Life, Life, Life

Happy December! In the Student Affairs (& Housing and Res Life) world, December means a few things. (1) Finals are coming (2) Lots of paperwork and (3) they (as in the students) will leave soon! I love my students to pieces, but I'm really looking forward to this almost month break. Working as an RD, field hours, and grad school has really smacked me in the face this semester. But, boy have I learned a lot. Anyways, as I plan my journey back to blogging for the month of December I thought I would write a quick little post to keep y'all updated on the happenings in my life. 

Now one of my struggles this past semester has been taking decent pictures. Now that isn't the worst struggle to have and I have definitely taken many memory photographs, but it doesn't leave me with much to share with y'all. So, I'm sorry about the pixely nightmare that you see before you!

big photo on the left... J and I have been able to spend some really nice and quiet weekends together. With both of us having really busy semesters (him in admissions and me in res. life at different institutions) it is nice when we can get together on the weekends even if its only for a day.

This picture was taken as we were exploring a local city trying to find a church to go to! We ended up not finding a church, but opted for an adorable selfie instead. This guy has been my rock through this semester and I couldn't do all of this without his love and support.

medium photo on the top right... my RAs are incredible. We are losing a staff member due to December graduation and although I'm excited to welcome a new staff member to the team, I literally cannot picture having a better staff!

This picture was taken at our last program as a staff on Sunday, titled McHolidays where we talked about inclusive programs and ate LOTS of sweets. These fine friends make me smile so much and are often featured in my grateful journal!

medium photo in the middle on the right... my life has centered around admin work lately! And I secretly love it. I really enjoy working on different projects as I get ready for all of the room changes and closing.

This picture is of one section of my RA Office. You'll see the 'mom fridge' on the left, my check out table in the middle, and a bright yellow bulletin board for office updates.

medium photo on the bottom right... family! Come December 19th I will literally be the happiest human being! I'm really excited to go home to my parents' house and spend a few weeks with them during winter holiday! I miss my family so much.

This current picture is my mom and I holding my cousin's identical twins! Holy heck they are cute little chunks! Also, ignore my wine blush...

That's all for now, folks! Enjoy your Wednesday :)

Past, Present, & Future

 It's kind of weird looking back at what my blog used to look like. Actually, one of my biggest regrets and something I hope all bloggers start/continue to do is document what your blog looks like before you do design changes. When I first started blogging, Radiating Sunshine was called Curls, Crafts, Cooking & More (I know what a mouthful) and after 6 months or so Radiating Sunshine was born and with that came my need to HTML Code and format the entire blog. I have learned a lot over the past three years with blogging. I have thoroughly enjoyed  my blog journey and all of the bloggers I have met on my way. This blog has seen me through my undergrad college experience, life's ups and downs, different friendships, different places, getting into Graduate School, getting my first job, moving into my first apartment. This blog has given me the opportunity to document it all.  

I have learned a lot on this blogging journey! I have had very successful posts... and some not so successful posts. Like when I tried to do a Product Love Link Up! I think I linked up by myself for a few weeks before I got the picture... this was not a successful link up. However, there are some successes too! I participated in some blog swaps, guest posts, several giveaways, my blog grew tremendously, I learned a lot about HTML coding, and followed new blogs. When I first started blogging, it was very much a blog only world. But, now we have an Insta-blog world too. I'm still learning how to use the appropriate social media outlets and pair them with the blog. It's exciting how all of this technology changes the way the blog world works.

What is even funnier to look back and compare it to now is how much my appearance has changed, but yet also stayed the same. Besides some minor weight gain during the summer of my sophomore year (no doubt due to the delicious Texas food), some long curls and some short curls, some tanned skin and some fair skin... this blog has seen it all! We've been through thick and thin times and I'm so glad I got to document it all!

Another thing that this blog has seen is my entire relationship with this guy! I'm so glad I met this man back when he was a wee-sophmore and I was a Junior! We're slowly approaching the year and a half mark and we couldn't be more excited. We have so many plans for this summer, like going to family reunions, to the beach, and moving me into my new apartment.

So, life has been pretty great over these four years of blogging! I can't wait to see what the next four years holds for Radiating Sunshine and to see where we go.

