Finals week is over, it’s the start of a new semester, and I got to spend the long weekend in Fresno with people that I love and in the program I’ve also fallen in love with this year. It wasn’t exactly a vacation or winding-down kind of trip, but it was still a great, good-old-fun break from the craziness of school, and a nice reward for getting through the week. As you guys know if you’ve been reading my blog for a while, I love to write about packing for any trips I go on. If you’re curious about what I packed for this weekend conference, keep on reading!
I used my carry-on suitcase and a Jansport backpack since I needed a bag that I could use when walking around during the day from session to session. We didn’t go back to our hotel rooms throughout the day, so I had a lot of daily essentials with me. Here’s everything I packed:
My delegation sweatshirt (each delegation has one, mine is a cute baby blue)
2 pairs of leggings
1 pair of jeans
2 pairs of pajamas
2 pairs of normal socks and 2 pairs of fuzzy socks
Undergarments of course
Rain jacket
Snacks (cookies, candy, fruit snacks, granola bars… the works)
Tide to-go pen – a must for a messy eater like me!
Portable charger
Headphones for the long road trip
Money for food trucks, Starbucks, and Dippin Dots
Notebook and pens for note-taking
Vans because comfy shoes always
Hydro Flask
Lots of energy and excitement!
If you’re confused on what Youth and Government is, you should definitely look up the program and learn more about it on the YMCA’s website. It’s an amazing organization that exposes kids to debate, government, and activism while having fun doing it. I’m so happy with the experiences I’ve had in it this year and I would recommend it to anyone even remotely interested!
If you’re trying to have a productive week, this is the right post for you. We all have those weeks where we set ourselves up to be super organized and hope it all works out how we planned, yet somehow things go awry and you feel like you haven’t gotten anything done. But don’t fret! That doesn’t mean it’s all over, and you can still put your week back on track. Here are a few ways to turn an unproductive week on its head and make it as productive as ever!
Make a more realistic to-do list – Sometimes our mile-long to-do lists intimidate us. I know mine does. Make a more manageable list for what you need to do that day or that week, and you can start tackling the tasks one-by-one without feeling the pressure of what’s next.
Clean your space – I find that it’s way easier to be productive when your workspace is clean. Clean out your desk, make your bed, clean your whole room, whatever you have time for- just make it a better and more comfortable space to get stuff done in.
Go for a walk or do any form of exercise – First of all, this can be something that you feel you’ve accomplished- you’ve gotten a workout in and done something nice for yourself. Also, the adrenaline and endorphins will give you motivation to do your other work.
Do all your tiny, five-minute tasks – These can seem like a lot, but when you just nip them in the bud and get them done, it takes quite a few small items off your to-do list. Things like putting away laundry, returning emails, and such are examples of tasks like this, and it’s refreshing to be able to cross something off your list.
I hope these tips help you out and inspire you to have a productive week this week! It’s crazy how the weeks are flying by, but I guess that’s just a good indication of how busy and productive I’ve been 🙂
Today I want to talk about a few things I’ve been loving lately. Kind of like those YouTube favorites videos, but in blog form! After the holiday season, there were definitely a few gifts I got that I’ve been using non-stop since, and I just haven’t done any updates of my favorite things in a while in general. If you’re interested in seeing various product recommendations, keep on reading!
Glossier balm.com in mint – My all-time favorite chapstick, but I hadn’t tried the mint flavor until recently. It’s very soothing and I feel like it definitely tingles a bit more than the other flavors. I highly recommend any of the flavors of this lip balm though.
Cheer documentary series on Netflix – This was SO entertaining. As you guys know, I do high school cheer and I did competitive cheer in middle school, so I still keep up with the competitive cheer world. It was awesome to get an inside perspective on a top college team, especially a team like Navarro that I had actually heard of and followed along with before. I highly recommend this even if you don’t do cheer.
