Your Masterpiece

This was such a long week! We should only have half a week of school after breaks so that we can ease back into the swing of things- if only that was possible!




Countdown= 22 more days of class


I don't think it's even funny how much I am looking forward to the end of the semester! I've been applying to jobs and internships like crazy- basically anything to take my mind off of my work now haha. 


Anyways, for now, I am going to do some homework, go for a run, and have fun since it's the weekend. What do y'all have planned for today?

Believe in good

I feel like this is more important than ever! With only 25 more days of class, bad emails from professors constantly, and an unnatural amount of stress, I keep trying to look for the good in every day. 


Like today I am going to the circus! I'll post pictures later!

What goes up, must come down

Do you ever feel like when something good happens, something bad happens immediately after? Sometimes I feel like that.

But instead of focusing on those bad things, just complain about them for a bit to blow off steam and move on! That's my new philosophy because I've tried the whole not complaining at all thing before- it's so difficult. Just talking about the problem can help solve it sometimes.

And another little piece of advice? One of my friends yesterday said that she doesn't like countdowns because that means she is looking too much into the future instead of enjoying the present. Not sure if I completely agree with that because I LOVE LOVE LOVE countdowns, but I understand her point about enjoying the present.

So when I'm not completely bogged down in class and work, I'm going to try to enjoy the present more! Because obviously my countdowns are more to get me through all of the work, not all the other wonderful moments during the day.

Countdown= 25 more days of class

Ride the Wave

Definitely need to remember this today. I woke up in a bad mood this morning, mainly because I'm here instead of at home. I DO NOT WANT TO GO TO CLASS!!!!! If I could be at TCU to just hang out with friends and work, my life would be awesome. But sadly, I am here for school. 


This calls for a new countdown though! 


27 more days of class until Summer!!!!


I can do this! Only 27 more days of classes. Make it through my 3 classes today and that countdown goes to 26 more days! I just need to take it one day at a time, live in the present, and don't worry. 


Sounds simple, right? I sure hope so!


Happy Monday everyone! And happy second half of the semester... we can do this!

And may the odds be ever in your favor

Last night, I saw The Hunger Games premiere! My review: 


IT WAS AWESOME!!!!



I didn't even have trouble staying awake for it- it was that good. I know that a lot of people had criticisms, but I thought it was entertaining and pretty true to how I imagined everything in the book... although, I did read the first book when it came out a few years ago. So it's been a while. 


But as for what I liked: Here's a list!


1. Casting! I thought everyone was cast very well. At first, I was not happy about Jennifer Lawrence being Katniss, but she was perfect! I thought she looked a lot younger in the film, just like Katniss was supposed to be. And she has this believable look, like you know she is intense and could kill you in a minute, but she's also naive in knowing how the games really work. 


I'm excited to see how they handle the rest of the movies!

2. This guy's beard. I just thought it was cool. All of the costumes and makeup were amazing. 

Another example is Katniss's dress. It looked amazing when it was on fire!

3. Adaptation of the plot. The relationship between Katniss and Peeta blossomed exactly as I imagined it. And the ending was exactly how I pictured it!



So I liked a lot more than that, but those categories were pretty general, so let's just leave it at that... or I would be talking all day long (no joke!). 


What I didn't like:
1. Rue died too quickly. I liked her character and she died so much faster that I thought she should have! Her and Katniss made a great team. And it was great that the two of them made that pact to work together, because Rue was almost like a little sister to Katniss- but she knew what she was doing too!


2. Gale was not in the movie enough. I thought that his role was really underrepresented! But in the next two movies, I bet his character will show up a lot more. 

3. The end. I was not happy when the move was over. Don't get me wrong, the ending was amazing! But I wanted the movie to keep going! I was sad when it was over :(

Paint Your Life

This is how life should be! Today my life was definitely full of life and happiness- I love being home :)

Last night was fun because I went to my brother's and fiancé's new apartment! They invited my sister and I over for dinner, which equaled ordering pizza and eating while watching Step Brothers and Super Bad. It made me realize how we have all grown up! Who would have ever thought we would be old enough to be invited over to each other's places- crazy!

This morning, my brother came over to our house to run with me and go to breakfast with my sister and I. Good morning! But since I of course woke up about 4 hours before he even came over, I did some more baking :)

Here are Copycat Nature Valley Bars from Chocolate Covered Katie! They are awesome and chewier than regular Nature Valley Bars, which makes them easier to eat- and they are much healthier!! 

