Rae Goes Away: Packing for NOLA

When this post goes up I'll be in the car on my way to #NOLA (New Orleans, Louisiana) for the Katy Perry concert! Sadly, we'll only be staying in my self-appointed second home for one night, but I'm super excited to go. As I was packing for the trip I found it looked like I was moving to NOLA permanently! So I grabbed my smaller over-night vintage suitcase and started downsizing.

Here are a few little tips I learned along the way:

1. 2 for 1. Since our trip is going to be two days of traveling, I wanted something comfortable both days, so I decided to make two outfits using the same pair of leggings. This saves space in my luggage since I'll be wearing  the leggings and boots on the way.
2. Make a List. This is the simplest trick that everyone suggests but I'm so the worst at it! I ended up actually outlining each outfit (3 in all) and seeing what pieces I could cross over. This is a different approach to packing for me and it really worked.
3. Smaller Suitcases Win. When I was trying to pack my big carry all suitcase for this trip, I packed about 6 completely different outfits and two variations FOR ONE NIGHT! I felt like I needed to fill up the bag despite the fact that I don't need much for the night.
4. Plan for Travel. I initially started by putting my bag together with the clothes I wanted to wear on the car ride down. Then I realized how dumb that was, pulled everything out and reassessed. I knew we'd be leaving early so I wanted to have my outfit picked out, so I set it on top of my suitcase with hair accessories and all ready for a quick, speedy morning.

Packing List:

2 Concert Dresses

Heels

Fast Flats

Underclothes

Sweater

Hairbrush

Make up/Toiletry Bag

2 Tunic Tanks

Leggings

Boots

Extra Tunic

Hair Accessories

Night Gown

Slip-on Shoes

Blankets/Pillow/etc.

How do you pack for overnight trips?

Rainy Monday

Posting a little later today than I usually like to but it's a rainy Monday; who wants to keep busy? Because of the lazy dazey feeling of today I thought I'd share with you a few tidbits of my life.

First, Fall is here! Everyone else is so excited by this fact that it's hard for me not to be! I will admit, I love the feeling fall brings and all the sweaters that get to come out and be seen! More than sweaters though... BOOTS! Fall is when I really get to wear my boots and I love that fact! The boots in the opening picture really have become my go-to fall boots. They're comfortable and (relatively) rain proof and really just add a little spunk to any outfit I make.

Speaking of outfits, today I found my Audrey t-shirt! I was so darn excited I just had to wear it immediately! I paired it with a pair of high-waisted jeans from Forever21 and my boots. It was a super simple look and perfect for my rainy day in at the office.

Lastly, being in the office all day with only photo editing and a few clerical things to do, I had time to update my planner for the week! I always love getting to pull out my washi tape and get my week down on paper. The beginning and end of this week are full of work and school, but the middle is exciting! Wednesday morning early I'll be leaving for #NOLA (New Orleans, Louisiana) for the Katy Perry concert with the beautiful bestie! I can't wait! Despite the rainy start, this week is lining up to be perfect.

How has your Monday been?

Recently Added v.1

In the last two weeks I've added 41 songs to my iTunes library. On this Wonderful Wednesday, I thought I'd share my new obsessions with you.

1. Maybe by Ingrid Michaelson
2. Manners by We Are The In Crowd
3. You and Me by Holly Conlan
4. Home by Holly Conlan
5. Winter by Holly Conlan
6. Happy Song by Holly Conlan
7. You Are Goodbye Holly Conlan
8. Sparkle by Holly Conlan
9. Beautiful Night by Holly Conlan
10. I am Alone by Holly Conlan
11. Honey Don't by Holly Conlan
12. Come Back Home by Holly Conlan
13. Good Ones by Holly Conlan
14. Gone by Holly Conlan
15. Dust in Out Hands by Holly Conlan
16. Uh Oh by Holly Conlan
17. One Two Three by Holly Conlan
18. Take the Blame by Holly Conlan
19. New Song by Holly Conlan
20. OK by Holly Conlan
21. How Do We Know by Katie Costello
22. Ships in the Night by Katie Costello
23. Cityscapes by Katie Costello
24. Lost and Far from Home by Katie Costello
25. We Are the Way We Are by Katie Costello
26. Gonna Get Over You by Sara Bareilles
27. Shake it Off by Taylor Swift
28. Girls Chase Boys by Ingrid Michaelson
29. Songs of Innocence Album by U2 (Very Not Impressed)
30. Beautiful Day by U2

