Ambitions, Goals, Plans, Nerves...

First off, 

Happy Tuesday!

This is the time of year, if you are in school,

where you freak out!

Yay!

Finals are here and you are nervous.

But this year is different for me.

I have been home-schooled all my life.

I started online public school during middle school

and continued through high school.

I also took a little longer because I did it at a 

slower rate. I'm just not good at understanding.

Anyway I'm at the point of deciding what to do next.

The obvious is continue to college in my town.

It went from a community college to a state 

college in the last couple of years so I know

that is where I want to go.

The next part was deciding what to do....

I wanted to be in law enforcement from the age of 12- 16.

The FBI more accurately, but the more I thought about it

 the more I realized I wanted to stay close

to family and that wouldn't be an option.

I decided to finish High School get a two year degree 

and go from there.

That is when things changed again.

My sister opened a business in the fall of 2014 

and asked me to work the reception area.

I have always been good with people and 

pick up on things quickly. 

And I like technology. 

My parents liked the idea because I could

do school at the desk if it was slow.

 And the first few months were

 but now we are at full speed.

I love it.

 I've mentioned I loved my job a few times

but it is meant for me.

I like the scheduling and helping people.

The taking care of information, filing, sorting. 

Everything. 

But I also know that it will not make me happy

to work at the front desk all my life.

So pro I found something I love and 

Con I want to expand on it.

So I am going to get a business management degree 

and either run this location or open a new one 

in the future. 

I can see myself flourishing in this work style and 

am finally excited about getting started on the future.

Now I just have to convince to introverted side of me

to go to college and start classes.

It is a scary first step for someone who has never had the 

"traditional" class experience. 

Wish me luck!

By -J

Positive Rewards

I'm a person who is motivated by rewards.

I will do something, but I'm more likely to finish 

on time and happier if I have a reward.

Here is where this idea gets tricky

How you reward your self can 

help or harm. 

For instance when we are little our 

parents were more than willing 

t0 reward us with food.

Cookies are a personal favorite.

But when life gets crazy and less time 

is spent running around with friends 

our body starts to rebel. 

Start making good habits and 

reward yourself accordingly. 

Biting your nails?

give yourself a time line 

When you reach the end go get your nails done.

Procrastinating with school?

When ALL the homework is done

play a game or watch something

(don't give up on sleep easily)

Made it to the gym?

Buy yourself a new shirt or shoes, book or bag, 

or new headband to rock at the gym.

Don't skip meals

choose something lighter

Don't stay up all night

go to bed the problems will be there tomorrow

Don't rely on energy drinks 

or diet pills.

I know it is easy said than done

but when you fight for your goal 

the reward is so much better.

You can do it!

Reach out to friends they might be struggling 

just as much, they might need someone to help 

push them to accomplish their goals. 

By -J

Over My Head

I think I just jumped in over my head.

Big time.

I teach a small youth group on Wednesday nights at my church.

I mean small. 

Not only is my group small we don't have a lot of youth in the church.

I presented them with the idea of 

doing some fundraising to collect money for 

Operation Christmas Child.

We decided to try and complete 100 boxes at $22 a box.

That is $2,200 

by November. 

I'm getting nervous and think I may have jumped in 

Not a light step a full Cannon Ball into the deep end. 

My first step was to panic and than write a proposal to my 

pastor with plans and ideas. 

That was a good step now I just have to get my church on board.

Wish me luck.

When you make a decision  to do something crazy or 

out of your comfort zone. 

Make a list, write it down,

Then go and talk with someone you trust and respect.

If they think you need to step back and

 look at the bigger picture, do it. 

If they agree with you than take that leap!

And make sure to take pictures on your way up!

By -J 

Celebrities

Celebrities.

I hope you don't expect me to ooh and ahh 

over them. 

Okay maybe some but I was thinking 

about listing some of the crazy things 

people do to meet them.

I follow some TV stars on twitter 

because its a cool way to look into 

who they are as a person and not as 

character on a show I watch.