I gave some to my brother and his fiancé and they ate all of them! So I need to make some more. I also made Lara Bars today, which I'll write about later. For this recipe though, I substituted regular flour for oat flour and didn't bake them as long. This is a recipe I will hold on to! 

After that long morning, I went shopping and got my first business suit! I feel so grown up :) Basically I got the deal of a lifetime on a Calvin Klein suit today- I'm in love with it and can't wait to wear it! 

Well I'm off to snuggle with the dogs, drink some tea, and probably go to bed early. Hope y'all are enjoying your week- this is no doubt the best Monday I've had in forever! 

First Day Home

SUCCESS


My first day back home was a success! It feels so good to be here.

Yesterday was fun! After an early morning going shopping and out to lunch with a few friends, I got to the airport about 1.5 hours before my flight. It was perfect timing because I got to sit down and read without being stressed- except for the two sick ladies who sat next to me. I ended up standing up for 30 minutes before my flight so I didn't have to sit down next to sick people- everyone seemed to be coughing uncontrollably! It grossed me out, thus standing was a better choice (in my opinion anyways).

The flight went by pretty quickly because I managed to finish my whole book! Remember how I bought the book Sisterhood Everlasting on Sunday? Well I managed to read the entire thing yesterday between my time waiting for the plane and my time flying.

Thoughts? Great book! But it was so sad and so many complicated things happened! But I will never get tired of reading about Tibby, Lena, Bridget, and Carmen- I feel like I grew up with them and those are the best girl friends anyone could ever know.  I would definitely recommend this book, especially if you read all the other Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books!

After my flight, my mom and I waited around the airport because my dad's flight landed an hour after mine. We went and ate dinner at Culver's- their fish is so good! I went shopping with my sister and then turned in early because I was so tired. But I got to bring the cutie pie to bed with me, so it was a night full of snuggling with my favorite puppy :)





I also made some awesome muffins this morning! I got the recipe from Carrots 'N' Cake, so they were really yummy and easy to make. I was able to make two batches within 30 minutes and there are only a couple of ingredients. Definitely a go-to recipe if you don't have a lot of ingredients or time.

By the way, the recipe made a lot more than that! Those are just all that we have left because I gave the rest to my dad for his flight today. 

Hope y'all have a great day! Make some muffins, relax, and read a good book! Sounds great to me :)

TODAY TODAY TODAY TODAY TODAY

TODAY TODAY TODAY TODAY TODAY!!!

Please don't hate me for being obnoxious. I'm just so excited that the Super Shuttle will be here in less than an hour to pick me up! AHHHHHHH!!!!!

I know that most college students are excited about going to the beach for Spring Break, but I've already done that once. This year, I want a real break- as in I relax, do whatever I want, and don't have to worry about anything. 

And of course I'm excited to see my family. I can't believe it's been almost 3 months since I've been home... and only 6 more weeks of class after break to finish off the semester. Pure craziness!

Can't wait to see this cutie pie :)

Anyways, after a long semester, long week, long night, and early morning, I could use a break. This was my hell week, I think. I had stuff due in every class and tests this week! Every day brought more and more work... in addition to working double the hours at my actual jobs! 

But after work last night, I got to relax with friends. We watched the doubles at the TCU Men's Tennis match, went out for chinese food, and had a movie night. We watched Contagion and Bride Wars- of course the funny chick flick follows the scary movie. I'll have to write a review about those later for y'all. Both great movies; I had already seen Bride Wars before, but never Contagion. 

Favorite line from Bride Wars: "You don't alter a Vera to fit you, you alter yourself to fit a Vera. What do boys learn in school?!"

Oh boys, you need to learn more about super expensive wedding dresses made by top designers :p

Not all those who wander are lost

Countdown= 1 more test, 1 more class, flight leaves in 26 hours


Thank goodness!


P.S. Not all those who wander are lost. Some are just trying different routes. This can be taken completely literally or figuratively. For example, I wander when I run. Not because I'm lost, but because I want to find a different way to go and different things to see. It's more fun that way!


And in life right now. I wandering around a few different ideas to decide what I want to be when I grow up (that sounds either very childish or very Pussycat Dollish). I might be a little lost, but not entirely! Exploring different options will help me choose the one that I like best!


Do y'all have any examples from your life?

Oh, wise Eleanor...

On my post-it wall post the other day, I was saying that I love the Eleanor Roosevelt quote. So here's another quote by her for today! She said some really amazing things- such a classy lady.



This just got me thinking about what a crazy job First Ladies have. Technically, they aren't the ones with a specific job since they are just married to the President. But they must portray the right image, pick an issue to stand by, and support their husbands! 


