End of Sophomore Year Recap

After Thursday's post explaining why Chic in Carolina has been pretty quiet lately + my thoughts on blogging, I figured I should get y'all up to speed on everything that has been going on in my life lately. One of the major takeaways from my reader survey so far is that y'all love reading about what's going on in my life so grab a coffee and let's catch up!

The last posts on the blog were about Spring Break so a lot has happened since then!

similar sunglasses ⎢skort ⎢wedges ⎢hoops

Cookout for CASA

In early April, my sorority had our final philanthropy event, Cookout for CASA. I had the incredible honor of serving my sisters as Philanthropy Chair, meaning I was in charge of planning and organizing the event, and it was amazing to see the months of work come together for the event. We were able to raise over $23,000 for foster children in the Upstate of South Carolina and I am still amazed by my chapter's hard work alongside the support of our incredible alumni.

same style dress, different print (1 & 2) ⎢wedges ⎢similar sunglasses ⎢hoops ⎢apple watch ⎢bracelet

Clemson Spring Game

The day after Cookout for CASA was Clemson's Spring Game! My mom was in town for the philanthropy event so she treated my friends and I to brunch before she headed out of town that day. We then headed to the game for a bit before going to the baseball game and then to Chili's for dinner. My friends and I literally spent the entire day together and it's definitely one of my favorite memories from sophomore year!

this year's version of my top ⎢jean shorts (on sale!) ⎢cowboy boots ⎢apple watch ⎢bracelet

Theta's Last Ride

Right before my trip to Florida, I had my final sorority function (read this post for the back story on that). It was a two night function but I only went to the first night as I was in Florida the second night. The theme was Theta's Last Ride so everyone wore cowboy/western attire, which was so fun!

dress ⎢wedges (not pictured) ⎢apple watch ⎢bracelet

Easter in Florida

I took a quick trip to Florida to celebrate Easter with my family! It started off on the rocky side with my flight being cancelled and an unexpected night at home in Charlotte but it was great to see my family before the craziness of the last week of class and exams!

similar top ⎢similar shorts ⎢similar sunglasses ⎢jacks (on sale!) ⎢apple watch ⎢bracelet

Last Weekend in Clemson 

The last Friday before exams, my friends and I went to Smokin' Pig, the yummiest barbecue place near campus, and then went to the dikes to watch the sunset. We then went back to the hall to have game night and it was so fun spending time with my girls before we all had to leave for the summer!

Exam Week & Move Out

This year I only had three exams but they didn't start until Wednesday, which was a bit of a bummer (my roommate finished all of her exams before I even took my first one haha). Thankfully, I did well on all of them and it was soon time to head home to Charlotte!

I moved out on Friday and it was so bittersweet seeing my empty room (see it fully decorated here) and seeing the Theta hall for the last time!

leggings

Week at Home

After exams, I had exactly one week at home before my trip to Italy! I unpacked all of my stuff, put aside everything I'm bringing to my house for next year, nannied, worked out, and then packed for Italy!

Studying Abroad in Italy

I'll be sharing more on this but I had the incredible opportunity to study abroad in Italy for three weeks in May! It was through Clemson's College of Ed so I was able to shadow in local schools, which was amazing, as well as travel to different cities!

a mid concert, slightly blurry selfie haha!

Luke Bryan Concert

Just last weekend my roommate and I went to the Luke Bryan concert here in Charlotte! Rachel is from Raleigh so she came down to visit for the concert! I've been a Luke Bryan fan for years and he was amazing to see in concert!

Thanks for reading!

Long Time, No Talk but I'm Back!!

Well it's been a hot minute since I've last posted and even longer since I actually posted consistently on my little corner of the Internet. The last time we caught up was spring break, which honestly feels like a million years ago. This past spring semester was absolutely crazy for me as I took 18 credit hours (including 5 classes in a row on Tuesdays and Thursdays) and also was in charge of my sorority's philanthropy event for our final semester. When I got home for the summer, I planned on prescheduling some posts for while I was in Italy studying abroad and as luck would have it, my computer broke and had to be repaired at the Apple store (I had it on my bed, took a shower, and came back to the picture below...fun times!).

a snap from Italy! can't wait to share more soon

my outfit: similar tee ⎢similar scarf ⎢similar purse ⎢jeans (bought in Italy!) ⎢jacks ⎢similar sunnies ⎢watch ⎢bracelet

yeah this was fun to deal with

I'm now back from Italy and honestly, I've missed blogging so much. This past semester, I think part of my lack of inspiration to blog came from the pressure to keep up. We all know that Instagram engagement is down and honestly, it's so easy to get lost in the crowd of bloggers who seem to be doing the exact same thing and wearing identical sponsored outfits. That's not me at all but it's hard not to compare your blog and your work to others around you. It's hard to see others gaining followers (purchased or not) while you don't. In college, you have a million and one things going on and it's hard to be engaged on social media and come out with new content while keeping up with schoolwork, extracurriculars, hanging out with friends, and you know sleeping and eating. I also feel that my life isn't exciting enough to blog about it- I usually am wearing athleisure with no makeup on, which isn't exactly blog worthy!

