What an exhausting weekend! Homecoming totally kicked my butt this year and I wish I could sleep for the rest of the week. Between all the commotion about ESPN, excitement about seeing all my visiting friends, and prepping for our tailgate, I felt like I was running around all week to prepare. By the time the weekend rolled around, I was ready to have fun!

Friday
Since our first guest (out of 7!) wasn't going to be at our apartment until 4, I was able to spend most of the day getting ready (aka cleaning my room) and baking cookies for our tailgate on Saturday. On a side note from that, I used the recipe on the back of the TollHouse Chocolate Chips bag and the cookies (in my humble opinion) were delish! After I had consumed half the dough, I finally got them cooked and cooling, just in time to get myself presentable for our first guest to arrive! All of our alumni friends (sorority sisters!) trickled in throughout the rest of the evening from the various states they were coming from. We headed to a favorite Mexican restaurant of mine for dinner where we all caught up from the last time we had seen each other (we had seen some in September and everyone in July). This dinner was the first time I think I had relaxed all week! Afterwards, we decided to have a chill night in our apartment playing games since we had to #GetUp4GameDay early the next morning.

Saturday
We were able to get everyone fed and out the apartment by 8:45 and to the quad by 9 to see ESPN's College Game Day! Although we had briefly considered it, we didn't camp out overnight on the quad to get into the front row...I don't think I could have stayed outside when the temperature has been starting to get so low at night. Predictably, there was already a massive crowd by the time we got there, but we just joined in and eventually (over the next 2 hours) made our way pretty close to the stage!

Front view of the stage

As close as we got to behind the stage, aka the backdrop of the show!

Squished in the crowd!

The energy campus was just incredible. Everyone was just SO proud to be JMU students or alumni and at one point I got a little teary because I was so happy to be apart of something so unifying. After we had grown a little too claustrophobic in the crowd, we made our way to our old sorority house for a brunch. It was nice to see younger sisters living in the house and then older ones who had graduated before me. Of course, took many pictures in our old rooms (I had lived in the house for 2.5 years so I had three different rooms over that time!) and reminisced about the time we had spent there. Basically the definitely of homecoming weekend, right?! Next, we made our way to the tailgate spot that one of my roommates had claimed the night before. There was so much yummy food and drinks that we stayed there for the next few hours. I had an absolute blast and got to catch up with more alumni, which was so nice! Once the game started, we headed back to the apartment to nap and watch the game (tickets sold out before everyone in our group was able to get them). Chinese food was ordered, naps were taken, and boos were yelled when the University of Richmond Spiders beat out our JMU Dukes. We had been talking about possibly going out downtown, but then figured that it would be so crowded that we could have an equally as fun time at home playing fun games and enjoying some wine. My favorite game was the one where everyone gets a post-it placed on their forehead with a character or thing written on it, and you have to ask yes/no questions to figure out who/what you have! After playing and watching TV, I crawled into bed exhausted from the long day!

Look at all the signs in the background! They were hilarious! 

Sunday
Our guests were out the door by 11am and unfortunately I got started working on homework so I could just get it over with. Afterwards, I just watched a movie, enjoyed leftover Chinese food and got caught up on American Horror Story with one of my roommates! The highlight of my day was getting a reply on Twitter from one of my favorite bloggers, Julia Engel, who is Gal Meets Glam. I was a complete fangirl about it and told one of my roommates who didn't really think it was all that cool...so I am telling you all since I know there will be at least one who will fangirl with me!

This weekend I laughed until my stomach hurt, ate all the food, got to have my school on national TV, and spent time with my friends so what else could a girl ask for? I am glad this weekend was such a success and I am already looking forward to next year's homecoming where I will finally be able to call myself an alumni of JMU!

5 Exciting Things

Happy Friday people! I hope this week was a breeze for you and that you have exciting plans for the weekend. My weekend plans are a part of the five exciting things that I have to tell you about so lets get on with this five on Friday!

1. My visit home
A few weeks ago, I was able to rearrange my schedule a bit to be able to fly home for a long weekend...actually a really long weekend (Wednesday- Monday). Since it has been hard for me in the past to get home during September/October, it had been a few years since I had seen Maine in the fall. However it was just as beautiful as I remembered. I was even excited when the weather was a bit chilly, because it made the visit just a perfect fall weekend. We went apple picking as a family (but really, the best part was the warm donuts we bought there!) John and I were able to have a date night out at one of our favorite restaurants, and I was able to visit with friends who I hadn't seen since I left to go back to school in August. But most importantly, I saw my cats and dog! Obviously, the weekend went by so fast...Since I was able to do so much though, I was satisfied when I was leaving and just reminded myself that in order to come back, I had to leave first!

John looks so #fall in this picture and I love it! 

My little brothers aren't so little anymore! 