Imagine having to calm down the man in charge of the country. I bet that's tough work. And always acting and looking so perfect? Everyone knows that's not easy. 


But look at some of the great First Ladies America has had- Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Kennedy, Michelle Obama... and so many more. 


And, at least in my mind, even if the public doesn't support the President, almost nobody hates the First Lady! She's a celebrity, a supporter, an activist, and also a normal person at the same time. 


I want to be as classy, elegant, and political active as these amazing role models! I hope that someday I am. 

Dear Self,

Oh goodness. This morning, I woke up at 5:50 to go to Body Pump and let's just say, I really didn't want to go. I couldn't sleep last night and when my workout buddy from down the hall bailed on me, I walked over to the Rec dreading this workout. 



But the best time to work out is when you don't want to. Odd reasoning, but it's true. I always feel 10 times better after I exercise on days that I don't want to. So I sucked it up, upped my weight on some stuff again and powered through. 


I was having a tough time with all the weight I put on for squats and chest, but it was so worth it. After the workout, I felt great! Besides the fact that every muscle in my body still seems to be shaking- and I finished my workout 2 hours ago. But that's a good sign that I worked hard!


Anyways, waking up for that workout hopefully makes the rest of my day go well. I already shined in Body Pump, so the rest of my day has to go that way. That's why I like the picture at the top of this post. Way to be positive, self :)


AAAAnnnnddddd.......


Countdown= 3 more days of class including today


So that equals 8 more classes! I can do this!


Hope y'all have a happy Wednesday! 

Post-it Wall

I want to do this! I think that if I have time one day, I'm going to make a post-it wall. It would definitely cheer me up and provide motivation when I need it... like this week. 


Countdown= 4 more days of classes... but it will be 3 after I go to my class in an hour


This week is just dragging by slowly. I want it to be over so that I can go home! Luckily, I'm staying on top of my work and not getting too stressed out, yet. 


Instead of being negative, I'm trying to stay as positive as possible. Except for the fact that I keep complaining that I want to go home already haha. 


Anyways, on this post-it wall, I love the quote by Eleanor Roosevelt in the bottom left on the pink paper and the one by Albert Einstein in the bottom right on blue paper. They are all great quotes, but those two really stick out to me! 


"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."


I absolutely agree with this quote. It's such a great way to put it because people make goals all the time- but people who dream strive for so much more. Goals are the stepping stones to dreams. And if people believe that their dreams are the one thing they want in life, then they will work hard to reach it. 


I don't know if that little rant made sense, but bottom line is that I love this quote. 


Would y'all be interested in making a post-it wall? Or do you already put motivational quotes up to see every day?

Cupcake ATM... yes you heard right.

CUPCAKE ATM!!!!!

Is that not the coolest thing you have ever heard of? Wait until you see it! 

This video is cool because it walks you through all of the steps- simple as that! But I first saw this story on CNN and they have a video too, plus lots of information all about the machine. 

This is at Sprinkles Cupcakes in Beverly Hills, but there are Sprinkles in other parts of the country too. NYC and DC will be getting them this summer. We have a Sprinkles here in DFW too! But I have no idea when they will get an ATM... I have never been to Sprinkles either, so that is a must-do soon!

And when I go to DC next semester, you can bet I'm going cupcake crazy. With a Sprinkles Cupcake ATM and Georgetown Cupcakes all in one city, I'm going to try a lot of cupcakes!

P.S. Check out this cupcake bracket.  Forget basketball brackets- this is the way to go!

Inner Strength

I know this is not the inner strength that this quote, but this week I need to be strong to get through classes until I can go home!


Countdown= 5 more days of classes!


So not looking forward to this, but hopefully it goes by fast... without me failing any of my essays or tests!


Wish me luck!

Don't let book lovers roam

Oh my goodness. Let me loose in a bookstore and I guarantee I will find a million books that I want to buy. It's dangerous to bring me anywhere. 

But today I took a quick trip to Barnes and Noble on campus to buy a book for my flight this weekend! Now for a short break to announce...

Countdown= 5 more days of class!

Now that that's over with. I found an awesome books... well let's me honest, I found lots of awesome books... but one particularly awesome one!

It's Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants! Grown up! My sister and I loved these books, so when I saw this for only $12, it was a must buy. 

This is going to be my motivation for this week. Make it through the next 5 days= get to read this book at the airport while waiting for my flight back home! 

Also, I bought gum too. One pack for this week, one pack for the airport. I love gum!

