Laundry 101 For College Students

I'm writing this because I'm a laundry guru. Thanks mom! But I'm here to share my knowledge with you college students or future college students!

But I've only done laundry at 3 places my house, the Hanford Laundromat, and at BYU. So your college may do things differently just btdubbs.

1. First off make sure you get acquainted with your school's laundry room; if you have friends that are already there that's the best. My laundry room for one washer it is $2.00 and for the dryer .80 BUT if you use your BYU ID card (BYU lets you put money on your card almost like a debit card) then the washer is .80 and the dryer is .37 so I came to college with like $10 in quarters to start me off and some cash to change into quarters just so I could transfer $25 onto my card. So know I just have a bunch of quarters... Yeah so if you can talk to someone who can give you tips and tricks for your school that's awesome.
2. Laundry Baskets - There are so many different ones you can pick depending on what you want. There are ones with compartments so you can separate clothes, drawstring bags, mesh pop up hampers, and THE LAUNDRY HAMPER BACKPACK. If you couldn't tell from my excitement that's the one I have. It was the best $15 I've ever spent in my life. Its literally the best thing ever. Its a tall hamper and it has 4 poles (like the ones you use for tents) that go in the side so that it stays up, its really thick material, has two outside pockets, the top zips closed, AND IT HAS BACKPACK STRAPS. Considering I live on the top floor and I have to go down 4 flights of stairs to do laundry I just slip on my hamper and trek down stairs. I'm really against baskets because they are really bulky and hard to carry. But whatever you choose just thing about how functional it is versus how cute it is because in the end that's what is going to matter. I bought mine from Amazon and it was called Oversized Laundry Duffle Bag with Shoulder Strap - Purple by DormCo and its currently out of stock but just look around :)
3. Laundry Soap - Get the pods. Just do it. You can grab a couple pods versus the whole jug or box. Then just toss the pods in with the clothes.
4. Sharing a Laundry Room - So here is the deal the times when you want to do your laundry there are going to be a bunch of people trying to do theirs too. This being said you may not be able to wash your clothes separately as much. Whites can not be washed with colors though. Period. I saw a girl put in a pair of white paints and a red shirt in the same machine and I think I almost died. Instead of doing that this is what I do I usually do white and then everything else I put colors, jeans and towels when I have them together. This being said if you have a new red shirt or pair of jeans that you haven't washed yet wash them only with like colors because they are more likely to bleed and ruin your other clothes other than that you should be good. And I don't know if this is just BYU but their dryers are huge. I usually use three washing machines and one dyer with one extra cycle and I haven't have any problems. (You can only use those many machines if you get up early and get down there).
5. Panties and Socks - Yes I said panties because I can. But here in my hall there is a big problem with people taking your laundry out right when it hits zero because girls are crazy and they want clean clothes too. (This hasn't happened to me because I watch the clock and I always go early to pick up my laundry). But between transfers between machines and baskets whether you are the one moving them or not socks and underwear tend to fall on the floor and/or get lost so I HIGHLY RECOMMEND to get a mesh bag for your underwear and socks. I have one and its awesome. I put in my underwear, socks and bras zip it up and throw it in with my other clothes. No more awkwardly picking your panties off the floor or lost socks.
6. Time your laundry - Its really annoying when people move your clothes or waiting for a machine. To save us from this problem make sure you are paying attention to when your laundry will be done and make sure you can get it (or even your roommate). Just so everyone gets a turn.
7. Not everything needs to be washed - If you wear something such as a cardigan for half a day and its still clean, hang it back up wear sweats as PJs a couple times. Just be aware of what needs cleaning. Underwear needs to be washed after every use. Yeah I went there.
8. Everything needs to be washed eventually - Not just clothes but towels, hand towels, sheets, bath mats, pillow cases etc. Plan accordingly aka plan ahead and get into a schedule.
9. Stains - Here is the key to stains: Rinse them out. Say you get food on a shirt, oil on a skirt, or say you had a special visitor you weren't expecting. RINSE THEM OUT. As soon as possible rinse them in the sink or just bring it with you when you get in the shower. Save your clothes. Rinse the stain, spray Shout or Oxiclean or whatever and rinse it again and just throw it in your hamper. If you don't rinse the stain often times it gets set into the clothes because of the hot water/dryer.
10. Not enough for a full load- If you don't have a lot of clothes (and your friends with your roommate) then you can always wash clothes together (only if you are comfortable) but it you only have a couple items it saves a washer and you can split the cost so it is often times a life saver just to throw in a couple of things. 

