Am I the only one who is genuinely excited for summer to get here? I'm excited to have lake days, sunny afternoons, and getaways. With all that being said, what I'm not excited for is the whole staying fit thing. I have such a hard time staying motivated because I also like to stay home and watch Friends and Gossip Girl until 12 AM rolls around. I have noticed these tips have helped me to keep fit and going during the summer!

First tip that keeps me going: join a gym! Joining a gym makes me want to get some good use out of that $30 per/mo. that I'm spending. Not only will you be getting your money's worth, you can do so many things at the gym! You could do some cardio, lift weights, and, if some gyms have them, go swim some laps at the pool! When summertime hits, I usually like to do some cardio, machines, and hit the pool to swim laps and get some more sweat out by hitting the steam room. It's one of my favorite things to do!


If you don't have the cash to get a gym membership or just simply don't want to shell out cash to get fit, that's okay! Just going outside can work as well. You can run outside in your neighborhood, jog in your local park, or run laps in your local pool/lake/beach! Where I live, we have a dam that people run all the time, which is so convenient and motivating. If you have a beach by you, it makes running along the shore so much more challenging and doing some sunrise yoga all the more thrilling and something to look forward to. I'd kill to have a beach close to me to do that!

Another great motivator is to join a class! It can be at your local gym or it can be at a studio! I know big cities have Soulcycle and whatnot, and that is something to take advantage of! Also, places like New York and LA have free classes you can take! My gym has Zumba, yoga, and so many others! I personally love Zumba because not only do I get a workout, it improves my dance moves as well!


If you're a person that isn't all about going outside to work out, try finding workouts on YouTube or through an app! YouTube is a mecca of all things viral, and there are workouts galore on there! From Jillian to Cassey, you can find so many different genres! Speaking of Cassey, she has a Blogilates app that has all of her workouts on specific dates. There are three different kinds of calendars: a Beginner's Workout, Beginner's 2.0, and the regular Workout Calendar. You only pay $0.99 for the Beginner's and the 2.0, and per month for the regular calendar. I use it all the time, and I absolutely love it!

So, there you have it! I hope these tips can help you stay active this summer! What's your favorite thing to do that keeps you active over the summer? Let me know! I'm always looking for different ways to keep at it!

Yours truly,

Leighan

(photo sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5: Tumblr. 6: WeHeartIt)

Hello friends! I am SO sorry about not posting anything for a week. Life happened again, and this time, it brought finals along with it, so I have been dealing with that. Also, I have been trying to think of a post to give you guys, and also I have to brainstorm on some summer posts. I have a few in mind that I think you guys will enjoy, but we shall see!

Anyways, I wanted to kind of show you guys what I've been loving in terms of beauty, jewelry, and a few random things. I did not have that much favorites this month, but I figured I would show you guys what I've been using non-stop this month!

Beauty/Skincare

Hey guys! I am SO sorry for not having this up last week! I was supposed to have these pictures and I didn't, and then school and work and life happened.... But I digress.

Outfit:

Dress, Target (there's only the salmon one online!)

Shoes, The Shoe Dept (check my V-Day post for shoes!)

Bracelets, my own

(not shown)

Necklace and Earrings, Forever 21 (necklace is currently sold out!)

 I hope you all had a wonderful Easter! I just basically went to church and had dinner, with the occasional Starbucks, because what day is it without it? 

In all seriousness though, Easter made me remember the price Jesus paid for all of us. God gave us His son to die for us, while we were stuck in our sin. We slandered him, beaten him, and, yet, he still loved us. If you want to have a real visual reference, please watch The Passion of the Christ. That movie makes it all so real, the ultimate price. It brought me to tears thinking about it. It brings me to tears thinking about it now, as I'm typing this. It is just wonderful that we have that savior who defeated the grave and showed Satan who's boss, am I right?

All in all, please let's not forget why we celebrate such holidays such as Easter. Most people think this holiday is about the Easter bunny and eggs and how much money is in those eggs you find. All of it is material things. The real reason is because we became free from the bondage of sin, and I don't know about you, but I cannot be thankful enough for it.

Yours truly,

Leighan

Hey friends!

So, if you guys have been following me on Twitter and Instagram, you will know that I recently got that pretty little piece of mail called an acceptance letter to the University of South Carolina. For all of my college people out there, you know how huge of a deal it is to get accepted into the school you wanted to get into. It is such an amazing feeling, words cannot describe!

I have been working so hard for this for the past year now. I originally was at another college that I realized I did not feel comfortable at. At first, I didn't want to leave because that would mean "wimping out" or quitting. I didn't want to end up messing things up for me, and hurting my parents' feelings by doing so. However, for me, it was kind of like God was calling me to go back home and review my options.

