College is really expensive.

**Disclaimer: I have been compensated for this post, but all opinions are my own.**

I've written before about my plans to go back to college and finish a Psychology degree. I love love love psychology - I think the nuances of the human mind are ridiculously fascinating, and I can't wait to get started really digging into it in more depth than I did in my last degree. 

One of the hardest parts about going back to school though, at least for me, is that it is so stinking expensive! Tuition, course fees, school supplies....not to mention the textbooks. Oh, the textbooks. I remember when I first left home for my freshman year....I had worked and saved all summer, and I thought I was hot stuff with my like, $1400 I brought to school with me. Yeah, the bottom dropped out of that ride real quick when I realized that just my textbooks alone for the first semester were going to cost almost $800.00. YIKES. 

This time around, I'm doing things a little bit smarter, and have decided I will be renting my textbooks from www.CampusBookRentals.com. The minute I discovered this site, I was like, "um, holy money-saving power, Batman!" Textbooks are really cheap on this site (seriously, one of the ones I looked at was $134 retail, but I could rent it for just $19...$19, people!!), AND they offer free shipping both ways! Seriously, you just can't beat that. 

And then there's the studying. You might think that since you're essentially borrowing the book, you wouldn't be able to highlight important passages. Uh, WRONG. You totally can! CampusBookRentals.com understands that sometimes in life, you blow off studying for that really important text until five minutes before the prof is handing out the blue books, and you need to be able to flip through the book and glean the really important stuff ASAP. Ergo, they let you highlight in your rented books. Heck of a deal, huh? 

And let's say that your school operates on a quarter schedule, instead of a semester. You wouldn't want to pay the cost of renting a book for the entire semester if you're only going to need/use it for 11 weeks. So CampusBookRentals.com also offers flexible rental periods! A LOT of campuses are moving to trimesters now, as well, and my last college worked on the quarter schedule, so this option will really come in handy. 

And here's something even cooler: Let's say that you purchased a bunch of books for class last year, but now you just don't need them, and you're not sure what to do. No worries! CampusBookRentals.com allows you to rent out your textbooks to other students, so that you get paid each time they are rented. This definitely would have come in handy after my first years of college, when I had literally about 26 textbooks, and no reason to keep them and nowhere to put them. Selling them back to the bookstore is just silly because you only get like 10% back of what you paid. I seriously wish I had had this option back then, because it just makes so much sense!

And as if all of those awesome things weren't enough, CampusBookRentals.com also donates to Operation Smile with each textbook rental. This is actually a cause very near and dear to my heart for a number of reasons, so I am really excited to be able to help such an awesome charity while saving money AND still having the textbooks I need for school. I would definitely encourage you to check out CampusBookRentals.com if for no other reason than you know that by doing nothing more than finding textbooks for your education, you are helping to save a child's life, or at the very least, increase the quality of their life. 

I am so excited that I found this website. If you're currently in college, thinking about going to college, or even just interested in checking out some awesome textbooks for a review of what you've already learned, or to do some self-teaching, you definitely need to check out this website. You won't be sorry, I promise!

Never, Ever, Ever will I be late to a link up. Just kidding!!!

**Quick note: I know I'm a whole day late to getting this done, but yesterday I was sick, so I didn't do anything blog related. Sorry!**

It's time for another week of "Never Ever Ever"!! I love this link up because a.) it's fun to come up with my own new list every week, and b.) it is SO fun to read everyone else's! 

So, again, my apologies for being late...and here we go! :)

Never, Ever, Ever........

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Will I think that duck faces are sexy instead of funny

Will I think that having a big huge wedding is really all that important

Have I enjoyed the taste of black coffee

Did I think I would actually enjoy painting freehand off the top of my head

Did I think I was going to spend my birthday at Noah's Ark

Will I think that Oreos are a bad idea

Will I not love wearing sandals (as long as my toes are pedicured)

Do I think I'll master the art of actually doing my own hair in a cool style

Will I be able to blow dry my hair and round brush it at the same time

Will I not have a part of me that wishes I could have gone to actual public or even private school at least for high school

Will I not love being able to sleep in

Schooled on Saturday {Link up}

Sometimes you have to date a few crazies before you meet the right person for you.

Ever wondered how or where to get your awesome Instagram pictures developed so they aren’t all weird and misshapen? Look no further – you can have them printed and mailed 

straight to you with Printic!

Her Royal Highness Princess Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (at least I think that’s her official title) finally had her royal baby, His Royal Highness the Prince of Cambridge, St. James Palace. And because he’s a royal, and about nine million times cooler than the rest of us, apparently, he has already written the world a letter.

You should marry a man who eats ice cream. Because it’s delicious. And fun.  

