Sep 30, 2012

TFTW: Success


To me, success is one of those intangible things that a lot of us will waste a lot of time, tears, and talent trying to find, much like happiness, peace, and patience. Maya sums it up pretty well for this week.

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Sep 28, 2012

India Mission Video!

Because I really don't talk about my mission enough...



Have a blessed day, y'all!

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Sep 27, 2012

Consignment Finds

Last week, I popped into my favorite consignment shop just to poke around and see if they had anything new.  As soon as I stepped in, I just knew it was going to be one of 'those' days where I got tons of finds! After trying on a beautiful Lilly dress, Rachel Pally wrap, I got...

A grey-green Ann Taylor Loft skirt...

and....
a new Patagonia fleece!

The Patagonia might be the find of the century, as it is like new, and had just come in the day before!

They were $20 apiece, but the best part is, I got them for free since I consign with them regularly and almost all of my last batch had sold! I can't wait to wear both and love that my never worn clothes have found new homes!

Do you ever consignment shop?

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Sep 26, 2012

The Perfect Day Off!

For all of my Jewish readers, wishing y'all a wonderful Yom Kippur. Meanwhile, this is on the agenda for today, plus a little speech writing.

Happy Wednesday!

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Sep 25, 2012

September 25, 2009


There's magic in a Grandmother's touch,
And sunshine in her smile.
There's love in everything she does
To make our lives worthwhile.

We can find both hope and courage
Just by looking in her eyes.
Her laughter is a source of joy,
Her words are warm and wise.

There is a kindness and compassion
To be found in her embrace,
And we see the light of heaven
Shining from a Grandmother's face. 

Please note, this is going to be a very somber post. I do not mean to upset anyone.

On September 25th, 2009, I wore a Ralph Lauren White Oxford, a J Crew Paisley Skirt, and Brown Ballet Flats. I had a Geometry test that day. I had a Happy Club lunch meeting. I was getting ready to see my Brother the next weekend.

On September 25th, 2009, my Grandma passed away.

There are no words that can describe what my Grandma was to me.  A mother figure, after PM of course, the coolest woman in the whole world and a loving, doting Mother of three and Grandmother to five beautiful grandchildren. She loved to play the piano and although I gave up playing formally in the seventh grade, I still love to sit and play and think of her. Grandma was a very adventurous woman, having lived in Japan for three years, as well as in Hawaii, Florida and Colorado. She also passed the Panama Canal not once, not twice, but four times.

After her death, I felt many things. Loss, anger, sadness.

I'm not going to sugar-coat anything and say that I handled my grief and moved on with my life. Because I didn't. I missed a week of school and it took me an entire month to make up all of my work, not to mention present my ninth grade speech to roughly 400 people 24 days after her death. As days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, I became more and more depressed. None of my friends understood why and one of my closest friends didn't even know that my Grandmother had passed away until this past May. I still think of her everyday and I have a chair in my room from her house, as well as her trunk and pearls from Japan.  I also wear her watch, and I think of her every time I glance at it.

Although it has been a three years since her death today, I am still not free of grief.  I don't know if I ever will be, and I still have a lot of anger and confusion towards that day and the weeks before and after. 

I will always cherish her love of seafood, the many Saturday nights spent talking at her house, riding in her RED Nissan Altima, helping her garden her flowers at her house, having snacks with her after school, running into her at the grocery store, learning how to knit with her, going to the library to visit her when she volunteered there, going to Starbucks before and after many doctors appointments, shopping on the Naval Base, visiting Florida, Texas, South Carolina and everywhere in between, and listening to her rant about everything from the weather to her crazy neighbors.

And I do know one thing, I will always be her "Haley-Bug", she will always love me, and no matter if I'm out on the cross-country course, on the lacrosse field, at the piano or taking a math test, she's smiling down on me and hopefully she's proud of me.

Today, take a moment,
 let the people important to you know how much you love them, 
listen to your elders tell a story about their childhood or how they met their spouse,
cherish your children,
for you never know when you are going to have to say goodbye.


Have a blessed day, y'all.

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Sep 24, 2012

Fall Fall Fall!