2. Senior Capstone
Last week was my last week of my senior capstone for nursing! At JMU, for eight weeks, we get to to a nurse preceptor one-on-one and we get to follow their schedule and learn from/work with them. I worked 3p-3a (hence my trouble keeping up with writing) in an emergency department, and to say I learned a lot is an understatement. I love the pace and the turn over of patients, and I love that I can see a whole range of issues in just one shift. What I found difficult was patients who weren't pleased with waiting and also getting myself acclimated to working a partial night shift. However, towards the end of my eight weeks, I really found myself enjoying the night aspect and I was able to get used to the schedule. I started to feel like a real nurse and I was loving it!

3. Rocking my practice exam
On my days off for the past eight weeks, I was studying because in order to actually become a registered nurse, I have to pass a licensure exam (the NCLEX) after I graduate. In the past few weeks, I really amped up my studying as I had a special practice exam this week that is designed to predict whether or not we will pass the NCLEX. Although I was super nervous and felt like all the studying I had done hadn't stuck in my brain, I did a great job on the exam and according to this test, I have a really good chance of passing the NCLEX....Will that stop me from continuing to study like crazy and stress about having to take a licensure exam? No. But was it nice to know that my study habits must be effective and that I can continue doing my thing? You bet!

Just a few of my review books...

4. Homecoming weekend 
This weekend at JMU is homecoming! We have a bunch of people coming to stay at our apartment and plans to tailgate the game tomorrow. But what is different about this homecoming weekend, compared to past years, is that the ESPN College GameDay show is being filmed live on our campus on tomorrow! Its a big deal for us, because we aren't a big SEC school or one that gets a lot of attention so this is definitely JMU's chance to shine and maybe get more notice for the future. So if you are bored Saturday morning between 9-12...turn on ESPN and watch to see my beautiful campus!

Throwback to homecoming last year!

5. Future exciting plans
I love this time of year because there is so much happening all in a short span of time. We have Halloween coming up, and then a few weeks after, my family is coming to visit. Next, I have a good chunk of time off for Thanksgiving. After, I come back to school for just a few weeks and then I GRADUATE! I am so ready and so incredibly excited to finally be done with school and get on into the working world. I can't wait to get started as a nurse once I pass my exam and finally put to use, all the things I have learned!

Obviously Liz Lemon is the only one who can depict my emotions most accurately. via

I just realized that I basically wrote a novel for today's post, and I understand that since it's Friday you might be too tired to read it all. So if you're skipping to the end, I will do a TL;DR for you...many exciting things have happened, and many exciting things are coming up. You're welcome! Also, I promise to be back next week to talk about TV and my mascara. Are you excited because I am!

Fall 2015 To-Do List

Happy First Day of Fall! 

I got a little to overzealous about today being the first day of fall and wore jeans and a fleece pullover to campus for a meeting...not realizing it was actually 75 degrees and sunny outside. I just want it to be sweater weather, okay?! I never really appreciated fall until I left Maine and went to Virginia for college. Since I have been gone, I understand how lucky I was to have beautiful falls in Maine. If this sounds a little bit like I am homesick to you, you're right...I just book flights home for Columbus Day weekend though so only two weeks until I am back! 

There is so much I want to do this fall, and since this is a relatively short season (only October and November, if you think about it!) I wanted to write it all down so I could make sure I got everything done that I wanted to.

via

~Go apple picking and make an apple pie.

~ Blanket scarves. (Need I say more?)

~Watch as many Halloween-themed or scary movies as I can.

~Go for a walk where I can get a perfect view of the changing leaves.

~Rock the darker lip colors. (hello to dark cranberry and almost purples, am I right?!)

~Eat all of the candy corn.

~*Attempt* to make a warm apple cider cocktail. 

~Celebrate JMU homecoming with my best friends. 

Most of all, I want to try being more adventurous this fall. I posted the picture below on my Instagram the other day, and I truly believe what it says. Fall is the time for starting something new and changing and I feel like I could change to be a more adventurous person. So to do that, I want to try one thing that pushes me outside of my comfort zone. I am not exactly sure what that will be yet, but this new season upon us just has me feeling inspired! 

I'm ready for cozy sweaters, warm drinks and crisp weather 🍂🎃 #fall

A photo posted by Meghan Farrell (@mfarrelll14) on Sep 20, 2015 at 12:46pm PDT

What are you looking forward to this fall?

Also, thank you to Pinky for this awesome link up today! I can't wait to get even more excited about fall through reading everyone's posts about it!

Fall 2015 Fashion Picks

With fall approaching quickly, I have been gearing up my wardrobe for cozy fall nights that are perfect for warm sweaters and neutrals. Now, I haven't been great in the past about buying neutral colored clothing, because I just love wearing purples, greens and pinks...but lately I have just felt so chic in black, white, grey and tan clothing. I thought I would share some pieces from my top three favorite stores that I think would look fabulous this fall!