All the bolded ones are my favorites as of the moment. Another honorable mention is Dollhouse by Melanie Matinez. I didn't add that one in the last two weeks but it's still a current obsession of mine.

What are some of your favorite recent additions to your musical life?

The Magic of Taking it Slow // Student Life

This semester, for the first time in my college career, I'm not taking the max number of credit hours I'm allowed to. I'm really enjoying this chance to slow down and figure out what I really want in life. 

Here's the Magic:

1. Time to plan.
   With my smaller course load, I've been able to dedicate real time to planning a strategy for each class I'm enrolled in and I can spend more time on the assignments.
2. Freedom to enjoy life.
   Not having to be in class all the time or studying for classes when not in them, I have more time to go to the library for leisure, take a walk with my partner, and volunteer.
3. Time to dabble.
   I've always been a dabbler, a kind of jack-of-all-trades. I love to pick up hobbies and crafts to find the ones I want to stick with. Now, for the first (non-summer) time since high school, I can pick up watercolors and fashion curating, just for the hell of it.
4. Time to intern.
   This year begins my first full school year with my internship at the Pet Education Project (PEP!) With my smaller workload, I can now really dedicate the time to sit down and work on my intern projects as well as get in the field with my fellow PEPpy People and my buns to make a difference.
5. Freedom to develop.
   Being in classes has always been restricting to me. More so in my own personal and social development than in any other way. Having more time outside of classes to discover new loves, move out of my parent's home, work, etc. is giving me the opportunity to grow in myself and develop a clear sense of what I really want. To me, college is the time to dabble and figure out what you want in life, but how can you do that if you are nailed to six classes fulfilling just one major and/or core curriculum? 

I'm so glad that I've chosen learning and growth over my formal education. I'd never dropout/not get my degree, but I feel, for myself at least, that graduating then growing is defeating the purpose of college. I could have my French or English degree by now but neither would have made me happy. I don't know what my bachelor's degree will be in, but I feel certain I will love the time I have remaining to get it.

Are/were you that "max-out" student or did you enroll in minimum hours? Would you do it differently now if you could?

Thoughtful: What does Time feel like?

PHOTO CREDIT

For my English class this semester, we're currently reading Ray Bradbury's short story "August 2002: Night Meeting." I love Bradbury's style over all and always have. After a few years of not reading him, this piece feels like coming home. One quote early on in the story caught my attention though;

"What did Time smell like? Like dust and clocks and people. And if you wondered what Time sounded like it sounded like water running in a dark cave and voices crying and dirt dropping down upon hollow box lids, and rain. And going further, what did Time look like? Time looked like snow dropping silently into a black room or it looked like a silent film in an ancient theater, one hundred billion faces falling like those New Year balloons, down and down into nothing."

Do you agree with Bradbury? I do, to an extent, but I feel there are a million other ways to explain Time. The real question, which Bradbury doesn't explain is what does Time feel like? Not the passing of time, but the feeling of Time itself.

I think time feels like a rabbit's fur tickling across your face as the summer heat sets in, like the massaging of the one stubborn tense muscle that hurts too much to continue and feels to good to stop, like the air of the night when you reach up toward the stars and just, for a moment, grasp the light of the moon only to have nothing to show for it.

What do you think Time feels like?

Taking it easy today and enjoying the holiday! Hope it was a great one for you as well!

What's your labor day traditions?

