Sophomore Year Slump

I'm going to come forward and be perfectly honest. The sophomore slump is a real thing and it is dangerous. As a freshman, everything is new and exciting. Meeting all of your new peers is thrilling and each school event seems like the coolest thing ever because it's something you've never experienced before. As a sophomore, the excitement of going to new events isn't as invigorating and thrilling. In fact, it can be easy to compare each event to "how it was last year." I found myself getting caught in this trap quite often last semester, and I'm sad to admit that it caused me to step into the feeling of being stuck in this "sophomore slump." One of the things I loved most about my school last year was the free movie theater that often shows movies that have just been released on DVD. This year, I can admit to having gone to one movie. If we're being real, I've probably had enough time to go see a few more free movies, but I haven't MADE the time. Making the time is the key word here.

Another thing that I've really struggled with this semester is going to the gym. I used to love going to the gym. I was one of those crazy people that actually woke up in the morning and looked forward to going to spinning class. While I haven't completely given up on gym participation this semester, I can admit that going to the gym has not provided me with very much happiness or been a release from stress as it used to be. This is something I really would like to fix. I've noticed that I really enjoy plyometrics and "leg day", yet I've chosen to ignore these two types of workouts. I honestly can't explain what has pushed me to disliking the gym, but I can assure you that I am going to try to find a new way to enjoy working out again.

These two examples are just to demonstrate that sometimes slumps happen. I think they're perfectly normal. We are all human, and taking breaks from the things you truly enjoy allows you to strengthen your determination to keep going. While I can't promise that I will get just as excited about every single event like I did last year, I can assure you that I will stop myself from comparing them to the year before and I will try my very hardest to focus on how great it has been thrown together THIS year.

If you're falling into the sophomore slump, I recommend taking some time to evaluate the things that made you love school the year before. Or,  if you didn't enjoy school and are still struggling to make some bonds in school, I would encourage you to step outside of your comfort zone and try a new activity or join a new club. You never know what you'll find next. College is about stepping outside of your comfort zone and embracing every minute of it. If there's anything I've learned from this year, it's that mental resilience is the only thing that will aid you in your journey into adulthood.

Starbucks and a Friday Night

Happy hour is from 3-5pm at Starbucks until May 10! My sisters and I decided to hit it up and get frappes! I'm so sad that the year has come to an end and that I won't get to see all of my sisters until next year, but I cherish all of the moments that we have had this year. I'll definitely miss all of our random hangouts and sisterhoods. I'll especially miss the endless support and hominess that they supplied me with. Joining ΑΞΔ was definitely the best thing I could have done this year. It gave me a home 1800 miles away from my real home and I will forever me 

Hiking

The weather here in Pocatello has been beautiful lately! My friend, Kailey, and I have been hiking a lot lately. We found a little dirt park and walked around that the other day too. I'm definitely going to miss all of these paths once I get back home. At least I can enjoy this next week to explore! 

AmaXIng Challenge

Today Alpha XI Delta hosted our AmaXIng Challenge. It was a 3k/5k run to raise funds and awareness for Autism Speaks. We had a lot of fun activities going on, and it was for a great cause. 

I am so proud of us for all of our fundraising this year. We have raised nearly $3500 for Autism Speaks.

 

Hiking China Peake

Yesterday was such a nice day. My friend, Cassidy, and I decided to go on a hike to get some sun. We hiked China Peake. It took us about an hour, and it was a pretty steep hike. We had a ton of fun though and I definitely feel the burn today! 

Dance Marathon

Last night I participated in the ISU dance marathon! It was a lot of fun, but mostly it was really just inspiring to see all of us come together and dance for such a great cause. We danced 15 hours from 9pm until 12pm for the children of Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City. We even got to meet some of the little boys and girls we were helping. Those little kids are so brave, and enduring. I just can't believe how happy they were to come and hang out with us. 

Morning Gym Routine

IToday I woke up early and headed to the gym with Kailey! We did 100 squats, 20 side lunges, 20 split lunges, and worked out our abs. It feels so good to get a workout over with early in the morning and tackle the rest of the day. 

Greek Banquet

Greek week ended in one of the best ways possible. We had a wonderful banquet that was themed in a way that only makes sense; Mount Olympus. 

At the end of the night, my sorority was crowned Greek Chapter of the year and it was announced that we won penny wars. I am so glad we won penny wars because we raised $1600 for Autism Speaks. Again and again I am realizing how extremely blessed I am to be a part of such an amazing organization. It was beautiful to see all of the Greeks come together and make my very first Greek week one to remember. 

Light it Up Blue

My sorority, Alpha Xi Delta, supports Autism Speaks. Our philanthropy is very dear to my heart because all proceeds of our fundraising goes to such an amazing cause. On Thursday, April 2, it was World Autism Awareness Day. In order to bring attention to this, my sisters and I decorated the campus in blue. Here are some pictures from our decorating.

We also had a bake sale and attempted to make cookies in the shape as a puzzle piece. They turned out pretty yummy! 

