life lately

Life has been busy lately! Second semester always seems to be the most craziest. No complaints though, being busy is better than being bored out of your mind. These past week I was able to meet up with a friend for coffee, and it was much needed! Being with friends always seem to cheer me up. Deep conversations over coffee are my favorites, and the timing was perfect.

Watching: American Idol. Ah this season has been so good, I absolutely love it. All the judges have been so nice and so much better than last year. For a while I was so over Idol, and into The Voice. But this year that has switched! I just love listening to everyone's voices, and everyone this year has so much talent! I have a feeling this season is going to be amazing.

Listening to: I have found a new artist I absolutely love, Josh Krajcik. His voice is absolutely beautiful. His music is very soft and relaxing. His album was classified as rock, but I really think its more pop/classic. A few years back he was on the X Factor, and he came in second to winning. Just the other day when I was online I saw his name pop up on the screen and I was so excited! My favorite song from his new album is Close Your Eyes.

Proud of: My accomplishments in school! I'm taking a few AP classes, and they have been really challenging this year. But I was able to complete my first semester with straight A's. It seems I never have a break when it comes to my homework and big projects, but thankfully I'm enjoying my classes this year. I'm just so glad that school hasn't been such a nightmare this year!

1. Emily and I hanging out / 2. my valentine nails / 3. valentine gifts from my mom / 4. cuddling with my lily / 5. V-day party with my girls / 6. shopping with my grandma / 7. cupcake date / 8. showed with love from my girls / 9. coffee date with Alex.


Excited about: My birthday! This March I'll turn 17. Kind of crazy to think about. Its just too close to 18! The older I get, the faster time seems to go by. I'm excited about turning 17, but a little scared with all that comes with turning a year older. I guess all the responsibilities and new challenges, but I am looking forward to all the new life changes with being 17!

Fearing: Driving! Ah, it scares me so much. It's actually really sad because I need to start driving soon. It scares me to think that if anything were to happen, I could be responsible for any crashes, or accidents. Knowing that by some stupid mistake I make, could harm another persons life! Plus the freeways here in Southern California is just awful. It's so busy and chaotic, you literally can't take your eyes off the road. I really want to start driving because I won't have to rely on anyone to take me places, and so I can have my own schedule but then apart of me just isn't ready! I'm giving myself some time to ease on into it, but I might have to speed up this process because I have a feeling it might take forever! But then again, I can just wait until I'm 18.

p.s. don't forget to enter in the giveaway if you haven't already!

Giveaway: 5 Months of Free Ad Space

I am so excited to announce this giveaway! Us five gals, are giving away five free months of advertising, on our blogs! In honor of my birthday which is March 5th, I thought what better way to celebrate, but to host a giveaway for my readers! The gals I've partnered up with are amazing and so are their blogs, so be sure to check them out and follow (below). Also be sure to read the instructions on how to win this giveaway!!

 

                     Meet us girls!
 Jenna from A Beautiful Heart
 Jordyn from Pretty Lovely
 Carly from A Walk in the Park
 Jessi from Haircut and General Attitude
 Jessica and Meagan from Jeans and a Teacup

There will be one winner, and I will announce the winner on March 7th! Please make sure you have an image/banner promoting your blog for this ad space. If you do not have a blog button/banner, please do not enter in this giveaway because we are not going to provide one for you, by creating one. Each blogger will advertise your banner for one month, and then it will rotate to all the other bloggers. Please be sure to comment below why you would like to win this giveaway and how this will help your blog.

Now all you have to do is enter the Rafflecopter. Thanks again for all the girls who came along side me. You gals made this giveaway possible, I couldn't have done it without you!! Good luck.

 

 

   a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Heart Of It | Kindness

This year of 2014 I have a few new year resolutions but they are more like goals that I want to accomplish. So I am going to choose one word to live by for this year. I want this word to come to mind through everything I am going through and set the tone for every new day. The word is kindness. Being kind to friends, family, and even strangers I may meet or pass by. When I think of kindness I think of putting others before yourself. Kindness is something you can never have enough of. Its something everyone enjoys receiving, and it can brighten someone's day, just like that!

It can be small or big acts. It can be simple or complex. But I want my kindness to be meaningful, and not fake. Sometimes I get tired of putting on the smile and happy face, because that's not how I always feel. I become tired of acting like I care, or like I'm listening. Sometimes the early morning classes and the busy schedule, becomes tired of repeating day in and day out, and it throws me off track. I become so focused on the things I need to get done, and don't stop to actually take time for conversation or get together with others.

And of course there are those moments when you run into people you haven't seen in a while, or people you don't particularly like or get along with. There are those times when you just wish you could back up and re-trace your steps and run away. To be honest this is what we do most of the time - turn around and walk away.

For me, kindness is not stepping back and walking away, or putting on that happy face when you feel the opposite. Kindness is being genuine. It's being honest and real. It's acknowledging others. It's saying hello to the people you pass by. Saying thank you, with a smile. Walking up to someone and giving them a hug, when you know they need one. It can be as simple as spending time with someone to let them know you care. Being friendly, to all you meet. There are never any acts of kindness, that are wasted.

This is not easy, but its simple. The days I really show my kindness to others, are the times when I feel the most happy, and full of energy. It makes me feel confident, and helps me climb out of my comfort zone. Being kind, puts my into a whole new mood and makes my day so much brighter. And that is exactly how I want to feel from now on. I will leave you with this quote that I read the other day by Mark Twain..."Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear, and the blind can see."

Valentine's Day Pink Hearts Manicure

Happy Valentine's Day! This year I have seen so many cool DIY's for Valentines, it just makes me want to pull out all my craft items, and make little cute things. So here's a cute DIY manicure you can wear to celebrate this special day! This manicure has been on my "blog calendar," for quiet some time and I've been counting down the days until I could post it, and paint my nails this way!

  

What You'll Need

♥ light pink nail polish; I used Essie
♥ darker shade of pink; I used Sinful Colors
♥ silver or gold sparkle; I used Sinful Colors in silver


The Steps...


Apply three coats of a light pink nail polish.


Then apply some red nail polish on the end of your tips to make the hearts. Your basically making an X but very close together. Try to make your first stroke a little bit shorter than your second to give your heart some depth.








And on my ring finger I applied some glitter nail polish to give it a little more style.