Here's To: My Year In Review

Hi friends! So, I figured for my last post of the year, I would send out a little dedication to just a few of the many, many people who continue to make my life bright! So without further ado: Out with the old & In with the new: Here's to the highlights of my year in review!



Easter with my sister! I don't always get to see her much anymore so when we're all back together again.. it's always a wonderful & blessed time.

Volunteering at a local animal shelter for the first time! This little guy, Gizmo, is blind in one eye and only has 3 legs. Regardless, I instantly fell in love with him. It was such a rewarding day that I hope to rescue a shelter dog myself someday.

Spring Cotillion with these lovely ladies from the "block" I live in at my college. If you can believe it; we're probably about 18 in number & that's only counting the girls! Also, we have this knack for staying in touch with each other at literally almost all times. You could say we're pretty impressive. 

Meet Lisa! No, no.. not me.. the other Lisa! She's basically my other half and together we make Lisa^2. Fun fact: She's actually a twin! 

As I've mentioned in earlier posts... Life is basically not complete without Chipotle runs.

Or stops at Starbucks.. especially with one of your best friends!

Poll: Doesn't everyone get this excited when they arrive at Starbucks?
Correction: SHOULDN'T everyone be this excited when they arrive at Starbucks?

Me with some of my gals on the first day of our Junior Year!

Meet Ms. Stewart! I say Ms. Stewart because she's going to be the teacher of my future children! I know we're holding balloon animals here.. but, in all actuality I should be holding an apple and she a ruler. What, I get out of line sometimes? Someone has to keep me in check, haha.

Ya know how I mentioned that me & my friends, family.. always have a way of staying in touch. Here's a picture of us having a Sunday brunch just like if we were at school during the summertime! Note: Some of us pictured here even live in a different state. If that's not love.. I don't know what is?!

Now, the lovely lady pictured to the left of me is named Julie! She's been my best friend since we were in second grade and I'm blessed that I get to say that she'll be friends with me for the rest of forever. On the right side of me, is a beautifully strong and talented girl named Bethany with pipes that won't wait! I just know that she's going to make it big one day and I can't wait to come to all of her shows on the big stage. I'll never forget musical try-outs and hearing this freshman come along and school every last single one of us. I remember I needed to just know who this wonderful voice belonged to.. & thus our friendship was born! 

Fun fact: Bethany was Cosette in the Geyer Performing Arts production of Les Miserables!

So, our best-friendship lies somewhere between the "What Do You Mean" - Justin Bieber song.. and a "Best Friend "by Jason Mraz song. So I guess that means our fire new mixtape would be called What Do You Mean Best Friend?? Haha... Meet Brenna! She's one of the dearest people to my heart and we're two peas in a pod..or just one pea, due to the fact that we're literally the same person. Whether it's losing track of time and staying up until the next morning talking, needing someone else to help me make that $15 minimum when ordering out, or when it comes down to just having a spontaneous all-out dance party. Trust me, if you have a  Brenna, you most certainly have all you'll ever need to make your day just a bit brighter for the rest of forever!

Fun Fact: Brenna was the first person I ever met at my campus by happenstance & the rest is history! 

(P.S.: The universe is on our side again Brenster.. Best Friend came on as soon as I got to you!)

This was taken as part of Brenna and I's nature walk.. that just so happens to double as a short-cut to DQ!

Now, I'll be the first to tell you that I suck at bowling. Always have.. but I definitely never pass up a chance to have fun even if it means making a fool of myself. Or in this case; bowling a fool of myself.

Here's a picture of me the first time I went to the pumpkin patch!

Never met a pumpkin I didn't like

Remember the mysterious girl in that picture above of us at our second home.. also called Starbucks. That was Sarah! Check out her fashion & lifestyle blog here!

What do you get when you combine Waldo, a robber, a housewife, and 1/3 of snap, crackle, and pop? I actually don't know..please, feel free to leave a comment below if you think of an answer.

