sweater weather

so we've (kind of) finally hit the point in the year where you can walk outside and just wear sweaters and no jackets and i love that so much. honest to goodness i hate wearing jackets with a passion. so sweater weather is perfect. 

if you're familiar with youtube at all, you know about the tag videos that go around, especially the seasonal ones. my friend emily did the sweater weather tag on her blog, and while she didn't tag me in it, she did encourage me to do it, so here we go?! i'm not sure how well this will work out.

two emilys together holla

favorite candle scent?

i'm assuming this means fall candle scents? in which case, i have to say that i wasn't allowed to burn candles at home, and i'm not allowed to burn them in my dorm room, so tbh i couldn't tell you because i don't know!! 

coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?

coffee. i'm so addicted to coffee that it's a problem. 

what's the best fall memory you have?
i want to say my trip to new york city that i recently took, because i don't really have a specific memory that is associated with fall, if that makes any sense. i do remember that one year, two of my friends and i dressed up as cinderella and her two ugly stepsisters, and dressing up ugly was rather fun. 

what makeup trend do you prefer: dark lipstick or winged eyeliner?

i think dark lipstick? just because it's easier to put on. eyeliner is such a pain, and lipstick not so much. i don't know if i can pull off dark lipstick, but i have a few friends who can, and they look stunning.

what do you want to be for halloween?

honestly, i don't get super excited for halloween. this year, the only reason i'm dressing up is because i have to attend a few events in costume. i really wanted to be veronica from heathers: the musical (based on the movie) but that costume is kind of dumb if you're alone and don't have a group to go with, which i don't. for one of my events, i believe we're going as cowboys/cowgirls, so there you go.

what do you do to get in the fall spirit?
tbh, i'm not sure that i do much, if anything. unless getting salted caramel mochas at starbucks counts?

what is autumn weather like where you live?

both in michigan and back home in new york, it's gorgeous. it's chilly, but usually not too chilly, so i can just wear my fleece and a scarf, and the leaves change to beautiful shades of yellow, orange, and red, and it's literally an explosion of color. there's been a lot of rain this year too, which is weird.

most worn sweater?

my most worn sweater isn't really a sweater, per say, rather, it's a quarter zip from my high school. it's just comfortable, okay?

must-have nail polish this fall?
essie's eternal optimist and essie's good as gold. i'm obsessed with both. 

football games or jumping in leaf piles?
can i say both? jumping in leaf piles is really fun, but at michigan football is everything, and honestly, the games are pretty fun. football saturdays are a must have.

hats or scarves?
scarves. i hate hats. with a passion. 

is pumpkin spice worth the hype?
i don't think so, but that might just be because i don't like lattes. the scent can't be beat though. 

favorite halloween movie?
if the answer to this isn't halloweentown and all it's sequels, you're doing life wrong. 

what song really gets you in the fall spirit?

there are fall song? i'm not really sure, honestly, but right now i'm jamming to 1989 by taylor swift. so that, if it counts. i also guess all too well by taylor swift, because of the line "autumn leaves falling down like pieces into place" and the fact that the secret message was maple lattes, which sounds very fall-y to me.

 what are some of your favorite parts about fall? let me know!

-em xx

just living that simple life

so a while ago, two of my favorite people released a new ep. and it's fabulous and gorgeous and wowie. megan and liz are two of my favorite music artists, and i'm so excited to see how far they go. you may have heard their single release you on the radio, or their single bad for me in an audi commercial. i still scream every time i hear it on the commercial, it's fine. 

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these two (they're twins, mind, megan's the brunette) have come so far since their youtube days, and even though they've had come difficulties and roadblocks thrown in their paths, they've persevered. and everyone's been there for them through it all. it was a long wait for new music, but this ep is quite possibly the best that we've heard from them...ever. they've gone country, and i couldn't be more pleased, because they're known for being two girls, harmonies, and a guitar. which is exactly what this ep is. 

since it's only seven songs, i'll go through each one!

simple life

this is basically what what the two of them are all about. it was the first song that we heard from them off of this new ep (well...kind of, more on that later) and it made me so so excited for the rest of the ep. very country, very good.