I'm so proud of my sisters and I for decorating for this event. Although our bake sale did not turn out too well, we still spread awareness for Autism around campus. I was really excited to see that students were taking the time to look at our signs and that they noticed the lights in trees and on the ground. Overall, I would say we had an extremely sucessful Light it Up Blue!

Driving Home and Snowy Days

Spring Break is officially at its end! Today, I drove back to school and took a few pictures of the dry farms on the way back. Thankfully, the roads were pretty clear and there wasn't any wind. The two pictures above are from Wednesday last week before I went skiing. I came outside and there were two mule deer right off the driveway!

Although I wish my break was a little longer, I am ready for school to begin so that I can head back home! I am missing my family, friends and my puppies! :)

The End to a Great Week

Spring break is almost at an end! Tomorrow I drive back to Pokey for school. I had a nice relaxing break here in Driggs, and thankfully I did get some nice running in! Yesterday, I hit four miles in 38 minutes. I love seeing how much my running has progressed over the past several months, and I'm really excited to see what it will look like at the end of the summer. Today, I'm taking it easy and just doing some body weight exercises like squats, lunges, and some ab workouts. 

This coming week is going to be crazy because it's going to be Greek Week! I will definitely be posting pictures. I really hope my sorority can win Greek Week this year because we are the reigning champions! 

Spring Break

It's been pretty cold here in Driggs. Today, my grandparents and I went up to Grand Targhee to ski on the fresh powder they got over night. Later this afternoon, I went on a short run. It was too foggy earlier to get any pretty pictures, however the sun is setting beautifully tonight so I took a picture of the mountains. I truly understand why Idaho is know as the endless sky state. You can see for miles! 

Spring Break

Spring Break starts this week! I'll be heading to my grandparent's for the week. I am super excited to get some long runs in, and hopefully I will be able to get onto a bike. I am crossing my fingers that there will be sunny days! I'll make sure to take some pictures.

Hike to the Pillars

The weather here in Pocatello has been so beautiful lately! Last weekend, my friend Kailey and I decided to hike up to the Pillars and check out the view. I love finding ways to exercise besides running and doing cardio on the elliptical. The benefit of living near mountains is that there are a ton of different paths and trails.

Top Ten Running Songs

Here in Idaho, we have been suffering from BEAUTIFUL weather. Seriously. It's been awesome. This entire week, the temperatures have been over 60 degrees! So, in light of the weather, I compiled a list of my top ten running songs.

1.  Sugar- Remix (Maroon 5, ft Nicki Minaj)
2. Wicked Games (Parra for Cuva)
3. Let Me Down Easy (Sheppard) 
4. Ghost (Ella Henderson)
5. Believe (Mumford and Sons)
6. And We Danced (Macklemore)
7. Time of Our Lives (Pitbull)
8. Something Big (Shawn Mendes) 
9. Pon De Floor (Major Lazer)
10.  The Nights (Avicii)

Irish Late Night

Our school hosts events every month at the Student Union Building. This month, the event was Irish-themed! The event had a potato toss, root beer floats, potato bar, henna tattoos, dancing and other fun games. It's opportunities like these that seem silly, but end up being a lot of fun. I would definitely encourage everyone to step out of their comfort zone and go to events like these, even if it is just for five minutes. 

10 Years at ISU

 I'm definitely a little late in saying this... but congratulations to Alpha Xi Delta for being at ISU for ten years! I can't believe that our sorority started out with four girls and today we consist of 30 girls! I feel so incredibly blessed to be a part of such an amazing group of women. Each and every day, one of my sister's inspires me to be better than the person I was yesterday. These girls make me laugh, help me when I'm down, and truly make college a blast. Here's to another ten years!

Freak Alley

 While visiting in Boise this past weekend, my friend and I stopped downtown to visit Freak Alley. There were a bunch of really cool works of art. Some of them were very moving, while others were awesome to look see. I got some pretty cool poses.  :) Hope you enjoy!

Boise Weekend

 Happy Valentine's Day!

 This weekend my friends and I went to the Skinny Dipper Hot Springs. We hiked up a mountain for about 15 minutes until we got to the hot springs. The view was gorgeous, and fortunately for us, the weather was perfect! Who would have thought February would bring us 55 degree weather! We're staying in Boise for the weekend, and hoping to see 50 Shades of Grey tomorrow. We also have shopping and hitting up Dutch Bros on the agenda. Even though I'll be single this Valentine's Day, I am happy that I get to spend my weekend with some amazing friends and having a wonderful time.

Alpha Xi Delta- Throw What You Know!

Winter Activities

Rather than bumming and binge-watching Netflix all of break, I decided to get outside with a friend and get some exercise! We used snowshoes to climb up a mountain and see the very beautiful, very covered in powder, Mud Lake. Fortunately, we found some friendly hikers to take a picture of us! The hike was beautiful due to the surrounding mountains, unfortunately the only animal we saw belonged to the pair of hikers. It was a puppy! :)