Where Should I Be In Life?

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Where should I be in life?

Hmm... I am going to take a wild guess here and say that I am probably not the only person who asks myself this question, or something quite similar, often enough for it to be something constantly itching at the back of my head.

I find it extremely frustrating that I'm in my early twenties and I already find myself feeling like I missed my chance to make something of my life. And I know I am not alone.

I'm blaming that, on societies habit of burning expectations into our minds throughout our childhood and teen-hood, about what life should be after high school.

Although some still follow those expectations and are happy with the outcome, and live life day to day knowing that they are where they should be, some of us (many of us) haven't followed those set plans and don't know where to go from here.

Some of us didn't graduate high school and jump right into college because we knew what career path we wanted, and were ready to learn how to get there. Then there is also the some of us that did go right to college, not because we knew what we wanted but because we thought that we were supposed to, and it didn't last long.

And now many of us are left with a fear that everything we try, might take us back to this same place.

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We may not know where we want to go, but we know where we don't want to be.
We don't want to live nine to five workday lives. We don't want to come home from work, eat dinner, watch television, go to bed and then wake up the next day and repeat.

I am slowly discovering that this is okay.

 It is okay for me to not know what I want to be when I grow up at the ripe old age of 20. And oddly enough, I find that when I am talking to the ones who hounded me in my late teens trying to find out what I wanted to go to college for and what my plans were for the future, are the same people who, when I tell them I am still unsure of where exactly I am going, say to me "That's okay, you're still young!"

And they are right.

We are young.

We have so much life ahead of us. Like I said, this is something I am still learning. But, just because you haven't already had an abundance of success, doesn't mean you never will (read this article). So instead of stressing about maybe's and maybe not's, let's just live.

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I know I want to travel. That's the one thing that I know about myself. And I am going to try my hardest to do little things to get there. I wont make the huge decision of choosing a career and getting glued to that path for the rest of my life. For right now, I am going to do the things that I know make me happy.

I'm going to write more. I am going to start filming and editing videos even if I never post them anywhere. I am going to work and earn money so that I can travel. I am going to better my mental health. I am going to take more risks.

And I am confident that eventually, I will come across something that sparks a fire in me. Something that will bring happiness to my life, and that I will enjoy doing.

I don't care where I should be in life. All I care about is where I am now and working towards where ever the hell I am going.


Love Always,
Mari

How To Save Money - Three Day Rule

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I recently came across an article on Facebook about a way to save money. 

I am definitely not the best with saving money; although I have gotten much better at it, if I do say so myself. So whenever I see something that gives me ideas on how to improve my spending/saving habits, I take the opportunity to look into it.

However, I find that I tend to get a little annoyed with a lot of the articles and/or videos on how to cut back spending and rack up saving. This is usually because they tend to turn out being ads for the online surveys that pay you and all the other possibly-true ways to make extra cash that I just don't trust. 

I was very excited when I came across this one and discovered it wasn't that at all.

This article talks about the "Three Day Rule" which is, when you see something that you want to purchase, wait three days before you buy it and, if after three days, you still want it just as bad as you did the first day, make that purchase. 

Another rule that the writer gave herself was that, if its something you can only use once "(coffee, fast food, shots at the bar)" she wouldn't buy it. 

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When I think of impulse buying, I think of buying very expensive items just because. Saying f*ck it and dropping lots of cash all at once and regretting it later.

But for me, and most others, impulse buying is more like going to target and buying 3 or 4 items from the $5 & under section every time. And then stopping at Starbucks on the way out because it looked good. 

All of this adds up... quickly. 

So I have decided to try the "Three Day Rule" and see if I can lower my useless spending.

We can all use a little bit of extra cash!

Love Always, 

Mari

Delicious Pudding Trifle

If you've read my "About Me" page you will know that I am an Independent Pampered Chef Consultant. If you haven't, now you know. 

Being a PC consultant, I make lots of food... I practice recipes to demonstrate at parties and I film videos of me cooking for online parties. 

I recently filmed a video making Pampered Chef's Cookies & Cream Pudding Triffle and decided I had to share it with the world! 

This recipe is not of my own invention. 

