7:30 AM

Happily Ever After

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Happiness, it's something we all pursue for ourselves. Some people also will bend over backwards just to make sure their loved ones will be happy as well.

Positive thinking and optimistic thoughts are the obvious ways to ensure one's happiness. But most of the time, that's not the case. Positive thinking and optimism are a great way to live a happy life, but sometimes we need to be realistic and realize that bad things will happen to us occasionally.

We all have certain things that make us happy, especially when life isn't going as planned. Some people enjoy traveling and adventuring off to faraway places. Other people like to find their happiness by exercising or working out. There's even people who find their happiness at their job. Other people find their happiness through religion or philosophy. While some people find their happiness in their hobbies like cooking, painting, baking, crafting, reading, writing, or any of the other hobbies out there. People also find their happiness by helping those around them or just being with the people they care most about.

While browsing Pinterest for some quotes on happiness, I discovered this gem above:

"No one is too old for fairytales."

Fairytales are often seen as childish, but that is incorrect. Fairytales are timeless. Most children grow up reading the classic tales and even watching the movies that go along with them. Fairytales are important, and they offer such important life lessons. From fairytales we've learned about: right and wrong, true love, honor, sacrifice, hope, courage, hard work, justice and so much more.

To go back as an adult and reread or even re-watch these classic stories reminds us of all of the lessons we once learned as children. For me especially, I'm reminded about love and hope. Love is a great feeling and a strong emotion to have. But love isn't always romantic, it can be towards your friends and family. Hope, now that's a big one, it is a big part of finding happiness. If you're not hopeful about anything, how will you grow? How will you achieve your goals and dreams?

Fairytales reinforce that there are sad moments, but shows that the sad moment is not the end. From watching Once Upon A Time, I've seen that as long as there is hope, there are good things headed your way. If you've watched the show you'd know Regina, aka Evil Queen, she's transformed from a villain to a hopeful hero searching for her happy ending.

Hope and happiness come hand in hand, they're a pair you can never split up. And this is shown in fairytales. Fairytales teach us the important lessons that you can't learn from a textbook, and teach us these lessons in a important way. They teach us by tapping into our emotions, when our hero is sad and angry, we're sad and angry. When our hero is happy, we're happy. When our hero gets their happily ever after, we know ours is on its way. Until next time.

3:37 PM

My Favorite Movie: Billy Madison

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One of my favorite movies growing up would probably shock you all. It's not a Disney or family movie. And it's not a cult classic like Bring It On or Mean Girls or Clueless, but those are all definitely some of my other favorite movies. This movie is a movie I hold close to my heart because I spent a lot of time watching it with my brother and dad growing up. It also provided lots of laughs. This movie is Billy Madison.

Billy Madison is the story of a wealthy man child named Billy (played by Adam Sandler) who spends his days out by pool and drinking and slacking off all day. His father sees that Billy is lazy and has no motivation to do anything in life, so this leads him to choose his right hand man, Eric, to take over the family company. Billy and Eric do not get along because Eric is obviously the villain in this movie. Billy thinks Eric shouldn't have the company. Billy actually wants it, he tells his father he can do it because even though high school was a pain, he finished it with good grades.

So then he learns that his father actually paid his teachers to give him good grades. Billy says he'll go back to high school and repeat all the grades. Then his father says it wasn't just high school, it was from first grade all the way to high school. So Billy decides to prove his father wrong and repeat 1st-12th grade in 24 weeks. And if he can do it, he'll win the company back.

Like any early Adam Sandler movie, it is filled with funny dialogue and definitely has some quotable moments. Billy Madison was actually Adam Sandler's first starring role. He did this movie right after he became a breakout star on Saturday Night Live. Thanks to Billy Madison we have all the classic Adam Sandler movies that we love and unfortunately, all the bad Adam Sandler movies we've seen lately.

It's funny to see Adam Sandler go through each grade, because he basically is a child. Also after each grade he passes he throws an extravagant party filled with even more funny moments. But also we have Eric being sneaky and trying to sabotage him. As Billy goes through each grade, he grows up little by little and even falls in love with his fourth grade teacher. Cute right?

You're probably wondering does Billy finishes school? Does he get the company? Does he live happily ever after with his teacher? Well you're going to have to watch the movie to find out. Or you can check out this video with some of the best and funniest moments from Billy Madison. It's up to you! Until next time.

8:49 AM

Vlog 11: ipsy Glam Bag September Face Fashion

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Here is Day 18’s post which was just supposed to be a photo of myself. But just one of my selfies alone is so boring. So I had the brilliant idea of combing a selfie with a Glam Bag unboxing. Got to look pretty in those selfies right? So the here is my September Face Fashion Glam Bag Unboxing vlog!

And here was the look I created using all of the products in my Glam Bag. Not too bad right? Thanks for watching and until next time.

