THE SUNDAY CURRENTLY: BACK TO BLOGGING

 

 

Once again, I'm going to give this ol' blog another chance. It has been really nice taking a step back from this space but sometimes I just miss it. I really enjoy sharing what I'm up to and the pictures that I take, but every now and again I get a little too obsessed with all the other parts of blogging. All my bloggers, out there I know you understand this. I know I mentioned this in my last post but blogging can just be so weird and it is never something I thought I would get involved with but here I am! So here's to another try .. hopefully you'll stick around with me :)

 

Reading: final exams and final grades! The end of my school year is just around the corner .. thank goodness!

Writing: my last two assignments before the final exam of my online class. Again .. thank goodness! the year is really coming to a close, fast.

Listening: to episodes of homeland. I mistakenly started watching this series and it is addicting. I pretty much have one playing as I do almost everything else.

Thinking: about how I cannot wait to leave my school. The administration there has really shown their true colors the past few months and I am unfortunately not too sad to say goodbye to them.

Wishing: I could be in two places at once, but that's a topic for another day.

Hoping: that December is just as great in Costa Rica as it always is at home.

Wearing: as many dresses as possible. It is getting hot!

Loving: that Starbucks in Costa Rica is using red cups. I've only been to Starbucks here twice since it opened in the beginning of the year and even though they don't sell PSL they do sell Peppermint Mochas and they are using red cups ;)

Wanting: to find the perfect Christmas gifts for everyone.

Needing: nothing new right now. I mean, there are always some things that would be helpful but I am learning to get by with what I have.

Feeling: a little nervous about my big move in a few weeks.

Clicking: through a bunch of blogs that I need to catch up on!

BE A GO-GETTER

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Okay guys, I know my goal for this week is to take it easy and to take some extra time for myself, but I'm not sure it's going to happen. I finish my full-time job here in mid-November and then it turns into part-time for the final two weeks. Add in my last 5 weeks here in Costa Rica and that is 7 weeks of way too much time on my hands. So I got to thinking, I'll find another job to keep me busy! Insert: online tutoring. For the past three years I have been tutoring privately while living abroad and just recently (unfortunately) found out about online tutoring. So far I have applied to one company and was rejected. Rejected! Let me tell you, this girl does not like the word rejected. So naturally that switch inside of me has turned on and my mind is saying I'm going to get what I want (anyone catch that reference?).

Now that I am in go-getter mode, I thought I would share some tips with you on how to get what you want.

1. Do your research. You never know what opportunities are out there until you go looking for them! I never would have thought to apply for online tutoring jobs if I hadn't done an initial search of how to make some extra cash. Now I know that there are dozens of online tutoring companies I can choose from.

2. Ask questions. In my opinion, the best thing you can do when you don't know the answer to something is to ask. You never know what you're going to find out and it will most likely help you in any situation, as long as you ask in a polite and concise way.

3. Just do it. There is no time like the present. The longer you wait to do something, the less likely you are to do it, so you might as well get started today.

What is your advice for going out and getting what you want?

linking up with Totally Posted Tuesday

LIFE LATELY THROUGH MY IPHONE

Here are some of the pictures that have been hanging out on my iphone lately. 

 Some very cheap and very good margaritas and great company.

 I still can't get enough of this beautiful sunset. The sunsets in Costa Rica are my favorite.

 Some wildlife on the way up from our volcano trip and a shot showing my friend the abandoned hospital.

 More sunset pictures with my favorites.

 Juevos rancheros and a breakfast pizza for our last breakfast together. So good.

My favorite little guy and some creative pictionary at school. Can you guess who it is supposed to be? Honey Boo Boo. My students are the cutest.

HIGH FIVE FOR FRIDAY

How cute are these little coconut monkeys? While walking in town on our beach trip, we stumbled across them in a little souvenir shop! There are so many "typical" souvenirs that are sold everywhere but I had never seen these little coconuts before. 

Katie left very early Wednesday morning and I already miss having her around! It was so great having her around, we pretty much did not stop laughing the whole time and that is something I really miss.

My students have been growing both very antsy and very lazy lately. They don't want to do any work and at the same time they are driving me crazy! It is starting to rub off on me too. We just have 6 more weeks of school left and I cannot believe it. After that I will be done with my second year of teaching.

