Dear Future Me, 

It’s April 8th, 2020. Yikes, 2020 must bring back some memories, and some pretty sad ones at that. We have been stuck in quarantine for the last few weeks and senior year has pretty much gone to sh*t. You were not able to have your senior year badminton season that you were looking forward to, sadly you didn’t even get to play your first match. 

Prom is likely cancelled along with graduation and other senior activities like the lock-down and senior brunch. There really is not a ton to look forward to these days, stuck at home, and missing out on the last year with your friends before college. 

On the bright side, I really like eLearning, waking up late and finishing a day’s work within a couple of hours. I have been able to sit back and relax and catch up on the much needed sleep that us students get deprived all year round. 

Our family has grown a lot closer over the past few weeks, playing board games, darts and of course tons of games of canasta. With our busy lives it has been nice to spend some quality time with the family. Dean is back from college so the gang’s all back together, at least until the next school year. 

As much as I love catching up on family time I am really missing my friends. This was supposed to be the year of lasting senior memories with my best buds but instead we have been separated for nearly a month. I really hope this all clears by the summer so that we can hang out before we all end up all over the country for college. 

In other news, with tons of free time on my hands I have started to learn how to do calligraphy, I am pretty bad at the moment but hopefully I got better by the time you’re reading this!

I think that this virus has taught our community how to come together, I have seen so many people lending hands and really just being there for each other. It has brought families closer together as they have been staying in for the past few weeks. 

I am glad that there has been little lights at the end of the tunnel during this pandemic and I hope everyone affected by this virus is doing alright. These are certainly unprecedented times and a good way to see how the community will react to it (hopefully we did alright).

Finally, I hope I am a nurse by now (hahaha) and I am helping people in times like these. I always wanted to be there for others and in a time like this the healthcare workers are truly heroes at this time, and hopefully I am one too as you read this! Hoping all is well in the future!

So I know these past few weeks have been a little rough, stuck inside all day, feeling trapped. But don’t worry, it is all for the best! The best thing to do right now is to socially distance yourself so hopefully (fingers crossed) this virus goes away sooner than later. 

I am sure a lot of you are feeling bored, and running out of things to do while you sit at home staring at the wall, but hey, look on the bright side there are a few good things that could come out of this. I know this is not what any of us imagined our senior year to be, but sometimes we just have to make the most out of the situation we got. 

Here is a list of things I plan on doing while we have loads of free time on our hands. 

#1: Learn Calligraphy

I have always wished that I knew how to do fancy writing so that I could doodle in my free time. Well, thanks to corona, I am determined to learn how to do calligraphy! I bought some fancy pens, and a beginners guide to modern calligraphy book on Amazon, and I can’t wait to see how it goes! There is lots of drawing in my future. 

#2: Deep Clean my Closet

You may think you have a messy closet… but you have not seen anything until you have seen mine! Whenever our cleaning service comes, my mom tells me to clean my room, but what do I do? Take everything that was in my room and throw it in my closet. So… I decided with this free time on my hands it would be a good time for some good old fashioned spring cleaning. Honestly, when you are blasting music, cleaning really isn’t that bad! 

#3: Catch up on Netflix

As many of you know, I am a true Netflix lover, so what better way to spend my time than binge a Netflix series? I am currently watching Lucifer (I am halfway through the 3rd season), after that I want to watch the second season of All American! If you have any suggestions for a new series please let me know, I am always on the lookout! 

#4: Do Some Cooking

My birthday was a couple of days ago, and although this was definitely not how I imagined my 18th birthday, I did have a ton of fun spending the day with my family! One of things I did was lots of cooking! For breakfast I made some Belgium waffles (delicious by the way) and I also made these cookies my Grandma always makes. It’s a shortbread cookie with homemade icing in the middle, for my first crack at them they were pretty good, but my Grandma’s will always be the best! We also found that we had a bread maker so we hope to take a spin at making bread sometime over this break. 

