These Are a Few of My Favorite Things: Autumn

Now that winter is officially here, snow and all, let me take a moment to reminisce about Autumn..

I don’t know if you know this about me, but Autumn is probably my most favorite season of the year, and I would be one incredibly happy human being if it could last as long as winter does here in the midwest!

Why is Autumn my favorite? Here's why!

THE COLORS!

I love warm tones, and seeing all the reds, oranges and yellows makes me so happy each time I look outside or when I walk to class! Running through piles of leaves can be so much fun, especially when the leaves are nice and crunchy under my feet!

One of my favorite things to do while growing up was horseback riding through the woods with my dad. Riding through the woods during autumn is always a breathtaking sight! Spending time with my dad, our horses, and nature is so relaxing for me, I miss it so much now that I am away at college and all of our horses are sold.

THE FLAVORS!

I know many people make fun of others for getting excited about pumpkin-flavored everything…but those people are missing out!! I’m most definitely a coffee and tea addict, and I have to say that pumpkin spice flavored coffee and tea are my favorite! Also, pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, and pumpkin ice cream are my favorite treats this time of the year.

THE FASHION! 

I couldn’t leave this one out, as fashion has become a fun and exciting interest of mine! I love the fall fashion trends this year especially - of course there are the staples of oversized thick sweaters and boots, but I also love the makeup trends of the dark lip and a simple eye look. I have also become obsessed with burgundy and maroon, and I try to incorporate them into my outfit as much as possible! I wish more people dressed up on my campus, but it seems as though the ‘typical college student’ look of sweatpants and sweaters will stick around for forever! Haha

THE AUTUMN ACTIVITIES!

Pumpkin patches, hay rides, bonfires and hot apple cider… I love all of these! Especially because they all take place outside! Because I am so busy at college I don’t get to spend very much time outside aside from walking to classes or work, or to get food. But my favorite things when I was growing up were these, and I miss them! Maybe I can convince some of my residents to come with me to an apple orchard and go on a hay ride for a program or something… :)

I hope you are having an amazing day, share with me some of your favorite things about autumn in the comments below!

<3 AnnaMarie

Senior Year: Is This Real Life???

This week marks a big event for me: my last first week of school. It doesn’t feel like real life, as a certain child high on pain medications coming home from the dentist may say…

It’s strange to think that I’m a senior in college, that I’ve made it this far, that I’ve been in college for four years now! There has been so much change in the past four years, it’s insane, and I feel like change has been a very common theme in my blog posts!

All my friends my age were posting photos titled ‘First last day!’ on social media today, and it made me think about what I thought college would be like, compared to my actual experiences. Before college I had no idea what to expect as far as social situations, professional growth and college life in general. Halfway through my sophomore year, I realized what I imagined my ‘perfect college’ would look like, and this was it:

My imaginary college, it was gorgeous.

Picture this: a slightly cool, late fall campus

scene where all of the buildings are historic

and build out of brick.

 Beautiful tall oak trees tower over the

leaf-covered sidewalks.

My perfect campus is big - not overwhelmingly

huge, but it is definitely big.

My walk to campus is roughly 15 minutes - not too far,

but far enough to for a little bit of exercise and time to

myself to think.

On my way I would pass by new faces each

day - new faces that were hanging out and studying

on the gorgeous green lawns, playing frisbee,

and others who were making their way to class.

   With my iced coffee in hand and my comfy warm

university-repping sweater, I definitely felt at home.

This is my imaginary campus.

…

That being said, I feel the need to state that I do appreciate my current campus, the opportunities I have been given and accessible to, the friends I have made, lessons I’ve learned, the adventures I’ve experiences. Senior year is exciting, but college isn’t what I expected - in both positive and not so positive ways.

It definitely has been an amazing ride, full of adventures, lessons learned, and incredible people.

I can’t wait to see what this final year holds for me, and I look forward to the exciting yet nerve-wracking day I strut my stuff across the big graduation stage! I may not have a clear picture of what the future holds for me, but here is one thing I do know: I know from the past three years that I can make it through anything!

I hope those of you who are still in college - whether it be your first year, last, or somewhere in-between - I hope you all have an amazingly incredible year filled with exciting experiences and tons of opportunities for fun and personal growth!

In the comment section below, share something that you are excited for, or your favorite college memory so far!

