Thoughts of the First Month of Freshman Year

First month is always the hardest,

It had only been a month and it already feels like I have been in school for half a year. It is no joke when people say college changes who you are and it is nothing like you have ever experienced in your life.

My schedule is booked to the max. Instead of having morning classes, I have afternoon and evening classes that usually end around 7:40 or 9:00 p.m. but I really enjoy all of my classes. Okay, maybe not all since I do not enjoy Freshman Seminar the slightest bit -  it seems like a waste of my time since I have other assignments to do, that in my mind are more important.  Aside from courses, I have a work-study job and I think it has to be the coolest job available here. I get to write press releases and various other projects that can be seen by everyone at my university.

My dorm hall is in an apartment style, meaning I have an apartment with 5 other girls each room has 2 girls living in it. I am thankful that my room is spacious and not cramped like many other university that I have visited during high school. Right after our 2-day orientation all of my housemates and I got a long. By the time we were 2 weeks into the semester we were calling each other family. I think that's rare to find since I keep hearing stories around campus that this person does not spend much/if any time with their roommate rather with separate friends. My housemates help me with my schoolwork and give great boy problem advice.

Homesickness is very common among college freshmen and I am not the exception. I thought living away from my mother and brother for two years during high school would allow me to get used to how college would be. Boy, I was so wrong! I soon realized that living 2 hours away (where my aunt and grandma live) is a lot different from living 8+ hours away from New York City. I am alone up here in the mountains of Bradford, Pa. Also with the sudden news that my health may not be up to par like I thought it was is one of the reasons I am considering accepting my offer to attend the University of Massachusetts - Amherst for the Spring 2015 semester.

Also the food here is great once in a blue moon..

Thank you for reading!

Until next time,

Oh Captain! My Captain! RIP Robin Williams [1951-2014]

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,

The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,

The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,

While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;

                         But O heart! heart! heart!

                            O the bleeding drops of red,

                               Where on the deck my Captain lies,

                                  Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;

Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills,

For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding,

For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;

                         Here Captain! dear father!

                            This arm beneath your head!

                               It is some dream that on the deck,

                                 You’ve fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,

My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,

The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,

From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;

                         Exult O shores, and ring O bells!

                            But I with mournful tread,

                               Walk the deck my Captain lies,

                                  Fallen cold and dead.

 -Walt Whitman

In the wake of the dreadful news about the death an extraordinary man, one who has touched the hearts of many people of many generations, Robin Williams had passed away on Monday, August 11, 2014. I couldn't believe the news and felt a pain in my chest that I've rarely felt before. He was a man with talent, such a rare talent that it had inspired so many people including myself. I remember watching films such as Jumanji, Bicentennial Man, Aladdin, Mrs.Doubtfire, Flubber, and my favorite of all The Dead Poet Society, and thinking 'Wow this man he's good!' Given the circumstances that I was a child and my vocabulary was not vast by any means.

As well as  the news of his death, also came the news of his depression and the speculation that his death was because of suicide. It comes to show that depression is a serious disease that can effect anyone at all, even those whom are successful, wealthy, or seem happy. I've dealt with depression on a personal level as well as with family and friends. I want all of my reader, old and young, that you're not alone and there will always be someone out there to help and be there for you. If you are ever thinking about suicide or need someone to talk to please reach out to me or you can call the suicide prevention hotline; 1800-273-8255. 

As tribute to Robin Williams I have 5 of my favorite quotes from the man himself that I'd love to share with you all. 

"What's right is what's left if you do everything else wrong." 

"No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world."

"I used to think that the worst thing in life was to end up all alone. It's not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people that make you feel alone." 

"Spring is natures way of saying "Let's Party!" 

"I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way."

May all of his suffering come to an end and I know he will be making all the angels in heaven laugh. 
Thank you for reading.

Until next time, 

 

 

July 2014 Favorites

Seven months down, five more to go.

