Currently…

Loving… having fresh flowers on my table! I bought myself a pretty bouquet while grocery shopping and now I get to use the beautiful, etched-glass vase we had for our wedding as a floating candle votive for our unity candle. I bought it from Etsy and I love seeing it every day. I love having this keepsake.

Watching… Arrested Development. We finally caught up to the season that Netflix did! After this, I have no idea what else to watch. Suggestions?

Eating… Okios Greek Yogurt in their Cafe Latte flavor, loaded up with a ton of ground cinnamon. It tastes like tiramisu. And it’s healthy! Obsessed.

Learning… that not every opportunity I am able to take is one I should take. And, along those same lines, to really listen to my gut/inner compass.

Playing… Battlefield Hardline BETA. Well, technically, I haven’t played yet, but I got into the beta and now I’m waiting for L to finish playing around with something on his computer that “will only take 10 minutes” (he said, an hour ago).

Anticipating… more phone calls from more interviews. If you read this post, you know that I gave myself permission to go for jobs I’ll have fun at and enjoy right now instead of going after whatever un-fun jobs I am able to get that may make more money. And? I’m pretty excited. =]

Trying… to get on one of those regular cleaning schedules? You know, one of those Tuesday-is-laundry-day and Thursday-is-floors-day kind of things? I’m not sure I’m ready for that level of adulthood yet. Also sometimes you need to do laundry or counters before the dedicated day it’s supposed to be done on and then everything gets messed up. Whomp whomp.

Wanting… Too Faced’s a la Mode Eye Palette. Uhhhh I am dying over those colors. I recently got their Natural Eyes palette in a POPsugar Must Have box, and it’s my new go-to. Hopefully, my next job will be someplace where I can get a sweet discount on some lovely things like this! ;]

Loving… my inspiration board. Scrolling through all the colors, flowers, and summery things always cheers me up!

 

Ways to Feel Better Instantly

The past 9 months has been a whole lot more on my plate at once than I’ve had to deal with, probably, than ever before. Two deaths, my dad losing his job (and starting to work for himself!), getting engaged, planning a wedding, finishing university, and trying to cope with the fact that my life will look completely different in two months. I am 100% uncertain regarding just about every important aspect of life in the next year; I don’t know where I’ll be living, where I’ll be working, what I’ll be doing, how often I’ll see my mom, what I will be able to afford, etc. In addition to all this, my personality definitely makes it easy for me to get caught up in stress about the future. This is why I decided to flesh out a list of ways I know that I can start to feel better instantly. If there’s ever been a time I need a list like this, it’s right now!

1. Close out of all of you tabs on the computer, and actually shut it down/restart it.
   I know I’m not the only one who tends to keep tabs open on their laptop because I plan to read or make some sort of use of it in the future. Having a cluttered computer without actually shutting down or restarting it for a few days just begins to feel like being in a cluttered room. Clearing off my computer makes me feel like I can breathe a little bit better, and go about the things I actually need to do on my computer with more organization.
2. Clear out your inbox.
   No, seriously. How many emails are in your inbox? How many have you already handled? How many are spam? I just looove going through all my emails and mass-deleting useless ones, or unsubscribing from newsletters or subscription emails. On top of all of that, I couldn’t survive if I didn’t label and archive my emails. If my school sends me an email about graduation, I read it, label it, and archive it. Same with important emails from anything else (especially online shopping receipts and such). Archiving in folders means I know exactly where to look for it later, if I ever need to reference it. It’s like deleting everything without having to worry about losing it.
3. Clean your room.
   Just do it. Start by putting everything all in once place – a chair, bed, the middle of the floor, etc. Play music. I end up reaching a state of flow at some point and just go until I know I’ve either finished or made some significant progress.
4. Just do one thing. Then do another.
   Mail that letter. Answer that email. Make that call. Set up that appointment. Doing one thing will help you feel like doing the next thing, and soon enough you feel like you’ve been at least marginally productive.
5. Chocolate! 
   This is self-explanatory. Treat yourself. Be nice to yourself.
6. Write it out.
   Here I am, doing just that. Whether it’s a blog post, a journal entry, a letter to a friend, or a list of some kind, getting it put down on paper helps you separate yourself from and organize the things buzzing around your brain.
7. Hug someone
   This one is science, peole. Oxytocin is released in your blood stream when you hug or shake/hold hands with someone for more than 6 seconds.
8. Look at baby things.
   Watch youtube videos or browse pictures of baby animals and baby people. This is science, too. Don’t pretend you don’t love doing this.
9. Stretch.
   Whether you do yoga or just need to stretch out a bit, it feels amazing. Put down your phone, take your eyes off of your computer, step away from the to-do list, and just stretch. There’s no way to doubt that this will make you feel better right away.
10. Work out.
    It’s okay if it’s just going on a walk! You don’t need to go spend an hour at the gym to gain benefits (both physically and emotionally) from exercising your body. Getting up and going on a short walk outside is worlds better for your sore back than pain killers or further resting. (Also science.)
11. Look at pretty things
    The specific way I tap into this is browsing and curating my Inspiration Board on Pinterest.
12. Remember that there are more important things.
    Sometimes you just have to remind yourself that there are more important things than killing yourself over not getting 100% on a school project, or being 15 minutes early to everything. Cut yourself a little slack once in a while, and remember that there are people who love you no matter what. That you’re not going hungry. That you are smart, capable, and special.

