THOUGHTS ON THOUGHTFULNESS WITH TINYPRINTS

After spending so much time abroad and then coming home, I started to look at the way I was communicating with my friends and family. Most of the young people in my generation have had the best of both worlds in regards to ways  of communication: we were around for the pre-social media age as well as the rise in social media/technology. Naturally though, many of us have gone with the easier forms of communication like text messages, e-mails, facebook messages, etc. When I was in Costa Rica I realized that I had taken our postal system for granted because down there, there is no formal mailing system and most places don't even have a real address. 

Now that I am home, I have been finding ways to send more hand-written notes to the people I care about. We are so unaccustomed these days to sending and receiving hand-written notes that I was able to really surprise a few friends with some just thinking of you and wanted you to know cards. Their reactions and appreciative words from a simple card really show that thoughtfulness goes a long way. It really shows you that the energy you put into this world is what you often times will get out of it!

I was recently introduced to the website Tiny Prints and wanted to explore their newest designs. I was blown away by the selection of stationary and thank you cards that Tiny Prints has to offer and it was almost too hard to choose. Not to mention, the people at Tiny Prints were so lovely to work with that I cannot say enough good things about this experience. I ended up with the gorgeous personalized stationary cards you can see above as well as matching address labels. I am so excited to start sending out more notes to my friends just because. Tiny Prints was also so gracious to offer me my own personalized notepad so that I can stay on top of everything. Even though it is summer right now, graduate school and life responsibilities never end (thank you, adulthood!). Since I am 100% a lists person, I could not turn down the opportunity of a notepad with my name on it! Not to mention I was able to find one that pretty much matches my blog design perfectly. Meant to be? I think yes.

PRETTY PLACE

Still going back (probably too many weeks now) to Memorial Day weekend, I found one of my new favorite places ever. Pretty Place. We were walking in town one day during the town's festival and I noticed a photograph almost identical to the last one right above here. I thought it was so stunning and something about it just caught my heart off guard. My dad said, oh that's Pretty Place. It turns out, this beautiful little chapel up on a mountain is where my grandmother's ashes were scattered about 20 years ago. My father also told me that it was essentially right now down the road from us. Why I had never been there, I wasn't sure! So we took a trip there and we were able to snap a few pictures of this incredibly beautiful spot. Sometimes I forget that you don't have to travel out of the country or even very far from your home to find some amazing places that you never knew existed.

Last two pictures courtesy of my dad.

BERRY PIE FOR TWO

When I was in North Carolina for Memorial Day Weekend, my family did something that we literally cannot go on vacation without doing: we shopped for pottery. Our favorite spot in NC is Mud Dabbers and this year I stumbled upon the cutest pie pan. I'm not gonna lie .. I wasn't really interested in anything in the store that didn't have some purple in it and I definitely was not in the market for a pie pan. But I saw that this one had some beautiful purple colors in it and it had a little recipe taped to the bottom entitled Berry Pie for Two. A miniature purple pie pan with a recipe for miniature pie? Of course I bought it.

Here's how you make pie for two!

What you need:

What you do:

Place the full sized pie crust in the center of the pie and cut the extra crust off the edges.

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and then put the mixture into the pie pan.

Use the left over pie crust to cover the mixture. I used strips but feel free to cover it any way that you think makes it look the best! Then I placed the small pan on a baking sheet in a cold oven and turned it on to 425. The recipe said to cook for 40 minutes but it only took about 30 before the pie was golden brown so I took it out. I would say just keep an eye on it.

Now I know what you're all thinking ... I don't have a miniature pie pan! You can use the same recipe just use 2.5-3 times the ingredients. You will also need two pie crusts, one for the bottom and one to cover the pie, depending on how you want the design to be. That's really all there is to it!

This was the first pie I've ever made and I'll give myself a little pat on the back because it was delicious. And now it's gone :)

linking up today with Nicole's Treat Yo' Self linkup!

SHERWOOD FOREST

During our stay in North Carolina there was the cutest picnic gathering for Memorial Day. The wooded community that my parents will be living in is called Sherwood Forest and continues the theme throughout the entire community, as you can see with the Robin Hood Barn where the picnic was located. It really is quite cute and made for such a quaint picnic. My brother, his wife, and I only got to spend a few days down there but we already know we can't wait to go back!

NORTH CAROLINA VACATION

A few weeks after the fact but .. for Memorial Day Weekend, my parents, brother, sister-in-law, and I all came together in my parents' new house in North Carolina. When my brother and I were kids, this was our family vacation spot and many years later, my parents decided to purchase a house here! We had so much fun exploring this lake and the forest around it that we had spent hours playing in when we were children. We both decided that everything looked just a little bit smaller now than before ;)

I have many more pictures from these three days of vacation so be prepared for a few more posts with lots of pictures of the North Carolina scenery that I couldn't get enough of.

TIMES SQUARE PROPOSAL...BUT NOT MINE ;)

A few weeks ago, my friends and I took part in helping out with a secret marriage proposal in Times Square for our friend Megan! Her boyfriend had planned out everything and she had no idea. She took her blindfold off to her friends and family holding signs asking will you marry me?? and she said yes! It was so much fun to be a part of it. Afterwards we all went to a restaurant called Osteria Cotta in NYC for drinks and dinner. It was a great day in the city spent celebrating love and friends.