Successful trip? I would say so! 

What do we have?

P.S. What do we have today? Daylight savings time. BOOOOOOOOOOO. 


My schedule is all messed up now because I didn't even leave my room until 10:30, which is actually 9:30 according to my body. So I feel a little behind today, but at least I am one hour closer to Spring Break now! 

Rain boots!

I actually am not a big fan of the rain... mainly because I hate driving in it. But it has been raining ALL DAY LONG. Seriously. It started raining at about 12, right before I left for work. And it continued raining all day. And it's still raining. 


Unfortunately, I wasted an opportunity to wear my rain boots. But I didn't want to walk around for 6 hours in my rain boots- that would have been quite a workout since they feel so heavy!


But I posted this picture because I thought it was so cute. It rhymes too :)

The world will know peace

I made this! Yay for being creative during a study break :)

I saw this quote and I loved it! I will admit that I do not know much of Jimi Hendrix's music and that I'm not a crazed fan, but I'm a fan now.

This quote is so true! In a time when I'm learning the difficulties of being in the media and in politics, this quote could not relate any better. People love power- it's as simple as that. But if people let love be the main force of power, then things would get done. 

Imagine if every politician didn't care about reelection and reputations- what if they only cared about what was best for their constituency? Our government would be wonderful. 

Imagine if every journalist didn't obsess over being the best, getting the best story, and doing whatever if took to get information. Media would be well-liked because there wouldn't be journalists presenting biased information and jumping down everyone's throats. 

I know the world wouldn't be perfect if everyone gave up the love of power. But I do think it would be quite an improvement from where we are now. And wouldn't that be nice?

TGIF

Thank goodness it's Friday! Except not really... I have so much to do this weekend that it's not even funny. But I'm going to work my way through it and stay positive. One week from tomorrow I will be sitting at home in beautiful Arizona, with nothing work or school related on my mind. Pure bliss.

Countdown= 6 more days of class including today.


And here is some motivation! I know that I normally do Monday Motivation, but I think some last weekend before spring break motivation is needed too, right?

If you haven't checked out Hello Giggles- do it! I follow them on Twitter and basically, I want to be a part of their team so badly. They post a bunch of stuff every day that any and every girl can relate to. Heck, even some guys can probably relate to this stuff.

This morning, they had this on their site.

Such a motivational song. There are always good things and bad things to focus on, but we always seem to focus on the bad things.

Have a beautiful day y'all :)

Can you believe it?!?!

I forgot the countdown when I posted earlier.

Countdown= 6 more days of class


So excited! I can't wait!

P.S. Might have another post later. Had an interesting conversation with two of my friends this afternoon and I feel the need to write about it. We'll see if I can manage to write about it after my looooonnngggg night class.

Rain rain go away

At work today, I kept saying that I didn't want it to rain because it is not enjoyable to drive back to school in the rain. But, no lie, every person kept telling me that I should want the rain because we need it!

I didn't realize that Texas needed the rain that much- I was pretty sure we were out of the drought since we have been getting rain regularly. But none of those people thought so.

So I guess we will agree to disagree. They can hope for rain, while I will hope for the sun to shine! I am definitely one of those people that is affected my the weather. If it is nice and sunny out, I am happy. When it's rainy and dark, I'm not the most fun to be around.

My mood is kind of like this song. I love love love Ben Rector. I kept discovering more of his songs and each one is amazing!

Today, I would love to hide away. I wish I could have stayed at work with all my nice coworkers. And now I wish I could just stay in my room, with my tea, a good book, and fuzzy socks.

Sadly, I have Spanish class and my night class. Boo. Wish me luck!

FREE STUFF

Go here!

This blog is called Chocolate Covered Katie and I'm obsessed with it! I make her recipes all the time when I'm at home because they are so good and healthy!

Although it is hard during Lent... doesn't stop me from reading :p

Go to that link to sign up to win $100 on amazon! All you have to do is like her Facebook page, tweet about this contest, sign up for a subscription (it's free too!), or link to the site on your blog (like I am doing right now).

DO IT DO IT DO IT. You know you want to. Think about all the stuff you could buy on Amazon with that money. Books galore for me. And running clothes.

Countdown= 9 days of class


So far, so good. Classes haven't been too difficult and I seem to making it through. But each passing hour just makes me want to go home!


I honestly can't wait to see my family, relax, and NOT THINK ABOUT WORK. 


Sometimes I feel like I just have so much going on that I am constantly thinking about what I should be doing or what I need to do when I get done with meetings and classes. Everyone needs to have some me time during the day- but college students don't always have the opportunity to do that. 