More and more I am looking forward to next year. I already have some things coming together both work and play wise and I am getting anxious for the next two months to go by.

I plan to spend this weekend studying like crazy and then taking my first exam for my online class. The first exam since my finals three and a half years ago! I plan on rewarding myself by reading the entire third Divergent book as soon as it comes out next week!

linking up with High Five for Friday!

CURRENTLY AT A VOLCANO

Good morning, Sunday readers. Yesterday we took Katie to Jaco beach and even though we only got about two hours of beach time because of the rain, the whole day was a success! Today we are headed to a volcano because you can't come to Costa Rica without seeing at least one.

Reading: the book Night. A co-worker lent it to me and told me that even though I enjoy stories from this time because I think they are very interesting, this book would most likely make me cry. I've just started it but I'm nervous to find out how it progresses.
Writing: nothing! Except blog posts. I am on vacation until Wednesday and taking advantage of it.
Listening: pretty much my same playlist from last week. 
Thinking: about how fun our day at the beach was yesterday. More on that this week!
Wishing: that I could have a friend from home with me in Costa Rica all the time. The laughs are endless!
Hoping: that we will get to actually see the volcano we are going to visit today. Unlike last time, when it was way too cloudy.
Loving: that I can show Katie my little life here in Costa Rica. It is always interesting showing someone else how you live when they are accustomed to other things.
Wanting: the next few days to go very slowly.
Clicking: through all the pictures we took yesterday.

Linking up with The Sunday Currently

LOVING: TINY HOUSES

via 1,2,3,4

A few weeks ago I read this article about tiny houses and was immediately interested in the phenomenon of living in a small space, with in turn, means living with less things. With the thought of moving back home into my bedroom at my parents' house, I have been thinking a lot about how I can redo, rearrange, or just change up my living space so that it is much much less cluttered and no longer full of stuff.

At this point I have been living abroad for 3 years. As I'm sure you are aware, when you move abroad, you can't exactly take all of your possessions with you. So I have had to learn how to make do with less things. At first, it was an adjustment. What do you mean I can't bring ALL of my shoes? Or, of course I need four different purses to go with different outfits! No. I've learned to cut back and I've learned to use what I have until it breaks or is no longer usable. I wouldn't quite yet, call myself a minimalist, but I am working towards it.

Of course, pinterest has been fueling my new interest of tiny spaces. I've been sifting through and searching for ideas on utilizing the space in my room better so that when I go back, I can have a cleaner, and like I said, less cluttered look. I can't help but also look at the beautiful tiny houses that are around and hope that one day I can have my own small house that feels big once I turn it onto a home.

Would you ever live in a tiny house?

You can view my small spaces board on Pinterest here.

THE SUNDAY CURRENTLY

I've been spending a lot of time cuddling with this guy lately. The rain apparently makes him a mush and I'm okay with that. This week I was pretty lucky and we had date-night on Friday at a really cute restaurant we had never been to before and then we went to the best movie theater ever on Saturday. Not too shabby. I'm off to deep-clean my house in preparation for my friend Katie visiting this week and I will leave you with The Sunday Currently for this week. Enjoy!

Reading: all of the lecture notes for my psychology class because I have my first midterm in 3 years next week! Can't wait to see how that one goes. 
Writing: quiz grades, exam reviews, and lesson plans for the coming weeks. 
Listening: to a playlist containing: The Lumineers, Kings of Leon, The Head and the Heart, The Civil Wars ... almost all of my go-to artists. 
Thinking: about how much I will be able to get done on Sundays now that Paris works all day. Pre-written blog posts, online class papers, lesson plans .. the possibilities are endless! 
Smelling: fresh made coffee. I love Sunday mornings. 
Wishing: that every single movie theater had reclining comfortable leather seats. We went to a theater this weekend where you can fully recline while watching a movie in the most comfortable movie seats I have ever been sitting in. If only all movie seats were the same. 
Hoping: that Thursday comes fast ... I am getting a visitor! 
Loving: that almost all of my TV shows are back. Now if I could only get Paris to give me the remote. 
Wanting: The school year to be over already! I am burnt out and I can tell my students are getting there as well. Only 8 more weeks to go. 
Needing: nothing that I know of. I am pretty content with everything I have. Wanting some goodies on the other hand... 
Feeling: content. 
Clicking: through my favorite blogs while drinking my coffee.

