Long Time, No See

Well I haven't posted in awhile.  It is most likely (actually it IS) because of the following reasons:  I play college volleyball. I am taking all Business classes this semester which makes my life infinitely more exciting...but these courses are much more time-consuming to say the least.  I spend any free time I have doing homework, eating, trying to maintain proper hygiene with all this volleyball, and my favorite...sleeping.  I know most of you would die to have this schedule, but I insist that you enjoy every ounce of free time you have with something more exciting than homework assignments, chocolate milk, and showers.  The truth is, the most exciting distraction I could find to take a break from homework that wouldn't take more than 30 min was to write this blog post.  It is actually extremely exciting.

I have been keeping track of the most random, thoughtful, and hilarious stories from the first half of the semester.  Now, we are only just now reaching mid-semester, so I'm sure the excitement has just begun, but what I have experienced so far is too good not to share...

1.  Apparently, cutting hair in the dorm laundry room is the best, most successful unintentional marketing...ever. Who knew? It is a blessing in disguise.

2.  Panera has these amazing cinnamon crunch bagels that you can top with hazelnut cream cheese and it's like eating a bite of heaven.  This bagel and cream cheese combination is actually very tempting at night after playing volleyball, and even the thought of it sometimes forces you to set your alarm for 5:30 am the next morning so you can wake up and study while devouring all of its goodness before your 9:30 am class.  (No comment...)

3.  It makes my day when my little brother sends me songs on Spotify to keep me up-to-date on the latest beats ;)  He has great taste.

4.  Did you know that if you spend an hour painting your nails and then take your laundry out of the dryer and fold it, your nails will be completely ruined?

5.  In the mornings, I am reminded why I love Texas -- beautiful skies, crisp breeze, warm breakfasts and coffee, and the freedom to wear pants and boots without being judged :)  And in the afternoons, I am reminded why I dislike Texas -- random sunlight that heats up the crispness by 30 degrees in a matter of minutes, humidity, and the feeling that Texas is mocking my "winter outfit"...

6.  Textbooks that come in binder-format make for a good story.
Random person: "Why do you carry around a bag full of book pages?"
Me: "It's my textbook."
Random person: "Why don't you buy a binder....?"
Me: "I have a binder. It just doesn't fit all of the pages of the textbook and buying a larger one is sadly not on my to-do list."
But to be honest,  removing and adding chapters to the binder each week depending on which ones we are covering is getting a little old. ;)

7.  What does the fox say?

8.  Sometimes the creativity of picking out new outfits each day is just not there in the mornings, so I end up wearing the same clothes each week...hopefully no one has noticed.

9.  Having a car at school changes everything.  My life has been completely transformed.  I no longer have to walk 5 min to the gym for practice - now I can drive and get there in 2 min.  Chick-fil-a runs have become a tradition.  But seriously, having the ability to go to the grocery store every few weeks to buy food or to just escape campus for a short get-away trip to Starbucks (and earn my stars so I can become a gold member!!) even for a little while means so much.

10.  And last, but most definitely not least, I am constantly reminded that I have an amazing family that is always willing to talk, Snapchat, share stories, and be an encouragement to me when I need it most :)

That's all for now...time to get back to work!!

-Kayla

Summer, Sunscreen, and Sunburns

Hello from the beautiful state of California - where the beaches are glorious, the shopping is never-ending, and the sun is always shining.  Like always.  I have had many memorable experiences here in Cali including learning how to surf, riding down a hill using pool rafts on a 150 ft. slip-n-slide, getting sick the night before going to Knott's Berry Farm 3 years in a row, chicken pox...yeah.  Well this post is about something a little different.  It is about one of my greatest accomplishments here that has turned into one of my greatest disasters.  Well enough with the intro...here's the story:

Soooo yesterday we went to one of California's greatest beaches - Huntington Beach.  We went to HB last summer and had a wonderful time, so it was only right that we would pay it a visit again.  My goal for the day was to not only have fun building sand castles and playing volleyball, but to also work on my tan.  Obviously!    However, as some of you may also experience, in order to work on the tan, we have to first get past the sunburning stage.  With that in mind, I was sure to put sunscreen on where I thought it was needed most. I paid close attention to where I was laying and carefully turned over every 3 minutes rotisserie-style for proper coverage.  I mean, who wants an uneven tan, right?  I was feeling very confident about my tanning abilities.  However, if the results of yesterday's beach day had turned out as planned, I wouldn't be writing.... Unfortunately for me, I did find out that I am a pro at turning rotisserie style every 3 minutes, however I am horrible at putting sunscreen on, because I somehow managed to evenly sunburn my entire body.  Well done Kayla, well done... (pun intended) ;)

The moral of the story is to never use hand applied sunscreen unless you are a pro and are sure you will sufficiently cover your whole body - otherwise just use spray-on sunscreen (it's faster and more awesome anyway).  Also, never assume that parts of your body don't need sunscreen...

I hope your tanning is a more successful and pain-free experience.

Until next time!

-Kayla

Ideas for Some Summer Fun

It's been awesome being home with the family -- days have consisted of work, volleyball, cooking, playing the piano, swimming, movies, and any other outlet that serves as a good escape from the 110 degree sun.  However, occasionally summer days can sometimes feel long with little to do, so I decided to share a few things that I've been up to and maybe it will give you some good ideas:

Feeling adventurous?  The most exciting idea my little sister and I had was to bleach our hair...hey we had fun!

If you have a skateboard or longboard, take it out for a ride!  For all you Arizonians however, I would only recommend doing this at 6:30 in the morning...otherwise heat-stroke may be the only excitement you will experience. ;)

Or better yet, teach someone else how to skateboard!  It will take lots of time out of your day and may serve as some great entertainment.  However, I wouldn't recommend this if that person weighs more than you...I was a tad sore after this. ;)

Summertime is the best time to get your creative juices going.  Maybe making some tie-dye t-shirts is the best way to engage your mind on a slow day...

Learn a new game!  I learned how to play Ladder Toss at my grandparents house and had a blast.  Don't worry, it doesn't require much brain work :)

Shopping is always a good option especially because it can become an all-day event.  I would definitely recommend making a stop at Claire's though no matter what you are intending to buy.  They have the most random and strange accessories that will make you realize what you are missing out on in life...or maybe not.

Contact a friend that you haven't talked to in a long time or schedule a coffee date!  You'll never know how much of an impact it will make on their day when they hear from you.  My older sister and I hadn't seen each other in 6 months (not by choice) so we scheduled lots of fun and unforgettable activities while we were together :) 

Cook something delicious.  My brother and I made double chocolate chip cookies...let's just say it more then satisfied our cravings for a few days.

If these look like they will do the trick and help you on a slow day, here is the recipe!

Cookies:  1 cup sugar

               1/2 cup margarine, softened

               1/3 cup water

               1 tsp vanilla

               1 egg

               2 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted

               1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

               1 cup chocolate chips

               1/2 tsp baking soda

               1/2 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients but dry ingredients, then mix in dry ingredients.  Bake at 400 for 8-10 min.

Icing:      2 squares unsweetened chocolate

               2 tbsp margarine

               3 tbsp water

               2 cups powdered sugar

Heat all together until melted, than use powdered sugar to thicken.  Once cookies are out of the oven and completely cooled, cover with frosting.

Enjoy!  And don't forget to try something new this summer while you have the chance!

Until next time...

-Kayla

The Freshman Firsts...

Since I just finished my freshman year of college, I wanted to write about all of my experiences and memories.  However, if I were to put all of that into writing, it might equal the size of a book...so instead I decided to put together my freshman year in a series of pictures.

I present: The Freshman Firsts!