Let's Talk: Reading Slumps

Today is the last day of my first week back at school. Last week, however, was the Bout of Books 11.0, as many of you may already know. I posted my TBR for the week and finished a whopping 24 pages of A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan and an amazing 30 minutes of the Stardust audiobook. Over the entire summer, I read a total of 2 books and started somewhere around 15 books. It's official, I'm in a reading slump.

I think I've been falling into this slump for a while now. And every time I read a really good book I think I've cured my slump. I've read some absolutely astounding books in the few I've read this year. The beautiful narrative of Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore kept me spellbound and the NovelTea Book Club kept me motivated. Enchanted left me eager for the next book and to devour every fairytale within reach. Cress left me longing for Winter and the final two Gallagher Girls books I read back to back! Somehow though, my good intentions to find another book to love have not come to fruition. I suppose we'll see how September deals with this slump.

How do you handle a reading slump?

Bout of Books 11.0 // TBR

I promise I'm just going to just re-post my videos here! This one is actually relevant to a previous post! For those who don't care, check out the other links below the Bout of Books things!

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Books Mentioned:

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

The Buddha in the Attick by Julie Otsuka

Legend by Marie Lu

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Burn this Book edited by Toni Morrison

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

The Indigo Notebook by Laura Resau

~ Links ~

Bout of Books Read-a-thon: http://raegoesaway.blogspot.com/2014/08/bout-of-books-11.html

Jean // BookishThoughts: https://www.youtube.com/user/bookishthoughts

Rosianna: http://youtube.com/rosianna

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• Thanks to Kristin over at My Life as a Teacup I've become a little obsessed with the idea of a capsule wardrobe. 
• Here's some good food for thought as I find myself less and less in the college world and more and more in the "real," "grown-up" world.
• I've loved the YouTube channel Geek & Sundry for a while now, especially Table Top, but the web series Spooked has definitely caught my attention. 

Other than that, the last week has been crazy and this week is looking even crazier!

What are you reading (for Bout of Books or otherwise)? How was the last week in your life?

Let's Do Youtube: Introducing PositivelyRae

Yep, back on the Youtube train. Got derailed but back better than ever. Subscribe if you'd like to see more videos! If not, keep an eye out here for bloggity things :)

Happy Monday all!

Are you on Youtube? What's your channel? And/or who are some of your favorite Youtubers?

Bout of Books 11.0

That's right! I'm getting back into reading with a read-a-thon! Get excited and keep up with me during the read-a-thon on Instagram (all of which will also be posted on twitter and tumblr).

If you're wondering what the heck I'm talking about, here:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 18th and runs through Sunday, August 24th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 11 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Are you going to do the read-a-thon? What's your plan of action?

Date Night: Shreveport Downtown

About a week ago Keith and I decided to a little date night reminiscent of our first date. We went downtown to a little restaurant/bar called The Blind Tiger, walked around Downtown Shreveport, and went on the Shreve Town Ghost Walk. 

The Blind Tiger was a surprisingly pleasant meal out, even as a vegetarian. I ended up simply getting a baked potato and some fried pickles. There was also the option to get "Quorn Po'boy." Quorn is a meat substitute which would have been fried for the Po'boy. Next time, I'll definitely try that, but I wasn't feeling very adventurous this time. I find that having that one vegetarian option on the menu made my meal out a much less stressful experience, despite not actually getting that option. The Blind Tiger definitely one of my more favorite date night restaurants now. Also, that drink is called a "Fuzzy Tiger" and it's not too bad, just very strong.

We ended our night with a nice little ghost walk. While I enjoyed the walk, I was a little disappointed. The stories told  were much more centered around the history of Shreveport than actual stories that are theorized to have caused hauntings. There was actually very little talk of hauntings in general. Those ghost stories that were told were very ill-explained. More or less, this was a history walk that told of some reports of activity with not much background/reasoning and told stories that could have caused hauntings without actual reports of activity. I did really enjoy the walk, it just was not what I expected.

