The Ten Day You Challenge || Nine Loves

I'm back for the "Ten Day You Challenge", and today it is nine loves. This one was hard to come up with because obviously I love more than nine things. I tried not to say the obvious ones like music and my family and stuff like that. 

1. Science

Ever since I was in elementary school I have always loved science. I loved knowing how and why things work the way they do. Science covers such a wide range of topics, so it's easy to find something that's interesting. It's safe to say that my favorite field trip was when we went to the science museum. I like science so much that I am planning on spending the rest of my life immersed in it as a forensic scientist. 

2. McFly

Ever since I was introduced to McFly by one of my friends when I was in middle school, I was hooked, and I have stuck with them ever since. Out of all of their songs (and they have a lot) there aren't many that I don't like. I like everything about them, their music, their personalities, and of course, they're not bad looking either. I also admire that they have been together for so long and are still going strong. They are so crazy talented, it amazes me. Danny has in my opinion, he best male voice ever. It seriously gives me chills sometimes, and Tom can probably play every instrument imaginable. I find myself on YouTube for hours (a bit sad I know) watching live performances, acoustic performances, and videos of them just being their goofy selves. I kind of like that they're not all that popular here in the states. It makes me feel like a truer fan ;). I've talked about several of their songs on my blog before, but if you are looking for some good new music, here is one of my favorites. (I say one because I seriously have so many) Anyways, I think you get the gist of how much I love them by how much I've written. 

3. Getting letters or packages in the mail

Probably one of the reason's I love this so much is because it is so rare. And It's always nice to know someone is thinking of you. When I was at college and I'd get that little slip in my mailbox saying I had a package, I would literally jump for joy. 

4. YouTube

This just makes me sound a little pathetic, but it's true. I love YouTube. Like I said before, I could spend hours on there. It's got everything, music, comedy, beauty, tutorials. Everything. I have come across some really great and talented people because of it. 

5. The Christmas Season

I mentioned in my happiness post my love for Christmas, but I seriously love it so much that I had to mention it again. Everyone is so cheerful and jolly this time of year it's impossible to not be happy. I have so many wonderful Christmas memories because it is filled with everything I love. Christmas carols, food, family, laughter, decorations, and christmas shopping. Most people hate Christmas shopping, but I love when all the stores are decorated and all the christmas-themed merchandise is out.

6. People Watching

I don't mean this in a creepy way, but I find people fascinating. It's just so interesting to see what they're wearing, their mannerisms, and how they interact with other people. I suppose I'm just a nosy person. The best place for people watching is probably the airport, which is one of my favorite places. There are so many different kinds of people there going different places and doing different things. Maybe I'm just easily entertained. 

7. Downton Abbey

It's an amazing show, it's a period drama, there are several love stories, it talked about the Titanic, and it's British. It can't get much better than that! 

8. Nail Polish

I love this stuff! Whenever I'm in the beauty section of a store, this is what I'm drawn to. There are so many colors to choose from. I think I have an obsession with paining my nails. Wouldn't it be nice if you could choose how long the color stayed on though? 

9. Stargazing

You may have guessed by the name of my blog, but I love stargazing. When I look at the sky on a clear night I just can't help but be completely blown away. It is so, so beautiful. It's almost mesmerizing, you can't look away. Also the fact of knowing how far away everything is makes it so much more enthralling. I think I just have a fascination with outer space.

All Images from Google

Keep Smiling,

Breaking Into My Own House

Today started out as a normal enough day until one little unfortunate event. My mom and I went to get our haircut, and when we got back we were posed with quite the problem. She accidentally brought the set of keys that did not have a house key on them, and foolishly didn't put the spare key back after the last time she used it. We had no idea when my dad was going to be home, so we were stuck in a rut indeed. Now, this is not the first time this has happened to us, so I guess we should be pros at this by now. 

We have had all of our windows replaced on the ground level since the last time we had to "break in", well all of them except one. (Thankfully, since all the new windows are impossible to get into from the outside unless you want to slash the screen and break the glass) Coincidentally, this was also the only window that was unlocked. Bless whoever forgot to lock that one! 

We busted out the screwdriver and unscrewed every tiny little screw on the screen. It doesn't sound too bad but there was a rickety stepladder involved, and it seemed to be swelteringly hot outside at that moment. Needless to say, it took forever. The window was jammed, so it took us a while to finally get the window open enough so I could stretch my arm in and reach over to unlock the door that was next to it. Finally my long orangutan arms have been put to good use! The whole fiasco was quite challenging, but I'm glad to know that it won't be easy for anyone to get into our house and burglarize us. If they tried, they would most likely give up, because it would take too much effort! 

