Monthly Check-In

A couple of weeks ago I posted about how I was trying to lose weight once again. Well, I have decided that I am going to do a monthly check-in just to see the progress that I am making or not making, and to hold myself more accountable for the goals I want to reach. 

The picture I posted a few weeks ago under personal was a photo from the end of June, and I took some today to see the progress. I personally can same I am extremely happy with the progress that I am making (down 11lbs in a month), and plan to continue to stay on this path. 

It has felt amazing to be able to consistently workout again, and I am a lot more productive throughout the day on the days where I do get up earlier. Those who know me know I am by no means a morning person, so that is a feat all within itself. 

This is just the start, and hard work and determination are going to be what gets me to where I want to be. I know I have some sisters that are following this also, and this fall there are a few of us who are planning on going to the gym together to help motivate us to continue to go, so if you want to join us you are more than welcome to. 

 The pictures in the black swimsuit are from June, so of course that means the others are from today. 

Well, I am off to go finish figuring out what exactly and how exactly I want to do the tattoo that I have decided that I want to get this fall. In the meantime keep the following image below in mind, it applies to all situations and not just weight-loss. Create a better you in all ways that you can imagine, and you will end up being happier and who knows you may even inspire someone else. Have a good day/weekend y'all!

Intelligence.

INTELLIGENCE

a (1) :  the ability to learn or understand or to deal with new or trying situations :  reason; also :  the skilled use of reason(2) :  the ability to apply knowledge to manipulate one's environment or to think abstractly as measured by objective criteria (as tests)

b Christian Science :  the basic eternal quality of divine Mind

c :  mental acuteness :  shrewdness

There have been several articles that I have read over the past week or so all dealing with the intelligence that a person has. One left me with an unsettling feeling, and another I found quite intriguing.

The article I really enjoyed is pertaining to IQ levels and also speaks about how those who are more intelligent are actually the night owls. There was a study done on this, and with the study it was found that those getting less sleep actually had a higher IQ. I know this varies greatly, and it is by no means a general statement that could, nor should it be, applied to everyone. 

http://elitedaily.com/life/culture/night-owls-creative-intelligent/686025/

I spend entirely too much of my time reading articles on Elite Daily, and I can happily admit this was one of my favorites. I can also admit that I fall into the group of people that daydream, sometimes too much, and my best work is done at night. Granted there are days where I sleep in way too late, and I have a tendency to take classes later in the day because I'm fighting adulthood, but some of the best memories are made at night.

The lines that stand out most to me in this article are:

"The night is for passion. It’s for fanaticism, romance and trouble. It’s when your most tender, authentic and suppressed sides come out to play under the nonjudgmental eyes of the stars.

It’s for all those things you could never dream of doing by day, under the watchful eyes of the sun."

I will be completely honest and admit that my train of thought is gone, and this is probably going to seem extremely scatter brained, but thats the joys of having a personal blog and being able to say what you want haha. I must say one thing though, and it is to not simply base your intelligence on what you have learned from a book but also go out and experience things and learn from those. The other article deals with telling women that intelligence will hinder them from getting what they want out of life. 

http://elitedaily.com/women/intelligent-women-likely-single/678309/

This is going to come across as feminist, #sorrynotsorry, but telling women that they are going to be kept from getting what they want just because they are smarter than others is not ok. If anyone wants to achieve what they want, whether they are career focused or family focused or even a combination of both, they should set out to achieve that and should not be hindered based upon what they read. Granted those who put their career first before making a family will experience things in a completely different way than someone who did the opposite, and vice versa. 

It is also stated that women who are more intelligent are going to be seen as more of a threat. I don't know about you, but I would rather be seen as a threat than someone who can be walked on. The quote below describes how others may see an intelligent woman, and one way to look at it is to take them by surprise. There have been so many times people have looked at me and simply said "You're actually smart?" with a completely straight face and meant it, and every time I can't help but laugh and walk away. Take the world by storm, know what you want, enjoy the ride, and take no prisoners as several of my friends would say. 

"You may be sensitive, sweet and insecure, but your intelligence makes you threatening. You may not have muscles and a big d*ck, but men will look at you as competition."

