Month: December 2019

Places I’ve Been in 2019 – A Year’s Review

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

If you have been following my blog since the beginning, you would know that my first posts were all about my trip to Europe this summer. Let it be known that even though this year I had a couple big trips and traveled quite a bit, in the past, I’ve never taken more than one trip in a year. There were a lot of different reasons why I traveled so much more this year, and I’ll dive into these reasons when I talk about each destination. Also, as another kind of disclaimer: I know this may not seem like a lot of traveling to some people, and to others it may seem like an insane amount of travel. Whatever your perspective is, just know that I am immensely grateful for every experience I’ve had and for any of the traveling opportunities I’ve taken advantage of.

I’ve always wanted to travel more and see different parts of the country (and the world!), and this year, I actually did. I explored parts of three different countries (technically four if you count Vatican City), going out of the country for the first time. I had a couple weekend trips away from home where I got a taste of independence, and I had an insanely busy summer filled with travel. If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ll recognize most of these- if you’re new, then welcome!

  • Palm Springs, CA (April) – Over spring break of freshman year, my friend invited me to come to Palm Springs with her family for a few days. We stayed in a beautiful Airbnb in La Quinta with a pool with a couple other families (her family friends) and literally just relaxed the whole time. Funnily enough, my favorite memory from the trip was the bike rides my friend and I went on- it wasn’t actually that hot when we were there and the neighborhood was beautiful (and huge!) so we went on a few three-mile rides circling the neighborhood. I really needed the relaxation and quality time with a friend.
  • Paris, France (June) – The beginning of my first trip to a foreign country/first time in Europe, Paris did not disappoint. I had never been out of the country before since my family doesn’t travel often, but my dad had an international Rotary conference in Germany so my mom, my brother, and I planned to meet him afterwards in Paris. Whenever I thought of going to Europe in the past, Paris was my #1 destination. Seeing the Eiffel Tower in person, especially lit up at night, was probably the highlight of my year. The city was absolutely gorgeous and didn’t even feel real; I felt like I was in a storybook. There was some bumps along the road with my dad getting pickpocketed, but I LOVED the city and would love to go back and see more.
  • Sorrento, Italy (June) – This was actually my favorite city in Italy, and it’s not even a city. When we got off the 2-hour flight from Paris into Naples and drove into this beautiful beach town, I knew this was the place for me. It was a perfect few days of relaxing inbetween the bustling cities of Paris and Rome; our hotel was super nice and right in the middle of the main square. The beach was a short walk away and the Mediterranean Sea was so warm and beautiful- the food we ate in this city was probably the best of all too. I would love to return and see the rest of the Amalfi coast- no complaints at all here.
  • Rome, Italy (June) – Actually quite disappointing compared to the expectation I had, but still insanely picturesque. My favorite memory of Rome would either be sitting on the Spanish steps overlooking the square and shops around, or the night that we watched the sunset at a restaurant across from the Colosseum. I felt kind of unsafe in Rome due to the mass amount of scammers on the streets and the sketchy train station, but we didn’t actually have any problems there. Our hotel was amazing and we got upgraded to a suite, so that was nice too.
  • Florence, Italy (June) – A truly immaculate city, it sounds silly but I loved how clean everything was. The Duomo was bigger than I could’ve ever imagined, and seeing Michelangelo and all the other artwork was very cool as well. My favorite part was probably walking down the Ponte Vecchio and going into all of the fancy jewelry stores. I wish we had stayed for another day- our stay here was only two nights.
  • Venice, Italy (June) – Our last stop on the Europe trip, Venice was very different than I imagined it would be. The weather was really bad with lots of rain on our last day so we mainly stayed indoors, but it was beautiful when we came in. Since it’s actually a very small city, I didn’t expect how cramped it would feel. The canals were gorgeous and my highlight of this stop was definitely our gondola ride at sunset. The city just oozes with beautiful historic architecture.
  • Buena Park, CA (Knott’s Berry Farm, July) – Only a week after returning from Europe, I went to Knott’s Berry Farm for four days for cheer camp. We got to spend one day in the park, so that was obviously the highlight; I had never been before and the rides were quite fun- not too intense for me, but still a thrill. This definitely was my least favorite trip of the summer just because cheer camp was brutal, but it was nice to have a change of pace and go to an amusement park.
  • Orange, CA (Chapman University, July) – Continuing the crazy business of my summer, a week after cheer camp I headed off to stay in the Chapman University dorms for four days for yearbook camp with my school yearbook staff. This was surprisingly one of the best memories I have of summer- we were completely independent in the dorms and the camp was a little bit more free-form, so it was a true dorm life experience. The campus was super cute and small so I felt like I knew it like the back of my hand by the time we left. Also, the actual camp was SO much fun and as a newbie to my school’s yearbook staff, I got to know people a lot better.
  • Fresno, CA (November) – I know Fresno’s not exactly a vacation destination, but I went there for the weekend for a Youth and Government conference. The city is definitely…interesting… but I had an amazing time at the conference held in the Fresno Convention Center, and I met so many amazing people from across the state. It made the four-hour bus drive very worth it. It was also another taste of independence since my roomies and I were responsible for getting around to our sessions and everything.
  • Seattle, WA (November) – My mom and I planned a girls’ Seattle trip for Thanksgiving break because we had both always wanted to see the city, and I wanted to visit the University of Washington. We stayed in the center of downtown, right near the Space Needle and the Pike Place Market. We had amazing food everyday and packed so much into the few days we were there, including a full day touring the college. I LOVED the city, but unfortunately did not feel at home at UW. That being said, I absolutely fell in love with Seattle and could totally see myself living there for a job one day.
  • Victoria, British Columbia (November) – My mom and I realized we had a day with nothing planned during our Seattle trip, so we impulsively decided to take a three-hour ferry to Victoria (Canada!) for the day. I’ve always wanted to go to Canada, so now I can say I have. Victoria’s an island and the capital of BC, as well as the “city of gardens” so there’s a ton to do and see there. It was beautiful (must sees are the Fairmont Empress hotel and the Parliamentary Buildings, as well as the Bouchart Gardens thirty minutes away) and it made me want to return and see other beautiful parts of Canada. I wish we had more time to explore Victoria as well.

