Music Mondays

Just another tradition I am thinking of starting on this blog of mine, although Music Mondays is incredibly cliche so I am going to have to think of a better name for it! Anyhoo, Monday will be over in 2 minutes so I have to make this quick! I went to Bamboozle this weekend. Here are two songs from new bands I really enjoyed! (Okay, I have to admit. I made a really short post while it was still Monday, and now its 12:05 am on Tuesday and I am simply adding to the post)

The first is by a band called The Bouncing Souls. They're a really fun punk band with catchy lyrics. They're songs are super short and rather to the point, but they just have this really nice up beat energy to them. One of the songs that I found particularly entertaining by them is this one:

And heres another super fun band; they're called Catch 22. They're a ska band and they have lots of instruments going on and they are also incredibly up beat! During their set, this enormous dance pit opened up and everyone was just having such an incredible time while they played. Ska bands seriously have incredible crowds! Also, their trumpet player kept doing this amazing little dance. It was wonderful; you could tell they were having a blast playing for us.

Anyone going to any good music festivals this summer?

"I can't wait for the next workout"

So I am pretty sure I mentioned on here that one of my goals this summer is to get into better shape. Well, I have been working on it, and its quite exciting! Yesterday I didn't do as well as I would have liked; to work out I only did a simple relaxing yoga workout, and I had this enormous slice of pizza for dinner. Thats okay though, mistakes are going to happen and I can't change that. Anyways, today has only just begun, but I had a nice protein filled breakfast and I did this workout video: 

The people who make these videos are incredible. Its only a 30 minute workout, but it takes me like 45 minutes because I have to constantly stop and take water breaks or catch my breath or just sit and watch in awe. I really like these workouts though; they're nice and quick, and I really feel it while I am working out and the next day! With a combination of these and other workout videos, running twice a week and a good diet, I hope I can reach my goal by the end of the summer!

Back into the swing of things (Happy Things)

I could really use a good reminder of some happy things, so good thing that its Wednesday! I skipped out on a few weeks my happy things posts, but I am back to it now, so here it goes!

1. This weekend I am going to be volunteering with my lovely friends from Habitat for Humanity. We are going to be running a table at the Bamboozle Festival. That means, not only will I be hanging out with lovely people, I'll be around live music! 

2. I have been going to Brooklyn a lot recently, which is always nice. I love that place.

3. This beautiful young lady, my best friend Michelle (who blogs over here) is coming home soon! Can't wait to see her!

4. I tried this chocolate on Monday. Oh my goodness; it is absolutely delicious!

5. Lets be real, how can you not get happy when you see a bunny with its tongue sticking out?!

Any other happy things I should know about to make my week a little better? 

Its really odd. I was ridiculously excited to finally come home and have freedom and be able to do whatever the heck I want. Now that I am home however, I can't figure out what the heck I want to do. I have the overwhelmingly endless amount of free time and I just don't know where to begin. Today, I am going to try and bake some peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. I am really excited for that. I guess now its just the small things that count; walks with friends, lunch with mom, good books, simple recipes; that kinda stuff. I want to make a list of bigger goals I have for the summer, but I'll save that for my next post.

Classes are almost over. I am ready for some change! Hopefully some new blogging idea to come as well.


Edit:
Gah, I just have so many wonderful ideas as far as blogging and life in general and I hate how my life has to be put on hold because of exams. However, I have decided to be realistic and right now I am just going to have to live an average life, and on Wednesday I will be able to make changes. Theres no way I can re-do my blog or start waking up at 6am or eat healthier when I need to stay up till midnight every night studying which causes me to eat 4 meals a day and wake up at 9am with a headache because of lack of sleep. However once May 10th comes, I will be more in control of my life and I will be able to make all of these changes that I am so eager to make! I need to be understanding and compassionate towards myself, and so for now this is the way I must be, and that is okay.

Happy Things

I decided that Happy Things are going to become a Wednesday tradition on this blog of mine. Wednesdays are just the hardest days to get through; I am always so stressed and burnt out on Wednesday, and I really need some happy things to get me through these tough days. So, here it goes!

1. A few years ago I signed up for this pen pal program called a Brown Paper Package. I got a penpal from Canada named Christine, and I haven't heard from her since August (mostly because I never wrote back to her last letter!) But I finally responded, and I am sending it out today. I am so excited!

2. I got 11 pages of my research paper done today and yesterday!

3. Tomorrow is Ariel's birthday, and we are going to eat yummy (non dinning hall) food and yummy cake!

4. I ran Monday AND Tuesday, and I did a video workout yesterday. I hope this will help me get back into the swing of things.

5. 

One day (hopefully soon), I will be the proud owner of one of these lovely bikes! And I can ride it to the Farmers Market and to the Library and to the Thrift Store and to the Circle in Rutherford.

6. I only have to worry and stress about school for TWENTY TWO more days, and then I am a free birdie!

Realization

*April 15th is still on my camera*

April 16th- Was a little cranky part of today, but I went for a run for the first time in 3 weeks which was lovely. I feel like my smile is always so much brighter when I come back from a run.

So as I wrote in the caption for that picture, I have not run in 3 weeks, and today I was feeling so slugish and crappy. All I really wanted to do was go back to my room and sleep, but I convinced myself that going for a run, sweating out some of the toxins in my body and getting a nice dose of endorphins would help. I am still incredibly tired, but my run was lovely and I feel so good that I went! I am hoping that this along with my half marathon will help me get back into the swing of things. 

* * *

On a somewhat related note, these are just some thoughts I have been having:

So recently I have been feeling a little lonely; just in general. Lonely about not having a boy to call my own and lonely because of some weird friend situations. And at the same time that this has been happening, Alex has been pledging, which means that Amanda has had a lot of free time. Her and I have gotten a lot closer, and I have really grown to like her. She really is a good friend and I feel like I have been able to open up to her more than anyone else here (which is weird, because for so long I fought having a relationship with her). Anyways, on Saturday, Alex "crossed", which means that he is free again, and him and Amanda are back to their usual routine. At first this made me kinda sad and jealous (because they seriously are so happy together). Well, I suppose I am still a little sad and jealous, but I have flipped these feelings around to make them positive. I know for a fact that part of the reason both Amanda and Alex are so happy is because they both take such good care of themselves; eating right and excercising a lot. Since those things make them naturally happy people, add the fact that they are doing those things together and you get a naturally happy couple. And thats something I really admire. I also really admire how rediculously kind Amanda is to Alex; she is seriously the sweetest girlfriend ever. I only hope that I can be that nice to the next boy I date. But its sort of giving my something to strive for; its inspiring. I see the way they take care of themselves and how that is reflected in their positive energy, and I see the way they treat each other ; both of which inspire me to hopefully one day find that sense of sort if being at peace.