Miss {Bee}

Just "Bee"-in' Me.

Lately, I've been feeling very cared for and special - it's a great feeling and I'm savoring it because it has been a while. It's certainly a good way to end the summer. I start my fall classes online next week, and the one class I'm taking at a campus starts the first week of September. I'm ready for Autumn but also quite sad to see the Summer go. 

These last few weeks of Summer, I hope to be able to spend lots of time with my friends, my new love, and my family. The second weekend in September, I will be a maid of honor in a wedding.

It's all quite exciting, but hard to keep anxiety to a minimum! 

So I will just continue to "bee" me and enjoy the summer while it lasts, because there's a whole lot headed my way this Fall!

Oh, and in other news: I was totally spoiled by my mother, who bought me this Heidi Daus ring:

It's a bit gaudy for my usual taste, but it's a bumble bee so I'm totally into it. 

What are you up to these last few weeks of Summer?

xoxo

Happy February! & {Quote of the Week}

Happy February! 

Wow, where did a whole month go?

I have been crazy-busy with work and school (three-hour long classes that don't end until 9:40pm... ughhh). But other than that, I've been doing homework, reading some amazing books, and attempting to get some time to relax in there. 

Which leads me to the quote of the week:

"It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it."

-Lena Home

This quote serves as a reminder that you are strong enough to handle what life sends your way, and if it seems like too much (which it often does), find a different way to carry it. Take deep breaths. Pick something manageable to start with, and everything will be okay.

I'm a really big list-person. I love lists. There's something so rewarding about being able to check off something, and when my list is done, I feel so relaxed! 

I make one big list for my week and divide it up into the days, and you know what? If it doesn't all get finished, it is not the end of the world.

Make sure you add some de-stress time to your list or your life!

It helps, I swear. 

xoxo

Quote of the Week 11/19/2013

"I realized this week that I cannot do it all. So I will choose to do what I can, fabulously." -Clinton Kelly

These past few weeks have been tough: I have attempted to be a good student in classes that are not of much interest to me, I work my butt off at the preschool, and I still want some semblance of a social life, although making out-of-class friends has still not happened, really. I have been in a rut, and it's not like me at all. So I am taking some advice from Clinton Kelly, and realizing that I really cannot do it all. There are so many precious hours in a day, and I should not waste the precious hours of my life doing things that I hate. 

So I am choosing a different path for myself. 

It will be different and semi-unconventional, but that's fine with me because it is my life. 

You only get one, so live it in a way that makes you happy.

xoxo

Quote of the Week: 8/26/13

It was here, but now it's out of stock!

"I figure if a girl wants to be a legend, she should just go ahead and be one." - Calamity Jane

I think that this week's quote really speaks for itself! But anyway, if you know what or who you want to be, find a way to be that person. You only live once, so do what makes you happy and find ways to be happy with yourself!

xoxo,

Caryn Elizabeth

Quote of the Week: 8/19/13

Found here

"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong." -Joseph Chilton Pearce

Let go of your fears and dive in: immerse yourself in a new language, find yourself in a new book, splatter yourself in paint, cover yourself in ink... Just find what you love to do and pursue that interest. If you don't like it anymore, find something new. Life is too short to follow a dream that is no longer yours. Let go of your fears and follow your dreams. 

xoxo,

Caryn Elizabeth

Wow, what a weekend!

So, last Friday was my new university's orientation for transfer students, and while I was expecting to meet a ton of new people, I really didn't meet many people, and besides running into them on campus, I doubt that I'll see any of them again. I may have met more people had I not gone to the wrong major's advising meeting in the morning. -sigh-

So, apparently at my new school, there is a difference between Italian Studies (my major) and Italian language studies (apparently not my major)... So I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off all day long, thinking I was taking all of the wrong classes, only to find out from one of the student volunteers that I was doing all of the wrong advising all day. 

Luckily, I was sent to the literature and history departments before they left (I cut it really close) so I have all of my classes for this quarter, but I have no idea how to get around school (there's buses to take you around campus, but which one do I take? When do they run?) or which college is which. So things are going to be pretty confusing for the first week or two. 

My mom came for the weekend, though, so I got to spend time with her and my doggies. We went on a nice morning walk on the beach pictured above, and then a friend from home came to visit. The three of us shared the best cupcakes in the world and then went to see the Conjuring.

Rotten Tomatoes

The Conjuring started off alright, particularly since the doll pictured above was involved in the beginning of the film, and the doll alone is just freaky. However, toward the middle of the movie, I thought it was just going to be another mediocre horror movie. It started to move really slowly and went for a lot of cheap scares that just weren't scary. But then, at the end of the movie, things looked up. It got pretty frightening - there were a few laughable moments, but overall, they put together a horror film that was better than I'd seen in a long while. 

Enjoy what's left of the weekend! 

xoxo, 

Caryn Elizabeth

Boardwalk Concerts

Last Friday, 7/12/13

Every Friday night during Summer, the Boardwalk has free Friday night concerts, which is great entertainment for people on a budget (like me!). So my roommate and I headed downtown for some cheap food before going to last week's concert, Blue Oyster Cult. 

It was a pretty great show. We were a bit late so we had to sit pretty far back, but as you can see above, the view was pretty wonderful. The music rocked, and the crowd was enthusiastic, which made the show that much better. 

For those of you also on a budget, you should check out if there are free concerts or shows in your area! It certainly does something to shake up your weekend. 

xoxo

Caryn Elizabeth

Work in Progress

This blog, at the moment, is a work in progress. I hope to figure out the ropes of this thing, so please be forgiving!
My life, too, is a work in progress. I live in this wonderful new town by the ocean, I'm transferring to a UC this fall, and I am so lucky to have found a job that I love here already. I'm currently a pre-school teaching assistant, and as I get more classes under my belt, I can become a teacher! It's not necessarily what I want to do permanently, but for now, I am loving it.

I even get to teach/read to them in Italian! Considering I'm majoring in Italian Studies, this is really a perk. I even learn new words when reading books like this one. So far, the kids have really enjoyed listening to me say the numbers. It's just so great that I get to incorporate my passion into my job. 

What are you all passionate about?

Until next time, 

Caryn Elizabeth