Category: Lifestyle

Women’s History Month

Published on by Alicia3 Comments

Hello everyone, I would have posted earlier, but I took a fall and broke my big toe and pulled a ligament in my ankle. At least that’s what my friend who is pre-med is telling me. I have been making my way around my house with crutches and can’t bear to put a shoe on my left foot let alone put weight on it. So, since my dad, who normally would be the one inspecting my injuries, doesn’t know about the tattoo on that same ankle, I’m going to be hobbling my way around the house sans crutches with a smile on my face when he gets home (him and my mom are out of town this weekend with some friends).

Well, this month is Women’s History Month. This month is very important to me, because I am… a woman. Not sure if you all knew 😉

I used to be one of those people who was like “Why is there a Black History month?” or “Why do we have a Women’s History month?” etc. etc. Now, before you start firing comments my way about much of a racist and meninist I am, at the time I thought I was being quite the opposite. I always felt that by having a Women’s history month or a Black History month, we were excluding ourselves and other minorities. If There is no White History month or Men’s History Month, why do we (women and other minorities) get one. I felt that minorities were already ostracized enough and that by dedicating a month to us we would be outcasted even more than we already were. Plus, I didn’t really think we needed them because I thought we learned all the history we needed in school.

A few years ago, I came to the realization that there were so many things that had happened in our country and around the world that I did not know about. I didn’t know about how women got the right to vote, that women helped astronauts get to the moon. I had always thought that men had discovered the double helix in DNA, nuclear fission, and so many more world-altering inventions now matter how small.

I never realized this in school but the history we learn about isn’t the full story. We don’t learn both sides, we learn the rich white man’s story. For years I thought Christopher Columbus was a great guy because he ‘discovered America’ and I thought that the white man was always correct and could never do wrong because that’s what we learn. We don’t learn about the millions of Native Americans who died when the white man took over the ‘new country.’ We don’t learn that slavery was always wrong, not just when the North decided it was. We don’t learn that women couldn’t go to school because they were forced to stay home and their sole purpose was reproducing and cleaning. We don’t learn so many things in school because not everything is about white men in history, but in schools and media it is.

Now I realize. I realize that we need months for people who aren’t white, straight men. We need them because I learned more about Black History during February commercials on Disney channel as a kid than I ever did in school. There are still so many historical facts that I don’t know about because of this, but if I have learned one thing since Trump’s presidency, or my time of realization for the need of these months, it’s that we shouldn’t need these months, but until our history books are rewritten with the whole truth, and people begin to realize that white men are not the only influential people on this Earth, these months are so important for everyone, because without them, I wouldn’t know who Alice Paul were, Ada Lovelace, and so many other women and men alike who changed the world for the better.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

Published on by Alicia3 Comments

Good afternoon everyone. Tonight I am seeing my sister and one of my closest friends in the musical ‘Annie.’ My sister is one of the orphans (whose name I can’t recall right now) and Casey is playing Miss Hannigan. There are 4 performances (Thursday-Sunday) and I am seeing the performance 3 times. Not because I love seeing my sister dance and sing, but because I was obsessed with the movie Annie as a child and watched the DVD so many times I broke it. So, since I have no Annie DVD and I don’t think it’s on Netflix I need to get as much of an Annie fix until I find it playing on my TV again. My sister has been working her butt off for this and came home at 9:30 a few nights this week, so I can’t wait to see all of her hard work pay off.

Anyway, today, March 2nd, is Dr. Suess’ birthday. Dr. Seuss has made an impact on my life as a child and continues to make impacts on the lives of children across the world. I can recall asking my mom to read me The Cat in the Hat, asking my dad to read me One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish and truly getting anyone to read any sort of Dr. Suess books to me. Dr. Suess books filled my bedroom as a child and they fill my neighbor’s children’s bedroom now (my attic houses some of the classics of course, can’t just give away Fox in Socks or Horton Hears a Who).

Well, to honor my favorite childhood author, I thought I would share a few of my favorite quotes of his.

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”

“You are you. Now, isn’t that pleasant?”

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

“If things start happening, don’t worry, don’t stew, just go right along and you’ll start happening too.”

“Say what you feel, and do what you say.Because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.”

Once again, Happy Birthday to you, Dr. Seuss, and what are your favorite quotes of his?