As you can tell, my 2019 was full of super exciting experiences and I went to so many places that I had never been before and never imagined I would get to visit, especially in one year. This year went by so fast, and sometimes I forget all of these different trips all happened in 2019; so much was packed into this past year. I don’t think I’ll be traveling nearly as much in 2020, but we’ll see! You never know where life will take you. 🙂

-Brooke

The beautiful sunset view from our Airbnb in La Quinta.
The Eiffel Tower at night.
View of the ocean below from a viewpoint on the cliffs in Sorrento.
The Colosseum in a dreamy light near sunset.
The Duomo up close.
Scenic waterfront in Venice as we boarded our gondola.
The famous Valdez Hall where us Youth and Gov kids ate our meals in Fresno.
The Pike Place Market bustling at dinnertime.
The Space Needle from the point of view of a parking lot nearby.
The stunning Parliamentary Building in Victoria.

Why I’m Not Doing High School Cheer Anymore

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

Today I’m going to be fully dissecting a topic that I’ve mentioned in passing on this blog many times: my ultimate decision on whether or not I will be continuing to be a high school cheerleader after this season. This year’s season is not officially over until about halfway through February, but basketball is not nearly as popular of a sport at my school as football, so it already feels like it’s dwindled down. Regardless, now that I’m almost done with my second season as a high school cheerleader, I feel more confident in my feelings about it and the next step for me. As the title of this post suggests, I’ve (VERY carefully) decided that I do not plan on trying out for next year’s cheer season this spring.

Whenever I bring this up to people in conversation, they’re always shocked. I’m not sure if it’s like this at other schools, but at my school, the sports team/major activity (choir, band, Academic Decathlon, journalism/yearbook) you’re involved with is a huge part of your “school persona” (more on why I use this term later). My friends say, “Why don’t you want to do it anymore? Don’t you like it? Don’t you at least want it to show consistency on your college application?”. And they have a point- in the beginning of my freshman year, when I first joined the cheer team, I was obsessed with being on cheer. I wouldn’t shut up about it; it wasn’t because I thought I was cooler than everyone else since I was a cheerleader, it was because I had never been on a sports team or anything similar before cheer.

In fact, one of the main reasons I kept going back and forth about continuing with cheer was how it would reflect on my college applications come senior year. If I continued, I would be on varsity next year (if I made it; all juniors are on varsity), and I could say I’d been in a varsity sport in high school; I could say I’d been committed to a sport for four years in high school as well. Sports are a huge time commitment, and that’s definitely a big component of a lot of high schoolers’ lives and extracurricular commitments. I also thought being a cheerleader specifically might be a “hook” in some way for more prestigious schools, since cheerleaders are often stereotyped as dumb, and schools want diversity/people from all sports and activities that break stereotypes.

Furthermore, I worried about my own self-esteem regarding the decision- would I feel like a quitter? Even though it’s totally my right to decide not to try out again after finishing up this season, I somehow felt like that was a failure in a way. I’m kind of a perfectionist and I’m clearly quite hard on myself, so to stop doing cheer would be to admit that it wasn’t for me and that I couldn’t master it. I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that I don’t want to spend my time trying to “master” cheerleading, and that’s perfectly okay- I can use my time on other things I love, like writing. I think part of the reason I felt so bad about stopping is that I’ve never really stuck to a sport or a major organized activity for more than a year, but I’ve been doing cheer for three years if you count eighth grade. It was one of those situations where you feel like you’ve come so far and don’t want to stop now, but I had to get myself out of that mentality; continuing cheer would hurt me more than help me in the long run.

As far as the reasons I wanted to quit, there were many. First of all, I wasn’t good at cheer, and although that’s not a reason to quit on its own, it made it a lot harder to enjoy the season. At our school, after sideline cheer season is over, there’s a competitive season; even though sidelines season is kind of a joke, competitive season is super intense. I knew I didn’t want to be on the competition team last year, so I didn’t try out. A lot of the girls on my team did, so coming into this year’s season they had a bunch of new skills and were so much stronger- I wasn’t. Second, the coaches didn’t like me. Favoritism is very prevalent in our program, and they pretty much only like the girls who were on the competition team (yes, a lot of them are more skilled, but not everyone- and that’s not the point). Since I wasn’t very good, that exacerbated their frustration with me.

