A Case of the Mondays.

I feel like that should read "A BAD Case of the Mondays," but then that is just far too pessimistic. But oh boy, today is one of those days. I'm in the Monday slump. I'm taking a nose dive for a bad rut. I've dealt with this vicious cycle before, so now I'm here to tell you about what I am doing to fight it.

First of all, let me tell you what this Monday slump has consisted of.

1. Slept until 10:11. Something I never do. I usually set my alarm so that I don't feel as though I have wasted my day.

2. Ate a doughnut and a brownie (I'm obviously a health freak.) Then I hit the couch, Snapchatted my bestie, and checked Facebook and Instagram obsessively.

3. Amazingly, got off the couch to shower. I'm wearing the coziest clothes in my closest; an over-sized sweater and leggings. HEAVEN.

4. Hung up laundry and sorted briefly through the clothes that I have to take to Value Village.

5. Talked with my Dad during his lunch break, took pictures of my dog begging while sitting in a chair at the dining room table.

6. Hit the couch and cuddled with my corgi and took a half hour nap.

Obviously, it's one of those days. It feels like it's autumn here in Washington. Which makes me feel glum much like this weather. Shouldn't it make me excited? Autumn is a fun time of year when we all go back to school and have new hope and goals of how we promise to do well this year. Yes, I am one of those students that promises to study for two hours a day. The sad part is, I get a day like this and that routine is thrown out of the window.

I am the type of person that must, absolutely MUST stick to a kind of routine for my day everyday. The day that I break routine is the day that I will no longer have a routine for weeks. I did not even have the energy to wash my face today.

SO, what do I do about this lack-of-motivation-Monday? I firmly believe that everything is based off of perspective. It is like the glass is either half empty or the glass is half full. On days like this, I have to remind myself of things that on other days I usually don't have to. I have plenty of insecurities. One of them was pointed out to me while I was on Snapchat... My dang acne. All summer it has been GREAT, so clear, barely any big bright red spots. Well, I have a huge ugly red blemish in the middle of my right cheek. Snapchat doesn't do any of the bad spots justice, in fact it makes them worse. Whenever my insecurities are screaming in my face at me, I just tell myself, "you're beautiful, even when you don't feel like it, you're beautiful. You're insecurities make them who you are, so rock them."

Honestly, I am my own worst enemy. I think what I need to do is prepare myself for days like this. It definitely is not sunny outside today, but there is beauty everywhere. In fact, the sun is still shining even when it's overcast. These are my ideas on how to beat the bad case of the Mondays.

1. Listen to good music. Currently I am listening to Passenger, it's good for the writing flow, but I have also been listening to The Script, Mumford & Sons, and Lana Del Rey. Music fixes everything.

2. Have a comfort beverage. Tea, coffee, hot coco, cider, or a smoothie. In fact, I think after I post this, I am going to go up to Jamba Juice to break in the new gift card I got.

3. Read a good book. Even though you aren't doing something necessarily hands on productive like building something, you are letting yourself relax on the couch under a blanket, your mind gets to wander, and maybe you'll get inspired to do something after you finish the book. Anyways, there is nothing like the after reading a great book accomplished feeling!

4. Go for a walk. Of course this is if the weather is permitting. Walking is so good for you, you get to stretch your legs, you can clear your head, and get in touch with nature. It's the good stuff.

5. Make something! There is nothing better than being getting a compliment on something cool in your house and saying "Hey thanks, I made it!" I do a lot of DIY stuff... Pinterest is my best friend. A lot of the decorations in my bedroom are things that I have made. My room is a mix of everything that makes up who I am throughout my entire life. I get compliments on it too, so it makes me feel good.

6. Clear your head. This is something that I am bad at on my blah kind of days. I let everything get to me. I will be the first to admit I need to improve this one. Truly, clearing your head is the best thing you can do for yourself. If it means having to write things down, or just telling the negative Nancy voice in your head to shut up, you just have to clear your head.

7. SMILE. "The worst trick the devil ever played was convincing women looked better with their makeup." -Macklemore. I am using that quote because I am a firm believer that a smile is the best makeup you can wear. Smiling makes you just feel better. Also, it makes you look so beautiful.

Lastly, I will leave you with this two links that will hopefully make you smile.

My home, the Jaw Dropping Beautiful Pacific Northwest.
If you don't say "Aw", well then I don't know what to say... 

~Always,
Just a girl, trying to take on the world.

