Genuine Happiness

"hap·py

ˈhapē/

adjective

adjective: happy; comparative adjective: happier; superlative adjective: happiest; suffix: -happy

1.

feeling or showing pleasure or contentment." (from Google)

 

"hap·pi·ness

ˈhapēnəs/

noun

noun: happiness; plural noun: happinesses

the state of being happy" (from Google)

 

I've considered myself a pretty happy person my whole life. I don't see why I wouldn't be. There are moments when I'm happier than others and there are moments when I try convincing myself and the crowd around me that I'm happy when I'm really not. We all seem to make our problems stand out from everything else that's in our life. That honestly sucks because there's so much more to life than just reminding yourself of what you're going through and making it seem like it's the only thing in the world that's happened to you. We often think that problems are all that we've got and fail to actually look past the problem and see all of the reasons in life why you should smile or be happy about.

 

There's always been a phrase that stood out to me for as long as I've heard it. Whether it was in a conversation with someone, in a book, a movie, etc. "Fake it 'til you make it." That seems odd. We surround ourselves with a society who will say fake isn't what you want, and one that'll say you're fake when all that you're doing is being a mature person. There will always be a person you won't get along with, but you'll have to deal with and treat nicely in order to get to what you want. It could be a teacher, a boss, a co-worker, it could be anyone. That's when you "fake it 'til you make it" but you don't fake it when it comes to your actual happiness.

 

I'm guilty of always stressing, worrying, and overthinking. It sucks because I make what's bringing me down into a straight one way road and my problems seems to be the only ones I see because they're going the wrong way and they're about to crash into me. I've noticed that I always aim for perfection. I never thought of myself as a perfectionist, but I really am and I walked into my 10th grade year thinking that I was going to have straight A's and nothing but straight A's and that I'd be a bad person if I didn't get straight A's. Well turns out I don't have straight A's. (reading this you probably think that I'm saying that with such a breeze like its nothing, but I'm still trying to accept it myself.) I work my butt off working on school work, doing my homework, studying, and going to tutoring sessions. I'm not going to give up on anything, but I'm also not going to let this keep getting in my head. I'm going to take control of this situation because only  I can fix my problems, and I can't let them break me. It's so hard to get to the top, but it's so easy to get crumpled. I'm learning to accept that I'm a bright student who's using her potential to the most, but I'm not the smartest person to walk the halls of my school. And I don't have to be. All that I actually have to be is myself, and be and do my best.

 

There's actually something that's much more important than grades, or boys. It's your life. There are billions of boys out there. There are tons of colleges, and tons of time for you to get your grade up (not really tons of time for you to get your grade up, but I'm trying to be as positive about this as I can.) But there's only one life. You only get to experience the chance (privilege) of living once. We take happiness for granted. What type of world would this be if there was no such thing as feeling happy? What if we were all immune to the emotion of happiness? That's not the world I'd want to live in. Don't let your problems pull you into a never ending black hole of misery. Just be happy that you woke up this morning. Because there are people who didn't. Be happy you're healthy because there's people in this world who aren't and that's all they wish for. Don't let your happiness revolve around a grade or any object. Your purpose in life isn't to make shoes or a purse the main focus of your life. It shouldn't be. As Eleanor Roosevelt said,  “Today is the oldest you've ever been, and the youngest you'll ever be again.” So live in the moment. Live and love every moment like it's your last.

 

I hope this post woke you up a bit, because I've been thinking about writing it for a good week. I just didn't know how to put it to words and into a blog post after I noticed that my happiness wasn't genuine. Remember to smile and laugh more, this time actually mean it. Make every moment count, and make your happiness genuine.

                                                                Much love,

                                                                              Daniela

                                                                                      Xoxo.

Time Management

  All day I've been thinking about todays post. After pondering it some more, it hit me. I was right in the middle of doing homework on my bed, just remembering today and looking back at everything. Then what to write about just suddenly came to me.  Today I was in one of my class periods, and my friend who sits next to me noticed that I always have labeled in my agenda days before "think about blog post/draft" and that on Wednesdays and Sundays I have "blog post." I think that I'm a very organized person, I'm all about having a plan and having everything in my agenda. She saw it, looked up at me and said "Aw, how do you have time for it? How do you manage to do it? Are there times when you don't do it because you don't have time?" So that led me to think about a time management post!  It's past back to school time, or at least for me it is. But time management is something that you can learn at any time and use it wisely.

• Have a schedule/routine. I get home from school, waste about an hour or so (I get out of school at 2:05, I start doing what I should be doing by 3:00-3:15) Usually I talk to my mom a bit, I help her out, I just sit and check social media. I do my homework early because I'm that type of person. If I don't do my homework early in the day and leave it for the night time, then later at night I won't put in 100% of my effort. You have to know yourself and be able to recognize the type of person that you are.

• It's all about adjusting. If I volunteer Mondays then I need to get home do the work that's due the next day, and the work that's due later on in the week, I'll slack off on, I do twice the work to make up for it on Tuesday. You've really got to adjust to your schedule. This goes for sports, clubs, and any extracurricular.

