Thankful for Traffic, Taxes, and Tough People

It's been awhile since my last post, but with finals right around the corner i'm playing the "busy college student" card. I know, I play that card a lot, but it should be a privilege..... right?:)

Happy Turkey day!!!! In honor of Thanksgiving I wanted to write a short blog post on gratitude. Instead of taking the traditional route and listing things I am most grateful for, I decided to try a new perspective. I wrote a list of my top six pet peeves, then sat for a long time until I could come up for at least one reason why I was thankful for each particular item. Here is my final list:

I'm thankful for:

1. Stubborn people - because they show me what it's like to fight fiercely for something I believe in.

2. Taxes - because it's proof that I still have a paycheck. And look at all that Ramen I can buy!:)

3. Traffic - because maybe we're all moving a little too fast in life anyways. We could use some slowing down, even if it's staring at miles of red brake lights.

4. Dead cell phone batteries - it's moments like these when I realize who I can't go very long without talking to, and who I miss most when I can't connect with them.

5. Icy roads - they bring back memories of my dad first teaching me to drive in a snowy church parking lot, purposefully locking the breaks for practice in driving through bad weather. They also remind me that I have a loving family who put new tires on my little car, and people who care enough to call me just to see if I got home safely.

6. College finals week - Just kidding. I'm not thankful for that particular week.

We all have so much to be thankful for apart from the obvious. We're all thankful for our family and friends, our jobs, our houses, and food on the table. But what about showing gratitude for the little things that we take for granted every day? Things such as the sun shining in the morning, the fact that your car windows didn't ice over on a day you're running late, or that the newspaper boy takes his time to deliver the paper all the way to the front porch (which is a rare occurrence, we definitely need to award medals to paper boys such as these). After eating yourself silly, taking a nap, and watching some football, take a minute to enjoy the small things in life. There is so much more beauty offered in this world if you keep your eyes open!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

All In Favor Of A Modest Halloween?

I went to my first college party last night, and it was a ton of fun. As soon as I walked in I noticed a popular trend. Most of the girls were wearing (or should I say NOT wearing) half clothed bunny outfits or other revealing costumes. Most of them seemed store bought, but some went to the effort of cutting old clothes simply to be more revealing. The entire night the trend for costumes seemed to be to show as much skin as possible. Why is that? When did Halloween become a competition for who looks the best in bikini tops and tutus? And when did we decide that this is ok?

Throughout the night I noticed that the girls wearing the revealing costumes were getting a lot of attention. They were always in the center of the dance floor surrounded by other people, they were on the front row for the concerts and they seemed to be having the most fun. For a moment I thought that maybe that dressing immodestly was required to make more friends and be more popular. But as the night wore on I realized that the type of attention these girls were getting was from the wrong crowd. The crowd of boys surrounding these girls looked like they couldn't walk in a straight line if they wanted to. The language they were using was less than respectful, and the general way they were treating these girls was uncomfortable to watch.

We've heard it plenty of times, that to be respected we need to respect ourselves first. It's hard to be a girl and still maintain high standards in this day and age.  It's hard to go shopping and have to buy two shirts just to make the first shirt modest. It's tough to search to find fabric to add sleeves to that gorgeous prom dress you've been dreaming of. It's impossible to find knee length shorts without just cutting an old pair of jeans yourself. But it's worth it! Dressing modestly for YOU is worth it. Dressing modestly because you respect yourself more than that is worth it. The girls that choose to cover up are still as beautiful as those that choose to show more skin. In my opinion modesty is even more beautiful because you will stand out in ways that others can't. Instead of screaming for attention you will silently and boldly demand respect and attention from the type of guy who will see that the way you present yourself is important to you and it should be important to him for the right reasons. 

So here is to my girls who Pinterest endlessly for modest wedding dresses with sleeves. Who spend a week finding a modest Halloween costume or making one themselves. Who spend a little extra money to make that cute top modest. Who search every store on the Wasatch Front for a modest swim suit. THANK YOU! Thank you for being an example of how beautiful modesty can be and for standing up for respect. The world needs a little bit more of your standards.

Me and one of my cute roommates getting ready for the USU Howl!:) 

S.T.R.E.S.S.

We all get a little stressed out sometimes. And by sometimes I mean most of the time. We spend our days rushing around to get things accomplished so that we will have time to rush around again tomorrow to accomplish more things. Some days it feels like we are barely getting by just so we can continue to barely get by.

