JULY GOALS

Where is the summer going? I can't decide if I feel like I have done a lot or nothing at all. There is still so much that I want to do. At the beginning of summer it feels like you have time to do everything. But before you know it is winding down and people start using words like syllabus and welcome week again. Ew. 

So this month, I have decided to make some concrete goals, and maybe if I share them I will be more likely to accomplish them. Who knows? It's worth a try. 

//ONE// Blog 2-3 times a week. I haven't been great at this lately. During the school year it was nearly impossible to find the time to sit down and actually blog. Most of my posts were re-posts from my Her Campus articles, and I felt awful about it. I wanted to create more posts just for the blog, but I definitely over-committed myself last semester. 

//TWO// Actually open the case to my guitar. I have wanted to learn the guitar for ten years now, and I have yet to put in the effort to actually learn, even though I have a guitar. So my goal for this month is to actually take it out of the case and put some work into learning how to play it. 

//THREE// Learn more about HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. I love coding websites. As nerdy as it sounds, it's true. I probably won't try to learn anything more complicated than JavaScript. I know some HTML/CSS, but I keep telling myself I am going to learn Java. There's no time like the present, right?

//FOUR// Read for 30 minutes a day. This is something I have wanted to do forever. I read a lot--but mostly from a screen. My goal is to finally make it through some of my books. I just got Aziz Ansari's book, Modern Romance, and it is already helping with this goal. It's so good. 

//FIVE// Keep my curls at least 3 days of the week. Taming my curls is nearly impossible. I find it hard to wear my hair naturally usually, because I just can't get the curls I want. Especially with the humidity, my hair gets large and frizzy, and sometimes I can't help but straighten it. 

//SIX// Exercise 3-4 times a week. Admittedly, I haven't been working out as much as I want to this summer. I was so good about it at the end of the school year, but I definitely need to get back into making it a part of my routine. 

//SEVEN// Try something new every week. I think summer is the perfect time to try out new things. One of the things I really want to try out it kayaking. Hopefully I can make that happen this month. 

//EIGHT// Take more pictures. As I have been trying to find more images for the blog, I realized that I haven't been taking that many pictures lately. I plan to take my camera with me more often so that I will force myself to take more pictures. 

//NINE// Eat more veggies. I love fruit. I could eat berries all day long, because they taste like candy. The thing is they are like nature's candy, because they are sugary. So I have been trying to be conscious about incorporate more veggies into my diet, too. Any suggestions about how you do this? 

//TEN// Comment on other blogs more often. One of the ways that I love to get inspiration is by reading other blogs. There is so much to learn from other bloggers, but I want to focus on commenting more. I know how much it means to me to receive comments, and I want to return the favor!

What are your goals for July?

THERE'S NO TIME LIKE NOW TO FLOURISH

As a blogger, I am constantly pushing myself to be creative and encourage creativity in others. Some of my biggest inspirations are the wonderful women I have met through blogging. Today, I am excited to linkup with Brittany, from The Kardia for the first Flourish Linkup! This linkup is all about learning to be successful and thriving with your own passions, and there is no time like now to start. I'm so lucky to have come across Brittany's blog, because she has such a wonderful spirit and energy. Her posts have inspired me to think and design more creatively, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to spread creative energy with her linkup.

10 Things I'm Grateful for:

1. Friends and family that support my dreams and creative endeavors
2. Late night talks about life
3. The opportunity to attend a university where I can study what I am passionate about
4. Breathtaking views
5. Good books with refreshing tea
6. The unique bond I have with my 4-year-old sister
7. Warm chocolate chip cookies
8. The close relationships I have with my parents 
9. Videos, movies or songs that inspire me to think about life
10. Writers, bloggers, and teachers that have inspired me to choose the life of writing and everything that comes with it

I will flourish creatively this year by:

Not making excuses. Life is always busy. Netflix is always tempting. There is always some excuse. My biggest goal this year is to stop making excuses of why I don't have time to write or work on my design skills. No one was every successful in what they didn't do, so this is the year that I take some advice from Nike and "just do it."

Taking my time. I always say that all I want is another day in the week, but I know that in reality if there were another day I would find more to keep busy with. Sometimes I rush through things, because I don't feel like I have enough time to get everything done. And there is nothing I want to cut out of my schedule. It might seem like there is too little time in the day sometimes, but I want to spend more time with my creative outlets. I do not want to feel rushed through posts or designed projects. So my goal is to set tentative deadlines but to be flexible so that I can do my best work.

Listening. Music has always been one of my biggest inspirations. When I was younger I used to write fiction with chapters named after songs that had similar themes to what I was writing about. I think it's amazing the way that a song can tell a story or evoke emotion. Music has even inspired some of my blog posts, and it has often help me better articulate my thoughts. This year I will spend more time paying attention to the lyrics that help me think creatively.