I wish we could make a universal do nothing time during the day. Like for one hour, you can't do work or homework. You have to do something that you consider relaxing. The only problem is, would everyone take advantage of it? Or would people still use it as time to get ahead of others. I guess we will never know...

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

What is equality?

Today in class we talked about income equality and taxes. Should lower incomes be taxed more or less than higher incomes? Should income be taxed more than inheritance?

Going to TCU makes this a very difficult conversation to have in class. Many students do come from families that are wealthy, so they will probably get an inheritance. And it upsets them that they might have to pay taxes on that money when their family already did.

Don't get me wrong, I totally see their point. They say that they have no incentive to take that money or for them to earn more to give their children if it will be taxed.

But nobody even brought up the other side, the side that I see clearly.

50% of Americans don't pay taxes. This is because they are unemployed or skip out because they don't make enough money. And if I was that poor, I wouldn't pay either. Because why should I make more when I'll have to pay taxes? I should just stay in the no tax bracket I'm in and take welfare money from the government.

They have no incentive to work harder because the government hands them money.

This argument really goes both ways. I'm not sure what the best solution is, but it's just some food for thought.

Tea and Textbooks

Yes, I use a Tinkerbell mug. 

And I obviously can't move the photo. But at least I'm studying!

Monday Motivation

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” – Harriet Tubman


Countdown= 10 days of class until Spring Break


Hopefully y'all are motivated, because today begins the countdown. And you better believe that I will be counting down- I am just too excited for vacation. 


There are multiple reasons for that. 


1. See my family. I miss them!
2. See my dogs. And my family's new puppy!
3. See my brother's new apartment- I'm happy for him!
4. Go on runs with my friends- the scenery and company are perfect at home. 
5. Beautiful weather. You just can't beat Tucson weather. 
6. My own coffee maker at home. And kitchen so I can make my own food and cook with my Mom. 
7. My own bed. 
8. Relaxing. 
9. My sister has spring break the same week! 
10. NO SCHOOL! NO REPORTING! NO WORRIES!


That last one is super important. I can't believe that we haven't had a day off since winter break- they need to give us a three day weekend at least once! Profs and students both need it, so I don't understand why the don't. 


Oh well, no need to complain about not having days off. Because in less than two weeks I will be on a flight back home. Woo hoo!

Life is good

RENT

Last night, I went with two of my friends to see Rent at Casa Mañana theater. They have these student preview nights, which are just dress rehearsals for the cast, and students only have to pay $10 instead of the normal $45 or more tickets!

Rent is such a long play, but absolutely amazing! I love that it's all singing- that's how all musicals should be :)

I had only seen half of the movie before and that was a LOOOONG time ago, so I wasn't sure how the entire play went. It was intense and emotional though, which was to be expected.

The whole time I wanted to sing along to the songs I knew. And go up on the stage and dance with the actors. It looked like fun! They all had great voices and could dance like nobody's business.

Also, I have a mini crush on the lead character, Mark. I could pick his voice out when they were all singing at once because he had such a unique tone. And he just seems like a goofy, down-to-earth guy. Don't judge me haha. He's played this role 3 different times and he definitely has it down!

So goal for today after work? Get all of the songs. Learn the words to all of them. Sing Rent songs for weeks on end until I annoy everyone. Good plan? I say yes.

You are

What will you do today?

I'm always landing on my feet

And I’m doing just fine
I’m always landing on my feet
In the nic of time
And by the skin of my teeth
I ain’t gonna stress
Cause the worst ain’t happened yet
Somethings watching over me
Like Sweet Serendipity
Sweet Serendipity


Beautiful, huh? I think that must have been my theme for today- beauty. Finding the beauty in life seems hard, but I promise it's not. Open your eyes and ears. Take a look around and listen to everything. You'll find beauty everywhere. 


Today was a great day! I was stressed, but I handled it- pretty well if I say so myself. Tonight, I made my first portfolio! I was annoyed that our professor was making us do this, but it's so helpful. Seeing all of my work in one location, ready to show to future employers will make my life much easier in the future. That's beautiful. 


Another beautiful thing? I'm going home for spring break! When I called my dad tonight, he bought me a plane ticket. I was having a hard time deciding if I wanted to pay $300 for a ticket when I could stay here and work, but secretly, I really wanted to go home. I think my parents could tell because my dad didn't think twice about buying that ticket!


I'm happy that things are starting to look up. Being positive is a gagillion times better than being sad and unhappy!

:)