Fall is here!

Today I got to wear my favorite Sorel boots. My parents gave them to me last year as one of my Christmas presents and they are awesome. They are supposed to be really good for the snow and rain because they are water proof and they have good traction on the bottom. They are also super comfortable. I like mine because they are short, but I'm in the market for some taller ones now that I'm starting to prepare for some good ole Nebraska snow.

You can check mine out here! (I got mine from Dillard's last year, but I saw Nordstrom Rack was having a major sale on the ones I have and you can't pass up a good deal)

I really love the color because I'm super into that sage/olive green right now. Get yourself a pair today and you seriously won't regret it.

xoxo,

Madison

Song of the Day: I Will Wait//Mumford & Sons (LOVE them so much)

School Vibes

super cool first day of school picture for my mom

So now that I am a sophomore in college, I no longer live in a dorm. I feel like I am 98% adulting (minus 2% because my parents still pay for some of my things and I call them a LOT to ask random questions).

I now live in a duplex/house with three other girls and it's a pretty cool set up. We have a two car garage, washer and dryer, and it's two-stories. These are the things you get excited about when you get older, example: "YES, it comes with a washer and dryer, that's awesome!" (this was an exact quote from me a couple of months ago). Other things I've decided you start to get excited about when you're older include, but are not limited to: cheap gas (below $2, this one gets me really pumped), good deals on things like paper towels and dish detergent, and sales on pretty much anything (really anything that can save me money because I'm a poor college student and I hate spending money on things that aren't fun, gas, oil changes, cleaning supplies, etc.). My parents will probably think this is funny.

Anyways, yesterday was quite the adventure. My first day of classes were really just one class and it wasn't until 5:30 p.m. and it wasn't even on the same campus that I was used to (really great, NOT). Apparently there's this little thing called East Campus, cool I was like oh so they just like to use directions like yeah okay that makes sense, nope it actually means "EAST CAMPUS" as in drive 10 min to a different location. Luckily, Quinn helped me realize my mistake because that could have been a really sad first day, *dresses up and tries to look cute, ends up missing night class (only class of day)*. Yeah that would have made me feel like poop, however, I was in luck because due to my incredible sense of direction (ha) and keen observance to time I managed to get across campus/town and arrive 2 min late. It was a pretty big accomplishment, not gonna lie.

Today presented itself with another very daunting feat, the good ole' 8 a.m. class (this has been the downfall of my college career, no matter what I do I can't seem to get away from them). Fortunately I was able to drag myself out of bed at the crack of dawn (jk it was just 7:30) and make it to class. Except I hadn't been to an actual school day yet so I was pretty unfamiliar with how everything worked, first there was the parking adventure (mastered it), then it was finding some random building I had never heard of (I ended up walking all around campus only to realize it was right next to my parking garage (sweet). When I finally spotted the building I happened to run into the Associate Dean of the Journalism School, who I have met and talked to multiple times (I know I'm really cool), and she informed me that the class I was going to was actually over capacity so I had to go to a whole other building and find another classroom. I was not pleased to hear this information, but I found it eventually and I ended up being 15 min late *cringe* (being late to class is the worst, everyone stares at you and makes you feel really stupid and I was like ugh).

Anyways after that whole mess I left and met Quinn and we went to our Philosophy lecture. It was okay, but I was most excited for the four hour break I have between classes, it's both a blessing and a curse. On one hand I like the break, but on the other hand I would like to just be done with class already.

So after class I got to talk on the phone for a much needed catch-up session with my best friend Lexy. It was good to unwind after a weird two days. And now here I sit writing to you from the library next to two girls talking about eating healthy and working out and the boy with the 100% self-made duct tape backpack. Man, college is interesting.

That's all for today, but I'm sure I will have many more stories to tell after the way this week has been going.

Until next time,

Madison

Song of the Day: Amadeus//Family and Friends (the beginning is by far the best part)

Blog Makeover *again*

Yay! I have begun yet another blog makeover, however, this one is not quite so drastic as they have been in the past. You're probably thinking nothing has changed and it all looks the same, but I promise it's different(:

That's all for now!

Song of the day: Go With Me // Quinn Mosier (!!!)

