2011: Year In Review

2011, you weren't half bad.

January: Celebrated my blogaversary, saw my twin!

February: Danced the night away, Went all out for Spirit Week, played a nun in The Sound of Music, and played a ton of lacrosse.

March: Got my license, went to HHI for SB2K11 (yes, it will always be known as that), got cut from varsity and captained on JV, had arguably the best day of my life the day I was accepted for CIT at camp and wrote a super boring and long paper on Wuthering Heights

April: watched The Masters all week, in every class and all weekend, lost a little, frolicked around West Virginia with Ensley and watched the Royal Wedding.

May: Celebrated as Osama's killing was announced, took the AP Exam, anxiously awaited summer and took too many trips to Target.

June: Finished my Sophomore Year, packed, and left for CAMP!

July: Came home, missed camp, went vegan

August: Went to DC, CHINA, NYC, bought goodies from the Lilly sale and survived the Great Earthquake, and started my Junior Year!

September: Learned Junior Year was serious business.

October: Took the PSAT for the last time, went to Homecoming and hosted a French exchange student, lost my black lab Tiller and struggled a little bit more.

November: Went to WV for Thanksgiving.

December: Turned seventeen and finished my first semester of Junior year.

What I learned in 2011:

No one really cares if you're happy or sad, so you might as well be happy, that getting 18 hours of sleep the week before your AP exam isn't the best idea, make the days count, don't just count the days, remember who you are and what you want in life, keep your head and heels high, but most importantly, your standards the heighest, don't do something just to do it, the past is just a memory and has no power over you unless you make it so, you're going to fall down a lot more times, so keep the band-aids and neosporin handy, you have to go down before you go up and it's going to get a whole heck of a lot worse before it slowly, very very slowly gets better, if it's too good to be true, it probably is, he's just not worth the heartache, one day it's all going to work out, follow your heart, but don't forget to take your head with you, meditation is key, quit getting worked up over people and things that are irrelevant to your life, birds peck at the very best fruit so haters gonna hate, good things truly do come to those who wait, patience is key key key key key, that one test that doesn't matter turns into three and then you end up doing terribly, keep swimming one day at a time and finally, to look back and laugh at this year, because it was beautiful and crazy and hilarious and tragic all the same.

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

What Royar Read: December

The Fixer Upper

I thought I wasn't going to like this one, and it was amazing. The storyline was hilarious and serious at the same time, as only Mary Kay Andrews can do.

All The King's Men

I kinda pushed myself through this and it was okay.

The Art Of War

Really good. It was really interesting to read and I know some of the historical stuff from my World Cultures class

Say You're One Of Them

I had high hopes for this one, and it just didn't measure up.

Always Something There To Remind Me

Very predictable, but good storyline. The ending was a little abrupt.

Little Bitty Lies

Hilarious. You can never go wrong with Mary Kay Andrews.

Blue Christmas

A very short, quick read, but good as always.

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I'm also linking up today with Everyday AEM and Coffee at Nordstrom for the Cover2Cover Bookclub!

This months selection was How To Be A Hepburn In A Hilton World

I actually read the book last march and I loved it! Chock full of advice from the likes of Jackie O, Judy Garland & Liz Taylor, it is a fresh new spin on the thousands of "How To" books.

What did you read this month?

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

Playin' Catch Up

What have I been up to the past two weeks?

I again had a fab Mexican dinner with my fave's for my birthday...

And the usual Mozart cake!

Best gift among my 17th, but who's counting pair of Nike Shorts, they were blue gingham, natch, monogrammed Marley Lilly scarf, fab La Mer watch?

Mint Julep Cups from the 1964 Kentucky Derby. I've never been so excited to polish and use a piece of silver in my life.

I also got the CUTEST headband I mean I'm kinda addicted from Oak Lane Designs. Go check 'em out and tell them Royar sent you. This will not be the last headband I'll be getting from them.

The always fabulous Haughty By Nature paid me a visit.

I had an awesome Christmas and I'll be doing some reviews in the New Year.  What have y'all been up to?

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

Merry Christmas!

And numerous indeed are the hearts to which Christmas

brings a brief season of happiness and enjoyment.  How many

families, whose members have been dispersed and scattered far
and wide, in the restless struggles of life, are then reunited, and

meet once again in that happy state of companionship and mutual

goodwill, which is a source of such pure and unalloyed delight;

and one so incompatible with the cares and sorrows of the world,

that the religious belief of the most civilised nations, and the rude

traditions of the roughest savages, alike number it among the

first joys of a future condition of existence, provided for the

blessed and happy!  How many old recollections, and how many

dormant sympathies, does Christmas time awaken!


We write these words now, many miles distant from the spot

at which, year after year, we met on that day, a merry and joyous

circle.  Many of the hearts that throbbed so gaily then, have

ceased to beat; many of the looks that shone so brightly then,

have ceased to glow; the hands we grasped, have grown cold; the

eyes we sought, have hid their lustre in the grave; and yet the old

house, the room, the merry voices and smiling faces, the jest,

the laugh, the most minute and trivial circumstances connected

with those happy meetings, crowd upon our mind at each

recurrence of the season, as if the last assemblage had been but

yesterday!  Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the

delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the

pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the

traveller, thousands of miles away, back to his own fireside and

his quiet home!