• Reward yourself. I do my work so early so I can relax for the rest of the night. I can watch Netflix, I can write a blog post, I can just waste time and not think about school.

• Have a good sleeping schedule. ALL or well maybe about 98% of us high school students have a horrid sleeping schedule. We're sleep deprived. Today I took a pre-test in one of my classes, I fell asleep after finishing it. I swear, those ten minutes were the best ten minutes I've had throughout the past three weeks that I've been in school. I'm usually in bed by 9:40, 10:30 tops. But then again keep in mind this has not been going on for a long time, this has only been for three weeks. I can honestly say that I don't fall asleep at that time, but I am in bed and I am relaxed and ready to go to sleep. (try reading a book to fall asleep or play some soft music)

 

  Is it hard? How do you do it? Yes, it is hard. Very hard. I don't know how I do it, I just try as hard as I can. Effort really goes a long way. Hard work always pays off, you might not see it immediately, but in the long run it will. Believe in yourself and everything will be possible.

 

                                    Thanks for stopping by and reading, I hope you enjoyed this post and got something out of it.

Much love,

                Daniela.



Fall Transitions

    Ever since school started, I've felt like summer is officially over. I'm personally a huge fan of summer, I love going to the pool, the beach, and wearing obnoxiously bright colors. Although, living in Florida, it's almost summer year round. I love the changing of the seasons, and going from summer to fall has got to be one of my favorites. I think fall is one of my favorite seasons just because it brings happiness to me. I love the winter holidays, but I'm not a huge fan of the cold weather, although it's beautiful, it's still not my thing. I like it because it falls right in the middle.. Get it? How punny.. Anyways, it's just such a beautiful time of the year. The smell of cinnamon, the leaves (Which don't really turn orange in FL), and  just the elegance that we begin to dress with in fall. Todays post is going to be for those who are also fall lovers! I've created three looks for transitioning into fall.

The casual one. This look is more of a casual look, maybe just a random day of running errands, something cute, but comfy.

 

 

The day-time going out look. This look is something you could wear to go out for brunch, or to the movies. Anything that you'd dress up a bit for.

  

The night-time going out look. Movies, dinner, or whatever the occasion is, this look will make you look cute, and keep you cozy during the breezy night.

 

 

I hope y'all enjoyed this post. You don't necessarily need to go out and shop for these pieces, you could take a look around your closet and recreate any of these looks with pieces that you already own. If you do recreate these pieces share pictures with me! Tag me on Instagram (@pearlsncurlsxo)!

                  Much love,

                                    Xoxo,

                                            Daniela.

Lillys' APS!

I've decided to share with you guys a bit of my story, favorites, and just about the APS in general.
So if you haven't noticed, my style varies quite a bit. I have a love for athletic clothing with big t-shirts, I have a love for getting all prepped up. I love sneakers, but I love a pair of cute sandals.
I don't like labeling or calling myself any certain type of "style" because labels stick with you. And the day I'm not wearing what I (or others) have labeled myself to typically wear or dress like, it's a funky mess. I'm pretty sure it's a bit noticeable that I'm starting to lean towards the more classic, elegant, and preppy side of fashion. Lilly had their APS the other day and I was looking forward to it so much! I didn't have a cash load of money saved up, but I had just enough!


So I had heard about the sale being the 17th about five days ahead of time which was good. I was actually really nervous that I would end up not being able to get anything because my first day of school was actually on the 17th as well. I showed my mom a couple of the things I wanted, and she was definitely amazing with being up in the morning on the hunt for my clothing. She told me that it was such a struggle, she had different things in the cart as well, but she wasn't able to get them because people would check them out before she did, so that was pretty crazy. I sincerely thank her so much for helping me out with this and working at the same time! I  texted her during lunch and she told me she was able to purchase some items, but I wasn't able to see them until I got home. When I got home at 2:05 she told me that she had recently checked the site and there were a few things left in my size, she told me to pick anything that I wanted that was left. I really wanted a skirt and a romper, and just to my luck I snagged the cutest skirt and romper.

 

Here's what I purchased. I'm a bit worried about the waiting time for them to arrive, but its worth the

wait.

 

 

 

  

 

Here are some of my favorites that I didn't get to purchase, whether they weren't in my size, or I just didn't have the money to spend on these pieces.

  

 

So I'm going to try to do a schedule now since school started and I like having a routine for everything, so I'm going to try to posts Wednesdays and Sundays from now on. That doesn't mean that I wont post in between, but it just means that there will be a post going up Wednesdays and Sundays. If I don't have a post on those days I will try to make up for it, school is a lot of work and time.

    

 

 Hope y'all got what you wanted,

happy shopping!

 

BTS: Essentials

Hey guys!
  Today I'm just going to be delivering another post in my back to school series. I was thinking of showing you guys a haul, but I don't think a back to school haul would be exciting to you guys because in my school we have to follow dress code and wear uniforms. Our uniform's aren't as picky as some other schools I've seen, but it's really nothing that would be too fun for you guys to see. So, instead I'll be showing you guys my must haves. I picked out some of the items that I find most important to show you guys. These will be in no particular order.