Apparently, dogs are like toddlers. Good to know in case you’re considering actually getting a dog. Which I am.

And last but not least, in case you’re interested in participating in any Fantasy Football leagues this year, you absolutely need to check out Sarah’s list of potential team names for girls. And even if you’re not considering it, still read it, because it’s totally clever and also completely hilarious.

What did you learn this week? Link up and share!

It's Fill-in-the-Blank Friday!

It's Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday. 

Thank goodness that Rebecca Black does not occupy any space on my iPod. That would be more embarrassing than Los Del Rio. 

Also, since it's Friday, it's time for another rousing rendition of "Confessional Friday" with Leslie. Let's get to it, shall we? 

1. My worst fashion offense of all time has to be: uh, I probably commit some sort of crime against fashion every single day. So I wouldn’t even know how to pick one!

2. The most embarrassing song on my iPod is probably: The Macarena. It’s completely ridiculous, but it’s my happy song.

3. The last white lie I told was: I honestly don’t remember. Probably something along the lines of “I’ll call you” or something.

4. The celebrity I most wish would disappear is: basically all of the Kardashians. And Kanye West.

5. Sometimes I wish: that I actually played the lottery, because then I’d at leave have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning, which is more than you have if you don’t play.

6. My childhood crush was: Seth R., Justin S., Curtis R. – and Jonathan Taylor Thomas.

7. I've never turned down: free money, a Kick Start, or a massage.

8. Applying for jobs and going to interviews makes me a nervous wreck.

9. I'd rather watch paint dry than: train for and/or actually run a half- or full-length marathon.

10. Much like a train wreck, I can't turn away from watching: Dance Moms. I haven’t seen it since I moved, and (I’m somewhat ashamed to admit), I actually miss it!

Am I the only one.....???

This picture has nothing to do with anything. I just put it up because it's true.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don't know if any of you have noticed, but it appears that a lot of bloggers in the world all like and do a lot of the same things. I don't like or do any of these things. Which kind of leaves me feeling like I'm that sort of weird girl on the playground at recess that people are pseudo-nice to because they think they're supposed to be, but they really have nothing in common with her, so everybody kind of keeps her at arms length. 

Like...being Mormon. Am I the only blogger who isn't a Mormon? 

Am I the only one who isn't married or engaged?

Am I the only one who forgets/straight up just doesn't take pictures of every drink I have or plate of food I get at a restaurant? 

I'm fairly certain I'm the only person on the blogger planet who still buys my planners at Barnes and Noble. (I'd like to buy an Erin Condren one at some point, but they're expensive, so I'm waiting until I'm gainfully employed again before I go down that path.)

I might be one of the only bloggers who didn't go nuts over the NKOTB/98 Degrees/Boyz II Men tour, has never worn a pair of jelly sandals in her life (although to be fair, I always wanted some when I was a kid, I was just never allowed to have them), and doesn't have the phone number of at least one other blogger so we can have awesome text convos outside of blog or Twitter land. 

Also pretty sure that I'm the only girl in all of blog world who isn't obsessed with Kate Spade or Lily Pulitzer, and has never once owned a single article of clothing from J. Crew, Banana Republic, or the Gap. 

It appears I may also be the only one (or one of the only ones) who doesn't do my hair all the time, or my makeup, and doesn't generally look all put together and cute, like all of the time. Actually, most of the time I look like a hot mess. Am I the only one who can't seem to get it together??

I have like, the world's hardest time writing my posts ahead of time. But it seems like so many people are like, super on the ball with that stuff, and have all their stuff written and scheduled ahead of time. HOW DO YOU PEOPLE DO IT??!! (Although, I'd like to point out that I'm writing this post on Wednesday and it's not getting published until Thursday. I figured writing ahead would be a good idea, since it's my birthday on Thursday, and I'm going to be spending it at Noah's Ark water park, cuz I have an awesome Boyfriend who loves me and wants me to be happy.)

I have no idea how to do any kind of coding or customization to my blog design whatsoever, as you can probably deduce the instant you happen upon this little space. But it seems like everybody else has this awesome handle on it, and has like this awesome header, and all their social media buttons that work, and all that. And I'm just over here like, "uh, wtf." 

Along those same lines, I seem to be the only one who doesn't have a "brand" for my blog yet. I'd like to, but I'm not sure how to go about it, plus I don't have a specific topic direction that I follow. I just kind of write stuff when I feel like it, which means I tend to be kind of all over the place. 

If I am not the only person for whom all of the above things ring true, feel free to let me know.. Solidarity, and all that. Either way, I'll just keep on keeping on, marching to the beat of my own drum, and playing alone in my corner of the playground. I'm pretty good at it by now anyway. :) 

Cheers!