How to Follow Your Dreams While Still in College

If you're in college, you're probably counting down the days until graduation. For most people, "real life" starts when you twist that tassel and swear off finals forever. In reality, college is the prime time to accomplish some great things and make unforgettable memories. Once you graduate, you'll probably feel pressure to get a full-time job, then never have time to do all those things you vowed to do. There are a lot of things you can do while still in college to help you feel like you're already living your "real life." Yes, David At The Dentist, this is real life, and here are some ways to start living it:

A Summer Job Done Right

Yes, an internship that looks good on your resume sounds appealing. But does sitting in a dark, freezing office all summer make you jump with excitement? You'll have plenty of time to do that when you're old. Take the summer between semesters to do something that will give you memories for years to come. Think about being a river guide in a national park, or working on a cruise ship, or setting up camp as a host at a lodge in Australia. You can always get a resume-boosting internship during school. Potential employers will admire your go-getter attitude and ability to adapt.

Make Your Hobby Work for You

If you love being outdoors, tapping into your creativity, or (heaven forbid) training for marathons, carve out time every week to do it! School and work can be overwhelming, but cultivating a hobby keeps your mood in check, helps you make friends with similar interests, and makes you more interesting. If you have experience in art or fishing because you kept it up during college, your hobby could possibly get you an awesome job as an art teacher or a fishing guide in the future. And don't be afraid to look for a part-time job in your area of interest while still in school. It's never too early to start doing something you love.

Vacation Like A Celebrity

You don't have to be Jay-Z to go on an awesome vacation...you just have to adjust your expectations. Anyone with a mason jar and an income can save a little money each pay period to go towards an awesome vacation, albeit a year down the road. If you have caviar taste on a tuna fish budget, why not plan to go on a cruise? California has ports that go to multiple locations, and you can drive there in half a day.  If cruises aren't your thing, pick a destination you've always wanted to go to...and go there. Planning trips six months to a year in advance can get you through the winter tundra we call Provo snow, and helps you get more out of your vacation. On a student budget, you'll need the extra months to save up the money, but the vacation will feel so good when you get there.

Submit to the Wanderlust with Study Abroad

You will probably never have the chance to run around another country for weeks on end again. Yes, Study Abroads are expensive in comparison, but not as costly as taking time off work later in life. You will make awesome friends, get out of Provo for a semester, and have epic stories to tell when you get back (just don't do it over the pulpit on Fast Sunday). If you're single, close this laptop and start researching a Study Abroad right. this. minute. You will never be as un-tied-down as you are right now. Do it. Trust me. It'll be amazing.

Now go out there and get your summer on!

Oil Pulling

Remember when I had an inversion headache for like two weeks? And how desperate I was to get rid of it?

In the throes of my headache, I did some research on alternative remedies. The Cokes and pills were working, but not all the time, and not well enough. I was getting too reliant on Coke last year to keep me awake, so I weaned myself off of it. I'm not about to get addicted again! Plus it makes me feel jittery and sluggish after about an hour....not to mention all that sugar. Not good.

I found a remedy called oil pulling. Have you heard of it? You can find out what it is here. Basically, you swish  oil (I used coconut) around in your mouth for 20 minutes a day and it's supposed to detox your body. It can relieve headaches, whiten your teeth, help you lose weight, and give you more energy. I already had the coconut oil, so I decided to try it. Apparently it takes a few weeks of doing it daily to see some results. The people who love it say it can make you feel better in a lot of ways. There are still a lot of skeptics, but I figured it was worth a try.

Keep reading to see how it went:

Detox Bath

Last week I was feeling weird. Nothing seemed to be going right, even though everything was fine (y'heard?) My body and mind weren't feeling up to par, so I decided to try having a detox bath to clear myself of some toxins. Was this bath fix mostly emotional? Probably. Did it work? Yeah.

Every time I need a detox bath, I don't want to sludge out to the store to buy necessary ingredients, so I usually end up mixing 12 recipes + weird things I have in my cupboard to make my own personal heaven (i.e. a locked bathroom door, a warm bath, and some quiet time).

Here's what the recipe usually looks like:

1 cup hydrogen peroxide

1 / 2 cup baking soda

Other ingredients I would include if I had them:

a few drops of essential oil (make sure it's skin friendly, not just aromatherapeutic)

1 / 4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup epsom salts (they are NOT the same as table salt...thanks Google haha)

9 easy steps to an awesome detox bath:

1. Lock yourself in the bathroom with all your ingredients.

2. Make the bath water as hot as you can + add ingredients.

3. Turn on some Kenny G and light some weird candles.

4. Turn off the Kenny G. He stresses me out.

5. Drink a glass of water before getting in the bath. Hydration.

6. Sit in the bath for 30 minutes, with as much of your body covered as possible.

7. Rinse in a lukewarm shower.

8. Get out slowly because you're gonna feel weirdsies.

9. Drink a ton of water and go to bed.

You might feel weird the night you take the bath, but you'll feel great the next day.

