NaNoWriMo

Hello everyone! Today I have an announcement, I have decided to do NaNoWriMo this year. That's right, this November I will be participating in National Novel Writing Month. It has always seemed like a lot of fun to me and I have so many story ideas that I just need to get out of my head. I know I will be pretty busy with school so I'm not expecting to win at NaNoWriMo. And it is also my very first time doing this, so it will definitely be a bit of trial and error. 

http://nanowrimo.org/

If you would like to sign up to do NaNoWriMo as well, you can go to their web site http://nanowrimo.org/ to create an account and sign up. Good luck and happy writing everyone!

Dean's List VoxBox from Influenster

Hi everyone! I received another VoxBox from Influenster. If you don't know, Influenster is a website where a community of people review and share products. On the site you earn badges based on the things you review and sometimes you get the opportunity to be rewarded with a VoxBox. A VoxBox is a box filled with products from brands that would like to share their products for testing and review. I received these products complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster. This VoxBox is the Dean's List VoxBox.

Inside my box was a softlips cube, covergirl foundation, airheads bites candy, kiss lashes, 2 pilot pens, a box of playtex sport tampons and a nail polish.

So far I am really enjoying the softlips cube. I feel like the cube shaped packaging is kind of awkward, but the product inside it great. It really hydrates my lips and I've been using it a lot since I got it.  

Speaking of awkward, I think now would be a good time to insert the tampons. I personally don't like tampons, I only use them if I have to. So I will probably be giving these to a friend or keep them somewhere in case of emergencies. 

Okay, awkward moment over, yay! On to the nail polish. This is my favorite product from the box. It is a sinful colors polish in the color "no text red". It promotes staying focused while driving and never texting while driving. Love the color, and love the message it has. 

I really liked the airheads bites. It reminded me of getting airheads candy at the roller skating rink when I was little and my school would have events there. 

I don't feel like the pens are anything special. They work good, I can write stuff with them easily. The eraser on them is cool.

I will hopefully get to try out the lashes and foundation on Halloween. I will be dressing up as Elsa from Frozen and my Best Friend will be dressed up like Anna. (Yeah, we probably are too old to trick-or-treat but we are young at heart OK? Plus who doesn't love free candy? And we definitely don't look 18).

Thanks again to Influenster for sending me these products, it is always so fun to try them out and give my feedback about them. 

Ten Places Books Have Made Me Want To Visit

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish

This week's topic is ten places books have made me want to visit. These places can be real of fictional. My first 7 are real places and my last 3 are (unfortunately) not. 

1. Amsterdam - this should be obvious considering how much I love John Green's book The Fault in Our Stars. I would love to go to Amsterdam and visit all the places that Hazel and Augustus went on their trip, including the Anne Frank museum. 
2. England - I read 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson and the main character, Ginny, travels around the world, basically on a scavenger hunt that her aunt planned. Her first stop is London. I would love to see all of the things that this gorgeous old city has to offer.
3. France - Again, this is one of the many places Ginny went in her travels. I would love to see the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and eat some real french food.  
4. Russia - One of the Vampire Academy books has a part where Rose visits Russia. I would like to go there one day.
5. Palm Springs - The Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead mostly takes place in Palm Springs.
6. The Amazon - One of my favorite books, Origin by Jessica Khoury took place in the Amazon. It seems like such a beautiful and amazing place.
7. Forks Washington - Because Twilight, enough said.
8. Hogwarts - Because who wouldn't want to go to Hogwarts?
9. Skin Island - From the book Vitro by Jessica Khoury. This Island is filled with mystery, and seems like it could be an interesting place to visit.
10. Vampire Academy - I think this would be an extremely interesting place to visit, as long as I was not being used as a feeder.

Being Skinny Shouldn't Matter

Hi everyone! Today I'm doing something a little different. This post is a response to this video by two of my favorite YouTubers, Louise and Zoe. I encourage you to watch their video before reading my post.



I agree with Louise and Zoe 100%. I can relate to Zoe quite a bit. I am pretty small. I am 5 foot 3 inches tall, and that's with my sneakers on. I weigh around 120 pounds (give or take a few pounds because I don't weigh myself and it might have changed since my last physical). Many people envy the fact that I am so small, but I don't like it. It is difficult to find clothes that fit me right. I feel my bones sticking into me when I lay or sit a certain way. People think I don't eat enough. They also don't understand what I have been through. The reason I am skinny is because I was very ill for a while and spent a lot of time in and out of the hospital. No, I do not have an eating disorder, I just had a lot of medical problems that are under control now. And no, I do not watch what I eat. I am probably one of the worst eaters because most of what I eat is junk food or unhealthy things like pizza. I hate it when people say things like "I wish I could be as skinny as you." because it shouldn't matter. I am now a healthy 18 year old. My weight is healthy for my height. Yes, compared to other people I am skinny. But I agree with Louise and Zoe, as long as you are happy and healthy why does it matter what size you are? So what if I can fit into size 2 pants. That doesn't make me any better than anyone else.

My best friend is a bit on the chubbier side. She had a boyfriend who talked her into working out. I instantly hated this boy. You shouldn't try to change a person to make them "look better". My friend was perfectly happy with the way she was and was healthy. I hated that this boy couldn't accept her for who she was and had to try to change her. Now she is broken up with that guy and is dating a boy who is so good to her. He would never ask her to change and I can see that he loves her for who she is, not the way she looks. He is also pretty good friends with me (which is good, your girlfriend's friends should want to hang out with you both, not avoid it at all costs because you act like a jerk).

I just wish that people would think about what they are saying to others before they say it. And you should not force people to change the way they are just to please yourself. Just be nice to each other.

