My answer will always be "To read," I love reading. My favorite subject is English and a good book puts me over the moon. Unfortunately, I haven't read as much as I'd like/should have recently. Why is that? Well I don't go to the library that much anymore, and the books I do want to read are usually checked out. I'm not crazy about rereading books, so to buy them from the bookstore or for the Kindle doesn't appeal to me. My brother has a Kindle that he doesn't use often, and when he does use it, it's for apps. (So pointless, I know!)
However, with the library having due dates and me never returning the books on time, I think it might be best for me to borrow my brother's Kindle and buy some books to read. Depending on my schedule, I might spend an entire rainy afternoon curled up with a book, or just 10 minutes a night. (Does anyone read right before bed? I typically can't do it because I either get too into the book and have to keep reading or I'm reading an exciting, action book and I can't go to bed with all the dangerous adventures in my head... I'm a scaredy cat. I don't do scary movies. I love action movies, but scary movies are a no. Even when I watch One Tree Hill (especially when some of the crazy, scary drama happens, I have to watch a happy episode of How I Met Your Mother or New Girl before I go to sleep. I have to.))
One of my goals for the 2014-15 school year is to read more books, at least one book a month. (More on my goals in an upcoming post!) Hopefully with the usage of a Kindle, I'll be able to accomplish this goal.
What books do you recommend I read? My mom wants me to buy one book at a time to ensure I read the entire book...
Here are some books I've been looking at for a while...
After watching the infamous Orange Is the New Black on Netflix and falling in love with the different characters with such interesting backgrounds... I'd love to hear the real story. (Did you know OITNB was based off this book which is a true story?) I know that the TV show is probably more "dramatic," but I'm excited to hear all about Piper Kerman's story. I love memoirs; my eighth grade English teacher recommended The Glass Castle to me and I loved it!
After hearing millions of bloggers talk about how amazing this book, I know I must give it a try. I love smart, funny, quirky reads, which is why I'm really excited to try this book out! It might be the first book I read. Check out the reviews if you aren't convinced!
I'm debating between starting Divergent or Where'd You Go, Bernadette? first. When Divergent was all the rage, all my friends were reading it. As I was loaded with schoolwork and didn't read much, (I get addicted to good books and can't stop reading them, which is why I didn't read during the school year) I didn't read it. But everyone wouldn't and couldn't stop talking about how good a book Divergent was. EPP, who isn't into reading, told me about how awesome Divergent was and emphasized that she typically doesn't like books. I'll be reading it either first or second! I'm considering buying the entire series at once, but I read the third book was horrible, so I'll probably just buy the first one first.
I remember in eighth grade talking with my English teacher (she was amazing) about book recommendations, and she recommended this book to me. She said she'd need my parents' permission before lending it to me, and my parents were fine with it, but by the time I had gotten it, she had already given me another book to read. Ever since I was little, I have loved mystery books. Cam Jensen, anyone? Even to this day, mysteries still appeal to me... White Collar, Psych, Sherlock. This book sounds so interesting with the mixture of mystery, religion and art- some of my favorite things! I can't wait to start this novel.
I adore Mindy Kaling. I was about to do a blog post about how I need to start watching The Mindy Project as it sounds like it'd be my new favorite show. I loved her in The Office and her tweets are on point. At a sleepover with my two of my favorite people in the world, MNR (BFF since kindergarten) and AF, MNR recommended this light, hilarious read.
Another light, comical read recommended to me by MNR and AF. The title of the book is me in a nutshell, and it's Tina Fey. I'm excited to read it. I love reading those "laugh out loud" reads. I can totally see myself reading this book in public (like on the subway) and laughing out loud... Is that a thing? Do people bring their kindles with them on the subway? Well one day, when I'm a local NYC-er or DC-er. One day...
