Words of Wisdom

Source: allposters.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Rhett Butler is my favorite movie scoundrel. Actually, Clark Gable is my favorite scoundrel but he plays Rhett Butler, so they are one and the same in my eyes.  Anyhow, I think this is my favorite piece of movie advice.

Clearly, I would take Rhett over Ashley Wilkes any day.  I don't get Ashley's appeal.  He is the oldest 18 year old I have ever seen!  And so boring!  SO BORING!  Ashley seems like someone who neither knows how to kiss nor would kiss often.

TILT (or TILS???)

Source: tumblr.com via Nick on Pinterest

Friends, my days are so confused, its not even funny.  Its Saturday?  How did this happen?  I thought Tuesday was Friday, and today feels like Wednesday!  I just don't even know sometimes!  Anyhow, here is my very belated Things I Love Thursday!

The keys to my place!

• Moving in!  Kyla and I finally signed our lease and moved in this week!  I still have to make a trip home to pick up important things (Microwave, cheese dome, etc) but our place is really coming together!  I am in love with our apartment (for reals!)  I also love that Kyla shares the same affinity for decorating and enthusiasm over the idea of purchasing a lazy susan.  
• Applying for jobs.  I am sure this will turn into a hate soon, but I have high hopes and aspirations!  
• Silver Dollar City!  On my only day off last week, three of my friends and I went to Silver Dollar City to help my friend Sarah conquer her fears of upside down roller coasters!  I'm so proud!  After conquering her fears, we went on almost every ride and ate funnel cake!  Nothing is better than eating funnel cake at an amusement park!  Small accomplishment for myself: I did not get sunburned!  SUCCESS!
• My mom got accepted into graduate school!  She is getting her doctorate!  I'm so proud and excited for her!
• Realizing the summer is almost over.  This is actually bitter sweet, to be honest.  This summer has really blown by!  I am excited to finally (finally) finish college this next semester, but the end of summer means sending out my graduate school applications and figuring out where I am going to live!  SCARY!
• Along with realizing that time is slipping through my fingers, I have also come up with many alternative plans for the future.  The future is limitless! 

Small Things:

Manifesting what I desire * Rapping along to Nicki Minaj in my car * Cheeky shenanigans * Bonding with my coworkers * Getting a great deal on a sun dress (50% off!) * Sushi! (I had it four times within the last week! Eep!) * Writing notes to myself on heart shaped post-its * Craft nights * Laughing until my stomach hurts * Curly hair * Getting along with children * Free ice cream * Eerily accurate horoscopes * Gawking at Lee Pace and James McAvoy (as always) 

Link Love:
PROCRASTINATION
Ten Movies that would be Better with DINOSAURS
Mommy and Baby Lions!!!

Words of Wisdom:

It's Monday. Sometimes it is hard to get back into the work groove after a wonderful weekend. Follow this advice:

Source: asset.soup.io via Sandy on Pinterest

Chocolate is always the answer.  You know in your heart that this is true.

I Love:

Via ssilverspoon.tumblr.com

Its Thursday!  And this week I have a LOT of love to share!  I am feeling much more invigorated and healthy than last week (No longer sick! No flat tire! Not sleep deprived!)  Without further ado, here are the things I love this Thursday:

*I went home over the weekend to spend time with my family and friends.  It was great to see everyone and eat a ton of delicious food (guys, I did eat approximately 2,000 lbs of food).  Its always sad to leave after a weekend of fun, especially when the time was not long enough to spend with everyone!  But I did see a lot of people that matter a lot to me!

*Fourth of July shenanigans!  Kyla and I decided to dress for the occassion (it wasn't a hard decision to make).  I was America, and she was a Firework!  I wish I had pictures of our outfits, but I do have a picture of my Rosie the Riveter hair that I did five minutes before leaving!

We Can Do It!

Video I watched and learned from:

*Getting closure.  I was having doubts about making the right choice, and after having a long discussion, all uncertainty was erased.  Closure is always a good thing!

Small Fun Things:

Hula Hooping/Jump Roping to Disney Dubstep * Feeling productive at my job and internship * Greek Yogurt in bulk * Walking a lot * Nicki Minaj * Fake Tan (as always) * Finding a face scrub that I like * Videos by Jenna Marbles * Lunch with Celia on Saturday!!! * Letter making with Kyla and Sarah! * Plans for myself * Hello Giggles

I think a lot of my loves are repeats, but its always worth mentioning again!  

Also, you should follow my tumblr if you don't already.  I adore tumblr!

Greek Yogurt, Pie, and hula hoops!