That's all I got for now but if you have questions or comments let me know!
This cougar is out! (That's BYU's mascot if you didn't know)

Self Esteem

I feel like this is a big subject out there in the world.

"1. Low self-esteem is a thinking disorder in which an individual views him/herself as inadequate, unlovable, and/or incompetent. Once formed, this negative view permeates every thought, producing faulty assumptions and ongoing self-defeating behavior.
2. Among high school students, 44% of girls and 15% of guys are attempting to lose weight.
3. Over 70% of girls age 15 to 17 avoid normal daily activities, such as attending school, when they feel bad about their looks. Brighten someone’s day by posting encouraging messages on your school’s bathroom mirrors. Sign up for Mirror Messages.
4. More than 40% of boys in middle school and high school regularly exercise with the goal of increasing muscle mass.
5. 75% of girls with low self-esteem reported engaging in negative activities like cutting, bullying, smoking, drinking, or disordered eating. This compares to 25% of girls with high self-esteem."

All that info is from https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-teens-and-self-esteem its a website that wants to help stop "negative activities" which is a great idea but not exactly what I want to talk about.

I do suffer from low self-esteem but never to the point that I've attempted "negative activities" (I'm sorry if the quotations make it sound sarcastic, they totally are not these acts are very serious). Although I haven't done these things I don't have great self-esteem. But I do have great self-confidence. I am very confidant in what I can do but I am not always thinking highly of my looks and such.

But I've been thinking about this for quite sometime (because I've been meaning to write this blog post for days) and I realized that no one told me I wasn't pretty or that my hair wasn't right or that my thighs are a weird shape. But somehow my ideas of beauty had been skewed by media and other women and boys and everything. And I'm bring my own self down because of someone else's ideas.

The sad part is for a long time it didn't matter what anyone said I always saw myself below others. People could say that I looked nice, pretty or beautiful and I would shrug it off because I thought that they were just saying that to be nice.

And that is why **drum roll please** you have to build up your own self esteem. Even if every attractive guy tells you you're beautiful, you are probably going to be very self conscious. The only way to build up your self esteem is going to be yourself. And you're going to have to put some elbow grease into it and its going to be hard but you can do it. No matter what I'm rooting for you!

Tips to building your self esteem:

