Lifestyle – Page 2 – Living off Leesh

Apartment tour

Published on February 6, 2020 by AliciaLeave a comment

Something I did way back when [2 and a half years ago] before the apartment life was a dorm tour! I loved getting to share my little home with everyone! Dorm, apartment, house, etc. tours on blogs and YouTube are my absolute favorite because I love seeing where people live and what they do with the space they have. I didn’t do an apartment tour with my last apartment [I might be able to if I still have the pictures I took of it] but I wanted to share my space in Greece.

I live in a studio apartment in a suburb of Thessaloniki known as Kalamaria. My apartment is on the top floor of a five-story apartment building with two apartments per floor. I am the only one currently living on my floor but people have been in and out of the other one for the past few days so I have to assume I will be getting a neighbor at some point shortly.

After unlocking the front door of the building, there is a small lobby area with mail slots, one apartment, a set of stairs, and a sketchy elevator. I take the elevator of course because I’m not trying to walk up five flights of stairs after a long day at school or with two arms full of groceries. If the elevator could hold my two 45-pound suitcases, my backpack, me, and another woman, I’m sure I’ll be fine.

When I get off the elevator, my apartment is on the left side of the platform.

The first thing you see when you walk into my apartment is everything. It’s a studio apartment so it’s very very tiny but it has everything I need. To the left of my door is my mudroom or mud area because obviously in a studio apartment we only have one room and then the bathroom. In this mud area, I keep all my shoes, my two coats, my teaching bag, hats, scarves, gloves, my umbrella as well as purses. There’s also a really nice mirror that I make sure to look in every morning before I leave so that I’m not going out looking a mess.

Right next to the mud area that is my bathroom. The bathroom is also pretty tiny, but it also has everything I need. There’s a toilet, a sink, a shower, and a laundry basket. My favorite part of the bathroom is the little counter underneath the mirror where I keep all the stuff that I use each morning and night like my skincare items, toothbrush, toothpaste, my sinus rinse, etc.

Something I love in homes are kitchens. I love cooking, eating, the homey atmosphere that kitchens bring so having this kitchen is a little bit of a challenge for me because it is so small but like everything else, the apartment is only for three months and it has what I need so I’m making it work. In my kitchen, I have a tiny microwave oven, three stovetop burners, a sink, a mini-fridge with a freezer built in and then a bunch of storage space as well. In the weeks I’ve been here I’ve only eaten out TWICE which means this kitchen is getting a TON of use.

One of my favorite parts of this apartment is my little coffeemaker area. I have a 10-cup coffee pot, a water heater, a toaster, as well as another toaster//Panini maker type thing. It’s rested on this cute little table and under the coffee pot I have coffee, sugar, tea bags, etc. Then underneath there’s a little storage area that I keep extra snacks in as well as my first aid kits.

I sort of have a dining room. In my dining area, I have a very small table with two stools that I really don’t ever use to eat. This table is more of my hub for keeping random stuff so when I go grocery shopping I put my groceries on there, after school, I put my laptop on it to charge, etc. It is still a nice little addition to the apartment and there are some days that I use it to eat dinner or breakfast which makes it nice to have.

Next, we have my closet. On top of my closet are my suitcases. Inside of my closet, I have a top-shelf which is where I keep underwear, bras, socks, and pajamas. I also have a shelf on the bottom and underneath that shelf, I have a vacuum cleaner and a couple sweatshirts that I brought. In the middle of the closet, I have a rack to hang things. When I got the apartment it only had a couple of hangers, so I do have to fold a lot of the clothes I brought and put them on the bottom shelf. I could go out and buy more hangers or ask my Airbnb host for some, but I’ll live with only hanging the necessities.

The next thing is my bed. My bed here is a sofa bed so during the day you can have it as a couch and then at night turn it into a bed however I prefer sleeping on the couch, so I usually just keep it as the sofa.

The balcony is by far my favorite part of the Airbnb because it is so big it’s really great to just sit and watch the sunset and sometimes I can watch the sunrise. I could literally sit out there all day. I work out on the balcony, do homework, lesson plan, etc. it is by far my favorite place and view in all of Greece.

What’s your favorite part of your home?
❤ Alicia

Why New Year’s Resolutions don’t work

Published on January 27, 2020January 23, 2020 by AliciaLeave a comment

We’re just about finished with January and almost everyone has already given up on their New Year’s Resolutions. Whether you made a resolution to eat better, lose weight, read more, go to bed early, etc. most people [80% of us] have already given up on our resolutions.

I think resolutions are funny. I make them, I won’t lie, but year after year we fall short on achieving our New Year’s goals for a variety of reasons. There are simpler ways to reach these goals, but people think just because they write them on their whiteboard above their desk that they will achieve them. Whether you’ve made no progress on your goals or have decided to give up completely, here are a few ways to actually achieve your goals, whether you start today, February 1^st, this next Monday, or in 2021.

