Month: March 2018

March wrap-up

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Happy last Friday of March everyone. This month absolutely flew by and I’m sure that April will be just as quick. Let’s take a look at some of my March goals and how I did on them.

  1. Read 2 books- I ended up only reading one, but still better than nothing and I may read a second one this weekend as the next book on my TBR is pretty short!
  2. Actually get things done over Spring Break- I was sick during almost all of Spring break but I got everything I needed to get down and then some so I will call that a success
  3. See my friends over Spring Break- As I said I was sick, and I literally saw not a single friend of mine, Whoops, get that’s what summer’s for.
  4. Go to bed earlier- During the week I’m doing pretty well with this, but weekends are a different story. Still better than my previous months so another win
  5. Finish ALL final projects (that I can) so I don’t have to worry about them in April- One of my big final projects was canceled so I didn’t have to work on that. My other project for Marketing I haven’t worked on too much but it’s only a three-page essay and I’m making baby steps.
  6. Reach my step goal (12000 steps) 6 days a week minimum- I have definitely been doing great about this. I have hit my step goals at least 5 days a week (except during break because I was sick) but I just need to work on being a bit more active during the weekend.
  7. Do some Spring cleaning of my dorm and take home stuff I don’t use/need- II brought a lot of stuff home over Spring break and my family is coming next weekend so I’m going to make them schlep some other stuff back home for me as well!
  8. Get outside and enjoy the weather- It’s been cold all of March… I’ve been inside for most of it, unfortunately.

 

Did you get everything you wanted to get done during March?

❤ Alicia ❤

The final countdown

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Hi, all and happy Wednesday. Yesterday marked the one month left of school mark. I finish classes April 27th and then will be heading home around May 1st. It is so crazy to see how quickly this year has gone by and how soon I will be heading home for the summer.

This year I started out so unsure. So unsure of myself, so unsure of my university choice, so unsure of my major (still a little unsure), so unsure that Ohio was the right place for me, and so unsure of my decision-making abilities.

Here I am, almost 8 months later. I’m still not sure about a lot of things, but one thing is for sure- I can make good, even great decisions. When I trust my gut and not let the opinions of others change my mind, I can move mountains.

I get terrible anxiety about most things that are uncertain. However, the best decisions of my life I have made have been uncertain. Taking a year off, going to Peru, and going to Ohio have been the 3 biggest uncertainties of my life. They have also been 3 of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Whether I decide to go to school for 2 more years, or just one, go to grad school now or later, leave the country or stay, I know that as long as I make the decision of myself, it will all work out in the end.

Even if this year I didn’t learn how to get marinara sauce out of a white shirt or how to accommodate my teaching for every single disability, I learned how to believe in myself, and in my opinion, that’s an even greater accomplishment.

❤ Alicia ❤

The joys of spring cleaning

Published on by Alicia5 Comments

Happy Monday everyone! This upcoming weekend my family will be heading down to visit me for Mom’s weekend. Because of this, I’m going to be sending some things home so that my dad’s car isn’t packed to the brim as it was when I was moving in. Before Spring break and since returning my roommate and I have cleaning quite a bit and I wanted to share a few of my favorite things about Spring cleaning.

  1. Feeling instantly like you have your shit together- there is something about vacuuming and swiffering that makes me feel like I have my entire life together. Until I do, doing these things often will suffice.
  2. Feeling cleaner in general- The smell of cleaning supplies will always make me feel clean. Even if I literally just wiped down my desk with a Clorox wipe, I immediately feel like I just bathed in hand sanitizer
  3. Finding old things you forgot you had- Just last week I found a shirt I thought I’d lost when doing laundry and it’s always nice to find things you thought you’d never seen again.
  4. I can breathe better- Dust, mold, etc. can build up after a while and just cleaning it up and opening a window I can immediately breathe better and what’s nicer than that?
  5. I get motivated- with the end of the semester hitting me like a ton of bricks and completely questioning my education (coming soon) something as simple as cleaning up my bedroom can make me feel motivated to finish this semester strong and not give up.

Do you guys like Spring cleaning? Why?

❤ Alicia ❤

Spring bucket list

Published on by Alicia4 Comments

Ok, now back to your usual content… all things Spring!