Friday Favorites

How was your Valentine's Day yesterday? I came into work to find my desk decorated (secretly, the night before) with lights, chocolates and a love fern...ok, it's a love tree. I have to keep it alive until next year. Where should I put it? We're not celebrating Valentine's Day until Saturday, but I cooked Matt a nice dinner and we relaxed at home. Here are some things I'm loving on this week:

This 60s-themed hotel in Spain is not helping the wanderlust. My favorite part is the whole main floor.

Things everyone feels on the internet.

If you can't get to Spain, here are 44 midwest restorts. 7, 8 + 17 look pretty great.

Someone said this to me once and I almost fell over.

Top 10 Kristin Wiig sketches. Garth and Kat had me snorting.

2013 Bucket List: Green Smoothie Freezer Bags

This post is a part of the 2013 Bucket List series, in which I tell the whole world my goals so I have to complete them. You can read the original post here. Here is an update on one of my 2013 goals:

Try out meal-planning

Update: 

I've heard so much about the benefits green smoothies that I wanted to try them myself. I've seen so many recipes, but I was lazy, so I just threw bags together of things I had at home. The basic recipe is fruit + spinach. I made four bags in advance so I wouldn't have to find the ingredients in the morning. Each morning I just threw the contents of the bag into the blender and blended until smooth. 

I have to admit that this didn't work quite like I planned it. I put way too many things in the bag, so the smoothies were huge. I also didn't test out the recipe to see if I'd like the taste...turned out I didn't. I couldn't get past how much spinach I put inside. 

But hey, at least I tried. 

I did feel really great the days I downed the whole drink, though. Instead of sugary cereal that leaves me wanting more food in an hour, I felt more full and energized. It also felt great to get a lot of healthiness out of the way in the beginning of the day so I could splurge on yummier food for lunch or dinner. 

When I do this again, I'll definitely try out recipes until I find one I like enough to duplicate multiple times. And I'll stick to the portions that are tried and true. 

Do you guys do green smoothies in the morning? What's your favorite recipe? I need help! 

2013 Bucket List: Mexican Chicken + Rice

This post is a part of the 2013 Bucket List series, in which I tell the whole world my goals so I have to complete them. You can read the original post here. Here is an update on one of my 2013 goals:

Try out monthly meal-planning

Cooking is hard. I love the result but never think to plan any meals. I have encountered a bunch of meal-planning pins on Pinterest, so I'm going to try them out and document the journey.

Update: 

I found this recipe on Pinterest and made it for Sunday dinner to put over rice. It literally couldn't be easier to make, and it's so good I'm making it again. 

The finished meal is rice with Mexican Chicken on top, with shredded cheese and sour cream. 

Mexican Chicken:

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can black beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can yellow corn

1 container of salsa

3-4 frozen chicken breasts

6 cups cooked rice (add 1/2 tbsp oil and dash of salt when cooking)

1 cup shredded cheese

1 small container sour cream

Stick the first 6 ingredients in your crock pot. I like to cook it for 8 hours to let the ingredients simmer, but you can choose whatever setting you like. 

30 minutes before the crock pot is set to finish cooking, boil water on a pot and cook the rice with the oil and a dash of salt. This makes some tasty rice! 

Dish rice + chicken in a bowl and garnish with shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream. 

Super easy. Can you tell that I am drawn to the easy recipes? I like to make this recipe and divvy it out in tupperware, then freeze them for lunches. I just stick a frozen tupperware in my lunch bag and let it thaw until lunch. It takes about 5 minutes to heat back up in the microwave, but it's better than school lunch! 

Once these goals are completed, I'll probably add a few more goals to the list. If you would like to join me in the 2013 Bucket List Challenge, please put a link of this post in your blog, then comment on it so I know you're in!

2013 Bucket List: Homemade Chicken Soup

This post is a part of the 2013 Bucket List series, in which I tell the whole world my goals so I have to complete them. You can read the original post here. Here is an update on one of my 2013 goals:

Try out monthly meal-planning

Cooking is hard. I love the result but never think to plan any meals. I have encountered a bunch of meal-planning pins on Pinterest, so I'm going to try them out and document the journey.

