Uncategorized – Page 12 – adventures of a typical high school student

A Sincere Apology

December 9, 2019December 1, 2019BrookeLeave 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!

December 8, 2019December 1, 2019BrookeLeave 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

December 7, 2019December 1, 2019BrookeLeave 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

December 6, 2019March 22, 2020BrookeLeave 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

December 5, 2019December 1, 2019BrookeLeave 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

Museum of Pop Culture- it even looks cool on the outside!

My First “Real” College Tour – University of Washington

December 4, 2019March 22, 2020BrookeLeave 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

December 3, 2019December 1, 2019BrookeLeave 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

December 2, 2019November 30, 2019BrookeLeave 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.

Fjallraven Kanken backpack (mini or normal size)
Weighted blanket to help with sleep
Kendra Scott Elisa pendant (this is the classic Kendra Scott necklace)
Pajama sets- Victoria’s Secret and VS Pink are popular for these
Robe – also popular from VS and VS Pink
Nike Air Force 1s – if they already have the original/plain white, custom ones from dripcreationz.com are also super cool
Hoodies – popular brands are Champion, Shadow Hill, Brandy Melville, merch of different colleges/musicians/YouTubers
Hydro Flask
Stickers to decorate a laptop case or Hydro Flask – look on Redbubble for cute, cheap ones
Phone case – look at Wildflower Cases or Casetify for pricier/trendy ones, or Amazon for cheaper
Airpods or the new Airpods Pro for a splurge
iPhone 11/iPhone 11 Pro
A laptop
Apple Watch or other smart watch (Fitbit, etc.)
Google Home or Alexa
Running shoes
A gym membership
Workout clothes (Lululemon and Nike are popular but pricey, Target also has nice ones)
Leggings (same brands as workout clothes)
Laneige lip mask
Mario Badescu skincare products (facial mist, drying lotion)
Bluelight glasses to protect eyes from screen/blue UV rays
Facial jade roller
Bath bombs (LUSH is a great spot for gift sets)
Candles (Bath and Body Works and Yankee Candle are good brands, Homegoods has cheaper candles and sometimes Yankee Candles on sale)
Slippers – UGG slippers are trendy but expensive, any will do
Fuzzy socks
Bath tray to place food/books/etc. on when taking a bath
Diffuser with essential oils for their room
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
Pandora princess ring
A new wallet
Electric toothbrush
Electric face brush – Clarisonic has good but expensive ones
Tile so they won’t lose their phone/keys/purse/etc.
Hairdryer, hair straightener, or curling wand
Calvin Klein bra and underwear set
Laptop case or Airpods case if they have either of those electronics
Perfume (if they already have a favorite, get them a travel size or rollerball for on the go)
Nice pens/stationary (Zebra mildliners and Muji pens are popular at my school)
Planner – I’ve heard Day Designers are good, but there are tons of cheaper ones at Target
Calligraphy set
A “Comfy” – it’s a hoodie blanket thing, somewhat similar to the Snuggie movement
LED color-changing/remote control lights for their room
Color changing lightbulbs for their room
Neon sign for their room
Bluetooth speaker
Glossier makeup products – Balm.com is a favorite
Books – poetry books like Milk and Honey are popular, self-help or astrology related books are also trendy
Doc Martens
Crocs
UGG boots
Vans or Converse sneakers
Birkenstocks
A new purse – Target on the cheaper side all the way to designer brands like Louis Vuitton and Gucci for the ultimate splurge
A keychain/lanyard/card holder for a girl who drives’ keys – the Louis Vuitton coin pouch is popular but EXPENSIVE
Candy
Scrunchies – huge packs on Amazon are cheap
Framed photos of you with them
Disposable/film cameras
Polaroid/polaroid film
Digital phone printer that connects through Bluetooth to print your phone’s pictures
Metal straws / other reusable straws – save the turtles!
Gift cards to their favorite store
Disney +, Hulu, Netflix, Spotify, or Apple Music subscriptions
iPad and Apple Pencil
Smart/reusable notebook that connects to your phone to upload your notes
Jewelry box/holder – for a more all-out approach, there are mirrors that open up to hold jewelry
Patagonia fleece or jacket
North Face vest or jacket
Portable charger
New suitcase/duffle for someone who travels a lot
Nameplate or initial necklace
Hoop earrings
Jewelry that includes their birthstone
Teeth whitening products
Gift cards to food places or services like nail salons/massage places/spas/movie theaters/Uber
Money
New comforter/bedding
Throw pillows (Target and Homegoods have cute ones)
Posters or photo collage sets for their room
TV for their room
Desk organizers
Face masks/nice skincare
Packing cubes or toiletry organizers for travel
Drybar hair products
Nintendo Switch for gamer girls
Concert tickets (you can actually find great deals depending on the artist)
Makeup – whether drugstore or high-end, there are good finds everywhere
Milk makeup sets/products
Victoria’s Secret/VS Pink underwear and bras
VS/VS Pink perfumes and body lotions – usually you can get deals
Puravida bracelets, anklets, and rings
Custom necklaces from themjewelers
Bralettes from Urban Outfitters or Free People
Graphic tees – Urban Outfitters and Brandy Melville are popular for them, but you can get them at Target or even thrift stores
Fluffy jackets – you know the ones
Dainty earrings – look at Urban Outfitters, less popular jewelry sites, Francesca’s, and even Target/Amazon
Turbie Twist – random but I think it’s a nice thing for your hair?
Shower speaker
Eyeshadow palettes – Jeffree Star x Shane Dawson’s Conspiracy palette is popular right now
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)
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

