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30 days of transformation starts tomorrow.

Tomorrow is November which means it's the start of my 30 day transformation. I decided to lay out the basics of my goals and schedule so if anyone wants to follow along they can.

FITNESS

My goal is not to lose 100 lbs in a month or become model skinny. My goal is simply to create a routine of exercise. I think that having a small and achievable goal is better than an outrageous impossible one. I want to workout everyday even if it's only for 10 minutes. That's better than I'm doing right now.

• Eat healthier
• Smaller portions of food
• Healthy snack throughout the day
• WATER!

• Every morning and night:
• 10-50 pushups 
• 30-60 second plank
• 20-100 squats
• 20-100 lunges
• 3 ab blasters
• 100 jumping jacks
• 3x30 second glute bridge
• stretch
• Every other day:
• 20+ minutes of cardio
• Running
• Biking
• Stairs
• Jump Rope
• Swimming

BEAUTY

I have a few goals within beauty. 

1. Whiter and stronger teeth
• Brushing teeth as usual, twice a day
• Flossing every night
• Mouthwash every morning
• Peroxide and Baking Soda cleanse once per week
2. Less acne and clear skin
• Wash face as soon as I get off work.
• Washing face twice per day with non-drying soap
• Using lotion and acne medicine twice per day
• Not switching products as often
3. Wearing less makeup and less foundation
• Use same brand when I do wear makeup
• Lighter coverage (not as heavy makeup)
• Use only mascara when possible, only do makeup for work

SCHOOL

Higher grades, staying ahead of my homework and studying a week in advance for all my tests and quizzes. Planning school once I move and start working on a plan.

• Every night I need to do at least 1 hour of homework. Studying, reading, assignments, writing, podcasts, SOMETHING
• Start studying for a test 1 week before the test. 
• Use notes
• Flashcards
• Practice Tests
• Quizzes
• Write all assignments in my calendar and make an alert on Wunderlist to remember.

FINANCES

I am planning on moving in Spring which means I need to finish paying off my car, save money for a deposit and rent (3 months of rent in case of emergency), money for making the move (gas, boxes, tape) and save money for birthday and christmas gifts. 

• Create a strict budget and stick to it. 
• Buy coffee only once per week
• No more shopping. If I need new clothes I need to sell my old clothes before buying more.
• Save money by using coupons, deals and reward cards
• Use cash only to help keep track of how much I've spent. 
• Save all change in piggy bank and at the end of the month add it up and put into savings for the move.
• Improve my new website so that I can start making a little extra income from the products and services. 
• Sell old, unused stuff on ebay or old clothes at Plato's Closet.
• Finish paying off my car this month, at the latest by December 15th.
• Save tips for gas money and put the rest in savings for the move.
• Declutter room and have a garage sale for the things I no longer use. 

I hope you'll challenge yourself and be apart of the 30 day transformation challenge. You have 30 days of hard work to set a healthy and productive routine for yourself. Create some goals, make a plan and stick to it for 30 days. 

Good luck!

My "I Will" Commitment

I go to an amazing church. I am a Christian and my church is part of the Christian Reformed Church Denomination. The last few weeks we have been talking about "Will You" and our pastor has been challenging us to challenge ourselves to become closer with God, our family and our communities. This Sunday we are all writing our I will commitments and I wanted to share mine to inspire some of you.

For those of you interested in this challenge or want to know more about the church you can visit our church website here and listen to podcasts of the last few sermons here. To listen to the I Will sermons just scroll to the I Will section and select a podcast.

Middle of August our church passed out those little rubbery bracelets, on them it said "Radical Transformation, Will You?". The idea was to see a reminder of radically transforming your life and making way for God to change our lives. The bracelet was to be a reminder that God should be apart of all aspects in our life, especially our relationships.