Pink Sugar perfume – My all-time favorite perfume, I’ve been using it even more than usual lately. It smells so good and I feel like it smells good on everyone. I’ve used up half of my bottle.
Good Trouble on Hulu – The sequel to The Fosters which I also enjoyed, this was a fast binge watch for me. I really enjoyed the diversity of characters and topics covered in the show, especially the important issues it drew attention to and the insight it gave on what it’s like to be a woman in the workforce.
Trader Joe’s Ice Cream Bon Bons with Cookie Dough Crust – These are soooo good. My mom got them to try them out and I ate the whole box within a couple days- oops.
Chipotle burritos – I know this is super basic, but I never used to eat at Chipotle until this year. I normally would go to Sharky’s for my Mexican food fix, but lately their chicken didn’t taste very fresh. Chipotle always tastes fresh and I can’t go more than a few days without getting a burrito.
Rocketbook reusable notebook – I asked for this for Christmas (you can get one on Amazon) and it’s the coolest thing ever. You can write your notes, have them sent to the app on your phone, erase the pages and use them all over again. It’s an eco-friendly and high-tech way to take notes!
Brandy Melville butterfly jewelry – I got a few pairs of butterfly earrings and a butterfly necklace for Christmas from Brandy. They’re so cute and dainty, and they’ll match everything while still adding flair to my outfit.
Patagonia fleece – I got a black fleece zip-up from Patagonia for my trip to Seattle in November, and I wore it almost everyday. It was so warm and comfortable and since I got it in black, it’ll match anything. I think it’s definitely worth the high price since it will last you a long time.
PJ Salvage flannel pajamas – These pajamas are normally very overpriced, but I found a set at Nordstrom Rack for half off. They are SO comfortable and I’ve worn them almost every other night since I opened them on Christmas Eve. I highly recommend trying to find some on sale.
Squatty Potty – I got this for Christmas as a jokey-yet-practical gift. It’s so helpful and I honestly understand the hype. I won’t give TMI, but it definitely speeds up and smooths out the bathroom process.
I hope you guys like these things if you end up checking any of them out for yourself! Feel free to ask me any questions if you want to know more- I know these descriptions were brief.
At the time of writing this, I was feeling a little down, so I decided to spread some positivity and hopefully make your day a little brighter. Here are five happy and general reminders to keep in mind as you go about your busy day. I know I needed them, so hopefully they reach anyone else who needs them.
You’re amazing and deserve the best. Don’t forget that, and don’t trick yourself into thinking anything different. You are beautiful, and you are imperfectly perfect.
It’s the weekend and you deserve a break. Take a breather and do something nice for yourself to relax before another busy week hits. Don’t be so hard on yourself.
People love you. No matter who it is, there’s at least one person out there who loves you and would give you the world. You’re not alone.
You are capable of anything, but you will need to put in the work. Anything is achievable when you put your mind to it and take the correct steps towards getting there. Setbacks are temporary, so don’t get discouraged by them.
Your energy and attitude means a lot. Try to see the good in things, and the good will come to you. Try using the Law of Attraction if you haven’t before.
I hope this was what you needed today. It’s different than what I normally post, but it just felt like the right thing for me to write. Thank goodness for finals week being over 🙂
My dad told me when I was little that he hoped I would continue to pick up math quickly because then I could become an engineer and make lots of money when I grew up. Whenever he told me this, I would nod my head, but I had a feeling that wouldn’t really be what I wanted. I’m no math whiz, but I’ve always gotten good grades in math and I tend to enjoy the subject when I have a helpful teacher. I’m decent at math, but it’s not my favorite thing- same with science. People always say STEM fields and jobs are where the future and the money is- they’re not wrong, but it doesn’t mean that’s what I want to spend the rest of my life doing.
