The "Book"list

*affiliate links included y'all*

Did y'all know that Goodwill sells books for less than $3 each?

On my most recent errand run, I decided to pay good ole Goodwill a visit to look at sweaters. My friend mentioned that she wanted to pick up a few books, so I followed behind her expecting to see old, ratty and torn up paperbacks. Much to my surprise I saw like new copies of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the Twilight saga, and a few books from The Hunger Games' series.

Not one to pass on the opportunity for some new reads, I looked picked up the following:

I Don't Know How She Does It
by Allison Pearson

The Starter Wife
by Gigi Levangie Grazer

One Day (Vintage Contemporaries)
by David Nicholls

The Silent Wife: A Novel
by A.S.A Harrison

The Matchbreaker
 by Chris Manbry

Amazon has always been my favorite places to get books because I know I can get a really good deal. Now, I have Amazon AND Goodwill.
I'm a happy girl.

I plan on getting started on one of these bad boys this week while I wait for my cable and internet to get set up (oh, the agony!). Have any of y'all read these? What's your take on them?

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Orientation Week

The first day week of anything is always hard. 

That's why we celebrated a long week of orientation early with Mexican and margaritas.

(we did not deal with patients this week, no worries)

Post soon about Toronto and Welcome Week!

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#WordlessWednesday

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Movie Review: The Gallows

As you may or may not have seen, The Gallows comes out today in theaters. 

Lucky for me (*can you sense the sarcasm*), a theater by my apartment began screening it last night.

At the insistence of a friend, I went and saw it. 

And for your sake, I'm reviewing it - and possibly saving you $10.50.

The Gallows is a found-footage movie based around four high school kids - three jocks and a drama queen - and a play called "The Gallows"... shocking. In the movie, the school is putting on this play to pay homage to the original play of the same name in which someone died in a freak accident. Dumb idea. 

If you want spoilers, highlight the space below:

Basically, one of the football players - Ryan - and his cheerleader girlfriend convince the lead male actor in the play (also a football player named Reese) to destroy the set that night so the play can't happen. Another dumb idea. Once in the school during the night, they get locked in. Ryan does a bunch of stupid things like getting lost, calling out to the ghost of the kid who died, and climbing ladders to prove he doesn't believe. They also run into Pfeiffer - the drama queen - and she gets upset as to why they're in the school. As they try to escape, they die one by one as they're left alone (seriously, WHY do they split up?!), Reese makes the dumbest decision in history and it turns out Pfeiffer was in on the whole thing. I won't spoil exactly what happens or how, but it's... interesting. 

What doesn't make any sense is that one of the students - Ryan - is running around with a camera and there is NO explanation as to why. Unlike Paranormal Activity where they were filming to see what happened during the night, or Blair Witch Project or any other found footage movie which usually explains why the person was filming in the first place, there was absolutely no explanation as to why it was being filmed. And maybe I'm thinking too much, but that bothered me. 

While there are some jumpy parts and eerily long silences, I jumped maybe once or twice and got angry at the lack of these characters' logic.

Would I see it again? No. 

Would I suggest paying full-price (aka primetime)? No.

What about matinee? Maybe - if jumpy, suspenseful movies are your thing, you're looking to kill time, or you're into slightly scary movies that won't haunt you in your sleep. 

Honestly, I'm not mad I went (especially since I am an avid fan of the matinee and still use my student ID to get cheaper tickets) but I am a little disappointed in the quality of acting and the lack of explanation of some important things (at least what I thought was important). 

Oh, and how dumb these kids were, but that is to be expected in "scary" movies nowadays.

Are you interested in seeing The Gallows? Were you before you read this review lol? Have you seen it and/or what are your thoughts?

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#WordlessWednesday

With the Fourth coming up, my best friend coming into town this weekend and me trying to pack up this apartment, I leave y'all with another #WordlessWednesday 

(brought to you by Pinterest)

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How to Wear: Baseball Cap

* This is not a sponsored post; I was not compensated for it and all opinions are my own*

If you're anything like me, you have a love/hate relationship with hats. 

How to wear one, where to wear one, what to wear with one... the questions are endless but today I'll try and offer what I would do with a little help from Fanatics.