Keep an eye out the next few days for a pretty large life update. Until then, I wanted to share my Spring bucket list with you all!

  1. Do some Spring cleaning- My parents are coming next weekend to visit and I’m going to have them take home everything I don’t use/don’t plan on using for the rest of the semester so there are fewer things we have to bring home in May
  2. Go kayaking (and don’t fall in)
  3. Go to Athen’s farmers market- this is something I told myself I would do since August and I still haven’t. I really want to check it out and see what this all has to offer.
  4. Visit a conservatory- Conservatories make me so happy with all of the lush green, flowers, flowing water, and breathing is sooo nice I love it.
  5. Complete a 5k- This may not happen in the spring because I have yet to sign up for one but I do want to complete a 5k because the last time I did was 4 years ago?
  6. Create a journal- My sister has this really cool leather (hoping faux) bound journal that she writes in, draws in, and puts magazine clippings in and it looks so cool and I want to make something similar!
  7. Go to a concert- my roommate and one of our friends are planning on going to an AJR concert in a few weeks!
  8. Finish this semester strong- I currently have straight As so with one final push in these next 5 weeks I’m sure my grades and future self will thank me.
  9. Have a bonfire- there is something so relaxing about bonfires on crisp nights when it’s still light out and that’s one thing I cannot wait for when I get home
  10. Get my nails done- After a long long year, this is something I totally deserve and yes. I’m going to ‘treat myself”
  11. Ride my bike
  12. Go to a baseball game
  13. Have a great 21st birthday!

What are on your Spring bucket lists?

❤ Alicia ❤

Deja Vu + a reflection

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Happy Wednesday everyone! Spring is here and normally my basic self would be writing a Spring Bucket List, goals, or mixtape post. However, I’ve been really thinking about my self-love journey and after getting really great responses on my post from Monday, I figured I would talk more about it.

Self-love is something I’ve always struggled with… you all know that because I’ve talked about it… multiple times. Nonetheless, it’s important to discuss. I’ve been trying these little self-love tricks in the ‘fake it till you make it’ category by basically looking at myself every day and telling myself things I love about myself. Well, while telling myself I was beautiful and awesome and the coolest person ever on Monday, I had this terrible flashback to my sophomore year of high school.

My sophomore year was probably the peak of my self-confidence. I always say that I look my best is those photos and I think it’s because I was so confident and SO happy with myself and really truly loved myself.

One day, however, I had just said that I looked nice that one day (not sure why but who the hell cares… I probably looked hot as hell) and this girl Jessica literally said, “You really shouldn’t’ say that Alicia.” Ouch. Really ouch. Who was she to tell me that I couldn’t love myself or compliment myself? She probably meant it in a way that was like “it makes you seem cocky if you say you look good,” however, I took it in a way that said, “You look ugly so stop lying to yourself.” If that wasn’t a metaphorical punch in the gut I don’t know what was. But as I already said, ouch.

From that point on, I stopped telling myself that I looked nice and most occasions because obviously. I was ugly because Jessica told me not to compliment myself.

Because I stopped those daily pats on the backs, I began to not feel as good and really thought I was ugly. Was I ugly? Probably not. Did I feel ugly? Absolutely.

I really wanted to talk about my deja vu, however, I also wanted to reflect on what I say to others. Do I say seemingly harmless remarks about someone’s appearance or personality that cause them to do what I did? I sure hope not. However, I’m going to be keeping a close eye on what I say to others especially if it’s regarding them and their minds +bodies.

❤ Alicia ❤

10 things that bring me peace

Published on by Alicia8 Comments

Happy Monday everyone, I’m back at school and ready to get back into my old routine. I was sick all of break and still have a bad cough (I only get sick when I come home… could that be a sign??) so pardon my no posting. I had a nice week spent mainly sleeping with my dog and utilizing my kitchen.

