thanksgiving – Living off Leesh

Happy Thanksgiving!

Published on November 24, 2016May 27, 2018 by Alicia3 Comments

~~Nov. 24: Have you ever rage-quit a job?~~

Hey fam. I don’t want to do today’s prompt because I am in a vegan food coma, am tired and am surrounded by so many dogs… so just a quick post tonight.

Happy Thanksgiving to my American followers and myself. Just another year of celebrating that dickweed Columbus and all he did/ didn’t do for our country.

I hope you all have/had a great Thanksgiving holiday and are thankful for so many things. I had a nice day with some of my family, celebrating the holiday, my great aunt’s birthday and her recovery from a stroke, and just getting together in general. It is so nice to be able to see my whole family even just a few times a year so we can reconnect and celebrate old times.

There are so many things that we all can be thankful for today and everyday and I love that we have a whole day to celebrate what we are thankful for,

Happy Thanksgiving and remember: eat mashed potatoes (with vegan butter) instead of turkey today 🙂

Alicia

73 Things that Make Me Happy

Published on June 29, 2016May 27, 2018 by Alicia3 Comments

This summer has been a sort of making myself into who I want to be, in a sense. Ever since I have been making my own decisions and doing things that I want and love to do, I have been exuding happiness and smiling more. So, I have seen quite a few of these sorts of lists and wanted to make one for myself.

The smell after it rains
Freshly washed sheets
Getting into bed right after a shower, with shaven legs and a big t-shirt
The smell of the flower section at Trader Joe’s
Freshly brewed coffee
The feeling of the sun on your skin when you’ve been inside for a while.
Crossing things off of checklists
Drinking lemonade in the summer
Not having to get out of the bed in the morning
Getting complimented
When I reach my Fitbit step goal for the day
Taking a nap after a long day at work
Pay Day
Reorganizing something that desperately needed it
Finally finishing cleaning my room
Cooking
When I get home from somewhere and my dog is the first one to greet me
Fresh fruit and vegetables
Walking barefoot in the grass
Singing along to a song in the car
Sunrises
Sunsets
The sound of the Ocean
The smell of the Ocean
Baby goats
Baby pigs
Really any animal let’s be honest
Waking up in the middle of the night and realizing you have more time to sleep
The cold side of the pillow
Wearing a new outfit
The sound of an ice cream truck
Feeling confident
Having an all around good day
Getting a text from someone you haven’t talked to in a while
Dairy-free ice cream
Getting a day off of work
Printed photographs
Scrapbooks
Getting new shoes
Getting my nails done
Getting a haircut… that I actually don’t hate
Hanging out with friends for the first time in a while
Writing
Museums
Getting flashed a smile from a stranger
Listening to a band’s new album for the first time
Early morning when all you hear are birds chirping
The color blue
Bookstores
Volunteering
Small towns
Crunchy leaves
My favorite pair of jeans
When people use the correct form of ‘your’
Taking my shoes/bra off after a long day
Candles
No dirty dishes in the sink
Making lists
Playing cards with a big group of people
Coloring Books
Watching Dr. Pimple Popper videos
Disney movies
Seeing pictures people took of me doing things when I didn’t know I was being photographed
My smooth skin after shaving my legs
The smell of my shampoo
Office supply stores
Notebooks
Stargazer Lilies
Murals
Potatoes
Cobblestones streets
Rainbows
Stickers

Alicia

Giddy but Inconclusive

Published on June 27, 2016May 27, 2018 by Alicia2 Comments

Alrighty-o fam. Here we are, still giddy and such despite having worked a full shift on my feet today and wanting to pass out.

Now, we have made it this far with my college choice and major decision, here comes the hard part: choosing a school. I can recall quite vividly crying on my couch as I scrolled over every college website I possibly could, without having a major in mind. Never in my life did I think I would have to complete this process all over again unless of course, I would be attending graduate school (besides the point). However, at this point, I have a solid major and minor combo (Spanish major with photojournalism minor) and need to find a school containing both, being cheap, and probably closer to home. I didn’t really miss home but it’s a request of my family. Also, my training I have to go to is based out of the midwest so it helps that I’ll be closer. Also, I sort of want a smaller school because I felt like I knew like 2 people at SDSU because of how big it is.