What you'll need:

4 bananas, peeled

1 lb of fresh strawberries, with the stems removed

1/2 lemon

1 pkg mini oreos (I used regular sized & double stuffed)

1 box (4.2 oz) cookies 'n creme or instant vanilla pudding & pie filling

1/2 cup water

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

1 pkg (12 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed

1/4 cup chocolate flavored syrup

Optional:

Whipped cream, maraschino cherries, dry roasted peanuts, additional chocolate syrup

First you want to start off with slicing the strawberries and bananas. Pampered Chef has this awesome product called the Quick Slice which makes this step 10x easier! After you do this, place the fruits in separate bowls.

Next, juice the lemon and toss 1 tbsp of the juice with the banana slices to prevent browning. You can use Pampered Chef's nifty Citrus Press to juice the lemon which makes it easier and much less messy than squeezing it with your bare hands. And I used their Measuring Spoon Set to measure out 1 tbsp of juice. 

Then you want to finely process 10 (five if you're using regular sized like I did) of the cookies. The Manual Food Processor, which is one of my very favorite's works perfect for this. 

Next, in a large mixing bowl, stir together the pudding mix, water, and sweetened condensed milk. And fold in the whipped topping and chopped cookies. 

Now to assemble! Spoon half of the pudding mixture into the Trifle Bowl, top it with half each of the cookies, bananas and strawberries. Then repeat the layers.

Just before serving, drizzle with chocolate and any other topping you picked!

You can find this recipe and so many delicious other's in their 2016 Fall/Winter Season's Best Cookbook (for only $2.00!) 

I hope you guys try this because I can't express how delicious this sweet treat is and creates such a large serving that everyone can have some! I'm going to go eat some more of my own... :)

Love Always,

Mari

We Should Talk About It...

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For anyone who doesn't know-i.e. anyone who hasn't read any of my other blog posts-I suffer from anxiety.
It's not uncommon to come across a person who is affected by anxiety now a days, and with this it is becoming more common to talk about it; I like this. 

Anxiety-like any other kind of mental illness-is a real thing and just like all other illnesses, I believe it is important to talk about mental disorders as much as we can. By openly talking about them, we are bringing awareness to these problems and helping people understand them better.

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I used to completely avoid talking about my anxiety what-so-ever because I was so incredibly scared that people would think that I was making it up or that they would tell me that its all in my head (which I still get a lot of).
But that's the thing with anxiety; it is all in my head and I know it! That's part of the reason it's so hard to deal with, because while I'm having an anxiety attack, I know that it's in my head and there is no reason to be anxious but my mind won't stop running.

It usually goes something like this:

1.) Something triggers my anxiety. (It can literally be almost anything.)

2.) I try my hardest to ignore the unsettling feeling growing inside my stomach, and that I'm having trouble breathing.

3.) Then my mind fixates on these, and I realize what is happening; therefore, in an attempt not to let myself panic, I begin to panic about the fact that I am starting to panic. (Silly, I know.)

4.) Then-most times than not-these feelings begin to take over and I have some kind of anxiety or panic attack. All the while I am trying my hardest to calm down, knowing I am in no sort of danger in any way.

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Anxiety is frustrating and vicious. I am well aware that my loved ones get tired of helping me through it sometimes, and I don't blame them. I get tired of it as well. It frustrates me more than it possibly could any of them, so I understand.

But something that you need to understand if you are a loved one of someone who suffers from anxiety; they need you. We need you. We need the support of the people we love. 

Mind you, everyone is different. Mental illnesses, including anxiety, effect everyone differently.

 Some people wear it so well, that you can't see it. You have to look beyond the surface and watch for the smallest signs. 

Others don't hide it at all; they let it consume them and you can spot it a mile away. 

Some people like to be left alone, and given space when this happens. 

Others need to be held, to feel safe and immensely loved.

 And some are right in the middle; they need your attention, to know that you care and are ready to do whatever they need, but require breathing room. 

Everyone is different.

I'm not saying I'm any kind of expert on anxiety in any way. I'm just taking this opportunity to tell anyone who's willing to listen [well, read] what I have learned in my years of dealing with my own anxiety. 

And I have learned that the only way to really be able to recognize when your loved one is having some kind of attack and how to respond to it in a way that helps them, is to ask. It may be uncomfortable at first, but it will make things so much easier for the both of you.You will know how to help them and they will get the help they need.

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Moral of the story is, learning about mental illnesses especially when you or someone you love are affected by them, is incredibly beneficial to everyone in the mix. 

