New Blog!

Hey, y'all! I've moved to a new blog! Go ahead and check it out. Let me know what you think! Thanks! :)

A Short Post on Nontraditional Education

Hi, guys! This school year, I've decided to do something much different than I've ever done before. I'm going to be focusing on (besides school, family, and friends) getting healthy, weightlifting, writing, volunteering, and networking.

After re-reading Michael Ellsberg's post on Tim Ferris's Four-Hour Work Week, I'm completely re-inspired to pursue nontraditional education, so I'll also be reading a lot and putting the things I'll learn into action. I'm going to borrow from the library or download as e-books (because I'm tired of accumulating things) books by bloggers that I follow that I'm very excited to read.

Especially in recent years, nontraditional education has piqued my interested, perhaps because I'm approaching college. Things outside of paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to take classes you might never really learn things from and settling for a less-than-perfect job that doesn't require your level of education. I'd like to learn things through experiences and people and have a skill set that allows me to work in any field I want on whatever terms I want. I've never been a work-in-an-office kind of gal, so having the freedom to try new ventures and explore what I'd really like to do is increasingly awesome.

I know this post is kind of vague, but I find that, whenever I tell someone what I plan to do, I never actually do that thing.

Talk to you next week! Thanks for reading.

Goal Progression

Hey, y'all! As promised, here is the progress on my 25 goals so far. (I'll just number them for the sake of neatness, but they're in the order that I posted them.)

1) I went to England!

2) I have read 3 of the 6 books, and I'm almost done with the 4th.

3) I've been exercising much more than 200 minutes per week. Volleyball practice is 2 hours a day!

4) My coin jar is filling up fast, plus I saved some allowance money, so I think $200 will be an easy reach.

5) An attempt at making a one-take vlog was quite the learning experience.

6) No work has been done on my science fair project since school ended.

7) 24 of 40 articles of clothing have been put in a bag to donate!

8) No service hours yet, but I'm looking into volunteering at a soup kitchen.

9) Obviously, blogging once a week here hasn't been consistent.

10) Posting a short story on the 1st and 15th on my other blog hasn't been regular, either.

11) I've started lifting weights (just little 10-ers), but I'm not checking off this goal until I establish a routine.

12) No videos = no new subscribers. (Somehow, I already have 4 subs.)

13) All has been well on the fruits and veggies front.

14) I've also succeeded with the chocolate, but I should have worded this goal differently. My intention, and how I've been accomplishing this goal, is by eating only one type of chocolate thing per day. So, like, I'll have a Hershey's bar or chocolate ice cream or some chocolate chip cookies. I didn't mean having one piece a day, so I don't know why crazy, old me wrote that.

15) I've only biked 5 of 30 times so far! Insane.

16) Oh, dear. The screen time. I've completely failed on this front, but I am more aware of how I'm spending it.

17) No work on my vertical.

18) I've eaten frozen yogurt (nectar of the gods) 4 of the needed 5 times.

19) I've seen 2 of the 3 movies (I should have added "in theatres" to this one, because that's what I meant.)

20) Been downtown 4 of the required 10 times, 3 of which were to the beach. :)

21) Found a recipe for carrot cake, but I've not made it.

22) Yes, I've worn sunscreen every single day! Only had sunburn twice.

23) I've already dyed my hair, but I'm going to dye it blue next weekend and then maybe green or a mixture of the 2 before school starts.

24) Room hasn't been redecorated majorly yet.

25) I've not used any plastic bags! Such a relief.

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I don't know about you guys, but my summer is precisely halfway over today! Today's the 42nd day of 84, and I'm pretty happy with how it's turning out.

I'll definitely post again soon. Hope you continue to have a great summer! ♥

A Few Thoughts on Health

Hey, y'all! I got back from England a couple days ago, so look out for a post on that! I'm not going to make an excuse for not posting the last few weeks, because I could have. I was in Minnesota for 10 days (where there's wifi) and then England for 10 days (where there's wifi), but I focused on enjoying myself and getting away from technology. So, while I can't say that I accomplished my goal of posting once a week on this blog, I'm going to jump back into posting once a week.