Funny isn’t it, how when choosing my first college I wanted as far from home as I could get, big school, warm weather, and a school with a football team. After me realizing that my parents weren’t just going to sneak up on me any random time, attending one football game, and realizing I hated the big school atmosphere, I want the complete opposite from a school. I’m still on boat with the school being as cheap as possible, but honestly, who isn’t?

We have a variety of schools to choose from, not too large of a variety but enough wiggle room to have a few good schools that I’ll be sure to find at least one I love.

The school choices (so far) are…

Cardinal Stritch University (Wisconsin)
Otterbein University (Ohio)
University of Indianapolis (Indiana)
University of Tennessee-Martin (Tennessee)
Andrews Universty (Michigan)
Murray State University (Kentucky)
Ashland University (Ohio)
Winona State University (Minnesota)
The University of Findlay (Ohio)
Xavier University (Ohio)

I’m sort of partial to Xavier University in Cincinnati because that was actually my top choice behind SDSU but I didn’t choose it because they have no football team, it was small, and religious (I know you don’t have to be of that religion to attend but still, Theology 101… really?!)

So, who knows. Might end up at Xavier, might end up at one of the others I mentioned. Or I may even end up elsewhere.

Update on my current schooling situation. I will not be attending ASU in the fall and will most likely be staying here and working or babysitting and whatnot. However, my aunt is in town from Phoenix and still wants me to live with her. So I might go live with my aunt for the fall semester and work but honestly. who knows? Not me.

I have a lot on my plate for the next few weeks and a lot of tough decisions to make. However, I’m happy (and tired) as can be.

Alicia

The Real World

Published on June 1, 2016May 27, 2018 by AliciaLeave a comment

Achy. I am achy. Standing for 8 hours moving cardboard and building cardboard and moving product and stocking product, with 3 hours in between breaks. It’s only been 2 days and already the pain courses through my entire body with every step I take. The short walk to the break room is still far too long and I barely make it before collapsing on the plastic chair.I am achy.

Exhausted. I am exhausted. Waking up at 530 every morning and being out the door by 6 was never something I imagined I would have to do. Alas, here I am, doing just that. Waking up before the birds, and working until my droopy eyes struggle to stay open. Barely making my way to the car before passing out in the passenger seat. I am exhausted.

Stiff. I am stiff. Continuously standing for hours on end, not being able to move around because the task at hand requires no movement whatsoever. When I finally am able to walk around, my knees can hardly bend and my back tries desperately to budge from the 45-degree angle it was in for the past 8 hours. I am stiff.
Opulent. I am opulent. Not quite, but my wallet is squealing with excitement every hour that passes and every piece of cardboard that I touch. It hasn’t even been a week but it feels like a lifetime. I am (not quite) opulent.

Alicia

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Published on May 21, 2016February 1, 2018 by Alicia2 Comments

I was babysitting for my neighbor’s kids the other day and as she got home, she asked me if I had picked my major for school. When I told her chemical engineering, her jaw almost dropped. When she finally spoke and asked why, I told her it’s because I’ve always been good with math and science and I’ll get a job easily. She then asked me if I enjoyed it. All of my extracurriculars had involved the things I liked doing (photography, writing, design, leadership) , not what I was known to be best at (math and science). So, what do I really want to be when I grow up?

We all can recall the first time we heard this question. When our teachers asked us this question, our eager 5 and 6-year-old faces lit up as boys shouted president and firefighter and girls exclaimed princess and nurse.

Sadly, I haven’t been asked what I want to do with my life recently. People just assume I will do something in the math and science field or something international (I’ve taken spanish since I was in 5th grade) because these are things I have always been known for excelling at.

In the past 3 years, no one has asked me what I want to do with my life. My aunt and uncle are both engineers, and have instilled the notion that being an engineer is the best thing for me to do because I’m good at math and science and can make a ton of money. One of their friends told their children that they can study whatever they want, after they get an engineering degree. Why? Because engineering makes you the most money.

Why don’t they ask us that when we grow up? Why don’t they ask us what we want to do when we’re choosing our college or university? Why is it, that we’re so obsessed with money and how much we will make? When did making money earn a spot above being happy and enjoying our job?

People tell me what I need to do. I couldn’t decide on a major, so I just said international business so I could put something down on my applications. I never wanted to do business, everyone around me wanted me to. Because I would make money.

Now that I have changed universities, and majors, everyone around me wants me to major in chemical engineering. Why? Because I will be a woman engineer, will get first priority on jobs, and will make money.

