Posts Tagged “shopping”

Why am I so outrageously lazy???

Posted on December 23, 2011 by Stephanie

I have been home and on break now for 5 days, and during those 5 days I have legitimately done nothing. Well, I take that back. I went Christmas shopping with my Mom one day, and I went to Indy for a day to help one of my best friends, Liz, with some of her wedding planning. Other than that, I have visited friends and family, and I have sat on my couch. Every night I have slept for at least 8 hours (some nights…I slept for 12 hours), and as soon as I woke up, I would move right to my couch where I spent each day vegging out.

I’m serious about this doing nothing thing…except when it comes to watching as many movies and TV shows as possible. Today alone, I watched 4 movies and caught up on 2 TV shows. I have also been doing my part as a member of my family to put a serious dent in our stash of Christmas candy from my Mom’s students at school. You know, I have to help out as much as I can….since I can’t expect my parents to eat all of it by themselves of course.

Because of all of this chilling out and relaxing that I have been doing…I have somewhat lost track of time. So now, I only have 2 days to do everything before Christmas. Make gifts, make Christmas cookies, wrap gifts, and wash clothes…so that I have clean things to wear again of course. Since I’m not very good at this entire being motivated enough to leave the couch thing…I’m just hoping that the fact that Christmas is coming sooner than I expected and I have a ton left to do will make me get up and move.

: Our tree…looking pretty bare and presentless.

Tagged: Christmas, Christmas candy, lazy, presents, shopping, sleeping, washing clothes | 1 Comment

The Dangers of Going to a Small School

Posted on December 11, 2011 by Stephanie

Going to a school like Butler that is rather small has it’s pros and cons (as every school does)….but they are each pros and cons that I love. So, I thought that I would share some…

At a small school…

You will be exposed to more diversity (personalities, values, hobbies, etc.) than you would be anywhere else. For instance…at big schools, people most likely have a small group of close-knit friends…but at small schools…everyone knows everyone. So you will be friends with a wider variety of people…which is really a cool thing when you think about it.

My roommates and I....we're all so different...but that is what makes us love each other so much!

Your professors always know you. I personally love this, because I have really great relationships with a lot of my professors (beyond just knowing my name and major), but at the same time….this way they know when you slack off…and when you aren’t in class.
There aren’t a ton of food options on campus, etc. This really stinks sometimes…like when it is snowing out and you don’t want to leave….or when you are lazy and don’t want to leave (this happens to me a lot)…but here…I think it is actually a positive. If we had more on campus, we would stay here. We would be comfortable….and nothing would ever force us outside of our Butler Bubble. But really…Indy is an awesome city with so many food, shopping, and entertainment options that I’m glad that I get to venture out a couple times a week at least.

So even though going to a school that is tiny compared to big state schools is kind of tough in the beginning…after awhile you actually start to appreciate those differences, like the things I just mentioned.

Tagged: diversity, eating, friends, Indianapolis, LinkedIn, major, professor, shopping, sorority | 2 Comments

A Photo Summary of my Thanksgiving Vacation

Posted on November 26, 2011 by Stephanie

I’ve been in Albuquerque with my sister, Natalie, and brother-in-law, John, for about 6 days now, so I figured that the best way to share all of the cool things that I have done here would be in pictures….so here we go:

Sunday: Natalie and John are big time football fans, so every Sunday, John moves the TV from their bedroom into the living room…and the day is devoted to football and only football.

Their Sunday afternoon routine....

Monday: My sister and I shopped…shopped…and shopped some more. She taught me how to coupon at grocery stores and even at Target (a college kid’s dream), and then we visited their outdoor mall and had the chance to grab some more bargains.

Tuesday: We started the day by picking up John’s brother, Paul, at the airport, then we did some sightseeing around town. We ended up at Old Town, an area of shops, restaurants, and some historical sights in Albuquerque.

A 300-year-old church in Old Town...

Later that night, we took a tram up to the top of the Sandia Mountains to see the sunset. They are called the Sandia Mountains because they turn to a watermelon-ish color at sunset, which was beautiful…but I didn’t get any photos of that. These will have to suffice.