I have learned an abundance of new things about my anxiety since I started reading more about it. Living with it, and around it, is much easier when you are educated.

I hope this helped you understand a little more about anxiety.
And if not, I hope you had a nice read!

Love Always,
Mari!

Should I Post It?

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I have spent lots of time, over the last two and a half years, stressing over what I am going to write on this blog. This blog, that I have had since 2014 and still don't completely 'understand'.

I feel as though I am still 'getting to know' my own blog. 

By this I mean, that even though I know that I want the general theme of this [center for my only public-and not anonymous-writing] to be lifestyle, I'm not exactly sure how I want to achieve that. This causes me to remain in a constant battle of "should I post's". Never knowing if what I think of writing about, is anything worth writing. 

And all of this has seemed to do nothing but add more stress to my anxious life, and I have decided that I am done allowing it to eat at my mind; as it does nearly constantly.

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So, with this decision comes my new strategy; just do it. No more endlessly searching through lists of blog-post ideas. And dreaming of beautiful pictures that I just can't seem to take with my mediocre camera.
Instead I will do things more productive that help me ahead of time. Like keeping a journal to jot down writing ideas when they come to me, and using stock photos when I can't seem to get the perfect picture I had envisioned.

I guess we will see how all of this works in due time. But I'm hoping that I can get into the habit of sticking around on here, I presume it will help my positivity. I always get a good, productive feeling when I write for my blog, I need more of that.

Love Always,
Mari

Back Home

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Hello!

Happy new year everyone!

So... remember way back when I said I was moving to Georgia? Well that happened! Yep, we (my girlfriend Abby and I) moved 1,000 miles from home... But it didn't last very long. 

Oh man! Didn't see that coming did you? That's okay if you did. A lot people knew we would be coming back home, and if I'm being honest, I think that I did too. 

The biggest problem that we faced was finding jobs. We couldn't find work, as the town we moved to was quite small, which meant we didn't have money to help out our roommates with bills and such. 

However, this didn't stop me. I was willing to try my hardest to find employment and make it work on my own. But Abby became more and more unhappy and eventually I realized that maybe it wasn't our time. That we had made a mistake and we should head home.

So reluctantly, not wanting to have to hear the I-told-you-so's or have to move back under my mothers roof and feel so incredibly dependent, I packed my bags. I didn't want to have to come back home where everything was familiar and predictable. I didn't want to leave my start-all-over opportunity. I didn't want to go back to square one in my travels. But I did. Because I love my girlfriend and I wanted to see her happy again, and I know that everything happens for a reason.

We failed! And that's totally okay. When we came home, I didn't hear one single "I told you so..." not even from the people who told me "It's going to be hard!" and "You're making a mistake!". 

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Instead, I heard lots of "At least you tried."

And I know that even though it didn't work out, and even though I am back to square one, I still tried! I stopped everything and moved 1,000 miles from home with my girlfriend without any help. I took a chance, that taught me so many things, and provided me with so many new memories. Not everyone can say that. 

I'm happy that I failed, and came home. 

I'm happy that I tried. 

Lots of Love,

Mari!

Heading South...?

Hello World!

So... I believe that in past blog posts, I have mentioned a bit about wanting to travel and eventually possibly moving out of state. Well, until recently I had no set plan for as how I was going to start this, or when. 

Back in June, I took a trip to Virginia Beach for a friends wedding and while I was there, she and her now husband invited me and my best friend, who also happens to be my girlfriend, to move with them to Georgia! 

They had mentioned it a lot before we had gotten to VB but I was very hesitant considering, I hadn't met them until I came down for their wedding. (If you're confused as to why I want to a "strangers" wedding, it's because for my girlfriend, those were her best friends.) After meeting them I realized that they were amazing people and within the first couple of hours being down there, I agreed that moving to Georgia with them would be a fun experience and a good opportunity to start traveling. 

I have never been to Georgia, and neither has my girlfriend-Abby, but I am so excited to see where this takes us. I know that it's going to be hard at first, being so far away from home and all of my friends. As well as, I am sure that my anxiety is going to be through the roof for a bit but I am ready to work on it every bit that I can. 