What I am thankful for this Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! 

My backyard this morning!

I was tagged last week to list out a few things I am thankful for, by Nancy over at Sincerely and Sarcastically, who's posts never fail to make me laugh hysterically (which can present a problem when I am in public). I have been saving my list for today so I could have a thankful themed Thanksgiving post!

1. My loved ones

I am saying loved ones because I wanted to group my family, friends, and John into one as they are all so special to me and I am most thankful to have all of them in my life. They love me unconditionally, even when I am micromanaging control freak or when I can't stop (won't stop) sings Frozen songs. 

2. Opportunities 

via

I am thankful that I have been given so many opportunities in my life. Although I gripe about it, I really know that college is something that some people out there can only dream about. I love learning and expanding my horizons, and moving away from home to college allowed me to do that!

3. Knowledge

This might not make sense once its out of my head and onto this post, and I am not trying to say I am thankful for being smart, but I am trying to say that I am thankful for knowing myself. I know this is coming out wrong but this relates to majoring in nursing. Many nurses that I have talked to, either at clinical or my instructors or even nurses in my yearly check-ups, have said that nursing was their second career, and they only discovered that they wanted to do it after training for a completely different job/career/major. On the flip side, I have known that nursing was for me since my junior year in high school, and fall more in love with it in every clinical rotation that I go through. I am thankful for this knowledge that I have made the right choice. 

4.  Coffee

I had to have one silly thing that I am thankful for and I picked coffee because without fail it is the one thing that is a constant in my morning. Whether its 6am and I am up before the sun to study for class on a Tuesday or its 10am and I am just getting out of bed on a lazy Saturday, making (or buying!) coffee is the first task of the day! I love how it makes me ready to tackle whatever lies ahead in my day and I am thankful for whoever discovered that running hot water over finely crushed up coffee beans tastes pretty dang good. 

5. YOU

I am thankful that you all as fellow bloggers have invited us into your life and let us laugh (and occasionally cry) with you. Also, its makes it a whole lot more encouraging to work on a post when I have gotten so much good feedback from you all, so I am thankful for that! I have learned so much from all of you and I can't wait to continue to learn more! 

I hope you all have a fantastic day that is filled with loved ones, food and pants with stretchy waistlines. 

Monthly Favorites | October 2014

Whoops, sorry for this being a little late into the month but between the puppy farm post and the Halloween recap post, I thought this one could wait a bit! The month of October was a very exciting, but stressful month for me! #Blogtober14 was a blast, but trying to stay on top of the prompts was hard. But 24 out of 31 isn't bad! Schoolwork has been through the roof, and with finals approaching in a few weeks there is no slowing down (#nursingstudentproblems).
October was also a great month because I saw my family, my best friend, and John! My November schedule is looking to be even more exciting as I have two weekend trips this month, and obviously I am looking forward to a much needed Thanksgiving break. As I a writing this, I am realizing that I won't spend a single weekend in my apartment at JMU in November...guess that means I don't have to clean it! Enough rambling and onto things I have been loving in October!

Beauty

My oily skin is the one thing that I really can't stand about my body...not that I have a great body, but I just try to be confident about myself and not tear myself down with mean comments. However, oily skin deserves all the mean comments. I hate coming home at the end of the day and looking like I have just stepped out of a rain storm (gross and exaggerated but still). I am always looking for powders to control the oil, and this Rimmel Stay Matte translucent powder has helped a bit. I am not sure if I am noticing a difference because I really just want it to work or if it is actually keeping my skin from being Niagara Falls. I apply it with a fluffy powder brush after putting on foundation (or just on its own if not wearing foundation!) and I try to just press it onto my skin. The best thing about it is that it was only $4 from Target so even if it helps a little, its worth it. 

Two beauty favorites this month?? How exciting. As I have written about before, I love Revlon lipsticks. I don't think I can leave a drugstore without one in hand...Lately I have been on the hunt for Revlon's "Black Cherry" lipstick and it is sold out in every store I have tried (I guess its the world telling me I don't need autumnal lips??). So I guess I will just wear "Love That Pink" until I track it down. I find the name of this shade to be quite deceiving because I think it is more of a reddish shade than a pink shade, but no matter what you call it, it is a beautiful color. What I love most about this product is how long it lasts. I put it on around 11am Saturday morning to tailgate, and was still getting compliments on it at 4pm...this doesn't seem like it would be a long time but it still looked freshly applied, which I think is impressive! 

Food

I think the my favorite food for October goes without saying...I still have a lot of candy left so please come and eat it so I won't be forced to. 

