M.I.A.

Hey guys!

Soooo I have been really M.I.A. for the last couple months and I am really sorry about that. Between finishing up school, work and APO stuff in May, then through May and June struggling to find a job and going on vacation, I have had a lot going on. I need to get into writing on here regularly though, and trust me I WILL! :)

Now that the disclaimer is over....I had my first interview of the summer! (: Well if you don't include the phone interview I had for an internship that didn't exactly work out, obviously. It went really well and hopefully it will work out! I mean c'mon, two months of rent and a pet deposit for my apartment aren't going to pay themselves. I also found a couple other stores that are hiring so if this doesn't pan out, one probably will. STAY POSITIVE!

I also pushed myself and got the GPA I needed to continue on with the Peer Instructor position I was given on a conditional basis (based on my GPA)! I can't even explain how excited I am about being able to co-teach some of the freshman class next year. I needed a 2.5 and I actually got up to a 2.7! so hard work does pay off, no matter how busy you are apparently (:

I mentioned a vacation earlier, and I will probably post about that here soon too!

Thanks for reading, whoever you might be!
Also, feel free to leave topics in the comments that you would like me to write about. I'm here to please you guys too! (:

- Lauren

Just a Mini Heart Attack, NBD

So I got some good news about an hour ago, and I just felt the need to share. After my last post about relieving stress, I just felt an overwhelming sense of calm....imagine that! Anyways, I happened to check my email and see that New Student Programs here at Radford had sent out a mass email to all of us that applied for the Peer Instructor position for the fall. Expecting it to tell me whether I got the position or not, I went into full panic mode here at work..in my head of course..c'mon I'm not THAT unprofessional. We were told we had to go get a letter that sealed our fate, from the office, by 5:00 pm.....

Long story short, I GOT THE JOB!
After all that, I need a cinnamon bun hot chocolate from Starbucks. Care to join anyone?

KCCO
- Lauren

Dear Stress...it's not working out, let's break up!

Stress has been a major problem in my life lately. Between finding a temporary home for my puppy (not to mention still having to finish paying for her), finding out that I did not get the on-campus apartment I applied for, and trying to balance school, APO, and my job, I really needed to be surrounded by friends, hear some words of encouragement and develop a set of stress-relievers. All that being said, I thought I would share some tips and tricks that I found!

1. Remember that everyone makes mistakes and has bad days, but like an arrow, you have to be pulled backward to be shot forward into something great!

2. Cook yourself your favorite meal. Studies show that cooking your favorite meal will not only give you something to think about other than what is currently stressing you out, but it will also give you a sense of accomplishment.

3. Celebrate when something goes well. Treat yourself with your favorite snack or dessert, go out and see a new movie, or splurge and buy yourself that shirt that you've been dying to buy.

4. Go to bed earlier. Getting more sleep will generally help you feel calmer throughout the day, and also give you energy to get through it! Besides, who doesn't like sleep?!

5. Make a calm down jar. (not only is it helpful with relieving stress, but it's also really cute!) Just fill a jar with water and glitter and seal! When you're feeling overwhelmed, just shake the jar, and wait until all the glitter has settled before you continue on with what you're doing.

6. Most importantly, OPEN UP TO SOMEONE! The biggest mistake people make is holding in their emotions. Even if you don't want to tell a friend or family member, even talking to a cashier at the store or a hairdresser (getting your hair done might help too!), just getting your feelings out in the open will immediately lift the weight off your shoulders.

I hope at least one of these tips helped! Let me know what awesome ideas you have for relieving stress! (:

KCCO
-Lauren