1. A funny one to start us off...my first time holding a frog in Texas

2.  My first Texas sunset

3.  My first sport's plaque 

4.  My first concert that was only a 5 minute walk away

5.  My first collegiate volleyball game

6.  My first Panda Express fortune in college (a pretty good one at that)

7.  My first Texas fall

8.  My first 12 and a half hour bus ride

9.  My first date (hehehe)

10.  My first game of Monopoly in class (this did make Accounting easier to understand)  

11.  My first time watching a rugby game  

12.  My first talent show  

13.  My first Texas spring  

I hope you enjoyed this very brief, yet quite colorful version of my freshman year!

Until next time,

Kayla

The Art of Juggling

Today was a beautiful day here in East Texas.  Sunny skies and in the 70s, clearly the best pastime for such a day as this would be to learn how to juggle.  I've seen many people juggle and I thought it would be fun to try it considering you can use it in every workplace -- and by "use", I mean you can use anything to practice juggling.  The classic juggling balls (boring), foam balls (if you want a little more excitement), apples (which I wouldn't recommend because I found out they bruise easily), or anything else that you can get your hands on.  I wouldn't suggest anything sharp or pointed until you have it completely mastered... In today's case, tennis balls were the best choice.  Here is a quick and easy step-by-step guide on how to find success in the art of juggling in under 15 minutes:

1.  Make sure you are in a fabulous mood, and won't get easily frustrated at the small annoyances in life.
2.  Remember that when it comes to juggling, practice makes (almost) perfect and the less you think about technique, the better off you'll be.
3.  Begin with 1 tennis ball in right hand.  Toss high into air and catch with left hand.
4.  Add second ball and start with one in each hand.  Toss right hand ball high into air, and immediately toss left hand ball.  Catch both balls in opposite hand they were tossed from.
5.  Practice this at least 20 times...and try not to get too frustrated.
6.  After mastering step 5, it is time to add third ball.  Hold two balls in right hand and one in the left.  Toss first ball from right hand into air, and immediately toss left hand ball.  As you are catching first ball in left hand, toss second right hand ball into air.  As you are catching second ball in right hand, toss first ball into air.  As catching third ball in left hand, toss second ball into air.  Confused yet?
7.  If step 6 is too confusing, just start tossing balls into air and catching them with different hands -- this is what I did, and for some reason I got the same result as if I had followed step 6...
8.  Hope that step 6 is unnecessary and step 7 will work as well for you as it happened to work for me.

Now that you know the basic steps of juggling, you are ready to put on a show!  So go and enjoy your newly learned skill and impress everyone you know with your amazing coordination.

-Kayla

A New Kind of Tie-Dye

I originally saw this idea on Pinterest and thought I would give it a try!  I was going to the midnight showing of the Hunger Games, and making t-shirts seemed to be a fun option to show my fan spirit ;)

Materials:

Rit Tie Die Kits

Elmer's Blue Gel Glue

Cotton Tees

Plastic Tops

Plastic Buckets

Plastic Table Cloth

Gloves

1. Pick out some fun colors.

 2. Rinse tee under cold water and then wring out until damp.  Put plastic tops inside damp shirts and use Elmer's Gel Glue glue to write/draw on tees.  The tops will keep the glue from seeping through the shirt.  Let dry completely (may take up to 48 hours depending on thickness of design).

 3. Mix dye in plastic buckets according to box instructions.  Wear gloves and dip t-shirt into dye until soaked completely through.  The more you dip the shirt, the darker the color will turn out.  I dipped each shirt at least 3 times.

 4. Squeeze shirt until it's no longer dripping, and lay flat on the plastic table cloth.

 5. Let dry completely (I let mine sit for about 4 days).

 6. Thoroughly rinse shirts in running water until water running off shirts is almost clear.  Machine wash shirts individually on Cold and machine dry on Low.  Admire your work!

 - Kayla

Life as a College Student

My friend and I made this video for an assignment for one of our freshman classes.  It encompasses all there is to know about succeeding in college, a few tricks to help pass exams and maintain control of your personal hygiene, and a few other important factors.  Warning: don't laugh too much.

 -Kayla