#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

#54 Words of Wisdom: Eleanor

If any of you have been keeping up with my Things I'm Loving page, you have probably already seen this image, but in case you haven't here it is (and I encourage you to check that page out!). I think this constitutes its own simple blog post because it is such a beautiful quote. And of course the nerd in me loves the image and font use, but that's besides the point. I spend a lot of time thinking about my future, as I'm sure pretty much everyone my age does, so whenever I see a quote like this, it really resonates with me. It is very easy to doubt yourself, but if we spend all of our time in self-doubt, we'll never truly get anywhere. Sure, sometimes it seems like life is about to be over, but we know it isn't so there is no point to sitting around and moping. Life moves extremely quickly, and we have to grow with it and adapt to it all on our own. If we believe in our abilities, if we believe in our dreams, if we believe in ourselves, it is then that the future belongs to us. 

Eleanor Roosevelt definitely has it right this time, and pretty much every other time she's said anything, really. I wonder if one day people will quote me like we all quote her...probably not, but that's alright! I can dream, can't I?

Morgan

#53 Back to the Grind Soundtrack

As I struggle to get back into the post-Spring Break school routine, I've taken a break to make another playlist for you all! This post will be short and sweet, but enjoy the music! I hope everyone who is getting back to the school grind had a great Spring Break. If you haven't yet had yours or are currently on it, lucky you! I certainly had a wonderful time on my break. It was the perfect combination of rest, relaxation, catching up with old friends, being with family, and of course, what break (especially Spring Break) would be complete without some shenanigans thrown in there? Those "...wait what?" and "I can't believe that just happened" moments are the ones that become lasting memories! While I'm very saddened that Spring Break is over and I don't have another break to look forward to until the summer, I'll get through it. I mean, think about it this way, we've hit the homestretch y'all! Only a month and a half-ish until summer!

Until then, enjoy this playlist! Excuse me while I attempt to finish my chemistry homework and make sense of my information technology readings...

Also, be sure to check out my Things I'm Reading and Things I'm Loving pages on the top tabs above! I'll be updating them so be sure to keep up (kind of like how we love to keep up with the Kardashians...no? Okay)! And how perfect is this picture? Perfect Spring Break/music parallel. Sometimes things just fall into place beautifully!

Morgan

#52 When Life Gives You Lemons

In an effort to make my blog more well-rounded and make myself into a lifestyle blogger, I'm determined to learn how to bake and to cook. Granted these are skills that I'll be needing for life in general so I would've had to figure it out eventually, but my desire to learn right this second basically comes from my selfish wishes to become a lifestyle blogger. I may write about my life, but I feel that adding some recipe blogs every now and then will add another facet to it! Hopefully I don't burn the house down in the process, but hey, practice makes perfect!

Two trips to the grocery store and hours later, I, with a very large amount of help from my friends, have managed to make oatmeal lemon bars. Well, I should say they did most of it while I walked around my kitchen confused as to where to find everything and what the heck to zest a lemon with. Basically they took the reigns, but I was in fact involved in the painstaking process! I was present!

We decided on oatmeal lemon bars because 1) I absolutely love lemon as I mentioned in my last post and 2) I absolutely love oatmeal, which I didn't mention, but now you know! I'm a complete sucker for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal creme pies, just plain oatmeal, anything really. So when we found the recipe for a dessert that combined lemon and oatmeal (two of my favorite things in the world) we had to go for it! I'll share with you the not-from-scratch version I used cause I won't even lie and say that I made it from scratch. I'm not that domestic yet!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cold butter
• 1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® oatmeal cookie mix
• 1 egg
• 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square pan with non stick spray.
2. In a large bowl cut the cold butter into the cookie mix with a fork or pastry blender.
3. Stir in the egg until the mixture is crumbly.
4. Press half of the dough into the bottom of the greased pan and bake it in the oven for 15 minutes.
5. In a small bowl mix the sweetened condensed milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice until thick and combined.
6. Spread lemon mixture over baked crust and evenly crumble remaining dough on the top.
7. Bake another 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let cool and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set. Cut into bars and store in the refrigerator.

And here we have the finished product!