The current #1 bestseller of Kindle. The reviews are outstanding and the book sounds interesting. I've read lots of books dealing with death, such as Thirteen Reasons Why. One of the questions the author answered was "This is a book about death, but it's not depressing. Why is that?" She answers with "Maybe because it's really about the power of love- of family, friends, music- and therefore it ultimately affirms life." Such a beautiful answer and I can't wait to read this book.
I'm really excited to read these books! Do you have any other book suggestions? I'd love to hear them! I'll be doing my research on more books to read through blogs and reviews... I will be reviewing the books as I finish them, so you can hear my thoughts on these books!
What a week! I did most of my APUSH summer assignment and I'm working on finishing that up. I still have a lot of my AP English summer assignment to do (Oh, The Awakening...) I've already created the August Playlist which I'm excited to share with you this month; there are so many new songs and it's on replay all the time now!
On Wednesday, I went back to school to lead a group of freshmen for freshmen orientation. It was so much fun leading the freshmen around and talking about the school. I love talking and leading people; I'm really peppy and get really excited! I'm also really loud and not afraid to be really silly. Thanks Ms. C for giving me the position to lead a group! It was so much fun.
I got the chance to see some of my favorite teachers! Honestly, (don't judge me) I love school. Especially high school. I love forming friendships with my teachers. I'm blessed to go to a school with the most amazing teachers. I've missed them a lot, and it was great to see them and just feel back at home. A lot of the teachers know who J and I from our #TeacherSelfie contest (check out #2!) in May.
J was also helping out with freshmen orientation, and we're in the process of getting our class t-shirts ready. J and I knew we needed to get that show on the road. We met up with Ms. B2 (my pre-calc teacher) who told us that sadly Ms. B (my algebra 2 teacher) wasn't returning to school, as she got a marketing job two weeks ago. Ms. B (algebra 2) did most of the work with prom venue paperwork, so Ms. B2, (who I'll eventually just call Ms. B, but not for this post- too confusing! Even my friends who know these teachers reading these posts get confused...) J and I were uncertain what to do. J and I have never planned a prom before!
After speaking with all of the assistant principals (there's 4 of them), the principal, bookkeeper, we learned a lot about what we needed to do. We met the newest assistant principal, Ms. K, who's now in charge of all the clubs. J and I were a little nervous since we knew Ms. C (the assistant principal who was in charge of clubs previously), but after meeting with Ms. K, we were thrilled. Ms. K is the sweetest lady with the best advice! She felt more like a friend/mentor than a principal. Ms. K was a student council adviser at her old school in the past, so she gave so much help to J, Ms. B2 and I!
In Ms. K's office, we made lots of calls to venues about prices, date availability and what they'd be able to provide us. We wrote down our budget and what each item would cost. Party favors were $4,000 last year... WHAT?! If you think $45 is expensive for a prom ticket, it isn't! J and I can prove it. ;) Ms. K was the sweetest lady with the best advice about student council. J, Ms. B2 and I discussed everything with Ms. K from fundraising to different prom venues. Ms. B (my algebra 2 teacher) was supposed to book the same prom venue they had the previous year at the end of June, but she didn't, with her new job.
However it turned out to be a good thing because we can now look at different prom venues! J and I volunteered at prom last year and we weren't crazy about last year's prom venue or the service.
After spending a good 3 hours discussing t-shirts and prom, we felt much more prepared (but also more nervous). Who knew there was so much to do for an event that was 8-9 months away?! It felt like we were planning a wedding. We have a lot on our plates, but if anyone can handle it, it's J and I. We're so excited for the year with Ms. B2 and Ms. K's help!
Since Ms. B is gone, Ms. B2 wanted another adviser to help us out with prom! Ms. B2 already has so much to do, so there's one teacher who I absolutely adore. He's an English teacher and while I haven't had him, we've met several times because he's friends with Ms. Brown (my AP HuGe teacher) and we've made small talk.
