Tag: me

Don’t sweat the small stuff

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Nov. 17: What is the hardest lesson you’ve learned from having pets?

If I have learned one thing from having pets, it’s to not sweat the small stuff.

My dog is notorious for getting into places she shouldn’t and eating things she shouldn’t. She gets into the bathroom garbage, my bedroom every bedroom and finds anything to eat and eats it. Obviously, this isn’t small to some of you. And I know if she came into contact with the wrong object, she could possibly die. However, she seems to be ‘smart’ to some extent and only really eats paper. For the past 9 years we have had Rosie (my 75 pound rott) she has eaten tissues, toilet paper, as I’m typing this she picked up a ticket to my sister’s play from last weekend, and an enormous amount of mystery items. We always get mad and yell at her. Every time something comes in front of her snout that shouldn’t. But at the end of the day, we probably didn’t need what she was munching on or we would have placed it in a safe location in the first place. She has never eaten money and she only ate hockey tickets once (my mom left them on our ottoman and she was only like 2 so it was totally our fault).

Rosie has always had a very weak stomach. When we decided to switch her dog food to a healthier brand, it took two weeks for us to do so so her stomach could adapt. Through all of her tampon and paper eating (also when my dad gives her pizza…..) she has thrown up a numerous amount of times. My dad is always the first to yell at her. It isn’t her fault she made a solar system shaped vomit line across our entire living room carpet. She was sick or ate something. When a human throws up, people comfort them, We should do the same with our other babies. Yeah, we have to spend the weekend deep cleaning our carpet but our dog is doing better and that’s all that matter honestly.

From every substance that has gone in and out of her mouth, to when she gets defensive about her food and growls, you need to stop sweating the small stuff, because in the end, none of it really matters.

Until tomorrow

Alicia

P.S. enjoy these photos of my dog because she turned 10 last week and I totally bought her a cake.

The Sunshine Blogger Award

Published on by Alicia16 Comments

Thank you so much to Jess from JessReadsBooks for nominating me for this award. If you guys couldn’t tell from her blog title, she likes books. So, if you like books (who doesn’t) go check out her blog! Let’s get started with this award

The rules:

  • Answer the 11 questions from the nominator
  • Nominate 11 blogs
  • Ask them 11 questions

My answers:

  1. What is a popular book or series that you haven’t read yet? I never read The Hunger Games. I didn’t even watch any of the movies until Mockingjay Pt 1.
  2. Who are your auto-buy authors?  James Frey, Emma Cline, James Patterson
  3. What is your favorite genre? Tie between Science Fiction and Drama
  4. If you could switch places with any fictional character, who would it be? Ugh, why do you do this to me? I honestly have no clue. I’m trying to think of a book one (since the rest are book related) but I can’t so I’m totally picking Hannah Montana. In her wise words “You get the best of both worlds”
  5. If you could live in any fictional world, what would it be? What child didn’t want to go to Hogwarts? I would most definitely live in Harry Potter’s world.
  6. Who are your OTP?  Okay, since I read book one, saw movie one, and since then I NEEDED HARRY POTTER AND HERMIONE GRANGER. I loved them together. Loved. Like since I was 4 years old I wanted the two of them and NOPE
  7. Do you have a favorite book to movie adaptation? Okay. I am saying Brave New World. Why? It was the worst movie adaptation of a book I have ever seen. However, it was so bad… it was good. If you ever have the chance watch it (the 1980 version none of the newer ones)
  8. What are your feelings about audiobooks? I have never listened to an audiobook in my life. I know so many people find them beneficial but I’ve just been too lazy to try it for myself
  9. What about ebooks? I love my kindle. I also love the smell and feel of real life books. The kindle is great for night time reading and is nice for those with carpel tunnel whose arms get stiff and angry after holding the book open. I am indifferent
  10. What book are you currently reading? Secret Life of Bees
  11. What is the next book on your TBR? I have so many books in my queue honestly… Some of them are The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie, Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, and Local Girls by Caroline Zancan.

My Questions:

  1. What is your favorite type of flower (the award image inspired me)?
  2. Do you believe in conspiracy theories? If so, which ones and why? If not, why?
  3. What has been your favorite age so far?
  4. What is your favorite Disney movie?
  5. If you had to pick: rainy day or snowy day which would it be?
  6. If you could have three wishes, what would they be?
  7. What was the last thing you ate?
  8. What is your biggest pet peeve?
  9. What was the last book you read?
  10. Are you a coffee person or a tea person?
  11. What are you looking forward to most right now?