THAT TIME I FLOODED MY APARTMENT

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Yesterday was one of those great days that quickly turns bad after a single, stupid, upsetting event.

Quite often, the town where we live will cut off the water for a few hours at a time. Yesterday I woke up to no water .. don't worry I have bottles of water so I was able to brush my teeth, etc. I then tweeted something snarky about how they cut the water off just in time for people to go to work. Boy, did karma have it out for me yesterday.

I came home from work in the afternoon to find out that the water was still turned off. I checked the faucet downstairs in the kitchen and upstairs in the bathroom. I quickly got ready and ran out to meet up with my private tutoring family. Almost two hours later I walk into my apartment and am suddenly surprised by how much it sounds like a waterfall. Well, low and behold .. there was a waterfall! The water was pouring down from my ceiling, into the kitchen. Turns out I had very very stupidly left the faucet open when I was checking to see if the water had been turned on! 

Luckily for me, I had over an hour and 6 clean towels that I quickly snatched borrowed to clean up my mess before Paris came home. I kept thinking to myself, I am definitely NOT telling anyone about this. I mean, what a careless mistake! Thank goodness nothing was damaged. No electronics in the kitchen, the carpet upstairs .. no damage. And I cleaned up all the water well enough that Paris didn't even notice when he came home. I eventually told him a few hours later but swore him to secrecy because if his family found out I would probably never hear the end of it.

oops.

ON GOING BACK TO SCHOOL

It's not completely official yet, but it looks like I will be going back to school as a graduate student in January. A graduate student. I always thought I wanted to go back to school to eventually get my masters in something I just didn't know what or when. Now it is coming up pretty fast and I am quickly getting a little nervous! I graduated 3.5 years ago (what?!) so it has been quite a while since I have hit the books. 

Naturally, I've heard that grad school courses are much more difficult than undergrad. I was one of those students who spent hours in the library to get all of my work done because I can't concentrate in my room. I'm also that girl who who spreads out all her books and supplies, taking up a majority of the table. Am I going to be the same in grad school? Where am I going to do my work since I don't have a desk at home? Am I going to be able to handle all the coursework? As you can probably tell I have many questions going through my mind that I'm not quite sure how to answer! I typically enjoy being a student. I enjoy learning and putting in the hard work which (hopefully) brings out a good result. This new challenge of grad school has me worried about testing my limits, seeing if I can juggle the harder coursework while being a grown-up. I know that everything will work out the way it is supposed to but I'm just anxious to see how it does.

Is there anything that you guys are looking forward to in the coming months?

CURRENTLY WISHING I WAS IN ITALY

Reading: the Delirium series. Another series like The Hunger Games, Divergent, etc that I couldn't put down. I started the first book months ago and finally found the time to finish the third book this morning.

Writing: the admissions essay for a grad school program I am applying to! Man, it has been a long time since I wrote something like this and it is just as not fun as I remember.

Listening: to Carried Away by Passion Pit. can't get enough!

Thinking: about everything I have/want to get done this week. The work never seems to slow down.

Wishing: I was in Italy right now with my parents. The picture above they sent me from their adventures today! They are pretty lucky to be traveling around Italy for two weeks and I sure wish I was with them!

Hoping: I finish my whole grad school application within the week.

Loving: the patriotism I have seen in Costa Rica this week. Their Independence Day is today and they are definitely proud of their country! More to come about that during the week.

Wanting: all the fall TV shows to come back! I don't want to wait another few weeks ;)

Needing: more exercise. I really need more exercise but not sure when that is going to happen!

Clicking: through pinterest a little more often lately. I can't get enough of all the fall fashion ideas.

linking up here for the sunday currently.

life-changing

Today's challenge: describe a distinct moment when your life took a change.

Back in 2009, I went to Waveland, Missisippi to help with Hurrican Katrina relief. I can't quite remember why I signed up because I didn't know anyone that I was going with. Before our trip we had to do months of fundraising activities which is where I met one of my best friends (who happens to be coming to visit me next month). We finally headed down to Waveland in March and the trip was a mixture of fun, exhaustion, sadness, appreciation, and adventure.