During freshman orientation, he led the "Clubs" portion with another teacher, and he is hilarious! He loves Beyoncé and casually quotes her in his conversation. SO funny! H had him for English and loved him! She told me how much I'd love him if I had him. While I'm sad that I don't have him for AP English this year, I adore my AP English teacher (who I just know I'll love because everyone loves her!). It'd be perfect for me to get to work with him, since he's my fave.
He has always been very active with our STUCO Twitter, and Ms. B2 said he's her first choice as he volunteered to help out with prom last year. J and I shot him an email asking if he'd like to co-advise with Ms. B2... Fingers crossed he says yes!
Can you believe we did that much on Wednesday?! J and I were at school from 7:45am-4pm... crazy!
After working on more STUCO stuff at home while texting J, I went out to dinner at Chipotle with EPP, Kai-D, TD, SS, JG and AV. They're my lunch group at school and I adore them! We went to Chipotle, froyo and Target. (Yes, all we do is go out to eat... I get it!)
Without further ado (sorry long recap but I love to tell y'all the exciting things that happen and Wednesday was just so much fun!)... my Five on Friday!
The Breakfast Club: At dinner on Wednesday, The Breakfast Club was brought up. I mentioned that I'd never seen it. Kai-D and JG insisted that I watch it immediately! On Thursday, I cuddled up in bed with my laptop and watched it. It was an interesting movie, although it was rather sad at some times. It really hit close to home, because it's true, you don't really know everything going on in people's lives. You don't know all of their struggles and stories; it's a nice reminder not to judge others, not to worry about social status, and to be kind to everyone you meet. It was a super cute movie and I loved it! It was truly a classic and it did live up to my expectations. [Side note: I'm heated because Netflix took my favorite movie, Breakfast at Tiffany's, off Netflix. What?!]
Image via IMDb
Prom: Are you even surprised with my super long recap? The fact that we're already planning prom before school starts is exciting. I love having something to do and I love student council. Making phone calls to venues, planning the budget, talking to others- it's all so much fun! I'm nervous because I really want to plan an amazing prom, but I'm not going to forget to have fun because it's truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I'm so excited to be doing this with J and Ms. B2! I'm so thankful for all the help J and I have been given. If you think I'm prom-crazy now, just wait until the spring... ;) The day before prom and the day of prom will be AHHHH! If I don't pull my hair out and everything runs smoothly, it'll be a victory in my book. I just want everyone to have a safe, fun, enjoyable, memorable time. Yay for prom! Yay for student council! Can you tell I'm excited to be back in school? (Minus the work load and craziness... yeah!)
Girls Chase Boys: My new favorite song. I adore Ingrid Michaelson! It's been on replay all day and it's one of the songs on my August playlist. I love the beat and cute lyrics. Girls chase boys chase girls!
Wacoal: This might be a little strange, but I don't even care. Victoria's Secret Pink bras were flimsy and Victoria's Secret was okay, but not great. After reading lots of blogs, I knew I needed to leave Victoria's Secret behind... My mom suggested Wacoal. While I was hesitant to buy a $60 bra, it is worth it. Wacoal fits better and has the necessary support, especially if you have a larger chest or weird bra size. It took 3 bra fittings from 3 different stores to get the correct size. There's nothing more frustrating than trying on bras that don't fit. Wacoal bras are worth the money. My personal favorite bra is the Wacoal Strapless Bra - Red Carpet #854119. The best part about it is even as a strapless bra, it stays up! It comes with removable straps too.
This IKEA chair: Another random one, but I sit in this chair in my room and it's my all-time favorite chair. I blog from it, read in it and watch movies in it. So comfortable and I love that you can rock back in it!
As all the tweets during 12:01am of August 1st said... this month is the month that school starts. It's the last chance to do all those fun summer things we didn't do all summer.
Here are some of the things I enjoyed doing over summer that you can consider doing before summer ends...
