so far.

Already, 2014 has proven to be a trying year.

I've been exhausted, stressed, maxed out, angry, happy, bitter, excited, sad, and all around a mess most of the time. I've refused to look at my calendar, anxious for what all is coming. I started an awesome new job. I took on a new executive position.

I've failed a few times, and fallen a lot. I've broken down and not been able to pull myself back up. I've had amazing experiences and made new friendships. My patience has been tried. I've felt like giving up. I've been filled with doubt. I've felt peace. 

So far this year, I have struggled a lot. I've wondered when life is really going to start for me. I've wondered when I will finally love my major. I've wondered how I'll make it 2 more years. I've wondered what my purpose is in this life. 

I'm learning day after day that I don't have the answers to any of these questions. I probably never will. And I have to be OK with that! I am being taught each day something new. Every trial, every moment. I am learning. I am growing. 

This is life. It's not always glamorous or exciting, but it's what you've been given. It's the purpose for your very existence! And it's a crying shame not to live in every moment. No matter how hard it is now, it's all going to work out. How do I know this? God promises us this. He is the ultimate promise-keeper. 

Yeah, it's going to be tough sometimes. But it'll make you that much more tough. Things may not be going like you planned. But the Lord's plans are that much better. 

Thankfully I've been blessed with the greatest support system of friends and family. They push me when I want to quit. They encourage me when I'm down. They pick me up when I fall. They make me smile through the tears. They make me laugh when it's the last thing I feel like doing. 

So for now, I'm continuing on. Dreaming. Still believing in big things. Finding that my worth is not in the eyes of others. Getting out of my own way. Thankful for grace. Trying my best to trust in my God. He is greater than all of these things. 

And yeah, it's gonna be scary. The future is crazy bright but totally unknown, but there is no fear in love.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

{1 Peter 5:7}

-k

23 things I'd like to stop reading about.

I'm sure you've all read "23 THINGS TO DO INSTEAD OF GETTING ENGAGED BEFORE YOU’RE 23." And like me, I hope you've also read the countless responses to this particular article. Most notable "THE RESULT OF A CLOSED-MINDED 23 YEAR OLD."

What is bothering me most about these articles are how completely polar opposite these opinions are. One girl is anti-marriage and "take off your clothes, take no responsibilities for your actions & hurt others," while the other ones are somewhere along the lines of "give up your career and start a family."

But you know what? Nothing is wrong with either of these opinions because they are just that: opinions. 

Everyone is all torn out of frame and getting their feelings hurt about these blogs. I've seen everything from "Why is a blog telling people how to live their lives??" and "This is perfect. Exactly how I want to live." 

Please live your life the way you want to. There's nothing wrong with reading these articles and taking to heart what they say. In fact, it's a good thing to read stuff like this because it helps seeing how different people think. 

People are born with different desires, different dreams. Some grow up knowing what they want to do with the rest of their lives. Some have passions so fervent in their hearts that nothing will change the path they take. 

If you want to drop everything and travel because that's what you feel you are being called to do: DO IT. 

If you want to be a stay at home mom and raise your family: DO IT if that's what you are being called to do.

I have no idea what I will be doing when I'm 23. (In fact, I've never known what I want to do with my life.) By 23, I plan on being done with school and hopefully doing what I love. What ever that may be! 

Maybe I'll be married. Maybe I'll live in a different state or heck, even a different country! Maybe I'll be continuing my education or moving up in my career. Maybe I'll still have this blog. Maybe (*hopefully) I'll have a toy poodle named Fitzgerald. 

Who knows? But isn't that the beauty of life? We have no idea how big of plans the Lord has in store for us. What we do know, is that he not only has a plan, but a plan to prosper us. We know that through prayer and following after him fiercely, our lives will have purpose. We were made with love, to want love, and to love others. 

We all find our satisfaction in life different places. That could be in finishing school, traveling the world, and having a successful career for some. For others it could be in marrying early on, having children, and staying home to raise a family. Just remember "The only One who can truly satisfy the human heart is the One who made it." 

And no, I won't (can't) come up with 23 things I want to stop reading about...I just thought it was a good title. 

Thanks for reading. 

-k

2014. No expectations.

The new year always comes with so many expectations. It forces people to make goals to improve themselves and their lives. And if they don't achieve these goals, there is a sense of failure. I know for me personally, I make a list every year. Not for anyone but myself. The list tends to go something like this:

1. Work-out 4-5 times/week.

2. Accomplish 10 things on my bucket list.

3. Eat healthier. 

4. Be more spontaneous. 

5. Read my bible every day.

Now, these things aren't bad things to strive towards. But most aren't attainable in my everyday life. I get busy. I forget to read my Bible sometimes. I shovel Chick-fil-A down my throat weekly. I don't make time to work out and I don't really like being spontaneous. So why should you try and be something you aren't? 

