Study Snacks

Hi all! And Happy Easter! 

I hope everyone's had a great holiday weekend so far! Enjoy every minute. Today my plans are just time with the family and the inevitable studying. I know, I know not very Easter fun but hey, someone's gotta do it! 

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It's the time of year where finals are creeping up and it just so happened that I came across an article about snacks for studying the other day. Since my next week and a half will be full of studying I found it interesting and yummy! I hope you do too, especially if studying is in your near future! And good luck!

Power Snacks from jeobox:

1) Banana Bites

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2) Mason Jar Hummus and Veggies

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3) Apple Sandwiches with Almond Butter and Granola

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4) Frozen Yogurt-Covered Blueberries

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5) Roasted Chickpeas

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6) Multigrain Flatbread Cracker Snacks

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7) Blueberry Yogurt Parfait with Granola

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8) Peanut Butter Honey Yogurt Dip with Apples

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9) Avocado Toast

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10) Spicy Sriracha Popcorn

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11) Cheese Cucumber Sandwiches

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Mhmm! I definitely will be tying a few of these!
Bring on those finals! :)

Questions of the Day:

1) Do you have finals coming up?

2) What are you favorite study foods?

3) Which ones above look tasty to you?

❤ Nichole ❤

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Spring Trends

Okay, the spring weather has been pretty consistent lately - we're just going to forget that little bit of snow on Tuesday - which is something to celebrate. And so, I finally brought myself to check out some spring outfit combos!

One of my favorite places to look for ideas of what to wear is Pinterest. 

All shown below is from there! 

Way to incorporate strapless while it's still warming up. 

This is just love. 

Cute flowy top with skinny jeans and tan accents.

Always have been a fan of those skirts.

That spring sweater is adorable.

Nice trendy dress choice.

Really enjoy the blue coordination. 

Simple but fun.

I've never really worn bangles but..

..maybe I should start.

Purse of choice = cross-body.

I am excited to try to replicate some of these!

Questions of the Day:

1) What spring trends do you like?

2) Which of the above was your favorite?

3) Where do you look to find outfit inspiration?

❤ Nichole ❤

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Friday Favorites #8: Week of 4/18/14

It's Friday! So, we all know what that means...it's favorites time! 

--Flip Flops and Green Grass

Yesterday was the first time in a longgg I have been able to break out the sandals. And man oh man did it make me happy. It was even more exciting than usual because just three days ago we had a light covering of snow.

Yay for spring!

--Phone Cases

A little fact about me I am obsessed with phone cases. I recently ordered a few from amazon and this week the last one finally came in. The different sayings are; I refuse to sink, hakuna matata, live laugh love, forever young, and keep your dreams alive. They all were under 3 dollars! 

I also received this one as a surprise from my mom the other day that she made with a favorite dance picture of mine on Walgreens. I love it! 

--Easter Gifts

On Wednesday my friend Kayla and I went shopping for Easter goodies. It was a lot of fun! I cannot wait to give my dad, mom, brother and boyfriend their surprises on Sunday. I went with bags instead of baskets because there weren't any baskets I really loved and these bags were just too cute.

--Thursday Lunch Time

Every Thursday during this whole winter semester my boyfriend, Billy, has brought me lunch between classes. It was my most jam-packed day as I was in class from 12:30-8:15 with just a couple breaks. Lunch was much appreciated because it gave me one less thing to worry about and of course it gave me something to look forward to. Yesterday was the last time we would have Thursday lunch at school so I had to snap a picture!

--Surviving Jack

Over the past few weeks I have talked about how much I love Pretty Little Liars well, now that I'm all caught up I need to keep myself occupied until June. The other day my brother showed me Surviving Jack. It is a newer series airing on Fox. If you are looking for a good laugh definitely check it out. There wasn't a moment throughout the show we weren't cracking up!

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--Extended Stay

You may remember I mentioned earlier in the week that my brother was home. He came home last weekend to be at my final game and was supposed to leave shortly after. He worked it out though to stay longer and will be here for Easter! I'm happy to have more time with him!

--Post This Week
MIMM #9 {DPD} on Monday 4/14/14:

Dan Lippitt Photography

Did you have any favorites this week???

❤ Nichole ❤

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Linking up with Heather!

Confidence

Hey all! Today is the last day of formal classes in my undergraduate career! Say what?!?! Before I start rambling about that though, let's get to the post. 