I'm going to miss little things, like sitting on my couch at the end of the day with my mom and watching Modern Family. I'll miss my dog being hyper and annoying me like crazy (he is currently trying to drink my coffee) whilst still being the cutest pup ever! And my fat cat who was my only pet, and my whole world, for about 9 years. I will miss work because I finally have a job that I absolutely love and work with people that I love just as much. I will miss seeing my friends and having the greatest time in the world with them and knowing that if I need them, they are a text and a short drive away. And most of all, I will miss laughing with my mom. My mom is a very stressed woman and sometimes she goes a whole day without smiling and it breaks my heart when that happens. But the days that I can get her to laugh with me, even for twenty minutes, are some of the best.

But being away will help me to appreciate these things, and I am sure many more. It will help me to look forward to them when I visit home or when people come to visit me. 

So, in a little less than a month, we are going to be moving over 1,000 miles south. We will be driving about 14 hours from New York to Georgia and we have no clue what is on the way! If anybody has suggestions on fun places to stop on this longest-road-trip-we've-ever-taken they would be wonderfully appreciated!

I'm hoping to see some pretty cool places, because well I mean... Isn't that what road trips are for? But I think we should probably find out where on this journey these hidden treasures are, before we leave so that we aren't wondering... Should we have made a stop back there? Or... Is this really a good place to rest or is there some place cooler up ahead?

Please do let me know, if you know of any interesting places along the way!

Lots of Love,

Mari!

It's Been A While...

Hello!

As you can tell, if you take a very very quick little scroll down my blog, my last post was a "Goodbye 2015" post and we are now heading into the eighth month of 2016. I know what you're thinking- Great job Mari, you've really kept up with things quite well, haven't you? 

Okay, so maybe not exactly that...

I wish I could say that I tried, but we all know that I'd be lying. Over the past eight months I have let the hectic tendencies of a nineteen-year-old-girl's everyday life get in the way of my tendencies to do the little things that I love. Little things like writing. 

I cannot express how much I have missed writing, in fact I think about it everyday. But one of the other things I have been missing, or rather--lacking, is my confidence. It seems to be something I left behind in 2016. If you haven't already guessed (considering, here I am, finally writing again) I have actually been working on regaining my confidence in not just my writing but, in all aspects of my life, as it is definitely something that I think every living person is entitled to and should be encouraged to have. I've learned confidence is quite an important quality to have, for your own mental health.

Throughout the course of this year so far, I have gone new places, met new people and learned new things. I know, a lot of new! 

I went to Virginia Beach for the first time ever and it was so much fun! I absolutely love sea water and don't live anywhere close to a sea shore, so when I go somewhere that I can easily access the ocean, I am absolutely thrilled to jump right in. Literally. Is it just me, or is the sea actually warmer than lakes and pools? Because it can take me hours to get into one of those, but when it comes to the ocean... It takes about a minute and I'm under! 

While I was there I met so many new friends and connected with them immediately. Even though I was only there for four days, I really bonded with them and I'm missing them like crazy! 

I have been and still am continuously learning about my anxiety and how it works. While discovering new things about myself everyday.

I have also done things that aren't so new, but more like traditions. 

This year made my fourth year in a row going camping with one of my best friends and her family! 

I have things planned for the near future and am looking forward to writing about them and sharing them with all who want to read! How has everyone else's 2016 been going? We can think of this as a Just-Past-Half-Way-Through-The-Year Share Post. Tell me about your year so far, and what you have planned for the rest of it!

Lots of Love,

Mari!

(A photo from my camping trip that's on my instagram)

Goodbye 2015!

Hello lovelies!

This year, for some odd reason, I have not been feeling very festive! I began feeling festive around the time of Thanksgiving, but that's about as far as my spirit got. I still don't feel like Christmas has even happened yet. I'm not sure if maybe it's because there was no snow for the holidays this year, or maybe because I was away at school leading up to them that got me all goofed up. Either way, I cannot believe its already New Years Eve!

2015 was a fairly good year for me, and I hope it was the same, if not better for you. It holds some of the best memories I've ever made and some of the worst. But all-in-all it was definitely a year of change, growth and learning for me. 

Many things changed in my life and I can't really categorize any of them under good or bad because like everything we go through, there are positives and negatives and lessons learned. Some of the lessons I learned this year are; 

1. It's okay to say no. 

2. It's okay to say yes. 

3. It's okay to feel. In fact you must feel and address your problems rather than push them all away, or else they will build up and explode. 