Intelligence is an amazing thing, and others will never truly know everything that you personally know. Do not hold back who you are, or what you want to do, just because it may "put you back" in a life plan thats completely different to others. Intelligence makes us who we are, whether your IQ is high or low, and everyone is unique and brings something positive to "the table" as you could say. The one thing to always keep in mind is to not simply stay within your boundaries either, if you go outside of what you already know and learn something new you could possibly find a new passion, or even something you hate, but it will still better you in a way as long as you look for the good in it, as cliche as that sounds. 

Sorry for the late night ramblings, and I guess this is a result from not being able to sleep haha. 

Realizations.

It is literally only 12 days until summer session 2 ends, 28 days until the semester starts, 39 days until recruitment, and 137 days until graduation. I have absolutely no idea where the summer has gone, but more so where the entire year has gone so far. Guess that comes with the being busy all the time, but still it seems like the year has just started. 

I saw a picture not too long ago and it was about college. It said something along the lines of "Freshman: I have no idea what I'm doing. Senior: Still have no idea what I'm doing." 

This is basically how I feel about everything. You fail to realize how much is coming up, well, until you finally sit down and look at a calendar. There was so much I was wanting to do this summer, most of which I wasn't able to get done, but the memories made in place of those were completely worth it. I am learning more and more that time is something that I need to stop taking for granted, and that sometimes you do need to stop and smell the roses, but only do that if they smell good.

The next month is going to be insane from ordering announcements, cap and gown, still needing to purchase books (but lets put that off as long as possible), probably should order my class ring, among needing to do many other things. As excited as I am for Fall semester to begin the nerves are finally starting to really set in, and I am currently unsure about how I really feel about adulthood approaching fast. I would much rather go back to childhood where we had naps and could watch Disney movies as much as our heart desired, but sadly that is looked down upon when you have responsibilities, le sigh.

Of course I sit here and now my mind is going in a million different directions, and those who know me know thats a tendency that happens when I really should be focusing on other things at the moment, like putting all of my laundry up. Procrastination is good for the soul, and its what I do best sadly. 

I'm just going to leave this here in the meantime, and am going to attempt to organize some of these thoughts (and clothing) even though its mainly going to end up in me dancing around my room, because what other way is there to clean?

Today & Forver

I meant to post this on Saturday, but came home exhausted from retreat, and ended up passing out before going to Top Golf. Needless to say this is a very late post, but it is about one of the things I hold near and dear to my heart, my sisters and my chapter, Zeta Tau Alpha. Just a disclaimer: this is in no way me trying to convince anyone to go greek (unless you want to), this is simply my view and opinion on everything, and is my view on greek life.

I know many people have formed an opinion of what they think greek life truly is based upon what they have seen in movies, tv shows, news articles, or what it is portrayed to be. Although many people have formed these opinions, they don't see that there is much more that goes on besides the "constant partying" that they think happens everywhere. Many fail to see that thousands of dollars are raised each year, by each chapter across the nation, for various philanthropies. They also fail to see the community service hours put in, the networking, the lifelong friendships, and most importantly is the fact that everyone is growing into a better form of who they are while also contributing to the well being of those around them and complete strangers also. Granted there are going to be formals, parties, events, socializing, and everything and anything between, but some of the most memorable are nights like the ones I had this weekend with my sisters.

Friday was the beginning of our chapter retreat to help prepare us for recruitment, and to establish what goals we wanted to achieve as a whole. I'm not going to lie, the main reason I was excited for this was to see the sisters I hadn't seen since spring semester ended, but in the end Friday and Saturday were both extremely memorable days. After I finally managed to get checked in and stopped dropping things out of my bag (Thank you Elissa, Jordan, and Maddison for the help to get everything to my room/picked back up) I finally got to see some of my Zeta fam, and ended up going to dinner with mainly Fall 13, and some Spring 14 members. The walk to the restaurant was hilarious with the conversations shared, and its safe to say that no topic is off limits when talking to all of them.

When people think of a sorority they generally think of a cookie cutter image that every single member has to fit, but I am proud to say that I am a member of a very diversified sorority and we all manage to blend together, and this was definitely shown once the retreat actually started. Everyone was able to voice their opinion on different things, and also what we all thought could help enhance our chapter. There were so many things that made me realize that each and every single one of us are what makes this chapter important, and that we all have an impact on the chapter.

