Tag Archives: college

Bye Bye Spring Semester!

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Bye Bye Spring Semester!

Heyyy everyone! I hope that you’re all having a fabulous Thursday night! Today was my last day of classes for the spring semester at Tri-C, and it went okay, I suppose. I’m not feeling too hot about my final exam for my math class. I’ve never taken a big college exam before and I seriously think that I had an anxiety attack during the test. I went into the classroom feeling fine, but as soon as that paper got in front of me…..no beuno. I started working feverishly ASAP, but my head got super foggy, I was sweating like no other (and I’m NOT a sweaty person), I was shaky, and I was drawing a complete blank on everything. We had two hours to complete the test, and by the time my head was thinking relatively clearly again a half hour had already flown by. When I saw that that much time had passed already, my ass got kicked into high gear and I started working like no other. Unfortunately the final hour and a half went by on double time, and I barely finished the test. I mean, I finished – but there were three or so problems that were only half way done at best. I walked out of the classroom feeling like shit, I seriously could have cried. My entire drive home my stomach was in knots and I was cold and clammy all over just from thinking about possibly failing the exam and my class. As soon as I got home I flopped onto my bed, because I felt completely drained…I had no idea that taking an exam could take that much out of me! After I rested a bit and my head defogged, I grabbed a sheet of notebook paper and made a list of all of the things that I know for a fact I did right and all of the things that I know I did wrong on the test. Luckily, the things that I aced nearly tripled the things that I felt uncertain about, so that made me feel a lot better. I won’t find out my final grade until Tuesday, so it’s safe to say that I’ll be freaking out until then. But here’s to hoping that I passed the class, which I will need a C or better to do. Fingers crossed! Despite the rocky math exam, this semester has been awesome! I learned a lot, I made some new friends, and I have some damn good grades to show for all of the hard work that I put into my classes. So here’s some quick pics of me giving the spring semester the boot, with a good old fashioned “BYE FELICIA!”

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^^^ Love that black and white filter! And believe it or not, that second picture isn’t filtered at all! That funky light bright lighting came out of nowhere while I was taking some shameless selfies, and I’m so not mad about it! As you can see, I’m totally rocking my new shirt from when I saw The Used in concert, I love it so much it hurts. (You can read all about my concert experience in one of my more recent posts “The Used Concert!!!!”)

Pretty please keep your fingers crossed for me that I managed to pull out a passing grade in my math class! And as always, keep the love coming with your likes, comments, follows, and shares! I’d especially appreciate it if you got the word out about my recent posts “Just So You Know” and “Look Like Lil Red” so I can make some extra closet space in my room! Thanks a million and have a beautiful night! Much love. -Sarah

^^^ That basically sums up my feelings on math right now. -____- MARRY ME JACK WHITE! ❤

WHAT EVEN?!

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WHAT EVEN?!

Hellooo everyone and Happy Cinco de Mayo! Guyyyyys I’m freaking out! Guess who has two thumbs and got over a 100% on my last math quiz AND test?! THIS BITCH!!! I got my most recent math test back at school today and almost had a heart attack when I saw my 105% score. Never have I ever had a math teacher tell me that they were proud of me before, and that changed today. I legitimately could have cried. Check it out:

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^^^ WHAT EVEN??!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I felt pretty confident about both the test and the quiz that are pictured above – but getting over 100% on both of them? Me? The girl who used to fucking suck at math? The girl whose high school teachers had to hella curve her grade to make sure she didn’t fail? Not that girl. Impossible. WELL GUESS WHAT?! IT IS POSSIBLE!!!! I’m seriously on cloud nine right now. These perfect scores have shown me just how much hard work pays off and I’m so proud of myself I white girl can’t even. Not only does my teacher have so much confidence and faith in me, but so do my classmates. They’re always commenting on how smart I am and how well I do and you guys have no idea how good that makes me feel. What an amazing transformation from the high school failure to the college smartypants – sweet jesus!!