Alicia

New Year’s Resolutions Update

Published on by Alicia2 Comments

Hi everyone, the year is somehow already ⅙ done and I really wanted to see how on track I have been with my resolutions to see if I have to make any improvements or to see if any of you have forgotten about your resolutions and to kickstart the both of us. Let’s see how I’ve done

  1. Blog consistently: I am doing rather well with this one. I have posted on average one post every other day, and if not one every three days, which is really an improvement for me.
  2. End the year with at least double the posts I have now. This is my 30th post of the year so hypothetically if I continue at this pace I am at, I should surpass my goal of 143 (the number of posts from 2016) with flying colors.
  3. Connect with more Bloggers: I haven’t been fabulous at this but I definitely have met more people which was my goal
  4. Take quality pictures: The posts that I have used pictures in have been good, but a lot of my posts haven’t needed photos so this is one I’ll have to come back later for.
  5. Read: I have started reading every night before bed instead of scrolling my phone so I have read quite a few books this year and I am super proud of myself for that
  6. Learn something new: I still don’t know what and I don’t know when, but I will learn something
  7. Move into the basement: Our basement flooded so we had to tear up our carpet, and under our carpet we found asbestos tile so we have to get that removed but once we do that, we are getting the basement recarpeted and then I will move down there, although it will be sort of pointless since I’ll be leaving again but whatever.
  8. Volunteer:  SOON
  9. Create a budget for myself: I haven’t done this.
  10. Choose a college: Haven’t done this either
  11. Get a job: I have a summer nannying job and once I get back from Peru I am going to start looking for something on the days that I don’t have to babysit
  12. Clean: I have been keeping my kitchen, living room, and my room fairly clean so I’d say that this is a win
  13. Get on a solid sleep schedule: I have been going to sleep at about 10 and waking up at 6 during the week so kudos to me for getting my nocturnal ass in the loop with every other human.
  14. Exercise: I have been doing insanity and running in the morning, so I’ve been doing at least some sort of physical activity almost every day.
  15. Create a skincare routine: Check out my Tarte skincare review for my skincare routine
  16. Be one of ‘those vegans’: I have been eating pretty healthily. I ate a box of Thin Mints for breakfast the other day though, so… Balance.
  17. Drink more water: Some days I’m really good about this and other days I’m not, so I’m halfway there.

All in all, I have been doing pretty good. There are some items that I will definitely have completed/closer to completing by the summer I’ll update you all then. Until then, I have some spinach that needs to be put in a smoothie and a book that needs reading

Alicia

Tarte skincare review

Published on by Alicia6 Comments

Hi everyone! Look at me being all beauty bloggery. Today a Tarte review, tomorrow two million Instagram followers.

Okay, so basically one of my resolutions was to create a solid skincare routine because well, I don’t have one. My skin is terribly dry and sensitive and finding something that is vegan, cruelty-free, and works on my skin type is not easy.

A few months ago, I discovered Tarte Cosmetics and was blown away by their (mostly) vegan, cruelty-free, and natural line of products they have.

After trying a few skincare brands, and the only thing I’ve gotten out of them is red, dry, and utterly damaged skin, I decided since I use Tarte for a bunch of my makeup products, why don’t I try it for skincare?

They had a sale where I could get a bunch of their skincare products, in sample sizes for only $20 so I had to give it a go.

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I received two sets of products: The Scrub Clean set and The Make a Splash skincare savers set. I also got a freebie travel size of my favorite mascara, so that’s definitely a bonus.

In the Scrub Clean set, there was Tarte’s Frxxxtion stick, Tarte’s Deluxe Deep Dive Cleansing Gel, and a cleansing scrubber.

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Scrub Cleanse Set

The Frxxxtion Stick’s job is to remove any dead skin cells. You apply the stick to wet skin and then massage in with the cleansing scrubber and then rinse off and pat dry. After this Frxxxtion stick application, my skin hasn’t been this soft in I can’t even remember how long. Also, for being a travel size, I didn’t use that much of it so I will definitely get a lot of use out of it. Fun fact: the little scrubber can also be used for brush cleaning, even though I make my sister clean all of my brushes so for the day that I do clean my own brushes, I’ll be able to use the scrubber.

