Sunday Smiles...Take Two!

Lately, the weeks have been flying by so quickly! I've been incredibly busy, and this lovely Sunday evening is the first time this week I feel like I've been able to sit down and relax...and it is so needed. As I sit here finishing up some homework with the Academy Awards playing in the background, I wanted to quickly share my Sunday Smiles. :)

Kiwi at Chi Omega! I love when this happens!

My first attempt at printmaking...It was quite the process, but so much fun!

The weather this week has been GORGEOUS. Sunny + high 70's = bliss.

1/2 done after 2 days of reading...so good.

Watching the Oscars at the Chi O castle. :)

Here's to another fantastic week!

Sunday Smiles.

For some reason, I always find myself a little bit sad on Sunday nights. This probably happens because the weekend went by much too fast, and I usually get to thinking about all of the responsibilities that need to be taken care of within the next week. I have decided that in order to combat "the Sunday night blues" (as my mom calls it), I am going to spend my Sunday evenings reflecting on 5 things that made me smile throughout the past week! I think that this will be a fun way to keep my mind focused on the reasons that I love my life, and why I should look forward to the upcoming week! So this marks the beginning of "Sunday Smiles!" 

My first experience at Lindy's on 4th!

The greatest cure for my never ending sweets cravings...I think I like apple pie the best!

The thoughtful Valentine's Day gift from my parents. :)

Adorable stickers from one of my professors in honor of her engagement on Valentine's!

Last but not least, getting to spend the entire weekend with my wonderful daddy for Chi Omega dad's weekend! So thankful for him!

My sweetest downfall...

is, without a doubt, DESSERT. For some odd reason, I have absolutely no self-control when it comes to dessert, and I really struggle with monitoring my portion sizes (especially in the sugar department). One of my most wonderful friends, Shannon, shares a sweet tooth, so we have decided (for the 6th? 7th? year in a row) to give up sweets for lent. Except this year, we started a little bit early...As in yesterday. It is so helpful to have the support and encouragement of my good friend throughout this endeavor, because I definitely couldn't do it alone! I am hoping that cutting myself off from sweets until Easter will do several things:

1. Help me to become less reliant upon sweet treats for a quick "pick-me-up".

2. Encourage me to become more responsible about the way I eat and my overall health. 

3. Save me some money!

So far it has been pretty easy! I think that this is simply because I know that dessert is not even an option, rather than going through an internal struggle about whether or not I should pile every single topping on my fro-yo! 

This is going to be great Shan!

Spread a little LOVE.

Happy Valentine's Day! 

I am going to try to spread some extra love today. :)

<3

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my wonderful home state, Arizona. For 100, she still looks marvelous!

The importance of a good study break!

Last semester, I was very blessed to have quite an easy class schedule, and it was rare for me to devote an entire weekend to homework. Well...Spring 2012 is not as lucky. This weekend I find myself drowning in lesson planning, art projects, research papers, and required readings. Every time I look at next week's schedule in my planner I come dangerously close to having a panic attack. Don't get me wrong, I understand how fortunate I am to have the opportunity to be receiving a quality education, and I definitely appreciate it. However, at times like this I find myself longing for graduation!

So you are probably wondering why on earth I am spending valuable time blogging when I should be writing lesson objectives and studying AZ education standards? Well, I have come to the conclusion that taking breaks is essential to my mental health and level of productivity. Sometimes when I concentrate on one assignment for too long, my brain starts to "short-circuit", and I end up staring blankly at the computer screen, unable to process any more information. I have found that taking breaks can really help refresh and rejuvenate my mind. On friday night I went to go see "The Vow" with some friends, and today I will be blogging (as if that wasn't obvious) in between assignments and heading to the gym for a quick meeting with my good pal Mr. Stairmaster. I have found that doing these mindless sorts of activities really help improve my sanity in the long run. That being said, when I begin working on an assignment, I really like to get down to business. For me, the only way this is possible is through an application called SelfControl, which lets you block all sorts of websites for any amount of time (I always block Facebook, and Pinterest)! It is such a wonderful program for mac users...especially those who procrastinate like myself! 

I am hoping that giving myself a little bit of time off today will help me to approach my papers and assignments with more motivation later, as well as remind me that there is more to life than crossing things off of my to-do list! Off to the gym I go!