Love,

Madison

Places I'd rather be

If you follow other bloggers, you might notice that they get to go to some seriously cool places. Well as you all know I would love to travel to just about anywhere and everywhere, so if you know anyone who wants to pay for me to go on a vacation and have me write about it, hmu (just kidding, not really, I really want to travel somewhere cool and I love writing, so best of both worlds).

Anyways, here are a couple of places I'd rather be today...

Just me...

Hello. I feel like every time I start writing a blog post I say the same thing, "wow, it's been forever since I last wrote on here...blah blah...I'm going to start writing more regularly...and then I say something about why I haven't written in a while, and it's usually because I'm always really busy." Well today I'm not going to say all of that. (: I'm just going to dive in, and give you an update on what I've been up to lately.

The last time I wrote I was fresh off a plane from the big apple. Today, it's mid-June and I'm fresh off the work day from my summer internship. Now it's time to let you know what all happened in between...

I finished my freshman year of college at Mizzou. I will be transferring to the University of Nebraska in the fall. Most people don't understand why I would leave Mizzou since it's such a great Journalism school, but to be completely honest I just don't think Mizzou is the place for me. There's a little bit more to it, but that's the short version. Some people will say I'm just going to Nebraska because that's where my boyfriend goes, and yeah that's a definite plus, but it's not why I decided to go there. However, sometimes people would rather create their own version of your story than really listen to what you have to say. Oh well.

My freshman year of college went by really quickly, it was a great year filled with lots of ups and downs and lots of changes. Changes for the better. Sometimes I like to think of it as growing pains. We all know what it feels like when you're little and it hurts sometimes because you're body and your mind is growing and changing and maturing. Well, just because I stopped getting taller doesn't necessarily mean those growing pains go away. I don't think they ever will, but each time I grow I look back and realize I'm a little bit stronger, and a little bit wiser, and maybe it doesn't hurt so bad after all. I suppose that's how I like to look at college and getting older.

I mentioned my boyfriend, Quinn, earlier. Well, everything with Quinn and I is going just swell. Seriously, really great. He's pretty great if you ask me.

In the last couple of months my family experienced two deaths. My great grandfather, and my great aunt passed away within a couple of weeks of each other. It was really sad, but mostly because it just didn't seem real. I wasn't super close to either of them, and sometimes I look back and it makes me sad because I wish I could ask them questions or listen to some of their stories, but I no longer can. It's a pretty sobering realization when the thought of someone crosses your mind, and then you remember they won't be at that next holiday. You won't be calling them up on Father's day because they won't be there to pick up the phone. It's pretty sad. But at the same time it's nice to get together with your family and remember the good times and the nice memories you shared with the ones you love. So in a time of sorrow, there's also joy.

On a more positive note, I started a summer internship at a digital marketing agency. It's pretty cool and I'm excited to have the opportunity to gain so much experience at this point in my academic career. I'll keep you updated on how it all goes.

In between all of that were dinners, and movie dates, and time spent with friends and family. Here are a few pictures to catch you up.

Quinn's birthday breakfast!

Watching Friends on the Quad instead of studying for finals.

Admiring how pretty Jesse Hall is.

Quinn and Anna being silly.

Quinn being goofy at Olive Garden when my dad wasn't looking.

My bestest pal Frankye and I at her sisters grad party!

Quinn and I walking around at the Plaza.

Frankye and I at the Florence & the Machine concert(!!)

Quinn and I celebrating date night with some Jack Stack BBQ.

Friends!

Q and I (again) (:

Me with my friend Lauren, the bride-to-be!

Hope that got you all caught up, for now at least(:

Song of the day: Go With Me // Quinn Mosier (!)

Until next time,

Madison

New York Part II

Wow, I feel like it has been so long since I last wrote on here. So much has happened in the last couple of weeks. For one, I went to New York over my Spring Break!

I went to NYC with my friends Grace, Frankye, and Sydney and we stayed at an Airbnb (basically you rent someone's apartment from them for a couple of days) right by One World Trade Center. Everything worked out great for us, the only thing I would've have changed is to find somewhere that's closer to the subway next time, but other than that we had a really good experience with our Airbnb.