4:50 PM

Blog Spotlight: Career Girl Daily

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My favorite blog to read is Career Girl Daily. Despite the name, this blog isn't just about all work and career related things. It's all about the busy and ambitious woman who wants to do it all. So even though I am not a career girl (yet), their articles are relatable.

There are so many articles about a variety of topics. Obviously career is the main one, but there many other articles about travel, fashion, beauty and lifestyle. Every one of those subjects is something I love to read about and write about.

Career Girl Daily offers a lot of articles that give advice to young women who are looking to start their career and to those who have already started. They give plenty advice on how to get a job and when you should leave a bad job. They share the latest fashion trends for both inside the office and outside of the office. They also offer tips for shopping and traveling on a budget plus all the must see things in some of the most popular cities and countries to travel to.

If you've recently graduated, Career Girl Daily offers a bunch of advice from women who went through the struggles of post grad life too. It can be very helpful and enlightening, and it's something that really helped me. Their fashion articles also help me stay on trend and educate me on what all the hot items are for each season. Their travel articles make me add new destinations to my travel list. But their lifestyle articles always have me hooked simply because they're all so relatable.

If you're looking for advice on any life subject matter, I bet Career Girl Daily has an answer for you. It's one of my favorite lifestyle blogs and every article is well written. Even the articles that focus more on photographs, like a lot of their fashion stories, are amazing because they use beautiful images. There really is something for everyone there. Check it out if you can, and until next time!

9:00 AM

You'll Never Be Too Cool For School

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Education, it's a very important part of our society. Yet everyone seems to constantly complain about school and having to go. Meanwhile, there a thousands of people in the world who would love the opportunity to receive an education.

Sometimes we all take our education for granted. Without school we would have no idea how to read, write, count or any other basic everyday skill. Think about the Middle Ages, when only the wealthy were allowed to be educated and all the peasants were illiterate. The peasants lacked logic and reason due to their lack of education.

Education gives us the tools to think for ourselves, we're taught to read and from what we've read we try to form an understanding and create our own interpretation.

Today all you see is people complain that they have to go to school. School is treated like it is a chore, rather than an amazing opportunity. It's crazy women did not have the right to an education in the United States until the 19th century. It's even crazier that in some parts of the world, women still don't have the right to recieve an education.

Remember Malala Yousafazi? Well when she was 15 years old, she survived an assassination attempt. Why would a 15 year old be a target for an assassination? Well this is because she defended the right for a girls’ education in Paskistan after the Taliban outlawed schools for girls in her community. She survived a bullet to the head and has become an activist for education and has even won a Nobel Peace Prize since then. Tell me, what did you do at 15?

My point is, we're so lucky that we have the right to an education and it's something that's not appreciated enough. Imagine you were Malala, and you were almost murdered all because you wanted to receive an education, but your government would not allow it because of something you can't even control.

School not only teaches us about a variety of subjects, it also teaches us how to grow and become responsible citizens and good human beings. We learn to use our manners and be polite and respectful towards one another. While in school we find our talents and that can lead us to our future career path. We learn how to interact with one another while we learn about ourselves.

Education teaches us all about the world we live in. In science, we learn about our planet and how it works. In math, we learn to calculate and solve problems. In English, we learn to communicate. In history, we learn about the mistakes made in the past so hopefully we can learn from them in the future.

The next time you ever think school is pointless and a waste of your time, think about Malala. Someone who would die just to have the basic right that you take for granted. Don't look at school as a waste of time, think of it as a blessing. Think about how lucky you are while others are not so privileged.

What are your thoughts on education? Until next time.

1:13 PM

My Unknown Future

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One of the most popular questions always seems to be about the future:
"Where do you see yourself in *insert number here* years?"
Whenever I get asked this question, I wish I was like Raven from That's So Raven. That way I could see the future and know for sure what will happen. I'm one of those kinds of people who like to plan ahead and know what will happen. But sadly, life doesn't always work like that.

So the question I was asked for this daily blog challenge was: "Where would I be in five years?"

For me it is impossible to respond to, I have no idea what the future will hold. All I know is I better have everything all together by then because I'll be 28 years old. So I better have a job, a home and someone to share it all with.

I know this post was vague, but that's what the future is. The future is unknown and for me, it's hard to write about the unknown. I know I could imagine where I'd want to be in five years, but that's vague too. All I can see is me coming home from work and giving my boyfriend/fiancé/husband (who knows what my relationship status will be then) a kiss. Maybe a couple good vacations thrown in there... I don't know, even my imagination is vague.

Who knows what the future has in store for all of us? I just want the simple things, nothing extravagant. All I want is a happy life full of adventures and people I care about. Now let me ask you, where do you see yourself in the next five years? Until next time.

