Journey to A+ Success: Tip #1

Hey! Looks like you have decided to come along with me on the Journey to A+ Success! Welcome! Just a short disclaimer: be ready for some tips and tricks that I will be practicing over the course of my semester. There will be some trial and error, some frustrations, maybe tears (those can or can't be promised), but overall I'm praying and striving for a great semester where I have redeemed myself from a not so stellar last semester.

My first tip is more like a personal vow to myself: Buy a Planner & Stick to Using It!

Most schools hand out planners each year (especially to freshmen). My advice is to do search for a planner that best suits your personal style and taste. Because if you truly like it then you will pull it out and use it! I chose a really vibrant medium size planner VERA BRADLEY STUDENT AGENDA $18. I asked for it for Christmas! I really like the print and the size is perfect to fit in both my backpack and a tote bag. For some this might not be your style. Find a cool color and also choose a size that works for your lifestyle. A mini planner that fits in your pocket might better suit or a full size planner that measures the size of a sheet of paper. Whichever just make sure you adore it because it's going to be your friend this semester. Open it daily. Take it out at the start of class along with your textbook, pen, paper, etc,.

While on this mini shopping trip here's a few more items to pick up for your planner:

•  Colored pens (I'm taking 4 classes so I want to write assignments, deadlines, extra credit for each class with it's assigned color. I went the less creative, blue, red, green, purple and any other items that don't fall into those classes can be written in black, pink, and orange)
•  Highlighter (one or two colors are only needed; I use these as a last chance reminder of tasks that MUST be done soon that have been put off)

Now for me I like writing stuff down, but with it being 2014 and all, there's an app for that right? So I'm going to search around for a few apps over the first few weeks of my semester and see which I recommend. I've used one before and preferred paper/pen but hey if I find the right one maybe I will conform.

I'm so excited and pumped to apply the tips I will be sharing with y'all to my success this semester!


The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

                                                                          Psalm 138:8 ESV

Island in the Sun: Hawaii

I just got home from a week in Paradise, a place my friends Nicole and Courtney call home, the island of Oahu. It was a Disney reunion of not seeing my friends for a year. The girls showed me their island and I must say God gave this place great beauty and wonder.

To start I want to mention how I came to the island with no expectations. My eyes were wide open to all aspects of the state of Hawaii. The common question I received from people was how expensive it was, but I had the help of my friends who knew how to have an amazing time while not breaking the bank. We did tons of sight seeing without spending crazy money. We checked out Pearl Harbour and Dole Plantation, we hiked Pillboxes, experienced great weather at Pali Lookout, and of course spent plenty of time at the abundance of beaches. I went to five in total!  The most expensive activity we did was the luau at Paradise Cove for $65, which was pretty reasonable because there are other shows that can be almost $200 a ticket! Maybe when I make my marvelous six figure salary working in corporate America, but for now this college student is ALL about a great deal.

Originally I was going to blog each day about our adventures, but by the end of each day I was completely and utterly exhausted. So instead I will highlight the moments that truly made our Disney reunion special!

