Father's Day Giveaway

I'm normally home by now, just barely missing Mother's Day by the time I fly home, but just in time for both my dad's birthday and Father's Day, and we usually celebrate it in our usual way - breakfast and gifts in bed, and letting them sleep. 

Not being home for father's day this year is going to be weird. I'm a total daddy's girl - I'm his "favorite last daughter" as he always says.. so celebrating Father's Day is always fun for the whole family! 

That's why I teamed up with some of my friends to give away some cool prizes for dad this year - well, not my dad.. but maybe your dad?

Sooo..

Buttons & Birdcages // Briannah. // Alicia Tenise // Caramel and Salt
From Campus With Love // Styles I Like // Polished Perfectly // Wandering Forevermore
Hodge Podge Moments // Love and Waffles // Mermade Moments // Pennies & Paper
Sydney Luella // October June // Sassy Sweetheart and I 

present to you our father's day giveaway! 

Enjoy Life Drink Good Beer Print // Hand-Forged Bottle Opener
Gin & Tonic Soap // Cotton Flannel Tie

Aren't these so cute? I can think of a bunch of guys who would love these, not just dad.. but anyways, onto the winning!
The giveaway runs until June 3rd, so good luck and win some stuff for your dads!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Movin' on Up..

I kind of have a really big announcement to make. 

Like really big. 

You ready?

I'm officially "moving on up.." 

I'm moving to New York City! 

At least for the summer.. 

In a week, I'll be packing up and heading to NYC to follow my dreams, work at a fabulous internship and explore the city that I've been in love with since I first visited at ten years old. For as long as I can remember, I've been planning my life in New York City - living in the Upper East Side, going to fantastic events and shopping, wining and dining at the best places in town.

My experience won't be anything like I ever imagined, because
a) I'm working an unpaid internship in New York City
b) I'm living in New York City as a college student
c) It's New York City

But I'm excited.. do you know how long I've been waiting to say I wanna be a part of it.. New York, Newwww Yooooorkkkkk! 
Too long. 

I remember my first time in New York City. I knew from the week spent walking everywhere, exploring new areas, and the crazy events and nightlife that I needed to end up in New York some day. When I came to college and found out I was only about an hour and a half, and a $15 train ride away from the city, I would use any excuse to go for the day or weekend.

Last December, I skipped school for a day (shh, don't tell my parents) and met up with my cousin Jeanne who was visiting the city that week for a day filled with adventures, shopping and sightseeing. Although I'm no tourist when it comes to New York, I still love seeing how beautiful Times Square can be at night, especially with all the lights and the craziness, even on a cold Monday night.

New York speaks to me in a completely different way than any other place - and the minute I interviewed for this internship, I knew I needed to land it. After hearing back from them and accepting the internship, I struggled to find an apartment this late in the game, but thank goodness for some of the nearby university and internship housing complexes for still having availabilities. It's in no way and by no means the fabulous penthouse apartments on Central Park that I dreamed of, but I'm excited to explore my favorite city, dip my feet in the media industry, and learn some new things over the next few months. 

So don't expect to see any crazy stories from my nights on the Upper East Side attending fantastic galas, but be prepared to see how this crazy island girl experiencing city life for the first time. Be ready to see me deal with balancing living in the city with working an internship. Be excited to see me put together some (hopefully) cute outfits for my business casual office job. Be warned that my posting may be sporadic throughout the summer. Be scared for my wallet as I showcase some new styles and wish lists.
But most of all get ready, because The Caro Diaries and I are heading to New York City!

I'm in the process of writing a NYC bucket list of things I have to do while I'm there, so sound off in the comments what you think I should add to it.. 

Surprise!

Prepare your wallets, because this is blowing up!

I love when Kate Spade New York has surprise sales, and this week's own is hands down one of the best they've had. 

There are some major sales on some stunning handbags, accessories and clothes and shoes. 