Most of the kids in my (honors/AP) classes want to be engineers, doctors, or something else in STEM. I don’t. I’ve always felt like I should, because most of the high-achieving, smart kids around me do. If I’m high-achieving and smart (or aspiring to be), shouldn’t I like these things that are usually labeled as the jobs/fields high-achieving, smart people like and want to do? I still ask myself this from time to time, but I’m not putting pressure on myself to do or like anything that I wouldn’t genuinely pick up on my own. Everyone has their own interests, and I know that’s not my path. Sometimes I question it, of course, but I just have that instinct that it’s not for me since I don’t particularly enjoy those topics.
It’s more important to do what you love anyways, regardless of prestige or money (to an extent). I’m more interested in the humanities, and English and history classes have always been my favorite. I also love my Spanish class, I loved AP Psychology and I love learning about law (my childhood dream was to be a lawyer). I’m interested in the quantitative side of some of these subjects, but not math or hard sciences themselves. My mom always says it’s more important to find what I’m passionate about and explore different things along the way since I still have time, whereas my dad will still push the whole STEM-being-the-most-secure-future thing.
People always try to make STEM fields seem superior and hate on the humanities, saying STEM majors/jobs are harder, but any job or major or interest can be more complex and difficult depending on how you’re diving into it. It’s different since it’s just high school, but at my school, English and history classes tend to have reputations as being the hardest. I don’t feel bad about wanting to go into something that might not be “the job of the future” because I want to find and do what I love.
The last thing I wanted to touch on is the call for women to go into STEM. My dad had me watch some news special or documentary type thing on how companies want more women in the field and there’s definitely a demand for it. However, there’s TONS of sexual harassment and gender inequality at a lot of the big tech companies for women who do go into those fields. I wouldn’t want to put myself through the atmosphere of these male-dominated companies, especially considering I’m also just not interested in those types of jobs.
I recently watched Good Trouble (an amazing show and the sequel to The Fosters) on Hulu, and one of the characters works at a tech-startup and is one of the only women who works there. The guys on her team don’t take her seriously and she finds out she’s also being paid a lot less. I know it might not be a completely realistic depiction of a woman in STEM’s life and there are a ton of amazing, powerful women who probably have better experiences in the industry, but I think it definitely draws attention to some of the unacceptable behavior towards women in those types of workplaces.
If you’ve been in a similar mindset as I have, or are questioning whether to pursue a certain job/major/etc. in STEM or something else based on what others are doing and the prestige/money involved, just take a second to evaluate your priorities. If you have the skills for it and prestige or money/a secure future is the most important thing in your life, that is completely respectable and you should act accordingly. However, if you know that something else is your calling that you truly love, you should consider that first.
I hope talking about this draws attention to the internal conflict and thoughts that I know a lot of other people besides me must have as well. I promise it’s worth it to follow your heart, and you’ll usually end up being most successful at the things you love to do and see yourself pursuing the most.
The week that this post goes up is actually finals week at my school, so I will be getting through my sophomore year first semester finals as you’re reading this. During tough and stressful times in school, I can’t help but be thankful for the people who have helped me get this far in my education and shaped my view on how important learning is. A great deal of shaping myself into the student I am and aspire to be now happened in middle school, and I am so thankful for that. I’ve already posted a love letter to my high school teachers (that I’ve had so far) in the past, so make sure to check that out if you haven’t!
Middle school was a strange time in my life- it is for everyone. You’re starting to grow up and you think you’re grown up but you’re really not, school actually starts to get harder and you’re put on a track that you’re kind of expected to follow through the rest of your schooling career, and it’s your first taste of balancing multiple classes, a social life, and options for extracurriculars beyond recreational classes and sports teams through your local rec center. You don’t just have one teacher that is tasked with helping you through the day-you’re expected to ask for help.
I hated my middle school sometimes (the dress code was extremely strict and sexist), but I had amazing and helpful teachers (for the most part) that made those weird few years easier and even fun (sometimes). I actually did struggle through a few of my classes, but I’m glad I did- I ended up strengthening my study skills a lot and becoming a much better student which was a huge deal going into high school. Now that you have all this background on me, think back on your own middle school experiences, especially your classes/teachers, and how they impacted you. With that, here’s the letter I would write to my middle school and teachers.
