jess Archives - The Blogging Brew

December Goals

December 4, 2014 • No Comments

I am so thankful that this month is finally here, because my semester ends tomorrow and that means freedom! The past few weeks have been filled with sleepless nights and essays upon essays and lots of coffee, and even though I still have finals next week, finishing my last class tomorrow will be a huge relief. This semester was definitely a struggle at times, especially coming from years of bad studying habits and easy-going teachers. I’ve been so used to being able to ace everything without much effort, which is definitely not the case in college! It’s been kind of hard to get a test back and see something that’s…not very close to passing, and have to accept that this is the norm. Constantly thanking God for the curving system!

November taught me a lot of things. It taught me that waiting until the last minute to do something isn’t always the end of the world. It taught me that every task, no matter how large, can be broken down into more manageable pieces. It taught me that I don’t always have to fill my schedule with endless meetings and events, and that it’s okay to just spend a day doing absolutely nothing.

Most importantly, it taught me that worrying about things like essays and tests and speeches is pointless, because eventually those things will pass, and all that worrying will have been a waste of time that could have been spent more productively. Why should I be worrying about these things when He already has a plan for me? Reminding myself of that has allowed me to be so much more productive over the past few days, and I’ll be carrying those thoughts into next week as my finals approach! So for those of you heading into your last weeks of the semester, or dealing with some other stressful time in your life, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” – Philippians 4:6

DECEMBER GOALS

Declutter my life: More like my closet, but still. I’m talking Instagram sales, donation piles, and major downsizing.
Yoga, yoga, yoga: Now that my late afternoon classes are over, I can finally start going to the free yoga classes on campus! My body is just begging for some relief.
Keep learning: Specifically in photography. I really want to get comfortable with my camera, and hopefully try out senior photoshoots next year!

Long Time No See // Currently

November 17, 2014 • No Comments

Wow has it been a while!

I’ve had a lot of family and friends recently ask me about whether I’d ever come back to blogging, and I thought it’d be a good time to make sort of an update post on the happenings of my life. I haven’t disappeared! I’ve just realigned my priorities a bit, and unfortunately blogging took the fall there. But with breaks coming up and lots to catch up on, I’m hoping to start posting here and there a bit! I have tons of post ideas that I want to get typed up, most of them different from my typical posting theme, so I’m excited to share with y’all again!

What better way to catch my readers up than a good ole currently post?

I’m currently…

loving: this weather! Texas decided to skip Fall and go straight from a reasonable 80 degrees to the harsh 30’s, so I’m pretty fortunate to be attending a college that’s a 20 minute drive from my house, meaning an easy clothing swap. I live for sweaters and wool socks and fleece jackets, so being able to wear those things in November is pretty dang awesome.watching: documentaries. I can’t get enough of them. Every spare moment I have, I’m putting Netflix up on my screen and watching a documentary on the world water crisis, or the life of whales at Sea World. I think I’m learning more from Netflix than college itself.

listening to: classical music. It seems to be the only genre of music I can actually study to, although I’m starting to recognize the songs enough that even classical is distracting.

waiting for: Thanksgiving break! A lot of my friends had a fall break earlier this year, but UT hasn’t had a break since Labor Day weekend, so I’m desperately in need of this one. I can’t wait for the food and the relaxation and the Black Friday sales and everything that is Thanksgiving.

learning: a million things. Op-amp circuits and coding in assembly language and the world energy crisis and wow I cannot wait for Thanksgiving break.wishlisting: winter has definitely arrived, and I don’t think I will ever accept the cold lovingly without bundling up in every piece of clothing I can find. That said, I would happily take any type of oversize sweater or warm socks, but right now my eyes are on this jacket from Patagonia. Still debating whether I actually need it, but it’s nice to look at on my Pinterest wish list.

I might not be back with the same posting intensity as before, but hopefully I can pop in every once in a while with something to share!

How is your November treating you so far?

October Goals & Life Updates

October 3, 2014 • No Comments

I’d love to make a post about pumpkin spice lattes and scarves and autumn leaves, but October really isn’t giving off the vibe of fall down here in Texas. It’s still hot. It’s still dry. I’m still going to class in shorts and a t-shirt, because pants are just not an option. And while I’m not too fond of this weather situation, I’m stoked everything else this month has to offer! I haven’t been able to budget much time for blogging recently, but I’m kind of okay with that, because it means I’ve been doing tons of other stuff instead. The next few months will consist of a lot of “life update” posts, but at least I’ll be documenting my adventures!