Here's a peek at some of my favorite items:

Kate Spade Necklaces · Kate Spade Bags · Hudson Bags

The sale runs until tomorrow at midnight, so head over to the sale and get to shopping. 

Graduation Gift Guide

It's so weird to me that all of the Seniors are graduating this week. The end of the semester is always bittersweet because it's finals week, so it's hell, but then there are three months of vacay awaiting you, and some of your best friends are leaving you. My brain has whiplash from the amount of times I've been excited and then scared or sad within a two minute span.

Unfortunately for me, my big is graduating, and some of my favorite people are seniors and it's making me absolutely depressed. Luckily though, my big will be in a grad program for the next few years, so she'll be here for the rest of my years at QU.. But it really got me thinking about the rest of those graduates that I love and will miss, and then I thought about some cute grad gifts, and I figured why not make a gift guide because if it's one thing I love more than blogging it's online shopping, so why not blend the two?!

for the super involved: 

If your grad is super involved - i'm talking RA, Orientation Leader, Greek affiliated, Student Government and many more, then a tshirt quilt is perfect for them! These can get a little pricey but it's the perfect gift that they'll love and treasure. It also makes the perfect gift for that sorority girl who won't be wearing her letters anymore - what better way to showcase the hundreds of dollars she spent on lettered shirts over the years than to put them on a comfy quilt she can cherish forever.  

for the writer: 

There's no better way to show how much you support your friend who loves to write than buying them a monogrammed or personalized leather journal. Pair it with a nice pen and it's the perfect gift for the graduate whose words will take them places. 


for the college kid who's still a college kid: 

A beer basket is the perfect gift for the college kid who's not ready to graduate as yet. What better way to continue the party than by providing the alcohol?! Bonus points if you sign them up for the beer club where they receive new beers every month.. that way the party never has to stop! Not that anyone wants it to.. 

for the book worm: 

There's always the book worm who actually appreciates books like these to better them after graduation. For those friends, make sure you pick up Sheryl Samberg's Lean In for Graduates, and Dave Ramsey's Graduate's Survival Guide. They're supposed to be amazing and there's no better way to inspire a recent college grad into job searches by buying them some inspirational books that'll help them now and in the future. 

for the one who's already landed a big city job: 

So your graduate already landed a big-city job, huh? Lucky them! There's no better way to celebrate than buying them their first briefcase or professional bag that they can use in the office. A neutral color like tan, cognac or black is perfect for the office! I'm in love with this Michael Kors bag for the office - professional looking but still super chic that you can use it 24/7. Win/win!

for the stationery lover: 

I love the idea of getting graduates personalized stationery after graduation. Chances are, they'll be applying to many jobs, interviewing, and they'll need to send personalized notes at some point or another, so it's the perfect way to support their future ventures without spending too much money. Plus, you're guaranteed a thank you card with this one! 

for the sentimentalist: 

So you two have so many memories together? You were freshman year roommates? She lives five minutes away from you at home? You're just best friends and have known each other all your life? The make a scrapbook! For those sentimentalists, this is the perfect gift! It doesn't just have to be from college - although bonus points if it is! If you're not too crafty and/or didn't go to college with them but still want to gift the memory, give a gift card to Shutterfly and have them create their own memories! It's the perfect gift they can look back on for life! 

for the one traveling the world: 

We all have that friend who's taking a year off to backpack across Europe, or is spending the summer in Australia, or some other exotic location. We're also super jealous, but the perfect gift for them is so simple - luggage! The Samsonite four-wheeled super-light luggage is a little pricey, but I love the Erin Condren luggage sets! They're personalized so your grad will never lose their luggage or pick up the wrong suitcase - and what better way to inspire their travels than an inspirational quote! 

for the one who's down to business: 

For that graduate who's going places, nothing says congratulations like a professional-looking, leather business card holder. It's perfect to hold their business cards, and to receive some while they're networking. If you want to take this gift over the top, add a gift card to Moo.com or Vista Print or anywhere that makes business cards for a chance to make their own! 