We were staying in these military type tents with two rows of bunk-beds and a separate outhouse type tent with the bathrooms and showers. Our group was a mix of 18 guys and girls from a fairly well-off private college and needless to say we were not prepared for the week. Our jobs entailed a lot of cleaning up. Cleaning up of garbage and debris that were still piled up in Waveland 4 years after Katrina. Cleaning up dressers and tires, childrens' toys and baby high chairs, entire boats out of peoples' backyards. It was challenging stuff. One night, just to get out of the tent for a little while, we loaded up our two big vans and headed to Walmart. When we went to the cashier to pay for our knick-knacks, the woman asked us if we were volunteers (because we clearly looked/sounded like we did not belong). After we enthusiastically answered yes, she just started crying. She was crying and saying thank you so much. That was impacting.

I took a lot of things from that week. But I think the thing that changed my life the most was a new understanding of myself. I knew from that moment on that I wanted to help other people. That I was meant to help other people. I didn't necessarily know that I wanted to become a teacher but it certainly helped to guide me where I am today.

When did you realize your life took a change??

vacation is over

shirt: tailor and stylist, belt: madewell, shorts: jcrew, watch: gift

my vacation at home is over and i am back in costa rica ready to start work again.

it is always the hardest to go back to work after a long vacation! especially one spent

at home. i'm sure it is no secret that i love being home and miss it very much when i am here

in costa rica. i can hardly believe that i have been here for two years already.

while i was home made the decision that after my school year ends in december i will be moving

back to start studying and working and hopefully getting a life started for paris and i so that

when he is able to come join me everything will be ready. it is going to be hard and my biggest

fear is putting us in a long distance relationship again but i guess it comes with the territory when you 

and your boyfriend are from different countries. but for now we will enjoy the time left we have

while i am here. even though it is still half a year away i am excited to think of starting yet another

new chapter in my life.

a little get to know me

so in the past month and a half i have had a ton of new readers join this blog! i wanted to make it known that i am so happy to have you all here! i never thought my blog would grow bigger than my 11 initial family and friends but here it is now. so i wanted to acknowledge all of my new readers and say thank you for following along. i thought i would take part in gentri lee's 7 questions today so that you all can get to know a little bit more about me :)

1. Do you have any weird food combinations that you love?

well when i was little i sure did like to dip my french fries in my milkshakes....but i dont do that anymore. other than that i'd say dipping pizza in ranch dressing is pretty normal right?

2. Have you ever written a blog post, published it, then immediately deleted it?

yes. i can't remember what it was about but most likely something that sounded way better in my head.

3. What is a hair style you wish you could pull off, but would never be brave enough to try?

a pixie cut! my bff rocks it pretty well though so i'll probably just admire her hair

4. Would you rather have to always use the sun to tell the time or directions by the stars?

i would rather have to always use the sun to tell the time. i would feel really uncomfortable not knowing where i am/how i am supposed to get where i want to go because most likely whenever i would be traveling it would probably be day time...

5. What is a fall trend that you are excited to try?

flares!!! flares are definitely making their way back and with a comfy pair of chunky heels, a girl just feels like struttin' around. okay so maybe just me?

6. Who is your style icon?

okay for those of you who already know me, this is a no brainer.... the olsen twins. i. love. them. this site is just perfect for catching up on all of their outfit choices over the years. you're welcome ;)

7. What's your favorite outdoor activity? 

 who can pick just one favorite outdoor activity? i'll make a list: going for a walk or a run, reading a book in my hammock, a good thunderstorm on someone's porch, or enjoying a nice bbq .. especially with friends.

 one of my favorite pictures from a friend filled bbq :)

photos 2 & 3

oh friday

from one of the new restaurants we tried out this week

dear body: as of last night you weren't feeling too hot and i thought you might be getting sick. please don't! if you must get sick lets wait until i'm on vacation from school, okay? dear boyfriend: your birthday is coming up soon. sometimes you are so hard to shop for ..  what should i get you? also, we went out for dinner almost every night this week and i kind of don't hate it. dear student loans: you are so annoying! dear rocco: you have started to bite anything and everything. i bought you a nice play toy recently, so stop making a collection all of my socks! i already have about 7 unmatched pairs.

happy weekend, all!