Spring 2024: Bucket List

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We are more than a month into Spring, but I am just now making a list of things I want to do this Spring! Spring ends on June 20 so I hope I have enough time to do everything I want to.

  • Go hiking
  • Go to a farmers market
  • Fly a kite
  • Plant garden
  • Go to a baseball game
  • Watch people fish while I read
  • Go to McKay’s
  • Have a friend’s day
  • Try firehouse subs
  • Visit my old college town
  • Go to Discovery Park of America
  • Go bowling
  • Try a new drink
  • Complete a challenge
  • Declutter
  • Make photo album

This may seem like a bunch of random things put together… because it is LOL. These are all the things I want to do this Spring though. I hope I have the time! What are some of the things you want to before Spring is over?

Books Read in January & February

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Hi! I am behind on my monthly book blog, but I am here now! In January and February, I have read 5 books in total. So far this year every book I have finished, I have throughly enjoyed! I recommend all 5 of these books.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is the first one I finished in 2024. I do have to say out of all of them this was my least favorite book, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. I don’t really like how it would bounce between time periods, but at the same time, that’s part of what makes the book. It was a beautiful story.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K Rowling ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a reread for me. I like to try and reread the Harry Potter series every so often. It has been a long time since I have done a full reread (I usually stop after book 4), but I hope to read through the rest of them this year. This one and the rest of the series always makes me cry so it’s hard to read them, but I love getting lost in the pages. The movies left out a lot of the story. Some of the most important parts in my opinion.

I Will Find You by Harlan Coben ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am so glad that this book was recommended to me! It was a very interesting read. Fast paced – which I love. It’s about a guy who was put into prison for murdering his son… except he didn’t. We end up going on a journey with him as he breaks out of prison. This is the first time I’ve ever read a book by this author, but I will definitely read another.

We Used to Live Here by Daniel Hurst ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Some people bought this house, and they were finding strange things while remodeling… I did not expect the ending of this book at all. To me it was definitely a twist that almost made me mad. The ending made me want more to the story.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I listened to the audiobook of this one, and enjoyed it so much. It was a cute little read that’s like a hallmark movie cliche. It had the whole uptight person visiting a small town and falling in love.

Final note

I am very happy with what books I have read so far. For 2024, I have made the reading goal to read 50 books this year. According to my Goodreads, I am 3 books behind, but I think it will all workout in the end. Last year I started reading several books at once, and I usually finishing them all around the same time. In the next few weeks, I plan to post my 2024 tbr, which has 54 books on it. And yes, I know my goal is to read 50 books, but sometimes it’s hard to choose what books I want to read!

What book(s) are you reading right now? Have you read any of the ones I’ve read in January and February?

New Year Resolutions

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My 2024 has started out with me being sick. For the past three weeks, I have not felt like being productive at all. I am normally on top of making my new year resolutions and starting to implement them to my life already. I am eleven days behind, but I am ready to start the new year.

The main New Years Resolution that I have that I want to focus on this year is to be more creative, and to have fun with it. I enjoy blogging and YouTube, but I feel as though I somehow make it into a chore. My goal is to do those things and have fun doing them.

I want to post on YouTube at least twice a month, and post on my blog twice a month as well. I hope at some point I can do both once a week, but I know if I make that my goal right now I would fail. I also really want to work on a book that I have been trying to write. I do want to do that once a week, if not more.

Onto another goal I have, toward the end of 2023, I really slacked off on going to the gym. I was busy, and honestly, I didn’t want to make the drive to the gym. The whole thing takes up a bit of time. I am going to start getting back into the gym, and even start doing more cardio and yoga on top of my strength training. I will be working out three to four times a week. I know when I am working out consistently I feel so much better than the way that I am feeling right now.

Lastly, one of my main goals is my reading goal. In 2023, I made a reading goal of 30 books, and I exceeded that goal during the summer so I extended it to 50 books. I ended up hitting my 50 books goal on Christmas Eve. I want to challenge myself this year so I made my reading goal to be 50 books. I haven’t made as much time lately to read so I really want to make more time for it like I did the first six months of last year. I’ve already compiled a list of books I want to read this year that I may share on here later.

These are my main goals for 2024. Do you have any new year resolutions? What are they, and how are you going to reach them?

August reads: 2023

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Surprisingly, I finished 6 books in August.

Wild Wolf Claiming by Rhyannon Byrd

4 stars. I am a sucker for these supernatural romances. I got a big bag full of these and I am going to slowly read through them. They can be cringe sometimes, but I am a sucker for them.

Beyond the Wand by Tom Felton

5 stars. I love Tom Felton. I loved reading about how his life was before, during and after Harry Potter. I was very shocked to read some of it. Especially with things that he went through after Harry Potter. Bless him.

Shelter Mountain by Robyn Carr

5 stars. I have been enjoying the virgin river series so far. I have been listening to the audiobooks for these and I’m not sure who narrates them or if even the same person narrates them all, but for the first 2 I have really enjoyed who has narrated the books. I didn’t know how I would feel about listening to a different persons story every book, but in at least the first 2 books I’ve read, you still get the story of the other peoples as well. I really like that.

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

5 stars. This book was a tough read. If you get triggered by eating disorder stuff – DO NOT READ. It was rough to read about the things that went on in her life, and I bet it barely scratched the surface. I found myself mad the entire book, but I am so glad I read it and learned about her life.

Merged with Him by Kylie Kent

3 stars. It was a quick read, but everything went too fast. Kinda cringe.

The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey

4 stars. I really enjoyed this book! The post-apocalyptic world was different that what I have read before. It made it interesting. That’s all I’m going to say about that because I don’t want to give any spoilers. The ending of the book was kind of shocking, but honestly, it made the book more real.

July reads: 2023

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In July, I read 5 books! They were all sims really good reads, and most of them had a similar theme of trying to solve a mystery. (They were more complicated than just that, but yeah lol.)

Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies by J. K. Rowling

This was a very short book about some of the characters in the series like Remus Lupin and Professor McGonagall. It was ingesting to learn more about their background. I think you could also find this information on Pottermore.

Never Lie by Freida McFadden

Never Lie got 5 stars for the twist. This book has me thinking about it still a month later. I don’t know how authors can pull details together like they do. It is definitely a talent I hope to get better at one day.

Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

Odd Thomas was referred to me by one of my best friends. I gave this book 5 stars. This book DESTROYED ME. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but I recommend you give it a read. I don’t recommend, however, if you get bored of books easily. Just saying.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

I enjoyed this book SO much. I liked that you really got to see the main characters thought process. She lays out what she thinks and why. In the end, for me, the person who did it really surprised me. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Bookwoman’s Last Fling by John Dunning

I rated this book 3 stars. This book is the fifth of a series and I think that’s one reason I couldn’t get into it really good. This book was recommended to me by a friend. I’m going to go back eventually and start with the first one. While it’s not required, I think it helps you get more attached to the characters.

Overall, I think my favorite book for this month was Never Lie by Frieda McFadden. It is one that has stuck with me even as I write this blog post 2 months late. My least favorite was the Hogwarts short stories one.

Have you read any of these? Without spoilers for others to read, how did you like them?

June Reads

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In June, I had finished reading 8 books! That is the most that I have read in a month in a very long time. Four of those were books I had started in a pervious month but still. I wanted to start trying to do monthly book logs/reviews so here we go.

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas is the last book of a very good series. There are 7 books in the series – not counting some extra side books (I don’t remember what they’re called lol). I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. This series starts out about a woman who is an assassin, and she is totally badass. I don’t want to talk too much about the series because I don’t want to give anything away. My favorite thing about this series is that the little things in the books matter because in the end it will create a big picture.

Recipe for Love by Anna Malcom

I gave Recipe for Love 4 stars even though parts of it was a little bit cringe. However, it wasn’t so cringe I couldn’t finish it. It was a lovely fast read for me. I love the sunshine / grumpy trope so much.

Ignite by Melanie Harlow

I gave Ignite 4 stars. This was a really quick read for me. I am pretty sure I read this in one day. It was a good single dad romance. To be honest, the reason I had wanted to read it was just for the fact that he was a firefighter. There was some cringe parts in this, but it is mainly because I could not really relate to the girl main character all that much. Winnie falls in love very easily which is why a bet was made between her and her best friend that she couldn’t not fall in love for the rest of the year.

This is definitely not relatable to me because I have the opposite problem. It is hard for me to fall in love. Because of this, it blows my mind that there are actually people out there that do fall in love very easily.

Could not be me.

Savage Hearts by J. T. Geissinger

I gave Savage Hearts 3 stars. This book is part of a series, but one of those that is about different people each time just in the same setting (?). I read this in a day so it was a very fast read for me. The thing that put me off about it, and apparently the previous two books are also focused on, is that the girl(s) have MAJOR stockholm syndrome. Like – immediately. I’ve read some books where they got it, but those settings were normally where these girls were taken from a bad family and they warm up to the person that kidnapped them. This book was nothing like that. It was very fast paced. I thought they really needed to chill out. LOL

Spare by Prince Harry

Spare got 5 stars from me. I love memoirs. Even of people I don’t keep up with. Going into reading Spare, I did not know much about the royal family AT ALL. Since I had started reading it, one of my friends had talked to me about the whole Princess Diana being murdered thing, and I watched a movie about them. Other than that, I was pretty much reading without knowing anything the whole way through.

I’ve read reviews that people said the reason they did not like this book is because he was just “whiny”. I think those people just said that because for whatever reason they just don’t like him. A memoir is about telling a lot parts about yourself. Good and bad. I think reading from his point of view really made me understand things about him and the royal thing as a whole.

One of the main things I learned was you cannot trust what any news or tabloids say because they can and will post straight of lies. It made me so mad as I was reading how the paps were treating Harry and the people he cares about. They probably treat them like that still. They have no boundaries or a conscious.

Another thing that made me mad was the palace. There was so much that could have been straightened out if only they had said something.

I’m glad Prince Harry and Meghan got out of it.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Outlander got a 3.5 stars out of me. Hear me out. My sister and I started this book at the end of last year, and the reason why it took me so long to read was because I was trying to read at the pace of my sister.

I did really enjoy reading this book most of the time, but it is one of those books I can’t have any distractions otherwise I would have to reread parts over and over.

I really liked some characters like Claire and Jamie, but then this book also made me really dislike some characters – which I think is a really good thing.

I think the main reason it was so hard to read is because I am an American woman so there were a lot of times I had to look up what something meant. Also I knew going into it that there was some scenes of sexual assault, and reading about that was really hard for me.

With that being said, I will probably read the rest of the series at some point. (I just have to wait in my sister to finish this one).

How to Do the Work by Dr. Nicole LePera

3 stars. I am on the journey of self-healing so this year I want to try to read more self- help books just to at least get some ideas on how to heal on my own. I believe this book helped me understand myself and my parents more. I will definitely take some of the “exercises” the book talked about and apply it to my life.

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

This got 4 stars. I loved Red, White & Royal Blue so much. Forbidden romance between a prince and the first son of the United States? SIGN. ME. UP.

THOUGHTS

I was very happy with my reads for this month. My favorite book I read was Kingdom of Ash. My least favorite was Savage Hearts.

What books did you read in June? What books are you wanting to read in July?

Pottermore: Coffee Talk With Kelli

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Coffee talk is actually a YouTube thing I had started with my best friend years ago. We would make videos with us sitting in front of the camera while drinking coffee and give advice about certain topics or whatnot.

This time with coffee talk, I want to blog about whatever has caught my attention the week prior. In this case, it’s Pottermore and Hogwarts Legacy. Next week it could be a hike I went on or a drink I tried.

With this Coffee Talk series, I want to give time to talk about things that really interest me. It’s hard for me to have one niche. I guess my niche could be chaotic in a way where neither you nor I will know what I may post about — whether it be traveling, cooking, fitness, games, movies or tv shows.

This past week I decided I wanted to retake the Pottermore quiz because the first time I took it I was still a teenager.

The test results must have some kind of truth to them because I got very similar results all these years later. I honestly thought it would be different, but maybe I haven’t changed like I thought I have.

First off, both times I took the test I got Gryffindor — which wasn’t really surprising. This may be very common, but while I got sorted into Gryffindor, I could easily see myself in Slytherin as well. Not because I’m evil or anything, I actually think that not all Slytherins are like Malfoy, Crabbe or Goyle.

Being cunning, ambitious, resourceful or clever can be used for good just as much as it could be used for bad. I think the main reason the Slytherins we see in the books/movies are the way they are because of their parents. One of my friends said that the reason she thinks we only saw those kinds of Slytherins were for the plot of the overall story. I would have loved to see the softer side of Slytherins.

I know some people who would be in Slytherin that are good people and some who are not so good.

I feel like I just also need to mention Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw so they don’t feel left out. I have friends and family would would fit into both of those, but personally, I don’t think I belong into any of those houses at all. My personality wouldn’t fit into a Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw.

What Hogwarts house are you in?

My patronus the first time I took the quiz was a basset hound, but the second time I took the quiz I got deerhound.

I’ve heard of others re-taking the quiz and getting something similar of what they had gotten before.

According to hogwartswelcomesyou on Tumblr, people who have a basset hound patronus are “usually very smart and well in their hobbies and academics. They thrive in a thought out work schedule. Basset hound people are notoriously stubborn. Which can be a good thing because they will stand behind their belief or friends no matter what.”

All of that is completely true for me.

My new patronus, the deerhound, sends the message that I find comfort in giving protection. I agree with the sentiment that I stand beside people in dangerous situations or even to just give people advice when they want it.

I’ve given a lot of advice to my friends and family — although I have learned there are times people just want to vent.

What’s your patronus and what does it say about you?

All of the following information came from Pottermore

The wand I got from Ollivanders is a 13′ inch laurel wood with dragon core and supple flexibility. According to Pottermore, laurel wood can be very powerful and sometimes lethal magic. These wands are typically loyal to the first person it chooses unless the person is lazy – otherwise the wand may even shoot out a random lightening strike if someone tries to steal the wand.

Dragon core in a wand is very powerful. Dragon core wands tend to turn more toward the dark arts, but only if the beholder wants it to. They also tend to learn more quickly than other types.

final thoughts

Overall, I am not shocked by my Pottermore quiz results. I am definitely a Gryffindor. I agree with the sentiment behind what having a Deerhound patronus means. Maybe there is some kind of logic behind the Pottermore quizzes.

What were your results?

2023 New Year Resolutions

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For the past several years, I have created new year resolutions. I surprise myself and actually stick with it for at least 6 months. I’ll take 6 months over no months.

This year I’m putting my resolutions into 4 categories — fitness, books, productivity, and self-care.

Fitness

  • Bench 95 pounds at least 5 times by the end of the year.
  • Be able to do an unassisted pull up.
  • Get better at push ups.

Books

  • Read 30 books by the end of the year.
  • Complete book reading challenge. I made this one up myself and I’ll post about it in a different post.

Productivity

  • My main goal is to decrease my procrastination. The first thing I am going to do is stop procrastinating getting out of bed. This past week I’ve been getting up after the first alarm.
  • I want to be better about posting blogs and YouTube videos. I love doing it – I just love procrastination more. However, I think procrastination is a big cause of my anxiety so I want to be better about it.

Self-care

  • This year I really want to work on journaling and meditating more.
  • Also, just doing things that make me happy. And figuring out what does make me happy.

Here are my new year resolutions. Did you make any? What are they?

A letter to my January 2022 self

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Dear January me,

I know you’re sick right now with covid. Or still trying to recover. Spoiler alert: it’s going to take months before you feel OK again. Just keep pushing through.

I know you’re wondering how 2022 is going to go for you. You think this year is your year. Instead, this year is going to be a rough year. You’re gonna struggle. You’re gonna feel bad (sick) half the time. You’re definitely going to cry.

But — you’ll be alright. You’ll still have good times. You might not do everything you wished you would do, but you’ve still made memories.

You’ll visit your family in Illinois. You’ll feel bad, and won’t find out why till later, but you’ll still have a fun time.

In April, you’re going to burn your hand at work. You will cry a little bit, but just let your coworker put aloe on your hand and then when you get home you can put Vaseline on it. Makes it stop burning instantly.

During the summer, you’re gonna help Pa with farming. Uncle is supposed to help, but with him sick, you’ll end up doing most of the planting. It’s going to be really hot, and again, you won’t feel well, but you push through. I’m going to cherish the times we’ve helped Pa.

There’s other fun things that you will do with your friends. You’ll go hiking a couple times. The annual strawberry festival is fun as always. You’ll even go twice. You’ll go to Nashville for a day with some of your best friends. You’ll meet interesting people who may or may not stay in your life. Overall, life will still be good.

I’m not going to lie, your love life is going to suck this whole year, but you just need to focus on feeling better. I truly believe that the perfect person is out there for us. We just have to be patient.

I know you’re probably thinking “man, this year is gonna suck,” and honestly, a lot of parts do suck, but there’s a lot of great parts too. It’s just one of those years where we grow. Sometime soon we’ll thrive.

Keep on keeping on.

Love, your December 2022 self

Books I read in 2022

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My goal was to read at least 22 books this year, and I actually went past that goal by reading 29 books. Here’s what I read this past year (in order). I’ll even add what I had rated it on GoodReads!

  • Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Stacey Kennedy (3 stars)
  • Twilight (The Twilight Saga, #1) by Stephenie Meyer (4 stars)
  • Carved (The Road to Hell, #2) by Brenda K. Davies (5 stars)
  • Of Beast and Beauty (Daughters of Eville, #1) by Chanda Hahn (4 stars)
  • Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass, #3) by Sarah J. Maas (4 stars)
  • 4th of July (Women’s Murder Club, #4) by James Patterson (4 stars)
  • The Zombie Chronicles (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed, #1) by Chrissy Peebles (4 stars)
  • If You Ask Me by Betty White (4 stars)
  • Forever Words: The Unknown Poems by Johnny Cash (3 stars)
  • Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass, #4) by Sarah J. Maas (5 stars)
  • The 5th Horseman (Women’s Murder Club, #5) by James Patterson (5 stars)
  • Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass, #5) by Sarah J. Maas (5 stars)
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2) by J.K. Rowling (5 stars)
  • Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass, #6) by Sarah J. Maas (4 stars)
  • Boot Camp by Todd Strasser (3 stars)
  • Wild Rebel (Dirty Wild, #1) by Laurelin Paige (4 stars)
  • Her Name Was Olivia: A Story of Post Civil War Tennessee by Carol Britt Eason (4 stars)
  • The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune (5 stars)
  • The Boxcar Children (The Boxcar Children, #1) by Gertrude Chandler Warner (5 stars)
  • Race for the Cure (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed, #2) by Chrissy Peebles (3 stars)
  • It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover (4 stars)
  • Surprise Island (The Boxcar Children, #2) Gertrude Chandler Warner (5 stars)
  • The Yellow House Mystery (The Boxcar Children, #3) by Gertrude Chandler Warner (5 stars)
  • Once Burned (Hammond Brothers, #3) by Suzie O’Connell (4 stars)
  • Make Me Burn (Turn Up the Heat, #1) by Marie Harte (4 stars)
  • The 6th Target (Women’s Murder Club, #6) by James Patterson (3 stars)
  • The Billionaire’s Email-Order Date (Email-Order Romance, #1) by Vivi Holt (4 stars)
  • A Firefighter’s Christmas Gift (Holidays in Heart Falls, #1) by Vivian Arend (3 stars)
  • A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (4 stars)

What was your favorite book that you read in 2022? what’s your reading goal for 2023? I have a goal to read 30 books! But I hope to read more.

December goals

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I am a week late in posting my December goals, but better late than never, right? I have made up 5 goals/things I want to focus on this month.

VLOGMAS

I believe this is my 3rd year doing vlogmas. Last year I did it all the way through, and I plan on it this year as well. While there could be pressure to post 25 days in a roll, at the same time, I don’t feel so much pressure in making sure everything is perfect… Not that I really do with regular content. It’s just my regular day-to-day things with some Christmas things sprinkled in.

CHRISTMAS PRESENTS

CHRISTMAS IS LESS THAN 3 WEEKS AWAY, AND I HAVEN’T BOUGHT ANYONE PRESENTS. I’m panicking just a little bit. I have decided this year to get everyone a small gift just because I have so many to buy, but it’s still the principle of making sure I get everyone’s gifts.

CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES

Christmas is probably my favorite time of year. My favorite thing to do is to go see Christmas lights. I also still love to take a picture with Santa if there is an opportunity. I did it for the first time last year or the year before for the first time in years, and it made my day! Sometimes it’s nice to feel like a kid again. This year I hope to make some Christmas cookies and read some romance books based around Christmas time.

BLOGGING

I keep failing to get better at blogging, but I am going to keep trying! I’m one of those people who just have a really hard time sitting down and starting something because if I can just start then I can finish it. For instance, I have put off this blog post for a whole week, but now that I’ve finally started it, I am going to post it the same day. My goal for this month is to publish at least 12 blog posts! This one is number one.

WRITING

I had the goal at the beginning of the year to already be done with this book I want to publish, but I have barely even started it. I’ve restarted it so many times (one of those times this month) so that is why there’s not much progress. I hope now I am at a place that I can continue forward with my writing. I hope to be mostly done with my first draft by my 26th birthday next year (so roughly 9 months).

These are my 5 goals for the month of December. At the end, I will, hopefully, post an update about them. Do you have any goals/things you want to accomplish this month? What are they?

Attempting to Keep Away Seasonal Depression

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Cold weather is coming so you know what that means… seasonal depression.

