In the simplest of terms

Before I adopted the adorable catastrophe that is Quinn, I renovated my desk table from a plain pine Ikea desk to a marble masterpiece.

It was a fairly simple project. I took contact paper and a table and put them together. The best advice I have for this project is to wipe the desk down before you put the contact paper down. Make sure to leave extra space on all sides before you stick the…

Paw Talk: Puppy Training You Didn’t Think You Needed

Full disclosure I thought puppy training would be a bump in the road, but it has been a full on detour. There is a lot to having a puppy that I didn’t think about. Money, time-commitment, training, and supplies are all things I thought I knew about but had no clue.

For training, there are things I never knew I would need to train, like chew toy training, fetch, and leash training. All of these…

How I Use Goodreads and Why You Should Too

I’ve been using good reads for approximately 10 years. I have loved it and I want to tell you a little bit about why I have used it for so long.

It has three different “shelves”. What I’m currently reading, what I have read, and what I would like to read. It keeps track of them all for me, all I have to do is log them when I start and finish reading books.

Having friends.This part is a lot like…

You might be wondering why I have been MIA for 2 weeks…well I did a thing as the kids say. I adopted a 2 month old puppy! Meet Quinn:

He is two months old and a mixed breed. I adopted him from Richmond Animal League and he has been a part of my family for about two weeks now. It has been a crazy roller coaster of teaching and learning on both parts. With all of this change (moving in and getting…

7 Things I’ve Learned About Moving to my First Apartment

There is SO MUCH I have learned from my less than a week of moving into my new apartment, but here are just a few to be thinking about while you’re on the prowl for your new place.

Before moving in.

There is a lot you won’t understand.A lot of what was told to me before I moved in, went way above my head. Like most things, you’ll get it with practice. I had so many conversations with very similar…

Why I Already Have Half of my Textbooks for the Fall Semester

If you learn anything about me let it be this–I am a major planner!! I love, love, love (am head-over-heels for) planning. I cannot get enough of it, which is why days after registering for my next semester classes I’m ready to plan the semester following that one or why I have way more than half the books I’m required to purchase before summer has even begun.

As an English major, it is difficult…

I love all of the options. The rotating dial to select the type of pictures is pretty much the same, but I much prefer that there is a separate on switch for videos. Viewing on the screen is much simpler, in my opinion, a simple press of the camera icon on the back is a quick and painless effort. I also much prefer the quick control dial, to the right of the LCD Monitor. It is a lot quicker sorting through pictures using the rotating dial than clicking the left or right arrow on older models. One aspect I don’t use that often is the touchscreen, but I have been using it more recently.

I do like the movable LCD monitor. Since I am so short, it is nice to be able to lift my camera to a hight where I would not normally be able to look into the viewfinder and still see what the lens sees.

Another Piece of the puzzle I don’t use super frequently is the top display to the right of the flash. I mainly use the front LCD monitor to track my ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. I also like the wifi feature making it easy to transfer images, and take pictures using my camera as a remote, but I don’t use that too often.

I still have a lot to learn about cameras in general, and this camera model in particular, but these are the aspects I have enjoyed and learned from on my EOS 77D. What do you like about your camera, or what are you looking for in a camera? Let me know in the comments!!

Resolutions Check-In: How’s it Going?

Everyone makes New Year Resolutions, but most everyone loses sight of them after February. I am determined to avoid just that this year which is why I’m taking a look at the goals I made to see if I’ve kept my path.

Weight loss & healthy eating. We can start with the worst and hopefully get better from here, but working on going to the gym and eating healthier has been a bit of a struggle. I…

I have a lot on my reading list this summer, and while I know I won't get through my entire stack, there are still a few that I am particularly excited to crack open. A book in practically every genre...

I have a lot on my reading list this summer, and while I know I won’t get through my entire stack, there are still a few that I am particularly excited to crack open. A book in practically every genre–sit back, relax, and take in what you could be excited for too!

Science Fiction. The Man in the High Castleby Philip K. Dick is a dystopian novel set in the past. The topic seems to combine slavery…

Are you looking for the perfect job? It might be closer than you think!

Are you looking for the perfect job? It might be closer than you think! Today’s post is all about finding a job the non-traditional, even organic, way. There are more ways than just one after all.

For the past two years, I have been volunteering at the administrative office of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Virginia Peninsula (BGCVP). Two days ago, I started my first day at the office as their…

Avoiding “Our Stressed Work”

A little while ago I started listening to Jenna Kutcher’s Podcast “Goal Digger.” I quickly fell in love and began listening any time I could. Something Jenna said in the first episode has really stuck with me though. Toward the end of her first episode, she said, “stressed work is not our best work” and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head.

Sometimes I disagree; a lot of people operate at…

A Review of My Internship

I have learned a lot from my internship at the Center for Career Planning; it has been a wonderful experience. If you want to see what I hoped to learn, check out my first post about my internship.

Reflection is one of my favorite things to do when I have the chance. I recently had to write a reflection to show the professional staff in the future office and I wanted to share it with you all as…

Check out my tips for your spring cleaning!

We are close to a month into spring, and I am about to begin my full-fledged spring cleaning. I tend to be a pack rat and binge dump items that I have never used, items that no longer work/or I need, items that don’t have any sentimental value. Here are a few of my tips to help you do some spring cleaning of your own.

Forget piles of trash. Keep a trash bag and a recycling bag in the room you are…

Book Talk: How I Fell in Love With Reading

My love for reading actually came from my amazing public-school education in Loudoun County. I thoroughly enjoyed our book clubs and loved taking the time to read outside of class. But it wasn’t until my friends wanted to go see Twilightin theaters and he became a voracious reader. I wanted to read the book before we went to go see the movie and I had to read the whole book in a matter of four…

Resume Writing for College Students

Need a few quick tips on what a resume should look like? I’ve got you covered. Here are a few things you should pay attention to when writing your resume:

It should be one page. This seems to be the most frequently broken rule that I see with collegiate resumes. You can do anything to make it one page: tailor for the job, decrease margins, change the font, check font size, change the heading.

Tem…

Renting is difficult, and I haven’t even signed a lease yet. I’m looking for an apartment or a house to live in for my senior year at college and it has been a constant struggle because I am a planner; I like to know how things are going to play out well in advance and that is not how the renting world functions.

I think what is most difficult is that I don’t know where to look or when. I haven’t…

Spring Break Make-up Fail

Over spring break I went home and successfully forgot all of my make up in my dorm at school. I don’t usually wear a lot of makeup, actually I wear it pretty rarely, but I was taking pictures and wanted to wear it when I got home. I decided to stop by Walgreens and pick up a few make-up pieces that didn’t require a brush. What turned out was either a bad combination or not worth purchasing

  Alm…