I've been reading a lot about nutrition and fitness, as I think I've said here before. It's incredible. The big thing that's really caught my attention is the Paleo lifestyle, which is basically going back to eating and exercising the way our ancestors (cavemen) did. It's superdeeduper interesting.

I'm very interested in preventive measures, rather than treatment after you get a disease or problem. I've been hearing things about sugar being poison and all these chemicals in conventional food being awful. One quote that absolutely applies to this is,

"The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.”

I agree with this immensely! The things you put into your body are really, really important to your health (obviously), yet so many people, definitely including myself, just eat garbage. I'm going to focus on eating real, whole foods and avoiding excess sugar wherever possible. Something that's really important to me is living for a long time and actually living. I plan on being healthy and active for my whole life, so I need to start now. That's my focus.

Ahoy, there!

Long time no speak, ya'll. The last time I posted was a month and a half ago! Time to change that, though, as you'll see in this post. ;)

So, there they are. My summer goals for 2012. There are 25, and I firmly intend to complete all of them. You may have noticed #9 (write 1 blog post a week). That means I'll be updating you on my trips to Minnesota and England and how I'm doing with said goals.

I'm really excited for this summer, especially since the school year was not so great. I'm determined to make this summer amazing!

While I have you here, I might as well mention that I'm leaving for MN tomorrow! Since I'm not going to try to find wifi there or in England, I'm going to crank out a couple posts now and schedule them to post while I'm gone.

I hope you'll come along on my (mis)adventures! ♥

BEDA Day 30

Well, it's the last day of BEDA. Can you believe it? It's nice that I'm going to be free from writing nonsense every night at 9:50. :)

Since you put up with my blog for 30 days, I thought I'd share some blogs that I read and love. They're really, really great.

ZenHabits: This is the blog that started it all. I stumbled across this one by pure chance while searching for help on learning a language. Here, the author Leo Babauta talks about simplicity, mindfulness, and his and his family's journey in minimalism, unschooling, and happiness. It's very inspiring.

Mnmlist: This is by the same author as above. It talks more about minimalist (obviously). He keeps the theme very, very simple and it gets you thinking about your own materialism and dependence on external things for happiness.

Elise Blaha enJOY it: While this isn't the normal type of blog I read, I do enjoy Elise's humor. She is a military wife who is in love with scrapbooking and all things paper. She's very energetic and positive, which is always lovely to read. :)

Advanced Riskology: Here, Tyler Tervooren helps others take life-changing risks, from quitting their corporate jobs to moving to another continent. He also shares stories about his own amazing risks.

Minimal Student: Jessica is a student from Britain who took the initiative to move to Japan to teach the language, all while keeping very few possessions. She does post infrequently, but her archives are full of bits of wisdom that you mightn't expect from a young lady.

PostSecret: I don't know how you haven't heard of this already if you haven't. This is a site where this guy, Frank Warren, gets mailed thousands of handmade postcards from people all over the world. People pour their hearts out on these postcards, revealing their innermost secrets, anonymously. One day, I'll send my own secrets there, but for now I'll just read the Sunday Secrets every week. :)

Bryarly Bishop: This girl I originally found on YouTube (by the same username). She is sweet, hilarious, and very eloquent. Her writing is really funny and definitely relatable.

A Marvelous Adventure: I just recently found this blog, so I don't know what it's all about, but I love what I know about it so far. Renee, a 16-year-old, talks about "The pursuit of knowledge, happiness and good coffee." :)

The Hayleylujah Chorus/ hayleyghoover: Also a girl that I found on YouTube. She is very widely know for her beauty and hilarity. She's all over the internet. Check out her videos, too, if you'd like.

Those are most of the blogs that I read. I hope I made them sound as amazing as they really are. I read these blogs on gReader on my phone.

I'll post some time soon on here. Look out for part 2 of my short story "A Dancer's Devotion" tomorrow on my short story blog! Thanks for reading, guys. I really appreciate it. ♥

BEDA Day 29

Life. It happens.

BEDA Day 28

Hey, y'all. How are you doing? I'm just peachy. :)

I had my first traffic today, which was AMAZING! For y'all who don't know, a traffic is when you drive around with a drivers' ed instructor on the streets and you get a grade for it. I got a C, which is pretty standard for one's first traffic. :) I thought it went real well.

