I Have Moved!

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to let you all know that I have moved my blog to this new site! :) Hope you'll all follow me over there!

Hello Finals Week

Sarah, Stephanie, Mika, and I out Black Friday shopping.

Somehow, finals week is already here. In this past month, school has been crazy with all the final papers and end of the semester finals. It was great to be able to go home for Thanksgiving break and spend it with my family. And yes, I even went out to go Black Friday shopping at 11 PM Thanksgiving night with my friends from church. However, it was definitely our last year as it was freezing and we are well, getting old. (I normally try to be in bed between 11 and 12 pm!)

Morgan and Kate visiting Heidi and I
at Celebrate Christmas!

Somehow, I ended up celebrating my 21st birthday. I felt as if my birthday had just snuck up on me. I legitimately did not realize that it was my birthday until my friend reminded me a couple days beforehand. Normally I'm all about celebrating my birthday. I ended up being stuck in the car driving back from Northern California back to Los Angeles for 8 1/2 hours. Normally it takes me about 6 hours, but of course with the holiday traffic, it took much longer.

All last week, it was crazy with Celebrate Christmas rehearsals, but overall, the performances this past weekend were great! We had 3 concerts and although it was tiring, it's hard to believe that it was the last Celebrate Christmas concerts I would ever be a part of.  Celebrate Christmas is probably my favorite choir concerts of the year.  My family comes from out of town to hear us all perform and the production is something that you would not believe!

Before I close out this post, I just have to share 2 things! This weekend when my family was all in town we headed out to Little Tokyo in Los Angeles to go to the Japanese American National Museum where a couple of my relatives work. It was really cool going through the exhibits and hearing my own relatives talk about their experiences.  While we were in Little Tokyo, we were able to go walk through the little shops and we came across a Macaroon shop! Look how beautiful these are!

Via Instagram

Oh, and can we talk about how awesome this birthday cake my family got me?!

Via Instagram

Exciting News!

Every May, Bel Canto goes on a music tour.  This year we will be going to Northern California (the day after I graduate!) and we will be there for almost two weeks.

HOWEVER...

I am so excited to say that we have officially announced that Bel Canto will be going to Poland on a Music Missions Trip!  Myself and some AWESOME ladies will be leading the choir on this international adventure.  I am so excited to see what God has planned for us as we begin making plans and get all of the logistics together.

So, here's a few basic facts about Poland to give you an idea about the missions trip I will be going on.

• 97.8% speak Polish
• 89.8% Roman Catholic (75% Practicing)
• 38,383,809 people in Poland (38,041,430 people in California)
• Members of the European Union: signifies political and economic stability

Bel Canto will be partnering with Next Generation Missions.  This group takes choirs to Poland, Jamaica, Scotland, and across the USA.  Their desire is to help students see the mission field and to allow students to deepen their understanding of God's calling for their lives as musicians.

Vera Bradley

It's no secret to my friends and family that I have a love for Vera Bradley products.  I just love the bright colorful patterns, and flowers are my favorite! Some of my favorite VB products are the large duffle and the Grand Traveler weekender bag.

This summer I went to Boston, and they had a VB store there! Let me tell you... I was in heaven!! (We have a VB store in my home town, but now that I'm out here in LA, the closest one is about an hour away, and then you have to factor in the LA traffic.)

Vera Bradley store in Boston
Via Instagram

Now that the holiday season is approaching, I'm beginning to get a lot of emails about their sales and new winter patterns coming out! Definitely need to make sure I only look at the website instead of spending all my money!

**What are some of your favorite brands??**

Hello Fall!

Here in LA, our fall starts a little bit later than most places.  This weekend, it was in the 80's and I was wearing shorts. However, fall has finally arrived and it is raining and everyone has taken out their boots and scarves.

For me, this means breaking out the crock pot and enjoying a delicious (and healthy!) home-made meal.  (For what I'm making tonight for dinner, check out this earlier post with the recipe!)

At times, I wish fall would look something like the east coast, or my house... the leaves changing colors and falling, the cold brisk air starting at the beginning of October, and everything decorated for fall.  But I do love living in LA.  Where else can you go to the beach at the end of October, and we do have Disneyland and many other things.  But in all honesty... I just can't wait for Thanksgiving week to arrive. Then all of the holiday festivities will have officially started.

