The Liebster Award!

Emma, the sweet girl behind Seacoast to the South, found my blog last week and nominated me for the Liebster Award! For anyone who doesn't know (like me a few days ago), the Liebster Award was designed as a way for bloggers to support other bloggers and welcome new people into the blogging community. I'm so honored that Emma liked my blog enough to nominate me!

The award sort of works like a chain email, and it starts with me answering 11 questions that Emma asked in her post (read it here).

1. What motivated you to start a blog?

I've wanted to start a blog for a long time. (I actually first created A Little Ashley in 2010!) Over the past year I've really started to follow blogs, and constantly found myself toying with the idea of creating one of my own. This summer - with plenty of free time, advice from my favorite bloggers, and encouragement from my boyfriend and best friend - I decided to go out on a limb and try blogging. I love blogs, but (before I started blogging) I didn't think there were many, or any, that realistically portrayed what it's like to be a college girl, so that's what I want to do!

2. When did you first start blogging?

I put up my first post on May 18, 2015!

3. What do you blog about?

I guess I would "brand" A Little Ashley as a college lifestyle blog. However, I pretty much write about whatever interests or inspires me. Since I am a college girl in a sorority, a lot of my posts relate to those things.

4. What is your favorite thing about blogging?

I have always loved to write, but most of the time I was limited to writing for classes about specified topics. With blogging I can write about whatever I want and share it with whoever stumbles across my blog. It's also really cool to meet sweet people with awesome blogs, like Emma!

5. What are some of your favorite hobbies?

I've always loved to read (I wish I got more time to read at school). I like to paint and do other crafty things. Also I like to make wayyy too many lists and obsess over my planner.

6. What is/was your favorite subject in school?

English has always been my favorite subject in school, which explains my love of reading and writing. I was blessed with amazing English teachers in high school who really taught me how to express myself well through words, and I will be forever grateful to them.

7. What is your favorite quote?

AHH this is a hard one. I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to quotes. But I think I would have to go with something my grandfather would always say:

"Life is short...eat dessert first."

Not only does it remind me of my wonderful grandfather, but it's a reminder to enjoy the little things in life, and who doesn't like dessert?

8. Where are you the happiest?

I wouldn't say there is a physical place where I'm the happiest. I'm happiest when I'm with the people who I love and who love me; my family, my boyfriend and my friends.

9. What is your biggest inspiration?

I'm guessing this is relating to my blog, so in that sense, I'm inspired to write based off of the experiences and interactions I have had as a college student. In a more general sense, I'm inspired by my parents and their unceasing love and dedication to me and my siblings. I'm so grateful for everything they've done for me.

10. If you could talk to anybody in the world, who would it be?
J.K. Rowling, the author of Harry Potter. I'm a huge Harry Potter fan and I would love to know about her experiences writing the most well known book series of our time.

11. What is your favorite flower?
Tie between yellow roses and bluebonnets...can you tell I'm from Texas?

Now I list off eleven random facts about myself:
1. I'm the third of four siblings.
2. I've always wanted to go to Italy.
3. I have an unhealthy obsession with Cookout's peanut butter fudge milkshakes.
4. I'm the executive assistant, or secretary, for my sorority.
5. I'm extremely organized at school, but a mess at home.
6. I've read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban six or more times.
7. I don't have a good explanation for why I chose to attend Clemson.
8. I've never broken a bone.
9. I modeled in a magazine when I was in the fourth grade.
10. I don't have a southern/Texas accent except when I'm really tired or on the phone.
11. I was captain of my high school cheer team for two years.

Now I know I'm supposed to nominate 5-11 other new bloggers, but I don't really know of that many. Hopefully I can add in others later on but for now I just have one blog that I'm going to nominate!

I nominate Gabby and Hannah from The Swirl! I think it would be super fun if they both responded to the questions.

So here are my questions for them!
1. Who are some of your favorite bloggers?
2. How do you plan to keep up with blogging and school?
3. What made you want to start a blog?
4. What is one piece of advice you would give to college freshmen?
5. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
6. Besides blogging, what are some of your favorite free time activities?
7. Which social media is your favorite, and why?
8. What's your go to Starbucks drink?
9. How did you pick the name for your blog?
10. If you were a shoe, what shoe would you be?
11. What makes you happy?

I know these questions are all over the place, but I wanted to ask things most people normally wouldn't.

Who are some of your favorite new bloggers?

What to Expect on Move In Day!

The day all college freshmen are looking forward to is quickly approaching...move in day! I know some places might have moved in already (crazy!!!!), but the majority haven't yet so this is my advice. Move in day is hectic and fun and exhausting, but it's your first real day on your college campus as a student, so get excited!!!

Here's what you need to know, as well as some tips and advice!

1. Be prepared for a long day.

I think my scheduled move in time (that pretty much no one else actually listened to) was 9am. So that's what time my parents and I rolled up to my dorm. I don't think we were completely done setting up, including running out to Target and other places to get things, until around 11pm. (It didn't take everyone that long, but my parents were leaving the next day so we really only had the one day to make sure everything was good to go). So get plenty of sleep the night before, eat a big breakfast and get ready to take on the day!

2. Make a good first impression.

You will meet tons of people on move in day, so make sure to smile and be friendly. Also be conscious of what you're wearing. This is the first time you're meeting your new friends, don't look like a slob. You also don't need to be in a dress and wedges to carry boxes up and down four flights of stairs. Be comfortable and cute! I wore a cute t shirt, jean shorts and keds with my hair up and a little makeup, cute yet functional. 

