Staying in Healthy in College

Talking to a friend today inspired this post! Trying to stay healthy in college is hard. I don't have a kitchen and I have to have a meal plan because I live on campus. Our dining options are limited and they don't always serve healthy options. Your body is 80% what you eat and 20% activity. I don't always make it to the gym because of academics but I still try to maintain a healthy eating plan.
Here are my tips for staying healthy in college!

Good Things Come to Those Who Work Hard

I'm not going to lie, I was skeptical about last night's game. How could Robert Morris University, a small, D1 school with more loses than wins beat the University of Kentucky, who won the NCAA Championship last year in basketball? Maybe it was due to my pessimistic outlook on most things, but I couldn't fathom that the Robert Morris Colonials Men Basketball team would win. As the saying goes, surprises come when you least expect it. 

Being a girl who isn't into sports, I didn't attend the game. Instead, I opted to watch the game on ESPN, which was crazy in itself. Robert Morris University is located in the middle of suburbia. We aren't widely known outside of the Pittsburgh area. But last night, we were super stars. 

With less than 9 seconds on the clock, Mike McFadden made the free throws that gave us the score of 59. Even though I wasn't in the Sewall Center, I could feel the anticipation, and significance of Kentucky's Kyle Wiltjer's next move. As the ball left his hands, I was silent. I watched as it sailed toward the hoop and then bounced off. I stared in disbelief as thousands of my classmates stormed the court. I could feel tears welling in my eyes as I watched the students, faculty and alum of Robert Morris University feel so much pride in being a Colonial.

I honestly can't imagine what its like to go to a big school and experience that level of camaraderie at every sporting event. I feel like those students are so used to it that it doesn't even phase them. But at Robert Morris, it is huge. I find it heartwarming to see those associated with the University so excited about this accomplishment. There's no telling who much of an impact this positive experience will have on this campus, but its safe to say that good things will come. As always, good things come to those who work hard. 

Be the Friend you Wish you Had

In high school, I kept to myself the majority of the time. A lot of this had to do with being bullied, but the other small percentage of me just hated all the backstabbing that went on. I just decided I was better off with a few amount of true friends. When I got to college, that all changed. Like many incoming freshman, I wanted a new beginning. I made a decent amount of friends my freshman year. By the beginning of my sophomore year of college, which I'm currently in now, I talked to none of the "close" friends I met there. 

Once again, I decided it was better off to be alone and have few friends instead ones who weren't good friends. 

The term "good friends" is totally subjective and the definition varies. Being at college taught me a lot about what is not okay to do in a friendship. Friendship isn't defined on excluding people because they don't drink, or talking maliciously about you for personal gain. I had a friend last year that would want to me to talk to her about what I was feeling upset about, only to turn around and talk badly about me to the whole dorm and tell everyone the things I had told her. I had "friends" purposefully do hurtful things after we got in a minor disagreement. Nothing says mending a friendship like purposefully being rude, right? These instances happened to me multiple times by those who I thought I was closest with. Even though it sucks to lose friends, I'm glad I am no longer associated with those people. Those experiences taught me a lot. I may not have a lot of close friends, but I strive to be a good friend. I don't want to make my friends feel bad, exclude them or act maliciously toward them. I want to make my friends feel empowered, accept them for who they are, help them when they're sad, and be a shoulder to cry on.  

Be the friend you wish you had. 

Think of it this way, if you had a friend like yourself, would you like how they are treating you? If the answer is no, then you learned something. Sometimes we need to step back and look from things in a different perspective. 

What does it mean to you to be a "good friend"? 

Four for Friday!

It's Friday! I am hardly excited for Fridays because I usually do homework and work all weekend. This weekend will be no exception as I try to complete assignments before my spring break ends. Although I had a lot of homework to do over spring break, I still managed to have some fun...

 1.

2.  

3. 

4. 

1. went to whole foods and got this amazing pepperoni roll. it was so good

2. saw Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ballet with my mom

3. played with Lauren's pantone thing at my internship

4. painted a picture 

what have you done this week? 

have a great weekend! 

Building your Classic Wardrobe

When I was in eighth grade, I vowed not to buy another graphic t shirt again. At that time in my life, that is all I wore. I was obsessed with watching What Not to Wear and soon realized that graphic t's were the first thing thrown in the trash by Stacy and Clinton. From that year forward, I never bought another shirt that had "A. Eagle" or "H.Co" written across my chest. However, if a shirt had a  design screen printed on it, I did not count that as being considered a graphic t. 

As I grew older, my wardrobe started to mature as well. In high school, we were not allowed to wear ripped jeans. Even now that I have graduated, I've never felt the urge to go buy a pair of  light wash jeans with rips and frays. Flash forward to now, I'm a college sophomore. I can definitely say that my wardrobe is built upon classic pieces that can definitely be worn to a job after graduation. Of course, I have a few trendy pieces thrown in their but not many. Today I want to show you what I consider to be the quintessential pieces every classic wardrobe needs. 