The Key Is Confidence

Fresh out of high school, and trying to take on the world. It's a pretty confident statement, right. Well, that's my situation. I just graduated in June, and the only thing I can do is take on the world. As of June 15th, my high school graduation day, I was on top of the world. My family from across the country was with me, I had just graduated, I had great friends with me all day, I had my future planned out perfectly and I had my first true love with me. It seemed that the only way to go was up.  In less than two weeks, the being on top of the world feeling came crumbling down. The first true love, well, he was gone. I had just returned from my Hawaii trip, and suddenly, my confidence was gone. I am not trying to say that I was in an unhealthy relationship with him that made me center my life around him. He truly was my first love, and I would give anything for him or to be with him, he was the one that I was able to talk about as though he put the stars in the sky. Imagine having to watch that walk out of your life and be unable to do anything about it? It is pretty tough. Loosing him was maybe a wake up call. It messed with me, and it taught me to see the glass as half full every single day, even on the darkest of days.

Many days were spent crying. I felt as though I couldn't even look through my house without seeing a reminder of him. It was much like the song "Goodbye Town" by Lady Antebellum. Honestly, that has become one of my favorite songs now, and it makes me want to leave this town. Looking back on it though, I hate that for the entire month of July was spent missing him. A part of me wants to redo that, but in retrospect, I don't regret that because I was finding who I am as I put the pieces back together. In August, there is an amazing meteor shower. Of course, Murphy's Law, Western Washington was cloudy that night. But I couldn't help but to wish I could be with him. I was so sad and moody that night, it was hard to talk to my parents. The next morning, I made a decision...

I was no longer going to let my sad feelings about him hold me back from the fun I could be having. I was no longer going to dwell on the what if's and the how it would be if he was still here's. Truly, it has been the best decision I have made in a while. Not going to lie, it's really difficult some days. But we crumble, and as we get to put the pieces together, we are building a masterpiece.

Confidence is key. I have started doing things that are just for me kind of things. I set my alarm in the morning with a cheerful song. It has been "Miracle Mile" by Cold War Kids for most of the summer. That way, I wake up to something cheerful everyday. I spend a lot of my time writing, not just for this blog, but for stories that I am working on for myself, I spend a lot of my time outside in the sun, and I am focusing on myself and my dreams. I start my day with a smile on my face and a positive thought in my mind. Every day is a new adventure. Every day is a new opportunity to find myself just a little bit more. For the first time in a very long time, I no longer am longing to have some kind of attachment to somebody. Also, when I feel defeated for whatever reason, I blast a song really loud to shut the rest of the world out. Some of the best songs for that are "Girl On Fire" by Alicia Keys and "Brave" by Sarah Barellies. "Girl On Fire" makes me feel like I can do absolutely anything, and I truly can take on the world. "Brave" makes me feel as though I can say how I feel and maybe see a change just from a few words that I say, it makes me feel that I can make a difference. I cannot wait to face the new adventure, every single day. From here on out, the glass is always half full.

Also, I feel as though this mindset is very fitting for living in the Pacific Northwest. We have many cloudy days, and I know that the dreadful cloudy weather is coming. But the truth is, even on a cloudy day, the sun is still shining. So now even when I feel like I am about to crumble and fall to pieces, I will just stand up straight and smile bright, because confidence is key.
~Always,
Just a girl, trying to take on the world.

An Advenutre in the Emerald City

Today was such a great day. It was a day I got to live up to what I have recently been talking about. I got to be a bit of a free spirit in the wonderful Emerald City with my best friend Beckie. Our morning started off with a 6:30 wake up call. Which mind you, that is like death when all summer you have been sleeping until at least 9... Usually much later. But for what was in store today, it was completely worth it.

We started off heading to the train station by 7:45 to take the last train headed up to Seattle. Little did I know, Beckie hadn't taken the train to Seattle before. Today was full of firsts for her, which made this trip all the more fun.

Headed up to Seattle via the Sounder Train! 

So we got off the train, not knowing the bus system whatsoever. Which was just a little bit embarrassing. So we decided to walk through the city, rather than spend our money on bus fare that may not take us to where we wanted to be. It worked out well because we got to walk along the waterfront on the pier early this morning, nothing was open until about 10:00 anyways. So we had a bit of fun hanging out at the pier as we worked our way further north to reach Pike's Place Market.