9:00 AM

3 Healthy Habits Everyone Should Live By

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Everyone wants to live a happy and healthy life, but we all don't do the healthiest of things. We all live crazy busy lives and sometimes it can be hard to be healthy and perfect all the time.

Sometimes it's just easier to to grab dinner from a fast food restaurant instead of cooking a meal at home. And other times, we get caught up in work or relaxing instead of exercising. But there are little things you can do throughout the day that make your life a little bit healthier.

Get At Least 8 Hours Of Sleep
Studies say that eight hours of sleep is exactly what an average adult needs each night. But everybody is different, some people (like myself) need nine hours to be well rested. While others can function perfectly on six hours of sleep. We all need sleep in order to function and stay alive. Consider sleep to be your recharging time. You don't want to go through the day not feeling 100% right?

Walk 10,000 Steps A Day
I know 10,000 steps may seem like a lot, but it's not impossible! According to The Walking Site, the average stride for a person is 2.5 feet long, so around 2,000 steps equals one mile. If you do the math, 10,000 would be around five miles. People who aren't so active walk around 1,000 to 3,000 steps a day. Isn't that crazy? To increase your step count try: taking the stairs instead of the elevator, when you go somewhere park in the back instead of near the entrance or take your pet on a walk or even take a walk with your friends! I use my Fitbit to track all my steps and how many miles I walk in a day.
Invest In A Planner & Make To Do Lists
Life gets a little less crazy when you plan it out! When you write something down, you have a better chance of remembering it. Plus if you forget you'll end up being reminded when you see it later. Make a daily to do list with all the things you want and need to get done! Make personal and professional check lists, it will make life easier. Planners aren't just for students, they are great for all ages. It keeps you organized and you can write down your appointments and events. And with the calendar, you can always make sure your schedule isn't conflicted. Planners are a great way to reduce stress and keep track of your goals. And it's cheaper than hiring a personal assistant.

So those are my three healthy habits that I always try to incorporate into my daily life! They work well for me and I hope they work well for you. What are some of your healthy habits? I'd love to know. Until next time.

7:47 PM

Vlog 10: What's In My Fridge?!

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Here is yesterday's vlog for the Day 13 challenge: what's inside my fridge. Watch my video to see what yummy stuff is inside my fridge!

Thanks for watching! Until next time!

6:17 PM

My Favorite Childhood Book

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Growing up, I loved to read. I cherished every visit to the bookstore and I had a collection of books in my room. I used to read a book a week it seemed like. But when you grow up, you get more responsibilities and less time to read.

Reading at a young age was really good for me. I enjoyed being read to by my parents, and eventually I enjoyed reading on my own. When I got old enough, I'd stay up late all because I got caught up in a book.

I spent a lot of quality time with my parents when we read fairytales and other classic children books. One of my favorite childhood books was Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. You know the classic story, Sam-I-Am wants his grumpy friend to eat green eggs and ham. But the grumpy friend has never tried them and just assumes he will not like them. But after Sam-I-Am's pestering and nagging, the grumpy friend tries the green eggs and ham. The grumpy friend has a change of heart after trying then and indeed he likes green eggs and ham.

This book is great because it's all about trying new things and to not make any assumptions based on an object's appearance. Remember a time when you didn't want to eat vegetables because they didn't look good? You've come a long way since then, especially with your newfound diet consisting of kale and avocado. I bet before you read Green Eggs & Ham you never wanted to eat anything green.

I remember in kindergarten after we read the book, our teacher actually made us green eggs and ham. I was amazed that they actually existed. My five year old self had no idea there was such a thing as food dye.

Green Eggs & Ham is a classic book that every kid should read growing up. It's an easy read and it is the perfect starter book. And fun fact, the book only contains 50 different words.

What was your favorite childhood book? Did you ever get to try green eggs and ham? Let me know in the comment section! Until next time.

1:48 PM

My Favorite Foods! Nom Nom Nom

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Food, it's an important part of our daily lives. Food helps keep us alive and gives us the energy we need to do all the things we need to do. Obviously there's food that's good for you and food that's not so good for you. It taste delicious but after a while it won't make you feel good. Everyone has their own taste and their own favorite kinds of food.

Food can bring people together. People go out on dates to restaurants, grab lunch and catch up with old friends, and I bet you remember those family dinners growing up. Food is such an important part of our culture. Think about all those food blogs out there and all those people who Instagram their food. So for today's challenge here are some of my favorite foods:

Salad I know it's an odd choice but I really like them. They're healthy and after eating one I feel good! It doesn't leave me feeling gross and icky after eating one. Plus salads can be so versatile! There's a bunch of different kinds of lettuce and dressing, and you can add all sorts of vegetables.

