4/30/2015

Serenity Prayer: When Life Says "Nope"

I try not to make this blog too heavy/too much about my personal life than it definitionally should be, but I'm about lay on the heavy a bit, so if this is something you prefer to skip over, feel free!

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Have you ever wanted something so badly it hurt? That it made you want to cry because of the simple idea that it wouldn't work out? Some people may think this only applies to personal relationships, but for good ol' try-hards like myself, this applies to more than just that.

I am a self-proclaimed "my heart is in everything I do"-er. Whatever I do, I do with everything I have within me: heart and soul. Ever since I was little, I remember hearing someone say "If you try, you're 50% of the way there. If you actually want it, you're at 99%. That last percent comes from people's opinions of you." And for some reason, I decided to believe it.

Lately, I've been feeling like trying to get that last percent is harder than a very unfit person like myself attempting to suddenly get up off my couch and run a 5K. It works for a little bit, might even get a few bursts of energy at first, but then your tank is empty and the pack has already left you eons behind. What do you do now?

Sometimes you go call your best friends to see if any of them aren't too busy because you don't want to take them away from their lives. Sometimes you walk up and down a single flight of stairs because you don't know what to do with yourself. And sometimes, you sit down, for once not giving a care about where you are, and you focus on breathing.

In a week (or maybe a few weeks), I'll probably put up a post about dealing with rejection and feeling like everything just isn't going right. Although a bit of a ways into the future, the timing is more true and accurate than many posts you'll probably read from a high percentage of bloggers and writers. 

The fact of the matter is that "getting over it" takes time. Sometimes you need to pull yourself together in situations not conducive for getting emotional and upset, and most of the time it works just long enough to help you leave without a scene, but sometimes you can't help it and you run out of time.

Life giving me the big "Nope" is not exactly news - I've definitely heard it more than my fair share of times. That being said, however, doesn't make it hurt any less. When you put everything on the line, sometimes you place yourself into the delusion that your high risk will give you a high reward, rather than high risk may give you a high reward.

When talking to one of my friends earlier, I was reminded of the Serenity Prayer. This is one of the ideas I really do try to live by (key word: try), but sometimes everything coming at you from all around at a single time is a bit too much. Hopefully these words will help me get through this next week and a half.


*******

So in case you decided to TL;DR all of the above, or if you're looking for a takeaway, here it is: The goal is that when life decides to tell you "Nope", you tell it "NOPE" right back. It's not always as simple as it sounds, and you won't always be able to do it immediately, but you will eventually bounce back, and every once in a while you may find people who help saying "NOPE" that much easier.

xx
Catch you next time.

4/28/2015

On My Playlist: Summer Ready

Love music, love summer, sort of hate the heat - I'm ready for school to be over! Summer is basically here for those of us living in the Great Southwest (as I write this, the temperature outside is in the high 90s!). As I was driving around Tempe a few days ago, I noticed that I kept hearing great song after great song, and it just put me in an amazing mood!



I'm sure more songs will come out over the next few months that many people will claim to be their summer anthem, but while we're waiting, here are some fun songs I've been loving lately.

Lean On - Major Lazer & DJ Snake ft. MO
Here's to the Zeros - Marianas Trench
Hallelujah - Panic! At The Disco
See You Again - Wiz Khalifa
Fight Song - Rachel Platten
Geronimo - Sheppard
Want to Want Me - Jason Derulo
Honey, I'm Good - Andy Grammer
Tear in My Heart - twenty one pilots
Immortals/Centuries - Sam Tsui and Kurt Schneider

What songs have you found yourself playing on repeat? Are you ready for summer?!

xx
Catch you next time.

4/27/2015

Delta Sigma Pi Regional Initiation 2015

Happy Monday, lovelies!

Recently, the Arizona State University chapter of Delta Sigma Pi (Gamma Omega!) was proud to host the Spring 2015 Desert Mountain Regional Initiation - we had brothers from all around Arizona to New Mexico to Utah to Texas!

I was honored to serve as Treasurer for the Regional Committee, especially in my NIB semester! Here are just a few photos from this awesome day!









Have you considered joining professional Greek life? Feel free to email me if you ever have any questions!

xx
Catch you next time.

4/23/2015

Bows and Kites April Subscription Box

Happy Thursday, lovelies! Are you feeling nauti?