It was such an amazing date. Somehow, ghost walk dates are kind of our thing.

What's your favorite date night idea?

Happy Haul: Disney Tanks

I have quite a bit of an obsession with Hot Topic, and the 20th was the last day to cash in the "Hot Cash" I'd "earned" by purchasing way more items than I needed to. I spent about $60 ($120ish without the Hot Cash) and got quite a few things, but the most interesting things, I think, are my new Disney tank tops! I'm literally obsessed with them now! They're so gorgeous, easy to style, and pretty soft fabric/screen prints too! Definitely a 5/5 if I were to review them, which I won't.

1// Aladdin is the softest  "off-the-rack" shirt I've ever owned 2// This frozen one is gorgeous. I also wanted this Frozen dress but I wanted the tanks more 3// I promise Rapunzel has a nose, the wave of the shirt just covered it in the picture 4// Stitch #nuffsaid 5// I wasn't sure about this one, but I really like it the more I look at it and style it. 

Yes, I've worn all of them in the past week #noshame. I'm too obsessed with tanks this year.

What's your favorite summer/hot weather clothing item?

VegHead in Shreveport

HAPPY WEDNESDAY! Look at me, posting on time/on the schedule again!

About 1 week and two days ago I decided to go officially and properly vegetarian. I've always known it would be better for my health and for the environment, but living with my venison loving mother has always made it a little difficult. That's not to mention that I had never done much grocery shopping for myself until Keith came to live with us. But now I've truly dedicated myself to making a tiny impact in myself and in the world with my diet. (This sudden motivation may or may not have come from Kalel Cullen's blog post, video, and suggestion of Paul McCartney's "If Slaughterhouses Had Glass Walls.)

Yes, that's a smoothie bowl. Yes, it was delicious. Yes it's the only picture I've taken of food for the last week. 

So far I've found the diet to be a bit difficult. There are very few places in Shreveport that I've found that have vegetarian friendly meals. I'm finding it very frustrating that everywhere I go I get french fries, mashed potatoes, fried onions, etc. I eat a lot of bean burritos and eggs (I am not vegan, vegetarian who eats only free-range eggs and is lactose intolerant). Mostly I find going out very frustrating now when I once loved it. Italian has so far been the exception as I only ever ate Alfredo before anyway. 

Aside from the frustrations of going out, I really enjoy my new "friendly" foods, as I've begun to call them, at home. I've found so many different ways to make/mix/cook the veggies I've always loved and some I'd never tried. So far, these AMAZING zucchini fries from Yummy Healthy Easy have been my favorite go to.

I haven't made the ranch dip, but with Hidden Valley they're pretty great. Last night I also made this Fruit Salsa from The Thread Affect and it was pretty good. Pasta has also become my best friend again. I can eat pasta with butter or Alfredo or marinara and be perfectly content. 

These fruit quesadillas (by A Cedar Spoon) were also a huge hit with myself and Keith, so they're definitely here to stay. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a homemade desert so much!

As I discover more delicious ideas and undoubtably learn some things about being Vegetarian in Shreveport I will let you all know!

Have you ever been/are you vegetarian? What did/do you find most challenging? If not, what is your favorite veggie?

Well, It's Monday

My Mantra this week is going to remain the same. I've really felt that one week is not long enough to dedicate to really, truly focusing on a mantra. For that reason, Mantra Monday will now be a monthly feature.

In more interesting news...

I've started really using a planner now. I really really enjoy using it and look at how pretty it is! That's really all I wanted to do, show off my planner decorating skills.

Want more of a real post? Check out this Flashback: Inspiration: Anna Hrachovec

How has your Monday been?

Mantra Monday: It is Enough.

Mantra(n.) : a sound, word, or phrase that is repeated by someone who is praying or meditation : a word or phrase that is repeated often or that expresses someone's basic beliefs

 Recently I've been thinking about all the things I need to get done and want to do and should do. For this week, I feel I should remind myself that whatever it is I am able to do is enough. If I only write 20,000 words this month, that is enough. If I only go to the gym for 30 minutes before I'm too tired to continue, that is enough. As long as I've truly, honestly tried, it is enough. I am enough.

