Weekly Wishes

Yes, time for another week of wishes! Linking up with Melyssa at The Nectar Collective for Weekly Wishes! This week's theme for participant art is 'selfie.' My picture isn't really a 'selfie', as in I didn't extend my arm out with a camera in hand to take a picture, but this picture captures me pretty well. I am a goofball with an absolute love for life. I don't take things too seriously, appreciate the small things, enjoy adventures and laugh often. 

Blog + do some bloggy stuff. I put off blog stuff a lot and make a lot of excuses, but this week I had some extra incentive, a new blog design and name! I won a free design header, button, and social media buttons from Allie at Call Me Sassafrass. I had to change a few things to accommodate for the new change. What do you think? Halloween Costume. Check! All ready to go for Thursday! I was going to post a picture, but I am going to wait until next week. Catch up with some friends. This was a blessing this week. I was able to catch up with a couple of them. It was so nice to reminisce.

Bedtime routine. I am trying to get more sleep as a way to think more clearly, be less stressed, and feel refreshed each day. But sometimes I struggle to go to sleep because I lay down and then think about the entire day. I want to create a bedtime routine so I can wind down and relax so I can have a more restful sleep. 

Visit the library. Cleveland has an incredibly beautiful library downtown that I have still not visited. I plan on visiting it this week. 

Button Swaps. Now that I have a new design, blog name, and button, I want to swap with others and share some blog love. If you have a swap, let me know and we can swap! 

Happy Monday!

Weekly Wishes

Hello! Thanks so much for stopping by to check out my weekly wishes! I hope you had a great weekend and have a wonderful week ahead. If you need an extra boost of motivation for your week, check out Weekly Wishes at The Nectar Collective.

Well, this week's Weekly Wishes Participant Art theme is creativity. When I was studying abroad in Seville, Spain, I was an English teaching assistant for a 6 and 10 year-old class. It was an incredible experience working work those silly kids who blessed me every week. They were such a joy and just tickled me to death when they spoke in Spanish. I chose this silly picture of them from our very last day together because I think children are especially creative. They are so full of life, love, and just pureness that overflows into their every day lives. Every week, they were teaching me something new. These are my creative kiddos.

I didn't do weekly wishes last week due to school priorities, but I did complete my wishes the week before! I wanted to find some time to read. I was able to find some alone time a few nights before I went to bed to start The Happiness Project by: Gretchen Rubin. I am really looking forward to diving into this book and also starting 20 Something, 20 Everything. My other two goals were to hang out with my housemates and do fall activities. I was able to knock out both at the same time. We made caramel apples, drank cider, and made candy corn door decorations. Fall is simply the best.

Blog + Do some bloggy stuff. I have kind of neglected the blog lately because of school and midterms and all that fun stuff. I really want to dedicate some time this week to writing posts and doing some stuff around the blog. I revamping the whole blog soon (name change and all!!! Really exciting!!) and want to prepare a few more things for that. I also want to spend some time looking at your blogs because I really enjoy your posts! Lots to do in the blogworld and hopefully I can dedicate the time to it this week!

Get my costume together. I can't spill what it is, you will have to stop by next week for the scoop. But I need to get it together because I have a Spooky Science days event this Friday at the Science Center that I am volunteering for!

Catch up with some old friends.  Lately, I have felt really compelled to catch up with old friends from high school. I miss them and this week is as good as any to catch up with them!

Phew, that is a lot of wishes, but I am really looking forward to working on them. Have a wonderful week and good luck with your wishes!

Happy Monday!

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Weekly Wishes

My favorite part of the week was spending Saturday with my boyfriend, Nathan, to celebrate his 20th birthday! I haven't seen him in a while because of school, work , and just life, in general so being able to spend the day with him was lovely. He is finally the same age as me and I am very excited for him to move into his twenties. Being able to see him and just have a wonderful time really refreshed me for this week and I look forward to the next time I see him. So let's get these weekly wishes started!

My boyfriend's birthday celebration was one of last week's wishes. It was kind of a success. He wanted to eat Mexican food for lunch so we went to a restaurant down the road from my house. It was terrible. The food was not good at all. Poor Nathan was such a champ about it. I felt so bad that he had a horrible birthday lunch, but we came back to my house and the cake that I made him to make up for it. I was extremely busy last weekend so I was unable to edit my sister's pictures. And, to be very honest, I forgot about them.

Read. I have been trying so hard to find some time to read and it just does not happen. I will try to make a conscious effort to at least read for fun for 15 minutes before bed. 

Hang out with my housemates. Sometimes we can get caught up in the craziness of life and miss out on opportunities to spend some time with one another. I hope we can get a day or two in to spend some quality time together because they are cool people. 

