2015 Word of The Year: Dive

I am all for setting goals and bettering yourself. Since it’s the beginning of the year its time to set some goals and aspirations for the next 365 days. I really don’t make resolutions for the year. For me, it is all too intimidating to try and stick to something for a whole year.

Instead I am going to do a word for 2015. I see this all the time and have put so much thought into the word I am choosing. The 2015 word of the year is…

Yes, dive. Sometimes I like to be unique. I tell my friends all the time to just dive. To just go for it. Stop thinking and just do. Say yes more often and not no. Stop being afraid of what could happen or giving into the fears. Your friends want to go on a daytrip somewhere? Go! You’re not sure if you should talk tot hat boy? Do it! Should you stand up for yourself and state your opinion? Yes! Stand up!

By diving I will hopefully accomplish more this year. I will throw my fears out the door. I hope 2015 is filled with adventure and fun. I am going to need it with college being halfway over and the stresses of hard classes.

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Xoxo,

Lauren

*Some other word possibilities were change, positivity, and goodbye. *

Top 14 Moments of 2014

I spent the last few days looking back at 2014 and my favorite moments of 2014. It's a lot harder than you think! Here are the absolute best parts of 2014 with the best people around.

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1. Getting my pref into my sorority

People may think it is weird that my preference is a top moment of 2014 for me and not my bid. The way I got my pref is what makes it a top moment for me. I had heard my sorority at a girl down the hall’s door and than I didn’t hear them come to me. My first thought was that I wasn’t getting one and I wouldn’t be getting into the sorority. Than they knocked on my door and I was shocked and excited.

2. My birthday surprise from my roommate

My roommate from last year was the best. She surprised me with a little birthday party the last night we were at school together. I had no idea that she was doing it even though she had all our friends in on it. I made a post about it here. 

3. When everyone was at my house after my grandma passed

Although it was a sad time, it will always be a moment I never forget. My house was packed with all of my family. Before they came we ran around and cleaned like mad people. There was so much love and support in our teeny, little row home. Something I will never forget from that time is my uncle picking me up from school and my cousin taking me back. To me it was just an act of love. Family is everything to me.

4. Hiding from my RA with my roommate

This happened not too long before we left for winter break. My roommate of this year and I hid from our RA by turning off all the lights and music. Why were we hiding? Because we had Christmas lights, a tree, and a table from the lounge in our room and we’re not allowed to have them. Our RA was walking around knocking on doors. This whole ordeal lasted about 2 hours during which we took tons of snapchat videos and even said our new catch phrase, I spy some chicken.

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5. Finishing anatomy 2 and getting an B

I spent all summer going to class. I’m not being dramatic when I saw whole summer either it was 12 weeks plus an extra week at the beginning before I switched schools. For 3 out of the 6 weeks of Anatomy 2 I was failing. The class was so much harder than Anatomy 1 and I really didn’t think I was going to get a C. I ended up with a B and was so happy I cried.

6. Finding out my grades for fall semester

I worked all semester to get good grades and ended up with grades that were better than I thought I was going to receive. The pride I have for completing that semester is amazing. It made 2014 amazing.

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7. When my grandma told the nurses I was going to be a nurse one day

My grandma told nurses multiple times that I was going to be a nurse one day and she always did it with pride. Every single time I feel like quitting I think of those moments. I think of how much faith she had in me and I keep going.

8. Getting my Big Spir

Many people might think that getting my Big for my sorority was a bigger moment for me than my Spir but it wasn’t. Not that getting my Big wasn’t a huge part of my year its just that deep down I knew it was her. I wasn’t extremely surprised. Now when I got my Spir I was shocked and didn’t even have a guess as to whom it was.

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9. Going out to the outlet mall with my mom

At the beginning of the summer I was going to a community college that was an hour and a half away. It was right by the outlet malls that I had never been to. When I was switching over to a community college closer to me I had to go to my regular college and a bunch of different other places. I ended up getting to the community college really early so my mom and I had dinner and walked around the mall.

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10. Ordering my scrubs

Although it was pouring rain and I had to keep going to the ATM to get money out, the experience made me one step closer to becoming a nurse. A friend and I laughed as we tried on scrubs in the big handicap stall making fun of the way they fit.  