To my middle school teachers and anyone else at the school,
Thank you so much for all your hard work. First of all, people don’t appreciate teachers enough. I could never do what you do, especially working with this extremely fickle and strange age group. You work to mold these kids into students that will be successful in high school and the other next steps in their life, and you made such a difference when it comes to me and my personal experiences as a student. I wouldn’t be where I am without you. Thank you for integrating so many different types of lesson plans and projects to keep us interested and always learning something new. Thank you for setting us up with knowledge we didn’t even know we would need again in our high school classes.
Thank you for giving it your best effort to make school fun with Friday lunch music in the quad, themed school dances with lights and DJs, special events for eighth graders, the trip to D.C. (aka the best trip of all time), and more. Thank you for actually making me feel at home at school. Thank you for having fun electives that allowed me to experience activities I never thought I would. A special thank you for having woodshop as an elective and giving me a second family to rant to that year. Thank you for making school fun again, and reminding me that I love to learn.
Thank you for making me struggle a little bit sometimes and forcing me to figure things out for myself, something I hadn’t always been able to do before. Even though it wasn’t actually that hard, it was hard at the time and it pushed me to be better. Thank you for helping me gain confidence in myself and realize that I could be successful as long as I put the work in. Thank you for having fun honors classes and having these opportunities to challenge myself, because it made me crave more challenging classes in high school. Thank you for beginning to put us on the long path of college prep and figuring out who we want to be in life, even though we obviously didn’t and still don’t have a clue.
Thank you for being you, and getting me through middle school. At the time, that was all that mattered.
I hope this reminds you of all the amazing work teachers do for the youth of today. Make sure to let your teachers know how thankful you are for all their help, teaching, and support. I’m so lucky to have had mostly amazing experiences with my teachers- I know not every person/school has that privilege.
Today I have another organization and room-related post. If you’ve been around for a while, you might’ve read my posts about the recent bathroom renovations in my house. My parents found an independent contractor through a friend for the renovations, and they also wanted to get the closets in our house redone. The contractor offered to throw them into the price of our bathroom renovations as a small addition (aka a LOT cheaper than actual closet renovation companies) since we had already given them a lot of business. We’re working with them to determine what systems of organization (shelving vs. drawers, etc.) we want in the closets right now, but soon we’ll be back in renovation mode.
As part of my New Year’s cleaning last week, I also tried to go through my closet, clean it out, and reorganize some things. I figured it would be interesting to do a post on how I’ve kept it organized before the renovation, and I’ll make a similar post after it’s completed. My closet initially came with nothing but one hanging rod and a shelf at the top, so I’ve had to figure out my own little do-it-yourself ways to put some sort of structure in and organize everything. As a disclaimer, I also have a dresser and I keep my sneakers/everyday shoes lined up in a different part of my room, so it is a bit easier for me to keep my closet organized because of that.
On the left side of my closet, I keep most of my clothes in plastic drawers. The three-drawer container on the top is from Target, and the one on the bottom is from Target but not currently in stores. From top to bottom, here’s how I organize the drawers: one drawer for fuzzy socks and other cold-weather accessories, one for socks, bras, and underwear, one for all of my cheer outfits and other school spirit wear, one for non-jean shorts and non-jeans or sweatpants pants, one for jeans and sweatpants, and one for all my pajamas. On top of the first container, I have my current memory box which is about to be overflowing. I have all my skirts hanging and a bunch of extra pants hangers from Target, and all my rompers/dresses hanging. In the small open floor space next to my laundry basket, I keep my cheer shoes, slippers, my UGG boots, and my two pairs of dressy shoes/heels. On the top shelf, I have an extra shoebox (my next memory box!) and another pair of cheer shoes on top of it, next to… another pair of cheer shoes. I have my suitcase leaning against these.
