April Budget

1. Banana Republic Petite Floral Necklace $35 Original $60
Is it just me or do all statement necklaces have a gold tone? This is more than I would have liked to pay, but I was just so excited to have a statement piece in silver.


2. Gap 1969 Bleached Western Shirt  $24 Original: $59.95 Worn here
Thinking that chambray would be a trendy piece for me, I purchased an inexpensive version from Old Navy a year ago. I had no idea how much it would become a go to shirt. So excited to have a nicer quality chambray in a different wash.

3. Banana Republic Leather Bow Bracelet $8.38 Original $29.50

4. Banana Republic Giraffe Bracelet in Ivory $23 Original $39.50 Worn here

Can you tell that I like cardigans? 

5. Gap Luxlight Cardigan in New Pale Lemon $17.53 Original: $44.95 Worn here


 J Crew Factory Always Cardigan in Ivory $15.60 Original: $39.50
Not pictured

 J Crew Factory Always Cardigan in Heather Graphite  $15.60 Original: $39.50
Not pictured, but Worn here

C Wonder Canvas Sparkle Mini Easy Tote $50.80 
Paid: $40.80 + $10 for monogram Original: $68
Not Pictured, but Worn here

I am 100% in love with all of the pieces that I picked up, but my favorites are definitely the Lilly Pulitzer items. As an advocate of bright colors, bold patterns, and unique textures, it should come to no surprise that I am a huge fan of all things Lilly. Well everything except the price point. While I love her clothes, it is just not practical for me to buy them on my current student budget. Thus, I normally only purchase Lilly items during the bi-annual sales when everything is officially out of season and 50%+ off. However, I stumbled upon a Lilly store by complete accident and they were having a sale. Here is what I got:

6.  Lilly Pulitzer Delray Tunic in Resort White Bungle in the Jungle $118  Original: $158
This really wasn't on sale by that much (25%), but I have been thinking about investing in a Lilly tunic or Elsa top for well over a year now and decided to take the plunge. The delray top has better reviews in terms of fit compared the the Elsa, but they look exactly the same.

7. Lilly Pulitzer Terrance Top in Metallic Scallop Jacquard $48.80 Original: $198

That made this top 75% off

When I first saw it, a little voice in the back of my head told me that the fake diamond beading placed it  just on the other side of gaudy, but I could barely hear that little voice because the rest of me was screaming OMG must have that now. I've already got a special occasion planned for this one.

Total: $356.71 Yikes! So much for trimming down this month. I actually made money from clothing sales, which I thought about deducting from this total, but then I decided that counting that into this would be cheating. Gift cards or bonus points are one thing, but directly adding in extra money felt wrong (even if it was gained from selling old clothes). I set a budget for the year and I intend to keep it so instead I pocketed the extra cash away for my travel fund.

$1650 (Year) - $171(Jan.) - $0 (Feb) - $232(March) - $357(April) = $890 remaining for the year

Also, please check out our beautiful hostess and all of the other budgeting bloggers at Franish

Pseudo School Break

A Much Needed Night Out

While I consider my partying days long behind me, a good friend here in Boston asked us to join in for her birthday celebration. And of course we were happy to go. The night started out with drinks and desserts at her place and then we all hopped onto the T and migrated to a bar that hosts dancing with 90's themed music on the weekends. You know good stuff like 'NSync, Nelly, Brittany Spears, Green Day, and yes folks the Macarena!

End of Spring Semester

Today PJ and I are headed off to Boston to see husband. So excited to spend an entire week with my husband and enjoy some time off before our dreaded summer semester starts. Seriously no other medical programs that I am aware of have year round school the entire time (except accelerated programs) other than dental schools. Before I take off, I tried to enjoy as much of the nice weather as I could because while it’s 70-80 degrees here everyday, it will be more like 40-50 in Boston.

What I’m Wearing?

 Chambray Shirt: Exact

Tank: Target

Pants: J Crew Factory

Shoes: Calvin Klein

Sunnies: Old Navy

 

Pencil Skirts and Lace

I have to apologize for my recent absence as I usually like to post a few times a week, but I was sick. Like thought I was going to die sick. Yay for sinus infections! I will try not to leave that long again because I really did miss blogging. Anyway I'm ready to catch you up on everything that was missed which really was mostly sick me struggling through yet another full week of classes, exams, and skills assessments. However, this is my last week of the spring term so I'm trying to stay positive. Then we get a full week off before our summer semester begins. Yes, we have school year round. Just trying to be grateful though and focus on the week off and nothing makes me happy like a cute outfit, so I started the day off with this...

Pineapple Thief

Coral Mixer

Last night my dental school class got together with the medical students for a mixer. I was so tired that I thought about not going and just heading to bed early but I am so glad that I didn't. It was really nice to talk to the medical school students because they obviously understand what we are going through but it's not the exact same so you don't get stuck talking about school the whole time. I think I made some good connections with people that I'm hoping to get to know better. After the mixer, I headed to grab some food with a dental school friend. We were out pretty late but it was definitely worth it. Snapped some quick photos just before heading out.