Alright! I must be off, but I really wanted to let the world know about my school success! TRI-C REPRESENT!!! I hope all of you guys are having a fabulous day! Drink lots and lots of margaritas for Cinco de Mayo – HOLLA! What are you guys doing to celebrate? Are you getting wasteypants???! I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Can’t Resist Killin Shit

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Can’t Resist Killin Shit

Hey guys and happy Thursday! So I hate to brag about myself, but I’m feeling AWESOME about school right now. Homegirl has been killin it so hard at Tri-C, so I need to take a post to commend myself for being a little smarty pants. I’ve been doing shockingly amazing in math at the moment and I seriously can’t believe it. I just got a quiz back today that I got a 105% on, I absolutely annihilated the test we took, and when I was getting tutoring after class it was me who corrected the tutor! Who would have thunked that Lil Red is secretly a math whiz?! Not only is math going swimmingly, but my comp and psychology class are going great too. Straight A’s for days. This is the first time in years that I’ve felt confident about my ability to succeed in school. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a very smart girl – but I never applied myself in high school. Did I do homework? No. Did I study for tests? As if. Did I participate? Fat chance. Did I give one single fuck? Absolutely not. But college is completely different – my teachers are rad, I adore my classmates, and for once in my life I want to learn. I forgot how good it felt to gain new knowledge every day and to get rewarded for everything I’m learning with awesome grades. I’ve been working so hard and saying that it’s been paying off is an understatement. And on top of doing exceedingly well in all of my classes I actually have friends in my school setting for once too! On Tuesday during my math class I was telling some of my friends how worried I was for the final exam next week and literally all of them (teacher included!) immediately told me that I was an amazing student and had nothing to worry about….I’m pretty sure that was the first time I’ve ever been told that in my life. It was such an awesome confidence boost that left me feeling so good for the entire day. So my spring classes end next Thursday and then I have a two week break before I start my summer classes. All I have to say is – bring it on. After such a successful semester I feel like I can take on the world. Before I started college, the only thing I prided myself on was being an above average retail worker – and that was okay with me for the time being. But now that I’m well on my way to getting my Associates degree in 2016, I take great joy in priding myself on saying that I’m a college student. I haven’t been this happy and proud of myself in a very long time, and I just had to share it with the world and type it out so I can have this awesome memory for forever. Can’t resist killin shit.

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^^^ If you haven’t listened to AWOLNATION’s newest album Run, then I recommend you get on it immediately! It’s been my soundtrack for the entire week!

So there you have it, my smarty pants post! I hope all of you are having a fabulous day and wish me luck on my exams next week! What is your favorite subject in school? What college or high school are you representing right now? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Monday Update!

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Monday Update!

Hey guys and happy Monday!! I just wanted to give all of you a quick Lil Red update for the week, because I have a lot going on, so I might be M.I.A. for a few days. My first day of my online classes at Tri-C started today and I’ll tell you all right now…it was a big fat pain in the ass! I logged onto the online learning page and instantly felt so overwhelmed by everything that needed done. I’m taking my General Psychology and College Composition II courses online while taking Beginning Algebra on campus. The nice thing about the online classes is that I essentially have the entire week to finish a hefty amount of work, so today, I binge-worked for five hours straight: reading, note taking, high lighting, answering discussion board prompts – the whole shebang! Wanna know the sad part though? I’m essentially only half way done with my work load from both classes for the week. -_____- whomp whomp. This winter break was beautiful and much needed, but my mind was definitely not in the college mind set today thanks to that. I felt so stressed over some of the simplest tasks, which just made me frustrated, which made me step outside and chain smoke – all while drinking the shittiest cup of coffee ever. My hope is that things will get easier once I get a good feel of how the syllabus for each class plays out. Then I’ll know what things to prioritize and what the general work load for each week will entail. On the bright side, I got a 100% on my first twenty five question psychology test that I took today, so the hard work is already paying off! I have my first day of my math class tomorrow, and saying that I’m nervous for it is an understatement. Math was my arch nemesis class in high school – forever hovering failing grades over my head like a rain cloud year after year. I’m so afraid that it’s going to be just as hard for me in college. I’m so determined to do well in this class, because I REFUSE to fail it when I used my hard earned money to pay for the class. Please send some good vibes my way over in Akron, Ohio – god knows I’m gonna need it!