Since when did society decide that how much money we make in our lives is more important than how we live our lives? I never wanted to major in business. And I don’t want to major in engineering now. So, what do I do? Do I major in something that makes me happy, maybe never get a job in that field? Or do I live a miserable life of an engineer and have all the money I could ever need?

I’m not too much of a sap but I do believe that we’re here for a reason. We were not born to work 40 hours a week just to be miserable and then go home and be too tired and aggravated with our lives to be happy around our loved ones. Not saying my aunt and uncle aren’t happy. They get ample time off, sabbaticals, and have so much money that they go on multiple cruises every year.

But, why can’t I do that while doing something I love? I don’t want to have kids, hell I might not even get married. I just want it to be my dogs, maybe a goat, and myself. I want a nice house of course, and a nice car, but at the end of the day, when I’m on my deathbed, looking back on my life, am I going to remember the audi and the million dollar house that I had, or am I going to remember my job, where I spent most of my waking hours, my friends and colleagues that I met at that job, and all of the experiences outside of my house?

Shit, I want to do something I love, but the second I said I even considered switching my major to biology and them getting my masters in marine biology, my parents couldn’t have said the words “what about chemical engineering” faster. Why? They just want me to make money and be successful.

When did we define success as how much money you make at the end of the day? Why can’t success be something less materialistic? Why can’t we define success as something worth living for, something great? Something like how many friends I had, how many new places I visited, how much I enjoy my job? Why is success just money and power? When did we all agree that this is what society is going to be, and, why wasn’t I a part of this conversation?

So, what do I want to be when I grow up? Since I’ve started blogging, I have rekindled my love for writing. I love writing, being able to put all of my feelings down on paper, or on the blogosphere. It’s calming and I love seeing how my writing has progressed through time. I love animals. I would love to live on a farm with rehab animals and just help them escape lives of abuse, violence, etc. I would have farm animals, house animals, exotic animals, anything really. I would love, cherish, and care for each and every one of them. I love design. Over the summer. My life is a nonstop HGTV marathon. I love critiquing, agreeing and adding my own opinions on what I would do with each house, room, etc. I love yearbook. My entire highschool career was centered around my school’s yearbook, and although it may have caused me to turn gray early, I loved that class and I can’t imagine my life without it. And, now that I am not active in my school’s yearbook, I miss it. I love the mind. My entire life has been filled with mental illnesses and trying to understand the mind, why can’t I try to help others understand their minds as I have been trying to understand my own?If I could do any one of these things with my life, it would be grand. But, STEM is the way of the future and despite what you want/ like to do with your life, none of it matters if you can’t make money.

Everyone always tells you to never major in journalism, communications, psychology, philosophy. Basically nothing in the school of arts and letters. Major in business, major in STEM. Why? We need people in those fields, or else that major wouldn’t exist. We need biologists, we need therapists, we need writers, we need designers. Why can it be the other person. Why can’t it be me?

So, here we are. I spent countless nights crying myself to sleep because of how stressed I was, how stressed I was because I couldn’t find a major that suited me. And now, here we are, staring blankly at my ceiling wondering why I couldn’t have just picked something I enjoyed all along.

Talk to you all soon,

Alicia

The Top 100 Inspirational Weight Loss Bloggers

Published on May 17, 2016June 25, 2016 by AliciaLeave a comment

Hi, everyone. Look at me double posting. My life update post will be up in the next few days, however, I was checking my stats page this morning and saw that I had a lot of viewers that were referred to my blog by DietToGo.

Curious as to how that was, I clicked the link in my stats and was brought here

I immediately noticed that the post was entitled “The Top 100 Inspirational Weight Loss Bloggers You’ve Probably Never Heard Of (Until Now)” and got super stoked because people have noticed I exist and they think I’m decently cool.

Your girl (me) was lucky enough to score spot #13 on that list (happens to be my favorite number too) and I’m just so happy/stoked/honored to be put on this list with so many other amazing bloggers.

So, I recommend everyone check out DietToGo’s post and check out all of the other amazing bloggers who are also featured on the list. I know I did!

