So True!

"...she packed her potential and all she had learned, grabbed a cute pair of shoes, and headed out to change a few things."

Saving up!

I've admitted here before that I am not that great of a saver. My greatest weaknesses are probably new beauty products. I love shopping for clothes, but a lot of times they don't fit, I'm not in the mood to try things on, etc. But makeup, shower gel, face wash, anything like that....the newer and cooler, the better. It is terrible but I've thrown out half-used shampoo or something because I am itching to try something new. I don't even want to think of how much money I've wasted on these types of girly products. So here's a test for myself. I've decided I want to save up and buy a new (used) car. The one I have now is over 10 years old and is basically falling apart.

You get to help me. Here's the deal. Starting now, I will not buy any new beauty products I do not need. I will use my face wash until the last drop is gone and same goes for shampoo, makeup, etc. I will use what I own right now until I absolutely need to go buy something new because I ran out. Here's where you keep me on track. If I buy something, I have to post what I did and you get to yell at me! Haha! So wish me luck with my saving adventures!

Quote & Update!

"I wanna live inspired; I wanna die for something bigger than myself..." - Anberlin

I love Anberlin! I've been getting into their music more recently. If you like their style, I definitely recommend them.

Sorry for the lack of posts these past few days, for some reason Blogger would not load on my computer! I think the problem has been solved though and I'll have a post coming at you tomorrow.

Also, it seems like no one is really interested in doing contests on my blog. I don't think I will continue doing them, seeing as no one has entered yet this time. If you really do like them and want to enter, let me know, otherwise I probably won't continue them unless I get asked to.

I hope everyone had a great weekend and is gearing up for another week! I have an interview for a summer (paid! yes!) internship this week and I am hoping it goes well. :)

New Perspective

Life is about perspective...standing true to your own while trying to understand other people's. Isn't this how it always goes? In every argument, there are two perspectives. Each one has truths yet they are both skewed to make each person look a bit better. When looking at perspectives, you definitely have to stick to your own. You have to see your own truths and how the situation makes you feel. But you also have to try to see it from the other person's eyes.

Dear you...

This is absolutely adorable. This one is for my boy. :)

I love spring!

First of all, don't forget to enter my second contest! If no one enters...I'll be forced to quit doing these... :-/
Spring is definitely my favorite season of the year. I love summer, but at times it gets too hot and sticky for me. Winter is beautiful, but I hate being stuck inside all the time and the dreary weather it can bring. Fall is beautiful as well, but it starts getting chillier and you know winter is coming. Spring is perfect though. It isn't too cold; it isn't too hot. For me, I just feel so hopeful. The sun finally arrives for good. The warmth makes you smile. The trees and grass get "greener".

Another reason I love spring is that it is the perfect time to be outside and reflect in nature. There is simply something about taking a walk or riding my bike that clears my head and gives me a sense of peace. The weather is great for this; you won't get frozen or sweat to death. You can simply roam where ever your mind takes you and think. I do believe we are the most creative in nature and when we allow ourselves to slow down and really ponder things.

So here's your task (and mine). Go out in nature and enjoy this spring weather and see what it brings you!

Help my friend walk in the 3 Day for Breast Cancer!

Hi friends,

My friend Hector is walking in the 3 day for the cure! Please help support him and this great cause. So far he only has $10 of the $2,300 needed...so any donations are greatly appreciated. Thanks guys. :)

Our fingertips don't fade...

"Our fingertips don't fade from the lives we touch." - "Remember Me"

I love this quote. I've always believed this. I hate to hear stories of suicides because you immediately think of the family and friends that person left behind. How those people must feel. How these people felt insignificant and like their lives didn't even matter in the big picture of things. Well, truthfully, in the "big picture" of things...our lives don't really matter. Us. One single person on this huge planet. But in your world, you matter. In the "big picture" of your life, you matter. Loving one person and touching their life is enough of an accomplishment to be remembered after you are long gone. Perhaps we won't all be like Michael Jackson or Heath Ledger, these famous people whose lives will be remembered for years and years by millions of people. But being remembered by one person is enough.

