May Goals

Happy May!!! May has been a month that I have been looking forward to since last August because it's graduation time! Now that it is here, I realize that I actually have a lot more exciting events going on besides just Graduation! I also have to pack up my apartment, which isn't so exciting, but I am actually ready to get rid of some of the things here & start fresh in Atlanta.

Let's first see how April ended up for me….

4.  Buy a real piece of furniture (not Ikea) I'm excited to share my new dining room table once I move. Thanks to Ben for my early graduation present! 

9.Cut out all sugar for 2 weeks--nope…this is killing me that I can't let that stupid white granule go. It's SO hard. I have got to do better. The diet has been slacking the past few weeks & summer is coming FAST.

75. Get rid of all of my designer jeans that no longer fit

77. Have a picnic on North Campus--well, this didn't happen, but on the last day of classes Ben did take me for lunch at EarthFare & followed by ice cream from Hodgson's pharmacy :)

& now for the May goals…

2. Mail 15 handwritten notes (4/15)-- I am hoping to mail out a few more notes this month being that graduation is here & I will have the opportunity to thank those that have made an impact on my college career.

30. Graduate from UGA with honors-- May 9th here I come, magna cum laude & all ;)

76. Go to a bachelorette party-- I am headed to Savannah in a couple of weeks for Mari's (Ben's brothers fiancé) bachelorette party!

93. Walk under the Arch-- after graduation, it will no longer be bad luck for me to walk under the Arch, and I can't wait to do it!

May is going to be quite the month. We are headed off to Hartwell this weekend for a wedding, and then I actually have to study for my last two finals. I just finished critiquing my last lab report (hallelujah) & now I am ready to finish strong! 

April Goals

Happy April!!! I am so happy to welcome Easter, warm weather, & spring blooms today.

Unfortunately, I have no April Fools jokes for you all, instead I only have some April goals. I think they are better anyways ;) I have been a busy bee crossing things off of my 101 in 1001 list & I am excited to mark through a few more of those things this month! Yesterday morning I woke up and realized that I really needed to update my calendar with all of the exciting events that I have coming up in the next few months. Between wedding showers, a bachelorette party, a baby shower, and graduation festivities it's going to be a busy couple of months. OH, and we can't forget that I have to fine a place to live starting in June eeeek!! I am so excited for a move though..if only I was a better interior decorator.
Now back to those goals:

4. Buy a real piece of furniture (not Ikea)-- this is be contingent on if I find a place before the end of the month, but I actually already have something in mind. Fingers crossed it will fit in the new nonexistent place!!

9.Cut out all sugar for 2 weeks-- starting today I am saying bye bye to sugar again. Originally this is what I chose to give up for Lent, but it hasn't been going so well every since Spring Break rocked my world. Starting today though, no sugar until April 15. 

75. Get rid of all of my designer jeans that no longer fit-- this has been a long time coming, but I just can't seem to part with them. It has to happen, but is it weird I keep thinking "oh, I will keep them & wear them when I am pregnant one day" ummm HELLO that is not coming anytime soon, Leah.

77. Have a picnic on North Campus-- with the nice weather that is in the forecast, I think this would be a fun & bittersweet way of celebrating being done with college. 

So, what do we think?? I don't think any of these are crazy, but they will be fun & challenging at the same time. Lets just hope I can make them happen! Be sure to follow me on Instagram…I normally posts pictures when I complete something on my list with the hashtag LDL101in1001, so be sure to check those out! Have a great day! 

Feeling 22

I turned the big 22 last month! I know most people say that 22 is not an exciting birthday, but personally I enjoyed celebrating my 22^nd much more than my 21^st, but that’s just me :).

My birthday was on a Thursday and it just so happened I also had two tests on that day. I came home from studying late Wednesday night & walked in to find this:

(real life messy apartment going on here)

Lana & Ben had gone above & beyond and made the first hour of my birthday so special. I may or may not have teared up (#alwaysemotional). So, after enjoying a couple chocolate chip cookies & I went on to bed surprisingly without opening any gifts (Lana was asleep & I didn’t want to open anything without her..willpower I tell ya).