a better me

this is song is gorgeous. and it makes me cry. so that alone should be enough to make you listen to it. 

karma's coming back for me

i'm so glad that we finally have a studio version of this song! the two of them sang this on their tour last summer, and put out an acoustic version and along with all of the other macers out there, have been waiting for a studio version for forever. it's totally applicable to life, even though it's a break up song at it's core. 

new at this

this song literally sounds like summer. like, if i could bottle summer up and put it up in a song, it would sound like this. i'm not 21 yet, but i totally find it applicable to the job i had this summer, and i think that if you're ever in a new situation you'll feel it. also totally going to be blasting this when i turn 21. it's casual. 

night of our lives

this is probably my favorite song off of their ep. it's a cute little song about having a good time with your friends, and you know that i'll be blasting it when i visit new york in october. maire, i'm coming for you. 

switch hearts

everyone in the megan & liz fandom has been waiting for this song. it's a breakup song, but it doesn't feel like one. i think it's also applicable if you're going through a hard time in general, not just a breakup. 

grave

this song. it's really similar to carrie underwood's two black cadillacs, if you've heard that. it's creepy and haunting, and it's almost like a kick butt girl power song. at least that's vibe i get from it. 

if you want to check out their ep or any of their other songs, i would highly, highly recommend them, especially since they've covered a bunch of recently popular songs as well.

-em xx

fresh starts

i think that fresh starts are a gift. i'm not sure that we always see them like this, but as a firm believer in karma/fate/what have you, i'm convinced that 100% of the fresh starts we're given are gifts, even if they don't seem like them at the time. 

at the most basic level, you're given a fresh start every day when you wake up. every day is a new chance to turn your life around, work on something you've been meaning to do, or read a new book--anything really. you don't have to be the same person that you were the day before, or even the day before that. not if you don't want to be. 

on a bigger level--think of milestones--each first day of school/classes, each new place that you've lived, the times you've graduated, the time you got married/had a baby--anything you'd consider a big life event? it's a fresh start. 

fresh starts don't have to be with people who don't know you. yes, they're an opportunity to reinvent who you are, but that doesn't mean you have to leave everyone you know behind in the process. Or maybe it does. it really depends on your situation. my point is that I think 90% of the time, when we hear the words "fresh start" we think of starting over in some place new where nobody knows us one single bit. and yes, those are fresh starts. but those days where you decide to step out of your comfort zone at home? the days where you do something that's a little bit not you, no matter where you are or what the outcome? those are fresh starts too. 

all you have to do is decide to wipe your slate clean and start again. the people who care about you will always be there for you, no matter what. i know this for a fact. they will be there for you, and they'll support you along the way--and if you're lucky, they might even help you in your process. 

i hope you're never scared of a fresh start. they can seem daunting at first, i know that all too well, but i've found that they're for the better. you're never being given more than you can handle. fresh starts are a gift. you are in charge of your fate in those moments. you can be whoever you want to be. you can do whatever you want to do. all you have to do is take a deep breath, make a plan, and go for it. 

you'll be glad you did. 

so here's to fresh starts--what's one that's particularly impacted you?

-em xx

the fault in our stars

i went to go see the fault in our stars at a 9 pm showing on the thursday night before it was released. not the night before our stars, because i wasn't about to shell out $25 for that. especially since my sister, who did end up going to it, came home five minutes after i did. 

the girls i went with! we did well with the lighting, i know.

i'm just going to come right out and say this though: i did not cry. 

i'd also just like to clarify, however, that this does not mean that i thought the movie was horrible.

the movie itself was really well done, it was funny and sad and all the right amount of in between. shai and ansel were fabulous, as was the rest of the cast. by all standards, it was a good movie. i'd definitely call it a good movie. but you've probably already heard that. 

oh, also, before i get any further, i'm just going to tell you right now: 

go see the movie. just do it. 

right. 