I Nominate:

Sarah          Sally          Leticia          Debbie          AJ          Jasmine           Lindsay, Gina, and Jacquie          Flavia          Ally, Laurena, and Melia          Elizabelle           Emma

Just one more heads up. You don’t have to do these but they are super fun!

Alicia

I hate you, MTV

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Nov. 16: What TV series finale are you still upset about and why?

Hello everyone. So, most of the shows that I watch haven’t ended or I didn’t watch them to the end because they got boring. The only show I have actually watched until its end was Finding Carter. And technically it hadn’t been ended on the show itself. MTV decided to stop airing it after only two seasons.

I was obsessed with that show (not to mention all of very very attractive guys in the show) from episode one and it was the way I discovered my favorite band ever (they sang the intro).

This show was a little predictable (as most shows these days are) however, for the most part there were so many unpredictable twists and turns, by the end of the show I needed a couple minutes to catch my breath and compose myself.

The episode starts off with the main character waking up after being knocked out to her fake mother who had kidnapped her (long story). Behind the mother was the main character’s (Carter) boyfriend bloodied up and dead. People begin accusing Carter of killing him, despite her being unconscious. All of a sudden the fake mom (Lori) admits to killing him and their other prime suspect runs away. OUT OF NOWHERE Carter’s best friend (Max) admits to killing the guy (Jared). Not to the police but to Carter and her family.

Carter’s brother who she didn’t know about until three ish episodes ago is completely beaten to a pulp by some drug guy who actually worked for Jared and is left unconscious in the middle of the road, and Max admits to Carter’s ex-boyfriend (who shot Max last season… another long story) that he has to tell the truth so he drives Max to the police station where he confesses that he killed Jared. Lori is released as Max utters an “I’m sorry” as he is carted to a holding cell and every other character is left in tears.

Basically, I was pumped for season three because they left so many things unanswered and had sparked so many plot moves. Within a month of the show ending, Finding Carter’s twitter announced that the show would not be back for a third season. MTV if you’re reading this, just know I hate you because that show, by far, has been my absolute favorite thing on TV ever.

Until tomorrow,

Alicia

Music Tag

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Nov. 15: What are the best/worst dishes at Thanksgiving dinner?

Totally skipping today’s prompt because I don’t feel the need to talk about my love for mashed potatoes or hatred of rubber in a can or you might know them as ‘canned raspberries.”

Over the past few days I have been tagged in an enormous amount of tags and awards and I personally find doing them super fun. So, I did an award already and now I’m going to be completing the Music Tag. I was tagged by Azia, so definitely check out her blog!!

Onto the tag.

Questions

Name your top 3 favorite bands. 5 seconds of Summer, Misterwives, Saint Motel

What is the last song you listened to? Feed me Now- Saint Motel

What was the first concert you went to? Justin Bieber (the tickets were free do not judge me)

If you could spend a day with your favorite singer who would it be? Michael Clifford (lead guitarist in 5 Seconds of Summer) lol I love him

Are there any songs that you can’t stand hearing? Anything by Ariana Grande:/

If you could have a soundtrack to your life what would it be? I’m Good by the Mowgli’s

Can you sing? I like to think so but maybe not

Your favorite cheesy song? Ripped my Pants by Spongebob is literally the only thing popping into my head

What songs do you listen to when you are feeling down? I have a pump up playlist which contains a lot of upbeat songs such as “I’m Good” the Mowglis, “Move” by Saint Motel, “Girls Talk Boys” by 5 seconds of Summer, “Happy Pills” by Weathers, “Welcome to Your Life” by Grouplove, “Dark Blue” by Jack’s Mannequin, “Nine in the afternoon” by Panic! At the Disco, and a bunch more

First L.P./CD/MP3 you bought? My first CD I bought was Taylor Swift’s debut album “Taylor Swift” I went through such a stage with her omg

Do you like musicals? If so, which is your favorite? I adore Wicked but Oklahoma, Annie, And Legally Blonde are really good too.

Favorite musical instrument? I always wanted to play the saxophone, guitar, and piano so one of those probably

If you could see anyone in concert who would it be? I was fortunate enough to see 5 Seconds of Summer this past summer whom I’ve waited 2 years to see so now I really want to see Misterwives. AND I AM. My mom bought tickets for me, my sister, and one of our friends to see because three of our favorite bands are playing together, in one night, at one venue, TOGETHER. So I AM PUMPED.

