10 Things Post-Grad Life Has Taught Me

Post-grad life is a mix of awesome and awful. It’s a weird place to be….a sort-of adult, a sort-of professional, a sort-of stuck-in-college-mode person. After four years of the freedom they call college, my summer back at home with my parents and 19-year-old brother has taught me some stuff.

  • never take your friends or family for granted- your support network is a precious thing.
  • sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone- take a deep breath and do it.
  • there really is no place like home- or the comfort of your own bed
  • change is inevitable- brace for it- remember your friends and family are there for you.
  • whoever said diamonds are a girls best friend was wrong

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  • embrace your strengths rather than focusing on weaknesses- network and never burn any bridges.
  • keep your master resume updated
  • bills suck- learn how to budget asap
  • listen equally to your head and your heart- the eternal struggle.
  • it’s not the end of the world- life goes on.

 

cheers.

 

A day at the zoo

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Baltimore Zoo with my Aunt Trish, baby Trevor, and my brother Michael was  really nice way to spend a summer Friday. The weather was perfect. The Zoo has changed a little since I’ve last been (maybe 3 years ago). Apparently, they no longer get funding from the county. I hear a lot of people are going to the DC zoo instead. The prairie dogs, giraffes and elephants were my favorites. Trevor was sooo well behaved! I love my family 🙂 I hope the new penguin exhibit is finished by next summer!

The zoo does make me a little bit sad, but I guess it’s all the animals know. At least, that’s what I tell myself.

Giraffe!

Giraffe!

Chad and I getting weird

Chad and I getting weird

Weeee Mad Decent block party in Philly with all of the best bass-loving friends was insane. After seeing Major Lazer in Miami at Ultra, I knew that the dance party would be wild to say the least. Plus, the venue was pretty awesome. Although it’s on the smaller side, at River Stage at Penn’s Landing  you can see the water right behind and to the sides of the stage. Seeing girls in bikinis getting down on speed boats to the music was hilarious. There’s a few light poles which made for prime viewing if you could climb your way up. I was up for a little bit. When a dancer who was on stage for DJ Sega came up I figured I should get down… haha.

I took a disposable camera so I’ll definitely post some of those once developed. Diplo is a genius as a producer and entertainer. Between the hamster ball roll, the pint powder explosion, and of course express yourself twerk-off on stage. There really is no party like a Major Lazer dance party. Dillion Francis was also really good. Not sure who’s more attractive, him or Diplo/ Thomas Pentz (may or may not have done some stalking i mean research…)

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My body hurts and my ears are still ringing but man oh man it was well worth it. I can’t wait to reunite yet again next weekend in Atlantic City for one of my best friends going away party.

Get Free

Bodies take form in the gym, but they begin in the kitchen!

It’s no secret that getting a hot bod takes two ingredients: diet and exercise. For some people, that phrase makes them cringe. “Diet” doesn’t have to mean give up everything you like and eat a bowl of lettuce three times a day. C’mon people…read a book or something.

A clean diet is the key! For starters, get rid of the the 3 s’s’. Sugar. Spirits, Salt. Basically sugar=fat. Stay away from candy, snack foods with loads of sugar, cereals and packaged foods can also be culprits of added sugar. There are plenty of foods high in sugar that are still good for you, like apples and milk. I, for example prefer berries and soy milk. Spirits are just a form of empty calories. Now, I’m a 22 year old college graduate who likes to have fun and live life like a celebration. Just wanted to clear that up before someone points the hypocrite finger. The thing with alcohol is that it literally has zero nutritional benefits. No protein, empty cards, high in calories, no vitamins or minerals. However, I will forever stand by research supporting the antioxidant levels in red win 🙂 Enjoy a few drinks with your friends on the weekends, but avoid mixed drinks with soda or red bull. I like to opt for vodka+seltzer with lemon and lime for less sugar and refreshing fruit. Salt just makes you look bloated and it aint good for ya in large quantities. Instead of dumping a small blizzard of salt on your dinner, try just 2 dashes and some more pepper. Deli lunch meats and cheeses are also added salt culprits. Do research, get educated, read labels is the best advice I can give.

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Eat your colors!

Being a health-conscious, exercise-lovin vegetarian, I’m always looking for new recipes or ways to get more protien into my diet. I also don’t have tons of time or money to spend. This week I made some quinoa and mixed it with some pre-shelled edamame, dash of peper, some syracha and bam! An easy, cheap, protein packed snack/side.

Calling fellow herbivores! Comment with some of your favorite food ideas!

Cheaper than therapy

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One of the at least 10 butterflies I see on a typical morning.
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“Stop and smell the roses,” or in my case zinnias, lemon basil, tansy and mountain mint. Working at a nursery is hard work. It’s more often than not hot as hell, theres bugs and insects and creatures and bee stings, heavy lifting, back breaking, hole digging work to be done. But at Belvedere Farm our 7 acres of flowers start from seed. Seeds are sown, nurtured, transplanted, nurtured some more, cut, and arranged by about 10 sets of hands. Then theres pricing, market preparation, side work and lots of other jobs to be done. But thats what makes it rewarding. You get a beautiful, hand grown with sun water and sweat product that really is cheaper than therapy.

Flowers make people happy.

Apparently on any given day in America, approximately 710,000 people celebrate their birthdays. Perhaps this is why my birthday this year didn’t seem so special. After living and traveling abroad for 3 months, I realized just how small each individual on this Earth is in the grand scheme of things. Now, I don’t mean this to come off in a negative pessimistic way at all. I mean the exact opposite. It’s incredible what the universe holds out there…back to my birthday before I start off on a whole other rant..

Since I turned 22 on the 22nd it qualifies as my ‘golden birthday’ which only comes once in a persons life time. Pretty neat…we’ll see if something just as neat happens to me this week. Thanks to my boyfriend, Nick for the delicious dinner of stir-fry shrimp and wine, my brother for the ice cream cake, and my parents, friends and family for their gifts, constant love and support and well-wishes! Cheers 🙂

Happy golden birthday to me!

Happy golden birthday to me!