Cupcakes Yes I like to indulge with a cupcake every once and a while. I love to bake cupcakes and eat them. Or I love to go to Sprinkles and get a cupcake. Nothing is better than the Sprinkles sundae, a cupcake with ice cream in the middle. Now I don't eat cupcakes all the time, but you know you've got to treat yourself now and then.

Pasta As an Italian, I love pasta. Spaghetti, penne, fettuccine, gnocchi, etc. You get the idea. I don't discriminate when it comes to my pasta! Pasta is so versatile, there so many kinds of noodles and they can also be paired with all different kinds of sauces! I'm mainly a red sauce fan, but I don't mind a pesto or white sauce every once and a while.

Cookies! Call me the cookie monster because I love COOKIES. Chocolate chip, white chocolate macadamia nut and sugar cookies are my favorites. But I'm never afraid to try a new kind of cookie. I love to bake cookies too, and you'll find me baking them when I'm craving something sweet.

Grilled Cheese Yes I am a child, I love grilled cheese. Nothing is better than cheese and bread put it together and you've got magic. It's such a simple meal that just tastes so good.

French Fries I love french fries probably just as much as the cookie monster loves cookies, maybe more. I love french fries. All of the french fries in the world. It's not the healthiest thing to love to eat, but I definitely want to try to make a healthy version of them.

Avocado Does that count? It should because I love avocado. I love to have it in my salad, on my sandwiches, in my quesadillas, etc. Basically if I can add avocado to it, it will be there. And yes I know it's extra.

Pretzels My favorite snack of all time! Whenever I go to a baseball game, I'll always get a salted pretzel with a side of cheese. But when I go to Disneyland, I get this special pretzel filled with jalapeño cheese. It is the most amazing thing of all time. And I love it. And growing up I loved Wetzel's Pretzels, and I get tempted every time I go to the mall.

Burritos The greatest creation of all time. They're so filling and filled with yummy goodness. I love a simple burrito like a bean and cheese, and I love a complex burrito like a vegetarian one from Chipotle filled so much my tortilla rips. I even enjoy breakfast burritos on occasion! Whoever thought of filling a tortilla with beans, rice, cheese and etc, is a genius.

Mozzarella Sticks I can't think of anything more delicious than fried cheese. Sure it's not the healthiest but it's so good. It's definitely a guilty pleasure of mine, it's something I'll get every once and a while.

I know with my favorite foods, they're all not the healthiest option out there. But that's okay, because I don't eat all these things all the time. And that's how it should be. If you ate something daily, odds are after a certain amount of time you wouldn't want to eat it anymore. Favorite foods are something you don't get so often so when you do get to eat them it makes them more enjoyable. Until next time.

9:58 PM

An 8 Year Old Goes To Europe For A Wedding? Say What?

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The best trip of my life was back in 2001 and it was the first time I went to Europe with my family. I was eight years old and this was certainly the most interesting and entertaining trip, I've ever been on.

This trip was not your ordinary vacation. My brother was going to get married in Sweden, so my mom planned this wonderful two week summer vacation to go along with the wedding. We planned to go to: Paris, France, Malmo, Sweden, Copenhagen, Denmark, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Berlin, Germany, Munich, Germany, Geneva, Switzerland and Milan, Italy.

However a couple months before the trip, the wedding was called off. The trip was nonrefundable, so even though the wedding was not happening, our vacation sure was. Now my brother and the girlfriend did not take the whole trip with us. They were only in Sweden for the "wedding" and only my parents, my other brother and I went on the two week getaway.

As a child I enjoyed Paris the most, something about that city felt right to me. Maybe that's because in my mind, there was soft served ice cream and pastries everywhere. There was also a moment where my family left me in the hotel room by myself and I was terrified because I had no idea where they went. I got ice cream after that so everything was okay.

We traveled by train and that truly is the best way to travel in Europe. No matter where you are in Europe you'll always see the beautiful scenery. Plus there's nothing more amazing than riding a train throughout the European countryside.

There was even one train ride where we had to get on a ferry, and the train actually got put on the ferry, there was a track and everything. That little thing just amazed me at such a young age! A train on a boat?! How cool is that?

Copenhagen was one of my favorite cities on that trip and I'm dying to go back. I got to go to Tivoli Gardens, the world famous amusement park, and inspiration to Disneyland. My most favorite part of Copenhagen was seeing the Little Mermaid statue. Because you know me, Disney freak here, and I love the Little Mermaid! The Little Mermaid statue is in Denmark, because the author, Hans Christian Andersen, is Danish. Denmark is such a cute little fairytale like country and I loved it.

Another city I loved was Geneva, a beautiful Swiss city surrounded by a lake. Our hotel was supposed to be right on the water. Back then there was no Google Maps, so we could not look it up or see the Yelp reviews. Instead we had to trust our travel agent. Well our hotel was not on the lake, it actually was about a mile away and was the dirtiest place I had ever been to. So we went to the Hilton, which was actually on the lake, and checked to see if there were any rooms available. Luckily there were and we even got a suite after telling them our story about being duped. So we left the dumpy hotel and stayed at the Hilton.