Fall is here! I wore my wallabies last week, leggings this weekend (with flip flops, but we're not talking about that), got a new patagonia fleece, and have started trying on my boots with outfits! I absolutely love the crisp feeling in the air, the smokey burn of bonfires, and wearing longsleeves when I go for leaf crunching distance runs!

Without further ado, I present...

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Sep 23, 2012

TFTW: Royar Style

True Life: I'm hot and cold on wether I like my handwriting.  I really want to learn calligraphy, and be able to make more things with my handwriting (i.e. free-handing canvases).

So in my daily SOTU, I always like to write a verse or quote to keep me going throughout the day. These were two of mine last week and very apropo!



xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Sep 22, 2012

Gameday!

Today, Alabama takes on FAU, for their fourth game of the season! I can't wait to watch this afternoon!


Today is also "gameday" for me, and the first one of the season! I'm running my first 5K race of the season, which I'm super excited about! Cheers to senior year cross country!

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Sep 19, 2012

India Mission Story!


I finally finished my mission story and in honor of my second presentation of it tonight, I thought I would share it!

Four flights and eleven time zones removed from my home in Virginia, I landed in Bhubaneswar, Orissa. From the moment I touched down in Delhi, I had known that India and I were going to get along quite well. I was immediately drawn to the sights and people in the airport, something that continued during my layover in Kolkata. As we drove out of the airport in Bhubaneswar, I was in awe of the scene around me. I was so excited when I saw my first cow, because that really meant I was in India, not in some weird part of America. Later that afternoon, we toured the Hi-Tech Medical College of Bhubaneswar, the place where we would be working. I was shocked at the conditions of the hospital, the stark white tiles, and the differences between the hospitals back home. By the end of my stay, I had grown to love the hospital and watched as it was filled with hope and beautiful smiling children. Our ride to the hospital was on a dirt path, with immense poverty on either side. By the end of second day, I had stopped seeing the poverty, and started seeing the hope.

Although I could write novels about my experience in India, there are three or four moments that I will never forget and have been ingrained into my mind forever.

I don't remember how I met Puja, but she always just seemed to be ‘there'. We made faces at each other, blew bubbles, and took silly pictures for hours, and I grew to expect her to run up behind me and hug me every morning. I learned through a translator and from speaking with our Electronic Medical Technician, Nancy, that she was ten years old, in Class 5, and living with her Uncle, who had broken his leg a month and half before and was still in the hospital. I will never forget hugging her goodbye on our final day and trying to explain to her that I had to go back to America. As I tried to say goodbye, she followed me out of the hospital and continued to hug me and tell me that she loved me. I will never forget her, and I think of her everyday.

On the first day I was in Bhubaneswar, we spent our morning on the third floor of the hospital playing with the children before they went to screening, where they would be photographed, given speech evaluations, and seen by pediatricians and anesthesiologists to determine whether they would receive surgery or not. It was there that I met Mina. She took to coloring right away, and was taken down early for screening. Until her surgery on Wednesday, I would see her around the hospital nearly everyday, and she always had a huge smile for me and a wave. Tuesday night, we had one of our longest days, and didn't leave the hospital until nearly eight. She and I had so much fun making silly faces at each other, and playing patty cake for hours.

While waiting in our Child Life room, I learned from her anxious mother that she had had two previous surgeries, and that there were complications during the first, and she was very worried. Since she had already had two surgeries, she was only having a lip scar revision, and I returned on our last day to see her smiling and ready to go home. I will never forget her sweet family, and her calm, strong mother. What trust and faith these parents had, to come from far away to put their child's life in doctors and foreigners hands. Although we did not share a common language, we all communicated on a deeper level, one that did not require words, but simply hugs and smiles. It was so hard to say goodbye to her, knowing that I would never see again. Before she left, she and her mother gave me two hard candies, probably a luxury to them, and something that most wouldn't think anything of. I still have them sitting on my dresser, a daily reminder of the little girl who changed my life.

My time spent in India not only altered my life significantly, but also changed the way I look at the world. As Mark Twain once said, "India is, for lettered and ignorant, wise and fool, rich and poor, bond and free, the one land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for the shows of all the rest of the world combined." I would not change a single moment of my mission, and I am forever thankful to Operation Smile for giving me this opportunity.

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Sep 18, 2012

Our Campus Market GIVEAWAY!

