I PASSED THE NCLEX!

I am officially a registered nurse! *heart beats out of chest when typing those words together* I cannot even begin to express how excited and relieved I am. I have spent so long working towards becoming a nurse and it is surreal that I get to put RN next to my name now. The past few weeks have been grueling with studying, and I had myself completely convinced that I was going to fail. I know that probably wasn't the best attitude to have, but I was just filled with stress and worry because all of my college studying and time had come down to one test.

Now I feel like I really graduated!

I took the test early Monday morning and I thought I would actually be relieved after taking it...but I was only more anxious while waiting for my results. Although every nurse I have ever talked to said that they left the test thinking they had failed (when they had really passed), I really didn't believe it. But on the drive home on Monday, I could not stop thinking "oh my gosh, I failed the biggest test of my life and now I am have to study all over again". From finishing the test Monday morning to early Tuesday morning was probably more stressful than all of my studying combined. People were congratulating me on getting the test over with and saying that I would never have to worry about studying again, but I refused to pack my books away until I saw my license number yesterday.

I guess what is most exciting about all of this is that I can finally start my "adult" job/career. For a while I had been feeling like I was in a holding/waiting pattern with my life. Like waiting to graduate college. Then waiting to pass the NCLEX. Now, I feel like the rest of my like can officially begin. I feel like I can actually take that step into adulthood and become a full-fledged contributing member of society, instead of just a college student with the goal of becoming a nurse. Now, I can just say "I am a nurse!" instead of blabbing on about majoring in nursing and actually working as one being a far-off dream. Graduating from JMU was exciting, but this completely blows that excitement out of the water, because now I am proven to be qualified to have the job that I have wanted for so long.

I don't have many friends or family that read this blog, but in case they ever do, I want to thank all of them for their support throughout all of my schooling. I know that my BFF will read this and smile because she will *hopefully* know that she is a major part of my college experience (I can't wait to send you my NCLEX practice books, Sarah!). I also want to thank all of you for supporting me (and Me as Meghan!) because this blog has given me the best outlet that I could have asked for but didn't know I needed until I started it. I cherished the time I spend writing and also reading blogs, because it always helped ease some of the stress of school. I can't wait to officially transition this blog from the view of a college girl to a post-grad one and I hope you are excited to follow along!

I Haven't Gotten Lost Under My Study Books...Yet.

Happy Monday! For those of you that got hit with the storm, I can't believe all the pictures that I am seeing from the mid-Atlantic! The pictures with the snow piled over cars are stressing me out and we didn't even have a flake fall this weekend...

I was feeling left out of everyone sharing their storm pictures so I am sharing this picture of the snow that I took last week! 

This is just a quick weekend recap post to say that I did not get lost under my pile of NCLEX (nurse licensing exam) review books and I managed to make it out of the house a few times this weekend. Here are some highlights from this weekend!

Friday // I studied my brains out during the day, but then John and I went for barbecue for dinner which was absolutely amazing. You'd think that here in Maine we wouldn't have good barbecue restaurants, but we have a few that are just as good as the barbecue I have had in the south!

Saturday // After studying in the morning, John and I went outlet shopping. John really wanted to hit up the Patagonia outlet so he could figure out sizing for a fleece he wanted to order and I really wanted to find clothes for my upcoming trip to New Orleans. Did I find any? Nope, but I did get a super similar sweater to this at the Banana Republic outlet store so it was cheap and I wore it out to dinner with my family that night. I am puzzled with what to wear in NOLA, with weather in the 60s. I don't have great walking shoes and I hate dressing for in between weather...spring-like clothing is my nemesis! I really only know how to dress for 20 degrees or 85 degrees. Any clothing suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Sunday // At this point, do I need to mentioned that I studied in the morning or have you just already assumed that? I tried to relax and give myself a break in the afternoon, but that dream was crushed when I was sitting at the edge of my seat and watched the Patriots lose. This loss will be a rough one for my household to get over! I finished off Sunday with some Gossip Girl and sadly realized that I only have five episodes left...any suggestions on what I should watch next for a series?

I hope you all have a great week!

Linking up with Biana today!

*This post contains affiliate links*

I talk about the weather so much, I should be a meteorologist.

Happy Friday! I hope you all had a great week. If you are in the part of the country that is supposed to get walloped with snow this weekend, then I am truly sorry and I imagine you will all really feel my post from Wednesday! I am spending the weekend with my nose in my study books and taking practice test after practice test, but will hopefully do a dinner out with John for a study break! Lets get on with some Friday Favorites.