#5: “Socialize”

I know we can’t actually go out and hang with our friends, but there is always FaceTime! It is a great way to talk with your friends, and a nice change of pace when I am bored at home. I also found out that you can download something on the Chromebooks that let you share a Netflix screen and there are little text messages that you can send with friends while you all watch the same movie (I have not tried it yet, but plan to).  

#6: Board Games & Card Games

My family is super into card games and board games. So far this break we have played; spoons (it gets really intense… my older brother pushed me off my chair while we were fighting for the last spoon), BS, slap jack, the game of life, monopoly, and a few others. This is a great way to spend some quality time with my family that I don’t normally get to do since we all have pretty schedules. 

I hope that this lifts your spirits a little bit in these unprecedented times, and just remember it will get better! Hopefully this has helped you get out of a boring funk and you try some of these things while you are stuck at home. Let me know what you have been up to in the comments and I will be sure to try it out! 

My grandma loves to take our family on summer vacations as a way to spend time with the entire family. With 10 people, (my family plus my cousins) it can be pretty intimidating to think of something all of us would like to do. I always looked forward to seeing what our next adventure would be. 

So there we were, the beginning of summer and my parents were about to tell us where we would be heading to in the upcoming months. Dozens of places rushed through my head… Hawaii? Somewhere exotic (like the European cruise we went on last summer? 

We are going to … ALASKA! 

Wait- Alaska? What in the world was going to be exciting about Alaska? It’s cold, and seemed pretty boring to me, was definitely not my top choice by a long shot (honestly I was pretty disappointed). But let me tell you, this was one of the best vacations I have ever been on to this day. 

Fast forward to the middle of July where our journey began, we boarded the plane, and after a few hours arrived in Alaska. Here we are waiting to get our bags and all of the bags had come out of the terminal … except for mine. We went to the service desk and they told us that that had been everything on the plane- vacation was off to a great start, I was about to get on a boat for the next six days with no extra clothing. 

We scrambled throughout the city frantically trying to buy me some clothes for the cruise starting the next morning. When we were done we went back to our hotel and went to bed. Thankfully the next morning my luggage had been found by the airline and taken to our hotel (crisis averted).

We were now on our way to the boat and everything seemed to be looking up. Until we had our first night on the boat. I got sea sick on the very first night and threw up all over the floor in the room and let me tell you, probably the worst smell I have ever smelled. I felt so bad, it was literally the first night and the crew had to come clean up the mess I had made. 

You may be thinking how on Earth was this her favorite vacation if it started with her luggage getting lost and getting sick the first night? Don’t worry this would be the last setback of the trip. 

Finally to the good parts of the trip. One of my favorite things we did on the trip was go kayaking. This was the first time I had ever kayaked in my life, and I thought it was super fun! We kayaked through the river and to a hot spring where we got out. This was also the first time I had ever been to a hot spring but I found it very cool to see basically a natural, outdoor hot tub. It was gorgeous because the spring was right beside a waterfall so you could just imagine the breathtaking views. 

For those that love to fish, there was plenty of that on this trip. I choose to do other activities like hiking but my brothers always stayed back to fish. We ended up taking 30 pounds of halibut back with us! 

There were so many activities to choose from, and I always loved to go on hikes. Something super cool about the first hike we did (although it was six miles) was that I got to hold a moon jellyfish that had been washed up onto the shore where we ultimately ended up at the end of our hike. The wildlife in Alaska was also amazing. Bald eagles were like pigeons they were everywhere you looked. There were also tons of bears, and the best part, they would only be about 20 feet away which was such an awesome experience although a little scary now that I think about it. 

But the best experience by far of the entire trip was seeing the glaciers. We had gotten onto smaller boats and rode up to the huge glaciers. I was very surprised as to how much I enjoyed this as they are just big chunks of ice, it does not really seem like there are much to them. However when we saw the ice crashing down as well as the sounds that came along with it, it will be something I will remember forever. On our way back to the ship, we drove into a small cavern just big enough to fit our boat where there was a waterfall. My brother got to lean over the boat and catch some of the water into a cup. Drinking water from a waterfall was definitely not something I had ever thought I would do in my lifetime. 