Those last two reasons were fairly minor in my decision-making process, but combined with the bigger reasons I’ll discuss now, there were too many reasons for me to quit, and almost none to stay. One of the main things I was struggling with was that I didn’t feel included on the team, and I wasn’t a fan of the dynamic (partially because of the favoritism). Our team is mainly divided into two parts: a big friend group of girls that has all done cheer together since they were little, and everyone else who joined cheer for other reasons. My best friend was on the team with me, but she had been on the competition team and is super talented, and therefore was more well-liked by everyone- I wasn’t. I always felt like an outsider but I didn’t even want to try to fit in with the other girls because I knew I wouldn’t, and I would just be making a fool out of myself.

Feeling excluded only contributed to my dread over going to practices and games. Cheer, just like any other sport, is a significant time commitment. During football season, between two-hour practices everyday and six-hour game days including travel, I would spend anywhere from 12-15 hours doing cheer per week (more if there were special events like school rallies or performances outside of school). I didn’t have as much time for other activities I had wanted to join or spend more time on (like writing!) and I wasn’t even getting anything out of the experience since I was finding myself hating going to cheer more and more. It felt like a huge waste of my time, and it was hard to know that cheer was the reason I didn’t have time to pursue things I actually enjoy, or at least be more productive/have more time to study/etc. I know these are normal things that come with being in a sport, but that’s the thing- most people in sports either stay in it because they like it or because they’re good at it, ideally both. At this point, I was in neither of those situations.

For these reasons and probably more I’ve forgotten by now, I made up my mind that this cheer season will be my last. Am I scared I made the wrong decision? Of course. Am I worried I’ll end up missing it somehow? Obviously. Am I going to change my mind? I can’t say for sure, but I really don’t think so. The thing that’s helped me is quite a few of my friends have gone through similar experiences with their respective sports this year, and a few of them have even quit already/mid-season. I felt a lot less lonely because of that, and a lot more confident in my decision; I need to do what’s best for me and what will lead me to happiness. And you know what? Even though this season’s not over yet, I feel better already.

One thing I wanted to address that’s not directly related to ending my high school cheer career: my tumbling classes/cheer experiences outside of school. For about two years, I’ve been taking tumbling classes with coaches from the gym that I cheered at in eighth grade. This year, that was structured into one private lesson per week/sometimes every other week with one coach, and a group lesson every week with a different coach. Even though I knew I wouldn’t be continuing cheer, I told myself I wanted to just keep going to tumbling for a little bit and see if it was something I still enjoyed outside of cheer. The last few lessons I went to, I felt unmotivated and I just wanted to get them over with. It was kind of an abrupt decision, but I decided to stop attending tumbling classes as well. It feels really weird not driving to the familiar cheer gym every week, but I honestly don’t really miss it yet. I think it was just time for me to move on.

Since basketball season is going on, I’m getting a little bit of exercise through cheer every week. However, once cheer is over, I will have no structured physical activity in my life. I think it’s super important that I find a replacement form of exercise since it’s important for me to be outside and get my vitamin D, and I still want to stay in shape. This means you can expect some upcoming health/fitness related content!

-Brooke

A Sincere Apology

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

Now that I’ve been back into the swing of daily posting for a week, I wanted to address the two-weekish break that I took from this blog. As I’ve mentioned in my latest posts and my original explanation post about where I’d been, the month of November was an overwhelmingly busy one.

The month started with a three-day weekend and my first official Youth and Government conference, which I originally planned on covering and doing daily posts for just like I did with cheer camp, yearbook camp, and my Europe trip, etc. It ended up being way too busy and hands-on for me to do that, with the days starting at 6am and ending at 11pm.

During the conference/towards the end of the conference, I started to get sick. I had a lot going on at school that week and I assumed it was just a cold, so I tried to power through it and I started the week off like a normal week at school. I kept feeling worse and worse and almost falling asleep in class, taking naps as soon as I got home before I would even start my homework. Naturally, I wasn’t able to blog during this time either. That Thursday, I realized I had a fever and went to the doctor suspecting I had the flu. I tested negative- I just had some random virus and had to rest and wait it out.

I stayed home that Friday and was in bed the whole day. I technically could’ve blogged, but I had to makeup all my schoolwork and homework from the day (which was a LOT because I hadn’t finished my Thursday homework either) and inbetween that, I was just sleeping. My fever finally broke the next morning, so I convinced my mom to follow through with our plans to go to the Post Malone concert. I’m glad I did since it was amazing to see him, but I probably shouldn’t have since I started feeling horrible early into the concert, and we ended up leaving early- go check out my post on that if you want to hear more about it.