Traveling to so many places at such a young age can have its disadvantages. A lot having to do with memories. There were some cities I really didn't remember seeing or remember anything about.

It's sad to say I barely remember being in Germany, because it's such a beautiful country and it's one of my mother lands. I remember some moments, but I don't remember being there. I'd love to go back and see what I can't remember and hopefully jog my memory.

I also don't remember being in Amsterdam. But that is because we didn't spend a lot of time there. We were there for a day trip I think, I know we didn't stay overnight. The reason why I don't remember it is because I slept through it. I think I was tired/jet lagged because there are several pictures of me sleeping in a taxi and at a restaurant. And I have chosen to not share those photos with you all today.

The major advantage of traveling at a young age is that once you start you never want to stop. Traveling can be an addiction, but it is a healthy one because when you see the world you learn a bunch of new things about the world you live and about yourself. This trip started my travel addiction, and I don't see it ever going away. Until next time.

6:50 PM

Vlog 9: What's In My Bag?!

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Here is Day 9 of my 30 day blog challenge! Today's topic: what's in my bag? And I thought it would be fun to do this one as a vlog. So here it is!

Thanks for watching and until next time!

7:25 PM

Let's Talk About Goals

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Goal: the object of a person's ambition or effort; an aim or desired result. We all have dreams that we want to come true, and setting goals is a great way to start making your own dreams come true. Because unfortunately, we're not like Cinderella or Aladdin, we can't have a magical being grant our wishes. We must grant our own.

Goal setting is the process of thinking about what you want in your future and making it happen. There's two type of goals: short term and long term. A short term goal is something small that take less time to accomplish. Short term goals tend to be a smaller part of your long term goals, meaning that they are steps that help you complete a long term goal. A long term goal is something you want to accomplish in the future.

There's even a holiday dedicated to setting goals and bettering ourselves. That's right, those pesky New Year's Resolutions. Some maintain them and keep them year round. While others forget about their resolutions about a month later.

There's a process when it comes to goal setting and this little article is a great read about personal goal setting. It describes the seven steps of setting your personal goals and offers a lot of great tips. Based on this article the seven steps are:

    1. Decide what you want (simple enough)
    2. Write it down (this can help you remember and motivate you!)
    3. Set a deadline (give yourself a realistic time frame)
    4. Create a list with steps (what needs to be done to accomplish your goal?)
    5. Organize and prioritize (what matters to you?)
    6. Take action (you're one step closer!)
    7. Make progress (do a little day by day)
Once you get in the habit of working to accomplish your goals it's important to persevere and not give up. Keep track of what you've accomplished and reward yourself for it! Another great thing to do is to share your goals with your friends and family because it's always great to have someone cheer you on! So I'll take the first step, and share my goals with you. So here are five of my current goals:
    1. Find a job in my field so I can gain experience in my craft.
    2. Continue blogging and vlogging frequently.
    3. Get in better shape, by eating healthier and exercising daily.
    4. Read at least 25 books a year.
    5. Be more organized and use my planner as much as possible!
Those are my five current goals, and I'm slowly making progress! Sharing them today helped motivate me to accomplish them. What are your goals? I'd love to read them in the comment section below. Thanks for reading and until next time.
8:33 PM

5 Songs You'll Always Catch Me Listening To

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Music surrounds us all. We hear it on the radio when we're in our cars. We hear it in our favorite TV shows, movies and even in those pesky commercials we all hate. We choose to listen to the music we enjoy on our devices through a variety of platforms. Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, iTunes, Youtube and etc, all make listening to the songs we love and enjoy that much easier.

It is a key part of our culture, because music reflects it. Some songs take on deeper meanings and talk about issues and events that have happened in that artist's life. And we can connect to them on a deeper level. Or some songs make us think of moments in our lives and we connect to a song that way.

But other songs just connect to us on emotional level and there is no deeper meaning to it. Those are the fun songs that we simply enjoy because they make us feel good. Some music is meant to be fun and listened to for pure entertainment.

Personally, I like music that makes me feel. I have different songs I listen to especially when I want to channel a certain emotion. I have happy music for when I want to be happy. Sad music for when I'm in a not so good mood and I need a good cry. Angry music for when I want to break something, I don't listen to these songs often. But my point is there's different songs made for different emotions.

Like I mentioned in my first Radio Roundup, the radio has the power to kill a song by overplaying it. The radio can give a song life and death, it's really full circle if you think about it. But there are those rare songs that are immortal and can not be overplayed and are always great whenever you listen to them. So here are five songs that you'll always find me listening to:

  • Six Feet Under the Stars by All Time Low
  • This is one of my favorite songs by All Time Low. They are my favorite band it was one of the first songs I really fell in love with by them. The song makes me happy and it calms down me and relaxes me when I'm stressed. I like listening to the story being told and imagining how it would play out as if it was a movie.