Set attainable goals: A goal to write a book when you’ve never written more than 5 pages for a school paper is not realistic. Setting smaller, more attainable goals like writing a short story or planning out that novel you’ve dreamt of writing allows you to still make progress on your lifelong dream but they’re less daunting and you can 100% complete them and be happy with your success instead of being upset that you fell short on writing a whole novel.
Don’t make tons of resolutions: The biggest mistake I used to make [2018 Alicia was far too ambitious] was to make 8-15 resolutions for the New Year. I could only focus on one or two of these resolutions and would get disheartened when I would fail the rest even though I was making progress in some areas of my life which was in fact, still progress.
Make a plan on how to achieve these resolutions: Making a resolution to “Go Vegan” is so unrealistic it’s not even funny. I remember when I went vegan, it was hard. I ate fruits, veggies and protein bars [and Chipotle] for the first few months because I had no idea what I was doing. After hours of research about going and eating vegan, I was able to incorporate a variety of vegan foods into my diet. For larger and longer-term goals [getting healthy, learning a new hobby, etc.] you have to research and make a plan to achieve these resolutions if you want them to work out.
Check-in on your goals every so often: Ever two weeks I have an event in my calendar that says “Resolution Check-in” where I look at what I’ve been doing, see if it’s working or not, make changes and sometimes even change the resolution as a whole. You won’t be the same person in March as you were in January and it’s okay to make those changes accordingly.
Realize it’s okay to have setbacks: When you’ve been eating unhealthily or drinking soda or whatever for YEARS, you are going to have a setback or two. Realize that it’s okay. Don’t beat yourself about it and try to not do it the next time you’re tempted.

Finally, remember that completing a New Year’s Resolution doesn’t occur overnight. So many HUGE resolutions will take months if not the entire new year. Take it slow and you can [finally] achieve your New Year’s Resolution[s].

❤ Alicia

Saalt Period Cup Review

Published on January 23, 2020January 7, 2023 by AliciaLeave a comment

Hi all, Happy Thursday! Slowly but surely getting into that routine // self-care practice of writing when I can. As you’ve probably seen from my Instagram or blog posts here and on LVNG Limitless [RIP], I’ve been actively working to live a more sustainable lifestyle. One of the many ways that I produce waste every month is through period products. Tampons and Pads produce an obscene amount of waste over the course of a lifetime and I was 100% over that. So, after much self-debating and a trip to Target, I came home with the Saalt cup, a silicone cup that replaces single-use period products.

In short, I’m in love. The Saalt cup has truly changed my life in such a short time and I am NEVER going back. After just six months of using this cup, I’ve saved over 24 pads and 60 tampons.

Short story long, I don’t have to worry about my period anymore. I will not lie, the first period I used the Saalt cup for, I was PARANOID. It’s a weird feeling at first, I cannot lie. I thought it would leak and I wouldn’t know, I thought it would get stuck, millions of thoughts flooded my mind during those first five days, and guess what? None of them were true! I didn’t need to worry about a thing [although I am glad I paid extra careful attention just in case].

During all of the periods I’ve had that have followed using the Saalt cup, I do not worry about my period. Most days [except for day three which is my heaviest flow] of my period I change it in the morning after my shower and before I go to bed and that’s it. No leaks, no ruined underwear, no pain, nothing. It’s just like a regular week, with a little bit of added silicone.

So, of all period cups, why the Saalt cup? Well, besides the fact that it’s roughly half of what other name brand period costs retail for [Diva cup in particular], it comes in two sizes [most do], with the bigger size being blue [what could be better ??], the packaging is absolutely adorable, it comes with a carrying case, and three little pamphlets about usage, helping communities, and how to follow it. Not only this, but for every Saalt cup you buy, it gives one to a menstruating individual in need of period care.

The how-to guide was extremely useful [especially because I was quaking in my boots because I didn’t know if it would hurt] and reading about how women in 3^rd world countries have to miss a month or so of school or work every year due to their period. Due to this, many people drop out or quit their jobs because it is so difficult to work or go to school while menstruating without the proper period products.

In my opinion, you don’t need to buy both sizes. I have the larger size and even on my lighter days, it does the job well.

I would recommend the Saalt cup [or any period cup for that matter] to every single menstruating human not only because of the lack of waste you are creating but also because of the care that they give to those in need.

A huge 5/5 stars for the Saalt Cup. Thank you for giving back, being affordable, and being the absolutely cutest period cups to line the shelves.

*Please note: If you use an IUD you cannot use the saalt cup because of the suction. You would run the risk of having your IUD come out.

❤ Alicia

Time for a change

Published on January 13, 2020 by Alicia1 Comment

Hello! I just posted and realized I had changed my blog URL and didn’t give anyone a fair warning. Live Pulchritudinously will forever and always have my heart but I figured since I’m growing up, about to be living my post-grad life, and wanted to have an acute and catchy name, that Living Off Leesh will be my new URL.

