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A Letter to 2018

Dear 2018,

Let me start off by saying that you absolutely shattered any and all expectations I had for this year. If I'm being honest, the bar was set pretty high, I mean, 2017 was going to be a tough year to beat. In 2017, I turned 18 (#legal), I graduated from high school, I moved 8 hours away from my hometown and started college, I joined a sorority, I made the Dean's & President's list and I got to travel to so many new places. A year ago if you would have asked me to describe the best year of my life, I would've said 2017. But then 2017 came to an end and we entered 2018.

2018, you were quick to show me that you were about to give 2017 a run for its money.


January started off and within days I found myself traveling to a new city for a new, spontaneous adventure. Northern Prepster turned 4 on January 6th and several days later I flew back to South Carolina for the second semester of my freshman year. On January 27th I turned 19 and while it was weird to be celebrating my birthday away from home and my family for the first time, turning another year older in a city I call my own marked a big change for me. In January I realized that I was capable of living on my own and that moving 8 hours away for college was one of the best things I could have done for my once shy, timid and soft-spoken self. 



February brought more travels, more sorority functions (Mardi Gras themed Crush Party, I got to wear gold head boppers, truly a great night), and so many laughs. I started my position on my sorority's New Member Team in February and being given the chance to hold a leadership position is something I am so grateful for. Being trusted to lead our new member classes and be one of the first faces they meet as they enter our chapter was such a humbling experience and it showed me that I have the ability to successfully balance blogging, schoolwork, social life, and leadership responsibilities. I found myself in Charleston twice, having a picnic lunch on Folly Beach (warm enough to go to a beach in February, that's a concept this Ohio girl still can't quite wrap her mind around), and getting to meet several bloggers in person.


While the month of March brought midterms and buckets of stress academically, it also brought Dance Marathon and Spring Break. I participated in USCDM for the first time and I still can't put into words how full my heart was after raising over $1 million for the kids. Getting to meet some of the miracle children that I was raising money for touched my heart in a way that I never imagined and while I was fairly familiar with the concept behind it as I have a miracle child in my family, I still found myself reaching out to friends I hadn't spoken with in years to share their stories and even got a  little teary-eyed listening to some of them speak. March also brought Spring Break, where I traveled to Orlando, Florida with my family to spend a much-needed week poolside and indulged in food that didn't come from the dining hall. 


April started off in Savannah, Georgia as my freshman year roommate, Sophie, and I traveled there for Easter Weekend. We had the best time wandering the city, treating ourselves to the best-iced coffee and brunch that our small college budgets could afford. (Soph, if you're reading this, thanks for agreeing to take spontaneous weekend trips with me and an even bigger thank you for putting up with me and my selfie-stick-turned-tripod on that trip). Later in the month I went to my first sorority formal and quite literally danced the night away (really, we were the first group to arrive and the last to leave). A personal thank you to Amazon Prime for coming in clutch when my too-stressed-out-about-finals self decided to wait until three days before formal to order my dress. 



May marked the end of my freshman year at USC, I moved out of the tiny shoebox dorm that I had called "home" for the last nine months, got to come home to Ohio for the first time in over 110 days (yes, I was counting, I missed my home), was reunited with some of my childhood best friends, visited a peony farm (my favorite flowers, you can imagine my excitement) and thrived on homecooked meals, a full-sized shower and not needing to climb on my desk to get into a lofted twin-sized bed. 


June was a busy month that started off with me getting contacts (I know, weird flex to include this but this was a big moment, my glasses were a part of me. Literally. They left a mark on my nose.) (The photo above is the first day I had my contacts & let me tell you, it was like seeing the world in HD). My current roommate and sorority twin, Lynn, came to visit me for a day and I got to show her around my hometown, take her to my favorite coffee shop, and introduce her to SoundCloud remixes. (Lynn, if you're reading this, there's no one else I would want to go through college with by my side and I'm so grateful that you live less than two hours away). I got to play golf for the first time since high school and it made me realize how much I missed it. Later in the month, I started working at Safety Town, the summer program that you've likely heard me talk on and on about because I adored getting to work with kiddos all day long. Safety Town also gave me mentors (loved getting to work alongside some of the sweetest teachers and get a glimpse at what my life is going to look like in 2.5 years) and friends who I feel like I've known forever and can't imagine life today without them (if you're reading this, hey Christian! gonna miss afternoon trash duty and hysterically laughing during song time with ya next summer. catch me trying to get that traffic light out every day, you saw me try to do it once, here's to hoping I don't struggle that much next time).