Anyway, I want to say again how excited I am that I was featured and want to thank Caitlin (author of the post) for taking the time to hand select my blog and to read some of my posts. It means so much

Talk to you all soon,

Alicia

Rainy Days

Published on April 7, 2016February 1, 2018 by AliciaLeave a comment

Rainy days in California are rare, and almost nonexistent.However, upon checking the forecast for the upcoming week and seeing the raindrops dance across my screen, I can’t help but smile as my roommate grimaces at the thought.

The days leading up to the what Californians may call ‘gloomy’ day, are days of anticipation for me. It’s like the week before going home before a break or before a holiday.

Coming from a place where rain was not necessarily an everyday occurrence, but sure occurred more than most would like, to a place where rain has fallen from the sky about fie times in the past eight months, you cannot help but miss rain: the scent, the air before and after it rains, the calming noise it makes as it hits windows, trees, the glow it gives everything it graces.

Rain reminds me of home. At least once a week, winter spring summer or fall, rain washes over our city. With rain brings a new beginning. It washes away the snow of winter, brings flowers to life in spring, washes away chalk drawings of summer, and pushes the crunchy fall leaves down the road.

My midwest self had become so accustomed to the rain that the absence of it saddens me. Never did I think a day would come that I missed rain. But waking up to the pitter patter of raindrops on my ajar window and the cool breeze entering through my window,gives me a sensation that I can’t quite describe.

As the rain hits my mesh covered window, and the occasional drop pecking my face, I hum in admiration. Rain is different here. As sunny and 75 days are rare in Chicago, rainy days in California are just as rare. I admire the both of them equally. While Californians proclaim their hatred of rain, with the knowledge of drought in the back of their minds, they can;t help but smile at the necessity of rain and the thirst of the earth being quenched. Even if this just happens once a month.

Everyone says that rain makes them sad. How can you be sad when the earth is being given the beautiful gift of water to make the plants grow bigger, the snails emerge from they long hibernation, and the hope that a rainbow could peak out behind the clouds after it has rained all day?

I’m not sure how rain saddens people, but I am sure of one thing. Rain doesn’t sadden me. Thunder on the other hand…

Until Thursday
Alicia

Guess who’s back, back again

Published on December 22, 2015May 27, 2018 by AliciaLeave a comment

Hi all, I’m back. I knew that I wouldn’t be posting often in the last month due to finals, but I wasn’t aware it would be almost a month of no posts. I figure I’ll give an update on my life and what has happened in the past month.

For starters I spent the majority of December, after returning from Arizona from Thanksgiving at my aunt’s house, I spent studying, crying because of studying and taking finals.

Now that I’m done with finals, I am back home in Chicago and already longing to go back to San Diego. I am happy to see old friends and family, my dog and my bed are the best however I miss the warm weather and being on my own. I’ll blog when I can over break and may queue up a few posts now and then.

Until next time, I’ll be refreshing my grades to see if my finals and final grades have been posted.