Which if I am being honest with myself, seasonal depression comes around during any other season as well. This past summer was so miserable that I couldn’t do anything that I normally do outside because of how hot it was so that really sucked.

The past few weeks have been a whole lot better. Even though I have been sick, I have been a whole lot more productive because I haven’t been feeling so down with constant 90 degree weather

With that being said, I want to do some things this new season to try and keep the seasonal depression away.

1. Stop isolating myself.

The biggest thing I do when I feel sad is isolate myself from friends and family. I won’t want to do anything (except play games or watch TV) or really talk to anyone (even via phone). This season I am going to have myself go out and be social at least once a week. I am going to hang out with a friend at least once every 2-3 weeks.

2. Post on YouTube weekly or bi-weekly.

I want to do this because for one, it is one of my favorite hobbies. For two, I want to keep myself busy by being creative. I believe this can help my brain keep going instead of feeling so stuck. When I don’t post on YouTube it usually begins with the reasoning being I’m going through it. Going forward, my YouTube video’s main motive is going to do things that will make me happy. For instance, if it’s a regular vlog, I will choose little things to do that I know will help my mental health such as self care, journaling, cleaning, decluttering, drinking/eating something good, etc. I do also plan to do some workout challenges as well. The first one I am going to do is a two week ab challenge.

3. Write something every day.

I really love writing. I saw this post online that writers should write something every single day. Whether it be for a book you’re writing, in your journal, a letter, a blog post - anything at all. It is a good way to keep your creativeness flowing.

4. Get some morning air.

I read somewhere that the morning sun/air is the best for you than any other time of day. One thing I do like about the cold season is how the cold air wakes me up in the morning. On some mornings I am not running late, I am going to sit outside for about 5 minutes and just reflect.

5. Workout regularly.

I have been working out 2-3 times a week. I want to start working out 4-5 times a week while having active rest days. I hope to start going to the gym more often after work while also doing some workouts at home.

6. Keep a journal.

I don’t write out my feelings enough. I definitely need to do it more. Journaling is one of those things I’ll think about often, but for some reason never do. I am going to try to put into my morning and/or night routine at least every other day.

7. Get enough vitamin D.

This cold season I am definitely taking/drinking vitamin D regularly. This past November through January I was hit with a whole lot of dizziness, shakiness, nausea, and just to the point of almost passing out. Turns out, I had low vitamin D. After I got it straightened out, I didn’t have dizzy spells like that again. I try to still take vitamin D even in the summer, but I have been slacking here lately. I heard that vitamin D can have a whole lot to do with depression as well. A vitamin D a day helps keep the depression away.

8. Keep a schedule.

Lastly, I have noticed that when I don’t keep a schedule, especially a productive schedule, my life seems to spiral sometimes. I seem to be more productive in the morning time so I plan to take extra time in the morning to work on something creative - even if it’s only for 15 minutes. I am going to schedule in everything I talked about previously to try to keep most of it a daily occurrence.

Well, that’s it. Above are 8 ways I am going to try to keep the seasonal depression away this year. Do you have anything else to add? What are some of your favorite ways to keep yourself out of a funk?

7 things I do for therapy

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Therapy is expensive.

Very expensive. To the point where one of my favorite things about college was getting the free therapy because I learned after I graduated therapy is expensive.

I am not a professional and this does not work for everybody. Half the time it doesn’t work for me because it takes consistency which is something I don’t always have.

If you think this blog is about how to afford therapy, I would click off right now because this blog post is about making my own therapy.

Mental health is something I have struggled with since my freshman year in high school. I spent years and years not really taking care of myself. Letting my intrusive thoughts win. I felt like I didn’t have anyone in my corner that could understand — that I could voice my thoughts to. Sometimes I still don’t but that’s beside the point.

Now I can manage my mental health better. While therapy was great while I could do it, it is expensive so I’ve had to rely on myself to keep myself out of the dark hole.

I want to share some of the things that help me in case it helps someone else.

Again I am not a professional and if you can get therapy I would try that too.

Before I start listing, I do want to say that in order for these to help, you have to actually do them consistently. Some of you may be thinking well duh, but for me this is harder than I thought.

Journal

Getting your thoughts on paper can help it not fester inside you so much. This could be about your thoughts, feelings, opinions. Sometimes I will even look up a writing prompt. I might make a blog later about mental health journal prompts.

Workout

Here lately I have been slacking on working out because of a change in my work schedule, but I want to get back into it regularly. My goal is to workout at least 4 days a week, but on the days I don’t workout, I still want an active rest by getting at least 8k steps in.

Plan to do things you love

Sounds so simple but sometimes it can be so hard. Especially when you’re in that depressed state, but sometimes you need to make yourself do things that you don’t want to do.

Reflect while in nature

Here lately I have gotten into the habit of sitting out on my porch super early in the morning (like before 6 am), and just taking everything in. This is also a good time to meditate or journal.

Tidy your living space

I have learned that my mental health is worse when my living space is messy. That could just be a virgo thing. If it’s hard for you to clean your whole space, but focus on a small part of it then focus on a different part the next day.

Have a morning and night routine

I feel like I am more put together when I have a morning and night routine. I am still working out the kinks of it, but so far my routine has brushing teeth and face, reading or journaling, meditating, and I have recently been trying to get into the habit of using a facial stone.

Do your hobbies (or figure out what your hobby is)

Before you say watching tv or getting on TikTok is your hobby, I want to advise doing a more active hobby. Personally, watching tv or TikTok all day makes me feel worse because it is an activity that my brain can kind of shut off for. A couple of my favorite hobbies is reading, hiking, video gaming, playing a sport, and dancing. Other hobbies could be painting, knitting, gardening, cooking, volunteering, skydiving, zip lining, rock climbing – anything that makes you happy. Don’t know what your hobby is? Keep trying different things until you find it.

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Books Read in June 2022

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I really wanted to read 3 books this month, but I only got around to reading 2 books.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2) by J.K. Rowling ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This whole series will be a reread for me. I decided that this year I wanted to reread all 7 books, as I haven’t read all of them in a really long time. To be honest, this is probably my least favorite one of the whole series, but I still love it all the same. The main thing I got from reading is that I forgot how much of a a–hole Draco Malfoy was in the books. Some of that is definitely different than it is in the movie.

Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass, #6) by Sarah J. Maas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I didn’t think I would enjoy it because it was completely about side characters — not about Aelin Galathynius. I still enjoyed Chaol, Yrene and Nesryn’s story. It was cool to see what was happening to them during the same time as book 5.

What books have you read this month? What are you going to read next book?

June Goals 2022

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  • Read 3 books
  • Blog at least once a week
  • Post on YouTube at least 4 times
  • Write for book consistently
  • Write for Tumblr consistently
  • Get tanner
  • Get out of comfort zone
  • Work on mental health

I have read more books this year and last year than I have read all throughout college. I am so glad to get back into reading. My goal for this month is 3 books. My normal these past few months have been 2 books, but I want to try to push myself. Plus this past month I have been making a plan on how to finish the book I am reading by a certain time. I have a goal this year to read 22 books. I have read 12 books so far so I may extend my reading goal.

I am really wanting to blog more than just my monthly goals and recaps and the books I read each month. I have been really thinking about what more content I want to do – which I will explain in my next blog post. I plan to blog at least once a week.

I may not blog as much as I want to, but for the past year and a half, I have been posting on my YouTube channel a lot more. My goal for this year is to post 24 vlogs before December (as December is for vlogmas). I have posted 10 videos so far this year. I want to try to post once a week, but if not, then at least once every 2 weeks.

I also really find joy in writing, but I do not make enough time for it. I want to write consistently for the book I am writing and some things on Tumblr as well. I have gotten into the habit of at least writing one idea down a day for either one, but I want to be actually writing for both. My main problem is that I don’t want to write bad writing, but I know I need to just write now and edit them later. I keep wanting them to be perfect the first go around.

A random goal that I have for this month is to get tanner. I feel better about the way I look when my skin is a little tanner. I get so white during the winter time. I lose what little tan I get during the summer. I want to try to get more than this summer than ever before. I am going to try to get outside every day in the sun for at least 30 minutes. I have not been consistent with this, especially since I have not been feeling well, but I am going to make more of an effort for the rest of the month.

This month I really want to try to get out of my comfort zone. What I mean by this is if I would rather stay home than go do something – I want to make myself go do the thing. Most of the time when I do this, I end up having a really great time, but sometimes I get so stuck in the comfort of being at home, I don’t want to go out and have fun.

Last but not least, this whole year I have been trying to work on my mental health. Due to my health issues these last few months, it has been rough. This month, however, I plan to journal more, meditate, exercise, be more mindful of my mind and surroundings, and do more things that make me happy. You would think this would all be easy, but sometimes it is hard to do anything.

Do you have any goals for this month? What are they? Tell me in the comments.

May Recap 2022

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Hello readers, I hope you have been doing well. I’m slowly trying get that way. Since the beginning of this year — since I got covid in January— I have been having so much trouble with my sinuses/allergies.

I went to the doctor for the 4th (and hopefully last) time this year last week.

But anyway, readers, even though I felt like crap most of this month with an ear infection, I still worked quite a bit and did some fun things too — while accomplishing some of my goals.

I worked a lot in my Pa’s garden this month. We got about 500 plants planted. We also hooked up the water hose as well, which was a lot harder than you would think. I did plenty of squats and didn’t have to worry about doing more at the gym. It was a lot of hard work, but I enjoyed it for the most part until my ear infection flared up. We will have tomatoes, watermelons, cantaloupes, cucumbers and squash in a couple of months.

At the beginning of this month, I was actually social for the first time in forever. A couple of years ago, I was introduced to the strawberry festival. The strawberry festival is in a small town, and they have food trucks, a fair, and some on some nights – music. I went two nights and had lots of fun. Below are some pictures of my time there. I sadly did not get to experience the music this year, but I still had fun and ate good food nonetheless.

On Memorial Day, my dad’s side of the family had a family reunion. We actually still have these pretty much every year. We have been having them at a state park, and it was more fun than I thought it would be this year. We hiked a little bit (I couldn’t a lot because of my ear infection), and we went on the paddle boats. I got plenty of sun (too much probably, lol). I am really glad I went because I almost didn’t.

Last, but not least, I just wanted to share some of the pictures I took of my animals this month.

How was your month of May, readers? Tell me about it in the comments.

Books read in May 2022

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This month I wanted to read four books, but I only ended up reading three – which is still good for me, honestly! This month I read two different series, and that actually puts me almost done with one of them (only two books left!) Below is my rating and my opinion!

Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass, #4) by Sarah J. Maas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

On goodreads, I gave this book 5 stars, but I would really give it 4.5 stars. It took me a few chapters to get into it, but once I finally started getting into it I finished it fairly quickly. The thing I love most about Aelin Galathynius is that she does everything with purpose, and we never know why she does these little things until later. When the reveal happens, I just want to punch the air and go “good for her!” Sometimes… I may actually do that.

The 5th Horseman (Women’s Murder Club, #5) by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The women’s murder club series is the series I turn to when I need an easy read. I need breaks after reading books like the one above. Some people think it’s weird, but I cannot read a long series back to back. I have to read books in between, and this is one of them. I believe this series is really good. I’ve come to really love the character Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer (and her friends).

Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass, #5) by Sarah J. Maas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I think this book was the best one yet out of all of them. I love Aelin. I love Rowan. I love Aedion. I love Dorian. I love Lysandra. I love Manon. I love them all. Again, I love the way Aelin will have purpose for everything that she does. I know the others are mad that she doesn’t reveal her plans to everyone, but I do love the shock that they have when her plan unravels. This book left me with the hugest cliffhanger about her well-being and I KNOW that I won’t know anything until I read book 7 because book 6 is about Chaol. Pray for my mental well-being.

Also, I just want to note that I have now read 12 books this year. My goal is to read 22 books. If I reach my goal before December I will probably extend my goal.

Do you have a reading goal? What is it? What book are you reading right now?

Books I read in April 2022

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This month I not only read a couple books (some I am still reading), but I also listened to some audiobooks – which I do count toward my goodreads reading challenge.

The Zombie Chronicles (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed, #1) by Chrissy Peebles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was definitely for a younger audience, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. I love zombie books and movies. I like that this book revolved around teenagers and young adults instead of the middle-age and up genre. This was interesting enough that I would check out the next book of the series.

If You Ask Me by Betty White ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely adored listening to this audiobook. It was read by Betty White herself (rip). I really liked learning more about her life.

Forever Words: The Unknown Poems by Johnny Cash ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I listened to this one on audiobook as well. This was something I wish I would have read instead, but it was still an interesting listen. Two poems stuck with me and one was him talking about how he didn’t want to have a movie made about him (unless it told his whole story well) and the other one was a poem called I wish you a merry Christmas. With the second one, it is still with me because the contents of it definitely surprised me. I did not expect it.

Weekend Wrap-Up #5

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This week seemed to go on forever. By the weekend I wasn’t even sure what day it was. I also forgot to write most things down as I went a long so I am having to search my memory.

  • I finally went to the doctor about my allergies being so bad. They gave me a couple nasal sprays and antibiotics for my ears that are infected. As of Sunday, this is day 5 of antibiotics. They’re still irritating at the start of day 5, but hopefully after this they will be a lot better.
  • I love that my friends keep telling me that I can move in with them, but I cannot leave my grandpa. I hope they understand. They say I would regret staying in this small town, but I know I would regret leaving him. When he’s gone, I’ll go too.
  • Meeting with an old friend was nice. I can’t believe it had been a whole year since I had seen her. We’d been best friend for 7 years. We’ve both changed a lot in those 7 years.
  • Every year we have about two groups of bikers that come through during the summer. It’s really cool and they’re always nice. This week a group from Germany came through and ate.
  • I have come to accept the fact that I am useless on Sundays in the way of getting out of the house after I’ve worked. Sundays at work just really wear me out, and I do not want to go hang out with anyone after.

Weekend Wrap-Up #4

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My mental health was suffering these past few weeks, but things are starting to slightly look up again. Here’s some of the thoughts I’ve had the past two weeks.

  • These next few months, I want to focus on losing inner thigh fat and slight arm fat. I’ve found some workouts to do that. I may write a blog about results in the future.
  • I had to take a mental health day and that is ok.
  • I did something I’ve never done before and that was round up cows. Luckily, it was really easy to do. They went right back in the fence.
  • This past week is when we were supposed to start planing crops on the farm, but we are having to wait due to rain. Hopefully we’ll be able to the first of May!
  • I was supposed to meet up with a friend, but she had some issues she had to take care of so I had a drink alone at the bar. I did go on a walk afterward. The sun felt really nice. I am so ready for summer.
  • Next week I have an appointment with a doctor and hopefully will be given some medicine for allergies. Some people I know have said that they have been given a shot and felt a lot better within a few hours. I really hope that’s what happens to me. It’s mostly my ears that bother me, but today I had a really sick stomach. I think it was caused by drainage (on an empty stomach).
  • I’ve been reading Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas. I don’t know why, but it hasn’t caught my attention like I thought it would. I do like it but everything seems to drag by. I don’t know if it is just this book or if I am just in a reading slump. All I know is I need to finish it within the next week because that is when my book loan ends. I am not even half way through!

Weekend Wrap-Up #3

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This past week was quite rough overall.

  • I burned myself at work on Tuesday. I was picking up a pan of corn when the juices sloshed over and burned my hand. It is 5 days later and I still have a mark on my wrist. After using petroleum jelly it does not sting anymore, but today it has been itching. I don’t think it will scar any, but not 100% positive it won’t leave a little something.
  • On Wednesday, my Pa had to go to the hospital. Scared me to death. He’s doing ok now. Also, I still hate hospitals. And elevators.
  • On Friday, I started my re-read of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I can’t tell you how many times I have read the books 1-4. After just re-reading the first part of this book, I can already tell you that I do not agree with Dumbledore having Harry stay with the Dursley’s after knowing how they abuse him. I know staying there was supposed to keep him safe, but he should have found another way instead of letting them starve him and bully him.
  • I’ve made a cleaning list that I want to try to do daily. I am going to try to implement this list this coming up week. I came up with this after my friend and I were talking about how we have to clean on our days off and it is almost a whole day ordeal. With having a cleaning list, it’s a clean after yourself everyday kind of thing.
  • Saturday I woke up and went to my Pa’s house to eat chocolate gravy and drink coffee with several members of family. My Pa insisted on still making my plate and fixing my coffee. I let him because he wasn’t having to lift anything over 3 pounds.
  • Today (Sunday) at work was so crazy busy. Sunday is our busiest day, but we haven’t been this busy since pre-covid. Pre-covid, we used to be as busy as we were today every Sunday. At that time, we also had a couple more workers. We made it though.

I think this coming up week is going to be a little nerve-wracking as Tennessee is supposed to be getting some tornadoes. Storms make me extremely anxious.

Books I read in March (2022)

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If I am able to read at least two books a month then I will more than likely makes these posts monthly instead of every other month. I have a book goal of reading 22 books, but I have almost 30 that I listed that I want to read. Click here to go to the post of the books I want to read this year (and books I have read so far that were not on that list).

Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass, #3) by Sarah J. Maas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This assassin series is really good. This is the third book of the series. It has been a while since I read the last one, but it did not take me long to remember what had happened in the last book. The only reason I gave this book 4 stars is because it did take a little bit for me to actually get into reading the book. I think most of the books in this series are pretty big, and it is dragged out a little bit. I’ll read the next book next month.

4th of July (Women’s Murder Club, #4) by James Patterson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is the fourth book of this series. I found this book to be really interesting. In this book, it had a trial and I found myself to be “on the edge of my seat” in anticipation to figure out how the whole trial was going to pan out. I did find myself guessing the murderer (mostly), but it did have a twist I did not see.

Weekend Wrap-Up #2

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I am a day late on this weekend wrap-up, but this is still a work in progress as I keep forgetting to keep track of my week. And then posting it. I really do like doing this though because it helps me keep up with what has happened during my week or else I would completely forget – which is why I have to write it down each day as I go. Here’s how my week has been:

  • I usually have 2 days off, but I ended up having to work one of them – which is fine because I had missed a day last week due to vacation anyway.
  • Update: I have no days off this week. On Wednesday, I was needed to come in to help close early. Where I live, a great storm was brewing in Tennessee. And by great storm, I mean nothing actually happened that we should have closed down for.
  • Because of the possible storm, I stayed at my Pa’s house because his house is more sturdy. I honestly loved staying the night there. I’ve missed it. I might start doing that again – especially during the summer because I’ll be working on the farm. When I got up, he made me and him some coffee, and he even made me bread and chocolate gravy before I went to work.
  • On Friday, work was super busy during lunch. From 10 am to about 10:45 I had to do something in the back so my coworker had to get the people that came in (discloser: I work in a little restaurant.) I came back out and in 10 minutes everyone decided to come in and eat at once. I remember having to get 5 tables at once.
  • On Saturday, a couple of my friends got manic (their words not mine) and bought me a switch so I could play animal crossing with them. I don’t like that they bought me one because it is not cheap, but I have been playing a lot of animal crossing these past 2 days. I love it. I didn’t think I would ever get a switch, but I am glad I have one now.
  • One thing about them doing that for me is that I know they don’t expect anything back, but I feel as though I need to get them something to repay them. Although they are both stubborn and might not take it. Instead I am going to do my usual reproach to gifts and get them a little gift every once in a while that they would like. In their cases, it would be coffee and Mountain Dew.

Weekend Wrap-Up #1

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I have seen several weekend wrap-ups on WordPress, and I thought I would try it out as well. This would help my memory, and it would give me more blog content as well. No promises that my life will be interesting though.

  • On Monday, my family and I got a really late start (4:30 pm) on leaving for vacation. We went to visit some family for a few days. We got there about 9:30 pm. I didn’t take a lot of pictures, but I got a few.

  • This week I have started reading 4th of July by James Patterson. I’m slowly trying to read through this series and I really love it.
  • One thing that never happens to me at home is getting stuck waiting on a train, but on Tuesday I got stuck waiting for a coal train while on vacation. Those coal trains are super long!
  • On Tuesday, I also realized that the house across from me has a headless mummy outside on their porch. *cue Scooby Doo theme song*
  • Since I had covid in January, I’ve been having drainage down my throat and ears almost every day. Having it hurt on vacation was not fun, but I am taking medicine to hopefully dry everything up. I’m soo tired of feeling sick to my stomach and sometimes dizzy.
  • I work on the weekends, and this one seemed so long after having been on vacation for the week. I didn’t think it was ever going to end. I am already excited that I am off tomorrow.

2022 TBR

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My book goal for this year is 22 books, but I have 26 books on my TBR this year. I have a few more I would like to read that I do not have on this list, but these are the main books I definitely want to plow through this year.

