Meeting My Internet Friends for the First Time!! || Hailey Hudson, Totally Graced

Hello friends! Today I’m just popping on here to let you all know that I have a new video up! In case you haven’t been following my Instagram (@hanneasinhannah), last month I flew down to Atlanta, Georgia to meet up with two of my longest internet friends, Hailey and Grace Anne!

Both of them have been on my blog a couple of times previously, and they also both have blogs, as well as Instagram and Twitter. I’ve known them for at least 4, if not 5 years, and they have been such a huge part of my life over the past few years, so it was super fun to get to meet them!

Appearances on my blog:

• Spotting the Light: Hailey Hudson || Creative Spotlight – 2
• Spotting the Light: Grace Anne || Creative Spotlight – 14

Hailey’s socials: blog || instagram || twitter

Grace Anne’s socials: blog || instagram || twitter

While we were together, we filmed a Q+A about being internet friends, and it was a lot of fun! I hope you enjoy it! Be sure to go check out both Hailey and Grace Anne, if you aren’t following them already 🙂

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How long have you been on the internet for? Do you know Hailey or Grace Anne? If you could meet one of your internet friends, who would it be? Leave a comment and let me know!

What Happened This Month (or So): Spring 2021 || feat. my favorite books, music, TV, and food

Hello friends! Is anyone still around? I am finally done with the semester (and am officially a senior!) and I’m slowly coming back to my creative outlets as my brain cells slowly come back to life. This is a blogpost that I have had drafted for a couple months now, but never finished. Today’s post is a simple catch-up one: I haven’t captured what I’ve been doing in life for a while now, and I would love to get back to that. With that, here are some things that I’ve been doing lately!

This spring was:

working:

• as a tutor: teaching has always been a passion of mine (& my go to answer to “what do you want to be when you grow up” since I was little), and it has slowly trickled back into my life over the past year. While I didn’t expect for my career to head this way, I can’t say I’m complaining about it (and may or may not be looking more into tutoring/teaching opportunities for the future?). Currently I tutor AP biology, SAT/ACT prep, as well as early elementary.
• on getting an ADHD diagnosis. As someone who’s grown up in a ~mental illness isn’t real~ home, I never recognized the symptoms of ADHD in myself. As social media posts about ADHD cross my dash, I realized that those symptoms fit me like a glove, and I’m working on getting an official label (and more time on exams?) for me.
• on school in general: this semester as a whole wasn’t /terrible/, but it was pretty brutal in terms of courseload. I’m deeply entrenched in higher level biology now, and while it is absolutely my passion, it is also still a lot of work. In particular, online lectures take me SO long to watch: it’s a phenomenon whose roots I haven’t nailed down yet, but I’ve found that watching online lectures takes me easily 2-4 times the amount of time that it would take synchronously. The ability to pause to write notes and the ability to pause to get snacks really conspire to steal my time (also: see above).
• on growing my Instagram account. My instagram account has been stuck at ~1030 followers for the past 6 months, and it is my mission to make it start growing again! (My goal was to get to 3000 this year . . . uh). I’ve been posting a bunch of reels, which help, but then I stop posting again, which defeats the purpose, lol. If you want to help, follow me here!

reading:

• The Ministry of Ordinary Places by Shannan Martin I buddy read this with Grace Anne, and it was so, so good. Shannan is such a master with words: you both feel like you’re having a coffee chat with her, while also being taught and inspired. So far this has been my favorite nonfiction book that I’ve read all year, and maybe of all time. It’s so incredibly applicable to standard life, and of course, I’m always a fan of anything regarding finding beauty in little things. I absolutely cannot recommend it enough.
• The Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradly This is a series I’ve been meaning to read for AGES now: I’ve actually read the first book three times now, because I keep intending on reading the series, but then putting it down after the first book before I finish it. This time I’m determined to finish it, though, and I’m already half of the way through the series (5/10), which is a really good sign. It’s not super politically correct, especially for a book that was written in 2009, but if you overlook it, it was an enjoyable, Agatha-Christie feeling series.
• Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez I checked out this book when I saw Hailey and Olivia read it and I really enjoyed it! It was very much not what I expected but the imagery and the storytelling was fantastic. There’s another book out set in the same universe and I’m looking forwards to reading it at some point this summer!