If you wrote a song what would it be called? Dude I don’t know, I got yelled at last night for singing Christmas Carols so I made up a song about Christopher Columbus for Thanksgiving. It was called “Fuck You Columbus”

Quick Fire Round:

Rock or pop? Ugh how about pop rock. I like them both and the mix equally.

Sing in the shower or on stage? Shower, only when no one’s home though.

Musical or concert? Concert for sure. The adrenaline while at a concert is like nothing else.

Guitar or drums? Guitar.

Ear phones or speaker? When I’m alone at home definitely speaker but usually ear phones.

Music while you work or quiet? It has to be like jazz, classical, Alpha waves and then yes.

One Direction or Justin Bieber? One Direction. For about 4 years my head was shoved so far up One Direction’s ass you don’t even know, I own all of their albums, know all the lyrics, and even have merch.

Sing or dance? Sing. I cannot dance to save my life.

Instrumental or lyrics? When I’m writing, instrumental but typically lyrics.

Prince or Michael Jackson? MJ

I Nominate

Ayo           Britt               Cassie          Rayna             Jenny

That’s all for today, can’t wait to see what you guys answer with

Alicia

The Entertainer Blogger Award

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Okay everyone, so I have been tagged in a couple tags/awards over the past few days am debating on whether posting all three of them during the week or saving some till the weekend. Decisions, decisions. Well, let’s get started. Only doing this one (wasn’t technically tagged) because I had already written it before I was tagged in the other 2

Lu over at GirlWhoReads did this award and nominated whoever and since I had never heard of this award decided to do it. Let’s go.

The Rules

  1. Thank the person who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
  2. Add these rules to your post.
  3. Answer all the questions below.
  4. Display the award picture in your post.
  5. Nominate 12 other bloggers who are funny, inspiring and most important of all ENTERTAINING!

The Questions

  1. Why did you start a blog in the first place? My first ever blog was a fitness blog that I used to keep motivated and keep track of my food consumption and exercise… thinks like that. It sort of turned into a lifestyle blog because I developed some poor eating habits and an eating disorder. I would blog about that and other things I was going through. That inspired me to make a separate blog for just my lifestyle and rant shitposts that you see today.
  2. What is your favorite book? Okay, this is going to sound really basic and like boring but Catcher in the Rye. Ever since I read it in my sophomore Honors English class, no book  has yet to top it. I love reading but can get lost or lose focus pretty quickly. This book was phenomenal and also in the writing style that I write in most often so it was easy to relate to.
  3. What do you dislike the most? People who shove their opinions down their throat… especially when it comes to religion. I have never believed in God and all that jazz. I am totally fine if you do but when people tell me I am wrong for not believing in God or try to get me to ‘leave the dark side and come to the good side.’ yes those words have been said to me
  4. What is your favorite food item from the mall? Ok so I’m not sure if this is an American thing, a Chicagoan thing or everyone has it but at some malls and other touristy locations in the city they have like candied almonds, peanuts, walnuts, and cashews. The almonds are by far the best but they make them fresh and the smell is honestly intoxicating
  5. What is your favorite past time? I think I would have to say writing. I mean writing has always been something I’ve done and will continue to do. Whether I have a good writing day or a bad one, writing has always been a way to express myself in the purest form.

Because I suck and feel like I had nominated the same people for the last 2 awards, I nominate anyone whose name starts with a vowel: A,E,I,O,U and if your name starts with a Y… flip a coin.

Alicia

Challenging, Eye-opening, Memorable

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Nov. 14: What was it like to be you in 2016?

Challenging, Eye-opening, Memorable.

If I had to sum up my 2016 in three words, it would be them.

This year was challenging in many ways. I have overcome most if not all of those challenges, though. I was challenged with college. My second-semester load was a lot more challenging than my first semester, yet I still powered through and completed the semester, no matter how difficult. Upon finishing my first year of college, I was faced with the challenge of deciding what I wanted to do with my life. Deciding my major, my plan of action for the 2016-2017 school year and what school I would be attending. While this is still a challenge for me, I am making my way through this one step at a time. I had my first real job ever. After a life of babysitting jobs. I finally had my first real 40-hour a week job. And I hated it. It was probably the worst summer of my life. I woke up at 5, worked from 7-3, got home at 430, ate, and then slept. As much as it sucked, I was able to save up a ton of money. My mental health was also a challenge in 2016. Not as much as it has been previously, but mental illnesses never quit. It will continue to be a challenge but I know I am not alone in this, which is all I need. Despite this year being challenging, I learned lessons from all of these which I feel has been very beneficial for me.