At the time, I was so lost. I was lost in the world, at school... basically, I was just lost in life. I was caught up in the college lifestyle, where drinking to get drunk was the "thing" and parties were an everyday necessity. I remember sneaking drinks in between apartment rooms in order for myself and my friends at the time to not get in trouble by the security at the housing development we were in. I had the mouth of a sailor, and was just an angry, lost individual. I remember calling my sister, trying to hold it all together even though I was breaking.

That last phone call I made to my sister about a pretty big falling out with my roommate was the final straw. God was definitely saying, This is not what I planned for you. This is not where you are supposed to be. After that, I called up my dad and told him I was leaving as soon as winter break started.

Coming home permanently from my previous education caused a lot of concern from people that I knew. They believed I was simply chickening out and not sucking it up. The thing is that they don't realize that it wasn't by my own will, but God's. It also made me really start falling back in love with God and strengthening my faith. Before, I was only just living in my parent's faith, When I came back, I started going back to church and befriending more people who were God's people and who would hold me accountable if I ever slipped up. I started reading more, started taking time out of my day to spend it with God. I'm still trying to better myself as a woman of God, and I am far from perfect, but I am farther away from sin than I was before.

Putting my trust in God has led me to so many great things. At first, I was at this job where I had a horrible boss who would belittle you for every bad mistake. When I started letting Him take control, I was presented with a better job opportunity, and the Lord has blessed me so much. I now have a great, understanding boss and I actually like going into work. In regards to school, I am doing so much better than I was at my previous school. I'm at a technical school and will transfer to USC next fall. I have a 3.2 average and am still holding onto it. 

Looking back at it all, if I didn't listen to God calling me home, I would have never gotten this opportunity to go to a school that is closer to my family (and better for my major) and be closer to Him. My favorite verse that can probably best describe this post is from James, and it says,

I hope that this post will inspire you guys to listen to the call of God and listen to what he has planned for you. I know that if I wasn't as broken down as I was that night, I would have never heard God saying that where I was wasn't the place for me to be at, and I would have been still stuck in this rut of sin and debauchery. Break down your walls. Shut the world out. Just take some time to hear what the Lord has to say today, and you will be glad you did.

Yours truly,

Leighan

Hey guys! I am currently sitting in Starbucks right now as I am writing, and I just finished up homework assignments that were due. As I was finishing up, I was thinking about how much work I got done in the few hours I've been here. It also made me think about this post I am giving you right now! 

I am SO horrible at trying to be productive. Whenever I actually sit my butt down to do work, I end up being distracted by my phone or my sister wanting to watch Glee with me. However, whenever I want to get stuff done, here are some things that I do to keep moving on!

1. Get out of your house! I know that our teachers/professors assign us work to do at home. But who said it had to actually be at home? I find it better for me to not be doing homework at my house because I get so distracted. I like to go to Starbucks and sit with my latte and cake pops (am I the only one who does this?), and have my huge laptop sitting out, finishing up assignments. I don't know what it is, but I get everything I need to done outside of my home. And, it doesn't necessarily have to be at Starbucks. You can go to another favorite coffee shop you like, or even right outside of your house. I love doing homework outside during this time of year because it is just so relaxing, and I get a bit of a tan out of it!

2. Write it down! Whenever you have homework or projects due, it is so important to write it down. Now, I am not saying to type, because typing doesn't count! For me, I find it best to write it down because if I'm typing it, it just doesn't go through as much as if I write it down. Which leads to my next point...

3. Add some color in those notes! I started doing this at the beginning of the school year, and it helps out so much! Color-coordinating your notes not only makes writing out those boring, long lecture notes fun, but it definitely assists me in memory. I usually write in ROY G. BIV order, but any kind of color combo works!

4. Put the phone away! I am with everyone else in the world when I say that my phone is the biggest distraction for me. It distracts me from doing devotionals every morning, from listening in on conversations, and from studying for my exams. I watched a YouTube video on how to be productive, and they suggested to hide your phone. Whenever we have our phones by us, we feel so compelled to check Twitter or aimlessly scroll through Instagram liking Taylor Swift's photos for the millionth time. I leave my phone on my bed while I'm trying to get stuff done and do my work by my desk area. I realized it cuts out all of that wasteful time and I actually finish what I'm supposed to have done!

5. Find/Create the perfect homework/studying playlist! Let's be honest: studying sucks. I absolutely despise studying because I cannot sit for that long reading a textbook or keep going over notes or notecards. Listening to music can help with that! I do suggest whenever you are finding or creating your own playlist, go for more mellow songs. Upbeat, poppy songs will definitely be a distraction because it will make you want to get up and dance, which is not what you want! Indie music and acoustics are what I tend to go for. You can look at 8tracks for some really good indie ones. Spotify is another one that has a really great selection of study songs.

I just thought I'd share this with you all! I really hope this helps you guys get down to business and get through those long hours of homework and studying! Also, let me know what you guys do to get stuff done! I would love to have more tips to have under my arsenal!

Yours truly,

Leighan

photos: title, 2, & 3: my own. 1, 4, 5