Favorite Moments of 2013

Well, 2013 has been a pretty great year. Although nothing too monumental happened, it was full of so many beautiful memories. I'm quite the nostalgic person, so today I wanted to share a my favorite moments from the past year (in chronological order, of course).

Becoming a sister of Alpha Gamma Delta.
I never, ever, ever thought I would be in a sorority, so I think this was a shock to several people. But, I became friends with a few of the members and joined back in the Spring. It has been an amazing experience so far-- I've met some amazing people, and friends that I know I'll have forever. I honestly wouldn't change a thing.

Finishing my first year of college.
College was always a part of my plan, but I never really knew what I wanted out of it. Not many people know this, but Freshman year wasn't a great time for me. I spent a lot of time rethinking and overanalyzing every single one of my decisions. It wasn't until the end of the year where I really felt that I had found my place there.

 

Starting a blog.
This was something I wanted to do for ages, & at the start of summer I finally launched Je M'appelle Molly. It's been an incredible process, & I love having a place to share my thoughts and inspirations with others. I love what this has become, but I can't wait to see where it goes.

Seeing my brother graduate.
Correction... seeing my brother graduate and become a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. As much of a knuckle head as my brother is, I am so proud of him. Seeing him start a new chapter in his life was something I'll never forget-- and seeing him shake the President's hand was pretty cool, too.

My summer job.
At first I wasn't too excited to spend every day at my old school, but it turned out to be a pretty awesome job. I was a summer camp counselor, and I loved being able to work with kids. Even though they were obnoxious half the time, there were a couple kids that really impacted me. Definitely a summer I won't forget.

Declaring my major.
I've known what I wanted to major in since I started college, but officially declaring it was a pretty awesome moment. It sort of solidified everything for me, and now I can focus on figuring out what I want to do with it. By the way, I'm now a Media Studies major with a minor in Photography.

Finding happiness.
I guess this isn't really a specific moment, but we'll overlook that. And please don't think I was terribly depressed before or anything. It's just that one of my resolutions for 2013 was to do more things that made me happy. I've done a lot of those things, but more importantly I've gotten to a place where I'm content. I'm happy with my friendships, with myself, and with my choices in life. I don't really know where it's all going, but I'm happy with where I am so far.

Thanks for a great year. Here's to 2014!

Photo Friday

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you've all had a lovely week, but geeze... I'm so happy it's the weekend. It's been a week full of lots of screaming children and therefore a whole lot of naps, and honestly it's been a bit of a blur. I have taken pictures, and I'm still keeping up with my project (here), so there are a few little bits and pieces I can remember. Thank goodness for Instagram.

A little collage from a Braves game that was so hot, but so fun. Check out more pictures here!

I found these awesome plastic bubbles at the Dollar Store and went a little crazy.

Hershey looking very profound & patriotic for the Fourth of July.

The lighthouse was looking very patriotic, too.

You've gotta love a pool day... until the children take over. That's the cue to get the heck out of there.

Took a pit stop at the neighborhood dock on one of my bike rides just in time for the sunset. I don't think I'll ever get tired of that place.

Puppies really do make the best pillows.

The Crepe Myrtles are in full bloom and it makes me so, so happy. Flowers everywhere.

I hope you have a fantastic weekend. Any plans?

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(...apparently GFC didn't disappear into oblivion like I thought. What's up with that?)

Photo Friday

Today's Photo Friday is going to be short and sweet! Yesterday I spent all day sleeping, making pie, listening to country music, and heading downtown for pizza & fireworks. I love holidays like this that are tons of fun, but also remind you of what really matters. I'll be saying a prayer for all of those men and women who are away from their friends & families today so that I can be with mine. I hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July & have an incredible weekend!

Happy 4th of July!

Sparklers, anyone?

Happy Fourth everyone! Today is my day off, so hopefully I'm still asleep when this posts, enjoying the holiday. I'm ready to spend the day eating pie, wearing red, white, & blue, and watching fireworks. Every week at the summer camp I work at we have a new theme, and this weeks is "USA." We've been doing fun crafts like making Uncle Sam masks and finger painting flags. It's all been very fun, & it's gotten me in a good mood for the Fourth. Whether you are celebrating the holiday or you live in another country, I hope you have a absolutely lovely day! What are your plans? Be sure to come back tomorrow for a very patriotic Photo Friday! 

p.s. This is the first GIF I've ever made, and I'm super proud. I don't mean to brag, but yes I do.

