I. Over the past few weeks, I have been thinking more about turning my photography into a business. {Here is my website.} But figuring out how and why and what is really difficult. I know why, but I need to know a little bit more than that. Going from a hobby to a true business can be a piece of work; this article written over at Elizabeth Kelsey Bradley really helped me focus and get inspiration.

II. This post over on Photography Life is a good read for amateur and professional photographers alike. What is and is not important in a photograph? 

III. I have been reading the Finding Femme blog for awhile, and I absolutely love Liana's blog. Her writing, her photography, her location - I swear, I want to visit Ballarat one day! {Before her blog, I did not even know that was a place.} Her post 'The Long Room' really caught my eye, specifically because of the photography.

I. Yesterday, I was jamming out to some old school rock 'n roll music. I'm talking Kansas, AC/DC, Survivor, Journey, and The Romantics. My oh my, I hadn't listened to them in forever. {Here I go, speaking as if I was born then. Ahaha. But I mean in a year or so.}



I. Me Before You | I cannot wait until this movie comes out! My friend, Elsa, let me read the book while I was in Germany, and I seriously almost cried. This book is now one of my favorites - hands down. I am pretty anxious about how this film is going to be; when I read a book first, I am pretty picky about how the movie is. Yes, I am the type of person who says, "They missed out on the whole *bleep* part which was so *bleep* important to the *bleep* plot." Minus the *bleep*. That was simply for emphasis. ;)

II. After You | I feel as if I cannot talk about the former without mentioning the latter. This book was GREAT. Not as heartbreaking as the former, but it was a heart-wrencher. I highly recommend both books. Back to back. Do it. Do itttttt.


I. I only have two more weeks of high school. TWO. I never imagined this time coming so soon. Ninth grade year is still in my head - me saying that I already had senioritis to saying that high school would never end.

II. There was a big thunderstorm last night and I loved it. I do not know what it is about thunder and rain and (sometimes) lightning, but whatever it is, I love it.

I. I am a travel-addict. I am also a nature lover. So now that you know that, imagine my happiness when I found this post: 5 Airbnb Stays for Nature Lovers. I am pretty sure that I would be in heaven.

II. As I try to get my butt back in shape, I plan to eat healthier as well as become active. But how can I do either without being hydrated? Water does make up the majority of your body, after all. How much water should I be drinking, though?

III. I ache to live a life in the outdoors. I want to adore hiking; past time on horseback; discover new trails and undiscovered paths; swim in each ocean. The problem is that getting started can be difficult. So, how do you live a more outdoorsy life? Or simply be your most adventurous self, thus getting out and doing new stuff?


I. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks | I FINISHED! This book was a much quicker read than what I expected. I {obviously} took my time with reading this book, but regardless, I can tell how easy it was to read. I'd recommend it to anyone who is a hopeless romantic or simply in the mood for a sappy love story. Nicholas Sparks is quickly becoming my favorite author. I cannot wait to pick up some of his other books.

II. Career of Evil by Robert Gailbraith | This book is simply interesting. I need to quickly finish reading this. It is due back to the library on Monday; however, I may just have to extend its due date.


I. Latin music is my jam right now. I really want to go to a Latin Club for my birthday, but I have no idea where. Bring me the music, and I'll bring my moves. Next week, I'll share a Latin artist. I love me so Reggaeton and more.



I. Supernatural| I have finally started to catch up Season 10, and I have never been more excited. I've been wanting to do this since it aired, last year. I finished all of the other seasons while in Germany, but Season 10 was not on Netflix over there yet. I am pretty shocked that Dean is a demon now, but then again, not really. I knew about it because of spoilers; however, I didn't realize that it occurred as soon as the season began.


I. I have officially retracted my admission's application for Michigan State University. I will surely be attending Iowa State University in the fall of 2016. The feeling is really odd - I feel like I am betraying someone, but I also feel a sense of relief. It is crazy seeing how quickly things are beginning to happen. I'm actually becoming a bit nervous.

II. I am such a procrastinator! I meant to write this reflection post yesterday, but I was extremely tired. SO, I am simply writing it later in the day today, and hoping that I am not like this every week.

III. MAY 31st, guys! I am almost done with high school, for good. Originally, we were supposed to be finished with school on May 25th, but apparently, someone in the school district messed up and our finals have been pushed back. Boo.

