Jammin' June: Country Music

I LOVE country music. I thoroughly enjoy everything about it. This is actually something I think not a lot of people know about me :) well, you know now. The thing is, country music isn't a Finnish thing and we rarely hear it on the radio. So I put on my jams on YouTube or Spotify (bless the Internet, right?!) and whenever I'm in the US, I find a country station to listen to. 

Today I want to rave about Lucy Hale and her debut album Road Between, that came out today! 

You might know her from Pretty Little Liars, but in case you weren't aware, she's an amazing singer!

I was so excited when I heard she was working on a country album and now it's finally out... Gotta raise a hat to a girl this young who's doing so well in the entertainment business and seems to have her head and heart in the right place, and her feet on the ground. 

Road Between is a wonderful album with catchy tracks. Lucy's voice is pure and clear (and lovely), and I'm happy to be listening to real country music after a loooooong time. I hate to say it, but I feel like some country singers have lost their touch and are doing music that's not really country anymore.

I'm not lying when I say I love all the tracks on this album, but here are some of my favs:

Road Between

You Sound Good To Me

Red Dress

Nervous Girls

And now, stop reading this, and go get your copy of the album or listen to it online! :) If you love country music, you'll love this album. 

Happy May: New Beginnings!

Hey y'all! :) 

In my last post I said I've received some very good news, and I am so excited to share everything with you! If you follow me on Instagram you already know this, but if you don't, then here it is:

I GOT ACCEPTED TO SCHOOL! YESSS!!!

I am so excited about this! I applied on a whim, took the entrance exam with no expectations, and refused to stress about it. I was prepared for any scenario, but when I found out I got accepted to Lahti University of Applied Sciences, I realized how much I had actually wanted it. I will be studying International Business, and this all makes me very happy and I can't wait to start school in September! Well... I can wait. I have the entire summer ahead of me before school starts, lots and lots of happy things! :) 

I'm a sucker for office supplies, and can't wait to go shopping for school stuff, including a desk! I will definitely need one now.. My bed is awesome, but not ideal for homework. I'm on the hunt for a new apartment as well, because I simply can't fit a desk into my current one + now that I'll be going to school in the same city I work in, it would make more sense to move there, too, right? (I live 20 minutes away now, so it's not that bad, but still).  

And, another month is coming to an end. It's time to say goodbye to May, and embrace June! It's officially summer! Although depending where you are, summer has probably already began a loooong time ago. Here in the north it comes and goes. 

The theme for next month is 

Jammin' June

Ooooo... Next month will be all about music. I look forward to sharing my favorite music with you guys! :)

Love you, and as always: thanks for reading <3

P.S. I do have one more piece of good news to share, but I am waiting a confirmation on that one. Will keep you updated! 

Happy May: Little Things

I've always been the type to get excited over little things. I think it's a quality everyone should possess; learn to enjoy the little things. They come along every day. It may not always seem like they do, but I promise you there's something good in every day.

To me happiness is:

* a good hair day *

* mail that doesn't include bills *

* a text from a friend *

* a compliment (about anything) *

* a good conversation *

* nice memories * 

* girl talk *

* making plans *

* a hug *

* sleeping in *

* loving somebody *

* reading a good book / seeing a good movie *

* laughing *

* writing *

* clean sheets *

* shopping for office supplies *

* brainstorming *

Today I was happy about seeing my friends and enjoying ice cream outside in the heat. A perfect, simple night. Right now I'm enjoying some alone-time at home, watching a movie on TV and drinking coke zero (my addiction, btw). Regular coke tastes so weird now :D 

Have a happy Friday, everyone. Remember to smile! :)

Happy May: Summer & New Things!

Hi guys!

Ah! I am sorry for totally neglecting my blog and you all for soooo long. This past week I worked for six days, including today, and I hurt my back yesterday morning.. sad face here. It's much better already and I think within a couple of more days I will feel as good as new. Which is perfect, because SUMMER HAS FINALLY ARRIVED TO THE ARCTIC!

I am loving the warm weather, and am so happy I actually get to enjoy it, because I won't be working again until Saturday! Five whole days off! I'm psyched! 

Here's an Instagram picture from a few days ago, my hair has gotten so long! Yay!

My plan for the next five days is:

*writing

*enjoying the summer

*see some friends

*clean my apartment (I really have to...)

I do have another reason I haven't been blogging lately, but I can't share too much yet, because nothing is for sure yet... Let's just say I was working on another writing project and it might actually lead to something very exciting! :) I will definitely keep you posted. I don't know much yet, and am hoping to hear something within a week or so. 

