My Top 3 Favorite Ice Cream Flavors for Summer

July is not only my birthday month (the best month) but it is also National Ice Cream month and ice cream just so happens to be my favorite dessert. There are so many flavors to choose from and so many flavors being created. I thought I would give you a few of my favorite flavors.

Mint Chocolate Chip:

This has been my favorite ice cream flavor since I was a little girl. The combination of mint and chocolate is something magical. If you are looking for a nice refreshing ice cream flavor with a hint of sweetness, I suggest giving mint chocolate chip a try.

Vanilla:

A classic that also comes in many of its own flavors, i.e french vanilla, vanilla bean or my personal favorite natural vanilla. Vanilla ice cream is a flavor that everyone will love. Serve it up at parties, girls nights in, anywhere. I like to "dress-up" my vanilla ice cream by adding some M&M dark chocolate pieces or berries. For those of you who also like vanilla, comment below your favorite toppings to add.

Ben & Jerry's Americone Dream:

Thanks to Parks & Recreation I am all about the mantra "Treat Yo'self" and that is exactly what I do when I purchase Americone Dream by Ben & Jerry's. This ice cream cost about the same as a quart of ice cream and only comes in a pint which in my opinion makes it even more special. A combination of vanilla ice cream with waffle pieces covered in fudge and caramel sauce really satisfy my sweet tooth. With the perfect amount of toppings mixed in, no other toppings are needed. Comment below your favorite Ben & Jerry's flavor.

Summer is meant for a nice cold treat and that is one reason I love it soooooo much!

Life Update: College Graduate

Hi friends!

It has been exactly one month since I have graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor's degree in Architecture and a minor in Marketing.

The School of Architecture at UM is a 5-year accredited program. You can check out a bit of my studio work here.

One thing I love about going the University of Miami is that the weather is amazing for a majority of the year [DUH] but I also love that the university has something for every student. A student can join a club, sport, sorority, fraternity, study abroad, and the list goes on and on.

Living my best life in Colombia

To keep myself busy and having as much fun as possible, I tried to get involved in as many activities as I could without being overwhelmed. The first organization I joined was the Frost Band of the Hour [FBOTH for short]. FBOTH is the university marching band that performs at all home games and bowl games. By being in this phenomenal organization I met some unexpected people who I would soon call sisters in Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Sorority.

Due to going the such a prestigious university, I have had many opportunities to travel. I have crossed several states and countries off my bucket list. Below are the places I have been able to experience during my time at university:

• Orlando, FL
• Seaside, FL
• Boca Raton, FL
• Naples, FL
• New York City
• El Paso, TX
• Ann Arbor, MI
• Memphis, TN
• Haiti
• Italy
• Spain
• Colombia
• Canada

I want to say a special thanks to everyone who helped me get to where I am today it has been a long but fun journey!

Comment below about your experiences in college, your study abroad experience or anything that you feel will help someone continue their road to success.


Thanks for reading!

2018 Favorites: March

March just like February, has flown by! In just a couple of months I will be graudating and I can't wrap my brain around it. More post about graduation will be coming soon. Anyway, her are a few things I've been loving this month.

My first favorite is the book Sad Girls by Lang Leav. It is kind of hard to explain the book with out giving anything away so I will just say this; it is a book of young love, dark secrets, and tragedy. If you have already read this book comment below what you thought of it without giving anything away.

I never thought I would have another favorite city besides Rome, but alas, I really enjoyed my Spring Break trip to Toronto. Toronto is a city with friendly and rather strange people which I think is why I enjoyed it so much. People weren't afraid to be themselves and I love that.

My last favorite is the movie March of the Penguins 2: The Next Step which can be found on Hulu. The first March of the Penguins was mind blowingly amazing (I may be biased) and the second one not so much, but it had it's own character and showed just how strong of a bird the Emperor penguin actually is. The movie is narrated by Mogan Freeman and shows the typical struggle father and son Emperor penguins face when trying to survive in Antarctica.

Thanks for reading! Comment below what you have been loving this month.

P.S. I am currently selling Sad Girls on Depop and Poshmark. Check out my shops if you would like to purchase this great book.

Canada 2018: Toronto

Oh, Canada! *queue the Canadian National Anthem*

Toronto was an interesting place. It felt like the United States but friendlier. A couple of friends and I explored to streets of Toronto, ate amazing food (super unhealthy but worth it) and visited the sites for four days. See the pictures, taken by my friends and myself below to get a glimpse into our version of a Spring Break in Canada.