"and who am i, living in the middle of history, to tell the universe that it--or my observation of it--is temporary?" #homemadeshirts

so. what did i think? 

to be honest, i'm not entirely sure what i thought of the movie. it's been a few months and i'm still trying to wrap my head around it. the most that i've been able to come up with has to do with the fact that everyone (or at least hazel and gus) is pretentious. one of my friends said it best when she said that the entire point of the book was that their fatal flaw was their pretentiousness.

i've been struggling with this for a while now, and i've been called, many, many names (heartless monster, and a twig amongst them--all in good spirit though) and ultimately, my conclusion from all of this was that i didn't like the movie.

i didn't like the movie.

wow, that feels good to say!

like i said earlier, i think a lot of it had to do with the pretentiousness of the characters. ansel, while fabulous, made it too easy for me to come out of the world they were all trying to create. and while i don't mean to bash ansel, because his is a fantastic gem of a human, i don't know if he was necessarily the right choice for gus. hell, i don't know if anyone would have been the right choice.

nobody believed me when i said didn't cry but i literally took this right after i got home. no tears.

in the end, i just didn't connect emotionally with any of the characters, and ultimately, i think that's why i didn't cry, and part of the reason that i didn't like the movie.

i like movies i can relate to, and, thankfully, i can't relate to cancer in any way, shape, or form. i'm kind of hoping it stays that way.

honestly, i'm not writing this to deter you from seeing the movie, if you haven't already. it was a great film, really well done, and really funny for a sad movie. go see it. go support ya literature. read the book if you haven't.

we're on a roller coaster that's only going up, my friends.

have you seen tfios? what did you think?

-em xx

tbt: first impressions

i wrote this sometime in the fall of last year, and i actually really like it. especially my shoe metaphor. 

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first impressions are really important. in those few split seconds we make huge decisions on how we view people. i once read that the first thing you subconsciously notice about someone is the shoes that they're wearing. and while i don't think that's necessarily true, i think it's a good piece of advice.

shoes aren't something that we really think about. we just kind of randomly throw on a pair when we're rushing out the door, and pray that they coordinate with our outfits (or maybe you actually put thought into your shoes, i don't know). just like a lot of things in our lives, shoes get put on the sidelines, thinking they're not important, when in reality, they're what people notice about us. it's crazy to think about how many tiny details people notice.

does this mean that we should put in more attention to detail? maybe, maybe not. like i said, i'm pretty sure shoes are not the first ting a person will notice, but at the same time, they're not the last thing they're going to notice either. so not paying attention to your shoes at all is a bad thing, but obesessing over whether or not your shoes clash with the polka dots on your sweater is bad too. there's a happy medium that needs to be found.

i'm still searching for that happy medium. there are a lot of days when i just throw on whatever shoes i have handy, and then there are the days when i redo my entire outfit so i can wear a pair of shoes. it's an ongoing process, just like the rest of life. trying to balance school and a social life is a major one for me. (one that i'm probably failing at right now, since i'm writing this instead of studying for my econ exam in thirty minutes. oops.) it's like finding the perfect pair of shoes (there's irony here, i'm sure). i think the moral of my story here is that i'm learning and growing. first impressions are just as important as making sure your shoes match. first blog posts are just as important, and i'm pretty happy with this one.

are you guys the type to put on whatever shoes are nearby, or do you think about it?

-em xx

operation beautiful

operation beautiful is something that i've known about for a long time. i stumbled upon the website on facebook my junior year of high school, and immediately fell in love with the idea. 

when you open up the website, you're bombarded with photos and photos of post-it notes. the premise of the movement is that you write something encouraging on a post-it note, or something similar, and then leave the post-it note in a public place. it's another way to do a random act of kindness--one that i really enjoy. 

i liked the idea so much that it became the inspiration for my gold award project. 

source {x}

i think that this idea--the idea of writing something positive and encouraging and posting it in a public place has taken off in ways that people don't even know. the original idea was to write something along the lines of "you are beautiful" but people have just expanded that to writing anything encouraging. 

the counseling center at my college runs a similar campaign, where students are encouraged to write positive affirmations on little pieces of wood, which are then hung up around campus as kind of a suicide awareness campaign. i'm not sure whether or not it's been particularly successful, but seeing those notes around campus always manages to make me smile. 

source {x}

i wish that there was a way to track one person's post-it notes and the impact they had, because you can only assume what the notes you left do, and you can only say what notes you come across do. but i believe that these notes can only be a force for good in the world. 

it's been a while since i've made any post-it notes of my own, but it's something i want to get back to. leaving them around public place always gave me a sense of joy. and i'd like to imagine that whoever finds my notes gets something from them.

source {x}

 i'd like to encourage you to make your own post-it notes if you'd like to. and if you've heard of operation beautiful or seen notes like this, leave a comment below!