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In other news for Lil Red and the blog in general, I have a lot of fun things coming up! Tomorrow I’ll be writing a review for the cute and girly company Jamberry Nails for one of my dear friends who’s doing her thing on the website, so keep it posted on lifewithlilred to learn more about it! I also will have the review for one of Akron, Ohio’s wonderful and upcoming bands, Millstone posted on here by the end of the week once the lyric video for one of their songs is complete! There’s also one big thing that I guess I can spill to you guys….I met a guy! He’s fantastic, charming, handsome, and a complete gentleman! I’m not really sure what’s gonna happen with us, but I’m pretty excited to find out! So I’m sure you’ll be hearing more about that in the days to come! 🙂

Alright guys, mama needs some good vibes this week for my college challenges, so keep them coming and of course I’ll be doing the same for all of you! How was everyone’s weekend? How’s school going for all of my readers who are in attendance? I’d love to hear from you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Keep it posted on lifewithlilred for all of the latest and greatest, and I will talk to you all later! Much love. -Sarah

OOTD – College Kid Edition

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OOTD – College Kid Edition

Hey! So first of all, sorry for being MIA recently – I’ve had a hell of a past few days…and not in the good way. Having said that, yesterday I did what I told myself that I would never EVER do…I wore sweat pants to college. But WAIT! Let me explain myself!! I have up to get ready for school at 6:45 in the morning every Tuesday and Thursday. Yesterday morning it was chilly and overcast and all I wanted was to be as comfortable as humanly possible during my hour long drive to Cleveland and in my classes. So while I was getting ready and picking out an outfit, my eyes scanned from cute maxi skirts, dresses I could pair with tights, super skinny skinny jeans, and my new pair of sweat pants from Aerie. I reevaluated all of my options carefully and then rolled my eyes and said “f*** it” and grabbed the sweats. I always thought that during my college career I would be that super fashionable girl who wouldn’t be caught dead in lounge wear. Well since that thought went down the drain, I still tried to make my comfy cozy look as cute as possible. My mom even told me that I looked really cute, so I think I succeeded! 😉 Here’s my “college kid” OOTD:

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As usual, here’s the break down of the brands and where I purchased everything in my OOTD:

  • Cargo jacket: PacSun, LA Hearts
  • Embellished t-shirt: Express
  • Sweat pants: Aerie
  • Oxblood boots: TJMaxx, Airway

The thing that I liked the most about this outfit was the color coordinating that I pulled off. The sleeves on my jacket matched the color of my sweats perfectly. AND the detailing on the elbows of my jacket matched my boots as well. As all of you who have read my previous OOTDs know, I’m a big fan of clothing with a little surprise in all of it. I love the patchwork elbows on my jacket, the laser cut doilie detailing on the boots, the crocheted stripe going down the side of the sweats, and the industrial stud embellishment on the collar of my t-shirt. Clothes with that extra little pop can turn a potentially not so cute outfit (like my college kid look yesterday!) into a stylish comfy cozy look instead. All together my outfit probably cost me $100 or so. If you like the Aerie sweats I have on, you can go to http://www.aerie.com and purchase a pair of your own, as they are brand new! They have a bunch of different colors as well, including heather grey, navy, teal, tan, and wine. I liked my charcoal grey pair so much that I got it in the wine color too! AND I got them for buy one get one half off – you guys know how much I love a good bargain!

So there you have it – my mother approved and Sarah approved college kid OOTD. I turned comfort into cuteness and I’m very pleased with how it turned out. So pleased that I don’t even hate myself too much for wearing sweats to school! 😉

What’s your favorite lounge wear piece to dress up and wear in public? What are your go to tips on dressing up an article of clothing that you wear for comfort? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! And don’t forget to check back in with me for my review of the new episode of American Horror Story: Freakshow tonight! Happy Hump Day! -Sarah

I Love Mondays – Seriously!

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I Love Mondays – Seriously!

I never EVER thought I’d say this….but I love Mondays. I do, I do. Monday is the day I get all of my assignments in for my online classes at Tri-C and it just so happens that my schedule at Next usually allows for me to be off on Mondays, since I work all weekend. So for me, Monday turns into a day of sleeping in until whenever I want, lounging in sweats, wearing no makeup, and working on college assignments in bed. It’s the BEST. All of the assignments I get on Monday morning usually aren’t due until Sunday night, but because I’m off all day I try to get as much done as possible. I did a buttload of reading today, I’m talking over 100 pages in a textbook buttload. It sucked. But my diligence in completing the chapters and taking notes then going back through and highlighting them paid off. I got a 100 on my quiz for the week! My first perfect score of my college career! I was so freaking proud. I may be attending school in an unconventional way but I’m still just as much of a student as the kids attending school on campus. Getting that score proved this to me, and for the first time I really do feel like a college student. After about six hours of nonstop reading and note taking, I called it quits. Now I only have an essay to complete which isn’t due until the 16th – which is awesome considering I have NO clue what to write about. We have to write an essay explaining a concept to the reader. I’ve been racking my brains all day for a good concept to write about and I’m drawing a blank. Everything that there is to write about is just so broad and I’m having a really hard time narrowing stuff down to just one general idea. If any of you guys have any topics that you think might work for a college composition class, please let me know!