It was gorgeous to say the least….

The sunset over Albuquerque...

Wednesday: We hiked all the way to the top of the mountain (it was 6 hours of hiking, in case you were wondering), and then took the tram back down. It was pretty cool to see everything again, but in full daylight this time around.

One of the towers that held the tram together...

The view from the tram...

We were really impressed with ourselves for hiking all the way up…so now we obviously feel like the mountain is ours, like we own it.

Our mountain....

Thursday: Thanksgiving Day….which I will blog about…later!

Tagged: Albuquerque, couponing, family, football, hiking, new mexico, Old Town, Sandia Mountains, shopping, Thanksgiving Break, Thanksgiving Day, tram | 3 Comments

Everybody loves Fall Break…

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Stephanie

Breaks from school are always great….but the ones that come at a point in the semester when you really have no homework at all to do are always the best. That’s how my Fall Break was this year, a fabulous 3 days of chilling out on my couch, while still being somewhat productive…in regards to nothing school related…at all.

Since I am interning currently at Slingshot SEO, I stayed on campus for an extra day to get another day of work in. It was kind of nice to slowly ease into break by finishing classes one day and then just working the next day, instead of rushing home and crashing right away like I usually do. Instead, I postponed the crash for a day, by driving home after work on Thursday. This was really nice, because I packed up my things leisurely, I had already recovered from all of my tests that week, and I just chilled out as I drove all the way home.

I love the drive home...

Once I got home….I saw my dogs, as usual…and then I did not leave my couch from about 9 p.m. Thursday night until around 4 p.m. the next day. So my first goal for break, resting, was officially a success.

Love my puppies...so much.

The rest of my break consisted of going out to eat with my parents (we only cooked one meal for the family the entire weekend), shopping with my mom, and doing a bit of crafting to get my creative fix for the weekend. I took a little bit of homework home to do, but I somehow succeeded at never opening a book or even thinking of school for 2 whole days (I did some homework on Sunday), which was an absolutely beautiful thing.

Tagged: crafting, fall, Fall Break, homework, shopping, sleeping, Slingshot SEO, tests | 1 Comment

What you need to know about back to school shopping…

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Stephanie

Since Olivia wrote a blog about shopping for college freshmen (and had some awesome suggestions, I might add) I thought I would do one as well. My personal favorite place to shop for back to school essentials is Target, but that is mostly because I never really went to Target until I got to college (it’s the difference of driving 45 minutes to the closest one, or just 15 minutes). Their things are relatively cheap, and usually coordinate together, which I really appreciate.

Here are some things that I would suggest to get before you get to school, or make, or whatever works for you:

A shelf to sit on your fridge. This is something I have always wanted, but never had. If you keep your food around your fridge, it just overtakes the fridge and goes everywhere. So, with a shelf, it can stay organized, and you can find everything easily without digging for hours and hours through random snack foods.
3M wall mounting strips. These will be your saving grace, since you don’t want to ruin the walls each time you move in and move out. They don’t fix everything, but it does definitely help!
Set of plastic drawers. I started my freshman year with one, and now I have two. One holds all of my paper, pens, and random school supplies under my desk, and the other holds jeans, tank tops, and t-shirts. The best thing is that no matter where you live and when, you can use these drawers for anything that your heart desires.
A mattress pad. You can go with whatever you might like, since there are memory foam ones and feather ones (and probably others too). I started with a feather one, but now my memory foam mattress pad is basically my best friend. I could lay in bed all day long…but I probably shouldn’t.

I could keep going with random things you should bring to school, but I won’t. Instead, I will leave you with a few videos about move-in and of my freshman dorm room, and this blog that I wrote for Vera Bradley about back to school necessities….from Vera Bradley of course!

: An empty Schwitzer room…just so you know what you’re working with.

Tagged: back to school, Butler, freshman year, new student, ross, schwitzer, shopping, Vera Bradley | 4 Comments

Back to School…for the final time.