Favorite Article: Small talk (aside from the weather!) is never something that I have felt comfortable with but feel like its something that we are all supposed to do in order to engage in conversation with each other. This article from the NYT's Modern Love column really hit home with me at the beginning of the week. I wish I could start off deep conversations like he does, but I just don't know if people would be as receptive as they were to him.

Favorite Lust: I have been eying contour palettes lately, and I just can't decide which one would work best. Cream or powder? I don't know! Brand? There are so many with good reviews! I really like the look of this one and this one too. And can't forget about this one! Does anyone have any insight into any of these?

Favorite Funny:


Earlier this week, John just randomly sent me a picture of a pine cone a stick...in reference to this vine that we both love. His way of saying he cares?!

Favorite Blog Post: This one from Helene in Between... I thought it was super funny and it inspired me to really make sure my personality is really infused in this blog! I don't love blogs that are all business, I want that personality to shine through!

Favorite Quote: 

I hope that studying more will bring me more luck!

Favorite Moments: 

1 // I spent a lot of great one on one time with everyone in my family this week which is nice because we all have crazy schedules and are running in different directions! 

2 // John and I didn't see each other much this week, but he always makes me laugh so hard when I do see him! 

3 // This will make me sounds like a crazy cat lady...but when I am studying, the cats are always sitting nearby and it makes studying a little less lonely! 

Stay warm if you are in a cold part of the country this weekend, and if you are in a warm part, know I'm jealous! 

Linking up with Amanda and April today! 

*This post contains affiliate links!*

8 Things That Inevitably Happen In Winter

I had the sad realization yesterday that its actually winter now.  You think I might have thought that when we had our first snowfall a few weeks ago? Nope. Maybe when it was really the first day of winter back in December? No again. Yesterday, when I woke up, the temperature was in the teens. Thirteen to be exact. And throughout the day, it only warmed up a bit. What really made me say "holy crap, winter is here" was looking at the forecast and seeing that it wasn't going to get much warmer for the rest of the week. With the season of cold officially here (in my eyes), we inevitably have certain things happen to us that we can only thank winter for!

// When you leave your warm bed in the morning and you regret it instantly

via

// When you think about your bikini body 

via

// Looking at the weather forecast

via

// When you've stepped outside for longer than ten seconds

via

// When you've left the house and underestimated the wind chill 

via

// Trying to hide your dry winter skin from everyone like...

via

// When you've gotten obsessed with looking at pictures of tropical locales

via

// Patiently waiting for warmer weather like...

via

I hope you stay warm where ever you are! 

Linking up with Jenn and Jessi today! 

2016 Academy Awards Best Picture Nominee Reviews: Part 1

"My name is Meghan and I like movies" said me, on the first day of lacrosse practice in sixth grade. We had to go around and say our first name and something that we liked that started with the first letter of our first name. Naturally, I thought movies and my friends have laughed about it ever since. But it's true! I remember being in kindergarten and loved going to Blockbuster every Friday to pick out a movie with my mom. Growing up I used to ask for DVD's as presents because I loved being able to watch my favorite movies over and over again. Like with reading, I just loved being immersed into stories and their characters. Because of my love of movies (and of celebrities and of glamorous dresses) I grew to love watching the Academy Awards too. Most years I have seen just some of the movies that are up for best picture or have a star nominated for best actor or actress. This year, however, I plan to watch all of the best picture nominees and this weekend, I was able to cross three off of the list. Let's talk about them!

I just want to say that I hate surprise spoilers and I just want to tell you that you will not be reading any major plot spoilers here. As fas as plot summaries go, there are vague ones that give away less than what you would get in a movie trailer! 

The Big Short //

I literally had no clue what this movie was about when I hit play in the beginning. All I knew was that it had been nominated for a ton of awards and that Steve Carell was in it, so I figured there would be a pretty good chance I would enjoy it. It was ultimately about a few random groups of people who had predicted the 2008 financial crisis. What I liked most about this movie was how it simplified what actually happened that allowed the crisis to occur. I'm sure that what actually happened is so much more complicated than the movie made it seem (at least I hope anyway) but it helped me to understand something that I, honestly, didn't think I had interest in understanding before. I know that watching a movie about the banking industry doesn't sound promising, but I can assure you that it is eye opening and completely entertaining at the same time. If that doesn't catch you, then I'll tell you that Ryan Gosling is in it, and maybe that will?