Which is why the people in your life are the most important part. As a society we tend to put our jobs or other things ahead of those who love us. We forget to make people a priority. Because your job definitely won't miss you 50 years from now, but your parents will. Your friends will. So be good to these people and treat them as you should. You won't regret it, I promise.

Definitely don't forget to enter my second contest!

Movie to Remember...

As all of you know, I love movies. Except scary ones, of course. :P I love silly comedies that make you want to repeat the lines just for laughs over and over again. But my favorites are truly the ones that are like this. Those movies you know in your heart are amazing because you left the movie theater feeling different. Maybe everyone has this different feeling. Maybe not everyone has it. But mine is like this: I feel inspired, I feel introspective, despite the sad and depressing parts I feel enlighted and hopeful. I am in my own little daze for a few minutes. This is probably one of my favorite feelings in the whole world.

Lately, I felt it after "Remember Me". Let me tell you..."Twilight" does not do Robert Pattinson justice. He is a great actor (not to mention wildly good-looking!). While I will probably go down in saying "Remember Me" is one of the most depressing movies I've seen, but it truly was one of those movies that touched on many different topics; all which made you want to cry and think and never, ever regret anything. I definitely recommend seeing it and I do not want to write anything more about it or else I will ruin it. Just make sure you bring the tissues.

Don't forget to enter the second contest!

Second Contest!

I am proud to announce the 2nd contest of this blog! This one has a pretty cool prize if I do say so myself. ;) Again, I am letting you choose the prize...this time with even more leeway!

Same rules apply as last time. Help me and I help you! Whoever gets me the most new followers or readers to my blog, wins the prize. Have the new follower comment and tell me who sent them and at the end of the week, I will announce the winner (that is the person who was mentioned the most by commenters!).

Here's the prize...you can pick anything...yes anything you want within the price limit, from Amazon.com. (Please choose something appropriate though for the sake of my records, haha!) So the winner will e-mail me their choice. The price limit is $10 (not including shipping). Trust me, this can get you a long way on Amazon.

So good luck everyone! E-mail me or comment with any questions.

Leaving things behind...

As I've written in the past, letting go of things is truly one of the hardest things I face in my life. I just can't seem to get rid of people who prove time and time again that they don't care about me simply because I care about them. Friends who ignore me, use me...whatever, I fight for the friendship even when I know I should just forget it. I think of the times that they were there for me or the fun times we used to have and wonder if we could get it back.

So now, part of me is fed up and part of me is feeling ready to be free. I want to focus all my time and energy on fulfilling myself and being around those who prove they are there for me, just as I am there for them. I am not going to be rude to these people, but just accept that they aren't good friends. I strongly believe in not being around people who just bring toxin into your life. So I am going to focus on making myself better and surrounding myself with those who truly matter right now in my life.
How do you learn to let go of bad people or situations?

Ask me something!

Hey, for today, ask me anything!

Check out my formspring.

http://www.formspring.me/LSTEW0711

Have fun friends and enjoy the beautiful day!

Life is about...

Life is about the choices we make and the people we'll never forget.

This came to me yesterday while I was just pondering what life truly is about. Life shouldn't be measured with bad moods or awful events, but celebrated with happiness. Life consists of all of these things...good days, bad days, heart-wrenching news, and joyful celebrations. Ultimately, it is what you do with these every day events. The choices you make with what is given to you. The way you choose to handle something with optimism or pessimism.

So I hope you choose optimism. I hope you look back and don't regret. People are sent into your life for a purpose; whether to teach you something, be there for you at a certain time, or just meant to be with you forever. You get to choose how you handle the things life throws at you and the people it sends you. Choose wisely and choose the things that make you happy and make you shine.

Decided to try Formspring...

New post hopefully up tomorrow! For now...you can ask me questions. :]


http://www.formspring.me/LSTEW0711

Book Review: Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom

I have some time to write so I wanted to share my thoughts on a great book I just finished.

Mitch Albom has been somewhat controversial in the news, but I've always enjoyed his books. My mom got me this book (a signed copy in a nice case!) for Christmas and I just finished it after reading six of my other books from Christmas. I saved it because I didn't know what to expect. Like I said, I liked all his other books and I didn't really know what this one was about. It was great. It was a quick read, but inspiring. Rarely have I found a book on faith that wasn't one-sided in it's religious speech or that my opinions actually lined up with a man of God.