As you all know, I’m a part of an organization called CHAARG. CHAARG is very reliant on social media, specifically Instagram. I created my Instagram account for CHAARG roughly two and a half years ago and have almost 500 posts, 2600 followers, etc. on it. Since I’m basically no longer a CHAARG member [what can I do from Greece?] I wanted to continue my healthy lifestyle and blogger duo by maintaining that Instagram account as well as my personal blog. My _inCHAARG Instagram name started out as alicia.ou_inCHAARG and then morphed into leesh_inchaarg [leesh is a nickname that I have] which I then wrote a note in my phone that livingoffleesh [a mix of Live Pulchritudinously with the living and off leesh for my nickname and also the phrase lol] would take the place of that Instagram username once the time came. Well, the time has come for me to turn my student org Instagram into a cute lil Instagram blog as well as a platform to share my writing, which, as you all know, I’m trying to do a bit more of in 2020.

So, here’s to 2020, new goals, new friends, new writing, a pulchritudinous life, and of course, to living off leesh.

❤ Alicia

If we were having coffee [2]

Published on July 30, 2019July 29, 2019 by AliciaLeave a comment

Hi all. I realized I’ve only posted a handful in 2019. From “Hi I’m in Spain” to “Hi, my life’s a mess” I’ve been struggling with the whole posting thing. I’ve been struggling with the whole writing thing as well. I wrote here and there for the blog with my friends [shameless plug] but I do miss sitting in a coffee shop, blank word document in front of me, with an iced coffee in my hand, which is something I haven’t done in MONTHS. So, as I sit here, in my favorite coffee shop at home, I want to take a bit of time to share with all of you my latest life update. Grab a coffee, a pastry or two, and listen to my whole life from the past few months.

If we were having coffee I finished my junior year of college! I’ve posted since this, but I never really talked about my semester from hell. Eight classes, a job, two exec boards, and the most stress I’d ever been under AND I FINISHED STRONG. I finished with 7 As and only one B+, a second job, and a lot less on my plate for the fall. I’d also mention that this will be my last semester on OU’s campus but I’ll get to that in a little bit 😉

If we were having coffee I’d tell you about my other blog with my two best friends! I’ve mentioned my other blog LVNG Limitless in the past but I want to talk about it more! I absolutely adore my two friends and this blog that started with a text message. My two friends Grace and Hannah and I now manage a team of 10 other ladies, edit blog posts and photos, and put out weekly content [every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday]. I love this blog and Live Pulchritudinously will ALWAYS and forever be my child but it is nice to have this blog as well with some of my favorite people.

If we were having coffee I would tell you about my trip to Spain! I spent eight weeks in Toledo Spain with 22 of my new best friends. I took three classes, explored Spain on the weekends, improved my Spanish, and just furthered my longing to travel the world. I cannot wait to go back to my third home, Toledo.

If we were having coffee I’d tell you how I spent my 22^ndbirthday in Paris, the best birthday I’ve ever had. I hate birthdays usually and I always dread my birthday. I always make up these scenarios for my perfect birthday and then get so disheartened whenever they don’t come true. This year though, WOW. I spent my actual birthday with a two-day celebration [I KNOW] surrounded by over half of my new best friends with Italian food, drinks, and so many laughs. Then, the day after my birthday I headed to Paris for an amazing weekend of art, history, and BREAD. I could easily live in Paris and it has taken the cake for my favorite city I’ve ever been to.

If we were having coffee that I got bangs! I’ve been wanting bangs for about 10 months now and I finally got them! I am obsessed with them and might keep them for a while. Hot take: bangs actually look good on everyone and people say they’re ugly because they just get flashbacks to fifth grade when they didn’t know how to style their greasy rat’s nest and remember those bangs instead of the super cute bangs that I am now and forever rocking.

If we were having coffee I’d let you all know that I’m going abroad again next Spring! As I mentioned above, this fall will be my last semester at OU. That’s because I will be completing my student teaching abroad: I’m not sure where and I’m sure the exact days but I will be finding out sometime this fall and will update as such. I can’t wait to cross another country off my travel list as well as teach Spanish in another country!

If we were having coffee I’d share that I’m doing the best mentally that I have in years! I don’t know if it’s visiting a new place [Spain] or making a drastic appearance change [bangs] or what but I’m doing so well + I’m stoked!! It’s been years since I’ve been this genuinely happy + I’m hoping this sticks around for a good while.

If we were having coffee, what would you share with me?

Estoy en España!

Published on May 12, 2019 by Alicia1 Comment

Hi all and long time no write. Since I’ve last written here, I have in fact still been writing. My best friends and I started another blog [yes, with all the free time that I’ve had haha], LVNG Limitless, which you should all go ahead and follow ;). I love that blog dearly and being in charge of a group of 10 people and getting to edit is something I have always wanted to do, but there’s still something about sitting down in front of a blank word document that requires no editing [other than by myself and spell check of course] that makes me absolutely giddy.

As far as this post goes, I figured I’d give the usual life update, share that I’m still alive, stressed, and thriving, but with a twist this time! I’m doing well in almost all aspects of my life

I really well actually. It’s been a while since I’ve said that and truly meant it. Mentally, I’m doing great. Physically and emotionally I am also doing great. Socially I’m doing great. This is the type of glo up I’ve needed and I’m sure how long it will last but for now, I’m doing spectacular and it’s all I could have hoped for.

This semester I made the absolute best friends to walk this Earth and they are the greatest support system a girl could ask for. I finally have what I’ve always wanted, a solid group of amazing human beings that I can tell anything to and do anything with and it feels like we’re having all the fun in the world.

