Love At First Sound

If you couldn't tell by the title of my blog, I love Mumford and Sons. For thse of you who don't know Mumford and Sons is set to release their new album on May 4 (ten days before my birthday!) and one of the songs was released already. It's called Believe and their album is Wilder Mind.

The song has a completely different sound than all of their past music. It has less banjo and strings and more electric, something people weren't expect. There has been some uproar with the new song. I had some thought of my own and just wanted to share some first thoughts.

Let me just set the picture for you. I'm sitting in the library on a Wednesday night studying Microbiology. Exhaustion has taken over me and I'm all by my lonesome self at this table. The library is filled with people. Believe comes on iTunes radio and I hear Marcus's voice (yep we're on first name bases). I can't exactly freak out so these are the thoughts that run through my head.

Is that Marcus?! It sounds just like him but like not anything like Mumford and Sons. 

*Checks phone* IT IS MARCUS! IT'S MARCUS AND MUMFORD AND SONS!

Well this is different...

Where's the banjo? I miss the banjo! That was their thing! 

I have to tell someone about this! *Looks around library*

Well there's no one here to tell... 

I'll just tweet about it. 

Wait that's not enough! I'll just text my roommate. 

Let me just simmer down and listen to the lyrics. 

These are pretty lyrics. No surprise here. 

*Song ends*

Marcus and boys I am proud of you. 

Now lets listen again! 

So as you can see I freaked out a little. Actually more like a lot and if I wasn't in the library I'm pretty sure I would have been screaming. I'm pretty dramatic. After listening to the song I went and looked at what other people were saying. A lot of people were upset it sounded different and they were saying they couldn't tell. All I have to say is if you know them than you can surely tell it's Marcus signing.

If you haven't listened to the new song go listen to it right now! I've had it on repeat for a week.

xoxo,
Lauren

February Review

February is such a short month! For some reason I thought that we still had a few more days of the month left until I looked on the calendar. 2015 is just flying by and before I know it I'm going to be done my sophomore year of college. There really weren't a lot of events in February. It was so much more boring than January that's for sure! I hope March is more exciting and really I think it will be. 

Good

• Found out who my Little is
• Spent some time with my friend and her mom 
• Had an amazing Valentine's Day with my best friends
• Had dinner with my sorority family
• Spent fell days and nights crafting 

Bad

• Failed my first Mirco test
• Got in a huge fight with my best friend 
• Stressed about some health problems for half the month 

Wonderland by Taylor Swift//\\Trampoline by Kalin & Myles//\\ Wrapped Up by Olly Murs//\\One Last Time by Ariana Grande//\\Take U There by Jack U//\\ Truffle Butter by Nicki Minaji//\\Polaroid by Imagine Dragons//\\ The Fall by Imagine Dragons//\\ Shots by Imagine Dragons//\\Up by Olly Murs//\\Electric Love by Borns//\\Honey, I'm Good by Andy Grammar//\\ Uma Thruman by Fall Out Boy

I had a thing for Imagine Dragons this month it seems. I didn't even put all the songs I've been listening to this month on the list because those were just my favorites. The two main iTune Radios I was listening to this month were the Top 50 Pop and Top 50 Alternative with most of the time being on the alternative radio. 

xoxo,

Lauren 

Spring Break: Home Bound

When people think of spring break they think of partying it up on beaches with their friends. I'm not that fortunate and will be spending my whole spring break at home surround by snow instead of sand. Although I would love to be laying on a beach right about now I think this break is just as good. No classes, a whole house to myself (most of the time), and time to watch Netflix who could complain!

Since I know I'm not the only one who's stuck at home on their spring break I have some tips to make this time better.

Visit Friends and Family

I don't get the chance to come home much during the school year so I miss out on seeing the people closest to me. Take some time during spring break to visit the people you haven't seen since winter break.

Catch Up On Netflix

I have no time to sit and watch Netflix at school. Now that I'm home with all this free time I'm catching up in my favorite shows like Supernatural and New Girl. That's exactly what I'm doing right now!

Get Ahead on Work

Yes I know that doing school work on your spring break is not exactly what you want to do but it is always nice to get ahead. I spend a few eyes doing work and studying each day this way I'm not as stressed when I get back to school. Plus I secretly like doing work.

Work on Your Hobbies

I'm getting back to blogging (as you can see) now that I have time and painting some crafts. I might even do some smashbooking too. It's a great way to spend time and be happy.

Lay Around! 

Yep I went there! Just lay in bed or on the couch for a few days. I know I don't get to do that at school so I am living it up now on my spring break. It's my favorite thing to do.

Cook and Bake

If you have the misfortune of living in a dorm (like me) than you don't have a kitchen. I know it is always relaxing to cook and bake so I'll be taking some time to do that while I'm home.

I hope you spend your spring break however it makes you happy. I'm going to go watch some more Netflix while I craft.

xoxo,
Lauren

Keeping My Sanity!

Well, the month is almost over and I have yet to get a blog post up. We can all thank my busy school life and the fact that February is such a short month! I thought that it would be great to talk about the 12x30 challenge that I have been doing for the month of February. The theme was organization and cleaning. Even though I have been so busy I have still made time to clean and organize my life. It's how I keep myself sane. These are just some of the things I did and do often to stay organized.

1. To-Do List

I make daily and weekly to-do list all the time. It's great having them to keep myself on track and make sure I don't forget anything. Some of my to-do list are for the spam of a few weeks. One of those list are the crafts I am making for my little.