1. Realize your a child of God - I realize that not everyone is religious but it does help those who are. I have a friend who struggles with an eating disorder but she has been able to overcome it and she did this through her relationship with Jesus Christ. She learned through lots of help and lots of prayer that she is a child of God and that her body was given to her by her Heavenly Father who loves her very much and that she needs to take care of her body because it is a very special gift. You were created in His image and he loves you and doesn't want you to hate the body he gave you.
2. Start by giving yourself a good look in the mirror - Find things you love about yourself. I love my eyes and I have very nice hands. I like being short and small(even if I look 14 instead if 18). Focus on these things and try not to pick yourself apart.
3. Do Stuff - When you sit alone and just think it can be good but it can also be very bad. I know that my generation suffers from over thinking all the time but its good to go out there and have fun. Especially if you find a niche (a place where you feel like you belong) a sense of belonging will do wonders for yourself esteem. So go out there. :)
4. Bad Days - Sometimes you are going to have bad days where you feel down or you almost relapse into a "negative activity." All you have to is pick yourself up and keep going. And if it is really serious make sure you talk to someone and get help so you can have a better day tomorrow.
5. Boys, Boys, Boys - I get it we all like them (okay not all of us but you do you booboo, no judging here) and literally its happened to all of us. We like this guy but he doesn't like you he likes someone else such as a stranger, your best friend, or you sister. If he doesn't like you don't worry about it. Who wants to be in a relationship with someone who has to learn to like you? There are thousands of attractive men out there (trust me I see them everywhere) and someone is going to love you with all their heart and soul. So chin up! And for now go have some fun!
6. People Love You SOOOOO MUCH! - Have you ever loved someone so much and you wish they just knew how much? I feel this way about a lot of my friends. If they could just see what I see and how amazing they are and to know how much they are loved they would never have a bad. That being said we need to take a step back and think about the people who love us and how bad they want us to be happy.
7. Sing, Dance, Let go. - Have you ever tried to be sad when singing "Shake it off" or "Bang Bang"? That's right! When I sing it makes me feel so much better. So find something that you can do to release all the negative so you can move on. And just be happy.

I know how hard life can be but its harder when you are hard on yourself. Give yourself a break.
Till next time and who knows when that will be considering I'm way behind on my reading for three classes.. Whoops...

Later! XOXO

This picture was taken at mutual (Mormon

youth group). We had all the girls write about each other and each girl had her picture taken in front of all the nice things the others had said about her. And we didn't get to see them till after they were developed. But it was fun to see what others loved about you.  



BYU DIGITAL TOUR

Since my friends and my family can't all come to Utah I decided to do a virtual tour of the campus! Don't judge my messiness or my bad pictures!

 

We will start with the school!

 

 To the east of the campus are these huge mountains! Provo lies in a valley in Utah and versus Hanford, California where the valley is  like a bowl in Provo the valley is shaped like a taco allowing the smog to be blown away. (Yeah that's a big problem in Hanford. Gross).  And look at the 'Y' on the mountain! I know its cool! You can hike up to it, people do it all the time.

 

But anyways! BYU is huge! To get to the rest of the campus from Helaman Halls or where I live

you have to climb up Freshman Hill. 

 

Ugh its a long climb.

 

This is a picture that I took when walking to my dorm... Yeah its like three times this and then I have to walk to my building! (So apparently Freshman Hill is supposed to be really fun to slide down in the winter when there is snow).

 

At the end of freshman hill there is the front of Helaman Halls or the group of buildings where I live and the cafeteria that I eat at called the Cannon Center.

 

 And then I walk to my building!

 

 

David John is my building! Yeah I live in the D building.. Go ahead and laugh.

I did. Lol.

But yes I am the top floor of the David John which is the 3rd Floor. And our hallway is decorated with a beach theme.

 

 

Yeah this surfboard is right outside my dorm! Its uber cute:)

 

 

And here we go!!

 

 

That's my desk and my shelves above my desk.

I made the calendar and the lamp shade.

Oh and the chair that comes with the desk functions as a rocking chair. It's pretty great! 

 

 

This is my bulletin board and the sticky notes that Hannah and Nicole left me when I was homesick. And above the sticky notes (not seen in the picture) I have posted some of the notes I got from my graduation party. I have opened Hayden's (Shout out to you!), my brother Merrick's and my Dad's.

 

 

This is the wall over my bed. There is a cork board strip that comes with the room so that means more pictures!  I got all my pictures printed from snapfish and it was only like $3 for 50 prints. Good deal and I have more than you see on the wall I just don't know where to put them yet.

Those dice are from my car that I couldn't take with me but they make me happy so I took them with me. And a picture I drew that says "She believed she could, so she did" and I plan on putting more artwork and letters up there too.

 



 

 That is my bed and it is super tall if I stood next to it, it comes right underneath my "bust". I have three plastic bins from target under there with random things I haven't exactly put away yet. And I have two bins under there with food and extra bathroom stuff. Good combo, I know.