Fanatics has some amazing sports gear for everyone - men, women and children alike. For this challenge in particular, I needed to create a "sporty luxe" look that I could wear to a baseball game, BBQ, picnic - wherever hats are acceptable this summer - and I think I did just that:

hat | shorts | shirt | shoes

This outfit is quite patriotic without screaming "America!," so you could wear it to a ball game, the park, the beach or even to a Fourth of July cookout! I chose this hat from the Cubs hats page, not because they're my favorite team, but because the colors work wonderfully for almost any outfit I have in my closet - hello, it's blue! Honestly though, any hat from Fanatics will do! 

My basic guidelines for wearing hats are to treat them just like any other accessory - either go big and bold on the hat with a toned down outfit, or do a neutral hat with a fun outfit! 

(I really thought about throwing a camo shirt and some jean shorts up there in that picture, but I didn't want to explain my love of camo to y'all just yet.)

Whether you're looking for a hat to complete your outfit or an outfit to complete your hat, you should definitely check out Fanatics to see all the goodies they have to offer!

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Single Girl Bucket List

Since I am single this summer (which quite honestly is how it has been every summer... ), I want to make the most of this time before starting my new career. 

I figured what better way to achieve this than by making a bucket list!

This way I can keep track of my progress and I promise that I will try my hardest to get as much done on this list as possible. 

So here goes. 

                         

Take a spontaneous road trip

Hike somewhere new (Panther Creek Falls, Tallulah Gorge anyone?)

Go out in Buckhead

Visit the World of Coke, Ga Aquarium, and Ferris Wheel

Go sky diving

Ride the new Atlanta streetcar

Shoot the Hooch

Go to a Braves game

Eat my way through Food Truck Park

Visit a friend in Seattle

Sign a lease for my own apartment

Visit the Civil Rights Museum

Go to the movies by myself

Learn one of Beyonce's many choreography numbers in its entirety

Slip-n-slide

Play on a playground

Climb a tree

Clean out my old bedroom

Make s'mores

Visit friends in New Orleans

Watch dumb reality TV shows without feeling guilty

Go on a date with someone outside my norm
Date myself

Watch a meteor shower

See giraffes

Craft

Go out and stay out until the sun rises

Buy myself flowers

Anything else y'all can think of to add? What are your plans for the summer?

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National Women's Health Week

Woohoo!

It's National Women's Health Week, and what better way to celebrate than by empowering women to take control of their health.

And I'm not just saying that as a newly graduated nurse.... ;)

Though this is the week of awareness, it's important to take care of your health each and every day!

So although I'm posting this at the end of the week, the following are ways to take control of your health any week of the year:

Screenings 

including annual breast and pelvic exams

Get active 

heck, join me on this challenge! I just did day 1 yesterday!

Eat healthy

fruits, veggies and lean meats are ideal

Get enough sleep

aka try for at least 7-8 hours

Manage stress

avoid stressful people, learn relaxation techniques

Avoid smoking, drinking (at least not in excess people!) and texting & driving

Wear sunscreen 

seriously do it. you don't want skin cancer

Find out additional information on steps to take to care for your health based on your age here.

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How To: Survive Allergy Season

The end of allergy is upon us in Atlanta as pollen levels are dropping!

*insert wild hollering and cheering*

Which can only mean one of two things: you survived another year without sneezing your brains out (yay you!) or you didn't.

If you're like me, you were the latter and survived - until the end.

This weekend, and just this weekend alone, has wreaked enough havoc on me to the point where I'm ready to never see pollen again in life. Talkin about watery eyes, stuffed/runny nose and the most annoying tickle/sore throat. But if you're from where the players play, it's just something you have to deal with. 

So to get you through this allergy laden, yet beautiful first week of May, I present to you a survival guide:

                         

DO stock up on tissues.

These will become your best friend. By your side through thick and thin (literally). 

DON'T go outside. 

Ever.

Do I really need to explain this? Pollen = particles that attack the nose, throat and eyes. Just don't do it. Or do it and let me know how that goes. 

DO take allergy meds.

aka lifesavers!