Another month has past and honestly it feels like this year is speeding by in a blink of an eye. Now that July is over with, I can reflect on how the month has been. I think it's safe to say that this month has been filled with challenges, changes, and goodbyes, but I wouldn't take it back at all. These are all of my favorites of the month of July.

Big Events

• Acting as tour guide first for my friends Robin and Alex, then my really close friend Zac, and lastly my best friend Danielle; even though it was a lot of walking and practically visiting places in the city that I've been seeing since I was a baby  it was extremely rewarding to see how excited my friends were and just to hang. 
• Beginnings 2014! Beginnings was my pre-orientation for the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford where me and half of the incoming class of 2018 spent 2 days on campus meeting each other and becoming acquainted with the campus and the faculty. I was able to meet so many people and even though I was homesick the first night, I couldn't wait to begin university. Only 22 days left until move in day!

Beauty

• Since it is summer, I try to wear little to no makeup. I've fallen in love with BB creams like Clinique's Age Defense BB Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 30. It has a little bit more cover then a tinted moisturizer. My skin feels like refreshed and it is able to even out any discoloration whenever I wear the product. 
• My go to scent for the summer is Prada Candy L'Eau, the light and fruity version of the darker floral scent of Prada Candy. Like said before, Candy L'Eau smells fruity and is definitely a scent that is perfect for the day, school, etc. 

Music

• Hoodie Allen - No Faith in Brooklyn
• The Weekend - Wanderlust
• Paramore - Still Into You

Blogger and Youtuber

• There is a tie between 2 YouTubers that I can't get enough of watching their videos. They both have something in common and it is their daily vlogs with their families. Both create amazing content and have the cutest babies!
• Judy Travis, aka ItsJudysTime and ItsJudysLife
• Anna Saccone and SacconeJolys
• Thus far I've been reading more and more blogs considering the amount of free time I now have. This month I would say my most visited blog would be Samantha of LifestreamThoughts. Her posts are very insightful and truly inspiring, 

That is all of my favorites for the month of July, and I'm sure I'll have more at the end of August. 

Thank you for reading!

Until next time,

Top 3 First Day of School Outfits

Summer soon begins to end,

It is almost time to go back to school and I know what you all are thinking: But,but Krizia Summer has just begun. As much as I wish summer vacation could be a year long event in a matter of a couple weeks I will be moving into my new dorm. My favorite part of the back to school season is shopping for the upcoming year whether it be school supplies or clothing. I just love getting new things, some may even say I'm a shopaholic. Today I have for you 3 different but all equally amazing types of outfits to wear on your first day of school, this could be for high school or college.

Outfit 1: Edgy & Polished

About 80 % of my wardrobe consists the color black and I'm okay with that. Usually I like to pare an all black outfit with a pop of color. I suggest two different shoes because not everyone can handle wearing crazy high heels all day long. 

Outfit 2: Boho Chic

When you're in a rush because you've hit the snooze button way too many times this is the perfect outfit for you. You can easily slip them on and head out the door. You'd look put together and everyone would think you'd spent hours with this outfit when in reality it takes less than 5 minutes.

Outfit 3: Simple & Comfy

Some mornings I have no motivation to dress up and an outfit like this one allows me to feel comfortable yet put together. We all know classrooms are always zero degrees so wearing a cardigan will help when you're feeling chilly. 

I hope I helped in any way, shape or form with deciding on your first day back outfit.

Thank you for reading! 

Until next time, 

Meet Shiloh Tapia

Welcome to a new member of the Tapia-Francisco-Bruno household,

After years of asking for a pet dog and repeatedly being told no, it was a big surprise when my mother decided to buy a 3 month old Shih Tzu puppy at the pet store. It was definitely love at first sight when I was allowed to hold him and as my mom said "I had to buy him". So she bought him! I knew this will be very hard to adjust to since I live in a small apartment and my family has never owned a pet aside from fish and a couple of hamsters years ago. After getting him my brother and I had to come up with a name and I must say that it is a stressful process. From a list of 20 we narrowed it to four names: Shiloh, Cairo, Milo, and Cosmo.

