Refocusing. New Opportunities.

Hey There,

We are several days into the new year, but I am will writing 2016 on papers, and I probably will be until March because habit. This year I am not only focusing on a few small things that I know I can focus on, but I also asked my boyfriend for a few things that we as a couple could work on. I hope to write about the progress of them through out the year as a way to further hold myself accountable.

RESOLUTIONS FOR MYSELF:

• Live a smaller environmental impact lifestyle.
  • What I mean by this is, I want to recycle more and I also want to eat more natural foods, which leads into my next goal for this year.
• Live a healthier life style.
  • I want to consume more whole foods (similar to a paleo diet), and less food in general. My freshman year, I was definitely a “fittie” but as I got busier my meal prep got less and less, which has lead me to eating out more because it is easier. So this year, I want to go back to preparing more meals on the weekend so I have them during the week. In addition to eating healthy, I would like to get back in shape. I hope to work out 3 times a week starting and go from there. I used to work out at least once a day, but that was too consuming for my life and I missed out on enjoying the beginning of college. With it being my last semester, I certainly want to enjoy it as much as possible.
• Do one thing a day that will help my future
  • This can be save money by not buying coffee that day, updating my LinkedIn, applying for a job, anything that can be beneficial.
• Be frugal
  • I want to really focus on saving more money, and not relying on my parents as much this semester, as I will be taking on “the real world” come May. My parents are wonderful people, and have helped me out a lot. I know I can come to them when I really need them, and I will still be able to do that after college, but I don’t want to rely on that.

RESOLUTIONS FOR MY BOYFRIEND AND I

• Pray every night
  • We often spend our evenings together as we both have hectic days between class, homework, and practice {him}. As a way to decompress, and to grow closer to God we want to pray before we end the night.
• Go to church together
  • We currently are different denominations of Christianity, so we have not settled on a church that we both feel at home. So our mission the first few weeks back to school is to settle on a church to attend regularly.

We as a couple don’t really consider these resolutions, but we want to continue to support each other when it comes to our dreams and aspirations, as well as, on a daily basis. We want to be aware of each other’s feelings and comfort one another when we have a rough day. This semester is going to be really busy for both of us, but we are excited to tackle our last semester of college together.

Seeking Adventure

Today is August 1st, which means that I will be moving into college in 12 days for the last time. When I was a freshman I didn’t think this time would come fast enough, but now I am not ready for it. I have developed a wonderful support system, made numerous late night QT runs, cried over stupid boys and assignments (mostly assignments…God bless Jewell), but most importantly I have made memories and I am comfortable here. The thought of graduating and being thrown into a new environment is terrifying. I know I will find my way, but there is a small part of me that wonders what will really happen after I graduate.

College has allowed me to have grow tremendously as a person and I am now comfortable with who I am. I have this sense of adventure that keeps nagging me whenever I look at jobs and apartments in the Kansas City area. I do love where I currently live, but it will always be here. I would be perfectly content with getting a job right after college and settling down with the hopes of finding someone to share that adventure with, but I don’t know if I just want to be content.  I have no commitments to anyone right now, and relatively few responsibilities so now is the ideal time to get lost in the streets of Paris, play soccer with the kids of Tonga, eat foods I can’t pronounce, and meet people who see the world in a different way and learn from them.  Some might say that is what college was for, but for me college was a time to learn and find myself so I could be non-judgmental and have something to come back to when I get home.

Right now I don’t know a lot, but I do know somethings…I want to see God’s creations whether that be the views from atop a mountain or having a conversation with someone in a far away country. I also know that everything works out with God and my family behind me.

Directions and Decisions

College, the time where we are supposed to figure out what we want to do for the rest of our lives, figure out who we are and possibly who we are going to marry…oh and we should be having the time of our lives. No pressure, right?

As we are going through college doing all of these things we can’t help but to be pulled in all directions{and to our wits end} and to have some challenges in live, and possibly struggle with our relationship with God.

For me personally college has allowed me to meet some wonderful people who are helping me navigate through this crazy thing we call life. This has helped me focus on finding myself {as cliche as that sounds} and helped me decided what I want in life. In college I have learned to say yes to knew things and new opportunities because you don’t know where they will lead. The only problem with this is I start saying yes to everything and before I know it I am supposed to be in two places at once. I think it is important to be involved, and to say yes to new adventures, but finding the balance is something that we {well I} need to really work on. I need to know what I am going to be truly passionate about and put work into and what I should pass on so someone else can express their passion about it.

I think another common trend for not only myself, but college students in general is we get into a routine and get comfortable with it so we don’t explore outside of it much. We forget that exploring in the first place was what helped us find our current place that was better than the last. Also, exploring is what creates those memories that when written down or told are not nearly as meaningful/ memorable as the actual experience.