DON'T roll down your windows to "enjoy the breeze."

You will regret this decision. As you're soaking up the sun and smells of almost summer, your nose is soaking up the pollen, and a sneeze attack will come. 

Driving and sneezing = dangerous.

DO appreciate the beauty of nature...

From the safety and comfort of the inside of your home.

DON'T rub your eyes. 

You're just making the grainy granules become one with your eyeball.

Not fun.

Not cute.

DON'T look into the face of a pollen storm. 

Wind + visible pollen particles = death by yellow wind.

So maybe these are from personal experience, maybe not... but you have been warned.

IF YOU CAN SEE THE POLLEN IN THE AIR, WHY ARE YOU OUTSIDE?!

Tell me, any of y'all have allergies? How have they affected your life this spring?

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Spring Trends

Lately I have had the spring shopping itch and I just cannot seem to get shake it.

With graduation and my sister's wedding fast approaching, I definitely need to pick out some dresses - and soon - however my sights have been set on all white.

Which I know won't fly at the wedding. 

Another trend I have been loving is a chunky cage heel with cuffed jeans. *swoon*

So though this isn't practical wedding attire, here are some outfits my behind is seriously lusting after.

Left

coat (similar here)//white tee//white denim//white pump//white single sole heels

Handbags

magenta satchel//fuchsia clutch//flower clutch

Right

white tee//blue denim//caged brown heels

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A Little Here and There

Notice anything different around here?

I finally got around to changing my layout and I did so by creating my own! 

After hours of learning how to code and reading blog after blog on what to do, I did it!

It's still a work in progress as I am tweaking things here and there, but I am so proud to debut this new baby. 

One of these days the blog name will change too, but for now I feel like the theme change better reflects my brain's idea of my perfect blog.

A reminder of the old days for y'all...

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What the What?

If you're reading this, that means I have officially finished this semester of nursing school and God-willing, only have ONE MORE SEMESTER LEFT!

Y'all, I cannot express how excited I am to be done. 

The semester has been the most stressful of them all, but thankfully it has flown by so much faster than expected. 

All of the late nights studying, early mornings spent driving to clinical and weekends dedicated to my boyfriend (Hey MedSurg Book, love you) are paying off and I am ecstatic.

Next semester, aka the semester in which I graduate, I have practicum and just a few classes and then your girl will be walking dancing across that stage for her BSN.

Anywho.

Have a great weekend, I'll be sure when celebrating the end of finals tonight to take a shot for y'all

;)

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Help Me, I'm Dying.

No, not really. But I thought I was.

This week has honestly been one for the books.

And I don't mean that in a good way.

Tuesday after leaving clinical, I came home and jumped out of my scrubs and threw on my coziest of sweatpants (as usual). I noticed that my right knee looked a little bit swollen and ungodly so itchy, but I ignored it and crept into bed to take a much needed nap since I had only slept 5 hours the night before and 2 hours the night before that.

1.5 hours later I woke up to three distinct lumps on my left knee that were also excruciatingly itchy and growing by the minute. I decided to ignore it & maybe it'd go away.

3 more hours passed and the three lumps became one and were continuing to grow. I got a spot on my foot, my finger and two spots on each forearm. Thinking I was dying, I decided to call my wonderful momma. At her insistence, I waited another hour to watch my symptoms, monitor my breathing and heart rate before deciding if I needed to go to the ER or not. After that hour passed, we both decided Benadryl was the way to go and since I had to be back at the hospital for clinical at 6 am anyway, if things got worse, I'd just go to the ER then.

Bumpy mermaid arm.

2 Benadryl later, I KO'd.

Wednesday morning, it had gotten worse. My arms were covered in large, itchy spots, my left knee looked like it housed a softball inside of it and my palms and hands were so sore, it hurt to walk and push myself up out of bed. Not wanting to miss my last day of clinical, I went to the hospital, told my clinical instructor what was up and went on to labor and delivery. 

It wasn't 2 hours later that I was told to leave clinical and either go down to the ER or go to urgent care. 

Why?

My hands hand developed hard, swollen lumps while I was in the hospital.