Talk to you all soon

Alicia

What I’m Thankful for

Published on November 24, 2015May 27, 2018 by AliciaLeave a comment

Hey all, so I hope you all are having a good Thanksgiving Holiday. I left for my aunt’s house yesterday and I am so happy to be on this break. My aunt took me shopping for all of the vegan and gluten free food I could eat which I’m very thankful for and she even bought me some soap so i didn’t have to lug my big pump soap dispenser all the way to Phoenix. She is working a half day today, so I have spent my time relaxing, cuddling with her 3 puppies, watching real TV and not Netflix (1st world problems I know) and doing aa bit of homework. Since there are 2 days until Thanksgiving, I’ve decided to beat everyone to the punch of saying what I’m thankful for. For starters, I typically never think about what I’m thankful for, because I’ve been pretty lucky in growing up. Granted I don’t have my own car or go to Harvard or can always be buying whatever I want, I always have had a roof over my head, food on my plate, and a loving and caring support group of family and friends who are always there when I need them. I remember one year, my mom, sister, and I went up to Wisconsin for Thanksgiving weekend to visit my mom’s best friend and her family. On Saturday they did their Thanksgiving dinner and after we went around the room and said what we were thankful for. One of the ladies had recently gotten laser eye surgery and said that she was thankful for being able to see. One little girl said she was thankful for puppies that exist because her dog recently died and puppies made her not miss her dog so much, and someone else said they were thankful to not have to work on Thanksgiving for the first time in 10 years. I can fully admit that I have taken each and every one of these things for granted in my life. I have 20/20 vision and the only time I can’t see is when my eyes are closed. Puppies are such a gift and despite my depression, going into a pen filled with puppies can lighten anyone’s day, I’m telling you try it sometime. I’ve never worked on Thanksgiving. Granted I have only been a nanny but had the parents both had to work on Thanksgiving, I might have had to do that. It’s so funny. All the things we take for granted and things we never really appreciate until other people don’t have them and we notice it on them, or we don’t have them ourselves.
I’m thankful for so much, it’s not even funny. I’m thankful that I wake up everyday bright eyed and bushy tails (not all days) and am given the opportunity to go to a good college and learn to further my education.
I’m thankful that I have clean drinking water and can brush my teeth, shower, and drink something so pure and clean.
I’m thankful that I was given the opportunity to travel over halfway across the country for college and that my parents and grandparents are helping me and paying for most of it.
I’m thankful that I have a nice warm bed to retire to at the end of every day and that no matter what, it will be there
I’m thankful that I have a roof over my head and food on my plate. Not everyone has both. Not everyone has even one of these things and I’m so thankful that I was given a life where both are not seen as luxuries
I’m thankful for my family, friends, peers, acquaintances, random hot boys I have seen at coffee shops,etc. I’m thankful for all of you because, you have all impacted my life in some way, even if just in the slightest sense.
I’m thankful for electricity. Thank you computer, iPhone, iPad, TV, etc for existing because you make my life so much easier. While you have created an antisocial society, you have helped me write essays, capture moments, and stay in touch with family despite being 2500 miles away
I’m thankful for animals. I love animals. I love how I feel when I am around animals and I’m thankful that animals have given me the inspiration to pursue a career with them in mind.
Finally, I am thankful for myself. Why? I am thankful that I have a good head on my shoulders and that I have dreams and aspirations and that I can do anything I set my mind to. I love you self
That’s a bit of what I’m thankful for. Talk to you all soon
Alicia

I’m Back

Published on November 21, 2015May 27, 2018 by AliciaLeave a comment

Hey all, Long time no talk.
I have been so busy this past week finishing essays and doing projects and cramming every second I possibly could with homework so that I would have a break over Thanksgiving, and somehow there is still more to do Not to fret though, I’m back and ready to blog. I will try and queue a few posts to post in the coming week but with finals just around the corner there is no guarantee that I can write every day. I will try to write every day but for the next few weeks there will be pretty much no consistency and I apologize for that. However, I’m doing my best to blog and study and blogging will be a nice break for when I need to take on. I have 4 finals; one for my honors class, one for Spanish, Biology, and my Sociology classes. I have them on December 10th, December 15th, 16th, and 17th and then I go home on December 17th for an entire month. I’m very excited to going home but I was so accustomed to living in the dorm. Having my dad wash my clothes and not having to pay $2 overtime I need to wash clothes, will be an ice luxury, however. I am also very excited that I can see all of my family and friends because I haven’t seen everyone since August 20th and for those of my friends who left for school before me, even earlier than that. However, the 2 things that I am looking forward to the most are sleeping in my own bed in my own room where I can lock he door and jam to songs in my underwear (here you’re never certain when an unsuspecting roommate may walk in) and to see my puppy. My sister sends me videos and pictures of her on occasion however, those will not suffice. I need to snuggle with 100 pounds of fur and slobber and love. Honestly, if I could I would spend the whole month cuddling with her in my bed catching up on TV shows I have missed. But, alas I have friends and family who want to see me and my baby has to take the backseat.
Just a few things to remember in the coming weeks: during Thanksgiving break a majority of my time will be spent with my aunt and uncle, and my friend who goes to school in Phoenix. The rest of the time will be allotted to sleeping and homework, so like I said if I only post once or twice next week, I’m sorry, life is hectic. Then, the week I get home is pretty low key. I have a few presentations to give and a field trip and an essay due but nothing too extreme. All of the hard work will have been done during Thanksgiving Break.The week after that however, is basically hell week. I will be cramming my brain with information I didn’t bother to learn before and rarely leaving the comfort of my bed or the library, unless it’s to pee or eat, sleeping is optional. So, that week and the week following will be very insane due to everything I have to know for my exams, But once December 17th and 10am comes along, I will be free and will be able to blog and sleep, and Netflix, and cuddle, and get myself completely immersed in the Christmas Spirit until my heart is content.
So, that’s my life update,
Talk to you all soon
Alicia