Following the Frxxxtion stick was the Deluxe Deep Diving Cleansing Gel, which for starters smells like a rainforest. I don’t know what a rainforest smells like, but I have to assume it’s this. It’s a face wash that can also be applied with the scrubber. It’s really refreshing when you put it on your skin and definitely gets anything that the Frxxxtion stick missed off of your face. I really enjoyed this face wash and didn’t dry my face out, which is totally a first when it comes to face washes for me.

For the next set: The Make a Splash skincare savers set, there was the deep diving cleansing gel (the same as the other set so I won’t go over it again), Rainforest of the sea Setting Spray, and the Drink of H2O hydrating boost.

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The Make a Splash Skincare Savers set

After I used the cleansing gel, I spritzed on some of the setting spray, which smelled exactly like Sprite. I don’t even like Sprite but this was phenomenal. It’s supposed to be a setting spray or makeup primer, but can also be used as a skin refresher. I didn’t use it before or after makeup, but it was refreshing. I definitely will have to use this as a primer or setting spray at some point and see if it lives up to those uses.

The final Tarte product was the Drink of H2O hydrating boost. This is actually the main reason I bought this set in the first place. It’s a lightweight gel moisturizer that is said to help quench dry skin. It is literally supposed to be a drink of water for your skin, and it is. With all of my old skincare regimes, I had to reapply lotion every hour or so, but I had this product on all day and never reapplied once. I thought it would be oily on my skin, based on how gel-like it was, but my skin absorbed it really quickly and easily.

All in all, if you’re vegan/ use cruelty-free products, and have dry and sensitive skin (or any type of skin really), these products are for you!

Ways to my heart

Published on by Alicia10 Comments

Despite today being my least favorite holiday on the planet, Jenny over at sitbackandjustlive made a post about some ways to her heart, and because I definitely related to a few of them, I thought I would make one too, cough cough at all of you potential boyfriends out there, read on.

  1.  You love my dog/my dog loves you: While I don’t have a dog right now, I will at some point and I heard once that dogs are the best judge of character. Basically, if my dog doesn’t love you, you have to go. And if you don’t like my dog, just move along. adorable-cute-funny-dog-puppy-animated-gif-35
  2. We have the same/similar Political Views: Basically, if you voted for Trump or accept him as a president, I can’t date you.
  3. Food:This is pretty self-explanatory. Food makes everyone happygiphy-1
  4. Take candid or not so candid photos of me: I need a boyfriend who does this, hell I need friends that do this because my Instagram feed does not have nearly enough pictures of me being uncandidly candid on it.
  5. You know my Starbucks Order: I have 4 Starbucks orders, which can be difficult, but they switch from the seasons, so as long as I get something close, I’ll love you forever.giphy

Well, these are the ways to my heart, what are the ways to yours?

Alicia

An oldie but a goodie: Homemade Valentines

Published on by Alicia3 Comments

Hi everyone, with Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, my least favorite holiday, I have decided that I would make some fun homemade Valentines for some super cool people; dogs, my sister, some friends, etc. Before I start this post, I figured I would give you all a little college update: Literally right after I posted my college update post I got an email saying I was accepted into DePaul University and then the next night I checked my Ohio University application and saw that I was also accepted. I AM OFFICIALLY GOING TO COLLEGE. I still have to visit Ohio (tomorrow) and compare financial options but at least I have options.

I mentioned that I missed making homemade Valentines with glitter and doilies and glue and messes and my sister and mom agreed. So, my mom and I raided the $1 section of Target, or as we like to call it the “don’t need anything but want everything” section and got some doilies, glitter, stickers, and some other cheap Valentine making pieces and got to work.

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I honestly forgot how fun it was to make Valentines and how much it makes people smile receiving them. It’s one thing to send someone a text saying Happy Valentine’s Day, or to buy those pre-made Spongebob Valentines to bring to school, but sitting down and placing stickers delicately on a doily and then writing ever so neatly a few sweet words and topping it off with glitter is: A. So much more sentimental and B. So much more fun.

Now, while I attempt to get as much of the glitter remnants out of my tablecloth and clothes before I give up and just throw them in the washer, enjoy some photos of the Valentine’s my sister and I made this year for our family and friends.