The whole experience was filled with such fun memories and I would love to go back sometime in the future! If anyone has ever been to Alaska let me know what you thought of your vacation! 

Last week I wrote about my favorite books from my childhood. I decided to stay within this theme and think about other aspects of my childhood that I enjoyed. When I think of my youth, lots of it consisted of being a total couch potato and watching hours of TV (cause I had nothing better to do with my life). While there were a vast majority of choices as I scanned through the television, Nickelodeon always caught my attention, because come on, they have some of the most iconic shows ever! If you want to take a trip down memory lane, continue reading to see my top four favorite TV shows as a kid.  

#4: Spongebob Squarepants

Let’s face it: we all watched this show as a kid. This was just a way for me to completely relax because in all honesty the show is pretty stupid, but hey, I loved it. This show just brought a bit of joy into my life, I knew that everytime I would watch it, I would get a good laugh out of it. Each character, while quirky in their own ways always found a way to make me laugh. In the end, the show will always find a way to make a kid smile… and isn’t that the point of all good television? 

Not only was the show relaxing, but looking back at it now, there were actually a ton of adult jokes sprinkled in that totally flew over my head as a kid. I mean they have to have a little something in it for the parents who are forced to watch it by their kids right? 

While some may see it as a mind-numbing series, there are a few minor things that kids can take away from it. For one, Spongebob always has a positive attitude and is never afraid to be himself and this is how all children should live their lives, just truly being themselves. Not only this but he has an extremely good work ethic which instills the message to kids that they should have the same hard working qualities. 

It is evident that the show has a ton of great qualities and is a must-see for anyone in search of an amazing childhood. 

#3 Victorious

Ok, so as we all know, Victorious recently came onto Netflix and I can’t even lie, I have re-watched the entire series… but I am sure the majority of you have as well. With catchy songs, and a great cast, this show hooked me at the start. Not to mention there are a few attractive characters throughout … Beck. 

There are tons of great moments throughout the show but one of my favorites is when Trina did her one woman show. And came her iconic song about Chicago Chicagooooooo (I am sure if you have watched the show you definitely sang that in your head). Over all, this show was just very entertaining and I knew that each time I watched it I would be able to hear some catchy songs and see a silly series. 

#2: iCarly

Carly Shay finds her normal  life turns upside down when her internet show “iCarly” blows up. With the help of her best friends Sam and Freddie, they begin to develop the show as they see it become a huge success. 

iCarly was definitely one of my favorite shows as a kid. For one, all of the characters were so funny! Everything was over the top and exaggerated but that is what made the show so enjoyable. Carly’s brother Spencer always had something up his sleeve. As an up and coming sculpter he was always looking for something to build or make. I have never tried them but I need to try his ever famous … spaghetti tacos!

While Spencer is a major asset to the show other important characters include Gibby and T-Bo. For some reason Gibby loved to dance with his shirt off which was always funny and he appeared frequently on the “random dancing” segment of the show. And then there is T-Bo, ever wanted to know if you could put food on a stick? Ask T-Bo. From bagels to tacos you could find him selling pretty much anything at the local smoothie restaurant. 

This show is a must-see for anyone who loves Nickelodeon. It was a big part of my childhood and would recommend this show to everyone boys and girls alike. 

#1: Drake and Josh

And my favorite childhood show… “Drake and Josh”! Drake and Josh could not be more different from each other, one a rock star, the other, a nerdy teen. However when their parents get married they have to find a way to get along with each other. They go through hilarious adventures especially when it comes to their little sister Megan who is constantly pulling pranks on them and calling them boobs. 

To start, the theme song is bomb so the show already starts off on a good note. While the show includes slapstick humor and is a bit cheesy at times, it is so entertaining to anyone who watches. 