What is your Mantra this week?

Friday Apology

Hey guys. This week has been pretty insane, so I don't have an original post so... here's things from recently!

This video is by Emily Diana Ruth (Emilyofnewgloom) on Youtube. It was her film school thesis and it is absolutely beautiful

Guys, guys, guys. These Dark Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts are the best little office sweet treat in the world! I found them at World Market for $4. This may be my 3rd back in two weeks. SO DELICIOUS! 

Lastly, I've taken up origami, sort of. Very simply little things, but I really wanted something interesting to do with my hands when I'm out and about. So far I'm only working on Cranes and Rabbits, but I'm proud of them.

How has your week been? What are some things that you'd like to share about your week?

Snapshot: Independence

Snapshot posts are short little posts covering a very small topic that mostly consist of ramblings. ENJOY!

Photo Credit: Raelynn Brouwn, 2010

I've been thinking a lot about independence recently. With Keith moving into my house with me, my mom, and step-dad, we've been spending a lot of time together. As we both, basically, live in a single 8'x11'ish room we don't really have much of a chance to be independent. Don't get me wrong, I love to spend time with Keith, however, I've always hated couples that "must" eat at the same time or go to bed at the exact same time. Based on our situation, though, we don't have much of a choice. If one of us stays up later, we chance waking up whoever is sleeping. I love love love living with my love, I just wish we had more time and space to be independent. With the weather as hot as it is in the Louisiana summer, we can't even really go outside and enjoy our time there.

I haven't been reading or writing or filming videos (most because I need more space to film) or even keeping up very well with this blog. I find it all very frustrating. 

This is a very long-winded way of saying... I'm ready to have our own place!

(Also, the photo is a beautiful little stream/river in Germany that was close to my home-stay family's house! I mostly just picked that one to show off how pretty it was!)

How do you maintain your sense of independence while living in close proximity to others?

Rae Does Baton Rouge

Fun Fact: My best friend turned 21!!

And because of that fun fact, we went to Baton Rouge for the weekend for shopping craziness! It was really a lot of fun, and I'm sure there's more to do in Baton Rouge, but I'd certainly return just for that mall! It's huge and crazy and wonderful!

But before the mall, the night we rolled into town, we went down to Perkins Rowe to look around and have a lovely dinner. For dinner we went to Texas de Brazil, which is a Brazilian style steakhouse which is very interesting. By far, my favorite part of the experience at Texas de Brazil was the salad bar! There were so many options and such interesting items. When you're ready, you flip your little coin and the very nice staff will parade different cuts and preparations of meat around for your sampling. It's a very interesting experience, even though I wasn't super impressed with the meats. (Note: I don't eat much meat anyway.) Overall, I'd give Texas de Brazil a 3/5 star rating just based on the salad bar and the interesting experience.

The next morning, we headed for the mall and the shopping! I am so impressed by the size of the Mall of Louisiana! There are about a million different stores and many of them are 2 stories! Personally, I really loved getting to visit my second Lush Store ever! I so love Lush. The Hot Topic, Forever 21, and Victoria's Secret were also really nice. There was just such an array of shops to wander in and out of that I couldn't keep up with everything.

All in all, great experience! I always love getting out of town and exploring the fun things to do close to home but more than that I love getting to spend a whole weekend just me and my girl! HAPPY 21st MISS JORDY! SO MUCH LOVE! <3

What are some of your favorite weekend trips close to where you live?

A New Direction: Rae Goes Away

My name is Raelynn and it has been over 1 year since I've last blogged.