On the right side of my closet, I keep my laundry basket on the ground next to two more sets of storage drawers from Target. From top to bottom, I have one drawer for long sleeve shirts, one for fancier shirts, one for my cuter t-shirts to wear to school, and one for all my shirts I’ve accumulated from volunteer events, cheer events, and other extracurriculars. I have the rest of my dresses hanging, and all of my jackets, along with a bunch of extra pants hangers and other hangers. On the top shelf, I have a bin from Target full of tote bags and Lululemon bags that I can use for various things to carry stuff around to school and friends’ houses. I also have a huge plastic bin from Target which is kind of my ultimate memory box. I have yearbooks, scrapbooks, my childhood stuffed animals, and anything I actually thought was important enough to save from when I was little.
I know it’s kind of basic, but I’m proud of how organized I’ve been able to keep things. If you have a similar closet situation, I highly recommend going to Target and finding some plastic bins and storage drawers to help organize your space as much as possible. They’re fairly inexpensive, which is why I ended up using them until now, and they’ve worked perfectly for the purpose I used them for. I’m excited to get my closet professionally redone so I can sort of design my own organization system, but you definitely don’t have to do that and spend a bunch of money to have a nice and organized space.
I hope this inspires you to organize your closet. If you guys were interested in this, definitely keep a lookout for my closet organization post-renovations post! I have no clue when renovation will start and end or when I’ll be able to post about it, but it will happen eventually 🙂
This is going to be a much shorter post than usual- I thought I would try something new and share a bit of writing on here. I wrote this on the fly to encapsulate what I’d been trying to write in my normal blog post format, but couldn’t figure how to do so.
my head’s a jumble of thoughts wanting to absorb all the information it can before it explodes constantly overwhelmed; no one to blame because i’m doing it to myself have you ever seen a balloon that would pump air into itself until it popped? i bet you haven’t. but that’s me i want to fly, but i can’t if i drag myself down. i have to continue to rise before the pressure gets to be too much before i pop, before i go into freefall because then, the thoughts would jumble themselves again
It’s a little scary posting some of my writing and something so different than what I normally write on this blog. I would love to hear your thoughts and if you would like to read more like this 🙂
I mentioned in my post a couple days ago that decluttering your electronic devices is an underrated form of organization, and that I would make a post specifically detailing it soon. Well, here it is! There’s probably tons of documents, apps, and other stuff on your phone that you’ve completely forgotten about and don’t need anymore. I highly recommend following these tips to clear out your phone and ~organize~ another part of your life, especially if you’re always running out of space on your devices.
Delete old text messages, notes, voice memos, and emails – These are all little documents you probably haven’t looked at in a long time and probably will never look at again. Unless someone has sent you something important or you have a few notes that are filled with important info, I would honestly clear most everything out. I feel like emails are the area where you’ll probably keep the most, because there’s a lot of important work/school stuff.
Delete pictures you don’t want (mainly screenshots) – Obviously don’t feel pressured to get rid of meaningful pictures you actually like, but I know personally I take tons of pictures of the homework for the day written on the board in school and other stuff like that and forget to delete them later, or screenshots of other school-related stuff from my teachers’ websites. Clear all these out unless you need them still.
Delete downloaded music you don’t want anymore – If you have a streaming service like Apple Music or Spotify, you’ll always be able to download them again later, but right now they’re taking up valuable space on your phone for no reason. Delete anything that you don’t remember what it is- that’s a good sign you don’t listen to it, and remove playlists you never listen to while you’re at it.
Delete apps you don’t use anymore – I find deleting games is a good thing to do since they’re relatively unused unless you’re on long car rides or flights and need something to do, and they take up a lot of space. Otherwise, just delete whatever else you don’t need.
Wipe down the screen/keyboard/etc. of the device – Time for the actual cleaning! There’s so many germs on our devices from using them all the time, so take a Clorox/disinfectant wipe and really clean off the surfaces.