What the word "Flourish" means to me: 

The way I see it, to "flourish" is to succeed by putting in everything that you have and not holding back. To flourish creatively is to immerse yourself in your work and produce something that has never been done before. One of the things I liked that Brittany said was that she has a goal to work on creating her own style, because it is so easy to use ideas from other people, even by accident. It's difficult to push boundaries and create from a blank slate, because we have so many influences all around us. So many strive to be unique, but being original is difficult in a world coated in creativity. I think the best way to flourish creatively is to be authentic and push past your own limitations until you uncover the beauty that no one else could see.

What do you think it means to "flourish"? Join the linkup on The Kardia to share how you plan to flourish this year.

The Kardia

2014 IN REVIEW

It never ceases to amaze me how much can change in a year. We are always looking forward to the future, dreaming of what it could bring and hoping that every day will be better than the previous. As with every year, 2014 had its ups and downs. The difference with this year is I learned how God's timing doesn't always align with our own plans. I believe it's important to look ahead and do what you can to forge a good path for yourself, but this year more than ever I began to realize the power of the forces that we cannot control.

When I say God's timing doesn't always align with our own, I mean that sometimes we can have ideas about where we see ourselves in a certain amount of time or things that we want to happen, but sometimes things take longer. It's easy to get into that "I want it, and I want it now" mentality. We want to make progress over night, and we want our dreams to come true, but it's never simple. This year, the most important thing I learned was to remember that when we don't get something we want it's because there is something better in store for us. 

I am grateful for the downs that turned into ups, and I am grateful for all of the unexpected ups that made all the downs make sense. This year was one I will never forget.

January

• I got to spend an entire month at home for break. 
• I went skiing for the 2nd time in my life with friends from my dorm.

February

•  I surprised my mom with a weekend at home for my birthday. I swear she looked like she saw a ghost before she started crying, because she was so happy I was home. It was the best.
•  My friends made me the best birthday surprise ever (the video above)!

March

•  I learned HTML and CSS and created my first web pages. 
• The Badger Basketball team got into the Final Four! On Wisconsin!

April

• I made my first podcast ever for a class project. 
• I volunteered at the Wisconsin Film Festival.

May

• I completed my freshman year. 
• My floor had a bonfire bonding night to close out the year.
• I started watching my 4 year old sister, Sydney. I even thought I would blog about it.

June

• I discovered how massive the blogosphere is.
• I decided to start taking my blog more seriously. And the construction began. 

July

• I went to Basilica Block Party for the 3rd consecutive summer. 
• I contributed to hitRECord--Joseph Gordon Levitt's online production company.  
• I got together with a couple of college friends to send another college friend birthday cookies. 

August

• I decided to sponsor a blog for the first time.
• I had my last day working at an Ice Cream and French Fries shop.
• I moved into my first apartment.  
• I ran my first 5K Color Me Rad. 
• I started making blog friends! (This was one of the most exciting parts of diving further into blogging).

September

• I started my second year of college. 
• I got accepted to write for Her Campus-Wisconsin.
• I got a job at a local television station. 
• I participated in my first blogger Twitter chat.

October

• I declared my major in Communication Arts--the Radio, TV, Film track, with a Digital Studies minor.
• I wrote my first sponsored post!
• I signed a lease for a house next year.
• I got to see two of my best friends when they came to visit for Halloween. 
• I got to go to Q&A with TV writer, Stephen Falk.

November

• I saw Ingrid Michaelson live!
• I got to go to a Q&A with documentary filmmaker and UW Alum Jason Cohen.
•  My grandma beat cancer!

December 

• My apartment hosted an Ugly Sweater Christmas party.
• I finished my 3rd semester of college. 

A year ago, I wrote a New Year's post that admitted I have always been a writer. It wasn't easy for me. Being a writer is something I have struggled with for years. It is a part of my identity that I have had a hard time coming to terms with. It is not because I am ashamed of my writing--it's something more than that. I guess part of it is that I have always feared that other people won't accept me as a writer or that I will never become anything as a writer. This year changed that for me. I had people reach out to me to tell me how much they enjoyed reading my blog. Some of these people I hadn't talked to in years or seen in forever, and I never imagined some of these people were even reading my blog.

There is nothing that compares to feeling of someone saying that what you love doing matters. At first, I even had to peek through some of my old posts wondering what ones people were referring to as "good" or "refreshing." I questioned myself, because I had this constant internal battle over whether or not I had what it takes to go after my dreams. After a while, it really started to hit me that this is what I am supposed to be doing, and I couldn't be more grateful to that have had this kind of encouragement. 