15 Moments In Life I'd Go Back To

Since graduation is getting so close, I keep spending so much of my time reflecting on life and the experiences that I have had! One things for sure, I have been so incredibly blessed with the life I have been given. God is good and I'm grateful to him for sending people into my life, that I don't always deserve. 

Today, I'm blogging about 15 Moments in Life I would go back to. It's kind of like a TBT post for my High School and College life. I loved writing this post and I hope you all enjoy it :) The events are all in order and some are specific and some are general!

All of the retreats I went on in High School! I'm so thankful that I went to a Catholic High School that promoted development of a student's faith and self! Every retreat I led or went on were truly inspirational and helped me connect with so many people.

When Juneau was a baby! I crave the days when we got her and she would cuddle up in my arms and sleep for hours! / I totally miss that navy blue scarf. It has been missing since my Freshmen Year of College and it was my favorite scarf. Hopefully, I'll find it when I move to PA in May!

All of the parties! Since I lived a little over a half hour from the majority of my friends when people would come over they would usually carpool and bring a whole group of people! I loved this and really enjoyed all of the mini-parties we had. TGIF Frozen Mozzarella sticks were always a huge hit!

The XBSS Retreat in Connecticut! My High School sent 10 student representatives and me and a couple close friends were chosen to go. At the retreat we met a bunch of students like us from different High Schools and it was amazing. Such a great trip and I have so many fond memories. 

 Graduating from High School. The day itself was kind of long and exhausting, but knowing that I had achieved something great was a wonderful feeling. I loved High School and it was nice concluding my four years with a bunch of friends surrounding me. 

 My first year of college, I held an event 'Dodgeball for Cameroon' which was a fundraiser for a sister school my organization, EJS (Educators for Justice Society) had. We ended up raising over two hundred dollars (can't really remember) had 6 different teams and everyone had a ball. Strangely, when I look back at this picture, half of those people were strangers that I later became great friends with! It's weird how things like that work in life and I hope it keeps happening. 

 Habitat for Humanity. I had never gone on a week long service trip before and it was probably one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I got to help out on a huge project that would impact someone's life forever. I met a lot of cool people and also got to explore Downtown Wilmington, where one of my favorite shows One Tree Hill was filmed. Talk about a great Spring Break!

 My friend Caitlin and I drove up to Philadelphia after our Freshmen year to see our favorite singer, Ingrid Michelson perform. I think we paid $20 for the tickets and she performed at the Electric Factory. Back then, not many people knew of Ingrid songs so it feels weird hearing her on the radio and seeing posts from people saying they love her so much! I'm so glad her career has taken off. She was truly monumental singer my Freshmen year of college... just ask my old roommate, Hannah (I would listen to her on repeat for hours and hours and hours- haha sorry!)

 Growing up we always took beach vacations and in High School we would always go to Duck, NC with a bunch of family friends. These were probably some of my favorite trips growing up and I always loved spending the week with some of my favorite girl friends and getting sun!

I also went to Maine, with Chad's family a few times! I love Maine. I love the crisp air, the green trees, the Life is Good stores that are everywhere, the mom and pop Lobster Roll stands, and the cute little towns. I haven't been to Maine in over two years and I'm really craving some time there! Hopefully one day I can take my kiddos there so they can fall in love with the state too. 

 Duke TIP played an influential role in my college summer experiences. After my Sophomore and Junior years I went down to Texas and worked on the residential side of the program. I met some of the greatest people, gained a significant amount of weight, and had so many unique experiences. Everything is bigger in Texas and I loved traveling around the state and seeing different things and tasting a ton of different food. I wish I could work for TIP this year, but alas big girl job comes first. However, I can always start recruiting some new residential counselors who would fit the TIP program perfectly! Hopefully, TIP won't be out of my future forever!

 So, chick-fil-a is my favorite fast food restaurant! My sophomore year of college, my friend Alex told me about the First 100 Challenge that a new Chick-Fil-A offers... and we did it! We went down to the Rockville, MD location and camped out for 24 hours in the parking lot while it rained. Our tent wasn't very waterproof, but we made due by the charity of other people who thought to bring tarps and we had a blast. We also were fed chicka for 24 hours straight, which was too good to be true!