Friday night was great and even more entertaining once we got back to the hotel, and I certainly was not expecting to be up until 430 am still laughing and making friends with people I hadn't really had the chance to hangout with before that night. "On July 10th...." is one thing that is going to make me laugh for some time to come, and I definitely did not expect that we would gain an additional 3 people in our room for the night, but its one thing I definitely wouldn't change about the retreat. 

Saturday included some of the same things from Friday night, but we also did many team building exercises. My favorite was when we all had a piece of paper taped to our back, and you had to go around and write nice things about the person and they weren't allowed to see it until the end of the exercise. This was the last thing, and its probably a good thing that it was seeing as when I started to read the paper I had a few tears almost fall. There were several people who told me that I was someone that they looked up to within the chapter and that I was their role model, and even a couple "Mermaids" thrown in there haha. The one that affected me most was being told I was the reason that someone had stayed in ZTA. I would never have expected to read that, seeing I have only been in since Spring 13, but to know I have been able to have a positive impact on people within the chapter made me feel like this was definitely the place I belong.

Regardless of where my life may take me I know that I have made not only sisters, but lifelong friends. The idea that people are paying for their friends is far from the truth, you are paying for the events you compete in or for formals and date parties. The bond that you make with sisters, advisors, and even members of other greek organizations is not something that can be purchased, only because it is so much more than that. Originally I did not want to rush and had every intention of doing the complete opposite of becoming a member of a sorority based on what I had to deal with when I used to work events for another universities greek life, but I can say going greek was the best decision of my life. 

I know when I walk across the stage this December many things are going to change, and at the end of the day some people will come just like some people will go, but many of the people I have around me now are going to be in my life for years to come. Whether it may be someone in my family or not, if its someone I meet years from now when I am alumni, or even some sisters I had the opportunity of meeting in PCB, every single one of us have something in common even if its the only thing, and friendships can be formed on that. College may be the best years of our lives, but I know the best years will not only stop here, but will continue forever. 

Today and forever we’ll be Zetas true

We’ll honor our colors the grey and the blue.

A million tomorrows will all pass away 

Ere we forget all the joys that we have today.

My Texas

This month has been amazing (and its only halfway done!), from Casey Donahew giving me a shout out and telling me happy birthday on the radio, meeting Josh Abbott, 4th of July weekend in general, and seeing sisters and friends last night that I hadn't been able to spend time with since spring semester ended. Just a slight view into who I am: I am one of those people who has a very varied taste in music, but country and alt/indie are my all time favorites, and anyone who knows me knows that I have a passion for dancing also. 

Rockin Rodeo was celebrating their 9th birthday since opening, and through a little birdie I managed to find out that Josh Abbott was going to be playing. Regardless of how many times I attend one of their concerts, they are always amazing, just like many country artists. There's just something about being in the South that makes everything better, and seeing how the only dancing competitions that are going to be held in college (unless you are a dance major or on the university dance team) are going to be Homecoming or Greek Week, the country bars are my reprieve. 

There's just something about being able to leave all your stress and worries on the dance floor, and maybe its just me but its an instant mood booster. Being able to enjoy this night out with many of my close friends was amazing, and thats even an understatement. Its time to enjoy these moments now while retaking an intro class for a better grade, as compared as trying to enjoy a concert this fall when life is going to be chaotic with everything that will be going on. Besides, who can turn down a $10 concert for an amazing Texas Country artist?! If you can, then you may be a slight on the insane side, well if thats your cup of tea. 

I know there are going to be nights out dancing no matter what the next few months hold, it's kind of mandatory to happen at least twice a month. There are also several of my friends who wouldn't even give me the option, but would instead literally drag me out with them if they had the chance. Here are a few photos from last night, and just a slight view into the fun that was had. Needless to say it needs to happen again, stat. 

Throw what you know, ZLAM (zeta love and always mine) 

It's not even possible to have better people in my life than I do right now to make memories with. Whether its at a concert, dancing and getting my hair stuck in my friends beard (sorry bout that! haha), nights on the lake, meeting one of my favorite country artists, or even simply being at someones apartment talking (and even the texts with some people, you know who you are), the people in my life are the best and are irreplaceable. Fall cannot come soon enough so that more time can be spent in Denton. 