listening to:

• Rachel Zegler. I’ve watched her videos for a while now whenever they pop up on my YouTube recommended page, but in February, I started watching her stuff in earnest and the enthusiasm has not waned. In particular, I must have watched her cover of Anyway at least 25 times (i.e., as many times as it popped up on my recommended feed). She is also so emotionally intelligent and I love hearing her thoughts.
• Taylor Swift, of course. She has so much music coming out soon, and I’m so excited. She released two songs this month, and of course, folklore and evermore are on repeat still.
• HAIM. I learned of them through Taylor Swift, and after watching them at the Grammy’s, started to check out their music. It took one evening, and now I’m thoroughly hooked. I haven’t listened to most of their music yet, but Summer Girl and The Steps have been on repeat lately.
• good for u by Olivia Rodrigo. Like the rest of the world, I’ve been bopping along to Olivia’s songs being despite in a stable relationship 🙃 I haven’t listened to the rest of the album yet, but this one has been looping in my head lately.
• Moms and Murder podcast. As a diehard type 6, true crime has always been so interesting to me. This is my current favorite true-crime podcast, and I listen to it to fall asleep to every night (is that weird? I’m not a serial killer I promise).
• lots of audiobooks! I discovered the Libby app and it has worked so well for me! I’ve really enjoyed being able to listen to a book while I do chores or walk, and I check out both the audiobook and ebook so that I can read on my phone whenever I have a spare minute!

watching:

• Shadow and Bone (on Netflix): I’m definitely a books-before-film kinda person, but when Shadow and Bone came out, my roommates were going to watch it and invited me to do so as well, so I watched it with them! It was really good and now I’m looking forwards to reading the books this summer!
• Cruel Summer (on Hulu): This is another TV show that my roommate introduced me to and we’ve been watching it together! It is so well done and the story is so intriguing! It hasn’t wrapped up yet, but I’m excited to see what the show does. It covers the story of two teenage girls, one of whom goes missing, and the other takes her life. It’s told simultaneously over three years (i.e., one episode is July 4th, 1993, 1994, and 1995), which is super unique. The 90s aesthetic is fantastic as well.
• Niamh Adkins: I first found Niamh through Instagram reels, where she posts reels about Taylor Swift and also her boyfriend. I’ve seen also enjoyed watching her Youtube channel and her instagram story, where she shares insights about her life. She is so insightful and funny, and has lots of good Taylor Swift content as a bonus! This video in particular made me laugh SO hard.
• * e m m i e *: I’ve realized that I work significantly better when I have something playing in the background, and my “something” of choice is relaxing youtube videos. Emma is my current favorite: she is a booktuber, and her enthusiasm for books and the thoughtfulness in which she talks about her craft is motivating me to read more. Her voice is the most soothing as well, and her videos are such a good counterbalance to my chemistry lectures.
• basicallyreese: like I said, I’ve really been into calming lifestyle videos lately and I’ve really been enjoying Reese’s. She does aesthetic lifestyle content and they always motivate me to get things done.

cooking:

• White Chocolate Lemon cookies: I don’t really think these need justification haha but they are fantastic!
• Starbucks Copycat Banana Bread: as a young adult, my biggest problem (other than the soaring rent prices, the economic crash, an unreasonable minimum wage, and a global pandemic) is buying groceries I end up not eating, and this banana bread is the perfect solution for when I buy 6 bananas at the grocery store and then end up only eating 3. The one whole cup of sugar and three overripe bananas make this banana bread top-tier, and I also add about half a cup of chocolate chips, because why not.
• Homemade Hamburger Helper: my Asian mom would never deign herself to cook hamburger helper, but as a ✨college student✨ this is one of my FAVORITE meals to make. It’s definitely noooot the healthiest, but it is SO good.
• Like basically poke bowls but without the fish? These are my favorite lazy weeknight dinners: I cook some 5 minute rice, add half a sliced avocado, a tablespoon of soy sauce, and a sunny side up/fried egg (and occasionally usually some cheese). They turn out beautifully and taste delicious.
• Salads. I don’t know if I can rightfully call this ~cooking~, but salads are fantastic for the springtime. I make mine as unhealthy as possible by adding chopped up hard boiled egg, avocado, tomato pieces, turkey, cheese, and sesame dressing. They are fantastic and I love them.
• Scrambled cheesy eggs! I put out an ask on my Instagram story for people to teach me how to cook fluffy scrambled eggs, and SO many people delivered. I’ve made some BANGING scrambled cheese eggs lately and they have been delicious.