Keep Smiling,

Unique Style From The UK

These women have got some serious style! Now it's definitely not anything I would ever wear, but they totally pull it off. They also give me a case of serious hair envy! 

Ever since I first saw Cher Lloyd at her X Factor audition I knew she had something. This girl absolutely oozes swag out of every pore! No wonder the judges were so impressed. She's come so far since then, and I really admire that she has her own style and wears what she wants. I saw an interview with her and she said she basically chucks on her makeup and throws her hair up most days. She still manages to look gorgeous every time. 

Another beautiful lady from the UK is Cheryl Cole. And just look at that hair, seriously! I really like the whole uniform theme she has going on in her Fight For This Love music video.

Newest onto the scene is Little Mix. They've got voices as big as their style. It's so unique and it totally works for them. They rock it! Also, they seem like really genuinely nice people that have bright personalities as well. You can check out their voices and unique style in the music video for their song Wings.

All Photos courtesy of Google

Keep Smiling,

The Ten Day You Challenge || Ten secrets

It's 2:00p.m right now and I'm still sitting here in my pj's. I was supposed to have already showered and accomplished some packing by this time, but What am I doing insted? Sitting here doing a bunch of nothing and blogging. I've seen this "Ten Day You Challenge" floating around the blogging world lately, and as I really enjoy reading them myself, I though I would give it a try. First up, Ten Secrets. These probably actually aren't secrets since it is common knowledge to most people I know, but hey, I'm guessing it's some stuff that you guys didn't know about me. 

Photos courtesy of Google

1. I ruptured my left eardrum when I was younger

Since I was just a baby, I don't remember this incident, but I still fell like it causes me problems sometimes. Who knows, I could just be imagining it. I was prone to ear infections when I was a child, and I think this may have been what caused it. I'm not entirely sure. 

2. I played the violin, piano, and clarinet

I took violin lessons until my teacher moved away. I took piano lessons until I quit. (I kind of regret that), and I played the clarinet from fifth grade until I graduated high school. One of my biggest regrets in life is choosing the clarinet over percussion instruments. I don't know what I was thinking that day, I think I had a memory lapse, because I had always dreamt of playing the drums. Silly, silly, girl. 

3. My great uncle helped develop/invent CPR

He was a heart surgeon (now retired), and him, along with his partner(s), came up with the method of CPR. I read a book this summer that took place in the 1800's and they were performing CPR on a patient, and I was like oh please, that was not invented yet!  I felt so smart haha. 

4. I am still pretty attached to my blankie

I've had it since a little after I was born, and it is basically in shreds now because I took that thing everywhere.  I don't bring it to school with me or anything (although I did sneak it with me to kindergarten), so I don't miss it when I don't have it with me. I once left it at the church when we went to my aunt and uncle's wedding, and when we finally got it back I was the happiest child ever! We have the video of this to prove it.  

5. I am a hopeless romantic

I can't even really explain this one. I'm always up for a good love story, and sometimes the cheesier the better. I love everything from Pride and Prejudice to 27 Dresses. 

6. I secretly give people nicknames in my head

I don't know why I do this, I don't even think about it. It just happens. Obviously if I'm really close with that person I would tell them, but sometimes it's someone I have just met or something and that would just be plain awks. 

7. I am apparently related to F. Scott Fitzgerald

My dad always kind of skirts the question when we ask about it, but my grandpa insisted it's true. Rumor has it that we're related to him somehow through his wife Zelda. She was crazy, so I hope it's not genetic! 

8. I am a Directioner

This is the one I am most embarrassed to admit to people. There is such a stigma attached to it isn't there? Trust me, you don't have to worry about me fangirling over them. That's not my style. Although, I must admit that I do know quite a lot about them. Unlike most people however, I don't like them based on their looks. I know when I say this most One Direction fans will gasp with shock and horror, but I don't think there is anything particularly special about their looks. I mean they're not bad looking, but I mainly like them because they seem to have nice personalities and I like their music. Moving on. 

9. I tried learning how to beatbox

It didn't go too well. For some reason I just thought It would be so cool if suddenly I could just be all "Check this out" and bust out some sick flo. I guess it wasn't meant to be. 

10. I name objects

If I own something, it's almost guaranteed to have a name. My dad gets slightly annoyed because all of our cars have names, and we force him to call them by them. I think he is secretly amused by it though. Right now I am typing on my trusty computer Xavier, and thinking about how I should water my plant Roxanne. 