**What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?**

Top 5 of October

This month has just flown by! I honestly can't believe that November begins this week.  This month was full of lots of papers for school, multiple choir concerts, and me finishing my senior thesis paper! Well... almost.  Although, throughout the midst of school and choir, there were a lot of fun times.

Since I am not able to update my blog as much as I would like to, I'm going to start doing "Top 5's" (in no particular order) for various things going on in my life and it's also just an easy way to do a quick, but informative update.

Via Instagram

1. By the end of this month, I will have all the parts of my "Intent to Graduate" form filled out and turned into the school! It's hard to believe that these 4 years at APU have flown by so quickly.

2. Bel Canto performance have begun for the school year, and I am so blessed to have these ladies in my life.  It's so great to be able to worship and minister alongside them, as well as the other 40 ladies 3-4 times a week.

Via APU Bel Canto Facebook

3.  Like mentioned already, Bel Canto performance have begun! Be sure to check out our Facebook to see photos, upcoming concerts, and much more exciting information about our plans coming soon!  

4.  Meet Jen! We've had the opportunity to take at least one class a semester together, however this semester we have 3 classes.  It's been great getting to know her even better and I'm so excited to live with her after we graduate!  

Studying at Starbucks on a Sunday afternoon
Via Instagram

5. In the program that I am in at APU, I have been given the opportunity to overlap a little bit of graduate school with my undergraduate work.  I am so excited to be starting this next step in my journey and get started on doing what I want to do... which is teach little children!

Surviving

People always say that senior year is always the best year. You plan your life so your senior year is always the easiest. However it's always the busiest in the sense that you are on a deadline for everything. From making sure you graduate on time and have enough units and you've taken the right classes to making sure you have a plan for after graduation, whether it be a job or graduate school, to where you're going to live, it all comes down to surviving and getting through it all.

I always seem to bite off more than I can chew.  Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love everything I am doing.  I wouldn't be happy if I wasn't busy doing what I am doing.  From working on Bel Canto (BC) things to going to class, taking my online classes, and making sure I still have some time to breathe and relax a little, it's still a lot.  But I still love it. And in all honesty, I'd rather be super busy all the time and enjoy it, rather than having a lot of extra time on my hand and not use that time wisely.

Now that I'm onto my 4th week of school, I am slowly but surely, getting into the swing of things and just my daily/weekly schedule.  I honestly wouldn't change anything the way this semester is going for the world.  Even though I glance at my monthly calendar on my wall and start having mini panic attacks...

I know that through it all, God is going to help me get through it all, no matter what. Even if things don't go my way. I just have to remember to trust in Him.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

and He will direct your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:5-6 

Jack Rogers

This is the pair I got off Rue La La

For the past few years, I've heard and read about people who love wearing Jack Rogers sandals.  Of course I had to know what they were talking about and so I had begun to research about them and loved the Navajo sandal.  Unfortunately, being a college student and not having much money due to paying bills and things like that, I held off for a few years on buying them.

Well, I began to subscribe to the website Rue La La, which has wonderful deals for 2 days from many different designers and companies. I had seen Jack Rogers show up on Rue La La a few times, but didn't like the color that they were selling. Well, this last time, they had a pair of pink plaid Navajo sandals, and I had to jump on it! (Especially since Rue La La had given me a $30 credit!)

When they first arrived in the mail, I was kind of annoyed because they were so tight and I had to break them in, since they're leather and hand made. After a day of wearing them though, they are seriously one of the most comfortable pairs of shoes I own!  :)

School Year Goals

There's a weird feeling after venting and crying and letting everything you're stressed about, out. This week has been one for the records. Well, maybe the past 3 weeks?

Every year, it seems as if school starts earlier and earlier. This year, I got an email from one of my professors saying that we needed to have reading done before the first day of school. And after that, paper after paper was due, even on the first full week of school.  It seems as if things have become never ending.

With all the stress from school, and trying to figure out about applying to graduate school, and where to live, and who to live with, and how to somehow come up with the money to live on my own, I just needed a break. Oh, and did I mention I have a final tomorrow for one of my online classes??

This school year, I am trying something new. I am doing my very best to get as much homework done on Saturdays so I don't have to do anything on Sunday. They call Sunday the "day of rest" for a reason; so why not actually follow it? After coming home from church in the afternoons, there is something wonderful about eating a light lunch, and then taking a Sunday afternoon nap. Or watching a movie or just hanging out with friends, imagining what our lives would look like, if our Pinterest boards were our real life.