Living on the Wild Side

At the last minute this morning, I decided to deviate from my planned outfit. We have a full day of lecture learning about psychiatric disorders so I thought that I might need something that would keep me cheerful. This is what I ended up with. Then I looked in the mirror and realized that I was wearing a lot of "animal" themed items. My shirt reminded me of zebra print, my shoes are leopard, and I'm wearing a huge giraffe bangle on my tiny wrist. Regardless, I decided that I liked it.. combined with this new crazy hairstyle (at least for me), I couldn't think of a better fitting title. 

Work-It-Out Wednesday

As you all know this past week was hellish for me so I recovered by indulging myself on Saturday. I also found a lot of solace in working out. It was the first week where I felt motivated enough to look forward to exercising as opposed to having to drag myself to the gym. I started looking at it as an opportunity for me time where I didn't have to study. And as much as I am not an exercise fanatic, I would much rather do that than learn about neuro pathways. So here are my workouts for the past week.

Thursday 

Ab Routine 

Elliptical 3 miles 

Sunday 

2 mile Inclined Walk 

Ab Routine 

Monday 

1 mile Inclined Walk 

1.5 mile jog 

Ab Routine 

My main goal for next week is definitely going to be to work on being more flexible. As of now, if I don't work out first thing in the morning it doesn't happen at all. I really need to work on pushing myself even if I am tired and have had a long day. Leaving you with favorite inspirational quote this week.

Flirty & Fun

I woke up this morning and decided that I needed some me time. So first thing I packed PJ into the car and we headed into the city. He got dropped off at doggie day care while I went to enjoy myself. I had a massage and then did one of my favorite things....thrifting. Yea I know I am such an old lady. I went to a few different antique shops and while I didn't find anything worth bringing home, I really enjoyed myself. Just getting lost amongst all the pieces, each with its own history is extremely comforting for me. It just makes my worries feel less significant. 

                            

Dress: Ultra Pink Tiered Lace via Kohl's
Sweater: J Crew Factory Always Cardigan here

Adapting

It has been a really long week for me. With my regular exam, multiple appointments, and a skills assessment I am feeling a little burnt out. I am still in my neurology unit which is extremely frustrating for me because I despise it. I want nothing more than to be in dental lab but instead I have class all day. Sometimes I feel stuck because I find it impossible to pay attention for 8 hours straight, yet I have to be here (attendance is mandatory). It also makes me feel really guilty that I can't bring myself to pay attention the entire time. The school administrators and the lecturers obviously expect our full attention but this is just not how I learn. In college, I almost never went to class. I would go to my elective courses, but as far as my science classes were concerned I was MIA. This may sound terrible to some people, but I really am a book learner. I don't do very well with someone essentially reading a powerpoint presentation to me. I would rather read about it and figure these things out for myself. I just feel that it enhances my understanding and I actually learn as opposed to memorizing facts and pathways. This works well for me and it's the system that I've used for years.

Work-It-Out Wednesday: Routine & Mini Haul

Gap was having a big sale  recently and I needed some breathable fitness tops, so I decided to pick up these from the GapFit Line. I normally buy fitness gear strictly from athletic brands, but now it seems that most normal stores have some form of fitness wear and these were cute that I decided to give them a try. 

Day in the Life of a Dental Student: Lecture

As promised I will be showing you what a typical week for me is currently like through this "Day in the Life of a Dental Student Series". Each day is unique so I will covering a few different days this week. Here is an overview of my current weekly schedule:

Mondays/Thursdays: 

8 hrs of Lecture

Tuesdays: 

Morning: Dental Lab 

Afternoon: Independent Study

Wednesdays: 

Morning: Exam & Lecture 

Afternoon: Dental Lab 

Fridays: 

8hrs of Dental Lab 

Everyday class is from 8am-5pm with an hour for lunch. Unfortunately, attendance is mandatory which I am not a fan of, more so for the lecture days. One advantage we do have is that we do not have blocks-which are periods of the semester where you would take several exams in a short period of time. This is the system implemented by most medical programs. Instead, we have a weekly exam and the jury is still out on whether or not I like this. Sometimes you just want a day off, but there is always an exam around the corner. 

This was my schedule for yesterday (Monday) so I had lecture all day: 

7AM The dog wakes me up because he wants to go out and I panic a little because I'm running late. Take the dog out & feed him. 

7:15AM Quick shower & hair goes back into a bun. Too tired for contacts, so glasses it is. 

7:30AM Get Dressed & Basic Make-up

7:50AM I could totally leave right now and be on time for school, but I decide that it's worth it to be late to make and eat breakfast. 

Honey Wheat Bread w. Egg and Fresh Strawberries

Pumpkin Spice Coffee w. Whip Cream & Cinnamon 

8:15 AM Leave for school 

8:25AM-9:50AM  In class and taking notes, really wishing that we weren't still in our neurology unit. Ironically we spend this part of the morning learning about circadian rhythm and sleep cycle EEGs. Just reminds me of how tired I am.