Summer Bucket List

Published on May 26, 2016 by blonde rosieLeave a comment

Today is the first day I am not wearing pants to the office in 2016 and I am so excited. Wait, I should clarify that… today I am wearing a skirt to the office and I am so excited!! The past few weeks have been rainy and freezing here at the beach so I kind of forgot that it is MDW already!

There is a lot I want to do this summer and it is nice to have a few extra dollars for some silly spending now that I have been working an adult job for a year.

A new hat

Seems like a silly purchase I need to make this summer, but my Irish mother has always warned me about squinting in the sun because it causes wrinkles. When I was in high school no one ever wore hats at the beach and I looked silly with a baseball cap on because my mom said so. But now there are so many cute beach hats that I need… I mean want! In my twenties protection from the sun has become a big priority now that I am an adult and skin is something you think a lot about now.

New Swimsuit

Do I need another one? No. Do I want another one? Absolutely! I am actually embarrassed to admit how many bathing suits I currently own. To give you an idea, I threw out 5 bathing suits recently and I still can’t fit all of them in a drawer! Since Victoria’s Secret is discontinuing swimsuits I see myself buying a few of them while I can. I reallllly want this one from Target. It is perfect for the fourth of July and I love how the style of it is very unique.

Theme Parties

I might still be living with my parents this summer, but I plan to have a lot of parties this summer. Since I am my mother’s daughter, there will be a theme for each party. My mom does not just throw a party she throws a theme party and from the napkins to the décor- everything is perfection. I have a big backyard and a long summer to find ways to spend time with friends! The Dollar Bin at Target has been my favorite place in the world to get decorations for parties. The dollar bin always turns into the $30 bin LOL

Fitness

I get realllllyyy lazy in the summer when it comes to working out and I want to make sure I continue my workout schedule. I hope to take advantage of living on the beach and going for runs on the boardwalk instead of the treadmill. I recently got all new fun and cute summer work out clothes so lets hope I actually go!! If I will be wearing a bikini again, I will need these workouts to get my body back into shape!

Summer Bedroom Décor

I have my winter bedding and room décor and my summer bedding and room décor. Now I have to find the time to actually put away my winter blankets and switch out my comforter. I am on a mission to purge as much as my room as possible and get my winter stuff put away in storage. This usually takes days to do, but decorating my room for summer is some motivation to get it done. After a few trips to Target and HomeGoods my room should be ready! I got a pink polka dot pillow last summer and now I see it everywhere on the interior design blogs I follow. A new blog post will be up soon with the final result.

Day Drinking the Classy Way

I love brunch and hope to spend Sunday mornings with friends enjoying mimosas in Asbury. I have a feeling that brunch will be my new weekly must do!

Buy a bike

For many reasons I have gone without a bike for many years. In my town no one drives, but everyone bikes. I really want this one!!!! When I was a teenager, every summer my friends and I would bike 5 miles along the boardwalk to start the day for fun. I hope to get back into it as a fun way to fit fitness into my day!

Plan a Weekend Trip

I had been wanting to a do a lot of trips this summer, but then I found out I would be working Monday- Saturday so my summer plans were destroyed. That does not mean that I cannot plan a mini weekend trip though! I would love to travel to: Philadelphia, Washington DC, Maryland or even to another local town in Jersey I have not been to in a while.

Summer Reading

This summer I hope to take advantage of my library card because in the summer all I do is read and that can become a very expensive hobby. In my process of purging aka throwing out all of my belongings I realized that I had a lot of books that I could get rid of. I love books, but I would much rather read and then return it! Some suggestions…

What are some of your summer reading books?

Eat somewhere new every week

Where I live there are a ton of restaurants and many of them I have never been to! I hope to get away from my usual spots and try new places. There are so many restaurants on the boardwalk that are calling my name!

I didn’t wake up like this…

Published on May 22, 2016May 22, 2016 by blonde rosieLeave a comment

Since middle school I have always had bad skin so while some people can just roll out of bed and just start their day I need to commit a few minutes in the morning to make myself presentable. I have figured out how to control my acne and not to dry out my skin because of all the drying products I may use. The most important lesson I have learned in life when it comes to skincare is moisturize, moisturize and moisturize! It really has changed my skin for the better and I know I will thank myself for it later. Some people use expensive products from Sephora for their skin but besides a blemish here and there I am pretty lucky that I can get most products from the drugstore. I will be investing in higher end products soon so please suggest your skincare must haves!