I. I am addicted to Snapchat, guys. My phone finally got the filters (e.g. puppy, police officer, flower crown) about a month or two ago. {I have an Android, okay.} But even without those filters, Snapchat was one of my favorite social media accounts. It's very fast paced and fun! Unfortunately, my new phone is acting ridiculous when it comes to Snapchat (boo), but I love it nevertheless. I have an iPad Mini to use anyways. Here are 9 things to do with Snapchat that you probably never knew. {I surely didn't.}

II. Guess whose birthday is coming up? Mine! The big 1-8 is about to hit me, and I still have no idea what the heck I am going to be doing to celebrate. This year, my birthday is on a Sunday, so maybe a Birthday Weekend? I think so. Here are some interesting writing prompts specifically for your birthday.

I. The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike, #1) by Robert Gailbraith | I simply feel like it is important for me to note that I am finally finished with this book. That's all.

II. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe | I am supposed to be reading this book for my Honors English class. Like, last year. Okay, no, seriously, I have been procrastinating. Finally today, I started reading the book in class, and it is actually pretty interesting. I want to get the hard-copy; right now, all I have is the PDF. 

III. Career of Evil by Robert Gailbraith | I did not intend to get this book, but when I walked inside of the library to look for sources for my sociology research project, I kiiiiind of got distracted. Don't let me inside of libraries when I am supposed to be doing something important. Or any kind of store with books. {Yesterday, I bought a book from the store when I initially went there for make-up. MAKE-UP.}


I. Prince died yesterday. It is pretty crazy how news of that spread so quickly. And while I like Prince {Purple raiiiiin}, I've never really listened to his music. But, I listen to Michael Jackson religiously, and that's whose music I was blasting. Billie Jean is not my lovaaaaaa.



I. Lucifer | Holy shizz, this week's episode was insane. I'm really excited the finale next week. It's crazy how fast time pasts. I remember watching the first episode with my best-friend, randomly. Things are getting really intense now. I'm glad that it's been signed for another season. I cannot imagine not watching Lucifer anymore. {Then again, I said the same thing about Pretty Little Liars.}


I. I hate retracting statements that I make, but I feel as if I need to write about one that I might possibly be making {so, not yet!}. Last week, I mentioned how I made my college decision. I was about 110% percent sure that I wanted to go to Iowa State University. Now, I am considering my 3rd choice again: Michigan State University. I recently went on a college tour with my high school's Spartan Club. It was not my first time there, but something happened that day that caused me to seriously think about it. I'm kind of scared and nervous now. Decision day is in two week (otherwise known as my birthday)!

II. During my trip to MSU, I was exposed to a potential major or minor: Forestry or Fisheries and Wildlife. I never really considered them. I love nature and wildlife; I enjoy learning new things. Why not, right? During the trip, I learned how to band a bird {SO cool!}, more about global warming and CO2, and new things about trees.

I. As I have mentioned plenty of times before, photography is becoming a serious pastime for me. Nature photography is where my heart lies, but I am also dabbling in portraiture, and that's quickly becoming a favorite of mine. One blog that I avidly read is Digital Photography School, and their post about 9 Things You Need To Know to Become a Nature Photographer was really helpful. Not that I necessarily needed reasurring, but this post helped me realize that, yes, nature photography is what I want to pursue. I am really passionate about it.

II. Another post from Digitial Photography School has made my list: 7 Fun Ways to Maximize Your Enjoyment of Photography. I think it's a nice list that'll inspire any beginner or professional. It has definitely inspired me to get out and about more, especially to get lost.

I. The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike, #1) by Robert Gailbraith | I have been reading this book for the past month and a half. Laziness does not even describe it. However, I am almost done! (Finally. *wipes sweat off brow*) The halfway mark of the year is almost here, and here I am, stuck on this one book. I could have been finished with this in a couple of days if I really wanted to.



I. Outback Steakhouse Kookaburro Wings | I will try to find the recipe, but right now, I cannot. My sister actually found it, and we made them. All of the ones online that I am finding right now are not how we made it. We used only taco seasoning and Louisiana hot sauce for the seasoning. I'll post how we made it one day if I cannot find the recipe. It was delicious! It was just hot enough for me (because I love me some spicy food) and even my sister can eat it, and she just started liking hot food.

I. "Diego" by Tory Lanez | I love Tory! His music is so perfect - vocals, beat, and lyrics. Check out this week's Tune Thursday to hear his music.

II. "This Is How We Do It" by Montell Jordan | After seeing this video of a cute little girl singing and dancing to this song, I have been listening to it nonstop. I loved the song before, but this got it stuck in my head.


I. Chicago P.D., Med, and Fire | I am addicted to these shows! Every Tuesday and Wednesday, I am going to be watching on or the other. Most times I am catching up, though. I plan to go back to Season 1 for all of the shows and watch it from the beginning (except for Med because its only on its first season).