On My Nails: OPI I Love You Cherry Much

I bought this color in December time thinking it would be fun to wear for Christmas (and oh, it was), but it's been great for other occasions too. In April I got to go see a Taylor Swift concert and this was perfect for my nails... and for painting a 13 on my hand. Now that it's time for 4th of July, and seeing how I'm terrible at any sort of nail art, I think this is the perfect fit. I Love You Cherry Much is a gorgeous red, with a bit of sparkle and sheen that's fun without being too over the top.

OPI has the cutest names, hands down. I really need to invest in more, because I'm in love with the brushes, and this needed just 2 coats. I also love pairing it with Kook-A-Mango underneath to make it a bit brighter.

I always forget how difficult being a one-woman-show can be until I take pictures like the one above. I was balancing my camera on my knee, with self timer, but I got it. Thank goodness. I think it's also time I invest in a tripod.

I'm very excited for 4th of July this year... and as I'm writing this I don't even have plans. Besides making this pie again. I should probably figure that out.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

This past weekend Amanda & her family were kind enough to take me with them to Atlanta to see the Braves play! Although it was pretty dang hot and sweaty out, the game was really awesome. There's just something fun about going to watch a baseball game every now and then. I have great memories of going to see the Braves with my family and my old youth group, so it's always fun when I get to go back. I took some pictures while we were there and I think they are quite fitting for this week as we're getting ready to celebrate the Fourth of July. Oh, and the Braves won! Duh. Enjoy!

The Yankees & The Braves are the baseball two teams I root for, what about you?

New Project

This "New Project" is inspired by Louise from Sprinkle of Glitter. She just finished up her 30 Day Snap series on her blog and posted the final collage of all the pictures yesterday. I thought it would be a fun challenge for myself to take a picture every single day and make a lovely compilation of them all at the end of each month. I won't be uploading a picture on here every day, and I will continue with Photo Fridays, but there will just be a fun collage of all the photos at the end of the month, similar to Louise's in this post... that is if I remember to snap a picture everyday. :)

Wish me luck!

Sweet Summertime: OOTD

For this month's final Thursday theme I wanted to share a summer outfit of the day with you all. I went downtown and had Panera for dinner and this is what I was wearing. My camera died as we tried to take the first picture, so these were actually taken with my iPhone. I love that thing! I think the quality is pretty dang good.

I threw on a bright dress & a denim shirt over top, and both items are from Target. It cools off ever so slightly in the evenings, so I can get away with the shirt. Bonus: it comes in handy for chilly restaurants.

I'm very proud of this purse. It was on clearance at Urban Outfitters and there was a 50% off sale going on so I got a $60 purse for only $10. Steal. The color looks different in every light; sometimes it's coral, sometimes orange, or just hot pink. I've been carrying it around all summer and I love it. 

My flip flops are Rainbows that I bought several years ago in a store called Journeys. Not the most stylish shoes, but they are super comfy and go with just about everything.

I've got some fun stuff planned for upcoming Thursday Themes! Until then go check out this month's other Sweet Summertime posts: a yummy smoothie recipe, a look inside my beach bag, & my dream vacation.

Get Ready With Me | Summer Outfit & Makeup!

I am really excited about today's post! On Sunday I filmed this "Get Ready With Me" video, where I take you through what products I use in the shower to what I wore that day. There are some bloopers at the end, of course, mainly of me awkwardly dancing and singing. Oh, it's good stuff. I do hope you all enjoy this one, let me know in the comments if you'd like to see more videos! I've really enjoyed making them.



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On My Nails: Kook-A-Mango

For some reason I think nail polish looks weird on me, so I usually end up not wearing it. I'm also pretty terrible at doing it myself, so I tend to just keep my nails natural. I figured that if I'm going to actually wear some, I won't do something too crazy. I've had this Kook-A-Mango color by the Sally Hansen Salon line for a while now, and so I thought I'd give it a go. The color is really beautiful, a kind of coral red, and after two coats it was opaque (you honestly could go with just one). I've really grown to love the brush too. At first I hated it, because I only paint my toes, and the brush was too big. I'd just make a mess. However, for fingernails it makes the application process way easier. I topped it off with the Sally Hansen UV Top Coat from this kit, and I really love how it looks!

What nail polish should I try next?