I hope everyone has a good day, and for those of my sisters who read this, can't wait to see y'all at the chapter retreat tomorrow :) 

Personal.

Yesterday I decided that it was time to put in serious work to get back to the point that I want to be in life. Throughout 2013 I had put on a lot of weight, well a lot in my mind personally although it was nowhere near the point I was at before I had lost weight the first time. The first time I had managed to lose over 50lbs in 6 months (this was about 3.5 years ago), and yesterday started the journey of once again trying to drop down to 155lbs, clean eating, and daily running. Many think I'm crazy for the fact that I love to run, but I find it as a major stress reliever.

I was going through pictures and found many that made me realize how much last year I had went to food as a crutch, and had simply gotten lazy from being so busy with everything going on. Part of it was also the amazing food and gelato throughout Europe, but come on, who wouldn't enjoy some good gelato while they could have it.

The deadline I am setting for the goal is Graduation in mid-December. You're only young once, and right now is the best time in order to improve who I truly am. Slowly since the beginning of the year I have been working at losing weight, but now is when I am going to truly put in "work" you could say.
I have learned that if you want to change something in your life, you yourself are the only person that can change that. One cannot simply rely upon others in order to change the things that make them unhappy, because there is nothing that other person can do unless they are having a negative impact on your life, and then they should simply leave and never come back.

Not only have changes been made based on weight, but this year I have been figuring out who I am after a somewhat-not-really rough start to the year when a relationship was ended. Since then I have learned that the most important thing you can do throughout your life is put yourself first. When you do that you allow yourself to be the happiest that you can be, and in turn can help make those around you happy also, of course when its the right timing to do so and when your help is wanted. Happiness is not only a mental and emotional state that can be seen, but can also be a physical by the way you carry yourself, take care of yourself, and present yourself.

Maybe my thoughts are too harsh, but I have learned that the only way to truly see changes in your life is through having reality checks, or someone being completely blunt (sorry to those friends who experience that side when its probably not the best time to have that side come out, just know I still love y'all). Happiness is not just a state of mind, its a way of living every day of your life. Right now I am not fully unhappy with who I am, or my weight, I just know I have a lot of growing and changing and improving to still do.

In the meantime I am going to be a little ball-sy and post a picture from about 2 years ago to the present. Its not to receive sympathy, but to simply push me to be able to show a change come graduation, and even before then, with even having the possibility to inspire others. I can say in the past week I have managed to lose 5lbs already, which is an even better to this path I have decided to go back down, again. (Picture on the left is 2012, and right is 2014, sorry the lighting in the second one sucks)

There was one compliment I received, even though I am self-conscious over 4th of July and that was when a girl said she admired my confidence that I had with having no hesitations to be in a two piece and wishes she was that comfortable in her own body. I thought this girl was beautiful, but it just goes to show if you are truly confident in yourself, it shows. Confidence is one of the most amazing and beautiful things a person can have, regardless of your appearance be you. Other peoples opinions do not matter, as long as you are happy with yourself, and always remember a smile is the best thing that a person can wear.

P.S sorry for the late night rambling, haha.

Class....

Currently sitting in my finance class I decided to take during 5wk2. The only reason I am in this class is to retake it for an A, because I'm literally .01 off from the GPA I need for grad school. Retaking intro to finance is a snoozefest when you're almost done with your degree, trust me if you are going to retake any classes, take them as soon as you can. Do not wait until a year and a half later, because you will be bored out of your mind.

On another note, this weekend is our chapter retreat for Zeta Tau Alpha, my home away from home. There are many girls I haven't had the opportunity to see since May, and this weekend is going to be one to remember. I'm so happy one of my littles and niece are ok with me crashing in their room this upcoming semester, because I will actually have the opportunity to spend time with those that are held near and dear to my heart.

Fall is going to be amazing, from nights spent talking when we should probably be studying, to countless nights at Club Willis (the library), homecoming pomping and the dance routine, and of course all the football games. Well, in the mean time I should probably get back to acting like I'm currently paying attention, even though that is clearly not happening, while trying not to die while listening to this professor speak (balance sheet=bat shit, sheet=shit), o this is going to be an interesting seemster. Or maybe I'll just explore stumbleupon while waiting for the 4 hour class to end, and of course to take this exam.