If you’ve been feeling like you really need a pick-me-up (who hasn’t at some point during this ridiculous winter?), hopefully some of these ideas help, or at least get you thinking about what makes you feel better.

What kinds of things always seem to brighten your day?

Wednesday Things

1. I tried on this big, knit, sweater dress and it feels like wearing a stylish snuggie. Naturally, I bought it. Calvin Klein for $30? Win. Also, I’ve been meaning to get more winter dresses anyway.

2. Simultaneously, I feel like there’s nothing left to do for the wedding and everything left to do. It’s weird and frustrating.

3. I have to clean my bedroom today. I have no idea how it’s come to this level of messiness, but I just don’t have the energy to move enough to start cleaning it. I told myself I couldn’t sit and blog until my desk was clear to sit down at and do so, but – clearly – that hasn’t worked.

4. I’m crazy and picked up running outside (with a friend!) in this crazy week of Polar Vortex 2.0. Monday, it was pretty cold, but it wasn’t snowing and all the campus walkways were clear. Today, however, it was a crazy winter weather advisory, and we still ran our 3 miles. The most important part about this whole thing was that I did many things that I definitely did not think I could: 1 – I ran outside, in the cold! 2 – I ran at like, 7 AM, 3 – I ran for three miles even though I haven’t gone formally running in at least 6 months. And running was never a consistent habit for me, 4- Was comfortable running with another person!  I’m super proud of myself and if I can run in a freaking blizzard there’s not much weather that’s gonna be worse than that! Every other day will probably seem easier to run in.

5. I have a new job opportunity that allows me to do one of my absolute favorite things and actually get paid for it. I’ll give out more details later, but I am so, SO excited. Especially because I had gotten to the point where I was just convinced that I was going to be a waitress forever and never know what it’s like to get paid to do something I like. I’m so stoked.

I don’t have too much to say this week. Sorry guys. Maybe I can actually get around to cleaning now.

Wednesday Things

 