 

 

 

This is how much space it between the two beds.... And our stools because the beds are so high. But in reality I use the stool to climb on the  fridge and then on to the bed. Oh and that's my hamper.

 

 On the other side of the room is my closet! 

 

That's the outside because I freakin love purses!

 

 

This is the inside there is stuff hanging on the doors but I didn't take a picture because its like bras and stuff. And you don't need to see that. Even if they are super cute.

 

Next is the bathroom!

 

That's the sink! And we each have a shelf above the sink and a drawer underneath.

 

The shower! Yeah I know its a cute one!

 

And this is all our stuff above the toilet! We are so organized!

So that's mine and Nicole's dorm and bathroom. The bathroom opens up into another dorm with Hannah and Lauryn. So we all share the bathroom.

 

I'm not going to lie. Right now I just got off the phone with my family and I cried the whole time. Moving is hard and its not for everyone. But I know I can do this. I know I'm meant to be here. Sometimes I think about what if I went to another school closer to home or a community college and it never feels right. But here at BYU there are moments where I look around and I am grateful to be here and I know this is where I need to be. I absolutely love it here its just hard moving on from your family to having a roommate family. But I love my roommates they let me borrow shoes when I don't have the right ones for my job uniform, they go eat with me, and they make sure I'm okay. I love them and I'm so blessed to have them. I miss everyone from Hanford so if you ever want to call or text please do. I'm always afraid to because I don't want to cry but its good to get it out.

 

This scripture just always pops in my head when I feel like I'm not capable of college (and I do)

 

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

 

So if you need good vibes or if you want to send some to me! You know how to contact me :)

 

 

 

All moved in.

So I just moved from Hanford, California to Provo, Utah. For those you that don't know that's about 748 miles away and almost an 11 hour drive. I would know because I just made that drive on Wednesday evening. We left Hanford around 5ish and arrived in Provo around 5 or 6ish because of stops and traffic and such. I have moved to attend Brigham Young University which is a LDS endorsed church so when I got to Provo on Thursday morning I moved in and attended orientation at 8.

It's hard moving.

I am all settled now but I'll tell you all about my college experience so far... okay so that's only 4 days.. but still.

Okay so during orientation I decided I was going to skip some of the workshops that way I could go get some paper work done for my job and try to put away some of my stuff in my dorm. And I had a map on my phone therefore I thought I could find my way around. WRONG. I got so lost. I finally found the building that I had to turn in my paperwork after an hour (it should only had taken 10 minutes) and then I tried to find my way back to my dorms and by then it was super hot and my phone was down to 10%. My dad texted me asking me if I had been able to take a nap and clean up and by then I broke down in tears because I had no idea where I was (and I was running on a couple of hours of bad sleep) so my parents had to drive around the campus and come find me.

The next day was better during the day but I knew in the back of my mind this was the last day I was going to be able to see my parents. Throughout the day I would break down in tears. And then came the time when my parents took me around Provo to show me around before they left and I cried literally the whole time and then we came back to campus to look around when I saw my roommates and they told me that I needed to come fast so we could get to this party thing. I wanted to go so then I had to sad good bye and sobbed in front of my roommates and my parents left. First things first everyone cries when their parents leave. I don't care if you aren't close with them it's hard because everything familiar is gone. I cried. My roommate cried. Some random boy that we know he said he sobbed. So don't feel bad we are all in this together.

Now some things about BYU.