My I will Commitment:

• I will make a nightly habit of reading the bible for at least five minutes before bed every night.
• I will take notes
• I will apply the reading to the study guide for the week
• I will talk about the reading with my family
• I will take time everyday to pray and talk with God.
• I will thank Him for all the blessings
• I will ask for help and guidance
• I will consult with Him on decisions and plans
• I will step out of my comfort zone and share God with any one who cares to listen
• I will share God with my friends and family
• I will challenge my peers to know God
• I will share my beliefs with people who may not agree with me
• I will listen to others when they share their beliefs
• I will strive to become more involved in the church and with other believers
• I will work hard to meet people in my church and develop relationships
• I will go to church every weekend and actively listen
• I will work to meet others who believe in similar ideas as me
• I will keep God first in my life, before everything else
• I will keep time available to sit with God without distractions
• I will work hard to live my life in a way that God would want me to live
• I will not allow money, people, things or ideas overshadow the plans God has for me
• I will save money from my tips to give back to the church
• I will not just tolerate but love my neighbors
• I will accept different cultures, beliefs and views 
• I will remember everyone has struggles and no one has a perfect life
• I will walk-the-walk when I offer to help or listen to my neighbors 

My favorite website maker

You may have not visited my website (click here), but if you have and you liked it, you might have wondered how I made it. I've gotten a couple questions about this so I thought I would explain it in a post.

I use Weebly.com as my host. They are a free service but they offer premium versions as well. I have used Weebly for almost two years now and I love their services. I have only had one time where my website didn't work and it was only down for 15 minutes. I received an email apologizing and a free credit on my account for the pro version.

I also love this host because there is a designer platform available for free. To learn more about that read it here

Overall I just love this web host. If you need a blog, business website, or just a personal site, check it out and make a free site in under 30 minutes. You can use my affiliate link which will give you and me a $10 credit so you can use that to pay for the premium services.

Click here to use my affiliate link to sign up.

School is kicking my...

I've been so busy these last few weeks. School is hard, but not as hard as what it could have been. These online classes feel much easier than my in-class work. I'm a little bummed, I just took a test I thought I aced and ended up getting an 80%. But it's been than I did last year. I want to improve myself as much as I can. I need my GPA to go up so I'm trying my best to put the work in, but I'm tired.

I'm so tired of my job, school, not knowing anyone. I need a change and I'm not quite sure what to do about it yet.

Starting to Plan for my Career

Something I've been considering for a long time as a possible career is wedding planning. I've always been organized and loved planning events and I always like the idea. Recently I really started researching how to become a wedding planner and how much money they make, and I've decided that it really is something I'd love to do, or at least try. Yesterday I started to build a website for it and I want to start working on establishing myself and getting experience in the field. I want to start out by selling planners made to help others plan their weddings and until I'm done with school I can offer online services or products. Until I finish school and get a certification in wedding planning I hope to just build a great site and start networking.

I built my site on Weebly and I'm going to start off with some resources and binders. Hopefully building the site early on will show people that I'm serious about a career in event planning and it'll help me be able to organize my portfolio and build my skills. If you want to visit my site click here, or if you want to start your own website click here. I love the weebly website builder and it's perfect if you want simple, or if you want to code your own site.