I hope you enjoyed my ten "secrets" and found them at least somewhat amusing. I encourage everyone to participate in this challenge, and if you do, please tell me so I can read it! 

Keep Smiling,

Worth A Thousand Words

"They say a picture is worth a thousand words... and you have two of them!"~Couldn't resist quoting some good old fashioned Princess Diaries there

As I've previously mentioned, I am the reading type. But let's face it, if there's a picture, that's what grabs my attention. A Picture can say so much, and sometimes you just can't put something into words. I love looking at the different things people like to capture on camera. I enjoy looking at photos as much as I enjoy taking them. Whenever I go somewhere I am usually the one running around like a crazy person snapping pictures of everything and everyone. There is something about clicking that button that is so satisfying. I'm definitely not planning on making a career out of this. It's just something I enjoy doing. I sifted through a bunch of my pictures today and found a few (ok a lot) that I wanted to post. 

Keep Smiling, 

Introducing My Blog Button!

Last night my "summer insomnia" kicked in again, so what better way to spend my time than create a blog button right? For some reason during the summer there are some nights where I just cannot fall asleep! It must be due to not having more of a regular sleeping schedule like I do during the school year. For the past few nights I have not been able to turn my brain off! Thus the blog button was born. 

Recently, I have been taking more notice of the buttons people have displayed on their blogs, and I have come across some really great blogs because of it. I thought, eh why not? Might as well try it out. Now that I've done it, I'm actually pretty excited about it. I designed it myself so it is pretty simple, but that's really all I need anyway. I was fun to make too! I made three, but then had to narrow it down to this one. I'm not an extremely tech-y person, but I must admit that I do feel that way in the midst of doing all the HTML coding and such that goes along with personalizing a blog. I hope I did it right! 

Anyway, the point of this post is to basically say that If anyone wants to do some button swapping, I would love to know! I do quite enjoy discovering new blogs and new people. If you're interested, you can find my button on the left side of my page.

Keep Smiling,

Planning My Adventure

I have mentioned before that this fall semester I will be hopping the pond to study abroad in England. It is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I could not be more excited! It's time to trade in my snow boots for rain boots, and my textbooks for travel books! Haha kidding on that last one. I will sill be studying don't worry. I feel like I have been waiting my entire life to do something like this, and it's finally happening! It makes me sound like a nut case, but every time I imagine myself there I start smiling like an idiot. I have been to Europe several times before, but never to England (besides the airport), and never on my own. This is the first time I will be flying solo (haha literally and figuratively), and I have to admit that the thought of navigating the airport and catching all my flights by myself makes me a little anxious. 

My last year has been jam-packed with planning, paperwork, meetings etc. It has been a lot of work, and it was very stressful at times, but I'm positive it will all be worth it in the end. There are so many things I have to consider and remember, and I'm just hoping I don't forget anything important when I leave. I only have a couple weeks left until then, so it's getting to be crunch time! Yikes! 

I have done many things to prepare, but I feel like the most daunting task is still ahead of me, and that is packing. Ugh thinking about it makes me cringe. I have been mentally packing and making lists of things for months. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's making lists! I have come to the conclusion that I've got way to much stuff! I have absolutely no idea how I am going to fit an entire semesters-worth of clothes and such into one suitcase! That's right, I said ONE suitcase. Not to mention all the things I'll actually need that will take up space like bedding, a pillow, and school supplies. The sheer amount of stuff ones needs for only four months astounds me. I mean I don't need to bring so many clothes, but I don't want to have to be doing laundry all the time. I will definitely have to purchase some things when I get over there (Oh why does shampoo have to weigh so much?), which annoys me slightly because the exchange rate is not in my favor. Oh well It will all be worth it. That's what I keep telling myself. 

I am definitely not the most high-maintenance girl you will ever come across, but I have been in a pickle or two about what shoes to bring. I want to be prepared for all occasions, but I have to be practical about this. I need shoes that will be comfortable to walk long distances in, and that will go with multiple outfits. It doesn't sound too complicated, but when you factor in waterproofness and the fact that some shoes don't go with some outfits because they are simply the wrong style or color, it becomes rather complicated indeed. I can't go tromping about London wearing tennis shoes and a skirt. You see my dilemma? I think I have gone back and forth about this subject so many times.

Throughout the summer I have been tossing random stuff I've collected
for my trip into my carry on.

Some of the mini/travel things I've accumulated thus far. Ignore the
deodorant. I don't know how it wiggled it's way into the picture. 

Anyways, enough about packing. I will try to blog about my trip and experiences as much as I can when I'm there. If they are interesting that is. After all, that was much of my reasoning for starting this blog in the first place. 