Why Extracurriculars Matter

December 1, 2019November 30, 2019BrookeLeave a comment

Playing a sport and partaking in other “typical” high school pastimes can be fun, but is there some other advantage to participating in extracurriculars? The short answer is yes: if you want to find out why, keep on reading.

In elementary school and middle school, I was never deeply involved in anything outside of school. I did lots of after-school enrichment classes and dabbled in sports as well as dance and gymnastics, but nothing ever stuck. Once the session my mom had signed me up for ended, I wouldn’t ask to continue. That all changed at the end of middle school/going into high school; once I realized all of my friends had at least one activity they were passionate about outside of the normal school routine, I knew it was time for me to find my own hobbies.

If you’re a late bloomer with exploring your interests like I was, that’s perfectly fine! Better late than never, and there’s still plenty of time to find something you enjoy. Before you get started, here’s a few reasons why it’s so important that you participate in these types of activities.

They relieve stress and provide an escape from schoolwork. We all know how busy life gets, and having an activity to look forward to can keep you motivated and make it easier to go through the school day. Do what you love, and it will bring joy into your day.
It’s important for college admissions down the line. Colleges want to see that you care about things outside of school and have taken initiative to pursue these interests. Get involved for the right reasons (not just to put another activity on your application) but still keep in mind that this is a way your extracurriculars can reward you in the long run.
You can input your extracurricular activities into RaiseMe to earn scholarship money for college. The more activities you have, the more earnings you can potentially get! Make sure to update your RaiseMe profile whenever you start something new- colleges love to see that you’re immersing yourself in different things, as I stated previously.
Activities can connect you with people you wouldn’t have met otherwise. Joining clubs or playing sports is a great way to meet new people and make friends. The more of a commitment an activity is, the more of a tight-knit group it will be (usually). If you’re spending a lot of time with a group of people that share the same interests as you, you’re bound to make fast friends.
You learn soft skills such as communication from extracurricular activities since you’re collaborating with other people in a new way. Depending on the activity, there are numerous skills you can gain and different ways you can be pushed out of your comfort zone. If you join debate, you’ll improve your public speaking; if you join a sport, you’ll improve your teamwork skills.
The activities you participate in now can lead to an interest you’ll want to study in college or a potential career when you’re older. Using debate as an example again, you may discover you want to study law. If you do an internship, you may fall in love with that career field. Trying something new can open your eyes to something you never thought you would be interested in before.
They enrich your high school experience overall and will give you fond memories to look back on. Everyone experiences the ups and downs of high school, but it’s up to you to make the most out of it. Partaking in extracurriculars will make you a more well-rounded student and teach you life skills that you can’t learn inside a classroom.