If you want to see more of what’s going on in my life, I filmed a week in my life/reading vlog! I’m very proud of the editing: it is my biggest project to date and I am really happy with how it turned out. (I only found 1 glaring error in the 4th watch through so I count that as a win.) You can find it here:

What are some things that you have been enjoying lately? Are you a book-before-film person, or do you not care? Have you read anything good? I’m looking for summer recommendations. Leave me a comment and let me know!

My Top 5 Tips for Moving Away From Home, from a Christian Homeschool Graduate in College || College Lifestyle

Hello friend! Recently, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about moving to college, and the transition between living at home and living in a place by yourself for the first time, especially as college admissions are rolling in. There’s a lot I could say about this topic, but today I thought I would start by writing down some of the most important things that I’ve learned living alone at school.

A little bit about my background: I attend a public university in the United States, so that’s where I am coming from. I was homeschooled from K-12, and while I currently live in an off-campus apartment with friends, I have also previously lived in a dorm for almost 2 years (I didn’t get to finish out my second year due to the pandemic). I still live in the same state as my family, so I’m able to see them as often as I like, which was very frequent in the beginning and less so as I’ve become more independent.

Obviously I don’t have all of the time or space to cover all of the intricate details about living alone and moving out and all of that, but today I thought would give a broad overview about moving out and some tips I would give to someone who is thinking about moving out for college, particularly in a dorm, but also just in general.

1. Own who you are and where you came from. Moving somewhere new is always the perfect excuse to reinvent yourself, and start a lot of your things in your life afresh: your friend circle, your likes and dislikes, and a lot of small pieces within your personality, and that’s great! As you do that, though, don’t try to completely reinvent yourself. Hang on to the parts of your personality that make you who you are, and although it might be tempting to completely start over, own who you are! Own your story, and don’t be afraid to share it with the people that you meet. Chances are, they’re going to think it’s cool instead of strange, and if they do think it’s strange, well, it’s their loss.
   
2. Listen to your body and don’t overexert yourself. The first month or so of moving to college, I put a lot of pressure on myself to make friends, and be constantly hanging out with people, afraid to miss out on anything. While it’s definitely important to put yourself out there and make friends, also listen to what your body is telling you. Is it telling you to sit alone in your room while your roommate is out and reading a book? Then do it. Is it telling you to sit in the lounge, but not participate in the conversation? Do it.
   Although I went into college an extrovert, by the end of my freshman year, I’d become a hardcore introvert. What changed? When I was homeschooled, I’d never had to be around someone else 23 1/2 hours of the day, but when I got to college, that changed: when I wasn’t in class, I was with friends, and if I wasn’t with them, I was with my roommate. Even the bathroom was a floor-wide communal one, so even in the bathroom I wasn’t completely alone. Your mental health is important, and you don’t have to be hanging out with people constantly if your body is telling you not to.
   
3. No one is out to get you. A lot of the narrative about going to college, especially to a public university from being Christian and homeschooled, is that people will constantly be drinking and doing drugs and having sex blatantly, and that they’ll try to get you to join. Nothing is farther from the truth. While there are definitely people who go out partying, and who smoke weed in their room, no one is going to pressure you to do anything you don’t want to do. While there are certainly people who might be like that, my personal experience is that everyone is very respectful with your boundaries and choices, and so long as you’re clear about your boundaries are to yourself, you will be fine. (Obviously still be alert, because once people are drunk, they might do things that they wouldn’t normally do, so definitely keep yourself safe! but in general, it’s way less of a problem than people make it out to be.)
4. Keep an open mind. You are going to meet so many people who have had different life paths and stories than you. They may have made different personal choices than you that you don’t agree with. Listen to their stories. Listen to what they have to say, and don’t dismiss what they have to say just because they have made decisions that you don’t agree with. This particularly applies to topics such as homosexuality, race, and money. Just as you don’t want people interfering with your life choices, don’t interfere with theirs.
   