I used the next day to recover and returned to school that Monday. I tried to take it easy while still making up the numerous tests and assignments I missed, hoping I would be fully better by the time I left for Seattle that Saturday. I still had remnants of a cough and a runny nose, but I was in good shape when the week was over and my mom and I left on our trip. From the first day of Thanksgiving break until the day after Thanksgiving/the next Friday, my mom and I were in Seattle. I’ve posted a couple times about the trip, you should go check them out if you’re interested! We did everything in the city, from checking out the Pike Place Market and seeing the Space Needle, to touring the University of Washington and taking a ferry to Canada for a day.

We were in Seattle for a full week and each day was jam-packed with a full agenda of sightseeing, good eats, and exploring; I wrote some drafts of blog posts each night and within the plane and ferry rides, but I also had homework to do and nothing ever ended up getting posted during the trip. I had an amazing time and I’m glad I got to be fairly carefree during the week, but I came home to a daunting list of responsibilities and work to do. Beyond that list, I knew I really wanted to finally get back on my blogging game.

I know this sounds like a long list of excuses, but here’s where the apology comes in. I am so sorry for dropping the ball when it comes to producing new content, especially considering all of these things that “prevented” me from posting were and still are exciting and interesting things to write about. I tried to make up for it by reviewing the concert and posting a couple times about Seattle, but I know there’s a few subjects of post ideas that it’s too late to write about now.

I’m not sure why everything came down so hard on me in November, especially because I was convinced it was going to be an amazing month with all the things I had planned (it still was great, don’t get me wrong), but I let myself down and this blog down when it all came down to it. I’m really working on my time management at the moment since I know crazy times like this are bound to happen again in the near future, but I’m glad to get back into the blogging rhythm for now.

Christmas break is only a couple weeks away, and I’ll hopefully have tons of time to write new and exciting posts then! I hope you all accept this apology and understand where I’m coming from. I’m going to give my best effort at not disappearing again and if it’s completely necessary, at least having some measures of being able to put something up in the meantime for you guys.

-Brooke

Bathroom Renovation Part 2: My Bathroom!

BrookeLeave a comment

Welcome back everyone!

A little while ago I posted about the construction going on in my house and how all the bathrooms were getting redone; at the time, only the downstairs bathroom had been finished, so I mainly discussed that bathroom and I put some pictures of it in. A couple weeks ago, my bathroom was finally finished. I apologize for not posting the results until now, but in case anyone was interested- keep reading if you want to see pictures!

I know this is different than the type of content that I usually post, but I thought it would be nice to switch it up and include some more personal life posts. Also, since I enjoy organizing/decorating my room and bathroom, it’s fun to share it. If you guys have any questions about the renovations or where I got something if it’s not mentioned here, just let me know and I’ll do my best to answer.

Sorry about the weird lighting in this picture, I needed to tone it down so that the lights didn’t wash anything out, but now it looks dark.
My bathroom is a jack-and-jill to my brother’s room, so that’s why there’s two doors.

This is a boring picture and kind of a weird view, but I wanted to show the bath rug and that I keep my towel on the back of my door.

The countertop is the same quartz (designed to look like Carrera marble) as the other bathroom, and the floor is vinyl designed to look like wood. The light fixture is from Wayfair, the round bath mat is from Cost Plus World Market, and the square bath mat is from Target. I use a Command strip/hook on the back of my door to hold my towel for now, but my mom ordered a towel bar from Restoration Hardware that will go up soon. The knobs on all of the drawers/cabinets are from Homegoods.

As far as decorations, the framed quote on the wall is a poster from Wayfair framed in a frame from Target. The sequin pillow is from Amazon and the stool it’s on is from Homegoods, the cake-shaped thing is actually the packaging of a Benefit makeup set I got for Christmas last year, and the little vial filled with shells from the beach is from Target. The plate with bath bombs on it is from Homegoods and the actual bath bombs are from LUSH.

I am so thrilled to have a beautiful new bathroom to use! I’m very thankful that my parents decided to renovate the bathrooms, and getting ready has been an even nicer process now- I feel so fancy in the mainly all-white space.

-Brooke

Post Malone Concert: Day in My Life & Review

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

This is long overdue because of my Seattle trip and my sickness the week before that, but I’ve been wanting to write about it since it happened. On November 16th, 2019, I saw Post Malone in concert at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Unfortunately, I was pretty sick at the time; I hadn’t even been blogging that week, and I had a low fever the days leading up to the concert. The actual day of the concert my fever broke, so my mom said we could still go.

I spent the first portion of the day resting up since I still was pretty stuffy and I had a sore throat and cough. In retrospect, it probably wasn’t the best idea for me to go, but it was too late to attempt to resell the tickets and it would’ve been a major waste to just not go. I got the tickets for my birthday in August as my main present from my parents; my mom loves Post Malone and I do too, so she thought it would be fun for us to go together.

I live about two hours away from Anaheim so we knew we would have to leave pretty early, plus we wanted to have dinner near the concert venue. I got ready in a very casual outfit; I previously planned to dress cute, but I was sick and not feeling it- I wore leggings and a hoodie with a t-shirt underneath. My mom and I grabbed snacks and water and set out on the two hour car ride at 3:00pm. We got into Anaheim just before 5:00 and parked in the Honda Center’s parking lot.