Arrow on the CW starring 

Stephen Amell 

is an example that brought this to mind today.

The character has a saying in the first 

two seasons that becomes his trade mark.

"You have failed this city"

Amell retweeted a couple of interesting things today.

A video of a man driving while saying the catch phrase.

A man who shot out his eye with a nail gun

volunteering to be the new one-eyed character,

Someone wants to invite him to their wedding,

how fast can he run?

But that is just what people say during a Q&A period.

What about what people say when they try and defend 

their favorite celebrity?

I've seen some nasty stuff on the internet when the 

press or paparazzi attack an actor.

The fans go ballistic, in some ways its nice to see 

people defending others but we might want to rethink how we do it.

Or the people that post inappropriate comments or 

photo shopped pictures.    

The internet is crazy...

I wonder if anyone was given an opportunity

and backed away because of all the crazy surrounding 

celebrities.

We've become so connected we feel like we really know them. through social media and Q&A and all those things, 

we feel as if we could actually talk to them.

But really we see the "good behavior".

You know when you were little and you knew you behaved differently in public than at home.

It's the same thing.  

Besides most people freak out 

when they meet a celebrity.

In further news my parents asked me these questions.

They are on a college entrance exam and 

the majority of people only knew the last one.

#1 Who won the civil war?

#2 Who was the leading general of the colonies during the 

Revolutionary war?

#3  Wh0 is the current Vice president of the USA?

#4 Who is Brad Pit married to?

Comment your answers!

P.S i got them all right.

By -J

Experiment #1

The most views on the blog are for 

my no Netflix for a week/ Slump post.

So I should assume that the trying something

different or stepping out of the norm 

is appealing for people to read about?

Does a question mark even belong there? ^

Okay here are some things I'm working on since 

you seem soooo excited to read about me...

(are you catching the sarcasm)

That needed a ? didn't it?

Too many ?'s !

Anyway......

1. I'm trying to grow out my nails 

but I'm a picker so its not going well.

If I do leave them alone long enough

I am rewarding myself with my first 

manicure!

2. I'm trying to whiten my teeth.

(Yeah, this is so exciting..)

I started using Crest 3D whitening products

although I do see some difference, 

not enough to recommend the product.

3. My hair.

My hair was this great blonde when I was little.

But I colored it just a little in the winter time 

and now I'm pretty sure I have black hair 

under the blonde from a box.

Its not even a good blonde

and I color it at home.

I can hear the hairdresser cringing.

So I am experimenting with different shades, 

I might even try and highlight it.

4. Not getting into debt.

DO YOU KNOW HOW EASY IT IS TO SPEND

MONEY??!!

So easy. Which means I'm working

 to save as well as spend.

Not a great plan

 but it is keeping me from exploding.

 I'll scale back to more saving soon.

5. I'm working on making acquaintances.

I have some good friends 

but I would like to know more people.  

I like to hear about people doing cool things 

and making changes in the world.

I want that. I want to people and be 

someone who makes a change. 

I guess this just sums up to wanting to improve myself.

Not for anybody but me.

I get dressed up for me, I workout for me.

It makes me feel better. 

Which is really important when society thinks we need to constantly be told how bad or good we look in the eye of society. 

Guess what, 

I look hella fine. To me.

By -J 

Yeah this was just a long diary entry basically.

My apologies, I will try harder tomorrow. 

Selfie Time

Okay, this post will contain

 several selfies of my face. 

Just thought I'd let you know.

I've put together some tips on selfie taking.

To start lets review some things.

You probably won't look like a movie star.

Mostly because they have professionals

doing their set up. 

And you won't look like a Kardashian

 because those photos are retouched.

This Could Be How Celebrities

 Are Altering Their Instagram Photos

 Some actual things you can do are as follows.

Lets start with a bad one 

Dull right?

The angle is okay but nothing pops out 

and the blank expression is not helping.

