Born and Made

Carol's Daughter and I Am That Girl have joined forces to create the #BornandMade campaign to empower women and inspire them to celebrate who they are and the person they feel they were always meant to be. I saw a few of the pictures people made in support of the campaign and I fell in love! Especially since I am Karol's daughter and this campaign was created by the company Carol's Daughters. I love it! You can make them at BornandMade.com.

I chose the word hope because I think it describes me quite well. I even have the word "hope" tattooed on my body. Hope to me is the promise of a beautiful tomorrow. I believe in a lot of things and I think that's why this word means so much to me. There's a lot of strength and courage in believing in yourself. To me, hope looks and feels like not giving up. Like my tattoo, it's a reminder that despite the circumstances, I'm going to keep on soaring.

I hope this campaign inspires even more women to celebrate themselves.
Be true to the person you see in the mirror. Love them. Learn more about them, their desires and passions. Work with them to create a more beautiful tomorrow. Take it one day at a time!

World Suicide Prevention Day: I'm so happy that you're alive

Today, September 10th, is World Suicide Prevention Day. The love and support and compassion shown on this day has always meant so much to me. I think this day serves as a reminder that mental illnesses are real. I think this serves as a reminder that you're not alone in what you're going through. Seeing love written on someone else's wrist reminds me that there's someone who cares and they'res someone who has possible been in the same place that I've been. There's a possibility that we'll all rise above our thoughts that trap us in the middle of the night. Today is a day to be aware and spread awareness. This day is reminder to share resources and be there for one another. Every and any ounce of your strength and hope can help another person and you can achieve that just by being yourself and being there. Listen, talk, share your experiences, spread hope. Every bit counts.

Your life matters always. You deserve to be here always. Every bit of you is important and every bit of you deserves to be here. In your pain, your stress, your sadness, depression, you matter and you deserve to be here. At 4am, 5pm, 3pm, 24/7--you matter, your life matters, and you deserve to be here! During finals week, first week of school, first day at a new job, or in between careers---your life matters and you deserve to be here! When you don't know what you want to do with your life or when you're finding that adulthood is not what you expected, remember that your life matters and you deserve to be here! Bad day, bad week, bad month, bad year--your life matters and you deserve to be here. No matter what, you matter. Your life matters and you deserve to be here!

♥

"You are a child of the universe! No less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here."

 --- 

Resources:

• suicdepreventionlifeline.org
• 1-800-273-8255 (Suicide Hotline US)
• thenicestplaceontheinter.net
• talkspace.com
• 7cupsoftea.com
• thequietplaceproject.com
• http://thequietplaceproject.com/thethoughtsroom/
• Crisis Text Line: Text “SUPPORT” to 741741
• Suicide Prevention Help Guide 
• 11 Facts About Suicide 
• International Association for Suicide Prevention
• Dealing with Suicidal Thoughts

Happy Motivation Monday!!

 

Hey! It's Monday again! I hope you have a wonderful week. This week, don't forget to take care of yourself. Studying for major exams? Don't forget to take breaks every now and then so you don't stress yourself out too much. Take breaks in general when you need to and when you can. Do little things to treat yourself during the day. Please take care of yourself. Do your best. You can get through this day and this week. I believe in you!

♥

"You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So... get on your way!” 

-Dr. Seuss

Good Morning!

Happy Monday!!

It's the beginning of a new week. I started my day off with some self-pampering. My face really needed to be exfoliated. My skin is so confused by this winter air. After a weekend of nice weather, it's back in the 20's this Monday morning so I really need to make sure my skin stays moisturized! Here's a link to what I use on my face: http://thoughtsunderpressure.blogspot.com/2014/01/pamering-days.html. For the rest of my body, I use Palmer's Cocoa Butter.

I also had a great green smoothie for breakfast. I found the recipe here.

1 cup pineapple chunks
2 handfuls of spinach
1 banana
2 cups of water
handful of ice cubes

My hopes for the day are as follows:

• I hope I don't freeze
• I hope I have a good day
• I hope that I get to work on time and the I'm not waiting for the bus for too long. 
• I hope I remember to watch How I Met Your Mother tonight. I always forget that it's Monday until about 9pm when I've already missed it.

For your listening enjoyment:

I hope you have a great day! ♥

Welcome to 2014!

Happy New Year Everyone!
 

The first day of the new year is here. With 2013 ending with graduating from college, I really feel that this year is the beginning of a chapter in my life. I didn't really make any resolutions but there are many things that I want to try more of this year. I'm excited for this new chapter of life and I really like that it's kind of beginning as the new year begins. I'm still on the search for what's next in my life but with determination and hope I know I'm going somewhere and it's going to be great. I am black excellence!