50 Ways To Improve Your Life

1. When your alarm goes off in the morning, sit up right away and turn a light on. By waking up immediately instead of laying in bed for a few moments your body will wake up more fully. This will help you feel more awake and alert during the day.
2. Caffeine is good for your body in small amounts, it can help speed up your metabolism and lose weight. Some studies have even shown it can add years to your life. Drinking one cup of coffee in the morning can be good for you, but try to limit yourself to one cup per day. If you're a huge coffee drinker, slowly wing yourself off until you are only drinking one cup.
3. Keep your room clean. Spend an extra 5 minutes in the morning to make your bed, put dirty clothes in the laundry and hang up clean clothes. Just by keeping your room and home less cluttered your stress levels will go down. It's nice coming home after a long day of work or school to a neat home. Spend a weekend organizing your space so that picking up is easy (my blog post series is coming soon about how to organize your house, keep an eye out for that).
4. Workout daily. Go for a 20 minute walk, or a jog in the morning. Do some ab workouts before your shower or while you watch TV. Getting 30 minutes of exercise per day can improve your energy levels, help you lose weight, speed up your metabolism, help you digest food, improve your immune system, help focus and relieve stress, you'll be less prone to injuries, and a ton of other benefits.
5. Read daily. Skip 30 minutes of TV, or listen to a book on tape on your drive to work. Reading everyday can help improve your memory and expand your vocabulary and knowledge. The more you read, the more you will enjoy it. Pick any book, but just read.
6. Write your goals. Every month, week or year write down your goals and set deadlines for them. By knowing what you want to accomplish you create a picture and plan for your future. Make sure the goals are attainable but difficult. You want it to be a challenge but not impossible.
7. Complement someone every single day. Someone at work, the store, in your neighborhood, even online. Every day tell someone something nice. Maybe you like their outfit, house, car, personality, hair, smile, anything. Make it sincere! You can improve someone's entire day by one little sentence and you'll feel good about it too.
8. Keep a journal or blog. Somewhere to write down your goals, ideas, stories or struggles. When you have somewhere to write everything you are thinking it helps to relieve stress and de-clutter your brain. It is nice to have a journal to look at down the road for inspiration, motivation or just for entertainment to see what you were doing.
9. Stretch daily. Stretching everyday will improve flexibility, relieve stress and tension. Just taking 5 minutes in the morning to stretch can help you wake up and relieve muscle aches.
10. Embrace your flaws. If you hate your nose, or you're too heavy, look in the mirror and accept it. Everyone has parts of themselves that they hate. It's human nature. The things you can't change, accept, and the things you can change, change! You can always improve yourself. If you hate your nose, start a routine to whiten your teeth to distract from that feature. Improve what you can and embrace your uniqueness.
11. Stop procrastinating. For one week, make a list of all the things you don't want to do and do them. All of them, before anything else. Write that essay that you know is due on Monday, get it done and then cross it off the list. By the end of the week you will only have to do the things you are looking forward to and your stress will be reduced. Try it, and if you like it, keep it going. 
12. Set an alarm on your phone every hour for 1 week, every time it goes off, force yourself to smile. Smiling actually releases endorphins that make you happy. By forcing yourself to smile, your outlook can improve. Smile more often, it's contagious.
13. Smile at strangers. Not in a creepy way, but as you pass someone on the street and make eye contact, smile at them. Be friendly to everyone.
14. Don't be THAT guy. When you go to a restaurant, a movie or a business, be kind and friendly to the people who work there. We all have bad days and we all have hard things in our lives. That waiter who got your order wrong didn't do it on purpose, he probably was at school all morning and is now at the end of an 8 hour shift. Give people a break. Being rude isn't going to fix anything.
15. Let go of regrets. Don't let your past choices interfere with your life today. Unless you can change something for the better, let it go.
16. Say sorry first. Sorry doesn't mean you were wrong, it means you value the relationship more than your pride. Don't let little things get under your skin. If a problem comes up, ask yourself if 1 year from now, will it matter? If it won't, let it go and don't let it hold you back.
17. Make time for a hobby. If you enjoy fishing, schedule a date and time to go, and treat it like a doctor appointment. YOU HAVE TO GO. Don't let other plans come before it.
18. Create a list of things you want to do and do one everyday until the list is done. An example would be that you want to organize your home. Day one, de-clutter your bathroom and clean it. Day two, organize your desk area. By breaking a big task down into small daily tasks you will get it done over time and you will feel satisfied crossing an item off your to-do list.
19. Everyday fix something. If that light bulb is burnt out and needs to be changed, don't put it off, fix it. The next day fix the leaking sink. Everyday improve on something you've been tolerating. 
20. For one week, don't complain. Not once. Don't mention the crappy weather, the traffic, the person you can't stand. One week of being positive. If you like how you feel at the end of the week, try to keep it going.
21. Create a budget. Keeping your money organized can help you track your spending and save money. For help starting out, check out my last blog post here.
22. When you go shopping and you see something you want, write it down on a list or in a notebook. Don't buy that item until the next week. Giving yourself time to think and reflect about what you want can help you save money. The chair that seemed so amazing at the store, may not have a place in your house, or maybe it won't match your decor, or maybe you have another chair just like it. Do this for everything you don't "need" (like food, gas, paying bills).
23. Limit your time devoted to unnecessary things. Only watch one TV show per day, only 20 minutes of video games or 30 minutes on social media. Use the extra time to read, clean, workout, or work on your hobby.
24. Use that journal I talked about above and plan out your next day every night. Before you go to bed, write down your schedule and things you need to get done. An example of mine would be:
• 6am- wake up
• 7am- leave for school
• 8am- get economics homework done in the library