1. THE REUNION: Seeing my friends after leaving the Disney College Program last year was magic. We told each other we were going to see each other again and after months of planning it happened. Seeing them was surreal and yet it was like we had just seen each other a week or so ago. It could not have been a year since we left Florida! I also reconnected with a old tennis mate from high school. We had come to the conclusion that we had not seen each other in over six years because we both moved away from the school. Of all places and people to meet again it was Jeremy and me!
2. Staying at Ko Olina Marriott Beach Club: I am so glad we decided to stay near the city of Kapolei over Waikiki Beach. The entire Ko Olina area was majestic and hidden away from the hustle and bustle of Waikiki and Honolulu's hecticness. The hotel was a paradise in itself. It was also on the same street as Disney's Aulani Resort. (In my opinion Marriott Beach Club was nicer than Aulani especially for people without small children: nicer beach area and better hotel room). 
3. Leonard Jrs Hot Malasadas: Portuguese originated heaven!! I ate them like water!
4. Driving to North Shore: You leave the city and drive through the mountains into the countryside. No buildings no traffic lights just the open road (and a slower speed limit than the mainland that's for sure!) Being at North Shore was where I felt like I was living like a local. 
5. Jumping off a 30 foot rock at Waimea Bay: If it were not for my friend Alika, I would not have had the courage to jump off not once BUT TWICE! I just learned how to swim about two months ago and my biggest fear was not the jumping off the rock but the water below. I overcame the fear with his help and I feel I can conquer the world, literally! 
6. True Aloha Spirit: Courtney and Nicole's family and friends welcomed me with open arms and an Aloha spirit. They let me into their homes and into their lives and I am truly grateful because they have forever made a lasting impression about what Aloha spirit is! Both ladies parents showed my such generosity and I gained so much knowledge about the culture of the island and the people that call it home. Also their friends I met, both Laurens, Tiffany, Nick, and Danielle, Dylan, and Chris, the sweetest group of friends! The way you guys look out for each other, to say you guys are friends is an understatement. You guys are a beautiful blending of cultures, Ohana! And you took me in as part of it. I loved it! I even left the island with a nickname, Professa! 
7. Food: I was NEVER hungry during my trip. From Red Velvet Macadamia Nut Pancakes at Cinnamon in Kailua to Pork Hash from 7-Eleven to Acai Berry Bowl in North Shore, there was always delicious food around every corner.
8. BEACHES: How could I not fail to mention the beautiful beaches of Oahu! I visited 5 in total, with my favorite being Waimea Bay. I also visited Ala Moana Beach, Ko Olina Beach, Lanikai Beach, and Waikiki Beach. 
9. Windows down, cool breeze blowing, blasting our favorite tunes! There is something about singing aloud with your friends to a song on the radio. Spotify is like God's gift of music with the abundance of songs at our fingertips. There were moments in the car that stuck out to me the most: singing along to Island in the Sun-Weezer as we drove home from North Shore and the night drive from Waikiki  while we did a quartet to Buffalo Solider-Bob Marley. 
• Speaking of music, Nicole+Me+Bag of Godiva Chocolate=Pure Madness!! We were on a sugar high for Christ that Sunday night! We walked around Waikiki Strip singing Christian songs like the Holy Spirit himself! We did our best renditions of songs from Hillsong, Chris Tomlin, and many more!! That was a great moment in itself.

I left my friends Nicole and Courtney on Monday night, along with their friends and family and their paradise called home. It was not until I got to the airport that I felt emotional about the departure. In the end though we know this is not goodbye, but instead, in the words of Mickey Mouse, See Ya Real Soon!

Now the moment you have all been waiting for....PICTURES!!

Merchandising Inc Fashion Show

I have been gone for a minute but I'm back again! This past weekend has been a flood of events! Lets start with the fashion show put on by an organization I'm a member of, Merchandising Inc. The spring show was this past Saturday and was a major success!!!

This season I wanted to be apart of the action so I joined the fashion show committee. Along with 5 other members and the 2 producers in charge, we put together the show,  from promotions and visuals for the show, to clothing catastrophes we rallied as a team, weekly to produce this baby! Props go out to Emily and Shala, the fashion show producers, who REALLY made the show a success through countless hours of hard work before the show and motivating everyone to have great faith in their cause!!

Speaking of clothing catastrophes, let me slightly elaborate on the matter: one store backed out completely of letting us borrow clothing, a second limited the number of items we could take (no pun intended, the store was The Limited), and a third completely put a damper on our plans the NIGHT before the show not allowing us to take all the clothes originally picked out! Yeah the producers had their work cut out for them. Luckily stylists, models, and members rallied together to bring in tons of clothes from their own closets for the show. When in a crisis the UNT army stands together!

The day of the show was a long one, about 8 hours, but totally worth it! Seeing the the visuals we made come together for our "Enchanted Forest" theme was like magic. As the models slowly got their hair and makeup done and practiced their walks during the rehearsal, there was adrenaline in my veins! The lineup for curtain call came and ten minutes after the hour I sneaked from backstage to tell the DJ to drop the beat, and it was that runway was on fire!

The theme of the show was A Twisted Tale, a 2013 twisted on classic tales such as The Frog Prince, Alice in Wonderland, and Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves. The money raised from the show goes to fund events/activities  held by the Merchandising Inc. Organization.

Enough with the talking I will just show you the pics! Not all are mine; model pics courtesy of Ryan Cheval.

The closing number: Villainess with a dagger through the heart!

 Me and one of the stylists T'iundra after the show