I finished my semester from hell of 8 classes with a 3.85 GPA, 7 As and one damn B+ but honestly, I’ll take what I can get. I finished my term on CHAARG’s exec team, have already bought my membership for next year, and am now studying abroad in Toledo, Spain for the next 7 weeks [I got here a week ago today].

I already love Spain and my Spanish is doing a lot better [according to the many people who have complimented my skills // accents, which yes, went right to my head] and I love all of the people on my trip. My host family is great as well and they have a daughter who is also 21, and her name is also Alicia. Funny how things like that happen.

I’ve officially decided that I have no time or need for boys, no matter how many romcoms I watch and how my heart aches for that cliché shit. I’ve really come to terms this semester that I need to focus on myself first and foremost and until I can take care of myself in all aspects of my life with ease, I have no right to be trying to add another human being to the mix.

I will be turning 22 in a month from today and I’m hoping to be in Paris that weekend. A birthday weekend at the Louvre, macaron in hand… what’s better than that?

I can’t wait to keep up here with all of my Spain adventures, which surprisingly there have already been quite a few in my short week here, as well as my other adventures I take this summer before I start my final year of college. Maybe post-grad, I’ll have enough free time to keep this bad boy running like a normal blog instead of my 1 or 35 posts a month that I currently have.

It’s funny, isn’t it? I started this blog almost 4 years ago to document my college experience and transition to veganism, and here I am, almost 4 years later, talking about my last year of college and life post-grad. Really never thought I would keep up with this blog for 4 years, let alone my whole college experience but since this really is like my little child, it’s hard to give up on it when I’ve come so far on here.

Now, until my next post, head over to LVNG Limitless to check out some of my posts [as well as my friends’].

Much much much love,

Alicia

Disconnected

Published on February 28, 2019 by AliciaLeave a comment

Hi all and happy thursday. A week ago today, my phone broke. Not sure what happened but it just froze + wouldn’t get to the home screen. I called apple support, verizon + consulted the internet to try and get it fixed to no success. Finally, 2 days later, on Saturday, I made my way to Verizon to get a new phone. During those two days I realized something so profound that I feel not many of us realize: we are so damn dependent on our phones and we can’t do anything without them.

I was fuming that my phone broke at first, I needed to snapchat, text people back, post on Instagram + more. How was I going to make it through a shift at work with no phone????? How would I hang out with my friends with no phone?

I am not going to lie, all day Friday I carried my phone with me. I carried a broken phone in my hand as a security blanket because I did not feel that I could go without it. Isn’t that pathetic? On Saturday, I went to Columbus for a CHAARG event + didn’t bring my phone because I realized there is literally no point to carrying a $1000 paperweight around with me for 5 hours but it was so weird. You never realize how often you or other people are on their phones until you physically cannot be on your phone. I wanted to take pictures, I wanted to follow new people on Instagram, and I could not. I wanted to mask silent moments in the car with my phone but I could not.

It’s truly comical to me that as I was planning this post that the title that came to me was disconnected. I was in fact not disconnected, not in the slightest. When I had access to wifi aka on campus and in my apartment I had access to my laptop + all my friends. Yet, because i could not have my phone attached to my hip for roughly 48 hours, I felt disconnected. It makes you think, doesn’t it? We’re so reliant on these devices, for everything. From social media, to maps, to a calculator, to email, and everything in between on these pieces of hardware that when they break, we feel incomplete. It blows my mind.

Honestly, it was nice. I wish my phone broke more often [or that I would just leave it at home haha]. I talked a lot more to the people around me. I had good genuine conversations with friends because when they knew I didn’t have a phone, they also stayed off theirs. The CHAARG event was also made more special for me personally because I had no phone. I had to interact with others and be present in the moment which I loved. Yeah I wanted to photograph it and post about it on every social media platform I have, however, it became more special to me, to sit there and let it all soak in.

A guy I hung out with Saturday after my phone was fixed said to me, “I liked it more when your phone was broken.” I was high key crushed. Was I really on my phone that much? It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest. Because of this whole ordeal, I want to be more present. I set locks on various apps so I can only be on them for certain amounts of time. I’m paying a lot of attention to my screen time data on my phone and trying to get it to be less and less each day. It’s hard to not be as connected as everyone else and I think it’s normal to feel the need to be on our phones as much as we are because it’s what everyone else is doing. But I’d much rather be having these genuine conversations, reading, writing, getting ahead on work, or doing literally anything else except solely existing on this small screen.

Much Love ❤

Alicia

Finding the good in every day

Published on February 20, 2019 by AliciaLeave a comment

Hi all. I’m writing again. 2 DAYS IN A ROW! In the midst of my busy, I’m trying to find time to do the things that bring me joy. I was going to write again last night but once I finally got home, did homework, and got ready for bed… I was exhausted! So, I’ll take what I can get. I have a small break in between 2 meetings and the gym and class so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to write.