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Our mess of a table
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All of the glitter that didn’t make it onto the Valentines
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The Valentine’s I made

 

 

Ruff month

Published on by Alicia9 Comments

It’s been about a month since we had to put my dog down and life at my house is quite different. My dad stills tries to not step on the dog every morning, her dog food bag is still in our kitchen, and every time I enter the house, I always want to yell “Rosie” but then I remember she isn’t there.

It’s been a weird month. She’s still my phone background and my friends still ask me how I’m doing. My mom, sister and I keep looking at new dogs but we know we can’t move on just yet. And even though my father insists he doesn’t want another dog, the words “Damn I miss that dog” slip out of his mouth every now and then. We actually have t pick up after ourselves when we eat, which I have definitely forgotten about, hence the three-day-old cucumber slice that fused to my kitchen floor.

The house is also quiet, silent even. There are no small barks and loud barks, no nails tapping against the tile, no scratching at the carpet, no lapping water from her water dish. It’s weird, and I feel alone. I’m at home quite a bit now that I’m not in school and basically I talked to my dog, walked my dog, slept with my dog, etc. The house is far too quiet for my liking, with or without the TV, with or without my bird, it’s still far too quiet.

My mom admitted that she wants another dog, however with me off to Peru in April for a month and then depending on where I end up at school (post on that later) it will depend on our future dog owing.

Basically, we all really want a dog, but we aren’t ready for one. Also, we have all (well my sister and I sort of agreed as we want another rott or a pitbull and neither of our parents want that) agreed that we want a smaller dog (smaller poop) but we just have to wait a bit.

However, all of our friends with dogs have said that if we want to steal their dog for a weekend or so, we are more than welcome to. So, while not having a dog of my own stinks, I am so thankful for people in my life who are trying to help us adjust with so dog as best we can.

So, if/when we get a new dog, you’ll all be the first to know, and until then, I’ll be crying over cute dogs on Instagram and leaving my friend’s houses with a tiny pup head popping out of my bag.

500 followers!!

Published on by Alicia28 Comments

Good morning everyone, the other day I woke up to some notifications, not unusual, one of them being that I reached 500 followers.

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I was shocked and speechless by that notification. I can remember vividly when I reached 100 followers, even 10.

When I started this blog last October, I had assumed that I would end up with a follower or five, receive a like and a comment here or there, nothing more.

I never thought that I would attract an audience, let alone 500 people of all niches, who would read my writings. I never thought I would have people read, let alone like, comment, or reblog them. I never thought I would get nominated for awards, be tagged in tags, or anything of that nature.

It has been an interesting year or so blogging and I’m so happy with how my blog has been and how many people I have met because of it. Here’s to the next 500 😉

Alicia

March on

Published on by Alicia16 Comments

Today was a pivotal day for me as a human being. Today, I attended the women’s march in Chicago with some of my family and friends. Besides the march in Washington D.C, Chicago had the largest turnout of any march across the world. I marched with around 250 thousand, yes 250 thousand men and women alike down the streets of Chicago.

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Some were young, some old. Some straight, some gay. Some black, some white. Some rich, some poor. Some abled, some disabled. And everyone in between. I met some amazing men and women of all backgrounds who met on the streets of Chicago for one reason: solidarity.

We marched to show our support for all of the nasty women across the nation. We marched to make sure our opinions were heard, by anyone and everyone. I marched so that my daughters and granddaughters won’t have to. I marched for equal pay, equal opportunity, and equal rights. I marched today so that no woman ever has to have a man tell her what to do with her body.

Today, I marched next to a month old baby (and her parents of course), next to an 81-year-old woman who has been working for women’s equality since she was a child. I marched next to dogs donning signs with “Even I know no means no,” “I march for my moms,” and so many others. While I didn’t get a chance to speak to every single person I crossed paths, these people whose pictures I took, who took my picture, who had to get past me to find their friends, were some of the kindest and polite people I have ever associated with.

Today was a day for love. It was a day for happiness. It was also a day for hope. It was a day that will be remembered by thousands forever. I have so many emotions in my heart and love, hope, and happiness are above at the top of that list. I love all of the people that came to march, I love Hillary Clinton, I love Barack Obama, and I love everyone who supported the march today. I am happy with today. I cried tears of joy, had goosebumps litter my body, and am just so content with the amount of support and presence that was present today. I am hopeful. I am hopeful for the future. I am hopeful for women of all kind. I am hopeful that today’s march and protests have set the pace for the next 4 years. I am hopeful that Donald Trump and friends know we are serious about our rights and have no plans on stopping until we get our way. I am full of love, happiness, and hope.