  • Curiosity by Carly Rae Jepsen
  • Anyone who says Carly Rae Jepsen is just a one hit wonder clearly has not listened to any of her other songs, and has only listened to Call Me Maybe. In fact her whole album Kiss is filled with amazing pop songs and Call Me Maybe is clearly not the best on the entire album. Curiosity is a a fun pop song you can just dance and sing a long to. And warning, it may get stuck in your head.

  • Hanging On by Ellie Goulding ft. Tinie Tempah
  • This is a cover Ellie Goulding did back in 2012 and this is probably one of my favorite songs of all time. Something about Ellie's voice is just so powerful and Tinie Tempah's rap really adds to the song. This song is powerful song about heartbreak and moving on. I was never a big fan of the original version, but Ellie gave it a lot of flair and made it come alive.

  • Night by Night by Chromeo
  • This song was my ringtone for the longest time, and I'm still not sick of it. It's a fun song to groove to and it has a unique beat. I still jam to this song, and I think I'm going to make it my ringtone again. Chromeo has had a lot of good songs, they are really good band that needs to be checked out.

  • Fancy by Iggy Azaela ft. Charli XCX
  • This song may be an unpopular choice because of Iggy's current reputation. She's not the most popular artist out there because of the things she's said. But just because she has a big mouth and doesn't know when stop talking, that doesn't change or affect my love for her song Fancy. This is my fun sassy song where I channel my inner gangster. I love this song, it has so much character and it's a fun listen. Who dat? Who dat? I-G-G-Y.

So there you have it, these are the five songs I don't think I can ever get sick of. Every time I hear them, it's like it's the first time I'm listening to it. These songs bring me so much joy, and that's what music should do. Thanks for reading and until next time.

2:17 PM

What Am I Afraid Of?

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This is Fear, you may know him from Disney/Pixar's new film Inside Out. Fear is one of the many emotions in Riley's head. But Riley isn't the only one who experiences fear, we all do. The reason why I bring up Inside Out is because I think this movie did a great job of showing us how our emotions work and they brought them to life in an amazing way. If you have not seen Inside Out yet, I highly recommend that you do because it is pure genius and it will give you a new outlook on your emotions.

The topic for today, is what I am afraid of. Fear is a crazy thing. Sometimes fear can be so strong, it keeps you from living your life happily. Other times, fear can help save your life. The purpose of the emotion, fear, is to protect us and look out for potential danger. Sometimes fear can even be the dominant emotion, but from what I learned in Inside Out, it's that there should never be one dominant emotion, instead all emotions should work together as a team to keep us fully functioning.

As humans, we all get scared and we all certainly have fears. There are thousands of phobias out there, from arachnophobia (the fear of spiders) to zoophobia (the fear of animals). Everyone has something they are afraid of, but fear doesn't make you weak. Every time you face a fear, you get a little bit stronger. And honestly, if you're body is telling you something is wrong or scary, there's 99% it's for a good reason.

So here's the part where I get personal and I list several of my fears:

  • Bugs, except like butterflies, lady bugs, rollie pollies, you know cute bugs
  • Snakes, reptiles, rodents. Not a fan at all
  • Public speaking, it never ends well
  • Needles and blood, this one is serious, this one makes me light headed
  • The dark, not a fan, cant't even sleep in it. Forever leaving my TV on
  • Fire, something about it just scares me. I hate matches and lighters but controlled fires like in a fire place or fire pit are always okay
  • Wasps and bees, simply because I don't want to get stung
I'm going to stop there because that's all I can think of. Now you all know how to scare me so that's cool. Thanks for reading and until next time!
8:05 PM

My Proudest Moment: Finding Myself

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My proudest moment is a moment that changed my life completely. When I was 19 years old, I decided to spend the fall semester of my junior year studying abroad in Seville, Spain, Rome, Italy, and Paris, France. Spending three months in three different countries without my closest friends or family taught me how to be independent and how to live on my own and take care of myself. During this time I discovered who I was as a person and learned a lot about myself.

While I spent my time in Spain, I was homesick a lot and I spent a lot of time by myself just exploring and walking around the city. I made a couple friends in my rotation, but being shy made it hard to put myself out there and be friendly and talk to others. Spain was lonely at first, I spent a lot of time in coffee shops thinking about writing about my journeys (I wish I would have done that) and taking photos and shopping.

But once I started to make friends, my inner explorer came out. My group of friends and I set out for Africa and we took an adventure to Morocco and truly experienced a whole new world and way of life. I even got to ride a camel!! The greatest animal and experience of my life. That was something to check off my bucket list, and since during that time the world was allegedly ending, so I wanted to make the most of my time abroad from there on out.