1. Obviously, I couldn’t start this week’s Wednesday Things with anything other than the announcement that I’m ENGAGED!! A whole post dedicated to the details will be posted sometime this weekend. 
2. The semester is just about officially over. I’m so excited — especially now that I have a definite real thing to dedicate my time to!
3. I really just have to clean my room. It’s… such a mess. How does this happen? Dude, I just cleaned it last week. I like to think that I’m not the only person who has this problem, but I might be. All of the boxes and shipments from my online shopping for Black Friday and Christmas do not help.
4. Speaking of which! I know I missed posting Wednesday Things last week, but last Wednesday was my Thanksgiving, so I was busy with the cooking and the being a family thing. Wednesday was my Thanksgiving because Thanksgiving I had to work!
5. This weekend is my best friend’s senior piano recital in Pennsylvania. I’m totally stoked. I’m leaving tomorrow to see her (and celebrate each other!) and she is the best ever and I know it will be amazing.
6. My favorite podcast gave out a code for a free book on tape from Audible, and I’m telling you that I do not know why I never got into Audible sooner! It’s perfect for how much I drive. No, really, I drive a LOT. I was shocked when I found out that the national average for miles put on a vehicle in a year was 10,000. Uhhhmm, I’ve put on more than twice that in 6 months. I drive quadruple the amount as the national average. This being said, I’ve been flying through books. In the last two weeks, I’ve gone through three. I’m very sad that I can’t like, highlight quote or phrases, but I know if I let just that be an excuse for not letting myself listen to books, I’ll never have the time to sit still and read them. Like I said – I’m a busy girl. School, work, wedding planning, social life… Driving is the only time I sit still if I have to, and I am thrilled to be loving audio books!
   
7. I totally just found out that the next John Green book I want to read is only about 8 hours long. My trip to Pennsylvania this weekend is 5 hours long just to get there. I will be done with this book and started on a new one by the time I get back. Ah-mazing.
8. I’m still loving my subscription boxes! I accidentally missed my selection window for Beauty Army somehow (upsetting) and so I’m stuck with the surprise of whatever they picked for me. I also get Birchbox, and will be getting my first trials of Wantable and POPsugar. I’m so excited. I’m getting myself all the presents this December!

On Motivation

For some people, motivation is automatic. I’m sure there are people out there in the world who never hit snooze, never skip a workout, never let the house get messy, never let the dishes pile up before putting them in the dishwasher, and never skip classes.

I am not one of these people.

I do not possess the self-motivation for any of that. This piece from the Thought Catalog most accurately describes my daily inner dialogue regarding self-motivation. And just look at the title: “Self-Motivation for Losers.”  So, yup, that essentially summarizes it.

At this stage in my life, I am primarily motivated by money and not getting yelled at. I do my homework because if I fail, that’s such a waste of money on my education. I go to work because if I don’t, not only will my bosses yell at me but also my parents and boyfriend and anyone who doesn’t yell at me for getting fired for just not showing up to work would be silently judging me for being that person.  Also, I go to work because there are people there who are going to give me their money. Work’s a double-whammy.

When it comes to finding motivation, I tend to seek help from others. Namely, I tell people to tell me to do stuff. My boyfriend, Luke, can attest to this. “Luke, tell me to go to class tonight” and “Luke, tell me to clean my room” are common inclusions in our conversations. One time I even posted a picture of my messy room on the Facebook of my best friend and told her to yell at me about letting it get that way.

Ultimately, the best (and worst) person for me to go to for motivation is my mother. Mothers have the ultimate yelling ability. Mothers raised us. Mothers yelled at us when we did something stupid or were about to do something stupid or were about to ground us for three weeks for being stupid. All of this conditioning has lead to my mother possessing the most powerful ability to motivate me.

Oh, what memories cleaning your room brings.

       Before we got real brains, my sister and I always thought we were way cooler than we ever were.  So it eventually becomes painfully and awkwardly embarrassing when we look through old notebooks or do a hardcore room-clean.  I’m cleaning out my sister’s stuff from my (new) room and I found a huge stack of notebooks.

       Just now, something fell out of one. I was going to type it up here because it’s about my pets and completely stupid and hilarious if you know who they are and it’s 12:48 am. 

 

       …..But in an even more recent just-now, I realized how absolutely dumb it would be if I posted it here. The key phrase being: “it’s about my pets and completely stupid and hilarious if you know who they are and it’s 12:48 am.”

       Now, the majority of the world’s population does not know who my sister is, and only my immediate family knows my pet history. And it’s more likely than not that no one will read my blog at 12:48 am. Therefore, it won’t be funny or amusing in any sense at all.

 

 

So yeah. Blog fail?