3. Be the (wo)man with a plan!!

Have a general idea of where you want things to go in your dorm and remember how you packed things. You don't want to spend 30 minutes trying to find pillow cases because you forgot where they are. It also helps to pack similar things together. Also know going in if you're going to loft your bed, if there are items you'll still need to buy and other things like that. Having a plan for the day and for how you want things arranged will make everything go smoother.

4. Let your parents help.

They're sending their baby off to college and they want to make sure that you're safe and happy before they leave you. Ask your dad to help loft your bed or hang up something on the wall. Ask your mom if she could help you unpack your clothes. They want to help so let them, they'll appreciate it and it's less you have to do.

5. Keep your door open and say hi to neighbors.

This one is pretty self explanatory. Keeping your door open is more inviting so people might poke their heads in to see how you're decorating or you can wave to them as they pass in the hall. These girls (or guys) are going to be the people you live next to all year so it's best to be friendly with them, even if they're not your best friends. 

6. Don't have unrealistic expectations.
This is so so important to realize so that you don't end up upset on move in day, your dorm will most likely not look like the Pottery Barn dorm catalog or the pictures you see on Pinterest. I really liked how my dorm turned out but it definitely wasn't what I envisioned. My roommate and I decided on a color scheme, which I was a little bit more strict to sticking to when I bought things. Our stuff didn't match perfectly, but that's okay. We each had our own space that we liked, so that's all that mattered. Just feel comfortable in your room and everything will be okay! Besides all you really need your dorm for is sleeping!

Best of luck to everyone who is moving in soon!

July Top 10!

Welcome to my first monthly favorites post! July was a really busy, but very fun month between my boyfriend visiting, my favorite holiday, my birthday and a bunch of other stuff. So I thought I would share my top 10 favorite things of the month! I can't believe it's August already. I go back to Clemson next week! 

1. My favorite event/experience of the month would have to be my boyfriend, Mike, coming to visit me and my family for the Fourth of July (my favorite holiday)! We had such a good time and it was great to see him after two months of only talking over text and FaceTime. I wrote a whole post about his trip, feel free to read it here.

2. My beauty favorite of the month would have to be my Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 foundation. Phew that's a long name. But seriously this is a great foundation. I used it during high school, but stopped when I bought the wrong color when they were out of my shade (there is a HUGE difference between ivory and classic ivory). Anyway, I finally picked up the right color this month and it manages to last all day in the Texas heat, which is awesome! Look for more info about it tomorrow ;).

3. My favorite purchase of the month was my Kendra Scott Elisa necklace in silver with an iridescent drusy stone. I've probably worn it just about every day since I bought it. The stone picks up different colors and is so sparkly. I love it! And it looks so cute paired with my silver monogram necklace since they're different lengths.

4. My favorite song of the month is probably All Night by Dustin Lynch. I have been listening to Spotify's Summer of Country playlist non stop and I always start singing and dancing around my room when it comes on.

5. My favorite YouTube channel during July has been Aspyn + Parker's vlogs. Aspyn Ovard is a youtube beauty guru, but this channel is her and her boyfriend's everyday lives. They're so cute and it's just kind of fun to see all the cool stuff they do. 

6. My favorite blog of the month is Seeking the South. Emma actually found me on Twitter because of the link I shared to my post a couple weeks ago about what being in a sorority means to me (read it here). She's a Theta too! Her blog is really clean, and well done. It's all about her college life and experiences as she moved from Kansas to Texas to go to TCU. Her blog is a realistic look at college life; I feel like a lot of blogger's glamorize everything or feature expensive things that normal college girls can't afford. Definitely check out some of Emma's posts!

7. The show that I was a little too obsessed with this month (or maybe just the last week...) is Unreal. If you're a Bachelor/Bachelorette fan, like me, you'll probably like this show. The writer of the show used to be a producer on The Bachelor, so this show is about what you don't see on camera. It definitely makes you question the "reality" of The Bachelor and Bachelorette, but it's really interesting. Be warned though, it's definitely on the (really) inappropriate side, so it's not for everyone. 

8. There were quite a few movies I saw during July that I loved. For my birthday my family and I went to the local drive in, which was so much fun, that has double features on each of its screens, so we saw Minions and Inside Out. Inside Out is extraordinarily well done, I think the whole concept is amazing and creative. I would not be surprised if this one the Oscar for best animated movie next year. My other favorite would have to be the newest Disney Channel movie, Descendants. I heard about this movie a while back and when I found out that it came out this past Friday, I made sure to record it. The movie is all about the children of Disney's fairytale couples, and villains. When Belle and the Beast's son is about to be crowned king, he makes the decision to allow the children of exiled villains to rejoin the kingdom and go to their boarding school. The concept is so cute and I loved some of the songs (Did I Mention and the new version of Be Our Guest were my favorites). This is probably the best movie Disney Channel has had since High School Musical.

9. My random favorite for this month has been painting. I've been painting a lot lately in anticipation of getting my sorority little sister(s) this fall! I can't wait to share all the things I've been making because I'm so pleased with how they're turning out. I'm sure I'll do a post showing all the gifts I'll give during big little week after I have my little or littles.

10. I decided that, assuming this will become a regular thing, I want to finish off my favorites with my favorite things I'm looking forward to for the next month! A lot will be happening in August with the start of school so there is a ton I'm excited about. I cannot wait to be back in South Carolina (1 more week!!!!) and spend time with all my friends, and especially my sweet boyfriend. Also August means recruitment! And I cannot wait to welcome the newest group of girls to the Delta Phi chapter and share with them my amazing sorority!

Happy August y'all!