So as this school year progresses, my goals are to:
1) Not stress out TOO much
2) Take time for myself to just RELAX
3) Enjoy the moment. Enjoy senior year. Enjoy my friendships and continue to grow in them.
4) Oh, and of course, GRADUATE ON MAY 3, 2014!

Baseball

People believe that Baseball is the "All-American Sport", and that's definitely true since Baseball has such a rich history.

Well, remember when I told you that I'd be posting on a spontaneous adventure that my roommate and I created? Well now that's time!

Here's the story: I was just relaxing in my room working on some homework and talking to my roommates. My other roommate, Amanda, rushed into my room on Thursday of last week and asked what I was doing on Sunday. I replied that I had no idea. She then continued to tell me that there were Giants vs. Dodger tickets on sale for $10. (For those of you who don't know, they are HUGE rivals!) Well, of course we had to go if they were only $10.

Yesterday was so much fun. 4 hours of sitting in the hot blazing sun, watching a great game. Bottom of the 9th inning, Dodgers had the bases loaded, and the Giants were up 4-3. And... THE GIANTS WON!!!

My roommate Amanda and I

Oh, did I mention Shawn's a Dodgers fan?!
(via Instagram)

The 3 Giants fans: Daniel, Amanda, and I

Room Organization

I am the kind of person who at the start of the school year must ALWAYS have everything and organized in their place.  If things aren't in their place when it comes to school, I feel like I'm losing my mind.  I have changed a few things that I am doing this year, which is starting by ALWAYS making sure that my desk is clean and my bed is made. Last year, my bed was in this weird position where it was hard to make it everyday.  This year, I'm able to make it very easily and it also helps knowing that when people walk into my room, it's one of the first things that they see.

I also added curtains right above my windows, just because the blinds don't do a very good job at blocking out the sunlight if I am sleeping in on the weekends. It also helps when it is hot and it keeps our room much cooler.  I keep my "regular" bags hanging right on my bedpost and keep my laundry under my bed where I store my suitcases and things.  My dresser as well as one of my roommates is also under my bed as well.

Next to my bed, I have my desk area.  My roommate found this great little bookshelf that we share. The top shelf is mine, and it houses all of my textbooks and library books that I am using for my senior thesis paper (Ethics & Education: Music in the Elementary Schools).  I also have one of our 4 lamps on the bookshelf and a photo of my family, a clock, and other random things that I just happen to use all the time.  I also have my wall calendar, class schedule, and other things up on the wall.  I'll go into detail more later on how I stay organized more specifically!

What are some ways that you keep your areas neat and organized? I always love hearing different tips that other people have!

Welcome to the School Year

After a very busy summer and taking a break from blogging, I'm back!

This summer was great! It was busy, productive, and fun.  In a nutshell, I was able to do summer school, go to Boston, New York, cabin lead at camp again this year, go down to LA a few times, and I also got to work.

Being back here at APU is somewhat unreal for me. I know I'm a senior now, but it still hasn't fully hit that it's my last year here.  It's hard to believe how fast it's gone by. Now with choir camp all over and a whole week of school under my belt, I have finally gotten into the swing of things. I've created my schedule for everything and I am really enjoying the classes that I am taking this semester.
I am excited for this year, and I can't wait to see everything that happens!

P.S. Keep posted for a post coming up about a little spontaneity! 

Junior Year Comes to an End

There's always a huge weight lifted off my shoulders whenever I walk out of my last final.  I'm done. I have nothing to worry about until the fall, and it's summer break!

With all the craziness going on with dead week and finals, I feel like my life was in complete chaos.  From studying and packing up the apartment, I had no idea where most of my things were.  In the midst of packing up things to go home with my parents a couple weeks ago, packing up things to go into storage, and things to go on choir tour with me, I felt lost.

Luckily, that's all over now and I can focus on one thing: CHOIR TOUR. I am seriously so excited for it. It's going to be so much fun. We're going from California to Texas, and back. I love all of these girls so so much and I can't wait to spend the next 2 weeks with them, hanging out, singing, and not worrying about what paper is due at 8 in the morning or what tests I have that week.