5. College (or wherever you’re moving) is not your mission field. When I was getting ready to start college, I had a lot of people say that they were praying for me to “be a good witness” or “show Christ to others”, and while being Christlike is obviously SUPER important and if people are interested in what you believe in, seize that opportunity to tell them about the gospel, but you are not responsible for the salvation of your friends. That is simply too much pressure, and if sharing the gospel in where you’re living is your calling, then 100% go for it! When I first moved to college, I felt a huge sense of responsibility for the people who I lived with, and I eventually realized that it was not a healthy mindset to have. Simply being a Christlike example is enough, and the Holy Spirit will work in the hearts of those around you with your witness as an example.
   My first roommate was not Christian, which we discussed the first day we lived together. She was very respectful of what I believed in, and while she wasn’t interested in becoming a Christian, we had a lot of good discussions about what I believed, and why I believed it. At the end of the semester, she understood the gospel a lot more and had a much more favorable perspective about Christianity than she did in the beginning.
   Is it important to hold tight to your morals and faith? Absolutely. Do you have to convert your roommate and friends to Christianity? Absolutely not.

So those are my top 5 tips that I would give to someone who is worried about moving away from home for the first time! I would be more than happy to answer any more questions that you might have, and if you have any more topics that you would like me to share about, feel free to suggest topics for me to talk about!

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If you haven’t moved away from home yet, what are questions you still have about living alone? If you have moved away, what is something you would tell yourself at the beginning of your journey? Is there anything else you want me to discuss? Leave a comment and let me know!

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P. S. I have a new video up on my YouTube channel! It is a productive day in my life, and I’m very pleased with how it turned out, so I would love if you checked it out!

25 Practical and Useful Gift Ideas: A Minimalist Gift Guide || 12 Days of Blogmas 2020 Day 1

Hello friends, and HAPPY BLOGMAS!! I’ve been doing blogmas for several years now, and while I . . . don’t think I’ve ever finished, it’s always been fun to try! I’ve posted some of my favorite blogposts over blogmas, and it’s always fun to start the new year off on a blogging roll, you know?

Like last year, I’ll be doing 12 days of blogmas: 12 blogposts spread out throughout December leading up to Christmas. It’s not going to be super Christmas themed or anything, but I’m excited to do it!

For today’s post, I thought I would do a 25 minimalist gift ideas list. Over the course of the year, I’ve leaned more and more towards living a minimalistic and simplistic lifestyle: 2020 has definitely taught me the value of living a quieter life, and one does not need to have many things in order to live a productive and fulfilling life.

This Christmas, I’m asking for things that are not just more meaningful, but also higher quality and conducive to living a minimalist life, and I thought I would put together a list of some simple gifts that promote hygge and a quiet life. If you have any people in your life that you want to give a gift to, I think these would be really nice gifts: they’re practical and useful, while still being meaningful at the same time!

*Some Links are Affiliate

Health + Wellness

1. Nice smelling soap or lotion
2. Essential oils & diffuser (these are the essential oils that I use–this company is not a MLM, but that link is my referral code and gets you $10 off a purchase of $50! I also use Young Living oils and as far as I know, they are the same quality)
3. Simplistic minimal jewelry
4. A menstrual cup! Obviously this one depends on your relationship with the person, but I love mine and did a blogpost about it a while back! (You can find it here.) This is the one that I use: Duchess Menstrual Cup
5. Masks (#2020) or face masks as more of a beauty supply
6. An aesthetic candle (such as this wood wick crackling candle)

Kitchen

7. Reusable straws (like these)
8. A milk frother (A similiar one to mine that has good reviews)
9. A French press
10. Your favorite coffee beans (especially ones from a small company like this one)
11. Loose leaf tea (like from this small company)
12. A cast iron skillet (like this one)
13. A spice collection
14. High quality wooden kitchen utensils (like these)