Late last week I checked my mail in my sleep-deprived haze (two papers due in one week is hard on the body!) and found that my April box from Bows and Kites arrived! I know I say this a lot, but it's been a rough week/two weeks and these bows coming in really made my day a bit brighter.

I love themes - aren't they just so fun? When I saw this box was nautical theme I felt like Bows and Kites had read my mind because just a few days ago I had been browsing a few different Etsy stores and blogs and thinking about how I didn't have any nautical bows.

What makes this box that much sweeter for me, personally, is that it will be my last one for a while. Once summer starts and I move back home for the season, I probably won't be able to order any more bows until the beginning of next school year. *cue sobbing* Though this may be the best thing for my wallet...






All four bows now happily sit on my nautical boat and anchor bow hanger, bringing my total to 25 bows total! Is that intervention level, yet?

How had your week been so far? Are you looking forward to anything exciting? I hope y'all have an extra lovely day!

xx
Catch you next time.

4/22/2015

Earth Day 2015: Let's #WipeForWater

Happy Hump Day, lovelies!

Today is not only Wednesday, but it is also Day 4 of my #WipeForWater pledge! In case you didn't know, April is Earth month and TODAY IS EARTH DAY!

I love my face and try to take care of it with moisturizers and washing it every night before bed, but did you know that you can save up to 5 gallons of water when you don't wash your face?

Kristen Bell (love her!) has teamed up with Neutrogena and the Nature Conservancy to promote the #WipeForWater movement, which asks you to pledge from 1 to 7 days of not washing your face.



Does this mean you walk around for a week with a gunky face? Absolutely not!

Instead they ask you to use makeup wipes - Influenster was kind enough to send me a pack of Neutrogena's new purifying makeup towelettes and I love them. They smell like freshly cut apples and leave my skin feeling softer and, frankly, feeling better hydrated than it has in a long time (this is especially great for us Southwestern regionals living in the desert!).


For every pledge, Neutrogena will donate $1 to the Nature Conservancy for the water conservancy movement! If ten of you decided to take the 7 day pledge, we could save almost 400 gallons of water!

At present, Neutrogena is only 40% of the way to reach their goal - they want to donate more money and hear about how you're pledging to save water! Please check out the website here, take the pledge, and help support water conservation efforts.


If you're looking for some wipes to use, you can find these Neutrogena ones at Target, Wal-Mart, and any local drugstore!

So, will you #WipeForWater? What will you be doing this Earth Day?

xx
Catch you next time.

4/20/2015

Community Service Corner: Relay for Life 2015

This past Friday night, I took part in Relay for Life for Tempe with hundreds of other ASU students and Tempe residents.

For those of you who may not know, the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life is an overnight community fundraising walk to raise money to help find the cure for cancer. Teams work to raise money before the event, and then spend the night walking, decorating luminaria, playing games, and listening to the stories of cancer survivors, fighters, and caregivers.

Cancer has no conscience - it ignores who you are, what you do, how your life has been, and what you may potentially do. Cancer has taken wherever it pleases, young and old, kind and not-so-kind. But despite whoever you are, nobody deserves cancer.

I dream of a day where my children and my children's children will only hear of cancer the way we learn about the Black Plague: gone. I believe in #HOPE. I believe in the vision Dr. Gordon Klatt had and I believe that the love and support of family and community is one of the strongest bonds you can possibly find.

I relay to find a cure, to show my support for all of those affected by cancer, and for my grandmother who passed away almost two years ago from ovarian cancer. 




I wanted to take some more pictures, but I thought I'd keep the night simple and focus on the purpose of why I was there and spend time with others whose lives have been affected by cancer.

Have you ever taken part in a Relay for Life? Who do you relay for?

xx
Catch you next time.

4/17/2015

Freshman Five: Before Starting the Internship Hunt

To my understanding, this can apply to many different majors, but already from experience I can tell you this definitely applies for Business majors: internships. In the future I'll be posting some tips about how to get an internship, but first, let's talk about something not many people think about: what you need to think about before you begin actively seeking an internship!


Do You Have Time? // In my opinion, this is the very first and most important question you need to ask yourself! When you're a super busy bee, you have to rely heavily on your organizational and time management skills. Even if you're a pro at juggling, it is super super SUPER important that you think long and hard about the amount of time you have to devote to an internship. Some internships are really flexible as long as you can put in part-time hours, while others are very rigid. Figure out how much time you have to devote and commit yourself to that time limit. Remember: you are a student first, and an intern second. Once your grades start to suffer, you need to re-evaluate if the internship is really worth it.