Next month I was on my way to Italy, one of my many motherlands. There I loosened up more, and channeled my inner Italiana. Here is where I learned, that I love to learn about other cultures and cities and their history.

Walking around Rome I was simply just fascinated and captivated by the city. I didn't care about the bars or night clubs, I loved the city and the culture. I drank cappuccinos and ate pasta and gelato daily. I admired the ancient ruins and the beautiful architecture that surrounded me.

My love for Italy didn't stop at Rome, I wanted to see more of Italy and see more of this amazing culture. So for my fall break, a close friend I made in Spain and I went on a ten day adventure and we traveled by train to Florence, Venice, Verona and Milan. Florence was a beautiful river city filled with art. Venice romanced me with the gondola rides through the canals. Fair Verona, where Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet lays their scene impressed me because of my love for literature and the arts. Milan, the fashion capital of the world inspired me to dress to impress.
We even made it to Athens, Greece on our ten day adventure. Since I was living in one ancient empire, I wanted to see another. Lucky for me, so did my friend. We both shared a love for mythology so going to Greece was a no brainer for us. We walked the ruins of the acropolis for hours and never got tired. Simply because we were in awe because of the amazing city we were in.

Saying goodbye to Italy was tough, I adapted well there but I was excited to make my way to Paris, the city of lights.

Traveling to Paris, was tougher than I thought it would be. I was excited to be in one of my favorite cities of all time, but my friends' negativity towards Paris put a damper on my time there. Constant complaining about the weather and how expensive it was tested my optimism. So instead of sulking with everyone else, I spent my free time enjoying what the city had to offer. Paris is rich with art, literature, fashion and all things creative and intellectual. I spent my time in museums, because I love museums. I loved looking at all the art. I spent an entire day getting lost in the Louvre by myself. I can proudly say I've been through the entire museum.

I climbed to the top of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe and saw what no one else could see: elegance. I studied French in high school so I could communicate a little, but after my time in Paris I realized I really wanted to be fluent in another language, several if I could handle it.

Traveling does teach you a lot about yourself, stuff you did not even think of, especially if you are on your own. It teaches you independence and I'm so glad I learned all about it when I did. Because after my three months abroad, I truly became an adult. Age doesn't make you an adult, legally yes, but mentally it's your wisdom and the lessons you learn in life that truly make you an adult. My time abroad made me wiser, and I grew up. But I never want to stop growing and I've grown more since then. I know my futures adventures will help me learn even more and more each day. Thanks for reading and until next time.

7:58 PM

My Dream Job? Your Guess Is As Good As Mine.

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Throughout my life, I've had many dream jobs. When I was in 5th grade, I wanted to be a singer. Then when I learned I was tone deaf, I wanted to be a lawyer. Then I wanted to be a politician, an actress, a teacher, and so on and so forth.

But then I discovered my talent for writing and I wanted to be a writer. They're are so many forms of writing out there. Novelists, screenwriters, journalists, oh my! Well I ruled out all the creative writing jobs because I do not have a creative bone in my body, so I decided on journalism, which is something I enjoy. I enjoyed it so much that I deiced to study it when I went to university.

While studying journalism, I realized I did not enjoy writing about the news. So newspapers and broadcast were a definite no for me. So, I drifted more to the entertainment side. I enjoy pop culture and I certainly enjoy writing about it. Back in school I certainly thought I was going to be an entertainment reporter or even a publicist, because I took a couple public relations classes and I really enjoyed them.

I always pictured myself working for a magazine, simply because I love magazines. I love the look, the feel, the words, and just everything about them. Maybe my love for the movie, The Devil Wears Prada influenced my love for magazines and the environment.

But when I graduated from St. John's, I didn't have a job lined up waiting for me. This is because I was uncertain with what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. So I decided to dabble in some other kinds of journalism. There was a point where I wanted to be a sports writer, a beauty writer, a DIY/craft writer, a travel writer, a photographer, a music writer, a fashion writer, a Youtube vlogger, and etc.

I went back and forth trying to decide what to do while I was working a job that I hated. But this job taught me one important lesson after I graduated, I certainly did not want to be a legal assistant.

My point is I am an indecisive person, and I have no clear idea of what I want to do. I have a variety of interests that I would enjoy writing about. I'm lucky, I'm young and I have a chance to experiment with what my possible future career could be.

But in this moment in time, and I had the chance to pick any job in the world it would be a travel writer. Simply because I love to travel and I enjoy seeing new places. To be able to write about far away places and what they have to offer and capture it all in photographs would truly be a dream come true.