Just a bunch of us halloweenies!

Meet Samantha! I've know her since middle school and don't ya know she followed me to college. Here are a few pics of our exploration around our beautiful campus!  

Here's a pic of me & some of my best friends since the beginning: Alexandra, Brenna, and Sarah at our school's Light Up Night!

Last but not least, this picture is from our blocks "Secret Santa" night! 

So there ya have it.. this has been my year in review! I want to say to those pictured and even those not pictured.. that you bless my life everyday in ways I can't explain. I can't thank you all enough for all you do & just know that I wouldn't want to spend my time with anyone else!

To all my readers out there, I hope your year was as wonderful as mine and that the new year brings you many blessings. 

~Here's to 2016~

How To: Throw the Perfect NYE Party!

It's that time of year again! Ya know, the time for New Year's Resolutions, gatherings with friends, sparkling everything, and of course the much anticipated NYE Party!

So, how do you go about planning the perfect NYE Party.. you ask? That's where I come in! Let's get to it & have some fun! 

So first, you need a rocking outfit for the night. Getting ready is one of the best parts! Let your personality shine using this NYE inspired inspo look-book I created using Polyvore!

Next, you need a killer playlist: Crunched for time? No problem! Here's a playlist featuring some of the hottest hits of the year!

                                                                   

Now, decorations are essential to any party.. check out some DIY decor from SohoSonnet!

 

Next up on the list are snacks! Keep your guests entertained with these fun and festive treats from HowtoThisandThat.com! 

Of course.. you can't forget drinks! Click the link below & try out this Champagne Punch.. perfect for larger crowds that is simple to make and sure to please! *Note: be sure to include a non-alcoholic option for guests as well! 

ASpicyPerspective.com

Last but not least be sure to include games! Check out the link below to find something that suits the personality of your party! 

PlayPartyPin.com

So here's an all-inclusive list of what you're going to need in order to throw a Rockin' New Years Eve Party! Be sure to comment below and let me know how your party went!

One last tip: Be sure to bring your camera ... I'm positive this will be a night you will want to go down in history!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! 

How To: Kick Old Habits in 2016

If you're anything like me, you have those few things that you know you shouldn't do, but do anyways. Some habits may be a bit worse than others (Quote Tove Lo's: Habits ... here) but regardless, they're still taking up space in your life that could be used for so many other things that will set you free to be the person you want to be! Here's just a few of my bad habits along with my tips on how to break them! 

1.) Staying Up All Night: Does staying up late due to binge watching episodes of my favorite series at moment on Netflix or staying up all hours of the night to finish just one more assignment ring a bell for you? If so, going to bed early is basically a foreign concept to you, I'm sure. I mean hey, I'll be the first to say that I never know when to quit. Truly, what good does staying up those 2 extra hours slaving over an assignment really do you besides waking up on the wrong side of the bed in the morning?

The Fix: Schedule. Schedule. And Schedule some more! Go out and buy yourself a planner and start prioritizing! What I did was go out and buy myself a pack of colorful pens so that I could begin organizing my planner (plus the pop of color will brighten anyone's day). Then, before the start of each week, I planned out upcoming events and assigned different categories of events in a color-coded key! P.S. - keep a cheat key in the front of your planner..if you're like me, you tend to get a tad bit forgetful with all the hustle and bustle that you forget what the key even means. Next, I went out and bought myself a stationary set, but sticky notes will do the trick! Before the start of each morning, I plan out my day by prioritizing the list from most important to least important and try to set an approximate time limit to get each of these things done. Be sure to schedule some time for yourself in there too! Let that Inner-Netflix junkie in all of us come out and thrive! 

