…you have no where to be. I’ve officially completed my graduate program and am graduating on Saturday. I haven’t had anywhere to be this week, since I finshed my finals on Monday and I don’t have a job, so I’ve been hanging out at home in my pajamas. The next few weeks are going to be filled with job searching and, hopefully, interviewing. I’ve applied for several jobs with a few rejections, one phone interview, but mainly a bunch of silence. I suppose I could get dressed for job hunting, to boost my confidence or something like that, but my pajamas are so much more comfortable!

Until I begin to feel motivated again, I’ll leave you with a few Instagrams of what my life has been the past few weeks.

This is the compelted, bound copy of my thesis. Isn’t it a beauty? 🙂

After my thesis presentation, we took a much-needed break to attend the Walk the Moon show in Greensboro. I’ve been a huge fan of WTM since discovering them almost two years ago, so I was extremly excited to get to see them perform. But I think the best thing about the whole event was getting VIP/Early Entry tickets so we could get in early, have the bar come to us, and have comfy seats while waiting for the show to begin. I will never not be VIP ever again! This is how you do shows in your 30s.

The evening after submitting my very last final, I met some friends for some celebratory drinks. It was such a nice evening!

That’s it for now. I plan to have actual outfit photos up next week. Thanks for hanging in there with me!

(NC)²

Dear readers, life lately has been somewhat of a whirlwind! School has taken up ALL of my time but I’m so close to finishing up my program and earning my Masters’ degree that the light at the end of the tunnel is shining brighter every day. I finished my presentation (photo below) and I’m making a few edits to my Professional Paper/thesis so that I can turn it in next week. Then I’ll only have two finals that stand between me and that degree.

This is a photo that my amazingly awesome content advisor took of me during my presentation.

She uploaded it to Facebook with the most touching caption ever, saying that I was “one of the brightest new professionals who is so passionate about sexuality education” and that I “hit it out of the park today.” She went on to say,”Thank you for all your hard work, professionalism and dedication. It is students like you that make this all worthwhile. Congratulations on your awesome research and MPH!!” [Monica, if you’re reading this, I hope you don’t mind me sharing your words; I just really wanted to toot my own horn a little :-)] Also, if anyone is interested in learning more about my research, which is a look at the barriers of implementing the Healthy Youth Act in NC schools, let me know. I’m happy to talk to you about it 🙂

If you’re a new reader and unfamiliar with my situation, allow me to briefly recap: Two years ago, I started a graduate program that is not distance education BUT at a school that is 1.5 hours from my home. So, I’ve spent the last two years commuting to school at least 4 counties away and staying at various places in town so I didn’t have to make that drive every. single. day. I would stay with my mother-in-law, crash at friends’ apartments, and at one point I rented a small studio (that I ended up hating!) and went back to commuting every day. But all of that is over on May 9, when I’m finished for good and walk across that stage!

As a little reward for a job well done, I treated myself with a trip to Target.

I had a hard time deciding which purse to choose but ultimately went with the blue one!

I loved the back of this sweater and have worn it several times already!

Then on Sunday, we celebrated Nick’s birthday with tapas at our favorite restaurant, Mateo’s bar de tapas, and I enjoyed a Cheerwine Sangria.

Cheerwine is a soft drink that was created here in North Carolina and is one of the most delicious beverages that ever existed. I don’t drink sodas very often, but when I do, it’s usually a Cheerwine. So you can imagine how yummy a beverage would be when it’s Cheerwine, wine, and fruit. Yum!

That’s about it for now. I’ll definitely have more time to post outfit photos once my finals are over. I’ve created some really cute outfits these past few weeks that I will no doubt be wearing again so I’ll be sure to get photos to post. Thanks for hanging in there with me, everyone. You’re amazing!

Talk soon,
Nikki

How gorgeous is the beading on this tank? I fell for it as soon as I saw it. It’s a little heavier than a normal tank with all the beading and it *kind of* feels like I’m wearing a suit of armor (or at least that chain/mesh hand glove they use at restaurants when cutting meat), but it’s so pretty.

I wore this outfit for dinner at our house. Nick invited his coworker and coworker’s girlfriend over for dinner because they are in town from Argentina. It was such a fun night, and I really enjoyed learning about their culture. It’s so different and yet so similar to our own here in the U.S. It also made me realize how much I miss speaking Spanish and learning about other cultures so I might start taking some classes and make more of an effort to immerse myself so that I can be fluent again. It’s true that if you don’t use it you lose it. Stay in school, kids.

Cardigan: Banana Republic | Blouse: search for sanity via Nordstrom Rack | Crop Trousers: Karen Kane via Stitch Fix | Shoes: Old Navy | Jewelry: Old Navy

What it feels like when writing your thesis.

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Hey eveyone,

I’m sorry for my absence but I’m alive and well, if you consider being completely stressed out to be ‘well’! I have about 4 weeks of graduate school left – and exactly 32 days until graduation – so I’m in the final stages of writing my Professional Paper (which is like a thesis but slightly less intense) and preparing my presentation (which is like a thesis defense but slightly less intense) and finishing up all of the other little assignments that stand between me and a Master of Public Health degree. These last few weeks have been filled with late nights, last-minute writing, and even some tears. For that reason, I’ve been repeating a lot of outfits and keeping it pretty simple since all of my creativity is going into writing for school. The photos in this post are to give you an idea of what I’m wearing, which is basically anything that is remotely comfortable, like jeans and t-shirts. But feel free to scroll through and see some of the outfits that have been on repreat.

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I did have a presentation this week so I wore this outfit, but switched out the purple cardigan for a green one.

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Aww, do you remember my long hair? I do!

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It was pretty chilly out one day last week so I had to break out the sweaters. It wasn’t that cold, so I wore a cropped sweater.

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I wore this maxi skirt but with a different tee. That’s one of the best things about this outfit formula, you can switch it up as much as you want!

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I actually got rid of these gold flats because they didn’t fit that great, but I did wear this outfit with different flats to run to the grocery store.

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Haha, I love Calvin and Hobbes, and I think this is the cutest little comic ever!

Calvin, on writing a thesis.

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It’s finally Spring! The trees in my neighborhood are blooming with beautiful pink and white flowers and there are daffodils are everywhere. I love daffodils because they remind me of my grandmother. Her birthday is March 21st, which is right around the time that they start blooming. When I was a little girl, I would go out and pick a huge bunch to give her for her birthday. As an adult, I often try to visit her but I was too busy with school this year, so I called her and talked to her for a while, which was really nice. I don’t know if they’re her favorite flower or not, but they sure hold a special meaning to me! So, while some folks may call this shirt mustard yellow, I’m calling it daffodil yellow in honor of my Granny Annie (yes, that’s what we’ve always called her!).

I wore this outfit to work on one of the nicest days we’ve had in a while. It was sunny, bright, and warm. I thought about wearing a light scarf with it, but worried I might get hot and take it off and what’s the point in that? Instead, I layered a bunch of necklaces with it, which I think look better than a scarf because you can still see all of the pleating details at the top. Add simple neutral flats and cute headband and voila, you’ve got a cute spring look!

Blouse: ModCloth | Denim & Flats: Old Navy | | Long necklack: gift from my MIL; WalMart; Old Navy | Headband: Target

Daffodils for reference! 🙂

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Linking up with Carylee at More Pieces of Me