July was another busy month which unfortunately started off with me coming down with an awful cold (no voice, no appetite, and constant exhaustion) that was likely a result of being around hundreds of kiddos every day but thankfully we had a week off between sessions and I was able to get some much-needed rest and get myself back to normal. I celebrated the 4th of July with my high school friends and even though I was under the weather, nothing could have stopped me from taking part in all of the town events as the 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. Before I knew it, Safety Town was back in action for the second and final session and I would be lying if I said a small part of me wasn't sad when it came to an end for the year. The rest of July was spent getting ready to move back to South Carolina for my sophomore year. 



August marked the end of my summer break (officially marked by one last round of golf, hey again Christian, thanks for playing Gray with me because we both know that the Scarlet bunkers would have ended me) and the beginning of my second year at USC. I'm living in my sorority house this year so I packed everything in my car and headed back down south to move into the house. Recruitment was a blur but I was so excited when I got to welcome home 112 new Delta Zeta's on Bid Day (and I got to run around campus in a green tutu and gold head boppers all day, that was definitely a high point of the semester). August also held the beginning of classes and was the month when I started to get to know the group of girls that are now my best friends. 



September rolled around which meant it was time for Carolina football to come back! The first few games of the season were brutally hot and humid (again, something this Ohio girl who is used to OSU games in jeans and jerseys was not used to) but there's nothing better than a Saturday in South Carolina. I found myself back in Charleston for a day trip with 3 of my pals and then everything kind of came to a pause when Hurricane Florence showed up. Long story short, USC canceled basically a full week of classes so I drove back to Ohio with my friend Maddie (hey Mads, if you're reading this, nobody else I would want to wake up at 4am with and spend 10 hours in my car driving to and from Carolina, especially when you have to drive back to school through the hurricane) and got to spend an unexpected week at home. Once the Hurricane had come and gone (Columbia went untouched, thankfully) I was back in Carolina and finished out the month with our first sorority function of the year, Oh Hot Denim, and the New Member Retreat in Crowders Ridge, North Carolina which I got to join in on because I held a position on New Member Team. 



October showed up and with it came midterms, but it also brought a trip to a local pumpkin patch, more football games, big little reveal (to my little, Katie, if you're reading this, nobody else I would want to jump out of a cardboard box and hug!) and getting to go home for a couple of days for Fall Break. Around Halloween, I had the opportunity to volunteer at a local elementary school in Columbia and work at their Halloween carnival and I loved every minute of it! Something I wanted to do more of this year was to get involved in the Columbia community because it is my home-away-from-home and volunteering helped make such a big city like Columbia feel so much smaller and more like a true home. I also signed my lease for my apartment for next year which was exciting. #Adulting. (Hey Lauren, Maddie, Jess & Victoria, if y'all are reading this, I'm so excited to live with you guys next year. #Endless #Sleepovers).



November started off with a rock-n-roll themed sorority function followed by a day trip to Greenville to go hiking for my friend Lauren's birthday. (Hi Lauren, if you're reading this, I'm so glad we grew so close this year, you have one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know and I'm so glad I have someone like you in my life.) I flew home for Thanksgiving Break and loved getting to spend time with my family and friends before heading back to South Carolina where the month was wrapped up with my sorority semi-formal which I am happy to announce that I made it the whole entire night without taking my heels off. It's the little things that make me happy, friends. (Not sure if you're reading this, but if you are, hey Jess! so incredibly grateful that we met this year, thanks for still being my friend even though I can't dance.)