1. BYU is also known as "The Y" because of the large Y on the mountain. The reason there is a Y on the mountain is because a long time ago when there was BYU and Brigham Young Academy (a church high school) the BYU President decided that they were going to put a large B-Y-U on the mountain. A brigade of men marched up the mountain with cement and limestone and they thought it would only take then 6 hours. After 6 hours they finished the Y and came down with the idea that they were going to do the B and the U another day but in the end they never did so know the Y is a big icon of BYU.
2. All the buildings are named after Church Leaders and other important folks so the have super long names like The Spencer W. Kimball Tower, the Joseph F. Smith Building, the Harold B. Lee Library so everything is labeled by acronyms. SWKT, JFSB etc. and that's what everyone calls them. The SWKT (it sounds like swi-kit) or the HFAC (it sounds like Ach-Vac) so sometimes I don't know what to call them.
3. Everyone here is so nice. People just randomly talk to you all the time.
4. There are so many Mormons here that on Sundays we don't go to churches we are split up into groups called wards (I'm in the 109th ward) and we meet in classrooms. And students teach the classes.
5. There are just so much Mormon-ess. NCMO's and Book Of Mormon jokes can be found all over the campus. And the other night they played the dating game with like a million people. The bachelorette was sitting on side of the curtain and the boys on the other side and she and all the boys that wanted to participate filled out a questionnaire. THERE WERE HUNDEREDS OF BOYS THAT PARTICIPATED. But when you put something different you had to leave the stage until it got down to like 10 and she asked individual questions and eliminated people. THE CRAZY THING IS THEY ACTUALLY HAD TO GO ON THE DATE. Am I the only one that found that really awkward? But the orientation people paid for the date so...? Still weird.
6. Since everyone goes to church everything is closed on Sundays except for the cafeteria but it's open at 10am-5:30pm and on the first Sunday of the month (also known as fast Sunday because the church encourages you to skip 2 meals and pray and all the jazz) its open from 2:30-5:30. Awesome...
7. BYU is like a small town. BYU campus has a bowling ally, a club called The Wall, a hair salon, a Creamery which is like a small grocery store and the BYU Store is like a Wal-mart. Which is great for me because I have no car.
8. Everyone at BYU can sing. We have all been going to church where we sing all the time SO EVERYONE CAN SING.
9. The cougarettes are freakin awesome. Click here to view BYU's awesome dance team.
10. Last one for now Cosmo is the name of our mascot and he does flips and backflips off the stand so he is pretty legit.

That's all for now comment or share! Till next time :)

10 Tips For Mormon Girls Who Just Turned 16 AKA Dating Advice

For those of you who aren't Mormon it is advised to the youth of the church that they don't date before they are 16 and many families and teens abide by this rule. Therefore when a girl turns 16 she is usually expected to date. This post is geared toward these girls but if you are in need of some dating advice read on.


1) You don't have to date - Just because you can doesn't mean you have to! If you don't want to then don't. And people shouldn't pressure you to do so especially when you are at this age.

2) Think before you say no - If you want to date, think before you say no. You do have the right to say no but if you are saying no because they aren't ideal you might want to think twice. If you say no to him, he is going to tell others and in the end boys aren't going to ask you if they think you are going to say no. BUT if you think he is creepy and perverted you have every right to say no.

3) You can always ask - If you want to go on a date with a boy... ASK HIM! But if you ask I believe that you should pay or better yet just do something that doesn't take money. I asked these boys to do a double date with me and my sister and we went to the park and had bought a bunch outdoor toys from the dollar store and had a picnic. But I had to ask and they were more than happy to go.

4) Sometimes you don't get asked - Just because you don't get asked doesn't mean there is anything wrong with you. You can not, I repeat CANNOT let that get to you. I thought for a long time that I wasn't pretty enough, funny enough, or normal enough because no one would ever ask me on a date. Not getting asked out does not mean that something is wrong with you. Who knows you could be so amazing that the boys that would like to ask you out are intimidated.

5) You will be turned down - Ugh. This is just another hard lesson. I liked this boy he was not interested. I gave it a shot and moved on. Don't force a relationship.

6) Dating is super fun - If you play your cards right you can see so many movies and meet so many guys. Boys are fun to get to know so just try it!