-em xx

tbt: my life in 250 words

another tbt post! i'll probably be posting an updated version of this at some point, because i remember loving the challenge that this provided. 

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So this one post kept popping up in my feed today... My Life in 250 Words. When I found out that it was part of a blog everyday in May challenge.

I decided I had to do it. Here's my life in 248 words.

I was born in a suburb in Western New York. I met my best friend Julia in kindergarten and I wore brains and pretty dresses. In second grade my teacher compared me to the main character in Wemberley Worries. I met my other best friend Emily in third grade and I didn't want to meet her at first. She, Julia, and I became inseparable. In fifth grade I got moved into accelerated math and consistently felt like the dumbest person in the class. I also quit dance lessons. Middle school wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great either. I rejoined Girl Scouts and earned my Silver Award. I still felt like the dumbest person in my classes when high school started and I joined the swim team. I didn't make the musical and found tech crew instead. I fell in love with history and figured out I hated science.  I went to a Taylor Swift Concert. I found my group of friends. I met my bestest friend Kristina and joined yearbook. I finished my Gold Award. I earned my lifeguard certification and lifeguarded for the summer. I became stage manager and applied to college. I dropped down a level in math and am acing it. I no longer feel like the dumb kid. I love economics. I learned to love dancing and reading and writing. It took me four months to figure out that I was going to Michigan, and now I can't wait. I'm graduating in 48 days.

Trying to put your life into 250 words is hard...and I dare you all to try it and participate in blogging everyday in May!

-em xx

shatter me

over the past two days i've had a lot of downtime at work and i decided to catch up on some of my reading. naturally, i couldn't read anything that was actually on my list (okay that's a partial lie, i read the spectacular now, which was actually spectacular, but more on that in a different post) so i ended up downloading shatter me by tahereh mafi. 

in about two pages, i was hooked. 

i haven't been this excited about a book series since i first read divergent back in 2011 (and i never finished that series). 

something about the way mafi writes is just enthralling. she builds her world and her characters quickly--so fast that i thought that it couldn't be right, but it works. it draws you in from the get go, and then you want to stay and find out what happens in the final chapters. 

for the first three-quarters of the book i was physically nervous for the two main characters. mafi was able to make me experience what her characters where experiencing, and for me, that's really rare.

{source}

the only complaint that i have about this book series (there are three books and two novellas which i have yet to read) is that one of the characters gets annoyingly stupid at the end. but that's just how that character was written, and i wouldn't ask to change it. 

one of my friends who read the series complained that the characters changed in the third novel, but i didn't think that was the case. i read them in fairly rapid succession, and the progression of all the characters made sense about 98% of the time. 

i would highly recommend this series, unless you don't like love triangles or ambiguous endings, because this novel has both. otherwise, it's a great and fast read. 

have you read the books in the shatter me series? what did you think?

-em xx

things that make me uncomfortable

i'm always on the lookout for new post ideas, so when i came across the blog every day in may challenge (this is last year's, mind) i was pretty thrilled. here were 31 post ideas just sitting for me to complete, whenever i wanted to. 

and because i'm a lazy butt, and completely unoriginal, i'm going to do one of them today. 

so without further ado, here's a list of a few things that make me uncomfortable. 

cheese

i don't know what it is about it, maybe it's the texture, or maybe it's the taste, i don't really know, i just can't deal with it. like, the other day, i had takeout and i was going to put it in the fridge because i wanted to save it. there was a container of cream cheese on the shelf i wanted to put it on, and because cheese freaks me out i had to put it on a different shelf. 

using public toilets

i have a severe...fear that i'm always in the wrong toilet. like, i always have to look around for the containers that are for pads and tampons in order to reassure myself that i'm in the women's rest room. i'm a freak, i know. don't get me started on exploding toilets either. 

