Last Week at Home :(

Less than 1 week before I head back to Mississippi.  I'm totally not ready!  So much family time left, so little time!  And not to mention ALL the packing left to do.  I'm beginning to feel the stress of school already.  Today I got most of my linens together!  Yay!  Ha... That is pretty vital though.  Now to finally gather and organize all my school supplies and things for my dorm.  I won't worry about clothes until the weekend... Trying to push that off as long as possible!  Anyways, as my efforts to clean out my room are being obstructed by my packing, I am trying to weed out what I need and what I think I might need to take with me.  After two years, I should have the hang of this... But I don't.  I absolutely do not like packing.  Better yet, unpacking.  So in order to have my preparation go a little smoother with a little less stress, I've created a back-to-school playlist to keep me going and keep me sane. 

Love You Like A Love Song - Selena Gomez

Knee Deep - Zac Brown Band featuring Jimmy Buffet
Wildflower - The JaneDear Girls
Who's Your Daddy - Toby Keith
Summer Girl - Leighton Meister
Country Girl (Shake It for Me) - Luke Bryan
Get the Party Started - Pink
All I Do Is Win - DJ Khale
Change -Taylor Swift
Dirt Road Anthem - Jason Aldean
Mississippi Girl - Faith Hill
Beautiful Disaster - Jon McLaughlin
Rollerblades - Eliza Doolittle
Tonight Tonight - Hot Chelle Rae

A little bit of summer, a little bit of Mississippi, and some music to keep me from crawling into bed and not packing.  Shine this week. :)

Feel-Better List 2

Writing Thank Yous
Watches that light up
Soft robes
Going to sleep fast
Vera Bradley
Luke Bryan
Scarves
Disney Princesses
Giving gifts for no reason
Sorting through clothes
Sequins

Shine this week. :)

Evan Almighty

Watching Evan Almighty the first time through this week actually made me step back and look at my life situations.  Some of the quotes in the movie from Evan Baxter and God (portrayed by Morgan Freeman) were pretty inspiring! 



Here are a few quotes that show exactly what I'm talking about:

Reporter: What makes you think God chose you?
Evan Baxter: He chose all of us.

•  Ooohh... Burn. Ha! Really, though, it does hit ya pretty hard.

God: How do we change the world?
Evan Baxter: One single act of random kindness at a time.
God: [spoken while writing A-R-K on ground with a stick] One Act, of, Random, Kindness.

• Seems simply enough, right? Try it.

God: Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?

• Wow. "Opportunity" may be my new favorite word.

Opportunity. Shine this week. :)



Feel-Better List #1

Being down on myself, I starting thinking of things that would make me feel better about myself, things that would put me in a good mood.  I'm thinking of making these lists whenever I need a pick-me-up. 

Warm Delights

Wearing a loose-fitting t-shirt to work out in

Brushing your teeth at least twice a day (sounds weird but it makes me feel good!)

Color coordinating

Being organized

Crossing things off a list (even if I write down something just to cross it off!)

Cute band-aids

Making lists (if you haven't noticed, I'm kinda obsessed with lists.)

Saving pennies

Painting a canvas

Reapplying sunscreen

Here's to more Feel-Better Lists! Shine this week. :)

My Creativity!

Over the past several months, I have tried my hand at painting canvases.  I think they have turned out rather well! (By the way, none of these were stencilled or traced; all are uniquely my own creations!)

This was my very first one!

I needed inspiration for my hectic sophomore year.

Free-handed Disney font!

This one I painted for my grandmother who is recovering from her second stroke. 

This birdhouse was hanging in her backyard.

Miryam just graduated from art school and is going to film million-dollar movies one day.

My boyfriend said that if he ever got a tattoo, it would be something like this.

He is a huge Florida Gators fan, but we are both proud of our school, Southern Miss (To The Top!).

The K and R are initials for my parents.

I'm hoping to have a little side business out of my paintings! 