While I was in NYC I got to go to places like Mashable, Teen Vogue, Wenner Media (Rolling Stone, Men's Journal, US Weekly), Time Inc. (People, Food & Wine, Entertainment Weekly, Travel & Leisure, etc.), and I also got to talk to the Co-founder of the Clover letter, and the former Director of Toughness for Columbia Apparel (she just got done traveling the world for 6 months and testing out Columbia's gear, and she's also a writer for Rolling Stone, among others). All of these people were seriously so cool. I feel so fortunate to have gone and had such an awesome experience meeting so many awesome people.

Everyone kept asking me what my goal was for going to New York and why I was meeting so many people, and honestly the answer is so simple: I just wanted to make friends and create professional relationships with people I admired. The people I talked to have all gone through the same crappy prerequisite requirements that I am going through right now, and we have all seen better days and experienced successes (and more importantly, failures) in the journalism world. One of the biggest realizations I came to after meeting all of these people was the fact that they are just that, real people. They all put their pants on one leg at a time just like me. And they gave me some really great advice too, for one, always Be Genuine.

Don't go into a meeting with someone you've never met and just feel like you can ask them for all of their connections, it's actually super rude to do that. When I met the Photo Editor at Mashable she told me something that I thought was really interesting. She said "so many people come in here and immediately start asking me for an internship or for the emails of my contacts, it's rude, and why would I do that for them? It's the difference of someone like that who comes in thirsty for an internship and immediately starts asking for things and someone who comes in with no agenda at all, other than to talk to me about what I do in the industry and how I got here (that's me). For the first person I would email their information to HR, for the second person I would hand deliver their information to HR and give them a great recommendation for a potential job or internship." The way you approach certain things or certain people seriously makes all the difference. I left the building not feeling nervous to talk at all (other than the sheer joy and excitement of being in one of the coolest newsrooms ever).

Another valuable lesson I learned was that every single person you meet, and every conversation you have changes and shapes you into the person you are today. You are not the same person today as you were yesterday, and the person you will be tomorrow is different than the person you are today. Embrace new opportunities and take advantage of any time you can talk to someone and soak in the advice they have to share with you. You can always learn something new, and you can literally learn something from everyone no matter how cool you think they are or not.

It's funny because while my friends were off doing touristy things I was going all over the city for meetings at offices and coffee shops and having lunches, etc. I felt like a real New Yorker. I got to experience things and meet so many people. I am so excited to see where those friendships go and what my next adventure will be.

If you want to watch a super cool video of my trip check out this Facebook post (:

Hope you enjoy.

Madison

p.s. Earl Grey tea is my new guilty pleasure and I ate a $25 hamburger in NYC, but it was totally worth it.

Song of the day: Woodland//The Paper Kites


Rolling Stone Wall


Mashable HQ










Stumptown Coffee Shop in Greenwich Village




Donut in Brooklyn




JIMMY FALLON WAS AWESOME




Me, Grace, and Frankye at the MET


Grand Central Station




Metropolitan Museum of Art


NYTimes Building


Magnolia's Bakery Red Velvet Cupcake


Frankye, Grace, Sydney, and I at the MET


Home.

0

Spring Saturday.

On Saturday Quinn and I decided to go on a day date/adventure. We started the day out by going to Ginger Sue's for breakfast, and we totally pigged out. After Ginger Sue's we drove into Kansas City and went downtown to the Nelson Atkins Art Museum. We walked around the museum for a really long time and got some awesome pictures. I felt so cultured as I stood next to Claude Monet's, Mill at Limetz. Quinn's favorite part of the museum was the ancient Egyptian section. My favorites are the oil paintings on canvas from the Renaissance era. Needless to say, we were very hip with our camera and pic taking. Also, I totally rocked my cape since my spring afternoon was a little colder than expected. 

I urge you to try your best not to laugh at my "angry faces" where I was attempting to perfect the soft smile. It's harder than it looks. After the Nelson, Quinn and I went to Station Coffee, and then stopped by Half Price Books in Old Westport. If you've never been, you must go. I could spend countless hours in that bookstore. I just peruse the aisles and look through the most random of books. Quinn stayed buried in the Historical section along with all of the books on presidential history. After the bookstore we went home and enjoyed some nice dinner and a movie. Overall, it was a pretty great Saturday. (:

Song of the Day: Don't Know Why // Norah Jones

Until next time,

Madison

0