Self Improvement

15. The Little Book of Hygge
16. Prompted journals: I personally haven’t used them, but these are good ones that I’ve heard of-
    • 52 Lists for Calm
    • The 5 Minute Journal
17. A high quality notebook like a Leuchtturm1917 or a Moleskine
18. A non-fiction book/devotional! Some good ones that I’ve had recommended to me (but that I haven’t read) are:
    • New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp (a 365 day devotional)
    • Love Does by Bob Goff
    • The Ministry of Ordinary Places by Shannan Martin

Home

19. A good quality set of coasters (like these marble ones)
20. A good utility knife
21. Wool dryer balls
22. A subscription box services to something that you know they will actually use. Some of the ones I’ve seen are
    • Succulent Studio: succulent boxes
    • Elevated Faith: stickers and bracelet boxes
    • Book of the Month: a book box, but with just a book, not any of the other stuff that comes in normal book boxes
    • Sips by: tea boxes

23. Items from a small business that are functional and that they would use, like mugs or art pieces. Some of my favorites are:
    • Jenessa Wait (mostly art prints but also journals, mugs, and pillowcases)
    • Rachel Allene (mostly mugs, but also some other hand lettered things like t-shirts and stickers)
24. Board games
25. Plants: succulents or otherwise low maintenance ones are the best ones to give as gifts

I would highly recommend asking people for their wish list, and give them thing that are useful and meaningful to them. Use this list as inspiration, but don’t buy someone something unless you know they will need it. If you don’t know what they want, then I would highly suggest a gift card with a thoughtfully written note: the meaning is still there, but you aren’t cluttering up their life with things that they do not need and that do not add to their life.

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So here is a sampling of ideas that I am looking to give to people in my life this year! What is on your wishlist? What is something you’re gifting to someone else? Are you a minimalist? Leave me a comment and let me know!

5 Peaceful Habits You NEED to Implement This Semester & My First Day In My Apartment || College Lifestyle

Hey everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve written a productivity themed blogpost, and I’m super excited to be sharing one today! Today I’m here with 5 Peaceful Habits To Add To Your Day!

Since starting quarantine, I’ve done a lot of staring at screens, video calls, and not interacting with a ton of people, and it’s super easy to get caught up in the virtual world and forget to take care of yourself. At least, that’s how it’s been for me.

To help combat that, I’ve been experimenting on habits that I want to implement into my life to help me become a better person overall. I haven’t figured them all out yet, but I’ve been playing with them and I think they’re helping. Taking the time to slow down, step away from my screens, and practice some self care has been life saving to me and I hope these habits and tips help you out as well!

1. Journaling. If you go back in the archives of this blog, you’ll see that there are a BUNCH of posts where I set a goal to journal more. I started journaling at the end of last year, and I’ve been doing that this year as well. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still doing it on and off (at the time of writing this I haven’t journaled in 3 days #oops) but it has been a habit that keeps me grounded and sane. It also reminds me of the day to day, and I have never once regretted having done it. My friend Grace Anne was the one who really encouraged me to start journaling, and she has two posts on her blog that have really helped me start journaling. You can find them here and here.
   
2. Drinking tea/having a ritual drink. Pre-quarantine, I never really drank tea: it would get cold too fast, or it wasn’t a flavor that I liked, or I didn’t have time to make it, and the list goes on and on. Since quarantine started, though, I have begun making a cup of tea in the evenings (and sometimes during the day too!) and just enjoying the calming process of doing so. If tea isn’t your thing (& I get it, it wasn’t for 20 years of my life!), any drink works for this. Whether it be hot coffee in your french press, making an iced matcha, even a glass of cold lemon water, slowing down and making yourself a drink is such a relaxing thing that you can do to create a peaceful spot during your day.
3. Reading for pleasure. Since starting the semester back up again, I’ve been reading less and less. Textbook readings and recorded lectures have been my sink of free time, and I haven’t felt like picking up a book and just reading, like I used to do. Yesterday night, I finally sat down and finished the book that I was currently reading and it felt so. good. I know most of the people who follow me already read a lot, but if you haven’t in a while, here’s your reminder to go read a book, just for fun! You’ll love it, I promise.
4. Making your space somewhere you enjoy. This is very much tied to my having moved recently (which, haven’t updated the blog on that! but I did!) but I’ve decorated my space here at college, as well as redone my space at home (you might remember my floating shelves project over the summer) and it’s just been so so good for the soul. I still haven’t finished my room here at school, but once it’s done I’m excited to show you! (hint: read more of this post for a clue 😉 ). Having a space you like being in is SO important right now, when we’re all staring at the same walls all. day. long.
   Declutter your stuff, print some photos and put them up, buy some plants for your space, or even just rearrange the furniture already in your room! Making a change in your everyday workspace will make you feel more free in your space. If you don’t have the time to invest into switching up your space, then just commit to keeping it clean! Having a neat and tidy space will make it so much easier to work and give you more peace of mind.
5.  Take time to do something you love! Obviously, this can’t happen every day, but at least once a week, turn off your computer, put on some music, and do something that fills your spirit. Last weekend I sat down and wrote a bunch of letters, which has been my new favorite hobby. This week, I edited a video and will probably write more letters later on in the week. If you’ve been on my page, you know I’m a huuuuge proponent of doing the things that you love, and that is definitely a habit I recommend you work into your life.