If anyone has any travel/packing tips, or tips about England itself, they would be much appreciated! 

Keep Smiling,

Smile, People Will Wonder What You're Up To

  The title of this post comes from a Dove chocolate wrapper of all things. Those people must know what they're doing because I think it speaks the truth. If I see someone standing alone with a big smile on their face, I automatically want to know what's making them so happy. Everyone has their own definition of happiness, and their own ways of achieving it. I know that for some people, being happy isn't as easy as it is for others, but I believe that there is always at least one thing to be happy about, even if it is just something small. It is pouring rain outside today (oh how I love a good rainstorm), and I know some people might be feeling a bit under the weather. I myself am suffering from a cold thanks to hanging around sick children and my sick sister. Today I thought that I would share some things that make me happy, and ways I stay that way. 

1. Laughter is the Medicine- I know it sounds corny, but it really is true. When I was in elementary school we had to sing a song with that title. I still remember most of the words and it is now playing round and round in my head. One of my favorite things is laughing. It feels amazing. Unless of course it is one of those horrible times when you're in class, or in a library etc., and you're trying to hold it in so you really just end up making strange choking noises. Yes, I'll admit that I have been in this situation many times. Everyone needs something in their life that makes them laugh whether it be people or an activity. For me, there is one thing that pops into my mind, and that is the Tilt-a-whirl. I know it has various other names, but basically, it is the spinny ride that whips you around in circles. This may sound like some people's idea of torture, but it never fails to make me absolutely laugh my head off. People seriously think I'm crazy when they ride it with me. With the exception of my friend, who loves it just as much as I do. 

2. Friends & Family- It is extremely important to be around people who care about your well being and support and love you. I honestly don't know what I would do without them. They know the real me (Oof that makes it sound like there is a secret me haha), so they know what makes me laugh and what makes me happy. We all have the same sense of humor, and I even know some people that say we have our own language because they can never follow our conversations due to all of our jokes and such. I could go on and on about why I love them so much but that would probably be a very boring read. 

My roommate from last year and me. I did not have a picture of
people actually meeting, so I had to
settle for this since we had just met that year.

3. Meeting New People- Now I'm what some might consider as "painfully shy", and I'm afraid it may come off as being standoffish to some people. Despite that fact, I really do enjoy meeting new people and making new friends. I find people to be extremely interesting, and I always enjoy learning more about them. Yikes that makes me sound kind of creepy. 

Again, I did not have a picture of someone making someone
else happy, but maybe this will at least get a laugh out of you. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    4. Making people happy- I know it's cliche, but doing things for other people and making them laugh really does make you feel good. I believe that laughter is contagious. It's impossible to sit around and see someone laughing or just being completely happy and not feel that way yourself. I can't stand seeing someone down in the dumps, and I especially hate seeing people cry. I really feel for them and wish they weren't feeling so bad. I noticed that the parts I start to tear up in movies are when someone is doing something really nice for someone and being thoughtful, or when someone starts crying (usually it's when the guy does this that really gets me). Call me a big sap, but it's true. 

5. Christmastime- I cannot express how much I absolutely love the Christmas season! I love everything about it. The songs, the movies, the decorations, the shopping, and of course the food, but mostly I love how cheery everything and everyone is. It's the most magical time of the year! 

Not the obvious thing that comes to mind when thinking of
music, but we were dancing to music and being merry, so I
thought it could work. 

                                                                        6. Music- Music does have that special ability to turn your mood around. I've already included some of my favorite "Happy" songs in a post that you can read HERE, but I'll include a few more that I can't help but groove to. Smile by Mcfly is a happy song as the title would imply. Also, Love Today by Mika helps to immediately put me in a better mood.

  

Picture I took at the zoo the other day. Apparently this is how a
giraffe sits down. 

7. The Little Things- When I think about it, there are so many little things that put a smile on my face. Things like watching a movie or t.v. show I've been waiting for, getting a letter or a package in the mail, giraffes, weddings, new socks, or reading a good book. Everyone has down days and it's important to really think about all the good things you do have instead of focusing on the things you don't. Again, I know it sounds cheesy and cliche, I'm sorry for that. 

I really, really hope this entire post didn't come off as braggish and preachy. I did not intend it to be that way. I like to read about what makes other people happy, and their positive outlook on live is truly inspiring. 

Keep Smiling,
 

I'm sorry about the formatting of this post. For some reason it doesn't want to show up the way I wrote it, so some things are spaced weirdly of just completely out of whack!