#59 Throwback Thursday

I know, I know, Throwback Thursday is an Instagram thing, but the name inspired me to do a little retrospective and come back to you with some of my favorite blogs I've written in the past. It's crazy to read back on some of them and see how far I've come. I think that's the best part about having a blog like this one. I'm sort of tracking my own growth. It's like a journal that I'm sharing with all of you. It's crazy how much a year can change a person, and that's really happened with me. Join me on a journey back in time, a Throwback Thursday!

Post #1: Started a Blog 

How could I not pick the post that started it all as a favorite? I think the best part about it is that I said that I hoped I could reach at least one person with this. I'd like to think I've achieved that goal and then some!

Post #5: Taken a Chance

This post marked my first input post, and to date, it is probably one of my favorites. Since I've read it, I've taken more chances than I can think of, which you kind of have to in college. But just in general, I've become more open and just jumped on opportunities when they've presented themselves. Really, you never know if you'll ever get the same opportunity again, so it's important to grab life by the horns. College has definitely taught me that. (See what I did there? With the horns and college? No? Alright) I have to say, I've surprised myself (and my friends) a few times over the past year, but aren't moments that what makes life interesting?

Post #24: Thanked You All

This one marked the official end of my high school career. Practically anyone you'll ask about high school graduation will tell you it's a bittersweet experience: one marked by happiness to be rid of school and sadness that you'll be leaving behind the people who meant so much to you over the years. I am no exception to this. I still cherish my days in high school and look back on them fondly. It's cool to see that a year ago I was saying the exact same thing I would say today. 

Post #31: New School Year, New Ideas

How could I not pick the post that started it all? .....again. I love this one because it marked a real turning point for me. Spending time in a new place made me begin to think about the things I'm doing in the present rather than the things I should've done in the past, which I definitely know now is a better way to approach things! I can't claim to not have regrets anymore, but my life has become more about doing things than thinking about them later, which is a great thing. 

Posts #44, : Things My Friends Are Doing: Elizabeth, Harrison, Amanda

This is definitely one of my favorite additions to my blog. I love giving you guys a perspective other than my own for a change. And it's also fun for me to read what they have to say. I have some talented friends, don't I? Don't worry, the series isn't over! Look out for more of my friends in the future!

Post #58: Frosting Fiasco

Yesterday's post is one of my favorites of all time, by far. Not just because of the fact that it had pretty pictures or had a wonderful message behind it. (As most all of my posts do, in case you haven't noticed. I'm practically an episode of Full House--you know, with a moral lesson at the end. But I digress.) I loved it so much because it shows the effort I'm putting into becoming a lifestyle blogger. I really am trying because that's what I want this to be more than anything. It's been a struggle, clearly, but I'll get there! 

So there are a few of my favorite posts of my own! I hope you enjoyed this Throwback Thursday. It was actually really fun for me to go back through my work. That's all I have for now!

Enjoy your weekend!

Morgan

#58 Frosting Fiasco

To continue with the whole food blogging thing, I figured I'd get in on the whole cupcake craze. As an avid watcher of Cupcake Wars (I watched all six seasons on Project Free TV in my dorm, I kid you not. Including the ones I'd already seen...), a frequent visitor of the famous Austin cupcake spots (Here's looking at you Hey Cupcake and Polkadots!), and just a general fan of the cupcake, I thought maybe I'd give baking cupcakes a shot. I decided to go with one of my favorite flavor combinations, chocolate and mint, and then I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best! 

It wasn't successful. Well I mean they turned out well and they were a somewhat of a hit with the birthday crowd I provided them for, but the baking process was pretty much a failure of epic proportions. Granted half of that was my fault because I decided to cut corners and use a cake mix instead of making one from scratch, but I stand by that decision because it would've yielded the same product--well actually it probably would've yielded a not-so-great product because something was bound to go wrong there!

But aside from the "I'm too lazy to make a cake from scratch" cake, the real failure was the frosting my friend Olivia (who takes all of the gorgeous food pictures on the blog for me!) and I attempted to make. I mean for starters, why would I have thought I could make frosting if I knew I couldn't make my own cake? Clearly logic went out the window here. Long story short, it was just not happening. And it only took us 20+ minutes with the mixer on, three sticks of butter, and six egg whites to figure that out. Like I said, it was a failure of epic proportions.

Around the halfway point of the frosting fiasco, I basically had a mental breakdown. My next door neighbor and great friend Bonnie came over in the midst of all the chaos and offered me a piece of wisdom that I feel is appropriate to share here. She saw my ugly butter frosting and said to me, "Morgan, you said you wanted to be a lifestyle blogger and failure is a part of life, so it's okay." Pretty spectacular, right? I thought so. Sometimes things just don't go the way we want them to, and that's perfectly okay. We just have to be able to take our mistakes and learn from them, careful not to repeat them again. Basically I learned to be extra careful when I attempt to make frosting next time and whenever you're freaking out, just talk to Bonnie!