I am not a morning person and will never be a morning person. But now in the real world, I need to get myself out of bed and to a job by 8am. Back in college if you were late to a class it was no big deal, but now I have a boss and being late is a big no no! I try to spend as little time on my face in the morning, especially if I will be wearing makeup that day because time is very limited. Here are my morning essentials that I use every day and can all be found at Target or a CVS.

Skincare Routine It is called a routine for a reason, because you should do the same thing every day to prevent yourself from becoming lazy. You can become lazy in a lot of things in life, but your skin shows signs of laziness that are difficult to hide! I keep all of my morning products on my sink so I know what I am using when I am half asleep in the morning. My bathroom is filled with a ton of products but I keep my morning routine simple because I am always in a rush. I am not a morning person and back in college it was like no big deal if you were late. Now I have a boss to yell at me if I am not in the office at 8am.

Wash and Go! At night I spend a lot more time washing my face trying to get makeup, dirt and residue from the day off my face. In the morning I don’t have that time, so I just wash my face with a simple face wash like this one. If I need some help exfoliating some more I just use a wipe like these to use for scrubbing.

Acne I struggle with acne so in the morning I just dab a little zit cream here and there where it is needed. In the morning I don’t have time to fuss over it and at that point it’s as good as it’s gonna get! I have used prescription medications and stuff you find in a drugstore and find they do the same thing. I usually buy whatever is cheaper and this one keeps coming home with me.

Moisturize I actually use a few types of moisturizes depending on what I need for my skin at that time. I fell in love with the Neutrogena moisturizer because it is not cakey and just feels like water on your face. It is amazing! Most moisturizers make my face oily but with this one my skin absorbs the product. I usually put on moisturizer at my vanity an then blend my makeup with it because I need less foundation and it blends nicely.

Sunscreen Growing up with my mom she has always stressed the importance of sunscreen. She was a beach kid and back then there was no such thing as SPF and no one really cared. Now since I grew up as a beach kid she always lathered me up in sunscreen and my skin now looks great because of it. If I know I will be out in the sun I use a thin layer of sunscreen under my makeup to prevent sun damage to my face. If you want to be tan, go get yourself some Jergens and your skin will thank you later!

At night I finally have the time to invest more time in my skincare routine. While it may be a pain to spend time in my bathroom scrubbing my face while I just want to go straight to bed. I know the next morning (and 40 years down the road) I will thank myself for it!

Wash the day away: I stick with Neutrogena products when it comes to my skin. They are effective enough to get my makeup off and treat my skin problems.

Exfoliate: Once a week I use my Professional Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System to get a deep scrub. I bought mine years ago at Costco and it still works just as well as the day I got it. I see improvements on my face immediately after using it and after a few days I can’t wait to use it again.

Mask Time: In college, I stole a roommates face mask and since then I have been obsessed. Freeman Feeling Beautiful has a ton of them that comes in different scents and treat your skin in many different ways. If I am watching TV at night I just put one on and let it work its magic!

Moisturize: In the morning I use a moisturizer to prevent my skin from drying out because of the heat or freezing temperatures outside. At night I use a moisturizer that treats my skin for some of my skin issues. I have always had splotchy skin and acne fading scars that last forever after a blemish goes away. After using the Olay Regenerist Luminous moisturizer my skin looks so much healthier and it worked miracles on my skin!

I am always looking for new products to try so let me know what you use! Now that I have some money in the bank for silly spending I want to try a higher end product from Sephora. So please send me your suggestions!

Weekend To Do List

Published on May 19, 2016May 19, 2016 by blonde rosieLeave a comment

In college and all of my years of schooling I always had a to do list. Year after year the to do lists only got longer and longer! Now that I am no longer a student (for now) my to do lists have turned into more fun relaxing things to do instead of writing those hundreds of papers or having to finish reading a book in one night. My to do lists are full of errands and my weekends are spent outside of the library and in sunlight which was rare back in school!

When you no longer are in school you lose a lot of structure in your life which was the biggest struggle for me. For years classes and homework assignments told me where to be and what to do. Now on weekends I find I have a lot more free time but if I do not make a to do list it goes by all too quickly!

