Why calendars are awesome

So, another year is almost over and new year is approaching. 2014.
A new year means a few things for me: new start, new goals and a new calendar.

Let's get one thing straight: calendars RULE!
I've always loved shopping for/receiving calendars around the end of December. Everything about a fresh, new calendar excites me, and here's why!

There are so many themes

Up until last year, I've always stuck with the island-themed calendars. They kept me dreaming of paradise even I was x-ing off another day while wrapped in a scarf and coat. My 2014 calendar, which I'm super excited to hang up on my wall, is the Sock Monkey Kama Sutra Calendar. If that's not exactly your style, there are calendars geared toward any hobby, animal, place, food, person, TV show, etc. And if those sound boring, check this out, and this, and THIS. You can get 12 months of anything, so don't be afraid to unfold your style!

Stay organized

This one is obvious because calendars, much like planners, keep you organized. I'd be lost without my calendar. It helps me remember my work schedule, my dinner dates and parties. I reply on it to tell me whose birthday it is more than I reply on Facebook.

Seeing how far you've come

Okay, don't judge me, but I have calendars from 2006-2011. Much like a diary, I can use my old calendars to see what I was doing five years and what I was into, like attending embarrassing concerts, just based off of the events I jotted in my calendars.

Busy-girl workouts

With three jobs on top of school and a social life, I'm a pretty busy girl.
I don't have a lot of time to devote to one thing without having to move on to something else.

But as a stated a few posts ago, I am committed to my November goal: working out once a day and no junk food/sweets.

So far so good in the no junk department, but sticking to working out is a little bit more difficult.

Thankfully, I have found a YouTube channel that fits my busy schedule well.
XHit Daily is a YouTube channel with a variety of different workouts, from legs to butt and abs and cardio.

The best part? None of the videos really go over 25 minutes, which makes it super convenient to workout before a class or before work!

I definitely recommend XHit to the busy gal who has little free time but still wants to keep her body moving!

Fashion trends I can't get behind

I work in a clothing store, so I see a lot of styles and trends come in and out.

Most of the styles I am absolutely in love with, but there are a few I just couldn't get behind, no matter how many times I tried it on in the fitting room.



High-Waisted Jeans



high-waisted jeans

The high-waisted look started gaining popularity in the summer with the shorts.
As August rolled around, rows and rows of high-waisted jeans in different colors could be found in almost any women's clothing store.

I love the way celebrities and other people rock these jeans, but, for some reason, I just can't pull them off. They always end up bunching up at the top, drawing attention to areas I'd rather not have stand out.
So, for those reasons, I cannot get behind this trend.




Fitted Midi Skirt


mini skirt


Tight, colorful and falling right area the knee cap, midi skirts started becoming a hot item around September.
The patterns and colors they came in were enough to peak my curiosity. Plus, I thought it was cool that women were buying a long skirt over a short skirt.

But, as it turns out, the midi look just doesn't work for me.

I'd say it's an item made for taller women...and mannequins.


Sweatshirts Tied Around Waist

sweatshirt around waist


Okay, I'm a fan of the '90s era, being a '90s kid myself, but I believe that what happened in the '90s, should stay in the '90s.
The sweatshirts-tied-around-waist look included.

Sure, it's a convenient look when you're wearing a sweatshirt and then get too hot, but it should not be a style that women aim to nail.

Can't we just move fashion forward?

Please?
 

November Goal

Happy November! (I know I'm a little late.)

It's a new month with new opportunities and possibilities in store!

I've never done this before and actually stuck to it, but this month I am committing to not eating sweets/junks.
That means no candy, chips, nachos, cakes, anything really delicious.

Here's to a new month and new goals!

5 ways girls can participate in No Shave November

Let's be real, aside from Black Friday, November is a man's month.

No Shave November is their Fashion Week.

As a personal fan of mustaches and beards, I do enjoy this month, but why should guys get to have all the fun?


Here are 5 ways women can have a little facial-hair fun:


Car mustache

Cruise around in a 'stashmobile that will probably make spot the facial hair you wish you could grow!
Car mustache


Mustache cups

If the mustache is in the general facial hair-growing area, it counts. Plus, everything feels classier with a mustache, even if you are chugging beer from that cup.
Mustache cups



Mustache dress

Strut into the party in this hot bodycon dress and you'll have all the men stroking their beards in approval...and jealousy.
Mustache dress



Knitted beard

For when you really, really want to be one of the guys.
Knitted beard



Vibrating mustache

On those lonely nights that will be sure to happen because by now all of the guys are jealous of your mustache everything and don't want to talk to you anymore. 
Vibrating mustache
 

I don't know how to gym

I've always been skinny, having gotten my dad's genes.
I used to eat brownies, cake and cookies for breakfast, lunch and dinner and not even feel bad about myself. Well, not until my tummy started to hurt, not when the lbs started to rack up, because they didn't.
That is, until I turned 20.
It seems my 20s have a little surprise for me: a slower metabolism.

Gyms are, of course, the option everyone suggests. "Exercise! It's good for you!"

Well, the truth is, gyms scare me. I back out of going to the gym more times than I actually commit to going. But yesterday was my third time going to the gym in all of my four years at college. And it wasn't too pretty.


Leaving the house

My main concern before I left the house was do I eat beforehand?
I'm convinced that anything I eat, even a cracker, will just force its way back up my throat after a few running the track once. But I settled for an apple that I couldn't even finish.


Are these sneakers?

I know enough to wear breathable shorts and a loose tee to the gym, but sneakers are something strange to me. I've never owned sneakers before I was 21 (I always borrowed my friends').
Fun fact: my roommate owns over 10 pairs of running shoes.

I settled for these sneakers (if you can actually call them that).

I also decided to wear makeup (just eyeliner and mascara)...I don't know if that is a gym no-no or what....


Am I running right?

I feel like every one at the gym can tell that I'm a newbie, from the second I walk in. I feel eyes staring at me, but I convince myself its just because I'm so hot and naturally fit looking that they are jealous as I strut around the gym....right.
That mentality only lasts until I reach the track. My run can be compared to that of a baby giraffe.

I take small laps around the gym, looking at the overly complex-looking machines that I wouldn't even guess how to use.


How do I use this thing?

After running around the track three times and exiting with a bright red face, trying to recapture my breath, I take a small lap around the gym. Looking at the overly complex-looking machines with strings and wires and liftys and pulleys and bricks of weight, I am terrified.

I settle on to an elliptical machine and run through 7 exhausting minutes, my hardxcore music motivating me (barely)!

I cool down on the track, walking slowly, yet proud of myself for spending around 45 minutes at the gym without vomiting/dying.

 

Forever a Freshman

Senior. That word holds a lot of weight and a lot of expectations. Seniors are supposed to be wise and experienced and know the ins and outs of world around them.

But I don't.

Tomorrow is the beginning of the end.

Tomorrow I move back to my school, thus beginning my final year of college, making me a senior.

Although I am technically heading toward the "real world," I still feel like a child.
In many ways, I still feel like a freshman.

I'm still learning about myself and the world around me - how to act in certain situations, how to deal with certain personalities types, what I like and what I don't like.

I don't think that will ever go away, and I realized that that's a good thing. But for a while, I saw this as a bad thing. I felt almost like I hadn't grown up right because I didn't know some things that my roommate knew. But then I realized that no one knows everything, but everyone is learning every day.

Even though, I am going to be a senior in college, I will forever be a freshman.
I will always want to learn and discover and explore the areas within my mind and out in the world.