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 

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!

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. :)

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!

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? 

Planning

I know in one of my previous posts, I posted about how I am a planner. I seriously have 5 different planners. I love knowing what is going on and I like being able to see what is coming up. Well for this post, I decided to share about how I plan out everything going on in my life.  Who knows, maybe you could get a few tips and incorporate/modify for your own life.

iCal: I love iCal because it syncs up to my phone so if I'm out and about and I need to see if I am busy on a certain day, I can just pull it up on my phone.  In iCal, I also have the times of every class as well as major events, such as flights home, choir concerts, and things like that.  Each section is color coded, as you can see.  That way, I know if it's light blue, it's just a class, but if it is something important, it is in a different color.

Wall Calendar: I also have a wall calendar, which I made on Shutterfly.  I love how I can add my own photos to my calendar, and it adds some nice decoration to my walls in my room.  I am also able to add my friends and families birthday on my calendar.  (If I wanted, I could even put their picture on their birthday!) On this calendar, I mainly just have all my major projects and papers written out on here.  Everything class is color coded and if it is just a reminder such as days off of school, it's in black.

May Book: I seriously love my May Book! On the left side, I have birthdays, and again, major things that are coming up.  That way, when I'm in class, I can see what is coming up.  On the right side, I have my "Things to Do" list, which I put down major homework assignments, as well as little things that I just need to do, such as sending an email to someone.  Under it, is my "Errands to Run".  This past week, there were no errands that I needed to run, however occasionally there are a few written down under that section.  Lastly, is my "Oh, and Can't Forget!"section.  This section is just for my little reminders that I can jot down when I think of them during class or something like that.

Homework List: This homework list is a place where I can not only decorate and doodle on every week when I make it, but it's also a place where I can see which class I need to focus on the most.   I used to use a planner, but I liked writing everything out and just having to carry one sheet of paper in my notebook.  This homework list has all of the details for everything, such as materials I need to study for a test or quiz.  

To Do List: Lastly, is my very detailed to do list.  I can't remember when or where I got it, I actually think my mom may have gotten it for me, but it's a notepad.  I love it because I use it for my mouse pad as well.  This one has the break down of everything I am going to do for that day for every class, from starting papers to reminding myself to send an email, this notepad has it all. 

So yes, many people may think I'm crazy for having this many planners, but it's the only way I can be focused and on top of what needs to be done.  I'm always interested to hear how other people stay organized, so if you have any tips, ideas, or suggestions for me, I'd love to hear them! 

Saying No

For some reason, I have the hardest time saying the word "no".  Because of this, I somehow find myself overcommitting and loosing sleep. However, this year, I've slowly started saying "no" more often.  For the first time in college, I've been getting about 7-8 hours of sleep a night during the week!  Of course I am sad sometimes because I do miss out on hanging out with friends late at night, but I'm able to manage my time better because I wake up earlier.  For school, I'm waking up between 7 and 7:20 AM.  On the weekends, I usually sleep until 9 or 9:30 AM.  Usually I would say that waking up at 9 is just horrible, but because I have been getting up so early during the week, 9 AM is officially sleeping in.  However, when there is a choir concert in the morning, I do sometimes have to wake up earlier than I normally would on a school day.

Does anyone have any other strategies to control yourself from overcommitting?? I'd love to hear them!

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Something that I've come to realize the past year or so is that I am a lot like my mom.  I never thought that this could be true because growing up, I would always hate cleaning my room and planning things out.  I always thought that it was a little crazy to be 5-10+ minutes early for something.

However, being away at college, and more so now that I've been living in an apartment for over a year, I've come to realize that I am a lot like my mom.  I love the feeling after the apartment is nice and clean and clutter isn't all over the place.  I love when my space in the apartment (desk and bed) are clean and organized.  I love knowing that everything has a place.

If people know me, they know that I'm obsessed with having cute school supplies. I've always loved going to the office supply section of Target. I love bright colored pens and having cute notebooks and folders, and planners.  I've noticed that I am definitely more of a planner, more so than I already was.  I have now moved to having about 3 different calendars! I have my wall calendar, which has major events. I have my planner, as well as my calendar on my phone. I don't use the one on my phone as much though. Call me old fashioned, but I like things written out and printed out.  I found out about these planners called May Books and I just absolutely LOVE mine. They are customizable planners and they are also just super cute.

This is what my May Book looks like!

If you choose to get your own May Book, use this promo code "MONOFAB" and get your free monogram on it!