Something else that I have realized is I want a lot of things and I have not decided if this will help me or hinder me. And when I say I want things I don’t mean just physical things. I want to be successful so I can own a place of my own and be proud of it. Does it have to be a mansion no, but I do want to be a home owner of some sort. I want to be able to have a car that I enjoy driving every day to a career that I hopefully love. I also want to have family and travel to see the beauty that this planet has to offer. While none of these are too out of the ordinary I do know that some people don’t get to experience them because life is expensive. While it can hinder some, I choose to use it as motivation to work hard, and create the life that I want.

Come next May I will be graduating and at that time some decisions will have to be made and certain directions will be followed, but this does not have to be set in stone. I have set myself up to let many directions to be traveled as I see fit. While I may not have figured everything out and I still won’t have some things figured out when college ends, life is young and many things are possible.

North, South, East, and West are all directions, but there are infinitely more and with hard work, a good attitude and faith anything is possible. Keep an open mind and an open heart and good things will come in due time.

-Aud

 

Remember

Love.

Love. Something so many girls and guys want to experience in life just once, and if we are lucky enough we will find a person to experience this with for the rest of our lives. I too am guilty of this want.

All through high school I was socially awkward and lacked confidence making group projects difficult for me. Did I want a boyfriend, absolutely. All of my friends were starting to get them and I was always the third wheel. Has anything changed in college, not really but I have very different feeling now. Before I thought I was doing something drastically wrong or that I wasn’t pretty enough, or that I didn’t have an interesting personality. Now though, I realize that I am not doing anything drastically wrong, but rather I am doing things just right. Since going to college I have become more confident and I have made some wonderful friends who still love me even if I don’t match or do the weirdest things. With that being said, I have had my fair share of interactions with guys who have shown interest in me, but for one thing or another it didn’t work out. Was I upset and sad at first?…absolutely, but with my friends and faith I realize that it will work out eventually. I think that because I haven’t been in a serious relationship I have been able to learn so many more things about myself, which will only make a relationship stronger when one does occur.

So many people talk about this and I am also someone who preaches this, but it is much harder to keep following. One must trust that God has a plan for us. Not just one plan, but rather one for every aspect of our lives and we must be patient because if the thing we want is not in our lives at the moment then we are supposed to learn something or experience something that will make ourselves or maybe the other person ready to be in that relationship.

Another thing thing that I used to find myself doing is being jealous or resentful towards people who are in relationships, but now when I see a young or old couple together it gives me hope and trust in God that one day I will have someone who will compliment my life and I can compliment theirs.

To end, I just want to say that patience is a hard thing to have, but while you’re waiting do cool things, spend time with great people and soon enough the  moment will be here.

XOXO

Aud.

One Must Care

Hey, it is Wednesday, which means we are half way through the week so it is only downhill from here and we will all make it to Friday!

I don’t know if i have talked about this before, but I am a nursing and business major at a small liberal arts college in Missouri. Monday-Wednesday this semester is definitely a marathon. My mornings start at 5:3o and I hope to be in bed by midnight, but Tuesday mornings are probably my longest…well most strenuous day because I have clinical that day. I am in a hospital putting what I am learning in class to practice on people.

Yesterday was a pretty typical day, but one of my patients I had a very different connection with. This patient was an elderly women who was in the end stages of MS who was mostly non-verbal. She could speak, but it appeared to be a lot of work so instead she preferred to nod or shake her head no. I think because she chose not to be non-verbal treated her as if she did not understand what was going on or that she did not understand. In school they teach us to assume that the person is able to understand and to talk directly to them and to explain what you are doing. I found this to be very frustrating, so I decided to take it upon myself to spend extra time with this patient because she did not have any relative listed and came from a nursing home.

I just sat in the room with her and watched tv with her, I assessed her surroundings and asked several different questions which lead me to close her shade half way because the sun would change positions and get in her face. I also ended up giving her a bath and coming her hair. I have never seen someone so happy to get a bed bath and to have their hair combed.

After getting her all cleaned up and changed, lunch was there and then she napped. I made sure to tell her goodbye when I was leaving. I also told her that I wish her the best and that she is able to go home soon. As I was about to walk away she told me that, “I am a special person and that she was grateful for me”. That moment was something that is hard to describe and I couldn’t have been happier to choose her over getting my clinical documentation done.

Do I know if I want to practice as a nurse or if I want to be someone who works in business, but regardless of whatever I do I want to make sure that I have a positive impact on individuals.

5 February Favorites

Hey There!

This past couple weeks have had me in such a good mood because the weather has been absolutely phenomenal. I have been able to wear shorts and have my windows open…in the middle of winter in the midwest. However, I think the change in weather is what is responsible for me getting a cold this past week. Now I am just left with a pesky cough and a stuffy nose. Regardless though, I will take that for some good weather and a chance to get my Vitamin D.

It is nearly the end of February (which is absolutely crazy!) so I thought I would just share a few favorites from this month.

