Wherever you are in the world right now, look up and just take a deep breath.

This year, I have grown so much and it’s only April. I have learned to move myself and can proudly state I am happy with my body and mind. I am in a good place with friends, family and coworkers. The school year is coming to a calm and I am content with my grades and projects that I have completed. I have grown in my desired major by creating newsletters, feature stories and digital templates. I can see where my life is headed and I am excited for the future. I hope you can say the same.

Life is too short to be taken lightly. Be bold. Eat that donut you’ve been craving. Drink that soda. Have cheat days. Laugh loudly and long. Don’t let others hold you back.

The last one took me a while to accomplish. Whether it be your parents, friends or colleagues, do not let them hold you back. YOU are the only one who knows what’s best for yourself. Not majoring in something that makes a lot of money? WHO CARES. Society telling you you are too big or not pretty enough? Screw them. You are happy and if not, find what makes you happy and go all in. That is where I leave you.

“Don’t let the fear of striking out, keep you from playing the game.” -Babe Ruth

Original photo by saaabrina.

When’s the last time you opened a book and read for your own pleasure? Not for school or an assignment, not for work, but simply, for your own pleasure. Do you not miss curling up in bed, under all the blankets and staying up way past your bedtime because you were so engrossed in a book? The fresh smell of pages simply sends me haywire.

The art of reading has been around for several hundred years and use to be looked at as a delicacy. Back in the 15th century, they didn’t have access to a building with thousands of books, but rather waited for a book to be passed around the town. Now? Now people look at reading as a nuisance.

Books are so much more than words printed on paper and bound by leather; they create an escape for those who don’t want to pay attention to the now. They allow you to find yourself when you didn’t even know you were lost. They bring emotions to the surface that you didn’t know you were hiding.

Some books that I highly recommend are:

• Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid 
• Me Before You by JoJo Moyes
• We Were Liars by E. Lockhart 
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 
• Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Make time to read, you never know what you will find.

Original Photo by Tumblr user, becourageousdearheart.

Don’t worry, this isn’t your tape.

On March 31, Netflix released the much anticipated 13 Reasons Why, a show incapturing the cruelty of high school and the harsh topic of suicide; based on the novel by Jay Asher. Some say Hannah Baker, the main character, experienced high school roughly, others say she overreacted and shouldn’t have taken her own life. If you have watched the show, you know Hannah was not overreacting.

Having seen first-hand the cruelty of high school and what it can do to a person, this show’s topic should not be taken lightly. People say Hannah overreacted, but really, they don’t want to believe high schoolers can be that mean.

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” in my opinion is equally wrong. Physical bullying can drive someone over the edge, but verbal bullying can do just as much damage, if not more; you can see the harm of phyical bullying, but you can never see damage being done to a person’s spirit.

If you have the slightest doubt about if something is mean or not or could hurt someone’s feelings, you shouldn’t say it. Someone could be having a rough day, or week, and your word’s have more power than you think.

It’s important to be nice to everyone and you shouldn’t need a show to remind you of that.

Original photo: 13 Reasons Why. 

Do you wake up in the morning feeling groggy and disoriented? No, just me? If you answered yes, we’re going to get along great, my friend. It started out as a simple, one cup every morning, but now I need at least three cups of coffee to wake me up in the morning. I will admit it, I have a caffeine addiction.

At first I didn’t want to admit it, I didn’t want to believe it either, but I succumed to the caffeine and it took me over. Wondering if you’re addicted to caffeine? Some of the symptoms are:

• Headache (check)
• Sleepliness (check)
• Lethargy (check)
• Stiffness, Cramping (check)
• Lack of Concentration (check)

Instead of relying on that sweet cup of Java Joe in the morning, I have been trying to find alternatives for the extra boost of energy. If you’re strictly a coffee drinker like me and tea isn’t your preference, some natural ways to get energized, that I’ve found helpful are:

• Early morning yoga – also good for the mind and body
• Running or Jogging
• Healthy diet
• Coffee Substitutes
• Listening to your favorite music in the morning

Next time you get that urge to drink the dark devil, take a quick jog around the block or blast your favorite song and just jam out!

 

Picture post: Starbucks Facebook.

 

Fresh cut grass.. Fresh white lines.. The first crack of a bat. Yes, boys and girls, baseball season is here. More importantly, CARDINAL’S baseball is here. Get ready to see that storm of red, because it’s coming with full force. St. Louis has repeatedly been called ‘The Best Sport’s City,’ due to our great fans and even better teams. How couldn’t you love St. Louis?