There was a casual bar/restaurant across the street from the Honda Center (apologies that I can’t remember the name), so we walked there and got burgers. It was actually pretty good, but I lost my appetite and couldn’t finish. This should’ve been my first sign that I wasn’t in the best shape to be going to a huge concert, but oh well. After dinner, we walked back across the street to the venue. There were a couple places for taking photos set up, so my mom basically forced me to pose. We waited in line and got let into the venue around 6:00.

My mom and I bought waters and then pretty much settled into our seats immediately. They were actually really close up- they weren’t on the floor because my mom knows I don’t love crowds and being super close-up, but we had a great view. The first opener (a guy I didn’t know…sorry!) came on and sang for quite a while, then Swae Lee started his set. I actually really enjoyed Swae Lee…I forgot how many of his songs I knew and liked from a few years ago.

Post Malone finally came on at 10:15 (a lot later than I was expecting, to be honest), and the lights were going crazy and there was a whole display as he started out with Hollywood’s Bleeding. He definitely sounded like he was warming up for the first song, but he sounded great after that. Frankly, I was not feeling too good. It was getting difficult for me to breathe, especially with all the smoke in the air, and I kept coughing.

My mom agreed we could leave after about ten songs, so we ended up leaving close to 11:00. I felt horrible physically, but I also felt really bad about leaving the concert early. I fell asleep in the car ride home, and we got back around 1:00am, when I stumbled into bed and fell straight asleep after brushing my teeth. I had never been to a rap concert so I didn’t know what to expect, but I didn’t realize it would go so late. Overall, I’m lucky that I got to see him and experience the concert at all, and I’m thankful that my sickness went away before Seattle!

-Brooke

My Experience “Vlogging” In Seattle

BrookeLeave a comment

Welcome back everyone!

This is going to be a shorter post since I don’t have too much to say on the topic, but I thought it would be something different and interesting. If you’ve read my last couple posts (if you haven’t, go check them out!), you’d know that I visited Seattle last week over Thanksgiving break. Throughout the trip, I had the goal of making a video of everything I did- not exactly a vlog since I wasn’t filming vlog-style, but I was recording lots of little clips wherever we went.

It’s funny because I live in Southern California relatively close to Los Angeles, where it’s considered fairly “normal” to vlog and lots of YouTubers are known to live. I’m definitely not a YouTuber or vlogger and I was literally just using my phone camera, but it was funny making the effort to record everything I was doing in an unfamiliar city when I live so close to the hub of YouTubers.

I didn’t get any weird looks, probably because Seattle is still a big city where it’s common for tourists to visit and be taking lots of pictures all the time. That being said, I still felt a little odd pulling my phone out at every meal or in front of every landmark/attraction I visited. I’m not sure if I’ll end up actually putting the video together, but if I do, I’ll definitely share it on here somehow- maybe even post it on YouTube.

-Brooke

Seattle Highlights – Thanksgiving Break 2019

BrookeLeave a comment

Welcome back everyone!

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post about my tour of the University of Washington, I was in Seattle for the bulk of last week over my Thanksgiving break. I absolutely LOVED the city- however, my mom and I covered so much ground in so little time that I didn’t have the time to dedicate a blog post to each day of the trip as I have with my other travels and adventures. I sincerely apologize for dropping the ball with this one, but I figured this type of post will be more helpful to you guys anyways.

I am going to be going over the highlights of my trip just to talk about the most exciting parts and to help any of you that may want to visit Seattle in the future out. It’s a beautiful city and it’s supposed to be even more beautiful in the spring and summer seasons, so I hope to go back someday during that time of year.

