July 6, 2018
Ever find yourself overwhelmed with a bag full of clutter? I know I sure do! I ranked the top 10 most important things for me to keep in my work or school bag! Check out the video below!
What’s in your bag?
When life hands you lemons, share them on social media.
July 5, 2018
In my very short 21 years on this Earth I feel like I’ve learned some very important lessons. When it comes to not know what to do in a certain situation or how to react to certain things it gets a little tricky. These are my tips.
Smile and Wave:
Instead of getting involved with the current gossip or creating tension in the work place or with friends the best thing to do is smile and wave. Be friends with everyone from a distance and know who your real friends are. Those friends you find are the ones you can confine in but don’t open up to easily to others. Keep your dirt to yourself.
Keep Your Mouth Shut:
If you have nothing nice to say then don’t say anything at all. Keeping your mouth shut in most situations is the best choice.
Stay in Your Lane:
Keep your nose to the ground and stay in your lane. If you spend your time focusing on what everyone else is doing then you’re not going to make any progress on yourself.
What life lessons have you learned?
When life hands you lemons, share them on social media.
July 4, 2018
With today being the 4th of July I figured I’d post about the real struggles of balancing work and play and how I handle those things. It can be a real challenge at times and it seems like no matter what I always find myself uneven whether it be that I’m too over loaded with work or that I’m to overloaded with fun. Though I do attempt to balance myself out with different tactics.
A tactic I try but for the most part fail at is to spend only one weekend night out having fun and use the other day/night as a way to catch myself up on work that I either have from the week prior or will have in the week ahead. This not only helps me balance my life out a little bit but also is a great way to save money. When I go out on the weekends I tend to find myself spending way more money than necessary.
Another tactic of my is that I allow myself on night a week to go get a drink with friends. For me this day seems to fall on a Wednesday in the middle of the week after I attend my public relations club meeting. It’s a nice way to break up the week and unwind after one of my longest days.
How do you balance work and play?
When life hands you lemons, share them on social media.
July 3, 2018
Being a poor college kid is a common trend with my blogs, and as a poor college kid it’s always hard to splurge when you’re not sure if it’s really worth it or not. I always find myself wondering if I’m wasting my money on things. It’s challenging at times when it seems like you can always find something so similar to what you’re looking for at a cheaper price. These are two things I think you should go big or go home with and spend the money on.
Number One: MacBook
When I was coming to college I knew I needed to get myself a nice laptop, but I wasn’t sure which brand to choose. As someone who has both an Apple phone and an Apple watch I figured it would be worth it to get an Apple computer as well. Let me tell you. Spending the extra money on my MacBook was more than worth it. This is my fourth year with the same computer and it’s still in great condition. I have no complaints and I love the way that everything connects.
Number Two: Apartments
My sophomore year at college all I thought about was saving money so when it came to apartment shopping my friends and I found an apartment that I can now say I regret every living in. It was so far from campus and it was completely disgusting. Our landlord was absent for most of the time and the only good thing about it was that is extremely low in price. I found myself in such a funk while living there. I didn’t have a car at school during this time so I felt trapped in such a horrible place. After living there we all finally realized how important it was to live somewhere that actually felt like home. This past year, our junior year at school we chose a bit more expensive apartment closer to campus with an amazing landlord, so amazing that we rented it out for another year. It finally feels like a home. I’m much more motivated in this apartment than I ever was before. To me it is worth it 100% to splurge a little bit on an apartment while living at college.
What do you splurge on?
When life hands you lemons, share them on social media.
July 2, 2018
Restrictive diets are THE WORST. Having a restricted diet is even worse when you’re in college. I’m a gluten free vegetarian so my diet is pretty much the worst. Learning to deal with it at school was by far the hardest thing for me, so how do I do it?
The main thing that I learned was that I have no reason to be sorry for my allergies. I used to feel so bad when I would order a sandwich with gluten-free bread and I would always apologize to the workers. After a while and after I continually received an attitude from the employees, I no longer feel sorry. It’s their job to make my sandwich and I can’t help that I’m allergic to gluten. I didn’t choose to make things harder on them.
The second thing I learned was that salads are my best friend. They’re the safest bet to avoiding a terrible gluten reaction and they’re delicious.