{The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens}

Merry Christmas y'all! Best wishes in this holiday season!

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

Christmas Eve!

Today I'm finishing up my gifts, wrapping presents, baking cookies and going to Midnight Mass!

What are y'all up to today?

I'll be humming this to myself all day and hopefully watching it while getting ready for Church.

I know it's a little cliche, but Christmas Mass is my favorite service of the year. The music, the atmosphere and the late hour all make for a magical evening.

Merry Christmas Eve y'all!

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

All I Want For Christmas Is You!

Three days left y'all.

This continues to be on repeat.

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Christmas List IIII

This is in a series of posts about Christmas Gifts, both my wish list and gifts for others!

If you haven't heard of the great layway payoff's of 2011, read THIS  or THIS.

The greatest words of wisdom I have ever received have been those that are a core saying of my camp: Pass It On. 

Three simple words. But oh, do they mean so much. 

Last week I had a five left over after picking up a few things, and I gave it to the dear sweet Salvation Army lady standing outside of my local grocer.  She turned to me and thanked me saying, "God Bless you, Young Lady, remember, you always have the Lord on your side". Will I miss that money in a week, a month, a year? No. Will I ever forget those words? No.

It's all about the little things y'all. Doing what you can, with what you have, wherever you are. I was given privilege in life for a reason. To help others. We all get caught up in finding that perfect gift, I mean, I'm guilty of this too. I'm off to drive downtown today finish up gift shopping, and I have felt stressed more than once this past week about not having the "perfect" gift.  But the best part of the holiday season, and about Passing It On in general, is that warm fuzzy feeling you get.

You can't get that warm fuzzy feeling from playing Angry Birds or COD. You can't get that warm fuzzy feeling from giving a gift card. You can't get that warm fuzzy feeling from being passive when there is work to be done.

Although I keep the mindset of Pass It On in use all year, it means the most to me during the Holidays. It's an easy time to open your heart to those in need. It's often the most publicized during this time of year. I encourage y'all to keep this state of mind all year round.

A wise person once said (because I really don't know who did), "Hold on to whatever keeps you warm inside."


Volunteering with Operation Smile keeps me warm inside. Giving keeps me warm inside.


Today I'm going to make a stop at Sears or K-Mart and pay off a toy or two on layaway.  I will never know the family or the children I'm doing this for, and they will never know what my name is.  That doesn't matter to me.


A favorite Operation Smile's Student Programs theme of mine was "We don't expect you to change the world, but what if you did?"


By doing a little bit on my part, I just changed a family's Christmas morning, a microcosm of their world.

What's keeping you warm inside this week?

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

Presque Libre

For my non-French scholars, that means almost free

As of noon today, this girl is halfway done with her junior year of high school. Cue the hallelujah chorus. 

Sadly, I still have many gifts to buy, make, and wrap. But at least now I can actually focus on them instead of worrying about studying, right?

This is pretty much sums up my life right now.

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

Christmas List III

This is in a series of posts about Christmas Gifts, both my wish list and gifts for others!

T-Shirts are the perfect gift for preppy teens and adults alike in your life! Here are my favorites:

Vineyard Vines Occupy Shirt

Southern Tide Long Sleeve Pocket Tee {I have one and I LOVE IT}

Southern Proper Top Ten Tee

Southern Marsh Pelican Tee

What are your favorite t-shirts to give and get? Happy Monday!

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

Blog Redesign

Happy Sunday y'all!

I'll be back tomorrow with a birthday recap, but as a little birthday/Christmas gift to myself, I want to get my blog professionally designed!

Does anyone have any recommendations for me?

Thanks y'all!

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

Standin' On The Edge Of Everything

Today, I'm seventeen years old.

Sixteen was fab, but today I'm another year stronger, another year wiser and definitely another year older. 

Seventeen Magazine does say it best, It's Fun To Be Seventeen!

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

Title Credit: Seventeen, Tim McGraw

Don't even act surprised.

Christmas List II & Smathers and Branson

This will be the first in a series of posts about Christmas Gifts, both my wish list and gifts for others!


Since I am very picky about the books I read for pleasure, I absolutely love coffee-table-esque books! Here are my picks for this Christmas!

Great Houses of the South

Historic Houses of Virginia

Take Ivy

Essentially Lilly

The Original Preppy Cookbook

This Is Texas

Dixie: A Personal Odyssey

The Complete Southern Cookbook

Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible

Tipsy in Madras

How To Be A Lady

Emily Post's Etiquette

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On another note, how cute are these Smathers and Branson needlepoint ornaments?

American Flag

Black Lab

Crab

They would be perfect to add to your tree this year!

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

History Exam & Hey, It's Ok

Today is the second day of Midterm Season 2K11.  Today's super fun exam is U.S. History and I'm actually really excited to take it! I'm kind of a history nerd and I really don't mind writing about things that interest me, such as the causes of the Civil War. Or Washington crossing the Delaware.