  • Space Needle – Yes, it’s a very touristy destination, but it’s still a must-see. The Seattle Center in general (the park area where the Space Needle and some museums are located) is a cool place to walk around, and it was only a mile walk from the hotel I stayed in. I didn’t go up in the elevator since I’m afraid of heights, but if you’re into that it would give you an amazing view.
  • Museum of Pop Culture – This was even more interesting than I thought it would be. It’s honestly not that big of a museum and you only need a couple of hours at the very most to go through it, but I found it unique and super cool; I think it’s a great museum for people who aren’t super into typical art museums but still want to see something related to the history of Seattle.
  • Dahlia Bakery – This bakery was across the street from my hotel. Not only do they give free refills on coffee all day, they also have DELICIOUS cookies and treats. Their adorable yellow storefront with tables to sit at only enhanced the experience.
  • Pike Place Market – Another touristy destination but must see, the market has any and all type of food you could want. There are a lot of good bakeries here as well, places for fresh pasta, good seafood restaurants, and stands with the best produce and veggies. I recommend trying the apples, since Washington is known for having delicious apples and I absolutely loved them. Also, make sure to watch the guys throwing fish (I forget what the name of the place is but it’s visible when you walk up); they’re local celebrities for their job and you’d know what I mean when you see it. Also, check out the first Starbucks while you’re there; there’s usually a line but you can take pictures whenever and then head to a different Starbucks to actually get drinks.
  • Beecher’s Handmade Cheese – Technically, this place is in the market, but it deserves its own mention. I personally am not the biggest fan of cheese as I’m kind of sensitive to dairy, but I made an exception to eat a grilled cheese from here. Their signature cheese is mild and DELICIOUS, and you can watch them make it.
  • Serious Pie – Again making an exception with dairy, this pizza place was a block down from our hotel and my mom and I knew we needed to stop in. We had dinner there one night and had the best margherita pizza ever along with their signature pepperoni. It’s amazing, you can split a pizza with someone because they’re honestly big enough, or if you want it all to yourself that works too!
  • Day trip to Victoria on the Victoria Clipper – We took a three hour ferry ride one day to Victoria, British Columbia (yup, a day trip to Canada!), and it was such a cool experience. It was a long day, but it was a really beautiful city and we got to see the famous Fairmont Empress hotel and the famous Bouchart Gardens. Now I can say I’ve been to Canada!
  • Lola – This Greek-inspired restaurant was attached to our hotel; we went there once for lunch and once for breakfast, and it was amazing both times. It’s a little pricey, but not anymore than any other restaurant in the city. Everything was super fresh and the portions were larger than I expected.
  • Enchant Christmas – This Christmas light show maze thing was super festive! It’s obviously a seasonal thing, but I really enjoyed it- especially the ice skating trail where you could skate around some lights. It’s definitely the most elaborate light set-up I’ve seen.
  • Gum Wall – I would honestly go here just to take a picture if you’re visiting, it’s kinda gross but definitely a famous spot. It’s right around Pike Place Market. It’s fascinating to see how much gum you can have on a wall…

I absolutely loved Seattle and I hope I can return someday. It’s a pretty clean city and there’s so many amazing things to see as well as delicious restaurants and bakeries. In case you’re wondering why I didn’t list any coffee places when Seattle’s known for coffee, I don’t actually drink coffee so I didn’t experience that part. It’s a wonderful place to visit whether you enjoy coffee or not, so I highly suggest you go!

-Brooke

The lovely Space Needle
Museum of Pop Culture- it even looks cool on the outside!
Just a small portion of the Gum Wall!
The first Starbucks from the outside

My First “Real” College Tour – University of Washington

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

Last week over my Thanksgiving break, I visited Seattle, Washington with my mom. I will be writing a few more posts about the trip (I’ve really been behind on that and I apologize!) that you’ll be seeing soon, but first I wanted to talk about the tour we took of the University of Washington. Touring UW was one of our main reasons for visiting Seattle, plus the fact that my mom and I have always wanted to visit the city. We registered for the full 75 minute walking tour and admissions session – the real deal. I’ve been around college campuses in the past, but never for the purpose of touring.

I don’t know why, but I’d always been drawn towards UW in the past. I’d always wanted to visit Seattle, I’d seen pictures of the beautiful campus, and we had a couple family friends who had gone there- I just felt like I would fall in love. I have no other connection to it; I don’t live in Washington, I don’t have any family members who went there, etc. I knew it was a good school in a cool-seeming city with a gorgeous looking campus, and that was enough to get me interested.

We toured the college on our third day in Seattle, and I had already fallen in absolute, complete love with the city; this made me think going to UW would evoke the same feelings. My mom and I took the light rail which has a stop where you walk out straight onto the campus (I believe the school is 20-30 minutes away from downtown Seattle if you drive or use other transportation such as buses), so it took us less than ten minutes to get there. We actually left super early since we hadn’t used the light rail before and we knew we would need time to find our way around campus, so we had about an hour to grab breakfast and walk around.

Sadly, the day we went was actually the worst day of our trip weather-wise and the only day it rained, so we didn’t get to see campus in its full beauty or effect. That being said, it’s probably a more realistic perspective on what it would look like, since Seattle is known for being quite rainy. The campus was also a bit abandoned since a decent amount of students had already gone home for Thanksgiving, so it wasn’t the most accurate perception of everything. My mom and I headed to the HUB (Husky Union Building) to sign in, and as soon as our tour guide introduced themselves, we got started on the walking tour.

I must say the campus was absolutely gorgeous (it’s even more gorgeous when the cherry blossom trees bloom in spring) and the architecture was amazing, but I could tell the school was too big for me as soon as we started walking. I don’t know how to explain it, but it just wasn’t the vibe I was looking for/that I thought it would have. All of the buildings were beautiful and we got to peek in on some classes; we also walked through the Suzzalo library which is famous for looking like something out of Harry Potter.

Our tour guide was super sweet and she gave us tons of information about the school I wouldn’t have known otherwise- I was honestly really disappointed that I didn’t automatically like the school and feel at home, because I thought I would. After the tour was over, there was an admissions session with an admissions counselor who was also very kind and helpful. He gave us some insight into what a typical admitted student is like and although I knew most of the basic stats from my own research, it was still informative because of the insider’s perspective.