  1. Will by Will Smith
  2. NYPD by James Patterson
  3. Her name was Olivia by Carol Eason
  4. Cell by Stephen King
  5. Hater by David Moody
  6. The Stand by Stephen King
  7. 1984 by George Orwell
  8. Carved by Brenda K. Davies (The Road to Hell, #2)
  9. The Road by Brenda K. Davies (The Road to Hell, #3)
  10. Into Hell by Brenda K. Davies (The Road to Hell, #4)
  11. 4th of July by James Patterson (Women’s Murder Club, #4)
  12. The 5th Horseman by James Patterson (Women’s Murder Club, #5)
  13. The 6th Target by James Patterson (Women’s Murder Club, #6)
  14. Alienation by Jon S. Lewis (C.H.A.O.S, #2)
  15. Domination by Jon S. Lewis (C.H.A.O.S, #3)
  16. Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass, #3)
  17. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass, #4)
  18. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass, #5)
  19. Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass, #6)
  20. Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass, #7)
  21. A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas (Court of Thorns and Roses, #3)
  22. A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas (Court of Thorns and Roses, #4)
  23. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer (Twilight, #1)
  24. New Moon by Stephanie Meyer (Twilight, #2)
  25. Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer (Twilight, #3)
  26. Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer (Twilight, #4)

The ones that have a strike through them are the ones I have read so far this year. I do not have as many done as a wish. Here are the ones I have read that are not on the list:

  • Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Stacey Kennedy (Kinky Spurs, #4)
  • Of Beast and Beauty by Chanda Hahn (Daughters of Eville, #1)

Books I’ve read in January and February (2022)

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I have made it one of my missions this year to start reading more now than I am out of college, and have somewhat figured out how to structure my life. I posted on my resolutions that I want to read 22 books this. However, right before the new year, I made a list of the books that I want to read this year – most of it consisting of series that I want to finish.

That list consists of 26 books and counting.

While the books on the list are my main focus, I have already ventured off the list and have read 2 others that are not on there. Below are the books that I have read this past January and February.

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Stacey Kennedy ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was like one of those hallmark movies. It was a really fast read. Very cheesy.

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have read this book once before, but it had been so long that it was like I was reading it again for the first time. It was kind of cringe in some parts, but I did actually enjoy reading it. I think of this series, I have only read the first two and have not read the others at all. To be honest, the main reason I wanted to read this series this year is so I could read the only in Edward’s point of view. I read a section of it and find it really funny.

Carved by Brenda K. Davies ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is the second book of the Road to Hell series, and I loved it so much. I know there’s quite a bit (but not 50 shades a lot) of sex in these books, but honestly, the best part is just seeing how the characters progress. I love the two main characters, River and Kobal, but I also love the side characters as well. I also really love how the book gives both River and Kobal’s point of view. It lets the reader know why they think and do the things they do.

Of Beast and Beauty by Chanda Hahn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This story is a very loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast. The characters and plot really interested me. I read this book in a day, which having the power go out really pushed me to read more. The whole series (which every book is about a different sister) is about their mother getting revenge of seven kingdoms through the help of her adopted daughters. I will definitely read the rest at some point. The only thing about this book is that the two main characters getting together didn’t make a whole lot of sense, and the ending seemed extremely rushed. This book would have benefited from also having the guy’s point of view because at first he hated his new wife, but it changed somehow. I wish I could have seen that thought process.

Top 5 Favorite Youtubers (February 2022)

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I don’t watch as much YouTube anymore like I used to, but I do have five youtubers that I watch pretty regularly.

  1. BelieveGaming

Ricky posts gaming videos. He is actually my best friend, and I manage his social media accounts (Twitter: GamingBelieve, Instagram: believegaming22). He has played through several games already, including far cry 5, 6, and new dawn. He has also played the three bioshocks. He has played Angels of Death as a Halloween special. He has played Dying Light and is currently playing Dying Light 2.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDfT2y1nAOg9taMdRz_dtqA/playlists

2. Beatrice Caruso

When B first started her YouTube channel, it was strictly about her 100 pound weight loss journey. While losing 100 pounds is still on her agenda, her YouTube channel is so much more than that now. She is so real with her subscribers about her mental health. She talks freely about how therapy has been for her, and when she is struggling. I love watching her and am very proud she has come with her mental health and her coping skills.

https://www.youtube.com/c/BeatriceCaruso

3. basicallyreese

Reese is also very relatable. I’ve realized me and her are actually quite similar. I love how honest she is with her mental health as well. She is one of my comfort youtubers.

https://www.youtube.com/c/basicallyreese

4. Maya Lee

I started watching Maya’s videos more recently. She does a lot of tips videos about self-care and ways to change her life which I enjoy. She also sometimes just does regular vlogs as well.

https://www.youtube.com/user/mayaleex3/videos

5. Goodale & Co.

Mary is someone I met online may years ago (and honestly don’t remember how). We are not close, but I do like to support her by watching her vlogs. She is a very nice person, and her kid is so cute.

https://www.youtube.com/user/J3sus4life96

Life Update: health issues, feeling unmotivated

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I feel like every time I post on here I talk about how crazy my life has been. How unmotivated I have been.

So here’s another one.

My life has been crazy, and I have been super unmotivated.

Since the last few months of last year, I feel like I have not gotten a break.

It all started when I hit my right elbow really hard. I had hit a nerve and the pain was so bad that (after working on it an entire week), I had to take an entire week off in order for it to begin to heal.

Then not long after it healed, I started having these episodes of dizziness, shakiness, nausea, and extreme dry mouth. I endured it for a whole month. It wouldn’t be a constant feeling, but I would feel that way at least once a day for anywhere between 15 minutes to an hour.

After a month of having these episodes, I finally went to the doctor and got a blood test. It turned out that I had low vitamin D. Since I started taking these pills for it, I have not had those episodes again. Thank goodness.

However, the second week of January I got covid for the first time since this all began. The only thing that really bothered me was the sinus pressure, which is something I still have a little trouble with even a month later. Thankfully, I never lost my taste or smell, but the pressure in my head made me very unsteady. I ended up taking off work for two weeks instead of one, and still was having trouble the week I did go back.

It was not until the first week of February that I have started to feel like myself again. During this whole past month, I have not felt like doing anything – which is why it’s been about a month since I have posted.

I hope to be productive moving forward. I am trying my best to stay healthy (I’ve been popping vitamins like candy).

I am going to try to post every Wednesday, if not more, but Wednesday’s for sure.

I hope a lot of (good) things will be happening in the next few months.

February goals

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For the past few months, I have been slacking on doing monthly (and weekly) goals, but I hope now that the stressful holidays are over and I am feeling much better since I had covid about three weeks ago, I want to get back into the swing of making lists.

Here are my goals for February 2022:

  • Hang out with Ricky
  • Hang out with Kendyll
  • Finishing reading 2 books
  • Post 4 Youtube videos
  • Blog 4 times
  • Write regularly
  • Declutter closet
  • Take cute instagram pics
  • Write a love letter
  • Practice self-care
  • Random anonymous act of kindness
  • Use saved up money to declaw cats or fix car radio

This year I am trying really hard to focus on my self-care. It seems to be something I usually put on the back burner. I also want to try and be more involved with my friends. I have a bad habit of having an out of sight, out of mind mindset. I haven’t hung out with Ricky or Kendyll in months. Ricky is moving closer in a couple of weeks and Kendyll only lives about an hour away yet none of us have made the time to get together.

Overall, I just really want to work on being a healthier and more productive person. I want to be happy.

2022 New Year Resolutions

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For the past few years, I have made a point to make some new year resolutions. Last year, I had quite a few actually – about twelve. I achieved most of them, but not all of them.

This year I decided to shorten my list of resolutions to five in total. Five things that I really want to work on this year. I want this year to be the year I focus on myself and get healthy mentally, physically and spiritually.

Bench 50 lbs and do a normal push up

This past year I started benching for the first time ever. I really enjoy it and while I can’t do much weight, I can tell that I can do more than before. Currently, I can do 20 lbs about 5 times, and by 20 lbs I mean 10 lb weights on either side. My goal is to use 25 lb weights.

As for the push ups, I have yet to be able to do a normal push up with my knees off the ground. My goal is to be able to do them by the end of the year.

Post 22 YouTube videos and 30 blog posts

In 2021, I probably uploaded the most YouTube videos in one year than I ever have. I even finished vlogmas. This year I want to push myself again and try to do 22 YouTube videos before December.

I did not do many blog posts in 2021 – or any year, really. I love writing, but I struggle to keep writing with how busy I get and my attention span in general. I want to try to write one blog a week, but I am also giving myself room to miss a few weeks.

Read 22 books

I barely made my 22 book goal last year, but I am still very proud of myself. Last year is the most I read since my Junior year of high school. In college, I rarely even read what was required for me to read. In another blog post, I am going to list the books I put on my 2022 tbr. So far it’s a total of 26 books, haha.

Write book

For a few months I have been slowly working on a book I have been wanting to write forever. I have been writing for as long as I can remember. When I was a little girl, I used to write little short stories and sell them anywhere from a quarter to a dollar. My goal is to finish writing it by the end of the year – if not sooner.

Work on my mental health

My word for the year is self-care. My mental health has been a roller coaster since my freshmen year of high school. I really want to work on myself this year. I am going to do things that make me happy. I am going to do the journaling, face masks, exercise, eating right, drinking water and taking my vitamins. Admittedly, my mental health has been really low here lately. It usually is around the holidays. Here’s a year of healing.

December recap

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My December started out with my Spotify wrap. Apparently parents by YUNGBLUD was my top song of the year, which is honestly a mood. I thought that my Spotify wrap was pretty accurate, although I became obsessed with some songs in November and December that were not on my top 100 and they probably should have been.

I AM WOMAN by Emmy Meli has probably been my favorite powerful song here lately. This is the first song I put on when I have a singing/dance session. It definitely helps lift my spirits when I feel down.

December 6, 2021

I have gotten into the routine where I go to this coffee shop at least once a week to try and get a start on some work that I want to do. I think the employees expect me now actually. My favorite thing I drank this month (and am drinking in the picture) was a Christmas cookie latte – hot.

Anyway, this is my favorite spot to come to. I come in and either caught up on some social media stuff, or try to write for my book. Sometimes I will even just journal too.

December 8, 2021

My friend, Tawnie, and I ended up going to eat Mexican at our favorite place where I ordered a strawberry margarita. A strawberry margarita which had very few strawberries and a whole lot of tequila. Not going to lie, I got pretty tipsy, and I did not even finish my drink. It was a super fun night though. We took a couple pictures like the one above. We then went to this house that had those Christmas lights where you turn your radio station to a certain one and it plays in tune with the lights. That was pretty cool.

December 9, 2021

My babies have been super cuddly. It is rare for me to not have one in my lap unless I just don’t let them.

December 12.2021

Khole and I spent quite a bit of time at my Pa’s house. Khole loves to go up there, and I think my Pa loves it too.

December 12, 2021

Yes, I took a picture with Santa. Regrets? None. He was actually a pretty funny dude.

December 14, 2021

This drink is called a patio punch, and these are dangerous. These have three different kinds of alcohol in them and you can’t taste a single one. They are super good though. This night I went to see a friend play some live music at this pizza bar. It was a really good night.

My cat, Leo, lays like this all the time. He is so cute half the time. The other half he is the devil. But he sure loves his Mama.

Gym update: I still go. Often. This month I even got one of my coworkers to start going with me as well.

My babies 2021

Daily & Weekly Self-Care Ideas

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I am a virgo, and a huge fan of lists. Lists help me get things done. Without them, I would never know what I am supposed to be doing. My memory is so bad that I need them on the daily. I have noticed here lately that I have severely been slacking on my self-care. Today I decided to construct a list of daily self-care ideas to follow.

  • Meditate
  • Take vitamins
  • Drink (at least) 32 oz of water
  • Read one chapter of a book
  • Tidy up living space
  • Use sugar scrub / moisturize
  • Wash face
  • Do something creative
  • Eat 3x a day
  • Stretch

I have been so bad about not doing any of these. I know doing these can help my mental health, and I hope it does. I want to try to do these for a month straight and then give an update about how it has helped me or not. My main priority for 2022 is going to be self-care. I have neglected myself for so long, I need to put myself as a priority. I also have some weekly self-care things that I want to do.

  • Unsubscribe to junk mail
  • Hair / face mask
  • Dance party
  • Journal
  • Write in gratitude journal
  • Write in manifestation journal

My Top 5 Favorite Christmas Songs | blogmas 2021

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I love Christmas music. It is probably my favorite thing about the winter holidays. Because of this, I decided to let you in on my top 5 favorite Christmas songs – which was really hard to decide, by the way.

  1. All I want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey
  2. Last Christmas by Wham!
  3. It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas by Michael Bublé
  4. Believe by Josh Groban
  5. You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch by Thurl Ravenscroft

I decided to put my Christmas playlist on here while I was at it! These are a playlist of my favorite Christmas songs.

My Favorite Christmas Tradition

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Today I have been feeling really sentimental. I was going through some pictures when I found some from when I was about seven or eight at my birthday party. One picture that really brought tears to my eyes were one that had my Nana and I in it… She died almost 12 years ago, but I still miss her just as much as I did back then.

When I was trying to figure out what I wanted to write for Blogmas day 4, I saw this prompt and immediately thoughts about my nana and my Pa (whom is still alive).

My favorite Christmas tradition is Christmas at their house on Christmas Eve. Every Christmas Eve without fail (at least that I can remember). My aunts, uncles, their children, and their children’s children all gather and my Pa’s house to eat and open gifts. The children all received gifts and the adults play dirty Santa. I love it now, but I loved it even more when my Nana was still alive. She had always been the glue that held this family together.

She knew how to keep everyone from fighting.

But I still look forward to Christmas Eve. After having Christmas Eve with my Pa, I would stay the night at my mom’s house. We bake Christmas cookies and drink milk. When I was younger we would leave some out for Santa. Even now I get up excited for Christmas Day. Christmas is my favorite time of year.

How I try to get through my seasonal depression

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For me, this is the best and worst time of the year. I love Christmas, but I hate how the weather and holidays can make my mood worse. This year I have really trying to take care of my mental health, and while it is still a work in progress, I do have some things I try to do to get out of the slump I am in.

Sing out loud to music

One way I know that I am not feeling the best is when I am not singing out loud to the radio. Here lately I have made a point to have a sing outlaid dance party whenever I am feeling down. “I Am Woman” by Emmy Meli has proven to lift my spirits. That, and “I’m Still Standing” by Elton John.

Meditation

I have to confess that I have been slacking on meditating, but honestly, my headspace is always better when I am consistently meditating. A lot of times I meditate with using a video, but sometimes I just meditate with some affirmations I need to hear in that moment. My most used ones are I am worthy, I am loved, I am more than enough.

DO MY SKIN ROUTINE

I swear just doing my simple skin routine can sometimes make me feel so much better. I have a bad habit, thought, when I feel too crappy and I don’t do it even though I know it would help. It’s weird how we do that. Don’t do something even though we know it could help us.

Socialize in person

I tend to isolate myself when I feel myself slipping into a depression. Sometimes it’s really hard for me to stop doing that. I may not can socialize for too long, but a little bit is way better than nothing.

Exercise

This is the main thing that I think helps me. It especially helps me with anxiety. It has actually been scientifically proven that exercising can help with mental illness. For me, working up a sweat can make me happy actually.

Read

Sometimes it helps to escape to another world for a little while.

Blogmas post ideas

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It is day 2 of blogmas (and vlogmas)!! I am super excited to do it this year. I decided to make a list of possible blogmas post ideas because I know I am always looking up this exact thing.

  1. Blogmas post ideas
  2. Christmas tree reveal
  3. Christmas traditions
  4. Holiday bucket list
  5. How to deal with holiday stress
  6. Winter morning/night routine
  7. 12 things I learned this year
  8. Favorite books I read this year
  9. Favorite Christmas songs
  10. Favorite Christmas movies
  11. Favorite Christmas food/drinks
  12. Secret Santa ideas
  13. Favorite winter outfits
  14. Christmas tbr
  15. My perfect Christmas would be…
  16. Christmas wish list
  17. Holiday in photos
  18. Winter skin routine
  19. Stocking filler ideas
  20. Christmas tag
  21. Christmas playlist
  22. Favorite youtuber’s vlogmas
  23. How to volunteer/donate during Christmas
  24. What I got others for Christmas
  25. What I got for Christmas

December goals

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Hello everyone! It has been a while since I have posted on here. I’ve mostly been on Tumblr BUT for this December, I have decided to do blogmas!! I don’t know if there are official rules for blogmas, like having to only post Christmas things, but I am not going to do that. I am, however, going to post for at least 25 days in a roll. With that being said, it is only write to start out with my December goals. The last monthly goals for this year.

  • Do at least 2 weeks of vlogmas (click here for YouTube channel)
  • Do at least 2 weeks of blogmas
  • Finish reading 4 books to meet Goodreads goal (click here)
  • Write 2 chapters for book
  • Practice self-care each week
  • Meditate more
  • Buy Christmas gifts
  • Donate
  • Make New Year Resolutions
  • Celebrate Christmas
  • Eat Christmas cookies
  • Reorganize house / declutter
  • Plan ways to help mental health
  • Manage all social media
  • Complete booty and ab challenge

Gaming Youtube Channel: BelieveGaming

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You may be thinking.. this girl has a gaming channel?? Well… no, I don’t. Not yet anyway. But my best friend does, and I love watching him play.

He was finished play Far Cry 5 and Far Cry New Dawn. He is currently posting Far Cry 6 @ 10 am CDT and Angels of Death @ 7 pm CDT every single day. These are subject to change, but for the time being this is accurate.

If you like watching this kind of stuff, I would greatly appreciate it if you would check him out and subscribe to him. I am not sure what games he will be playing next, but I am sure he is likely to choose a game you guys would like him to play (and is interesting).

Click this sentence to go to his YouTube channel!

I am managing his social media for the time being (surprise, surprise, I actually have a degree for this kind of thing), and we would appreciate some feedback. We love constructive criticism!

August goals [2021]

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August is only ten days in and I feel like a lot has already happened – some good, some bad. This past month I haven’t been very organized which has caused my life to feel chaotic. I’m hoping to get back on track now. Here are my goals for this August.

  • Read 2 books
  • Start running
  • Do 7 things to simplify my life (with using the simplicity challenge in my planner)
  • Go hiking
  • Practice writing
  • Blog on tumblr weekly
  • Journal
  • Meditate
  • Declutter house
  • Save $500
  • Post 4 YouTube videos

June goals RECAP [2021]

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I feel like the months are going by so fast. June seemed to have just started yesterday and it is already the end of it. Here’s the results from my goals for this month.

Buy a new planner

I did do this and I am so excited to use it. It is called the simplified planner. This planner will help me simplify my life, and at the same time, declutter it. It kind of goes hand in hand. I will make a post about this planner sometime in the future.

Read 2 books

I read 4 books in total this month.

  • Coming Up Roses (The Southern Roots, #1) by L.K. Farlow
  • An Uphill Battle (The Southern Roots, #2) by L.K. Farlow
  • Weather the Storm (The Southern Roots, #3) by L.K. Farlow
  • Shielding His Baby (Deuces Wild, #3) by Taryn Quinn

Post 4 blogs

I ended up only posting three. These are the ones I posted:

Post 4 YouTube videos

I did not post 4 videos this month, but these are the ones I did post.

Get tanner

I feel like by me walking outside 3-4 times a week has gotten me a little tanner.

Walk 30 miles for cancer

I walked over 30 miles to raise awareness for cancer.

Take vitamins daily

I didn’t have vitamins for 2 weeks of this month, but when I did have them I took them. I am counting this because I could not help that my vitamins got here late, lol.

Meditate 3x a week

I did not do this. I did meditate about once a week. I am still trying to get better at this.

Go hiking

I actually did not go hiking, although I did walk on a track a lot. This month just flew by. I am going to pencil in time for a hike next month.

Practice writing

I have practiced writing this month. I started writing my book instead of staying stuck on beginning ideas. I am trying to male myself plow through on writing and let myself go back later to rewrite, add or subtract things from my rough draft.

22 push ups every day

I started this at the beginning of the month, but I ended up have to take a week and a half break because I got a bad sinus infection. I have started again on June 28 and will do this for at least 22 days to raise veteran suicide awareness.

22 squats every day

I did not continue doing this. Probably should.

Clean house

I have started this. I reorganized the kitchen’s pantry and multiple cluttered drawers. I hope to move to the dining room and my room.

July goals [2021]

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The months are going by like a blur. This month I want to try to be more present. That way I might get everything done. Here are my goals for this month.

  • Read 2 books
  • Walk a total of 30 miles
  • Start simplified challenge
  • Practice writing (write 10 more pages)
  • Drink more water
  • Start running
  • Push up challenge
  • Go hiking
  • Hang out with friends
  • Take time to meditate
  • Post 2 YouTube videos
  • Post 4 blogs

Summer bucket list

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Summer is upon us. As of June 21, it is officially summer. And it will be summer until September 22. I’ve made a list of things on my bucket list for this summer of 2021.

  • Go to the zoo
  • Get tan
  • Catch fireflies
  • Fly a kite
  • Roast marshmallows
  • Watch fireworks
  • Go on a trip
  • Go hiking at least 2 times
  • Donate to animal shelter
  • Do something nice for myself
  • Celebrate my birthday
  • Do something for grandparents day (September 12)
  • Post on YouTube at least twice a month
  • Do the simplicity challenge
  • Try a food truck
  • Declutter

I am sure there are other things I will want to do this summer, but here are the main things!

Spring bucket list RECAP

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Spring is now over! Here is a recap of my Spring bucket list.

Try a new coffee shop

I did try a new coffee shop during this time, and I loved it! It was called the Coffee Place, and I do plan on going there again. I didn’t drink coffee that day, but their London fog tea was delicious.

London Fog Tea

Try Dunkin Donuts

I finally tried Dunkin and I loved it! I’ve been four times in the last month. I haven’t tried but one of their coffee, but their ice matcha latte is the best thing ever. If you have any favorite coffee orders from dunkin please comment on this post.

Iced matcha latte

Renew my car tags

I did do this.

Go hiking

I did go hiking a few times with my best friend, Ricky. We went to this wonderful nature park that I had been to before, but he had not. It’s a park that is made up of bridges to older people have easy access. There are also a few large cages that contain eagles and owls. We also went to a place even I hadn’t been to before.