In my opinion, the whole "New year, new me" thing doesn't make much sense. You are who you are. Just because the date changes, doesn't mean you will. Now don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with trying to improve yourself. In fact, that's what I strive to do daily. I want to be a better version of myself. 

Take the pressure off of yourself. Don't give into the expectations of this world. Do what you want to do. Make this your year and live it the way you want. Don't have expectations or do. Change something about yourself or don't. Make this YOUR year. 

These are some things I strive towards everyday, not just for 2014:

Make way for the new. 

Surround yourself with positive people. 

Take time for yourself. 

Follow your arrow. 

Constantly challenge yourself. 

Don't stress the could haves, would haves, or should haves. 

Be brave.

Read and learn.  

Find joy in the ordinary. 

Let your past make you better, not bitter. 

Start each day with a grateful heart. 

Be adventurous.

Wherever you are, be all there. 

Think less, live more. 

Forget the rules....if you like it, wear it. 

Do small things with great love.

Believe in yourself and all that you are. 

Dance even if you don't think you're good. 

Pray without ceasing.

Find beauty in everything. 

Focus on how you feel, not how much is on the scale. 

Take risks. 

Collect moments, not things. 

Be a girl with a mind, a woman with attitude and a lady with class. 

Follow your heart but take your brain with you. 

Don't find your worth in others, find it in Christ. 

So many awesome things happened for me in 2013. I joined the best sorority on campus and gained 80+ sisters. I finished out my freshman year and moved out of a dorm that became my home. I became best friends with my hallmates. I spent time with my family. I finally picked a major. I celebrate my nineteenth birthday. I went to the best concerts ever. I spent way too much time on social media. I learned a lot about myself. And I grew up. I can't wait to see what this year holds as I try to live and believe this:

"I am the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. I prosper in everything I lay my hand to. I have gifts and talents, and God is using me. I operate in the fruit of the Spirit. I walk in love. Joy flows through me." 

-from Joyce Meyer's "The Confident Woman"

be kind.work hard.stay humble.smile often.stay loyal.keep honest.travel when possible. never stop learning.be thankful.always love. 

2014: Bring it. 

-k

it's been awhile.

So I kinda took a really long hiatus from blogging. Whoops!

Before I was focusing so much on how many views I got and making sure that my posts were being seen instead of just doing it for myself. 

I want this blog to be my creative outlet. 

Something that will hopefully inspire others.

This is a place for me to be my complete self and let people know what's going on in my life! 

I hope I actually get back into the swing of things. I might even do a revamp of my entire blog. 

We'll see. 

Until then here's what I've been up to lately on Instagram!

Just doing hoodrat stuff with my friends. 

But really the opposite. 

Stay blessed x0

Dorm Decorating 101

Helllooo my beautiful readers. 

Today I have decided to create a post for all the girls going to college for the first time in the fall. Decorating an 8x11 space can be challenging and the stress from trying to figure out the perfect layout is not something you want to deal with. 

I have gotten a lot of interest through Pinterest regarding my personal dorm room! So I have included pictures from my dorm and a few helpful tips and tricks from how to decorate, to where to shop. And I may even do another post later listing what you need to bring with you to survive the dorm experience.

 :-)

Tip #1: 

Set A Budget and Communicate with your Roomie

The budget is the most important thing, people (besides talking to the person you will live with for the next 10 months!!). How much are you willing to spend on your temporary home? Is your roommate going to spend the same amount as you, or contribute to the decorating at all? Will you do a matching color scheme? (I really hope so)

If you are like me, I'm detail oriented and very specific on what I like and do not like. I am also a very visual person and appreciate design. Therefore, I was willing to spend more time and slightly more money to get what I wanted. 

My roommate and I decided early on that we didn't want to spend too much money. 

Also figure out your needs. 

For the basics I spent: 

Bedding: $65 total- comforter, sheets, mattress topper [Target]

Pillows: $30 total- fabric & stuffing [DIY pillows made by our Moms]

Rug: $20 [IKEA]

Lamps: $20- floor lamp & desk lamp [IKEA]

Curtain: $20 [Target]

Fridge: Free [thanks Jared!]

Printer: Free [thanks Daddy!]

Fan: $15-$25

Alright so those are the basics for you what you will see in the pictures below. This does not include our christmas lights, monogram canvas, command strips and storage. 