Shine this week. :)

From Prom to Gym

Thanks to Seventeen Magazine, I have found some adorable hairstyles that are not only ideal for prom (EEK!) but for the gym as well!  Who doesn't want to look amazing jogging at that treadmill as the buff guys walk in? Ha! For details on how to create these styles visit Seventeen.com or follow this link.

   

This is my motivation to actually hit the gym this week!

Shine this week. :)

Summer Stripes

I've heard that stripes are going to be very popular this summer!  I have so many striped clothes, I don't know what to do with them!  But instead of the solids I wear so often, I'm going to start incorporating more stripes (colorful) stripes into my outfits.

Shine this week. :)

Summer Goals

Even though it's exam week, and I shouldn't be thinking about summer, I am.  I can't help it! It's so close, I can smell it!  Only 2 more days of exams and packing up my whole dorm, then home sweet home!  I miss Florida so bad! 

So to help me be a little less homesick this week especially, I've begun to think about what all I'm going to do (well... want to do) this summer.

1. Run. 
My neighborhood has hill after hill after hill, which would be perfect for those extra-calorie-burning runs that I want to start doing.  I want runner's legs.  I haven't really worked out since aerobics the first 8 weeks of the semester, and I'm not feeling beach ready at all!  So my goal this summer is to run at least 3 times a week.

2. Lose (another) 10 pounds.
Last summer I was so proud of myself that I lost 10 pounds all while working full time!  I went to the gym almost every day before work and watched what I ate.  Hopefully all the running I'll be doing will help me lose another 10 pounds. 

3. Decide on a thesis topic.
I am one of those unfortunate few who have to do undergraduate research and write a thesis paper.  Actually, I'm pretty excited about the work I'll be doing on this project because it's pretty cool stuff: medical physics.  I still don't have a specific topic, but I've narrowed down the field to radiation therapy.  My goal is to find a topic that will be of some use to me in grad school and hopefully be significant enough to be used in the improvement of treating cancer! Wish me luck!

4. Be a good big sister.
My little sister is going to be a junior in high school this next year, and I know when I was her age, I wish I had someone to look up to.  I'm definitely looking forward to some sister-bonding time this summer!

I never make New Year's resolutions because I can never stick to them.  My last goal is to stick to these goals!  Ha! 
Shine this week. :)

Taylor Swift Lyrics Part 2

This week is finals week. Pray for me. Seriously. Why I'm blogging instead of studying, don't ask. Reading through Taylor Swift lyrics aren't very motivational (unless you want revenge on an ex) but they do make lift my heavy and burdened spirits a little. Enjoy!

"Innocent"

Wasn’t it easier in your lunchbox days?
Always a bigger bed to crawl into
Wasn’t it beautiful when you believed in everything?
And everybody believed in you?

It’s all right, just wait and see
Your string of lights is still bright to me
Oh, who you are is not where you’ve been
You’re still an innocent
You’re still an innocent

"Mean"

Someday I'll be livin' in a big old city
and all you're ever gonna be is mean
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
and all you're ever gonna be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?

"Never Grow Up"

Oh darling, don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up, just stay this little
Oh darling, don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up, it could stay this simple
I won't let nobody hurt you, won't let no one break your heart
And no one will desert you
Just try to never grow up, never grow up

"Ours"

So don't you worry your pretty little mind
People throw rocks at things that shine
And life makes love look hard
The stakes are high, the water's rough
But this love is ours

Shine this week. :)

Summer Sewing

I have decided that I will pick up sewing again this summer (in between my teen camp job, calculus 4 night classes, and trips to the beach).  I've gotten inspiration from Lilly Pulitzer.  Since I haven't sewn in a while, I've chosen tops and dresses that don't have sleeves (which are really hard to do) and are pretty simple and cute and can be worn in different outfits.  Unfortunately, I don't have Lilly fabric, so I'll find some bold solids or patterns that are versatile.  I've also sketched out some other tops, but my fashion design drawing skills are a little rusty, so I'll just keep those in my folder.  Let's just say I'll be hitting up Joann's fabric when I get back home!

Shine this week (and summer). :)