2.) Overthinking EVERYTHING: Ever feel like you're on the verge of a meltdown every time Taylor sings gotta long list of ex lovers but really it only sounds like STARBUCKS LOVERS. Yeah, sames. Okay, okay.. so maybe I'm not that bad.. but, seriously though don't act like it doesn't bother you, lol. Anyways, I overthink everything.. because I mean really does anybody truly know exactly what they want for longer than 72 hours at a time, if that. Being a naturally anxious person, I've come to learn how to calm myself down and get out of my head for awhile. Bid you mind, this is always a work in progress for me!

The Fix: Take a breath and literally picture yourself writing down the situation on a piece of paper and crumpling it up. This always helps me to realize I'm in control of the situation and I'll always come out with the right answer if I just learn to listen to my gut. Once I do that, I continue to make sure I'm breathing in a calm manner and try to actually get closer with what's going on internally so I can properly let go of it! Then I get into storyteller mode.. if any of you are close to me .. you'll know that I call these nice little diddy's, telanovelas. Nothing is better than getting everything off your chest; so get talking.. odd's are your friends can see things from a lot better of a perspective than you can at the current juncture. After coming to a conclusion.. I usually try to sleep and pray on it. Then I go for it. 

3.) Drinking Caffeine Anything!: With the hustle and bustle of everyday life being a college student with about a dozen assignments and counting.. it gets pretty hard to not need a little bit of a boost sometimes. I'm guilty of this.. I mean I swear, I went through a time when I could've practically opened up a Starbucks with all the money I spent there. But, you've got to be careful before you get too dependent on these types of caffeinated beverages. It won't be long until you find yourself irritable, nervous, restless, with headaches all while facing those long nights of insomnia. 

The Fix: There are actually a few different fixes for this one. The first being, getting yourself on a regular sleeping schedule that includes at least 7-8 hours a night. Also, you can start changing your diet..including eating more whole grains to give you a boost. Those Mini-Wheat commercials aren't lying! There's always the option of switching to decaf so you still get the taste of what you wanted originally but without all the side effects. Lastly, you can always just limit your caffeine intake! I chose this option and found a healthy alternative in the process. Try Starbucks Refreshers. They can be found at Walmart and are made from a green coffee extract with natural energy instead of all the processed stuff loaded in those other cans! 

4.) Skipping Out on Exercise: I definitely have never been one who was just a lover of voluntary exercise and going to college hasn't changed that! In fact, my exercising habits have probably gotten worse.. much to my shame. I'm sure I'm not the only one who tries to find excuses at the end of the day as to why they skipped out on the gym, yet again. 

The Fix: Get a workout buddy! Getting a buddy to help you achieve your goals always makes the idea of going to the gym hurt a little less. Take small steps and gradually increase your time at the gym as you feel comfortable. Still don't like the idea of the gym? I understand. Try out an intramural sports team, dance classes like Zumba, or even going for a nice walk around the neighborhood/campus. This way you're burning calories without the mental strain of feeling like you're exercising. Also, on days you have less time.. opt to take the stairs and eat healthier. Did you know that you can actually lose weight just by choosing healthier food options?

5.) Eating even when I'm not hungry: Tell me.. if you were offered to go on a spontaneous Chipotle run would you resist? The answer is.. doubtful. Just like Starbucks, I've paid my fair share there in exchange for a large chicken quesadilla with a side of chips and guac. Too many times, I'm offered to go to many, many food joints and too many times I leave broke but full. But, that counts for something right? So, how did I go weeks without Chipotle; keeping more guac in my pockets you ask?

The Fix: Replace junk food with real food; chock full of vitamins and fiber to keep you feeling energized and fuller longer! Also, learn how to say no. Trust me, Chipotle will still be there the next time you say yes. Be sure to drink lots of water; staying hydrated and cutting all that extra sugar out of your diet will save your waist line. Lastly, try not to mindlessly eat. It's so easy to grab that bag of chips while studying to keep you company. Instead, opt for a healthier snack like gummies and water or pretzels and peanut butter. You'll be amazed at the results!

So there they are! My tips on how to kick those bad habits in 2016! Like what you saw here? Comment below and tell me how you're kicking those bad habits?