My thoughts were everywhere as I simply could not figure out what was going on with me... No, I didn't buy or use new detergent, I was wearing clothes I'd worn before, I hadn't eaten anything different than I usually do, I don't live with pets or roommates. 

What, dear God, was happening?!

Well I found out not too long afterwards that I am allergic to penicillin. 

Yes, the medicine I was prescribed when I woke up with a sore throat from hell 2 weeks ago (which naturally, turned out to be strep throat).

And what's better than breaking out into hives and having "textbook" angioedema (which is swelling under the skin whereas hives is swelling on top of the skin)?

Thinking you're dying from a mysterious illness and instilling fear and panic into all of those around you.

Oops. 

Sorry y'all.

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This is Actually My Life.

I came across a Thought Catalog post the other day and it described me to a T. 

The title?

18 Struggles of Having an Outgoing Personality but Actually Being Shy and Introverted

Here are the ones that I burst out laughing to and whole heartedly agreed sounded like me:

1. You’re not anti-social, you’re selectively social.

7. Dating is weird, because you’re smiling and laughing and talkative at dinner, and then you don’t want to answer their texts for four days, because like, you just want to be left alone…

8. You’re accused of being flirty with everybody, which is hilarious, because in reality, you can only tolerate like four people. 

9. You retain an air of mysteriousness about you, completely unintentionally. (There’s no mystery. You just feel no need to update the social sphere on what’s going on in your life every two hours.)

10. Not to mention the fact that you either have days in which you’re tweeting and [instagramming] every five minutes… or you [go ghost for weeks at a time].

12. You’ve never really understood the whole “introvert vs. extrovert” dichotomy (can we call it that?) Because you’re… both…

15. The entirety of your being is a conundrum, so needless to say, indecisiveness is your Achilles’ Heel.

Head on over to this post to read the rest and see if it sounds anything like you!

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Life Lately

I promise things should pick back up around here relatively soon because:

I moved out of my old apartment and will be moving into my new one around August 13th 

(post and pics coming within a few weeks)

I went to New Orleans from July 18-21 and had an absolute blast 

(post and pics to come next week)

My best friend got a job in D.C so I now have a new reason to go up there 

(hopefully post and pics to come soon)

My sissy lives in Toronto and I'm planning to take a trip up there ASAP 

(hopefully post and pics to come soon)

Weight loss update as soon as I get my gym back!

(you'll see pics as I lose)

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#speechlesssunday

Usually a #BFTP post would be here, but I'm skipping this week. 

I've had so much on my mind and on my heart lately.

 I have no idea how to convey anything I want to say and I have had long moments when I don't really feel like myself.

Thus hopefully explaining the lack of posts over the past two (?) weeks.

Today, I leave you with some quotes that caught my eye on the beloved Pinterest.

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Page 32 of 365

If you want to understand yourself just so that you can do whatever you'd like for your personal gain, then it's self-centered. If your intent is to love God, others and yourself more, then knowing who you are is one of the most unselfish things you can do.

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Under the Weather

Hey y'all!

I don't want you to think I've forgotten about you, I promise I haven't.

I've been sick with only God knows what and though I am a future nurse, I refuse to go to the doctor (yeah yeah, I know…). 

All I know is that you don't want what I have and since I am 1000% sure it's a virus, I don't want to risk having it infect y'all ;-) (computer pun… lame. it's the illness talking).

So, I'm going to leave y'all with the one thing I want for Christmas and the one thing the domestic woman in me wants for Christmas, can you figure out which is which?

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November 20

The temptation will always be to say, "After I…" or "When this happens then I'll…" but life doesn't work that way. You, your circumstances, your life will never be everything you want them to be. Don't let that stop you. Embrace this moment. Be who you are. You're the best gift you can give the world.

From

You're Already Amazing

Embracing Who You Are, Becoming All God Created You To Be

By Holley Gerth

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Court

Y'all. 

I just spent the whole day in court and let me tell you... your girl is tired!

Got up at 6:30 AM, made it to court by 7:30, and sat. 

For hours. 

Gotta do it all again tomorrow, so I honestly can't even give y'all enough attention unless I get a nap in.

Hopefully, I'll have a story for you tonight.

God Bless.

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