to see all of the categories I've used in the past, but I think I definitely summed up my favorite things for this fall with this list! I hope you all enjoy!
Apparel | L.L. Bean Wicked Good Camp Moccasin

These are so comfortable and warm! I wanted a nice durable, comfortable slipper for this winter and these are 100% it. I've worn them around for the entire month of December so far and if I could wear them everywhere without ruining them I totally would. I'm excited to have these to keep my feet warm when the temperatures start falling under zero.

Book | The Help

This was hands down my favorite book that I read this season. I already dedicated an entire blog post to my thoughts and feelings about this book, but seriously if you've never read it you totally need to get on it! It's definitely reached the ranks of some of my favorite books ever.

Fitness | Brooks Launch 2

I got these at the end of September as my Asics were making my feet kill during my training runs leading up to my marathon. I had never tried Brooks before but with my legs hurting me that badly and the Maine Marathon right around the corner, I was willing to try something new if it meant my running would feel better. Turns out it made me feel MUCH better and I PRed in my marathon! SO, of course, these had to be my fitness favorite of the fall.

Home & Office | Hamilton Beach FlexBrew Generation 2 Coffee Maker

My sister bought this amazing contraption for me as a Christmas gift and I'm a huge fan! I live by myself most of the time, and Brett is not a coffee drinker, so brewing a whole pot of coffee never really makes all that much sense. This gem not only brews singular cups of coffee, but also allows you to replace the filter with w K-Cup, so if I'm feeling extra lazy I don't have to do much work do get caffeinated! Double score.

Movie | Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

I mean... obviously, right? I won't talk about this in too much detail because I know there are still plenty of people out there who have yet to see it, but the new Star Wars film was so great. It's got action, it's got emotion, it's got nostalgia, and even a few good laughs. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly, highly recommend that you do before it all gets spoiled for you!

Purchase | Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Illustrated Edition

When this was first announced I knew that this was how I was going to build a Harry Potter collection that I would one day share with my children. I was not disappointed when it arrived in the mail. Every page is so gorgeous and it just enhances the story so much. Part of me is glad I grew up without too much guidance in what things looked like, but I also think I might have enjoyed the books that much more with pictures attached. Anyway, I totally think it's worth it to add this to your book collection!

Video Game | Zelda: Majora's Mask 3DS

Brett got this for me as a graduation gift back in May, but I only just got around to playing it this season. I'm not too far into the game but I am having so much fun! I never got the chance to play Zelda as a kid (I also wasn't much for one-player games growing up), but I am so happy that they released a 3DS version of this game  so that I can enjoy it as an adult! I'm looking forward to playing this more during some downtime over winter break.

Memory | Patriot's Game


This was 100% my favorite memory of the fall! My parents very generously gave Brett and I tickets to go see the Patriots play at Gillette Stadium, and this was my first Pats game ever! We tailgated all day and had so much fun at the game, despite the fact that we ended up attending one of their only two losses this season... >_> Regardless, we had a fantastic time and I will always remember that day!

What were your favorite things from this fall?

A Few of my Favorite Links {#17}

Hello everyone! I hope everyone's December is off to a great start. Can you believe that we're already nearly half way through the month? Before we know it we'll be in 2016! I have a pretty random mish-mash of favorite links for you today. I hope they brighten your day! :)

20 Pictures of Shelter Dogs' Freedom Ride Pictures That Will Give Your Goosebumps

I'm such a sucker for posts like this. Shelter dogs finally finding their forever homes gives me such warm-fuzzies! Because I can't take a pup home myself, I live vicariously through posts like this. If you love dogs and you need a good pick me up, take a look at this photo gallery!

Game of Thrones White Walkers - Everything We Know

As you probably know, Brett and I are complete nerds for Game of Thrones and when it isn't in season, we spend a LOT of time theorizing and researching backstories of different characters. One night when lazily scrolling through my Feedly feed, I came across this article that gives you a bit of back story on White Walkers, the crazy zombie like creatures that we've been following since season one. These guys are still a bit of a mystery to the audience, but this article and coinciding video give you a bit more context.