Source: moderncharcoal.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Summer is in full swing.  I can't believe how fast its going by!  I've been super busy with work and preparing for the graduate school application process (its time consuming, let me tell you!).  Anyhow, these are things that I loved the past couple of weeks:

My new obsession is Greek Yogurt.  However, Greek Yogurt and I did not have a love at first site experience.  Oh, no.  Not even close.  My first reaction was sheer discuss and my taste buds hid in terror.  However, I had one more container in my fridge (I bought two: one plain, one honey).  The next morning, I ate the plain yogurt but sweetened it with Splenda.  THAT, my friends, is what changed my mind.  Also, the plain yogurt has a better flavor than the premixed honey flavor.  Now, I mix the yogurt, splenda, some blueberries, and Kashi Golden Goodness cereal to make a breakfast parfait in the mornings.  BEST EASY BREAKFAST EVER.

My breakfast!

Over the weekend, my BFF Kara came and visited me!  We had a super over-indulgent time with each other!  It was a nice break from work (even though I did have work during her visit).  I enjoy and appreciate my friendships, and it makes me happy that we all still have time to visit each other even though we live far away and have jobs!

My roommate and I got our Apartment placement and timeline for when we can move in!  I am very excited that its finally happening!

Small Things:
Making alternate life plans that includes eating pie everyday * Hula hooping everyday * Jump roping everyday * Gelato, Crepes, and Italian food * Dreaming about my Graduation shoes (I can't decorate my cap!) * My Spanish Transcripts FINALLY transferred over * Pink hair envy * Being a long distance dating coach/cheerleader

I've been MIA

Source: weheartit.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Friends, I apologize for being MIA.  I have been super busy working and interning; any free time I had was devoted to studying for the GRE or catching up on sleep (four hours a night is average for me).  However, I should not be as tied up anymore.

• I took the GRE last week.  It was the hardest thing I've done in my life.  I never plan on taking it again.  
• Since the GRE, I have been rather under the weather.  I have truly burned the candles at both ends.  My body wants a break from everything, it seems.
• I am going home this weekend for the first time in months!  Its a much needed break for myself.

Overall, things have been great, but super busy.  Hopefully I will start feeling better, soon!

In the mean time, I've been dreaming of moving, working on my fake tan, and trying to be in love with life.

Source: i49.tinypic.com via Ashley on Pinterest

June 16th TILT

Happy Thursday!  I've been nothing but busy this last week (I haven't had a true day off in over a week!), but I have plenty of things to be happy about!

Source: beautifulthingstoshare.blogspot.com via Justine on Pinterest

• I love being busy.  I've been super busy with work and the internship and studying for the GRE.  In fact, I take the GRE next week!!!  I am terrified to take it, but I can't wait until I do not have to worry about it anymore!
• Dressing professionally for work.  I love wearing slacks and button up shirts.  I think its a very classy style choice.
• Pineapple Whip!  There are these little stands that come out during the summer in Springfield, and they carry my favorite thing to eat!  Pineapple Whip is a fantastic pineapple flavored whipped ice treat that is completely vegan!  I am absolutely crazy about it!
• Mermaid aspirations.  Unrealistic, yes.  I have long dreamed about having mermaid-like hair.  Today, I gave myself a Mermaid-tip manicure (light pink base, glittery blue-green tips)
• Making homemade enchiladas.  I do not have a kitchen, and I really wanted to make something for dinner.  I hijacked a friend's kitchen and made homemade enchiladas.  My friends loved it!  And you know whats better than homemade enchiladas?  LEFTOVER ENCHILADAS!

Small Things:

Hanging out with friends * planning shenanigans * appreciating my sleep in time * curly hair * This text: " Remember your exboyfriend that used to go out and fight crime at night? And compared himself to Edward Cullen? Hahaha...I miss you" * Knowing that when I put something into the universe, the universe will throw it back * Dreaming about endless summer (Arizona, Hawaii, I'm looking at you!) * Gala Darling's articles on Blogger Beauty (1 & 2) * 

LUCK - NYC Wedding Proposal from Aria Melody DJ on Vimeo.

June 9th TILT - Curly hair, success, and James Mcavoy

Source: maluna.tumblr.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Hi Friends!  This week has been a pretty darn good week!  Keeping myself busy and focusing on my goals really, truly makes me feel good (especially when I am successful with what I set out to do).

So, here's WHATS GOOD!

• Over the weekend, my friend Stephanie came and visited me!  We had a really ridiculous time together.  We witnessed a bachelorette party form a conga line to cross a street...and a police officer escorted them!  This town is ridiculous!
• Crossing off EVERYTHING off of my massive to do list!  Feels SO GOOD to do it!
• I started prepping for the GRE, which is a very daunting task.  I took a practice exam before I started reading my book, and I did not do as well as I had hoped.  But, I've been studying everyday for an extensive period of time!  So, I think I will do fine when the 23rd rolls around!
• This week I started volunteering at the history museum.  I really really enjoy it!  Right now I've only done inventory, but I am very excited about the other tasks that I will do in the future!
• I found a way to make my hair curly without curlers or a curling iron!  Below is a picture of my hair, and the video I used!