Mad Max: Fury Road //
Unlike The Big Short, I knew what Mad Max was about before watching it and I was NOT interested whatsoever. If it wasn't for telling myself that I would watch all of the best picture nominees, then I would have never in a million years picked this movie for myself to watch. Post apocalyptic action movies are just not my thing. After I got the eye-rolls out of my system and saying "I just can't believe a movie with this sort of plot would even be considered for a best picture" about a hundred times, I attempted to put my attitude aside and start the movie with an open mind. Although I'm stubborn and don't like to admit when I am wrong, I am surprisingly pleased to tell you that this was actually an interesting movie. Yes, there is a lot of action and fighting and driving scenes, but the whole movie in general felt more like an arthouse film, rather than a generic "I'm only here to please audiences and make millions" action flick. So if you ever get suckered into watching it, know that its not bad and you might surprisingly enjoy it! 

Brooklyn //
I don't even know where to start with this movie. I just loved it so much and I don't know how to put it eloquently! First, this movie had all of the elements that make a movie great in my eyes...historical fiction, romance, and an independent and sassy main character. After finishing the movie, the only thing that I wished would have been different was that I wish I could have somehow watched it before going off to college four and a half years ago. I don't want to give too much away, but it just has so many good quotes and lessons about leaving home and growing up. This is the only movie of the three that I watched without John and I'm sure he would have had no interest in watching it with me...although he will probably have to watch it some time because I'm pretty sure it easily falls into my top ten favorite movies ever.

Now I know that these are just three out of the eight movies that are nominated for best picture, but picking from just these ones, I think that The Big Short would win. I know I just went on and on about how good Brooklyn was, but The Big Short has broader appeal and is just more unique as it takes a boring and complicated topic, like the 2008 financial crisis, and boils it down to something entertaining and digestible. Although Brooklyn wins in my heart, its just not something I see winning overall. And, well, Mad Max is cool looking and I think probably has a shot at winning best visual effects and/or cinematography, but I don't think its a top contender for best picture overall.

Have you seen any of these? Let me know what you think if you have!

Where Can I Sign Up To Be Adele's BFF?

Happy Friday! Another week down in 2016, are you another step closer to reaching those goals and continuing on with those resolutions? One of my goals was to work up the courage to share my blog on Twitter so that more of my college friends would know about it and there were a few times this week where I came so close to just sharing it...but then I chickened out. Luckily, I still have 50 more weeks to work up the courage. Hopefully it won't take that long! Lets get into some favorites for the week!

Favorite Article: Yesterday, the 2016 Academy Awards nominations were released! I am a huge fan of movie and televison award ceremonies, but the Academy Awards are my absolute favorite. This year I am trying to watch all of the movies that are nominated for best picture, and hopefully some others as well. So far, I haven't seen any of the best picture noms, so I need to get watching! If you didn't see what was nominated, check out this article here!

Favorite Lust: We are going on vacation in a few weeks and I have been searching for shoes and sandals to wear while we are away. I really like these, but just don't like the $$$ tag for how much I would actually end up wearing them. I would most likely end up just sitting and staring at them, and just thinking about how much I like them...

Favorite Funny: I am sure so many people will be posting about this today, but I have watched it *so many* times and laugh harder each time so I wanted to share it with you, just in case you hadn't seen it. I just love her laugh...I want that to play on the radio! I'll admit that I wasn't a huge Adele fan before *gasp* but this video totally won me over. I wish I could be her friend! She just seems so down to earth and normal!




Favorite Blog Post: This post from Barefoot Blonde about visiting Woodstock, VT. Her photography is alway amazing, and her children are just the cutest! I mean look at that fox snowsuit...adorable. Also, even though she gets so many comments per post, I always get a response back from her to my comments...sounds silly but that means a lot coming from a blogger who's posts get so much attention!

Favorite Quote: On Wednesday, I wrote this post with six motivational quotes for the new year. My favorite of them all though, was probably this one:

Favorite Moments: 

1)  Made kick-butt turkey meatballs and pasta for dinner last night...I would share the recipe but I didn't measure anything out and just sort of threw it all together. Maybe next time I should keep track of it and take some pictures!

2) Watching so many of James Corden's car karaoke videos...I love the ones with Justin Bieber!

3) I activated my three month trial of satellite radio in my car and there are so many radio stations, which means I hate getting out of my car. Not to brag or anything, but I play steering wheel drums SO well...

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Linking up here and here today! 