Being a full time college student, working two part-time jobs, getting involved in campus and church activities and SOMEHOW trying to get at least six hours of sleep a night is enough to stress out even the toughest of the tough. We've all been there, and if you are a college student you can add on the fact that you might be an overworked athlete, president of the chess club, designated apartment dishwasher, or loaded down with tons of physics homework that doesn't make sense (because lets be honest, when does physics ever make sense?). Stress is bound to happen sometime or another, and with mid-terms and the holiday season just around the corner I thought i'd share some of my stress reducing tips. These are things that work for me and some ideas to help take the stress away a little bit at a time!

1. Do something for you once a day!
I know you might be thinking that adding one more thing to your already crazy schedule sounds like the worst possible solution to cure high stress. And hey, some days I'm lucky if I have time to cook a three minute meal in the microwave. Trust me on this one though, taking even just ten minutes out of your day to do something for you gives you a break from your stress levels. Choose something you love to do, whether it's listening to music, going on a quick run (lets be honest and call it a brisk walk), or sketching. I love to light a candle and write in my journal or read my scriptures for a little bit. Also take some time to remember the people in your life who really matter to you. They know you are busy, but giving your attention and time to those who mean the world to you might just ensure that they stay in your world.

2. Talk it out.
Roommates are amazing. Partly because they pay part of the rent and partly because they are a built in family support group. It's hard to keep stress built up inside. I came home the other day after taking an impossible mid-term exam and vented to my roommate about it for at least five minutes straight. I threw a small pity party and complained about the number of questions, the format of the test, even the font that the test was written in just so that I could continue to find something to nit pick over. After all of my complaining my roommate heard me out and let me just talk through it. I felt so much better! Give it a try and talk about the reasons you are stressed. A good friend will always hear you out no matter what - even if all you are venting about is how distracting the single spaced point eight cursive test font is.:)

3. Write it down, plan it out, divide and conquer.
Ok now it's time to put on your Superman cape and save the world one task at a time. You've got a lot to do and procrastinating won't make that To-Do list disappear. Write down a list of five things you need to get done today. The top three are necessary to complete that day. Focus on each individual thing until the top three items get crossed off the list. If you have time, continue on to the last two items of the list. If you're tired of being Superman for the day move the last two items on the list to the first two items to do for tomorrow. Even Clark Kent needs a break now and then.

4. You are enough!
You are smart enough. You are tough enough. You are strong enough. Don't get so overwhelmed with your To-Do list that you lose sight of the amazing things that you are capable of. I know i've been in a stress induced haze before where I can't see the reasons behind the actions or the goals at the end of the processes. You'll ace your midterms, pay day will come, and the dishes will be clean eventually. The important thing is that you are happy with where you are and where you are headed!

So superhero, go ahead and be happy while flying around all day getting things done. You deserve an award for all you do.;)

These four things are strategies that i've found help relieve stress for me. You know what works best for you! If you have any more ideas feel free to leave a comment and let me know!

My roommate and I took a break from studying to check out the campus bookstore and get these great Utah State shirts. Clearance items are also a great way to relieve a little bit of stress too.;) 

Fire Alarms, Ramen, and Navigating Life:)

I spent my senior year of high school dreaming of how to decorate my future apartment in college. My roommates and I went shopping every spare second to pick out salt and pepper shakers and new silverware while they were on clearance. My little brother even gave me a toilet plunger for Christmas complete with a toilet cleaning brush and fancy gold bow to top things off. We spent the summer painting, sanding, going to garage sales, and rifling through the questionably sanitary items at the D.I. I thought I was completely prepared for the college experience.

I have never been more wrong in my life.

Don't get me wrong, college is amazing! I've had so many great experiences being on my own and I have been able to grow with the new responsibilities. I'm talking about the handle-breaking-off-the-toilet-and-nobody-knows-how-to-fix-it type of prepared. You never know your true maturity level until your fire alarm needs new batteries in the middle of the night. Then add in the fact that you weren't even aware that you had a fire alarm in the first place. 

After three months of adjusting to this new life where finding double A batteries at four in the morning is practically impossible, I decided to come up with a game plan. I invested in two different planners, learned to manage my time, and even cooked a few meals that didn't include discount ramen packets.

So I started this blog in hopes of being able to share different ways to stay on your A-game while going through college life. I'll post about ways to stay  creative and do fun crafts while on a budget, how to brighten a hard day, ways to find great discounts on clothes and fashion products, and also personal posts as well! Feel free to follow and read up from time to time!:)