Today was one of the best days of my life and I know that despite our Commander-in-Chief, these next four years are going to be a full-fledged fight, that we will not give up on.

Just remember “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

A letter to President Obama

Published on by Alicia14 Comments

Dear Mr. Obama,

Today is your last day as the President of the United States. I can’t begin to wrap my head around that. That tomorrow, you, Michelle, Malia, Sasha, Bo, and Sunny will no longer be the first family and will no longer live in the White House.

I was 11 when you were elected. I sat on my couch, watching as the votes began to add up, as you took quite a lead over John McCain. My mother was walking around the house, excited, and my dad took no interest in the matter, typical.

I still have the newspaper from when they announced you as President. I’ll always keep it. You were the first black president, and dear lord I hope not the last. I remember going to school the next day and you being the talk of the town. Everyone was talking about you. You were everywhere. In my English class, in my social studies class, even in my science class. You were the shiny new toy everyone had to talk about.

I remember the day you were inaugurated. The 8th-grade social studies teacher invited the entire school into the auditorium to sit on the creaky, old, wooden, and broken seats, as he projected the inauguration onto the stage. I don’t remember what you said, I don’t remember what anyone said, but I remember that my heart fluttered when you said, “So help me God.” You became the 44th president of these United States that I had called home for the past 11 years. I didn’t know who you were, I didn’t know your policies, but I had an inkling that your time as president would be one for the books.

Flash forward to today. You have accomplished so much. After 8 years of this country crumbling to pieces, you had 8 years to fix a broken nation. A broken nation in need of dire help. You came in, picked up the pieces of the country you had called home for so long and began to rebuild. You began with reversing the Bush torture policies, which we all know desperately needed to be removed. You kept going with passing the Affordable Care Act and Wall Street reform. Not to mention repealing the “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” policy and ended the war in Iraq. You acknowledged that veterans are important and passed bills to help support every last one of them. You appointed the first ever Hispanic Supreme Court Justice and you were the first president in decades to completely avoid a scandal.

After your presidency Gay marriage is legal. The housing market is doing better, and you have begun aiding in combating global warming. You have done so much for this country and I am forever grateful for you and your time in office.

While there are many people that didn’t approve of you and are going to nitpick each and every move you or your family makes, there are so many that love you and so many that will be sad to see you go. I am one of those, One of those people who will be forever grateful for all you did for women, blacks, Hispanics, LGBTQIA+ and other minorities alike.

You have been a ray of sunshine in this dark dark time we live in and I am deeply saddened that you are leaving. I will miss your sense of humor and your love for not only the country but for your family and everyone you meet. I will miss you dearly but I know you have so many things left to accomplish in your lifetime.

Thank you Barack Obama, for giving me hope for the past 8 years and for years to come.

Change is good

Published on by Alicia11 Comments

Something I have tried pushing to the back, the far back, of my head, recently is that Obama will soon cease to be the president of the United States. But as I tearfully watched his final speech as president I really have to face reality. Donald Trump is our president-elect and soon, he will hold the highest position of power in the entire United States, and one of the top positions of power across the entire world.

It is gut-wrenching, frustrating, sickening, and all around unbelievable. Nonetheless, it is true. There are things Obama didn’t get right, but there are far more things he did get right.

Something I think about frequently, is what I would do had I been elected president, had I been in the position of trump. What things I would change about the nation I call home. While there are so many, there are a few that stand out among the rest. Here they are.

Preface: If any of you decide to disagree with my views, believe that Trump is a good fit for president, or just want to be an ass, keep your comments to yourselves. This is my blog and I can/ will post whatever the hell I want, and I can easily click the delete button on your comment without much thought. If you don’t want to read this post, click off. Easy as that.