• 10am- go to class
• 12pm- drive home
• 1pm- eat lunch, go on social media
• 2pm- write a blog post/make youtube video
• 3pm- clean room and bathroom
• 4pm- go for a run
• 5pm- make dinner and eat while watching TV show with the fam
• 7pm- shower and get into PJ's, brush teeth and wash face
• 8pm- stretch and read
• 9pm- make plan for next day, write goals, pick clothes for tomorrow, pack lunch
• 10pm- go to sleep
25. Bring a water bottle everywhere with you. Drink it every time your alarm goes off to smile :) Drink at least 60 ounces a day.
26. Cut out one unhealthy meal or food from your diet every month/week. Examples: Fast food, soda, fries, candy, cake, frozen meals. Taking small steps will help you eat healthier and lose weight.
27. Eat small healthy snacks and meals throughout the day. Eat a large breakfast, small snack, medium lunch, small snack, small dinner, and a small snack (at least 2 hours before bed). Doing this will improve your energy, metabolism, and overall health. 
28. Plan your dinners on the weekend, go shopping for all the supplies you need, then avoid going to the grocery store throughout the week. Planning your meals ahead of time will help you eat healthier, eat out less and save you money. 
29. Make a list of food ideas. Create a "healthy snack list", a breakfast list, lunch, dinner. Having a quick go-to idea list will help you plan more meals and eat out less. I will be posting some of these lists on my blog in the next week or so, keep an eye out for that!
30. Everyday, tell your significant other something nice. Even a simple "I love you" can help improve your relationship and show them you care. Tell your wife/gf that she is beautiful. Tell your husband you love his tie. Give them a compliment and show them you care.
31. Get in contact with an old friend, or make a new friend. Talk to your neighbor who just moved in, or ask your high school buddy how work is going. Reach out to others and expand your network and relationships.
32. Stay informed. Listen to the news on the way to work, read the newspaper in the mornings, or check new blogs every day. You are apart of the world and your community, make it a point to know what's going on in the world. Doing this can help you have conversations with people, become more aware of others, and help you expand your knowledge.
33. Eat slower. Taking time to chew your food well can improve metabolism (the more you chew your food, the quicker it can be broken down), help you realize when you are actually full, help your digestive system and help you enjoy your food.
34. Don't try to multitask. When you have things to do, decide what is most important and devote your full attention to that task until it is complete. Contrary to popular belief, the human brain cannot focus on multiple things at once, and you will be more productive if you don't try to divide your attention.
35. Clean out your closet. I've started a method I love, turn every hanger backwards in your closet. When you wear something turn the hanger around. At the end of the year, 6 months, whatever period you choose, give away, sell or donate all the clothes that you haven't worn (the hangers will still be backwards). Use any money you make to buy things you'll wear more often.
36. Clean your smile. Make it a routine to brush in the mornings, then at night; floss, brush and use mouthwash. Improving the health of your teeth will save you money at the dentist, improve your looks, and it can keep you healthy by avoiding throat infections or canker sores.
37. Take time to mediate at night. You don't have to be religious. Take time to think about your day and reflect on what's going on. Think about what you're thankful for and what you want to change. And if you are religious, use this time to pray, and read the Bible, Koran, Torah (or whatever floats your religious boat).
38. Say "Thank You" more. When someone compliments you, brings you your food, gives you coffee, helps you. Be genuine and recognize that person for their help or job well-done.
39. Volunteer. Help out in your local community, and do something for others without expecting anything in return. It can be small, like volunteering at a race to give out waters as people finish, or you can go weekly to a animal shelter. Just give some time back to others.
40. De-clutter. Throw away things in your house that you are saving for no reason. Those old birthday cards, or your notebooks from high-school. Unless you are saving them for a project you will be completing in the next month, toss them. For the things worth money, have a garage sale. All those kids clothes in the crawl space that you'll never use, sell them for some extra cash!
41. Set your watch and alarm clock five minutes early. Being late is embarrassing and sometimes rude, setting your clock a little later will help you stay on schedule and make it out the door in time.
42. It's okay to go to bed angry! Rather then staying up all night arguing with your significant other, go to sleep. You'll feel better about the situation in the morning and now you are able to think clearly. *Bonus: Fight clean. Don't say anything you could regret later. Calling someone names just because you're mad is unnecessary and hurtful. It's okay to argue, but be fair while you do it. Don't bring up past fights to justify actions.
43. Pay attention. Listen to others, don't think about what you are going to say next, just listen and absorb the information. 
44. Take 5 minute breaks for every hour of work. If you try to just work for 6 hours non-stop it's going to wear you out. Stretch, walk around, get a drink or even just go to use the bathroom.
45. Spend lunch time as you time. Use the time to write in your journal, write goals, people watch or just zone out.
46. Write down what stresses you out. Write a list and put it aside until you have time to look over it. Allowing yourself to worry later can help you focus on the task at hand.
47. When you're really feeling overwhelmed or depressed, get some sun. Go sit outside and just relax for a moment. Make a plan then work through your stress or problems. Don't get stuck inside all day and never get natural sunlight. It's a small thing, but it's important.
48. Create a reward system. Reward yourself for finishing that project at work, or losing 15 pounds, or whatever your goals. Allow yourself some fun.
49. Make a list of things that make you happy and try to do one of those things every single day. It could be watching a movie, reading a book, talking to someone, drinking coffee, walking your dog. Anything, it can be small or big. Just try to do one thing for yourself.
50. Accept the fact that you don't have to impress everyone. A saying that I love is "You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there's still going to be somebody who hates peaches" (Dita Von Teese) The sooner you accept the fact that you can't make everyone like you, the happier you will be.