Graduation gifts don't have to be super expensive, just thoughtful.. and when all else fails, college students (especially graduates) love cash more than anything. There's no better way to help them pay off their loans, save up for their own car, or help them live their dreams than by helping out financially. Happy grad season, and may all the graduation parties be boozy, as they should be. 

I've Been Putting This Off

Hi. 

Whoa.. I know.. Am I still alive? Does this blog still exist? 

The answer is yes to both, but I've had a hard time writing this post for the past week and a half. 

I have opened up at least four different drafts in Blogger composing this, but nothing seems right enough to publish. But I'm just letting this one out. 

Sorry. 

I felt like I owed you that. You.. whoever still follows and reads this blog after my abandonment. 

I promise I'm back. Slowly. 

You see, this year - and especially the last month - has been one of the hardest things I've put myself through. I joined a sorority, became an RA, took on positions in my sorority, am temporarily disaffiliating to become a recruitment counselor for Panhellenic, applied to internships, managed six classes, tried to figure out how I would make this summer work, tried to branch out and meet new people, and still tried to have a social life. 

On top of that, and especially in the last month, I was a college student with college kid problems - roommate issues. Sometimes people are great, and sometimes they aren't, and I'm not saying this was either one of those cases, but about a month ago I realized I wasn't happy anymore and I couldn't ignore it and put myself through any of it anymore. 

Sometimes, you need to be selfish. And about a month ago, I was. And it made a huge difference in my mood, my anxiety, my work. Quite frankly, the last month had a better impact on my entire year than the rest of the year did. 

Another reason I kind of dropped off the face of the earth was because I had some technical difficulties. 

I had spoken before about how I had some Mac trouble, and I managed to get it fixed for a lump sum but I'm a college student and blogger and you do what you have to do. 

This time, the same thing happened, except completely different, and it was a million times worse.

Somehow, one of my roommates managed to spill some water onto my laptop when I was out at a meeting, and my laptop - my $1,500 laptop - completely died. Every single part of my laptop was completely fried inside, and there was more than $800 worth of water damage - leaving me no other choice but to buy a brand new computer. 

But I didn't let this one go. 

Not this time. 

I investigated and filed a report to my school's security who then launched a formal investigation, and after a little more than a week of hell and stress and investigations and meetings and emails back and forth, someone confessed and all was right in the world again. 

I know this isn't an excuse. I mean, I had a functioning laptop. But dealing with roommate drama, plus this investigation, plus finals week and my never-ending anxiety wasn't exactly prime inspiration to write. 

So I'm sorry. I promise I'm back. 

It may take some time, but I have a lot of exciting things in store, and even more exciting news to share.

So, The Caro Diaries is coming back in full swing this summer - so wait for it, because as Barney Stinson would say, it's gonna be legen.... (wait for it, and I hope you're not lactose intolerant because the second half of this word is...) dairy. legendary. 

Hope you didn't miss me while I was gone. 

And if anyone here still actually follows me, hi and thank you. I promise I'll make it up to you. 

Or I'll try. 

Same thing. 

Breaking Up 101: Smarter, Not Harder

This is a sponsored post. All opinions expressed, however, are mine and that of The Caro Diaries. 

Ending a relationship can be difficult. It's always awkward when something has to end - but sometimes it has to be done. People tend to put it off and drag it out, and sometimes it's better just to rip the bandaid off quickly and end it. Others, not so much.. but McGraw Hill is hooking us up and showing us how to break up in a smart way.. this one's guaranteed to get the trick done.

But the best part is that they've hooked us up with school too. Instead of buying an e-book this year, try their Smartbook. Smartbook is the first and only adaptive reading experience and is designed to revolutionize the way students read and learn. It continuously adapts to your study experience by highlighting content based on what you know and don't know. It can even help you review in the book, and tells you how much you've gotten done, and how much time it's taken you to get through it, to help you study smarter, not harder.