Until next time,

xoxo AnnaMarie

Full Circle

I moved back to campus yesterday, and let me tell you - it’s strange moving into the same residence hall that I started out in as a freshman in college. There are so many memories that were made and forgotten here - ranging from positive to negative.

My freshman year in college was crazy - literally insanity. I switched my major roughly 5 times within the first 6 moths of starting college. I made and lost friends. I learned what it felt like to be truly lost in a class and barely make it out alive (never again Chemistry…never again). Realized that friends don’t just appear - you have to go out of your way (and comfort zone, might I add) to make new friends, and geeze can it be exhausting. I also went through heartbreak and heartache - breaking off one relationship for another. Four years later (holy crap.), I’m older, wiser, and single-er (real word? It is now!), and I have a better idea of what I want out of life.

College is crazy. I guess I never really thought about how crazy it could be. When I was in high school, I thought that was crazy. I honestly didn’t think I could make it out of high school alive. And if it weren’t for doing Post Secondary at the Rochester Community & Technical College, I don’t know how I would have made it out. Going to college early was a life saver in many senses. It made me realize how wonderful college could be, and how relieving it is to be given a fresh start to create a new you.

In a way, that’s what I’m focusing on this year. Me. It’s been almost a full year since I’ve been single, and it has been one of the most amazing, rewarding journeys I’ve ever been on. Looking back on the year, there was so much change. If I had known in the months leading up to my third year of college how much change I would go through and all the challenges I would be presented with, I probably would have thrown in the towel and avoided all of it. But now? I’ll take it all head on. The breakups, the stress, the frustration, heartache, missing home and my childhood and family, not to mention that I was taking 18 credits, I had my internship with the university, and my Resident Assistant position - all at once. But along with all of the hardships and tough times, there are the good times. Like when I bonded with my residents for the first times, when I was able to spend time with my best friends on the East Coast, when I got to go to the Imagine Dragons concert in Baltimore with my best friend, when I studied abroad in Belize for two weeks, and all the friends I made in the process with my family and friends’ love and support.

2013-2014 was a crazy year for college, but I have

grown so much stronger because of all of it. 

So what does the 2014-2015 academic year hold for me? No clue. But what I do know is that I am excited to take it head on. Full force. All or nothing. It’s my Senior Year (do I call it my senior year even though technically I’m a Super Senior? Either way…), and I want to make the most out of it for me. I’m done with the negativity and drama, with people who have bad intentions and just want to bring others down. I’m done sugar coating things for the people with bad intentions. Of course I will look out for my residents and be there 100% for them every step of the way. I want to encourage kindness in my residents, but I also want to encourage them to be independent thinkers and to be brutally honest and stand up for themselves - it took me a while to learn that lesson, and I’m stronger and much happier now because of it.

My residence hall brings me full circle. I started my college experience in this hall, and now I’m ending it here. There are tons of emotions involved - excitement and nervousness, but most importantly of all: confidence, and that’s what I plan on rocking this year.

Thanks for reading this long post after an eternity of nothingness :)

In the comments below, tell me what you’ve learned from your personal college experiences!

<3 AnnaMarie

Summer Update!

I know it’s only been a few weeks into the summer,

but so much has happened since the semester ended!

Here are the top five things that have happened since

I left y’all, let’s dig in! :)

1. I made the Dean’s List! This is the fourth time I’ve made the Dean’s List, and it makes all the late night study sessions and countless hours spent studying and working on assignments worth it! It's my goal to make the Dean’s list both semesters of my last year of college as an undergraduate this fall!
2. I started my summer jobs at the "nearby" mall. That’s right, I’m working retail at the mall this summer, haha. It has been an interesting experience so far, but it has also been a positive experience for me. I am working at two well known retail brands, and that puts a bit of pressure on me to be awesome at a job I’ve just started. But I love my jobs, and the goals and challenges we set for one another! Also, I work with some amazing and lovely people, which isn't half bad either. :)
3. I got to spend a long weekend in Florida with my parents and little brother! I love spending time with my family, and this summer may be one of the last times I get to spend a lot of time with them, which is a pretty scary thought to me. I love my family, and they mean the world to me. To see more about my weekend in Florida, visit my other blog post, Florida Adventures!
4. My best friend Megan is spending her ENTIRE summer abroad in New Zealand and Australia! I’m super proud of my bestie for this awesome accomplishment, and I know she completely deserves it after all the had work she has put into studying and concentrating on her academics. She inspires me to work as hard as I can to do the best I can in college and to stay focused on what’s important to me.
5. I have had a sudden burst of positivity and inspiration to start exercising and be incredibly productive this summer. I haven’t really exercised ever since I had to quit gymnastics from multiple injuries. But after years of dreaming of the six pack abs and toned legs that I used to have, I am finally going to make a point to exercise regularly and get the body I’ve always wanted! I also want to be productive this summer by finishing some projects I started last semester, sparked by my over-usage of Pinterest of course! :)