Update: 

I was originally planning on doing freezer meals, but I decided to build up my bank of tried and true recipes before I get all crazy on freezer meals. I'll be posting one recipe at a time to make them easier to find.

Homemade Chicken Soup

7 cups water

1 leftover rotisserie chicken

1 cup chopped carrots

1 bunch celery

1/2 cup cilantro

2-3 cups uncooked bowtie pasta

salt (to taste)

lemon pepper (to taste)

Boil water in the largest pot you can find to fit your chicken. Stick the chicken in and let it simmer until the water is yellow and delicious looking. 

Chop carrots, celery + cilantro and put in a separate pot. Cover with 2 cans of chicken broth and cook on medium. 

Remove chicken from pot and tear off any leftover meat. Put the meat back in the pot, and throw the chicken away.

Pour vegetables + broth into the chicken stock and add pasta. Cook on low until pasta is al dente. Add salt + lemon pepper to taste. 

This soup was so easy to make, and great if you have rotisserie leftovers. And it's about 1,000 times better than canned chicken noodle soup. 

Once these goals are completed, I'll probably add a few more goals to the list. If you would like to join me in the 2013 Bucket List Challenge, please put a link of this post in your blog, then comment on the same post so I know you're in! 

2013 Bucket List: Homemade Boba Tea

This post is a part of the 2013 Bucket List series, in which I tell the whole world my goals so I have to complete them. You can read the original post here. Here is an update on one of my 2013 goals:

Try out monthly meal-planning

Cooking is hard. I love the result but never think to plan any meals. I have encountered a bunch of meal-planning pins on Pinterest, so I'm going to try them out and document the journey.

Update: 

If you follow this blog, you've probably heard me talk about Boba Tea before. California is pretty culturally diverse, and I always heard people talking about Boba but never understood what it was...until I moved to whiteywhitesvilley, Utah. 

Life....

Boba Tea is an asian drink (usually tea + fruit juice + milk) with tapioca pearls (boba) at the bottom. If you get it at a shop it'll come in a fun drink with a plastic lid fused to the cup and a huge straw to suck the boba up. It's srsly delicious. 

Anyway, I found this great place in Orem and got addicted for a minute. Like all of my obsessions, it came in while a burning fire and left pretty quickly. Well, the fire came back with a vengeance one night at the book store. Luckily, the book store was by my all time favorite Boba place. I drove by, hoping to get a quick fix, and it was closed. Not night night closed. Like, closed closed. 

Like all things in Utah Valley, the store had started much like my obsessions (eager, excited to please), then burned out quickly when the owners realized it takes more than a wish and a dream to make a business stick in Utah Valley. The store was gone. 

(BTW, if I'm ever crazy enough to start a business in Provo, I will do everything I can to get the hipsters into it. The hipsters are the key to success. Without them, you're doomed.)

I was pretty sad for a minute until I realized there was an asian market down the street from my house. Lately I'm all about trying out new things. Perfect! I found a recipe on Pinterest and decided to make my own. "If the entire continent of Asia* can do it, so can I!" Firey obsession, check.

*gross exaggeration

I followed the recipe on this blog to get boba that would last a couple days in the fridge. It took 5 times as long as regular boba, and the next day the pearls were ruined. Just do the quick version. 

Here's a quick recipe for boba:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup boba (tapioca pearls)

1/2 cup sugar

6 cups water

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup fruit juice (I used peach juice from a can of peaches)

Boil 4 cups of water on the stove. Put boba in water and boil for 5-10 minutes (until boba is soft to the core).

While boba is boiling, steep two bags of your favorite tea in water. I used herbal citrus tea. Let it cool in the fridge or freezer.

Pour boba into a strainer. Rinse with cold water until the boba is lukewarm. In a container, mix 2 cups warm water with sugar. Pour boba into the simple syrup mixture. If you want, you can leave the boba in the syrup for a few minutes to soak up the sugar.

In a glass, mix cooled tea with milk and fruit juice (you can use any kind of juice).

Use a spoon to transfer boba to your tea cup. Make sure you get some of the simple syrup to sweeten the tea. 

Enjoy! 

PS: The tea above was citrus herbal tea + peach juice from a can + simple syrup + milk + boba. 

How to Host A Favorite Things Party

(Most of) my favorite ladies with their loot!

This post is a part of the 2013 Bucket List series, in which I tell the whole world my goals so I have to complete them. You can read the original post here. 

This is the second post about the FTP. To get caught up, read this post  first, where I explain my goals and share invites + tips.