4. Things are going to come to an end but that's part of life. 

5. New things will begin. 

6. You will be okay. 

One thing that really had an impact on me this year was my anxiety. It seems to have come to an all-time high in the past few months but I have been learning how to deal with it and accept help. After trying to ignore my anxiety for six years, it feels much nicer to finally face it and let it happen and find ways to fix it, rather than shove it under the rug and pretend its not eating me from the inside. 

In 2015 I made many discoveries within myself and stepped out of my comfort zone in a lot of ways. In some ways its hard to say goodbye to 2015 and the memories and milestone-passings it holds, but I am proud of the things I have accomplished and am ready to step into 2016 with an open mind and to continue moving forward and making positive changes in my life and doing things to help myself be a happier, healthier me. 

So, farewell 2015! It's been a pleasure. 

Lots of Love,

Mari! 

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Update!

Hello!

It has once again been quite a while since I have made an appearance here. 

I find that I've made more than one "update" post thanks to being absent for a long period of time due to one reason or another. The reason this time? College. 

I've recently been having less and less time on my hands between classes and school work and trying to spend time with friends. It seems the only down time I have had, has been spent on watching Netflix, endlessly (and mindlessly) scrolling through Tumblr, or sleeping. So yes, I would say that when I'm not being productive, I'm still being quite productive (okay maybe not exactly). 

In the past three months (goodness, I feel like it was just yesterday that I was packing up for college) that I have been gone from my blog, I have been trying not to be too hard on myself about keeping up with things here because I simply do not need to allow myself to stress over anything other than school right now. But I have missed writing for the pleasure of just writing, so I am back. Although I have once again decided not to try and keep to a schedule because that may be a little too tricky for me at the time being. 

I will be writing when I can and that will be as often as possible, which will hopefully be quite often (we'll see how that goes). 

I guess that's all for my quick little update!

Lots of Love,

Marissa!

College Is Coming... Quickly!

So, I'm quite certain that I've mentioned this once or twice before, but as I am now a senior in high school, I will be starting my first year of college in the fall! And it is quickly approaching! I feel like just yesterday I was a freshman eager to get through high school, and now it's practically over!

I am currently in the stage of my college process where I am picking a roommate, and if thats not extremely nerve wracking... then I don't know what is! 

Picking the person I am going to live with for the next year of my life is so scary yet so exciting at the same time! Me and this person could end up absolutely despising each other! Or we could end up the best of friends. And it's that uncertainty, of which way this will go, that makes me so anxious about it!

Not to mention the fact that so many people don't give you any type of contact information or personal bio to tell you about themselves! 

I just wrote my personal bio today and I included little bits about my sleeping habits and things I like to do in my spare time. I assured everyone who reads it that if they want to contact me, they are completely free to! I think that's important. I kept it short and sweet. Hopefully it will strike somebodies fancy! 

If you've already gone through this, are going through this now, or one day will, let me know some of your worries you have or had! 

Lots of Love,

Mari!

Art

I love art. It's a beautiful thing isn't it?

I have never been that amazing at art, but I've always wanted to do it. Although my fear of being less than notable has stopped me from trying many times.

I go to an arts school and I was talking to an art teacher the other day and I told him about my predicament. He told me that "Nobody is born an amazing artist. You have to work and practice to get good." And I guess that spoke to me because I decided to try.

I started yesterday with painting with watercolor because watercolor is one of my favorite ways to paint. I think that it always looks so beautiful. I actually was quite satisfied with some of the things that I did. 

The moral of the story, or rather this post, is that if there is something you have always loved and wanted to do but fear that you aren't good enough, do it. Practice it. Be okay with being 'bad' because eventually you will get good.

Lots of Love,

Mari 

On The Bright Side - Stress Relief!

Hello lovely people!

Lately I have been very stressed, mainly about things that have to do with money (who would have guessed?), like the expenses of prom and college and getting my car on the road. 

As I am someone who constantly stresses over every little thing, which I believe to be the reason for my beloved chronic migraines, I have gotten quite used to the wonderful feeling of being stressed. But I am human, and sometimes it gets to be a bit too much. So I am always trying to find new ways to "de-stress". 

Yesterday I spent some time with a friend of mine. She is one of my longest friends and knows me almost as well as I know myself. She gave me the idea of making two lists, one would be titled "Whats Wrong" and the other "On The Bright Side".

