There are tons of things to do in the summer! If you don’t believe me, then keep reading! I love summer because the sun feels so good on my skin, and it feels like relaxation time away from school. We only have so many summers left before all become full-time adults with jobs, families, and no free time. Here’s a list of things to do in the summer: Hike- at your local park or in the hills/mountains in a different state Find a new hobby – find something to bake, create, or

I recently attended a “seminar” of sorts by a woman named Rachel Norris. What an amazing lesson I learned. I’ve heard some of it before, but I was never told the way she did it. Rachel showed the group of us how to make a pitcher out of clay. We didn’t do it ourselves, only observed. I’m glad we were sitting still, so we could listen and pay attention with all of our beings. Rachel not only told us about her life, mistakes, and tragedies, but she told us of the joy she found

Crocheting is so fun! My Nana has really bad arthritis, so she has crocheted since she was in her twenties. I never thought much about it growing up, but now that I’m older I’ve noticed that she’s gotten older, too. She won’t be around forever, so I wanted to learn something from her to pass on to my kids and grandkids! In my sophomore year of college, I asked her to teach me how to crochet. I started a blanket, but I got caught up in classes and life, and I forgot about it u

Who are you? Who are you really? A lot of people try to answer that question for themselves throughout their life. My answer to you is kind of complex. We’re always changing. Always learning. We’re always coming into contact with new people, ideas, cultures, etc. Who you are now is not who you were a year ago. You’ve grown. Evolved. Transformed into the you you are today. So who are you? Henri Nouwen, a Dutch theologian, says there are three key ways to answering the question

Dear You, Stop putting yourself down. Stop putting others’ feelings before your own. It’s good that you’re compassionate and caring, but you need to also think of yourself. Stop stressing that no one will like you. Stop stressing that everyone will leave. Not everything in life is supposed to turn out bad. Other people have wonderful lives, why do you think you can’t? This is something I tell myself a lot. Different things stress me out, and everyone is different. That’s okay

My friend and I started talking one day about a character that wasn’t very appreciated. That Character was Charlotte La Bouff from Princess and the Frog. We talked about all the positive things she had to offer the audience. She was beautiful, rich, wanted to be a princess, and yet she stood by her best friend who wasn’t anywhere near rich and didn’t desire to be a princess. Tiana was very motivated and hard-working (which most people thought she was crazy for), but Charolett

Living differently than others isn’t bad. Everyone’s on their own paths. Some get married early, some graduate later in life, and some never go to school or get married. Whatever happens, don’t put yourself down for it or compare yourself to others. You aren’t doing life wrong. There isn’t a way to do life wrong because everyone is unique and has the right to enjoy their life no matter what it looks like. I recently remembered a book I read my senior year in high school that

Some people have a green thumb and then some don’t. My mom is one of them. I’m scared she passed it on to me, but have no fear! There are things I have learned you can do to help preserve your plants. Put Plants in the Right Place Know Your Lighting Needs Don’t Overwater Feed Your Plants Groom Your Plants Check for Pests Check for Disease Check out more info at How Not to Kill Your Houseplants. Some plants are so cool, you can literally keep them in JUST water, all-year-roun

First off, hiking is a great form of exercise. Second, who doesn’t love nature? I get it, I get it – bugs are NOT fun. But, that’s why you either a) pick a fall or winter time to go hiking, or b) pick a different area/climate that doesn’t have as many bugs. Staying inside is kind of like guarding yourself off from experiences. The sunrise/sunset is never the same, you might see animals one day and not see them the next, and the possibilities of how the hike could turn out are

The Office is very dynamic. It changes so much throughout the nine seasons it has. The actors get older, wiser, and more in character with every episode. It can be embarrassing and cringy at times, but once you give it a chance I promise you won’t regret it. I used to hate it when my friends watched it because of the character Michael. But, once I saw Jim and Pam’s relationship, I was like “ok I’ll put up with Michael.” So I watched the entire series skipping through every s

It’s hard sometimes knowing or deciding on what to do any time of year, but especially during spring when you know good and well summer is right around the corner. I’ve made a list of productive and fun things to do for you! Spring Cleaning – I know, we’ve all heard it before. Even though it’s not the most fun, it can be really beneficial. Not only do you start on a “clean slate” so to speak, but you can also help others whether it’s donating clothes or other household item

Of all the things my eyes have seen The best by far is you. This much is true, Nothing will come between. I pray that you know how much I love you I hope you know I’ll see you through The good days and the bad The happy and the sad. ‘Our love can do anything we want it to’ Even if we went as far as Timbuktu. You make me laugh when I’m down, So I scored a touchdown. You make me smile all the time, That’s worth a trillion times a dime. I’ll put on my crown And dance with you at

Accepting yourself is a hard task to accomplish, especially after growing up in a society that forces ideas and beliefs on who you should be, what you should be, and how you present yourself to others. You have to remember everyone is different. I was that person that didn’t want to be a part of the crowd or another pretty face, and that made it exceedingly hard for me. I wanted to be accepted for who I am, how I think, what I do and not for how I look or appear to others. Th

Freshman year of college I still didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I love singing, cooking, writing, and art but I couldn’t see myself as a singer, chef, journalist/editor, or artist. It wasn’t until I took sociology as a prerequisite that I truly found my calling. I want to understand and help others. I want to help others find their way in life, learn their value, and I want to help them feel understood. Sociology is the study of the development, structure, and

Sometimes it’s hard to feel like you belong. You feel like people at your job hate you, or no one will hire you, you feel like your friends’ leave you out. I promise that’s not true. You first have to believe in yourself and then everything else will follow. I learned that it’s better to feel good about yourself and being yourself because after you accomplish that, it’s hard for anyone to take that from you. Sometimes even impossible. Once you accept yourself for who you are,

There are a lot of things that come to mind when I think about love. Love is amazing! Growing up, kids told their significant others “I love you” all the time. Then there’s drama, and they break up after a month or two. Love is not anxiety. Love is not rage. Love is not unforgiving. Love is not alien. We all want love. That’s what we were made for. I believe there is somebody for everybody because humans were not made to live alone. Some people prefer to be single, but most

Last year, I bought myself my first Xbox. I’ve never been much of a gamer, but I’ve fallen in love with it. Making friends over gaming always seemed weird to me as a kid because I never did it. Now that I have, I wouldn’t change it for the world. One of my closest friends is someone I met through gaming. Granted, it’s not just playing the games. I had to make connections with people on Twitter and the streaming platform Twitch, too. You would be surprised how many great conne

One of the coolest shows on Netflix right now has got to be Blown Away! If you’ve ever seen any type of food competition, it’s like that except you use glass instead. In other words, it’s a competition of style, creativity, and the ability to work in a quick time frame. I never knew this until I watched the show, but when glass has a certain form, it’s because someone created that shape by blowing through a blowpipe with the glass on the other side in a semi-liquid state. In

Healthy eating is absolutely amazing to me. Your body gets perky and energized. You feel like you’re on top of the world. Want to become a chef? Want to make dishes you, your friends, and your family love? Look no further! Make a list of the food items you like (excluding junk food). Be sure to organize them into categories such as dairy products, fruits, vegetables, and meats to make it easier for yourself. Then, look up dishes online that contain the foods you love. For m

Animals are absolutely amazing! Most times they can read your emotions, and they do cute little things to make you feel better when you’re sad or heighten your feelings when you’re happy. Last year was my freshman year in college, and it helped me so much having my two cats at my parents’ house to love on them and let all my pent up emotions go. They would follow me, lay with me, and sleep next to me, making me feel special. It made all my bad feelings and thoughts disappear.