Lately, I've become obsessed with finding new ways to make my journaling and writing be more creative. I love tracking my progress and goals in a colorful way because visual images motivate me so much more than just written words saying I am going to do something. So far this summer I have already crossed some major things off my bucket list including studying in Italy, visiting London, cliff jumping, celebrating my birthday in Rome, visiting Jamaica...and through this journal I have been able to capture all these moments while still reminding myself what I still wish to accomplish throughout this year. While it does contain huge, monumental goals I also reflect on my mood, my health, and my fitness because these are the factors that are really going to influence my quality of life and either pull me away or push me towards success. 

I love these recipes because not only are they super easy and delicious, but everything is healthy and only takes about forty minutes to prepare. 

• Chicken tenders: www.tastesoflizzyt.com/paleo-italian-chicken-fingers-2/
• Sweet potatoes: kristineskitchenblog.com/honey-roasted-sweet-potatoes/
• For the asparagus, first wash them and cut off the stalks. Spread them out over a pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle olive oil and sea salt over them and let them bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Take the asparagus out of the oven and sprinkle freshly grated parmesan cheese over them and put back in the oven for 3-5 minutes (until the cheese has melted over them). 

Wow. It is hard to believe that my freshman year of college is already over. It seems like I was just nervously packing up all my belongings to live in a tiny room with a girl I had never met. Only months later to realize I could have definitely left some things at home and that I was blessed with not only a really good roommate but a beautiful friend. This has been the biggest year of growth for me. I have met some pretty remarkable people and created experiences that have made it all too easy to call the University of Iowa my second home. I could list about how I loved the one dollar pizza from Airliner on Sundays, or the frozen yogurt runs to Yotopia, the tiny cute shops strung along the downtown, or the wind against my face in Kinnick Stadium. But what I loved the most was being surrounded day in and out by people so full of life who have brought out the very best version of me, and I couldn't be more thankful. 

We had a much smaller room than expected but were still able to give it a very homey feel. We both ended up debunking our beds which meant less room but this still was preferred over being suspended in the air. We are much more excited to decorate our apartment this fall where we will be living together again (and in a much larger space, thank God). 

Tailgating season! We loved attending all the home games at Kinnick Stadium, decked out in gold and black as we cheered on the Hawks.

Took a trip to Timberwolf Lake in Michigan. Such a peaceful place where we were able to plunge from the top of a giant swing, listen to music along the beach, and take the time to journal and reflect. 

Apple picking time! Wilson's Apple Orchard is right outside Iowa City with acres growing over one hundred different kinds of apples, pumpkins, hot apple cider, and homemade baked goods. 

Tweedle dee and Tweedle dum take on Halloween. My creativity hit its peak with the first one and I settled as being a football player for another celebration.

Staying up for 24 hours to raise money to help victims of pediatric cancer at the University of Iowa Dance Marathon #forthekids

Basketball games at Carver Arena! Such a fun and exciting atmosphere to be apart of. 

Valentines day is for the girls #Galentines day

Spring break in Montego Bay, Jamaica with two of my favorite women. We left the resort in order to get a glimpse of the real Jamaica and the culture surrounding it. Such a beautiful country with even more beautiful people living inside. 

Women In Business! Loved being apart of an organization with such empowered, smart, and beautiful women who seek to improve themselves as not only professionals, but as people overall. 

Some nights out on the town. Thank you University of Iowa for the best freshman year I could have asked for and overall one of the best years of my life.  Looking forward to repping black and gold for the next three years :)

Last years lineup was VERY good. Khalid, Travis Scott, the Weekend, and Galantis were all there the days I had the privilege of attending. While I thought Lollapalooza was very fun, I also realized it is a very long couple of days. I don't think I've ever gotten so dirty before (spoiler alert the white Nikes were completely ruined). It. is also very likely that all my makeup sweat off, so take pictures early on in the day! I got to experience mosh pits, extremely talented artists, the heat of the Chicago sun in the middle of the day, grew to love fanny packs, and realized how much of a necessity water really is in a time span of a few hours. I definitely want to return because it was an experience all in itself and I really enjoyed being surrounded by so many people who loved the artists as much as I did. Some things I would do differently: 

• Bring a refillable water bottle. You get dehydrated so fast and it's not only a bit of a pain but it is expensive to buy the cans of water they sell. It starts to add up.
• Do not wear open toed shoes or ones that you don't want to get dirty. I wore sandals the first day and my feet got seriously trampled on only then to have the genius idea of wearing white shoes the next (AKA be smarter than me lol). 
• Map out a plan of what stages you want to hit and at what times so you are not overwhelmed and lost. Get a general sense of the stages beforehand. 
• FANNY packs are the move. I put mini deodorant, gum, and lipgloss in mine which all came in handy real quick. It makes it so much easier to jump up and dance without a bag. 
• I would personally not spend the whole day there. I made the mistake of getting there first thing in the morning and I got really hot and tired before the really good artists even arrived. I would try to arrive around the afternoon.

I really do hope to return again this year, even with the lineup being a little less exiting than last year. I am even now prepared for the cold that will probably follow me soon after and being drained the next day #worthit