There's many things that I've learned this past year, as a junior in college. I honestly loved every bit of it. But now comes the time when I really have to wake up. 4 summer school classes this summer and a job (hopefully!).

Then, when I get back to school in 3 months, it's back to the craziness. Yet more.  Yes, I've already filled out my planner for next semester... and into March of 2014. Just thinking and knowing that I have to fill out my "Intent to Graduate" form, apply to graduate school, and everything like that, just makes college seem like it's gone by so quickly already. I'm growing up, and there's nothing that can stop it.

I'm excited for this summer, even though it'll be my last one at home.  I'm ready though. I can't wait to enjoy every moment of it. Lots of fun things will be happening, like going out to Boston, cabin leading at camp, and a possible family trip to Lake Tahoe!

So I'm excited to be done. If you can't tell already. But if you have any fun summer ideas for me, please tell me! I love doing fun new things. :)

Take time to Relax

For some reason, this semester seems as if it has been more stressful than other semester.  While trying to get papers done, studying for tests and quizzes, other homework assignments, getting work done for Bel Canto, as well as trying to make time for myself where I can relax and hang out with friends, the time has gone by very quickly.  It's like this semester has been squished into one month of craziness. Except for the fact that the semester is practically over.  

I've been trying to figure out ways in which I can make myself relax so I can make it through whatever is going on in my life.  In my Psych class last week, the whole class period was devoted to making us relax and not think or worry about school.  At the beginning of the class period, my teacher collected all of our phones.  We watched a video and closed our eyes and just listed to music.  She then sent us outside to not talk to anyone and just sit for 20 minutes. Or walk around.  Lastly, we came back in and she had us lie down and just meditate and relax our bodies. I honestly fell asleep.  

This semester I've learned how important it is to 1, have a bedtime and actually get a good amount of sleep. 2, to make time for yourself to just sit and relax without everything running through your brain.  3, the importance of being patient and not worrying so much.  4, time management is EXTREMELY importnat, and lastly, 5, Downton Abbey is a great show! Seriously, you all need to go watch it.  

Zack and Zach Take LA

So here's the deal. You need to check out this video. It's a new reality web series.  My friends are trying to make it big. So watch this video. Share this video. Let's make this happen! Click the link for the video!

The Magic Pillow Case

Like I said in my previous post, during spring break I was able to just relax and hang out with friends and family.  During that time, I also pulled out my old sewing machine.  I've been missing doing crafts like that and so I decided to make myself a new pillow case.  Well, 10 pillow cases later, and spring break was over.

If any of you want to make your own pillow case, you should really follow this pattern: The Magic Pillow Case.  It's a very easy pattern for a beginner sewer.  I know that when I get home, I'll be back to sewing.  I am hoping to find some more simple projects that I can make and use as gifts.

The new pillow case I made for myself!

4 Weeks Left

It's kind of scary to think that 4 weeks from now, I'll be on a bus full of girls for our choir tour.  School will be over. Finals will be behind us. It's amazing how fast this school year has gone by.

Spring break was wonderful. It was a very much needed break.  When I went home, I took no school work with me.  I just really needed a break where I didn't have to think about school. I did do a little choir work though. But that's always fun.  I was able to catch up with some old friends from high school and some friends from church.  I was also able to enjoy a nice week at home with my family.

Baseball season started, which means talking about the Giants and the Dodgers has become an every day conversation topic.

I've been back to school for a week now, and it's taken me a little while to get back into "school mode".  Luckily, I've been able to get all my work done on time and some papers have even gotten pushed back!  However, with only 3 weeks of school left and 1 week of finals, there is still a lot of work to get done.

Go Giants!

Hello Spring Break!

I've come to realize I'm a lot like my mom. I know I've said it before, but as time goes on, I'm realizing it more and more. 

When I was little, my mom used to always clean the whole house top to bottom before we left on a vacation. I always wondered why.  And she used to always say that it's because if something happened to us or if someone broke into our house, it'd be nice and clean. And well, who doesn't like coming home from a vacation to a nice clean home.

Well, I've carried that with me to college.  Every time I leave for vacation, before I can even pack, I have to clean as much of my apartment as possible.  By the time I've packed and I'm heading out the door, my bed has to be perfectly neat and so does my desk and closet.  It's a weird habit, but I really do enjoy coming home to a nice clean area.