I also feel like the girl who started this blog in 2015 during her sophomore year of high school is not the same girl writing this post in 2019. Of course, I still love my Lilly but I've definitely grown so much as a person (and more than simply including some Anthro and Free People into my wardrobe haha). In all honestly, high school Katie may have looked like she did it "all"- from working out to doing all of her homework to working to being super involved- but that came with a ton of stress that wasn't necessarily the healthiest. I've chilled out a lot since college (which may surprise some of my friends as I am still Type A) and honestly am so happy at college. I was at a Pure Barre class the other day and had not seen this instructor since I started college. She noted how much more confident I seem and I think that is just proof of how important it is to be somewhere where you're happy.

So I've come to accept that maybe I'm not the most inspirational blogger out there but that isn't why I started Chic in Carolina four years ago! Honestly, I try to write my blog posts as I'm talking to a friend about topics that are relevant to us- so maybe sharing what I wish I knew before college to a friend who is about to be a freshman or talking to my friends over coffee about a book I read lately or how much I love those new shorts I just splurged on. I hope that Chic in Carolina always comes off as real to y'all and not just a glossy version of my life!

So happy to be back and let me know if there's anything y'all want to read on the blog by commenting below or shooting me an email (chicincarolina@gmail.com) or slide into my DMs haha! If you could take a moment to fill out my reader survey as well, that would be amazing!

love always,

K

Disney Recap

Happy Monday friends! I am so excited to be sharing spring break recaps with y'all even if it was a few weeks ago now! This year, my roommate Rachel and I went to stay with my grandparents at their house in Jacksonville and we went to Disney for two days, which was so much fun! We did all four parks (plus Disney Springs) in 2 days and crossed practically every ride off of our list!

We drove down to Disney early in the morning on the Monday of our Spring Break so we could be there as close as to when Animal Kingdom opens. We made it fairly close to that point and decided to start of our day by doing the Safari ride. The long ride definitely tested our patience (haha) but it was fun. We then did Expedition Everest afterwards.

We then took the shuttle over to Magic Kingdom and walked around for a bit before riding rides! We practically did everything: Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, and Splash Mountain with of course stops for mickey ice cream pops!

my ootd: similar tank ⎢similar tennis skort ⎢sneakers ⎢similar fanny pack

We had a fast pass for Splash Mountain so that was our last ride of the day and we headed out before the fireworks to make it back to the car!

The next morning, we were up bright and early to grab Chick-fil-a breakfast before heading back to the parks. We hit Hollywood Studios first to ride the Rockin Roller Coaster as quickly as possible. Since we got there as soon as the park was open, the line was pretty short so we walked around the new Toy Story area before going to Epcot.

We then went to Epcot where we walked around, rode Soarin twice, rode Test Track, and ate some yummy food. The highlight? The macaron ice cream sandwiches in France!

Rachel had an interview so we headed back to our hotel so she could do that before going to Disney Springs for dinner. We walked around for a bit, ate, grabbed Sprinkles Cupcakes, and then drove back to my grandparents's house in Jacksonville.

Thanks for reading!

A Day in my Life: Spring 2019

One of my absolute favorite types of posts to read on other blogs is day in the life type posts. I don't know why but I find it so interesting to peek into other people's day-to-day routines! I figured it's only fair to share mine as well and I think it gives y'all a pretty good look into what my day looks like (for recaps of my weeks be sure to check out my "my chic week" posts!).

As many of y'all know, I am a sophomore Elementary Education major at Clemson University in South Carolina. The education department here at Clemson is really fond of scheduling all of our classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which gives me Mondays and Fridays off (!!!) but an absolutely insane Tuesday/Thursday schedule (5 classes in one day!).

Morning Routine

This is my first semester since my freshman year fall that I haven't had to take an 8 AM and honestly it is so nice to get a bit more sleep in the morning. I usually wake up around 8 (with maybe hitting snooze once or twice!) and then brush my teeth/wash my face/make my bed. Depending on the day, I'll do my hair (or call it a day and throw it in a ponytail haha) and then eat a quick breakfast with a cup of coffee. One of my friends and I both have class at the same time in the same building so we usually try and walk over together!

Class #1: Principles of American Education

My day starts with an education class and this one is pretty fun as most of my education friends are in it with me so we always sit together! Even though my Tuesdays and Thursdays are absolutely crazy, I have classes with my ed friends all day, which makes things a bit more exciting.