2016 was such an eye-opening year for me as well. My entire life I have been obsessed with what people thought of me. I was too afraid to wear certain clothes, wear makeup, and enjoy certain things for fear that people might judge me. I have realized that I don’t care what people think. Yes, I sometimes still get self-conscious and worry what other people think of me but that doesn’t stop me from doing and wearing what I love.

Through all of these challenges and life revelations, I have made some incredible memories this year too. I started 2016 off with some of my best friends having a great time. Then I took a risk and dyed my hair red. Although it was only temporary, it was still crazy for me that I jumped so far out of my comfort zone to do something I always wanted. I spent the first half of the year studying in one of the most amazing cities in the country surrounded by great people, great weather, and an ample amount of things to do. I got to see my favorite band in concert, cried seeing my favorite band in concert. I got to see the Cubs win a World Series, something I never thought I would do. I made so many new and amazing friends from all over the world. This year I went vegan, got new tattoos, tried so many new things, became a better version of myself and so much more. There have been so many downs this year but there have been by far so many more ups.

What was 2016 was for you?

Alicia

Thrive by GoMacro Nut Bars Review

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Hi everyone, a couple weeks back, I won a giveaway done by Lazy Girl Vegan, sponsored by GoMacro. The prize was a sample pack of their new Thrive ‘Ancient Seeds Superfood Nut Bars.” I have tried some of GoMacro’s bars before but never these (since they are new) and decided to share with the blog world my opinion of them. Let’s get started.

The box containing all 12 bars
The box containing all 12 bars

The Thrive bars are available in 6 flavors: Ginger Lemon, Almond Apricot, Caramel Coconut, Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip, Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt, and Blueberry Lavender.

All six of the flavors
All six of the flavors

They have quite a few flavor combinations for all kinds of palettes. I tried all 6 flavors and will share the pros and cons of each, and some of my favorites.

*The bars are listed in order from my favorite to least favorite*

Almond Apricot
Almond Apricot

Almond Apricot: I can honestly say I had never tried an apricot before this so I had no idea what I would be in for. I really really really really liked this one. A ton. I am always hesitant on fruit flavored bars unless they are strawberry because you never know what you’re going to get. This was surprisingly good and very refreshing. If there is one I am most excited about buying it is the Almond Apricot because it’s unlike any other bar I have ever tried

    Pros: It was a very refreshing taste, almost like eating the fruit right then and there.

    Cons: The almonds in the bar are whole almonds am personally not a huge fan of when there are full almonds in bars. I like them sliced or whatever.

img_5696
Chocolate, Nuts, and Sea Salt

Chocolate, Nuts, and Sea Salt: Being a firm believer in the chocolate and sea salt combination, I grabbed this one first. This one takes the cake for my favorite of the sweet ones (without fruit). If you are a chocolate lover like myself, BUY THIS BAR.

    Pros: Very tasty and nothing was too overpowering

    Cons: For me, nothing

Caramel Coconut
Caramel Coconut

Caramel Coconut: I was never a coconut fan. Every Halloween, had I been given any Almond Joys they went straight to the trade pile. However, after living in California for a year, the love of coconut has been ingrained in me. I liked these a ton as well.

    Pros: You could really taste and feel the coconut flakes which to me is always a good reminder real coconut is used

  Cons: Couldn’t taste an extreme amount of caramel and the coconut did overpower it

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip
Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup: Your average chocolate chip peanut butter combination. Nothing too special about it. Good nonetheless.

  Pros: One of those, you can’t mess up the formula and is good no matter what.

   Cons: Nothing really.

Blueberry Lavender
Blueberry Lavender

Blueberry Lavender: Well, blueberry lavender. Lavender. I was a bit terrified of this name because when I think lavender I think of freshly washed sheets but was curious as to how the two would taste together. Curiosity killed the cat… and my taste buds. I was not a fan. The blueberry part was good but whatever lavender I was tasting, was not good. I made my dad try it and he wasn’t displeased with the bar. He said it was a bit bland but not terrible.

    Pros: The blueberry half was good, very sweet.

    Cons: The lavender was mainly the aftertaste but still, not a fan

Ginger Lemon
Ginger Lemon

Ginger Lemon: Preface before even tasting: I hate ginger. So naturally I wouldn’t like this bar… I didn’t. Not to be overdramatic but I couldn’t even swallow it. This is by far my least favorite. But I knew it would be because I hate ginger. I had my mom eat what I couldn’t bare to and she loved it. So, this one is definitely palette dependent

    Pros: The lemony aftertaste

    Cons: The ginger.