And now that brings me to December. I wrapped up the first semester of my sophomore year, survived finals week, made it out alive and on the President's list, traveled back home to Ohio for the holidays, participated in Secret Santa with my friends from high school, decorated Christmas cookies with my Grandma, celebrated Christmas with my family, somehow got the running bug (I've run 13+ miles in the past three days. My calves currently want to eat me alive but it's fine because I. Love. Running.), paid a visit to my favorite local coffee shop & just enjoyed my time away from school work and major responsibilities. 

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One of my favorite sayings, which, if you're a long time follower or if you know me personally, you probably also know by heart, is "so grateful for so much" and I can't think of a better phrase to sum up 2018. 

I am so grateful for all of the memories that 2018 brought me; all of the laughs, the travels, the good food, the adventures, the amazing people that I was blessed with, the opportunity to continue to attend my dream school and pursue my love of education and teaching. I am so grateful for each and every one of you out there that visits my website, that sends me kind e-mails, and that has decided to follow my crazy life. I am so grateful for all of the late night talks with my best friends, the FaceTime calls to friends and family from home, the car ride jam sessions, and even for the not-so-fun days when homesickness sinks in or school gets stressful because they've helped me grow in so many ways and they make the good days seem even better. 

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2018, when we first met 12 months ago, I wasn't the same girl sitting here writing this post (er, letter, not really sure what to call this). I was the girl who sat at the back of the lecture hall, who took her food back to her dorm if none of her friends were there, and the girl who didn't say "yes" to spontaneous adventures. Now, as I wave farewell to 2018, I can happily say that I'm no longer the girl that sits in the back of the class, I'm the girl up front and occasionally the one that professors will say "does anyone besides Riley have anything to add?" I will now confidently sit down with just about anyone during meal times because of the dozens of new friendships I've formed this year and I'll always say yes to spontaneous adventures (milkshakes at 11pm? count me in). 

Well, 2018, it's been real, and if you will, it's been pretty freakin' lit.

2019, hi there, I'm Riley and I'm so excited to meet you. You've got a lot to live up to but I'm ready for the next best year of my life, bring it on 2019, let's do this thing. 


Wishing you all the best in 2019,

Ri

Holiday Bucket List

It's 11:45am on the Saturday before Christmas (aka 3 days away) and I'm sitting at the counter, sipping my coffee & starting to round up my end of the year blog statistics, when I found this post. Sitting in my drafts. Completely written & ready to be posted, but never went live. So here we are. 3 days until Christmas and finally launching my Holiday Bucket List. Better late than never I guess.



MAKE A GINGERBREAD HOUSE
It doesn't need to be 100% homemade, a gingerbread house kit from Target will do just fine! I love sitting down at the kitchen table and assembling all the pieces & then decorating the tiny house with all the pieces of candy. Plus, it's a cute decorate that we usually set out in our dining room!

GO ICE SKATING
Ice skating is one of my favorite things to do during the holidays. I'm not the best at ice skating but I think that's part of the fun. I'm on the hunt for an outdoor ice rink here in town, I think it would be so fun to go skating at night with all the Christmas lights lit up (bonus points if it snows!)

DRIVE AROUND TOWN & LOOK AT THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
There's a lot of houses in my town that go all out for the holidays and one of my favorite things to do is put on some Christmas music and drive up and down all the streets and look at all of the lights. 

PARTICIPATE IN A SECRET SANTA
My friends & I usually do a Secret Santa gift exchange every year & I'm excited to be doing it again this year. Since we all grew up together, we know each other really well so the gifts are always super thoughtful & personalized and it's fun for all of us to get together and spend time with one another.

DECORATE THE CHRISTMAS TREE
My family has an artificial tree so I don't get the chance to go to a Christmas tree farm and pick out a tree every year but I still enjoy decorating the tree just the same. 

HAVE HOT COCOA & WATCH HALLMARK MOVIES
This becomes part of my nightly routine over the holidays to just sit on the couch with a mug of hot chocolate & watch whatever movie is playing on the Hallmark Channel that night. 