Other than this my life hasn't been all that exciting lately, same old, same old. I am now cat sitting for my mom, as she is in Brussels for business, and I'm enjoying my time with that cute little hairball<3

I hope you all have had a great week! 

I snapped this picture the other night at 11pm. So light outside, I love it!!! :) 

Talk to you later!

Happy May: 100 Happy Days Update

I've been doing the 100 Happy Days -challenge for about a month now, and I still have until July 24th to go. I have to say that I'm amazed by how this is easy and hard and wonderful at the same time. 

Some days it's easy to find the thing(s) that make me happy. Other days not so much. What's so wonderful, is that there is still something to be happy about in every single day. How great is that? No matter how crappy a day I've had, I still remember this challenge and am forced to find that something, that makes me smile. 

I didn't expect to see any results this soon, but I am definitely seeing a change happening in myself. It's so easy to feel sad and depressed nowadays, while being happy can feel like a tough one. I feel blessed, because I can honestly say that I feel happy every day. Not all day every day, but still...  every day. 

That is why I am encouraging all of you to take part in the 100 Happy Days Challenge with me!

You can learn more about it here.

Have a happy week, lovelies<3

Happy May: Materialism

All right, before I get started I want to emphasize that this post is really not about how only material things will make you happy. I know that's not true, and believe me -I would love to gather up all of my stuff and throw everything away. I think I have way too many things taking up space in my small studio, so I would be happy to do that... 

What this post is about, is how it's ok to allow yourself some things you want. Because when you finally buy that watch or that pair of earrings you've wanted for a long time, it feels pretty damn good! In the long run hoarding stuff is definitely not the path to happiness, but life would be awful if we didn't indulge every once in a while. 

Today turned out to be a good day, thanks to this shirt that finally arrived in the mail! I absolutely love it :) I think it's simple and goes with a variety of outfits being a classic white tee. My face doesn't look too happy, though... well, inside I'm smiling!

This Friday I'm heading to Helsinki with my friend, and I'm planning on sharing the day with y'all afterwards :) We have no special plans; brunch, shopping, shopping, going to the movies, maybe dinner... We're excited. See, it's the small things that make us happy in the end :) a day in the city with a friend will be a perfect day, even if we end up buying nothing. 

Have an awesome week!

Happy May

Holla!

It's officially time to say goodbye to April and welcome May! I'm more excited than usual about the beginning of a new month, because I feel April was a little... blah. I guess my expectations were too high. Oh well. Life goes on :)

What happened in April? Um...

*My GoDoFly -story came out

*I took part in two separate entrance exams for two different schools

*I think I complained how nothing's happening

What is going to happen in May?

*I have absolutely no idea. 

Anyways, the theme for this month is

Happy May

This month I want to pursue happiness, I want to share tips on how to be happier, and I want to share my 100 Happy Days challenge with you. You can read more about that here and here. So far I've done well, I think, and I have not missed a day! :) I'm sharing pictures of small things and big things that make me happy every day on Instagram and during this month I will be sharing more here, too. 

I hope you will all have a wonderful weekend! <3

Express Yourself April: Inspiration for Summer!

After drooling over countless pictures from Coachella, it's hard not to get inspired! I love the bohemian outfits and everything that's hippie and vintage. AH! 

I have been making a list of things to acquire for this summer, and I'm constantly browsing through We Heart It, Instagram and other sites for ideas and inspiration. Here's what you will be seeing on me in the near future:

I'm the kinda person who plans outfits waaaayyy ahead of time. I'm already consuming myself with what I'll wear during my vacation. What shoes, what pieces of jewelry etc. How I'll wear my hair... I'm just weird that way. I can't wait to get to do some shopping! 

This picture sucks, but it's the only one I have of the pants that I bought from Miami! I LOVE THEM! They're very light and you can either let them be how they are or pull them up and wear them as capri-pants. They're loose and super comfortable, and I can't wait to wear them once the weather warms up! 

On another note, sorry I've been so irregular with my blogging this month. Even April's theme hasn't gotten that much attention. The reason for my absence is simply studying; I have two entrance exams coming up -one on Tuesday and other one on Wednesday. After that I'm all yours again! :) 

And a special thanks to all my new followers on Glipho! Thank you for the follow and I hope you will stick around. Let's hope Blogger gets more active, too ;)

Love you guys<3

Express Yourself April: Let's Make This Month Count!

I hope this month has started out well for you guys :) 

As the spring is becoming more and more real here in the North, I have found myself more and more interested in outfits and such. Oh, how vague that was... anyways, this month I hope I get to do some shopping and put together some outfits for y'all, inspired by upcoming summer. I haven't really done outfit posts and would love to concur that area as well ;) I also want to try out some new hair ideas and make-up tips and will share them with you! 