All in all, I love the brand in general and will continue to buy the bars that fit my palette. Something I love about not only these bars, but the entire GoMacro company is that they are certified Gluten-Free, Vegan, Organic, and Non-GMO. Perfect for so many people trying to live health-conscious and those with allergies as well.

If any of your try these bars please let me know what you think of them! Also remember to check out Lazy Girl Vegan because I wouldn’t have had the chance to try all of them had it not been for her.

Alicia

Things I’ve learned… Relationship edition

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Nov. 11: What are five funny (but real) things your current relationship has taught you?

Good afternoon everyone. I’m currently single so this is what I have learned from my last relationship/ current state of being single.

  1. Having control of your own time and schedule is such a blessing. Not having to worry about someone else’s time is just one less weight off my own shoulders.
  2. I can shave whenever the hell I want when I’m single.  If I don’t want to shave for a month then I don’t have to.
  3. When you’re single you can do what you want with your body, clothes, makeup, etc. Men always seem to have an opinion on what clothes you wear, what your hair looks like, what makeup/ how much makeup you put on your face. While it doesn’t impact them and they should have no say in the matter yet they still seem to think they do.
  4. My friends and I should be hired by the FBI. When my ex-boyfriend got a new girlfriend I knew where she was from, about her family, even that she had a cat named after her favorite book as a kid. Or when I almost got into another relationship we knew everything about that guy hence why I am not dating him nor ever did date him.
  5. Dogs are better at listening to feelings than your significant other. They may leave you when food is around but so would he so what’s the difference?

Basically what I have learned from my past relationships and life currently is that you are better off alone. Men need you but you don’t need them.

Alicia

Oh look, another election post

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Nov. 10: Did you celebrate or commemorate your divorce or a significant breakup? Would you ever?

I can honestly say that I have never done this, never plan on doing this, nor did I think anyone did this. I don’t have much to say on this topic as I have not been divorced or had major breakups. My last breakup I laugh at a lot but I don’t celebrate it.

—-

I do just want to say something about the election again. I know, I know.  Enough about this election. But this is so important for not only the United States but the entire world as well. America does so much trade and business and we are involved with so many countries across the globe.

I am from America and I stayed up until 130 when they finally announced that Trump had won. Hearing the phrase “President Trump” was tear-inducing, gut-wrenching, and absolutely heartbreaking. I never knew America had so much hatred and ignorance in it. People are killing themselves, men are boasting about grabbing women by the pussy, there are riots and protests across the entire country, Muslim women are afraid to leave the house wearing their hijab, and people are drawing swastikas and hanging black mannequins all over the country. Trump isn’t even inaugurated yet and people have done this. It has been less than 2 days and we have experienced this. If this is any indication of what the next 4 years are like, I fear for this country.

No Hillary wasn’t perfect, but there should have been no competition between the racist, homophobic, sexist, islamophobic and a woman who devoted her entire life trying to make a difference in this country.

I wrote this about my feelings. So many people who believe that Donald Trump is not a good fit posted Hillary, MLK Jr, Rupi Kaur, and other quotes followed by captions filled with their feelings. Reading these inspired to write my own.

I am at a loss for words. Tuesday night will be etched in my mind forever and ever. As I sat on the couch, sobbing, watching as the states continued to turn blue and red. As the electoral continued to add up for a man who is not fit to run this country. As the gap between one of the most devoted women in the entire nation and a man who took up politics as a hobby continued to grow, I became numb. I am still completely numb to all of this but somewhere in the void my body is in, there is anger, hatred, and fear. I am angry at the people who voted for the third party.  I hate people who thought he was a good fit for president and I fear for the future of our nation.I know one thing for sure. We cannot stop. We have made so much progress in the move towards equality in the last 8 years and we cannot let this man end that march for us. We have to stand together and we cannot stop fighting. We have so much ass to kick so let’s get to kicking.

Alicia

Thank you and I’m sorry

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Nov. 9: What do you want to say to Hillary Clinton today?

It is with a heavy heart that I write this post. I stayed up all night waiting, watching, crying, getting hopeful, and then crying again. I am numb and have completely dissociated from everything. Donald Trump won the presidency. People keep calling him President trump and I keep pinching myself hoping to wake up from this nightmare America has become. I had planned on writing this post as a congratulatory, and now, just the opposite.