DECORATE CHRISTMAS COOKIES
My mom bakes a bunch of cookies during the holidays and I love to help frost some of them and put a bunch of festive sprinkles on them. 

WRAP PRESENTS
I'll admit that my present wrapping skills are definitely subpar but I'm working on them and I really enjoy wrapping presents with big ribbons and bows and fun holiday wrapping paper. 

SEND CHRISTMAS CARDS TO FRIENDS & FAMILY
My family typically sends out Christmas cards and I love when I get to sit down with my mom and design our card for the year. 

HOST & ATTEND A HOLIDAY PARTY
My family is hosting our family's Christmas Eve party this year & I can't wait! I am so excited to have another reason to deck the house out with decorations. I also love getting dressed up for holiday parties so fingers crossed that I get invited to attend some!

GO TO TOP GOLF
This one doesn't necessarily pertain to the holidays but... Columbus recently opened up a Top Golf and I'm dying to go! I have some plans to go in the works and can not wait until I finally get the chance to visit!

xoxo,

Gift Guide: The Traveler

With just over a few weeks until Christmas, I've been busy shopping around for gifts for my friends and family members. As I've gotten older, my Christmas list has decreased in length (& increased in price, oops) because I never really know what to ask for. 

During my three hour layover in Charlotte on my way back to school from Thanksgiving Break, I sat down & compiled a bunch of different gift guides for all the people on your list this holiday season. Since I'm shopping on a nice college budget, I tried to keep most of the items on the gift guides budget-friendly, but even my own wishlist has some big tag gifts. 



PORTABLE CHARGER
I got this portable charger at the beginning of the year and it's easily one of the best things I've been given and it's gotten so much use this year. I take it with me every time I fly, go on road trips or sometimes I'll just use it to charge my phone when I'm laying in bed or on the couch and I'm not near an outlet. I can get 4 full charges out of the portable charger before I have to charge it again. Seriously a life saver when it comes to traveling. 

MARK & GRAHAM LUGGAGE
Unfortunately, I don't fly quite as often as I would like to think I do so a personalized carry on bag isn't on my Christmas list this year, but, for someone who travels often, this carry on luggage is so chic and from the reviews I read, is very durable and protects your contents. 

PASSPORT CASE & LUGGAGE TAG
A simple, personalized gift that can make spotting your luggage easier and ensure that you always have your passport with you with a cute, monogrammed cover. 

TRAVEL PILLOW & EYE MASK
Perfect for someone who travels long distances and spends several hours in the air or on the road. Definitely better than leaning against the airplane window (#guilty).

TRAVEL JEWELRY CASE
One of my biggest pet peeves about traveling is that my necklaces always end up getting tangled so with a jewelry organizer designed specifically for travel purposes, you don't need to worry about your jewelry getting all tangled up. 

TRAVEL MAKEUP BAGS
Having all your makeup and brushes in one spot is convenient and takes up less room in your bag. A makeup bag like this one is perfect for someone who loves their makeup and is on-the-go all the time. 

TOTE BAG
Tote bags are my go-to bag of choice whenever I travel because they can hold anything and everything I need. From boarding passes to my laptop and chargers, a giant tote bag is perfect for your travel-loving friend. 

GO PRO
There's no better way to capture your travels than with a GoPro. Perfect for taking pictures & videos to remember all the fun memories of your trips. 

xoxo,

Hiking at Table Rock State Park

Last weekend I traveled to Greenville, South Carolina with 5 of my friends to hike up Table Rock Mountain. I'll admit that hiking is not something that I usually enjoy doing nor can I be found doing often, but I was in need of a day away from campus and since we had an away football game, we piled in my car and headed to Greenville bright & early on Saturday morning.

The drive from Columbia to Greenville is just under two hours so we arrived at Table Rock State Park a little after 11am. We had beautiful weather aside from the trail being a little bit muddy from all the rain South Carolina got the previous day. The Table Rock trail is a total of 7.2 miles (!!!) and from what other hikers told us, is not the easiest trail to hike but the views from the two lookouts & the view from the summit were definitely worth it!







xoxo,

Let's Catch Up!