Meal plans aren’t the best thing for dietary restricted people, well at least at IUP they aren’t. There are very little options so instead of wasting your money on a meal plan that isn’t worth it just try and learn to make things at home for yourself. Pack a snack with you throughout the day and if you really want a meal plan get the smallest one.
Do you have any dietary restrictions? What do you do?
When life hands you lemons, share them on social media.
July 1, 2018
Looking for a guy can be a challenge but no it’s getting more serious now that I’m getting older. Luckily I’ve found my guy and have someone that fits perfectly into my life. So what should you be looking for in man?
Hardworking and Driven:
When you’re looking for a guy you want to make sure you can both live a happy life together. One of the main things I look for is his drive and ambition. It’s important to find someone that you know you can have a successful future with. In high school or at the beginning of college these things never even crossed my mind but now that I’m graduating in a year I’ve thankfully hit the jackpot and found my boyfriend, Jonah that has these traits.
Loving and Someone You Enjoy Spending Time With:
It’s so important to not only love the person you’re with but to also like them. I feel like your boyfriend should also be your best friends and be someone that you want to be around. I love having someone that feels the same way about me and most importantly shows it. I love knowing that I’m so loved.
Similar Goals and Aspirations:
In a year I graduate college and Jonah and I have to decided what we want to do with our lives and where we want to move. It’s so important to feel comfortable in your relationship so that you can talk about your future goals. It’s sad to say but if I wanted to move to Alaska and Jonah wanted to move to Texas I’m sure that things wouldn’t work out. We’ve taken time and sat down to talk about what we want in the years to come and in even further in the future. Knowing that down the line we both want the same things out of life.
What do you look for in a man?
When life hands you lemons, share them on social media.
June 28, 2018
I find myself obsessing over the silliest things and each much they seem to change. I feel like this is pretty common with a lot of people as trends and moods changed based on so many different factors. I obsessions often last a short amount of time because I tend to get sick of things pretty fast. So what were my monthly obsessions you ask? Well I’ll let you know!
Number One: La Croix
So I’m pretty much addicted to La Croix and I can’t get enough of it. My favorite flavor of this sparkling water is Pamplemousse which is french for grapefruit! It’s seriously the best and I don’t feel guilty while drinking it. La Croix is a 100% natural, calorie-free, sodium free, sugar free drink with no artificial sweeteners. The best thing about La Croix is that even though it’s not just straight up water, it’s still hydrating.
Number Two: Skin Care
Two Words: Skin Care! I legitimately can not stop messing with my face. From getting facials to home remedies I swear I’ve tried it all this month. I feel like from the amount of things I’ve been trying and the amount of time I’ve spent touching my face it may just be making my skin worse but hey I feel fancy trying so many things. One of my FAVORITE things that I’ll use on my face is a Tinkle Razor. After doing research I found out that a new trend of skin care is dermaplaning your face. Dermaplaning is when your get dead skin and your peach fuzz razored off your face. This makes your skin much softer and allows your makeup to lay perfectly on it. This treatment can cost a bunch of money at a salon so I found a cheaper way of doing this. The Tinkle Razor is a super cheap razor that I just order off of amazon and use on my face and let me tell you it’s so satisfying. Who knew I had so much hair on my face? When you dermaplane it just comes right off.
These two obsession may not be going away for a while because they’re both the best! Try them out and let me know what you think?
What’s your monthly obsession?
When life hands you lemons, share them on social media.
June 27, 2018
Politics are always a tricky topic especially in the work place. So what’s the best thing to do when to do when politics are brought up at work?
For me it’s always a challenge to keep my mouth shut when politics are brought up but that’s ultimately the best thing to do. If you feel like you need to talk politics then take a step back and listen in while others are talking for a while until you find some who has similar political views as you do. That way you know it’s safe to talk politics with that person.
Being a mediator is always a good thing as well. Never let your political stance known so when others are in a heated argument you can be the neutralizer. This gives you an opportunity to show your peers and employers that you can calm the storm. It’s a smart tactic to make yourself look better in a tough situation.
How do you deal with tough political conversations?
When life hands you lemons, share them on social media.
June 26, 2018
After a long day it’s almost hard to calm down. I often find myself struggling to fall asleep at the end of a long day. It’s hard to relax after a stressful day. How do you create a calm after the storm?