I downloaded the app Daylio a while back [you rate your mood for the day and add what you did, notes etc.] and I was looking at my monthly calendar view and realized I don’t have a lot of great days. Most of my days are either meh or bad [their words not mine] and my good days are few and far between. With my relationship with my brain, however, I am less than surprised. On Monday, for this CHAARG challenge, we were challenged to post about 10 things that made us smile that day. It was a damn struggle let me tell you.

I came up with the following:

I did ALL my laundry
I slept in warm clean sheets
I cleaned my room [we’re seeing a trend here… I did a lot of cleaning]
I hit my step goal
I had a delicious smoothie
I taught an entire lesson in Spanish to people who didn’t speak Spanish AND THEY UNDERSTOOD ME
I saw some very positive post-it notes
I looked cute as heck
I can breathe again because I’m not sick anymore
I did the face mask that makes me feel like a snake.

Doing that made me realize that the day wasn’t as bad as I initially thought. Good things happened among what I would label as a ‘bad’ day. There is good in every day. Not to sound like a middle-aged white woman’s kitchen wall, but I want to try and find the good in every day. So, I decided to start using my 5-minute journal again [I won one in a CHAARG giveaway and lasted a whole 5 days ] to reflect on my days and share what the good was. I think it will help my mental health immensely and will help change my mindset to see the good things over the bad that happen in a 24 hour period.

Will I keep up with the 5-minute journal? Only time will tell. Will I make a conscious effort to remember the good that happened to me in the day when filling out my daylio entry? Absolutely. Here’s to finding the good in every day.

A good thing that’s happened today, you may ask? I ran into one of my favorite people, Sam, during a break we both had + we got to sit and chat for about 20 minutes :’)

Much Love,

Alicia ❤

What I’m putting my energy into in 2019

Published on January 3, 2019January 1, 2019 by Alicia3 Comments

I am a girl who loves to sleep. However, most of my best writing and ideas come to me around 2am or later. Due to this, I only get a few good ideas and write a few good pieces once in a blue moon. The other night was one of those nights. I wrote my post “Long time no write” at 2am in a bed that’s not mine, in Wisconsin because I couldn’t sleep. I also had one major life-altering epiphany at 3am, which then resulted in me changing my entire blog’s look and theme. I didn’t fall asleep until 5:30 that morning.

Ever since I got to Athens in August, I haven’t had a good night’s rest. Whether I can’t fall asleep, wake up in the middle of the night, or toss and turn so much that I wake up in pain [never knew I was 60 years old now], I have had less than 5 good nights of sleep this whole semester. ~~At first, I thought it was a bad bed.~~ All semester I thought it was a bad bed. Then, I went home for Thanksgiving. I still couldn’t sleep. If my comfy bed and 1923469 pillows weren’t helping then what could it be?

I realized I’m stressed out of my damn mind. I put too much only my plate. I do and I do and I do and I do and I don’t have enough time in my day or enough energy in myself to do it all. I’ve been so stressed about doing it all that I can’t sleep. I’ve been pouring out of an empty cup for the past few months and my body and life are struggling because of it: I’ve gained at least 10 pounds, struggle to get through a day sans coffee, nap almost daily, I was sick the entire semester [not joking], and it’s almost impossible for me to fall asleep or to wake up.

Over this break, I haven’t been stressed. I’ve had little to no obligations and I’ve had absolutely no trouble sleeping. Quite the opposite; I’ve had trouble getting myself up because my body is trying to catch up on all the sleep I’ve missed out from the past few months.

I cannot keep pouring from an empty cup. Not if I want to be happy, not if I want to be healthy, and certainly not if I want to make it out of college with anything more than a head of gray hair. I need to make some decisions of what I’m going to be putting my energy into from here on out and I need to do it quick so I don’t lose my shit [for lack of a better phrase].

I need to spend my time and energy on things that are important to me and remove all [well as many of those as I am in control of] of the negative, stressful things and whatever doesn’t set my heart on fire. I need to reidentify what I’m pouring my heart into so I can give 100% to what matters to me; not 10%, not 50%, not 80%. 100% of myself to what makes me happy.

So, what do I need to remove from my life? What do I need to add? What do I need to keep in my life?

To be removed:

In a perfect world: stress, but in a real world: any unnecessary stressors – my treasurer position of 4 paws gave me too much stress with all of my other obligations so I now run the social media account which is a lot more low-key and I still get to be part of the org.
Social media – I can’t really do this at all because of CHAARG + 4 Paws. I could perhaps delete certain apps and only redownload when I need to post? I’ll ponder this for a while + update with my decision.
People – I used to be very follower crazed. I had an unfollower app so I could see who didn’t follow me back, who unfollowed me, etc. I went though my social media [Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat…I don’t really use Facebook anymore so going through that would be a waste of time] and unfollowed and unadded people I don’t really need in my life. People from high school, tinder matches, random people who I would follow back. Anyone who if unfollowed me first, I would reciprocate. Also, I would like to stop seeing people who don’t make me happy – however, that’s easier said than done…
Illness – Like I mentioned before. I was sick literally from September 1st until I went to the doctor over Thanksgiving. I need to be sure I’m sleeping enough, taking vitamins, eating good food, and getting some sunlight.
Screen time – My iPhone now tells me how much screen time I use daily and holy god was that a shock. The amount of time I use my phone and the amount of times I physically pick up my phone is astronomical and I did not think I used it that much. I want to start using less screen time [mentioned in my 2019 intentions post] by turning my phone off for periods of time, putting it in another room, throwing it in a river… so many options!
Spending $$ – I’m trying to study abroad once or twice in the next year and a half and I really can’t do that if I keep spending money. Obviously, there are things I need to buy like groceries, clothes on occasion, and bills, but I really need to limit my spending on things besides the necessities for my own sanity and my wallet’s as well.

