Before I started college I didn’t have a clue where I should go, what I should go for or how I would afford it. We talked about me going to college when I was growing up but when that time came, I had no idea what to do. That’s when I signed up for classes at a local community college. I registered late and had no idea what an advisor was or how to know what classes I needed. It was rough. I took things slowly for a few years. I transferred a few times. It has been a lot. I always find myself thinking “gosh, I wish I would know this years ago.”

Although I have been in school for a long time, I don’t regret that. I hate that it took so long to figure some things out. So if this is your first time going to college or you know someone who is about to start college, feel free to share my tips with them. In that case, here is my list of things I wish I would have known from the beginning.

1) It’s ok to not go off to school. It’s ok to not start college straight out of high school. It’s ok if you do go off to college.

2) If you want to leave your hometown and go off to college, go! Don’t let friends or family make you feel guiltily for going. You know your wants better than anyone else.

3) If you want to make friends and aren’t doing that instantly, join something. Join anything. Join a club, join a sorority, join the newspaper. I spent too many semesters of school never talking and going straight home to be by myself. Once I started talking to people, I notice that I had more motivation to go to school and make better grades. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying school while you’re there.

4) Print out a map and schedule. If you think you know where everything is, just do it anyway.

5) Meet your advisor. Make sure you know where his or her office is, office hours, email and phone number. It took me years to realize the importance of an advisor.

6) Get your books online as fast as you can. The cheaper your books are, the better. When you get done with them, you can sell them. The school will usually buy some back but you will get more for them if you sell them online on websites like https://www.sellbackyourbook.com/ and similar websites. It may take a few day but it’s worth it.

7) Keep all of your digital work and homework organized and together. For many years I have used Google Drive and kept all my files organized in folders. I have access to any of my work from anywhere that I have phone signal or internet. This has helped me more times than I can count.

8) Buy a decent backpack. I know there’s many cute ones out there but make sure your bag is more practical than cute. Not having the waste time looking for something in your bag is always great. It’s also great to have a bag that is comfortable if you have heavy books to carry around all day.

9) if you’re away from home, call your mom, parents, grandparents or whoever you lived with before college. They want to know you haven’t forgotten about them and they like to know you’re okay. Sending pictures is great too.

10) Enjoy it. Now that I’m graduating again, I think about all the opportunities I didn’t take when I could. Don’t be that person. Do all of the things!

I grew up in a town where most people did not have a lot of money and most people did not have a lot of nice things. This was true for me a well. One thing my mother bragged about throughout my life is how the first two years of my life, she went through two rolls of film a month of picture of just me. I was very fortunate that my mother loved to document everything she could about my brothers and myself growing up. I have spent many hours of my life sitting on a bed surrounded photo albums, looking at pictures from my childhood.

Not only did my mom take pictures but she also owned a video camera, which was very rare for someone in our town. I grew up with very few friends who had home videos from their childhood and most of them were usually copies of videos my mother recorded of us.

I was fascinated by camera’s from the moment I could hold one. I vaguely remember walking around my house with a Nintendo film camera.

Once I was about 13 years old, the first camera phones came out. I don’t mean the smart phones. I mean I went from flip phones with not camera to flips phones with cameras. I was obsessed! The biggest issue I had with them was the phone’s lack of storage. After just a few pictures and text messages, your phone would run our of storage. About a year later I asked for my first digital camera. It wasn’t that great and I had a small memory card. My younger brothers decided to take it one day when I wasn’t looking and manager to erase my pictures and break the camera.

For a while I had a few cheap camera phones and eventually another cheap(ish) point-and-shoot camera. Bad quality, good quality, phone or camera, my friends and I took pictures as often as we could. Most of them were usually silly.

Throughout high school I practiced taking more artistic photos. The more I did, the more I realized I would like a nicer camera. Long story short, I got in touch with a small group of people who were working on a short film. One of the guys did this often and I told him I was interested in learning how to use his cameras. He has a few DSLRs that I knew nothing about other than they took grate pictures and video. After a few days, I decided to buy my own.

I began taking pictures of anyone and anything that would let me. I loved sharing them on facebook. It wasn’t long before people started asking me to take prom pictures and family pictures. I hardly ever turned a job down.

I wouldn’t have what I would consider any formal training but I did watch lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of tutorials online.

For years I freelanced and took pictures for whoever wanted them. Once I went back to UNCP in 2018 to finish up my bachelors degree, I took a break. I just don’t have time for it the way I want to. Every once in a while I will take pictures for family or friends but not often. I still like to keep up with the latest trends and editing in photography. At the end of the day, I started taking pictures for myself and to document my memories for myself. I still do that very often. I still love photography but maybe one day I will pursue it as a job again.

Beauty products are all subjective. Just because they work for me does not mean that they will work for you. I am pale, have dry skin and like floral scents.

I will start with my current favorite perfumes.

Daisy by Marc Jacobs

This is my all-time favorite perfume. I think it is perfect for any time of day and any occasion. I get compliments almost every time I wear it. It will forever be my staple perfume. If it’s not obvious, it smells like fresh daisies but in the best way.