I hope you read this list all the way through and I hope that you can try some of these ideas. I know I try to do all of them and I have to re-read my list every few weeks to remind myself. I had this list in my journal for a long time before I decided to share it, so I hope that it can help you in some way.

How I Budget My Money | The Envelope Method

Wave Accounting: https://accounting.waveapps.com/

10 Things a lot of people do not know About Me

I read something similar to this on another blog and I thought it was an interesting way to get to know the author of the blog, so I thought I'd do one as well. Here are 10 things a lot of people don't know about me.

1. I'm extremely organized and everything in my room has to be perfect before I start a project or homework. I think I may be OCD but I'm too lazy to find out for sure. I have habits that I HAVE to do or I actually feel sick to my stomach. Like before I drive I have to turn on my windshield wipers even if my car is perfectly clean. I once tried to see how long I could go without doing it and I almost ran a red light. Weird, I know.
2. I cannot stand when customers are rude to employees, or the other way around. Just because you are in a restaurant does not mean you are better than the person serving you. And just because you had a hard day does not give you the right to be rude to a customer, it is your job to be polite, at least fake it.
3. I find it extremely uncomfortable to sit by someone on the bus or in a quiet area and not say anything to each other. It's so awkward. If you sit by me or look directly at me and don't say hello, it makes me sooo uncomfortable. I will say hi just to break the silence. You don't have to have a full conversation with me, but say hello!
4. I struggled a lot in middle school with thinking I was too skinny. I ate crap and tried to gain weight and it never worked. Now looking back I wish I had gotten more involved in sports to gain weight, it would've helped me more in the long run.
5. I believe in love. I know that I have been in love at least twice and I think there is such a thing as soul mates.
6. I'm terrified of flying, skiing, or anything that can go really fast and not being able to have much control over it. I like control. I wouldn't say I'm a control freak but I'm definitely a little bossy at times.
7. My worst fear is drowning. I would rather die any other way than drown. Especially if I was drowning because I was stuck under something or in a cave. (I don't like small spaces)
8. If I regret anything from high-school it would be not starting Cross Country sooner and not going into college on a XC team. I miss running so much and I wish I had planned my college life better.
9. I don't consider you a best friend until I would die for you. Like seriously die for you. I wouldn't hesitate to die instead of my sisters or my boyfriend. I know it's a bit dramatic, I prefer to think of it as having high standards for the people I love the most.
10. I use to be very shy, almost painfully shy. I'm not sure what happened or why it changed but now if I have something to say, I'll say it. I'm assuming that not caring what people think is a huge reason why people find me rude and why I don't have 8000 friends on Facebook, but I think it's worth being brutally honest when there are so many fake people in the world. I'd rather people hate me for my honesty than love me because I'm fake. 

School Started and I don't feel like it.