The show also holds a variety of lessons for kids. For one, the most important part is that it teaches the youth how to overcome their differences. As I said before Drake and Josh were polar opposites of each other yet they learned to get along. It also holds a huge theme of family throughout. They are always looking out for each other which is very important to instill in our youth. 

“Drake and Josh” will forever be an amazing show and I encourage all of you to go back and watch it if you have not already!

I hope that you enjoyed these TV series and if you have any others that were in your top choices feel free to leave a comment and I will be sure to check them out! Happy-bingeing.

Don’t you wish you could be a little kid again? I know I do. No more hours of homework, no big responsibility, everyone just wanted to take care of you, and the best part… the one thing you did have to do – just have fun. I have so many great memories as a kid, and believe it or not, a lot of them revolved around the books that my parents used to read me before bed. Whether it was because my parents would always read in different voices or the fact that I got to stay up a little longer, I always loved a good bedtime story. 

There I was, lying in bed all tucked in and getting ready to read some fabulous books (back before high school when my love of reading died – thanks annotating). My parents would come in, read me a few books and I remember always being so happy. Happy to be surrounded by my family. Happy to have a nice laugh before bed. Just pure bliss. 

While all the books they read to me were special, there were a few that stuck out to me the most. Here are my top 4 favorite books from my childhood.

#1: Horton Hears a Who

I am sure that most of you have read this book, but for those of you who have not, here is a short summary: Horton the elephant is busy taking a dip in the pool and hears a small speck of dust talk to him. Horton believes that there are small people living on the speck and he places it on a clover vows to protect all of the people living on it. However, the Sour Kangaroo believes Horton is crazy and does everything in her power to get Horton away from the speck. 

I love this book not only for the story line, but the way my parents would read it to me. Whenever my dad would read me the book, he would always use a different voice for each of the characters, my favorite one was what he used for the Who’s. He would talk in a high pitched, squeaky voice (because they are so tiny) and it always made me laugh. 

It is a perfect book for kids because it teaches them that anyone can make a difference, no matter who they are – every voice matters. Throughout the entire book the same phrase is repeated over and over, “a person’s a person no matter how small”. Children will also walk away knowing the importance of caring for others as Horton does throughout the entire book.

#2: Where the Wild Things Are

This one is a classic. Everyone knows the story- Max, a troublesome boy is sent to bed without supper. His room then transforms into a jungle and he sails across the sea until he stumbles upon an island home to the “Wild Things”. He becomes their king and plays with the monsters. However, he becomes homesick, and decides to return back to his house where he finds a hot dinner waiting for him. 

I loved this book because it was all about the imagination. And just like in the previous book, my parents would always imitate the characters. We would always compete on who could roar the loudest just like the monsters. This was always so fun and I have so many great and funny memories associated with it. 

I think this book is great for any child who loves to use their imagination. You get to see where Max’s mind takes him and it really reminds me of my childhood where my imagination would run wild. 

#3: Miss Nelson Is Missing

This book is one that I don’t believe is as popular as the rest. The premise of the book is pretty simple: the children of room 207 take advantage of their nice teacher until one day she goes missing and the kids must deal with their vile substitute teacher. 

For me, I don’t really know why I loved this book so much. I just thought that the book was exciting and interesting as a whole and as a kid, that’s all I needed. This book is also a bit of a mystery on who the substitute teacher really is and if you couldn’t tell from my previous blogs, I have always been a sucker for mysteries.

This book teaches kids about manners and how to treat adults. They once had a very nice and easy going teacher, however the children never listened and basically would take advantage of her. When they have a strict substitute teacher, their behavior suddenly switches. Overall this is a great children’s book and would encourage you to read it if you never have before! 

#4: Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day

This book is a great read for someone who is not having the best day. The book pretty much goes like this- Alexander basically has the worst day ever. Everything seems to go wrong throughout his day, he bumps his head, loses some friends, doesn’t get the shoes he wants, gets picked on by his brothers, doesn’t get to watch the TV show he wants during dinner, and the list goes on. It is pretty evident that this is not exactly a great day for Alexander. 