Silly String Fight: 1) Buy a couple of bottles of silly string from the dollar store, 2) Grab a couple of friends, 3) Go crazy! We had a huge silly string fight at TD's party and it was a lot of fun! It was so much fun that we did it at home with my brothers. Make sure to do it outside and clean up the silly string afterwards. The silly string does stain when it's wet, so don't sit on it! It will come out with some hard scrubbing and Tide though!
Tie-Dye: I did tie-dye several times this summer (well 2, but still!). I love the tie-dye kits at A.C. Moore and tie-dying is that activity where I love doing it more than I love the finished product. It's so much fun to do with some friends and good music. The worst part is waiting to see your creation!
Day Trips: Whether you're going to the zoo, beach, amusement park... day trips are always fun. Again, the more, the merrier! Going to the zoo with my friends was one of the most memorable days of my summer.
Summer Camp: Well I was a summer camp counselor, but volunteering / working at summer camp is the best experience of summer! As one of my favorite summer camp counselors said, "It's not summer without summer camp!" Volunteering at summer camp is much more fun than restacking books at the library, and it's a great way to earn a lot of hours!
Driving Around Town: One of my favorite nights was just cruising around town with JSC in her car. We stopped to talk in a Walmart parking lot and just talked all night. It's so much fun and there's something special about driving and talking with the radio in the background.
Going to the Pool: There's nothing I love more than the pool. Is it truly summer without tanning, talking and the occasion dip in the pool?
What I wish I did:
Summer Concerts: Is there anything better than summer concerts? No. Well I've never been to a summer concert, so I can't speak with experience. I really wish I went to Jack Johnson and Vampire Weekend this summer!
Crafts: I did do tie-dye, but I wish I did more crafts! Here are some crafts from Pinterest I love!
Side note: I only told like three people about my blog! Since I have a pretty good number of followers on Pinterest, I decided to share my blog with people who had similar taste in me. That's how ALD found out about my blog and shared it with JSC, MF and MS! When ALD first found my blog, she texted me telling me how she loved my blog. I was a little embarrassed, but I was glad she liked it. The next time I saw JSC, MF and MS, they told me they found out about my blog because ALD brought it up one day at swim practice (which I'm not at anymore... sadly!). I was again embarrassed, because I wasn't sure what their reactions would be. Fortunately JSC loved the blog, she was just upset because ALD had a better description than her in my first post about them! (It was because I knew ALD was reading my blog!!)
One summer night (actually the night of this post!), ALD, JSC and I were hanging out at JSC's house. ALD decided that she wanted to start a blog. JSC and I were super excited to help her set it up. She didn't write a post that night as we were all hanging out. JSC and I told her that she had to write some posts soon! She never did. We kept checking her blog in anticipation.
Fast forward to tonight, JSC and I were texting. I was texting her about life in general, the science behind being a basic white girl (post coming soon!), Tory Burch sales (true friendship right there) and the sport rowing... just to name a few things we talk about. ;) JSC brought up that ALD had updated her blog! I was so excited, I immediately went to her blog to see her two posts! So here I am, doing y'all a favor and introducing to you, the fabulous blog of ALD's!
I love her post on workout clothes! Can you tell we went shopping together on this day? (Hint: Check out #5!) I'm so excited to read what else ALD will write about. She's a girl with amazing taste and the coolest life, so get excited! If you like my blog (and I sure hope you do, since you're reading it now), you'll love ALD's blog!
Other somewhat school related items... I mean you'll be bringing them to school anyways.
I'll be going off campus this year! Which means I need a cute place to stash my cash, off campus pass and student ID. I love these options!
Chevron, Kate Spade, and only $44?! Grab it while it lasts!
Tory does gingham.
Tory doesn't do anything wrong... Am I right? This baby is currently on sale for $87.50! Ah!
My personal favorite.
The neutral color and the tassel,
What's not to love?
Currently on sale for $108.50!
(I totally would've bought it if
I didn't already have a Tory smartphone wristlet)
Since everyone's driving,
Everyone has keys!