Unfollow people you’re no longer interested in staying in touch with on social media – You can unfollow people’s old accounts they don’t use anymore, accounts you don’t like seeing, celebrities you don’t care about that much, and anyone else who you don’t feel attached to seeing their posts. I also recommend removing them from following you if they currently do, just so you don’t have to be attached to their account.
Delete old contacts – Approach this with caution since you never know when you’ll need to contact someone, but we all have those random numbers of people we never really knew from group chats we’d get put in… yeah, you can delete those.
Clear your search history and cookies – Not because you have anything to hide (if you do, that’s fine too), but because the website data actually takes up space. This is an easy way to free up a little bit of space, and you’ll stop getting all those creepy automatic fill-ins while browsing (nope, just me bothered by that?).
Change your wallpaper and password if necessary – This is totally optional, but it’s always nice to change it up! I like to change my wallpaper to a time that I’m currently missing- right now it’s the Amalfi Coast from my trip to Italy last summer. The water was so gorgeous.
Back up your device – Now that you have everything cleared out, you’ll want to preserve your phone/device how it is! Back your phone up to your computer and back your computer up to a hard drive.
I hope this helped any of you guys that wanted to clean out all the junk from your digital life! Since our devices are such a major part of our everyday life now, it’s just as important for them to be organized as our concrete workspaces.
Today I am going to be giving credit where credit is due; this year so far and all of last year, I have had the most amazing teachers. I’d always had fairly good experiences with my teachers in my schooling experience, but I’ve been introduced to some of the smartest, funniest, and overall best teachers I’ve ever had since starting high school. I could never be a teacher myself and I don’t think I would want to be, but I have such a special place in my heart for these wonderful people who have dedicated their lives to educating our country’s youth. If you’re interested in my perspective on this topic or what I would like to say about my teachers, keep reading!
To all my teachers I’ve had in high school thus far,
Thank you so much for your service. Thank you for coming to school everyday just like us, and making an effort to entertain us, and to make the lessons more interesting. Thank you for not giving up when half of the class isn’t listening, or when our grades don’t reflect the work you’ve put into teaching us. Thank you for making us learn, if not from the physical work, but from the life lessons and other skills we gain from listening to you and communicating with you.
I can’t imagine doing your job. You work so hard, and I want you to know that even though we may not show it all the time, your students appreciate you a lot. We know you’re just as tired and worn down as we are by the end of a semester, and we know we give you a hard time- we’re working on it. We don’t want to disappoint you, and we feel bad when we do. Sometimes, I don’t think you realize how much. Also, know that we appreciate your efforts to make class fun. It doesn’t go unnoticed- I’d much rather listen to interesting stories and have a variety of lesson plans than do the same thing in class everyday.
Thank you for empathizing with us. I know you were once in our position, and it means a lot when you try to make things easier for us or can at least crack some jokes to lighten the mood when everyone’s stressed about their grades. Thank you for understanding that the general attitude of dislike towards school isn’t a personal attack on you- all of you are fascinating and brilliant people that I would love to learn more from. Thank you for understanding that there’s more than one type of student. We all learn differently, some of us are quieter or louder, and that’s okay.
Thank you for being accessible. I feel comfortable asking you questions and I’m so thankful that you have made time in class and after-class or during lunch to answer them. You’ve made it easier and more comfortable to ask for help, which I’ve always had trouble mustering up the courage to do in the past. Thank you for understanding that we’re just high-schoolers, and can’t be perfect. At the same time, thank you for holding us to a high standard, and forcing us to rise to your expectations.
Overall, thank you for doing what you do and making school more enjoyable. Your classes are hard, but they are rewarding, and I’ve learned so much from you. I’ve fallen back in love with learning since entering high school, so thank you for bringing out a better side of me and my intellect.
adventures of a typical high school student 