Howdy Howdy

Yes, I'm still here.

This is exactly how I feel right now.

Junior year is eating. me. alive. Coming from the girl who has three thousand and one to-do lists, color coded binders, a planner that runs my life on paper and a blackberry that runs my life electronically. And I'm still struggling.

I've been a terrible blogger but with so much going on, I haven't had time to sit down and find inspiration. I promise that November 1st I will be back in full force.

I've been needing more and more time to just think. About where I am in my life and where I want to be in a week, a month, a year.  This year has already been nothing I would have ever expected and many new opportunities have presented themselves to be taken, alongside problems to be solved, tasks to be completed and fun to be had.

October has been a very rough, exciting and exhausting month and many events have caused me to take a step back and examine what I really want out of this semester, this year and next year.

I've been listening to this, this and this a lot lately.  There have been times when I just stop and remember that I'm not going to be in high school forever and as much as I want to get out of here sometimes, I need to enjoy it while I can. That it's okay to sit in the comfy chair in the Junior Lounge and pretend to read my 8-10 pages of U.S. History readings that I get every night but really talk about last nights episode of Gossip Girl with my friends. That it's okay to take the long way to school just so I get a few more minutes to myself. That it's okay to get a PSL from Starbucks, just because it's Tuesday and it'll make the crisp fall morning even better. One hard lesson I've already learned this year is that I'm not going to make everyone happy every second of every day. It's been difficult to learn, but sometimes the only person you can make happy is yourself, and that's what it boils down to.

Every morning before I leave for school, I read this hanging on my closet:

It helps put everything in perspective and helps the little things not get to me.

Because sometimes we all need a reminder that life isn't a sprint, it's a marathon. The race is long, but in the end, it's only with yourself.

I've found on my little break over the past week that I actually really miss blogging. I miss my phone blinking with comments from y'all, seeing my new post up at the top and working on my layout. I guess this means I'm really here to stay?

I can't wait to catch y'all up on everything I've been up to in the past few weeks, including my exchange student from France, Homecoming, my new crafts for my room and hopefully some new recipes that I've been able to try! 

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

Tiller

Tuesday night, my Black Lab Tiller passed away unexpectedly.

He was a wonderful dog, and will be missed greatly. Love ya buddy.

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

The PSAT

As y'all are reading this, I am probably in a small, window-less classroom, dying a slow and painful death cheerfully finishing my last PSAT...FOREVER.

Yes, I get overdramatic about this, and no, I really don't care.

Yes, yes I was that girl who messed up her PSAT and accidentally put down her intended major as Russian Linguistics, not her intended biochemical engineering.  Which turned into Pre-Law last year, which will turn into International Studies and Foreign Policy this year. But who knows, I hear Animal Husbandry is pretty close to it. We'll just have to see if I pull another true Royar with this and if College Board gets a surprise. But maybe I'll get a surprise too. I wouldn't say no to a perfect score.

It's funny how much things have changed since I was a terrified little fourteen year old freshman, confused about why I needed to even take this test. Now I'll be walking out of the room as a wiser sixteen year old junior who knows that she'll be back again in January to tackle the SAT.

Happy PSAT Day y'all!

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

October Playlist

What are you listening to this month?

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

Thought For The Week

“Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.”

— Cecil Beaton

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

Gameday and Roll Tide!

I'm off for yet another weekend jaunt!

Here is my OOTD!

On another note, Alabama takes on Vanderbilt today!

As always, Roll Tide and have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

Think PINK!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, a cause that is very near and dear to my heart! So far this month, I have attended a Party In Pink Zumbathon for the Cure and will be running a Race for the Cure before the month is over!

Here are some easy ways to support this fab cause!

Lisse Leggings

CHI Hairdryer

New Balance 860

Tory Burch Eddie Ballet Flat

How are you thinking pink this month?

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

Steve Jobs

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something -- your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."

"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything -- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of 

embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. ... Stay hungry. Stay foolish."

“You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

Rent The Runway

Last week, I found out that KATE SPADE is now available on Rent The Runway, joining Tibi, Milly, Lilly and Halston!


Last winter, I rented a Milly dress for a friends 16th birthday!

It was perfect for the occasion and oh-so-easy to rent!

Now with homecoming around the corner, these are my top picks!

Kate Spade Mademoiselle Dress

Shoshanna Vicious Venom Dress

Halston Heritage Drape Me Away Dress

Kate Spade Darcie Dress

Have you ever rented from RTR before?

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

Fall Shows

One of the best things about Fall is all my shows are coming back and my DVR is full! It's so nice to finally have something to watch during the afternoons!

Here's what I'm watching this fall:

Sundays:

Mondays:

Tuesdays: 

Wednesdays:

Thursdays:

Fridays:

What are you watching this fall?

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

What Royar Read: September

Chain Reaction

The final book in the series, just as good as the previous two.

Cocktails For Three

Maybe it's just that I'm not a huge British-Lit fan, but it wasn't terrible.

The Crucible

Woof. No. Just no.

How To Win Friends and Influence People

A Great Book.  I would recommend it to everyone.

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

A Classic and I loved it.

The Ocean Between Us

Quite predictable, but a few surprises are thrown in to keep it from being completely terrible.

Sundays At Tiffany's

A quick read and has a happy ending!

The Little Book

SO obsessed with this book! I had to read it for my Alternate History class and it was so good!

This Side of Paradise

Absolutely loved this book.  I love the Lost Generation and F. Scott! Only a few more months until I get to read The Great Gatsby

The Prince Of Tides

I laughed, cried and realized that Pat Conroy is my favorite author of all time. A must read for all Conroy fans.

Off Season

Set in DC and Martha's Vineyard, what could be better? The beginning was the best part and the ending got a little weird but it was still great.

What did you read last month?

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}

Thought For The Week

“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.”

F. Scott Fitzgerald

xoxo,

Royar

{The Young Southern Prep}