Things to be added:

Self-care – I need to do more than face masks and bath bombs. I think the biggest item of self-care that I could do for myself if to create a routine – morning, workout, and night – put it in place, figure out how much time it takes, and then be sure to allocate time for it in my day.
Reading + writing time – I have time in my day where I could be reading or writing but I spend it on my phone, scrolling through social media, etc. I want to allocate 30 minutes per day [I can switch off perhaps] to do 2 of the things that I love the most
Follow through – I need to figure out how to commit to the things I want to do and follow through with my commitments
Savings account – I have one, I don’t really use it. With the removal of spending a crap load of money, I’ll be putting the excess into my savings account.]

Things to be kept: [Obviously there are other things I want to keep in my life besides these 3, however, I felt the need to include these.]

CHAARG – I love CHAARG [hence why I’m in it] + I was to keep loving CHAARG so it stays
Blogging – Same rationale for CHAARG
Being unapologetically myself – I feel like I try to change myself to please others or I feel that others try to change me and I end up apologizing for being who I am. No more. I’m me and no one is going to change that.

It’s interesting to see all of this in writing. How the things I want to add and subtract from my life outweigh the things I want to keep [not sure how I feel about that…].Now I need to put this plan into action + hopefully start refilling my cup. 🙂

Are there things you want to add to your life? remove from your life?

Much love,

Alicia

18 things I learned in 2018

Published on January 2, 2019December 31, 2018 by AliciaLeave a comment

Hi all, if you couldn’t tell, 2018 was a pretty eye-opening year for me. I learned a ton, so I wanted to make another year-end post about what this year specifically taught me. Here are 18 things that I learned in the year 2018.

There are not enough hours in the day – Use them wisely.
Sometimes professors are nice enough to bump up your grade by .75% to get you a 4.0
Knowing how to cook at least 5 things and having those ingredients readily available is vitally important to keep you from eating out every night
Sometimes a night out with friends is the only thing you need.
Other times, a night in with a bath and a good book is what you need
While face masks and bath bombs aren’t the epitomai of self-care… they definitely make you feel like you have your life together
Use your planner! Unless you want to schedule 4747 things in the same 45 minute period.
There are few things better than baking on a Sunday morning while drinking coffee.
Cold brew coffee is a gift from the Heavens
Coffee from a coffee pot at home is also a gift because you are still caffeinated and $4 richer.
A hike is never a bad idea
Neither is yoga
You may never know what happened between you and that person you were once so close with. Accept that fact and move on.
Harry Potter World is 10x cooler than you’d expect it to be.
Always choose comfort when wearing shoes for over 12 hours. Those blisters you have for the next week are NEVER worth all that pain
No chip manicures always seem nice BUT they’re $40+, always chip AND one nice bottle of nail polish is less than $10. So, treat yourself for special occasions but a DIY manicure will, in the end, make you and your wallet feel much better.
Your dog can never have too many toys.
Put your phone down and be in the moment. You can answer those texts or play that game in a few hours.

What did you all learn in 2018?

Much love,
Alicia

2019 intentions

Published on January 1, 2019December 31, 2018 by Alicia2 Comments

In one of my previous posts, I remarked at how I was not going to be making a huge list of resolutions, which I’m not. I am however going to be creating intentions as I did last year. These are different than goals [thanks to CHAARG for introducing these to me] in the sense that they aren’t necessarily accomplished. Instead of “Don’t use my phone when I’m with friends” I would say something along the lines of “Try to live in the moment when with others.” It’s more ambiguous and less strict because odds are, I’m going to use my phone when I’m with others to text someone back, take a picture, check the weather etc. However, by saying to live in the moment, I know I mean to not have my eyes glued to my phone and be refreshing twitter and Instagram when I don’t need to be. These intentions are also usually not something you do once like “Get a 4.0” but more like “Never put your grades on the back burner and remember to always be learning.” These are obviously 2 completely different things but if I were to put “Get a 4.0” and I got one A-, I would beat myself up about it for weeks. Whereas, with the latter, I know that even if I get an A- or two, I put my all into my learning. So, now that the resolution vs intention lesson is over; here are my intentions for the year 2019.

Follow through on things I begin.
Get stronger physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Never put my grades on the back burner and remember to always be learning.
Try to live in the moment when with others.
Pour my heart into the things I am passionate about.
Write; as much as I can, when I can.
Read; as much as I can, when I can.
Don’t be afraid to try new things – foods, cultures, ways of living, etc.
Put effort into all of my current and future relationships.
Make an effort to use less screen time, especially during the week.