But with my decisiveness that can always change. So who knows what I'll be dreaming about next week. The point is, you should never stop dreaming about what you can do. The possibilities are endless. There's so much out there in this big old world of ours, so why not sample it all?

Shout out to my friend Jorge (@thatcoffeelord) for making this super awesome picture of me! Thanks for reading about my ramblings and until next time.

6:01 PM

My Favorite Quote

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I really don't have a favorite quote per say, but I do like to browse the variety of quotes on Pinterest. And when I stumbled upon this one, I had to keep it because it truly spoke to me.
"Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer."
Whoever uttered this quote could not be any more right. Money doesn't make you rich, your experiences in life truly enriches it. Being able to see far away places and experience new cultures can shape a person. Material goods like designer bags and luxurious cars may show you have a lot of money to blow but it doesn't make you rich.

You can't buy memories and your memories are all yours. No one can steal your memories, and sell them on eBay. They are yours forever and you'll keep making memories as long as you shall live. When you travel with your friends and family and loved ones you create so many that they will last a lifetime.

Traveling is so rich because it can change you. Some people grow when they travel because they learn so much. Traveling in a foreign place can be challenging as well, so some people have to be quick on their feet and solve problems if they arise. Traveling can change your whole perspective on life and change how you think once you visit a new place where the citizens live their lives differently.

When you travel, you're also educating yourself. They say those who don't know their history are doomed to repeat it, but reading a history book isn't the most fun thing to do. But you know what is fun? Going to the place where a historical event occurred. For example, reading about D-Day and how the soldiers landed on the coast of France is one thing but going to the beaches of Normandy and seeing where it all took place really puts history into perspective.

When a person travels, they're investing in making themselves the best person they can be. The more you travel, the more you see. And with the more you see, the more you grow. And the more you grow, the more you change. The more we change, we become better, we evolve. Travelers understand other cultures, other places, other people, and other ways of life. And when they share their experiences it enriches the lives around them.

If everyone traveled and had some sort of understanding what life is like in other places, human beings wouldn't take what they have for granted. Therefore, travel indeed is the only thing you can buy that makes you richer.

7:10 PM

Vlog 8: 20 Facts About Me

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Here is Day 2 of the 30 Day Blog Challenge: 20 Facts About Me! Instead of listing the facts in a blog post I thought it would be more fun and interactive if I did it as a vlog instead! Enjoy!

Thanks for watching and until next time!

3:49 PM

The Meaning Behind My Blog Name

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There's always some sort of mystery and creativity behind a person's blog name. And a clever hidden meaning is thrown in there to describe that person. Sadly, I am not as creative as everyone else in this world. Coming up with creative titles and names was never my expertise. Sometimes, I have a rare moment and think of something clever and funny, but that's after hours of picking my brain.

But when I started my blog last year (I can't believe it's been a year!) I first went by the title: Living Life Colorfully, and after a couple months I didn't think it suited my blog or voice. Even though it is a phrase I do love to live by, it did not describe my writing style.

When I was in middle school, I joined the school newspaper and that's where I found my love for writing. But when I got to high school, I got some bad grades on writing assignments and it killed my confidence. Those bad grades didn't come from a teacher telling me I sucked at writing, it was from a computer that told me I sucked and my confidence shattered. I had to write for a computer and appeal to the computer and what it was looking for. I forgot how to write for a person and for me, and I didn't learn it again until the next year. I got an English teacher who brought my confidence up a little.

I've always been insecure when it came to showing people my work. I hated to have people read my work, and I've always been terrified of criticism. But I've learned it comes with the job and as long as you're proud of what you write and create, then that's all that matters. You can't be everyone's cup of tea.

You can't gain confidence without finding your voice, and that takes time. I found my voice in college, and I realized it's very conversational. I like to write as if I am talking to my audience. I like to think when someone reads anything I write on my blog, it's almost like we're sitting down in Starbucks, having a cup of coffee and chatting like we've been friends for years.

So the back to the meaning behind my blog name. Hey Kaitlin Mary is meant to be an introduction to the reader. My name is Kaitlin, middle name Mary, and the 'Hey' in front serves as a greeting. So every time you come to my blog, you are saying hello to me. I thought it would work with my conversational tone and style. And if you haven't noticed, I end each post with until next time. That's my way of ending our coffee date. I say until next time because I don't want to say goodbye, that implies we'll never meet again. So until next time gives me hope that we'll have many more coffee dates in the future.

So that's the story behind my blog name, Hey Kaitlin Mary. Nothing too interesting or creative, I did warn you on that. You're probably wondering what is the point of this blog post? Well I am participating in a 30 Day Blogging Challenge. I saw this on google while I was looking for some Vlog Tags to do and I stumbled upon this. And as Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother (RIP) would say, "Challenge Accepted!"

As you can see this was day one and it is now completed! One down, twenty nine to go! Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! Until next time.

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