As a newly appointed HerCampus High School Ambassador, I have a super awesome giveaway to tell y'all about!

The “Design Your Dream Dorm with OCM & Her Campus” Pinterest Contest is your chance to show off your supreme style and show us how you would deck out your ultimate dorm room. The best part (aside from the fun of ogling OCM’s products and playing on Pinterest)? HC and OCM will be giving the winner a $1000 shopping spree to OCM.com to make your dream dorm room a reality!


Here’s how to enter:
3. Create your “Dream Dorm Design Contest with OCM” Board on Pinterest. Your board must be titled “Dream Dorm Design Contest with OCM” to be eligible.
4. Pin the official contest graphic. You can pin it directly from this page you’re reading right now (see above) or repin it from Her Campus’s Dream Dorm Design Contest board.
5. Fill your board with 8-12 of your favorite items from OCM.com. All images must come from OCM.com. Be sure to open up the actual product page and pin from there rather than the "Quick View."
6. Use hashtag #DreamDormOCM on all of your pins – so we can find them!
7. Submit the link to your finished board at HerCampus.com/DreamDorm(below) by September 26, 2012.
8. All valid entries will be considered by a panel of judges from Her Campus and OCM. The winner will be announced on HC on October 2, 2012! We’ll also email you if you’re the winner!

Pinterest + Interior Design + Easy Entry? SIGN ME UP!

Good luck y'all! If you end up entering, let me know so I can follow your board!

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Sep 17, 2012

Diet Coke Brownies!


I've seen the recipe on Pinterest a million times, and decided to give it a try! You literally mix a 12 oz can of Diet Coke, and brownie mix, and voila, amazing brownies! They turned out a little gooey, so I would bake them about five minutes extra next time. These are super convenient to have, because who doesn't always have Diet Coke in their fridge?

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Sep 16, 2012

TFTW: Let It Go


Every day is another chance to start over, and get it right with ourselves, and with life. Let go of what you don't need, and see how high you can rise.

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Sep 15, 2012

Tusk In Sun


"When the print team was designing this print we were thinking… let’s get lucky! You must know by now that as long as the trunk is up, you are in luck. And let’s face it, elephants are the chicest critters this fall… especially when they are bringing you good fortune!"



I just love Lilly P's new print! It's perfect for my Senior Speech, and of course Election Day!
xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Sep 14, 2012

C'est La Vie

True life: I take things really hard. I don't like it when people don't like me, or when things don't go exactly my way. 

While I know that this is not indicative of 'the real world', I have always been either too naive or ignorant to not realize that not everyone loves me, or I've just brushed it off.

However, life doesn't always go as planned, and I've learned that a lot in high school. But sometimes, excuse my french, life sucks, but the suns sets, and the sun rises, and life goes on, with or without you. Somedays you're the shoe, and somedays you're the spider getting killed by the shoe. 

Yesterday was an awesome example.  Something I had been planning for a while was pretty much pulled out from under my feet, and let me just say, I was not prepared for it. Add this to being super sick all day, I was a little extra snarky, yes. I try to tell myself that there's a reason for everything, and that this is just a sign pointing me to another direction, but the fact of the matter is it still necessitates a good long cry, and a few episodes of Sex and the City. Afterwards, I really got to thinking about how silly I was acting. As anyone will tell you, I get so worked up so much that I can't see the forest for the trees, and that creates tunnel vision where I really can't see that, truly, you can jump on the train, or you can wait and watch it leave without you. There will be other tests, colleges, boys, and opportunities. 

Maybe life really isn't about what knocks you down, but how gracefully you get back up, and all that matters is that you get back after it, and let go after awhile.

Somedays, I can follow my own advice, and somedays I only follow half.  But you can't take it on all at once, and I know one day it will all fall into place.


Because honestly, any day we have two feet on the grounds, a sun in the sky, and love in our hearts, is a win in my book.

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Sep 13, 2012

Work It Out: New Shoes!


If you follow me on Instagram, you saw I got new running shoes last week! I was once an Asics girl, but then switched to Saucony, and am now, officially, forever and ever and ever, a Brooks girl. 

I feel like I'm running on a cloud when I wear these, and getting news shoes means amazing runs for a week while I break them in, not to mention feeling super speedy!