My wonderful weekend with my family has sparked inspiration to improve so much in my personal life and my life in general. These sort of things really excite me, which may sound weird or nerdy, but it’s true! :P

Thanks for reading guys! Let me know in the comments below how your summer has been so far!

<3 AnnaMarie

My Weekend Florida Adventures

** So, I'm a bit overdue for a blog post...and by a bit overdue, I mean waaaaaaaay overdue! I know the weekend ended a few days ago, but this week has been very busy, to say the least! I am hoping to get back to blogging regularly and renew my love of writing! :) **

I was lucky enough to get a long weekend off from work to enjoy the b-e-a-UTIFUL Florida weather with my family! My parents recently bought a beautiful condo in southern Florida, and I am more than excited and thankful to call it my home away from home. I am so blessed and thankful to have such amazing parents who work incredibly hard to provide more than enough for our family, I don’t know what I’d do without their love and support!

Here is a brief recap of the awesome weekend!

Thursday started pretty early for me, and since I worked super late the night before, I was running on three hours of sleep and pretty tired! After landing in Florida, I met my parents at the airport and we immediately hit up one of my favorite stores to pick up some things for the new place: Marshall’s! I ended up getting two pairs of super cute, high waisted shorts, a belted maxi skirt (finally!!!), and a pair of brown gladiator-like sandals! I also tried these yummy blueberry rice-cake treats - gluten-free and vegan! I wasn’t sure what to think at first, but they are really yummy, and a great, healthy snack!

After getting the grand tour of the condo the fam and I hung out at the pool for a little bit, discussing potential afternoon plans, and what everyone wanted to do the next day. We ended up running out to do some extra errands at Bed Bath & Beyond, and ended with a yummy dinner at Bahama Breeze! Afterwards we spent some quality family time on the lanai at the condo! :)

On Friday we spent quite a bit of time at the beach on Captiva Island. I walked the shoreline for a while with my little brother and dad, picking up some cool shells along the way and admiring the turtle nests - from afar of course! After getting just enough sun (for a ginger), we drove to a nearby resort, where we were tourists for the afternoon on a wild manatee and dolphin spotting cruise.

The manatees had marks on their backs from being
hit by boaters going too fast in the canals.

IT WAS SO COOL!!

We saw a bunch of wild dolphins while out on the water, and spotted a few manatees while at the docks. It was so cool to see the wild dolphins so up close, and it was funny how they kept jumping and trying to splash us on the boat! The pod of dolphins that followed us had a calf (a baby dolphin) with them, it was cute how it was trying to jump as high as the others! 

I've always had a love for dolphins. Whenever we would go to the zoo near my home in Minnesota, I would spend as much time as I was allowed watching the dolphins. Becoming a dolphin trainer or marine biologist was my dream! I still love them, and I get overly excited any time I see them, preferably in the wild instead of in captivity. This occasion was definitely one where I wanted to squeal with the excitement level of a little girl! :)

After the cruise we went back home to hang out, have a few drinks and some leftovers for dinner. Afterwards, Michael and I ran to the nearby Coldstone Creamery (it's SO nice living close to the malls and little eateries, unlike where we live in Minnesota!), to grab some dessert for everyone!

Saturday was a bit more relaxed. I got to sleep in a little bit, then I waited for some furniture to be delivered while Mom, Dad, and Michael ran to the store to grab some things and take Michael to the doctor. After they returned, Mom, Dad and I ran out to check out the nearby mall, Coconut Point, and did a little bit of shopping. It is so much fun exploring the nearby area, it’s so different from back home in Minnesota, and to think that I could live here full-time if I water to!!

Sunday was pretty great as well. We started out the day by heading out to Ft. Myer's beach and bumming it in the sun. Afterwards, my parents dropped my little brother and I off at the airport with kisses and hugs to fly back to Minnesota. I had a ton of fun in Florida, and I can’t wait to go back for even more adventures!