1. Bite Matte Creme Lip Crayon- color Cafe

      I have been absolutely obsessed with Bite lip crayons since Christmas when my little sister spoiled me and got me the gift set of 4. I can apply the color early in the morning drink coffee/tea all morning and it will still be in place and radiant well into the afternoon. Cafe has definitely my most used this month because it is an everyday shade and it really adds to normal make-up. I highly suggest heading to Sephora to play around with all of the colors.

2. Yogi Cinnamon Vanilla Tea

I love love love tea and coffee just like many other college students who are trying to survive. I am usually just a green tea and lemon kind of gal, but when I had to cut caffeine out I was looking for something to satisfy my sweet tooth in place of my usual caramel macchiato. I also am a huge fan of Yogi because each of the tea bags have a cute, motivational message at the end.

3. Essie- For the Twill of Things

Okay, so I bought this color last year as part of the winter collection I believe and I absolutely love it. It is not just one color, but rather is more of a color that has multiple colors. As much as I love dark colors I am ready for summer so I can wear my white nail polish again.

4. Favorite Song At The Moment- Talk by Tori Kelly and Pillowtalk by Zayn

Go give them a listen. They are very different, but I like ’em.

 LISTEN!!

5. Favorite Quote of The Moment- “You can do anything, but not everything”

I am definitely one who has a hard time saying no and I want to help out as many people as possible, but I have a pretty rough schedule. The month was the first time I actually had to quit something because I was just too overwhelmed and I was not getting anything out of it. I felt absolutely terrible and I felt like I was letting them down, but everyone understood and I am must happier now.

Let’s all have a kick butt week and start March off right!

XO Aud

Morning Routine: Coffee and Lemon Lavender Scones

Hey There,

I hope all of you have had a good week! For me this week has been extremely crazy, stressful, and busy. I am now in my second semester of nursing school and I have quite a full course load as I have mentioned before. I had two tests this week and clinical so I was running on minimal amounts of sleep, but it paid off when I nearly aced both of them.

I have talked about how I am one for routine before and that I enjoy taking a break in the evening to do something for myself and that usually involves a short nap or a bit of exercise just to relax and refocus. Well, this semester getting up early and starting my day off with time to myself has been working out well.

I generally wake up at 5:15 or 5:30, roll out of bed and head to the gym once I put my contacts in. Once in the gym I generally put in 30-45 minutes of cardio/yoga and then hop in the shower. After I get ready for the day I wander up to the hill (campus) where I find my spot in the coffee shop’s corner. It’s usually 7:15 when I get up there so I have about an hour and forty-five minutes before my first class. I use this time to scroll through twitter, get ahead on an assignment or just scroll through Pinterest. I always get an iced coffee or hot tea, but rarely anything else. Well, I was feeling bold and got a lemon lavender scone and oh. my. gosh. it was absolutely fantastic!! They only had it for that day, but I hope they bring it back soon so I can get another one.

Moral of the story though, while routine can be a bad thing if you are not willing to ever break it, it can also be a good thing because when there is a lot of chaos and craziness going on in life a simple routine can be what keeps you from going absolutely insane.

Sunday Sit-down

Hey There!

It’s the Sunday before Christmas, and when I walked out my door this morning I questioned whether it was Spring or Winter because it’s 54 degrees out! I mean, I shouldn’t be complaining too much except, the lack of cold weather had made it hard for me to get in the Christmas spirit. (singing Let it Snow is not the same when you know there is no chance.)

Anyways, today I am going to talk about my Sunday routine! I have been told that I am a very organized person and I pride myself on it, I am also a very busy person (this girl works to build that resume b/c I would like a job after college…shocker, I know). So if you are like me and like to stay organized here is what I do and maybe it can help you, or if you are wanting to get organized this coming year, keep reading!

This past August I researched quite a few different planners because I wanted the one that was going to be the most practical for my life style. I ended up taking the plunge and getting an Erin Condren Planner with a vertical layout.

For the top two boxes, I write my homework, any papers due, or any exams coming up. I usually fill these boxes in daily.  For the bottom box I look at the monthly overview and copy any meetings, sorority obligations, or work onto the appropriate day with the time. For the side column, that looks to be a list, I put my To-Dos there. The to-do list is for things that need to get accomplished that week that is not homework. In the box that is labeled thoughtful, I find a quote on Pinterest and put it there. That way when it’s there to remind me every time I reference my planner. I will also find a bible verse and write it alone the top. My planner is full of colors, Washi tape, and sticky notes. I am also an avid fan of highlighters because it gives me so much satisfaction when I am able to cross something off my list.

So, that is what I do every Sunday night before I go to bed so I know how I need to manage my time for the week. I also suggest that you find a planner that works best for you. For instance, maybe a horizontal layout will work better or an hourly, but trial and error is how I figured out the best way for me!

Have a great day,

Aud.