And when I get back home after vacation, all my laundry has to go into the hamper and everything has to be put away by the time I go to bed. Call me crazy, but that's just me.

As I've been packing up for Spring Break (officially started the second I bolted out of my seat at the end of my last class, which ended at 5:40 PM) I've noticed that I'm slowly getting better at packing.  I've always been that person who overpacks. I'm always holding my breath as they weigh my suitcase at the airport. And even a couple of times, I've had to unpack it and put things on my carry on.  However, this year, I've been much better about it, and I'm even only taking one suitcase and one carry on!

All to say, I'm SO ready for Spring Break and 10 nights at home.

Dress Up

I know that I posted photos on Instagram and I tweeted about it, but Saturday night was seriously so much fun. Despite knowing that my alarm was going to be going off at 5:15 AM the following morning for choir.  

It was my friend Kate's 23rd birthday party, and it was seriously a blast hanging out with some of my closest Bel Canto friends. My whole D-Group was even there! LOVE THEM! <3 

So I thought I'd just share a few photos with you, just for fun!  Enjoy!

The Birthday girl herself!

C.H.A.M.P.

As a part of my Diversity in the Classroom class, we are required to work with 4th graders once a week for 8 or 9 weeks.  Through this program called C.H.A.M.P. (College Headed and Mighty Proud), I was able to have a small group of three 4th graders.  I enjoyed learning more about them and teaching them about college, picking a major and a future career, and helping them to write an essay.

It was a great learning experience working with three separate students, who were all at their own "academic level".  It definitely taught me a lot about how to manage a setting where you have one student who is completely independent and another student on the other end of the spectrum where you have to point and feed them word-for-word when they are writing.

Anyway, I had a great time hanging out with them. Look how cute they are! Anyone would enjoy hanging out with these three.

A future lawyer, artist, and doctor!

I seriously can't wait to officially be a teacher and have my own classroom and set of students!!

School Bags

Spring break begins in just a few days, and there is still lots to do before I can think about it.  I still have a major paper that's due on Thursday for my history class and once classes are done, I have to pack and clean up the whole apartment!

I think one of my favorite things to do is to pack for a trip home! I've always been an over packer. Every time I go to the airport, I find myself holding my breath hoping that my suitcase doesn't exceed 50 pounds. It's only done that twice. Luckily I've been able to take things out and put them in my carry on.  However, this time when I go home, I'm going to try to get everything in one suitcase that is less than 50 pounds. I'm also going to aim for only having one carry on.

I always think that it's fun to look at other blogs to see what they write about, and I always find myself enjoying the ones about being organized or what's inside someones tote bag.  I switch for school from tote bag to backpack, but usually I end up sticking with a tote bag, unless I have a long day of classes and a lot of things to carry around.

Long Champ:  Okay, I don't have a real Long Champ bag, but I have one that is very similar and I love it! I like that it's water proof and it holds so many things.  It's also very comfortable to carry on my shoulder, even though it is always full of many things.  I also like that it fits my laptop in it perfectly!

North Face Backpack:  I have a North Face Isabella backpack and I really like that it's not to big and it's not to small. It holds everything I need for school, although sometimes it is a stretch when I try to put multiple books, a binder and notebook, and my laptop in there.  But I like that it has all these different pockets I can take advantage of.  

Vera Bradley: Okay, I seriously love Vera Bradley. I have a book tote, a laptop case, and a large duffle bag. I love the bright prints and I love how it just stands out.  I like using this bag if I just have one class to go to or something like that.

Land's End Tote: When I graduated high school, I received a Land's End tote bag with my monogram on it. I seriously love it! It's the perfect beach bag or summer bag.  I like that it holds a lot of things and it no one else has it. Well, unless they have the same initials as me... However I've never met anyone that does.  

So what are your favorite totes to use? I'm thinking I'll be using totes the rest of my life, especially since I'm going to one day be a teacher.  I'm thinking a red one when I'm a teacher? 

Kangaroo's

It's Friday! And of course, that means time to teach a science lesson to little hyper second graders. But really, I do love that class. The children are adorable and the answers they give are hilarious, even though I have to keep a straight face.  I love when they run up to give us little hugs when they first see us and then when we leave again.