Hi friends! With student teaching being finished for the semester & shockingly not having anything due or any exams before Thanksgiving break, I have the next week and a half to just hang around and finally get working on some new content for Northern Prepster. 

Since I've been a little MIA recently (thank you sophomore year for that) I think it's time for a post to share some photos and update you all on what I've been up lately! 

P A R E N T 'S  W E E K E N D 

Parent's weekend was in early October and although my family couldn't make the trip down to South Carolina this year, I still attened our Parent's Cocktail. I got to meet my little's family (even though she wasn't officially my little yet) and take some cute pictures. 



P U M P K I N  P A T C H E S

We had a sisterhood event at a pumpkin patch about 25 minutes outside of Columbia in mid-October one Sunday afternoon. It was a nice study break and even though it was 80Âş, my friends and I still had fun taking some fun fall photos and starting to get in the ~fall spirit~.



B I G  L I T T L E  R E V E A L

Big Little reveal was on October 12th and leading up to reveal, my chapter does two nights of gifts called DZ Christmas. As much fun as crafting for my little was, I was very excited to finally get to give her all her gifts & free up some more space in my room. On the first night I gave her a bunch of t-shirts, canvases, wooden letters that I modge podged with pink & green paper, and I painted her a big wooden crate to carry it all in. On the second night of gifts I gave her more t-shirts, canvases, her costume for reveal, a tote bag, and a big plastic bin to carry it all in.

My family's reveal theme this year was "Ice, Ice, Baby" so my twin and I were bags of ice (loved sporting a trash bag all night), our littles were the babies, my big was Vanilla Ice, and we painted a giant boomb box for our grandbig to hold that said "Stop, collaborate & listen, this DZ fam's got some new additions!"

All of the bigs jump out of giant boxes to surprise our littles which is not the easiest thing in the world, trying to hide in those for extended periods of time is not the most enjoyable thing, but it was definitely wortht it! My little, Katie,  knew I was her big the whole time (oops) but she's the best and played along with it the whole time leading up to reveal.







F A L L  B R E A K

Fall Break was three weeks ago and it was so nice to be home for a couple of days. I didn't have any big plans, just a lot or errands to run, getting to see my family & catching up with a few of my friends that were home or go to school in Columbus. I also had a decent amount of work to do over break, bummer I know, so I spent a while working on all of that, too. I'm super excited to be home for Thanksgiving next week, especially since I'm flying home so I don't have to spend 8 hours in the car!


S O R O R I T Y  F U N C T I O N S - AC/DZ

The first Friday in November my sorority had our second function of the semester, AC/DZ. It was fun to dress up in rock-n-roll style clothing becasue I can't think of any other time I would get to cut up and old band t-shirt and wear a leather skirt with hightops. I took my roommate from last year, Sophie, and my sorority twin brought my suitemate from last year, Claire. I haven't gotten to hang out with Soph and Claire as much as I had hoped I would've this semester so it was so fun to get to spend a night with them.


B I G  L I T T L E  P A D D L E  E X C H A N G E

Last week we had an event during dinner one night where all the littles could give their big a paddle if they chose to make one. I didn't know that my little was making one for me so I was so surprised when she gave me one! I love my paddle & it's now hanging by my bedroom door! To my little if you're reading this, thank you, love you lots!


Happy November!

xoxo,

Get to Know Me: Part 2

Back in March, I shared a post called The Girl Behind the Blog: Get to Know Me! and had such a fun time answering your not-so-typical Q&A questions to let you all as readers get to know me on a personal level. I know that the majority of those who read my blog have never met me in person so by answering this odd questions, I hope that it allows you all to see who the girl behind this blog really is. Today I'm back with 25 more random questions that you all submitted via my Instagram stories along with some fun outtake photographs that never made it on the blog.