Meeting this man! I have dated a bunch of different guys... but, Josh is by far the kindest and smartest person I know. He is genuinely sweet and we have been able to do so many fun things while we have been together. He even reads this blog on his own! I feel like when you date a blogger, you have to know that you will most likely (a) have to read and proofread posts (b) take tons of photos (c) listen to updates on the blog world, etc. But, Josh has taken to it well and cares about Radiating Sunshine.

Salzburg... and Europe in general! I loved going to Europe over the summer and if I could go back and relive those moments I totally would. I want to share those experiences with Josh, friends, and family. I really miss gelato and the fresh food. I miss the architecture and the beautiful weather. So, yeah I would definitely go back to Europe and would so do it again. 

 All of the adventures I've had with these too (Jamaica, Beach, & Camping Weekend). When I was going through my photos, I kept stumbling upon Amanda and DJ and all of the fun places we have been. Josh and I have reflected about this past year and we both agree Camping Weekend (even though we could barely light a fire because of the green wood) was by far one of our favorite weekends. We hiked, we ate food, we played rummy. Ahh what's not to love!

So, there you have it! 15 moments in life that I would totally go back to if I could... but, luckily for me I know that thanks to all of the beautiful and wonderful people in my life I know I will be able to have even better moments in the future. Happy Thursday :)

Feeling 22

So, this is a very delayed post but I'm finally writing about my birthday!! I turned 22 this past Monday and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. 

 It started with Alex knocking on my door at 12AM to sing, give me a Blue Moon cupcake and a cute card! I was already in bed when she came over and I actually debated whether I wanted to get up and answer the door... and I'm so thankful I did! We ended up having girl talk until way after 1am and although I felt sleepy when I woke up, I am so thankful for the time I got to spend with that sweet girl.

 And although I was tired when I woke up in the morning.... my exhaustion faded to excitement because Josh came over and brought me flowers and a bunch of cute and symbolic gifts!!

Throughout the day I was showered in love and hugs. I went to class, work, and had a soccer game. I haven't played soccer since my sophomore year and it was really nice! I get to complete number 54 on my 101 in 1001 list and my team won our game.

 After I showered from the game, Josh drove us to Carrabbas where we met up with my family. For me there is no better way to celebrate a birthday than with people I love and very good Italian food. I've been going to Carrabbas for my birthday for years and I really loved it!

 When I came back from Carrabbas my residents through me a little party and showered me in treats and handmade cards! I love them so much and it was really nice that they remembered my birthday and sang T. Swift's "22" song!!

The only picture I took of the cake... and it was blurry!!

 Wednesday night the celebrations continued because it was college night! My guy friends bought me a cheesecake and attempted to make a monogram out of beer caps on the cake... which, I absolutely loved! Like how sweet is that!! They also picked me flowers that are currently at my desk in a cute little mason jar.

 So, it was basically a wonderful birthday! I'm not huge into birthdays because I don't like all of the attention on me, but I really liked all of the hugs and how so many people sent me so many well wishes! Whether it was a phone call, text, or Facebook message I really enjoyed all the kind words and I am so thankful to everyone who helped me "feel 22."

Also, for all of my Grey's Anatomy fans check out this Buzzfeed article of how much the cast has changed over the years! Check it out here!

5 Reasons Why I'm Not a Fashion Blogger

So, this is kind of a fun post to write because it is always enjoyable joking about yourself on social media! Anyways, I have been reading a lot of posts recently about fashion and I discovered some very interesting things. I AM NOT A FASHION BLOGGER... although, I feel like I have some basic fashion sense and I wear some nice clothes, I am far from the fashion blogger world. Now, don't get me wrong I definitely care about my appearance and I work hard to look "cute" but, I can just never pull off a fashion blogger look, why?

1) 50% of my wardrobe is from Good Will or a Hand-Me-Down so, I could never really site my clothing source. I love reading posts where people write about where you can buy what and sadly that would never happen over here! 

2) Backgrounds... I literally stink at picking backgrounds for photo shoots (see below). I don't know why but, whenever I am in a particularly scenic place I either never remember to take a picture of my outfit of choice is just not blog worthy. 

3) Taking solo pictures... now, I won't say I never take a selfie but, I rarely ask people to take photos of myself. It just feels weird to me. Not sure why but, I would much rather take pictures with other people!