Why Do You Want An Internship? // Everyone says you should want one. Everyone says you need one. But do you understand why? Internships are a great way to hone some skills and put real-world experience on your resume - if you know what it's like to put in hours and do hard work efficiently, you're already looking better in a potential employer's eyes. However, a caveat to this is that you need to think about your major and talk to counselors and upperclassmen. I came into college expecting I was supposed to have an accounting internship by second semester - it turns out, "real" accounting internships aren't given out until the summer after your junior year because those internships require certain skills you don't learn until junior year. It's okay if people start talking about internships while you're just starting college, but that doesn't mean you have to rush yourself into getting one!

Where Do You Want to Intern? // For most people, the dream internship is at a huge company that will give you oodles of experience and potentially open up the door for a corner-office job once you graduate from college. Cue funny gif of Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. Unfortunately, those internships are very far and few between (that is, if they even exist!). The ugly truth is that a large portion of internships are grunt work - they can be a bit rough, they can be paid or unpaid, and you're not always going to have the most stellar work environment. But that's okay! If you're prepared to deal with this possibility, then go on right ahead and start looking for an internship.

What Are Your Expectations? // Keeping an open-mind as to where you'll work is really important in the internship-hunting process. I mentioned this a little earlier, but what do you expect in the internship? Flexible hours? Paid or unpaid? Desk work or street work? Are you expecting to gain skills that will help you later on in your career or are you just trying to add something to your resume? Will this opportunity open up more for you in the future? Essentially, just think about what you expect from the internship. Don't go looking for BigFoot when you have no idea what he looks like! It's nice to mention to potential employers that you're open-minded, but don't give them a license to take advantage of you because you don't know what you want or what you expect.

Think About Yourself First // Ultimately, the decision comes down to what you want - these are just some tips on things I suggest you consider before starting the search process. I'm only in the second semester of my freshman year and I have heard people stress over not finding an internship/worrying when to find an internship/wondering if they should be joining clubs instead. There's no need to rush through college - this is the perfect time to discover other interests and meet new people. If you had to choose between a potential internship and finding a new hobby that you absolutely love, are you prepared to give up what time you have to cultivate that new interest to go work? Remember that companies often look for well-rounded people to employ and diving into working too soon may prevent you from having fun and learning more about yourself.

Are you currently in college and looking for an internship? If you are already in the working world, when did you start looking for one? I'd love to hear your stories below!

xx
Catch you next time.

4/15/2015

A New Tradition?

For those of you who have been following me for a while (or who actually know me in real life), you know that I always find a way to spend time with/support my best friends. Last Saturday, Em and I went to see Theatre Geek portray Lord Farquaad in Shrek The Musical, put on by Desert Stages Theatre.



Now I have never watched the musical on Netflix (though many people have sworn they would eventually get me to do so), but I love the movie. When I was younger, I made my parents buy the VHS tape. It's weird to think that VHS tapes are now dated references - I'm starting to feel old!

It's starting to seem like a new tradition is forming - Theatre Geek lands a role in an awesome musical and I drag Em along to watch the musical and surprise him (this time I remembered the flowers!). It makes me really happy to see my "big brother" do what he loves and I sincerely hope *fingers crossed* that this is just the beginning.

Shameless Plug: If you are in the Scottsdale area, or will be in the Scottsdale area, any weekend between now and May 10th, you can go see this awesome musical! The cast is really energetic and fun to watch - if you go, you'll be in for quite the treat!

Normally, I wouldn't post pictures from the performance, but his costume was just too funny (with the wig, I hardly recognized him at first!), some of the pictures turned out really well, and I really want to encourage any of you who can go to go see it! Enjoy some of these funny candids I got of him!




After the show, I took Em for her first time at Cane's and admittedly I slightly embarrassed her by getting someone to take our picture because we hadn't been able to take one at the theatre (bad lighting!).



Have you been out to a theatre lately? What have some of your favorite performances been?

xx
Catch you next time.

4/13/2015

Going 10 for 10: MTV Movie Awards Style Favorites

Late Sunday nights/early Monday mornings, we meet again. This time, it's not wholly my fault though - the MTV Movie Awards were on! I *sobs* wasn't able to watch the whole awards show, but I was able to watch some of my favorite celebrities walk the red carpet!