So today's lesson, as I bet you can tell by the title, is about the life cycle of a Kangaroo!  I joined education.com for free! It's seriously one of the best sites for teachers. FREE worksheets and activities on almost anything!

After teaching a basic lesson on Kangaroo's through a PowerPoint, after we show a video from Animal Planet.  I love how this worksheet allows the student to cut out the little circles of each part of the cycle and they can glue it in order.  And of course, there should be a little writing in this activity, so basic little facts and notes about each part of the life cycle will be written next to each circle.

Here's two screen shots of the worksheet that is being used!

 

Oh Ellen...

It's Friday. Need a little laugh to get you through the rest of the day to the weekend? Watch this video.

The Frog's Life Cycle Activity

This semester, I am in a class called "Science and Children".  For this class, we are required to go into a classroom and teach a science lesson, one day a week.  For this class, we are also in groups that we teach with.  It helps to make managing the class and answering questions just a little bit easier.

Our host teacher is having us teach about a different animal's life cycle every week.  For our first lesson, we decided to teach about the life cycle of the frog.  Let me just say that I love Pinterest. I know I've said it before, but it has great lesson ideas!  So we found this lesson about the frog's life cycle and an activity to go with it.

We were able to show a PowerPoint about the different stages of the life cycle and complete this activity with them.  They loved being able to color their frog with bright colors, just like the photos we had shown them earlier.

This lesson was simple and they really enjoyed it.  We also had them write a few facts about each stage on each pannel of the frog as well, just so they would have more detail in their own book about the frog life cycle.

"How to be a Hepburn in a Hilton World"

My whole life I have always been that girl who loves watching I Love Lucy, Audrey Hepburn movies, the classic American novels as movies, and even reading those books, such as Anne of Green Gables.  I can honestly say I know every song of My Fair Lady as well as every line in The Sound of Music.

A few months ago, I had bought the book How to be a Hepburn in a Hilton World: The Art of Living with Style, Class, and Grace" by Jordan Christy.  When I had first bought it, I had only read the introduction and then had put it down since I didn't have time to read.  Today, I picked it back up again, and I'm really enjoying it.  There are some great quotes from the book.

"Don't rely on someone else for your happiness and self-worth. Only you can be responsible for that." ~Stacey Charter

"One of the greatest benefits of living with confidence and self-worth is that we don't need to constantly rely on others for fulfillment."

~Jordan Christy

"One of the fastest ways to gain (or lose) respect is with your image."

~Jordan Christy

"Self-respect is one of the greatest assets a girl can possess, and yet it's one of the biggest thing we're lacking these days."

~Jordan Christy

My Obsession: Shoes

So, as many people know, I'm a HUGE shoe person.
Confession: I have a storage bin of shoes.

My top favorite place to buy shoes from/look at shoes is: DSW, Target, Ross, and Payless.

Although I have many pairs of shoes, I do have my favorites.

Sperry Top-Sider Angelfish: I love these! They're super comfortable and they are also very girly. They also match with every outfit!  

Rainbow Sandals: Okay, seriously. If you don't have a pair of these, get them. They are the most comfortable sandals ever. They're 100% leather and they mold to your feet. And they last for years. 

TOMS: Like mentioned in a previous post, I love that these shoes help by giving another pair of shoes to someone who needs a pair when you buy one for yourself. 

Nike Free Runs: I love that these running shoes come in cute bright colors and are also very comfortable and light.  I just wish I ran more so I could use them more. 

Silver Flats: I found these flats at DSW and I fell in love with them! I love that they're comfortable and they make any outfit just a little more dressy.

Black Pumps: These are classic! They go with every outfit and will never go out of style.  

A Step Back

Okay. Can we just take a minute to step back and realize that today is the last day of February. 2 months have gone by already this year! I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around it. Maybe because it's just been so busy this year.  I've started blending my days, weeks, and the past two months.

Every Tuesday night, I meet with my D-Group (Discipleship Group) which is a small group of girls from Bel Canto and we talk, hang out, and have short devotionals together. Well, this week I realized we went around and talked about our weeks. I honestly could not remember what I had even done the night before!

The only thing I've really been thinking about, aside from school, is crossing off everything on my "to-do" list.  From figuring out summer school courses to make sure that I can graduate on time to making sure that things for Bel Canto are slowly getting situated for next year.  The list is NEVER ENDING! 