How was your weekend?! Let me know

in the comments below! :)

<3 AnnaMarie

DIY: How to Bake Delicious (and PINK!!!) Macaroon Sweets!

Over the weekend I baked some yummy macaroons with my friend Livy, and since they turned out yummier than expected, I thought I would share with you all how we did it!




Here's what you will need:

- 3 egg whites
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 ⅔ cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 cup finely ground almonds





What's next:

1. Preheat the oven to 285 degrees Fahrenheit (or 140 degrees Celsius if that's what floats your boat...)

2. Grab your baking sheet(s) and either line them with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, and give them a quick spray of non-stick baking spray.




3. After everything is prepped and ready to go, beat the egg whites in a mixer (with a whisk attachment) until the eggs are light and foamy looking.




Next, add in the white sugar and continue to beat the eggs until the mixture is glossy and holds 'soft peaks'. You may add in any food coloring at this time! NOTE: a little bit goes a long way, and I tend to have a habit of adding plenty of food coloring to whatever I am making. So if you want to have brightly colored macaroons, add several drops of coloring. Otherwise if you would rather have a delicate pastel color, only add a few drops of food coloring!

4. Sift the confectioners' sugar and ground almonds into a separate bowl, and quickly fold the dry mixture into the egg white/sugar concoction. Make sure you do this carefully! DO NOT FOLD/MIX THE INGREDIENTS TOGETHER TOO MUCH! ONLY ABOUT 30 STROKES! Otherwise, the macaroons will be tough and not light and fluffy like delicious clouds of goodness! The batter should flatten immediately - if it still holds a peak, keep folding!

5. After the batter is mixed enough and is smooth, either spoon the contents onto your greased parchment/matted pan, making sure the batter spreads into an even, small, smooth disk (about 1 ½ inches in diameter). Make sure to leave enough space in-between the disks of magically sugary sweetness! At this point we decided to add some pink glitter sprinkles to the macaroons, because why not??

6. Let the disks sit at room temperature four an hour or so, until they form a hard skin on top. **We missed this step... better luck next time!

7. After the hard skin has formed, pop those colorful suckers in the oven for about 10 minutes until they are set, but not browned!

8. Let the cookies cool before filling them!

There are a bunch of different types and flavors you can use for fillings, we decided to use chocolate icing my mom made the previous day for cupcakes!

In the end the macaroons turned out decent for our first try! I definitely want to make them again since they were super fun and colorful!

Baking is a great way to have fun at home! Plus you are making food, and food is pretty much the most amazing thing, right??




Leave a note in the comments below if you try baking macaroons, have made them in the past, have eaten them in the past, are eating one right now, if you've ever baked something in the past, if you like food and want to be best friends, or if you like the color pink!

Until next time!

xoxo AnnaMarie

Weekend Adventures: Livy Comes to Visit!

Last week on Thursday was the first time I saw my best friend since back in February for her 21st birthday, and now it was her turn to pay me a visit. This was the first time Livy had ever come to visit me, let alone be her first visit to the Midwest.

Of course, it was cold and rainy during her visit, even though we had beautiful weather a few days prior to her arrival. Nonetheless, we still had a great time and a weekend full of adventures!

All ready for the Run or Dye 5K!!!

Like I said, Livy flew in Thursday morning and yes, we squealed in excitement like a couple of high school girls seeing puppies for the first time when we were reunited. After we were done hugging and jumping around, we drove to the Sports Authority in Roseville, Minnesota to register for the Run or Dye 5K which we were running in that Saturday. After picking up our runner numbers and Run or Dye swag, I brought Livy back to campus for a quick tour, and then she got to tag along with me to my last class of the day. Unfortunately for Livy, I had to finish a huge paper that day, so after dinner we hung out in my room and tried (so very very hard) to be productive. 

Livy was SUPER excited to see the huge mall!

But first...let me take a selfie! ...Sorry, I had to...

Friday held more excitement for the both of us. Livy tagged along with me to my marketing and my business writing class - both extremely exciting, as you can imagine...*slight sarcasm here*). After which we had to leave campus for a family occasion of mine, but thankfully we were able to make a stop at the Mall of America for a little bit - Livy's first time! We didn't do too much shopping, but I needed to pick a few things up for a banquet I was attending Sunday night.