Lets try again 

Angles are important.

Find what works for you,

A little shy? Play with showing your fantastic mane

and jewelry and hide the face a little. 

I also added some lipstick to add some POP!

Another one 

 Boring! No expression leaves you sad looking.

I guess we can move onto quality.

I love my Iphone 5s but the rear camera isn't 

fantastic.

Even with a smile you can tell the quality is bad.

Use the front facing camera. 

If you can't reach the touch button on the screen 

to snap your selfie, use the volume buttons. 

Okay now lighting

dark can hide,

but it can also make you look strange.

(I couldn't find a dark place) 

try and have the light shine on your face.

and don't have the light right behind you in the picture 

The mirror selfie can be cute, 

but avoid unwanted objects in the background 

and make sure the mirror is clean

Pull a funny face if you feel awkward.

 Notice the refrigerator?

 Not cool.

Add a few friends

Every selfie is better when you make it an us-ie.

Have Fun!

By -J 

Bonus Round 

If you have snapchat 

there is this crazy thing you can do!

Step 1.open snapchat and take a picture

Step 2. type an emoji 

Step 3. tap the T symbol to center the text

Step 4. Adjust the size of the emoji

Step 5. optional to add an filter or crop out the

snapchat options 

finished product.

The Easter bunny wants his chocolate back.

Today

Its all about me today.

Just kidding, I'm sure 

if I ramble enough I'll discover something

to share with you.

If you look at my search history for today on 

google or Pinterest you will find this:

"Free pillow cartoon"

"Free sleeping bag cartoon"

"Sleepover cartoon"

"Pajama cartoon"

"pj cartoon"

"Pj party cartoon"

"Free pj party cartoon"

I was trying to make a poster/sign 

for the preschool spring recital that is 

themed "Pajama Party"

Let me clarify just in case you misunderstood.

I do not 

A. Go to preschool

B. have children in preschool

C. work in a preschool 

and yet here I am 

making a sign for it. 

Actually the church I go to and 

run the media/sound for, 

 has a preschool which is run 

by my Pastor's wife. 

I think. 

Anyway since I have the programs to 

project in the sanctuary with the computer

and equipment I was asked to do it.

But now it looks like I was creeping on 

Pajama Parties.

I think I could make a point that 

you don't have to say yes to 

everything someone asks.

But I like the people I say yes to

and it gets me to do things, 

Because as we have discussed before I am

a terrible procrastinator. 

(Yet somehow I can spell that word off 

the tip of the top of my head.)

I'll save the story of that phrase for another day.

Happy Thursday!

By -J 

What do you always say yes to?

So I Cut My Hair

Yeah not a good idea to give me scissors at night.

Or at all, really.

Well the other night I was in the mood 

for a change and my bangs needed to be trimmed.

This I do myself because 

I'm not going once a month to have 

my bangs trimmed for $20.

I got a little crazy with the split ends trimming 

and thought "why not trim a few inches"

I took five inches off.

And I'm not really good at cutting hair.

Anyway it made me think 

that I should look into tutorials on giving yourself 

a little trim between salon visits.

So here is what I found.

You have to old fashion put it in a ponytail, 

hang up-side-down and chop.

Its supposed to give you layered hair.

Be advised that it will always fall shorter than 

you think. Trust me on that one. :)

Supposedly Beyonce cuts her own hair.

Next you have the very technical way to layer

How to cut layers

 This video is long but help full in giving a 

visual at layering.

But its not helpful for cutting yourself.

You can't see the back of your head. 

Keep looking....

This blog showed us how to 

nicely cut swoop or side bangs.

How to cut side bangs

 I cut my side bangs along the line of my eyebrow.

Either way works. 

Surprising the most helpful for

 cutting your own hair came from 

WikiHow

Cut-Your-Own-Hair

For men and women.

So either you are Beyonce and you just know,

you have two professionals.

You cut upside down and hope for the best.

You convince a friend to let you do hers.