After the admissions session, it was lunchtime and my mom and I were hungry. The tour guide had talked about the main street that students go to, dubbed “The Ave” (I forget what the actual street name is) that had all the restaurants, so my mom and I walked through some parts of campus we hadn’t seen on the tour as we made our way over there. It started to rain heavily and as we walked the street, we were disappointed to find a lack of cute little restaurants and cafés. We stopped at the university bookstore and I got a hoodie, and then we ate at Chipotle.

I know that being in a city, UW isn’t going to have the cutest “college town” vibe, but I still figured there would be a cuter university district type area around the school. My mom and I walked back across campus the way we came and took the light rail back to downtown/where we were staying after we ate. It was an eye-opening experience and I’m definitely glad I visited, but I’m sad to say that UW is definitely not the school for me. It’s a wonderful school though, so I encourage you to visit if you’re interested! It just proves that visiting a school and seeing it in person is super important if you’re able to do so.

-Brooke

The beautiful Suzzalo library (hoping I spelled that right!)

How to Choose a Poem to Submit to a Writing Contest – 5 Tips

BrookeLeave a comment

Welcome back everyone!

A few days ago, I submitted a poem to the (now closed) Kenyon Review Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers contest. I hadn’t written a poem with the contest specifically in mind, but I knew I wanted to throw my hat into the ring and enter something. It took quite a bit of deliberation (along with me procrastinating until the second-to-last day to submit) to decide which of my poems I thought would have the best chance in the contest.

I am by no means a poetry judge or expert, but I figured I would try to help you fellow writers out by making a list of a few criteria to consider when choosing a poem or multiple poems for submission. I did my own research and read a few similar articles, so not all of these ideas are fully my own.

  • Consider whether it’s your most thought-provoking or powerful piece. If you want yourself and your writing abilities represented in a single (most likely short) poem, it has to be a showstopper. If you’re reading through your poems to choose one, go with your gut- the one that evokes the most feelings in you should usually be the one you choose.
  • Compare the lengths of your poems. In a lot of the articles I read online, it was mentioned that shorter poems often get chosen for publishing or contests. I’m not exactly sure why- maybe because they take up less space when being published? Either way, this is something to keep in the back of your mind.
  • Make sure your poem adheres to the rules and guidelines of the contest!! This is so important just because no matter how amazing your poem is, you won’t be able to win a contest if you don’t follow the rules. Make sure it fits any length requirements and it’s formatted appropriately for submission.
  • Weed out your cliché pieces from the mix. Unless you’ve put an interesting new twist on a cliché, your poem probably won’t stand out- there’s a reason why clichés are, well, clichés. You can look up lists of common clichés in poetry; that’s what I did, so you can use this one I found here if you want.
  • Some contests don’t give you a lot of background/information to go off of when submitting, but for ones that do, do your research. With the Kenyon contest I entered, I read past winners’ pieces and also read other pieces that are featured in the Kenyon Review unrelated to the contest. This gives you a clue on what kind of topics/subjects they like, and which of your poems would be the best fit for the contest.

Again, I want to clarify that I am not a poetry expert or contest judge, but I figured these tips could help you since they helped me in my own selection for a poetry contest. If you are planning on submitting to any poetry contests, let me know down below. I would love to chat with fellow writers and read some of your work.

-Brooke

Holiday Gift Guide for Teen Girls 2019 – 100+ Gift Ideas

BrookeLeave a comment

Welcome back everyone!

December is upon us and the holiday season is in full swing. If you’re in need of a gift idea for a teen girl, look no further! I pulled ideas from my own personal list as well as things I have/love, in addition to research about this year’s hottest gifts and trendy items. As a teen girl myself, I feel this is a pretty vast list with something for every type of teenager on it. If you’re a teenager yourself, this can give you some inspiration if you’re not sure what to ask for. There’s also a variety of different price ranges on here, so hopefully that makes this more realistic.

Since I have so many ideas for you, I’m going to keep this relatively short and sweet- if you need me to provide further explanation or a link for a specific item/idea, just let me know! However, since there are so many gift ideas on here, I won’t be providing links/in-depth descriptions for each idea unless I feel it’s absolutely necessary.

