Tuesday, April 24, 2012

One Big Blog Full of Juicy Deets: Eight Things I learned in my Third year of college♥

Happiness is a form of courage...I'm sure you've all been distraught without any updates from me. I've been distraught without anything to blog about if that makes you feel any less alone. :)

Here's what I've been up to:
1. I posted a new VLog to try out my new software. Works great but I will learn as I go. And yeah, I know my intro is too long. I'll shorten them from now on. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9KOkqII2QA
2. I saw the Lucky One and got my "first kiss" from Zac Efron
♥ As you can see, I didn't really get my first kiss from Zac Efron (I wish). I got you there for a minute, didn't I? lol. The Lucky One was a great movie but the book was much better. I recommend it though if you haven't read the book. I read all the books first, and it always ruins the greatness of most Nicholas Sparks movies except in the case of The Notebook, I think.
 3.I celebrated my best friend Geniveve's 12th bday♥ Here she is. The birthday princess and she doesn't look a day over two.♥
She got lots of cookies from the fam and as her best friend I know how much she enjoys sipping wine so I set out to get her dog wine but they were out of it so I got her non-alcoholic dog beer that of course, tastes like chicken :P   Her boyfriend even came back to town just to give her a birthday kiss so I know she had an awesome bday! We're still going to take her to the beach some time this summer...
Ok, now you know what I've been up to the past month time to tell you what I've learned this year in my third year of college♥

1.Friendship is a gift from God♥
 My past two years at Saint Leo, I spent most of them with about a handful of friends but I was still lonely. I didn't really have many friends that I could just text or call anytime of day or night and they would come hang out with me. That changed this year. This year I met my roommate Genevieve and she became one of my best friends. I'm so thankful God sent her into my life because she came just when I thought I would spend another year without a roommate who was also my friend.
A lot of the friends I made this year are going to live near me or in the same building next year. :))))


 2.People are going to talk about you whether you're doing bad or good♥
 Fall semester this year was a really dark time for me. It was a learning experience but I really got to see how evil people can be. People will talk, sabotage, use, and abuse you until you have nothing left but the beat inside your heart and the air in your lungs. One thing I almost lost was my friendship with one of my best guy friends. Thankfully, he came back into my life at the beginning of this semester and our friendship is stronger than it's ever been. If I learned anything during this time, it is that although people can leave you high and dry without a goodbye; they can never steal the joy of the Lord and the love he has for me. Jesus loves me and no matter what, I will never be without him, and in that, I win♥


 3.Something new about first kisses♥
 How come nobody told me a first kiss was a peck. I've been deceived by books, movies, and tv to believe a real first kiss is a kiss that is hot, tongue-heavy, and passionate but in fact that is a lie. A first kiss is more something like this:
And yes, that's me at four with my first "boyfriend" George. Technically, he was my first kiss but because it was so natural and we were young, I didn't think that it counts but in fact it does because we were young "lovers" since we were babies.
He was such a good boyfriend he would even come to my ballet recitals and bring me flowers.
So don't let anyone tell you that young love isn't real because I've just proved that it is. :) Of course, I didn't love him then because I didn't know what love is but I can say I remember always wanting to tell him stuff and wanting to play and hang out with him all the time so yeah, it was love in a very naive sense of the word. ♥

 4. Love Comes Around Unexpectedly♥
 This year I didn't even resolute to not focus on love because I've been doing so well not worrying about it since December of 2011. This year though my daily life has been extremely love filled and in as few words as I can use, I can honestly say that I finally found love in a hopeless place and I couldn't be happier that it turned out to be with the person I've loved for a while. If that person is reading this now: I can't wait to see what God has written in the pages of our love story. I'm so thankful that you realized how you felt and you came to me, and poured your heart out. I love you. Now text me♥

 5. You really can stay healthy and fit in college♥
 It's all in the choices you make. Some healthy choices you can make daily: 1. Getting enough sleep every night. 2. Eating healthy foods(healthy foods are any food that is colorful and filled with life when you look at it; it also has great nutritional value) 3. Drinking enough water 4. Limiting intake of sweet foods and foods that are fried and high in transfats 5. Exercise (Shake that ass ;-)) This year I was a little more lax on my workout regime but my eating habits were much stricter. Overall, I can tell you that I've lost weight this year and I'm happy about that. :)

 6. Invest in a to-go box♥
 Did you know it's ok to eat alone? It's actually good for you to do things alone. This semester none of my friends had lunch when I did so I went to the cafe with my to-go box and got my food and left and it was probably another reason I lost weight because there is only so much you can fit in that box but so much you can overindulge in when you eat in the cafeteria. Another reason I enjoyed having lunch with myself is because I got to do some things before I went to my afternoon class. I have always enjoyed doing things myself because if you can't have fun with yourself, how do you expect to have fun with others? Happiness and adventure all starts within. A to-go box at Saint Leo costs three dollars the first time you purchase it and then at the end of the year, you can save it and bring it back next year to avoid having to pay three dollars again.♥

 7. Changing your major is ok♥
 When I first started at Saint Leo, I believed that if you had no idea what you wanted to do then you shouldn't be in college. You realize that isn't true when you become someone who stands at a crossroads between what everyone wants for your life and what you enjoy doing. I've officially changed my major now from accounting with an English minor to Marketing with an IHT minor. I'm so excited for this coming year because I can't wait to start taking my marketing classes. So, if you are entering college or a college freshman still unsure of what you want to do in life, look at what hobbies make you the happiest. And go from there. You can turn a hobby into a career. For example, I really enjoy managing people's campaigns and designing posters for them, as well as making Youtube videos to raise awareness about a specific issue or cause. Now I've realized all that is marketing and I can now do those things as my career and get paid to do what I love. Winning!♥

 8. Financial aid will actually help you♥
 My first two years at Saint Leo were challenging and one of the reasons for that was because affording school was something I could barely do. I finally realized that all those times I could have just went to financial aid and they could have found loans or scholarships I qualified for. This year I finally took advantage of it and I can tell you I am finally debt free of Saint Leo. I have my roommate Genny to thank here because since she worked in financial aid, she was able to tell me what they could do for me and who to go talk to. For the first year ever, I will be living not in a dorm but in an apartment with my own room and a bathroom that I will share with Genny. These apartments are brand-new and come with a flat screen tv in the living room. Talk about living the life!