Here is an update on one of my 2013 goals:

Throw a Favorite Things party

We finally did it! The FTP finally happened! I've been wanting to do this party for months.

How to throw your own Minute To Win It Party

Remember New Year's Eve? It feels like it's been 2013 for days now... oh wait. 

I was in charge of the Hardin Minute To Win It games at the family party. I figured I'd write them out in case you wanted to have your own party! Everyone walked away saying it was one of the funnest NYE parties they'd ever been to. Thank you, MTWI, for helping us have another fun memory together.

BTW, this idea came from the billion pins on Pinterest proclaiming how much fun their parties were, and a tv show of the same name. NBC has a website where you can see every game they've created. I got all of my ideas from Pinterest and NBC. I picked the games based on how fun I thought they would be, and how easy it would be to acquire the necessary materials. 

Game Objective

The purpose of MTWI games is to complete a crazy challenge with household items in under a minute. If the challenge is successfully completed, that person's team gets a point. Whichever team has the most points, wins. 

Teams

There were about 18 adults there, so we split up into 6 teams of 3 people. Each group had time to come up with a team name. There were 6 games (and a tie breaker), so each member of each group had the chance to participate in at least two games. The group was too large to have every person participate in every game.  

Scoring

We made a large score sheet out of poster board, and kept score there. Teams got one point every time they completed the challenge.

A Warning

FYI, people will try to get you to change the rules you have already made up. Stick to your guns and tell them that when they have their own kids, they'll understand. #teenageflashback

Games

After we got our baby-cuddling fix, we started the games! 

Up In The Air

Player must keep two balloons afloat for a whole minute. If one of the balloons touches the ground before the minute is up, the player is disqualified. We had a small space to play, so bystanders had a hard time not helping the players. Make sure you have enough room to play this! This game is a lot harder than it sounds. Make sure the naysayers are the first people to do this challenge! That'll shut em up quick! 

At the 40 second mark, we threw in a third balloon to make things interesting. 

Materials: Five balloons...at least two will pop. Hot air.

Face the Cookie

Players must move a cookie from their forehead to their mouths using only their faces in under a minute. 

Materials: Cookies. Faces.

This Blows

Player must blow up a balloon (an infinite number of times) and use the air from the balloon to blow overturned cups off the edge of a table in under a minute. Player cannot start blowing up the balloon before the timer starts. 

Materials: Card table. Balloons. At least 20 disposable cups. 

Stack It

Player use 28 cups to make a pyramid, then disassemble it into a stack of cups before the minute is up. This was a pretty easy challenge. I would change the rules to allow the player to only use one hand instead of two. If you do that, you may want to only use 21 cups.

Materials: Card table. 28 cups. 

 Penny Hose (sorry, no pictures of this one)

Players must retrieve a penny from the bottom of a panty hose leg with just their hands. This may have been the most anticlimactic game we played. The reviews I read online were good, but the guests were underwhelmed! I'll just take that as a sign that the rest of my games were just too awesome...

Materials: Panty hose. Pennies.

A Bit Dicey (sorry, no pictures of this one)

Players must balance six dice onto a popsicle stick held between the teeth in under a minute. The dice must be one on top of the other (six dice in one column, not two or three columns). The popsicle stick can stick out as far as the player wants. If the dice falls, the player can re-stack them until the minute is up.

Materials: Popsicle sticks. 6 dice.

Paper Dragon

This was our tie breaker game. Players must unravel a spool of crepe paper using only their feet. The person whose roll unraveled first was the winner of the whole contest! This one was pretty funny to watch. One player's crepe paper rolled off into another room without her, and she had to jump past at least five obstacles to retrieve it. 

Materials: At least two rolls of crepe paper (to be safe, get four, in case they both succeed the first time). 

And then I held more babies...

The family wrote 2013 goals, ate, and played pill bug wars and mafia until midnight. And then we ruined a perfectly romantic couple's moment by running outside to see the fireworks the neighbors set off! Oops! I am definitely going to have another MTWI party sometime soon. It was a great way to make memories and have some family fun.

All photos are courtesy of my SIL, Charity. 

9 Cute DIY Christmas Decorations

one / craft stick snowflakes / two : glitter reindeer art / three : candy cane wreath / four : miniatures in a jar / five : sparkle branches / six : dollar store fake fruit + glitter = centerpiece / seven : 25 awesome advent calendars eight : handmade christmas trees / nine : peace garland

How To Be An Introvert with an Extrovert's Job

In my last post, I mentioned that I have a job typically taken on by extroverts, even though I'm an introvert. I am a K-12 art teacher, and I never go back to the same school twice. So every day is full of literally hundreds of new people. As a person who hates attention and needs a fair share of alone time, it can be challenging to be "on" every day. But since I love art and I love kids, I had to adjust my teaching style to enjoy every day more.