A YEAR! Can you believe it?! Last I was here, I was a Sophomore English major on track to study abroad in Ireland, go into the Peace Corps, and head off to grad school for Linguistics. My how a year changes things. Here are some major points:

• I'm now a Sociology Major, with a focus on Social Work and a minor in Nonprofit Administration.
• While I still hope to go abroad, I'm looking more into internships in global aid.
• Peace Corps is not out of the question, but it seems a little impractical by the time I'll finally finish my undergrad. I have 6 semesters left...
• I hope to go to Grad School for Counseling. I still love linguistics and study it independently, my heart really lies in helping others however I can. I'd love to work the "messy" cases most people don't want to know exist. I want to help the rape victims, the violence victims, those with mental illnesses, and, should I have the opportunity, genocide survivors, political refugees, and the like.
• I'm still writing. I'm beginning my second book next month and another in November. I've not yet approached any agents though, I want to flesh out the entire world to present, not just one novel.
• I have a new boyfriend. See here: Hiatus: Wii Unboxing! "(aka This is Keith)
• AND CHECK IT! NEW BLOG NAME!! LIFEDUCKS = RAE GOES AWAY! (I call that fair warning I will most likely disappear again.)

I guess those are the things that were before and now are changing, but a lot of entirely new things are happening too! Here, have another bulleted list:

• I'M MOVING OUT! As soon as Keith can find a job and we save the money we'll be getting our own place! I'm crazy excited about that, so be prepared for weird posts about moving and decor.
• I'm interning with a local nonprofit called PEP! (The Pet Education Project!).
• Keith and I are opening a nonprofit... in the future. That sounds a little weird and sketchy but it's happening and I will undoubtably say something about it eventually.

So, if you were wondering, life's good. I'm really wanting to get back into blogging and vlogging and everything I really enjoyed doing online. With school and work and interning and life it'll be hard, but I really do love it so hopefully some of you lovely readers will stick around?

That being said, since my life has changed so much my blogging will, inevitably, as well. If you didn't notice, last year, in general, my blogging was less about books I'd read and more just about books in general. I simply don't have the time to read like I used to. And what I do read I don't think anyone will be interested in. So, I think the biggest change to my blogging content will be the lessening of book talk. I still love to read and to buy books for those far off times when I will have time to read, but books take up far less of my life than they once did. Instead, I'll be posting more about my life and things I think about and do. Expect travel pieces, expect rants, expect introspection, expect DIYs and [failed] DIYs, expect recipes, expect anything. 

Basically, what I'm trying to say is I'm really going to try to dedicate myself to blogging again and that this isn't "Lifeducks" as you knew it (or didn't know it). Rae Goes Away is a just another lifestyle blog about random things in the life of a random girl somewhere in the world doing random things like someone cares. I hope you'll stick around.

How to: Survive a Cold

Friday afternoon, I started to develop a cold. Did that send me running home, like it should have? Of course not! I proceeded to go to see a film. Not the best of ideas. I spent all Saturday in bed sleeping and watching films. I survived the worst of my cold and here's how I did it!

1. Conclude you are sick and draw massive amounts of sympathy from any parental or caregiving person in the immediate area. Nothing sucks worse than checking your own temperature and having absolutely no one to feel as sorry for you as you do yourself.
2. Watch far too many of your guilty pleasures. I managed to catch up on Pretty Little Liars and Lost Girl. Any animated favorites are highly suggested. A few of my favorites are: Lilo & Stitch, Tarzan, The Last Unicorn, and How to Train Your Dragon.
3. Naps. Sleep. Really anything that involves dozing in and out all day is perfect. When you're sick nothing feels better than sleeping and resting all day.
4. While watching your guilty pleasures and between naps, colour! Yes, with crayons and a colouring book. Concentrating on something other than how pitiful you feel will help. Scouts honour. Bonus points if you keep a stuffed friend near by (they can't catch your germs!)
5. Drink lots of water. For real, this one's really important. They say "liquids" but really water is best. I hate drinking water, but when I'm sick I drink several bottles a day. Hydration, it's good.

Those are just my suggestions.

How do you spend your days home with a cold? What really makes you feel better?