Tip #2:

Make the Most of Storage and your Layout

It helps to know the layout of your dorm ahead of time. Most schools have some kind of orientation so make sure you try and find a room similar to the one you will be living in! You don't want to be overwhelmed (like we were) when you get there. 

Also know what all comes in the room. Most traditional college dorms will include (per person) 1 chest of drawers, 1 tall wardrobe, 1 desk and chair, and the bed. 

Decide if you want to loft your bed. Lofting can be a scary thought, but it allows for much more room if you do the layout right. We opted for an L-shaped layout which allowed for our chest of drawers under the bed and us each having our "own side." Having your own section of space is important, especially in your shoe box dorm room. 

We totally guessed when it came to layout and luckily it worked out the best for us! Many people changed their's throughout the year, but we stuck with ours because we loved it so much. 

Picture of the layout. Our wardrobes were both next to the door. 

Tip #3:

Bring the Necessities. NO CLUTTER ALLOWED.

See that picture above? Notice how everything has it's place? Here's another of my roommate's side. 

 Everything has it's place. 

DO NOT BRING EVERYTHING IN YOUR DRAWERS AT HOME. 

It's not necessary. You can live without the 5 bottles of Bath and Body Works lotion and 10 different journals and notepads. I promise. 

Clutter=stress. You will already be stressed enough taking on a new place, new people, and classes. Bring what you know you will need [post on that to come later.]

Also, try to keep everything compartmentalized. This will cut back on clutter immensely! 

Remember: the longer you are there, the more stuff you will accumulate over time! Keep this in mind when deciding what all you need to bring on move-in day. 

Tip #4: 

Make your Dorm Room feel like Home

Besides the budget, this is on of the most important things! You have to try and make your temporary home feel like an actual home. 

Add personal touches...

Monogram anything that doesn't move. Bring your favorite stuffed animal(s). Add a rug and pictures from home. Paint your favorite quote on a canvas. Stick to a calming and warm color scheme. 

My room at home has always matched so when I came to school I knew I would have to have the same. Again, I'm slightly OCD so I love a good color scheme. We finally decided on blue, yellow, and grey which we loved! 

My favorite part of the room would have to be the christmas lights. We knew from the beginning we wanted lights and we searched Pinterest for months before my clever roommate found something we both liked. We took 2 strands of regular white lights and our excess fabric from our pillows, cut them into strips, and tied them in knots around the strands. Our original idea was to have them go around the whole room but we were happy enough to have them draped along the wall. We got the most compliments on our lights. 

Added lamps and lights creates a nice ambience and reminds me of home. 

I hope you all found this post helpful! I will be posting a list of what to bring soon! Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions in the comments below. 

Thanks for checking up with me :-) 

Here's some more pics of our little shoe box! 

My side: the lovely fridge and printer. 

Our Ikea rug! 

-k 

brights+dots+flowers

Hey ya'll! 

This is my first type of post like this so it's going to be a work in progress. I want to do more posts like this so give me your feedback if you like what you see ;-)

I wanted to take a walk around before dinner with my little brother and we found these adorable places and decided to take some pictures! 

Outfit Details:

Shirt J. Crew Factory//Shorts J. Crew Factory//Shoes Vince Camuto {similar here}//Necklace Mart find {similar here}// spike bracelet Nordstrom {similar here}// link bracelet {similar here} and watch Mart find

-k

summer essentials: HATS

Next up on my list of must-have for summer: the perfect hat! 

My brother always tells me that I'm not a hat person, but I refuse to believe him. Mostly because I'm constantly looking for the perfect hat. 

Hats not only protect you from the sun, but also from the disaster of a bad hair day. 

So, continuing in my never-ending search I have found the cutest possible hats I could find that I believe look good on almost anybody. 

These are a few of my favorite hat styles for the summer: 

{Panama}

A wide-brimmed fedora, this hat dresses up any casual summer outfit. 

(image via stephaniesterjovski)

^^LOVE her website!

(image via popofstyle)

{Floppy}

Always a southern staple. Perfect for the beach or a low country boil! 

(image via barefootblonde)

(image via threadsense)

(image via twigsandsand)

{Headband/Headwrap}

I know this technically isn't a hat but whatever. It still goes on your head, right?

(image via refinedstylefashion) 

(image via refusestolabel)

Of  course if you're like me, you'll usually go for the ol' baseball cap to cover up the mane. 

Which hat will you be rocking this summer?

Thanks for checkin' out this post! Stay on the lookout for the next item on the essentials list coming later on this week. 

Love ya'll. 

-k