Monday Mania: Reunion Edition!

Hi everyone! I'm sorry it's been so long... I have been SO busy. I spent the entirety of December working my ass off to sell gift cards and provide the best service to our guests at the mall... and it paid off, because two days for Christmas, I was walking to the booth with my manager and she goes, "So, do you like this job?" and I told her that I'd really been enjoying it. She then says, "Good, because we've decided to keep you permanently!" I told her I had been working really hard and I really loved it and she told me she had definitely noticed the hard work, and that was just great. I get to start the New Year on a good foot - employed! I'm so excited.

But, yeah, working through the holidays took SO much out of me. I basically only worked, slept, and tried to get all of my holiday chores done. It was insane.

For this post, I'm just going to post a ton of pictures and give you an update on my life in little tidbits, so enjoy!

Firstly, though, I want to post my current favorite song - "I Want Crazy" by Hunter Hayes. I discovered this song when an a cappella group, Home Free, performed it on the finale of the Sing Off!

Christmas came and went as it usually does. My family ended up coming to my apartment and we had a good time! I asked for a Kindle Paperwhite for Christmas, and Santa Claus went above and beyond and brought me a Kindle Fire HDX. It's amazing. At first I thought I would prefer a reader alone, but as a techie, I've been LOVING this Kindle. It's so much fun, and I am loving being able to read books, magazines, blogs, the news, etc. on the same device!

Ryan got me this gorgeous necklace for Christmas. IT IS SO PRETTY.

Knightro has been staying with me since Christmas. I can't decide who's happier about having him here: him or me!

He loves sitting and looking out windows :)

• I got to see Sara Bareilles and Parachute perform at the House of Blues a couple weeks ago. It was incredible. Sara Bareilles is such a talented musician and a sweet person, and I am constantly inspired by her work.
• I finished up this semester in the beginning of December; as usual I was stressed out and a mess over school. My GPA is still a hilarious joke but it's slowly getting better, and that's what matters. The desire to drop out, however, just gets stronger and stronger and every day. I don't like school.
• Next semester I'm signed up for five classes. I'm not planning on taking all five of them; I just couldn't decide on which ones to pick so I figured I'd just decide that in the first week of class. Who knows, maybe I'll keep them all! I am trying to take it easy next semester for a few reasons: to get my GPA up, to allow more time for work since my family is going through a financially painful time right now and I'm turning 21 this year and I want to be able to support myself more, to allow more time for stuff I enjoy and is therefore good for my mental health (a cappella, taking some craft classes here and there, cooking, etc.), and a million other things.

Here's my current weekly setup in my desk-size planner.  Not sure how I feel about it. I've used the last few months as test runs for setups that I like, but I really want to be set up for the new year in a more uniform way!

In a Secret Santa exchange online, I received these beautiful Flavia monthly calendars - I'm in love! Each month is a different color. I think it's perfect.

My little brother got me this super appropriate calendar for Christmas. I can't wait to look at it for a year straight.

Hooray for calendars! Check out my first planner video on YouTube, too:

I GOT A NEW BABY DUMBO RAT AND SHE IS SO CUTE AND I AM LOVING HER SO MUCH

I named her Britta, after the character on Community!

Here's Home Free, my Sing Off favorites, performing "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash. This performance is killer. Just watch it. You'll understand when you're done.

Knightro enjoys just sitting and staring at my rats and mice.

Hope you all had a great holiday and a wonderful New Year! There will be more updates now that the holiday season is over - no worries :)

All About Me!

You know all about my planning addiction, you know I for some reason want to run a blog about health, budgeting, and organization - but what am I really all about?

Lucky for you - I'm about to tell you!

Let's start with the basics.

Me and my grandfather, Poppa B.

On August 28, 1993, a dream became a reality in Pensacola, Florida and I decided to grace this Earth with my presence. I couldn't wait to get started, so I broke my mom's water six weeks early, while she was at the mall shopping for patio furniture.

I've lived in Florida my whole life, except for a tiny two-year stint somewhere in New York from 1996-1998. Florida is most definitely wear I belong. Despite the fact that I'm always hot (I'm convinced my natural body temperature is lower than average), I couldn't survive in a place where it actually gets cold more than a handful of times each year. I've lived in every part of Florida except for South Florida, but Central Florida is where I've lived the most, and it's the part of Florida that most definitely has my heart.

Just one part of my beautiful campus!

I've been a Knight of the University of Central Florida since before birth and now I'm a junior here! I'm a psychology major, I am studying to receive certificates in behavioral forensics and criminal profiling, and I'm getting a minor in crime, law, & deviance. It sounds like a lot, but all those certificates and the minor really only require a couple of extra classes, and I'm way too interested in these subjects not to study them! I want to eventually be a criminal profiler and/or a counselor, preferably for prisoners or teenagers. I'm especially interested in abnormal psychology and social deviance - mental disorders and acting out of the "norm."

Source

As a psychology major and as someone whose life has been largely affected by mental illness (both first-hand and otherwise), I'm a huge proponent of mental health awareness and support. Mental disorders can affect anyone, and I think it's very important for everyone - whether you have a mental disorder or not - to actively promote a healthy mind in themselves and everyone else. I support loving yourself and positive thoughts, even if I have trouble in those very areas myself!

So Noted, ready to perform at ICCA!

My biggest passion is music. I've been involved in music for as long as I can remember! The music program at my high school won a Grammy, my high school women's choir was chosen to perform at both the Regional and National American Choral Directors' Association conferences (2010 and 2011, respectively), and now I'm part of UCF's all-female a cappella group, So Noted! I love everything about singing, performing, and even the theory involved in music. Singing is my ultimate release.

Knightro, being a wet dog.

I also loooooove animals. I'm a dog person, and my four-year-old shih tzu, Knightro, lives with my parents and is a professional at being adorable. Here at college with me I have four mice: Leslie, Ann, April, and Donna (points for you if you know where their names come from!); and two rats: John and Sherlock (I adopted them from a friend who couldn't take them with her to New York - their names are not particularly relevant to my interests though I do love the names!). I lovingly refer to myself as the rodent queen and I do my best to give that title the best face in the world.

One of my rats, John, being adorable and sleeping funny.

On a normal day, you can find me waking up around 6am (I'm a morning person), eating a simple breakfast, and either planning my day/week/month/life or clipping coupons. I cherish the quiet serenity of the morning and watching the light grow in my room through my window as the sun rises. I love mornings!

I think that's about it when it comes to getting to know me! Got any questions? Go ahead and ask! I know not many people are reading this blog just yet, but if you are - I'd love to talk to you (and look at your blog if you're a fellow blogger)!

Have an awesome Wednesday, y'all!