I want to make Express Yourself April a month in which stepping out of my comfort zone will be my main focus. I hope I will be able to share my enthusiasm with you and encourage you to do the same :) 

If you have been following my blog for a while, what do you think of the monthly themes so far? Yay or nay?

Feel free to leave me comments and pitch any ideas! Have a great week :)

Make It Happen March: I Made Stuff Happen!

Hey, guys!

March is coming to an end and I couldn't be happier, because it means only one thing.

SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE!

I don't know why, but I am really looking forward to summer this year. I'm always looking forward to summer, but this year particularly. It may have something to do with me having a full four weeks of vacation ahead of me. Or maybe it's the prospect of traveling. Of getting to spend time with my wonderful friends. I'm looking forward to the warmth, the endless summer nights, when it's light throughout. 

Make It Happen will be my theme throughout the summer, too. Here are some things I want to do:

*Stress less, enjoy the now, enjoy life and just have fun

*Spend a week at my mom's in the countryside. No internet for a week, except for blog and emails. The main purpose for this little excursion is to write. I want to work on my novel non-stop.

*Show around Finland to my friend who will be visiting from abroad

*Travel

*Read

And here's what I accomplished this month:

*Traveled to Germany and Estonia

*Bought that bag I've wanted since forever ago

*I had my first chance to collaborate with another blogger! You'll see more April 2nd ;)

*Invitations to entrance exams at a couple of schools

*Made more solid plans for my future

With March ending, it's time to reveal the theme for next month!

*Drum roll, please*

Express Yourself April

I have a feeling it'll be a good month:)

Are you guys as excited about summer as I am?!

Have a sunny weekend <3

Make It Happen March: Doing Things Yourself

Often it can be tempting to let others help you when you have something big happening in your life. And yes, it's good not being too proud and accepting the help that's being offered. 

But sometimes we want to do it alone. It's not necessarily because we are too proud to ask for help, or because we want to show off and prove that we're not too stupid for this. 

I want to do some things on my own simply because I can. 

I get a huge kick out of being able to do something without any help, whether it's paying the bills, buying something I need that's out of my price range, running errands I used to need my mom for, traveling solo, anything. It's sort of reassuring, if you know what I mean. 

It makes me feel like an adult, even though I'm really not one. 

It makes me feel like I can handle anything life throws at me. 

Does this sound crazy?

I don't remember if I told you, but I applied to a few schools a while back. 

Today I received my third invitation to an entrance exam. 

I have absolutely no idea what's going to happen, whether I'll get in or not. I'm prepared for any option, and life will go on never the less. 

It's funny, though, how just an invitation to an entrance exam can make me feel accomplished. 

It's trying. 

Make It Happen March: An Exciting Announcement!

Hey, guys! 

So, in the spirit of making things happen and setting things in motion I've been dying to tell you about this exciting opportunity that has presented itself to me recently!

I was contacted by the lovely Ariadna, a.k.a The Always Believer, and she asked me to share my story on her page. 

Here's some information about the #GoDoFly -movement:

#GoDoFly is all about encouraging yourself, getting on track, making changes in your life to fulfill your dreams. It is also about helping others, telling the people you love and kind strangers to #GoDoFly.

This movement is to help people who need to hear the message loud and proud. #GoDoFly! To stand up for yourself, to be your own hero, to work hard for your goals,to be yourself and much more things people need to hear. We participate with true stories around the world, telling tales of overcoming obstacles and lending a helping hand to a friend too.

I was so flattered and excited to have Ariadna contact me, and my story will be out some time in April. I will definitely let you know when it happens! <3

Make sure to check out http://thealwaysbeliever.com! 

Also, if you want to participate, you will find all the necessary information on that site. 

Hope you are all having a great week so far! I think I'm coming down on something, a flu maybe, but won't let it crush my spirit! I'm soooooooo thrilled about all of this! 

Make It Happen March: Let's Talk About Goals

Spring is here! :) I am so thrilled about it. The thing is, weather's been acting super weird this year, and usually around this time of the year we still have a ton of snow and it's cold, but there's hardly any snow, the temperature's above zero and… yeah, we even have sunny days every now and then ;)

Today was the first day that I put on this pair of Converse, the first day this year that I left my winter shoes inside and decided to wear something lighter! Little things make me happy :) Oh, what do you think of the bag? I just got it from Germany and love how it matches with my shoes. Looooove pink!