Get a cute keychain to separate yours
From everyone else's!
Nautical flags are my obsession! This tote is perfect for everything,
I want it to keep in the back of my (future) car
And just keep everything in there!
There's nothing like the feeling after a work-out. However, there's nothing like the feeling during a work-out. Ugh. No me gusta. But the feeling after a work-out is enough to encourage me to continue working out.
During my latest trip to the mall, ALD wanted to stop by in Athleta. There was a lot of cute stuff and it convinced me that I needed to start working out (so I could have an excuse to buy cute work out clothes, of course!).
I've also been looking into juice cleanses and green smoothies. We have a juicer at my house and while we don't always take it out (it's a pain to clean), I love using it! I have a very low tolerance for greasy food and easily get sick when eating too much greasy food. I got sick in Canada after trying the infamous but very fattening poutine (fries, gravy and cheese... still makes me shudder to this day! It tasted good but my stomach after felt horrible. Never again!) I have considered becoming a vegetarian, I'm not huge on meat, (I prefer carbs- bring on the pasta!) but I do love chicken and seafood (seafood is the best!). I might consider being a pescatarian.
My friend SS is a vegetarian. That's just the way she grew up and it was a choice she made when she was younger. She's considering about trying meat, but she's nervous about the taste. It's funny to me, because I would feel the same way if I were her! She was like "You have to chew it?! What is its texture?!" SS' brother went to college last year and he started eating meat in college, since the food options and variety for vegetarians are more limited. He loves meat now and he can't get enough of it. So if I were to switch to a pescatarian, I might need to change my route for college...
I don't think I need to declare myself as anything, but just try to stick with more veggies when possible!
I would love to try a juice cleanse though! I'm not sure if my mom would love it, but maybe a week in the summer. (Not the smartest idea during school when you really need that energy) Or maybe after Christmas and New Year's after all that greasy, delicious food.
I don't even need to do a cleanse, just drinking more juices (juices as in green juices!) would be great. It'd be perfect for me to have a juice every morning for breakfast (I have to force food down my mouth at 6:30am, and I usually don't eat!) during school. It'd be a great way to ensure I get my veggies intake!
I loved this post from The Coveteur with their Vegetarian and Vegan Guide to NYC. Almost everyone recommended Juice Press. If I lived in NYC, I'd totally have a Juice Press addiction! (And a Sweetgreen addiction. Fav kind-of fast food place ever! [a Chipotle set up for salads] Sorry Cook-Out.) Side note: Can I please live in the city?! Juice Press, Sweetgreen and walking everywhere. My Lululemon collection would increase drastically and my weight would decrease drastically.
Since I'm not willing to buy juices online, I would love to look up and find my own juicing recipes with similar ingredients to Juice Press' juices! I have a smoothie addiction, so I'd love to find some recipes to some yummy green smoothies for a tasty breakfast and afternoon snack! Anyone have any suggestions?
After JSC asked me if I could be her personal shopper/outfit approver tonight (AHH! I was so honored. Love JSC!), I was telling her all about my Lululemon obsession. JSC's parents are super fit and into crossfit- super hardcore working out. JSC's parents are super cool and shop at Lulu and Athleta, so that's how that all relates. Anyways... JSC was telling me how she'd go work out with me if I got into working out. I would love to work out this school year. Working out has so many benefits besides the obvious losing weight, gaining muscle benefit. Working out reduces stress and anxiety (one of my biggest problems when it comes to school), makes your skin healthier and raising endorphins aka makes you happier. (Aka what I learned from Legally Blonde!)
I got really excited that JSC said she'd work out with me. I worked out once with a friend and it was so much fun! The time flew by and even though we got Chick-Fil-A after... well me and JSC won't do that. I was telling JSC excitedly about how we could get juices and green smoothies afterwards, go power walking in the mall and buy cute new workout gear!