What brand of running shoes are you loyal to?

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Sep 12, 2012

YSP Playlist #6


What have you been listening to lately?

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Sep 11, 2012

September 11th


Today is September 11th, 2012.  It has been eleven years since the day that changed America forever.

Do you remember where you were?

I was in First Grade.  Sick, at my Grandparents house, I remember watching the loop of the plane crashing into the Twin Towers on CNN with my Grandparents, but I didn't understand what was going on.  But did any of us understand? However, in the past few years, I have come to realize the full effect of that days events.

PM and PB were at school.

PF was in Washington State training FEMA Search and Rescue dogs. He wasn't allowed to come home, and stayed to finish the training so the dogs could go to DC and New York.


While in New York last summer, I visited Ground Zero.

It was a somber visit,


But one of hope and resilience.

Let us remember the 343 FDNY Firefighters that gave their lives that day; my Father knew many of them.


Let us all stop, and remember those who gave their lives, both on the planes, in DC, Pennsylvania and at Ground Zero.


“Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children.  We will not tire, we will not falter, we will not fail."

- President George W. Bush, November 11, 2001

God Bless America.

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Sep 10, 2012

Finished Locker!


Here's my finished locker for senior year! I'm so excited about how it turned out - especially the glittered mason jar, which I'm going to eventually fill it up with extra pens or spare change - I can't decide. It's really just sitting pretty right now, and my Lilly mirror has gotten so many compliments!

Happy Monday!

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Sep 9, 2012

TFTW: Pay It Forward


We all have a calling to make our world a better place. Honor that calling this week, and pass it on.

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Sep 8, 2012

ACT


Today I'm up and at 'em, not so bright eyed and bushy-tailed to take my first and hopefully last ACT.  75 English questions, and a bunch of other fun math, reading, and science problems later, I'll be dunzo, thank goodness, and I'll be off to see one of my dearest camp chums play field hockey! She goes to school about four hours away from me, so it will be such a treat to see her today! Add in some football, and a PSL or two, and today should turn out to be a perfectly early-fall day!
xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Sep 7, 2012

OOTDs



These are just two of my OOTDs from the past week. I really need to get better about taking pictures in the mirror before I leave in the morning so I can use them, instead of using Polyvore. And yes, I wore Lilly every single day this week.

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Sep 6, 2012

Money, Money, Money


But really, I'm being serious.  I have an uncanny talent of being able to swipe my checking card without a tinge of regret or care for my bank account.  To counteract this, I keep a budget with Numbers to keep my spending in check.


It makes all the difference in the world, when I see that I end up going to Starbucks three times in one week, or budget for gas a little bit easier.

Do you keep a budget?

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Sep 5, 2012

September Goals


What are your goals this September?

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Sep 4, 2012

#PSL




It's back y'all, cue the boots and crisp fall days!

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Sep 3, 2012

Happy Labor Day!

Today we bid adieu to our seersuckers, white shoes, and brightest Lilly frocks. I am a traditionalist, sans the white pants, so a good part of today will be spent packing up the summer part of my closet, and bringing out a few fall-esque items. Also on the queue today is a nice run along the beach, a bit of homework (senioritis? never), and sipping an Iced Pumpkin Latte. 



Farewell, dear summer. You were rad.

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Sep 2, 2012

Thought For The Week: Be Fearless


This week, I challenge you to be fearless. Take ten seconds, muster up your courage, and do whatever you want to do. Last summer, I really learned this lesson well. If it goes your way, it's awesome, and if it doesn't, it's a lesson learned, not the end of the road. I guess, this is the non-cliche version of saying YOLO. It gets an awful rep, but it really does have a great meaning. You do only have one go round at most things, so why not enrich your life, and go for whatever you want?

Be Fearless.

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}

Sep 1, 2012

Rabbit Rabbit, and the best day of the year...

Alabama Football Is BACK!

It's my favorite day of the year, behind my Birthday, Christmas, and tied for Opening Day of Camp! 



Today they'll play in Dallas, which I'm so sad I can't be there for, but I can't wait to watch them beat Michigan, and yell Roll Tide for the first time as an accepted student. 

Yes, you read that right...

ROLL TIDE y'all!

xoxo,

Royar
{The Young Southern Prep}