*This post contains affiliate links*

6 Quotes to Keep You Motivated in 2016

With all of the goals and resolutions being made this month, we need to somehow draw the energy out to work to get these things accomplished. It can be exhausting to form new habits and change something about your life. Now that we are almost halfway through January, you might be feel like you have lost a bit of the motivation that was there at the beginning of the month to change and better yourself. It gets a little easier to say "oh, I will work out extra hard tomorrow and skip today" or "I will just get rid of this clutter at the end of the week, when it is really built up." There will be times when we feel like we can't bring ourselves to go the extra mile to further our goals, and when those times come, these motivational quotes can inspire you!

I hope these motivated you to work a little harder to achieve your goals and resolutions on this cold and snowy (at least where I am!) Wednesday morning! 

Linking up here today! 

January Currently...

Happy Monday! On the contrary to many people's feelings, I like Mondays. I like the promise of a new week and the step into the future. To me, Monday is to a week as morning is to a day (I hope that makes sense?) Its like an automatic weekly reset where you can tackle new goals and the possibilities of what you can achieve are endless. If you can't tell, I am very much a morning person as well as a Monday person. I was feeling a "currently" post vibe today and I would love to know what you are currently up to, so let me know!

Currently...

Wishing I could repeat brunch on Saturday with John

Listening to a lot of Reel Big Fish because John got me tickets to see them in February and I am so excited about it!

Eating food that will allow me to get into shape for vacation. The thought of being in a bikini right now is a little daunting but I think with a spray tan and some working out, I will be ready!

Drinking lots of water. Trying to stay hydrated to improve my skin and just feel better.

Wearing sweats because I refuse to study in regular clothes!

Feeling like I haven't studied enough for my licensing exam, but hopeful that I will feel more confident after some kick-butt study sessions that I am planning this week.

Weather is non-stop rain. It feels more like late March outside, instead of early January! John and I stopped by the beach on Saturday and while the surfers seemed to be taking advantage of the bad weather, I was sad that we couldn't take a walk!

Wanting this foundation after I used a sample packet of it this weekend. I felt like a supermodel on the cover of Vogue because my skin looked and felt flawless. This want will probably never be fulfilled however, because I don't think I can bring myself to pay that much for a foundation!

Needing to pass my exam so I can stop thinking about it and finally start working as a nurse!

Thinking about how I would like to get a library card because my library has an app where we can borrow books using our iPads...so cool!

Enjoying not having to go back to school. Today is the first day back for JMU students for spring semester and although it feels weird to not be there, its such a good feeling to know that I am in Maine for good!

I hope you have a great week!

*This post contains affiliate links.*

First Week of the Year? Check.

Happy Friday! We made it to the end of the first week of the year! This week was a busy one for me...basically just work and studying so my brain is a little melted. I am so excited to be getting close to the point where I won't have to study. Only a few more weeks until the exam! Let's get on with some favorites for the week.

Favorite Show: John and I (embarrassingly) watched Making A Murderer in two days last weekend...we were totally hooked from the end of the first episode until the end of the docu-series itself. I don't want to give any spoilers away in case you haven't watched it (but you totally should) so I won't mention more. But just go watch!

Favorite Lust: My local Sephora is out of my holy grail product and I am patiently waiting for them to restock it! It is the best mascara I have ever used!

Favorite Blog Post: This one with Instagram tips from The Daily Tay....I was laughing so hard!

Favorite Funny: I saw so many Making a Murderer memes that made me laugh this week, but I don't want to post them for fear of spoiling the show for anyone who hasn't watched. But what also made me laugh was this PSA from, Buzzfeed star, Matt Ballassai...My mom and I are in love with his "Whine About It" video series and he ended up winning a People's Choice Award this week, but they showed the wrong person on TV!

PSA: I Am Matt Bellassai
A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTStop the epidemic of wrongful identification of award winners.
Posted by Matt Bellassai on Thursday, January 7, 2016

Favorite Moments: 

1) Writing the posts about my personal goals and blog goals for the year!

2) John put together a bookcase for me and I was so happy to fill it with books. Is it weird that I love just looking at it?!

3) It hasn't happened yet, but I know getting out of working tonight will be such a good feeling because I am off tomorrow!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Linking up here and here today!

*This post contains affiliate links*

2016 Blog Goals

Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is doing well with this first week after the holidays...we are halfway to the weekend! This week has made me hangry due to my post-holiday detox diet (why did you have to eat so many Christmas cookies, Meghan?!) and stressed because of studying for the NCLEX. I know it takes a few days for the body to stop those sugar cravings, so hopefully by the end of the week I will have stopped staring lustfully at the candy jar on the living room table...