Hillary, to sum everything I want to say to you in one sentence it is: Thank you and I am sorry.

Thank you for not giving up. Thank you for persevering for women, families, people of color, the LGBTQIA+ community, and other minorities. You have given us so much hope. Thank you. Thank you for giving me the hope to have a woman president. I never thought I would see the day that there was a possibility to say “My president is a woman.” While it may not be you, you have shown women that they can do anything they want. Thank you for devoting your life to making America a country worth living in. I know not everyone liked you from the start, and I know not everyone likes you now, but you devoted your entire life to this country, and not many people (including our next president) can say they did that. Thank you for putting up with your opponent, the media, the citizens of this country. All people do is give you hate for those emails. We get it. They happened. Every politician, every person makes big mistakes and yours have been drug out long enough. You aren’t being taken to court for rape charges, but you are being investigated for deleting emails about your lunch order. Thank you for being the bigger person. Thank you for empowering so many women and minorities to dream big. People fail and you can still get back on your feet and try again. Thank you for trying. Thank you for never quitting on America. Thank you for never quitting on me.

I am sorry. I am sorry you lost. I am sorry you devoted your whole life to a country that is filled with hate, intolerance, ignorance, and a lack of morals. I am so sorry everyone got your hopes up on this election and you still lost. I am sorry you lost the election to  a man who took politics up as a hobby 18 months ago. I am sorry you worked your ass off the past 18 months only to have been defeated by a Cheeto. I am sorry the media always puts you down and will say anything to get the negative attention off of Trump. I am sorry you will never be President Clinton (unless you run again) I am sorry that your children, grandchildren, and all the children of this country will never be able to call you president Clinton. I am sorry that I hated you at first. I didn’t hate you per say, but I agreed with whatever Bernie supporters said about you because I wanted Bernie. You are just as if not more qualified than him. I am sorry that so many people did the same. I am sorry that the actions of people around you from 20 years ago are more dictating of a person than what someone said in the past week. I am sorry that we failed you. I am sorry that all of your hard work didn’t pay off in the end. I am sorry.

With tears staining my cheeks and keyboard, and a much needed hot shower and cup of tea on the way, I must sign off. Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton, thank you for believing in America and trying to help us and I am so deeply sorry we did not accept your help.

Alicia

Mystery Blogger Award

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Hi everyone, so Allie made a blog post about receiving the Mystery Blogger Award and she nominated everyone whose name begins with a vowel. Last time I checked, the letter A is a vowel so I figured, why not do this? Also a huge shoutout to Okoto Enigma for creating this award. 🙂

THE RULES:

Put the award logo/image on your blog.

List the rules.

Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog!

Mention the creator of the award and provide a link to their blog as well.

Tell your readers 3 things about yourself.

You have to nominate 10-20 people.

Notify each of your nominees by commenting on their blog.

Ask your nominees any 5 questions of your choice; with one weird or funny question (specify).

Share your link to your best post(s).

3 things about myself:

  1. I am a huge sports fan. Like honestly I will watch any sport anytime. I mainly follow Chicago teams but I also really like the Knicks because my husband (Joakim Noah) got traded from the Bulls so now I have to keep up with him.
  2. I never had braces and I still don’t have glasses. Everyone always get o jealous of me for not having either but it’s just really normal for me.
  3. I still play the Kim Kardashian game. I’m not even a fan of any of the Kardashians or Jenners the game is just really addicting.

So Allie didn’t do the 5 questions part so I’m going to answer the 5 questions of the blog who nominated her.

  1. If you could switch lives with one famous person for one day each year, who would you choose and why? I think I would pick like a Youtuber, specifically a beauty guru. Like MannyMUA or something because he gets to do what he loves (if bomb at doing makeup too!!), is given so many amazing opportunities, and gets to travel the world. Who wouldn’t want that???
  2. What would be the best present you could find under your tree this year? Th is always the most annoying question. I never know what I want for Christmas. If I had to pick something right off the bat, I would really love (I am so lame I know) something from Magnolia Farms. If you guys have ever hear of the show ‘Fixer Upper’ on HGTV, that is their store. I want like a cute hat or shirt or something. I am so lame but it’s whatever.
  3. Let’s say you just won the lottery and you are now the richest person in the world. What are the first 3 things you’re going to do? I feel sort of bad for saying this but the first thing I would do is take care of myself and my family. Like I would make sure all of our college is paid for, we all have cars, houses, and are well taken care of. The next thing i would do is put a good amount of it in the bank just in case something happens. I would need to make sure I was always well off if i lost a job or just in case of emergencies. The final thing i would do it volunteer. I would go to Africa, Asia, South America and give my time and money to those who are less fortunate than I am. I would probably start a charity or some schools for underprivileged children in  3rd world countries.
  4. What’s your personal opinion of social media? It’s good to some extent but like I have blogged about many times, there are flaws and it can create monsters.
  5. Weird question, if you had to lose all senses except for one, which would you keep? I think I would keep my sight. To me personally it it the most important. I could still write and read since I can’t hear. And I can still see the things I cannot feel or taste or smell so when it comes to food I could still be conscious of what I am putting in my body and of things around me.

