change

If we were having coffee

Published on October 6, 2023October 6, 2023 by AliciaLeave a comment

Happy Fall. Happy October. Happy times of change! It’s been quite a year for me.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you I went to Panama! My life goal is to visit one new country a year, and this year’s country was Panama. I went in February with a group of teachers and EF tours. It was a 5-day trip that was jam-packed with everything Panama City and more had to offer and it was lovely. Panama is an incredible country, and I’m so thankful I had the opportunity to visit

My friend Claire and I at the Panama Canal

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I went to Disney World for the first time in 13 or so years. My best friends and I all flew down to Orlando for my spring break and went to Disney. It was a crazy week, filled with sun up to sun down walking, riding rides, drinking, and eating around the world.

My friends Grace, Jess, and I after a long day enjoying some milkshakes

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that last semester, I taught a class on… COFFEE. At my school, we have a 3-hour class every other Wednesday that focuses on student interests. With the help of a student, we created a coffee class. We learned about different types of coffee, made coffee, tasted coffee, got to tour the Starbucks roastery and got to tour a smaller roastery. I got to visit some coffee shops in the city that I’d wanted to visit for years, and on my school’s dime! How fun!

Inside the Starbucks Roastery of Chicago

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I moved! I moved to the city’s Southside [Pilsen] with my sister. She is still in college but stayed with me over the summer and will stay with me for breaks before moving in with me full-time once she graduates in May. I love my apartment, its sunlight, how I’ve laid it out, and my bedroom!! My whole life, I have always dreamed of living in one of those corner apartments with the cylindrical group of windows that just exude sunlight and ‘princess’ vibes. It gives off a reading nook, and I knew I had to live there when I first saw the apartment. The amount of sun that comes into my apartment completely removes the need for lights until it’s dark out, and the way I’ve designed my apartment makes me feel right at home [apartment tour coming soon 😉 ]

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you I turned 26. Not only did I turn 26, but I also got the gift I’ve been wanting for my birthday for the past 13 years: an Edible Arrangement!!! Weird, I know, but it’s something I’ve always wanted.

I got a second dog. In June, I saw a dog resembling Poppy, and I had to have him. Unfortunately, he was taken before I could meet him, but another dog was available. When I sat on the floor next to him, he put his head on my shoulder, and it was love at first touch. He had heartworm, so I knew I was in for a hell of a few months, but having already gone through that with Poppy made me 100% sure I could handle it. On June 24th, my sister, Poppy, and I drove home with our newest addition, Juniper. We’re not sure of his breed, but I think he has pitbull, beagle, and chihuahua in him. I will ask for a DNA kit for Christmas to get him tested because I was also sure about Poppy’s breed and then was 100% wrong. He just finished his heartworm treatment yesterday, so I officially have two healthy dogs. It’s definitely been an exciting ride, but I’m loving every second of it.

Juniper on the left and Poppy on the right

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that the walking group I’m a part of is getting major buzz. I’ve been with this group for over a year, and we reached 50K followers on Instagram. Two weeks ago, I led our biggest walk with roughly 400 people!!!! It’s so fun to lead walks, and I love getting the chance to meet new people in this big city.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I’m seeing my favorite band in the world on Sunday. Tomorrow morning, I am driving to Ohio to pick up my younger sister from school, and we are driving back here for The Band Camino’s concert. It’s tradition now, seeing as we went last year as well. I cannot wait to see them again, and I got VIP tickets, which means we get some merch and a 4-song acoustic set before the concert. I’M PUMPED.

I have a few other things I would love to chat about, but just in case I have some gossipers, I need to keep them quiet for the time being. A lot has changed in my life in the past year, and since I haven’t shared ALL of the changes with people in my real life, I will keep SOME of the changes private with the people in my online life. I hope that will change soon, but enjoy some boundaries and a little mystery in your lives for now.

Much much love,

Alicia ❤

Published on October 17, 2017May 27, 2018 by Alicia1 Comment

Good afternoon everyone. I am currently supposed to be reading a chapter for my Intro to Education class, so naturally, I thought I would sit down and write something.

For the past few weeks, I have been doing a lot of reflecting… and a lot of homework, but let’s not discuss that. Something that always makes me anxious is change. However, all of my best memories came from when I made a big change. Going to San Diego, going vegan, taking a year off of school, going to Peru, transferring to Ohio, joining CHAARG… I could go on. So, then why is it that change makes us so anxious? Why is it that that cancel plans, don’t start new projects, and give up on goals when those are the things we know can/will be in our best interest. Change is so good for us, for our body, for our mind. So good. Why do we fear change?

Today is the start of CHAARG’s fall fit plan and I woke up bright and early at 630 to get to the gym by 730 and get that workout in before my day started. It is also the start of the second half of the semester (seems like just yesterday I was crying in Baker’s 5th-floor bathroom) and I have realized something, I need to stop hating change. Change is hard, change can be messy, and change can be scary, but it can also be incredible, exhilarating, and well worth it.

I am going to try to make a few changes in my life and I will be trying a new change each week of the fitplan (fitplan is 6 weeks so 6 goals).

My goal for this week is to eat at the dining halls… ALONE. Something that has always made me so anxious is being alone. I don’t want to seem like a loner. I feel the need to call someone every time I’m walking alone. If I can’t walk alone… how can I eat alone? In my 7 weeks at OU, I have eaten at a dining hall 5 times… each and every one of those times I was with at least one person.

This afternoon, I walked into the dining hall, alone, and I got food. I got the food to go, mainly because I had homework to attend to but also because I was uncomfortable, but I swiped in aloe nonetheless. I am trying to go to the dining hall daily for lunch (except Tuesdays because I work during the lunch hours) and sit in a little booth, alone. I can work on homework, fiddle on my phone or just simply sit, but I need to be able to be alone, comfortably, in public.

Alicia

Change is good

Published on January 17, 2017May 27, 2018 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.

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.
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.
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.
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.
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