Colder Weather

It's that time of year again... the winter. It's my least favorite time of year. There are some good things about it, like holidays, school breaks, and Christmas music, but overall winter is filled with freezing temperatures, illness, snow, finals, excessive spending, and not to mention FREEZING TEMPERATURES. I find it really uncomfortable and unpleasant-- sorry Northerners.

Whenever the temperature drops below 45 degrees, the southerner inside of me recoils. Stepping outside and travelling by foot or bike for a mile to get to class in the morning is physically painful, especially when it's raining. I also despise the illness. Everyone is coughing, sniffling, and sneezing and I want to enclose myself in a giant germ-free bubble. While snow is cool and all, the only benefits of snow are aesthetic enjoyment, temporary joy and, let's be real, getting out of school. Snow is cold, wet, and produces ice, which is a hazard to all drivers and us uncoordinated folks who can barely walk even when it's dry. In addition, finals are stressful and determine my entire GPA... not fun! I'm also broke and can't really afford to shop and spend a lot of money, especially with student bills and car insurance.

Around this time of year, I always think of the song Colder Weather by the Zac Brown Band. I find the lyrics haunting and relatable. As my sister would say, it gets me in my feels. The song fully encompasses my emotions during the holiday season. For some reason, when the cold comes, my depression comes with it. The holidays are a very sad time for me and I'm not sure why. Society tells us the holidays are something to anticipate all year long. I feel like it is all overhyped. Maybe the sadness is the result of disappointment from high expectations. As we grow older, Christmas and the other holidays we may celebrate slowly lose their magic.

I guess I just have winter time blues. This is the reason I despise winter the most. I don't understand the appeal of winter besides the holidays. Plus, it's COLD, and the cold is the worst!!

Happy Holidays and Good luck on your finals!!

Kisses,

Isabelle xo

P.S. Winter sucks :P

College

Hey friends! Long time no update, sorry about that!

I went off to college this fall. My first semester has gone decently well, I think. My classes aren't too hard, but it's weird how much more work I have to do. There are so many things I have to get done! Finals week is rapidly approaching and all of my classes are busy.

It's also incredibly hard to believe how fast this semester has gone by. It is already November! The marching season is rapidly coming to a close-- I only have two more home games left (including today's game). The Million Dollar Band is so much fun! I've really enjoyed my experience. I'm so glad that I decided to do college marching band.

Sorry for the short update, I'll be able to write more over Christmas break. I just wanted to let y'all know how everything was going. Feel free to leave comments about your experience below. :)

Kisses,

Isabelle xo

P.S. Vote in the new poll!

New Life

Hey all! I know it has been a while and I'm sorry about that. Life has just been so busy! 🐝

 I am very excited. For those of you who don't know, I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL!! On May 22nd. 👩🏼‍🎓👩🏼‍🎓 I am so excited to go to college. The idea of exploration and new experiences fills me with a childlike glee. I am looking forward to discovering new things I enjoy and see who I really am. I wonder what is in store for me. What kind of friends will I make? What kinda clubs will I join? Who will I be and how will I have changed by this time next year? There are so many different possibilities.

I will admit that I'm also worried. What will it be like living on my own? Will there be anyone to help me if something happens or I get into trouble? I worry about money a lot too. I'm not sure if I'll be able to pay for everything. Will I be able to succeed financially without mommy and daddy's checkbook? I hope that everything will work out. Will my relationship work out? Even though it is long distance? Will I be lonely? I'll have almost no friends at college next year. Am I strong enough to start completely over? I hope so.

Overall, despite the anxiety, I am mostly looking forward with anticipation. I do love new beginnings and though I struggle with change, a fresh start is just what I need. I'm ready. The next level band (I am a member of the Million Dollar Band!!), the next level education, and the next level growth.

Eek! I'm so so soooo excited!!

Kisses,

Isabelle xoxo

P.S. Roll Tide!! 🐘❤️

De-stress

Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long! School started and life has been really busy. But guess what? I'm finally a senior!! I've officially started the countdown to my graduation. There are 250 days until I am considered a college student. Isn't that exciting? As you can imagine, I'm absolutely flooded with things to do. I've scheduled tours to my top schools, been starting on essays, starting applications, and searching for scholarships. I think I've written more essays in the past month than I have my whole life! Some of the classes I am taking this year are challenging as well: AP Calculus BC and AP Music Theory to name a few. In addition to all that, I have started working on my scholarship auditions for college music programs. It's a lot of challenging music and my first deadline is looming just over the horizon. The stickler: I'm doing all this while still participating in marching band as the Drum Major, as a member of tweleve clubs, attending martial arts classes, and maintaining a part-time job.

All of this work and pressure is really getting to me sometimes. It is overwhelming and results in an occasional panic attack or mental breakdown. It isn't easy to do everything at once, especially when you're a perfectionist and intrinsically motivated like me. I want to excel at everything, I don't allow myself to slack off, and under NO circumstances is a B acceptable. The only problem is that I'm completely stressed out 24/7.  I get stress migraines (on top of genetic ones which really sucks), a short temper and patience, occasional panic attacks, and never. ending. worrying. and. stressing. Honestly, it's awful and I hate it. It's so hard to manage myself and control my emotions and get enough sleep. This, of course, only makes it worse. Unfortunately, school and college are necessary evils to reach my optimal potential.