One thing that I do when I’m stressed out is think about the things that I’m thankful for. There are so many people out there that have it way worse than I do so why do I get myself down over such simple things? This is something that only works sometimes. Other times it just sends me on a downward spiral.
When this tactic doesn’t work I usually try and meditate or just focus on my breathing. This is the best thing to clear my mind. Instead of overwhelming myself with thoughts or stressing about things I have to do the next day, I just focus on something else.
A cup of sleepy tea is always the answer. Tea always seems to soothe me. Along with a relaxing movie or a comforting TV show, like Friends!
These are just a few things I do to relax myself. What do you do?
When life hands you lemons, share them on social media.
June 25, 2018
It’s hard to want to educate yourself in other ways while you’re constantly stuck in college courses. Though I’m a strong believer that it’s extremely important to do just that. So how do I fight the urge of laziness and educate myself further?
For me, I don’t care if it’s just reading a book or researching a topic when you’re curious about it. I feel like it’s so important to just constantly keep learning and stimulating your mind. College can be draining especially when you’re in a course that you seem to find irrelevant to your life.
The simplest way that I think you could educate yourself is by unwinding at the end of the day with an education documentary. That way you’re watching TV and relaxing but at the same time you’re learning something you probably would not have known.
A similar scenario is listening to educational podcasts or the news while you’re getting ready for you day in the morning. This is on of my favorite things to do as it keeps me awake and really prepares me for the day. There are so many podcasts out there that I’m sure you’ll be able to find one that fits right for you.
An easy way of educating yourself daily is doing a word of the day system. There are apps you can download on your phone or email threads that will provide you with a new word each day. I like to do this and each day try and use that word at least once. I find that it broadens my vocabulary while creating a competitive challenge with myself.
Lastly a tactic as old as time, reading. This is one that I constantly find myself struggling with. It’s hard to have a desire to read after you just read three chapters of your course work book. Though this may be the most beneficial one so I try and suck it up and just read at least one chapter of a book each evening before bed. This relaxes me and practically puts me right to sleep.
How do you fight laziness and further educate yourself?
When life hands you lemons, share them on social media.
June 22, 2018
College is a rough time financially for a lot of people. I am one of those people. Though these times can be tough I don’t let my current financial issues dim my dreams for the future. For me those dreams include tons of traveling, so I figured I’d share my tops three dream travel spots with you all.
Number One: Mykonos, Greece
If you’ve ever seen pictures of Greece you probably already know why this is number one on my list. It’s freaking stunning (well at least from what I’ve seen of pictures). From the research I’ve done it seems like a prime place to be, especially in the summer. It’s a perfect place for partying as the island has massive bars that DJ’s from all over the world travel to. Though the partying seems like fun the island has even more to offer with historic features. For example the island has a row of 16th century windmill lined up high upon a hill.
Number Two: Hong Kong
A vibrant city that I’m sure would bring an experience into my life like none other I have ever had. The Chinese culture has always been so interesting to me, so if I plan to visit I want to do it the right way. I’m so intrigued by their culture and way of living and truly believe I will not fully understand it until I go there to visit. It’s such an interesting highly populated area with a skyline that cannot fully be appreciated until seen in person.
Number Three: Thailand
A friendly place with tropical beaches and delicious food. A place I’m dying to go. There are so many interesting temples are ruins to visit that I’d love to see.
Clearly I don’t know exactly what these places are like since I’ve never been there and my list of travels could go on and on but I’ll limit it to these three. Set some travel goals for yourself and don’t limit yourself.
Where do you want to travel to in your life time?
When life hands you lemons, share them on social media.
June 21, 2018
I may have watched too many scary movies or episodes of Criminal Minds but I’ve always felt on edge while alone in certain places. One place I constantly find myself worrying is at night if I’m walking through campus. I know I’m not alone in this fear so how does one stay safe on their college campus?
The buddy system:
The buddy system is something we’ve been told about our entire life. Whether it be on a elementary school field trip or when walking home from a bar at night, it’s always smart to use the buddy system. There’s safety in numbers so what I always try to do is if I plan to spend a late night at the library I ask around to see if any friends want to join along. I immediately feel safer if there’s someone with me.