Your "classic" wardrobe should consist of neutral colors such as: navy, black, tan and gray.

-blazer

-closed toe pumps

-pencil skirt

-trench coat

-boot cut jeans

other staples include:

-pea coat

-black dress

-leather bag

-button down shirt

-cardigan 

What are your classic must-haves?

Birchbox: March Madness

I just came home to see that I received my March Birchbox! This is probably one of the best Birchboxes I've ever gotten. I've had my subscription for a year now and have contemplated many times about cancelling it because I'm usually only excited over 1 or 2 things. However, it is only $10 and I like getting a surprise every month. 

March Box

This box included:

Macadamia Natural Oil Healing Oil Treatment

Marcelle BB Cream Golden Glow

Stella Cadente Miss Me Discrete? Eau de Toilette

Supergoop! SPF 30+ Everyday UV Lotion for Face and Body

Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque

Madewell for Birchbox Emery Board 

I think I'm most excited about the Macadamia products! I've tried the masque before and loved it! I'm sure the oil is nothing short of amazing. I've been loving BB creams and I'm anxious to try Marcelle, which is a Canadian brand. Anyone that knows me personally knows I love love love things from Canada. And seriously, what girl doesn't love getting a new nail file? 

What did you get in your March Birchbox? What were your favorites?

Numbers

As I expressed in my last post, I am currently on spring break. In the weeks leading up this much anticipated week, I've heard so many girls talking about diets. Some are worried about swim suits, some are dieting for Prom, which is just a few short months away. 

When I was a senior in high school, I was so excited for prom. I was one of the first to go buy my dress. I wasn't expecting that my choices of dresses would be slim due to my size. When I went dress shopping in January of 2011, I was a size 14. By the time I went to prom in May, I was a size 8 and lost roughly 30 pounds. Don't get me wrong, I am so happy that I chose to become healthy. I developed a love for healthy food and fueling my body as healthily as I can. 

As I've grown older, I've realized and had to come to terms with something: numbers are just numbers. 

Age, weight, size, score, income, etc., are just numbers. 

Any number should not define me. My weight does not measure the love I have for others. My SAT score doesn't measure my character. My income does not measure my creativity or my confidence. Numbers do not measure determination, perseverance or the consideration you have for others. 

Ladies, I know summer is fastly approaching and you all want to lose a bit, but seriously, love yourself. You're beautiful, strong, amazing and kind. And no number in the world can measure that. 

Student Discounts!

Long time no blog! I was so busy this past week with school, as it was the last week before spring break. My spring break started yesterday and I'm so relieved to have a break. However, my "break" will still be filled with homework. As nerdy as it may be, I'm kind of excited to be able to work on my assignments without any more being thrown my way. 

Spring break isn't the only perk of being a college student. I may be biased but I think student discounts are. If I know I can save money by showing my student ID, I am much more inclined to shop there! Here are some of my favorite places to get discounts!

J. Crew and J. Crew Factory: 15% 

I've used this discount the most, especially at the factory store. Who doesn't want to save money at J.Crew?! Tip: they let you stack discounts!!!! When I went there a few weeks ago, select items were up to 50% off, and then everything was an additional 10% off. Instead of giving me the extra 10% off, they gave me 15% for my discount. But with the discounts and my student ID, I ended up saving $285! and spending $217.

Madewell: 15%

J. Crew's sister store also offers the same discount! I've only bought a few bracelets in there but getting a discount was definitely a nice surprise!

LOFT: 15%

I love LOFT and they always have amazing sales! I can't remember if they let you stack discounts...(like when everything is 40% off and then you get the student discount as well)
Jo-ann Fabrics: 10%
This is perfect for when I want to get my craft on! Or want to go buy every seasonal cupcake liner in sight...

Keep in mind that this is not a "master list" of all the student discounts available, these are just my favorites! When I created this blog, I knew I wanted to share things I was passionate about, not just whatever I could find to write about! My mantra has always been quality over quantity. 

I think that mantra applies to these stores, especially! You could walk into Forever21 and buy a bunch of clothes for super cheap, but the quality is also super cheap. J. Crew, Madewell and Loft all produce clothes that are of amazing quality and they are mostly classic pieces. While these clothes may be more expensive, they are classic and will last a long time. All the more reason to take advantage of student discounts! 

We're not in Kansas anymore... Oz inspired beauty

Any time I think of classic movies, I instantly think of The Wizard of Oz. This Friday, Oz: the Great and Powerful will be released. I'm not much of a movie person but I am so excited to see this movie. I'm anxious to see how Disney is retelling such an iconic story. Lately I've been seeing a few beauty products and looks inspired by Oz. Here are some of my favorites...

Dorothy Nails

Glinda and Theodora Palettes

Ruby 110

OPI x Oz: the Great and Powerful 

Buxom Emerald Eyeliner

Yellow Brick Road

Are any of you excited for Oz? I know I am!