2016 Planner Overview

In an attempt to be more on top of things this year, I decided to invest in a nice planner. I ordered this one from Mossery on Etsy and although I haven't really started to use it, I love it so far! I thought it would be helpful to give y'all my first impression of this planner and I included plenty of pictures if you ever want to scoop on up for yourself!

One complaint that I have so far is that all of the monthly spreads are grouped together at the front of the planner instead of being in front of the weekly spreads for that month. On the other hand, it's good for planing out big picture things and it's nice being able to easily flip between month to month to see what's going on.

You are able to choose from 5 different options how you want your planner to be organized. I chose the vertical weekly spreads and I'm really liking it so far! I like how it has the hours on the side which makes it easy to write in my schedule and plan my days out. Also on the bottom there's a checklist and spot to write quick notes.

I'm crossing my fingers that I keep up with this for the whole semester. I'm trying to be on top of everything this year and I think this is really going to help. If y'all would like a more in-depth over view of how I use my planner once I get a system going, let me know!

2015: A Year in Review

HAPPY NEW YEAR FRIENDS! I hope y'all had a smashing time ringing in the new year! I've never been the one to do much for the New Year, but I did really enjoy putting together this post and reflecting on 2015. So much has happened and so much as changed and I'm just really grateful to be where I'm at now. I always make sure to remember that not everyone made it to today and any day that I am here, living and breathing, surrounded by people who I love and who love me, I should be grateful. I'm grateful for making it out of 2015 and I'm even more grateful to be facing 2016!

LIFE

Big things happened this year. I graduated high school and said goodbye to my school of 13 years, moved out of my childhood home, oh and then I moved to NEW YORK CITY. So crazy. I honestly don’t know how this is my life. I think it weird how quickly and easily we can adapt to these huge and massive changes in our lives. I remember that I almost passed out at the airport in Nashville when I was moving to New York because I was so anxious that I couldn’t eat and I hadn’t been eating much the days leading up to my move. I actually had to force myself to get something to eat at the airport and even then I could only manage a few bites, that’s how nervous I was. And now, just a few months later I’m going about my day walking around new york doing my own thing without batting an eye. I admire how I was able to sum up the courage to take on the craziness that is New York, but when you’re truely meant to be somewhere, you just find a way to suck it up and make it happen.

ACADEMIC

 Y’all. College is hard. In retrospect, it really wasn’t that bad, but I’m not taking classes I love yet so it was hard to get jazzed about going to class and doing my work. One thing that I do think is surprising is how much I loved my english class. Majority of the schools at NYU require that you take a class called Writing The Essay and it seemed from my research and questioning of upper classmen that that was the worst class ever created. It also didn’t help that I had never really been a fan of english ever, so I didn’t have very high expectations. I got lucky and had an awesome professor and some pretty cool classmates (there were only 14 people in my class) so that made the experience that much smoother. I also wrote some of my best essays in that class and throrughly enjoyed what I was writing about which is how I feel all writing classes should make you feel. I also had a mini crisis when I came back from thanksgiving break about what I want to major in and do with my life. I haven't officially declared my major yet, but at the moment I am pursuing marketing but am constantly considering transferring to NYU's school of individualized study to do fashion marketing and interior design. I don't think I can really make a decision after only one semester, but that's something that I really have to think about as the year moves forward.

SOCIAL

One of my biggest fears about going to college was that I wouldn’t make friends. I grew up with most of my friends from school and I’ve never been in such a large environment before and to top it all off I struggle to relate to people my age because I basically act like I’m 45 years old. I get along well with my roommates which is great, I have a few friends who live in my dorm, made a few friends in my classes and the business school, and I got a little friend group going on. I really don’t think I’ve had this many friends in my life if I’m being honest. I’m grateful for all the friends I’ve made so far but if I’m being 100% honest, which is what I strive to be here on the blog, I don’t think I’ve truely found my group yet, which is a little bit dissapointing when I look around and see so many people with really solid friendships, but that’s kinda expected from me. Sometimes I’m just so focused on my own thing that it takes a lot for me to be focused on another person. I’m just really picky when it comes to people which sounds totally selfish and shallow but I think you’re allowed to be picky when it comes to who you want to surround yourself with and who you want to be able to depend on. Either way I still have plenty of time to meet new people and grow relationships.