And with her great lesson, I leave you with these pretty pictures of my cupcakes, but no recipe for them, because basically all you have to do to make them is buy a chocolate cake mix, bake that, and when your attempt to make homemade frosting fails, buy vanilla frosting and add some mint extract to it, but not too much because you don't want to be eating toothpaste. And if you're feeling really crazy you can add a little green food coloring to the frosting. Go wild! I only added a little because I didn't want it to be too wild, but that's up to you!

I really wish I were a better food blogger, but I guess I'll just take what I can get--in this case, a batch of pretty good cupcakes (considering everything was the opposite of "from scratch") and a life lesson!

Morgan

#57 Food for a Self-Doubting Thought

I think this pretty much speaks for itself, don't you?

Thanks to the lovely Caro Villarreal for sharing this wonderful quote that proves that even in our moments of self-doubt and loathing, we are beautiful. Remember that today and everyday.

#56 How to Make Someone Else's Day

Here's a fun fact about me that I would like to share with you all today. If I see a penny on the ground that's not face up, aka not on the lucky side, I will flip it over so that the next person who sees it will find a little luck for themselves. And another, I once folded someone's laundry in the laundry room on my floor rather than throwing it on top of the dryer for it to get all wrinkled until he came to find it. Needless to say he was very confused when he walked in and saw all of his clothes perfectly folded, but I just looked on with a smile. I also love giving presents more than anything. I'm one of those people would would rather give a present than receive one because the joy of seeing someone else get a present is present enough for me.

The point of all of these examples is that there is something to be said for doing good things for others. There is nothing that makes me happier than making someone else happy and feeling like I did a good thing. In fact, studies show that doing nice things for others boosts your serotonin. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that gives us the feeling of satisfaction and well-being. Most anti-depressants work by increasing the amount of serotonin available to your brain. What this means is that doing nice things for other people changes your brain in ways that make you feel better.

Every day, we have the opportunity to do a good deed for someone else. If we make a conscious decision to do so, we'll become more thoughtful, kind, and generally nice people. Any kind act, statement, or behavior that is about just doing something nice that impacts your family, friends, community at large, the environment, or even the world around us in a positive way, matters. It may not seem that way at first, but it does. More than that, kindness spreads. Someone who is shown kindness is more likely to pass it on than someone who isn't. So start the trend! Make someone's day...and your own!

Here are some small ways to make someone else's day:

• Turn over a penny to the face side to create good luck. Who doesn't need a little good luck?
• Leaving quarters and a note for someone in the laundry room at school. As a college student, I know every bit helps.
• Let someone cut in front of you in line at Starbucks. We've all been in that "I'm in a rush but I really want coffee" situation.
• Prevent a parking ticket. If you see a blinking meeter, feed it.
• Buy flowers for someone. Anyone! 
• Call a friend out of the blue to ask them what's new. And rhyme on said phone call if the mood strikes at all.
• Buy a stranger's drink at Starbucks. That is, if you didn't feel like letting them cut in line.
• Hold the door open for someone. And you don't have to be a boy to do it!
• Lend out a favorite book. What better to share than the gift of words?
• Give someone a compliment. And mean it. 

I strongly encourage all of you to try any and all of these! You'd be surprised what good they do for other people and for you as a person. Let's get that serotonin flowing!

In a humble attempt to make someone else's day today, I am going to take a second to recommend to all of you that you visit a blog called Peanut Butter Runner written by my friend Harrison's little sister Katherine. I am completely jealous of both her writing and cooking and general life abilities. She's a wonderful blogger who absolutely puts me to shame! I encourage you all to head on over to her site and marvel at it and her talent the way I have. Katherine, I hope this made your day! I am in constant admiration of your blogging skills and dedication to your readers--which includes me!

#55 Hello April!

Because of the fact that, for most, the first of April is all about playing pranks and making jokes, I've elected to wait a day to wish you a happy April! I wouldn't want to risk you all taking my well wishes for the month as a joke, now would I? I'm going to keep this short and sweet (I know, I know, I've been doing a lot of that lately, but something's better than nothing, right?) and say that this month is the time to enjoy! It's time to enjoy the beginning of spring and all the beauty that comes along with it. From the flowers blooming to the sun in the sky, there's something comforting about seeing new life spring (pun intended) up in front of you. It's about renewal, a new season. It's time to enjoy the fact that school is so close to being done with. Enjoy it now because May is all about finals, where the only time you have is reserved for studying and having mental breakdown after mental breakdown. Enjoy the fact that summer is so close that you can almost taste it. Enjoy the fact that winter clothes aren't really a necessity anymore, unless you live somewhere that they are, in which case I'm so sorry. Mostly, enjoy the April showers! Once they're over, they'll bring May flowers, of course, but that will also mean that summer is on the horizon!  And for me, it'll mean that I'm almost done with my first year of college. Crazy how time flies, isn't it?

Enjoy the month darlings! I'll be here all along the way, hopefully with something a little longer next time! And in due time at that.

Morgan