The End of An Era

Today is the day that I graduate college, that  I leave the formal education system and step off of a campus that has been so much more than brick walls to me. I've learned so much from the last 3.5 years from the people that I've met, the opportunities that I've had and the mistakes that I've made.

I will be staying in Green Bay until May at a temporary public relations account assistant. I'll be doing a lot of nothing to recover from the past 3.5 years. I'm going to enjoy the city that has been my home, and enjoy the friends that have become my home as well.

The past four months I haven't been able to blog because I haven't felt like myself. I've always been a planner, and nothing was falling into place this past semester. I felt like I was floundering, mainly because the aspect of my life that I thought I would have figured out, wasn't. Growing up I always thought that I would have my career figured out after college, move to a city with this great job, and then find love. Instead I found love with someone from high school, and we were able to figure it out pretty early in our lives.

Now Matt has been my biggest blessing the past 3 months (other than my parents) and I'm incredibly lucky and blessed to have him in my life. But sometimes there is just this mental block when what I imagined and worked for doesn't happen. So I've spent the past 3 months getting over this mental block.

I hope that in the next 5 months I can embrace the idea of "going with the flow" to a certain extent. Now don't get me wrong, I have a 5 year plan that I want to work for and get to where I want to go. But I also need to embrace the ebbs & flows of life, which I want to do.

I hope that reading this you learn from my biggest mistake, not letting go of what should have happened or what should be happening. Have a plan, have some dreams, but be flexible about your methods. Have confidence in yourself, in your abilities and in your fate. Doors will open if you work hard.

So here's to everything I've learned, to the people I've loved, to the mistakes I've made and to the experiences I've had. But here's to the next 80 some years, and here's to life's ebbs & flows and the blessing I've been given.

This is also the last post on this site as Purple & Pearls. On January 1st there will be a new site, a new name and a new dedication to something that I love.  Check back on January 1st for fun new content!

xoxo

Ramblings from a College Senior

Hello from Green Bay! I am alive, I actually have content that I want to write, but I don't have the time to write it.  Here are some random ramblings from my life, that I hope you can relate to or laugh at my thoughts!

On being a senior.... Holy cow, are my emotions all over the place right now. You can find me staying up late to finish a paper because I spent too much time with friends, applying for jobs or thinking about how I should be cleaning. My priorities this semester are much different than in past semesters, and it's not a bad thing. I haven't been obsessively counting my hours of sleep, or counting my study hours. Being with my friends, randomly making food and having a glass of wine with my roommate has become more important than sleep. My grades are important still, which is why the number of nights I've been up until 2 am before an 8 am has increased by 200% this semester. I'm no longer super worried about how much sleep I'm getting, or how clean my room is. I'm not worried about having the perfect morning routine, or having a perfectly put together planner. I'm fully embracing the fact that within 45 days I will be a college graduate, and I need to embrace the college lifestyle while I'm still here.


On being engaged... I'm planning a wedding with my best friend, and that brings this sense of absolute calm to me. Not knowing if I will have a job after graduation, or where I will be is scary, but knowing that in less than 2 years I'll be married to my best friend is calming and exciting. I just bought our wedding binder from Southern Weddings, and am in love. I can't wait to start writing in it!


On job hunting.... Short of begging people to hire me, job hunting is this anxiety ridden process for me. I know that it's all going to work out but I'm really excited to start my potential career in public relations. Talking about leaving my internships are sad however, because I love both of them and wish I could work 3 jobs at one time!


On friends...  As Matt and I start to plan our wedding, the people we want in our wedding party have become even that more dear to me. Their constant support, love and help has been invaluable already. I don't think any gift could begin to give back what they've given us already! Being engaged definitely clarifies friendships, and I'm appreciating it!

On family... This fall my family life has been kind of crazy. There have been a lot of happy moments, but a few scary ones. These events have made me so grateful for the wonderful, loving and crazy support system that is my family. Who ever you consider your family, let them know how much you care, and take the time to call them!


On my blog.... I love to blog, I love having my little corner of the internet, but my space right now I don't feel like represents me. I'm not motivated to blog because I don't feel like I'm representing myself. So this is the official notice of rebranding. It is going to take awhile to rebrand since I am finishing up my senior year, but I promise to be back with some amazing content. Thank you to all of my amazing readers for following me for the past two and a half years, I hope to be able to inspire you as I transition from being a college student to a professional!



xoxo

Life After College: Financial Terms to Know

As I start to think about graduating, I decided to chronicle the next year of job searching, apartment moving and decision making in a series called "Life After College." My first post is about financial terms to know as you start to job hunt and look at paying off student loans.



Permanent Life Insurance// This is a type of insurance policy that provides you coverage over your lifetime, and something called cash value. Cash value is something that you can borrow or withdraw against after a certain amount of time. The premiums (payments) are generally higher than other types of life insurance.

Term Life Insurance// This is a type of insurance policy is only for a set period of time, anywhere from 5 to 30 years (typically). If you die within the time period, your beneficiaries receive a payout, if you don't than the policy expires with no payout.

PPO// This stands for a preferred provider organization, and you're encouraged to use services within a network. Generally have an annually deductible and co-payments (where you have to pay out of pocket) for some services.

HMO// This stands for healthy maintenance organization, and you have lower deductibles, but you have to use certain services within a specified network.  There is generally no coverage if you go outside of the network without recommendations from you primary care physician.

HSA// Healthy Savings Accounts are basically PPOs with higher deductibles. They do have tax breaks, and are great if you don't have  a lot of healthy needs. The amount in the account rolls over year to year (you get to keep the money that you don't use) and earns interest.

401k// This is a retirement plan offered through your work, it is the most common form of defined-contribution retirement plan from employers. Your employer generally matches a certain percentage of your income that you put into your account. Generally you pick the percentage you want to put in and it comes out of your paycheck. There are tax benefits.

IRA// This stands for Individual Retirement Account. Instead of being a defined-benefit plan from your employer, this is a savings account with tax breaks. It's the best plan for a retirement account if you're employer doesn't provide you with one. While there are different types, it's typically one you open by yourself. There are eligibility requirements, and you should look into one if you don't receive any defined-benefit plan for retirement from your employer.

Pension// An employer-sponsored retirement plan. That means when you retire you receive a fixed payout. It depends on how long you worked at your employer and on your salary. These are rare currently, but they are a great portion of your retirement plan.

Compound Interest// Think of this as interest on interest. When you borrow money, it means that you earn interest on your loan, and then on the amount of interest you've already earned. Be sure to know which of your student loans has compounded interest, and pay those off first.


All of these new terms are scary, but the internet is this amazing thing. If you don't know a term, just google "what is a ___." Experts have explained different terms in multiple different ways, so if one explanation doesn't make sense, there is another one!

Are there any terms you didn't know that you think I should add?

xoxo

Sources: http://money.cnn.com/retirement/guide/IRA_Basics.moneymag/
            http://money.cnn.com/retirement/guide/pensions_pensions.moneymag/
            http://www.learnvest.com/knowledge-center/your-money-bible-25-financial-terms-to-know/3/
           http://money.cnn.com/retirement/guide/401k_401kplans.moneymag/ 
        http://www.zanebenefits.com/blog/bid/274217/9-Individual-Health-Insurance-Terms