Dinner at Crave at the Mall of America was amazing, as usual!
(pictured above: Happy Hour's Vegetarian Sushi)

One of the stores definitely worth mentioning is Lush! Now, I had been to Lush a few times before, and knew that they sold soaps and bath bombs, but I thought that was it. I had never really thought to get a better idea of what Lush's life story was, and what the company was all about. So, while walking by the store entrance, and smelling the amazing scents from inside, I grabbed Livy's hand and we ran in to Lush! We were immediately greeted by one of the sales associates (whose name I will not mention for privacy purposes, but let's call her *Amber), and she was literally amazing. Another sales associate helped out Livy, while *Amber helped me out. *Amber asked me what brought me into the store, and I explained that while I had been to Lush before, that I didn't really know that much about the company and wanted to know more about it. I also informed her that I was looking for a face mask. *Amber escorted me to the face mask section of the store and told me all about Lush's values and morals as a company, and what they wished to achieve, in addition to telling me all about the various masks they sold and what each of the masks did.

Ingrid. Why can't I be as amazing and glorious as you??

Livy and I ended up walking out of Lush with a whole new perspective of the company, and purchases that we couldn't wait to try out when we got home for a spa night!

Also while we were at the mall, Ingrid Michaelson made a special appearance, and gave a small concert in the rotunda. This was super cool to me, since she is one of my favorite artists, and I never expected to see her that day, let alone hear her sing live! Not surprisingly, she was amazing live, and it was so cool to see her interact with the audience and engage with them.

Saturday was the day of color. It started pretty early (compared to my typical Saturday) at 6 a.m., as Livy and I needed to be at Harriet Island by 8:30 a.m. for the Run or Dye! We were both extremely excited, and were ready to run (okay let's be serious, jog/walk) a 5K while getting vibrantly colored dye thrown at us. In order to display our excitement (and craziness), we got ourselves decked out in knee high socks, fishnet rave gloves (which we won while dancing in the line waiting for the 5K to start from the two SUPER cute guys hosting the 

event), our Run or Dye shirts, and of course

our DIY tutu skirts (click for tutorial)!

Before...

...After!!

Heading into the blue mist!!

The adventure couldn't be complete
without a few colorful handstands :)

Trying to get most of the dye out
before driving home!

The run was crazy fun, and we've already started looking for other 5K's to run in! The nice thing about fun runs like the Run or Dye, or the Color Run, is that they don't require any training - you can go at your own pace! Which was super nice because of course I didn't train for the run... Haha!




After our early morning adventure, we had to clean up because I had a few summer job interviews that evening in Rochester, Minnesota. After we finished in Rochester, we went back to my parents' house and hung out, made a bunch of food, and tried out our face masks! It was definitely nice to relax after a couple of incredibly stressful weeks!







Sunday was supposed to be another day of fun, but unfortunately the rainy weather canceled all of our outdoor plans. We were going to pay a visit to the Minnesota Zoo (one of my most favorite places in the whole world!), but since it was so icky outside, we decided to hang out around the house and bake incredibly vibrant, pink macaroons! Check out my blog post on how we made the macaroons here! :)

Love these ladies!

My two favorite coworkers!

Livy and I had to be back to campus that afternoon, since I had to get ready for a banquet hosted by my university's Department of Residence Life. The banquet was to honor and thank us student and professional staff members for our dedication and hard work to the department, university, and impact on the student body. I am a Resident Assistant on my campus for those who don't know, and I advise a wing of freshman female students.









It's been an awesome year, filled with fun memories and proud moments, and I'm honestly going to miss them all next year! I will be returning as a second year Resident Assistant, but this time I will have twice as many residents - something that intimidates me, but I look forward to the challenge!

You could say that we're a sassy bunch... ;)

  I had a lot of fun at the banquet, and it was really fun to get dressed up and see the rest of my awesome coworkers all decked out and having fun!


After the banquet I went back to my room to see how Livy was doing (since she wasn't able to attend the banquet), and we ended up being invited out to dinner at Applebee's by a few of my friends.

It was a fun way to end the weekend, and I was extremely sad to see Livy leave. I can't wait to see her again soon, and hopefully next time she comes to visit our friend Megan can join her!!

Until next time guys,

Thanks for reading!!

xoxo AnnaMarie