Also, I helped out with the freshmen boys' volleyball tournament, which is always fun.

And, lastly, it was my cousin's 4th birthday party today! Very, very fun.

Overall, 'twas an incredible day!

Thanks for reading. :) Talk to you tomorrow. ♥

BEDA Day 27

Well, ahoy there! How are you doing?

This day was incredible. Of course there were low points, but the high points were amazing! I got to talk to some people that I normally don't talk to anymore, got an A on an oral exam for French that I've been practicing for, and got a chemistry test over with! Huzzah!

Also, it was senior night for the boys' volleyball team that I manage tonight. 'Twas quite fun and slightly controversial. :) I learned some new things (not concerning volleyball) and had quite a good time.

Oh, goodness, I'm glad it's Friday.

Talk to you tomorrow.♥

BEDA Day 26 (Yesterday)

Ohmygoodness. I am so sorry! I didn't even realize I forgot to post until this morning! I was so pooped yesterday, and I needed to sleep. On this day, I learned some new Polish (more on this later), went to chemistry tutoring, and had a really bad stomach ache. And, yet, it was an overall good day. :)

Talk to you in 10 minutes or so. ♥

BEDA Day 25

Hey, y'all! Since the moment I woke up, I've been working on some crazy work that I had to get done. I'm almost done now! I had my first driving accident with the garage today, so that was fun. Plus, I had a cheeseburger. Gripping stuff, huh?

Talk to you tomorrow. ♥

BEDA Day 24

Hi, guys. :) How are you on this fine day? Today I ate too much food and had a basketball game. It was very fun.

Talk to you tomorrow! ♥

BEDA Day 23

Hey, y'all. How was your day today? Mine was rather strange. I don't really want to talk about it on here, but just know 'twas quite the odd day.

UNRELATED:

As I'm sure most of you know, I play volleyball. I definitely don't consider myself to be even near the best, but of course I'd like to improve. I was talking to my friend today, who is also a volleyball player, and he said that beach volleyball can be the best thing you can do in order to get better. That sounded like a really good idea to me, so I thought I'd share the with you. Beach volleyball? Me? Yeah.

UNRELATED:

Have you noticed how much waste we produce? In my AP Environmental Science class (from now on called APES) we just finished a unit on waste management. Remember I told you I finished a project for it yesterday? Well, we had to document how much waste (kitchen trash, plastic, glass, metal, paper, etc.) our family created. While I already knew we generate a lot of garbage, I didn't realize it was this much! Over 11 days, my family (of 3 + 1 dog) generated over 17 pounds of unrecyclable garbage! That's insane. I do recycle and have for quite a while, but 17 pounds? Really?

In APES today, we watched a rather old video - think late '70s - about producing less waste and recycling the waste you do produce. I don't know about you, but I ADORE old '70s-type movies like that. It was this guy with bright yellow hair talking about rinsing out and bagging up our glass 7Up bottles and walking them over to a local recycling center with our families. If that's not adorable, I don't know what is!

So, anywho, I'm going to start really focusing on using the heck out of what I already have and not buying new things unnecessarily. As you may know, if you've read my blog for quite a while, I am very intrigued by minimalism and zero-waste. Now, I'm going to actually apply everything that I've read about the subjects to my actual life! I'm super excited!

So, I'll update y'all on that as it becomes relevant. Thanks for reading. :) Talk to you tomorrow. ♥

BEDA Day 22

Hey, y'all! I had a most excellent day today. :) As soon as I woke up, I worked on a project for AP Environmental Science that had to be wrapped up. I must say that I am thrilled with the final product. :D Then, I kind of lazed about; went driving for an hour, which was satisfying; and now I'm working on finishing another project, this one for English. Sure, I shouldn't have lazed about, but this project is going to get done one way or another.

I don't have school this Tuesday or Wednesday because of ACTs, so I'm looking forward to relaxing, getting ahead on my work, and writing.