Do some fall activities. It's definitely fall time and I am ready for fall activities.  Whether it's making a fall craft, eating candy corn, making a pumpkin treat, carving a pumpkin, playing with leaves, or drinking apple cider, I want to do it and do them all! Maybe not all of them this week, but at least one this week. 

If you need some motivation for your week, check out Weekly Wishes on Melyssa's blog, The Nectar Collective.

Happy Monday!!! 

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Weekly Wishes

Every week, I look forward to the positivity that comes with writing out my weekly wishes! When college can be stressful and just a pain in the butt, it is nice to kick back, blog, and think positively. The past week went well, but I am looking forward to this week: fall weather, volunteering, and the boyfriend's coming to visit!

Last week's wishes focused around the happiness fall brings me. First, I checked off buying boots the day I wrote my wishes. Payless had buy on, get one half off so obviously I bought two pairs of boots. Sorry, I wasn't able to get pictures! I also thought about my family a lot this week. I wrote several of my family members cards that I will be sending out this week. I can't wait until I can go home for a weekend and spend some time with them! My last wish was to call home, but I didn't have a chance to do that.



Plan a date. Saturday is my boyfriend's, Nathan, 20th birthday! He is not big celebrater, but I love celebrating birthdays and making people feel special. He is coming up to Cleveland on Saturday and I'm trying to figure out what we are going to do on a college-student budget.

Edit pictures. Over the weekend, some of my family came and visited to go out for lunch. While we were out and about, I took some senior pictures for my sister. I hope to edit them and get them to her this week. They turned out really nice! Well, it also helps that she is very beautiful!

Preview: no edits

Are you looking for a pick-me-up filled with encouragement and motivation? Then, link-up with Melyssa's Weekly Wishes at the Nectar Collective.

Happy Monday!

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Weekly Wishes

My Spanish dog, Goku.

Last semester, I studied abroad in Seville, Spain. It was the most incredible experience of my life! One of my favorite things about that experience was my host family. I stayed with two of the most loving, care-free 60-somethings in Spain. I miss their silly jokes and sassiness, almost every day. They also have a dog, Goku! I love that dog more than I can even explain. He is a 13 year-old sheep dog with a love for afternoon siestas, cookies, and milk. When I first got to Spain, he knew and understood more Spanish than me (just pathetic). I miss the three of them so much and can't wait for the next time I can visit them.

But, for now, I'm in Cleveland, taking it day by day. Last week was fantastically, awesome: beautiful weather, fun adventures, snugglely sweaters, and sweet people, all around a happy time. My cheeks and belly hurt from the laughs and good times last week.

I didn't have the chance to post last week so these wishes are two weeks delayed, but still count. I wish I could have Read for fun, but several hours worth of reading for class made my eyes want to roll out of my head. Hopefully this week I can start, How Remarkable Women Lead. Well, I Journaled for class that kind of counts. The last wish was a complete success, Plan a Weekend Trip. Stay tuned, tomorrow I am posting the details about the weekend I planned for my family in Cleveland!

Boots. I am purchasing a pair of boots this week. I have been looking and looking for boots and I think I finally found a pair, or two, that I am in love with. It may take me begging and bribing to get someone to drive me to the store, but I am buying boots this week.

Call home. I haven't really talked to my family very much since I have been back at school the past 5 weeks so I plan on making a few phone calls to catch up with my loved ones.

Write some letters. Letters are so sweet, sentimental, and thoughtful. I think some special people in my life deserve some love. (I also have cute stationary that I am dying to use.)

Need an extra boost for your Monday? Or interested in sharing your goals for this week? Check out Melyssa's link-up, Weekly Wishes on The Nectar Collective.

Happy Monday!

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Weekly Wishes

Marvin says, "Hi!" We found him at a street sale.

Holy Moly, it is already the second week of September! I cannot even believe how fast this year has flown by. But I am glad it is moving into. Fall is my absolute favorite season. I am ready for some pumpkin carving, eating obnoxious amounts of candy, sweater weather, and pumpkin flavored anything.

With all of the craziness whirling around in life, it is always great to have a little motivation. Seriously, shout out to the people who stopped by last week to drop-off some much needed encouragement on balancing life. It meant a lot! If you are looking for a daily dose of awesome, head on over to Melyssa's blog The Nectar Collective and link-up with Weekly Wishes.

Be Positive + Take a Deep Breathe. After several stressful weeks, I had a hard time being positive and making the most of my first few weeks of my junior year of college. So last week's goals were to be positive and take a deep breathe. Thankfully the three-day weekend helped me chill and focus on the week ahead. I want to continue to keep my head up because it always good to be positive. 