Go to strawberry festival

The strawberry festival is this awesome festival that has fair rides, live music, food trucks, and strawberry shortcake!

Try a new restaurant

I did try Longhorn Steakhouse for the first time. I went with my family. I’m not a big fan of steak so I just got their Caesar salad, potato soup, and steamed asparagus. Those were so good I might actually go again sometime just to get that meal again.

Longhorn Steakhouse

Start doing meditations and affirmations more regularly

I did a couple meditations, but other than that I have not done them regularly. I am going to keep trying.

Go on a trip

I had planned to go on a vacation to the beach, but ended up not going. One of my friends did come down though and for three days we went around to some hiking places nearby. It was really fun.

Grow flowers

I tried. I failed.

Work on book

I have slowly been working on a book I’ve been wanting to write for forever. My big problem with writing this is that I hate writing rough drafts. In school, when I was writing a paper I would never have a rough draft, only a final draft. I am having to remind myself that I need to write a rough draft and then I can go back and keep improving it instead of trying to make it perfect the first go around.

Buy something for myself

I feel like I had something in mind when I put this on my list, but I don’t remember what it was. I have spent a lot of money on myself this season though.

Finish reading 4 books

I have actually read 7 books this season, not counting all the fan fiction and other non formally published works. Here is what I read:

  1. Without Warning by David Rosenfelt
  2. To and Fro: Kelsey’s Journey by LT Ladino Bryson
  3. Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass, #2) by Sarah J. Maas
  4. Coming Up Roses (Southern Roots, #1) by L.K. Farlow
  5. An Uphill Battle (Southern Roots, #2) by L.K. Farlow
  6. Weather the Storm (Southern Roots, #3) by L.K. Farlow
  7. Shielding His Baby (Deuces Wild, #3) by Taryn Quinn

June goals

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May seemed to have gone by in the blink of an eye, but I am proud of all that I have accomplished with my goals. Here’s the new goals for the month of June.

  • Buy a new planner
  • Read 2 books
  • Post 4 blog posts
  • Post 4 YouTube videos
  • Get tanner
  • Walk 30 miles for cancer
  • Take vitamins daily
  • Meditate 3X a week
  • Go hiking
  • Practice writing
  • 22 push ups every day
  • 22 squats every day
  • Clean house

Spring bucket list

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I am definitely late to post my spring bucket list, but I decided to post it anyway because we have more than a month left!

  • Try a new coffee shop
  • Try Dunkin Donuts
  • Renew my car tags
  • Go hiking
  • Go to strawberry festival
  • Try a new restaurant
  • Start doing meditation/affirmations more regularly
  • Go on a trip
  • Grow flowers
  • Work on book
  • Buy something for myself
  • Finish reading 4 books

May Goals

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It is May already – wow! I was proud of my accomplished goals last month. I hope to do as well this month!

Post 4 YouTube videos

I want to post at least 4 YouTube videos this month. However, I am going to try to post twice a week, but if I don’t do that I am going to at least once a week.

Post 4 blog post

I have two planned so far (including this one), but I want to at least post four. I will try to post at least once a week on here.

Post 3 days a week on Tumblr

I want to try and post on my Tumblr more. I am on there all the time, but I rarely post anything. I have two actually so I’ll post on either one.

Read 2 books

I did not do this last month, but I hope to this month. I want to finish a book this week so I can start reading the twilight series. That series is one that’s a fast read so I might even read more than two books this month.

Take more pictures

I want to take more pictures as I hardly take any anymore.

Complain less

This is mostly toward complaining at work. I have decided I am just going to go about my life and my job and not worry about other people.

Take vitamins

This week I have a package of vitamins coming in from care/of. I am so excited to try this out. I know I am not getting enough vitamins in me.

Get some vitamin D (sun)

I really need to be outside more. It always makes me feel better when I do.

I hope to stay organized this month. I go through periods of being really organized to not at all. (That’s depression for you).

What are some of your goals for this month?

April Goals RECAP

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I can’t believe it is already the end of April! Time flies. Here’s the recap of my April goals.

Post 4 YouTube videos

I have actually met my goal this month! I posted 4 YouTube videos exactly. The two weeks prior to this one, I post two YouTube videos a week. I was going to post two this week, but I decided on just one.

Post 4 blogs

This post makes the 5th one I posted this month.

Take more pictures

I have taken a few more pictures! Which reminds me, I need to slightly edit them soon.

Be more organized

I have been SO much more organized here lately. My planner has definitely been used.

Read 2 books

I only read one book this month. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. I tried reading two, but the one I had picked was not interesting so I did not finish it.

Practice writing

I have been writing more than I was as I was writing none at all. I have posted more blogs on here and on Tumblr.

Take things to Goodwill

I have actually taken things to Goodwill twice this month. I’ve been cleaning a bit and got rid of a lot of clothes.

Letter to Myself

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Kelli,

You are more than enough. I know you are not told that often, but I swear you are. You bring a light to more people’s lives than you let yourself believe you do.

You are not perfect, but that is what makes you so real and interesting. You laugh often. You are honest. You are kind. You are caring. You try to not to judge. You are a motivator.

You have cute freckles and laugh lines around your eyes. You’re passionate about working out. You love your pets and best friends. Family, too.

You are the main character in your own story.

You don’t have everything [or really anything] figured out, and that’s OK.

Every single day you are just trying to be a better person than you were the day before.

Lastly, you are important. You are worthy. You are everything you sometimes think you’re not. You matter. There are people in this world that would miss your presence if you were gone.

Keep surviving until you are living.

I love you.

Love, Kelli

Fitness Journey Update

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It has been a long time since I have updated my fitness journey even though I had said I would a few weeks after the last one. My bad.

I am proud to say that I am still consistently going to the gym every week. I have typically been going 4 times a week.

I used to do a little bit of everything, but for the past few months, I have been breaking up my days. Here’s how it typically goes:

Monday: Back and Bicep, Shoulders, Cardio

Tuesday: Chest and Tricep, Cardio

Wednesday: Legs, Core, Cardio

Saturday: Core, Cardio

Here lately, I have also been trying to do some Ab workouts every day as well, not just doing them on Saturdays. I have been really want to strengthen my core.

I am at the point in my fitness journey where not only can I feel and see a difference in my body, but other people can as well. My best friend often points out my progress when watching my YouTube videos. That makes me feel really good inside.

On another note, I am lucky enough to have gained a few friends at the gym. They are all older than me but still. It has gotten to where sometimes I do my own thing at the gym, but more often than not, I have been joining in on someone else’s workout routine for the day. Thank you Lisa and Glenn.

Everyone I speak to at the gym have been going there way longer than I have, and so I am always appreciative when they help me out with something. They are very helpful with correcting my form and showing me new workouts.

I have been trying new things here lately, such as different workouts using the cables. I have also been benching more. I do just the bar more often than anything. I try to do at least 30 reps. I will then put 5 lb on each side. I can do those for 10 reps; 2 sets. I try to do 10 lbs on each side, but I can usually do a max of 5 reps.

It’s progress and that is all that matters.

Different Techniques I Have Been Trying | Mental Health Monday

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These past few months have been rough for me – which is why I was absent for a while. I felt like I was in a hole that I could not climb out of.

I slept. A lot. I would either wake up, go to the gym or work then come home and get back in bed. It was a very depressing cycle.

It got to the point where even my friends started noticing something was wrong with me. Always asking if I was OK, and if they could do anything to help; in which I always replied no.

The thing about depression is a lot of times the person who has it does not know why they have it. To my knowledge, there was not something that triggered it a few months ago. It just happened. I have a chemical imbalance in my brain and sometimes the depression just hits me like a freight train.

But finally – finally – I have been able to pull myself out of the hole I fell into. For the past two weeks, I have been doing quite well actually. I have been trying different techniques that I am going to talk about below.

At the start of the week, I have started writing out what all I want to get done by the end of the week.

On a sticky note, I write everything I want to do through the week. This list will usually include posting YouTube videos and blogs, self-care, finishing a book, movie, or tv show, and things I want to do around the house (such as clean certain areas or plant flowers). I then try to at least mark one of those off my list every day. The days I get the most done is Monday through Wednesday so I try to get as much done on those days as I can.

My best friend has started a rewarding system, and it’s working.

It all started with me wanting to take more pictures. He said that if I took xx amount of photos then he would reward me with a king-sized chocolate bar, which is my weakness. My brain then took that and ran with it. It also helps that my best friend believes in me and motivates me. The second thing we talked about is me posting YouTube videos again. This time the reward would be him coming to visit me. After not posting in so long because I was not motivated to do so, I have posted two videos in a week and a half. My goal is to post one or two videos a week.

I have been getting more fresh air.

After the gym, I have been going to a nearby outside track and walking a couple miles. I think the fresh air really helps clear my head. Fresh air is something I have severely been lacking in the winter. I truly believe in seasonal depression.

I have not been motivated all the time, but I still force myself to start.

The biggest problem I have is starting. Editing a YouTube video sucks, but when I start doing it, I’m focused on finishing it. The same thing with cleaning, reading, writing, exercising. I used to wait for motivation to strike, but now I am just forcing myself to start. That’s when I get motivated; plus my best friend encouraging me helps too. For me, motivation comes after – not before.

Do you have some things that help you stay out of a funk? Stay/get motivated?

April Goals

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Hello! I have been absent for a month or so, but I am back! I’ve been struggling with motivation, but I have some back now so I am going to try to keep it up.

I can’t believe April is already half way over. I made a list of things I want to accomplish this month.

Post 4 Youtube Videos

Starting this month, I really want to challenge myself to post on YouTube again! It also helps that I’ve got a deal with one of my best friends if I do start posting again. I’ll talk about it in a video I am posting tomorrow.

Post 4 blogs

My goal is to start posting once a week (or more). At the beginning of the month is when I usually plan everything out – when I post and such.

Take more pictures

I LOVE taking pictures, but I don’t allow myself to have time for it anymore. I have decided to make myself have time for it. I may post some of the pictures each month.

Be more organized

I haven’t been organized in a while, as I said before I just have not had the motivation. Thankfully, motivation has decided to show up again, and I hope it is around to stay a while. I think the warm weather really helps. I have been spending more time outside.

Read 2 books

This one has been a struggle for the past 6 years. After high school, I never made time for reading. Well – I have been reading a lot here lately, but it has been things on Tumblr. My goal is to start reading more books. I have a lot I want to read through so I can donate or exchange them out for more.

Practice writing

I have loved writing for a really long time. I love writing stories. I also want to practice writing more poetry. I used to do it in high school, and I even took a class in college, but I haven’t written any since then.

Take things to Goodwill

This month my mother and I have been cleaning and organizing our house. I want to get rid of anything we don’t use and donate it either to Goodwill or a women’s shelter.

Books I Read in January 2021

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Hello! In the month of January, I read four books. I wrote a small review of each one. I liked most of them, but not all of them. Most of these were mystery books. There may be small spoilers, but no reveals of who the killers were.

The Rooster Bar by John Grisham

At first I thought this book was going to be good, but it got boring really quickly. I was really disappointed in this book because someone who loves John Grisham really hyped up some of his other books. He may have other good books, but in my opinion, this is not one of them.

Truth Be Told by Hank Phillippi Ryan

I really enjoyed this mystery. This is the first time I ever read this author, but I will probably read another one of his when I feel like reading another mystery. I did not see the twists coming in this book which is the whole point. It switched between several different people, but I liked being able to see what each one of them were thinking about different situations.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

This book was phenomenal. I was interested from the beginning. I have read reviews were the author talks too much about the Marsh, but I think the description of it makes the image playing in my head even better. The book goes from the past to the present – the present having to do with the main character, Kya, being tried for murder. This book had me trying to guess who the murderer was the entire time. It was not until the end that it was ultimately discovered.

1st to Die by James Patterson

This is book one to the Women’s Murder Club series. It was about four women trying to figure out several bride and groom’s killer was. I was so sure it was this one person, but there were many twists to this story. At one point, I was actually getting aggravated because I was not sure who the serial killer was. It was a really good book though. I have heard that a lot of James Patterson books are the same so I will probably space out when I read his books.

Have you read any of these? If so, which ones?

February Goals

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I complied a list of goals for this month!

Post 2 YT videos

I have started posting YouTube videos again. Last December, I did about 18 days of vlogmas before I got burnt out, but I do want to start post videos at least twice a month. I want to eventually post once a week.

Post on blog 4 times

I have been so bad about posting on here, but I have this month more prepared. I’ve been using a planner a lot more here lately and have already planned out several blog posts.

Read 2 books

I’ve started reading again this year. I used to read all the time, but when I went to college, I hardly ever read for pleasure. My goal this year is to read 22 books, but I expect I’ll read more than that.

Be more active on Instagram

I have a fitness instagram, and I really want to be more active on that account. This past weekend, I have been researching what I could do with my account. I will be posting a progress picture at some point. I also might post about food as well. If you have any suggestions, please do comment them.

Try new recipes

I have a couple new drink recipes I want to try, and I’m sure there’s some new food recipes as well.

Do my daily to dos

When making my new year resolutions, I made a list of daily to dos to help me accomplish my goals. My daily list consists of: write 50 words, read bible, read 10 minutes of book, meditate 5 minutes, watch TJ daily vlog, inspirational quote, and affirmation.

Wake up and don’t hit snooze

I usually have four or five alarms set and still hit snooze once more. I have now made myself only have two alarms. Today on February 1, I did actually get up earlier than I have been here lately. I hope to eventually get up after the first alarm goes off.

Ab challenge

This month I am going to do an ab challenge. I will take a picture of my stomach in the beginning and the end of this month so I can compare. I will do sit ups, crunches, leg raises and planks daily.

Finish Criminal Minds

I am almost done with this series! I am so excited, but also sad that I am almost to the end. They will still have episodes coming out, but it won’t be the same as watching as many new episodes as I want.

Finish The Seven Deadly Sins

This is an anime that I started in January. I could have already finished it, but I just don’t want it to end! It is so good. I love all the seven deadly sins and their friends. After I finish Criminal Minds, I am going to finish this series.

What I Watched in January 2021

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I decided that at the end of each month I am going to list everything that I have watched and give a small review of it.

The Seven Deadly Sins

The seven deadly sins is an anime about… the seven deadly sins.. as people. I have not finished it yet, but I have really enjoyed it so far. I get so surprised by how powerful these characters turn out to be. It is hard to choose, but my favorite has to be Ban (the greed sin). I give this a 9/10.

Criminal Minds

I just found out that Criminal Minds seasons 13-15 are on Hulu. As soon as I realized, I started watching them (which was a week ago). As of January 31, I am on the last episode of season 14 with only 10 episodes of season 15. I am not ready for this to be over AT ALL. I know they are more episodes to come (I think), but it’s going to be weird not watching new episodes of Criminal Minds. These past 2 seasons have been crazy (though not Reid going to prison crazy). I give this show a 9/10, and I would have to say that my favorite character at the moment is either Penelope or Luke. One thing I am sad about is that Spencer Reid is not on these seasons much at all. 😦

The Ranch

I am currently rewatching The Ranch. I have not seen all the seasons, but I have forgotten what happens so I decided to start over. I love the actors Ashton Kutcher and Sam Elliott. This is one of those shows I watch when I want a laugh. My mom watched a few episodes with me, and she did not like it so much. She said, “All they do is cuss and drink,” which is not totally inaccurate, but there’ is more to it than just that.

2021 New Year Resolutions

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I don’t think 2020 went as anyone had planned. I know because of the coronavirus situation, I (and many others) were not able to finish our resolutions.

This year I decided I was going to make my resolutions into a more broad list. On top of my year long resolutions, I have daily goals for myself as well, which I will talk about at the end.

VOLUNTEER MORE OF MY TIME

I used to just say “volunteer more” as one of my resolutions, and I would mean volunteering at a local animal shelter. This year, however, I decided I wanted to make this resolution more broad. I want to volunteer more of my time toward people, whether it be people I know or strangers. This could also be considered random acts of kindness.

BE MORE PRESENT

I want to be more mindful of things that I do every day. I tend to be thinking of 20 other things while trying to do one. I want to focus more on the now instead of the later.

GET A NEW JOB

It is time I leave my job at my family’s restaurant and get a job with my communications degree. I have been putting this off because I wanted a break that I greatly deserved after going to school for 17ish years straight.

SAVE MONEY

My goal for this year is to save $3,000. In 2020, I reached my goal and then some. I think this was mostly because since we could not really do anything during corona, I did not spend nearly as much money and instead saved it. This year will be more of a challenge as I have more expenses than I used to.

BE MORE ORGANIZED

My life is a whole lot better when it consists of lists and neat spaces. One way I am being more organized is by keeping a notebook that consists of a lot of my resolutions. I keep up with my daily to-do list, weekly self-care, money made weekly, money saved, daily affirmation, books read, new things tried, and workout log. These are the things I want to keep up with the most during 2021.

EXERCISE 3X A WEEK

I have been pretty consistent with this for almost a year now. I just hope to continue my fitness journey.

READ 15 BOOKS

For the past five years, I haven’t read many books at all. I am hoping to change that this year. I added something into my daily to-dos that should change that.

TRY 24 NEW RECIPES

I need to cook more. This is one of my big goals for 2021. I know soon (maybe this year) I will on my own, and I need to make more than basic items like ramen and eggs.

POST ON YOUTUBE 12 TIMES

I want to post a video at least once every month. During December, I posted 19 vlogmas videos and quite enjoyed it. I know I would never be able to do daily videos, but I hope to eventually get into posting once a week.

PRACTICE SELF-CARE WEEKLY

I need to make myself relax weekly. Sometimes I forget to take time for myself. This may be in the form for a nice book, massage, deep face wash, relaxing bath, etc.

POST REGULARLY ON BLOG

I want to try to post weekly. If not, I want to at least post bi-monthly. I’m going to try to be more organized with this. Plan a week or so ahead with what I am going to post.

DO DAILY TO-DOS

This year I am going to have a daily to-do list that currently consists of seven things: write 50 words, read a chapter of Bible, read 10 minutes of book, meditate 5 minutes, watch TJ daily vlog, inspirational quote, and affirmation.

The reason I am doing daily to-dos is because lists make me feel more organized and accomplished. I did set the task to be low in order for me not to feel so pressured and just not doing them at all. I figure I will do more than I required myself to do. However, I know there will be days where I will not finish my list. I will not beat myself up over it, but instead try again the next day.

These are my new year resolutions. I want this year to be a year of growth. I want to do things that make me happy, but also get out of my comfort zone.

May this year be good to us.

December Goals [2020]

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My wish for December is that I complete all my goals, and I stay in the creative mood! Here are my goals for December:

December goals

  • Be more organized
  • Get rid of what I don’t use
  • Volunteer 4 times
  • Job search
  • Christmas shopping
  • Film/upload 2 YouTube videos
  • Upload blogs (1 a week)
  • Save $300
  • Read 2 books
  • Workout (at least) 3X a week
  • Finish a TV show
  • Work on book
  • Practice self-care weekly
  • Make Tik Tok videos
  • Do vlogmas

New Youtube Video: these people should be glad I love them

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Hey guys! I have posted several YouTube videos this month! “these people should be glad I love them” is the newest of the three.

I have challenged myself to post every day for a week, which I was not able to one day already, but I am not going to let that deter me from not posting for the rest of the week.

I would appreciate it if you would subscribe to my YouTube channel 🙂

I typically make a thumbnail for my videos, but I have been lazy here lately.. I’m going to try to get back into doing it because I think it makes it look better.

Anyway, tell me what you think! These probably won’t be great since I am vlogging and editing every day, but I’m still trying my best!

Weekly Affirmations & Gratitude #11

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These are my affirmations & gratitude for August 9 through August 15, 2020.

Affirmations:

  1. I am enough.
  2. I am worthy of real and genuine love.
  3. I deserve rest days.
  4. I am a warrior.
  5. I will motivate myself with gentle encouragement, not criticism.
  6. I am not my thoughts.
  7. I accomplish anything I focus on.

Gratitude:

  1. I am grateful for my dog.
  2. I am grateful to wake up another day.
  3. I am grateful for fictional worlds.
  4. I am grateful for sports.
  5. I am grateful to be self-motivated.
  6. I am grateful for therapy appointments.
  7. I am grateful for energy drinks.

Weekly Affirmations & Gratitude #10

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There are my affirmations & gratitude for August 2 through August 8, 2020.

Affirmations:

  1. All things are temporary.
  2. I will be productive and energetic all day.
  3. I am allowed to reinvent myself if I don’t like who I am becoming.
  4. I choose to stop apologizing for being me.
  5. I release all criticism.
  6. I am on the right path in life.
  7. I am not my mental illness.

Gratitude:

  1. I am grateful for my fitness journey.
  2. I am grateful for mental strength.
  3. I am grateful for foggy mornings.
  4. I am grateful for sunrises.
  5. I am grateful for my favorite youtubers doing daily vlogs this week/month.
  6. I am grateful for late night calls.
  7. I am grateful for daily affirmations and gratitude.

August Goals [2020]

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I am proud of how many of my goals I got done last month! I hope to do more this month!

August Goals

  • Volunteer
  • Finish reading a book
  • Work in garden
  • Save $500
  • Go hiking
  • Publish 4 blog posts
  • Publish 2 Tumblr posts
  • Post a Youtube video
  • Try something new
  • Sell books and clothes online
  • Work on book
  • Job search
  • Use planner regularly
  • Do daily affirmations & gratitude
  • Stream on twitch (kyoun42)
  • Get a tattoo
  • Have a photoshoot
  • Make a workout plan
  • Meditate regularly
  • Inspire others

What are some of your goals for August?