BRIDAL SHOWER

A few weeks ago one of my best friends celebrated her bridal shower. Being that half of the bridal party (me included up until January) is from out of state, it was a little difficult for all of the bridesmaids to get on the same page about planning festivities! But in the end everything came together and we were able to pull off what we thought was a pretty Pinterest worthy bridal shower. My favorite part was a post-it game, where all guests had to write down a memorable (or not so memorable) moment of the bride that she had to read out loud to the group and then try to guess who wrote it. There were some pretty interesting post-it stories that made for a good laugh. The bride handled all the somewhat embarrassing shower games with much grace and poise! Let's hope that when it is one day my turn, such games are out of style ;)

We are now just two months away from the big day where she says I do, but first ... the bachelorette party. In a few short weeks we are going to Nashville to celebrate for the weekend! I'm excited to say I will definitely be documenting that weekend so stay tuned.

finally able to link up with nicole's treat yo'self!

HELLO ALL

As per a few requests, I've decided to revive this little space of mine, at least for the time being. It is summer after all! And I plan on going on as many adventures as possible, so obviously I will need to share them with everyone :) It has been a while since I've shared anything on my blog and I'm not entirely sure in which direction I plan on taking this space but for now I think I will stick to pictures of all my outings during my first full summer back in the states since 2010 .. yikes!

Here's to new beginnings :)

STILL ALIVE IN GRAD SCHOOL

Guess what, guys...I'm already on my third week of grad-school and I'm still alive! Ok so maybe it isn't that bad. Actually, so far it isn't too bad at all but all of those assignment due dates on my calendar will soon prove otherwise. However, after 16 years of school, I've finallly become the most organized ever and I've started my assignments days, even weeks, before they are due. I've got my nice new desk to keep me organized and on track.

Another thing that has kept my spirits up about grad school is that fact that I no longer have to spend hundreds of dollars on buying textbooks. Now I just rent them. CampusBookRentals.com is just one site where you can search for hundreds of textbooks to rent for the semester or whatever kind of flexible rental period you need. Their prices are 40%-90% lower than bookstore prices and believe me, this is a lifesaver. They also offer free shipping both ways and the opportunity to highlight in textbooks, which for me is a must! And for those of you who have already bought your textbooks or even have some unwanted textbooks from college leftover, CampusBookRentals.com has a program called RentBack where you can offer up your textbooks to be rented out! You just send them your books and they get rented out to other students so you don't have to worry about the hassle of shipping all the time. And the best part is, every time your books gets rented, you get paid! You can find more information about this program here.

What about you college students out there, have you ever rented your textbooks before??

A LITTLE LIFE UPDATE

It has officially been two weeks since I got back to the U.S.A. That feeling of oh I'm just here on vacation, I will be going back to Costa Rica soon fades a little bit more each day.

My first week here I spent mainly cleaning out my room, which I will discuss a little bit more in a later post.

Last week I started school with a full schedule of classes. I can tell this semester is going to be assignment heavy but I think I'm ready.

I signed a lease on a new car! I am officially a driver of a little Ford Fiesta and I absolutely love it. It is so nice to finally have my own car that I actually feel safe driving. Let's just say my last car wasn't the most reliable ;)

I was hired as a server at a brand new restaurant in a neighboring town and I start training on Friday. To be honest, I am not 100% thrilled to be a waitress again but it allows me to keep my schedule pretty flexible with school and I'm hoping it brings in the money! Which at this point is all I care about right now.

Finally, one of the biggest things I had to get used to coming back to the U.S.A. is: the weather! 

Hello, cold! If you guys hadn't noticed, most of my last posts from Costa Rica involved warm weather and it has been a sure shock to come back to the Northeast. 

I guess the snow is pretty at least?

RECIPE: PIZZA ROLL PINTEREST SUCCESS

About a week and a half ago, my friend Anna threw me a welcome home party! It was so nice to get most of my friends in one place with lots of yummy food and wine. I wanted to bring an easy and delicious finger food for everyone to enjoy so I found a recipe for pizza rolls on pinterest and got to work!

I've tried and failed at some pinterest recipes before but let me just say that this pizza roll recipe is the easiest appetizer you will ever make. 

What you need:

crescent rolls

mozzarella cheese sticks

pepperoni slices

pizza sauce

What you do:

Open up the crescent rolls on a baking sheet. Place 3-4 slices of pepperoni on the wide side of the crescent roll. Then place half of a cheese stick on top of the pepperoni. Roll up the crescent roll and move on to the next one! That's it. Bake them at 350 for about 12 minutes or until the crescent rolls are golden brown. Some of the cheese may melt out onto the pan, but I just stuffed it back into the roll once they cooled. You can also skip the pepperoni if you are a vegetarian because the plain cheese rolls taste just as good once you dip them into the pizza sauce!

Have you ever made these rolls or had a successful pinterest recipe??

TODAY IS THE DAY

It's here. Today is the day. I'm currently on an airplane on my way to New Jersey. My time in Costa Rica is over (for now) and I'm on my way to starting a new chapter in my life. For months I have been looking forward to and dreading this day at the same time. I am so excited to begin studying again and to be close to my family and friends for longer than a few weeks for the first time in almost 4 years! Of course on the other hand, I am leaving my love and best friend so that he can finish studying, himself. But luckily, Paris has been nothing but understanding and supportive and we are both ready for this next challenge in our relationship. So here we go, people! With this new transition in my life, will most likely come some new things for this blog. I mean, no pictures of volcanoes and tropical beach trips! But look forward to some new posts on healthy living and yummy food recipes.

See you soon!