After today I only have two more midterms and I'm FREE!

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Today I'm linking up with Amber for It's Ok Thursdays!

It's Ok..

..to be seriously considering wearing yoga pants to school, just because it's midterms week

..to be looking forward to Hot Yoga on Friday way more than usual

..to have consumed six Diet Cokes in the past forty-eight hours

..to go to McDonalds after your Pre-Calc exam with AHCD, just to get fries and a sweet tea

..to be  a brown-noser-with-a-not-so-hidden-agenda (yeah, i'm going there) while preparing your notes for your history exam, due to your OCD regarding all things historical

10 points for you if you got the Lizzie McGuire Movie reference.

..to be more worried that you haven't watched the new Hawaii Five-O than the fact that I have no clue what I'm writing for my English essay tomorrow.

..to not have bought a single Christmas present. There. I said it.

..to blame everything bad I do on the fact that it is firstly, my birthday week, and secondly it's midterms week.

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

Math Exam & Just Madras

Today is the first day of Midterm Season 2K11.  Today's torture exam is Pre-Calc and I will be very happy when this exam is over!

Hooray for asymptotes and rational inequalities!

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Just Madras has so many cute options for the holiday season and for Christmas Gifts!

This Cummerbund and Bow Tie Set is perfect for brothers, fathers and boyfriends alike! It would look tres dapper with a Tux!

The Bella Tunic would be perfect with a pair of Black Corduroys and Revas or Black Minnies and Riding Boots!

They also have a fantastic sale going on right now - don't miss out on some FAB deals!

And remember, if you place any order with them, use the code "CAMPUSPREPHOLIDAY" for 24% off your order!

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To all of those who are starting, finishing or in the middle of finals and midterms, best of luck! You can do it!

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

Study Tips!

A few weeks ago, one of my followers on Tumblr asked if I could do a post on tips for studying for finals!

1. Focus: Put your phone on silent, turn Self-Control on on your computer, if you have to study with music, use Pandora or your iPod

2. Be in a quiet environment: Go to the library, go to Starbucks, go to a random coffee shop, but don't study in your bedroom/dorm unless it's absolutely necessary.

3. Be comfortable, but dress for success: I wear leggings and an oxford to study in, but will wear a pencil skirt and pearls for my exam.

4. Organize your binders ahead of time: Make sure you have all of your books, notes, homework, tests and quizzes on hand so your don't have to keep hunting for things.

5. Drink water and keep healthy snacks on hand: Make sure to eat right during finals week so you don't crash and burn during the middle.

6. Sleep: Don't forget to sleep, and if you do, lots and lots of iced coffee.

7. Exercise: Yoga is a great de-stresser as well as a run.

What are your finals tips?

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

College Couture

A few weeks ago, Ashley at College Couture asked me to check out their line. Of course, being the avid college football lover that I am, I could never say no to more game day dresses!

College Couture is dedicated to providing fashion forward, affordable garments to the female sports enthusiast. College Couture has recognized the need for trendy, comfortable, team spirited clothing and accessories. Female sports fans no longer have to sacrifice fashion in order to demonstrate team spirit on game day. Women can now look their best while tailgating or attending sporting events with the help of College Couture garments and accessories.

Currently, they have dress options for...

Texas

Alabama

Florida State

UVA or Florida

LSU

What do y'all think? They're too cute and I will definitely be purchasing one for next Fall!

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

Thought For The Week

Four exams this week. It's go time.

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

Chair Redux & My First Pinterest Craft!

After my Grandmother passed away, I inherited her gorgeous wing-backed chair for my room. There were many redeeming qualities, such as the classic style, gorgeous wooden legs and solid frame, however there was just one problem. It was velveteen. navy. blue. Not the perfect tone for my beachy, carolina blue, white, and yellow room.  Never fear, my Mum and I spent many an hour coming through potential fabrics to find just the perfect fabric that would compliment my room.  We eventually found it and covered the chair in a style found from Sarah's House. (Quick sidenote, Tommy, come be my life coach and design my house for me, kthanks.)

I sadly don't have a before picture, but here is the after:

Not too bad, eh? I predict many cozy winter nights spent in this chair, curled up with a good book!

In other exciting news in my life, I completed my first craft/idea/insert-your-own-definition-here from Pinterest!

  I got this GENIUS headband storage idea from Hopsy! It's so easy to do and quite inexpensive! I am quite the headband as well as bow fan, so using a flour jar purchased at the beloved Target for approximately $7.97, I now have an easily accessible storage solution, and it looks pretty on my dresser!

Have you done anything from Pinterest lately? Have a wonderful weekend y'all!

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

Southern Snob

Last week, I won Katie's Southern Snob giveaway!

I received my package yesterday and I got so many wonderful goodies - croakies, stickers and stadium cups galore!

The best part was my shirt - I can't wait to wear it out and about!

But really...how cute are their shirts?

They're the most unique t-shirts I've ever seen! Thanks so much to Southern Snob for my fab package!

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}