Springtime

Hello friends, it's been awhile. 

Life lately has been a whirlwind. But when I say that, I mean I've been keeping myself busy accomplishing absolutely nothing. My spring break was this past week, and I planned out everything I was going to do to get ahead in school, but how did I occupy my time? Watching movies, obsessing over boybands, and dominating in Fifa. Not exactly the most productive of weeks.

And so I go back to school unprepared as always. The final rush before graduation is about to be here: projects to finish, oodles and oodles of AP Lit work to sort through, tests to study for, and I'm probably going to regret all the time I wasted a lot. I just have such a hard time forcing myself to do things I don't want to. 

Like blog. Evidently, I haven't wanted to blog in two months. 

Or read. I haven't read anything for enjoyment in I can't even remember how long. 

Do you ever stop enjoying your hobbies? I love reading. I love blogging. Except I never do them anymore. Why? 

Oh, because I'm too busy watching movies and tweeting Calum Hood. I must say it really is a shame he never tweeted me back because some of those tweets were gold, and he probably would've really appreciated my humor. I blame the spam of 14-year-olds for his ignorance. 

So yeah. Those were my priorities: Doctor Zhivago and a bassist (Doctor Zhivago sucked by the way, such an unlikable main character and subpar acting. I probably should've read the book instead.) And sure I like doing those things in the moment, which is great, but long-term I wish I would've spent my time more wisely, and an overwhelming sense of regret is not great.

It's an ongoing struggle, time management is. But while most people are spring cleaning their homes, I'm going to be spring cleaning my time. It's time to start doing the things I love again, time for me to stop and smell the roses or taste the rainbow or whatever that saying is. Happy spring! 

Thee Networking Blog Hop

From Kelly: It's here, Thee Networking Blog Hop, February Edition and it's final edition!  It's hard to believe it's been a year since this began! It's been a blast, but all good things must come to an end. This will be the last networking blog hop.   I've met some fabulous bloggers and made some great new friends!  I hope you can say the same.  I've doubled the hosts on this event so we can go out with a bang!

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Here's to networking and here's to each of you!

Are you ready to network??
Are you prepared to make some new bloggy friends??
Well, here's your chance!

My Beauty Staples: Body Lotion

If I could describe this lotion in a word, it would be "heavenly," because honestly, if heaven doesn't smell like this I'm going to be very disappointed. I think the back label is the only description that does this lotion justice:

"A fiery fruit and spice blend that conjures an image of rubies sparkling in moonlight."

I tested that statement, and found it to be 100% true. I really do picture thousands of little rubies glittering underneath a full moon... maybe that's just me.

Anyways, I've never really been one for lathering myself in lotion on a daily basis, mostly because it's practically impossible to put on jeans when your legs are covered in sticky goo. With this, however, I just have to pop that lid open and that's all the motivation I need. And, the days I wear this, I can go fragrance-free, because my lotion already acts as a perfume of sorts. 

Besides the smell, because I think I covered that, there's the fact that it actually works. I love Bath & Body Works because all their stuff smells so good without shirking on actual quality. This moisturizer is fortified with avocado and almond oils, both of which are incredibly good for your skin. I suffer from really dry skin most days when I get out of the pool, and I love putting this on after a shower because it just soaks right in and takes all that dryness away almost instantly.

It just doesn't get any better than a great smelling lotion that actually works.

Patience and Why It's a Problem

I've always had a problem with patience. I don't know why, but it's just one of those virtues I can't wrap my head around.

I'm a dreamer. I know that about myself. If you've ever seen my Pinterest, you probably know that about myself, too. I just have such a hard time waiting around for my dreams to come true.

I want to swim faster, right now. I've been swimming for so long, but it always feels like I'm a half-step behind. I go to a meet, improve my times, yet I never quite meet my goal. I've always wanted to swim in college, and not at any college. I want to swim at BYU, I want to swim at the Division I level. Go big or go home.

Except at this point, it looks like I might be going home. 

I gave up my freshman year. I lost sight of my goals, I couldn't handle the pressure anymore, day in, day out, grueling workouts in frigid outdoor pools. I got short-sighted, I only saw my pain, I only saw my plateau. I got impatient, and I quit.

 Where would I be now if I would've stuck with it? I think about that all the time. I can't help but see the girls I used to train with going to Sectionals, getting their Junior National cuts, one step closer to the goals we shared, while I try and play catch up without success.

I don't have the times to swim at BYU. I doubt I could even walk-on. I'm back in the swing of things, but I'm just not improving fast enough. I'm running out of time. I graduate in 5 months, and I don't even have a sectional cut. I could swim for a small DIII school perhaps, but that's not what I want. Hmph.

It's not your stereotypical success story: work hard, achieve your goals. Well, maybe it is. But definitely learnt the hard way. 

Maybe that's what swimming taught me. The lesson that I needed the most, given the only way that I would remember it. Everything happens for a reason, and even if I don't stick with swimming in college, I'll always remember my lesson in patience, and keep moving forward, because I believe that the best is yet to come.

{via}

The Awakening Book Review

I've just finished reading The Awakening by Kate Chopin, and to be honest, I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. I didn't feel satisfied when I put it down, I felt like there should've been more for some reason, even though the ending was pretty conclusive. There wasn't a whole lot of action going on, the narrator was omniscient but detached, and it just felt monotonous after a while. It wasn't a gripping read, that's for sure. 

On one hand, I loved the arty feel that came from all the descriptive, flowing passages as Chopin exercised her freedom of expression, but on the other, I was pretty annoyed with the characters, Edna in particular, and the overarching theme of the novel.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a progressivist and all for women's rights, but I thought the way Edna went about implementing her enlightened thought was extremely selfish. First of all, she tries to emulate the lifestyle of Mademoiselle Reisz, but they are two different people living completely different lives. Edna cannot be as independent as Mlle. Reisz; she is married, has children, and therefore has responsibilities that she must attend to.

Edna's idea of independence was one of self-gratification, which is not exactly what I think of when I think of the word. I view an independent woman as one who is comfortable in their own skin, someone who isn't afraid to voice their opinions, but also someone who is mature enough to sacrifice their time and abilities for someone else. I believe the quickest way to find your true self is to actually lose it in the service of others, which seems contradictory, but it's actually not. I've always felt happiest when I focus my time and attention not on my problems, but on finding solutions to other people's predicaments.

Edna sent her children away, and then began living wildly without any thought of consequence, exhibiting painful immaturity rather than independence. Chopin's message hidden within Edna's behavior was one of the stereotypical feminist: women are confined to the home, and should instead pursue other interests and develop themselves. What I don't think she understood is that there can be a balance. Instead of distancing herself from her family, I feel like Edna could've strived to strike a happy medium between family time and personal time. I've seen it done many times, successful women by the world's standards who lovingly raise a family as well.

I guess I'm just too much of a family person to fully appreciate the theme of the novel, but that kind of extreme feminism really irks me. Of course, I don't think that women should live solely for marriage and children, but at the end of the day, a women's role is one of precious motherhood. I think all Edna needed was a friendly reminder that it's not a crushing burden to be a mother, but a true gift.