To combat this helpless feeling of crushing stress, I do several things:

1.) I binge eat my favorite snacks. I know I shouldn't, but sometimes eating a whole chocolate bar or a big bowl of ice cream with peanut butter melted on top just makes the pain go away. Let's face it: your favorite junk food always makes the sun shine a little brighter and makes everything seem more manageable.

2.) Aromatherapy baths. MMMMMM YESSSS!! Or bath bombs. And bubbles. There is something about sitting in a rainbow, good smelling, warm bath and being engulfed in mountains of bubbles. Something so juvenile and child-like about it that just makes you forget for a little while. Especially when you are listening to soft classical music while taking a nap, reading a good book, or singing along to your favorite songs. I seriously recommend this one.

3.) Going to the gym. Probably my least favorite because I don't like pain lol. But this is my go to if I'm angry.

4.) Another one of my favorites, but probably the most expensive, is driving. I like to drive on back roads with my music playing loudly and all the windows opened. Very satisfying.

There are several ways to distress, but these are some of my favorites. Have a great day! Happy Fall, y'all! XD

Kisses,

Isabelle ;)

P.S. Please check out the poll! :)

Memorization Hacks

One of the things that students always face at least once in school is having to memorize something. Many english classes require the memorization of vocabulary words. If your class is anything like mine, then you also have to remember it until the very end of the course or semester. Depending on the school, you'd have to remember those same words plus more for 18-36 weeks. That's a long time!

Luckily for you, I have compiled list of memorization tips and tricks!

1. Repetition. Repeat all the words until you know them all. This is probably the least effective for the long-term.
2. Retrieval. Create a list on Quizlet and hit "Test", or create one of your own. This helps you remember  the information. It is also a proved method to help memory! It is called the testing effect!
3. Flashcards. This method never fails for me!
4. When presented a list of terms, try and connect them all in some way. A venn diagram, flow chart, cause and effect diagram, and even a web diagram work for me. This is especially good with connecting concepts, like in a history class.
5. Create a mental image of each word and then create a story out of it! I actually found this one on YouTube. To watch, click here. I thought this was really cool!

These are just a few of the methods I use when I'm handed a list of terms to know. I get all A's, so they must be at least slightly effective! :P xD

I hope you guys have a fantastic week! Good luck and I hope this helps!

Kisses,

Isabelle!

After High School

College. Very scary. Very intimidating. There are so many different choices perfect for any criteria. Want a nursing school? There is one. A college specific to aerospace engineering? There is one for that too. For goodness sakes, there is even one for if you want to be a character in Disney World! There is a college out there for everyone. So why is it so hard to chose one? Heck, I can't even chose four or five to seriously consider! I thought I knew, but I didn't.

And when did my options start to dwindle down? When I was kid, my parents and my teachers constantly told me that I could do anything I wanted, go anywhere I wanted when I grow up. When did that start changing? Why, when I say that I want to be a music major, do people all attack me with phrases like, "You'll never be successful" "You'll never have a high paycheck" "You'll have no job security." Yes, I have considered it! I'm not going to change my mind. I love what I do and I want to do it for the rest of my life. I'm so tired of people criticizing my passions by telling me to grow up and choose something more practical. It's my life, not yours and gosh darn it, I am going to enjoy it.

When did the idea of going anywhere for college dissipate? All of a sudden, people are trying to encourage me to stay in state. In fact, my parents are practically making me. What if I don't want to go to an instate college? Money can be issue, I get that. But, I have a high enough ACT score to get decent scholarships and plenty of opportunities to raise that score. I'm also applying for several separate scholarships in addition to that. Plus, I'm already planning on getting a job! Money is not an issue. Another reason they want me to stay in state is because of travel time. They don't want to travel long hours to watch my marching band performances or concerts or anything else. They also want me to be able to visit them. They'll miss me. I understand that. I really do. In fact, I'd love for them to watch me, but I also want to go to the best undergrad school I can for music. That school is not instate. Music is a very competitive field, with lots of people vying for minimum spots. I need that leg up for graduate school.  My parents also say that some schools I am considering aren't good enough for me. "Their accepting ACT score is way too low" "People only go there when they can't go anywhere else." Yes, I completely understand that. They want me to be successful and challenged. Very plausible. But if it's a good school for music, why shouldn't I at least consider it?

My parents have good intentions. They just want what's best for me. They want me to go to college cheap for my bachelor's to save all my money for graduate school. They want to see my band performances and support me. They want me to succeed and go to a good instate school that will challenge me! I appreciate all their time and research and help and advice. I just don't want my options limited. I want to be free to go wherever I want that is good for music and that I can get money for. I want the freedom to be an adult and make adult decisions for MY future and MY success. I don't want someone else to make those decisions for me.