This year I want to read more. I say this especially because I wasn't always able to read for fun while I was in school. I read a lot of great books that were assigned to me and I'm so glad that I was able to read so many great books but I have a very long list of books that I've wanted to read for a long time so I really want to put a dent into that list. I'm also looking for more books to put on the list. I can't wait to explore the book world again and not worry about how it will interfere with my schoolwork.

I want to write more because I can and it means a lot to me.

I want to hold on to positivity and reject negativity to the best of my ability.

Most importantly, I want to dream more. I want to focus on my dreams and my visions. I'm probably going to make a vision board this year. I've always thought they were pretty cool and I think it will really help me focus on my goals this year.

I sincerely hope that 2014 is good to you. I hope you get what you want from this year. All my good thoughts and wishes go out to you for this year.

---

Here's a quote :) ♥

"The future is simply infinite possibility waiting to happen. What it waits on is human imagination to crystallize its possibility."

-Leland Kaiser

Happy New Year!!

It's the first day of the year and I spent it relaxing with family. The spring semester is going to start soon so I'm glad to have this time to just relax! I'm looking forward to what this year brings. Last night, I tried to make sure that I won't bring any of last year's negative energy into the new year. I will remember the lessons I learned and hope that they can help me in the new year. Remember this quote:

"Today, is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one."

I hope that 2013 is good to you. 

Fall Semester = Over

I made it! This semester wasn't as hard on me as my spring semester but I'm glad that I made it through. The last two weeks were pretty rough but it looks like I made it! I'm actually really proud of myself for this semester. It's not like I got straight A's or anything but I really do feel like I'm growing as a person and as a student. I handled my battles this semester very well. I was able to better balance my academics and my social life while still getting the hang of taking care of myself. I got work done. I experienced new things and I put myself out there. I'm trying my best to make sure that I continue to do that.

I'm getting closer and closer to graduation so I'm finding that school demands a lot more of my attention and commitment. I'm learning to prepare myself for life in the real world. It's scary but it's also exciting and frightening.

This past semester, I tried to take advantage of every opportunity that allowed me to do what I love. I spent a lot of time standing up for what I believe in while also building my resume and gaining experiences that will help me later in life when I'm helping others. I've felt really empowered doing what I love and knowing that I'm helping people. By standing up for what I believe in and what I know is good, I've been standing up for people whose voices need to be heard. I know that I still have some more growing to do. I'm still healing and finding myself but I think I'm getting better at this whole "calm and carrying on human" thing. I see what I want to do and I'm taking steps toward that. I'm going to write about some of my experiences from this past semester individually but I wanted to quickly list the amazing things that I feel empowered me this semester.

• Coalition to End Rape Culture
• Fitsmi Internship
• No On 6 Campaign
• Volunteering for the Obama campaign
• LGBT History Month internship
• Community Service

I'm learning more and more that if  focus on what I love without losing sight of the reality of my school work and how it relates, I can keep afloat. I can make a difference. My Women's and Gender Studies major reminds me of the importance of activism and advocacy and I'm finding ways to incorporate those things into my daily life and it's keeping my heart happy. I like that.

 ♥

Happy Friday!!

It's finally Friday and I could not be happier. I've been super busy this week. I had two papers due at the beginning of the week, I was working on the campaign, I volunteered at the polls, I was all over the place so I'm really looking forward to relaxing this weekend. Here is what's been keeping my happy this week:

• I finished both of my papers on time! They haven't been graded yet but I know that I won't be getting any points off for late work
• I volunteered at a polling location on Election day with the USF Feminist Majority workers. We were advocating a vote "no" on a certain amendment but we were also mainly encouraging people to go vote. We were also helping people find their correct polling locations telling them what they needed to have before they were allowed to vote.
• I volunteered for the Barack Obama for America campaign. I love talking to people and meeting friendly people, especially when they're excited about exercising their right to vote. It's a beautiful thing. I spoke to students on campus, handed out posters and buttons, and I called voters in different states. Calling jobs are tricky. People don't like it when you call them. Especially if you're calling to campaign for the candidate that they don't want or if you're calling during dinner. I have experience with cranky callers and I was really excited because of what I was doing so I didn't really mind the rude people. They tone it down when you continue to be kind and respectful. It pays to be nice.
• I'm an intern at fitsmi.com and we've had a lot of new members join so that's really exciting! I got to welcome them all to the wonderful fitsmi community and I really hope that they can find a home there. It's really a great website to visit. 
• President Barack Obama was re-elected. I couldn't be happier. 
• On election night, Tammy Baldwin became the first openly gay person to ever be elected to Senate. Mazie Hirono became the first Asian American woman to be elected to Senate. Tammy Duckworth became the first female disabled veteran to be elected to the House of Representatives. Mary Gonzalez became the first openly pansexual person to be elected to Senate. There are more firsts that happened with this election and they all are reminders that who we are matters and what defines us can't hold us back. We can do great things. You can do great things. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!
• It's getting colder here in Florida. It feels amazing. I love this time of year! Cold weather means it's getting closer to the holidays and that means no school and that means more times to spend time with family! Love it!
• As always, my family and friends!