Give baking a try! You never know what'll happen! Now will whatever I do next come out well? Stay tuned!
Morgan

#51 And All Your Little Things

You know how they say that it's important to appreciate the little things in life? I always heard people say it but I never really thought anything of it. That is, until recently when I've started to find joy in the seemingly simple. What simple thing, you may ask, sparked the writing of this post? Me painting my nails. *Cue scoffing reaction to girly activities* It may sound absolutely silly and trivial, but I love painting my nails. Not only do they look nice when I do them, but it provides me with some much needed, mind numbing activity. The extent of thinking involves what color you're going to put on, whether you're feeling a square or round shape, and, if you're feeling really crazy, what sort of pattern or design you'll go with. It's just one of those simple things I've found joy in. It might seem lame that I'm writing about painting my nails as a post (like really, you haven't been doing anything but painting your nails?) but my point is much bigger than that. As mentioned, it's about appreciating the little things that make your life a little better. For me, the simple things that make me happy are freshly painted nails (and I should also mention that I used to be a nail-biter, so it's a big deal that I've come this far with my nails, but that's a different story for a different day), and in addition to that, I love a good lemon tart (which I will one day learn how to make. Maybe if I'm feeling absolutely wild I'll post a recipe or something), buying new exercise clothes, and anything mint--the color, the flavor, the place where they make coins, all of it. Oh, and my bio on Instagram will tell you that I love a good looking, hand-written ampersand, which is this symbol in case you were wondering: &. Like I said, I've realized that there are seemingly simple things that have the ability to make me happy. Not everything that makes you smile has to be a big deal! And once we realize what those things that make us happy are, we can truly begin to appreciate them. Think about that next time you eat your favorite dessert or put on your favorite shirt or watch your favorite sports team on TV.

Here's a picture of my nails so you can see what is is that inspired this!

What are your simple joys?

Morgan

#50 Happy 1950!

Hello my lovely readers! For this momentous 50th blog post, today, I will be celebrating...me! Yes that's right, I'm celebrating me for a change, because today, along with it being my 50th blog post which is an event in and of itself, it is also my birthday! I don't think I've ever blogged two days in a row, but I figure, hey it's my birthday, why not shake things up a little bit? Today marks my 19th year on this great planet earth. 19 years of me being a neurotic freak, 19 years of me annoying my parents, 19 years of me pushing myself like crazy, 19 years of dreams and goals being both thought of and achieved, 19 years of ups and downs, but mostly 19 years of figuring out who I am and being that person. I can say as of lately I have really come into my own. College really has been a huge learning experience for me, and my first birthday in college has reminded me of that. More than anything, I can say with confidence that I'm happy with who I am, and what better way to celebrate your birthday than with that mentality? Maybe going to dinner with your best friends and wearing a cute outfit doesn't hurt either, but a good mindset is the foundation for a good day in general!

So today, on a day that I'm dubbing 1950 (Get it? 19 years, 50 posts?), I'm celebrating myself, because your birthday is the one day of the year when it's okay to be selfish! Not to mention the fact that it's one of the two days of the year (Thanksgiving being the other) when every single food decision you make is justified--ahem, pass me that cake...and that cookie...and everything else really! It's a day devoted to you. How great is that?

But of course, there is one person who deserves recognition probably more than you do on your birthday, and that is your mother, the very person who brought you into the world and gave you life, the most extraordinary of gifts. For me, the person who continues to give me infinite love and wisdom, and who gives me more gifts than I could possibly thank her for--including the exercise pants I asked her for that I was freakishly excited about. My mom is really the person who should be celebrated today, but of course I don't exactly mind being the center of the happy birthday fervor!

I guess I'll be celebrating both myself and my mom today! And of course, the day that marks my 50th blog post! Here's to the next 50!

Morgan

#49 Things My Friends Are Doing: Amanda

Amanda is no stranger to my blog by any means. She was involved in my ACL post, a feature in the Lord of the Rings post, and always answers my questions, but more than that, something you don't know about her is that she is one of my most loyal supporters. I can always count on her to have read my latest post within twenty minutes of its appearance on the World Wide Web and she's one of the few I feel comfortable consulting about my writing before it goes up! Not only is she a loyal to my blog, she's loyal to me in general. In fact it's one of the qualities I admire most about her, other than her quick wit and penchant for sarcasm (and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about when you read what she has to say!). She'll do anything for the people who are important to her. She'll share her Raisinets with you, she'll sit through an entire trilogy of movies with you, she'll be the most consistent pen pal on the planet, she'll do anything--except maybe go see a scary movie but I can't exactly blame her for that--and I greatly admire that in a person. The reason I asked Amanda to write, other than the fact that I knew she would be entertaining, is because she's such a talented writer. I don't think I ever told her this, but when we were in an American Cultures class our senior year, I sat behind her and would read what she was typing as she was writing her college essays. Really creepy and inappropriate, but yeah, I did it. Sue me, she's talented! She can deny it all she wants to, but I really do think that she and my other guest bloggers are putting me to shame! So without further ado, here's Amanda, one of the smartest, most loyal, and generally hilarious people I know.