driving on the highway

okay, so i'm getting better at this, but it still freaks me out. especially if i have someone else in the car with me. driving fast with people who are reckless drivers (i mean, really, you don't need to weave in and out of traffic) is a little uncomfortable for me. 

romcoms

i literally get the worst secondhand embarrassment. romcoms and teen movies are the worst for me because they are chalk full of awkward moments and i curl into a ball and want to die. kind of. long story short, i can't watch she's the man or mean girls. sorry if that doesn't make me a girl. 

underwear that's too small

like i said, i'm a lazy butt, and that means that when i find underwear that's too small on me, i tend not to throw it out. and then i wear it by accident and i get wedgies and it's not comfortable. like, at all. 

what are a few things that make you uncomfortable?

-em xx

food food food

if you know me at all, you know that i have a slight problem with pinterest. as in, i spent three days reorganizing my entire profile and go on pinterest binges where all i do is spend time there. as such, i have 45 boards (no shame) and 13 of them are dedicated to food, because let's be real, pinterest is the place to find recipes (if it makes you feel better, i have 11 boards dedicated to DIY projects). 

since one of my things on my 101 in 1001 days list is to make 15 recipes off of pinterest, i thought i'd share some food that i'd like to make off of pinterest!

rainbow cupcakes in a jar

i have this insane need to make things in jars, and i also have this insane need to make a rainbow cake. since i love cupcakes, this seems like the perfect way to mix the two! (not to mention that most of it comes out of the box, so it's easy and delicious)

honey chipotle chicken bowls with lime quinoa

the last time i made quinoa it ended up horribly, but there's an optimist in me that says i should try it again. plus, avocado and chicken is probably one of my favorite food combinations, so at the very least, i'll be able to eat that!

potato garlic gnocchi

i love gnocchi. like, if i could marry a pasta, i would marry gnocchi. is that weird? anyways, this look delicious and i definitely should not be writing this post on an empty stomach. oops. 

crispy chicken burritos

i've actually made these before and they are hands down the most delicious burritos i've ever eaten...save for chipotle, of course. i really like that they're crispy. i think that's what makes them. i just want to eat them again. 

what are some things that you've been wanting to make recently?

-em xx

tbt: how to write essays

ooh high school me has good advice sometimes. this post is still, sadly relevant. it will always be relevant as long as i'm in school. so enjoy.

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You would think that by now, having written countless essays for college and for school that I would know how to write a really good one. Yeah, that's not true at all.

My mom was (is?) appalled at my lack of essay skills, and despite what I think, she's write right. Apparently it's not just me either, basically everyone in my school district probably can't write essays, since they don't teach us the "right way" to write essays. My mom is going to write a letter and complain about it when I graduate.

Apart from that, it's been a long process trying to learn how to write an essay. This sounds so dumb, I'm seventeen years old, almost done with high school, taking AP Lit and I still don't know how to write an essay. I've been getting by on good ideas. My personal problem (and probably everyone else's too) is organization when I'm given a vague prompt, like "Write about death and justice in Frankenstein". That's really helpful, I know. I have way too many ideas and I just kind of word vomit them onto a piece of paper and decide that's okay.

It's not.

According to my mother (we'll pretend she's an expert) the proper way to write an essay is to come up with a thesis and three supporting arguments. Then in each paragraph, you provide evidence, and explain it, repeating until your paragraph is done. (This last part is supported by my Lit teacher, so you can know it's legit.)

It's definitely going to be hard, but a recent exercise we did in Lit, really showed me how right my mom was about my essays. So here are my tips/instructions/requirements on how to write essays. They're mostly here for me, but if you get use out of them, let me know!