The book begins with Albom's Rabbi (a man who he greatly respected, yet feared...as he was this large man of God) asking him to do his eulogy. Albom, confused by this request, agreed anyway and went on to become a great friend of the Rabbi, or Reb, for eight years. The story also follows Henry, an ex drug addict and con man, who is now a Priest for a broken down church for homeless in Detroit. The two stories find ways to intertwine.

Like I said, I was shocked to find some of Reb's feelings similar to my own. My thoughts on religion and culture have changed over the years. I am a Christian, but I find myself being more and more open-minded as the years pass on. For example, I don't really believe in converting others and I value the beauty of all religions. Reb believed this also and it shocked me that a Rabbi said so. Reb became a character I myself wish I knew and admired from the stories on the pages.

So if you are looking for a quick read on spirituality and reading about good hearts and stories of lives touching others...grab this one. You'll be touched in some way.

Busy girl!

Hey friends,

I am in for a busy, busy week. Tomorrow is my boy's birthday! Tuesday I get to hang out with one of my girls home from break and the rest is a blur of routine ending with Kev's birthday party. I might not be able to post so in the meantime...check out my Twitter, Facebook, or old entries! :)

Thanks loves. <3 Enjoy your week.

Far Away Friends

I've written about this subject a few times since it is something that hits home for me and often makes me a bit sad. The fact that a majority of my girl friends go away to college and I have to string together a friendship with phone calls, texts, chatting online, Facebook stalking, and those visits only a few times a year.

Sometimes this is okay. I think to myself...at least I have good friends, right? At least I have those people I can call any time of the day and they will make me feel better. But sometimes, it just isn't enough for me. Call me selfish...but sometimes I just really want my best friends here with me when I need them, not just available to text with. And for a lot of my friends and myself included, we all get so busy that even keeping in touch gets hard to do. So, we see each other once during Christmas break, once during spring break, and I long for the summer when everyone is around.

Even the summer isn't so reassuring anymore, as some opt to stay up at school to take summer classes or keep their job or simply stay where they have more fun. So for now, I am waiting for the summer and hoping my friends come home and have time for me. Part of me kicks myself for feeling sorry for myself and knows that everyone has their own lives, but there will always be that part of me longing for more of my best girl friends to be around.

ABCs of me!

Taken from the lovely Lacey at Apartment 513. Pass this on! :)
Coming tomorrow (hopefully if I am not too busy)...another blog about college friendships.

A: Age - Twenty and anxiously awaiting 21...

B: Bed Size - Full.

C: Chore you hate - Laundry!

D: Dog's name - Hannah. :)

E: Essential start your day item - Hmm...sleep! Haha, I need to be well-rested when I wake up.

F: Favorite color - Pink or light blue/teal.

G: Gold or Silver - Silver.

H: Height - 5'8"

I: Instruments you play - None. I played Trombone in sixth grade...that was a disaster to say the least. I dabbled with guitar but I don't really have the patience to learn since I am not so much a natural musician.

J: Job title - Student, writer, retail worker (for now)

K: Kid(s) - Maybe far in the future. I always go back and forth on this.

L: Living arrangements - Apartment.

M: Mom's name - Dawn.

N: Nickname - Stewie (only my friend Kathryn can call me this! haha!) and L.Stew

O: Overnight hospital stay - When I was little, broke my arm and had to have surgery on it.

P: Pet peeve - Too many unfortunately.

Q: Quote from a movie - Any quote from Anchorman. And "What you feel only matters to you, it's what you do to those you say you love."-The Last Kiss

R: Right or left handed - Right!

S: Siblings - Only child.

T: Time you wake up - Generally 10 if I don't have to get up.

U: Underwear - Only a certain kind from American Eagle.

V: Vegetable you dislike -Corn.

X: X-rays you've had - My back, neck, arm, collarbone.

Y: Yummy food you make - Chicken and pasta...not so much a cook yet.

Z: Zoo animals you like - Lemurs and red pandas and penguins.

This Door is Always Open...

I've been feeling uninspired lately, so today I'll just leave you with a great song/cute video.