Weekly Affirmations & Gratitude #9

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Hello everyone! I hope you had a great week! These are my affirmations and gratitude from July 26 through August 1, 2020.

Affirmations:

  1. I am learning to speak up for myself.
  2. Today is my day.
  3. I am in the process of a positive change in my life.
  4. I am in charge of how I feel and today I am choosing happiness.
  5. I am allowed to take up space.
  6. I deserve kindness and honesty.
  7. I am more than my anxiety.

Gratitude:

  1. I am grateful for the friends that would go the extra mile for me.
  2. I am grateful to now have a five day gym routine.
  3. I am grateful to be able to visit my college campus.
  4. I am grateful for hot showers.
  5. I am grateful for good books.
  6. I am grateful to know what I deserve.
  7. I am grateful for quiet nights.

July Wrap-Up

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July goals

  • Job search
  • Work on book
  • Finish reading ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’
  • Read a book from my personal collection (I have so many that I’ve had for years and have never read)
  • Publish (at least) 4 blog posts
  • Publish (at least) 2 Tumblr posts
  • Volunteer
  • Visit Martin
  • Celebrate 4th of July
  • Have a photoshoot
  • Work in garden
  • Post a YouTube video
  • Stream on Twitch (kyoun42)
  • Send out ‘Thank You’ cards
  • Go hiking
  • Get a wax
  • Try something new
  • Make (at least) 2 new coffee recipes at home
  • Watch (at least) season 5-8 of Criminal Minds
  • Organize house
  • Sell old college books
  • Buy new camera (decided not to)
  • Sell camcorder
  • Have a meal plan
  • Use planner regularly
  • Practice self-care (at least) once a week
  • Save $500

Weekly Affirmations & Gratitude #8

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There are my affirmations for July 19 through July 25, 2020. Most of my affirmations consist of reminding myself that everything will be OK.

Affirmations:

  1. Every day is a fresh start.
  2. Peace begins in me.
  3. I release the need to seek approval from others.
  4. I don’t need for others to validate my worth.
  5. I will not worry about things I cannot control.
  6. I am so much more my mind allows me to believe.
  7. I am learning to trust the journey.

Gratitude:

  1. I am grateful for warm baths.
  2. I am grateful for quality time with people I love.
  3. I am grateful for learning experiences.
  4. I am grateful to know my worth.
  5. I am grateful for air conditioning.
  6. I am grateful for the ability to make YouTube videos.
  7. I am grateful to live rent free for now.

Dream Journal: Baseball Bruises and Paramedic Guy

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Dreams are really weird. For me, they are always random, usually really long (in my mind anyway), and a lot of times by the end of it I know I am dreaming. One time I was having a nightmare when I finally realized I was only dreaming, I started telling myself in the dream to open my eyes until I finally did. I did right before a person that was trying to kill me got to me.

One thing about my dreams is that they always feel very real. I can usually feel the pain or emotion deeply (especially emotion).

This particular dream I had a week or so ago was weird but normal at the same time.

In my dream, I was playing baseball, which is something I have not done in about 7 years. Everything seemed as though  I never stopped playing. I remember distinctly seeing one guy on my team that I used to play with, and I also saw one of my old coaches.

I was up to bat. The pitcher threw the ball, and it hit me in the helmet. I didn’t fall to the ground, but I definitely dropped my bat and grabbed my head. It hurt really bad, but I still went to first base.

One thing that made me laugh when I woke up was when I got to first, my coach asked me if I wanted a player to take my place in running. This was funny to me because this scenario had also happened in real life except I had gotten hit in the knee. I was stubborn in both instances and said that I could still run myself (which I made it home in both cases).

In my dream, my coach told me to steal second base so I did, but when the catcher threw the ball to second, the ball hit my leg hard as I was sliding in. That hurt really bad, but I still ended up making it home.

The dream then skips to where I am batting again. The pitcher throws the ball and almost hits me again, but I dodge it. I look at the pitcher and say, “Are you going to throw me a strike or are you just going to hit me all day?” The next pitch hits me in the arm.

By this point, I am really feeling all the hits I had taken during the game. I think I ended up actually having a concussion from the first time I was hit. I even told this guy to run for me because I was not feeling well at all.

It was at this moment that my friend I call “paramedic guy” came to watch me play baseball. In my dream he had just gotten off work so he still had his work clothes on.

Someone in my dream told him that he should take a look at me because I probably had a concussion.

The last part is really blurry. I just remember him taking me to his truck and checking out the big bruises I had on my arm and leg. Then I woke up.

Here lately, dreams have been really interesting to me. I’ve always heard that your dreams mean something. With this particular dream, I decided to try to look up what it could mean. The only thing I really found relevant in my search is the fact that I got hurt in my dream. One ‘translation’ that I really found interesting was that a dream in which I get injured could mean that I am scared of being emotionally hurt in real life. I thought this was especially interesting because “paramedic guy” was also in it. There could definitely be a connection between the two.

What do you think my dream could mean?

 

 

Finding Motivation Again|Mental Health Monday #6

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2020 has definitely been a weird and long year. The events of the world has changed our lives forever.

I went into 2020 being confident that this year was going to be MY year. My year actually started out with an unusual amount of panic attacks. Honestly, I understood why I was because I was undergoing a lot of stress with my personal life and the fact that I was graduating in a few months with no idea what I wanted to do with my life.

After I graduated, my mental health went further downhill. The only things I did with my days is go to work, go to the gym, and watch Netflix – not necessarily in that order. You would have thought that going to the gym would have improved my mood, but the gym high did not last. I had been coming home and watching Netflix for hours until I went to bed.

Even though I was struggling for six months of the year,  I finally came out of my slump a week ago. Depression is weird. I can go into a depressive episode for no reason, and I can also suddenly come out of one. I told myself that I needed to be more productive, and I finally did something about it.

I’ve started doing a checklist again. I feel so accomplished when I mark something off of my checklist. This past week I have been trying to get at least half of my checklist done before I turn on Netflix. This will typically put my at starting Netflix sometime after five o’clock. Below is an example of what my typical list consists of.IMG_2455.PNG

I’m hoping this motivation stays for at least a little bit. I’m going a week strong.

Wish me luck.

Weekly Affirmations & Gratitude #7

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There are my affirmations and gratitude for July 12 through July 18, 2020.

Affirmations:

  1. I am ready to succeed.
  2. I deserve respect.
  3. I am limitless.
  4. I am getting stronger each and every workout.
  5. I have all that I need to make today great.
  6. I will conquer today.
  7. My possibilities are endless.

Gratitude:

  1. I am grateful to be able to tame my temper.
  2. I am grateful for the progress I have made mentaller and physically.
  3. I am grateful for the days I help my Pa in the garden.
  4. I am grateful for @bodybyryanfitness on instagram. He is really inspiring, not to mention nice.
  5. I am grateful for early mornings.
  6. I am grateful for kind people.
  7. I am grateful for lazy mornings.

Consistency is key | My Fitness Journey

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I am extremely proud of myself. I have been consistent with working out these past few months. I have been working out at least three days a week – usually more.

What usually happens is I will go to the gym for about a month, but then I lose motivation to keep going. It’s crazy what kind of excuses I could come up with. This would especially happen if I didn’t have someone to go with me to keep me held accountable.

I am proud to say that this is not the case now. These past few months I have been going to the gym regularly. More often than not, I have even been going to the gym alone. I actually love going to the gym by myself now. I feel more focused. (Still love it when you go though, Tawnie).

This time around, I have focused on doing more strength workouts than anything else. I have noticed I have gained some muscle in the past few months.

My routine at the gym is 10-20 minutes of the elliptical to warm up then I do arms, legs, abs, and shoulders. I try to do some of each, although I typically try to focus more on one each day. I do less legs than the other ones because I have knee problems so those have to be done a little at a time. There are also days I sometimes just focus on cardio.

July 15, 2020

Above is a comparison photo from February 3rd to July 15th of this year. I am happy to notice that there is a physical chance in the photos. As you can see my arms and stomach are a little more defined. I have also noticed a difference in my back and butt too.

One thing I have been struggling with is food intake. I know I am not getting enough or the right macros, but I am trying to change that. Starting today I am going to be tracking my macro intake via the app “Mike’s Macros,” which was recommended by bodybyryanfitness on Instagram.

I am going to try to plan my meals more accordingly in order to get enough protein and other things that I need. I am still trying to figure everything out.

I will try to come back with an update in a few weeks. Remember, consistency is key.

Do you have any advice for me on my food intake, or even advice for muscle gain?

 

Weekly Affirmations & Gratitude #6

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These weekly affirmations and gratitude have helped me think more positively. Here is my affirmations and gratitude for July 5 through July 11.

Affirmations:

  1. I am kind to others.
  2. I challenge myself to grow.
  3. I will continue to fight my mental illnesses.
  4. I know I am where I am supposed to be, but I also know I am not meant to stay here.
  5.  I am more than my anxiety.
  6. I am working on letting people help me.
  7. I have faith that everything will work out.

Gratitude:

  1. I am grateful for Sunday evenings.
  2. I am grateful for music.
  3. I am grateful for the bad days because they make the good days better.
  4. I am grateful for my cousins that are like sisters.
  5. I am grateful for my work friends that are like family.
  6. I am grateful for downtime after work.
  7. I am grateful for empty gyms.

Weekly Affirmations & Gratitude #5

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Hello! This is my affirmations and gratitude for June 28 through July 4.

Affirmations:

  1. I am strong-willed.
  2. I accept change well.
  3. When I love, I love with everything.
  4. I deserve to have my dreams come true.
  5. Money constantly flows toward me.
  6. It’s okay to not know everything.
  7. I will acknowledge my own self-worth.

Gratitude:

  1. I am grateful for my nieces and nephew.
  2. I am grateful to be able to work extra shifts.
  3. I am grateful to have friends that care about my well-being.
  4. I am grateful for exfoliating.
  5. I am grateful for my coworker friends.
  6. I am grateful for a raise at work.
  7. I am grateful for kittens.

 

July Goals 2020

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I have quite a few goals for this July. Two main things I am going to do different this July is I am going to make a meal plan for me and I am going to use my planner frequently. I am going to have a meal plan because I need to be better at eating three times a day, and eating enough calories. I am going to start using a planner regularly because I believe it will help me get through more of my goals.

July goals

  • Job search
  • Work on book
  • Finish reading ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’
  • Read a book from my personal collection (I have so many that I’ve had for years and have never read)
  • Publish (at least) 4 blog posts
  • Publish (at least) 2 Tumblr posts
  • Volunteer
  • Visit Martin
  • Celebrate 4th of July
  • Have a photoshoot
  • Work in garden
  • Post a YouTube video
  • Stream on Twitch (kyoun42)
  • Send out ‘Thank You’ cards
  • Go hiking
  • Get a wax
  • Try something new
  • Make (at least) 2 new coffee recipes at home
  • Watch (at least) season 5-8 of Criminal Minds
  • Organize house
  • Sell old college books
  • Buy new camera
  • Sell camcorder
  • Have a meal plan
  • Use planner regularly
  • Practice self-care (at least) once a week
  • Save $500

June Wrap-Up

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Here is my June Wrap-up! I finished more than half of my list! In July, I am going to try to be more organized. I’m going to use my planner, plan my meals (as I have not been eating right), and work on my mental health.

  • Work on book
  • Job search
  • Volunteer
  • Publish (at least) 4 blog posts
  • Publish (at least) 2 Tumblr posts
  • Finish watching Lab Rats: Elite Force 
  • Send out ‘Thank You’ cards
  • Read a book (or more)
  • Go hiking
  • Organize rooms
  • Have a yard sale
  • Work in garden
  • Go fishing
  • Save $400
  • Plan vacation
  • Post Youtube video
  • Stream on Twitch (kyoun42)
  • Photoshoot

What are some of your goals for this upcoming month? I would love to hear about them!

Weekly Affirmations & Gratitude #4

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This is my week’s worth of affirmations and gratitude for June 21 through June 27.

Affirmations:

  1. I manage my money well.
  2. I manage my anxiety well.
  3. I am making steps to have a better future.
  4. I know my worth.
  5. I am worthy of love.
  6. I am worthy of respect.
  7. I am doing the best I can.

Gratitude:

  1. I am grateful for the journey that made me who I am today.
  2. I am grateful for the people who believe in me.
  3. I am grateful for my grandparents who raised and molded me into the person I am today.
  4. I am grateful for days off of work.
  5. I am grateful to make enough money to pay my bills.
  6. I am grateful for Dodge’s coffee.
  7. I am grateful for my past relationships.

Summer Bucket List 2020

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Lists help me feel more put together than I actually am. I made a summer bucket list, which just consists of things that I want to do before summer is up this year.

Summer 2020 (June 20 – September 22)

  • Have character backgrounds of characters in my book
  • Volunteer more
  • Go hiking
  • Go paddle boating and/or kayaking
  • Save $1500
  • Go on vacation
  • Send people letters
  • Be active on WordPress, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tik Tok
  • Stream on Twitch
  • Finish watching ‘The Originals’
  • Read 3 books
  • Get really tan
  • Be consistent with working out
  • Look in the mirror once a day and say 3-5 things I like about myself
  • Listen to/read self-help
  • Ask for help
  • Celebrate the 4th of July
  • Declutter

Weekly Affirmations & Gratitude #3

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Here’s another week of affirmations and gratitudes:

Affirmations:

  1. I am worthy.
  2. May past is not who I am today.
  3. I conquer every day.
  4. I have gotten through every bad day.
  5. I work hard to become a better version of myself.
  6. I will be open-minded to all things.
  7. I am worthy of love.

Gratitude:

  1. I am grateful for the people that love me.
  2. I am grateful to know I am loved by family and friends.
  3. I am grateful for the rainy days.
  4. I am grateful for beach days with friends.
  5. I am grateful to be able to work.
  6. I am grateful to be able to multi-task.
  7. I am grateful for nights out with my friends.

 

May Wrap-Up/June Goals

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It seems like the months are going by fast and slow at the same time. This past month I ended up mostly just working a lot, and I did not do much of anything I wanted to get done. Here’s an update of what I did do:

  • Graduate
  • Go hiking
  • Work in my Grandpa’s garden
  • Read (at least) 1 book
  • Publish (at least) 4 blog posts
  • Film and post (at least) 1 YouTube video
  • Write & publish (at least) 2 short stories on Tumblr
  • Workout and meditate (at least) 3 times a week
  • Volunteer
  • Finish watching Lab Rats (then rewatch Criminal Minds)
  • Write people letters
  • Photoshoot
  • Do 1 thing out of my comfort zone
  • Start writing a book
  • Rearrange my room

Here are my goals for June:

  • Work on book
  • Job search
  • Volunteer
  • Publish (at least) 4 blog posts
  • Publish (at least) 2 Tumblr posts
  • Finish watching Lab Rats: Elite Force 
  • Send out ‘Thank You’ cards
  • Read a book (or more)
  • Go hiking
  • Organize rooms
  • Have a yard sale
  • Work in garden
  • Go fishing
  • Save $400
  • Plan vacation
  • Post Youtube video
  • Stream on Twitch (kyoun42)
  • Photoshoot

 

 

May in Pictures

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There is not much that I want say before you see my May in pictures, but I do want to say this. Black lives matter. Not all cops are bad. I believe the bad people deserve to go to jail.

Also, the picture where I have a bruised face is just make up I did for Tik Tok.

Weekly Affirmations & Gratitude #2

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This week was a really long week for me. I just had some down days, but I still kept up with my affirmations and gratitude.

Affirmations

  1. I am capable of doing whatever I put my mind to.
  2. I manage my money well.
  3. I keep my temper under control well.
  4. I can multitask at work well.
  5. I am proud of myself.
  6. I know I don’t have to have everything figured out at the age of 22.
  7. Great things are coming.

Gratitude

  1. I am grateful my niece was born healthy.
  2. I am grateful for my dad getting me a car.
  3. I am grateful that I am able to workout.
  4. I am grateful to be able to graduate college.
  5. I am grateful for the sunshine on a cloudy day.
  6. I am grateful for fresh air.
  7. I am grateful to be able to work.

What are some things you are grateful for this week?

Weekly Affirmations & Gratitude #1

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I used to tend to focus on a lot of negative things. Going to counseling has made me realize just how often I talk negatively.

I decided this past week that I wanted to do a daily affirmation and gratitude. Every day I pick one for each and write them on a piece of paper.

At the end of each week I am going to post them on here.

Affirmations:

  1. I am loved.
  2. I am worthy.
  3. I am enough.
  4. My opinions matter.
  5. I am doing my best.
  6. I handle life’s difficulties well.
  7. I am learning to love myself.

Gratitude:

  1. I am grateful for the roof over my head.
  2. I am grateful for being able to eat whenever I want.
  3. I am grateful for my animals.
  4. I am grateful for my friends.
  5. I am grateful for my family.
  6. I am grateful for my job.
  7. I am grateful for being able to graduate college.

What are some things you are grateful for? And what affirmations are your favorite? When I am meditating, I typically use “I am loved, and I am worthy.”

May Goals

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I FINALLY HAVE TIME ON MY HANDS. As of today (May 2),  I am a college graduate.

This past semester I have been so busy that I have not had time to do much else except go to work and school.

This summer will be full of job searching and finding the job I wouldn’t mind having for a while, but I am going to try to still doing all the things I enjoy to do. Here are some of the things I want to accomplish in May.

  1. Graduate
  2. Go hiking
  3. Work in my Grandpa’s garden
  4. Read (at least) 1 book
  5. Publish (at least) 4 blog posts
  6. Film and post (at least) 1 YouTube video
  7. Write & publish (at least) 2 short stories on Tumblr
  8. Workout and meditate (at least) 3 times a week
  9. Volunteer
  10. Finish watching Lab Rats (then rewatch Criminal Minds)
  11. Write people letters
  12. Photoshoot
  13. Do 1 thing out of my comfort zone
  14. Start writing a book
  15. Rearrange my room 

Here are the things I want to do in May! I am hoping to actually get things done this month even though we are still going through a pandemic. My goal is to also be more organized and productive. I want to try keeping a calendar and sticking to it.

 

Mental Health Monday #5

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The main thing I struggle with is motivation. My mind is really good at convincing me to not do something even though I know I would regret not doing it later. This happens frequently with schoolwork, getting up early, going out, working out, and meditating. I know these things will make me feel better in the long run, but I still find it hard to get myself to do it.

I did have a good week of self-care. I was pretty consistent with my morning/night routine, being productive, meditating, and even exercising.

This week is my spring break, and I am excited to enjoy my time out of school. I won’t be lazy though! I am mostly going to be working this week so I’ll have a little extra money next paycheck. I do have a ‘Spring Break 2020 Bucket List’ that I will be posting about soon. I am still going to be productive even though I am on a break.

I know that sometimes doing nothing is a form of self-care too. The only thing is that when I do nothing, even for a day, it starts to take a negative toll on my mental health. I need fresh air and positive people at least once in a 12 hour period.

These next couple of months are going to be rough. I am graduating in exactly two months. I am so scared. I am not going to get everything done. I also don’t know what I am going to do after graduation, but I am not as worried about that.

I just hope I stay sane.

I’ll update you on my sanity next Monday.

Mental Health Monday #4

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My mental health has not been good, but I am finally doing something about it. I have come to realize this past week that I do not take care of myself enough. My motivation has been almost nonexistent. I knew what things would help my mental health, but I did not have the willpower to do them.

I have decided that to try and motivate myself this week by vlogging my week of self-care. Self-care comes in many different forms. I picked out a few for this week, and I plan on doing several each day. I am making a YouTube video out of it because I am hoping it will keep me continuing to do some of the same self-care every day. Plus, I haven’t posted a YouTube video in a while.

My plan for this week is to do my morning/night routine, exercise, meditate, mindfully drink coffee, drink more water, take a walk outside, jam to music, and be productive so I won’t be stressed out later.

Today I have done quite a bit of my self-care. I got up early this morning and went to the gym. I meditated afterward. I have drank more water, but not as much as I wanted to. I will get better about it tomorrow. I mindfully drank coffee. It was nice. I was even extremely productive today! I got some schoolwork done, and I got A LOT of my internship work done. Today was actually a down day for me, but I still pushed myself to be better.

The way I feel is not going to change overnight, but I am super excited to see how this week goes. I will, of course, continue doing more self-care in the future, but making a video is certainly a much needed push.

Mental Health Monday #3 (on Wednesday)

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Another week, another mental health Monday. You may have noticed that it is in fact, not Monday, but I was so busy (and tired) on Monday and Tuesday that I forgot all about writing a post.

This past week has been rough. My anxiety has been at an all time high. I’ve had multiple panic attacks (I’m mostly ok now though). This past week was definitely a down week for me. As I said in my last post, I did go to my counselor last Thursday. We concluded that all this happened because of my thoughts, and that is something I can work on.

Essentially, I worry too much.

She did give a few suggestions on how I can help this issue. First of all, we noticed that even when I say something positive I follow up with something negative. For example, I told her a plan how I was going to get everything done that day that I needed to, but I followed up with “well, probably. We’ll see how it goes.” I’m working on just doing what I planned to do. I have a bad habit of losing motivation.

My goal is practice not thinking so much . Overthinking, I mean. My anxiety has been so high because I overthink every little thing. The dialogue in my head is never quiet.