For my self-love post this month, I wanted to write about some things that bring me peace, because it’s always nice to think about things that make you peaceful in this crazy and corrupt world we live in. So, here are 10 things that bring me peace…

  1. Getting a room in the gym all to myself (happened this morning)
  2. Crossing something off on my to-do list (I made a list of everything I have to do before the end of the semester and let me tell you… there will be a lot of things that will be crossed off in the next 6 weeks)
  3. Getting into my bed after a long day
  4. Putting my phone on silent and reading before bed (currently reading Binge by Tyler Oakley… super good so far)
  5. Eating breakfast
  6. Making my bed (I used to think it was dumb because I would just mess it up later but it makes your room look cleaner and looks like you have your shit together)
  7. Water (I’m not talking about drinking water. But more like the ocean. The sound, the smell, and the view of the ocean… nothing makes me happier)
  8. Music (whenever I’m anxious (and not near any water), feeling great or feeling bad, or whatever emotion I’m having music always helps me feel calm and peaceful)
  9. Quiet (while much different from music and the sounds of water, sometimes I just need a bit of quiet, especially after being surrounded by people all day)
  10. Cleaning (although this usually happens while procrastinating… it’s one of my favorite things to feel calm and satisfied with my life)

What brings you peace?

❤ Alicia ❤

My favorite protein bar recipe

Published on by Alicia1 Comment

Happy Monday everyone, One of my favorite things about being home is having a full kitchen. No tiny microwave and using my desk as a counter for me! After I posted my Women’s History Month post and being enlightened that March is national months for a bunch of other things, I took to the internet and found out that it’s National Nutrition Month!!!! For National Nutrition Month I’ve decided to share a fave recipe of mine that can be made using only a food processor!!!

Something I absolutely love are protein bars! Something I don’t love is their price or the amount of added sugar they contain. I decided to take to my kitchen and see if I could make my own. My mom had made some for me over a year ago and over winter break I wanted to try my hand at making my own.

Ingredients

  • 1 cups raw walnuts (extra if you want a topping)
  • 1  cup raw almonds
  • 2 ½  cups pitted dates
  • ⅔  cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1  scoop Vegan (I use Vega) chocolate protein powder
  • ¼  tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Place dates in the food processor and process until small bits remain. Remove and set aside
  2. Place walnuts and almonds in food processor and process until finely ground.
  3. Add the cocoa powder, protein powder and salt and pulse to combine.
  4. Drop small handfuls of the date pieces down into the food processor.
  5. Process until a dough consistency is achieved, adding more dates if the mixture does not hold together when squeezed in your hand. You may not use all the dates.
  6. Add the brownie mixture to a parchment lined 8×8 dish (add a topping of chocolate chips and walnuts if wanted). Press down until flat.
  7. Put in fridge/freezer to chill for a minimum 30 minutes.
  8. Transfer to plate and cut

*Makes about 16 squares*

 

What is your favorite recipe?

❤ Alicia ❤

Rejection

Published on by Alicia4 Comments

Happy Friday everyone, I made it safely back home and am loving relaxing and taking a much-needed break. In my last post, I talked about how this semester has been pretty tough for me, in more ways than one. One of those ways is rejection.

Rejection is not something I am used to, by any means and until college, I really hadn’t been rejected (other than by boys but I don’t care about them). However, upon entering college rejection is around every corner it seems like.

In high school, when I applied for a leadership position, I got it. When I applied to college, I got accepted to 14 of the 16 schools I applied for. When I wanted good grades, I got them. When I applied for local scholarships, I got every one that I was eligible for. Easy as that.

However, recently, when I want something, really really really want something, bust my ass for it, I sometimes still don’t get it. It’s really humbling really, being rejected. However, it’s also soooo discouraging. Should I not apply for more leadership roles, is studying my butt off for something really worth it if I still don’t succeed? Should I apply for jobs if I most likely won’t get them??

I’ve been at war with myself for some time about this. I keep trying to do things and get experience, however, I keep coming up on the bottom. I’ve been rejected from 4 of the 5 positions I’ve applied for in the last 5 months and I’m almost certain I was one of the only people who applied for the position I actually got. I’m also in the running for 2 things right now so it may be 6/7 but we will have to wait and see.

Seeing that email from the group or place you applied to and having the first word not be “Congratulations!” is always soooo disheartening. You know you were rejected, you still open it and dissect every word from the email like “apply again next year” or “you were such a strong candidate” wondering if they mean that or they’re trying to make you feel better about not giving you the position.