Ever since we brought Shiloh home last Sunday he has gained 1 ounce which makes him to be 4 pounds and 13 ounces. He is very playful and loves to lay on the floor sprawled out like a rug. So far we are teaching him how to come to us on command, answer to his name, and to sit. All of which he has mastered! 

I already love Shiloh so much and I'm going to miss him a lot while I am in college. Therefore, I'm trying to enjoy him as much as I can now while I can. I hope you all enjoy my pictures of Shiloh and don't worry I'll post some more on my Instagram!

Thank you for reading!

Until next time,

Summer 2014 Bucket List

Lists are great..

To do lists, grocery lists, to be read lists, etc. I love jotting down all types of lists into my journal. Every summer I like to write down 10 or more things onto my bucket list for the summer. For those of you who don't know what a bucket list is; essentially it is a list of things you'd like to do in the future. Generally for my summer bucket lists I get to accomplish about half but never the whole list, which is one thing you must remember. You can strive to strike out all of the items on your list but sometimes life happens and you can't do everything on your bucket list. Besides you can add it onto your bucket list for the next year!

1. Go to Six Flags Great Adventure amusement park

2. Go to a fireworks show

3. Change my room

4. Go on a road trip 

5. Get a tattoo

6. Post a blog every other day 

7. Say yes for 24 hours

8. Visit the Farmer's Market

9. Go to Myrtle Beach again

10. Become friends with a complete stranger

11. Live a healthier life

12. Learn Japanese 

13. Go to a carnival 

14. Have a bonfire at the beach

15. Dye my hair

Of course I have more things to add to my bucket list for the summer but I can't think of any as of right now. Every time I accomplish something on my bucket list I plan on writing a blog post on it so stay tuned for that. 

What's number 1 on your bucket list? 

Thank you for reading!

Until next time, 

Shows I've Been Binge Watching

It's summer vacation and..

About 50% of my day is spent watching TV shows on Netflix or on the TV. Unfortunately with no assignments or anything to do I can't help myself but to binge watch these shows. Today I will show you my top 3 shows that I have been watching. As well as 5 shows I'm interested in watching that are to premiere sometime in the summer/fall.

1. Orange is the New Black

This show was suggested constantly to me by friends and family members for a very long time. I can not believe I have waited so long to finally watch this show. One thing that I love about the show is that it is a Netflix Original, another thing is that you get to see that even though all of the ladies in the prison are criminals you get to see that they are human beings all of them are intelligent and interesting. My favorite characters are Red and Nicole. I can't stand Mendez. This show has a lot of NSFW content so this is your warning before you watch. 

2.House M.D 

This Sherlock Holmes medical adaptation has been around for many years, since 2004 to be exact, and it has always been a favorite of mine since then. Every episode has new guest stars, new storylines, new and odd diseases that Dr.House isn't afraid to do whatever it takes to cure. I'd love to have him as my doctor even though he is a giant jerk 99% of the time. 

3.Reign

Based on the story of Mary Queen of Scots, this show hits all the right spots for me when it comes to historical/royal based entertainment whether it be books, movies, or TV shows. While it is not 100% historically accurate and the show has a slight resemblance to another CW show that I love, The Vampire Diaries, without the vampires and werewolves. I feel as though the plot is amazing and catches my attention which is hard to do with TV shows. I absolutely love the costumes each of the characters wear and it makes me wish I could buy the gowns and jewelry that Mary and her lady's in waiting get to wear. 

Shows that I am interested in.

1.Chasing Life on ABC Family

2.Girl Meets World on Disney Channel

3.Young and Hungry on ABC Family

4.Finding Carter on ABC Family

5.The Will Wheaton Project on SYFY

What shows are you raving about? 

Thank you for reading! 

Until next time,