Once upon a time....

I had a blog, and have decided to once again start another after inspiration from a fellow sorority sister when she was graduating... Thank you Amanda! I figured this would be the best way to document the many different things that will be occurring during my journey through my last summer as an undergraduate, to my final semester in school, to grad school, and to finally entering the real world. 

I wish I would have started this blog last summer when I went on the most amazing adventure of my life (god knows everyone is tired of hearing of memories from that trip haha), and what has led me to wanting to be abroad to finish the last part of my studies in order to take the world by storm, eventually. Currently I don't think the world or myself, are ready for me to be on my own in the business world just yet. 

I wish I could describe the look people give me when they find out that I am getting my BS in Finance with a focus in Law, but the even better look is when they find out that I want to obtain my Masters in Finance as well. Both are priceless, the one thing that has me dumbfounded is wondering if this look is simply because I'm a woman or if it's because I'm blonde, even a combination of both may be what they are surprised about. The one thing that I have learned without a doubt is that taking peoples doubts and using those to push you further with what you want to do in life is the most amazing feeling, along with knowing you are accomplishing some of your wildest dreams. 

One question I have received over and over from people is "Why do you want to study on the other side of the world? Why not just study here?" "What do you plan on doing with your degree?" etc. The answer to the first is easy. Last summer when I spent 9 weeks traveling through Europe with my study abroad group I made some of the best memories of my life, but the even better memories were when I was out on my own, in countries where I did not know a single word of their language, and learned so much about myself as well as others. I was afraid at first, when I arrived in Dublin and found out the airline had lost my luggage and couldn't find it if their life depended on it. Needless to say I did call my mom to fix this issue, because I had no idea what to do and couldn't even figure out how to work the phone that was in the hotel room (first world problems, and I was definitely driving the struggle bus at that moment), but after that one incident there were very few times I was afraid. 

Being abroad I learned so much about different economies in the different countries, and just learned so much about the culture in general. Growing up I knew someone almost everywhere I went, that was until I moved to Texas. High school consisted of being on dance teams, and drill team, and as many extra curriculars that I could fit into my life. When I graduated high school every university I went to after that there has always been someone I knew, and I never had the opportunity to experience something completely on my own, without someone I knew, that was until last summer. Everything from that summer made me realize that there is this huge world that I NEED TO explore, and I WILL do just that. If I can study and explore at the same time, as well as better myself, its a no-brainer that I will take the opportunity and run with it. The whole give em an inch they'll take a mile, saying fits well here. I guess what I've been trying to get to in answering the first question through these last two paragraphs was: I want to go abroad for my degree for many reasons. 1) New culture, new area to explore, and many new connections to make. 2) The beach, duh. 3) Because I suffer from a horrible case of wanderlust. 4) Probably the most important, if accepted, this university is ranked among the top #100 in the world for Finance. 

The answer to the next question is simple, I want to be an analyst, eventually I want to deal with international mergers and acquisitions and would love to one day open up my own business. Everyone I know in real life that has asked me this question has received that exact answer, and those friends that are extremely close to me know the joke of what I want to find abroad, and I mean a girl's allowed to dream big, and have high expectations in regards to everything. 

The next few months will be a document of the emotional rollercoaster that I know is bound to happen, from my second and sadly last recruitment, to finding out whether I am accepted (fingers crossed), to homecoming, formal, senior appreciation, birthdays, and all around growing up with countless nights that are going to be spent being up way too late with those closest to me making amazing memories with some nights that are probably going to be spent in tears realizing that I am close to having to be a real adult. Everything in life always changes, thats a given. What the next few months, to the next few years where I will go through many life changing events holds is all to be experienced, but most importantly during this time I will finally become who I truly am. 

If y'all want to stick around and experience the ride with a girl who suffers from wanderlust and will chase her wildest dreams all over the world, with hopes of eventually working for a company that will pay for her to live in Europe, or if you want to stick around to watch the story of a woman who is figuring out who she truly is while opening and closing many chapters of her life, you are more than welcome to. 

In the meantime, its time for me to head to bed, and prepare for exams this week.

~If you can't live longer, live deeper~