It's really weird that since school started I don't feel like it really has. I think this is mostly to do with the fact that I'm not living on or really near campus. It's different than I was expecting and I still haven't really decided if I like the online classes or i I wish I had more classes on campus.

I did run into an old friend though and we had a good conversation, hopefully this semester is really a turning point, in my grades and getting a feel for sports, and the possibility of graduating early.

Some books I recommend

I love reading and i really enjoy distopia books, some of these are for younger kids, some are adult books, but if you're looking for something to read, these are some of my favorites.

Books I’ve Read:

• Harry Potter Series
• Tunnels Series
• Ender’s Game
• Hunger Games Series
• Feed
• Pretties Series
• Gone Series
• The Host
• Devil in the White City
• The Stand
• Langoliers
• I’d tell you I love you but then I’d have to kill you Series
• To kill a mocking bird
• In Cold Blood
• The things they carried
• A Raisin in the sun
• Anthem
• Their Eyes Were Watching God
• Unwind
• Life as we knew it
• City of ember
• The giver
• Bar Code Tattoo
• The Face on the milk carton
• Hoot
• Lord of the Flies
• Brave New World
• Animal Farm
• The Catcher in the Rye
• Death of a Salesman
• Things Fall Apart
• The Book Thief
• A wrinkle in time
• The Hobbit
• The house on mango street
• Freckle Juice
• If I stay
• Midnighters
• Holes
• The outsiders
• Eragon
• Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe
• Number the Stars
• Anne Frank: Diary of a young girl
• Bridge to Tarbethia
• Ink Heart
• Series of Unfortunate Events
• Lord of the Rings Series
• Because of Winn-Dixie
• Flipped
• Through the Looking Glass
• Alice in Wonderland
• Where the Sidewalk Ends
• Boy in the Striped Pajamas
• The Kite Runner
• The Alchemyst
• Monster
• Everlost Series
• The Help
• The Shining
• Water For Elephants
• The Grimm Fairy Tales
• Chinese Cinderella
• Wicked
• Generation Dead
• Paul Revere’s Ride
• Pocahontas

Thankful and Excited

This year I really started to work on projects I had put off for a long time. Blogging, making YouTube videos, and working on my own business were all kept on the back burner, and now that I've finally started to work on all three I have had so much support and positive feedback. I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who have commented, followed and encouraged me to do what I love and I am so excited for everything I'm working on.

Right now I'm spending hours a day chasing my dream of starting an online business. I know it's a lot of work but because of all the feedback I've gotten I'm positive I can make it happen. I've always had a love for graphic design and web design and finally with the help of some amazing people, I have found the perfect host, domain and staff to make it all start moving.

On top of all of this, I've reached over 50,000 views on my YouTube channel and although I'm about to ruin that by moving to a new account, I am so confident in my sisters and I that we can help a lot of people with our videos.

I am just extremely happy that life has led me to a place where I have the time to work on the things I love, and I hope that God will continue to help me on my path and hopefully I can make a career out of these hobbies. Thank you to everyone who has encouraged me throughout all the craziness (:

My bucket list, so far

Run the bubble run
Run the color run
Run a half marathon
Run a marathon
Skydive
Be on the t.v. show, the Amazing race
Learn how surf
Learn how to snow board
Go Jet skiing
Go to another continent
Go camping in Washington state
Visit Washington, D.C.
Go to Vegas
Get married
Graduate college
Learn to drive a stick
Learn to shoot a gun
Bungee jumping
Have kids
Buy a pet
Travel cross country
Road trip through the country
Visit Mexico
Visit all 50 states
Visit bora bora
Create a magnetic scrabble board
Play the new girl drinking game
Messy twister
Send a message in a bottle
Go to a hot air balloon festival
Learn fluent Spanish
Throw a dart at a map and travel to where it lands
Watch the ball drop in Times Square
Drive the Atlantic Ocean road
Be part of a flash mob
Water balloon slip and slide
Read the Bible cover to cover, and the Koran, and the Torah
Swim with dolphins
Be able to do the splits
Start my own business
Buy my own car
Learn how to fix basic car problems
Back pack through Europe
Play golf in Ireland
Visit Israel
Swim in the Dead Sea
Run a successful blog of over 5000 followers
Watch my sisters get married
Become closer to God and my church
Buy a house without any loans

New path, more changes

I'll just be honest with all you internet folks. I messed up. I managed to never drink or party, i went to every class, did my homework and still got less than a 2.0 GPA for two semesters. That means I'm no longer enrolled at CU Boulder. As sad as I am, I'm more angry. I'm mad that I let myself get to this point. I had an amazing opportunity and I wasted it. I wasted a year, around $35,000 and I have nothing to show for it.