I wish things could just calm down.  This past weekend was nice because I honestly did not have anything going on. Well, besides having a choir concert. 3 services. Each and hour and a half. And we sat through all of the services. Talk about a long Sunday. All to say, I got my wonderful "after church Sunday afternoon nap".  I miss those...

So like I've said in a previous post, I'm trying to sit and relax more and enjoy my time instead of trying to jump ahead.  All to say, I'm still working on that. But like everything, it takes time to get into a new routine.

Monograms

This past year, I have slowly been learning to love monograms! As a gift for my high school graduation, someone gave me a really cute orange canvas monogram tote and I hadn't used it much until this year. Then of course, when I ordered my May Book, I could get that with a monogram.

Pretty much, I've come to love them and tonight, as I was watching many different episodes of HGTV on Hulu (yes, I like design shows), I made my own desktop wall paper.

I'm not the best at doing graphic design stuff, but I'm working on it.  It's good practice because I'll have to start working up a new logo for Bel Canto in the next few weeks...

Time Flies

It's hard to believe that it's already almost March! As I've been looking back in my planner and syllabus trying to figure out where the time went, I'm reminded that the semester is about half way over.  So far, I've already had 3 tests, 9 quizzes, and 3 papers due. I think. I'm sure there's been more.

It's weird to think that in two months, I'll be preparing for finals and then I'll become a senior. But I don't want to think about that yet.  But I honestly can't believe that it's time to start figuring out my classes for next semester. I remember looking at the list of classes I would have to take in order to complete my major as a Freshman, and it just looked like so much! And now that almost 75% of the classes are crossed off, it seems unreal. These past few years have already gone by so quickly.

February alone has gone by very quickly.  It's been nice to be able to see my family for the past 4 or 5 weekends.  But it's weird to think that the weeks have just flown by. I guess it's good in a good way. But I sometimes wish I could just sit, and enjoy the moment. I don't like to always be rushing through things as quickly as I can, just to cross something off my "to do" list and move onto the next thing.

So I've decided that I need to take time to just SIT and REST.

"Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

-Matthew 11:28

The song Invitation Fountain has been playing in my head nonstop, so I've decided to share it with you.

Rainy Days in LA

LA weather is strange. For example, this past weekend, the sun was shining, everyone was wearing shorts and flip flops, and it was in the low 80's.  Yesterday, it became cold, and then well, it started raining. And it's supposed to continue to rain for the next couple of days.  And then heat up again.

It's weird though. As much as I love being able to pull out my rain boots, I miss being able to be comfortable in a pair of jeans, a cute top, and flats or sandals.

So, since I was experimenting a little with Polyvore, I decided show you all what my typical "rainy day" outfit is.

The North Face Resolve rain jacket, American Eagle Jeans, and Steve Madden Tsunamii rain boots.

I just absolutely love the Steve Madden Tsunamii rain boots.  My roommate Kelley and I got matching ones when we found out they were on sale.  I love how they look like normal black boots, yet they're also rain boots. They're comfortable, and even though I'm short, the fact that they go up to your knee doesn't bother me at all. The North Face Girl's Resolve jacket was the first North Face jacket that I had ever gotten. Unfortunately, they are very expensive, however, I'm able to fit into the kids section (yay!) so I can get all my jackets for MUCH cheaper. The same with some shoes...

A Day Off

First of all, let me say "thank you" to those of you who helped out by "liking" the video for the Chick-fil-A contest! My friends won! Which means that I get some free food. YAY! :) 

I'm pretty sure most of my Facebook friends hate me now because in the past 24 hours, that's all that I've been posting on and messaging about... opps!

So weirdly, this year my school isn't giving us the actual President's Day off. Instead of having a four day weekend, we had a three day weekend, with this past Friday off. Granted, it was really nice to be able to just sleep, relax, and have fun that day, without having to think about school.  I think it might have been one of the first days of the semester when I could really just sit and relax. With this semester being crazy with classes, and a busy schedule full of choir concerts and driving back and forth to Irvine, it was nice to spend time with friends and do, well, nothing.

The day started off very relaxing. I finally got out of bed and showered and got ready for the day. I got to clean and organize my desk, bed and closet and do homework. I cleaned up the living room of my apartment and the kitchen. I even got to do (another!) Target run and get a few groceries and things that were needed for the apartment.