I think the worst part about rejection is you start to hate them. You hate the people that decided your fate, who held your interview, even the person who got your position! You don’t mean to, obviously, but you do. I think it’s more jealousy than hatred, but it appears the same way. You don;t actually hate them and you want them to succeed in the position they’ve taken but you’ve already pictured yourself in that position, created made up scenarios discussing your position, helping others with problems while in that position and so much more that you start to think it’s yours already, until it’s pulled out from underneath you when you thought it was in the palm of your hand.

I’ve decided to do something though. I’ve decided to never stop trying. Fall down 7 times. Stand up 8 kind of thing.

It’s hard to not be envious of those people when you’re in that coulda been position but you have to try. You have to fake it till you make it when it comes to this. Become friends with these people and then you’ll realize that you should have never been envious in the first place.

It’s shitty, rejection is, but in all honesty, there is a reason when you don’t get something and someone else does. Whether they are more qualified, are better at interviewing, or whatever the case may be, but never give up and keep trying because the worst thing you can be told is no.

❤ Alicia ❤

Why is self-care not a priority?

Published on by Alicia2 Comments

Happy Wednesday everyone! I am flying home today for Spring break and I can’t wait to be in my own bed with my dog and do things on my own time. I’ve Had a rough semester so far ( which will get more in-depth with my post on either Friday or Saturday) and something I have not been doing very well is taking care of myself.

Something I’ve noticed lately is some people pride themselves on not taking care of themselves. I’ve met people in college, high school, at work, etc. who get excited and competitive over not taking care of themselves. Some things include

“I haven’t gotten more than 6 hours of sleep all week. I’m getting so much done.”

“I’ve gone to the bars every night this week AND still made it to my 8am”

“I’ve had  cups of coffee today and will probably have more later to get me through my project tonight”

“I can’t tell you the last time I’ve had a vegetable that wasn’t on top of my pizza.”

Why do people think that deliberately not giving their bodies what it needs, is good? Remarkable even?? I used to be one of those people who would say “I only got 4 hours of sleep and I feel great.” I may have felt great but I was harming my body in many ways.

We need sleep, proper nutrition, and to not fill our bodies with bad things EVERY NIGHT… so that we…. I don’t know… don’t die???

So many people think that self-care is face masks and bubble baths… but it is so much more.

Self-care is going to bed at 8pm if you’re tired. It’s dropping that negative friend no matter what history you have. It’s knowing your limit when it comes to drugs and alcohol. It’s also drinking a shit ton of water when you go past that limit. It’s eating a healthy variety of foods that keep you happy + healthy.

I really don’t understand why taking care of yourself is not a priority for everyone. Why some people purposely do not take care of themselves… why it’s seen as a luxury. To Keep us healthy and sane, we need to take care of ourselves and make doing so a priority or else we’ll burn out.

How do you all take care of yourselves??

❤ Alicia ❤

Women’s History Month

Published on by Alicia6 Comments

Happy Monday everyone. For those of you that don’t know, March is Women’s History Month. Most of us will learn more about women of history during this month than ever in a textbook, however, I wanted to share some very influential women who you still probably won’t hear about this month EVEN THOUGH YOU SHOULD.

Murasaki Shikibu- Born in 978, was a famous Japanese poet and novelist during the Heian period. She is credited for writing the first ever novel The Tale of Grengi which took somewhere around a decade to write around 1000-1012.

Sarah and Angelina Grimke- 2 sisters that were both activists for abolition AND women’s rights. These two were raised in South Carolina in the cradle of slavery who, after witnessing and its cruel effects, traveled around the country educating youth on the truths of slavery.

Benazir Bhutto- The first and only woman to head a democratic government in Pakistan or any Muslim majority nation.

Claudette Colvin is a pioneer of the Civil Rights Movement. On March 2, 1955, she was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus in segregated Montgomery, Alabama, nine months prior to Rosa Parks’ famous arrest for the same offense

Mildred Ella “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias was an American athlete who became very successful at golf, baseball, track and field, AND basketball, She won two gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Summer Olympics, before turning to professional golf and winning 10 LPGA major championships.

Definitely look more into all of these amazing women! There are so many more who didn’t make it on this list who also helped pave the way for the women today

❤ Alicia ❤