4) I'm a plain Jane... My favorite outfit consists of jeans, boots, a nice shirt, and my pearl necklace my parents gave me a few Christmases ago. I usually only wear mascara and my curly hair is always either up and down. I'm happy with that... but, that is also pretty boring. 

5) I don't have the time... to plan, to buy, to execute super cute outfits! I really wish I did and I seriously look up to all of the fashion bloggers out there. I would love to blog about professional attire if/when I get a big girl job but, for now I'll just be me! 

I would love the opportunity to be a fashion blogger, one day! But, for now

I'll stick with what I'm good at and leave the fashion posts to the rest of y'all! 

Be With Someone Who Helps Your Being

Throughout my life I feel like I have "wasted" a lot of time with people who have not made me a better person. I put "wasted" in quotations, because obviously I learned a lot from those friendships and (or) relationships. But, seriously for awhile I just surrounded myself with negative people and people who just did not have the same interests that I did. 

So, when I got to college I decided I would work really hard to (a) discover who I am and (b) surround myself with people who are just good people. You're probably thinking... "why did it take her until college to make that decision" and to answer your thought it's hard to discover your identity in middle or high school. I have done both of my senior capstone projects on emerging adulthood and identity development, so I kind of have an understanding on how students discover themselves. 

Lately, I have had a lot of conversations with friends and residents and I have had to help them realize that you don't just wake up one day knowing exactly who you are, what you want to do with your life, what you like, how you feel about social issues, what type of people you want to associate with. It can definitely be easier for some people to discover these things but, I definitely believe that in most cases you don't just instantly know. Why? Because life is always throwing your curve balls and making you rethink things. 

As you discover who you are and what you want out of life, you can start creating friendships with others who bring out the best you. Life is way too short to waste time with people who make you want to be someone your not. I feel like often times we are just so focused on comparing ourselves to others, when really we should be focusing on how great we already are. 

 As I stated previously in college I have tried to surround myself with people who bring out the best me. I have made so many friendships and have lost friendships too. But, I think one of the most important friendships I have made, that I really value and am thankful for is my friendship with Josh. I feel like it can be rare when you find someone you can just be silly with. I have found that I'm a better listener, I'm more understanding, and I'm more giving with Josh in my life.

So, who in your life brings out the better you? Is it a significant other? A best friends? A pet? Whoever it is, make sure you always remember to value them. Because surrounding yourself with someone who makes you a better you or as Rumi says "be with someone who helps your being" is seriously the best way to go!

2015 Goals

I know I'm 7 days late on posting this... but, you're never too late to write about your hopes and dreams right? Anyways, 2014 was an amazing year and I hope 2015 will be just as amazing. So, below are my 2015 Goals & Dreams!

Blog Goals: 

200 GFC Followers - Last year my goal was 75 GFC followers! Well, I am over the moon knowing that I gained a total of 188 followers in 2014. So, thank you to all of you who regularly visit my little blogopshere. It means so much to me that you all continually come back and catch up on what's happening at Radiating Sunshine. 

New Signature Line - I have had the signature below for quite sometime now, so in 2015 I would like to kind of remodel the signature and maybe change it up a bit!

Blog 3-4 times a week- Last semester I got really bogged down with academics, RA Life, work, and making time for my family and friends... unfortunately my blog kind of took a hit, so I would like to post more regularly and really get back into blogging. 

Personal Goals: 

Travel - I started 2015 with a trip to Pittsburgh with Josh! I hope I can continue traveling... maybe during Spring Break take a vacation with my girl friends and over the summer visit a new place! 

Stay Connect with Friends - Now that all of my High School friends and College friends are graduating I really hope I can stay connected and maybe visit them at their new jobs and stuff like that. 

Live in the Moment - Although its nice to think about the future and get excited for what is to come... I really want to live in the moment and be thankful for everyone in my life and for everything I have. 

Academic Goals: 

Figure out my post graduate school plans - I don't know what those will be! I applied to several graduate schools and a few jobs so, hopefully I'll hear back from them throughout the upcoming semester. 

Graduate with some from of 'cum laude' or with honors - Throughout these past four years I have worked really hard on maintaining a nice GPA. I am not a 4.0 student by any shot, but I think come May I'll be able to graduate with 'cum laude' and i want to continue that throughout my future schooling. 