Pepper Spray:
Something as simple as holding can of pepper spray while walking home could easily deter an attacker. Make it down you have it and keep it in your hands while walking.
Be Alert:
Something I’ve always done is make it known that I’m paying attention. If someone is walking past me on the street I make sure to look them in the eyes. That way if that person is planning to turn around and attempt to attack you they know that you know exactly what their face looks like. Just this simple step could prevent an attacker from picking you as a victim.
Limit Cellphone Use:
Don’t make yourself an easy target by keeping your head down focused on your phone but at the same time make it be known that you have a phone on you. I like to keep mine out just in case I need to quickly call 911. There are many apps that you can download on your phone to keep you safe. Each app functions a little bit differently but are all commonly used to keep your family and friends in the loop with your location or if you have any issues or concerns. Some of theses apps link directly to a 911 operator so if you feel unsafe or begin to get attacked you can quickly send your location and your needs to a 911 operator that will send help to you. These apps are Companion, Circle of 6, Send Help, bSafe and Drunk Mode.
How do you stay safe while on your own?
When life hands you lemons, share them on social media.
June 20, 2018
Goals are always important to have but more importantly you must hold yourself accountable for them. For me I find myself making goals and forgetting them a weak later. The solutions to this problem is pretty simple.
The most important thing is to speak your goals out loud. Tell them to someone you love so they can keep you accountable too. Also just hearing them out loud and learning someone else’s viewpoint on them let’s you know if they’re attainable. I often find myself creating unrealistic goals that need taken down a notch.
The second thing that I do is write them down. Write them on a sticky note and put it somewhere you’ll see everyday. That way you’ll never forgot the goal and you’ll probably get sick of seeing the sticky note that you’ll actually go out and do it.
Lastly the most important thing to do when trying to achieve something is believe in yourself. I know that sounds corny but if you don’t think you can do something then you’re never going to do it.
How do you achieve your goals?
When life hands you lemons, share them on social media.
June 19, 2018
Ever find yourself with a to do list pages long but with zero motivation to get anything done? Well I do. In fact I’m currently feeling this. With two summer internships, a summer class and the constant struggles of healthy eating, working out, healthy skin, tan skin etc I feel like I’m losing my mind. Instead of putting together a list of my advice or tips, I’m writing today’s post to show that no one is perfect…not that you ever thought I was.
Everyone, literally everyone struggles with different issues. No one lives a perfect life so why do we constantly feel the pressure to? I sure know that I never want to admit my weaknesses to others. You know the strong female character in movies and television shows that never cries and never backs down? Well that’s the standard that I hold myself up to. I hate to admit my flaws. I hate to admit my skin is not perfectly bronzed or perfectly clear and my teeth aren’t so white they could blind you. I hate to admit that I sometimes get depressed and don’t feel like getting out of bed, and I HATE to admit that I’m not always right. Today I’m here to say that my appearance nor my mental state are always perfect and that is OKAY. And I’m here to ask the question, how do you fight through lack of motivation? I need the answer to that right now as I find myself falling asleep in my internship cubicle.
P.S send caffeine!!
In honor of my blog today here’s a picture of me. A picture with no makeup, no spray tan, no filter and no photoshop. Just simply a picture of ME.
When life hands you lemons, share them on social media.
June 18, 2018
As life changes so does your wardrobe. When transitioning into the work place I found myself struggling to find clothes that are both stylish and business attire. I’ve put a list together of my three favorite places to shop for these clothes.
Number One: Express
Express is my all time favorite store to shop at for business clothes. Though it is on the pricey side you can commonly find coupon codes online to help cut the price down a little bit. The expensive cost comes with a great quality of clothes.
Number Two: Gap
If you’re looking for a cheaper option then Gap is the place for you. The cheaper price gives you the option to have more. Having options to choose from allows you to have fun with your outfits at work. When I shop from Gap I tend to splurge on the fun colorful pants rather than the usual black suit pants I would buy from somewhere like Express.
Number Three: Zara
Zara is an extremely trendy clothing company that’ll keep you on top of all the fashion trends. I love Zara for many reasons but number one reason being the various styles they have. Business attire can get boring though Zara clothing adds a stylish twist.
Where’s your favorite place to shop?
When life hands you lemons, share them on social media.