I think that this week left me feeling inspired and empowered. I got a lot of good out of this week but it has also taken all of my energy. I also learned a lot about myself during this week. I learned what it means to stand up for what I believe in on a larger scale than I ever have before. This week left me feeling like I've made a difference in my life and the lives of others. 

I hope you had a good week and that your weekend is even better! Love you lots! :) ♥

You're not alone

Where did the weekend go? I've been spending so much time looking at older posts and I saw and older one about hope. I want to do more like those. What gives you hope or what does hope look like to you?

Harry Potter Experience

I remember watching Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for the first time with my mom. She kept rewinding the part when Hagrid knocks down the door and says, "Sorry about that." Everything from that point forward was just amazing to a 9-year-old me. I remember falling in love with all the magic. Platform 93/4, the beautiful train, the chocolate frog, the sorting hat, the great feast, Fluffy...I could go on for ages.

Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire is my favorite movie because that is when I fell in love with Ron Weasley/Rupert Grint but Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is and always will be my go to happy movie. It's the moment I fell in love with golden trio as they're now called. It's the moment that I understood how special and beautiful and freaking awesome it is to stand up against something bigger than yourself. I understand that more now because I'm older but it was always clear that there was something incredibly special about these movies and about Harry, Ron, and Hermione and Hogwarts.

After seeing Chamber of Secrets, I started reading the books. I started with Prisoner of Azkaban then read the first two and then I read the rest of them in order from Goblet of Fire. I already loved reading but I was never in love with a series like this before. I loved finishing one book and wondering what would happen next. It kept my love of reading alive. I still really love reading. Whenever I get the chance, I read my favorite chapter of the whole series, The Prince's Tale in Deathly Hallows. It never gets old. It never stops being beautiful. It reminds me that people are more than what you see. That is something we forget far too often.

I've learned a lot from the series. I've learned a lot from the books, movies, and characters.

• It's okay to stand up for what you believe in
• It's okay to fight against something bigger than yourself.
• People are different but that's not a reason to hate them.
• Love conquers all
• Love is there even when you don't realize it.
• Magic is love and love is real
• We can stand up to what we're afraid of whether it be spiders or hate
• Never judge a book by it's cover because people are more than what we see.
• When you believe in yourself, you can do a lot of great things.
  
• It's okay to be yourself
• It's not good to have too much power and then use it for bad. You never win that way.
• I am a Free Elf. We are all Free Elves.
  

I think the most important thing to me is that it's okay to stand up and fight against something bigger than yourself. If I think back now, that's what pulled me in. These were little kids, only 11, who knew the importance of right from wrong and did everything in their power to make things right and win the good fight. We're stronger than we think and if we have this courage and bravery, who knows what great things we can accomplish for the good fight.

Harry Potter has been really special to me for more than half of my life now. I wouldn't change it at all. It's a part of who I am. I'm a proud Potterhead. Years 1 to 7 are done on paper and on the big screen but it's not over. It will always be a special part of me. I am sad that there are no more movies or books but it will live on. Like J.K. Rowling said, "Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home." I will never forget the love and the magic. When something is this wonderful, it's legacy lives on forever. Happy Birthday J.K. Rowling. Thank you for everything. "All was well. "

Cute little baby zebra!

Look at how cute and happy he is. I would love to bottle that and give it away. So cute....are you smiling?

Battlefield

Don't forget that we are ALL fighting our own personal battles, big and small. There is a war around us and we're all fighting but we're all oblivious to it at the same time. We see how strong we are every single day but do we use it? Are we using our power for the well being of ourselves and our world. We only get one planet, one life, and one chance to live. We can't just let it pass us by and then realize that time has been wasted. Stand up for what you believe in. People die for what they believe because they weren't afraid to stand for something.

Stand up for what is right! Sit and pray, talk, wish, rally, dance, believe....do whatever it is that you have to do to see this war around us and stand up and fight the good fight as well. Make a difference. Live for freedom.