STYLE

 I feel like this year was the year I really started to refine my style. It didn’t change much, I don’t think but I got pickier about the items I bought and where I shop, I found some new pieces and styles that feel like me and are quickly becoming staples in my wardrobe and my proudest moment of all I think I’m one step closer to reaching J.Crew model status, my ultimate goal in life. I’m hoping that in 2016 I can edit my wardrobe to be filled more with things I love rather than things I tolerate and that I have the patience and motivation to save up for a few big ticket items that I think would be valuable in my closet (hello regent blazer!).

Hopefully 2015 was a grand ol time for you! I'd love to hear how your year went in the comments below!

Graduation.

YOU GUYS.

I did the thing! Last Friday I walked the stage and said goodbye to my high school years. I've been counting down since the beginning of the school year, but once the last day of school rolled around, I wasn't ready to say goodbye. 

I've mentioned it once or twice, but I went to a small charter school and I went there from kindergarten all the way to senior year. That's thirteen years y'all. THIRTEEN. With a graduating class on 55, with many who I've grown up with, saying goodbye was one of the hardest things I've ever done. The last day of school was spent with excessive amounts of tears running down my face. We were all sobbing and holding each other and because I am the worst with feelings I spent what seems like forever walking around all my old classrooms, clutching my box of tissues saying repeatedly "I'm so sad. I don't want it to end."

But enough with my sob story, graduation day was met with butterflies in my stomach and plenty of excitement– okay and maybe a tear or two. From buying my dress the day before and rushing to straighten my hair only to have it poof up in the humidity, to zipping up my gown and fixing my cap, the entire day felt so surreal. But alas, graduation was really real and I'm excited to see what happens next in my life. I'm thankful for all you wonderful people who were willing to follow me through this weird, and confusing phase of life and I hope you'll stick around as I go through an even weirder and more confusing phase of life.

Some cuddles and tears with a friend for thirteen years.

I was super lucky to get a small scholarship that my school offers! This is hopeful the first of many

Me and my best friend graduated the same day! I've know her my entire life and this fall we're getting ready to start our lives on opposite coasts. She'll be going to UCLA for her master's and I'll be at NYU.

My K-1 teacher came for my graduation and I was so thrilled to see her after all these years!

My 2-3 teacher also came and she is so precious and adorable.

My kicksky-wicksy partner in crime who is leaving me in a few weeks *insert crying emoji*

tight hug+a smooshed nose

Senior Struggles

You know what's really awesome? Being a senior.
You know what's hella stressful? Being a senior.

I knew that senior year was gonna be stressful, but I didn't think that I'd be so overwhelmed as I am now. I'm in the process of doing my applications and there is just so much to be done. I have to write all my essays (and I really hate writing), search and apply for as many scholarships as I can (turns out my expensive taste apply to clothes and colleges, go figure), and request letters of recommendation, all while trying to keep my grades up, attempt to move up a ranking, possibly socialize and do typical senior stuff, try to post somewhat consistently on my blog, look for a job, learn how to drive, and you know, eat sleep and breathe.

I've been so over high school since sophomore year and i can not tell you home many hours i have spent researching various schools and programs, stalking tags on tumblr to get insight to student life, going to college information sessions, constantly comparing my SAT scores and extracurriculars to others to see my chances of getting into one of my top choices. I have built up this idea that getting into college would be easy, but now that i am staring it in the face, i have never been so worried. My SAT scores a good, but not good enough, I don't do enough things outside of school, I should have stayed in Key Club and Girl Scouts, my blog doesn't have enough readers for colleges to think my blog is impressive, my parents make enough to prevent me from getting an hefty financial aid package, but not enough for me to not have to worry about paying for an expensive private school tuition. I'm in the top 7.27% of my class so I don't have automatic admission to the University of Texas which accepts the top 7% of students from schools in Texas. My safety school just became less safe and all the other places I'm applying to are highly competitive.