1. What is the dumbest way you've been injured?
In 4th grade, my family went out for Easter Brunch at The Faculty Club on OSU's campus and afterward, we took some of our extra bread from brunch down to Mirror Lake to feed the ducks. I guess the ducks saw me holding all these rolls in my hands and got excited because they jumped out of the lake and started chasing after me. I freaked out and tried to run but because I had my nice Easter sandals on, I tripped over a crack in the pavement and stubbed one of my toes. I didn't think anything of it but later that day I was complaining about how bad my toe hurt so I had my best friend's dad who is an ER doctor come over (perks of living across the street from your best friend) and look at my toe and he confirmed that I had broken it. I remember being so upset because I had to sit out of the golf unit in gym class all because I broke my toe running away from the ducks. To this day I will not get close to the edge of Mirror Lake.

2. Have you ever worn clothing with the tags still attached?
Yes. In 8th grade, we did this thing called Dance Club where the 8th graders from the other middle school in my town would come over to my school one night each week and we would be taught how to do basic dances like the box step and other dances. You had to dress nice so I showed up one night wearing a new pink dress that I was SO excited about and it wasn't until halfway through the night that when I was doing the box step with a boy from the other school that he said "hey did you know the tag is still on your dress?" I was mortified.


3. What's an embarrassing song that you have memorized word for word?
Introducing Me by Nick Jonas from Camp Rock 2. A true bop, feel like I'm back in middle school everytime it comes on and can proudly say that I still know every. single. word.

4. What do you dislike but have no good reason for disliking?
The movie theater. I have no idea when or why I started to dislike the movies but I can't stand them! They kind of creep me out a little bit if I'm being honest. If anyone ever asks me to go to the movies with them, my answer is most likely no.

5. What's the worst food you've ever had?
Unpopular opinion but I tried quinoa for the first time last week and was NOT a fan. Kind of felt like I was eating bird food the whole time. 0/10 will never be eating again.

6. What's your favorite genre of movie?
Biggggg rom-com girl.


7. Did you want to be anything besides a teacher when you were younger?
Yes! Before I wanted to be a teacher I wanted to be a meteorologist. Looking back on that I'm a little confused by that choice. Yes, I think the weather is so cool but @ younger Riley, weird flex but ok?

8. If teaching wasn't an option, what career would you like to pursue?
Interior Design!

9. What's your favorite month of the year?
December! I love the holidays & the snow and it's nearly impossible for me not to be in a good mood all month.


10. How do you feel about pineapple on pizza?
I 100% support pineapple on pizza.

11. What's one of the most memorable things you remember about every grade in grade school?
Kindergarten: I met my best friend in kindergarten!
1st Grade: Eating in the school cafeteria for the first time as first graders went to school all day. My best friend was in a different class than I was so we would always race to the lunchroom so we can sit on the crack in the lunch tables where my class table met up with hers.
2nd Grade: Receiving an anonymous note from someone in my class that said "(insert name of the boy here) likes you." Pretty sure I still have that note stashed away in a drawer in my room back home. Can't throw away a good second-grade love note.
3rd Grade: This was the year I realized I wanted to become a teacher.
4th Grade: Breaking my toe running away from the ducks on Easter. See question #1 for the full story.
5th Grade: I got my first cell phone. It was a little pink flip phone & you had to press the number keys multiple times to get the letter you wanted. Good memories, good memories.
6th Grade: Meeting the girls from the other elementary schools that fed into my middle school and would go on to become my 6 best friends that are still my best friends today.
7th Grade: I vividly remember trying to study for a science test one afternoon and getting so frustrated that I wasn't retaining the information that I picked up my folder and threw it across our living room and my papers went everywhere. Slightly concerned that this is the first thing that came to mind when thinking back to 7th grade.
8th Grade: Going to Washington, D.C. with my entire class.
9th Grade: I started Northern Prepster!
10th Grade: I got my driver's license.
11th Grade: Missing the majority of my junior year golf season because I went out with a bad shoulder injury during a tournament one afternoon. Still bitter because I was -2 when I had to withdrawal :/
12th Grade: Standing with my teammates when we watched them circle our name on the scoreboard to indicate that we had advanced to states.