• Write down any and all evidence you have or want to use. Then group them in similar/related categories. This will help you come up with your thesis.
• Write your intro and concluding paragraphs last. This sounds weird, but I did it for my most recent essay, and it really helps. This way you know the direction of your essay and can tailor the two paragraphs to that direction instead of having them being unrelated. (Lit teacher approved)
• If you state something from the book, you have to back it up with a quote (or at least 90% of the time). (Lit teacher approved)
• Explain your quotes and their significance. This helps it so your essay is not just a plot summary but actually original thought. (Lit teacher approved)
• Write an outline so you know where you're heading. 
• Make a plot map! This kinda goes with the first one, but at the same time, it's different. We did these for Frankenstein, and it was really nice to get all of my thoughts organized on a piece of paper. You just write a thought and another thought and more and more and then connect them!
• Take a few minutes to think. This goes with the outline, but if you take five minutes to think rather than just jumping right into writing an essay, you're guaranteed to come out with a better essay. (This is really helpful for timed writings.)

So that's that. I really like writing essays, but at the same time I don't. (speaking of which I have one I should be working on right now. I'd better go do that.)

-Em xx

one hundred happy days

one hundred and some odd days ago, back in the cold michigan winter, one of my favorite country singers, betsy lane, posted that she was starting something called the 100 happy days challenge. 

i've linked the website there for you to read about, but the basic idea is to post one thing in your day that made you happy for the next 100 days in your life. most of the people i did the challenge with post it on instagram. if you successfully complete the challenge, you get a book with all of your posts, not to mention that most people who complete it say that they're happier--and that people have noticed. pretty cool, right? 

anyways, it's really hard to believe that i completed it, but i think doing it with a bunch of my friends definitely helped. 

do i think that i'm happier now? well, i'm not entirely sure. there was definitely a period of time where happy was my default emotion. and it served as a really good reminder that even the little things can make you happy. 

all 100 of my instagram posts

a lot of the time i think we get really caught up in all of the bad things that happen to us on a day to day basis, and forget all of the good things. it's kind of like how you always leave a test feeling bad, because you do all the easy problems first and then focus on the hard ones, forgetting about all the easy ones that we did earlier. 

what this challenge made me do was to realize that even on really bad days, there was at least a little something that made my day a little brighter. i'm not sure if i'm going to keep posting on instagram every single day now that i've completed it, but it's definitely taught me to keep looking for the small happy things in life. 

if you want to try it, signing up is simple and free, and takes about two seconds. i'd definitely recommend trying it. if you do, let me know with a comment below and if you've already completed it--what did you think?

-em xx

p.s. my friend maire also just wrote a review on her blog as well, check it out!

tbt: things i learned in high school

this is kind of like a guest post i guess, except that it's from my first blog. it's edited slightly, but for the most part, it's in the original form as when i posted it the first time around. anyways, enjoy a little throwback. 

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I can't believe today is it. Today's the day I graduate. In a few hours, I will no longer be a high school student. What is going on here?

Anyways, since this is my blog, we're going to go ahead with my list of things I've learned.

You don't know what you have until it's gone: This is something I learned my freshman year the hard way. My best friend was struggling a lot at our high school so she transfered to a private school where she thrives. Of course, this means I don't get to see her as much as I like, so I cherish every moment with her. Be thankful.

Ask for what you want: Seriously, don't be afraid to ask for something. The worst thing someone can say is no. Emily and I would never have been ASMs if I hadn't asked Rob if we could do it. And I would have never been stage manager if I hadn't asked for it. So ask away my friends. It's your best friend.

Step up and take control: There are going to be times when you're in a group and no one knows what to do. Step up and tell them. Don't be bossy, obviously, but be a leader. If you can prove yourself (me on tech crew) people will listen to and respect you. Plus it's a great self confidence booster.

Like what you want, don't worry about what others think: I've spent waaaaaay too much time worrying about like country music/Taylor Swift/reading/writing/history when all of my friends liked alternative music/Macklemore/going to movies/hating writing/math and science. It's hard to like the opposite of what everyone else does, but if you're not true to yourself, you may end up somewhere you don't want to be. No one is going to care if you'd rather be swimming than running. Seriously. That's what makes you you and you add variety to your group of friends. 

Chances are, people are more worried about themselves: I've also spent waaay too much time worrying about my clothes and my grades than I should. Yes, you should worry about if your skirt is too short and going to show your but, and if you're failing a class, but don't worry about what other people think of you. If you want to dress preppy, go for it. No one cares. In fact, you'll probably get compliments. Everyone is wrapped up in their own life, that they're not going to spend their whole thinking about the time you wore black and navy together. It's okay. 