These are my 10 intentions for 2019 and always. What are yours?

Much love,

Alicia

2018 year in review

Published on December 31, 2018December 31, 2018 by Alicia1 Comment

Hi everyone and happy last day of 2018. This year absolutely flew by + It’s a little bittersweet that it’s ending, however, I’m hoping 2019 is everyone’s best year yet! Just like last year, I wanted to make a little year in review to showcase my 2018 [especially these past few months with no posts]. Here was my 2018!

In January, I headed back to Athens to begin my second semester at Ohio University. Nothing significant happened to me, but my roommate got a boyfriend (sort of…) so go her!

Me and some friends from high school

My roommate and some friends

I met some amazing people through CHAARG in February and worked out with 2 of my best friends for the first time! Crazy how time flies. OU also flooded and we got a 3 day weekend because of it! February consisted of a lot of interviews, a lot of rejection, and a lot of teaching myself how to handle it. It was rough during the time but I’ve learned so much because of it. Rejection is never easy but sometimes those things just weren’t meant to be.

Fest season began in March. I’d never experienced a “darty” quick like OU in my life. It’s very crazy and hectic but with the right people can be fun! I also headed home for Spring break in which I did pretty much nothing besides catch up on homework and hang out with my dog. It ended with the CHAARG formal [in which I was given the award of “Boss A$$ Bitch”] and me being chosen to be on CHAARG’s exec team.

With mom’s weekend, finals prep, and CHAARG coming to a close, April was a whirlwind. Trying to squeeze as much time in with my friends before heading home for the summer, more fests, and simultaneously trying to not fail all my classes was rough but I conquered. I ended the semester with all As [one A- but who’s counting?] for my best semester [grade wise and others] yet!

Upon returning home on May 1st, I had a whole lot of nothing to do. The lady I nannied for the summer before, who ensured I’d have a job this summer, didn’t get a job herself so my service to them was unneeded. I applied for a few jobs that were close by but none of them wanted a college kid who would only be there for a summer or two. So, I was left jobless and bored counting floor tiles in my kitchen. Nevertheless. I spent May catching up with high school friends, celebrating my dog’s 2nd birthday + 1st gotcha day and reacclimating to my life at home.

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Did somebody say road trip? In June, my family + I took a road trip to Orlando Florida to visit Universal studios for the first time! We stopped in Chatanooga TN to see Ruby Falls, St. Augustine Florida to see one of the oldest colonial cities in the USA, hit Universal for 3 days, and then back up to Sarasota Florida, to visit some family friends. I was able to live out my dream of being a witch in Harry Potter World, turn 21 + enjoy my first few legal drinks poolside, and get some much needed Vitamin D. I was able to finish off the month with some FREE tickets to see Harry Styles [the love of my life] on tour with a good friend of mine!

Back to school already? Nope! In July I did make a trip to Ohio, but for reasons besides school. I visited my friend Olivia + her friend Kennedy in their hometowns for an early birthday celebration for Olivia. It was cool to see where they are from, spend more time with their dogs than with them and meet their families.

I headed back to school 2 weeks early in August. It was nice to be back in Athens when there’s no one else around. It’s peaceful and the feel, in general, is much different than the following 8 months. I was able to bike a lot, go to the gym a lot, see my school friends, do CHAARG stuff, and then also do early move in for my work. Finally, school started. I had a whole one day with my business classes, realized it wasn’t for me, headed right back to the education building, switched my major back and it was as if my business career had never happened.

Once I was back in the swing of things with all of my education classes, my education friends, etc. I was able to focus on working hard in all aspects of my life. On September 11th I did a stair challenge with some CHAARG girls. We ran the number of stairs that were in a twin tower building to remember the lives lost on 9/11. It was HARD but I’m so glad I did it because it was SO motivating doing that with other CHAARG girls. That following Tuesday, I broke my pinkie finger, I was lifting an 85 pound ball of cement, picked it up wring, and then it landed on my pinkie. 6 weeks in a splint, a lot of pictures, and some makeshift physical therapy to learn how to bend it again, + I was healed.

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I began my student teaching in October. The school was 50 miles away and I had to get 40 hours there, so 8 or so time throughout the remainder of the semester, my friend Sara and I would drive there, grab coffee, and then do some student teaching to get ourselves one step closer to an education degree. Also in October, I participated in the NEDA walk, where I was a top overall donor and helped CHAARG become the highest group donor.

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November started out strong with Dad’s weekend, in which my dad and I drank a lot of coffee, watched a lot of movies, and just hung out for three days. The following weekend was the CHAARG retreat which was just as magical as I imagined. I put SO much effort into that retreat + everyone loved it! The month ended with my being home for Thanksgiving, dying my hair again, and catching up on sleep

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The semester ended just as every other one does; my orgs ending, an ungodly amount of group projects, and a lot of work. I got promoted at work so I am now a Student Manager which is very cool. I ended the semester with a 4.0 and then I headed home for the rest of December which is where I am now, surrounded by a lot of good people and a lot of good food.

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I hope your 2018 was even better than mine!