Thursday morning was a whirlwind of cramming for tests & enjoying sweet birthday messages. After I finished my exams, I went to lunch with my mom and grandparents which was a nice treat. For dinner, we made a homemade meal of stuffed bell peppers, opened birthday presents & finished the night off with the new episode of Scandal!

Friday I headed to the mall to do a little birthday & early spring break shopping for myself. 

& these babies were bought with some birthday money I had received. I have been searching for a while for the perfect pair of plastic frames & these were the winner!

Saturday was spent marking off #15 of my 101 in 1001 list. 

 Ben & I went to Chateau Elan for a wine tour & tasting. It was so much fun & I actually learned a whole lot more about wine than I expected to. We were also able to try out a lot of kinds we had never had before & even brought a couple of bottles home. It was a memorable experience & such a thoughtful birthday surprise.

Saturday night we went out with some friends to celebrate my birthday & Kris’s birthday because we were born so close together. Funny story—our parents actually met in Lamaze classes before we were born & we have seriously been lifelong friends since before birth!

On Sunday all of the girls went to brunch for Kris’s birthday. It was much needed after our night out!

I spent the rest of the day studying for a midterm, preparing for an interview, & enjoying the warm weather we were blessed with for one short day.

All in all it was one of my best birthdays yet & I so enjoyed getting to celebrate with so many of my friends. Twenty-two has been a wonderful year so far for me & I cannot wait to see what else is in store!

101 in 1001

I came up with a 101 in 1001 days a little over a month ago after stumbling upon Mackenzie's list. After keeping this list on my phone & just crossing off things as I did them, I thought it would be fun to post it, AND since Jamie posted hers I thought I might as well just follow her lead ;). So, without further ado, here is my list!

Start Date: November 17, 2013
End Date: August 14, 2016

1. Inspire someone else to make a 101 in 1001: December 2013, my sister Lana
2. Mail 15 handwritten cards/notes (4:/15)
3. Land a big girl job: March 28, 2014
4. Buy a real piece of furniture (not ikea)
5.Visit 3 new states (5/3): Nevada, November 2014. Texas, January 2015. Colorado, October 2015. Illinois, November 2015. New York, December 2015. (save to say I blew this one out of the water!)
6.Go to Disney World
7.Purchase one pair of classic designer shoes: May 12, 2014::Kate Spade Karolina Pumps
8.Go vegetarian for 1 week
9.Cut out all sugar for 2 weeks
10.Ride a bike on an open road: May 10, 2014
11. Participate in a triathlon
12. Try an exercise class that is out of my comfort zone: Pure Barre, summer 2014. Side note: Pure Barre is really awesome if you are wanting to tone up. however, it is less than awesome for cardio or if you are a weights girl like me. I did it for a few months & finally realized that I really missed a real gym! 
13. Keep a food journal for 1 week
14. Find the perfect little black dress
15. Attend a wine tasting with Ben: March 1, 2014
16. Send out my own Christmas cards one year
17. Spend one day technology free
18. Throw a dinner party
19. Obtain a passport
20. Visit NYC: December 2015 with Megan!
21. Pay for the person behind me in the Starbucks drive thru
22. Invest in a new classic handbag: July, 2014: LV Neverfull GM. 
23. Color my hair for the first time: highlights, February 21, 2014 
24. See a theatrical performance: Cinderella at the Fox (so good!), November 2015
25. Plan a surprise trip to see someone: Spring break 2014 to see Addison
26. Go snorkeling
27. Have a spa day with my mom + sister
28. Try 10 new foods (10/10): duck meat-teal & mallards, lamb curry, quail, Japchae, curry chicken salad, tomato florentine soup, veal, brie, zucchini noodles, Sea Urchin (Uni). I''m pretty sure I tried many more than this, but it's all I can remember :)
29. Spend one day with my brothers doing whatever they like
30. Graduate from UGA with honors: magna cum laude May 9, 2014
31. Go 1 month without buying yourself anything unnecessary::clothes/shoes/accessories: November 2013
32. Eat at a food truck: June 15, 2014
33. Go snow skiing
34. Give blood
35. Take a dancing lesson with Ben
36. Go to a shooting range: October 2015
37. Write a letter to my 30 year old self to open when I turn 30
38. Do a juice cleanse: I will never complete this one..2 year ago Leah didn't realize I couldn't survive on juice alone. 
39. Visit Nashville: July 4th weekend 2014
40. Find my signature scent: Chanel CoCo Mademoiselle. Received December 2013, but didn't realize how much I loved it until fall 2014 
41. Dress up for Halloween
42. Ride on a train
43. Move out of Athens: May 31, 2014
44. Watch the sunrise with Ben: April 20, 2014
45. Get a blowout
46. Track my spending for 1 month & set a budget: January, 2015
47. Do a devotional book
48. Find the perfect jeans: Seven Skinny midrise
49. Go duck hunting 
50. Finish a bottle of perfume: I've finished a few now. 
51. Get a gel manicure: May 6, 2014
52. Try carb cycling
53. Take Ben to the Grill: December 14, 2013
54. Unsubscribe from 5 10 email lists (5/10)
55. Go to a restaurant just for dessert
56. Stay in an Atlanta hotel for fun
57. Visit the Georgia aquarium
58. Run the Peachtree Road Race
59. Pop a champagne bottle: March 28, 2014::celebrating accepting my job offer! 
60. Write a letter to a soldier