June 15, 2018
Sometimes a long drive can work can just get boring. So, boring I almost find myself falling asleep. My favorite way to kill time is by listening to podcasts. I’ve listened to a bunch of different podcasts but I’ve compiled a list of my top three favorites.
Number One: The LadyGang
The LadyGang is by far my favorite podcast I’ve ever listened to. If you like humor mixed with a little realness this is for you. Keltie Knight, Becca Tobin and Jac Vanek are three ladies that live in Hollywood working their way through stardom. They’re hilarious and bring guests in to talk about real stuff.
Number Two: True Crime Garage
True crime and chill? I’m obsessed with true crime and this podcast is the best for it. Nic and The Captain are two men just chillin and drinking beer talking about true crime. They do extensive research about each case and really take you through the craziness of these murders, robberies, etc.
https://www.truecrimegarage.com/
Number Three: Stuff You Should Know
Stuff You Should Know is a podcast about the most random things. The episodes range from famous murders to how tsunamis work. Sometimes it’s hard to choose a podcast when you don’t know what you’re in the mood for Josh and Chuck are there to help. They fill your mind with random trivia facts or things about history that you should probably know about.
https://www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/
What’s your favorite way to kill time on a long drive?
When life hands you lemons, share them on social media.
June 14, 2018
Sick of being a poor college student? Yeah, well same.
High school doesn’t teach you enough about the “real world” and being a poor college student doesn’t just end when you graduate. So what’s the best way to budget and save?
I have a few tips and tricks of my own.
Number One: Never buy new textbooks.
Buying new textbooks is a waste of money. There are so many different ways to buy used textbooks like https://www.amazon.com/ or http://www.chegg.com/ . These website are extremely helpful and give you the opportunity to buy or rent used or even new books if you wish at a much cheaper price than the a college bookstore.
Number Two: Resist temptations of ordering food.
Living in a college town creates so many temptations. Food companies deliver with no fees and restaurants stay open late, it’s a perfect world. Though not so perfect for your bank account. It’s so convenient to order food after a long night of studying but don’t fall for it. I only allow myself to order food once a week as a special treat.
Number Three: Two words. FREE FOOD!
Universities often hold events with free food and everyone knows that the best food is free food. Instead of acting too cool to attend school sponsored events take advantage of the free food and fun that comes along with it.
Number Four: Limit your use of credit cards.
Building credit is very important. Though you have to watch yourself when using credit cards. It is easy to dig yourself a deeper hole when it comes to debt. I only allow myself to have one credit card with a very low spending limit. When I use my credit card to pay for something I make sure that I have enough money set aside to pay it off. That way I can build my credit without putting myself at risk for debt.
Number Five: Get a job.
Step out of your comfort zone and apply for a part-time job. It’s important to build a work ethic and make some extra cash. That way you can splurge on the take out food or the drink at the bar. It took me until my junior year to get a part-time job at work because no one else had a job. So in my mind, why did I need to get one? No one is too good for a part-time job.
What’re your tips and tricks?
When life hands you lemons, share them on social media.
June 13, 2018
“Some people come into our lives and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never the same.” – Flavia Weedn.
A quote that relates to my life, especially at this moment. Late teens and early twenties are hard for many reason. One of them being that everyone seems to be traveling in different directions. Most of us have gone or will go to different colleges than our friend or family, but then you come home for winter break and summer so things aren’t so hard. Now I’m at the age where people are moving for jobs, permeant jobs. My older sister, Ruby, just left this morning and moved from our childhood home in Pennsylvania to Florida. How do you deal with the emptiness of your best friend moving?
For me this is a complicated thing. I knew I was planning on moving in a year or so once I graduate college but I never expected her to move before me. It’s hard to think of the things that will change but I need to look at things through a different lens.
Today begins an adventure for Ruby. An adventure she’s been waiting her whole life for. No more snow or stupid high school bullies to run into at the grocery store. Ruby gets to start fresh. Though I want to be mad at her for leaving or cry my eyes out and tell her not to go, I can’t do that.
You have to be happy for the ones you love.
Today it’s so easy to keep in touch with video chats and social media it’ll feel like Ruby is right next door.
I’m sure many of you have gone through or are going through the same thing. If you haven’t yet then I’m sure you will. It’ll suck and you’ll cry but perspective is key.