Anyways, I wanted to talk about goals today. I feel like sometimes it's really hard to set firm goals, whether they're short or long term goals. And achieving them can be even harder. This is why I rarely announce my goals out loud. The less people know, the less humiliating it is if I don't make it. Others find telling people motivating - the more people know, the more they want to be true to their word. 

However, I have a few goals I would like to share with y'all. These aren't something I can achieve within a month, but am definitely setting things in motion asap.

*Switching jobs this year (most likely not before the fall; I will have a full four-week summer vacation this year, which is kind of a big motivator right now, and I don't want to switch until I've had the chance to enjoy that.)

*Finish the first draft of my book (I'm not setting a time limit here, because lately I've noticed how irregular my life is, work schedule and all. All I can do is my best, and hope that it gets me somewhere.)

*Travel some (just waiting to get my official vacation dates so I can book the flights)

It's good to have goals; having something to work for, something to look forward to, is vital. What are your goals? Short or long term? :) Let me know!

One more thing: I now have 91 followers on Glipho and 10 on Blogger. One of them follows me on both platforms, so that means that I have

100 followers.

This might not be a big thing to many of you, but to me it is huge. To have 100+ people reading my blog is something I value more than you'll ever know. 

Thank you so much!

<3

Make It Happen March: Say Yes!

I themed this month Make It Happen March, which I already stated in my previous post and how you can see from the title. I am trying to get more inspired about everything in my life and want to be able to inspire others, too :) I hope you guys will enjoy these posts!

So. Make what happen?

Anything. 

I am a huge procrastinator and that's a quality I would very much like to get rid of. This month, and in the future too, of course, I would like to make myself more active and do things when I have the chance, and not two days later, two months later or never. I'm not trying to change my personality here, because to be honest, I'm a total scatter brain and somewhat of an artistic character. Doing things when I feel like has always been kind of a thing of mine, but I really want to establish a line between being a procrastinator and being lazy. Does that make any sense to you? I guess I'm more lazy than a procrastinator. I don't think the two of them are the same thing, because sometimes you just don't have time for something and you have to do it later, and laziness is just unwillingness to do something you really could do right now. Right? :D 

So pick up those clothes from the floor. Paint that wall. Clean that garage. Take initiative. Participate. Be awesome :)

And for me: BLOG! This week I will be posting the following:

*February Favorites

*My trip to Germany

*Another Make It Happen March thaang. 

Let's make things happen, people! :)

Feel Good February: Treat Yourself

I cannot believe February is almost over! Tomorrow is the last day and I will be spending it partly on a plane, traveling to Germany to see some friends. The flight is slightly less than two hours, so that's nice, and I can't wait to go! So excited and I will be posting about my trip some time next week!

As this month is drawing to its end, it is time to do one more Feel Good February -post and reveal the theme for next month! 

I am a penny-stretcher but do like to treat myself occasionally with something extra. Whether it's going to the hairdressers, shopping, or whatever floats your boat, it is so incredibly rewarding to allow nice things for yourself. Within reason, of course ;) I don't want to be the person who sucks the fun out of everything, but I feel like if I keep treating myself all the time, it loses its value. What do you think?

This month I've treated myself to a new hair (I'm blonde!) and my most recent thang is eyelash extensions. It's very popular and common to have those here in Finland, and this isn't my first time, either. I l-o-v-e them! In case this is a new thing for you, here's what it's all about: an individual fake eyelash is glued to one of your own. That's it, simple. So for each of your own lashes there's one fake lash and they're glued in, and they look more natural because it's not one strip of lashes that you glue into your eyelid, the kind you can buy from anywhere. These stay on from 2-4 weeks, depending on your lifestyle (how you take care of them etc.) and of course the person who does them for you. I have mine redone every 3 or 4 weeks. The first time is a bit expensive, but the maintaining is cheaper. 

I don't know if you can tell by this sucky picture, that my lashes are 13mm long (1,3cm = about half an inch?) and I'm not wearing any eye make-up at all. That's the beauty; these are so convenient and take half an hour away from my usual make-up routine. And, it's so worth it. I look like a human being even straight out of the bed or shower! WIN!

So that's how I decided to treat myself; what do you like to do? Let me know in the comment section! :)

And now, saying goodbye to February and looking forward to March (spring is coming!), here's next months' theme:

Make It Happen March

I hope you will all have a great weekend! I won't be posting again until after my trip, but will check in at some point, so leave me some feed back and let me know what you thought of February's theme and pitch some ideas! :)

<3

Feel Good February: Take Time for Yourself

I am a loner, and really cherish the time I have just for myself, the time I can spend doing nothing productive and no one will give me a hard time for it. Everyone should find the time for that. Spend a night by yourself doing what you want to do, not what you should do. I admit, it's not always easy, because let's face it - life today can be very hectic. But it is so worth it to forget about everything for just one night every once in a while, and take some time for yourself. Always remember to take care of yourself. 

