Something new to be grateful for this year

      Life is the dancer and you are the dance.

                     - Eckhart Tolle 

I think I am very good about being appreciative of my life.

I often have a lot of time during the week while I'm alone and I just sit and reflect on how lucky I am to be me and to be alive.

I will continue to practice this state of mind.

But being grateful for the good things in your life isn't the whole way to look at Thanksgiving. It's also an opportunity to reflect on the bad things that have happened to you in the past year and how you can look at them as a chance to learn or take away something from them.

Aside from that, I have something new to be grateful for this year.

My job.

Everyday I walk into my office - the big beautiful building that is home to the thing that has inspired my ambition in life. Hint: it's black, white and red all over.

A newspaper.

Working at a newspaper has changed my life. For the better obviously. I get to learn more and more about it everyday; practice and perfect my tasks which I hope are preparing me for the next phase of my job. The next phase is coming soon.

And the people - working alongside seasoned people in the industry - including but not limited to award-winning reporters and editors has been a gift in itself.

And don't get me started about my two co-workers. They make work so much fun just talking and making jokes. I feel right at home with them. I love them so much.

The best part is the feeling I've been getting daily. It's a joyful feeling that makes me smile on the spot, on my way to work and on the way home. It's something I've been waiting for, for a very long time. Something to smile about everyday.

While I'm thankful for all of this, none of it would be possible without the support of my mom. From holding my hand during my first phone interview to driving me every day to and from the train station. I wouldn't be able to feel this way without her.

While I won't really go into how I've been trying to take the bad things that have happened to me this year on here because it's personal, I just wanted to make the point that it's possible and might make you feel better.

Happy Thanksgiving: cheers to a great rest of 2016.

A Quick List of Goals for 2016...

Usually my blog posts are pretty well thought out, and on top of that, I almost never set goals for myself. But here I am. At 10:41 pm when I should be watching Fuller House on Netflix and getting sleepy for work tomorrow...

I have had a lot on my mind lately. I think it's when I'm inside all day that my mind wanders off and I feel like I'm going nowhere quickly. It gives me too much time to think.

Not saying that's a bad thing, but I wanted to jot down some things I'd really like to do this year. Here we go, in no particular order...

• Practice mindful eating, drink more water
• Get up and move - attend gym classes, tone legs on the treadmill, walk around the neighborhood, get a bike?
• Finish my project life (Jan-Nov)
• Do a separate December Daily album
• Get my new Happy Planner 
• Finally get my desk
• Destash all of the planner supplies I don't use anymore
• Destash clothing I don't wear anymore - give to charities, sell for extra cash
• Get a new TV
• Invest in a new Mac
• Back up my computer to an external hard drive & clean it out
• Get a car - get better at driving!
• Make new friends - rekindle old friendships too
• Read 5 books I've been wanting to read and can't seem to finish (The Catcher in The Rye, Looking for Alaska, The Alchemist, Attachments, Add More -Ing to Your Life)
• Blog consistently
• Get a paying job
• Get freelance work 
• At the end of the year, comfortably say I am happy with where I'm at and like where I am going. I need to have plans for my future.

Sometime this weekend, I will further refine this list and figure out how to implement it into my planner and project life, for they are the outlets I am constantly in (aside from my phone and computer) so they will sufficiently remind me. Looking forward to this new journey and taking you, reader, along with me!

Saturday Night Adventures: Jack's Hamburgers and DQ

Tonight my family decided to do something a little out of the norm, and I thought it would be fun to do a quick post on our spur of the moment adventure. So, let's start this post off right with an outfit of the night (hey, that rhymed!):

Before we left, I did a search on Yelp to get an idea of how the food and atmosphere would be like. I didn't expect it to be fancy or anything, but it always helps me figure out what I feel like wearing if I know where I am going. Keeping it super casual, I threw on this cute tank I got from Billabong on my cruise vacation a couple weeks ago, as well as my American Eagle Jegging Crops and my Vans Tucson crossbody bag.

We headed to an old fashioned hamburger place that serves burgers (obviously) as well as fries, shakes, and other sandwiches. Since it was a bit of a drive, we naturally ordered a ton of food. I ordered a cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, and onion, as well as some fries. As you can see, I like to keep things pretty simple! The burgers are delicious and I definitely want to come back soon. 

