Blog Archives
Stylizing the Senior Year Apartment
Today brings…a lil’ sneak peek inside my casa. I’ve been working so hard to make my personality shine through! I’m very happy with how bright and fun everything has turned out. :)
My thoughts on decorating: Invest some money to make yourself happy and comfortable with your living space! Just because you are a “college student” doesn’t mean your style has to suffer. By the time you are in your 20’s, you might want to replace the thumb-tacked posters and beer bottle tower with actual items like, you know..flowers, candles, pictures in frames, books.
My mom and I found this elephant shelf in Sedona last spring, which I use to hang my costume jewelry. The hardest part about decorating was finding simple and inexpensive ways to fill up so much empty wall space! Target, Wal Mart, Bed, Bath & Beyond and most other home decorating stores have simple canvases with pictures and quotes to spruce up a bare wall, and I found several to play up the blank spaces in my room.
Pinterest craft #7345: Map boxes. My room majorly lacks STORAGE for odds and ends like cords, chargers, random papers, loose change. Solution: I used empty shoe boxes wrapped in maps like Christmas presents! The boxes are displayed on my book shelf and storage bins. Little does anyone know that they contain 3 Target receipts, a stack of post-its, a pack of pens, some gum, chapstick, hair ties, paper clips and my electricity bill. ;)
And of course I have an “exercise shelf” ;)
Clothes Pin pictures are also all over the Pinterest page (what would I do without that site?) and I made my own version to fill up some wall space. It reminds me of a mobile, since it’s vertically oriented. But this is the spot where I lay out my zebra-print yoga mat to stretch out after a good long run and I love looking over at my favorite pictures of Montana, Idaho, Washington, Arizona, New York and SoCal. Having a ton of pictures around the room is also really fun for when new people come visit. Sometimes there’s an awkward lull in conversation, but pictures tend to bring up stories. Instant conversation starters. :)
My dining room is the second most used room in the apartment, because I like doing my homework and work there. I bought this table and assembled the set (50 minutes each chair = not my favorite day) but I’m proud of it now. The beautiful wildflowers outside of our unit will serve as the centerpiece until winter kills them off and then I’m sure a pumpkin-something-or-other will replace them.
The picture on the right is my coffee cart. Another awesome way to clear up counter space and fill up space in the empty room. I haven’t decided yet how to use the bottom two shelves or the hooks on the sides but something tells me Pinterest will solve that problem fairly soon.
So that is a glimpse into my home. It feels good to be here. Mostly I just feel like living here has made me feel like an adult when I’ve felt like a kid thus far. (I installed my own door knob! HGTV here I come!)
My point with all of this? It’s 100% worth it to invest at least a little extra in your living space, whether that be a shared dorm room, a new apartment or your first house. Your room is a representation of YOU and your whole mood will improve if you create a positive place reflective of your personality. Just my thoughts :)
P.S. I considered making this a true “Cribs” experience with the what’s-in-my-fridge segment, but you guys already see enough of what I eat ;) Ha!
I love that my evening walks around the apartment lead me to views like this. Senior year is so drastically different than my previous three years of college…..and I like it. :)
Hodge Podge Collage
The interior designer in me is coming out…..today I’m brainstorming how to decorate my apartment and new room!
*By “interior designer” I mean amateur photo-hanger and pillow-assembler.* ;)
After beginning to move in, I realized that I had a lot more space to work with than I anticipated. My master bedroom is more like a suite! There is too much blank wall space, even with my furniture. I’m loving the organized-chaos look from some Pinterest boards, basically a collage of frames on a wall. I’ve decided to alternate between black and white frames, including a good mixture of candid photos of me with friends and family, scenic photos of the beautiful places I’ve travelled, and appropriate quotes to inspire and compliment my room.
On my quest to find wall-worthy words, I searched for quotes from my favorite songs and tv shows. I basically have 5 favorite TV series of all time. In not-so-accurate order:
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Gilmore Girls
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Friends
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Grey’s Anatomy
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Friday Night Lights
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House Hunters
(Aaaalmost making the list is Desperate Housewives; ER; Law & Order: SVU; Sex & the City; The Real Housewives of Orange County; Trading Spaces; and Parenthood!)