Guilty Love Pour Femme by Gucci

It smells so good but can be a bit pricey. I personally feel like this an evening perfume. It reminds me of an adult floral version of baby powders. It smells very clean.

Pond’s facial moisturizer.

I have tried so many different moisturizers but no matter what, I always go back to using this one. It has the cleanest smell of any moisturizer. The smell is not overwhelming though. I have sensitive skin and this works great. If my husband smells it, he will compliment me like it’s perfume.

Wet Brush

The best thing I have ever bought. If you didn’t know, I have hair past my waist. About two years ago I almost cute it all of because brushing knots out was almost unbearable. This brush was a game changer. They are a little more expensive than a regular brush but they are worth the money. I have tried knockoffs and none of them compare.

Freeman face masks

I currently own all of these pictures and they are great! Once again these do not bother my sensitive skin. The best part is that they are all under $5 at most stores. They all smell and feel great.

As someone who spends a good chunk of her days online, I am very family with most of the more common social media websites and apps. Although most of that time is spent posting for other people and working school assignments, I do take time to entertain myself on social media.

In my free I love learning more about photography. I love learning new shooting techniques, editing skills and more about the business side of photography. My main sources of inspiration come from Facebook, Instagram and Youtube. I use each of these for very different reasons.

Instagram

I love following photographers’ Instagram accounts. For the past couple of years, instagram has had a feature that allows its users to save other user’s photos and organize them. I like to use this feature to save photos by other photographers and use them for inspiration. I mostly am inspired by the way they edit the photos.

Facebook

Facebook is so helpful for anyone that wants to learn about just about anything. The secret is to use Facebook groups. For years I have been in photography groups with thousands of other photographers. Although not everyone is nice in the groups, the majority are nice and helpful.

All of these screenshots are from Facebook groups that I am currently in and have been a part of for years. Each one brings so much information. You can spend days learning from the amount of info in each group.

Youtube

Youtube has almost an unlimited amount of resources for photographers and people who are just starting out. I do not follow many people in particular on youtube for photography advice. I usually type in any question I might have and there is almost always a video to answer my questions.

These last few weeks of winter have been oddly chilly and rainy in North Carolina. As a full time student and part time social media manager, I am usually exhausted by the end of the day. Since I hate getting take out, I like to look for quick, veggie-friendly dinners. Taco Soup is perfect for one of those cold rainy days when I would rather spend the evening in my blanket on the couch instead of half of the evening in the kitchen.

What is considered Taco Soup in my house is very similar to many chili recipes. Although this may not be the cheapest soup, it’s the fastest dinner I have ever made. I add many ingredients but feel free to to add or leave out anything you wish. It is very hard to mess this up. I would say this recipe makes about 6-8 servings and tastes great when reheated.

Ingredients
For “Meat”:
• 2 tbs of olive oil
• 1 pack of taco seasoning
• 1 bag of Gardein The Ultimate Beefless Ground (or any ground beef substitute)
• 1 cup of water
Soup:
• 1 pack of hidden valley ranch seasoning
• 1 can of tomatoes with chilis
• 2 cans of diced tomatoes
• 1 can of yellow corn
• 1 can of white navy beans
• 1 can of black beans
Toppings:
• preferred kind of shredded cheese
• tortilla chips
• sour cream
• 1 chopped avocado
• lime juice

For the meat, heat oil in a large pot until hot. Then add the “meat,” tacos seasoning and water to pot. Cook until the “meat” is soft. Once the “meat” is ready, drain beans, rinse and add them to the pot. Next, add all of the rest of the ingredients listed under soup ingredients. Heat everything on medium heat for about 10 minutes while stirring occasionally. Next top soup with desired toppings and you’re done! I personally like to crush my tortilla chips and add them to my own bowl of soup.

One thing that has always been very important to me has been taking pictures. Today is so easy to take a picture on your phone and post in on facebook and forget about it. Throughout this post I will cover some simple steps on what to use to take and store photos.

Cameras

There is no right or wrong camera to use when taking pictures. It depends on what your own budget and what you want to use the photos for. So many phones and cheap digital cameras will take nice pictures these days that can easily be printed. For people who want something a little nicer than a phone picture, I suggest looking into reasonably priced point-and-shoot cameras. Some people like the look of professional photos and may be interested in nicer cameras and learning to edit their own photos. There are many entry level DSLRs available. I personally do not recommend buying a DSLR unless you are someone who is willing to take time to learn about your camera and how to use it. It can be a lot of work to start with but well worth the investment.

Printing Your Phone Photos and Lower Quality Photos

Print your photos. I am guilty of not getting enough of my own pictures printed and sometimes I go years without printing a single picture. It doesn’t matter if they are perfect pictures or grainy. If they are phone pictures or lower quality pictures, I would suggest using use Shutterfly, Walmart or Walgreens to print those photos. Just make sure you print them! I have never regretted the time or money it took to get photos printed. Having a physical copy of a photo almost feels like a tangible memory. Whether you put those photos in a book, a frame or hang it on your fridge, having pictures in your home makes your home feel warm and inviting.