Spellbook Clutch

I stumbled across this gem on ThinkGeek (which honestly is my new favorite online store - I bought two of my dad's Christmas gifts from there - found here and here!) and I am in love! I've always wanted a book-looking iPad or phone case, but this wallet is so cool and something I would totally use. I already dropped this hint to Brett as a potential Christmas gift, so maybe Santa will hide this under the tree for me? ;)

Quadcopter with Flamethrower Roasting a Turkey


This is equal parts amazing and horrifying. This could go so wrong so easily, but for whatever reason it doesn't. My main question is how does that charred, gasoline-soaked turkey actually taste? Either way this is incredible on so many levels.
Polly Pocket Toys Every 90s Girl Will Remember

I used to LOVE Polly Pocket as a little girl! I remember specifically that I had the Polly Pocket in the photo above, as well as a teal heart hone that was a little diner on the inside. I'm not sure if I had more, but I LOVED playing with them! I also remember when the toy company realize how dangerous it was to give something that tiny to small children and made Polly Pocket much, much bigger! Check out this BuzzFeed article to get hit right in the nostalgia.

A Cute Puppy Running Through the Snow in Slow-Motion

A cute puppy running through the snow in slow-motion at Orange, NSW, Australia. What more could the Internet want?Our...
Posted by ABC Central West on Sunday, July 12, 2015

And of course, we can't kick off the holiday season without an amazing video of a puppy running through the snow. If you aren't feeling festive, click play on this video and you might feel just a *bit* more full of holiday cheer!

What links are you loving lately?

A Few of my Favorite Links {#16}

Hello everyone! 

It's time for yet another installment of my favorite links! In pulling this list together, I found that a lot of these links have to do with bears... Maybe I'm going into hibernation mode as it gets dark earlier each day or maybe I'm missing my graduate alma mater (Bridgewater's mascot is a Bear!) but apparently I'm really channeling my inner bear! Any who, I hope you enjoy the links below, and make sure you let me know what your favorite links of the moment are in the comments!

New England Planner Girls

First and foremost is this awesome group of ladies - the New England Planner Girls group on Facebook! In perusing Instagram, I came across one of my favorite planner girls heading to a MidWest planner meet up, which made me wonder if there was a group of just New England based planner ladies. Lo and behold - there is! I actually ended up finding out that one of my colleagues is part of the group AND a fellow Lasell alum is part of the group, so of course I had to invite my planner partner-in-crime, Brittany, to the group as well so we could freak out about how awesome it is together. I'm having a great time participating in this community, and even just organized a secret holiday planner swap for everyone! If you're a planner gal like myself, I highly recommend finding your local planner group on Facebook to feel a bit more connected to the community!

Amazing Bear Sleeping Bag

Onto our first bear-themed item - a BEAR SLEEPING BAG. How freakin' comfortable does this look?! All I want to do is cuddle up inside of this thing and nap all winter long. It's in the ballpark of $2,350 so I mean this will probably never be in my life, unfortunately, but a girl can dream. I guess I'll just wait until the knockoffs start popping up everywhere because honestly, who doesn't want one of these?!

College Humor & White House PSA to Stop College Sexual Assault

CollegeHumor and The White House collaborated on this brilliant PSA to stop campus rape
Posted by NowThis on Saturday, November 7, 2015

Out next bear-themed item is (surprisingly) this ad produced by CollegeHumor and the White House. You definitely gotta give props to CollegeHumor for this PSA. First of all, it's hilarious, but it also makes an excellent point and draws attention to a very serious issue. If you were in a situation where a bear was going to attack 1 of 5 of your friends, you wouldn't just sit idly by while it happens, so why do that when 1 of 5 people on a college campus will get sexually assaulted? Hats off, CollegeHumor. Hats. Off.

Long Board Dancing

Longboard Dancing 20151115 from hyojoo on Vimeo.
This video is absolutely mesmerizing. It shows a woman dancing - yes, dancing - on her long board while flying down the sidewalk. How someone has that much balance is beyond me, but this is super cool. I highly recommend that you watch this video if you want to be thoroughly impressed!
Ewok Hooded Scarf

And our last bear (kind of) themed is this Ewok hooded scarf from ThinkGeek! How adorably awesome is this?! Just in time for the next Star Wars movie to release in December. I'm obsessed and wouldn't hate it if it would up in my possession before the 18th so I could wear it to the movie. (Yes I'm going on the day it releases. Yes I would love to wear some sort of costume-like outfit. Cullen, Erin, and I are considering Star Wars onesies - cozy AND festive!)

What links are you loving lately?