My Freshman Dorm

Hey y'all! I am having a very lazy Monday so far and, sadly, I think the most productive today is going to get is showering and a blogpost. Oh well!

With freshman year having come to a close, I felt like now would be the perfect time to share pictures of how I decorated my dorm this past year! I was thankfully put into "overflow" freshman housing, randomly selected to live in an upperclassmen suite style dorm. The rooms aren't exactly traditionally shaped and were basically big squares. Instead of showing you the whole room (because that's really boring and all that's left is my roommate's side and our closets), this post will just show the important stuff: my desk and my bed!

I knew I wanted string lights in my room (#basic) but adding the pictures attached with clothespins made it more of a picture display than anything else. Being honest, I probably plugged the lights in only like 4 times! Command hooks = my bff!!



My desk had to function as both a place to do my school work and a vanity, so it kinda had a lot going on! School stuff on the left and makeup on the right!



I loved this banner that my sweet family friend Erin made for my graduation party so much, that I brought it to school to hang on my desk! Reppin' the U colors!!



By the end of the year, this baby sported a total of 4 mason jars... only slightly obsessed and not even sorry! 

My DIY bow display was really fun to make even though I don't dawn these big boys as much anymore! (feat. fugly recycling bin)

My bedding was my favorite part! The duvet cover was so cheap from ikea and it reminded me of seersucker so I snagged it as soon as I saw it! I'm also recently obsessed with throw pillows (especially when they involve coral and monograms)!

Side table/food storage (obvi)

I mentioned vision boards a while ago, but here are some pictures of two I made in January and kept in my dorm where I would see them daily! I first I just quotes and scripture and the second is goals and randomness. It's funny how much and how little goals can change in just 4 months!

Freshman year of college was a big change but also a lot of fun and a huge growing experience! I wasn't homesick ever but don't get me wrong, I probably would have preferred to have been home 70% of the time if you know what I mean! I think trying to make my dorm cozy and homey for myself was one of the biggest reasons I wasn't homesick. I love décor and cant wait to have my own home one day to decorate however I want, but my dorm gave me a space that I got to make cute and keep clean all on my own! This sounds really weird, but one of my favorite times of the week for me were afternoons I dubbed for cleaning. I'm a clean freak, sorry not sorry!

Overall, I was really happy with the way my dorm turned out and I loved it! I can't wait to decorate again next year :)

I hope everyone has an awesome week!!

xoxo, Olivia

(sorry for the length of this post!)

April Favorites and May Goals

I'm so happy to be home for summer so I actually have time to blog and spend time with my family and friends! I feel so much joy when I think about all the happy times that lay ahead in the next few months! I got home three days ago and it honestly feels like I've already been here for a month (I think that's a good things). April flew by and I know everyone says that about every month, but I seriously can't believe we're already a week into May! April is usually my favorite month of the year but this year was so much different because I was away from home. Studying for finals, end of the year banquets for clubs, and all that jazz really took up the whole month! I did however get to visit Vizcaya in Miami with my roommate for next year (roomie bonding!!), something I've wanted to do ever since the school year at UM started! It was SO beautiful, but also SO hot. It is definitely summer! I'm really glad I got to go :)

 

Since the favorites are going to be light in these posts from now on, here are my quick little April favorites for you!

Friday Night Lights so refreshing after House of Cards, lol

Bath&Body Works Lemon Mint Leaf candle

Cadbury crème eggs one of my favorite sweets ever!

Somewhere at Sea EP- Boy in a Boat SO GOOD

 

April's goals were not exactly entirely met, but we'll try again on some of these this month!

1. Make summer plans (babysitting the sweet boys again and some possible volunteering opportunities are in the works)

2. Go three nights without social media so I get more work done studying

3. Get a new devotional book

4. Celebrate my 19th birthday (still have family dinner left this Friday!)

5. Finish my 101 in 1001 list and post it on the blog (more on this later)

6. Try harder not to procrastinate on assignments (well... for the most part)

 

Now that I have a 101 list and have lots of time to work on projects, I'm hoping May is a beautifully productive month!

Get a new devotional book

Read A Walk to Remember and The Secrets of Peaches

Practice driving

Make my mama feel special on Mother's Day

Try running on the beach

78. organize my bathroom at home
79. organize my closet at home
80. clean out my nail polishes and find a better way to organize them

 

These passed three days, I have been working on  MAJOR spring cleaning/organizing/redecorating in my bedroom at home! Even though it feels like an even bigger mess because I have trash bags and give-away bags strewn all over the room, I know it will be worth it in the future when I have a fresh, clean space to rest (and read and blog)!

 

May's scripture focus: {James 4:8}

"Come near to God and He will come near to you."

My high school youth pastor texted me this verse recently out of the blue. Such a blessing or as a like to call it, a God sighting :)

 

Happy May loves!!

