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!

How To Fight A Cold Like The Avengers

...from all sides.

Guys. I haven't been sick in months. It was getting to the point where I felt like I had won the lottery, and then I think that jinxed my body into getting sick. 

If you know me at all, the fact that I wasn't sick for months and months at a time is basically a Christmas Miracle. Growing up, I missed a lot of school for basically every kind of sickness you could think of. I was just that kid. My first year of teaching, I brought home bugs from all over the state. Since I have been trying to eat healthier and take care of my body, and am in my second year of teaching, I rarely get sick...until this week. 

I have found a lot of natural at-home remedies to fight the common cold that have really sped up my recovery. Some of you might have learned this 20 years ago, but I'm pretty new to the home-remedy game. My idea of speeding up the recovery process consisted of a lot of medicine and even more sleep. So if you already know this, keep on scrolling. Hopefully this will help someone.

Here is a list of 7 weird things I have done at least daily since I started feeling sick:

1. DETOX BATH: Then sit in the shower with the hottest water possible for 10 minutes after that.

2. MAGIC SOCKS: Right after the bath, wet a pair of cotton socks in cool water, then wring out until they're just damp (not soaking). Put them on your feel, then put a pair of dry wool socks over them. Go lay in bed. Apparently the combination revs up your immune system. 

3. GREEN SMOOTHIE: I already had green smoothie freezer packs on hand and have been drinking them for breakfast. Just mix up a bunch of fruits in a blender with spinach, water and ice. No milk.

4. SLEEPING POSITION: I usually sleep on my stomach, but sleeping on your back with a thick pillow when you're sick helps keep your head clear of mucus. This lowers the number of times you have to wake up in the night to blow your nose. 

5. HEALTH SHOTS: Try to get as many nutrients into your body as you can. I started doing shots of v8 juice mixed with Bolthouse Farms green smoothie chased with a drink of water. The shot glass makes it fun and bearable, the green smoothie has a lot of good nutrients and covers up the yucky v8 taste, and the v8 packs in more veggies. 

6. WATER: You know this one. But seriously...drink soooooo much water. Drink it until you feel like your stomach might explode. Have a glass of water by your bed, and keep filling it up when it gets empty. Carry that glass of water around like you're in the Sahara Desert. That cup is now your best friend until you get better. 

7. MONSTER TEA: I drink this gross concoction because it really has helped me feel better, but it's disgusting. Just suck it up. It'll help. 

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 cup water

a few dashes of ginger 

Heat it up and down it as fast as you can. Don't focus too much on the taste, and keep a glass of water nearby to get the taste out of your mouth when you're done. 

Doing these 7 things plus the normal fixes like medicine and rest will help you recover faster. Hope you feel better! 

Where The Sun Glows

Oh man. I'm so glad I married an adventurer. My personal ideal day usually consists of staying home and relaxing, but Matt loves to get away. I'm really starting to love it, too. The wear and tear of daily life can sometimes feel almost too overwhelming to bear. Getaways like this create events to look forward to and memories to last.

Today we slept in on our fancy air mattresses, ate sausage mcmuffins the size of my face, took naps, walked to a charming outdoor restaurant with the best French waiter and vinaigrette I've ever seen, and danced with baby in the living room.

The house isn't finished yet, so we are improvising...which means cooking with a grill and microwave, and using the front stoop as our fridge.





And I had two (yeah, two) of the best baths ever in a triangle whirlpool bathtub.

We even started planning our summer vacation. What initially began as a cruise to the Bahamas has turned into a week in Costa Rica with the brother's family, then Miami, then the cruise.

When the sun started to set and all were napping, I sat outside on the deck to worship the forgotten sun and bottle it up. I wish I could take the sun home to Provo with me. It makes all the difference.

Hopefully this will get me through the last weeks of winter. What do you do to recharge?

How to have your own Treat Yourself Day

Have you heard of the idea of a Treat Yourself Day? It's one day a year, where you do everything you've wanted to do, but haven't because life got in the way. The beautiful part about it is that there are no excuses on Treat Yourself Day. You can literally do whatever you want. (To see my version of Treat Yourself Day, go here and here).

Imagine your idea of "splurging" within your means. If you're Richy Rich, I'm pretty sure every day is a TYD. If you're a second-year art teacher, TYD means massages, shopping, and a fancy lunch. It also means vast amounts of doing whatever you want, like not showering and overindulging yourself on dumb internet websites like tickld.com. 

This is sounding good, isn't it? You should try it! Here's the basic formula for a Treat Yourself Day:

1. Make a list of all the things you would do in a day if you had enough free time.

2. Make a list of all the things you would do in a day if you had enough money.

3. Make a list of all the things you would do in a day if you could literally do whatever you wanted.

4. Make a list of things that relax you.

4. Kidnap your best friend and make them spend the night. Stay up late doing whatever you want. Wake up the next day without an alarm clock.

5. Pick one thing from each list and do them. Go to sleep that night feeling like all is right in the Universe. 

6. Repeat as needed.

Pretty easy! What would your version of Treat Yourself Day include?

Thing I Love: Hot Stone Massages

Guys. Have you ever had a hot stone massage? Would you like to know what they feel like? Let's just say that I felt like this the whole time it was happening:

That's right. I walked into the salon feeling like a fatigued old woman with too many worries, and in that hour and a half, I may have turned into Jennifer Aniston. My cares literally melted away and I may have had an outer body experience contemplating the universe.

The point is, if you are so visibly stressed out that your husband decides to give you and your best friend a Treat Yourself day for Christmas, take him up on it.