I loved this book, because it was just SO relatable. Everyone has had these types of days, the ones where literally everything seems to go wrong. Everything just piles on and it seems like your world is crashing down. Alexander dreams of going to Australia to maybe get away from his horrible day, but his mom tells him, some days are like that… even in Australia. 

I think this book teaches young kids that it is OK to have a bad day. They are inevitable. By the ending of the story the mother tries to show Alexander that you really can’t run away from your problems. Overall I think the book is a must-read because it teaches us how to deal with rough days even if it seems like you are having a terrible horrible no good very bad day. 

Now that you have read my top four favorite children’s books, let me know in the comments if you agree with my selections or if you have any other suggestions. Happy reading!

Hey! A few months ago, I gave you my top five series to watch on Netflix when you are in that dreaded moment of being in between Tv shows and having no clue to watch. If you are like me, and can easily binge-watch an entire season in a day, then I’m sure you must have already watched all those suggestions I gave you all those months ago. So if you are yet again, helplessly scrolling through the deep sea of Netflix, look no further: these are your next three shows to watch next! 

#3: All American

If you are someone who loves sports and especially football but… loves the drama too, then this show is definitely for you! 

Spencer James is the best player by far on the Crenshaw football team, but when the head coach, Billy Baker, from Beverly Hills recruits him to play Spencer’s life is turned upside down. While moving to Beverly Hills will give his life more opportunities than Crenshaw (a poor neighborhood in California) the move is as hard as ever when it comes to his social life. In this drama-filled series, two families’ lives are changed forever as they have to adapt to the new life presented for them. 

Some reasons this show is so amazing is because not only is the content so enticing but the show delves into multiple social issues such as gang violence, athlete drug testing, and LGBTQ+ rights. This makes the show all the more relatable, by utilizing the show as a platform to talk about these real-life issues, “All American” allows this important topics to be seen and heard in real-life situations which only further drive the conversation we so desperately need to have. 

Besides this, the show’s main focus is always on family. Spencer does everything for his family back in Crenshaw, he always has their best interest at heart and does anything and everything he can to support them. I love when series are all about family because family is such an important thing to me and so often we see families being dismissive of each other. 

“All American” will leave you with cliffhangers after every episode and is a must-see if you are a sucker for drama yet also love sports! 

#2: The Fosters

This series follows the lives of Stef and Lena Foster who have one child of their own as well as two adopted children, Mariana and Jesus. They later take in two more kids, Callie and Jude and with these two children, the Foster’s lives become a bit more difficult. As you can imagine, raising five kids can’t be easy, if you want to know what challenges they will have to endure throughout the process, then you better watch the show!

Just like “All American”, “The Fosters” shed light onto the LGBTQ+ community quite often throughout the show because the main characters, Stef and Lena are a lesbian couple. The series brings to late just how truly hateful people can be towards the LGBTQ+ community and what it is like having to deal with all of these negative projections from others. Time and time again the show emphasizes no matter what your sexuality, you are still a human being and deserve to be treated and loved just like anyone else. 

Another aspect of the show is that it touches on other social issues such as the foster care system. I have never seen or heard of another show that deals with the foster care system and this show was incredibly eye-opening for me. While yes it is a fictional show, it really does make you realize the hardships that foster children have to go through, from switching in and out of homes so many times to really just being treated differently by society. 

I love this show for both its content and the issues they shed light on and I think this show is perfect for anyone in search of a loving, and uplifting series to binge next. 

#1: Insatiable

Patty Bladell is a teenage girl who has constantly had to deal with bullying throughout her high school years due to being overweight. But, after being on a liquid diet for the past three months due to a freak accident, she has transformed into a thin and beautiful girl who seeks revenge on anyone had bullied her before. Obsessed beauty pageant coach, Bob Armstrong, see’s Patty’s potential and becomes dedicated to turning her into a national champion pageant queen. 

While at first glance this show may just seem like a show about pageant girls, while yes it is part of it, the show is so much more! Not going to lie this show is incredibly dramatic… and I am all for it! If you couldn’t tell by now I am a sucker for dramas and I am sure a lot of you are too!