Class #2: Human Sexual Behavior

This class counts towards my Psychology minor and is pretty interesting to say the least. It is a lecture style class where the professor just teaches during each class meeting but the professor is pretty funny so the hour and a half usually goes by pretty quickly.

Class #3: Educational Psychology

Y'all may have noticed that lunch isn't in my schedule on Tuesdays and Thursdays as all of my classes are back to back. I usually back a lunch and eat it during this class but occasionally we'll get out early and I'll grab a "real" lunch haha!

Class #4: Intro to Special Education

After Ed Psych, I then head upstairs in the same building for Intro to Special Education (or SPED for short). This class is about the various types of disabilities that fall under Special Education and education practices to go along with each one.

Class #5: Social Psychology

My last class of the day is a psych one and focuses on various aspects of how humans engage with each other and why we essentially do what we do so it's pretty interesting even though I'm usually fairly tired at this point in the day.

After Class

After a long day of classes, the rest of my day usually differs! I usually call home while walking back from class to chit chat with my mom and to see what's going on at home. Since I don't have class on Fridays, this is the start of my weekend, which is always exciting! I'll usually head back to my room to hang out with friends or if it's a busy week, go to work on homework at the library or in Starbucks. Tonight, for example, I have a meeting for an organization that I am involved in but other nights, I'll spontaneously go to Target with friends or watch Grey's. I'm usually in bed by 11:30 and ready to start the next day!

What does a typical day in your life look like? Let me know in the comments!

My Chic Week: March 22-28

Happy Friday! I am so excited to be back with a new My Chic Week post to share with y'all- it's been quite a while since my last one! For those of y'all who may be new to the blog (hello! check out my about me here and be sure to follow me on instagram and twitter!), each Friday I share a recap of my day-to-day life. I love reading more "real-life" posts on other blogs as I think it is fun to peek into other people's lives and it is kind of fun to look back on these posts!

This past week has been a crazy one as it was the end of my spring break as well as getting back into the swing of classes! For spring break, my roommate Rachel and I went to my grandparents's house in Florida and also spent a few days at Disney- be on the lookout for recaps next week!

Last Friday started off with brunch at a restaurant near my grandparents's house. I had Cinnamon Roll pancakes, which were absolutely incredible!

We then went back to my grandparents's house for a bit before spending the afternoon at the beach. We had dinner at the beach as well and were able to see the prettiest sunset!

Saturday was our last full day in Florida so we slept in and hung out for a bit before getting ready for the day! We packed up our things and had a pretty chill day to round out our spring break!

On Sunday morning, it was back to Clemson as spring break was sadly over! The six hour drive turned into eight with traffic and the the world longest's wait at Wendy's for lunch, which is always a fun time. Once we got back, Rachel and I unpacked and then had dinner with two friends before going downtown for Insomnia cookies!

I didn't have class on Monday so it was a good way to get ahead before the week truly begins. I did a lot of philanthropy event planning and got ahead on some school work as well! Monday night, I had a meeting for my study abroad trip to Italy in May, which always makes me so excited to go!

Since I didn't really have any classes on Monday, Tuesday was my first "real" day getting back into the swing of things. My first class wound up getting canceled so I got to sleep a little longer and then my classes are pretty much as they are always are. The last few weeks of the semester will be crazy with school work but what else is new! After class, one of my friends and I grabbed dinner on campus and then wound up walking around our sorority hall trying to find our doppelgängers on the composites (for those of y'all who aren't familiar with greek life, we have our picture taken each year and there is a composite of all of the members on the wall for each year our sorority has been at Clemson!). I then walked into my room to find a few friends were hanging out in there so we caught up for a bit and then went to get ice cream in downtown Clemson!

On Wednesday, my art class had a field trip to the children's museum in Greenville, which is 45 minutes from Clemson. A group of my friends and I drove together and then enjoyed the museum a little too much for a group of college sophomores! We grabbed ice cream on our way back to campus and then went to go see one of my friend's dogs at her apartment.

similar top ⎢jeans ⎢similar flats ⎢apple watch ⎢bracelet ⎢similar bracelet

Once I got back, my roommate and I grabbed dinner in downtown Clemson. We had a mixer for our sorority on Wednesday night so my friends and I hung out in my room beforehand and then went to the mixer for a bit.

Thursday was a bit out of my routine as two of my classes were canceled, which is always a fun surprise! I had one class then grabbed lunch then went to my last two classes of the day. After class, I grabbed dinner and then went to a meeting. My Thursday was pretty laid back as I showered and watched the new episode of Grey's while blogging for a bit.

Happy FriYAY!