 I'm so excited for this coming year at Saint Leo because I'll finally have friends, a major I enjoy, and living amenities that are high-quality. I am so blessed and all I can do is thank God for giving it all to me to enjoy, and to turn around and bless others with♥


 Of course I'm sure you all are curious what I have planned for this summer so here goes:
 Summer 2012 Plans♥
 1. Learn Albanian
 2. Re-learn Spanish
 3. Learn Italian
 4. Study marketing books(That's how mad I am about marketing)
5.Read a bunch For instance, I recently bought this book:
It's by Grammy award winning singer Rebecca St. James. What I enjoy about Rebecca's books is how real and honest she is in them. In her devotional entitled Pure, she admitted that sometimes she was unsure if God really had a plan for her to be married one day because she hadn't really dated many guys much of her young life but she knew she had a desire in her heart to be married and raise a family. In the acknowledgments of What is He Thinking which was published last year(2011), she thanks her husband of just a few months Jacob. She's 34 so it provides me hope that not only the information in the book is genuine but that even though love seems like it will never find you, it will at the right time, in the right place, with the right person. So don't give up just because the beginning is the hardest. For all you know, the person you've been waiting for could be right there existing in your life right now but you don't even see it ♥

 Another book I'm looking forward to reading:
I enjoy reading Nicholas Sparks books not only because I also am a writer of romance but because they are exquisite pieces of literature. You can tell what kind of man Nicholas is just by the words he writes. So beautiful. This book is about two first loves who find each other later in life, and realize that they still love each other.♥

 6. Write a lot
 I haven't written a novel since I finished the manuscript for my third novel. I guess I'm just on hiatus novel-wise until it's published. I still have been writing. I've been working on a short story collection since last summer, and of course I've been writing lots of poetry so I'm just going to keep on writing this summer. Right now, I'm working on a short story entitled Foreseen about a teenager who foresees the future in her dreams and helps solve a murder that takes place in San Clemente, California. I've also started another short story entitled The Haunting of Saint Leo Abbey based on all the haunting stories from Saint Leo University's history.
 7. Study the Word
 Something I enjoy like nothing else, not even writing, is strengthening my relationship with my Lord and Savior. I do that through a daily reading of the Bible but at least once a week when I'm home, I spend two or three days locked in my room with a Bible, a pad of paper, and a pen and I literally spend time with Jesus. I listen to teachings from preachers and just take really good notes and when I finish I go back and read all the Bible verses aloud, and I pray. I pray and ask God to use what I learned and help me apply it to my life. The Bible is the best book ever written, and I know I say that from a biased view but I mean it. It has instructions about any problem this world can and will throw at you. One of my major dreams is to one day become a pastor and preach the Word full-time. Just waiting for God to lead me to the right place.♥

 8. Learn to bake
 9. Cook some more
10. Have adventures 


Well, that's about it until next time. Sorry this was so long but it was long overdue. :)
 Until next time remember,
Love Times Infinity,
 Chelsea
 xoxo
God Bless!
 ~Just Keep Swimming~

Sunday, April 1, 2012

God calls the weak so they may become strong♥

     Happiness is a form of courage...Have you ever felt like God calls you to do something? You just know it in your heart because everywhere you look, the path of your life reflects that talent or that field of study or that passion. That's the reason I'm a writer. I knew from a young age that there was something supernatural happening every time I would write. Even now, people are amazed at how talented I am as a writer. I can't explain it other than say, it's all God's doing. He's given me this gift to reach people in ways I by myself could not.
      As most of you know, I have been an accounting major minoring in English here at Saint Leo University.
I recently sat down with my advisor, and even though what he told me I already knew, it still hurt to realize that I'm never going to be successful in accounting. I've tried my hardest and I just couldn't comprehend it.
So, as of Thursday at 10:45 am, I am officially a marketing major with no minor.

     As a marketing major, I will be able to use my creativity from my talent as a writer and work to come up with slogans and design advertisements to entice consumers to buy the products I sell. I already have experience in Marketing, though because as a self-published author, I already market myself and tell people why my books are the best.

    I have already gotten two people elected on my school's campus for student government positions just because of my persuasion and voice alone.

Some of my best marketing I've ever done was in this video for my skater friend, Ryan Sheckler when he was up for a Do Something Award back in 2010.
Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3MXmw2M8R0

My first marketing class I took here, I really enjoyed and I even got an A in the class. I am finally excited about my career studies and my future career in marketing. The only bittersweet fact about the whole thing is that I will not be able to graduate with most of the people I started out with as a freshman here at Leo. Even though it makes me sad, I'm actually going to get another year to prepare for my future career. It's as if God knew I wasn't ready for it all to end. :)

God doesn't just call you to a career to reach people. Every day, God calls you to love. God calls you to be a friend, even if that person hurts you. Remember Jesus said to turn the other cheek, not so you can be burned again but because it's the only way people in this world learn the depth of real love the way God intended it. God intended love to be a circle of acts of forgiveness and love.♥
Until next time, 


Love Times Infinity,
Chelsea
xoxo
God Bless!

~Just Keep Swimming~

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