My parents didn't go to college in the states, it's been about 8 years since my brother applied to college, our school counselor can only do so much, and almost all my friends are applying to places in Texas like UNT, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, etc. which is great! And I'm really excited for them, but it also means that they don't have to worry about the common app, or out of state tuition (which doesn't matter in my case because all the schools I like are private anyways), and most of those schools aren't highly competitive. It's strange because although we're all dealing with college applications, I feel kinda alone in this process. Of course, I have my family and school advisors to help me with this process, but they're not going through this process or experiencing what i'm experiencing.


So as I cry hyperventilate finish my applications in the next few months, send some good thoughts my way. Ya girl just wants to get into a good college.

A Tirade against College Letters

*fun fact: i spent at least 5 minutes finding an antonym for the word 'ode', just letting you know

One of the reasons I'm excited for college is so that I can finally stop being bombarded with letters and emails from colleges. I understand that this is a problem that not every high school student deals with, and I am grateful that for some reason colleges deem me worthy of their flyers, brochures, and emails, but it's so annoying. Now, if these colleges were throwing money and scholarships at me, I'd be over the moon, trust me.

I can not tell you how many letters I've gotten asking me to confirm my information so a college can send me "(insert number here) tips to surviving (high school/ college/ the college application process)" or the amount of emails telling me to come visit their campus in The Middle of Nowhere, USA. The worst ones are the emails with the subject line "Are You There, Toyosi?" or "Toyosi, is This Your Correct Email?" Those ones are moved to trash ASAP. Yes University of (insert city here), you have the right email, I chose to not respond to you because I had no interest, and guess what? I STILL HAVE NO INTEREST. Considering that these people are trying to further my education, they really don't know how to market to prospective students like me.

With awesome resources like the Collegeboard, it's a whole lot easier to define what you're looking for, and find schools that match your criteria. Obviously, a large chunk of high school students don't know what they're looking for, but in my opinion bombarding them with flyers and brochures doesn't necessarily help, it only adds more confusion. I've spent a lot of time researching schools and programs via, the Collegeboard, Tumblr (I religiously stalk the NYU tag), and the actual school's website. I have learned more from the internet and college information sessions than all these little flyers and booklets, even the super thick ones from Yale and Columbia.

I know everyone has different preferences on how information is presented to them. Personally, if a brochure isn't aesthetically pleasing, I probably won't look into that school. If they have too many words, and not enough pictures (I'm looking at you, Yale) I doubt that i'll read more than two sentences.

If you're coming to have an info session nearby, feel free to tell me about it. You have an awesome business program? Tell me all about it. I requested information? Well, you better be sending me stuff. Don't fit any of that criteria? Well don't bother sending me anything.

I really don't know why I wrote this. This post has no point. I'm really congested. Don't mind me.

 So good they had to send it twice? On the bright side, they have a lot of cool artwork in them, I could probably make another banner!

 These things are the size of actual books. I'm only holding on to these because it feels weird to throw out an entire book. Also worth noting,  I don't even make time to read books for pleasure, so what makes you think I'll read a book all about a school I don't plan on applying to? They should really  post summaries on spark notes.

Williams College wins hands down on the best college brochure I've ever seen. This thing is a design masterpiece; their website, however, needs some work.

*end rant*

*drops mic*

new york. [thoughts+pictures]

All photos taken and edited by me.

Words can not express how much I miss New York. I spent a week there in June for my cousins wedding, and I fell in love all over again. 

I know it's so cliche to say "I love New York!", but I do, I really really do love that city. I've mentioned it a few times here on the blog, but my dream school is NYU (go Bobcats!) and I would do almost anything to be able to go. 

I can't even count the number of times I've stayed up till 5AM taking mental notes about what I would pack if I moved there, or what I would need to buy to survive the cold. I've found countless blogs about college living, and even some about attending NYU, and at least once a week, I spend time on forever21.com adding items to my cart that would be perfect for wearing to class and staying warm in the northeastern winters. 

I love Austin with all my heart, but Austin is Austin and New York is New York, and those are two totally different things. So until I send off my application to NYU and other schools on the east coast, I'll use this time to explore my city, take in the sights, food and people and love it as much as I can. 💛