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So there you have it! There are some of the ways that I’ve been keeping my life peaceful, and if not peaceful, at least sane. I hope they help you, or at the very least, inspire you into making your life something that you enjoy, rather than something that you go through.

To go along with this blogpost, I have a new video up! It’s a video of my first day in my new apartment! I moved in (just shy of a month ago at this point) to my college apartment, and I filmed the first day I was here. It was so much fun to film and edit, and it’s the best video I’ve made so far (at least, I think). I really love it and I’m really proud of it and i hope you check it out!

What is something you do to help you when you are stressed? What drink are you a fan of? What is your favorite hobby at the moment? Leave a comment and let me know!

A Day in the Life of a College Sophomore in Quarantine || Studying, Baking, and Letter Writing || Spring 2020

Happy quarantine, friends!! I hope you are doing well, and that you’ve been finding joy in this strange season.

Today I’m going to share a day in my life as a college student in quarantine! I always love seeing these kinds of posts, and they are always so motivating for me, so I hope that this post does the same thing for you! I did one of these posts last year, and it was a lot of fun, so I wanted to do the same thing again this year! Naturally my routine is a little different right now, and I thought it would be a good way to document this time.

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My mornings start off with class: my 8am chemistry class still meets at the same time, so I wake up, make breakfast, and a cup of coffee, and sit down for class! I usually plan out my day in my bullet journal during my first class, so I know what homework is due that day and what else I want to do that day.After class, I have my quiet time. I prefer to do it first thing in the morning, but having an 8am really isn’t very conducive for that, haha! I finish up my (now cold) coffee and read a couple passages in the Bible: my favorite plans are the Little Bible Plans made by Jenny: they are exactly the right length, and they are all such good passages!

After my quiet time is done, I have another online class, biology this time, and then I eat lunch! Usually I read a book while reading: this day in particular I’m reading Anne of Windy Poplars for my readalong that is happening! I’m eating a chicken salad melt with cheddar cheese on top: so yummy!

After lunch, I have yet another online class: this time it is orchestra! Obviously, my orchestra cannot meet right now (our last concert was actually cancelled😭), but my directors have been leading us through some orchestral pieces and showing us a more behind-the-scenes look of conducting and leading an orchestra, which is super interesting!

During class, I make apple crisp. Obviously this isn’t an everyday thing, but this day we had apples that were going bad, so I decided to cut them up and make apple crisp! It turned out really good, and it was really fun to make too! Being able to do things like this is my favorite part of online class: you get to do things that aren’t possible during live classes! My webcam was on, but no one could tell 🤫.

After that, I did some studying. My statistics professor records his lectures and puts them online, so I watched that and took notes. I’ve really enjoyed being able to pause and rewind lectures, especially since math is nooooooooot my strong suit. 😂

After I finished studying, my family ate dinner, and then I broke out the stationary to write some letters! I’ve really enjoyed being able to write more letters during this time: snail mail is just so fun! I lit a candle, put on a YouTube video (this one is by Lindsey from BFCG), and wrote several letters! I’m a big fan of making time to do things that you like and want, even if it’s not the most practical it’s finals szn, bb!! so I made time to write some letters!