Today was full of educating and beautifying myself. After I wrapped up all of my school work, it was time for some pampering. My eyebrows were in desperate need of a good pluckin’ and thankfully my sister is the queen of the tweezers. That girl can shape up eyebrows like nobody’s business. After my brows were shaped to perfection, it was time to dye my hair. I like to dye my hair every month to keep my red nice and vibrant. As I’ve mentioned before, I use the Runway Red coloring in Vidal Sassoon’s London Luxe collection.

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This stuff is seriously MAGIC. It’s a must for any redhead that’s looking for bright, bold, “look at me” hair. I’m not lying or exaggerating when I say that my hair turns out identical to the color example on the box. This is also the color that I paid a lot of money to get month after month in a salon. You can’t beat five dollars a month for a box of color and salon quality results! Today I also began using Biore’s Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser.

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I must say that this stuff is FABULOUS. A sample of this cleanser was available in a magazine I was reading, so I ripped it out and gave it a try. I kid you not, that after one use almost all of my blackheads were eliminated. I knew that I had to have this cleanser in my arsenal of skin care products, so the next day I went to Target and purchased it. I have four piercings on my nose, two on each nostril and that’s where I tend to get a lot of blackheads. After I used the cleanser tonight, I took a look in the mirror and all of the blemishes around my piercings were gone. The charcoal in this product attracts all the dirt and grime like a magnet and leaves your skin invigorated with a rush of an icy chill. I can’t recommend this cleanser enough.

I forgot to mention the comfy cozy feeling I’ve had all day in my new sweats from Aerie.

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I’ve been snuggled up in these bad boys all day while working and pampering. I’ve been in desperate need of new sweat pants, as I haven’t bought a new pair in over two years since I don’t really feel the need. Especially when my sister’s vast collection of Victoria’s Secret yoga pants is right down the hall! But finally I purchased these sweats in the heather grey and in tan when I made my way to the mall a few nights ago. Both colors of the sweats were marked down 60% off, so I got both of them for about twenty-four dollars! You can’t beat that! If you go on http://www.aerie.com you can find these sweats and a bunch of other cute fall sale items for a crazy good deal! You may have noticed that I have a new book I’ve started reading in my sweat pant picture. I started Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson last night which was a big mistake because I couldn’t put it down! I’m about forty pages in, so I’m not far enough to give you guys a good synopsis of what’s going on, but expect an article by the time I’m half way through it!

So there you have it, my Monday Funday! Make sure you guys check in for my review of Dancing With The Stars tonight since it’s Middle Aged Monday. And if you have a good topic to write about for a concept essay, leave me a comment and let’s chat! Have a good night! -Sarah

Work Hard Play Hard

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Work Hard Play Hard

In the words of the great Wiz Khalifa: Work hard. Play hard.