I know so many amazing people with much potential who end up digging their own hole, so to speak, because of comparing themselves to society. We all have days where we don't feel we look good, we don't feel we are doing anything in life or whatever else it may be. That is normal. That is human. But, feeling those ways because you are busy equating yourself to the things around you is not healthy. You then are causing your own damage. 

Growing up I was always comparing myself to others. And every time I got done doing so I would end up back to the same result; I can/will never be that! My confidence was basically non-existent because of it. I like to think I did a good job of hiding it however, I was self-conscious. Why? For what?

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I thought that what I was seeing was real life and well, if that was real life then I truly was missing a lot. Yet, what I really was missing was common sense. 99% of the time I was seeing people at their best. I was looking to the TV where people are styled in their every move. All the while comparing it to my worst. Forgetting; no one is perfect, no one is flawless.

I was a sophomore in college before the common sense truly set in. It was while I was in a marketing class. I was instructed to watch a video called "Killing Us Softly." I was speechless after watching this video. It does an incredible job of explaining that what we see is not accurate. Even though by this point in life I was a little better about it, after watching I instantly pledged to myself to stop comparing who I was to the society around.

One of my biggest takeaways from the video was; by idolizing magazines and or advertisements we are choosing to set ourselves up for failure. Most of what we see is either computer generated or photoshopped in some way. No amount of make-up or wrinkle cream can work that kind of magic. 

But, they shouldn't have to. 

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We are all special in our own way. If we were supposed to look like one another then we already would. So, we need to stop comparing ourselves to others and start accepting who we are. I can promise you if you start accepting who you are, you will personally be so much happier. And your personal happiness will make you the most beautiful you could ever be. 

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Questions of the Day

1) Have you struggled with comparison?

2) What are your thoughts/opinions on this all?

3) Do you know of videos similar to "Killing Us Softly?"

❤ Nichole ❤

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Linking with Amanda! Another Thursday for thinking!

Liebster!

I was very excited and thankful to wake up yesterday morning and see I was nominated for the Liebster Award by Melissa at Melrosa Avenue. I have been fortunate to have been put up for this before, but that does not take away any excitement for being nominated again! It's fun to share information about yourself you normally wouldn't in a post! It you are unfamiliar with this award it is given to newer bloggers to help create some blog love for them!

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The rules for the award are as follows:

1) Create a post and answer the 11 questions the tagger set for you.

2) Nominate 11 people under 200 followers and link them in your post.

3) Create 11 questions for them.

4) Let them know they have been nominated.

5) No tag backs!

Questions from Melissa
1. Why did you start your blog?

I have always been interested in blogging! I finally decided to take the step to actually set it up with some encouragement from a couple friends who have blogs. The real reason I reason I wanted to start blogging was because I try to look for the best in every situation and I think that is something worth sharing in a world that makes it somewhat hard to be positive! For a more in-depth explanation of why I blog you can visit here.

2. What was the first blog you’ve ever read?

The first blog I ever read was my friend Kayla. She started a beauty blog while we were in spring class together. At this point I really had no solid idea about what blogging was, but I loved following her posts!

3. Has any blog or blogger inspired you to start blogging?

Both of my friends Kayla (who I talked about above) and my friend Heather inspired me to start blogging. They both were SO much help when I first started! They were there for anything I needed. I look up to their blogs!

4. If you can travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Honestly it would be the world in general. I love to travel and learn about new places. One of my dreams for life is to travel somewhere every few years. I was very blessed and had parents who took my brother and I on trips when we were little and I hope to be able to do that for my kids.  

5. What is your dream job?

I will be thankful for wherever I end up and will work my hardest everyday. What is important for my future job is to be able to take care of my family.

6. Do you look at the glass half-empty or half-full?

Half-full! We all have our moments, but when push comes to shove I always can find something that is good to look to! 

7. What is your favorite dessert?

Anything mint chocolate! or cheesecake! 

8. If you can meet any famous person, who would it be?

Julianne Hough. She is an incredible dancer. She has done so much at such a young age and I look up to her. It would be amazing to sit and talk with her. 

9. What is your most influential post you’ve written to date?

I would have to say the post I have received the best response to was the post about why I started blogging which can be found it question 1. It talks about my struggle with a rare disease which explains why I think it is so important to go through life with a positive outlook and look for the good.

10. What is your favorite social media site? (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or Other?)

Since I started blogging I definitely have to say twitter!

11. We all tend to look like other people, so who is your celebrity doppelgänger?
I really don't know! So if anyone has any suggestions let me know!