After that, I get ready for bed, and listen to a podcast as a way to help me unwind, and then go to sleep!

Obviously my everyday isn’t like that, and as exams start piling up, I’m less able to both bake apple crisp and write letters in the same day, but I still try to not work all day. It’s not the most exciting day-in-the-life, but that’s just how this season is. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to continue taking college classes, which gives my days a structure that wouldn’t be there otherwise.

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What does a typical day in your life look like? What is your go-to breakfast? Do you like writing letters? What is one thing you’re grateful for because of quarantine? Leave me a comment and let me know!

My Social Distancing Bucket List || 25 Things To Do Now That You Finally Have the Time

Hello everyone!! I hope you all are staying safe and healthy!

My school announced that we’ll be having an extended spring break, then at least two weeks of online classes after that. And because my lil type 6 self simply WILL NOT REST until I have made a list of and categorized EVERYTHING, I IMMEDIATELY began making my “Social Distancing Bucket List,” and I figured I would share it! Here are 25 things to do now that you always said you’d do when you have time and that you now have time for:

1. Put your phone away. There is SO MUCH news about what is going on, and the more I scroll, the more stressed I get. I’ve limited myself to once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once in the evening, and it’s helped a lot.
2. Find your new favorite book. There are SO MANY good books out there to read! If you need some recommendations, here are my top reads of 2019. Alternatively, I’m holding an Anne of Green Gables Readalong and it’d be the perfect time to hop on!
3. Write happy mail! It can be a letter, or a bookmark, or an art piece, or anything really. On my instagram the other day, I asked for people who wanted some happy mail, and I’m going to be sending it out soon! (and if you want in on the happy mail, go comment on that post!!)
4. Start a garden. Although it might not be warm enough yet to have plants outside, it’s the perfect time to start seedlings indoors! When I was younger, I loved gardening and I want to get back into it! The ones I suggest are tomato, potato, pumpkin, and peas.
5. Clean out your phone! How many apps do you have that you haven’t used and are taking up space? Delete them from your phone!
6. Deep clean your house/room/apartment. If you’re anything like me, you’ve let some things slip during the semester. Even just deep cleaning one area will make that space so much more welcoming to live in for 3 weeks 😅
   
7. Prewrite some blogposts! Stock up on some blogposts that you can just pull out and post on a busy week. They are so helpful and really a life changer!
8. Update/refresh your playlists! I don’t know about y’all, but my spotify platlists are kind of a mess. (just me? okay) Go through your playlists, take out songs that you don’t want to listen to anymore, and add new ones in!
9. Go through your camera roll! Raise your hand if you’re a photo hoarder. 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️ I always have 50 million photos in my phone, and I need to just go through and delete about 40 million of them 😂😅
10. Go on a picnic. Social distancing doesn’t mean you have to stay inside all the time, and this weather is too gorgeous to pass up! Grab a sibling or a “safe” friend, and go on a picnic!
11. Purge your closet. It’s almost time to switch out your winter clothes with your summer clothes, and what better time to also get rid of all the clothes that you haven’t been wearing?
12. Catch up on your school work. I knowwwww. It’s technically spring break!! I have some notes that I need to finish transcribing and some study guides I didn’t get to finish up before school ended, so I’ll be doing that with my time!
    
13. Start a notebook! The start of a new notebook is always incredibly cathartic for me, and gets me more productive and more creative. I started a notebook for this break, and it’s the best thing ever.
14. Check up on your friends. Everyone’s going through this together, so reach out! See how they’re doing or if they need anything, and just virtually hang out!
15. Watch that show that you’ve been meaning to watch. We all have that one show: why not do it now?
16. Spend more time with God. Take some focused time away from the world and just be with God. It’s been a while since I had in-depth one-on-one time with God, and this is the perfect time to do it.
17. Find a new podcast. There is so much wisdom that people share in podcasts, and I’m always on the hunt for new ones (please comment your favorites!). My new favorite right now is The Kate and Abbie Show about creativity, healthy living, and writing.
18. Workout at home! Although gyms are closed, your living room floor is not! Pull up a workout video on YouTube and get your blood pumping!
19. Clean up your social media feeds! Go through your feed and clean out the stuff you don’t want to see anymore! Here’s a post I did about cleaning up your social media.
    