Day 1:

We started the first day pretty late, around dinner time to be exact. We went to an awesome restaurant by Ryerson University called Salad King. I ordered the Cashew Chicken with white rice and extra, extra spice.

Day 2:

This was a jammed packed day. We went to this amazing breakfast spot, Eggspectation. Then we went to the Royal Ontario Museum. My favorite exhibit in the museum was Here We Are Here which pays tribute to African-Canadian history. After the museum, we headed to the Cathedral Church of St. James, the Toronto sign and the Distillery District. We ended the night with the infamous poutine from Lou Dawgs.

Day 3:

Our last and final full day in Toronto was full of sore legs and limited wi-fi. We started our day at the Toronto Music Garden and then ventured to Fort York to learn about Toronto's history. We ate at this amazing restaurant called WVRST for lunch. Our day ended at the CN Tower, Ripley's Aquarium and of course another picture in front of the Canada sign.

Day 4:

This day was filled with being stuck and the airport but admiring the snow from inside.

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my adventure in Toronto. 

You can see more of my adventures by following me on Instagram: @kristinedillon or Snapchat: @kristinedillon7

2018 Favorites: February

It's already the end of the month, can you believe it? February is one of my favorite months because of Valentine's day and all the love it brings, but also it is Black History month! So, I want to start this post with one of my absolute favorites, in honor of Black History Month, and that is...*drum roll*

BLACK PANTHER!

I am not one to enjoy superhero/action movies but this movie was incredible. Just like books I have a hard time re-watching movies that I have already seen. But, I could see this movie a million times over. I am tempted to buy it on DVD when it comes out and I don't even have a DVD Player. Now I am being a little over the top but you catch my drift; the movie is great and you should go check it out.

My next favorite is this very affordable nail polish that I found at CVS the other day. It is by the brand pop-arazzi and for a drugstore brand nail polish, it actually is very nice, on my nails at least. The color lasts for about 5-7 days without a top or base coat.

Find at CVS!

I got mine in the color Info Red which is a vibrant red color. The nail polish as of right now retails for about $2.99.

Books. That is all I can say. Once I started to force myself to make time in my schedule to leisurely read, I have fallen back in love with reading. My favorite book for this month is Turtles All the Way Down by John Green. The book is a nice easy read but my favorite book by John Green is still Looking For Alaska. So far that book has had the most impact on me over all his other books. Give Turtles All the Way Down a read though.

Buy it on Amazon.

My last bit of favorites are all music. The first song is by the talented, Drake. I bet you can guess which song it is...if you guessed God's Plan then you were right. Drake filmed a portion of the music video at the university I attend and I may or may not make an appearance in it. You will have to check it out to see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpVfcZ0ZcFM

The next song I've had on repeat is by artist LianeV, the song is titled Curious and it just puts you in your feels, both good and bad, well at least for me. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLzYZVHfSK4

So, you know how Spotify has Discover Weekly? They have really been giving me all the hits with new artists and songs. Thanks to them I found the amazing Sylo Nozra. He is a Toronto based R&B singer and I am in love with his song Right Here on his current album Fervor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAdfvdyjvRw

Last but not least, is the song SUTRA by Colombian singer-songwriter Sebastián Yatra and Dalmata. Now that I am trying to become fluent in Spanish I listen to more music from Spanish speaking countries. You may not understand the words but the beat and flow will get your body moving.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPLmhYlLkfk

That is all for this month's favorites. I hope you enjoyed! Comment below what some of your favorites were from this past month.

You can find me on Instagram: @kristinedillon and Snapchat: @kristinedillon7

Also, check out my Depop and Poshmark shop. I sale some of my favorites and other items there.

2018 Favorites: January

It's the end of January, can you believe it!?!? This year feels like it's going by so slow but it's already the end of the first month of the year so I guess we are moving through it at a steady pace. Anyway, I have been really loving a few "things" this month. Keep reading to see what they are.

My first favorite of the month and really my yearly favorite is this planner from ban.do. This planner not only keeps me organized but is so pretty and fun that I plan more than I probably should. The planner has stickers so you can spice it up and little activities to do each week. You can find other planners like this one here → https://www.bando.com/collections/planners

Cover

Each month has a fun page to start

Sticker Sheet

My second favorite is the love & beauty glitter gold nail polish. I really enjoy the subtlety of the gold but the shine of the glitter. This nail polish is also good on top of other nail colors for some 'pizzazz'.

The books I have been loving this month are an amazing read and ones that I highly recommend.