I love so many of the different awards shows, and trust me, I love formal gowns, but I also really love how the MTV Movie Awards are a little more playful and relaxed in comparison. I thought I'd share some of my favorites since I haven't done a "Going 10 for 10" post in a while. So, here we go!

*These are not in any ranked order, simply listed.*

1. Katie Stevens - Too Classy, Too Cute.


2. Holland Roden - Very Different, Much Love, Wow.


3. Victoria Justice - Disco-Chic.


4. Cara Delevingne - How Could She Deny Being a Model?!


5. Scarlett Johansson - Scarlett's Always Classy.


6. Bella Thorne - Playful Peacock?


7. Rebel Wilson - Pink. Cape.


8. Tinashe - Bold and Beautiful.


9. Nat Wolff - Because Nat Wolff.


10. Robert Downey, Jr. - Generation Award



So these were some of my favorites, but who were yours?

xx
Catch you next time.



*All photos via Getty Images*

4/10/2015

A Night With the Arizona Coyotes

Last Saturday, some of my favorite graduating brothers and I headed off to Glendale for a presentation on the business side of the Arizona Coyotes and had the fabulous opportunity of staying to watch the game against the San Jose Sharks!

It was so much fun getting to meet different members of the Ticket Sales, Public Relations, and Marketing departments and learn about their day-to-day activities.








It was so much fun spending time with some of my favorites who *sob* are graduating and leaving to go take on the world in their amazing jobs! These three (pictured above and below) are all amazing individuals who are going to change the world, I just know it. Love you guys!




Absolutely loved getting to spend some time with my friend from Rotaract, Nicole! She has such an amazing spirit and energy about her, and though we are both often super busy, we are very lucky to find time to spend together, especially at awesome events like these!


Do you watch any sports or enjoy going to sporting events? What is your favorite sport to watch?

xx
Catch you next time.

4/08/2015

Dressometry Dress Giveaway


I. Love. Dresses. A few months ago, my friend Liz introduced me to Dressometry, an awesome website designed to help girls find just the dress they are looking for! If you haven't checked it out already, I strongly suggest you go check it out along with their dress designer - you figure out what you want on the dress and it will help you find one that you'll love!

Anyways, I was procrastinating some homework by perusing their website a few days ago and found out that they are having a dress giveaway - how cool is that?! You can enter the giveaway here - there's only five tasks so it's super easy and you have the chance to win a dress!

The giveaway is currently going on right now and stays open until 5pm Eastern on Monday, April 13th! This is such a cool giveaway, and it doesn't hurt to enter, so good luck!


Which dress are you eyeing? I'm loving that green one in the middle!

xx
Catch you next time.

4/06/2015

Hoppy Easter 2015 Recap

Hoppy Easter! He is Risen!

Hope you had an amazing day! Late Saturday night right after the hockey game (post to come!), I drove home to surprise my family for Easter. I was only able to get a few hours of sleep before I had to unpack my winter clothes and get ready for Easter Mass and brunch!

After brunch, we passed by Wal-Mart on the way home to pick up a few things before I hopped back into my car and drove back down to Tempe and caught the tail-end of a meeting for my Fraternity!


I brought home my black Jacks for my mom to match with her outfit and I got to wear my new pair with my favorite blue scallop sun dress (I also wore it to the Barrett Tea)!


How was your Easter? Did you spend time with family? Do anything fun?

xx
Catch you next time.

4/01/2015

Happy April!

Well, well, well, the beautiful Spring month we have all been waiting for is here - Happy April!

While I love the spirit and enthusiasm in April Fool's Day, I'm more of a person who waits to watch or hear the stories, rather than the person instigating the pranks (though for the record, I have pulled a prank or two of my own!). Sadly, I haven't seen or heard about any epic pranks pulled lately, but I did have an interesting day so I thought I'd share some bits here!


How pretty are these flowers? I found them when I was just doing some of my regular campus wandering and thought they were a a perfect embodiment of the Spring feeling!


Voting is super important, whether it be in a national election or even a school one! Exercising your right to vote is an important part of being a responsible citizen, whenever you vote, please remember to learn about all platforms and make an informed decision!


So today has been a bit of a rough day (and it's not ending until very late tonight!), but finding out one of the restaurants on campus near the business school has Nutella crepes, I knew this day was headed back up the hump.

How did you day go? Did you get pranked? What is your favorite part about April?

xx
Catch you next time.

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