My parents were furious, obviously. So I have to make a new plan and make-up for what I did. Next year I'll be going to a community college and living at home. So now I get to find someone to sub-lease the apartment in Boulder that I already paid for, and pray that I can find someone. Three classes I took I will not transfer because I got low grades, and my hope of graduating in three years is slowly going away.

I have to start over, new people, new school, new classes, and I have a lot of catching up to do. I'll have to get a different job close to home and I won't be able to have the freedom I did in Boulder. This is all around a crap situation. However, I'm trying to see the positive side. Being at home and going to a cheaper college will save me a ton of money down the road. I'll be able to buy a car to go to school and money won't be an issue because tuition is so much cheaper. On top of this, the college I'll be going to has a Cross country team that I plan to try out for. I miss running and competing so much, and I think this might be good for me. I'll be home so there will be less distraction and I can help my parents with picking up my sisters, cleaning and making dinner.

I'm sharing this story for you all because I want any college freshman to know that you could have been a great student in high school, and you might not be into the party scene, but none of it matters if you don't stay grounded and remember all the work you need to do in order to pass.

I hope that I can find a way to make this work, and somehow show my parents how truly sorry I am for wasting their time and money. I need to grow up, and take responsibility and that should've happened before this summer.

Zombie Apocalypse Plan

So my family and I are total nerds and after watching way too many movies and shows we started talking about what we would do when the zombies attack. This plan is, in my opinion, well thought out and hopefully we won't die. There's a lot of parts so i'm just going to number it off in the order of how we would get it done. Please, point out flaws in our plan! We think of it as a game and we'd love feedback!! Thanks!

1. Gather supplies and find a huge car (something like a truck, hummer, or maybe a tank!)


2. Head towards the forest! We want somewhere kind of warm- some place where weather isn't a huge factor.


3. Store food and water, make a way to capture water when it rains.


4. Start Building in the trees. The first few weeks we are there we will build a small simple shelter where we can live. It'll be like a large tree house.


5. As time goes on we can build more houses and bridges to connect the trees.


6. Add camouflage and traps around the tree bases, to make sure anyone attempting to climb the tree will be heard.


7. Start building planters and gardens in the trees so that we can produce food for ourselves.


8. Create a small community of people who are connected by bridges. Make sure everyone has different jobs to stay safe and healthy.


9. Build a huge area in the center of the community where it is completely surrounded by walls made of strong materials, this will be used for fire, it won't catch the tree houses on fire but we won't be out in the open with the zombies.

So that's our plan so far! We have a lot to add and stuff but we find it hilarious and practical (:

How to Save Money

I saw something on Pinterest the other day and I thought I'd share how I save my money. I saw the pin for this:

The idea is that every time a $5 bill comes into your possession, you put it in a jar or something and save it. Well I liked this idea, but I'm a college student. I usually only have $10, $5 and $1 bills so this wouldn't really work well. However, I do try to get change a lot, we use quarters for our laundry so I started to empty my pocket everyday with any change I got. I keep it in a piggy bank that's not clear so I won't get the urge to spend it. But anytime I have change, I put it in there and then don't touch it again. I pretend it doesn't exist. Then at the end of each year I take it out and use that money to buy my family Christmas gifts and I put everything left over in a savings account.

Another thing I do is I take 1/3 of my paycheck (I work about 3 days a month because of my job) so I get around $600 per month, I take $200 and put it in my savings. No exceptions. I pretend it doesn't exist and act like I got paid $400 instead. I also have two different accounts, so I put $100 in one account that I call my "emergency account" This is when I have a bill or something comes up where I need cash and I take it out of this account. My second account is where I put the other $100 and this account cannot be touched. I don't ever take money from here and I don't even keep track of how much I have in there so that I'm not tempted to take anything out.

By the time I finish college (3 years left) I'll have enough to get an apartment, have time to find a job, and start paying off my student loans.