So we continued walking, breathing in the wonderful scent of fish and saltwater. Mind you, I do not enjoy seafood, but the smell of being by the water is incomparable. But I was very hungry since I had not yet ate breakfast. I was in the coffee capitol of the world, so I was determined to find a coffee shop. We stopped at the first coffee shop we found which was about three blocks south from Pike's Place. It was a whole in the wall little shop, no indoor seating, but it was perfect. It smelled delightful, and it definitely hit the spot for my need of a coffee and a turnover. It was simply name Coffee & Specialty Bakery.

Now we finally made it to Pike's Place! I described the smell of this lovely place as one that is distinct, but not an essence that you would want to bottle up. Pike's Place Market is the home to plenty of vendors and shops. Most everything you will find on Pike's Place is all locally made or grown from Washington. It's great. Also, Pike's Place Market is home to the very first Starbucks. It was Beckie's first time visiting the first Starbucks. I was so tempted to have them call out "Hermione Granger" when they called for my drink, then I would yell out "Gryfindor!" But, I was too lame. Though I thought of it. Until next time...

Something else that I really enjoy about Pike's Place are the neat things you find in every nook and cranny you can imagine. You just have to look. though some of them are more obvious. Some can only be described in pictures. Others are harder to be pictured, such a the pig hoof prints that are in the sidewalk through metal. Also there are some neat quotes you can find in metal on the sidewalk. "I have always known that at last I would take this road. But yesterday I did not know that would be today."

Graffiti on a trash bin at Pike's. Very sarcastic, I imagine...

This Sasquatch can be found in the Atrium of Pike's. 

The funniest sign for restrooms I have ever seen.

And this pig. It's actually a piggy bank. It's famous.

And this is how they tell you which bathroom to go to. Chromosomes!!! 

Aside from coffee and rain, Seattle is also famous for possibly the nastiest alley way one could ever imagine. Well, that may be an exaggeration, but brace yourselves, germ-o-phobes. Beneath Pike's Place Market is the Gum Wall. Layers, and layers and layers of gum are piled on top of each other. Of course Beckie and I had to add to the wall. It was Beckie's first time visiting the Gum Wall. So this made it all the more fun.

Now we decided that we had had enough of Pike's Place Market. We came, we went, and we conquered. We were off to Westlake Center... If we could navigate our way around Seattle. We had to ask a bus driver how to get up to Westlake Center. It's a good thing we did or else we would have gone in the wrong direction. We stopped at a McDonald's to get wi-fi and rest our feet. We got the chance to help a couple of Japanese foreign exchange students find their way to Pike's Place. Then we went to a two story Ross store, and we headed up to Westlake Center to eat Chinese food in the food court. After we ate our lunch, we searched for the Forever 21 and Victoria Secret. Of course, girly stuff. We had to ask a concierge at the gorgeous Seattle Westin Hotel for directions to a Forever 21 and Victoria Secret, also to find the fastest way back to King's Street Station. We were able to find the Forever 21, which was great to go to all three floors, then we tried to find the Victoria Secret, but we failed. We got quite turned around to get to the bus tunnel, and when we finally did, we both decided that Seattle needs a better rapid transit system. Finally, we got onto our bus to King's Street Station, after we confirmed with the driver that it would indeed take us where we needed to be. She called us out on the intercom "Ladies, this is your King's Street Station stop," as we approached the stop, causing every bus passenger to look at us. But hey, it was better than ending up stranded in Seattle. Finally, after a very fun day in Seattle, we boarded the train and headed home. It was quite an adventure. By the way, I only paid $8.50 for my transportation, not bad at all! These kind of day trips are the kind that I treasure, and I hope to be able to do more of. It as such an adventure!

~Always,
Just a girl, trying to take on the world.

Exhausted on the train back from Seattle. What a great day!

With the gorgeous $5 flowers I got at Pike's!

It Is YOUR Adventure

I am eighteen years old, fresh out of high school, and ready to take on the world. Well, honestly at eighteen, I don't know how ready you can be for what life throws at you. I promise you, you will surely crumble at one time or another. It is after you crumble that you really learn what you are made of. Believe me, I've crumbled. I don't know if it was the worst I will crumble in my life, but I know now that when something comes my way, I will be able to put the pieces together easier. I crumbled because I had to watch someone who I thought would be a part of my life until the day I died walk away by his choice, and it broke my heart. I don't regret a single part of that chapter of my life though, it made me who I am now. The biggest truth is, this is my life. This is my adventure. 