Kiyannaaaa

We all just need a little time each week, at least, to relax, find peace and be happy. Maybe sit and collect your thoughts. Maybe you can listen to rain sounds like I am at this current moment. It's not super relaxing because I am supposed to be reading a thousand pages for my classes but it is making me feel a lot better....a lot more peaceful and at ease.



I just looked at the clock. It's midnight. It's Monday and so this new week begins. So glad that Mondays are quick and easy for me.

"Our prime purpose in life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them." -Dalai Lama

I made it.

I cried. I was alone. I smiled. I fought. I climbed. I fell. I shed blood. I got up. I cried. I was happy. I was sad. I loved me. I hated me. I believed in the impossible. I took crap for nothing. I was bullied. I made it out. I was happy. I felt alone. I felt loved. I felt confused. I loved myself. I hated myself. I cried. I smiled. I cried. Does that make me weaker? Not at all. Pain may hurt but it's a sign that you're alive. I'm stronger because I'm ALIVE. ♥

It hurts everyone.

It hurts the little girl that has to sit between her two angry parents on the long ride home.
It hurts the little girl when her dad takes out his anger on her.
It hurts when the parents and make a huge horrible public display of their "anger" in the middle of the gas station while the little girls cry because of how much it hurts.

It hurts everyone. Love is Louder. Hate and anger hurts too much. When the cycle end?

love is louder

End bullying. There is no excuse to hurt people or to push them to the edge of death with endless taunting, jeers, or rude and demeaning remarks. It's not fair. This cycle that is ending countless, precious lives needs to stop! How many tears must flow, lives lost, blood shed, before the world sees that action needs to be taken? How long before society sees that love is louder than hate. Love is louder than pain. There is never an excuse to hurt people. I'll never understand why anyone thinks it's okay It blows my mind when ever I think about it but I know that's there will be a day when this horrible cycle ends and love can be heard through all the confusion and pain. We have to take baby steps but there is no doubt that if we work together and work on the love, we can it "Don't give up on love, just hold on."

we are all fighting.

I got into a wonderful conversation with some girls on the floor. People fight so hard to be where they are. That's why there is no room to judge. You don't know what people are going through. You don't know what they're fighting or how hard. You can't always tell how hard someone is fighting just by looking at them. That's why we all need to love and respect each other. Happiness and love are some of the strongest forces on this earth and even though you may not see it all the time, it's always there. Always at work and never failing.

We're fighting but that doesn't mean we're weak. We're stronger with every moment. If you're at the bottom then there's only up from there. "Life's a climb but the view is great."

In addition, I got interviewed for fitsmi.com and their site for moms...check it out please!

walk a mile in her shoes♥

I was lucky enough to experience something truly wonderful today! October is domestic violence awareness month. Here at USF, over a hundred REAL men walked in heels to raise awareness for the victims and survivors of sexual assault and rape. The event is called walk a mile in her shoes. What's better than guys in heels? Guys in heels who care about women and are willing to pledge to respect women. They took a beautiful pledge to respect women, to always have consent, and to overall know that REAL men listen, ask, and always get consent.

There is no excuse for abuse. Voices need to be heard. Every step we take for awareness allows one silenced voice to be heard. Rape hurts everyone. It was amazing to see how many men care to make a difference. It was amazing to see how many people in general care and are willing to make a difference.

It exemplifies something that I'm always saying, when we believe in ourselves, we're making the world a better place just by living in it.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=444367204092&set=a.444367069092.241956.131614279092#!/LetsBeREAL

http://www.walkamileinhershoes.org

this makes me smile :)

"If God had a refrigerator,
Your picture would be on it.
If He had a wallet,
Your photo would be in it.
He sends you flowers every spring,
And a sunrise every morning.
Whenever you want to talk,
He’ll listen.
He can live anywhere in the Universe,
And he chose your heart.
What about the Christmas gift
He sent you in Bethlehem,
Not to mention that Friday at Calvary?
Face it friend, He’s crazy about you."

my henna tattoo!

"All the flowers of tomorrow are in the seeds that we sow today."

I know it's hard right now but one day I'll wake up and it'll all be working. I was thinking about giving up buy I'm worth so much more than that. I'm gonna keep on keeping on. Tomorrow is a brand new day and I'm putting my heart in to it. Nothing is going to hold me back anymore. People have worked too hard to get me here and I have to make it for me so that I'll be the happy princess that they want me to be. The princess that I've been trying to be for ages.

Everytime I look at it, I smile. I'm so glad it's there. I've been needing an instant smile lately.