Here's to a new month and new me! While it's still summer, I'll be doing my research, so I can go into school healthy and ready to face the school year!
What do you like to do to workout? I love the elliptical at the gym. I would love to go to some group classes at my gym- any thoughts? It's hard to find workout classes for just teens, but I don't mind being the youngest in the group, especially if I'm with a friend! Any suggestions on what classes to take? I personally would love to do zumba (we do kids zumba at my summer camp, so much fun!), yoga, classic work out classes, and maybe something crazy like kickboxing? Who knows what this year will result in? (Hopefully not me watching Netflix in my spare time and a wasted gym membership!) Any suggestions and tips for working out and eating healthy- please send them my way! I need them all!
I'm sorry, I'm sorry... after a day of shopping and work, I was ready to hit the hay early last night, and I did. I watched an episode of Mixology (mixed feelings about Mixology so far... haha, get it?) and fell asleep. I didn't wake up until noon today; I was exhausted.
I had a very social week. Monday included a Noodles & Co (our favorite place or what?) and shopping date with SS and AV. Tuesday included an old friend, HD's outdoor party where AS and TD met for the first time! Thursday included a High School Musical date with Chick-Fil-A (our favorite place... besides Panera) ALD, JSC and MF. Friday included a trip to the mall with ALD and JSC, and a late night of work! Yay for being back at work. I've missed it so much. I'm really fortunate to have the best job in the world.
Here's my Five on Saturday!
Harry Potter for Kinect - Xbox 360: We got this game last night and have been playing it ever since! I think it's a really fun Kinect game that get you moving, shouting different spells and excited! The game is short (my brothers got to Year 4 in a few hours by last night), but it is a fun game. I played the game a little today and activities I completed included: making my way to the Lestrange vault in Gringotts with Ron, Hermonie, Harry and Griphook; saving Ron and Hermonie with the help of gillyweed during the Goblet of Fire competition; fighting death eaters with Hermonie; battling Voldemort; and practicing defense against the dark arts with Dumbledore's Army. The game overall felt like a lot of different minigames connected with the storyline in between, so it wasn't the best game in the world, but it's a lot of fun!
Studying Abroad: I've been looking at different study abroad programs for a while now. Studying abroad is most definitely something I'd love to do, and traveling the world in general. While this isn't studying abroad exactly, I think this is even cooler... teaching abroad. With the English Camp Company, you get to teach English to Italian and Austrian kids, and you don't even need to know how to speak any language other than English! For obvious reasons, the minimum age is 19, but I'm already looking. I'll need to do a lot more research before even presenting it to my parents so they can consider it, but I'm really excited for a cool opportunity like this! As you all know, I'm a summer camp counselor right now and I love kids. I also love teaching and I've considered it as a career path many times. However the only worry with going into an education field is supporting myself financially. I still have time to explore many more career options, and I'm interesting in learning more about the business field... we'll see! But wouldn't teaching English to Italian kids in Italy be the coolest job EVER?! My best friend (MNR)'s brother spent a previous summer teaching English to kids in France... so cool! I would love to talk to him if I pursue the application about teaching ideas, problems that arose and his overall experience. PS: I love reading the History In High Heels blog about her experiences traveling abroad in Italy... she gets to go every summer now! Super cool (and I'm super jealous!).
Family: Because my aunt is driving 10 hours up here just so I can have my cousin's car and flying back home the next day. I'm so blessed for my family!
Cute workout clothes: My obsession with Lululemon and Athleta is not a good sign. Mainly because I don't even workout... often. As JSC said, "It would be such a Sam move (to start working out just because she got cute workout clothes)." Yes, yes it would. Anyone up for Lulu yoga classes with me on Sunday mornings? We can get froyo after... ;) I actually think I might have to buy some of these tanks and maybe workouts will be a result of these purchases... I'm pretty sure that'll justify the price tags, that and the amazing quality.