September was one of the best months I’ve had in a while. It was productive, eye-opening, and full of experiences I never would have had before coming to UT. I met a great group of people in my engineering classes, and it’s awesome to have so many people to go to with questions when I’m confused, which is basically all the time. It’s pretty obvious now what the upperclassmen meant when they said electrical engineering is one of the hardest subjects to major in. My new best friends? Coffee & iCal. I might make a post about how those two things keep my life put together.

I also got pushed into the professional world pretty quickly, starting with the engineering EXPO held early last month for UT students. It’s targeted more towards upperclassmen, so freshmen are usually encouraged to volunteer their first year, but I decided to talk to some recruiters as well. I was absolutely set on talking to the Microsoft recruiter, because they have an awesome program for freshmen and sophomore engineers over the summer. I ended up getting called back to interview with them a week later, and I’m waiting to hear if I’ll move onto the next round! I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to participate in something as much as this program, so my fingers are crossed for next week’s results!

Part of my 101 in 1001 goals list was to post a monthly update, so here’s my progress since the end of August! I haven’t actually looked back at this list since then, so I’m just crossing things off as I type!’

Seeking Individuality

1. Attend a blog conference

2. Make my sponsorship
program more organized (10/2)

3. Post 2-3 times a week consistently

4. Write a guest post

5. Have a blogging tips series

6. Post a monthly goals update (10/2)

7. Redo blog design

8. Host my own giveaway

9. Make a recipe post

10. Reach 500 Bloglovin’ followers

11. Make a vlog post

12. Blog about my dream job

13. Have a guest blogger

14. Meet a blog friend in real life

15. Make an inspiration board for my blog

Design and Business

16. Design 10 blog templates (3/10)

17. Sell a blog template

18. Sell something on Etsy

19. Help someone start a blog (in the process?)

20. Have my own business card

Friendship

21. Go on a coffee date every week for a month

22. Live in an apartment with friends

23. Send a care package

24. Buy a personalized gift for someone

25. Send 10 letters to friends/pen pals (2/10)

26. Surprise a friend with food

27. Spend a Christmas with friends

28. Sell fireworks at a stand with my friends

29. Buy coffee for a friend

30. Pull an all nighter with a group

31. Take a friend out on their birthday

32. Play a round of golf with my friends

33. Make a new friend

34. Make a canvas for someone

Local

35. Attend an outdoor concert (ACL is almost here!!!)

36. Splurge on a fancy dinner downtown

37. Get involved with a church in Austin

38. Have a picnic on the campus lawn

39. Find a favorite local coffee shop

40. Go kayaking on Town Lake

41. Try 20 new restaurants

42. Go SUPing on Town Lake

43. Attend ACL

44. Attend SXSW

45. Eat at a Farmer’s Market

46. Attend a tailgate party

47. Find 10 favorite study spots (5/10)

Travel

48. Visit Enchanted Rock

49. Visit three new places

50. Go on a beach trip

51. Go camping with friends

52. Go on a road trip with friends

53. Take a hiking trip

54. Attend WGI Championships

Fitness and Health

55. Have a consistent workout routine

56. Run a 5K (this weekend!)

57. Run regularly

58. Do yoga every day for a month

59. Stretch to my splits

60. Take a group exercise class

61. Go without fast food for 30 days

62. Only drink water/tea for 30 days

Adding On

63. Buy Photoshop

64. Buy a personalized camera strap

65. Buy a camera bag

66. Buy a pair of Ray Bans

67. Buy a piece of jewelry on Etsy

68. Buy something from a blog friend’s shop

Misc. Goals

69. Complete 52 week money challenge

70. Save money for Christmas gifts

71. Have a DIY day

72. Reorganize computer files

73. Make decent macarons

74. Grow my own herbs

75. Take a photography class

76. Inspire someone to do 101 in 1001

77. Make a pie at Thanksgiving

78. Make a movie soundtrack playlist

79. Bake a cake from scratch

80. Bake something in the campus kitchen

81. Get 20 free t-shirts (12/20)

83. Cover my bulletin board in photos/artwork from friends/family

84. Take a calligraphy class

85. Finish a series on Netflix

Personal

86. Learn how to use my camera

87. Volunteer

88. Get better at Spanish

89. Read 10 books (1/10)

90. Celebrate my 19th birthday

91. Celebrate my 20th birthday

92. Celebrate my 21st birthday (!!!)

93. Learn some common phrases in sign language

94. Same as above, but with Korean

95. Learn how to play poker

96. Get a job

97. Complete freshman year

98. Complete sophomore year

99. Complete junior year

100. Learn a challenging piano piece

101. Learn how to play ping pong (and actually be good)