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  1. Gun control: I live in a suburb of Chicago, a city with one of the largest gun deaths/casualties in the entire nation. There need to be harsher laws about owning a gun. Yes, I know people will be able to get black market guns, there really is nothing we can do about it now, however we will be able to control the amount of kids who find their parents’ guns and kill themselves or their family members, how many domestic disputes that end in a gun casualty, and so many other things. There are so many school/airport/ theater shootings recently (almost all of which the guns were legally bought) that could have been prevented had we had harsher laws on gun ownership.
  2. Better funding for education: Education is a necessity. Education helps us get jobs, which helps give back to society, which helps the country function. Once again, in Chicago, year after year, schools are being shut down because of lack of funding and it needs to stop. This is causing classrooms to be overfilled, or for students to have to drop out because the nearest school is not within reach. With better funding, children will be able to continue their educations so they too can give back to society.477703351922915034-party-logo-donkeyhotey-flickr.13.4.971.492.full.jpg
  3. No more political parties: The party system in the United States needs reworking or complete removal. People tend to vote with their parties despite their candidate’s views and that isn’t right. We should be educated on the candidates we vote for and vote for people based on their views on issues, not whether they stand in front of a poster with a donkey or an elephant on it.
  4. Rewrite the Constitution: When the Constitution was written, the founding fathers thought that the Constitution should be rewritten every 20 or so years. However, we have not done that in the 250 or so years we have been a country. People get so stuck on the 2nd amendment (right to bear arms) because when it was written, it was necessary; WE WERE BATTLING AT ALL TIMES. Which is also why the 3rd amendment (prohibits soldiers from temporarily residing in private homes during peace time without getting the permission and consent of the owner) was created. However, we no longer need soldiers to reside in private houses, so this amendment and quite a few other amendments/pieces of the constitution are null and void.img-plannedparenthood-logo
  5. Make it illegal to band funding to Planned Parenthood: Old white men seem to think that the only thing Planned Parenthood does are abortion procedures. Planned Parenthood funds so many other things from mammograms to STD testing. Planned Parenthood is a necessity to people across the US and it cannot be defunded. Also, what people seem to forget: Defunding Planned Parenthood will not eliminate abortions, it will eliminate safe and sanitary abortions!

Like I said, there are so many things that the United States needs to change, but these I feel are of the utmost importance. What would you like to see the US change?

Alicia

 

 

 

 

 

Year in review

Published on by Alicia4 Comments

Sup fam. Happy New Year. I did a whole lot of popcorn and ice cream eating last night, followed by cards and my dad singing from the other room. I have decided to take a walk down memory lane that was 2016. 2016 in general sucked ass, however personally, it was hit or miss. I’m going to go thru the months and share some of my most memorable moments.

New year, new hair. The most exciting thing about January was dying my hair red. I also started my second semester of school but that’s not important. I also got a traffic ticket in January, which also sparked the first time I ever cried in a public bathroom, but let’s not talk about that.

February was such an irrelevant month filled with homework, coffee shops, and the start of politics. The only remotely interesting thing was that Leonardo DiCaprio won his Oscar. That’s it, bye February you irrelevant month.

Breaking news! Martin O’Malley drops out of presidential election! Basically the saddest news of 2016. Followed by my innerds combusting inside of me giving me my period at an alarming rate for the entire month. The only good thing that happened in March was my friend Marisa coming to visit and going home to a nice warm bed and home cooked food.

April is the month of final projects in school. I was cursed with my group and did 97% of the work for ours. We ended up receiving the highest grade in the class, but only thanks to me. My cousin also married her high school sweetheart so that was adorable.

Welcome to the big girl world. I finished my first year of college in May and started my first real job. My sister also graduated 8th grade, so she’s moving up in the world too.

Bye bye to my social life and up-to-dateness on everything. I gave up social media completely during June and am still glad I did it.

“She looks so perfect standing there” with her broken toe covered in an ice wrap. My dog broke her toe in July and had to ice and heat her poor foot every day. I also saw my favorite band in concert so that was one of the best days of my life. as well.

Such a preface to fall. I fell out of my kayak in August. I also redownloaded social media but that’s not too much of an event.

Wake me up when September ends. Literally, this month I started my babysitting job and soon realized I needed to quit said job.

October was cool, and I don’t just mean the weather. I quit my babysitting job from hell and saw one of my favorite bands, Saint Motel

Hey Chicago, what do you say, the Cubs won the World Series today. Just when I thought that everything was right in the world, Donald Trump flipped me the bird, spat on my face, grabbed me by the p*ssy, and won the presidential election. But then my dog turned 10 on November 10th, so I was able to forget about Satan and his soon to be reign for at least a few days.