Study. Do your work: This is something I can't stress enough. This will help your grades a lot, and you learn more. Learn how to study. It's a useful skill. 

Being best friends with someone doesn't mean they're the only person you have to be friends with. You can be friends with other people too: I feel like this is something I haven't learned until very recently, but it's so true. Don't spend all your time with one person. That gets boring. Spice it up. Reach out and make new friends. Invite other friends over. You'll have fun. 

Upperclassmen aren't as scary as you think. Promise: I was terrified of upperclassmen for the longest time. They're just people. It's weird because you might be in classes with people older than you, but they're really nice too. And they can help you out because they've already done everything! 

Sleep = the most important thing of your life: I think this is self explanatory. 

You make who you are and and what you do: You can always make time for stuff you really want to do. You are in charge of yourself, and no one else is. Do what you want. Be nice to people. In the end, you're the only one you have to blame or congratulate. Make yourself a good self. 

READ. Especially your classics: Maybe this is just the bookworm in me speaking, but read. It's so important and it will help you when you have to take literature tests and write essays. Classics are severely underrated and you should read them. The Great Gatsby and anything by Jane Austen are a great place to start. (Plus it'll earn you brownie points with your English teachers.)

YOLO: I know this is so so so cliche, but it's so true. You only live once. You only go through high school once. Make it a good experience. Do what you want. If you have an opportunity, take it, because chances are you're probably going to regret not taking it.

Make relationships with your teachers: This is mostly important for college recs, *but* if you make great relationships with your teachers and they like you, they'll be more lenient if you ask for an extension or forget to do homework. Plus it makes asking for help a lot easier and a lot less awkward. 

You'll find friends where you least expect them: Kristina I'm looking at you. Seriously though, talk to people and get to know them, especially if you do an activity together. Kristina isn't the only person who I've found in an unexpected place. Don't just stick to your old friends. Look for new ones, because you might end up finding someone really amazing. 

Your mom is probably right: Yeah. Listen to your mother. 

Get involved. Even if it's only one thing: A) you're going to need extracurriculars for college apps and B) you're going to be really bored if you don't do anything. Make some friends and learn something new. I can use a power drill, which I would have never expected to learn. 

Ask for help: It's okay to ask for help. Really. Teachers want you to succeed so ask for help! It'll make your life easier, I swear. 

And a bonus learning(?)(lesson?) for you guys:

Every ending is a new beginning: You're starting with a clean slate. What else could you ask for?

Welp. That's it. 18 things I learned in high school. And now I'm off on a brand new adventure. Expect another post soon :)

-Em xx

values

honestly, i never thought that values were that important. i just thought that they were something we all had, only brought out when we had to do one of those stupid activities in health when you talk about what you look for in a significant other.

um, no. try again emily.

values are important. they impact our every day lives, even if we don't always realize it. do i think that having to enumerate them and doing those activities are. i'm always going to think that. but i also think that deep in our hearts, we know what values we hold. we know what values we value in other people. and we don't need some overly excited health teacher making us share them with the class.

people will get to know you and your values as they better their acquaintance with you. you don't need to tell them 'yo these are my values' because, frankly, that's a little silly. if there comes a point when you need to because something is making you uncomfortable, then by all means, go ahead. goodness knows i've learned that this past year.

basically, what i'm trying to say is stick to your values. you know what they are, and if someone judges you for them? you need to get rid of them. ain't nobody got time for that.

sticking to your values and what you believe in is hard. i know that better than anyone.

i'm not going to lie to you, you're going to be tempted to stray, and you're going to get made fun of and lose friends, and you're going to have nights when you cry because what you believe in will separate you from everyone else.

but you know what?

it's all worth it.

because if you stick to what you believe, you'll weed out the people who aren't worth your time and that you don't want in your life. you'll find people who share your values, people you want to be with, people you love. and you'll love yourself more for not straying from what you believe in.

i know this for a fact, and it will show and people will marvel at what an amazing person you are because you had the strength to resist when others didn't.

always stay true to yourself. it's the oldest and corniest advice, but it's the truest.

-em xx