We both made our own lists together and I found that it was quite beneficial. It opened my eyes to all of the positives behind my problems, big or small. I liked that I was finding these positives on my own, rather than someone showing them to me. It also motivated me to try and fix some of those obstacles that were causing me so much stress. 

I highly suggest that anybody who is feeling stressed to the max, or even stressed at all, try this technique. Even if there is no plain and clear bright side to your problem, you can simply point out the fact that, if you work hard enough you can overcome this. 

These lists aren't just for people who are stressed out. You can use them for anything. Maybe you're in one of those funks where you just feel helpless and unmotivated, I'm sure this would help tons with something like that also! This is a very general technique jsut to help you feel better. 

Lots of Love,
Mari! 

Trip to Florida!

Hello lovely people!

I am back from my wonderful week long trip to Orlando, Florida! As happy as I am to be home, sleeping in my own bed and no longer living from a suitcase, I miss the warm weather! The winter here has been brutal this year (as it has been in many places) and that short lived feeling of summer was something I didn't want to have to let go of.

I did not bring my laptop with me which is why I didn't post anything while I was there. I just wanted to spend as much time as I could with my cousin (I was visiting her for the week as well as vacationing). 

The trip was so much fun and much different than my prior visits to Orlando. This is because those other visits were solely trips to Disney World. This time we stayed in my cousins apartment rather than a Disney Resort Hotel, and we had two cars for transportation rather than none. 

(crappy phone picture I got on the plane on the way down there. you can also find this picture on my instagram!)

We spent the beginning of the week mostly in water, going to places like Wet n' Wild water park and Wekiwa Springs. I have always been a fish out of water so if you give me some to swim in, I can go for hours, which is what I did.

Friday was our shopping day in which we went to an outlet mall. I love a great deal and my-oh-my did they have some great deals there. I even got a new Victorias Secret bra for only twenty dollars! (Rather than the usual fifty or sixty dollars.)

We went to the beach on Saturday and that was my first time ever swimming in the ocean! I was on cloud nine. They had to practically drag me from the water when it was time to go. 

(me in front of the Hogwarts Express! you can also find this on my instagram!)

Since I found out I was going to Florida, I talked about how badly I wanted to go to Universal Studios, specifically for Harry Potter World. But I knew the tickets cost a lot of money and it probably wouldn't work out for us to go there. They told me we weren't going to make it there and instead we were going to Sea World which I accepted because I understood and figured that there would come a day when I could finally go! 

On Sunday they surprised me in telling me that we were actually going to Universal and I cried! Some of you are probably judging me for crying, but I am an emotional person and I was so happy that I couldn't help it! It's not like I sobbed... 

(the Magic Kingdom castle!)

We finished the week off with going to three of the Disney World parks (Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios) which was fun but nothing like my first two visits there. I decided that the only way to truly get the full Disney experience, you have to stay in one of the resorts, everything becomes so much more magical that way. 

~

This trip was so much fun and I wish I could keep reliving it! One thing I realized is that I was right all along. Something that I need to do in my life is travel. I have always said that I want so badly to go new places and get out of here. This trip gave me the tiniest taste of that and showed me that I'm correct. 

I can't wait to see the world someday.

Lots of Love,

Mari!

My True Hello

Hello lovelies!

I made a post a very long time ago (my first post actually) explaining my motives in creating this blog. That post is no longer available, as it is also no longer relevant. Because since then, my motives have changed. 

I no longer want to be a low budget beauty blogger because frankly, I don't care much about beauty any longer. This doesn't mean I wont ever post anything to do with beauty, I still enjoy makeup and hair products, but those things are not my focus. 

My focus is helping people, sharing thoughts and connecting with those who want to read what I have to say here. 

~

Writing is something that I have thoroughly enjoyed all my life. As a child I used to write books about my friends and I (although I never actually finished one). I dreamt to one day publish a best selling book that would pull readers into another world that they longed to be a part of.

 I long thought that I would one day make a difference in someones life with the things I wrote. Even if it was a change as simple as helping them realize their love for fruit. Okay, bad example I know, but the point is, I dreamed that I would be able to help people by doing my favorite thing, writing.

This dream that my child-self dreamt of is still something that I wish to someday do.

 So I decided to create this blog in the hope that somebody, somewhere in the world might someday come across it and receive some form of help from me, whether its as uncomplicated as overcoming boredom or as complex as gaining a new light in the way they see the world around them.  