Image via 

If you recall Monday's post, I talked about my personal goals for 2016 and today I will be talking about my goals for this blog. I am super excited to get these down in writing, because they are things that I have been thinking of for a while now. I don't know if it was noticed, but starting in mind-October, I really tried to amp up this blog. While I know there is a lot I still need to work on, I am proud that I have really stuck to my plan over the past few months and I want to bring the momentum I have gained into the new year. 

But before I can continue on with my goals for this year, I would like to reflect back on my blog goals from 2015. I want to share what I did accomplish and also what I didn't...

// Learn how to make a blog button. 

// Reach 60 Bloglovin' followers by the one year anniversary of Me as Meghan.

// Go on adventures/try new things in order to gain experiences that I can turn into interesting and thoughtful posts  This one!

// Post at least three times a week Although it took me until October to get the MWF posting down consistently, this is something that I am really happy with! 

// Sponsor another blog 

// Host a giveaway

// Tell my friends about this blog I told my best friend who has been more than supportive! While I know I should tell more people, I think I have a better plan for this for 2016...

// Have a better blog schedule, where I plan out my posts a few weeks in advance I have post ideas and blog plans written down in my planner, it has made blogging so much easier! 

By the end of 2016, I hope to accomplish... 

// At least three fashion posts

// Sponsoring another blog (I have already started to research what blog would be best!) 

// Host a giveaway

// Reach 250 Bloglovin' follwers

// Blog everyday for one month 

// Share my blog on Twitter and Instagram 

// Make a lot of layout updates...especially my About Me page!

// Buy my own domain name 

I hope that this time next year, I will be crossing all of these things off in a post about my blogging goals for 2017! What are some of your blog goals for 2016?

Linking up here today! 

New Year, Better Me.

Happy New Year everyone! I hope the last few days of 2015 and first few days of 2016 were fantastic! Did you stay up until midnight or were you like me and asleep at 11:30? I am not usually one that is unable to stay up late, but I guess 2015 was just exhausting and I was ready for it to be over. There is also a part of me that likes not seeing midnight, and just waking up in the New Year. Its kind of weird, I know.

With 2016 now upon us, I have been thinking a lot about what I want my goals to be for this year to be. Now, I am saying goals because they are specific things that I want to achieve, while a resolution is a broad promise to ourselves....according to my quick internet research. I work best with a to-do list and a specific action plan to get me to the places where I want to go, so a list of goals are more likely to help me succeed than overarching resolutions. You guys do know I love my to-do lists!

After determining my goals, I figured out would spread them out over two posts...one for personal goals and one for blog ones. I am sharing my personal ones today!

Personal Goals for 2016

// Figure out a Routine // I have been craving a sense of normalcy during the past few days. I know that the holiday season seems to have a knack for knocking routines aside, and now that I am not in college anymore, I have no clue what my routine is supposed to look like now that the holidays are over. Between the holidays and graduating and moving home, I feel like my life is chaos...good chaos, but chaos nonetheless. I know that once I start my new job, I still won't have a solid routine because with nursing, I will be working either 3 or 4 12 hour shifts a week...which leaves either 3 or 4 days off. During the summer on my days off, when I worked this schedule as a tech, I would hang out with friends or John or go to the beach or the pool and basically just wait to go back to school. Now that I am no longer waiting to leave, I need to invest in a life here and figure out how best I want to spend my time. I am not quite sure exactly how to accomplish this goal, but a part of me just believes that a routine will establish itself. I am just impatient!

// Less Clutter, More Cleanliness // I got this book but have yet it read it. I am hoping to read it in the next few weeks though so that I can work out some of the clutter in my room. I have hoarder-like tendencies and I am just so sentimental about some things. I am hoping that the book will help to me let go of some of those feelings. I know that minimalism is all the rage right now, and while I know that I could never be super successful with it, I think it is a good point in my life to pick up some minimalistic habits!

// Exercise // I think this has been a goal of mine for the past few years, and I think 2015 was an okay year for Meghan versus exercising. It could have definitely been improved though, and thats why I am including it with these goals. What I really want is to genuinely want to exercise. I want this to be the year that I exercise, not to improve how I look, but to improve how I feel.

// Read More // I am so excited about this one! I am making it my goal to read two books a month for 2016. I have always been a bookworm ever since I can remember, but once I got to college, I really slowed down with reading. It was just too hard to sit there and read for fun when I spent so much time already reading for my classes. Now, I have so much more time I can dedicate to fun reading...after I pass the NCLEX of course!

I really want to make sure that I follow through with these goals, so I think I might do either a 6 month check in or even quarterly check ins to write about my progress. I am hoping there will be a lot to talk about!

Are you making any goals or resolutions this year?

*This post contains affiliate links*