I have figured out a few ways to stay true to my introverted self and also really enjoy being a teacher:

1. I see my days in schools as a game. I use the time to practice being an extrovert. There are many perks of being an extrovert, so I play the part to get the best of both worlds! If you think you'll have a great time talking to people all day, you usually end up having a ball!

2. Time spent not teaching is spent recharging silently. Sometimes I bring a book to read during 5-minute breaks between classes. Sometimes I tell my co-worker I need to eat lunch alone in my room. Yes. I'm that person. Not all the time, but sometimes.

3. I used to be ashamed of my need to be alone because it can be seen as anti-social. Once I figured out that it was necessary to have a good day, I stopped being ashamed and started making it happen. Own that introversion! Be selfish with that precious free time during the day! When I get home, I also make sure to get my alone time in before moving on to other activities. Knowing I can have it when work is over is very helpful.

4. Knowing how introverts and extroverts work, I tailor lessons to both personality types. School can often be very conducive to extroverts, but terrifying to introverts! I make sure to have activities that cater to both parties. Letting kids talk in small groups or work on their own makes the introverts more comfortable and the extroverts happy, and gives me a break from being "on stage" for a few minutes. Win/win.

5. Get enough sleep. When I'm rested and energized, life is rainbows and happiness. When I'm tired, it's really easy to tack on being overwhelmed by billions of small children. Enough sleep = easier day.

6. Most days are fine, but when I find myself wondering why I chose an extrovert's job, I remind myself why I chose to teach art: I LOVE IT! I love art so much that I want everyone to love it, too! Teaching is a great way to spread my love of art to other people. Being passionate really helps.

Introverts, do you have an extrovert's job? How do you tailor your day to be less overwhelming?

What No One Tells You About Being Engaged

Here are a few things no one ever tells you about being engaged:

1. Being in love, and actually looking like you're in love while a stranger tells you to look like you're in love are not the same thing. Taking engagement pictures was one of the most awkward evenings of my adult life, besides a lot of the dates I went on while Matt was gone haha. I suggest meeting the photographer for lunch before you bare your photographic souls to her on camera. I did this with our wedding photographer, and it made all the difference on our wedding day. I also paid her then so I wouldn't have to remember to pay her at the reception. 

2. Married housing in Provo is a sham. Landlords know they can get a lot of money out of young students without keeping up the property, so it took a long time, and a move, to find a place we loved. Don't move into a basement unless you absolutely have to. Find a place with a landlord that knows what they're doing, not a 20-something couple who owns the house with their dad and takes $150 out every year to "clean the carpets." Honey, we know you're using that money to support your hipster lifestyle. Even if you live in a hobo's nest, living together is so much better than having to say goodbye every night. So I guess you can just do what you want! At the end of the day, it's just nice to come home to your husband. 

Matt eating brownies at the first house we looked at. 

We thought this was the one, but after looking around a lot we realized it wasn't. Don't sign at the first place you like. 

3. Don't break the bank. I splurged on a few things, but we kept our budget pretty low. I'm happy we didn't spend more than we did, because the most important thing is that you're married to the right man in the right place, and your family is there to see it. Everything else is extra. It's nice to have a pretty wedding, but it's also nice to pay rent haha. So buy that rockin wedding dress if you want to, but go cheap in other areas to make up for the splurge. 

Hint: If you try to make a 4-figure budget look like a 5-figure wedding, it'll end up looking tacky. We went rustic-elegant, and I loved the laid-back feel. 

The right place.

The right man :)

The family.

4. If you're having a wedding outside your home state like me (my family lives in California but we live in Utah), and you're worried no one is going to show up (my biggest wedding fear!), here's a tip...

Choose a small venue. If you use a large venue and only 40 people show up, it will feel like a ghost town. If your venue is small and 40 people show up, it's a party! 

Us watching our best man give his speech.

4. Planning a large, public, romantic event is stressful. But eventually, you will be married, and that's all that matters. Don't worry too much about what other people think and do what you want! It's the only time you'll be entirely justified in doing so...so live it up! Just don't be so picky your friends and family want you to go on the show Bridezilla. Do what you want, but find ways to let others be a part of your big day. If someone offers to help you, let them. Make sure everyone that wants to has something special to do. 

5. I don't know everything, so take what I say with a grain of salt.