II. Lucifer | Okay, okay, don't beat me with sticks. I am not demonic, and I wholeheartedly believe in Christ, the Lord, my Savior. But this show is killing it. It's humorous, has a good plot, and the cast is goodlooking. C'mon now.


I. I made my decision for where I will be attending college: Iowa State University! I'm super excited about it. After visiting both Michigan Tech and Iowa State during my spring break, I knew my decision immediately. The atmopshere at ISU as well as the courses really pushed me towards it.

II. I think that I have found a roomate! It's perfect because I am still kind of going in "blind" because we do not know each other, but we are getting to know each other prior to move-in, and I think we are a really cool match. We both are interested in criminal justice, want to be involved on campus, and more.  I hope that this works out.

III. I was accepted to Semester at Sea! I am really excited! Now I have to find a way to fund it, but that'll come later. I selected my voyage to be Spring 2017.

I. I have a heavy chest {size 38G}, so finding bras that fit, yet don't break the bank is quite difficult. It's an exasperating ordeal. Whenever I have to go bra shopping, I have to mentally prepare myself; however, I always end up crying by the end of the day. Now, that is only shopping for a regular bra. Bring in wanting a sports bra, and I pretty much quit before I can even get started searching. So, imagine how happy I was when I came across a blog post over on Nicolette Mason about  a sports bra with underwire that comes in my size. {!!!} I almost died from giddiness.

Originally, I was going to purchase the Wacoal Sport Underwire Bra online, but I found out that they were also carried inside of Nordstrom and Lord & Taylor, so I went to 12 Oaks Mall and tried them on at the latter store. As soon as I put on the bra, I knew it was perfect. I have never walked into a store and was able to know that a bra was the one on the first try. I ended up leaving Lord & Taylor with two sports bras and a blue, really gorgeous regular bra {because we all need one to make us feel confident, amirite?}.

I.  After You by Jojo Moyes | I finished this book this week. Remember how last week, I said that I did not know how I would feel about this book? Well, I know now: happy, sad, shocked, fond. Do yourself a favor and read this book. Actually, read Me Before You first, and then read this book.

II. Driving Heat (Niki Heat #7) by Richard Castle | It's funny how I have never watched Castle and did not realize that this book was about Castle until I read the reviews on Goodreads. Sometimes I can be very observant; other times, I suck. Crime books are totally my thing, so I am loving this one.



I. Little Caesars Pizza Kit | I don't know if it's because I am from Michigan or because I just love anything cheesy and gooey, but I love Little Caesars. While it is not the best pizza in the world, I absolutely love it! My mom and sister bought a pizza kit from a fundraiser, and I made the pizza on Tuesday night for dinner. I added tomatoes, hot pepper, and a variety of spices to the pizza to personalize it even more. It was delicious!

II. Pasta Alfredo | I did not know that I loved Alfredo so much until I studied abroad. It's so odd how I started to try and like so much more food in a foreign country. {That's the key to being a successful traveler/exchange student. You have to be willing to try new things!} I was in Poland the first time I had Pasta Alfredo, and ever since, I have had this craving to have more. Incidentally, my mom found a recipe online as well, and we decided to make it. We used two different recipes (one with cream cheese, the other without), but I am only going to link the one above because we ended up using cream cheese, and the other recipe was in video form. {Also! I added mozzarella cheese to mine, and yummm!}


I. Fetty Wap by Fetty Wap | I am addicted to a lot of his songs. This does not mean that they are necessarily good songs in terms of lyrics, but they are indeed very addicting and good party songs. Some of my favorites are "679", "Trap Queen", "Again", and "My Way".

II. "Back Up Off" by Dej Loaf feat. Big Sean


I. Vampire Diaries | I am working on finishing this season, and once I am done, I plan to catch up on Teen Wolf, PLL, The Fosters, and Chasing Life. Once I finish catching up and can watch the episodes normally per week, I will start to watch Season 10 of Supernatural on Netflix. I have a plan, guys!

II. Pride & Prejudice | My friend watched this movie and told me that it was really good. I have plans to watch this movie tonight (if I don't go to a party) or this weekend. Bring on the tissues, baby!

III. The 5th Wave | Despite the movie seeming like it might be good, I am pretty turned off from wanting to see it because of the fact its advertisements continuously disrupt me! It's annoying. Sure, this is really petty, but I don't think that is good advertising to always have pop-ups that won't stay away or to play it on loop.


I. If I were to choose to attend Michigan Technological University, I pretty much would have all of my tuition and room + board covered. That's something that I never imagined would happen. I would have hardly any debt coming out of the college. However, I don't know if I really want to go to MTech. One, there are not many majors there that I am interested in {in case I want to change}. Two, the weather sucks! I am ready to get out of snowy conditions. Of course, if I go to Iowa, it would be the same, but I don't think as bad as the U.P.