Much love,

Alicia

Long time, no write

Published on December 30, 2018December 30, 2018 by Alicia5 Comments

Hi all, I hope you all haven’t forgotten about me. The last time I wrote [besides essays for class] was 138 days ago. August 14^th to be precise. I hadn’t started my junior year of college, I hadn’t started my first semester on CHAARG exec, I hadn’t been promoted at work, I hadn’t dyed my hair, I hadn’t changed my major [more on that later]. I hadn’t done so many things 136 days ago.

I’ve been sitting at my computer over the past few days, pondering on what to say. Why haven’t I written anything in 136 days? Why have I rarely even logged onto WordPress in these last 136 days? Why haven’t I had any motivation or longing to write?

While I don’t know the answers to those questions, I do know I’ve been pretty miserable this semester. From school, to CHAARG, to my other orgs on campus, to work, to pretty much every other aspect of my life, has been miserable.

As I’m sure you all know by now, I put far too much on my plate. I take on every activity, every class, every extracurricular, every new position that I can. I try to do it all. I’ve exhausted myself. I could not find time to write this past semester because I was physically, mentally, and emotionally drained. When I wasn’t at school, a student org meeting, or work, I was studying, eating, showering, or sleeping.

This semester was rough, I’ll give myself that, but next semester with a new promotion at work, and more classes, along with all of my previous commitments… how am I to handle it? Over the past few months, I’ve realized on very large thing: there aren’t enough hours in a day.

I pride myself on being busy, on filling up my planner so I have to allocate time for working out, eating, showering, etc. Why do I do this? I can’t do everything in the world and still have time for my absolute favorite thing in the world: curling up in my bed at night and doing nothing; ie. staring at my phone or reading a good book. I need to start prioritizing my time and prioritizing what I do with my time and I need to do it fast before I exhaust myself next semester as well.

2019 is in two days. I don’t want to set a million resolutions for 2019. I want to set one: follow through. I am notorious for starting things. A new school, a new major, a new job, a new application, a new blog, a new journal, etc. Yet, I can never seem to finish these things I start. I love doing SO many things but there aren’t enough hours in the day for me to do everything. In 2019 I want to follow through. I want to start [or continue] things that I am passionate about and I want to follow through with those things. I need to leave things less important to me in 2018 and bring what is vital to me into 2019.

I’ve got a few more posts of life updates, year wrap-ups, etc. on my to do list before the year’s end. I just wanted to make this to show you guys I’m not done with my blog, I’m not done with my writing. I just had to take a few months to really realize what was important to me and how to keep it in my life.

Much love,

Alicia

August intentions

Published on August 7, 2018 by Alicia1 Comment

Hi everyone + Happy Tuesday!! I wrote this post last week and totally forgot about it! I head back to school in 3 days + I’m SO excited!!! As I prepare for the school year to begin, I have a lot to do + I’m putting everything on my intentions list for August. Here they are!

Pack for school // I’m about half way done with this and after another load of laundry or two + some final purchases, I should be done soon!
Make my apartment homey // I have been doing a bit of DIY (+ buying cute things) to get my apartment feeling like it’s all mine
Prep my planner // I just got new pens + markers yesterday so I’M PUMPED to get my planner ready for this semester
Develop my school routine // I’m getting back to school 2 weeks before school starts so I have plenty of time to get my workout, work, school, sleep, etc. schedules down pact.
Work out 5-6 days a week // This is part of my school routine + 2 of those are already covered with CHAARG!!!
Eat only things that make my body feel good // I’ve been having more stomach problems lately so I’m going to be doing a sort of experiment with foods I eat to see what is bothering my stomach
Conquer my first week of school // Junior year here I come!
Make some new recipes // I actually just tried a new one today (Chocolate Cherry energy bites… SO MUCH YUM) so I’m definitely ahead of the game!
Start meal planning + prepping // With 6 classes MWF, eating good foods is going to take some prepping so every weekend I’m going to prep + plan my meals so I am eating healthy foods ++ enough of them

What are your intentions for the month?

❤ Alicia ❤

July wrap up

Published on July 31, 2018July 30, 2018 by AliciaLeave a comment

Hi everyone and happy Tuesday! Somehow July is already over!!?!?!? I’m not sure how that is! I head back to school in 11 days and I’m so excited but also so shocked that it’s time already! In typical Alicia fashion, let’s check out how my month of July went for me, goals-wise.

Finish CHAARG Bootycamp // re: my last post
120 oz of water daily// Almost every single day!!
Organize everything I own // Not nearly as far along with this as I’d like because of how overwhelming it is. But slow and steady wins the race!
Keep planning for CHAARG // I’ve planned every social, welcome party + end of semester party so I just have our retreat which is going not as planned because the camp has stopped responding to my emails and calls. So.. we’ll see.
Get everything for my apartment bought + ready // A few things have been bought but I do have everything I still need on a list ready to go!
Start DIYing // Yikes I haven’t done anything :(( I actually forgot I wanted to! I’ll have to start soon!
Work on training my dog // We’ve been working daily and I see improvements in her behavior on walks daily so let’s see!

How did you do on your goals for July?

❤ Alicia ❤