My curly hair and museum attire!

Small Things:

Looking at James Mcavoy and Lee Pace * Listening to Disney Pandora while relaxing in my bathrobe * Meeting interesting people at Bread Co * People watching * Dressing professionally * Getting apartment business figured out and finished (hopefully!) *  Playing a blank cd and discovering a mix I made in the 8th grade (Bands included: The Ataris, Taking Back Sunday, Green Day) * I got a tumblr, and I am absolutely ADDICTED  * 

What do you love this week?

Getting my sh*t together

Source: tracizeller.com via Lindsay on Pinterest

Reader, these past couple of months for me has been a fail.  This past academic year killed me.  So, these last few weeks, I've been barely functioning like I should.  However, today feels much different.  I finally feel like I am energized and ready to tackle all of the things I've been putting off.

What I have done:

• I FINALLY registered for the GRE.  I will be taking it at the end of the month.  My prep includes studying for the exam everyday for a minimum of three hours a day (spread out throughout the day).  Taking this test makes me absolutely nervous!  Its a very expensive test, so I NEED to do well on it the first time so I don't have to take it ever again.  And, I obviously need to do well so I can get into school.
• Played with my schedule for my final semester of school.  Double check to see everything is in line.  Fix everything that needs to be in line.
• Attempt to get my apartment stuff in line.  
• Completely unpacked and organized my summer room (it was BAD for such a long time, let me tell you)
• Got my summer job and volunteering in line.
• Wrote detailed to do lists for each school that I am applying to.  My first deadline is September 1st!  Its very exciting, but very scary at the same time.  Mostly on the scary side because this is my future!

It feels good to be productive and positive again.  These next few months are going to fly by fast, so I really need to get a hold on EVERYTHING! 

Graduate School: Deciding Where to Live

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Applying for graduate schools is coming up quick.  If you have been reading my blog since the beginning, you may have noticed that my list of graduate schools keeps changing.  Over the past six months or so, a lot of things in my life have changed, so the things I want for myself has changed with it.  I am definitely in a different place in my life than I was in January.  I now have a better opportunity to branch out and live somewhere completely foreign and outside of my comfort zone.

I have lived in Missouri for the last 10 years, so I do want to leave the state.  Before moving to Missouri, I grew up in California.  Although I love California, I do not think this is the time for me to move back there.  My choices for graduate schools are limited.  Only 60-ish schools offer an ALA (American Library Association) accredited degree program.  The limitations are a blessing and a curse: It narrows down the schools by a lot, but not all of the locations are places that I want to live.

At the moment, I have a list of the top 25 schools posted on my wall.  I have also compiled a list of ideal living conditions.  For instance, I want to live somewhere that does not have snow as part of the weather.   I also want to live in a bigger city with a diverse population.  A great public transportation system would be great since I absolutely HATE driving.  I also do not plan on living in the city I attend graduate school permanently (mainly because I want to travel and not get tied down to just one place).

With the following criteria, I have narrowed down (again) the following schools: University of Hawaii, University of Arizona, and Florida State University.  All places experience absolutely no snow, which makes me very happy!

University of Hawaii:

Source: flickr.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Clearly, Hawaii is very beautiful.  I actually created a Hawaii vision board on Pinterest to imagine living there. The downsides of going to Hawaii is that it is VERY expensive to move and live there.  Also, I would be thousands of miles away from my immediate family.  I do have some extended family that lives over there, so it would be great to visit and get to know them better.  Also, I really do like the program offered at University of Hawaii.  And, the campus is absolutely beautiful and breathtaking.  This is my first choice because I think it would be an amazing experience for me to partake in and will challenge me to be more independent and brave.

University of Arizona

From the UA website

From what I can see from the internet, Tucson is very beautiful and so is the University of Arizona campus.  I think overall, this campus and city would be the wisest choice for me to make.  The city is very big.  Oh, and since its part of a desert climate, snow is not normally part of the weather pattern.  I am close to California so I can visit my family.  The tuition and cost of living is not outrageous like Hawaii.  I like this school a lot, but it does not captivate me like the idea of moving to Hawaii.

Florida State University

This school is in Tallahasse, Florida.  Its population is about 100,000 people.  The city dynamic is definitely a lot smaller than what I would like.  However, the campus of the school is absolutely breathtaking and the city looks very charming.  I am also fond of the program.

My issue is that I really like all three of these schools, and if/when I get accepted to these schools, I do not know which one I would chose to attend.  This graduate school process is absolutely daunting.  This is two years of my life!  So, we will see what happens!  As the months progress and I turn in all of my applications, I will find out where I will go!