Read for fun. Yes, for fun! I have two books I would really like to read, but kept putting it to the side due to the amount of homework I have. Fingers crossed, I can find even just a small amount of time to read a few chapters this week. Have you read any great books lately?

Journal. I have to write reflections for my classes, but I would like to do some personal reflection. I even bought a very cute journal to start.

Plan a weekend trip. And the most exciting wish this week! My family is visiting me in Cleveland this weekend. They are kind of 'Cleveland-haters' so I am pretty excited to show them how awesome Cleveland is. My parents gave me full reign over this weekend's itinerary.  Can't wait to plan it and see them on Saturday!

Happy Monday! 

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Weekly Wishes

Hello, lovelies! I hope you are having a wonderful labor day weekend. I know, for me, this 3-day weekend could not come soon enough. If the three day weekend isn't enough motivation for you to have an incredible week, link up with Melyssa for Weekly Wishes to inspire and uplift your week.

Blog & Manage Time. I was able to blog once (for weekly wishes, of course); which I guess is better than not at all. I will continue working on time management this week as my schedule becomes a little more concrete. Hopefully, I can at least get two posts written and on the blog this week!

Be positive. The past two weeks have been very stressful. I moved into house with strangers, had an immersion class, papers, readings, group presentation, etc. It was tough on me and clouded my ability to think positively. So here's to looking on the bright side this week!

Take a deep breathe. Yes, I have acquired the nickname Frazzled Fraley. In a stressful situation, I go into panic mode. I never really realized this, but lately I have noticed. This is my weakness. I know this weakness will not serve me well, especially in the Public Relations field. I want to work on it by learning how to take a deep breathe and figure out how I can better handle stressful situations. Any suggestions on dealing with a stressful situation that seems to be pulling you in many directions?

Interested in sharing your week's wishes? Join the Nectar Collective's Weekly Wishes link-up for motivation and encouragement.

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Weekly Wishes

Last week, I was so busy with my new fall semester program that I was unable to blog. I didn't even have time to link-up with one of my favorite link-ups, Weekly Wishes! The whole week consisted of multicultural psychology class 8 hours a day and homework the rest of the nights. It was an immersion class for the Urban Semester program I am doing this semester in Cleveland (You can check out what I am doing here). So hallelujah to the little break I have today to write up my weekly wishes!

Move. So not last week's wish, but the week before that was to get moved into my new home for the Fall semester. It was a success! BOOM! My family helped me quickly get my stuff in the house and organized in less than an hour. After two years of moving in and out of college dorms, we have moving down pact. The picture above is my new room (so proud of the way it turned out).

Blog. This week kicks off my classes for the semester. Finding the balance between school work and blogging is a challenge. I hope to blog at least once more this week. I know my priorities are to my homework and classes, but I want to be able to blog, too. Any tips for balancing real life and blog life?

Manage time.  I am not a good multi-tasker, but I have many things I have to complete this week. My plan is to organize my time so that I can complete my homework, relax, and blog. I need to work on my organization binder to prioritize and manage my life. 

Interested in sharing your week's wishes? Join the Nectar Collective's Weekly Wishes link-up for motivation and encouragement. 

Have an awesome week!!

 *Special shout out to college students who started class today! 

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Weekly Wishes

What moving to college feels like...so many boxes, bags, and totes.

Last week, I really enjoyed linking up through Melyssa's blog, The Nectar Collective for Weekly Wishes. It is a great way to find encouragement and inspiration in the blogger community. Seriously though, your comments made me smile, your kind words are so appreciated and kept me going. Check it out if you need a little boost of motivation for your week. Have a lovely week! 

Last week my wishes were to finish my Couch to 5k training program, spend time with family, and finish my nephew's present. Well... check, check, and check! 

Run. Couch to 5k is now complete and I am rockin'! It feels so great to have finished this program; I have made a lot of progress over the last 9 weeks (a review coming soon!). On to training for a 10k! 

Spend time with family and friends. This week I was able to spend some much needed time with my boyfriend, grandparents, and friends over dinner, a softball game, a movie, and a trip to the mall. My sister also stopped over for an unexpected visit with my new, baby nephew! I am so happy to be an aunt (his favorite, of course!) and to have such a loving family. 

Finish my nephew's present. The Weekly Wishes held me accountable for finishing my nephew's present that I have procrastinated on for a while. Finally, I finished 3 onesies with snap-on bow ties. They are so precious! He is going to be quite the gentleman.

Moving Madness. This week is my last week before I head back to school on Saturday. So it is officially moving/pack-it-all-up and realize I have too much stuff week. I want to go through all of my stuff and decide what to keep and throw away. I absolutely despise clutter and junk so I am ready to donate, sell, and toss. This week I will be busy preparing to go back to school, but I can't wait to be back in Cleveland.

Happy Monday!

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