Get these books!

the sun and the flowers by rupi kaur is a journey of a book that anyone can relate to. There are five different sections: wilting, falling, rooting, rising and blooming. As you can tell by the titles of each section, the book starts out sad but becomes super empowering. I highly recommend this book as well as her other book milk & honey.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson is an amazing read! Like so amazing you should get a copy right now! This isn't your typical self-help book, it's raw, real and makes you rethink all those other self-help books you have been reading. Seriously, get this book.

On to a few songs I have been loving. Each song evokes a different emotion from feeling yourself to a little sultry to thinking about the person you love. I added the youtube links to these songs so you can give them a listen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsoLEjrDogU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNWfz5mn5G4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw9GXsWwv0E

My next favorite is the show grown-ish. If you have seen black-ish then you can only imagine how good grown-ish is. This show follows Zoey as she starts her first semester at university and all the things one is faced with during their first semester. Just give it a watch. You can catch the show Wednesdays at 8pm EST on Freeform or Thursday anytime on Hulu. If you are a Spotify premium member and in college, you can add Hulu to your account for free so there is no excuse for you not to watch grown-ish.

My last and final favorite of January is the app Duolingo. Duolingo is a free language learning app where you can learn many different languages. I am currently learning Spanish and it is so fun!  You can do a lesson a day or many lessons a day. You can join a language club and meet other people around the world who are also learning the same language as you. The best part of the app is that it's free! After Spanish, I plan on learning many many more languages. You can find the app in the AppStore or in the GooglePlay Store.

I hope you enjoyed my favorites of this month! Come back at the end of each month to see what I have been enjoying!

 I am selling a few of the items from my favorites on Depop and Poshmark check it out if you want. 😊
Depop link: https://www.depop.com/kristinedillon
Poshmark link: https://poshmark.com/closet/kristinedillon

3 Ways to Make Quick Money

It is a new year and after the winter holidays, I am broke! Being a student at a university has its perks as well as its downsides. One of those perks is having a month-long winter break but, the downside is not many jobs are willing to hire for a month. So this is what I did to not stay broke during and after the holidays without a full-time job.

The first thing I did is to sell my unwanted items. We all have clothes or jewelry or electronics that we no longer love. As the old saying goes, "One mans junk is another man's treasure.". Thanks to the digital age we now live in this can be done super easily. I have been using apps such as Depop and Poshmark to sell my items and it is super simple. The following links explain how easy and some tips to have success when selling.
Depop: http://ciaraodoherty.com/my-top-tips-for-selling-on-depop/
Poshmark: https://poshmark.com/posh_guide

The second thing I did was tutor but, you can also petsit or babysit. Surprisingly, a lot of parents want their children to get ahead in school and are willing to pay for a tutor during winter break. Petsitting is another great way to earn a little extra cash. Many families like to go on vacation during the winter months, especially those living in the North. Most are not willing to take their pets nor are they willing to pay expensive prices for Pet Hotels, this becomes a perfect opportunity to use your love for animals at an advantage. Another great way to make money is by babysitting. Check out Care.com to see what families are looking for babysitters. If you love children this won't even feel like work.

The third and final way I made a quick buck is to do odd jobs here and there. Shovel some snow, clean out your parent's garage or basement. Do odd jobs that people hate doing. You might also hate it but you will love the money in return.

I hope these three tips on making a quick buck were useful. Comment other ways you can think of when it comes to making money. You can follow my Depop and Poshmark shop: @kristinedillon

Happy money making!

Hello 2018!!!

It's finally 2018!!! Happy New Year!

It is time for a fresh start and to make new goals for ourselves this year. Obviously, you can make goals anytime you want but there is something about January 1st that makes it easier to start. I have my list of goals below. Some of these goals I know I will achieve and some I can achieve with a little bit of planning.

1. My first goal and probably the one I am most excited for is to graduate from university with my Bachelor's degree in Architecture! It has been a long and fun five years but I think I am ready for the next chapter of my life. With graduating comes finding a job. So, my next goal is to find a job (in Architecture) that I will love and enjoy.

2.In 2017 I traveled quite a bit and want to continue traveling. One thing I wish I would have done was to learn another language. I spent an entire semester in Italy and barely learned the basics. I will be spending 2018 learning how to speak Spanish fluently. Wish me luck!

3. I have some major goals I have planned for 2019. I know already thinking about next year, but I have to because 2018 is the year of saving. I will be toning down what I spend my money on because big things are to come and money is a big factor of those big things. Stay tuned for what that 'big thing' is.

4. My last goal for 2018 is to read. I know it seems simple, but I have a hard time finding books I like and just reading. If you have any good books you recommend, leave them in the comments below.

Heres to 2018 🍻 may it be the year of growth and prosperity!