Activity

Although this is an odd category, I started it last month in my favorites post and will continue it because I think its fun! An activity that I have really gotten into is making a cup of herbal tea before I go to bed at night and just letting myself wind down while watching Netflix/Youtube or reading your blogs. I never used to be an herbal tea girl...I was strictly an English Breakfast tea drinker in the afternoon, but now I love chamomile and lemon teas at nighttime. I find that it is a great way to relax and it helps to not go from homework mode straight to bed, as this makes me feel like I have no life. Does anyone else do this? 

What are some of your favorites this month?

P.S. Please help me figure out better photography skills...I really try and I don't love the way the pictures come out. Leave links with posts you've written about photography/posts others have written that you found helpful! Or leave tips! Thank you!

Goldens upon goldens

I am writing this post to cheer myself up through pictures of dogs. Now, you might be wondering why I am so sad...#Blogtober14 is now over! Choosing to participate was one of the best decisions I have made for my blog since I started it back in May. I connected with so many amazing bloggers and it taught me so much about blogging!

Some background on todays post: I went to a dog ranch last weekend to play with some golden retrievers! It is a dog breeder that is about 25 minutes away from JMU, so it attracts a lot of students who miss their pups at home (like me!). I was so excited to come here, but nervous too because I knew I wouldn't want to leave without taking one back with me. Also, I was nervous about what kind of conditions the dogs would be living in because we were driving out into a very rural and secluded area (I was scared we would show up at a puppy mill basically). Fortunately, once we got there, I could see that the dogs are treated very well so I wasn't as sad about not being able to take all of them home. 

I was really nervous about this happening...

We got to play with SO many dogs, and even got to take a few for a walk!

I have yet to wipe the dog slobber off my camera so I am off to do that! 

HAPPY NOVEMBER! 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Guys, I am so sad that its the last day of October. I mean, I am happy because it's Halloween and I love Halloween, but I am sad to see #Blogtober14 go. I had so much fun linking up with Helene and Tay! However, I am excited to take my newly learned blogging skills and really run with them!

I thought I would share my plan for my costume for tonight and tomorrow...yes I live in a college town so Halloween started last night and will continue onto Saturday. Tonight, I plan on being half of a skeleton with one side of my body painted with bones and half of a skeleton face. The other half will be just very girly makeup and I will probably curl my hair!
On Saturday, I know I will be tired from tailgating (because its Homecoming weekend too!!) so I have just decided to be a simple vampire...so black on black clothing with scary (ish) makeup.

I am sorry that this is short post today, but I didn't have a lot of time to write as I need to prepare for my apartment to be inundated with alumni who want to pretend like they are still in college for the weekend! I am beyond excited to see them and can't wait to give them the weekend they have been looking forward to!

If you want to see pictures of my costumes, I will most definitely be taking pictures and uploading them to Instagram tonight and tomorrow so click here for my Instagram profile! There will most definitely be a more detailed post about my costumes going up at the beginning of next week so stay tuned for that as well! I can't wait to read about everyone else's Halloween!

HAVE A GREAT HALLOWEEKEND!

What are you dressing up as for Halloween? 

Fall Fashion 2014

Here are some picks from my favorite stores for this fall! 

What are some fall trends that you like? 

Autumn Bucket List | Part 2

In excitement of the first day of fall a few weeks ago, I made an autumn bucket list post! (Click here to read). When I saw today's post was a bucket list, I was actually happy because in the days after my post I just kept thinking of more and more things I was excited to do/see this fall!

Before I begin my list, I want to share my purchases from this indoor farmers market that I discovered in the town over from me yesterday. My roommate and I had a perfect fall afternoon there, going throughout the stalls and obviously trying every free sample of food that was offered. It was the first day that it was actually chilly out and even though it was from a fluke cold front, it made me so excited for that crisp fall air that comes at the end of October/beginning of November here. Although I wanted to take home a lot more, I restrained and bought three things---homemade hot chocolate mix, pumpkin butter, and a chocolate bar. I had planned to not eat anything until I took a picture of it all, but I had a momentary amnesia on the way home and started in on the chocolate bar...

Onto the list! 

-apple cider

-wearing sweaters

-american horror story on wednesday nights

-seeing my best friend when she visits for homecoming

-darker lip colors

-chunky scarves
-go to a live rocky horror picture show

-pumpkin carving/decorating

-making soups/chilis/stews

-hocus pocus/nightmare before christmas on repeat

-caramel apples (making and eating)

-get every fall scented candle i can find

-spooky playlists

-make a halloween costume 

-friendsgiving (a mini-thanksgiving before break for school starts)

-pumpkin flavored everything

-step on every crunchy leaf on my way

-do a haunted house or hayride tour (maybe...)

-dance to thriller every chance i get

-addams family movie marathon

*snap snap*

What are somethings on your autumn bucket list?