A lot of friends have recently graduated from college (congrats) or are home from college and I see them posting that they are so bored. What I would do to trade lives with them! I would love to not have to work and be “bored”! No matter where you are in life a to do list is always a good idea because “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.” – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Things To Do This Weekend

Go to Trader Joe’s

Or Costco, or Wegmans or to Whole Foods… Find a reason to get out of the house this weekend and be productive while you are out. Food shopping has turned into one of my favorite things to do now because I can pick up food for the week and I know what I am eating for dinner or lunch that week. I also like to get fresh flowers while I am out because it just makes a room so inviting. I do not have funds for silly spending but I try to have flowers (or fake flowers) around me as much as possible. Something I think I picked up from my mom.

2. Wash your sheets and make your bed!

I wash my sheets every week and put in Downy Unstopable Scent because it lasts all week. It gives me a whole week of a fresh scent and makes going to bed so relaxing. Also, you are an adult. You should be washing your sheets yourself more often now that mom isn’t around to remind you! Your room looks so much cleaner even with a pile of clothes on the floor if your bed is made. FACT!

3. Start a new book

While I love my Netflix I need to start cutting off my dependence of technology. In the summer I read a lot more books so this weekend is a great time to pick up a new book to read. Right now I am starting the Game of Thrones books so that will take me all summer to read since each book is like 800 pages long. I found the original copies of the books at Goodwill for a quarter! I love the show so I want to see what the books are like since the book is usually almost always better. Me Before You is about to be a movie so I need to read it before I see it. I have a whole stack of books by my bed just waiting to be read so I cannot wait to sit on the beach or by the pool and just read for fun!

4. Buy a new scented candle

I have started an obsession with candles and I feel like whenever I am home I have one lit. Bath and Body Works is where I get mine because they last forever and the smell fills the whole house. During Christmas time you could smell our Christmas tree candle throughout the whole house and even a block away. Now I plan to make my house smell like a summer resort! Go out and buy a candle, I promise you will not regret it!

5. Organize Something

Every weekend I pick a new project or space to organize. Once a month I reorganize and purge my closet because it is a space used often and becomes chaos quickly! I also try to organize my pantry or linen closet when I get a chance. If done regularly it does not take long but can be so rewarding after. I have slight OCD so I love to see things where they should be and in order. I like to have my closet and vanity cleaned and organized so I can start off the week in a good mood.

6. Put away winter clothes

Even though it feels like summer will never come it is time to start switching out my closets from winter to spring. My sweaters and Uggs will be packed away and hopefully I will be able to wear one of my dresses someday if this weather ever changes! My closet is slowly changing from my black wardrobe to fun summer colors!

7. Nameste

It has been a while but i want to start going to my Sunday morning yoga class again. It is at 10am and being forced to wake up early and do some stretching helps me fully enjoy my Sunday. I usually just sleep the whole day away but when forced to put on some leggings and leave the house I get so much done before noon! I try to reward myself with Starbs on my way home to congratulate myself for getting out of bed. Very little gets me out of bed in the morning but coffee will do it!

graduation (friends forever)

Published on May 6, 2016May 19, 2016 by blonde rosie1 Comment

Today I was reminiscing on my final days as a senior at SJU and my graduation.
It is so hard to think it has been a year since my life has changed forever. After I walked across that stage and accepted a piece of paper my life was over as I knew it. I have enjoyed the good times and struggled through the Post Grad Life. I have made a lot of mistakes and have grown as a person. But I would never change one thing!

I started this Post Grad Life blog to be an outlet for my ideas and adventures. In college I was ALWAYS writing a paper and I did not like idle hands. I like to share my interests and PGL journey with you hoping I am not alone out there struggling. This little blog of mine is a little hobby I hope to continue in my second year of Post Grad Life. Stay tuned for more adventures and continue to live life to the fullest!

Continue reading “graduation (friends forever)” →

It’s gonna be May…

Published on May 3, 2016May 19, 2016 by blonde rosieLeave a comment

I woke up and all of a sudden it was May! Spring is flying by even if it does not feel like it with this weather. I have my winter clothes away in storage and now I am freezing while I wait for summer! At work I have been preparing for summer for months since my town is a tourist town. The beach and boardwalk is ready now I just have to wait for this weather to cooperate! There has been lots to keep me busy in April and even more events in May.