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Stephanie

Tonight, I stopped by Target to check out their clearance shoe selection (I was in search of some super cheap summery shoes) and to look for the shams that my sister wants for her new apartment with her husband (it feels weird calling John her husband, they’ve only been married for a week and a half). While I wandered around looking for things to buy, I noticed quite a few mothers shopping with their kids who are getting ready to go to college. Now don’t think that I’m a creep since I know that, but one pair was walking with a mini fridge in their cart (the son was wearing a Ball State t-shirt) and another pair was looking at the bedding and talking about what could sit beside the daughter’s bed. Both pairs just screamed, “NEW COLLEGE STUDENT” to me, an old pro at this whole going to college situation.

Oh, the memories - my freshman dorm room.

Normally, this would get me all excited because I love back-to-school shopping, and I really can’t wait to go back to Butler…but this time, I don’t feel nearly as excited. Instead, I’m kind of sad. I’ve been a real person all summer long…and it’s not that great. College kid life is the best…and I’m totally fine with being a college kid forever…or at least for longer than only one more year. Maybe I will be able to talk my Mom into taking me to Wal-Mart and Target just like we always used to when I was a kid, to get everything that I might need for school…even though that is only pens, pencils, and printer ink. I think just seeing all of the new, colorful stuff makes me feel young, and like I’m not about to enter the real world. So Mom – just humor me and take me to the store, and let’s pretend that we have entire list of stuff to get…like Elmer’s Glue and Crayola Crayons. It will be fun – I promise.

Tagged: back to school, dorm room, Freshman, intern, shopping, student, target | 1 Comment

Buying Books 101

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Stephanie

If you are an incoming freshman, one of the many things that you might not know know how to handle for the first time around is buying books. When you are buying books there are so many options that it can be overwhelming, and since you aren’t used to spending several hundred dollars (or more) per semester on books, that can be rather scary too. So first I will give you a rundown of how I buy my books, and then I will give you some sites to visit to see what works best for you.

I am extremely frugal … when it comes to buying books. I will do anything to save a buck … or to make sure I am getting the best deal possible. So I always start by searching for all of my books on the Butler Bookstore website. (There is actually a link that says “Buy my Books” at the bottom of your class schedule on my.butler that will take you directly to the website and a listing of every book you will need for the semester. It’s rather handy.) After that, I google the name of the book (get as detailed as humanly possible with this step) to see what prices different websites come up with. I list all of the possible prices (including shipping, if applicable) on a word document or sticky on my desktop, and go with the cheapest (and safest) options.

All this talking about books is bringing back ugly memories of long nights of studying...

Here are some of my favorite sites…

Butler Bookstore – It is so easy to get your books from the bookstore. You can order them online and pick them up whenever you get a chance from the bookstore. Convenient, quick, and easy for returns (as long as you do it by the return date!)
Chegg – They have awesome prices for renting books, they have decent prices for buying books, and they buy back books for good prices too. Their shipping is very reliable (they ship from Kentucky, so it gets to Indy quickly) and best of all, they plant a tree for every book you buy or rent. You’re welcome, environment.
Amazon – They usually have the best prices, hands down, but they aren’t always as reliable. However, since you are a student you can get free second day shipping on some books through Amazon Prime…which is a FABULOUS deal.
Half.com – I’ve never used it, because I love the others so much. But other people swear by it, so I had to include it.

All this talking about books is depressing me … because I have to buy mine soon. It just means that it is really almost time for me to start my senior year….which I’m sure will go by so quickly…ahh, I’m not ready yet!

Tagged: amazon, back to school, books, butler bookstore, buying books, chegg, Freshman, incoming freshmen, shopping, studying | 2 Comments

My Summer Internship: Exciting, yet Dangerous.

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Stephanie

If you didn’t know…this summer I am interning in Human Resources at Vera Bradley. I have several responsibilities, but one of them actually includes posting on their Intern Blog, Behind the Seams. I’ll be writing about my internship, living in Fort Wayne (for the first time), and just about working at Vera. I’ve only posted a few times so far, but I had a very pleasant surprise yesterday when my blog was linked to from the Communities page (where my photo/bio is as well), from Vera Bradley’s other blog (Inside Stitch), and when the Office of Admissions posted about me on their Facebook page as well. Talk about feeling awfully famous…all at once….it was rather great!