One thing I have not been doing even though my counselor said I should is to not drink coffee or tea. She said other things too, but coffee and tea is the only thing I drink out of what she listed. I have not stopped drinking either one of those. I know they don’t help my anxiety, but I drink one of those every single day.

I’m still trying to exercise and meditate every day because I know it would help, but it’s hard to find the motivation to do either of those.

Does anyone have self-motivation tips? Please tell me.

Also, don’t get me wrong. I do get everything done, but I want to get everything done before the last minute. I hold off doing everything, and I am thinking about it the entire time. You may think that if I worry about it all the time then I could just do it then, but it doesn’t always work that way. I can’t concentrate long enough to get most things done unless I am in a time crunch.

 

Mental Health Monday #2

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I have been super busy this past week, and I feel like this week is going to be even busier. I’m not going to lie – because of how busy and stressed I have been, I’ve had a breakdown or two. I am in my last semester of school, and it is so stressful making sure that I have everything I need to graduate.

On a positive note, I have been sticking with working out! I have worked out 5/7 days this past week. I am super proud of myself, and I hope to keep working out as I know that it makes me feel better about myself. There was a few times that I got up early and went to the gym or just worked out in my room. When I go to the gym, I try to have a list of workouts that I want to do so I won’t get there and be scratching my head on what I want to do next. In my dorm room, I have multiple different websites that I use to do workout videos. There’s beachbody (not free), blogilates (free), YouTube (free), and FitOn (free).

The reason I’m talking about working out so much is because it has helped me so much. As I think I said in my last Mental Health Monday post, I have noticed that exercise and meditation have helped me become happier.

Doing those things aren’t the only thing I have been doing. Since last semester, I have been going to counseling at my health center on campus (so it’s free). I feel like I have made progress. My counselor helps me realize that the thoughts I have are “irrational” – my words, not hers. I actually have a session this Thursday so I will let you know how that goes! My main problem is that I have a negative way of thinking. While I have come a LONG way, I still have a long way to go.

Here are some things I want to work on this week:

1. be more social/get out of my comfort zone

2. work out regularly

3. use less negative language toward myself

4. be more mindful

5. eat healthier

Do you have any goals for this week? How are you going to practice self-care?

 

January in Pictures

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Do you ever have that weird experience where you can’t tell if time went by really fast or really slow? That’s me right now. Part of me is like “oh wow, January is already almost over,” but then another part of me is like “oh wow, it’s ONLY January.”

Anyway, here’s what my January looked like!

My January has been quite interesting. I started an internship (which I love). I am working out again. I’m drinking lots of good coffee and even been meditating.

I want to give an explanation for the last picture. The last picture is (obviously) of my shower (which I share with two suitemates). Last night one of them called me and asked if I knew what happened to the shower head. I asked. “.. what do you mean what happened to the shower head?” I went into the bathroom and it was literally GONE. We don’t know who took it or when. I know it was sometime yesterday between 12 p.m. and 11 p.m. but other than that, we have no idea exactly when or how or WHY.

Mental Health Monday #1

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On Instagram, I follow the hashtag “#Mentalhealthmatters” because I love reading motivational quotes and people’s stories. I was scrolling through my Instagram earlier when I see a guy that had ‘Mental Health Monday #2’ as the start of his caption. (His insta is nickfituk). This post struck me differently than the others. Every Monday he is going to post a blog about mental health, and that is what I decided I wanted to do too. (You should join in on Mental Health Monday also!)

Mental health is a part of everyone. Sometimes it can be good mental health, but then sometimes it can be bad. I’ve dealt with a lot of bad mental health in my life. I don’t always know why it is there. It just shows up in the middle of nowhere. Luckily, I think I am slowly getting out of an episode. I have been more productive and slightly happier these last few weeks. I think I mostly needed a break from school. I was severely isolating myself.

For 2020, my main goal is to take care of myself better. Sometimes I get so frustrated with  myself because I know things that would make me feel better, but I talk myself out of doing them anyway.

Two of the main things that improves my mood is exercise and meditation. Exercising has been a bit more difficult here lately because every time I run, I feel like passing out. I’ve been dealing with a sinus problem since November (and yes, I’ve been to the doctor). There are other workouts that I can still do, I am just still trying to force myself into a routine. I want to start getting up early and working out/meditating.

I am hoping writing this post motivates me to do better. I will update you on if it did or not next Monday!

2020 New Year Resolutions

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Hello everyone! I hope you have all had a great year so far! This year I am really putting a challenge on myself to become a better and happier person. I wrote out a whole list of New Year Resolutions that I want to complete this 2020. I actually put them in a notebook and am logging the things I get done. What I mean by this is, for example, I want to workout at least three times a week. To keep myself motivated, I created a ‘workout log’ in a notebook so I will more likely hold myself accountable each week. Here are some more resolutions (and how I keep up with it):

1. Self-care to help your mental health – I wrote a list of things I can do that could help my mental health. For example, workout, dance, hot shower, face mask, ect.

2. Be a better friend and family member – I wrote out ways I could do this.

3. Read at least x books in 2020 – When I read a book, I write the title, author and the date I finished reading it.

4. Save money (goal: $5,000) – I write out the date I deposit money, the amount deposited and the total amount saved in 2020.

5. Workout log (goal: 3 times a week) – I have writen ‘week x (month date – month date), and then under it have the day, how long I worked out and what kind of workout.

6. Podcasts (goal: watch 2 a month) – I write the podcast name, the author and the date listened.

7. Trying new things (at least 4 a month) – I write down the new thing I tried, the date I tried it and a note about if I liked it or not.

8. Learn how to cook – I list the things I have cooked and when I cooked it.

9. Youtube ideas – I have a list of ideas for my youtube channel.

10. Blog ideas – I have a list of ideas for my blog.

11. How to be more extroverted.confident – I have a list on things to achieve this.

These are the New Year Resolutions that I have for this year. What are your New Year Resolutions? Do you have any suggestions on what else I can do to have a happy 2020?

Thanksgiving Break To-Do List

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Hello everyone! I am finally on break for Thanksgiving, and I am so happy about it. I finally get a bit of a break to see family and relax. Well, kind of relax. I will still have to do work, but I have all weekend to do it. Plus, I might actually enjoy the work I have to do.

Anyway, I decided to upload a Thanksgiving break to-do list. At the end of break, I’ll follow up with what I did.

  • Get my nails done
    • I am actually going to do this today. I should have probably waited because I don’t really need to spend money right now, but I’m doing it anyway.
  • Vlog my break
    • I hope to vlog my break. I am trying to get back into youtube again.
  • Practice cooking
    • I have been wanting to learn how to cook for a while now. I can follow directions. I just have to build up the motivation to actually do it. I don’t think my family has any plans for Thanksgiving so I was thinking about having my grandpa and I cook something.
  • Volunteer at the local animal shelter
    • This is a big maybe, but I really do want to. I just don’t know if I will have time. Plus, I plan on going with my friend so our schedules need to line up.
  • Work at the restaurant as much as they will let me
    • I need the money, lol.
  • Powerpoint for Comm Law and Ethics
    • I kind of dread this, but at the same time, I don’t think it will be hard to do. The hardest part is always starting it.
  • Meditation homework
    • I actually forgot about this, and I hope my printer will work or else I won’t be able to do this homework until I get back to school.
  • Prepare for interview!!
    • I hope when I come back from break I will have an interview for this internship I want next semester. I need to prepare for my first real interview ever.

 

Trying new coffee and lipstick

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I have finally posted a new Youtube video after MONTHS of not posting. I hope to get back on track with everything, but I am not sure how that’ll go. I am just going to take it one day at a time.

But anyway, I decided to try Sonic’s iced coffee because I heard about it from a friend, and I then tried a new coffee from my favorite local coffee shop. I also bought three new lipsticks. Click on the link, and it will take you to my new Youtube video!

Sonic vs Martin Coffeehouse

If you want, please like, comment and subscribe to my Youtube channel!!

October in Pictures

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#beutmproud

Coffee and muffin at my favorite coffee shop.

Working out helps ease my anxious mind.

I went hiking with my best friend!

Bff Tawnie

Stitch is one of my babies

My niece and nephew have my whole heart.

Love you 

Mirror selfie 

Khole always looks so sad, but we give her lots of loving I promise.

Fall is finally showing!

The ‘IT’ drink

Practicing make up for tik Tok

October Recap [2019]

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I can’t believe it is already the end of October! It’s been a few weeks since I have posted, and I apologize for that.  However! I am hopefully back. These next few posts will be somewhat October related – although some will be after October is over.

Here’s a recap of my favorites this October:

Favorite book: The Scotch Series

It’s actually three books, but when I read them, it was online, and they all blended together. Sadly, this is the only thing I read this month. I am going to try to start reading more. I really recommend this series though – unless you could possibly get triggered by rape-related things. (Rape does not actually happen, but I still would not recommend if it is a trigger.)

Favorite movie: Coraline

I had never seen this before, but I like it. It is quite creepy but intriguing.

Favorite TV show: The Originals

Favorite song: “Panic Attack” by Scotty Sire

Favorite drink: Pumpkin Spice Latte

Favorite place: Martin, TN

Favorite app: Trello (I’ll do another post talking about this app – among others.)

Favorite memory: My best friend and I carved pumpkins. I carved a vampire, and she carved what I call a “basic white girl.” I’ll post the pictures in “October in Photos.”

Honey in Coffee and Mafia Makeup

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I finally posted another Youtube video! I tried honey in my coffee, and I also started doing blood/bruises for a mafia original character I have on Tik Tok.

What kind of youtube videos do you like to see? I like doing sit down videos. Do you have any suggestions about what I could talk about? I’ve been thinking of doing coffee talk videos, but I don’t know what I want to talk about.

Review: Scotty Sire’s new Album “What’s Going On”

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The YouTuber, Scotty Sire, recently released another album. I’ve written about his song “Get Better” before. I think that his music is very relatable. He’s one of the only people I listen to now. His newest album is probably my favorite by far. His new album consist of 10 songs:

  1. Ain’t That Something
  2. Notice Me
  3. Never Satisfied
  4. What’s Going On
  5. Panic Attack
  6. Smile
  7. Funkin’ Fun
  8. Dream Girl
  9. Words
  10. Kids in the Summer

To me, the first six songs are hardcore relatable. I honestly could not tell you which song is my favorite. Most of the songs on this album is about depression and anxiety. For someone who deals with both, it’s nice to be reminded that you are not alone and that others deal with it too.

I’m going to start doing more “Music to Me” blogs, and the first six songs are definitely going to be written about.

I was going to explain what I think the songs are about, but I am just going to wait to talk about the songs in my “Music to Me.”

Trying the Matcha Frappuccino from Starbucks

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You should check out my YouTube video! It’s been so long since I’ve uploaded so I apologize. It’s not because I haven’t filmed anything, but I haven’t had the motivation to edit! Hopefully I’ll do better…

I would appreciate it if you liked, commented and subscribed to my YouTube channel. 🙂

Have a great day!

xx Kelli

Fall Bucket List [2019]

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Happy fall!

I can’t believe it is already fall. It should still be the beginning of summer! Honestly, I am not ready for fall weather. I don’t like cold weather, but I made a bucket list in hopes of making the best of it.

Fall: September 23 – December 21

  • Carve a pumpkin
  • Practice ‘halloween’ makeup
  • Drink pumpkin spice coffee
  • Watch at least 2 halloween movies
  • Have a bonfire
  • Go to homecoming football game
  • Consistent with working out / meditation
  • Go hiking at least once
  • Post at least 4 YouTube videos
  • Journal at least twice a week
  • Finish watching “The Originals”
  • Try something new (coffee, restaurant, food)
  • Read at least 2 books
  • Post on WordPress at least once a week
  • Watch at least 2 Christmas movies
  • Have Thanksgiving with my family
  • Do Christmas shopping
  • Get rid of clothes I don’t wear so I’ll have room for new clothes

After fall season is over, I am going to post the end result of how many of these I got done. Hopefully all of these will be crossed out!

Life Update: School, Birthday, Youtube

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This is going to be an update on my life from the first two weeks of school. My first two weeks have been a rollercoaster of emotion.

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On August 24, I packed everything up in my car (forgetting some important things like my coffee maker), and I moved back into my dorm room at school. Honestly, I don’t mind living in a dorm. It’s a whole lot quieter than being at home. Although I do miss my animals. Sometimes it gets lonely. I have suite mates (so we share a bathroom), but I do not that a roommate because I paid for a private dorm.

I was really nervous to start school this year because I heard some negative things about a couple of the classes I was taking. Attending the classes have slightly eased my worry about them. I know one will be slightly difficult, but I’ve had this teacher enough to know what he wants on his tests. The other class has a different (better) teacher than previously. He’s actually one of my favorite teachers, and I think he’s going to make this class somewhat enjoyable. I also had concerns about an English class. Previous English classes I have taken have been somewhat boring. The teachers were good, but the material wasn’t interesting to me. I have a short attention span so something has to be interesting to keep me from going “squirrel!” every five seconds. Obviously not literally, but hopefully you understand what I am referring to. 

Then there was Labor Day Weekend – which was super fun because my family and I went to Illinois for a family reunion.

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We do this every year, and I honestly love it because I get to see family I literally only see during Labor Day Weekend. Most of my family went for the whole week, but since I had school responsibilities, I could only go for the weekend.

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We mostly just all caught up with one another, ate really good food and played corn hole. If you don’t know what cornhole is – bless your heart. 

On Sunday, my grandpa drove me back to my dorm (because he also picked me up). I didn’t do anything for the rest of the holiday except play “Detroit Become Human.”

My second week of classes were not too bad, but procrastination has already taken a hold of my life. I did all of my homework the day it was due.

I’m not going to life. My anxiety has been awful. On Wednesday, I almost had a panic attack. Over the weekend, my grandpa was kind enough to bring me my coffee maker since I left it at his house. Well on Wednesday, I was actually motivated to make a new YouTube video of me trying instant coffee for the first time.

Well.

As I was getting my coffee maker out of the box, the coffee pot fell off and shattered on my floor.

Interesting fact about me: glass shattering gives me really bad anxiety.

I don’t know why it does, but it does to the extent I was almost have a full-blown panic attack. If you don’t know what anxiety can feel like (for others it could be different): shaking, numb, can’t breathe, heart racing.

That’s what was happening to me.

Luckily, I was able to calm down somewhat, but I still felt and uneasy feeling for the majority of the day.

I did end up buying a new coffeemaker and the YouTube video should be up within the next few weeks.

That same day, however, I started catching what I thought was a cold. I come to find out it was just really bad sinuses. I could barely function. It was terrible. It took me a week to finally start getting over it.

Finally, September 9 was my birthday. I am officially 22 years old. It honestly does not feel like I am 22. I mean, I looked like I’m 16 and sometimes I act like it too.

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Those are how my last two weeks have been like. I’ve left stuff out like how I’ve been obsessed with Tik Tok here lately – probably because I literally have no close friends at school. (You can add me on there @ kelliyoung42). Also, I’ve taken a break from working out, but I hope to start back now that I feel better than I did.

I hope you have a great day! More posts should be coming soon!

I Started At-Home Workouts

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At the end of May, my best friend and I started going to a local gym. We typically went at least five days a week. While I may have worked my arms and my abs – I think that was it. I feel like I didn’t push myself hard enough. I did the same things every time I went.

I’m not saying gyms aren’t good. I go to my school’s gym, and I probably feel more at home there because most people around me are my age. There are also a ton of fun, free classes at the gym at my school.

For a few weeks, I stopped working out completely. I barely had any motivation going to the gym so you could forget about me doing my own at-home workouts.

However, one of my friends is a coach on Beachbody. (It’s this great workout program that you should checkout.) I don’t know if it is required or not, but she has been posting about her workouts every single day. She’s talked about how good it has made her feel. It sparked my interest.

What drew me in completely to start working out again was when she talked about the preworkout she used – Beachbody Performance Energize.

The main reason I don’t workout like I want to is because I don’t have the energy to do so. As soon as she talked about it, I knew that I needed to try it.

I got it in the mail, and I love it! I have worked out for three days straight so far.

It may not seem like much, but I already feel better mentally. I’ve also been more productive. When I didn’t have to work, I usually didn’t want to do ANYTHING. Now I do my own random workouts. I’ll do some outside, but I’ll also play music inside and dance/workout. I’ll even get things done afterward that I’ve wanted to do.

I know when I’m sweaty, but happy I’ve had a good workout.

Here’s pictures of my day 2 & 3:

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I’ll post more on my overall progress in a few weeks or so. I will be posting my every day progress on my instagram @ kyoun42

The Discovery Park

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Even though it was really hot outside, the Discovery Park was really cool. (See what I did there?) If you’re ever in West Tennessee and you like museums then I would definitely check this out.

One tip; be prepared for a lot of walking.

Hope you have a great day!

Please like, comment and subscribe to my Youtube channel. I would really appreciate it. I  just filmed two more videos so those should be out in the next few weeks.

Youtube videos make be more frequent as I start back to school because the wifi there is way better. Stay cool! (No, seriously, it’s hotter than hades out there.)

xx Kelli

Songs I’m loving right now (August 2019)

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Day 7: List 10 songs you are loving right now.

It was hard only picking 10 songs that I am loving right so I picked 10 then I picked 10 more.

Top 10 songs (probably):
1. Get Better by Scotty Sire

2. Notice Me by Scotty Sire

3. Burnin’ Up by Jonas Brothers

4. If Walls Could Talk by 5 Seconds of Summer

5. Nightmare by Halsey

6. Ready to Run by One Direction

7. She’s Kinda Hot by 5 Seconds of Summer

8. If You’re Going Through Hell by Rodney Atkins

9. High Hopes by Panic! At the Disco

10. Youngblood by 5 Seconds of Summer

More songs that I listen to all the time:

11. Sound of Madness by Shinedown

12. Sweet but Psycho by Ava Max

13. Take Me Away by Scotty Sire

14. Medicate by Gabbie Hanna

15. Bad at Love by Halsey

16. Castle by Halsey

17. Dancing with a Stranger by Sam Smith and Normani

18. Fake It by Seether

19. Hey Look Ma, I Made It by Panic! At the Disco

20. idontwannabeyouanymore by Billie Eilish

Three MORE ways to win my heart

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Day 6: Five three ways to win your heart.

5 Ways to Win My Heart is a previous post I have written on the topic. Those five are definite ways to win my heart.

1. Love cats and dogs as much as I do.

Cats and dogs are my life. Not to mention, I have several of both so if you hate them then it would not work out at all. Also, you can’t hate/dislike penguins. Penguins are the cutest things ever.

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Penguin at the Gatlinburg Aquarium

2. Space

I have a personal bubble, and I don’t like when people invade that personal space (all the time). I mentioned in my previous post three pet peeves about how I don’t like people being in my personal space. I appreciate when people understand and respect that. If someone does not respect that then I will more than likely pull away from them.

3. Food

Food makes me happy. I turn into one of those typically girls that dance while they are eating. If a person buys or makes me food then I will probably keep them around a little bit longer (lol). This was the reason I kept some guys around for longer than they should have been (mostly kidding).

Five places I want to visit (in the United States)

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Day 5: List five places you want to visit.

It was hard to only pick five because I want to travel to many places in and outside of the United States. I’ve chosen five I want to visit IN the United States.

1. Mount Rushmore

mount-rushmore

2. Statue of Liberty

Statue of Liberty

3. Los Angeles, California

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4. Sioux Falls, South Dakota

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5. The Grand Canyon National Park 

Grand Canyon

These are five places that I want to visit in the United States. I want to travel in general, but these are specific, popular places that I want to see!

What places do you want to see in or out of the United States?

 

Nana

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Day 4: Write about someone who inspires you.

The person that inspires me the most in this world is/was my Nana. She was my mother’s mother. She died in 2010, but she still inspires me to be the best that I can be to this day. I lived with her and my grandpa for a very long time – since she was alive and several years after. They both looked after me.

To this day, I have never heard anyone talk bad about my Nana. She was the most amazing and nicest person I have ever met. She would give you the shirt off her back.

It has been nine years since she has been gone, but I still think about her every single day.

There are a lot of moments I wish I could remember from when I was younger, but being told by my Papa will have to be enough.

Apparently one time, I burnt the kitchen cabinets. I didn’t really burn them down myself, but my Nana was so busy playing with me when I was a baby that she forgot she was cooking something. My Pa jokes that she probably did it on purpose because she wanted new cabinets anyway.

I do remember one time asking her how long she had stopped smoking. She looked at me and asked, “How old are you?” I told her how old I was, and she replied, “That’s how long I’ve quit.”

My Nana was kind, patient and humble. She dried my tears when I would get hurt. She made me laugh. Her (and my Pa) taught me how to farm, clean and do laundry. She kept my Pa in line when he would say things that he shouldn’t. She was rarely ever in a bad mood.

I miss her a lot.

I hope that I am able to be at least half the person she turned out to be.

 

Three pet peeves that all have to do with people

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Day 3: What are your top three pet peeves?

I have posted about some of my pet peeves in the past. You can find it at the link 5 Pet Peeves. I have quite a few pet peeves, but I picked out only three other pet peeves that I have.

1. Judgmental people

There are so many judgmental people in this world. They want to judge people based on how they look, act, dress, speak, love, etc. In my opinion, I don’t think it should matter as long as no one is hurting anybody. Plus, it’s exhausting to judge people all the time. People really put all this time in effort to talk bad about people when they could be filling the world with love instead of all this hate.