  1. Fjallraven Kanken backpack (mini or normal size)
  2. Weighted blanket to help with sleep
  3. Kendra Scott Elisa pendant (this is the classic Kendra Scott necklace)
  4. Pajama sets- Victoria’s Secret and VS Pink are popular for these
  5. Robe – also popular from VS and VS Pink
  6. Nike Air Force 1s – if they already have the original/plain white, custom ones from dripcreationz.com are also super cool
  7. Hoodies – popular brands are Champion, Shadow Hill, Brandy Melville, merch of different colleges/musicians/YouTubers
  8. Hydro Flask
  9. Stickers to decorate a laptop case or Hydro Flask – look on Redbubble for cute, cheap ones
  10. Phone case – look at Wildflower Cases or Casetify for pricier/trendy ones, or Amazon for cheaper
  11. Airpods or the new Airpods Pro for a splurge
  12. iPhone 11/iPhone 11 Pro
  13. A laptop
  14. Apple Watch or other smart watch (Fitbit, etc.)
  15. Google Home or Alexa
  16. Running shoes
  17. A gym membership
  18. Workout clothes (Lululemon and Nike are popular but pricey, Target also has nice ones)
  19. Leggings (same brands as workout clothes)
  20. Laneige lip mask
  21. Mario Badescu skincare products (facial mist, drying lotion)
  22. Bluelight glasses to protect eyes from screen/blue UV rays
  23. Facial jade roller
  24. Bath bombs (LUSH is a great spot for gift sets)
  25. Candles (Bath and Body Works and Yankee Candle are good brands, Homegoods has cheaper candles and sometimes Yankee Candles on sale)
  26. Slippers – UGG slippers are trendy but expensive, any will do
  27. Fuzzy socks
  28. Bath tray to place food/books/etc. on when taking a bath
  29. Diffuser with essential oils for their room
  30. Makeup mirror – there are fancy vanity mirrors on Impressions Vanity’s website, but you can also get them a smaller one at Target or somewhere else
  31. Pandora princess ring
  32. A new wallet
  33. Electric toothbrush
  34. Electric face brush – Clarisonic has good but expensive ones
  35. Tile so they won’t lose their phone/keys/purse/etc.
  36. Hairdryer, hair straightener, or curling wand
  37. Calvin Klein bra and underwear set
  38. Laptop case or Airpods case if they have either of those electronics
  39. Perfume (if they already have a favorite, get them a travel size or rollerball for on the go)
  40. Nice pens/stationary (Zebra mildliners and Muji pens are popular at my school)
  41. Planner – I’ve heard Day Designers are good, but there are tons of cheaper ones at Target
  42. Calligraphy set
  43. A “Comfy” – it’s a hoodie blanket thing, somewhat similar to the Snuggie movement
  44. LED color-changing/remote control lights for their room
  45. Color changing lightbulbs for their room
  46. Neon sign for their room
  47. Bluetooth speaker
  48. Glossier makeup products – Balm.com is a favorite
  49. Books – poetry books like Milk and Honey are popular, self-help or astrology related books are also trendy
  50. Doc Martens
  51. Crocs
  52. UGG boots
  53. Vans or Converse sneakers
  54. Birkenstocks
  55. A new purse – Target on the cheaper side all the way to designer brands like Louis Vuitton and Gucci for the ultimate splurge
  56. A keychain/lanyard/card holder for a girl who drives’ keys – the Louis Vuitton coin pouch is popular but EXPENSIVE
  57. Candy
  58. Scrunchies – huge packs on Amazon are cheap
  59. Framed photos of you with them
  60. Disposable/film cameras
  61. Polaroid/polaroid film
  62. Digital phone printer that connects through Bluetooth to print your phone’s pictures
  63. Metal straws / other reusable straws – save the turtles!
  64. Gift cards to their favorite store
  65. Disney +, Hulu, Netflix, Spotify, or Apple Music subscriptions
  66. iPad and Apple Pencil
  67. Smart/reusable notebook that connects to your phone to upload your notes
  68. Jewelry box/holder – for a more all-out approach, there are mirrors that open up to hold jewelry
  69. Patagonia fleece or jacket
  70. North Face vest or jacket
  71. Portable charger
  72. New suitcase/duffle for someone who travels a lot
  73. Nameplate or initial necklace
  74. Hoop earrings
  75. Jewelry that includes their birthstone
  76. Teeth whitening products
  77. Gift cards to food places or services like nail salons/massage places/spas/movie theaters/Uber
  78. Money
  79. New comforter/bedding
  80. Throw pillows (Target and Homegoods have cute ones)
  81. Posters or photo collage sets for their room
  82. TV for their room
  83. Desk organizers
  84. Face masks/nice skincare
  85. Packing cubes or toiletry organizers for travel
  86. Drybar hair products
  87. Nintendo Switch for gamer girls
  88. Concert tickets (you can actually find great deals depending on the artist)
  89. Makeup – whether drugstore or high-end, there are good finds everywhere
  90. Milk makeup sets/products
  91. Victoria’s Secret/VS Pink underwear and bras
  92. VS/VS Pink perfumes and body lotions – usually you can get deals
  93. Puravida bracelets, anklets, and rings
  94. Custom necklaces from themjewelers
  95. Bralettes from Urban Outfitters or Free People
  96. Graphic tees – Urban Outfitters and Brandy Melville are popular for them, but you can get them at Target or even thrift stores
  97. Fluffy jackets – you know the ones
  98. Dainty earrings – look at Urban Outfitters, less popular jewelry sites, Francesca’s, and even Target/Amazon
  99. Turbie Twist – random but I think it’s a nice thing for your hair?
  100. Shower speaker
  101. Eyeshadow palettes – Jeffree Star x Shane Dawson’s Conspiracy palette is popular right now
  102. Some sort of little day trip/experience with them, can be bigger (theme park/Disneyland, going away for the weekend) or smaller (movies, beach, lunch)
  103. Writing them a long and sentimental card

I hope these ideas inspired you if you’re a teen unsure of what to ask for, or if you’re any other type of person struggling to find a teen girl a gift. I think I’m going to be posting a few other mini gift guides/holiday related content, but this will definitely be my longest one since it’s the one I have the most experience with.

-Brooke