Living that Beach Bum Life: My Clearwater Family Vacation

Happiness is a form of courage...I'm all about the salt life. Reality seems so far away when you have the sand underneath your feet, and you can hear the waves crashing.

After dropping off the dogs at the kennel, we headed out on the highway jamming out to songs like Problem by Arianna Grande ft. Iggy Azalea and Fancy by Iggy Azalea. It was an easy ride down the Suncoast Parkway and soon enough, we got to our destination: Clearwater Beach♥

As we went up to the room with our suitcases, I rode the elevator with my sister Jamie. One of the guys that worked in the hotel got in the elevator with us, and said it was his lucky day because he got to ride the elevator with two good-looking women. Oh stop, sir! Haha. This trip was off to a good start.

After unpacking and settling into our room, we went to the pool. Before sitting down and enjoying the pool, we hit the beach for a photo shoot. Enjoy below:

That's not all:

 This picture basically sums up the beach Friday. It was so windy because of a cold front that just went through that no one was really on the beach.

Ok, that's enough. Eyes up here. 

After our photoshoot, we chilled by the pool.

 My gorgeous mom. I started reading City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare; the second book in the Mortal Instruments series because we all know there is going to be another movie. Yeah, but I know you just want to know if we hit up the bar. We totally did.

My mom and I split a Miami Vice pail. In case you're a newb and don't know what a Miami Vice is, it's supposed to be half pina colada; half strawberry daiquiri but the bartender that made it for us made it primarily a strawberry daiquiri so I didn't really like it.

Then, we took some really cute photos by the bar:

 This photo is funny because right before it was taken, a really funny moment happened that went like this:

 Jamie goes to my mom, "Mom, pull up your top."

My mom goes to pull up her top and the other lady who was bartending goes: "I saw that."

We all couldn't stop laughing.

My sisters even admitted I was their bff. Yes, score! Just like old times.

After everyone changed and we looked for a pizza place, we decided to order Dominos. Before heading back to the room, we took some scenic photos:

 LOL. My mom photobombed us.

 So silly.

Then of course, I took a VLOG: Who needs prom when you could just go to the beach!

I also wrote my best friend Geniveve a letter (I always used to do that when I was younger when we went away because I couldn't stand to be away from her.)

 Can we just take a second to all admit that my youngest sis is gorgeous? :)

 Friday came and went and Saturday the alarm went off at 8 a.m. ( we were supposed to hit the gym) yet, I remember waking up from a night of restless sleep and saying, "Whoever set that alarm, I kinda want to kill you right now." 

After a bountiful breakfast sponsored by Dunkin Donuts, we hit the beach but the wind soon picked up and we headed back to the pool.

 This picture gives me good vibes. lol.

I got tired of sitting in the sun so I went up to the room and sat on the balcony and read my book after I made the Starbucks provided in our room. Then, my sister called and asked if I wanted to join them for that workout. I went and I didn't hydrate properly. The view from the gym was amazing though since it overlooked the beach from the roof of the building. 

We got back and we watched a beach wedding and the sunset. As the wedding party made their way back up from the beach, this cute guy with dreads checked me out and we made eye contact. It literally was such a nice gift from God. (I've been a little bitter lately with my single status). Yet, my mom practically tried marrying me off to the guy because she saw him check me out, and she was all, "Let's go to the lobby and crash the reception." I seriously have the coolest mom ever.

After having the pizza and being dehydrated, I drank one beer and I was totally tipsy. lol. I even was convinced I saw a UFO out on the beach. We went back up to the room and finished watching Superbad only to then watch Andy Sandberg host the season finale of SNL. It was so funny. Or maybe that was just the effects of the beer. Either way, I was turnt. haha. 

Another night of restless sleep, I woke up on Sunday so exhausted and no longer about the salt life. I basically just chilled listening to music by the pool underneath the palm trees.

 

Overall, it was a really good vacation and it really made me so grateful for my own house. Yet, last night upon returning home and after unpacking, I watched the Billboards which were amazing. (That hologram performance of Michael Jackson was my favorite) and went to bed and had an amazing sleep.

This morning I went to the thyroid doctor and got a good report then went home and prepared for a skype interview I was offered for a PR internship on Tuesday of last week. It went really well and I just can see God's favor working goodness in my life. There is no reason to fret anymore about being single. It will all work itself out, God's honor.♥

Until next time, remember, You have the capability to change your life all with a simple shift in perspective. -Demi Lovato, Staying Strong♥

Signing off from the salt life,

Love Times Infinity,

Chelsea

xoxo

God Bless!