Tonight after dinner, my Dad and I went over to his friend's house. It was the first time I had met his friend and his wife. I did not expect to be there for nearly two and half hours talking and playing with their adorable dog. They both are very kind people who you can talk to very easily. My Dad started talking to his friend about fishing, and I started talking to his friend's wife about all kinds of things. Not going to lie, this conversation got me excited. At first it was just about how my summer has been, my travels, participating in 4-H and the state fair that takes place in our city, we talked about where she worked, and then we talked about my plans for the future.

My goal is to finish my Associates of the Arts this year, and then transfer to a four year university. I want to go to St. Martin's University in Lacey, Washington. I plan to study Elementary Education and become endorsed in biology and English. I also want to minor in creative writing. That's a lot, huh? Well, there's more.


It turned out the woman I had been talking to had traveled a lot when she was younger. She told me she had been to Holland, Kenya, Peru, and London. She also had been all over the country. Pretty fantastic, right? Well I then shared with her that I want to spend a semester in London, and another semester in Dublin. I also would enjoy being in a program like Teachers for America or Teachers Without Borders. I think it would very fulfilling to spread your talent and knowledge in a way that those programs offer. Well, throughout this conversation, the greatest advice I got was to go adventuring. She said to me "girls need to adventure, they need to have fun and see places. Don't be tied down."

Suddenly, something that I had been pondering for a whiled dawned on me...

I do not want to be tied down. This is something I have been dealing with figuring out for quite a few weeks now. A part of me is so comfortable where I am at. I love the idea of staying where I am. I love my home. I love how I know so many people here. It is so comforting. Also, I love the scenery here. Believe you me, I could go on for days about the way the mountains jet up into the air, and the tall green trees contrast perfectly against the blue sky, and the rivers that pool into lakes but all the water finds its way back to the ocean. It's magical to me. Plus, I live in the only state in the continental US that has a rainforest. Bragging rights! But, another part of me is so ready to spread my wings and fly. Maybe I wouldn't leave Washington, but maybe a new city. Lacey seems perfect. But I don't want to be tied down. I believe that if I was tied down, I would get restless. I would start wondering what I could have if I was not tied down. I have been the girl that would run to commitment. Less than three months ago, I thought that I had met the person I would spend my life with, and all seemed perfect. I know how exciting that feeling truly is. But I think I want to see more of life before I know for sure if I really am ready to settle down.

My big point is, this is my adventure. No one else can have this adventure. And I think that is pretty fricken awesome if you ask me. I don't want anything or anybody in life to make me feel small. You only get one life. Life is for living, so live it up, or else you might as well be dead, right? I feel really inspired to just go out and live this life. Nothing can bring me down. I've crumbled to pieces, life does that to you. I don't want to spend my nights crying myself to sleep again because I was scared that I had lost the one person who made me never feel alone. Yes, I did lose him. But maybe it's just for now. I don't know. And as scary as the unknown is, it is also crazy exciting. My biggest advice, is to go adventuring while you can. Before your time runs out and you are tied down and have to worry about bills, or the kids, or work, or making sure dinner is on the table before your husband gets home, go adventuring. You have plenty of time to be settled down and have other things to get stressed over. Now is your time to adventure. I know I use the word adventure a lot. I probably wear it out, but I cannot emphasis it enough. Turn your face to the unknown, take a risk, and just have fun. Besides, who wants to tell your kids boring stories that when you were eighteen, all you did was wait tables at the local diner, or that you were settled down before you even knew what it meant to be a little crazy? I want to be able to tell my kids about the glory days when I was eighteen running around the country, hiking in the Cascade Mountains, walking the streets of Seattle, and meeting new people. This is your life. This is YOUR adventure. Make something of it.
~Always,
Just a girl, trying to take on the world.

P.S. I will share about my day trip adventure to Seattle tomorrow! I am so excited!

'Tis A Gift To be Simple

Summer days come and go so easily, and so quickly. It is rather heartbreaking that summer is only with us for just a fraction of time. Summer is meant to be full of memories, the kind of memories you cherish for the rest of your life.

I am so lucky to say that I have been able to fill my summer with those kinds of memories. I spent a week on Maui with my cousin and we talk everyday about how much we miss being on the island. Then I spent two weeks in North Carolina, getting to experience the slow and laid back lifestyle of a small southern town. Then when I got back, though I was itching to travel again, I was able to stay busy here at home. The Pacific Northwest is thriving with plenty to do all of the time, rain or shine. I was busy preparing to participate in the Pierce County Fair with 4-H. I have been participating in the Fair as a 4-H member for the past 7 years, this year being my last year since I graduated. I like to keep busy, it keeps my thoughts from bottling up and pestering me too much. Speaking of keeping busy, tomorrow I am taking a fun little day trip with my best friend up to Seattle tomorrow, it will be a fun little adventure. Summer is ending far too quickly though.