“This is where I binge eat vegan donuts in my corolla.” On December 8th I had the pleasure of seeing my favorite comedian, Chris Fleming. It was fab and basically the only thing eventful that happened in December; unless you call getting shit on for your makeup on Christmas by your whole family eventful.

That was my 2016, how was yours?

Alicia

17 in 2017

Published on by Alicia10 Comments

Hi everyone, something I always struggle with are new years resolutions. Everyone always makes them, follows them for a week, and then make the same resolution the year after. When I used to go to the gym right by my house, my dad and I would go the weekend on New Years and there would be so many people you couldn’t get a machine. January 5th came, and the gym was basically empty again. However, I do have a few goals for not only myself but my blog in 2017 and I thought I would share them with you all. Let’s get started.

  1. Blog consistently: Last year started out rough, there were some months that I had 16 posts and other that I had only 1. Hopefully after doing NaBloPoMo AND Blogmas, the art of consistency will stay with me.
  2. End the year with at least double the amount of posts I have now. As of me righting this post I have 143 blog posts in 2016. I would like to end the year with writing at least 143 more, maybe even more than that. I know it will be easy for the first half of the year with no school and such, but I will persevere to the end of the year. Maybe I’ll start writing 2017’s Blogmas posts now 😉
  3. Connect with more Bloggers: I always go through my Reader and read and like people’s posts but I really want to comment on more and connect with more of the people I follow.
  4. Take quality pictures: I always talk about things while I’m writing but am running behind on posting (last night for example and my 11:13pm post time) so I forget to take pictures. I just got an iPhone 7 (hello fab camera quality) so I’m going to work on taking all my own pictures and posting them mainly because it’s nice to have your own content on your website, but also because it probably takes more time finding a photo in good lighting, good background, etc than it does to get my item and take it.
  5. Read: I have so many books just waiting from to read them in my room and I have so many books I want to read and have yet to buy
  6. Learn something new: I don’t know what and I don’t know when; but I want to learn how to do something
  7. Move into the basement: I was supposed to move into the basement in August but my basement is a mess so I tentatively will be moving into the basement in January but I’m not sure.
  8. Volunteer: Something I really want to do is volunteer abroad. I am trying to go to Lima, Peru for 4 or 5 weeks. I am totally going to fund it myself… I just have to convince my dad. Since I want to teach English abroad when I’m older,  I really want to test it out by going abroad and seeing if I like it  before I devote my life to something. Because if for some reason I hat traveling abroad or something I would like to know before I major in it.
  9. Create a budget for myself: If I want to go to Peru, and I also want to visit some of my college friends, I need to stop spending money on lipsticks and food and create a monthly or weekly budget for spending so I can do the things I really want to.
  10. Choose a college: Obvious reasons for this haha
  11. Get a job: I need money and to get that, I need a job. Depending on if/when I volunteer will dictate what sort of job I get, so we’ll see.
  12. Clean: Since I am home daily, I sometimes spend the day sleeping or watching TV, when I could be cleaning all the dishes i don’t use. I also need to keep my bedroom clean. Right now it’s a mess because I am going through everything I own in preparation for moving to the basement but once I get a new and bigger room, I will maintain a clean room.
  13. Get on a solid sleep schedule: Nighttime is when I spend my time writing blog posts, reading blog posts, etc. So, when it’s all of a sudden 3 am… oops. Just because I’m home doesn’t mean I can be nocturnal. I need to develop a solid sleep schedule and put my electronics down, which is a lot easier said than done.
  14. Exercise: I am planning on starting Insanity when I get home from Wisconsin. Something to keep me active and exercising does help maintain a solid sleep schedule.
  15. Create a skincare routine: I have had eczema my whole life, and sensitive skin to top that off, so my skin hates me. I need to develop a skincare routine so my skin can love me again. Also one that isn’t uber expensive and easy(ish) to maintain.
  16. Be one of ‘those vegans’: I drink a solid one kale smoothie a week. When I have a mid life crisis at 2 am and decide I need to get my life together, which lasts about 2 days until my next one the following Sunday. I am trying to be one of those vegans who drinks kale smoothies and posts acai bowl photos on Tumblr… Okay not that extreme but I don’t want to be a vegan who eats a row of Oreos and a bag of popcorn for dinner.
  17. Drink more water: water is literally the holy grail of our body. We are over 75% water and how much we drink makes or breaks us. I have a 40 oz water bottle and some days I drink 2 of them but also some days I fall behind on my water consumption and I really can’t do that.I’m being very hopeful with these resolutions and I know some of them might not come true, but here are my aspirations for the year 2017, I’ll check back in 6 months.