You just trim it slightly and

 wait for the professional

Or go for it and try it all.

Like my mom says

"It's hair, it will grow back"

Probably why I cut mine at age 4.

Here is a picture of me today.

I love my bangs.

You can't see my

 "just past the shoulder length" hair

But I like it :)

By -J

Happy Tax day!

Make a Difference

It has been a week! Can you believe it?

I feel like it flew by, while I just waited.

Last Thursday I wrote about being in a slump 

and renewed the topic yesterday. 

One week without Netflix!
Last night I finished my 7th book of the week. 
I love to read so getting back to that was 
amazing.

I feel like everyday brings something new.
I will go back to watching on Netflix
but I will also be careful not to spend everyday 
binge watching.

I know that my time and energy have been put
to good use this week.
I do have to clean my house because my
parents are coming back from a trip today
and my room is a mess.
But I've spent time with people
which just reminds me how 
important people and experiences are.
Living your own life and not someone elses.
I feel like I'm ranting so I'll finish up.

I started a blog to uplift and encourage. 

I'm not sure people have even read it but 

I know that I have changed having 

put it down on paper as they say.

I may not have encouraged or uplifted anyone but myself, 
But it was worth it just to feel this good.

By -J
Todays quote comes from brainyquote.com

"Think for yourselves and
 let others enjoy the privileged to do so, too."
Voltaire

The Slump Part 2

I am going to assume you did not read part 1.

Shame on you, really you should be ashamed you did not read my rant on how my life is in a slump

(I hope my sarcasm is being conveyed)

Netflix.

Need I say more? 

On Tuesday Netflix US posted on Twitter that 

"Netflix members have watched 10 billion hours last quarter"

I think I may be responsible for 1/5 of that. 

I love my Netflix. 

But as I said in The Slump post (have your read it yet?

I felt in a rut last week. 

Mundane, lifeless, dull were the words that came to mind when I thought of my past days. 

I lived vicariously through TV characters with the 

chance at experiences and adventures. 

I really like mystery and sassy leading ladies, 

Funny best friends and quirky family members. 

Blood pumping sports and cultural meals.

But I was done with just watching

I wanted to live a life full of

 my own quirky characters and funny best friends.

I want to be the hardworking and sassy leading lady.

I gave up Netflix for the week. 

Although I picked up reading again

(Like 7 books in the last 6 days)

I think I've done a better job of living my life instead of watching fictional characters play out theirs. 

Have I done something crazy like 

kiss a stranger in an elevator?

No because that is weird an very unsanitary.

But I have spent more time talking 

with friends and family. 

Had some Thai food, 

Finished a math class, 

Went to Seaworld with my Nieces and Nephews,

Started blogging again and 

making plans to get things done. 

I even went to the gym....

Which says something.

Am I out of the Slump? 

Not quite but its progress.

By -J

"Today is the Tomorrow, 

we worried about Yesterday"

Tutorials Gone Wrong

First things first. I am terrible at following through.

Example: I was supposed to take one of three finals for a math class last Thursday but I didn't feel like it so I didn't.

So on Friday I told myself to just sit down and do it after work. Than I volunteered to work the afternoon/evening and "didn't have time"

So I did them on Saturday instead of going to the beach,

I'm slow to do but quick to celebrate. 

I went to Seaworld on Monday to celebrate finishing the worst class ever!

Anyway I'm bad at follow through.

More examples. 

I was going to show how to make a cute cake for my Mom's birthday but I ran late, had to leave for a class and the only picture I took was this one. 

Nice shot of the pans right?

Then I was going to tutorial this hair do

Or this one

Lets just say I can do my hair I just can't take pictures during.

Then I was going to tell you all about how I made these adorable bunny cupcakes for Easter.

Before....

After....

And that is about it.

I also gave up Netflix for the week so my brain is

 re-calibrating.

Maybe now my class is done I can schedule some time.

By -J

What activities can you never seem to get a handle on?