2. Personal bubble

I’m not usually a touchy-feely person. I have a space that I don’t like for people to be in. There are always exceptions. If I’m really sick or tired, I might want to cuddle up with someone. I also am more lenient when I have a boyfriend. Boyfriend cuddles are the best ok. However, I do have (a lot) of times where I don’t want people to invade my personal bubble. When people do invade my bubble, I’ll usually try to move as soon as possible, and if they are trying to give me a hug I won’t hug them back. I don’t mean to be rude – I just like my space.

3. Thinking you are always right

I cannot stand people who will not admit that they are wrong or that there might be more than one answer. I know people who will argue with you until they are blue. I’ve learned that instead of letting that kind of negativity take over I just say, “You can think what you think, but I am going to think what I think. I’m not going to argue about this anymore.” Truth be told, I don’t usually do most of the “arguing.” I state my opinion then I hear a lecture why they think I’m wrong. I tend to walk away.

Do you have any pet peeves? Comment some of your pet peeves!

 

 

Personality

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Day 2: Write something that someone told you about yourself that you never forgot.

Growing up, I have always gotten compliments about my looks. That’s what old people do.

“Oh, you are so pretty!”

Most people compliment how pretty you are, how smart you are, or how good you are at a sport. All those compliments tend to blend together. I give the automatic respond of “oh, thank you!”

Don’t get me wrong – I do appreciate those words, but those just tell me how I look, and how good I am at something.

I will never forget those that have complimented my personality. The one’s that have said that they like the kind of person that I am.

That is what I will never forget.

I have been told by some friends that they liked the kind of person I was – which I really appreciate, but the one that really stood out was this old couple that comes in the restaurant I work at.

They’re regulars (people who come in often) who love to talk so I tend to talk to them every time they come in.

They told me that I’ve really come out of my shell since I had first started working (which was years ago). I used to not want to talk to anyone. I was extremely introverted (now people probably want me to shut up lol).

They also said, “you have a great personality.”

It really caught me off guard, but in a good way. It was honestly the best compliment I had ever received.

It really warmed my heart because in life all I want is to be the best that I can be. I want to be a positive vibe in other people’s life. I’m glad they’re one of the ones that I am.

I challenge you to compliment someone’s personality. I bet they will love it more than if you complimented their appearance.

10 things that make me really happy

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I am never motivated to come up with anything to write about. This goes with writing a blog post and for a book. It wasn’t always this way, but here lately I’ve been in a writer’s block.

However, I was searching on Pinterest the other day, and I found a 30 day writing challenge that I thought was perfect for my blog. My book is still struggling lol.

Let’s hope I can keep writing every day. If you would like to join in on this challenge, take a look at my last post here!

Day 1 – List 10 things that make you really happy

(1) My animals

My animals (4 cats & 1 dog) are my babies. To be honest, they are not all mine, but I treat them as if they were. My favorite thing to do (if my cats will let me) is to hold them in my arms as if they were a baby. What’s baby fever? I only know of kitten fever.

(2) Working out

Working out helps my mental health. If I am ever anxious at school, I always head to the gym. I’ll either do some yoga (their classes are amazing) or I’ll go for a run. It genuinely makes me feel better. I also like doing other things/classes, but those are my two main ones that I do in order to make myself feel better.

(3) Coffee (with or without friends)

Coffee is life. I love drinking coffee – especially with friends. It’s perfect when a friend and I can sit together, talk and sip on some coffee.

(4) Walking outside (especially hiking)

When I am in a good mood, walking outside is perfect. I love listening to the birds and looking at the scenery. I walk around my college town quite a bit.

(5) Reading books/blog posts

I’ve always been a book reader. Sadly, I have not been able to read as much as I used to before I graduated high school, but I do occasionally when I have the time to read. Do you recommend any? I try to read blog posts every day. I find them very interesting.

(6) Harry Potter

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love Harry Potter. Almost everyone at least has one thing that they are obsessed with. Harry Potter is mine. I’m thinking about making a youtube video about all the Harry Potter stuff I have. Spoiler alert; it’s a lot.

(7) Socializing

I used to be extremely introverted. I never wanted to talk to people that weren’t one the very few close friends I had. I was super shy, and I could barely speak to people when spoken too. Sometimes it’s still hard, but since I started college and started working at a restaurant, I have become more extroverted. Talking to people (that aren’t toxic) makes me happy.

(8) Traveling

Getting away from my town makes me happier. I love going on vacation and getting away from everything. I hope to find a job that allows me to travel. Staying in one place makes me feel trapped.

(9) Working

You may be thinking “working makes you happy? You must be crazy!” I might be crazy for liking to work, but I love how it keeps me busy. It’s something that I HAVE to do so it makes me get out of my house. Otherwise, sometimes I don’t want to do anything. Those days don’t turn out so great.

(10) Music

I love singing at the top of my lungs. It puts me in a good mood to do that and dance too.

August Writing Challenge

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In August, I am starting a writing challenge. I was looking on Pinterest when I found one that really interested me. I don’t know how blogging every day will go, but I am going to try my best. You should also join in on this challenge. The writing challenge I’m doing is pictured below, and I am also putting the link below it!

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/08/48/da/0848da249b7c1e1cc9ccb00c100b605f.jpg

Journal Entry #1: Better Than I Was, Not as Good as I am Going To Be

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I just want to start by saying that this post could be a TRIGGER to some people. I talk about mental health issues that I’ve had/have.

Past

I’ve had severe problems with my mental health since I was a freshman in high school. For me, high school was the absolute worst. I hated myself. I didn’t want to live. I’m honestly surprised (but also very glad) that I survived. I’m not going to get into major details, but freshman and sophomore year was rough. I went to the school counselor often although I don’t feel as though it always helped. I’ve always had a hard time telling people how I felt and why – especially back then. I would end up telling the counselor that I had some boy drama. Boys certainly did not help the way I felt about myself, but they were not the main reason I felt that way.

My junior and senior year of high school was definitely better, but it was not great. I still struggled a lot, but the friends I had made it more bearable. To those I was close to during those two years, I just want to say thank you. You helped me through so much, and you probably didn’t even know it. I appreciate you. I love you.

Even throughout college, I’ve struggled with loving/accepting/appreciating/caring about myself. I’ve never been diagnosed, but I am pretty sure I’ve been living with depression and anxiety all these years. Some days are definitely better than others.

A message I sent to a friend of my mine today has been stuck in my mind since I’ve been writing this post. It’s a great thing to remember:

“It’s just life. We live. We mess up. We learn. We try again.”

Present Day

Yesterday started out as “meh.” I don’t know how else to describe it. When I’m in that kind of mood I’m just… there. I only do things because I’ve learned to force myself to. I’ve never felt better by just laying in bed all day. And boy do I feel tired of feeling like that.

However, I did sleep in yesterday. Even though I woke up feeling “meh,” I still went to my grandpa’s house. I ate food, and then played video games with my cousin for hours – which did not help my mental state. I felt even more “meh.”

But it got better.

I became more productive. I went home. I took a shower. (Showers usually help a great deal.) I made several tik toks (@ kelliyoung42). I wrote in my journal. I even watched a really good movie called The Backup Plan.

Today was even better. I woke up early to go eat breakfast with my grandpa and my cousin. My pa makes THE BEST chocolate gravy. I went home a couple hours later. I actually started my laundry (and finished it). I went to help my dog get unstuck from which his chain latched onto a tree root. Don’t worry, a couple hours later that tree root was cut out so he can’t get caught anymore. I even ended up cleaning my room up quite a bit. This was all before it was even 1:30 p.m. It was then that I went to work until 10.

I’m very proud of my productive day. Being productive makes me feel accomplished, and like I’m doing something right. I’m hoping I will have this motivation for a little bit longer. Wish me luck.

Future

I don’t know what my future holds, but I am pretty sure that I will always have mental health issues. I know I should be diagnosed, but I’m scared. I’ve been told multiple times in my life that it was just a phase, and that I would snap out of it. I’m not snapping out of it. I’ve learned how to deal with it better, but you can’t just snap your fingers or turn a certain age for it to go away.

But I am proud of how far I am come. How much I have grown as a person.

I am way better than I was, but I also know I’m not as good as I am going to be. That thought makes me happy. This period of my life is not going to be the best time of my life.

Better times are coming. You just have to keep living to get there.

Stupid People

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“Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.”

Alan Dundes

I definitely know some people that are like this. You think they would be really smart, but then they open their mouth…

Do you know any people like this?

I’m not meaning to offend anyone, but sometimes you just have to sit there and think… really people??

Goals for July 2019

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Last month I only finished about half of goals that I wanted to do. This month I’m going to start making a calendar of when I am doing to do things. This way I will be more motivated to get things done.

Here’s a list of the goals I have for July:

  • See fireworks
  • Post on Twitter at least once a day
  • Post on Instagram once a week
  • Post on tik Tok at least every other day
  • Do at least 6 hours of community service at the animal shelter
  • Post 2 Youtube videos
  • work work work work
  • see a baseball game
  • Go camping
  • Go hiking
  • Get tanner
  • Go to the gym at least 3 times a week
  • Post on Tumblr once a week (at least)
  • Clean room (and try to keep it clean)
  • Learn how to cook basics (if you have any easy recipes please send them to me)

Do you have goals for July? What are they?

Writing Update

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Good morning! I decided to write a little writing update before I go to work. I know I don’t post a lot, but it’s because I don’t really have the time! I work long days and it’s really hard to find the motivation to write after work.

However!

Tomorrow I have the day off, and I have already put in my schedule to sit down and write some blogs!

I really am sorry for the lack of writing. I’m going to try harder!

I have to go to work now, but I hope you have a fantastic day.

xx Kelli

Movie Review: Men in Black: International

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I haven’t been to a movie theater in months, and I am so glad that I decided to go see “Men in Black: International.”

I would 10/10 recommend watching it.

Liam Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson play their parts incredibly. I did not pay attention to Tessa Thompson before, but I am definitely a fan now.

I told one of my friends that the movie had a great balance of action, humor and hotness (Liam Hemsworth).

The little chess piece in the picture was probably my favorite of the whole movie. His little comments had me dying with laughter.

There’s a detail in the movie that I honestly did not guess until they said so toward the end. I’m not going to spoil it for anyone, but I do recommend you to watch it.

Have you seen it yet? If so, what did you think? If you want to discuss it with me, you can send me a dm on twitter @ kyoun42 !

Music to Me: Get Better by Scotty Sire

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Scotty Sire is a YouTuber. He’s made quite a few songs. “Get Better” is probably my favorite of his. Although I am really fond of his new single “Notice Me.”

Fun fact: When Scotty Sire and Bruce Weigner sat down to write a song, they were going to write a happy song. They were not feeling it, and they wrote a song about breaking down. I think Bruce said that he had just broken down in his car just that day or the day before.

This song really speaks to me.

Everyone breaks down crying sometime in their life. I’ve done it plenty of times (especially when I’m on my period, yikes). When writing this song, they were thinking about their girlfriends and about how they break down in front of them sometimes. I can’t relate to breaking down in front of people because I do it when I’m alone, but the feeling this song gives me is still strong.

With that being said, I’m going to pick some lyrics from the song and explain what they mean to me.

“Walking around like the weight of the world is on my shoulders / Two big boulders, trying to get up but I’m sinking / And I’m plagued by my overthinking”

I overthink a lot.

My mind is always going a mile a minute, and sometimes I can hardly even hear myself think because everything gets blurred together. I’m not going to lie. For the past few weeks it’s like my mental health has been buried six feet under, but every day I am trying and trying to crawl back out again.

“But I don’t wanna open up ’cause I don’t wanna bring you down”

In my group of friends, I am known to be more closed off to talking about my feelings. I don’t like people pitying me, and I’ve always had the mentality that I could get better on my own.

I think it does start with you though. I’ve tried to turn to other people to make me happy. It would work for a little while, but they would eventually leave. You can’t always depend on people. You need to figure out how to make yourself happy first.

“I’m trying to pull myself together / I’m trying, I’m trying to get better”

I really am trying to get better on my own. Today has actually been a step forward. If you need help trying to “pull yourself together,” there are many different things you could do.

Read a good book. Hang out with some friends. Spend some time in the sunshine (get that vitamin d). Go explore a new place. Exercise. Talk about how you’re feeling to somebody – if this helps, I greatly recommend it.

One thing that I learned recently is that you need to make sure you eat good because that could be one reason why you feel low.

“I wanna get better, it’s gonna get better”

There are a lot of things I don’t know. I don’t know how I’m going to feel today, tomorrow or next week. All I know is that, at some point, it is going to better. I may feel bad again at some point, but it will always get better.

PS4 Game Review: Just Cause 3

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I just recently got a PS4 about a week ago as an early birthday present. I received three games, not counting the extra two I got because I am a playstation plus member.

My favorite that I have played so far is Just Cause 3.

If you love games where you kill people and blow things up then this game is definitely for you.

The graphics are great on the PS4. I didn’t realize just how great it was compared to years ago until I played one of my PS1 games. Major difference.

In Just Cause 3, the story is that a guy has taken over pretty much everywhere, and the guy you play is part of the rebels and has to take it back over.

He finds different cities or whatever place it may be, and he has to do certain tasks to take it back over. The list of objects could be to blow up the fuel tank, take over the police station, tear down the statue, etc. After you finish the list you take down the enemies flag, and you put up the rebel flag.

I enjoy going around and blowing things up trying to take back over cities. The guy also has a gadget on him where he’s kind of like Spiderman. I don’t remember exactly what it is, but like Spiderman, he has web-like things coming and helping him move to places. It can even help move other things too. I usually use them to travel faster, climb up mountains, and tear down statues.

You also have a wingsuit (which I don’t really use), and a parachute (which I use a lot).

I would 10/10 recommend Just Cause 3. I also heard that Just Cause 4 is better.

Goals for June 2019

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Sadly, I did not do everything I wanted to last month, but hopefully this month will be better. I’m going to work hard to volunteer and post on YouTube this month.

  1. Go to the gym at least three times a week
    • I am confident that I’ll have this goal down because we (me and Tawnie) have been doing pretty good so far. We typically get up at 5 am, and we get to the gym by 6-6:30. We both like going to the gym earlier instead of later. It makes it feel like you have more time in the day to do other things.
  2. Volunteer at the animal shelter at least twice
    • I did not volunteer at all last month, but I’ve discussed it with Tawnie, and we might go by and volunteer after we leave the gym. I’m really excited to do this because volunteering at the animal shelter makes me really happy.
  3. Post on WordPress at least twice a week
    • I’ve been pretty good about posting. I’m going to try to get a tad bit better about it though. I haven’t post much here lately because I’ve been using my wifi to download some games on my new PS4.
  4. Post at least two YouTube videos
    • I tend to neglect my youtube channel. What kind of stuff do you like to watch on youtube – vlog wise. Maybe reviews, mukbangs, advice, etc. If you want any advice just let me know!
  5. work work work work work
    • I’ve been working so much it’s better to ask when I don’t work. But honestly even then I probably couldn’t tell you because I get called in last minute… No one else seems to want to work.
  6. Plan a vacation
    • I was going to plan a trip to Panama City Beach, Florida, but it’s gong to cost way too much, and I do not have a lot of friends that could go. I’m thinking about going to The Smokey Mountains instead. It’s been a while since I’ve been, and I would love to go there with some friends.
  7. Go on a hike with friends
    • I love hiking with friends! I think I’m actually going this weekend. There are a lot of parks around where I live with hiking trails.

Here are seven goals I hope to complete this June. Do you have any goals for June? What are they?

May in Pictures

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I saw that someone did something similar to this, and I thought it was a really cool idea. A picture is a snapshot of a memory! Here are some good memories from May 2019.

Strawberry festival

My Pa’s new puppy, Kai

Khole loves laying on people

Night hike with one of my faves (other friends not pictured)

Swimming at the local lake for Memorial Day

Started going to the gym

2/5 of my babies (although technically they’re not all mine)

My Fitness Journey Begins

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I have been putting off getting in shape for a very long time. I used to go to the gym at my school regularly, but this whole year I have made some excuse as to why I shouldn’t go. (Most of the time it was because I was “too tired.”)

I’m back home, and I’ve finally talked myself into joining a gym (with my friend) for the summer.

Today was my first day, and I am kind of proud of myself! I wanted to blog about it so I could stay motived to keep working out and growing stronger. I might do a progress on how I look and feel every 1-2 weeks.

I also want advice. What workouts should I do to improve upper body strength? I’m also walking/jogging/running because I want to be able to do a marathon one day.

Can someone help me out with a workout plan?

I’m going to post pictures down below of what I look like now. (I know I have a dirty mirror, but it’s my mom’s mirror, and I am too lazy to clean it.)

Day 1:

Save the Planet

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I went to one of the local lakes in my town with a friend of mine. We had an amazing time even though I am not really fond of swimming (especially in lakes).

As we were swimming, however, we noticed something around us.

Litter.

The litter at the lake wasn’t a bad as some of the pictures I’ve seen of some, but it all starts with one piece.

People littering is one of the things that irritate me the most. My friend, Tawnie, and I decided to pick up all the trash in the water we could find. We even swam pretty deep to get reach a bottle. We also picked up a lot of paper on the way to the trashcan.

It’s insane how much litter is on the ground EVERYWHERE.

With that being said, I have a challenge for you.

When you walk by a piece of trash on the ground, pick it up and throw it away.

Also, throw away your piece of gum in a trashcan instead of throwing it on the ground. A bird can eat it and die from it by choking.

Let’s come together and save the planet. We have to live on it for many years to come.

“I love you.”

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“I love you” is something that is said automatically where I live. After ending a phone call or leaving to go somewhere, “I love you” is always said to a loved one. “Ok, I have to go. Bye, I love you.” *hangs up*

The problem with this is that I am not one to tell how I feel verbally. I feel awkward telling the people I love “I love you.” As soon as someone tells me, I get an anxious feeling in me, and I try to leave or hang up as soon as possible.

But that does not mean that I do not love them.

I show love differently.

I show love in the way I am there when they call me last minute asking for a favor. I show love in the way I smile at them. I show love in the way I put down my phone so I can listen to what they have to say.

I usually show love in actions instead of words.

It does not mean that I do not love someone any less just because it’s hard for me to sometimes tell them how I feel.

I believe as long as someone shows that they love someone – the words shouldn’t matter.

“Actions speak louder than words.”

Mark Twain

Night Hike: Pinson Mounds

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Pinson Mounds State Archaelogical Park has approximately 15 mounds built by Indians. When first discovered, there were believed to be about 30-40 mounds. After some research, some mounds were found to be made from erosion or something similar (not man-made). Some mounds also began disappearing because of the nature of things – fallen trees, water, etc.

It’s crazy to think that Indians made all of these mounds. They gathered dirt in a basket, and they carried it however far to make these mounds. Some hilly places at the park are believed to be the places the Indians gathered the dirt (and sand) from.

Tawnie (right) and me (left) in front of the Museum

The picture above is Tawnie and me in front of the park’s museum – which is built under a mound (so cool!) Before you say anything, yes, I know I look like I am about to go rob a place. The only thing I was thinking when I was putting on my outfit was that I did not want to get eaten by mosquitoes.

The night hike was fun. Learning about the mounds was interesting. They believe that they had used the top of the mounds for burial and ceremonial purposes. They think that there was fire on top of some/most of the mounds.

Side note, one person joked about them maybe doing sacrifices. I 100% believe this could have happened back then. You never know.

Kizer (left) and Hunter (right)

In the picture above are a couple of guy friends that came on the hike with us. I took this picture to show how dark it was when we started hiking. Of course, we could still see up close just fine because of all the flashlights, but it was hard to see far out. The hike was from 8:30 to 10 p.m.

Tawnie (left) and me (right)

The last thing we did was climb on top of Sauls Mound. The picture above was taken on top of it. Sauls Mound is the highest mound. We were eye level with the tallest trees. Steps were built up Sauls Mound, and the total amount of steps is 125.

Climbing up Sauls Mound was by far the most exercise we had the entire hike. I was out of breath by the time I got to the top. I am pretty sure I drunk a whole bottle of water.

Hiking is one of the activities that makes me happy. I have already decided that I was going to go back to Pinson Mounds during the day time so that I could check out the other trails. The one we were on was mostly flat land, but I noticed one trail that was extremely hilly.

I will definitely be blogging about my hikes many times this summer!

Do you like to hike? What outdoor activities do you like to do?

Blog Update

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I feel like my blog is all over the place. It is not about a specific category like lifestyle, travel, fitness, DIY, etc. My blog is very personal. It’s about my likes, my dislikes, and stories about me. I thought I would lay out in bullet points would should be expected on my blog.

  • Advertising my YouTube videos
    • I don’t really post as much as I would like. Right now I am stuck as to what I should video. I haven’t been motivated either. If you have any suggestions, I’m always open to them!
  • Movie reviews
    • This is a new thing I started. I love watching movies, but I don’t really take the time to do so. This might motivate me to just so I can write about it.
  • Music to me
    • This is something I haven’t started doing yet, but I will soon. Two or three times a week I want to write about a song that I like. I might write about how I interpret it, but it’ll mostly be about what it means to me. (I’ll want you to tell me what it means to you too!)
  • Lists
    • I like making lists (such as this one). It’s a way to give advice or tell what I like or dislike about something.
  • Travel blog
    • I haven’t done this yet, but I will start soon. I have some things planned for the future! This will just tell about what I did on a trip, and it will involve pictures.
  • Story Time
    • Sometimes I might tell about something that happened, but it probably won’t be often.
  • Reflect
    • I didn’t know what else to call them, but it’s a mixture of reflecting on my life, and giving you advice on what to do or not do.