    Alicia

What I got for Christmas

Published on by Alicia7 Comments

Hi everyone, I hope your Christmas was good/ your Hanukkah is going well/ whatever holiday you do or don’t celebrate has been phenomenal. I have seen a ton of people on here showcase a few items that they got for Christmas, and I’ve decided to do the same. I am so thankful for everything I was given this year, and can’t wait to use everything I was given. Let’s get to it, shall we?

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  1. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath- While I only mentioned wanting Eat, Pray, Love in My Christmas Wish List post, this was another book I desperately wanted. I was super pumped about receiving it, and can’t wait to read it.
  2. Urban Decay “Vice” Lipstick Palette- After receiving this palette and a ton of other lippies, I will never need to buy lipstick again. I am absolutely in love with this palette and haven’t even used every color. There are so many amazing colors, a nice brush, and a really cute palette cover which says ‘lipstick is my vice.” The colors are super creamy and not drying and I love the ones I have used.
  3. Makeup mirror- I don’t wear makeup often, but when I do, I am propped in front of my closet mirror, which consists of poor lighting and a possible terrible outcome. This year, Santa brought both my sister and I a makeup mirror, and I can safely say, I have used it so much in the 5 days I have had it.
  4. Eyebrow sculpting kit- Something I take very seriously are my eyebrows. If I leave the house with only one piece of makeup on, it’s on my brows. I got some eyebrow brushes, tweezers, and a cute little carrying bag for all of my eyebrow needs.
  5. Some shirts- I didn’t get all the feminist shirts I mentioned in my post that I wanted but I did get some other very cool shirts that I also really wanted. From my grandpa and grandma, I got an olive green shirt that says “MAGNOLIA” on it. It is from the show “Fixer Upper, which I am obsessed with. I also got a shirt that says “Meowsterwives” on it next to a kitten. One of my favorite bands are the Misterwives and to pair that band with cats, what could be better? Being the vegan that I am, I also asked for a few vegan shirts and received one that says “Be nice to animals.” It’s white, which will be an issue since I can’t eat or drink anything without spilling on myself, but I’ll manage.
  6. Soy sauce- Alright, alright, alright. So, it was Christmas Eve Eve at dinner, and my grandparents didn’t want to cook since they would be cooking nonstop for the next few days, so we ordered Chinese take-out. When the food arrived, I put some soy sauce on my vegetable lo mein and remarked that we needed to buy more soy sauce because we were running low at my house. My aunt retorted with “Christmas is coming.” The next night, while opening Christmas gifts, I opened an amazon box, to find none other than a half gallon of soy sauce. My aunt and mom had gone to Costco that morning and happened to stumble on the sauce so that had to buy it and put it under the tree.

Those were some of my favorite things I got for Christmas. What did you get for whatever winter holiday you celebrate?

Alicia

I know a Meme

Published on by Alicia4 Comments

Hello everyone, another not blogmas post here. Last week, this girl I know, Jillian, posted a video of another guy I know, Jalen, in Zoology class gazing at reptiles. When you post dumb videos on twitter, you hope for a retweet or two, a few favorites and for someone to reply with the cry laughing emoji. What you don’t think will happen is getting over 150,000 retweets, having almost 10 million views on Facebook, being featured on Good Morning America, or getting followed by the one and only Steph Curry. That is what happened to Jalen and that video.

It’s so crazy to me because people I know from San Diego are sharing that video and people all over the world are sharing the video, making meme of Jalen’s face, etc. My high school used to be “the school by the zoo” but now it’s. “the school that Jalen goes to.”

if you haven’t seen the video, take a look below, and bask in all the glory that my high school has become.

Until tomorrow

Alicia