On this blog I will be sharing a variety of things including thoughts, adventures, and opinions. This is a place where want us to be able to communicate and share things with each other. 

~

 With luck, you will take something from the things I write, or maybe you will take nothing at all, but in the end I hope you enjoy the things I post here whether they be moving, informative, hopeful, helpful, negative, positive, simple, extravagant, organized or completely random. And hopefully we can be friends and share thoughts.

Lots of Love,
Mari!

The Future Is Bright!

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Hello Lovelies!

Of recent, my anxiety has been a little higher than usual. It's been quite annoying, as it has been leaving me in a much more groggy and unmotivated mood than I am normally in. But no worries, I am trying my hardest to get back on track as, life is going to continue to happen despite how I am feeling. 

Part of the reason I have been feeling so much more anxious recently is because, I believe, of the many things I am planning and the new adventures I'm going to be starting soon! 

The first 'new adventure' I am going to be going on is not so much as an adventure but a milestone I will be passing. This month I am going to be turning eighteen, which is crazy! I am finding it hard to grasp the idea that I am going to, finally, be legal so soon. 

 In April I am going to Florida to visit my cousin! I am so excited to be able to see my cousin as I am very close to her and miss her since she moved a couple of months ago. And I'm also pumped to just be going to Florida! I haven't been there since 2012 and I only went to Disney World then, so I like that I will actually be able to explore more of the state! 

I'm also FINALLY taking my drivers license test! (It's about time, considering I have had my permit for two years now!)

But above all, I think that the biggest adventure I am going to be going on very soon (this fall to be exact), is college! Gahhh! I'm thrilled and incredibly anxious at the same time! As I have never moved from home yet, this will be the first time and it's extremely daunting to think about. Though don't get me wrong, as I stated previously, I'm still very enlivened at this thought. I have already started making a list of things to bring with me for my dorm, and I can't stop watching college preparation videos on YouTube! You could say that I'm a bit obsessed with planning for it!

Despite all of my recent anxiety, I keep trying to remind myself that the future is bright! I'm going on many new adventures and I am not going to let anxiety get the best of me.

Do you have anything exciting or nerve wracking coming up? Leave a comment telling me about it! I would love to hear!

Lots of Love,

Mari! 

Harry Potter!!

Hello lovelies!!

I hope you have enjoyed this first month of 2015 and that it was a wonderful way for you to kick off the new year!

So today I am going to talk about something near and dear to my heart. But first, I want to say that I am aware of how extremely late I am on this bandwagon! I deeply regret my negligence of Harry Potter in the past, but I am proud to say that I am finally finding out for myself what all the hullabaloo is about.

When I was younger, my father and brother would sometimes watch the Harry Potter movies and I would absolutely hate it. Even as I got older, I never liked them.

By the time I was a Freshmen in high school I had attempted to read the books twice, but they didn't interest me. Then finally, in either October or November of 2014, I was sitting in my friends house while she was doing homework. I looked over at her collection of books and knowing she had all seven Harry Potter books, I decided I would start reading the first one.

I was hooked in seconds.

I guess every other attempt at reading these books didn't work because it wasn't my time yet. Maybe I just wasn't ready for all the literary magic that these books held (see what I did there? hehe!). 

After that day, I kept borrowing the books from her until I got my own set for Christmas (Yay!!). I am now almost done with "Goblet Of Fire", the fourth book for those who don't know. I can't wait to finish reading them all but at the same time I don't want them to be done! I'm also very excited to finish so that I can watch all of the movies! I got those for Christmas also but I want to wait until I'm finished reading the series to watch them.

Tell me, how do you like the Harry Potter series? Are you a die hard fan, like many people I know? Do you hate them? Or are you just kinda in between?

Hopefully I'm not the only one who made the mistake of waiting so long to embrace the wonderful world of Harry Potter!

With Lots and Lots of Love,

Mari!

A New Year Is Here!

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Hello Lovlies!

2015 is upon us! A new year is here and this means its time to start our resolutions! Unless you you are somebody who doesn't do resolutions. Maybe you do goals? Or maybe you just continue living as if nothing is new. Either way, Happy New Year!!

I'm going to share with you my goals/resolutions for 2015! (Now that I've finally had the time to sit down and finish this darn post!)