Printing High Quality Photos (usually Dslr photos)

When it comes to printing professional photos, I would not advise using those places I listed to print your photos. The pictures your photographer took are a representation of his or her work. They are a work of art and should be displayed as such. I suggest letting your photographer have those pictures printed or asking what photo lab they suggest using. Spending hundreds of dollars on photos, just print out low-quality, discolored prints is not doing you or your photos justice. This is what happens when you print these high quality photos in places like Walmart. Photographers spend many days practicing and perfecting their settings and editing skills to make sure those pictures are perfect.

Keeping Backups of Your Photos

Although you might keeping your photos saved on your phone, camera or computer, it is best to backup those photos just incase something happens to that device. A couple of ways that I would recommend doing this is either on a an external hard drive that can be plugged into your computer or using online storage.

The biggest difference in these two are the prices. When buying a hard drive, it is a one time purchase unless you run out of room and need another one. When you purchase storage space online, the storage space usually costs monthly like nay other subscription service.

One thing I would like to add is that a lot a lot of electronic companies are trying to grow away from using any objects that need to plugged into a computer. In that case, it may be easier to just use some form of online storage. Some online storage websites I suggest are iCloud, Dropbox, Adobe Creative Cloud and Google Drive.

What you do is your choice

What camera you use and how you choose store and print photos is up to you. This may

You might celebrate Valentine’s day with your significant other, your friend, your mom or even by yourself. There’s always a gift or celebration for every situation. Whether you love it or hate it, February 14th is only a few days away and it’s time to get prepared. Here are a few Valentine’s gift ideas for the special people in your life.

For the Child(ren) in Your Life

For a small child you may consider opting out of sweets or special dinner. Something as simple as a stuffed bear may work. If you wanted to get fancy, you could get them a custom bear from Build-A-Bear.

For Your Parents

Most parents enjoy knowing that their not-so-little kids still think fondly of them. Your parents may enjoy Valentine’s sweets or cards. If you are looking for something a little more personal, many stores such as Walmart make custom photo gifts such as mugs, calendars, blankets and wall art. The good thing about Walmart’s photo center is that it has many items/gift that can be made quickly and sometimes in the same day. Nothing quite like pictures, reminds people of the good memories they have together.

For Your Sweetheart

This one is kinda tricky because most people want something that perfectly suits their other half’s personality. I do not recommend going out to dinner. It is hard to get reservations for the night of Valentine’s Day and most places are overcrowded. This can make the date exhausting as well as not very romantic. Instead you may consider cooking a special meal at home. Pinterest can a great tool when looking for a new recipe. If you are looking for a more relaxed evening at home, Papa John’s and Pizza Hut will be serving heart shaped pizzas for Valentine’s Day.

For Your Sweetheart

Friends are the easiest people to give gifts to. Most friends will be happy to receive any kind of gift. Hand written letters or cards are nice. Sweets are usually a good way to go. Plans for a later date are fun too.

For Yourself

A lot of people really stress the need to spend Valentine’s Day with a loved one but this is not always the case for some people. No matter why you are alone on Valentine’s Day, it does not mean you can’t treat yourself. Since Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday this year, this a good chance to start off the weekend with a bang. Buy yourself some new bath bombs, chocolate and wine. Take a nice hot bath or spend the evening watching movies. There are many self care ideas for someone to do by themself.

Enjoy the Day/Night/Weekend

Although the holiday is technically Friday, celebrate that day or the next few days (when the Valentine’s Day chocolates go on sale). Most of all, do not pressure yourself to do too much. Just like any other holiday, Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate no matter who you celebrate (or don’t celebrate) with.

Everyone goes through a lot of new changes as he or she moves into their first home. Whether your first place is a house, condo, apartment or townhouse, everyone can use a few first-time tips for their new home. 

Looking for a Home 

If you are currently looking for a new home to buy or rent, a couple of good websites/apps to search for homes are Zillow, Realtor, or Trulia. If you are looking for a specific home that is not listed on these websites, it is a good idea to check on the website of the realty company (or realtor) that currently holds the listing. 

Priority List

Although moving can be very exciting, there are many not-so-exciting aspects of moving. At the top of the priority list would be having all of the utilities switched into your own name. The first time this is done, it can be very costly and sometimes overwhelming between the amount of money it costs and the length of time it takes. Make sure to go to your post office and have your address changed there. I would also advise going to the DMV and having your address changed on your license (or identification card) as soon as possible. 

Shopping for the Home

Buying essential items for the home should start before the moving process. This should be a priority over items such as furniture. Some of these items may include towels, soap, toilet paper, toothbrush holder, hairdryer, cleaning supplies, and anything that you may have shared in your home previously. 

It may be tempting to go out and buy all new furniture. It is easier to buy furniture once you get a good idea of what is needed and the space you have in your new place. Places such as Target, Walmart or Ikea sell different starter furniture for someone who may not have the funds to buy expensive furniture or might just need temporary furniture. 

Enjoy Your New Place

You may feel pressured to have your new home put together and decorated quickly but this is not usually the case. The larger the place you’re moving into, the longer it usually takes to finish filling out and decorating. Try to be patient with this step and enjoy this new chapter of your life for what is currently.