~Just Keep Swimming~

Greatly Blessed and Highly Favored: The long story short of how my bill got paid off♥

Happiness is a form of courage...YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THAT BIG FAT BUTT?! Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle. Oh sorry, right. I'm writing a blog not twiggling. (white girl version of twerking). In case you want to join the dance party later or listen to the song that I'm currently jamming out to: Check out Wiggle by Jason Derulo ft. Snoop Dogg. That song is dope and it's the song he premiered for us at the concert back in February.

Anyway, since I last spoke to you, I finished another semester at Leoland. This one was plenty fruitful because I got straight B's except for the F I ended up getting in my Marketing Communications class. Long story short, that professor falsified my midterm grades, made the whole class about group work, waited until the beginning of April to give us the rubric for our final project, and the night before I was scheduled to present my final group project, the girl who came up with the idea of us selling a teleportation device decided to bitch me out over text message so I decided I wasn't going to show up. This is basically why I failed the class but it also had to do with the fact that I was against taking this class on campus from the beginning of the semester but they denied my request of taking it online. I do so much better in my online classes because they are based off independent study so all I have to do is read the chapters, answer a discussion question during each of the eight weeks, do a quiz, a paper or a case (depending on the class) and take a midterm and/or a final. For me, it's a lot like what I went through when I was back in the IB program. A little bit of a thorn in my side but mostly simple if you are studious and smart, like myself. That's why I'm so excited for this coming semester. Other than my internship or job (hopefully at Starbucks), I don't have to even leave my house because all my classes will be online. I just have to do two classes the first eight weeks which are Marketing Research and Business Law II (I won't be able to finish my IHT minor so I'm taking another elective and I loved my first Business Law course.) Then, the second eight weeks, in the middle of October, I will take Marketing Communications and Marketing policies. Then, by God's grace, as of December 14, 2014, I will graduate with my Bachelor's in Marketing. After that happens, this will be what I will say to that school:

So, as most of you know, it really looked like I was going to have to become a stripper in order to pay off the bill I owed for Spring semester. All semester I confessed: Where God gives vision, he provides provision.  Then, out of nowhere, last Friday, I got a call from the financial aid support team manager and at first, he made it seem like he was going to tell me my financial aid appeal application was denied like they originally told me it might but then he goes, "it looks like we gave you the wrong amount on your stafford loans and we owe you up to $3295 of additional aid." After he said that, my hand holding the phone literally started shaking because I felt God's favor making a shift. It turned out on Monday that I got $3261 of additional stafford loans (boo, I have to pay that back) and $500 from the financial aid appeal application. 

I only had to pay $27.59 toward the entire bill. God is so good to me. 

The only thing that was extremely stressful for me was that on Tuesday, I signed into my student account and saw this:

I was really confused and instead of stressing, I just asked some friends to share my GoFundMe page and prayed that Saint Leo had made a mistake. The next day, my balance was $27.59. After I paid it, my account looked like this when I signed in on Wednesday:

I have never seen that before so I feel extremely blessed. Now waiting to get a new advisor (My previous advisor was the professor of the marketing communications class). I no longer trust his advice and feel he never advised me well, especially after I told him I wanted to be a publicist. Then, I have to have an internship lined up by September 2 if not before, and I can register for my four online classes.

 So far no emails or calls. Yet, I know now, when it looks like nothing is happening, that's when God is working the most. He's going to show me favor in my job/internship search and provide me one that will be a divine appointment and help me learn skills that will one day make me a successful publicist.

Right now, I'm ok with having time off. I wrote so many religion papers this past semester, it's nice only having to write my novel lately. If only someone could pay me in advance for this book but since I'm not well-known as a writer (more importantly, my work isn't well-known), I'm just sitting on a wallet full of dreams. 

If anyone is looking to hire a writer, send me an email at wittywriterpoet26@yahoo.com.

Thanks, and also thank you to everyone that prayed for me about this bill and shared my GoFundMe link. 

Shoutout to Lizzy Follese on Twitter who I've never met but not only retweeted my tweet but posted this in support of me: 

After all the sass I got from Christian ministers, it meant so much. To see what I mean, read http://chellyzlife.blogspot.com/2014/03/something-on-my-mind-lately-that-needs.html

I appreciate it so much. And if you need any prayers yourself, never hesitate to let me know.

Meanwhile, I would appreciate it if you support some of my friends in their endeavors:

My friend Carrie wants to be a professional wrestler

My friend Chelsea needs help paying off her student loans.  

Donate and/or share the links.

Until next time, remember: All you need to remember is that God will never let you down, he'll never let you be pushed past your limit, he'll always be there to help you come through it. -1 Corinthians 10:13 ♥

Love Times Infinity,

Chelsea

xoxo

God Bless!

~Just Keep Swimming~