2014's Year in Review

It is hard to believe that 2014 has come and gone! This has been an incredible year for me... I turned 21, I traveled the world, I fell in love,  and I did some pretty amazing things. When I look back at 2013's Year in Review, that was one of the best years I can remember... but, this year certainly topped it! As I was scanning through old photos that I took throughout the year, I had such a hard time choosing which ones to use... so, below is my 2014 ( & photo dump ) year in review!

My youngest sister, Brooke got accepted into Auburn University and graduated from High School. Now my baby sis is a 12 hour car drive away, but we still are close and we FaceTime often!

 I completed two of my senior capstone projects and got asked to present one of them at a conference in NYC in 2015! So, excited to see my research take off and hopefully open up some doors in the world of Higher Education. 

 Some of our greatest friends left the Mount to pursue their medical careers, but Alex and I are still close, even though we both are so busy and she is practically saving the world one math computation at a time. She is truly a wonderful friend and inspires me endlessly. 

 I also met a guy, formally known to you all as J... but, now I openly call him Josh on the blog! We started dating in February and I couldn't have found a more loving, kind person, who knows almost everything about the history of football, and always fixes my comma errors (and let's be serious that is a lot of work) 

 My High School friends and I went to the beach like we usually do... except this time we were all 21 so, we went out to bars and we always made it to the beach the next morning!

I went on one of the best trips of my life. Salzburg captivated me in ways I never thought it would. I traveled to Iceland, Vienna, and Bolzano, Italy... But, although all of those places are beautiful, Salzburg is the only one I would definitely go back and visit. 

 While abroad, I drank German beer (Stiegl Grapefruit Radler), I ate a lot of german food (schnitzel), my sweet tooth only got bigger (gelato, gelato, gelato), my memory card on my camera got smaller (3,450 pictures later), I learned how to speak German ("I'm sorry", "excuse me", and "bathroom?"), I became the tourist I swore I never would become (Sound of Music central), and I had the greatest summer to date. I also had a really cute pen pal, who wrote me the nicest emails and gave me something to look forward to while I ate breakfast every morning (Thanks Josh!)

 And because an Austrian study abroad trip was not enough... The day after I got home I flew out to Seattle, Washington with my family for an Alaskan cruise. I held puppy sled dogs, went zip lining, saw a few Alaskan cities. We ate delicious food (beef carpaccio) and dined on the best creme brûlée I have ever had!

 On the crabbing trip in Ketchikan, I helped pull up one of the cages (the only working out I did all summer) and we discovered that there is another type of crab that is equivalent to the Maryland Blue Crab and that is the Alaskan Dungeness Crab! 

And before I got home and finally was reunited with Josh and friends, I made a quick pit stop in Texas, where I worked for Duke TIP again at Rice University. It was a short few weeks, but I loved every second of it like I did the year before. 

 And after two months away, I decided I would stay home for awhile. I promised Josh that for the remainder of 2014 I wouldn't even go near an airplane, haha! Anyways, Josh and I had a busy and exciting Fall semester. We went hot air ballooning and went to baseball games. We ate Chinese food and celebrated Halloween!

 We also went camping with two great friends for a weekend. It rained every night but, we still made the best of it. I taught Josh how to play rummy and now we have a new card game to play. And being out doorsy didn't stop with the camping trip... Josh and I ran a 5k together, went on an endless amount of walks, and hiked up to Indian Lookout. I guess it pays to live on a mountain!

 In 2014, I found someone who loves holiday traditions just as much as I do... I also found someone who can rock a sweater from the 80s! I found someone who I can be silly with. Someone who will take as many photos as needed to get the perfect one. Someone who will try any weird food or wipe the drool off of my chin during my weekly Sunday Football nap time. I found someone who I can pray with every night whether we are together or apart. Josh is smart, funny, and is incredibly hard working and I am beyond thankful for him and everything he does.

So, 2014 was a pretty incredible year. I accomplished all of my New Years Resolutions which, I'll be blogging about tomorrow. 2015 holds a lot of unknowns. I have no idea where I'm going to be as far as jobs or graduate school. Although all of the unknowns are a little nerve wracking, I know that I have the greatest support system and that whatever happens I will strive to live positively and make 2015 a pretty spectacular year.