II. Applying to scholarships take a lot of time. It's pretty much my job by now. Can I please get some compensation from it? Geez.

III. I have been thinking lately about how I have changed. As you get older and go through experiences, you are bound to change. The thing is that you do not always realize it until a moment occurs, and you are forced to stop and think. Studying abroad has really helped me grow as an individual. I never realized that until I got back to the U.S. and was able to slow down and reflect.

I am able to communicate with people much better than before.
I am able to talk to strangers without feeling so awkward.
I am more confident in myself.
I am more independent.

These are only a few examples, but wow. It's incredible how quickly you can grow and adjust without you realizing it.

I. Do you want to find 700+ free stuff on the internet? Maybe? Well, don't worry, I answered the question for you {and I said 'yes', by the way}, and there is something for creatives, intellectuals, readers, bored people, linguists, and anybody else that you can possibly think of. Check out the list which was written by Kevin de Asis on Medium.

II. I am a student {Senior year - woooh!}, and I love to travel. The problem with being both is that I am broke. But (and that's a huge BUT), Sabina from Girl vs. Globe wrote a post about how you can travel as a student. She visited 17 countries during her final year in university, which is seriously impressive.

I.  After You by Jojo Moyes | I rented this book from the library. My friend let me read the first book (Me Before You), and I fell in love with it, so I wanted to also read the second one, which was recently published. The first book made me extremely sad, so I am waiting to see how this book makes me feel.

I. Pepperoni Pizza Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Zucchini | The sandwiches turned out pretty good. The next time that I make it, I plan to use a different type of bread {I used white bread instead of the recommended French Bread} because mine kept falling apart and the cheese was falling through the holes created by smearing butter on it. Other than that, I love this recipe! I also did not use marinara sauce; I used regular tomato sauce. As for the Zucchini, I have become addicted to it since studying abroad in Germany. My first host mom used to always make it, and yum yum yum. I poured salt on it and let it sit for about 10 minutes {recommended 30 minutes} before rinsing it off and cooking it in olive oil. It was delicious.

I made Zucchini again on Wednesday night, and I did the exact same thing except for adding a bit of salt again after rinsing as well as pepper. That turned out amazing. Oh! And I also cut it up better than I did the day before, which is how I like it (two-sided versus one side and skin).



I. "Comfortable" by K Camp 
II. "Love Yourself" by Justin Bieber
III. All of the High School Musical albums. I don't know why I am so addicted to it, but I am, and it won't stop! WHAT TIME IS IT?
IV. "Ich Bin Ich" by Glasperlenspiel



I. Teen Wolf | I really missed this show while in Germany. Although the series started getting quite annoying after a lot of the main characters left (Allison, Derek, the twins, Isaac), I never got to the point where I completely stopped watching the show. I still love the other characters, no matter how schieße the show becomes. Plus *SPOILER* Crystal Reed is coming back!

II. I have a lot of shows to catch up. A lot of the new seasons will be starting soon (if they haven't already started), so I want to be ready. These shows include Pretty Little Liars, The Fosters, Supernatural, Bones, and Chasing Life.

III. While I really need {not want - this is crucial} to catch up on all of the aforementioned shows, I became really addicted to Netflix while I was in Germany and have a lot of series on there to continue. The main one that I am addicted to right now is Vampire Diaries. I was really against watching it, but my host sister got me addicted.

IV. On the subject of Netflix, I can watch Bones, F.R.I.E.N.D.S., and Law & Order; SVU again! Guys! Guys! Guys! This makes me really happy. When I went to Germany and I saw that I could not watch them anymore, I was really disappointed. But it was okay because it gave me a lot of time to finish Supernatural (up to season 9), watch a lot of movies, rewatch the entire How I Met Your Mother series (possibly 4 times), and start Vampire Diaries.



I. I have to start driving again next week. I am really anxious about doing so because I have not driven since July 2015. Plus, it will be even worse because the weather is really bad now. {And we all complained about not having a winter. Next time, I am knocking on wood.}

II. I am really enjoying having a cat. He is so playful and silly. We adopted Tiger last June, when he was about a month old. I went away to Germany when he was still so tiny, and when I came back, he was huge. I forgot how quickly cats grow. It seemed a little like Tiger forgot about me {he did not want me to touch him}, but he is getting used to me again.

III. I was accepted to the University of Central Florida, which is my number one choice! Last year, I was initially deferred, so to see the change really made me happy. This acceptance now means that I have been accepted to all of the colleges that I have applied for. Now, let's talk money...