61. Be in a wedding: Jacob & Sam, May 2015

62. Serve the homeless a meal on a holiday

63. Refinish another piece of furniture: May 28, 2014

64. Pick strawberries

65. Make cookies from scratch

66. Go one month without biting my fingernails: I've totally stopped doing this! 

67. Have professional photos taken 

68. Get a pet

69. Visit a casino: November 14, 2014. The first one I visited (not counting the airport) was Caesar's Palace!

70. Have breakfast in bed: December 14, 2013

71. Come up with a way to organize receipts: email receipts FTW

72. Read a book series 

73. Go camping

74. Start a new tradition

75. Get rid of all of my designer jeans that no longer fit: April 15, 2014 (FINALLY!)

76. Go to a bachelorette party: May 16-18, 2014::Mari's Bachelorette Weekend

77. Have a picnic on North Campus

78. Bake a pie from scratch: December 22, 2013::German Chocolate Pie 

79. Stay at a Bed & Breakfast 

80. Blog everyday for 1 week

81. Back up all my school work onto a hard drive: May 7, 2014 

82. Get a facial

83. Give up something for the entirety of Lent 

84. Ride on a ferris wheel: November 14, 2014. the High Roller in Las Vegas, complete with an open bar :) 

85. Stay in bed all day 

86. Get kissed under mistletoe 

87. Write one thing per day I am thankful for for 1 year

88. Learn how to can

89. Organize a recipe box

90. Make 5 new crafts/DIYs (1/5): burlap wreath, 

91. Learn how to actually use a DSLR

92. Make a 4.0 one semester : Fall 2013 

93. Walk under The Arch: December 26, 2014 (finally!)

94. Plan out all dinners for one month

95. Create a cleaning schedule & stick to it

96. Find a favorite mascara : Lancome Hypnose Drama March 2014

97. Organize all of my nail polish: December 28, 2013

98. Host a holiday meal at my home/apartment

99. Get engaged (!)
100. Put $10 into savings for each goal that is accomplished: 31, 1, 53, 78, 70, 92, 97, 23, 15, 25, 96, 3, 59, 75, 44, 10, 30, 51, 81

101. Donate $5 to charity for each goal that is not accomplished