That is all that I can think of right now! I know it’s a lot of different things, but this is a personal blog. I want to share a lot of things about my life. I hope you don’t get too bored!

xx Kelli

Movie Review: Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile

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I have never done a movie review, but I think I am going to start. This way I can force myself to sit down and watch movies.

SPOILERS DOWN BELOW:

The movie was about the crimes and trial of Ted Bundy.

Overall, I liked the movie. There were good things about it that I love, but there were also things that I wish would be changed.

One problem that I have with the movie is that it seems to glorify Ted Bundy. Zac Efron almost made me believe that Ted Bundy was innocent. It is crazy to think that he kept up the act of saying he was innocent for over a decade.

The way Zac Efron played Ted Bundy was incredible. At the end, it showed clips from the actual trial, and it was incredibly similar.

I also kind of understand why they “glorified” Ted Bundy. During this time, a lot of women were strangely attracted to him. It was said that some even dyed their hair the right kind of brown so that he might be attracted to them. Ted Bundy was extremely charismatic, and this was how he lured women to their death.

In the movie, they showed that side of him. The side that all the women liked. I wish they would have shown the evil side of him more. The movie did not justify how bad of a person he was.

Have you seen the movie? What did you think?

Story Time – My Cat Got Stuck in a Trashcan

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Yes, you read that correctly. My cat got stuck in a trashcan. There was a trashcan that came to my waist beside my bed because I wasn’t feeling too well. I wasn’t asleep but I was on the verge of it. I kept hearing the plastic bag rattle, and I finally look, and I see one of my cats, Leo, messing with it. Without my knowledge, it had gotten knocked over.

I tell him to stop, and pick the trashcan up again. I lay back down, but I get irritated at him because he keeps messing with it. I finally get up, and go to pick it up to take it back to the kitchen, but I realize just how heavy it was (there was nothing in it).

I look down and see one of my other cats, Thea, laying down in it.

She was apparently laying in the trashcan when I picked it from where they had knocked it over. I noticed that it seemed a little heavy, but I wasn’t feeling good, and I didn’t think anything of it.

This was the reason Leo kept trying to mess with the trashcan because after I made Thea get out he laid down beside me.

What really made me laugh was the fact that the only reason I knew Thea was in there was because I felt how heavy the trashcan was. She made no noise indicting she wanted to get out or anything. I guess she was comfortable. 🤷🏽‍♀️

Do you have a funny/cute pet story?

Goals for May 2019

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These goals are mainly for my benefit because it is easier for me to get things done if I have them written out. With that being said, down below are the things I hope to do in May of 2019.

  1. Volunteer at the animal shelter at least twice.
    • I love volunteering at this local animal shelter with my friends. At the time of day we go, we usually finish walking what ever dogs have not been walked yet. Then we clean what ever it is that they want us to clean.
  2. Plant the flower seeds I got.
    • I love planting seeds, but I honestly have a hard time keeping them alive. I don’t have a green thumb when it comes to my own plants. I do help my grandpa with his gardening though. He grows lots of watermelons, cantaloupes, and tomatoes. We sell them all summer.
  3. Post on WordPress at least twice a week.
    • I’m hoping that I am able to stay consistent this time. A year ago, it was hard to decide what I wanted to write about, but now that I’ve decided to go with what ever is on my mind – whether it be a story, a recipe, or something like this – I’m going to go with it.
  4. Post on Tumblr at least once a week.
    • I like to write fan fiction and post it on Tumblr.
  5. Go to two festivals – Strawberry and Folk festival.
    • I went to the Strawberry festival a few days ago, but the Folk festival is next week. I’m really excited to go because there’s going to be music, crafts, and old cars.
  6. Post at least 2 YouTube Videos.
    • The only problem I have with posting YouTube videos is that I have to be really motivated and happy, but here lately I haven’t been that so I have been struggling to make content.
  7. Start working out again – 3 times a week.
    • I’ve been neglecting working out. This is probably part of the reason why I haven’t been motivated to make YouTube videos. I’m hoping to start running and lifting weights again.
  8. Work work work work work.
    • I have to pay for some schooling next school year so I need to work as much as I can. On top of that, I have to pay for groceries, books, and what ever necessities that I have.

These are eight goals I hope to accomplish this month! Do you have any goals for this month? If so, comment them down below! 🙂

I’m Moving Back Home!

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Hello! I am actually a YouTuber, and I try to post videos once a week. In my YouTube video “Moving Back Home 2019,” I, well, move back home. This video consists me moving back home for the summer because (sadly) I can’t live on my college campus all year around. I show you some of my drive home, my pets, and my favorite co-workers.

I’m still trying to figure out how I want to do my YouTube videos. I also still mess up a lot. I sometimes forget to triple check to make sure the editing is right, but I’m getting the hang of it.

I posted the YouTube video down below. I hope you have a fantastic day!

I’m Back!

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Hello everyone! I’m back! It has been a very long time since I have written a blog, and I have missed it so much! There has been quite a bit going on in my life, and I hope I can share it all on here at some point. College and work has been taking up the most of my time, but I hope I can finally start posting content regularly.

I am not sure what you should expect from my blog yet. I have always been unsure as to what I should blog about. It’s probably going to be a little bit of everything from my life. Everything from my YouTube Channel to some favorite recipes to my travels. There will be a wide variety of topics.

One more thing that I thought I should is to tell you a little about myself. My name is Kelli Young. I am a Communications major and English minor. I am going into my last year of college starting fall of 2019. I have four cats and one dog. I love volunteering at a local animal shelter. Coffee helps me feel more like a person and less like a zombie when I first wake up. I guess you could say I am a Harry Potter geek. I have so much Harry Potter merch that it would be easier to ask what I do not have.

One last thing, I have had a love for writing for as long as I can remember. When I was little, I used to write little short stories and sell them for a quarter to some of my family members. I have thought about getting a job after college that has to deal with writing, but I do not feel like I would enjoy writing for other people. I like being about to write what ever I want to write about.

That being said, I hope you have a great day.

Goals for June 2018

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June

Hello everyone! It’s been a while since I have posted anything! Oops! School has been so hectic and I got lazy, but here I am again. I can’t believe it’s already June. To try and get my things a bit more organized, I wrote done some things that I want to do in June!

1. Write part 1 for “Flower Shop Girl”

I’ve started writing a book (one of many that I’ve started, lol) and I’m kind of excited for this. There’s probably not going to be too many parts, but I think it’ll still be cute. I’ll have it on my Tumblr so I’ll link my Tumblr profile at the bottom!

2. Give friend driving lessons

One of my friends is 19 and she doesn’t know how to drive so I told her that I’d teach her.

3. Start YouTube videos again!

I’ve been severely neglecting my YouTube channel. I’ll hoping be shooting a video today though! I’ll leave my personal channel and my joint account I have with my best friend at the bottom.

4. Get sea shells from Shell Island

In a few weeks I’m going to the beach with my dad, stepmom, and little brother! I love sea shells. 🙂

5. Catch ’em all – Pokemon Go

When this first came out I played it A LOT, but after a while everyone pretty much stopped. My guy best friend and I just recently started playing a lot again.

6. Tan

I feel better when I’m tan than when I’m white as a ghost. I’m happy with how my progress with it has been.

7. Read at least 2 books

I used to read all the time, but so much goes on that I don’t make myself have time for it. I’m about halfway done with one book though so I know I’ll be about to read another one before June is over with.

8. Be healthy

I’m going to try to start drinking a lot more water (I’ve already pretty much cut out sodas). I’m also going to start running again and cleaning my face more.

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Personal YouTube

Coffee Talk with Kendyll and Kelli

 

 

6 Struggles of College Life

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Hello everyone! College is such a struggle. Period. While I am procrastinating my homework, I decided that I would write about some of the struggles of being a college student.

1. 8 a.m. Classes

These are the worst! I am such a zombie in these classes that I honestly don’t know how I pass those classes. But then again – I would rather have these classes than a late class. I say NO to classes after 3 p.m.

2. Lectures

Being in a lecture hall is so boring and with my short attention span I am always drifting off to a world not in that classroom.

3. Food

Honestly the food kind of sucks. There are very few things that I’ll eat in the cafeteria and that’s pizza and fries. Our pizza is usually good, but our seasoned fries is ALWAYS good.

4. Sharing a Dorm

Sharing a dorm isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I’m in one of those cheap dorms so I don’t have my own room or bathroom. I’m a deep sleeper so I don’t hear my roommate if she’s loud or comes in late. There are still some struggles though. Sometimes she might have her TV to loud or her snores might be aggravating everyone once in a while. Another struggle is that it seems as soon as I need to use the bathroom, it seems that my suite mate needs to go to so that gets very agitating.

5. Frat Parties

In the movies, they seem like sooo much fun. Which I mean, they are fun. If you’re drunk. If you’re not, they’re the lamest thing ever.

6. Time

Time is a big struggle! There is so much that I want to do and it’s extremely hard to fit it into 24 hours. I have to go to classes, do homework, eat, shower and sleep. Then there’s the things that I want to do like have a social life, watch Netflix, take a walk, workout, do yoga, and so much more. I wish I had more time.

These are just some of the things that make up struggles of college life. My best friend and I actually did a YouTube video on a lot of those things so if you want to, please check it out!

 Coffee Talk with Kendyll and Kelli

5 Pet Peeves

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I think everyone in the world has some type of pet peeve. I, personally, actually have quite a few, but I thought for a bit and choose 5 of my biggest pet peeves.

1.  Noisy eaters

I just cannot stand people chewing loudly. I understand some food is just really loud to chew, but I know some people that chew with their mouth open and make that annoying smacking sound. It’s gross. Please stop.

2. Someone interrupts me

I say when someone interrupts me, but really just when someone interrupts anyone. I know that it accidentally happens all the time because there have been plenty of times when I’ll excitedly remember something and it’ll just come out of my mouth. The kind of interrupting I’m talking about is when it seems like someone just won’t let me talk. I used to just shut up and let them talk but now I’ll stare at them and say “Hello, I was talking.” …. I’ve gotten to where I can speak my mind more.

3. Drivers

Honestly, I was just going to put “When drivers don’t use their turning signal,” but honestly “drivers” fit it better. I HATE driving. I always have. But other people’s driving annoy me even more (well, when I’m driving). I have severe road rage against people who don’t use their blinkers, people not paying enough attention, those who drive too slow, those who drive too fast.. pretty much those who exist. I know I’m not the best driver, but I at least know how a blinker works.

4. Littering

I can’t stand to litter. I love the earth. I’m going to have to have to live on it for hopefully at least 50 more years and I want it to be as clean as possible. I don’t even through my gum out the window anymore. I once saw this article where a bird can come and eat that gum and choke and die. I don’t want any birds dying so I try not to litter at all. I beg you not to litter either.

5. Cursing around children

This is one of my biggest pet peeves. I cringe so much when someone curses a lot around children. I am always getting onto my friends when they curse around kids. I also cringe when someone curses around people that don’t like cursing. I try to be respectful.

Please be respectful.

Goals for November 2017

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Hello everyone! I can’t believe that the year is almost over! It’s like it was just yesterday I was enjoying my summer break. I’ve decided that at the beginning of each month I’m going to start doing goals for the month. Down below are my goals for November 2017.

1. Do 6 hours of community service for Sociology class.

2. Have Thanksgiving with my family.

3. Start Coffee Talk with best friend on YouTube.

4. Go to the gym at least 3 times a week.

5. Be more outgoing.

6. Make more friends.

7. Keep up with my school work.

8. Post a blog at least 2 times a week.

9. Take more photogenic photos. (Instagram: @ kyoun42)

10. Continuously do random acts of kindness.

 

A Book I Love

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Having to choose just ONE book I love was really hard. I really love to read. The book that has really stuck with me that has a lot of meaning is Beastly by Alex Flinn.

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I love the big message of how it’s not the outside that matters in a person but it’s the inside that should. There are way too many people in this world that are only with guys because they’re so “hot” and “popular.” While these guys would also be the biggest jerks.

So a word of advice: I understand that you need to be somewhat attracted to the guy to want to date him. I get that looks do matter to an extent. Just don’t stop at the looks. Look at the guy’s (or girl’s) personality too. How are they like? Are they kind? Are they big-headed? These kind of things matter. Don’t just settle. You deserve more than that.

 

5 Ways to Win My Heart

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I have taken a 30 day writing journal challenge and there’s some of them that I would like to post on here. This is day 1 of 30. The picture below is of the rest of the days in case you want to participate.


1. Pay Attention

  • Honestly just pay attention to the things I say. I love when people remember some of the little things I say. I think it shows how the person cares.

2. Make me laugh

  • The way to my heart is being able to make me laugh. If a guy can’t make me laugh then it’s a no go because I seriously laugh all the time.

3. Encourage me

  • I need someone to motivate me to be the best I can be. Someone that would be willing to push me to be a better person.

4. Thoughtful gestures

  • I don’t need expensive things. If you got me my favorite coffee without me asking, it would probably melt my heart.

5. Be willing to take it slow

  • I know a lot of people want a relationship to go fast nowadays but I’m not one of those people. I’ve never been one to go fast in a relationship. If a guy tries to speed things up then I’m more likely to walk away. I wish I was born back when dating was way different.

Things You Need To Stop Doing

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You probably do a lot of things that you don’t need to be doing and maybe you need a reminder of it.

1. Stop thinking you’re not good enough

  • You ARE good enough! Whoever told you weren’t good enough don’t know what they’re talking about. You can do anything you put your mind to.

2. Stop procrastinating 

  • I am the WORST (or is it the best?) at procrastinating. There has been so many times that I will put something off until I just absolutely have to do it. There have been so many test I could have probably made a 100 on if I would have studied before the day of the exam. So stop procrastinating and I promise it’ll make you feel better about yourself.

3. Stop letting yourself get too stressed

  • I used to have the bad habit of letting everything get built upon my shoulders and the heaviness would weigh me down. Don’t let that happen! Do something that helps the stress go away (that’s healthy of course!) Some of the things that I do is I may just be around people who I enjoy being with and I laugh a lot with. I also love to do yoga and workout at the gym too. Them two really help me with the stress I have at school.

4. Stop making excuses for others and yourself

  • There is no excuse! If a person is acting a way they shouldn’t be or treating you a way they shouldn’t be; don’t make up excuses for them! It is what it is and there is no excuse for it. Also, stop making excuses for yourself. Don’t try to find an excuse to not do something you need to do. Just do it.

5. Stop comparing yourself to others

  • You are your own person. No one is the same so don’t try to compare yourself to someone else.

6. Stop saying ‘yes’ when you want to say ‘no’

  • Don’t agree to something just because someone wants you to! If you don’t want to do something then say NO. If they keep trying to pressure you into say yes, keep your ground. Don’t let anyone push you around.

7. Stop giving your time and energy to people who don’t respect you

  • I have an ex-boyfriend that I was on and off with for years. I gave so much time to this one person and they didn’t even respect me! If someone doesn’t respect you, don’t waste the limited time you have in life on them. Once you let a toxic person go, you’ll eventually find someone that is good for you; whether it be a friend or a lover.

8. Stop letting yourself live in the past

  • Everyone makes mistakes. Let go of what happened in your past and move toward the future.

10 Facts About Me

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Hello everyone! I’ve realized that I haven’t properly introduced myself so here’s what this post is about! First of all, my name is Kelli and I’m currently 20 years old. I have 10 facts about myself listed below!

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1. I am a college student in Tennessee.

2. I love to travel! Every year I usually go to Michigan and Florida for vacation. I would love to travel to more places (as long as I don’t go alone.) Below is a random picture from when I was in Panama City Beach, Florida.

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3. I love Harry Potter. I have always loved Harry Potter for as long as I can remember. Last May I actually got to go to the Harry Potter World.. Picture below.

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4. I do a variety of things. I love to read, but I also like to play sports. I also like playing video games too. My favorite ones to play are Pokemon, Harry Potter, COD: Ghosts, and The Last of Us.

5. I’m a really shy person until I get to know you. My best friend says that I’m like a completely different person then. I can be very outgoing when I’m comfortable around the people I’m with.

6. I’ve lived in Tennessee my whole life though I am open to moving to a different state if need be for a job. Hopefully if I do move, one of my sisters will be able to come with me.

7. I’m very picky in who I date. I can’t make myself go on a date with someone whom I don’t feel any connection with or I don’t think I could ever feel any connection with.

8. I have 4 siblings, a niece, and a nephew. Sibling wise, I have a little brother and 3 older sisters. My niece and nephew are from one of my older sisters.

9. I have a retainer and I hate it. I’ve had it for years. My teeth would have been straight already if I hadn’t lost/broke 2 retainers already.

10. I have a YouTube channel! My first ever post was actually just about my YouTube channel. I don’t upload much (I’m going to try to get better but I’m just so busy) but you should check it out. I’m going to try to upload a lot more often. It’s just the time to take editing is what hinders me from doing so.

 

7 Fun Things To Do with Your Friends

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1. Go zip lining/parasailing/rock climbing

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  • So far I’ve been zip lining and rock climbing with some friends and I’ve got to say, it was awesome! My favorite was zip lining, which is weird because I hate heights! (ps. this is me fixing to rock climb.)

2. Make tie-dye shirts

  • It can be time consuming but it’s worth it. Well, worth it if you like tie-dye stuff. I have 2 tie-dye shirts and a hat.

3. Ride around singing your heart out

  • My friends and I are always riding around on backroads singing to music at the top of our lungs.

4. Go camping/hiking

  • Sadly, I haven’t gotten to go camping yet! No one’s schedules have been open enough to spend the night somewhere, but hopefully I will be able to sometime soon! Hiking is always a fun thing to do, especially if you love nature.

5. Play some sport

  • I’ve always been a sports kind of person. So I love getting out in the sun and playing some sport with my friends – whether it be basketball, soccer, football, etc.

6. Go to a trampoline park

  • If a trampoline park is “for kids” then I am a kid.

7. Bowling

  • Is there really something that needs to be said about this? I mean, it’s bowling. Who doesn’t like to bowl?

8 of My Favorite YouTubers

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Sadly, I don’t really get to watch much YouTube anymore due to being in school, but I still try to watch at least the super interesting ones. I’ve constructed a list of 8 of my favorite YouTubers. These aren’t all the YouTubers I watch (though if you want me to I can make a list of all of them.) Also, fun fact, I started watching most of the YouTubers I watch because I first watched an ouija board video of theirs.

1. Mikey Manfs

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  • I don’t like his Walmart videos, but I love his normal vlogs and exploring videos. I first started watching his and Jake Dufner’s “scary” videos.

2. Jake Dufner

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  • I think I started watching Jake’s videos before Mikey’s because I got hooked on his ouija board videos.

3. Lance Stewart

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  • I also got hooked on Lance’s channel by first watching his ouija board videos. I kept watching his channel because I love watching him and his friends (especially Chris) in his daily vlogs.

4. Elton Castee / TFIL

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  • I also began watching his channel because of an ouija board video (I was obsessed, okay) and his are just full of fun pranks and beautiful places he’s visited with friends (mostly his TFIL channel.)

5. Colby Brock

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  • I met him on Elton’s video but I didn’t really pay attention to him. Somehow I started watching Sam and Colby and loved it. Now I mostly just watch their personal channels.

6. Brennen Taylor

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  • I fell in love with his personality. He’s started daily vlogging and he always keeps it interesting.

7. Liza Koshy

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  • Her videos are so hilarious. She acts so crazy but I love it. My favorites are when she makes puns.

8. Dolan Twins

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  • On the left is Grayson and the right is Ethan. They mostly do a lot of challenges. A lot of times they make up their own.

 

 

10 Things I Love About Fall

KelliLeave a comment

Hello lovlies, cool weather has come upon us and as my first (technically second though) post, I wanted to share some things that I love about this season!

1. Pumpkins

  • I think my love for pumpkins started when I was little and watching Cinderella. That has always been my favorite princess movie and I’ve kind of associated pumpkins with it. I also love carving pumpkins (though I’ve only done it twice.) And let’s not forget about pumpkin spice lattes! Yum!

2. Hot Chocolate

  • Honestly, hot chocolate is good all around but especially during the fall. The mixture of the cooling weather and the holidays throughout the fall season just calls for some hot chocolate!

3. Halloween

  • It’s probably one of my favorite holidays. I love to watch Tim Burton movies during this time. Also, just giving out candy to trick-or-treaters makes me really happy too.

4. Cuddles

  • Normally I just like cuddling animals but during the colder months I tend to want to cuddle humans too. (Weird, I know.)

5. Bonfires

  • I love being around a bonfire with friends just talking and roasting marshmallows.

6. Football

  • I don’t thank my ex for much but I do thank him for getting me interested in football.

7. The changing of the leaves

  • The colors of the leaves changing is probably the best part! I just look in awe at the colors.

8. Thanksgiving food

  • My family’s food is seriously the best! We pretty much have a huge family reunion (with a lot of family friends too.)

9. Putting up the Christmas tree

  • I love decorating the Christmas tree. As soon as Thanksgiving is over, I get out the tree!

10. Christmas music

  • I love getting in the Christmas spirit and music is the way to do it. My favorite song is All I Want For Christmas is You.

 

Subscribe to my YouTube channel.

KelliLeave a comment

Hey guys. I am currently a 19 year old college student. I hope to be someone some day. One of my hobbies that I do that may help that some day is vlogging. About a month ago, I finally start uploading videos to YouTube like I’ve been wanting to do pretty much since I got a computer when I was 10. I would really appreciate it if you would subscribe to my YouTube channel. You can do this by clicking my name at the end. I upload vlogs at least twice a week if not more. Thank you so much.

Kelli Young