Thank you to everyone who has supported my passion. Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me and told me that you enjoy reading my blog. Thank you to everyone who has made this year a dream come true. Your words mean more to me than you will ever know.

Happy New Year! And may 2015 bring you everything you are wishing for!


P.S. Most Popular Posts of 2014:
7 Things I Never Want My Little Sister to Feel
College Guys: Expectations VS Reality
6 Signs You are Ready for Winter Break
Fall Favorites
10 Things You Learn At College (Technically 2013, but it got even more popular in '14)

FALL FAVORITES

Fall is a favorite of many. As much as we love sunshine and beach days, the crisp Autumn air is accompanied by some pretty fun fall traditions. This has become even more apparent to me as I started paying attention to the blogging scene. The transition from summer to fall used to be more about getting used to the new school year and switching over items in my wardrobe. But anyone who uses Pinterest knows PSLs and apple/pumpkin-themed pictures are fall-musts for many.

A few of my fall favorites:

//ONE//
Football Games
I will admit I am not super knowledgeable about any sports. I couldn't tell you which teams are better than any others in any sport of any kind. Yet, college football games are one of my new favorite parts about fall. There is so much excitement in the air. School pride is in full bloom. My favorite part at my school is admiring the sea of red herding to the stadium. Everyone is in a good mood, ready to root on the team.

//TWO//
Fall Weather
This week has been super rainy, and I am not a fan of getting unexpectedly caught out in the cold rain. It makes my naturally curly hair a frizzy poof-ball, and there's something about rain that makes me uncomfortable. My idea of a perfect fall day is sunny with a sort-of crisp cold in the air. It's warm enough to tolerate being outside, but it's cool enough to bundle up in a knit-sweater and a scarf. Yesterday was finally that day--just in time for one my roommate's birthday. It was a gorgeous day, and one of the few we may have left before the seemingly never-ending winter that is approaching too quickly.

//THREE//
Big Sweaters and Scarves
As I mentioned, my favorite fall weather involves being able to wear sweaters and scarves. They are both comfy and cute. I love looking at the fashion pins in the fall. There are so many ways to dress up a simple sweater, which definitely makes the change in weather bearable.

//FOUR//
Fall Coffee
Including, but not limited to the Pumpkin Spiced Latte. I am a sucker for a good Salted Caramel Mocha--my favorite is at Starbucks. Who doesn't love a good seasonal treat to warm them up?

//FIVE//
Boots
As much as I love my converse, they do not hold up in the winter months. I need something that's going to offer me a little more protection from the cold and the snow. Plus, boots can be super stylish. I love that you can turn a look from sporty to semi-dressy just by swapping out your tennis shoes for some riding boots.

//SIX//
Holidays
Admittedly, Halloween is not my favorite holiday. It's fun, but I am awful at coming up with costume ideas. Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and that keeps me motivated on so many levels. It's a chance to get back home to catch up with family and friends. And this time of year always makes me so nostalgic. I love sitting around the table with family, talking about everything we are thankful for.

//SEVEN//
Halloween Movies
While Halloween isn't really my thing, I love all the movies about it--specifically the children ones. Any Halloweentown fans? Can we just pause for a minute to talk about the fact that is was totally not okay when they replaced Marnie in the final movie? It felt so wrong. But the first three are still amazing. I also love Hocus Pocus, Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire, Phantom of the Megaplex, and Don't Look Under the Bed.  I am not a huge fan of actual horror movies, but if there is any time for a good scary movie, it is now.

//EIGHT//
Fall Treats
Last weekend we had a birthday party for a couple of my roommates, so we decided to make a few desserts for our friends. A few weeks ago I picked up a Betty Crocker pouch and cream cheese frosting to make Pumpkin Bars. I had never made anything like them before, so I was a little be nervous. I cut them up into bite-size rectangles and I had to muster up some pretty great self-control to leave them for guests. I think I am still one up on my friend Jen, who is crazy about anything pumpkin. She even sent a picture in our group message of her pumpkin-themed grocery basket at Target one day. No matter how much you love/hate pumpkin, there is a fall treat for anyone. Fresh apples and caramel are one of my favorite fall snacks.

What are your favorite parts about Fall?

An Incomplete Timeline of my Life in the Lost and Found Bin

I decided it might be kind of fun to make a little timeline. This is an interactive timeline of my life. The posts it brings you to might not directly relate to the picture, but each one will bring you somewhere around the Bin (except for the picture of Sydney. That will bring you to the short-lived blog I attempted while I watched her this past summer).

Click on a photo, or two, or three, and get a better look inside the Life in the Lost and Found Bin. You might just find something you didn't know you were looking for. (Treat: the first one is my FIRST ever blog post. It's bad. See for yourself).