I'm going to start off with my "health" goals. The first one is a rather odd goal to have, but it's something I think would be fun to try, because I presume it could be beneficial to my health... Anyway! Let's get into them!

1. Drink at least one smoothie every day for a month. (Yeah, not sure when I'm going to do this, but I want to at some point.)

2. Eat less processed, junk and fast food. 

3. Wait twenty minutes before going back for seconds when eating. 

4. Run at least once a week. (Also walk more.)

5. Run a marathon. 

Now for goals that steer away from my physical health...

6. Do nothing but build others up and cheer them on.

7. Do not dislike anyone unless they give you a legitimate reason to. (I have a habit of seeing people and assuming I'm supposed to not like them, then proceeding to find stupid little reasons not to like them.)

8. Love unconditionally. (I need to do more of this.)

9. Find the positives in everything.

10. Write more. Write everything. (I absolutely love writing. But I hardly ever do because all my thoughts get jumbled up and I essentially have too much to write about or don't know where to start.)

Well, there they are; my 2015 resolutions/goals. I'm quite excited to see how well I do in fulfilling them, I think I can achieve something here! My new years resolution last year was to be happy. Just to let myself smile and laugh as much as I could and although I didn't do perfectly, I definitely improved on the happiness scale. So I'm very proud of myself there, and I'm hoping to be proud of myself at the end of this year.

Let me know what some of your goals are in the comments!

With Lots and Lots of Love,
Marissa! <3

Traveling to The Big Apple!

(You probably don't need me to tell you but, this is Times Square)

I hope this past week and weekend was wonderful for you and Happy Monday! 

As you may know, if you read my last blog post which you can find here, I went to NYC last weekend (Dec. 5-7)! It was my second time in the city and it was honestly, so much better than my first trip! We did so much more and this time I was with some of my best friends and people that I've known since I was in diapers. It was just wonderful!

First I would like to say, please excuse my camera-phone-quality pictures. I know they're not the greatest but I didn't trust myself running around NYC with a good camera in my hand, so I relied on my iPhone! 

I went with 50 people from my dance studio! We took a bus, which four unfortunate strangers had to share with us. It was a bit loud on the bus due to the fact that about 30 of the 50 people we went with, were under the age of nineteen. 

On the first night, we went to Radio City Music Hall where we had a tour of the building, at the end of which, we met a Rockette!!!! (That was so awesome).  Then split into groups and had two hours to do what we wanted before we had to be back for the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular; my group went shopping in Times Square.

Of course, me being a big sap, I got a bit teary-eyed watching the Rockettes. They were so amazing! Any dancer would probably agree with me that it would be a dream to be on that stage and to have the talent that those women do!

On the second day we got a tour of the city, which was cut short because we had to make it to our dance classes at Broadway Dance Center, but nonetheless it was quite cool to learn so many things about the city that never sleeps! 

(An awkward panorama I got of Grand Central Station where the side of my friends face appears to be floating in midair. Oops!)

One thing that I was super pumped for was Grand Central Station because that, like many other places in The Big Apple, are in so many movies that I have seen and it was cool to finally see it for myself. I also thoroughly enjoyed the 911 memorial. I have wanted to see it for a long time and am pleased that I was finally able to. 

The two images above are pictures of the memorials where the twin towers once stood.

This is a picture of The Survivor Tree. You can learn about it here.

After the tour, we took our dance classes. We had one group one that all of the dancers, and one of the teachers, took. This was taught by the amazing Ellenore Scott who was in the top four of So You Think You Can Dance season six and an All-Star on season eight. It was such an honor to be able to meet her and take a class with her. She was such a genuinely sweet person who made us feel so comfortable and unjudged. 

After that class we had the option to take more classes if we wanted to. I took a "funky jazz" class with some of my friends. It was very fun and I loved the combination we learned! But by that time I was tired and starving so I was over it! 

A lot of the girls and I then shopped for the rest of the night while some people went to see Broadway shows.

On Sunday we shopped and shopped some more. There were two groups of girls that took more dances classes and after those we got on the bus and headed home!

I really enjoy going to visit The Big Apple, but like many other people say, I would never be able to live there! There's too many people and buildings and not enough nature! I don't mind visiting quite frequently, but I'm definitely not a city girl! 

(A sunny photo I got of Times Square on Sunday, which was the only day it was sunny and not raining!) 

With Lots and Lots of Love,

Marissa! <3