Patty becomes obsessed with revenge on anyone who has bullied her in her past and goes to the extremes to fulfill her need for it. This show is jam-packed full of cliff-hangers and suspense full twists and turns around every corner and will definitely keep you on your toes! Not to mention there is some series eye-candy with love interest, Brick Armstrong. Just sayn’.

I hope at least one of these shows sparks your interest and you give them a try! If you do let me know what you thought about them in the comments and if you have any suggestions for great shows let me know! I am always on the lookout for my next Netflix bingeathon. Have fun being a couch potato as you get sucked into these shows!

As high school seniors, we can all relate to the stress of schooling. Whether it be filling out our college applications (possibly the night before they are due), or the endless amounts of homework we receive every night (mostly from math ugh). While these are natural parts of high school, it is important to know how to relieve loads of pressure and stress we are under.

Lucky for you, I have a few tips that have helped me cope with the massive amounts of stress the college process and the AP courseload has brought me. The following are my top 4 ways to stop you from having a mental breakdown as a result of your stress.

#1.) Make Time for Self-Care

This is an essential step in eliminating your stress levels. Sometimes the best way to cope with stress is to just walk away. I have had countless experiences in which I am struggling with a math problem or am just overwhelmed, and the best thing to do is just a step back. Forcing yourself to sit there, getting overly frustrated will do nothing except heighten your stress levels. When you see this happening, simply take a step back, go play your favorite game, watch an episode of your favorite show on Netflix, or another activity that you truly enjoy. This gives your brain a chance to just reset. Sometimes we get so worked up that it becomes hard to think or change our perceptions on the problem, stepping back is an effective way to cleanse your mind and you can come back to the work once you have had a minute to calm down.

#2.) Listen to Music

There have been countless studies that show the powers of music and how it can be therapeutic. One of the most obvious reasons is that music has the power to put you in a better mood. When you are feeling stressed out, try playing music from your favorite band and just feel your heartbeat in rhythm with the song. Just let loose, don’t worry about the work you are doing and simply let the music take you to a state of peace. One article states that ” The uplifting sound of music and the positive or cathartic messages that can be conveyed in the lyrics can all be routes to a new mental state as well. This can help prevent the stress response from wreaking havoc on the body and can help keep creativity and optimism levels higher, bringing many other benefits.”

#3.) Think Positively of Yourself

It is never a good sign to constantly be nagging yourself for every mistake you make. Being too hard on yourself only leads to further stress and anxiety towards school. I certainly fall victim to this in that I sometimes get too upset over a bad grade. The most important thing here is to realize that failing a test or quiz is really not the end of the world, although it may seem so at the time. This is a natural part of high school, and the purpose of life is to make mistakes. You have to be able to accept that you are not perfect and you never will be, which is totally ok! Be sure to celebrate your success and not just the rough times throughout school, this will most definitely relieve some of the stressful moments of high school.

#4.) Put Your Phone Away While Doing Homework

This can be one of the most difficult things to do but it is one of the most important aspects of relieving stress. I know that we have all fallen victim to doing our homework and honestly just wanting a tiny break. You say you are just going to scroll through Instagram for 5 minutes but the next thing you know, it has been an hour and you are nowhere close to being done with your work. This is how we get to the 1:00 am bedtimes and being too tired to function at school. Sleep is one of the most important aspects of a teenager’s life, with the constant hustle and bustle of our lives sleep is incredibly important, without it we can just imagine the stress that builds up. We are too tired to truly pay attention at school and from this, we fall behind on our schoolwork. This all stems from being too distracted by our phones while doing homework, so the best thing to do is to just put it away!

I hope that these have been helpful tips and that you try some of these out. I know that they have made a huge difference in my stress levels, which trust me I have plenty of and I hope that they can help you manage your stress! While high school is a time to focus on getting good grades, it is also a time to go out and have fun with your friends, don’t let your stress get in the way of that!