When Morgan first asked me to be a guest blogger on Things I’m Doing, I was skeptical. When she popped the question I was lying in bed, reading Tina Fey’s Bossypants and eating cottage cheese straight out of the carton. What am I doing? Can I really write an entire blog post about the first three seasons of Lost? Does re-reading The Notebook for the fourth time count as doing something? Probably not. So I put it on the back-burner, making a mental note to keep an eye out for something to guest-blog about. Then one morning, as I was waking up before the crack of dawn for an advising meeting, it hit me. What I’ve been doing is trying to figure out what I’m gonna do for the rest of my life. Heavy, right? This semester I’m enrolled in a “Career & Self-Exploration” class where you basically take a bunch of personality quizzes that tell you things you already knew about yourself, and use that information to decide how you’re going to spend the next 30+ years of your life. So much fun. 

The results of these quizzes have really been a mixed bag. I’ve received a plethora of information about myself in such a small amount of time, I’m not even sure how to process it all.  Some of the tests offer up these really specific descriptions of my character, like “You prefer to learn through lectures and books,” and “You may dislike taking risks.” It’s like, what am I supposed to be getting from that? Is this supposed to inspire one of those “aha moments” Oprah’s always talking about??? Because it doesn’t. Then there are the tests that measure your level of interest in various fields and what careers you’d be good at. For some perspective, let me just say that one of these tests told the girl at the end of my row the thing she would really enjoy doing is bartending, and the boy that sits in front of me is apparently destined for life on the farm. Let’s just take a second to imagine their parents’ faces when they hear that this is what they’re paying $45,000+ a year for. For their son to drop out of school, buy some land, and start raising alpacas or something. Ha. Ha. Okay, moving on. 

Now a lot of people I’ve talked to who’ve taken this class say they really benefited from it, and that it really helped them in choosing a career. I hope that’s the case for me. The thing is, I just really hate making decisions. Seriously, ask any of my friends and they’ll tell you that even something as simple and unimportant as picking a restaurant gives me major anxiety. So if little decisions like where to get lunch are next to impossible for me, how on Earth am I supposed to make a decision of this caliber?! Sometimes I wish someone would just tell me like, “Hey Amanda, you need to be doing this with your life, pick this major, it’ll all work out.” But that pretty much defeats the purpose of free will, and like, life in general. Life’s supposed to be this constant juxtaposition of failures and successes. You’re supposed to make mistakes and learn from them, and then little by little you become the person you’re meant to be. Then when you look back on your life you can pinpoint those experiences, good and bad, that made you who you are. That’s what life is all about. 

I feel like this is becoming more of a weird, rambling short-story and less of a blog post...I’ll leave you with this. When I was little I used to play a lot of GameCube (nerd alert), but I was never very good at it. In fact, I was always pretty terrible at video games. Whenever I would get stuck on a level I would beg my brother Alec, the king of all video games, to help me. Sometimes he did, but after a while he got sick of playing the game for me. So in lieu of my big brother’s help, I would look up the walkthroughs online. These basically told you step-by-step what you had to do next, completely defeating the purpose of playing the game yourself. I was a cheater in every aspect of the word. I guess what I’m trying to say is, there’s no walkthrough for real life. When you get stuck, you can’t beg your big brother to figure things out for you or look up what your next move is on the internet. You just have to do it. If college has taught me anything, it’s that being an adult means making your own decisions. As much as I wish someone would, no one is going to tell me which major to pick, or which career path to follow. These are things I’m going to have to figure out on my own. And even if I end up being wrong, even if I end up failing in a colossal way, it’s all just part of the journey. So anyway, that’s what I’ve been doing in a nutshell. That and watching endless amounts of Netflix of course. Everyone knows you’re not a real college student unless you spend at least 2/3 of your time avoiding responsibilities on the internet. 

Told you she was funny!

Morgan