20. Try out a new recipe! Although grocery stores are empty, make something with the food you already have in your house. Cinnamon rolls are a fun one that don’t require a ton of supplies!
21. Have a spa night! Light a candle, put on a face mask, and just enjoy yourself for an evening. Relax, listen to some music, and just chill.
22. Redecorate your room. If you’re going to be in it all the time, you might as well make some use out of the time. I haven’t redecorated my room in a while, and I have lots of ideas that I could implement!
23. Find a new phone game to play. This is where I pull out my Best Fiends sponsorship (LOL JKJK 😂😂😂).  But for real though, finding a game you really like can be pretty hard, and now is the perfect time to do it! My new favorite right now is Animal Kitchen, which is super cute and super fun!
24. Learn something new! A language, or a creative skill, or a new art form, or an instrument. Think of something you’ve wanted to learn forever but never had the time to, and learn it!
25. Just relax!! There is NO RULE out there that says you need to be hustlin’ while you’re on coronavirus break. Just chill out and enjoy your free time!

If you’re looking for some more posts to read, check out:
this post from Erin that’s a similar concept but more relaxing
my friend MacKenzie’s top 10 list
this one I wrote several years ago that’s a funny version of this post

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How are you holding up? Are you on social distancing, or do you still have to work? What is your college doing? What have you been doing over this break? What podcasts do you like? Leave me a comment about ALL THE THINGS!

 

People of 2019 || 12 Days of Blogmas 2019 Day 11

Hey everyone! Happy Blogmas Day 11! Today’s post is one I like to do at the end of every year, where I look back at my life and thank the people that made the year what it was. I really highly recommend doing this: it really helps me be thankful of the people I have in my life, and makes me that much more grateful for the life that I have!

For 2019, I’m thankful for:

• my mom and dad, obviously, for supporting me and guiding me through this next season of my life
• my brothers, D+P, for finally starting to understand humor and jokes and memes and becoming friends this year
• “Grandma” and “Grandpa” B and “Aunt” L, for always having my back spiritually, of course!
• my cousin, SM, for hanging out with me this year: we actually became friends this year and I’m super happy about that!
• my boyfriend, MF, for showing me unconditional love, for all of the amazing dates we had and cuddles we did. You’re my favorite person in the whole world, and I will never forget you. I love you so much!
• RF and AS, for all the fun hangs this year. I can’t believe it’s taken us so many years to actually become friends. Both of you are going to go so far in life, and the battles you faced this year will make you that much stronger in the future!
• MM, for being such a good friend despite the distance and the busyness; you still connect with me and think about me and point me back to God
• OS, for being a great roommate, and for all the adventures we shared this year. We are definitely not a typical roommate pair, and I would not have it any other way!
• MM and KS, for still being friends, even through we haven’t hung out as much this year. I know I can send you both a text and you will support me and understand and listen.
• CF, for being both my friend from home and also at school, giving me support always
• NH, NSD, SK, AS, AB, MS, RW, ES, AY, BS, and DB, my college friends, for being with me through the stress, the good days, and the bad.
• EC, for being my chemistry buddy and for understanding The Struggle
• my Gemstone team and mentor, for always expanding my mind and challenging my research. I’m looking forwards to the next two years!
• TL and JL, for giving me an outlet for playing music in college, even though I am nowhere near the caliber of collegiate playing
• ER, YR, EG, CS, and MC, my Delight girls, who constantly remind me to stay close to God, even when life is hard and it feels like he’s not there
• my online friends, especially for Abby, Hailey, Grace Anne, Charley, and Olivia, for encouraging me, supporting me, and always being there for me. You all are the best!
• CS, KG, YT, VM, AM, KC, NW, HN, AZ, and others, my church friends, for always saying hi to me and encouraging me to grow closer to God
• and God of course, for always being besides me no matter where I am in life and what I do

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Who are YOU thankful for this season? Who has poured into you in 2019? Don’t comment if you don’t want to, but I really encourage you to think about who’s been important in your life from year to year!