So far with my internship, I have been learning how everything in HR works, and I’ve been doing lots of research about social media trends that can be applied to recruiting. I have also been doing a lot of “product research”…as I have chosen to refer to it. Sounds very sophisticated, right? Well, truthfully…it isn’t. Mostly, it consists of shopping. But when you work for a company that makes awesome products (and get discounts on said products) it just makes you want to buy things…all the time (hence my internship being dangerous…to my bank account). Because when August rolls around…I won’t get those discounts anymore….so I might as well take advantage of them now…right? To illustrate how obsessed I’m becoming…here is what my collection looks like now. And This isn’t even everything that I have. So imagine…that there is more. It’s both great and awful at the same time….

: The majority of my Vera collection….

Tagged: bags, human resources, internship, products, shopping, summer, Vera, Vera Bradley | 3 Comments

SB2K11 Part 2: I guess that’s why they call it Chicago…

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Stephanie

For the second part of my Spring Break, I went to Chicago with my friends Alison and Fran. We wanted to do something other than just go home for all of break, which is why decided to go to Chicago. And, we ended up being able to stay with Alison’s friend Mike, which was great since we didn’t do much planning…and we really didn’t know what we wanted to do while we were there. So…I will take you through our visit in pictures…

Alison, Fran, and I....

We wanted to be as tourist-y as possible...so here is the bean....

The girls and Mike....

They dyed the river green for St. Patrick's Day.....

All of us at Gino's East.....

We finished off our day in the city at the Signature Lounge at the top of the Hancock Building....

It was a great time…obviously. We shopped…a lot….since there was a huge 2 story Forever 21 on Michigan Avenue. It was only slightly overwhelming…hence the over 2 hours that we spent inside. But any trip that involves shopping for me is instantly a success…so it was great. It was also rather legit that since we were staying with Mike, we got to meet some of his friends, which made it even more fun, since we weren’t just hanging out by ourselves the entire time. We felt pretty special when his friend, Curren, was our personal tour guide around the city…until we discovered that the tour route was actually a used route from his days as a freshman in high school. But, it was pretty worth it still since we made a stop by Garrett’s Popcorn….which was so good that it basically changed my life. We were also introduced to Mike’s friend, Abe, and his cooking show on YouTube….which is rather legit….so you should all probably check it out….

So between running around Chicago and seeing all of the sights, shopping, meeting new people, and of course the road trip there and back….it was a fabulous trip. If only Spring Break was longer…and we could have stayed for more than just a couple of days…

Tagged: chicago, gino's east, hancock building, michigan avenue, road trip, shopping, Spring Break, st. patrick's day, the bean, trip | 3 Comments

SB2K11 Part 1: I get my kicks on Route 66….

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Stephanie

So for the beginning of my Spring Break this year I decided to go to visit my sister. I felt it was about time that I did this because she has been begging me to come for some time now, and I finally had some free time to go visit her…which hasn’t happened since she moved to Illinois last July. Yeah, my life is outrageously busy, and rather sad. She gave me the tour of Bloomington-Normal, I saw her office, and I saw her apartment, and then…we went walking on Route 66.

Years ago, they stopped using the old stretch of Route 66 near Bloomington, and they made it into a walking trail. They put signs up along the entire section of road that highlight each state that Route 66 cuts through, and that highlight some of the history behind the road itself. It was so riveting that I just had to take photos to share….

This map they had just happens to show how far away my sister will be when she moves to New Mexico in July....

Each state that Route 66 cuts through has a sign like this....

New Mexico...where my sister is moving....

I sure did....

And then....the road ends...literally.

Obviously, Natalie and I had a great time walking on the old Route 66…and we had a great time the rest of the weekend too. Her fiance, John, joined us later, and we spent the weekend watching Basketball, shopping, and just hanging out. Luckily, they took care of me, made me great food, and helped me out with some cover letters….so the weekend was a productive and rejuvenating way to spend the beginning of my Spring Break….and I loved it!

Tagged: basketball, bloomington, cover letters, family, food, illinois, ncaa tournament, new mexico, route 66, shopping, Spring Break, walking trail | 2 Comments

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