11. Family reunion

We had less than a month to plan for the reunion and at times it was stressful and pure chaos but I wouldn’t change that day for anything. I saw most of my mom’s side of the family. We swam, played baseball, and had a moon bounce. Everyone had an amazing time and the next weekend when we saw them again we set a date for next year.

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12. Playing football with my cousin

I’m not close with some of my cousins because of age differences but I had a really nice time throwing a football with one of my younger cousins, Cullen. I feel like we bonded a little. Him and me were the oldest there and just kept throwing a football back and forth over the pool. To my whole family’s surprise I can actually throw a football.

 

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13. Our underwear line

My friends Miranda, Erika, Jill, and I all decide while sitting in our lounge that we were going to make a underwear line and sell it. The long week and all the work were finally getting to us and I have to say we definitely lost our minds but made a memory in the moment.

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14. Watching The Hunger Games for the first time

Now it wasn’t the fact that I was watching The Hunger Games for the first time it was how I watched it. My friends Jill, Erika, Joann, Jeannie, and I all decided to watch the movie in my room. I asked a million questions and talked the whole time. It was dysfunction at its finest but than again we are always dysfunctional. It was a perfect example of how we are as a group.

xoxo,

Lauren 

New Year's Letter

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Last New Years Eve I started a new tradition with myself. I write myself a letter to be opened on New Year's Day the following year. To be honest I would have completely forgotten about the letter if it wasn't for me deep cleaning my room when I came home for break. I have yet to read the letter because, well, its not New Year's Day and I don't even remember what the letter is about.

What exactly do I write in these letters? 

Well since I can't remember exactly what I wrote last year I am just going to write what I feel is right this year. Since it is being opened on January 1, 2016 I am going to write a letter that gives myself advice for the 2016 year. The advice will be based on what I learned in 2014. Since I always look back on the previous year I will write about not beating myself up and to only look at the good. Then I will write about my hopes for 2015 and some goals. I'll let myself know that no matter what 2015 was like, good or bad, I made it through.

Why do I do it? 

I want something to remind me of the past year and get me ready for the year ahead. It's something fun it open and do in the new year. I'll be able to collect them and look back on them. Plus I love writing and love writing letters that I never send out.

I know this is a little confusing to understand with all the different years. I had to really think about it to understand. If you write a letter of any sort let me know! I would love to hear of what other people say. 

Xoxo,

Lauren

2015 365 Motivational Jar

I have a confusion to make. I am obsessed with jars, mason jars to be specific. I have a ton of them around my dorm room holding different things from hair ties to cords. I decorate them to because what crafter wouldn't?!

I was on pinterest and keep seeing this jars for the new year like writing down your memories and putting them in the jar. I thought it was so cool but want to take it a step farther. I decide I was going to make a jar filled with 365 notes to keep me motivated each day. 

This little project is so simple. You do not need to be crafty at all to do it. It is a little time consuming because you need to find 365 quotes/pictures and than write them out. 

Supplies

Jar

Paper either computer, loose leaf, construction, or scrapbook 

Markers, Pens

Scissors 

Print and Ink (If you choose to include pictures)

Optional

Tape

Ribbon 

Puffy Paint 

Other decorative supplies 

First collect all of the quotes and pictures you want to use. If you want to save yourself time you can go to my pinterest board and use the things I have there. Not all 365 quotes/pictures are there because I found few on tumblr. If you want those extra quotes I can always give them to you. 

Than either hand write, print the pictures directly, or type the quotes up and print them. I chose to hand write mine on construction paper because I felt like it would be better to see my own hand writing when I saw the quotes. 

After writing or printing them out cut them all out. Make sure you don't have an duplicates. I did this by putting all of the quotes in groups of each letter by the first letter of the first word in the quote. I may be a perfectionist. 

What you do next is up to you. You can either just fold the paper or you can roll them and tape them like I did or use ribbon on them. I liked the look of them rolled up more than them folded. 

I decorated the jar and wrote on it. I didn't like it plain. Here's the finished product and I can't wait to pick a little note out every day of 2015. 

You are going to need a pretty big jar for all the notes. It doesn't have to be a mason jar. I didn't use one. I just used a regular glass jar we had around our house. Before you finish the jar completely I would make sure that there is exactly 365 notes. I didn't have enough and had to make more. I ended up having more than 365 but that's ok. I can just open all the rest on New Year's Eve. 

If you make a jar like this or have another idea let me know! I would love to see them. Here's to a motivational year.

xoxo,
Lauren