Now, here is where I am supposed to tag anyone under 200 followers. Most of the people I know who are at this place I have nominated so…I nominate anyone and everyone reading this who is under 200 followers!! :) 

Make sure to tell me if you do it so I can read your answers! 

Here are your questions! 
1) Do you collect anything?
2) What would you do if you won a million dollars?
3) What quality do you think is most important in others?
4) Which movie is your favorite?
5) If deserted on an island what 3 things would you have with you?
6) Do you have any siblings?
7) What word would your friends use to describe you?
8) Do you have a favorite type of music?
9) Which age would you stay at if you could?
10) What is your favorite quote?
11) Why did you start blogging?

❤ Nichole ❤

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The Photo Album #4

It's Wednesday which means it's time for another blast from the past!

Since Eater is Sunday I wanted to share a photo that means a lot to me from back in 2000. I cannot believe this was 14 years ago! The memories of this trip are vivid in my mind. I can picture moments from it like it was yesterday. Pictured are my dad, mom, grandma, brother and I.

This is a moment I will always remember. 

A little disclaimer:: I wasn't raised rich. Well, rich in the sense of money. I was however and still am very blessed to have parents who are completely selfless. Their every move is focused on others and for others. Also, not one part of our family believes that memories have to be made through elaborate trips and so on. If you knew my family you would know that we always make something out of nothing! We never let a moment pass by. <3

We were in St. Peter's Square in Rome. Words cannot explain how amazing it was to see mass done by the Pope in front of the Basilica. I was raised Catholic, but religious or not there is so much history there. While in Rome I also remember when we toured the Colosseum. I remember learning about all of the meaning behind it and just being astonished. 

What are some of your favorite Easter memories?

And since were on the topic of Easter..
Last night we made our own little memory for this year.

Since my brother came home this past weekend to see me at my last game he has to stay down at school this weekend and not be home for Easter. Although in general there isn't going to be too much celebration over here for me anyways as my finals start next week. :(

So we took the time we had with him home and decided to color eggs! 

It's a tradition we have done for years and years. 

My boyfriend and I are not artists, but ours turned out fun!

My brothers on the other hand are pretty legit!

The minion one of course being my favorite!

What type of Easter traditions do you have?

Hope you have a great Wednesday!

❤ Nichole ❤

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The 5 Years Tag

We all think about our future sooner or later. We think about where we want and hope to be. Some of us even write out a plan of how to get there. But do we often think about where we are currently and if that will be with us in the future? Yesterday I was tagged by Kayla over at Microscope Beauty to participate in the 5 years tag. This tag is really exciting because it focuses on something I'm currently loving, blogging, and the future I see with it.

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1. How long have you been blogging?

I have been blogging for a little over 2 months. I honestly cannot believe it has only been that amount of time. It feels like I have been doing it for so much longer! It quickly became a huge part of me!

2. Do you think you'll still be blogging in 5 years?

I definitely hope to still be blogging in 5 years. If it's solely up to me, I plan to be doing so! I always struggled keeping a journal when I was younger, but as I have gotten older I have realized how I wish I would have done so. 

3. What is something you want to change/improve about your blog?

Since I'm still newish to blogging, I just want to continue to learn and grow as a blogger with my blog in general. There is so much to learn! Everyone so far has been super supportive and helpful. My friends Kayla and Heather have been there to help me whenever I have had a question to ask. 

4. Who do you still hope you'll be blogging friends within a few years?

I have really enjoyed becoming apart of the blogging community! I have met some pretty amazing people through it already in just a short amount of time. I hope to continue to build relationships and meet more people! Because how cool is it to be able to make connections with people in different parts of the world by a shared love of blogging!

5. What keeps you going when it comes to blogging?

I would have to say my love for a positive outlook and want to share that perspective with others is what keeps me going. There is so much around us everyday that brings us down. I too struggle with it just like everyone else. But in the end I pride myself to find a way to find some good in the bad. Each situation takes its own time and effort to get through, but I enjoy helping others and in turn helping myself! Even if my post were to only reach 1 person or aid 1 person in my eyes, it would still be worth it. 

6. Where do you find inspiration when you're stuck?

I have always enjoyed looking up and thinking about the different meaning that quotes have. When I do not have something on the top of my mind to post about I will just go search through quotes until one pops out to me. I also think to life in general. I will think back to the past few weeks and something that happened to me, I may have witnessed or overheard that I feel would be relevant enough to others to share. 

I tag any of you who read this post and would like to participate!

❤ Nichole ❤

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