2. Deep Cleaned My Dorm Room 

When I get busy I let things pile up and don't actually put things away. It's mostly clothes piled at the end of my bed and books covering my desk. I finally dedicated a few hours the other day to just clean my whole room. I was stressing and apparently my new stress reliever is to clean. I organized all he bins under my bed and made a pile of items to bring home over spring break. It felt amazing to have a clean room again.

3. Organized My Notes

This might seem little and a little bit common sense but I had papers and notes everywhere! They were just thrown in a drawer and mixed up. I was always forgetting papers or losing things. I hole punched all the papers and put them into sections in a binder. Now I can't lose anything!

4. Cleaned Up My Files

The files on my laptop were a mess. I had to delete so many things that I didn't need. I than made folders for each of my classes and placed files in them for easy access. It made my laptop faster and neater.

5. Cleaned The Forgotten Places

My roommate and I are going home for spring break in two days (yeah!) and before we leave we deep cleaned some areas of our room. The fridge, microwave, under our beds, and under the rug really needs to be clean. It was so bad and I'm so glad we did it.


How do you stay organized and clean? Any tips you have for me?

xoxo,
Lauren

January Review

January is over already! It's hard to believe that one whole month of 2015 is over. Time is just flying by and I want to slow it down! I thought I would start something new for 2015. I want to just look back at the month and see what happened in my life and some of the things I liked.

Good 

• I moved back to college for my sophomore spring semester. 
• Wore scrubs for the first time 
• Cut 10 and 1/2 inches of my hair and donated it
• Got closer to my Big Big and my Spirit in my sorority 
• Had recruitment and gained 19 new girls 

Bad

• I thought about dropping nursing and had a really rough start to the semester. 
• A close friend's mom passed away from cancer 

Sledgehammer by Fifth Harmony//\\Surrender by Cash Cash//\\Outside by Calvin Harris//\\Weekend by Priory//\\This Is Home by Bryan Lanning//\\You're Never Full Dressed Without A Smile by Sia//\\The Nights by Avicii//\\Heartbeat Song by Kelly Clarkson//\\Something Big by Shawn Mendes//\\Talking Body by Tove Lo

This has been a busy month but a month filled with so much good. Through the good and the bad, I made it to the end of the month and I am proud of that. I'm also proud of myself for staying on top of my daily journaling and questions. Here's to hoping February is just as good. 

xoxo,

Lauren 

Dear Lauren, I Love You

I saw this link up and thought it was just amazing to do especially since it had to do with loving yourself and that is what January is all about over here on Little Lion Gal! Plus, I love writing myself a nice, ole letter.

The link up is a yearly thing where each month you are given a prompt for an activity to do. I read them and they all seem so fun to do! And yes I am adding another yearly challenge to my already busy life. I am going to have to get an assistant to remember everything going on in my life!

Dear Lauren, 

So, like, January is almost over when it feels like just yesterday you were sitting at home waiting to come back to school. It's been one busy month and it isn't even over yet! You are doing great on your yearly and monthly goals. Yeah, maybe you wrote some of your daily journal entires a day or two late or maybe didn't fill in your self love journal one day but it always got done. Life gets busy so don't get down on yourself. 

You are doing amazing at adjusting to being back at school and getting back into class. I know you had some really hard days at the beginning but you pushed through and I am so proud of you for that. Keep your head up and keep moving forward. Things will continue to get better. 

I want you to promise me something. When this month is over I want you to still love yourself like you did this month. You are definitely feeling so much better about yourself this month than ever before. 

And while we are on the topic of promises will you promise me that you will do what makes you happy in 2015. No more doing things because you have to and not because you want to. This year is about you and about making you the happiest person in the world. Life is great when you are happy. 

Until next time,

Me <3 p="">

I'm not sure if I will be doing every month of this challenge but I had fun doing this one so I think I will try to do them. I'll talk to everyone later!

xoxo,

Lauren

There's A Nurse In Me

Source

I have a confession to make. At about the mid-point of winter break I started to think about coming back to school and coming back to class. I knew this semester was going to be hard and it scared me greatly. Doubt started to fill my mind. Could I do this? Did I even want to be a nurse?

At one point I thought about either leaving college all together or switching majors. I cried on the first day of classes because I wasn't happy at all. The second day of classes was the first time I got to wear scrubs and let's just say I had zero excitement. I cried the third day of classes because I just couldn't do any of the work and was so stressed. Since last week (my first week), things have gotten a little better each day. It's a slow process but I am getting there.

It's extremely hard to have doubts about something that you once loved. It's extremely hard to think you had your life together when you no longer do. Actually, its really scary to think about and to have to work through those emotions.

I allowed myself to suppress to my emotions for a week and only a week. After that first week was up I made myself really thinking about what was going on. I thought about why I was feeling that way and came to some realizations. I was more scared about the class than anything else. I was letting fear take over.

Because of the self love month, I was able to come up with an activity that helped me see things a little more clearly. I feel like this could help other people out there even if they aren't a nursing student.  Maybe you're not sure if you want to be a teacher or if you are doing the right thing.

What I did was make a list of all of the reasons why I would make a good nurse. Why I want to continue with school. Here's my list.

Source

I enjoy helping people and that's what nurses do. 

The human body and the medical field interest me a whole ton. 

I have a mothering instinct. 

I have a passion for nursing and you need that. 

It's my dream. 

I am selfless and would do anything for anyone. 

I am good at staying in control when there is chaos. 

So I am taking this and carrying it around with me. I need to be reminded why I am doing what I do. If you are having any doubts about your life choices make a list as to why you would be good at that. It will help I promise! 

xoxo,

Lauren 

P.S. If anyone was wondering I am staying on top of my self love journal and writing one thing down every day.