September Favorites

Hey everyone, I'm back with my September Monthly Favorites! I have been extremely busy this month with starting college and things to do with school, but I do have quite a few things I have been loving this month. 

Beauty

I have been using the Good brand soap in the scent sunshine. I think this is the perfect sent for transitioning from summer into fall and it lathers up really nicely. It also doesn't dry out my skin. I actually took this picture before I used up this soap, and now I've bought a new one in a different scent to try next month. 

Since it is getting cold, my skin has been drying out a lot more lately. So I have been using a CVS brand moisturizer to keep my skin feeling smooth. 

I have also been using the Love & Toast hand cream in the scent Honey Coconut for my dry hands. 

For my nails I have been using the color Forever Yummy by Essie. I think this is a great color to start out fall with. It is still bright, but it is darker than the colors I wear during the summer. And I think a red nail is great for any time of the year.

To remove old nail polish I have been using a CVS brand nail polish remover. This is one with the sponge inside and then you stick your finger in, twist it, and it removes all your nail polish. I love this because it is quick and easy. And since I am living in a dorm, it is easier to use and less messy.  

Books

I am almost done reading Four by Veronica Roth. It is really good, I recommend it if you liked the Divergent series.

I have also been listening to the audio books of the Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead. I am almost finished with the second one and will be starting the third one. I don't like them as much as the Vampire Academy series, but they are a really good spin-off and I do recommend them if you liked the Vampire Academy books.

Fashion

I have been wearing my shirt with a panda in the pocket all the time. It is so comfortable, it feels like I'm wearing pajamas. It also comes down lower in the back, so you can wear it with leggings (which I love to do). I got it at K-mart over the summer. I'm not sure if you can still get it.

Food/Drinks

Where I live it is already getting pretty cold outside, so I have been making a lot of tea and hot coco.

I've been loving this green tea by the Bigelow brand and the Land O Lakes hot coco mixes, especially the hazelnut one.

Random!

I have been loving the bed rest pillow that I got. I keep this on my bed in my dorm and it makes it much more comfortable to sit and relax or do homework.

I use my Brita water bottle all the time now. It is great because it has a filter and it helps cut down of plastic water bottles. 

Top Ten Books On My Fall To-Be-Read list

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish

This week's top ten Tuesday topic top ten books on my fall TBR list. A lot of books I plan on reading are part of series. 

1. The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead
2. The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead
3. The Firy Heart by Richelle Mead 
4. Legacy of Lies by Elizabeth Chandler
5. Don't Tell by Elizabeth Chandler 
6. No Time to Die and by Elizabeth Chandler
7. The Deep End by Elizabeth Chandler
8. The Back Door of Midnight by Elizabeth Chandler
9. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell 
10. Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier 

Update: First Year College Student Ramble

Hello everyone! I thought I would make an update post about what I've been up to and why there haven't been as many posts as I would like going up lately.

This September, I started my first year of college. I will not tell you where I am going, I will just say that it is in New England, so you know what type of weather we get here... unpredictable. One day it will be cold and rainy, the next it will be 80 degrees Fahrenheit. We are expecting a cold winter with lots of snow this year (still not sure if I'm excited about that or not).

The past few weeks I have been extremely busy with my school work and adjusting to living in a dorm setting. I am an only child and have never shared a room (besides on overnight school trips) before. I'm lucky to have gotten a great roommate that I get along with so well and there are a ton of great girls in my hall that I've become friends with. I am loving it here so far, I feel like I am pretty well adjusted at this point and will hopefully get back on schedule with this blog. I do have some posts planned such as my September favorites and a book review of Four by Veronica Roth.

I realize that college is not for everyone, it is a huge decision and takes up a lot of time, but I have decided to go to college to further my education.Most of my friends back home are not going to college, and that's totally fine for them. It's just not what I wanted for me. It was difficult to decide to leave my family and move to a different state. I knew I would be 2 hours away from my friends, family, pets, and home. But I truly believe that this was the best decision I have ever made. I can't remember a time when I was happier with what I was doing than I am now. I think that this is a very hard thing to find and that I'm lucky to have found a place that prepares me for the career I want and lets me do what I love. I knew that if I stayed in my hometown, I wasn't going to be able to accomplish all the things I want to do. I am so glad I chose this school.

I plan on majoring in Environmental Science because (as cheesy as it sounds) I want to make a difference in the world, even if it is only a small one. My school is pretty small and has a lot of hands on classes, so for my major we go outside for many of the classes (even my English class!) to learn about the campus lands and the environment in general. My professors are fantastic. I feel like I have learned so much just in the past 3 weeks and I can't wait to learn more!

If you are not sure about whether or not you want to go to college, I encourage you to do your research. Look up different schools and know what you are looking for. Do you want a large campus? Small one? Is there a certain sport you want to play? Certain clubs you would like to be involved with? Do you have a specific major you are considering? Do you want to commute? Or live on campus? Do you want to go to a state school? These are just some of the things I had to ask myself when choosing which colleges to apply to. I know these things helped me choose the right college for me.

I feel like a big reason that many people don't go to college is because of the price. I'm telling you that if you want to go really badly, that there is a way. My family is in an extremely difficult financial situation right now, but I was able to follow my dreams and go to my dream school. Apply for scholarships, it helps if you know what major you are planning on doing because many scholarships are tailored towards a specific major. Apply for grants. Apply for financial aid. See if your school offers federal work study, so that you can work on campus and have it go towards your tuition. I encourage you to do these things before you consider getting a loan. If you do all these things college becomes much more affordable (not free unfortunately, unless you are extremely lucky, but the cost will be significantly less than it would have originally been).

I hope this ramble post was helpful, or at least a little bit entertaining. I will talk to you in my next post.

<3 Rebecca