Now for my 5 questions

  1. If you could travel to one country in the entire world, which would it be?
  2. What was the last lie you told? Why did you tell it?
  3. What was your first when you woke up this morning?
  4. What can instantly cheer you up, no matter what?
  5. Weird: Would you be willing to eat a bowl of cockroaches for $40,000?

Alright now for the people I nominate

Enette

Mia

Alana

Lu

Mie

Jenn

Tay

Gina

Alexandra

Inspired Teen

Obviously none of you have to do this if you don’t want but I thought it was a fun thing to do.

Until later for my NaBloPoMo post

Alicia

Put the past behind you

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Nov. 8: If you could redo one moment in your life, what would it be and why? How would it change who you are now?

Happy election day. I’m honestly quite surprised that this prompt isn’t about the election. I’m also quite relieved.Yes, your girl woke up at 5:45 this morning, voted, and went back to sleep. I hope all of you (American citizens of course) have voted, are on your way to voting, or are planning on voting before the polls close. Just remember that the polls are useless information unless you go out and vote. I am honestly so happy that the election is here because I can’t wait to stop hearing about everyone’s political view for the new 3-3.5 years.

Onto the topic at hand. I read this question and was at a loss. I don’t really think there is a single thing I would change about my life.

Why is that you may ask? Well, for the first time in a very very long time, I am happy with who I am as a person. I am happy with myself, the people I am surrounded with, life in general.  Yes, I have made mistakes, I have said some things I shouldn’t said, done some things I shouldn’t have, but at the end of the day, I am happy with who I am today. Had I chose to do something different with my life like not send that risky text message, not end that relationship, etc, I wouldn’t be the same person I am today.

I feel that so many people live their lives filled with regret and I hate that. People always say that life is short. I used to say that. But it really isn’t. It’s the longest thing we’ll ever do. Living is the longest thing we will do, ever. We need to make the most of the 90 or however many years we have on this planet and not worry about what we would do differently but rather how the things we did in our past made us who we are today.

How if I didn’t end that friendship I never would’ve become so close with my current best friend. If I didn’t send that text message I never would have had my first boyfriend.

We spend too much of our lives thinking “What if…” when we should be focusing on coming to terms with our past self, facing the consequences of our actions and moving on.

Until tomorrow

Alicia

P.S. GO VOTE IF YOU HAVEN’T PLEASE.

Food Fails

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Nov. 7: What was your worst Thanksgiving food fail?

Being only 19, I’ve never really cooked a Thanksgiving meal. I have helped with vegetables and things of that nature, however never done a whole meal. So, this food fail I’m going to be talking about actually occurred around Thanksgiving but wasn’t technically Thanksgiving food.

My junior year of high school, I was on crutches for about 5 weeks because I had injured my knee (to this day my doctor, orthopedic surgeon, and physical therapist have no idea what actually happened to my knee but it persists in giving me occasional pain). In my high school, when you are on crutches, in a wheelchair,etc. You are allowed to leave 5 minutes early from class with a friend so you can avoid all the hallway traffic.

There are 7 periods in a day so I had 7 different people bringing me to and from classes. While they enjoyed getting out of class 5 minutes earlier, after a while it was annoying lugging around 2 backpacks.

Basically, I decided to be a nice cripple and make everyone chocolate chip cookies. Over Thanksgiving break, I was able to hobble myself into the kitchen, find the biggest bowl we had and start a heaping 4 batches of cookies. Due to this insane amount of cookies being produced, I had pre measured every ingredient out so I didn’t miscalculate something later.

As I had finished mixing the ingredients and was ready to put the first 24 cookies in the oven, I remarked at how the cookies seemed a little darker than normal. I decided to ignore that fact and put them straight in the over.