After dinner, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to go to a Dairy Queen since we were in the neighborhood. I had been craving some serious chocolate goodness, so I ordered an Oreo Brownie Earthquake sundae. It was pretty good, but I think next time I'd just go with a chocolate dipped cone like I used to get when I was a kid and one was 5 minutes from my house. Ugh. I feel so old!

I had a great night spending time with family and I wouldn't trade these kinds of times for anything else. Hopefully, we make it a point to do many more things like this in the future from now on! 

Until next time,

~Alexa~

A Day in My Life: July 4th

Happy happy Fourth of July my fellow Americans. Today, we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence which granted us independence as a separate entity from Great Britian. As you go about your day, remember to think of our Founding Fathers and be proud of how far we've come in 239 years. Wow. 

In honor of this special holiday, I thought I'd share how I spent the day with my family. Holidays are usually busy days for us because we try to spend time together and do something fun and memorable.

Of course, no proper Day in My Life post starts without an OOTD. Here is what I put together using my Fourth Of July Outfit Ideas post as inspiration! The white star necklace I wear everyday actually completed the outfit perfectly. 

H&M Coral Blouse Top // American Eagle 'Hi-Rise Festival Shorties' in Light Destroy Wash

Sperry Topsider 'Seacoast' Boat Shoes in Navy

Ray-Ban Flash Clubmaster Sunglasses in Blue Mirror // Dana Rebecca Designs White Star Necklace

Longchamp 'Small Le Pliage' Shoulder Bag in Beige 

I started out my day relatively early and ran errands with my dad. We got Starbucks coffees first and I got a cinnamon raisin bagel from Einsteins. I just wanted a little something to eat because I knew I'd be eating a lot tonight!

After grabbing a bite to eat, we went to my dad's office so he could take care of some things, and then headed to the mall. My mom and I were at the mall yesterday trying to find her some bathing suits and clothes for the upcoming cruise. She found some cute stuff and put it on hold at Macy's. They had a bit of a sale so we got some good discounts on her clothes using my dad's Macy's card.

Then, my dad and I headed for DSW and Target. My dad exchanged a pair of sneakers for some slip-on Sperry Topsiders I found him. He loves them so much so I'm glad I could help him out. My dad also had to return a shirt at Target, so I thought - why not check to see if they have the Day Designer Planners for Target out early. To my dismay, they were not out on the shelves yet. I wanted to review it first hand for anyone interested, but it looks like I'll have to wait. Stay tuned for a review when I find one, though - coming to a blog near you. ;)

Once I got home, I just relaxed until my bf got off work. He picked me up and we just went to a plaza and walked around. We went into Best Buy to look at waterproof digital cameras for my trip since I'm thinking of getting one.

After hanging for a bit, I had to quickly change for dinner, so I threw on my favorite chambray dress and a white stone pendant necklace. Layering necklaces is my go-to for accessorizing. I also grabbed my navy cardigan with the big red buttons on it for some extra flair. I knew it would be chilly in the restaurant, so it worked out to be the perfect outfit combination. Also drawing inspiration from my previous post, here is my OOTN:

American Apparel Cardigan // American Eagle Chambray Dress

American Eagle Stone Pendant Necklace // Sperry Topsider 'Seacoast' Boat Shoes in Navy

Longchamp 'Small Le Pliage' Tote in Beige

Although I don't want to name the chinese restaurant because it is unique to my location, I did take some mouthwatering photos. I can now cross something off of my Summer Bucket List! I also took some photos of the fireworks that went off during dinner - we had no idea there would be a show and everything.

 Crunchy noodles and hot tea to start!

Then, the fireworks show commenced!

Egg rolls and duck sauce (sweet pineapple) for our appetizer

An unfortunate blurry photo of sweet and sour chicken

 Pepper Steak

My feast! 

 We order a ton of food on purpose - that means leftovers on Sunday!

On the way home from dinner, we stopped by Krispy Kreme and picked up some delicious doughnuts. These are seriously heaven to me.

I had a great time partying like it was 1776 with my family today (corny, I know!)

How did you spend your holiday?

Until next time,

~Alexa~

Throwback Thursday: May 2011

As much as this pains me to admit, I think this is the last time I was at the beach. Well over a year ago too. Where I go to school now there is no nearby beach. I think the closest one is 45 mins or so? But anywho, I am going on vacation this weekend until Tuesday to a resort on the beach. I'm really excited to just relax and be in the sun. I also plan on reading a shit ton! Gotta put that Kindle to good use. This picture was taken by my best friend, and that camera is the Diana F+ lomography! Never developed any pictures from it though :(