*Watch movies / TV shows

*Read a book or a stack of magazines

*Don't forget the snacks

*Take a freaking three-hour nap

*Draw or paint

*Knit or cross stitch 

*Go for a weekend get-away to a place without internet and TV

*Listen to relaxing music 

*If you're a writer, like me, take a break from your current project and write something totally different, a short story maybe, and just for the fun of it :)

*Rearrange your closet and/or junk drawers. (this is not what I would do, but some people find this extremely relaxing and calming)

Go have some fun, people. Don't be so serious all the time :)

Feel Good February: Change It Up!

Change is refreshing, no matter how little. Whether it's a new outfit, a new pair of shoes, new make-up, new apartment or new school, there's always something about it that gives you a good kind of rush. 

You don't have to overwhelm yourself by thinking of ways to change this up a bit. There are so many simple ways to do it! :)

*Rearrange your furniture 

*Buy new stuff for your home (I did this last spring; one trip to IKEA and that was it. I got a whole new look for my apartment by just changing the colors and buying a new shelf, comforters, and pillows)

*Change your work schedule if possible

*If your work schedule allows it, change your weekly routine

*OR forget about boring routines and go by the feeling

*Be a tourist in your own home town / country

*Change your job (definitely in my near future…)

*Go back to school

*Change your hair (I did this today!)

Went back to blonde after being dark-haired for quite a while! 

It's so easy to get stuck in a certain way of living. It's easy to get cradled into that feeling of security when you have a job that pays the bills and a little extra, when everything just seems to be going fine. And you know what, that's perfectly ok :) If you're one of the fortunate ones who's got it all figured out, I am sincerely happy for you. I just happen to be the kind who needs that change every once in a while. I think if I knew where I was going, I would lose my way. 

Today I changed my hair. It's nothing, but like I said, even a little change can give you a rush. It sort of pushes you to reach for more. That's how I like to think of it. 

I hope you all will have a great week! Thanks for reading :)

Feel Good February: Get Inspired

Sometimes it can be hard to feel good about yourself or your life. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about. One little thing goes wrong and suddenly all that's wrong in my life resurfaces and I dwell on… well, all of it. Truth be told, it's horrid. After a not-so-fun period in my life a few years back, I forced myself to learn the art of positive thinking. And you know what? It actually works :)

I don't want to go on and on about how staying positive will change your whole perspective of things, because honestly, sometimes life just sucks. It's good to allow yourself to be sad every once in a while, but it's more important to know how to pick yourself up again. Here are some ways that have helped me:

*Make achievable goals for yourself
When you achieve something, no matter how little a thing, your reward is that feeling afterwards. The feeling of succeeding will lead you into making more goals, bigger each time. You don't have to reach for the stars on the first take -make little stops on the way.

*Find out your true passion and make it happen
What do you want out of your life? You want to be a cook? A singer? An Actor? A writer? Sky's the limit, because when you set your mind to it, I'm sure you can be what you want to be.

*Find out what inspires you
And then surround yourself with that, whatever it is.

*Don't worry about what you can't change

*Don't worry about something that's going to happen six months from now

*Don't let others' negativity bring you down

If you want to be happy, be. 

Feel Good February: Go For A Walk

I'm not the most athletic person in this world. Seriously. I hate sports. I used to play soccer for a while when I was like 12, and also went to street dance classes for a while. But I've never been into physical activities.

But now I've decided to get more healthy and have started taking walks a few times a week. I actually think taking a walk is dead BORING, but there are ways to make them more interesting and fun!

*Listen to music while you walk

*Take a camera with you and take pictures :)

*Take someone with you and have a long, nice talk about whatever

*Make goals for yourself; if you see an interesting place on your way but don't have the time to go there right away, make a mental note to do it the next time, or make a decision to walk 5-10 minutes longer the next time around. 

*Simply take time for yourself and allow your thoughts flow free

Those things help; take it from someone who's very reluctant to taking walks in the first place. But I do it, because I know it's good for me and I know that afterwards I feel so much better. And you don't have to make it a marathon; I walk 20-30 minutes a day. Little time, but makes a lot of difference, I promise you. 

I hate snow, but it can be sooo pretty, don't you think? :)

So this marks the start of my Monthly Themes! Feel Good February is off to a promising start, and I am so excited to share my thoughts and tips with you all! Now, I know some of you are still in January, but here in Finland it's already past midnight, and it's officially February, so I decided to get started right away!