I hope your day was even lovelier than mine was. Talk to y'all tomorrow. ♥

BEDA Day 21

Hey, y'all. I knew there was a reason I had an alarm set for 9:30. Sorry, again. On the plus side, I had a really good day today! I'm currently practicing French, in case you were wondering. :)

Talk to you tomorrow. On time. Promise. <3

BEDA Day 20

Hey, y'all! Now, those of you who know me in real life may know that I am a generally positive person. I'm always smiling and I keep an optimistic outlook. That's what I'm going to talk about today. :)

I wasn't always like this, nor am I now. Over the years, I've trained myself to see the bright side first. For example, at the very beginning of this school year, I chose to pick out everything I liked about my teachers. Sure, there were things I wasn't used to, but by focusing on the positives first, I was able (and still am) to keep a good attitude towards them and appreciate their different styles of teaching and knowledge.

I get excited about little things that others don't seem to. Personally, I think this is because I find wonder and magic in these little things. Different languages, accents, silly faces, cheesy jokes, goofy dance moves, and passionate people all make me ecstatic! I love that other people can have that effect. Some people say I'm weird or crazy just because I do find wonder in places other people don't, but I say it makes for a happier life.

I make it a point to learn everyone in my classes' names and to talk to them, because I feel like everyone should be included. I go out of my way to help people, because I truly want them to be happy. Yes, this makes me a doormat sometimes, but when people are genuinely happy because of something I did, it's worth it.

So, yes, I've been compared to sunshine, I've been told I never stop smiling, and people say I'm the nicest person they know. It's all from years of conscious practice of being nice and truly caring about people. :)

Have a lovely day. Talk to you tomorrow. ♥

BEDA Day 19

Hello, all. Today I'm going to talk about my fitness.

I definitely consider myself an athlete and pretty fit overall, but I'd love to exercise more. I've been playing basketball, volleyball, and bowling for as long as I remember, plus soccer softball in there. Now, I only play volleyball and basketball.

Normally, I eat very, very unhealthily and I don't work out at home. It kills me. In today's society, it seems like doing the easiest thing is acceptable, regardless of the consequences. But, I'm changing that for myself. I've always noticed how people get weaker and less healthy as they age, and I never want to be like that. I don't want to hobble around and have all these health problems. I noticed that I eat unconsciously, even if I'm not hungry. I overeat consistently, my stomach always hurts, and I feel bleh quite a bit.

So, what am I doing to change that? I'm consciously asking myself if I'm truly hungry or if I'm just bored. I've been doing little exercise-y things, like crunches, pushups, planks, and running. Plus, I'm helping to manage boys' volleyball at my school, so I get to run around and shag balls and play.

I want to work on the quality of what I'm eating, as well. I've been keeping a food diary for the past few weeks (for a different reason), which is making me more conscious of what and how much I'm eating. A few months ago, I would eat fried chicken tenders with ranch and a big ole' chocolate bar every day for lunch. That's awful! Now, I'm bringing a sandwich, crackers, a few cookies, and a piece of candy from home. Honestly, that's not much better, but at least I'm working on it! Plus, it's cheaper. I'd definitely like to start incorporating more fruits and vegetables into my diet. Fun fact: I'm addicted to chocolate. I don't just really, really like it; I get withdrawals. I gave it up for Lent twice, which was really tough, but I did it. That lets me know that I don't absolutely need it for my survival, like it seems right now. :P

But, for now, I'm just working on feeling better and being more active. :) I just want to feel good.

Talk to you tomorrow! Thanks for reading. ♥

BEDA Day 18

I am so sorry! I fell asleep at, like, 9:30 yesterday. Quality post today.

BEDA Day 17

Hey, y'all. If you've not already, please check out my first short story, A Dancer's Devotion. :)

So, how've y'all been? I've been just peachy. Today was a good day and, somehow, I don't have a lot of homework. :D

Since I have 7 minutes still, let's talk about you. Although I'm very proud of the readership here, I would adore there being more of you. I know I don't always write quality posts, but I'm working on it. It would mean the world to me if you'd subscribe and/or share my blog posts, if you think they're worth it. Truly. The world. &^)

Alrighty, then. I shall see you tomorrow, with an actual post of quality. ♥ Thanks, as always, for reading.

BEDA Day 16

Dear lovelies, I still have homework to do. Did you check out my FIRST EVER SHORT STORY EVER yesterday? I think you should. It's called A Dancer's Devotion. Check it out, yo. Th-th-th-that's all for now folks. ♥ Talk to you tomorrow.