After, I got to watch one of my favorite Pixar movies. Okay, that's a lie. I love almost all the Pixar movies, if not all of them.  That was, The Incredibles.

Since Shawn and I had been sitting around all day long, we decided to go outside my apartment and play catch. There is this really nice large lawn that is right outside my apartment door. And let's face it, it was a BEAUTIFUL day outside. I'm talking in the high 70's to low 80's the past few days. In February. Yes, I know you all want to move to Southern California now.

Then, I got to go to the driving range for the first time ever! I seriously had such a great time. It's a nice stress reliever too. I will admit that my forearms are a little sore since I hadn't really done much that well, involves me using my arms to swing things. If you have never been to a driving range, you should go! It was so much fun. At the place we went to, it was $5 for one large bucket of golf balls! I can't wait to go again. :) I will admit that it got me looking for cute golf outfits and things. I mean, if I'm going to occasionally go to the driving range, I have to look cute and preppy, right? And let me tell you. There are some CUTE outfits! But of course, out of my price range. I'll have to start looking for some much cheaper, but similar outfits. Maybe I'll have to do a post on some cute clothes I find...

via Instagram

Free Chick-Fil-A for a Year!!!

Okay, so here's the deal! I really need your help. My friends have made a video that will get them free Chick-fil-A for a year, and I could get a lot too! So can you please go to this link:

https://www.facebook.com/ChickfilaAzusa/posts/423227581088741?notif_t=like

and like the video!!

Here's the video! :) Thank you!!!

The Day After

Valentine's Day was a lot of fun, despite the fact that I had classes all morning and was up at 7:15 for that.  Shawn and I decided to start something new.  Since I love flowers, and have always known the names to most flowers since I was a little girl (thanks to my dad!), I get to pick the flowers that I want whenever I get any. I'm very particular when it comes to flowers. I don't like roses, because they don't last and well... everyone always gets them.  Carnations just remind me of, well, funerals. Those are my two flowers I just do not like at all. Oh, and I guess Calla Lilies too. They're just... weird.

Roses

Carnations

Calla Lilies

So, since I get to pick out my flowers, I chose a white phalaenopsis orchid! I love these flowers because I grew up having them always at my house and they're just so happy and elegant.  The one that Shawn got me has two branches, full of flowers and a couple buds which means more flowers will come in eventually! I'm going to try to get it to bloom again once it dies.

After the flower adventure, we headed out to Santa Anita Mall and went to The Cheesecake Factory! This is definitely one of my favorite places to eat. My favorite thing to get, and probably now the only thing I will eat there, is their miso salmon. Seriously, it's amazing. I'm so excited that I have left overs because that's what I'll be having for lunch today! If you like salmon, you MUST try it. The flavors and the salmon just melt in your mouth. Shawn got a rib-eye steak with french fries and onion rings. He said it was delicious too. Oh, and for an appetizer, we ordered a fire grilled artichoke which came with garlic mayo, I think. It was so yummy! I love artichokes. Weird vegetable to like, I know. But I just loved the garlic mayo. I know I had bad breath after eating that... Oh, and did I mention that they told us the wait would be 40ish minutes, but we only had to wait 20?! That was sure nice. My feet were hurting after awhile from standing in heels.

After finishing dinner around 8, we decided to wander through the mall.  We went into a sporting store and walked around that and looked at fun stuff there.  We wandered in and out of a few shops. Shawn told me if I bought a SF Giants hat, he would have to hurt me. So I didn't buy one... yet. ;) 

We decided to take a break to rest our feet while walking around the mall and found a comfy couch with a place to rest our feet. My toes hurt from wearing heels all night and oh, did I mention Shawn was just on crutches a few days ago?!

Long story short, while playing basketball on Monday at an intramural game,  he rolled his ankle and it got to be twice the size with some lovely coloring with some touches of back, blue, and purple. Luckily, it's slowly getting better and he doesn't have to use his crutches! 

Anyway, we came back to school, stopped by Yogurtland first, and watched The Incredibles. I've been wanting to watch the movie all year long and finally got the chance to do so! 

So overall, a great Valentine's Day, ended of course, with a phone call from Annie!!! With lots of laughs of course, too.  

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day, whether you were celebrating with someone, your friends, your family, or enjoying the day by yourself knowing that you're loved by many people!