Sunday, April 2, is Opening Day aka the holiday before Easter. St. Louis is anticipating this Opening Day, because the Cardinals are opening against our rivals, the dreaded Chicago Cubs. Last year, the Cubs surprisingly won the World Series, after not winning for almost 100 years. Winning this, the teams and fans developed a certain entitlement, putting themselves above everyone else. Our beloved Cardinals will excel this baseball season and win our well-deserved title of “Best Team in the MLB” back.

Some things to do to prepare for Opening Day are:

• Dig out your jersey and wear it proudly
• Buy some peanuts and cracker jack
• Find a squirrel and train him to rally
• Buy your tickets for the season
• Train the vocals to CHEER LOUDLY

Happy Baseball season everyone and may the odds be ever in our favor!

 

Original photo taken by Gracie Maher at Busch Stadium.

Trees blooming. Birds singing. Flowers sprouting. Spring is finally here. This monday was the first official day of spring. When everyone thinks of Spring, they think of storms and baseball, but I think of the beautiful days ahead. The perfect day to me is sunny, 63 degrees, and a full day of hiking. I know not everyone’s prefered activity is hiking, but for those that it is, Spring time is the best time for hiking; it’s not too hot, or too cold, and the atmosphere is just right. There’s a certain type of energy that comes along with Spring, that is almost too indescribable. The beautiful weather puts everyone in a good mood, causing good energy all around.

When hiking isn’t your thing, or you’re not surrounded by hikeable grounds, there’s many other spring activities to do, such as the following:

• Have a picnic
• Ride a bike
• Sit outside at a restaurant or cafe
• Explore a part of town you’ve never been to
• Adopt a pet
• Take a walk with your pet
• Plant a garden
• Feed the ducks at a park

If you want more Spring activity inspo, head over to Real Simple for more creative ideas.

Original picture taken by Gracie Maher at The Nature Institute.

Recently, a group of friends and I ventured down to Panama City Beach, FL for Spring break. The week was a much needed break from school, immature men, and our usual environment. We enjoyed our days by the pool and laying out on the beach, but by nighttime, we were ready for dinner and dancing. Most nights we went out to karaoke with a fairly big group of friends, then returned to our house, to do it all over again the next day. Most nights when we were on the way back to our house, there seemed to be a pattern forming. Every five feet or so, we couldn’t walk in peace without boys yelling at us or trying to pick us up. I will admit, we are an attractive group of girls, but there is a time and place to respectively hit on girls; these guys were not on time. How far they would go with their obscene yelling and how quick they would be with their anger when we didn’t respond, was appalling.

More commonly in societ today, men are thinking it’s okay to yell at women when they are simply walking down the street. From “smile sweetheart” to “your boyfriend let you dress like that,” when did it become okay to yell that at women? Some girls decide to respond, but in my opinion, we should ignore them, and treat them like the pigs they are.

The picture was photographed by Warren Photography.  

You know that moment when girls are very sad over a break up, when they don’t think they can go on and are at their ‘weakest’ point? I think that’s when women are at their strongest point. They are slowly, but surely, realizing they are stronger without a man weighing them down. Everyone needs a support system, but that’s the beauty of friendship, women like to build each other up through friendship. They see that Tiffany is struggling over her break up, but then, they show her how strong and great she is without Chase. Guys get the shorter end of the stick in the break up scenario, because they just go on thinking life is great, but then they see how happy their ex is without them, and begin feeling 10x’s worse than she ever did.  Key word there being HAPPY. The point in all this being, at the darkest of times, you find your strongest self, which in return brings you true happiness.

Before you go off and find a different guy after your break up, think about your life and discover if you are truly happy with how things are going. If the answer is no, it is your time to work on self love. Before you are happy with someone else, you have to be happy with yourself first. How do you gain love from yourself you ask? Simple.

• Appreciate yourself.
• Treat yourself.
• Be thankful for life every day you wake up.
• Look at yourself in the mirror and talk to yourself like you’re talking to your best friend, not some ”ugly” blob.
• Do little things throughout the day that make YOU happy.
• Say NO when you feel the need to, not thinking about the other party involved.

Simple acts of self love can bring such a big reward, aka true happiness.

Header provided by Tumblr.

GIF provided by Popsugar.