15 minutes or however long later, I pulled the cookies out of the oven and was shocked to see piles of chocolate chips surrounded by burnt sugar. I immediately called my mom in to see what I had done wrong. She said I must not have put enough flour in the dough mix.

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Looking around for a measuring cup to put the right amount of flour for the remaining cookies, I found the 8 cups of flour in the enormous measuring cup hidden behind my kitchen mixer.

I then asked my mom how many cups of flour I should put in the remaining mix. She had forgotten the amount I was baking and told me the amount I should put had I been making a normal amount of cookies. Not knowing this, I followed her instructions, put the flour in, and placed the next 24 cookies in the oven, hoping for better results.

After the next 15 minutes passed, I excitedly opened the oven to see perfect cookies! Just kidding, I saw the same as before only the burnt sugar was a mixture of  burnt sugar and a hint of flour.

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Completely defeated and not knowing how much flour I would have to put in now, I dumped out the cookie dough, washed my dishes, restocked my ingredients, and made an entire new batch. 4 hours and 3 tries later, I had 100 cookies ready for my friends, family, and myself of course to enjoy.

screen-shot-2016-11-07-at-4-14-30-pm

P.S. It has been 3 years and I still have not lived this down.

 

Here are the prompts for this week if you are following along 🙂

Nov. 7: What was your worst Thanksgiving food fail?

Nov. 8: If you could redo one moment in your life, what would it be and why? How would it change who you are now?

Nov. 9: What do you want to say to Hillary Clinton today?

Nov. 10: Did you celebrate or commemorate your divorce or a significant breakup? Would you ever?

Nov. 11: What are five funny (but real) things your current relationship has taught you?

Let Them Celebrate

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If you saw my post about the Cubs winning the World Series, then you can probably imagine that I am still ecstatic about the win. Friday morning was the parade celebrating the end of the 108-year drought here in Wrigleyville. I wasn’t in attendance because it was honestly an anxiety attack waiting to happen. There were anywhere from 5-6 million people in attendance and despite how much I wanted to go, I would rather not start hyperventilating in the middle of millions of people and I also had a concert that night and knew I would be up super late anyway (people starting leaving their homes at 5am for a parade that didn’t start until 11)

Anyway, I have seen so many people complaining that all of these people celebrating aren’t true Cubs fans. I have seen tweets and facebook posts, and received texts and so on and so on saying “Are you really a cubs fan if you don’t remember Starlin Castro, Ryan Dempster, and Sammy Sosa” “I remember the first time I ever saw the ivy, do you?” “so many people are bandwagoning the cubs and it’s not fair” etc, etc.

LET THEM CELEBRATE. Yes, I remember all of those players, I remember other players that weren’t as ‘good’ or ‘popular’ as Sosa and Castro. I don’t remember the first time I saw the Ivy because I wasn’t even a year old. People are bandwagoning because they are Chicago fans. If the Cubs hadn’t made it that far and the Sox had, you know damn well we’d all be rooting for the Sox. LET THEM CELEBRATE.

I have been a Cubs fan my entire life and the fact that basically the entire state of Illinois has banded together with the Cubs is so amazing. For so long the Cubs had been one of the worst teams in the MLB and it has taken us 108 years to get on top. Let people celebrate. Let die-hard Sox fans buy Cubs gear and cheer them on after they won. Let people who don’t know how many positions there are in baseball celebrate. The Cubs winning has created such a sense of community for this entire state and hating people who bandwagoned isn’t impacting anyone but yourself. The entire city of Chicago is colored Red, White, and Blue for this team and if the entire state of Illinois wants to celebrate, let them.

What happiness means to me

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To me, happiness is such an arbitrary term. It differs for everyone. To me, happiness is sitting alone in a coffee shop, typing away at my computer, letting the intoxicating aroma of the grounds fill my nostrils. Happiness is feeling a crisp autumn breeze blow against my face as the smells of cinnamon, vanilla, and pumpkin dance around me. Happiness is seeing goats. Happiness is receiving a package in the mail, just waiting to be unwrapped. Happiness is getting my nails painted a new color, and tapping my freshly painted fingers on every surface I find.Happiness is seeing a dog, its tail wagging as it rushes their owner to my side so it can sniff me as I pet its head, even just for a moment. Happiness is when I can perfectly apply my liquid lipstick… the first time. Happiness is a tattoo parlor. The wheels in my brain get to turning thinking of all of the ink I want on my skin. Happiness is seeing a band in concert, my cheeks flushing and my heart beating along with the amp as I realize that the people before my eyes are indeed real. This is happiness for me, what is it for you?