I love keeping busy, the days that I spend laying on the couch watching television are wasted to me. Those days are saved for the rainy days that I know we will get in the next couple of months. Most of my summer days that I am not traveling are spent laying outside on the back lawn, reading a book, or writing, or playing with my dogs. There are plenty of simple things to be doing when nobody wants to go adventuring. Here are a few ideas; make friendship bracelets, read a good book, write a story, go for a run, go for a bike ride, walk around your town and discover something new, or find a new hobby like photography or painting. Don't spend your days that could be spent in the sun inside watching television or playing xBox.

One of my favorite quotes is "life begins the moment you step outside of your comfort zone." The days we have left of summer are very numbered, my best advice to you is to go outside and have fun. Go adventuring. Life is just another adventure, everyday, waiting to being.
~Always,
Just a girl, trying to take on the world.

I love days like this, the perfect puffy clouds painting the Washington sky.

Today, I spent the afternoon outside reading this great book!

I love being outside!

My biggest weakness, a beautiful day, and coffee.

Thoughts, Thoughts and More Thoughts.

I noticed that my facebook statuses might have been annoying people. I mean, it's summer and they probably just want to go about their day without having to think of any too deep. Which is fine. Though recently, I have had far too much to ponder. A part of me wants to just ask what the meaning of life is, of course I'd get the wonderful comedian of the group to shout out "42!" That person probably would easily be my friend. Who wouldn't love a person with a sense of humor? Honestly, my thoughts have been building up in my head, so I decided I need to share.

Traveling is a passion of mine I would love to pursue someday soon. I want to do it while I am still free and able to to go far away with out feeling bad for leaving someone or something behind. This summer I was lucky enough to be able to see quite a bit of the country. I spent a week visiting family in Hawaii and two weeks visiting my best friend in North Carolina. While in North Carolina, I got the opportunity to go to South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Mind you, I was only in the Appalachians, but it was a fun little road trip. I can now say that I have been to eighteen out of fifty states in my lifetime. After I got back from my two week stay in North Carolina, I admit, I was a bit homesick, (I was longing for Mt. Rainier and the freakishly tall trees that are a part of my home) I was more than ready to get back on the road (or plane) to begin traveling again. I soon picked up a map of the country and I threw a pin at the map. Next summer, if I stick to what the pin told me to do, I will be traveling to Austin, Texas. Along with seeing Boston and hopefully going back to Maui. I wouldn't mind all that traveling. I learned that the more I travel, the wiser I become. Travel is the one thing that you buy that makes you richer. Another part I love about traveling is that every time I return to my home in the Pacific Northwest, I am even more in love with it. Washington summers are the most beautiful I have ever seen. I believe that they are discredited and should be sung about in songs like country singers do about the summers in Georgia. But truly, that is besides the point.

As I was looking at this map, my mind began to wander. The United States of America is such a large country, we are truly so fortunate to live in a country with diverse kinds of land. The map seemed to fascinate me in an extremely exciting way. All on a piece of paper, the country was documented. Showing so many details, rivers, lakes, roads, highways, mountains, valleys and plains, all on one piece of paper. Suddenly, I realized that the map made everything seem so far away. If you were to zoom into the area that you live, it makes a drive that is only five minutes from your house, but on the map it makes it seem so far away. Now, I'm not saying that I could drive all the way from Seattle to Austin, Texas in a day. That would be crazy. But it's not like we can't drive or fly there. It's not like it's across the ocean from us. The world is not actually that big. It is just filled with a lot of people. And by a lot of people, I mean 7,118,279,573 people and we're all crammed into this small and very beautiful world. Crazy, right? Well, I think my point is, the country really isn't that big in comparison to the rest of the world or even other areas. Maps just make every thing seem spread out when they show every single detail, it all seems so far away. But the world is small. I have family and friends that live just half way across the country, on the other side of the country, or half way across the ocean. The maps that we look at just make us seem far away from the ones that we love, but are we actually that far away? How far would you go to be with the ones that you love?

So this was just my big thought of the day. Now don't get me wrong, I love maps. They are beautiful. Maps hold the paths that can easily unlock a new adventure. It's pretty magical. So this is just a little bit of what wanders through my mind. Feel free to ponder this as well.
~Always,
Just a girl, trying to take on the world.