naps, naps & more naps

captain jack sparrow, view from green mountain in huntsville, nothing but noodles!, pinkberry in birmingham, nails of the weekend, the stadium at night viewed from my friend's new apartment, neutrogena naturals purifying facial cleanser (a supposed dupe for philosophy's purity), starbucks x 1000 to keep me awake at work, dinner at california pizza kitchen, my new headboard (!!!!) and sephora buys.

class class, work work, study study. that's all i do these days. i spent the past two weekends with my boyfriend; the weekend of the 13th, i drove to huntsville and was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful it was. i had never been before, and i wasn't sure what i was expecting, but the mountains were breathtaking and the view from the area around my boyfriend's family's place was gorgeous. oh, and they have a nothing but noodles there - another first, which was delicious. on my list of places to try again.

on monday, i drove to birmingham with michelle with the intention of picking up a new id mini wallet thing for my keys, since the one i have currently is pretty dirty. but no such luck, so i grabbed a new urban decay primer potion (i've been out for months and i have no idea how i've gone without it) and a new philosophy bubble bath, cabana girl, which smells just like a cocktail. SO GOOD. i also stopped by the apple store to see if i could get my phone fixed... the top button has been broken for a few months now. if i had known it was as simple as walking in, having my phone under warranty and simply getting a brand new one, i would have done it a long time ago. warranties are awesome.

when i got home my headboard had been delivered! i'd been patiently waiting and was so excited to receive it. i meant to get one when i first moved into my apartment, but i never got around to it. it completes my bed, and practically my entire room. it's plushy, comfy and gorgeous!

i'm honestly ready for summer to be over... i want football, a regular class schedule and my senior year to finally be here. i've become so pro at napping it's ridiculous!

instagram's impact on blogging

i'll preface this post by saying that i love instagram. it's fun, interactive, user-friendly, creative, and operates seamlessly. most everyone i know loves the app, or wants a smartphone just so they can use it. obviously, facebook saw what was up and purchased instagram a few months ago for $1 billion dollars - and after that, it absolutely exploded. it's likely worth more than $1 billion by now (don't quote me, i'm no business major)! i've used the app since spring of 2011 and i still have fun with it.

while instagram has its perks and i won't stop using it, i've realized that it's changed the way i blog, and the way others blog too. but for better or worse?

as a veteran blogger of nearly a decade, i've seen the "phases" of blogging and expression fluctuate. from livejournal's photo-less, emotional posts to tumblr's reblogging insanity, the way things are shared has evolved.

i remember when i first entered college and began blogging publicly - creating a post was an event. i'd spend a while setting up shots of makeup i'd bought or food i had made, just to get it perfect and beautiful for my blog. i'd carry my nikon d3000 in my handbag (so heavy!) and snap photos of my food, the setting, or what i was seeing. often, i would come home, look at my shots and decide they weren't good enough, thus i'd have no post. because posting without photos? who does that anymore?

then instagram happened. at first, i just used it to link to my twitter instead of using twitpic. putting filters on photos to make them look pretty was a lot more fun than just a boring old twitpic with sub-par lighting. but then, i watched instagram move from the app itself to blogs. it began taking the place of photos from dSLRS or film cameras. and soon, like many other bloggers, my daily life was being documented through my phone, and not my camera. i don't remember the last time my nikon left my apartment.

i remember being the girl who wanted to sit by the window in restaurants so i had good lighting for the shot of my salad, but now i just whip my phone out and instagram will brighten it up if it's too dark ('rise' and 'nashville' make everything look great!) i realize that the entire process of taking photos of your everyday activities is disputed as a little weird and ridiculous, but it's no different than the thousands of vloggers on youtube or bloggers around the internet. we all want to share, we all want to connect, we all want to let everyone see a bit of our world. i just miss putting more thought into it.


the fact is, instagram hasn't changed blogging in a good or bad way. but it's definitely changed it. while i praise instagram for it's convenience and i actually enjoy reading other bloggers "my life via instagram" type posts, sometimes i wish for the days where it didn't exist. as a busy student with a job and classes, i find the ability to take quick photos that look great for a post incredibly appealing. but in the future, i don't want to forget about my camera and an aspect that makes me love blogging : taking great photos and learning about my camera.

does anyone else feel this way? what are your thoughts on instagram and how has it changed your blogging or interactions via social media?

my perfume collection

from left to right (kind of): juicy couture's 'couture couture', juicy couture's original scent, juicy couture's 'viva la juicy', marc jacobs 'daisy', dior's 'miss dior cherie', vera wang 'princess', coach 'poppy', betsey johnson's original scent & chanel's chance eau fraîche.

 if you know me, you know that i adore perfume. maybe some don't find it necessary to have an array of scents at your disposal - but i totally do. usually, i wear a different scent daily, and sometimes i'll go through phases and wear the same one for weeks at a time. i've collected these perfumes over the years, and have usually gotten them as gifts. my very first bottle of perfume nearly ten years ago was clinique's 'happy'.

my two absolute all-time favorites (which are easy to spot because they're both nearly empty) are juicy couture's viva la juicy and dior's miss dior cherie. i plan to re-purchase one of them soon, because i don't wear either anymore because they're almost gone. i'm conserving the last few drops of each for a special occasion!

i love the bottles, the scents, and how pretty they look on top of my dresser. i've been searching for unique ways to display my perfumes and i'm looking for some antique-ish silver trays to line them up on. since i don't feel like i'll ever have too many, my current wishlist includes michael kors 'hollywood' and dior's 'j'adore dior'. 

what's your favorite scent?

hello july!

 where has summer gone? it's already halfway over for me, and i've completed my summer term 1 class. for july, i'm taking 2 classes in addition to working, so i'm afraid i'm going to be even more busy. the same classes every single day is not fun. at all. however, i'm looking forward to the end of the month because my boyfriend and i are planning a trip to six flags! rollercoasters are ok with me but i'm still kind of a baby when it comes to theme park rides. but i can do it. i think.

my brother's 18th birthday was june 26th, so i drove down to fairhope for the weekend to spend time with my family, cook and relax. my parents made a killer blackberry margarita and it was delish - i seriously envy their recent cocktail making endeavors... it's almost worth moving back home for! my boyfriend came down and spent the last weekend of june with me; we got hibachi and saw a friend's band at a local bar. and now? i've got 4 days off work and no class, so... roadtrip anyone?

in thrilling (ha) garden news, i got a new basil plant. it's just way too hot to grow a single thing. i'm watering twice a day sometimes! if you didn't know, it's getting up to 100+ degrees in tuscaloosa daily, aka i never go outside anymore.

more and more, i'm thinking of what i want to do once i graduate. and you know what? i have no idea. i want to do everything, honestly. before, i had decided i would stay in alabama and work, but now, i'm not so sure. i could literally drop a pen on a map and see where it lands, i am totally open to going anywhere and everywhere. i've got lots of research to do before i graduate next spring (!!!) and it's dreadfully scary, but so exciting at the same time. ok. i can't think about it anymore, because it's only july and i've got lots to do before then.