I hope this makes the significance of extracurriculars a lot clearer. Regardless of the various benefits I listed, the most important component of an extracurricular is that you enjoy it. Life is too short to spend time doing something you don’t like, so keep digging until you find an activity you’re passionate about. Once you do, the sky’s the limit!

**This article was written as part of my RaiseMe internship. I am currently awaiting approval, but I hope they will be using it in some way on their site/as part of their platform. If you want to find out more about my internship or RaiseMe and what they do, I posted about it in early October when I found out I was accepted to their internship program.

-Brooke

Five Ways to Find the Right Hobby For You

November 30, 2019November 30, 2019BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

Are you struggling to find a pastime to look forward to after school? Are you unsure of what you actually enjoy doing? Are you lacking in your extracurricular resumé? If any of these apply, keep on reading to find out what you should do!

There’s an activity out there to suit everyone’s interests and needs- you just have to be open to trying new things and do a little digging within yourself to find it. I know that I’ve personally tried so many different activities; some of them I liked, some I loved, and some I didn’t like at all. Here are five ways to make this search easier and root through the numerous options.

Tag along to clubs/activities that your friends participate in. I would advise making it clear to the friend you go with that you’re just trying it out and that you might not end up committing to it, just so there’s not a misunderstanding. That being said, this is a great way to get involved in something new while still feeling comfortable! Trying new things is scary, but everything is better with a friend- especially if that friend can show you the ropes. If you have friends that are super passionate about certain activities, see what it’s all about. You may fall in love with it too.
Ask your school counselor or teachers that you’re close with what activities they’ve heard of and think you might enjoy. Any school staff member probably has a pretty good idea of a lot of the things going on around campus that you may have not heard of before. They can also direct you to resources such as school newsletters or email listings (which you can/should totally seek out on your own as well!) and point you in the right direction. This works best if the adult you’re asking knows you well, as they can give the most personalized recommendations that way.
Think about what you gravitate towards doing in your current free time. Yes, even watching TV or playing video games counts. There’s a way to turn anything into a valuable pastime- for the examples I provided, you could stage your own TV shows as plays or create a YouTube channel with video game reviews. Look at what you do when you can be doing anything you want, and pursue that further.
Look outside of school for community opportunities. School sports and clubs aren’t for everyone, and that’s okay! They’re not the only activities out there by any means. Check local bulletin boards, the newspaper, or your city’s website (specifically the youth section if they have one) to see what else is going on around you locally, or ask your parents if they know of anything. Some examples would be volunteer opportunities/groups since most of those take place outside of school, or clubs and organizations that accept a wide range of ages (both adults and kids).
If you can’t find a group that enjoys the same activity as you, start your own. If you’ve realized there’s something you enjoy doing but there’s no group or organization around you dedicated to that, making one is a great way to dive deeper into your passion. You never know who else might be interested and was feeling the same way, so be the person to get out there and make those connections with others. This can be even more rewarding, as you will most likely be the person in charge, meaning you can take it as far as you want.

Hopefully these five steps will aid you in your journey to finding a hobby you love. I also wanted to address that it’s okay if your interests fluctuate- just do what you enjoy and stay open to trying new things even when you think you’re set on a certain activity.

**This was written as an article for my RaiseMe internship. I’m currently waiting for approval, but I’m hoping it will be used by them in some way! If you want to know more about RaiseMe and what they do, I posted about that at the beginning of October when I got the internship.

-Brooke