Here’s my sister and I at her going away party. How have you coped with the sadness?
When life hands you lemons, share them on social media.
June 12, 2018
Ever find yourself lost while staring at your phone screen full of useless apps? Well this is the blog for you. I’ll be sharing my top five favorite apps to use for a professional millennial.
App Number One: LinkedIn
LinkedIn is number one on my list for many reasons. LinkedIn is a social networking site that is designed to bring together the community and businesses.
This site gives employees and employers an opportunity to get to know more about each other. As a student this site has been extremely helpful to me. It gives me an outlet to show my achievements in school and work without sounding like I’m bragging because everyone else is doing it too. Networking is so important and this app allows me to do it at anytime at the convenience of my phone.
App Number Two: Canva
I often have to create logos or social media content for different assignments I’m working on or for clubs that I’m in. Sometimes time is of the essence and you don’t always have access to 
Adobe Indesign. Canva is a free graphic design website and is always there for me when I’m in a pinch. It allows you to edit or create designs and logos in just minutes.
App Number Three: Starbucks
Everyone needs their fill of caffeine and it just so happens that everyone needs it right around the
same time. As a full-time student with two part-time jobs my time is pretty important to me so I hate waiting in long lines. The Starbucks app allows you to order you drink or snack ahead of time, and you know what that means? No waiting in long lines. This app has been a life saver of mine.
App Number Four: Drive
When working on a group project or even a solo one it is extremely important to always have access to the document you’re working on. So many times I’ve had writers block while writing 
a paper or working on a group assignment and when I was away from my computer I finally would come up with what I needed. I started doing all my school work in Google Documents not only so I can have access to it whenever I want but also because I’ve lost too many papers because I forgot to hit save. Google automatically saves your work for you so I never have to worry about that again.
App Number Five: Venmo
As a member of IUP’s PRSSA Chapter fundraising takes up a lot of my time. Whether I’m selling candy bars in my class building or selling t-shirts for my chapter it seems like students never have cash on them. The worst thing to do is let a sale go by so my chapter has opened 
up a Venmo account. Venmo is a free app that allows you to make payments without the hassle of having to takeout money or write a check. It’s a safe way of making payments when you have no money on you and can be the perfect thing for a hardworking millennial.
Here’s what my phone looks like! Show me yours! What apps do you love?
When life hands you lemons, share them on social media.
June 11, 2018
“It’s okay, not everyone knows what they want to do.” A dreaded phrase young adults hate to hear. A phrase that makes you realize you really don’t know what your future holds. This can make someone feel unworthy or helpless, but it’s not the end of the world. So, here’s a letter to my old self.
Dear Little Lily,
It’s 2015 and you’re graduating high school. You have average grades and no freaking clue what you want to do with your life. “It’s okay, not everyone knows what they want to do.” A common phrase you’ll continue to hear but fail to believe it. All your friends know exactly what they want to do, they have their majors picked out and found the perfect schools for them. Meanwhile, you settled for Indiana University of Pennsylvania and are going in as a major in undecided business. You’ll ask yourself a million times what does that even mean and why am I wasting my money? Don’t worry Lily this confusion doesn’t last too long.
By the second semester you’ve changed your major and even added a second major on. Two degrees, one in hospitality management and one in marketing, these sound fun, don’t they? You were determined this was your path. You applied for an internship at Walt Disney World, the perfect place for a hospitality management major, and guess what you got the job! You took your fall semester of your sophomore year off and went to work for Disney, what a great idea. Well that is until you realized this wasn’t the path for you. Back to the beginning. “It’s okay, not everyone knows what they want to do.” You changed your major and headed back to IUP. This time as a journalism and public relations major, and guess what? You love it.
Though not knowing what you want to do can seem like the end of the world, it’s not. It gives you the opportunity to learn more and live life on your own terms. Not knowing what you want to do gives you the power to explore all the options this world has to offer. All those decisions you’ve made in the past bring you to exactly where you are today.
So, Little Lily go and take chances. Don’t give up. The choices you make all matter, even the small ones. Go to class. Learn. Learn as much as you can. Learn from your mistakes and learn from your failures. Little Lily, it really is okay. Not everyone knows what they want to do but with hard work and determination comes success.
What does the future hold for you?
When life hands you lemons, share them on social media.