SO many memorable lines from each of these shows (I speak fluent Gilmore-Girl-quote.) *If you follow me on PINTEREST you’ve probably already seen my quote pin binge.
Top Contenders:
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Kacey Musgraves “Follow your Arrow”
- Eli Young Band’s “Guinevere”
- Gilmore Girls – Max Medina’s proposal to Lorelia:
- Friday Night Lights – Coach Taylor’s game-day quote:
- Classic Gilmore rationality:
Think I can pull off a House Hunters quote?
Yeah probably not ;)
What is your favorite TV show and/or quote?
Tempo Run Tuesdays & Fueling the Future
Tempo Run Tuesday:
Last week I reintroduced “Tempo Tuesdays” into my weekly running schedule. The morning starts like this: wake up at 4:36am, down a half a cup of coffee with almond milk, lace up the tennies, turn on the Garmin and jog a warm up mile. It’s dark for the first 20 minutes which I love.
Lucky for me, my daddy/pacer/crossing guard rides along on his bike. It seriously helps to have someone out there with me! He rides a few meters ahead, which gives me someone to chase!
My pace for the first 3-mile tempo of the summer was a good starting point. 18:39 for three miles (average 6:13 mile). By end of August I will be in the mid-17’s which will put me in good cross country racing shape :)
As for now, I will take it one Tuesday at a time and keep shaving off a few seconds each week!
BUT waking up at 4:30am and evening gym sessions are wearing me out. Time to listen to the body and give it a little break tomorrow!
Which is perfect timing because I have a very exciting day ahead.
I’M MOVING INTO MY NEW APARTMENT!
Well….I’m moving my stuff in. I have a great full-time job at home for the rest of the summer so the celebration in the new digs will be short-lived. But still……it means picking up keys, buying furniture, setting up my space and getting everything cleaned. Very grown up, no? ;)
My past week has been FULL of grown-up” (i.e. NOT FUN) chores like signing a lease, paying rent, setting up insurance, gas and electricity. Exciting stuff. Very exciting. I would like to eat some skittles for breakfast and relive my youth again now please.
Fueling the Future:
To me, thinking about the future is so……exhilerating. I can’t stop researching graduate schools, Masters programs, sports marketing internships, potential jobs, and new cities like Boise and Charlotte.
Everything in my life through senior year of college was part of a plan. I knew in advance what city I would be in, where I would be living, who I would be living with, what I would be doing, how I would earn money. It had a feeling of safety knowing that I was guaranteed 4 years in college with the support of my parents being a full-time student.
The day I graduate college (10 months and counting!), all of that “safety” goes away. But for some reason I am not scared at all. I am thrilled. Not knowing if I’ll have a job, where I’ll have a job, where I will live. This is the first time in my life when I don’t have a plan to tell me what the future looks like.
At the same time…that just means so many POSSIBILITIES.
A few things are certain:
Wherever I am, I will always be a runner (so the city better be pretty!).
My plan is still to race 1 marathon each year. :)
I will adopt a dog. A new running buddy, roommate, best friend.
My passion for health, fitness, exercise, nutrition, exploring, and enjoying scenic beauties will only grow.
A far-off goal is to become a personal trainer or fitness class instructor as a hobby because I love sharing all of the POSITIVE aspects of working out.
It’s funny because my family watches House Hunters…a lot. I remember going on a recruiting visit to Chico State during senior year of high school. The coach had me stay with some seniors on the cross country team, who had a “pasta party” and meet-n-greet. After everyone left, I made up my bed on the couch and watched a couple hours of House Hunters with my hosts. Scandelous first college experience right? ;)
The show has me excited to do my own search for a home (well, apartment but same difference) and I’m loving the East Coast right now thanks to several amazing posts by Julie at PBFingers.com and Taralynn at Simplytaralynn.com!
I think all of this anxiousness and urgency is natural for such a transitional period in our lives.
From dependent to independent. From student to worker. From a plan to the unknown.
And now I will stop day dreaming about my future, refill my mug with some Vienna Cinnamon brew from Sprout’s and get back to some important projects.
:)
What are you daydreaming about today?