12. What's a weird habit you have that you've never told anyone?
I stand on my tip toes in the shower. I have NO idea why I do this or when I started doing this but for as long as I can remember, everytime I shower I'm always standing on my tip toes.

13. What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?
One of my high school teachers senior year was talking with my class about college acceptance letters and college rejection letters and when one student shared that they had just been denied from their top choice, the teacher told us "everything happens for reason, and sometimes it's best if we don't know that reason so don't try to figure it out because you'll just end up overthinking it" and it's stuck with me since.

14.  Would you rather your life be like a Hallmark movie or a Nicholas Sparks movie?
This is tough but I think I'm going to have to go with a Hallmark movie on this one.

15. Do you think you'll stay in South Carolina after graduation?
Ideally, I would like to move back to Ohio and teach back at home but we'll see where the wind blows me.


16. Favorite Thanksgiving tradition?
The day before Thanksgiving I always wake up early and go over to my grandparent's house and help them prep all the food for Thanksgiving, set the table & decorate their house. I've been doing this for at least 6 or 7 years now and I love it because one year for Christmas they gave me a blank recipe book and ever since I've been filling it in with the recipes for all the foods they teach me how to make. My grandparents are my best friends so I love that I get the chance to spend this special time with them every year!

17. Favorite Christmas tradition?
Every year on Christmas Eve, my younger brother, Ryan, and I go out in the street in front of our house and throw reindeer food. I'm 19 and Ryan is 17 but you're never too old to throw some reindeer food. Usually it ends up with me and Ryan just throwing the oats and glitter at each other but it's always a fun time and results in some good laughs.


18. What's your favorite part about being home when you're home over breaks?
Having a full sized shower, not having to climb on my desk to get into my bed, not having to sleep in a twin sized bed, homecooked meals & my dog.

19. You seem like you're still super close with your friends from high school, how do you guys stay so close even though you guys are so far apart?
My friend group is still super close! We have a group message with the 7 of us that we texted in daily and we also have a group Snapchat that we occasionally snap in. We all have very different personalities which I think is part of the reason why we work so well as friends. We keep each other updated on our lives at our colleges but we don't talk 24/7 which is nice because then when we're all together back home in Ohio we have things to talk about!


20. What would your perfect holiday date be like?
Nothing fancy! I think going ice skating would be so fun, especially if it was an outdoor rink. Or honestly just driving around looking at Christmas lights at night or baking Christmas cookies and listening to holiday music. It doesn't take much to please me so even the simplest thing is likely to put a smile on my face.

21. Do you have any nervous habits?
Yes! I fidget with my ring whenever I'm nervous. I wear it every single day but on the rare case that I'm not wearing it, I still find myself going to play with it even though it's not there. I also have the tendency to play with whatever necklace I'm wearing that day. Especially whenever I'm taking exams I find myself holding my necklace up under my chin, not sure when I started doing this but now I have to wear a necklace every time I have to take a quiz or an exam.

22. We all know you have your Spotify on as you're working on this blog post, what song is playing right now?
When isn't my Spotify on, let's be real, that thing is never off. But to answer your question, Cold December Night by Michael Bublé. Yes, my Christmas playlist has made its debut and yes I am thriving. Please feel free to listen with me, playlist linked below.


23. Have you ever thought about making stickers for Northern Prepster?
Yes! Some fun things are in the works for (hopefully) early 2019! Get excited!

24. Have you ever thought about vlogging?
Honestly, my life really isn't that exciting. I just wake up, go to class, come home, do homework, and sleep. Sometimes there are some scattered exciting things that happen but for the most part, I'm just your normal college student. If I got a high demand for a vlog I might consider doing one while I'm home for Thanksgiving break but no promises there. YouTube is not my forte, definitely more of a blogger gal.

25. If you would have stayed in-state for school, which Ohio school would you have attended?
I applied to Miami University which is in Oxford, Ohio and The Ohio State University in Columbus so one of those two but probably Ohio State #GoBucks. Please enjoy this photo of little Riley in an OSU cheerleader uniform.



xoxo,