 

xoxo, Olivia

 

 

101 in 1001

Hey y'all! I apologize for my absence, but of course finals require full attention.... but it's summer now which means lots of times with family, friends, and blogging!! I've been working on this list for about two months and I planned on posting it on my birthday (over a week ago)!! Well, no time like the present and a couple days doesn't break my heart! If you haven't seen lists like this, a lot of the blogs I read have them: this one and this one are my faves. I'm not really sure where it originally came from, but the list is simply 101 things you want to accomplish in 1001 days. Some of mine a small goals or wishes, and others are big undertakings that I know may or may not actually happen! I'm so excited to start working on my list because like I've said a million times before, I LOVE GOALS! Wish me luck! Maybe you should make a list too ;)

Start date: May 6^th, 2014

End date: January 31^st, 2017

Travel and Adventure:

1. visit Washinton, DC March for Science in April 2017, blogged here and here
2. visit Hawaii

3. attend the Kentucky Derby or Carolina Cup

4. go to Disney
5. have a girls weekend getaway with my besties UM vs. FSU weekend in Tally October 2015
6. go skiing
7. go on a mission trip in this country
8. go on a mission trip out of the country
9. go on a road trip with Victoria to North Carolina for winter break 2015
10. go tubing in a spring
11. go hiking in Appalachia Linville Falls and Roan Mountain December 2015
12. visit the Lilly Pulitzer store in Key West
13. visit Palm Beach, FL
14. go on a college spring break vacay didn't really go away but it felt like vacation when my bestie visited my spring break 2016, blogged here
15. eat macarons at Laduree, Miami March 2016, the vanilla and orange blossom are delish!

16. go on a picnic

17. attend an NFL game
18. attend an MLB game Washington Nationals game in DC June 2017
19. go to a country music concert Runaway Country 2015 + soooo many more!!!
20. go camping
21. go hunting
22. catch a fish on a fly rod
23. catch a fish while flats fishing
24. go kayaking in the Indian river lagoon went bioluminescent kayaking aka night kayaking with glow in the dark plankton October 2017
25. attend a PGA golf tournament
26. attend playlist live Orlando to meet my favorite YouTubers

Style:

27. invest in a beautiful perfume that can be my signature scent
28. learn to French braid
29. get a professional blowout at a DryBar
30. take a risk with my hair (cut it short or get highlights) very subtle bayalage highlights summer 2015
31. own a Kate Spade handbag purchased summer 2015
32. wear my hair down at least four days a week for a month has definitely been the norm for me to wear my hair down almost every day since summer 2014
33. find my best beauty routine so thankful I do my research and invest in both makeup and skincare products now and feel like I truly love all my products 
34. invest in nice sunglasses was gifted my favorite Sunski polarized sunglasses for Christmas 2015
35. wear Lilly Pulitzer on Easter Sunday
36. own Tory Burch flats
37. wear a real outfit to class everyday for two weeks (no tshirts and norts!!)

Growing Up:
38. get my driver's license (should have done this 3 years ago... oops) Took a while but I did it! May 18th, 2015
39. get all A's during a semester of college spring semester sophomore year
40. hold an e-board office position for a club on campus  public relations chair for UMCRs 2014-2015 and VP 2015-2016
41. graduate early with my bachelor's degree graduated Cum Laude from Univeristy of Miami with a Bachelor of Arts in Marine Affairs in May 2016
42. volunteer for a marine science cause Marine Resources Council, Sea Turtle Preservation Society, and oyster reef building in IRL
43. raise money for colon cancer research
44. get an internship that will benefit me in my future career oyster fisheries research internship at GTMNERR summer 2015
45. volunteer for a political campaign
46. vote in a presidential election 2016!
47. start living financially smart on a budget (start using the envelope system)
48. invest in nice luggage
49. celebrate my 21st birthday
50. get my scuba diving license

Health:

51. be comfortable with my weight and feel confident in my skin
52. go diet coke free for at least a month
53. work out with a personal trainer (at least once)
54. run a 5k, like the entire time
55. learn to surf
56. exercise 4 days a week for a full month
57. follow through with a cleanse diet
58. make running on the beach a hobby

Blogging and Social Media:

59. reach 50 followers on my blog
60. Try and blog 10 new Pinterest recipes
61. inspire someone to write a 101 in 1001 list of their own
62. make my blog a private domain and hire someone to design it
63. make a blogger friend and meet them in real life
64. complete social media free weekends every weekend for a month
65. go technology free for a whole day
66. upgrade to a DSLR camera
67. buy an apple (preferably desk) computer
68. subscribe to 3 magazines I love
69. do 5 DIY projects and blog them

 Faith and Growth:

70. read the bible chronologically
71. help lead a bible study became a lifeguard (student leader) for my church's youth group summer 2014
72. write out my testimony
73. be a part of a book club joined a book club in November 2016 ... I'm the youngest one by about 20 years but I love those ladies :)
74. read one new book a month for a whole year didn't exactly read one book every month, but I read over 12 books throughout the year of 2014
75. read 5 book series: harry potter, divergent, maze runner, hunger games, and twilight
76. find a church in Miami

Home:

77. redecorate my bedroom at home (so it can also function as a guest bedroom in the future)
78. organize my bathroom at home
79. organize my closet at home
80. clean out my nail polishes and find a better way to organize them 5/21/14
81. set up a reading space in my redecorated room
82. build my personal library to (at least) 20 new books I love

Friends and Family:

83. buy flowers for 5 people I really love
84. make someone I love breakfast in bed
85. buy Christmas gifts for all of my family members with money I earned on my own
86. treat someone really deserving to a spa day
87. throw a surprise birthday party for someone
88. buy the groceries for 5 dinners and cook them for my family 2/5
89. take my grandma on a dinner date
90. do something fun for a day with just my sister and brother

Random:

91. bake macarons at home that actually taste good
92. bake a pie from scratch for a holiday dinner homemade apple pie for thanksgiving 2014
93. plant a garden
94. throw a tea party
95. host a summer bbq or seafood boil by the pool with friends
96. take advantage of the beach at home every day for a week
97. watch the sunrise and sunset on the same day
98. stargaze in the back of a pickup truck or on the beach
99. learn to play a song on the piano
100. go on a first date
101. record my completions on the blog or Instagram (with #livs101in1001)

xoxo, Olivia