I feel like this phrase has been defining my life lately. For four years, from the time I was sixteen until present day, I’ve worked my ass off in the retail world. In that time, I saved a lot of money. I saved enough money that I was able to purchase my beloved 2012 Mazda 2 Sport (AKA the Little Red Love Machine) on my own AND I’m able to pay for my college tuition on my own. Not many twenty year olds can say that and I must say, it’s an awesome feeling. I spent countless hours slaving away in PacSun in order to make the money that I have and I guess when it comes down to it, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. PacSun helped me out a lot financially. If I hadn’t spent those four fateful years working for that company, there’s no way in hell I would be able to afford my car and education. But just because I’m an insanely hard worker, doesn’t mean that I don’t know how to have fun! I’m so thankful that I still have extra pocket money so that I can go on a shopping trip with my friends, or to dinner, or a movie and not feel guilty about it. This article makes me sound like my life revolves around how much moolah I make, but I promise you it doesn’t. On the contrary, my life revolves around me being an independent young woman who happens to need money to keep the woman on the go lifestyle! I’m very blessed that my parents are as supportive of me as they are as well. They don’t make me pay rent and they still pay my phone bill, and I am SO thankful for that! I plan on moving out by the time I graduate school which will be when I’m twenty two. Until then, I’m gonna work my little ass off at Next, ace every college class I take, and still make time for fun stuff too! I’m a firm believer in treating yourself. For example, when I would have to be at the mall early to open the store, I would promise myself I’d get a Starbucks drink if I got to work on time. That was motivation enough to get me out of bed and get myself moving. Or if I’m out running errands, I would purchase a little treat for myself like a new tube of lipstick after I got all of my necessities. There’s nothing wrong with giving yourself motivation in the form of rewards! Ha! My final hurrah gift to myself before I buckle down financially now that school is starting is getting a tattoo this Friday. My tattoo artist has been running specials for Halloween, so I figure no better time than the present to get the tat that I’ve wanted for ages now! Getting inked up is my way of congratulating myself for all the hard work that I did to get myself a new job and to get into school. I’m proud of me! Here’s a pic of what I’ll be getting:

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I’ll be getting Isis on my side, and I am SO excited!

What motivates you guys? How do you work hard? What are your favorite things to do to play hard? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! -Sarah

My New Student Orientation!

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My New Student Orientation!

Today I had my new student orientation at Tri-C. It was alright….it was actually really boring! Ha! But I’m glad I got it done today because without going to the five hour orientation I wouldn’t have been able to register for my classes. I really lucked out because I was able to apply for two classes, my English course and the First Year Experience course that I can take right away on October 20th. If those classes weren’t available I would have to wait until January to take any classes, so I’m really glad I can at least dip my toe in the water with these two courses. During the orientation we got a tour of the school, a tutorial on how to use the online accommodations for students, a meeting with our guidance counselor, and we learned how to register online for the classes recommended to us by our counselors. Tri-C’s campus is really fantastic, and there’s so many great facilities and resources for the students such as a fitness center, swimming pool, tutoring center, and library. However, I’ll be taking most of my courses online, so I wont be on campus too often. My amazing counselor Miss Lady and I decided it would be a good idea to only do school part time right now and work up to full time scheduling if I want to. And that’s perfectly fine by me, because I still would like to work as often as I can so I can afford my car payments, filling up my car, and paying my tuition. As mentioned previously, I plan on doing an Associate of Arts Degree which is a two year program. I’m really hoping I’ll be able to graduate in the fall of 2016, but I’m not sure if that will be possible since I’m only going to school part time. I plan on taking summer courses though so I can try and speed the process up. As of next Monday, I’ll be a college gal! I would really appreciate all of the good vibes you guys can muster – because I’m not gonna lie, I’m pretty nervous to start school! I’m just afraid of feeling overwhelmed by everything. I haven’t done any type of schooling in well over two years so all of the old skills I learned are going to be pretty rusty! Does anyone have any tips on how to make the first few months at college a little bit easier? I could use all the help I can get! Also, make sure you check in at http://www.lifewithlilred.com tomorrow for my review of the new episode of American Horror Story tonight! Have a great evening! -Sarah

ANNNNNND BREAK:

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GOOD NEWS!

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I’m SO happy to announce that I got my official acceptance letter from Tri-C community college yesterday! It might not seem like that big of a deal since it’s not a big, fancy school, but it almost brought me to tears. My very first college acceptance letter! Wow. I’ll be doing an online program to get my Associate of Arts degree, which should be a lot of fun! I played around with the idea of doing a business degree, but I’m definitely glad I went with something with a creative edge to it. I’m very, very excited to start this new chapter in my life! BUT WAIT….THERE’S MORE! On Monday of this week I put in my two weeks notice at PacSun. It was very hard to do, after four long years of working there, but I know I made the right decision to focus on my school work and myself. I’m very touched with the love that I’ve been getting from my coworkers. So many ‘I love yous’ and ‘I’ll miss yous’ and ‘it won’t be the same without yous’. So sweet. Once I get settled in with my school work I plan on getting a more low key job so I can still make some moolah, but not feel too overwhelmed with completing my school work. And I also still want time for a social life, which is very important to me! I hope that today brings all of you some good news! -Sarah

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