7) Group dating is super super fun - If you are scared of dating try group dating. It's easier to get to know a guy when you have your friends with them and it dramatically decreases the awkwardness by 100% and you can have everyone paired up or just invite a bunch of boys and girls to hang out. You can even set up a "blind group date" where the girls actually know who their date is, it just means their friends can set it up and the date doesn't have to ask.

8) Relationships are hard - This isn't just for boyfriend/girlfriend relationship, but any relationship with a friend or a parent this advice is versatile. Relationships require work. Think of it as a living thing it needs love and care or its just going to die.

9) The first time you break up you're going to cry - no matter what actually happens once you break up you are going to feel confused and lonely and you are going to cry. Tomorrow is a new day. Don't wait for him to text you, just go out and have fun. Don't stay home.

10) People move away - Teenagers and Twenty-year-olds move around a lot because of work and college. My advice don't get too involved into someone when you know you are going to move away unless you want to do the whole long distance thing and I have a friend who does that but its really hard on her. Just know what you are getting into.

This photo was taken during a group date where we had a Taco Bell picnic and a picture scavenger hunt! Yeah I know we are cute ;)
Till Next time!

Amatuer Photography

I was one of those girls who thought they were a photographer and would post pictures on facebook like these.

 

And obviously they weren't the greatest. But I had to start somewhere.

So I just kept taking pictures.

 

And then I ended up with pictures more like...

 

 



 

Which are okay but I still kept taking pictures and editing them myself.

And then pictures like this happened.

 

 

 

Pictures started to be more interesting. As you can see these pictures are  a lot better than when I was first taking pictures. So unlike a lot of people when others post pictures on social media like they are photographers it doesn't bother me. Because that's how you get better. Practice makes perfect right? But in addition to just taking pictures make sure you read and look at other pictures for inspiration. And look up tutorials! I have a Pinterest board dedicated not just to photography but tips and advice on how to take good pictures!

 

Here is a link if you want to look!

http://www.pinterest.com/michaellas/photography/ 

 

My college roommate who I am going to see in less than 6 days is also very interested in photography and now has her very own photography and shoots wedding, seniors sessions and more.

 I asked her if she also had any advice this is what she said

 

"Well, Practice. Also shadowing a professional photographers is a great way to learn more. I offered to be an assistant for a few professional photographers and saw how they did things and learned so much from them. I also found different styles from working with different photographers that I felt connected to me and what I wanted my photography to represent. Another thing would be to feel confident in your own artistic ability but still be open to others ideas and suggestions"

 

So keep shooting! As long as you are using a camera and not a gun!

 

Yeah I know I watch too many random crimes shows! Till next time.

To Feel Love. To Feel Pain.

Mormons (I am a Mormon just in case you didn't know) believe that before we lived on this Earth that we lived as spirits with God in a spiritual world which we call Premortal Life. We believe that God asked for a plan and Jesus proposed that we have agency and we are able to make our own choices whether they be good or bad and the plan of the atonement and how he would pay for our sins and the Lucifer stated that if he was given all the glory he would make sure that everyone would make the right choice and we would all return to live with God. As it goes on there was a war (there is lots of speculation about whether it was a real war or more of a discussion) but we were all given a choice between what plan we want and it is said that 1/3 of the spirits chose Lucifer and were cast out with him creating Satan. We believe that if you are here on this earth with a body that you chose Christ's plan.

I believe this. And maybe you don't. But this plan that I believe we choose is based all around agency. The power that you can do whatever you want. This being said it allows us to love and care. It also allows us to be cruel and hateful.

We are on this earth with a body that was given to us and we are able to feel, think, and experience the world around us. Sometimes we hate feelings and the pain is too much. But think about never being able to love someone and no matter what happens whether you break up, move away, or they pass away you were able to experience love and those memories can never be taken away. Love, happiness, pain, and sadness all exists and you will feel all these things but for every bad time there is a good time.

This is your life. Make it count.