I am a hopeless romantic and I am proud.  How could you watch “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” and not fall in love with it? The creator’s main purpose for making the film was to let the audience fall in love. So why doesn’t that kind of love exist? More and more of my friends are finding themselves in boy troubles, and I’m starting to identify a pattern. Girl meets boy, boy meets several girls, boy leads on all of the girls, then drops them all, except one. When did the monogamy die? When did the days of simply opening a door for a girl not exist anymore? Boys laugh when girls make them watch these “stupid chick flicks,” but in reality, they should be taking notes! These MEN are getting the girl at the end of movie, because they are playing their cards right, but that’s fiction, right?

                              Courtesy of Real Men Tumblr.

Boys need to start realizing the respect women really deserve. They think they can skate through life, playing multiple women at the same time, thinking there are no consequences. They don’t think about the girl crying at 1 a.m. in her room, because she thought Chase was the real deal. They don’t see the girl getting too drunk because she’s trying to drink away her feelings, driving herself into a drunken oblivion. But, they also don’t see that same girl five months later, stronger than she’s ever been, and excelling in all things her life consists of at the moment.  They don’t see her getting that promotion at work, because she’s been working her ass off, instead of stressing about Chase.  Be THAT girl, don’t rely on a boy for your own happiness. Be happy with yourself first, then allow a man to be a part of it.

 

Picture provided by Red Twitter Headers Tumblr.

Close your eyes. If you could go anywhere for free, where would it be? What comes to my mind is Greece; it’s my dream vacation and will, hopefully, come true one day. Whether your’s be Australia, New Zealand, Bora Bora, or Hawaii, what’s stopping you from going? I know, for me, it’s money.  For most people, it’s money that’s stopping them, but what if you do have the money and time? What’s stopping you then? Life is all about taking chances and living to the fullest.  If you had the opportunity to see the sunrise in Santorini, wouldn’t you take that chance? If you’re not one of the lucky ones and are the saving type like me, do I have some saving hacks for you:

1.  Get a mason jar, hot glue the lid to the jar, cut a slit big enough for money, and start saving.
2. Take 10% of every paycheck and put away in a savings fund.
3. (Can’t take credit for this one, a customer gave me this idea) Next time you get a dollar, look at the tiny number on it (1, 2, 5, 12, etc.), pick your favorite number, and save every dollar that has that number on it.

For more saving tips, go check out Simplicity Relished, and see her brillliant saving ideas.

I know it seems impossible now, but save a little every month, and I hope one day, we can all make it to our dream destinations.

Picture provided by Honeymooner blog.

Are you down those 10 pounds you wanted to lost? Not eating chocolate as much? Only going out twice a month? If the answer to these questions are no, fear not.  We are only in the second month of the new year, but that doesn’t call for slacking.  I know most of us are busy and have filled social calendars, but it is never too late to take time for yourself.  Keeping up with personal health is just as important as making sure you go to Susie’s for a weekly dinner, or else. Remember that list you made probably December 31, or maybe even the morning of January 1? Here are a few tips I put into place, to make sure I’m staying true to my New Year’s resolutions:

1. Write your resolutions on Post-it notes and stick them in the more popular places of your home.
2. Plan out how you plan to achieve each goal.
3. Hide all temptations in a drawer or cabinet, and allow yourself 1-2 cheat days each month.
4. Gather a group of friends that have similiar goals and support each other.
5. If your resolutions aren’t working out, write a new list that suits you better or seems more accomplishable.
6. Throw out your resolutions all together and live your life happily.

If these tips don’t suit you, Lifehack blog has some more tips that could help you along your journey.

Picture provided by Pinterest.

Have you ever had a nagging in your life that something just isn’t right?  I feel this on a weekly basis, seriously.  After reading countless articles and doing extensive research, I’ve narrowed it down to one thing: my environment.  Throughout the day, my mood fluxuates (A LOT), but why is that?  When I wake up in the morning, I can be in the best mood, I’ll go about my daily routine, then get to work.  It all starts out good, but it only takes that one nasty customer to send my mood spiraling.  ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words don’t hurt me,’ is a lie.  I know you’re not to suppose to let people affect you, but some elder customers can be mean.  Anyhoo, my point is after a mean customer yells at me, I can turn to one of my coworkers to always make me laugh afterwards.  That ONE coworker can bring my mood back up, and that’s why I think it’s important to surrond yourself with positive people.
To surround yourself with positive people, you have to first filter out all the negative people in your environment.  Whether it be rude customers, mean teachers, or toxic friends, you simply have to put yourself first, and voice your thoughts.  It is hard at first, but when you feel that relief simmer through your body, it’s the most rewarding feeling.  Remember, a healthy mind equals a happy life.

Picture provided by Tumblr blog.