                An agenda is a must for me. I wouldn't have survived my first year of high school without 

an agenda. Last school year my agenda was smaller. After getting used to me using it so much and seeing that not a lot of my writing fit in it, I decided to upgrade this year because I truly deserved it. I purchased a large Lilly agenda. If you're not sure if you're going to use an agenda or not, don't splurge on an expensive one. I know people who remember to do all of their homework and have everything planned out and organized without using an agenda, not everyone needs one. I know that everybody and their mother has a Lilly agenda, so if you want to purchase a different one that's still cute and not as expensive, click here try the Day Designer's ones from Target.

 

 

 

 

I took my own lunch to school because well, you probably already know why, I mean we all know that school lunch sucks. Instead of wasting money, just pack your lunch and take whatever you want to eat to school. Since I noticed how much I used my lunchbox I treated myself to a new one, and a very cute one. It is from Vera Bradley, I actually got it on sale like a week or two before school even ended. I'm so happy that it serves its purpose and works as a fashion statement because it is super cute. Mine is in the print Rio, check it out here! 

 

 

It's a no-brainer that if I pack my lunch it is a must to take these with me too! I love the scent of these Bath & Body Works hand sanitizers, and in school it's never a bad idea to carry it around even if you don't pack your lunch. You'll still eventually put your hand somewhere nasty like under those desks full of old gum, and door knobs that have been touched by people who don't wash their hands after using the bathroom. Hand sanitizer also comes in handy when the bathroom is full of girls fixing up their hair and make up by the sink that wont let you wash your hands.  I got these when Bath and Body works was having their sale, it was definitely a great deal. Luckily, Bath & Body Works still has great deals with these. Click here to get your set of five for $6.

 

 

If you know me personally, you know how much I love shoes. Although whenever I like a pair of shoes I think its a must, it really isn't. I don't have the most pairs of sneakers ever, but I have quite a bit. Yet still out of the ones I had to chose from, I kept repeatedly wearing two pairs the most. I really recommend a pair of Sperry's, just boat shoes in general. The ones I had purchased last year weren't from the Sperry brand, but they had memory foam inside and my feet just felt so happy in these shoes. Plus, they're a very practical pair of shoes, they can be dressed up or down and they're good quality shoes. I definitely recommend buying a pair. The second pair that I recommend it a pair of Nike running shoes, just because they're super comfortable. My favorite pair of running shoes that I own I've had since the seventh grade and I don't see them giving up on me any time soon. Although Roshe Runs got a lot of hype, I honestly don't find them comfortable at all. Maybe its because I got used to my Free Runs, but trust me Roshes don't even come close.

 

 

This past school year I went trough three different water bottles. I found that they just broke so easily for me. Until I found this one, this one was perfect. I put in a bit of water each night and froze it. When I woke up the following morning I'd take the water bottle out of my freezer and add water to it. The ice would keep the water cold, and when the ice froze I'd have more water. I'm still looking for a new one for this school year though, I'll probably purchase the same one I had last year, but in a different color. It's a must to stay hydrated guys!

 

 

I find that a backpack that is spacious, with good quality is at the top of my list of musts. I'm that one student that actually follows what the teacher says and takes the same textbook home and brings it back everyday while everyone just leaves it at home. This year my back was killing me because of the two textbooks I constantly carried with me. I had a Nike backpack last year, but the stitching started to break so I decided to get a new one, in order to get something that went well with my lunch box, I got a Vera Bradley backpack. I love it, I've already used it. I used it to pack some of my electronics and clothes on my trip to Orlando. It looked smaller in the picture online, but it is enormous and the quality is ridiculously great. I didn't get it in the same print a my lunchbox, I tried getting it in a darker print so I got it in the 'African Violet' print because my bag is usually always all over the place so if it gets dirty it won't be too noticeable. This is the one I got, it was on sale along with other ones in different prints and colors too.

Usually instead of using all of my folders, I use one more then the rest. I love these envelope folders because so much can fit in them. Instead of me having to worry about losing a folder when I take it out of my backpack, I can have all of my folders in one. This doesn't allow all of my folders to roam around, each in different places.

 

 

I like a backpack with a lot of space so I can fit all of my necessities, not just my school necessities, but also my personal ones. I like to keep a decent sized cosmetic bag as my 'Emergency Kit Bag'. In this bag I usually carry a small deodorant bottle, a small perfume bottle, a small bottle of lotion, my EOS lip balm, a lip gloss, a pocket mirror, a small comb, an eyebrow spoolie, cough drops, gum, a spare $5, mini tissues, blotting sheets, makeup removing wipes, floss, and any menstrual cycle must-haves. Most of these can be found at the drugstore.

 

 

  Thanks for sticking by and reading. I know how stressful back to school shopping is so I hope these tips that I shared with you were helpful. I tried linking as much of these items as I could. Some of these photos lost some of their quality after I saved them as a smaller size, or else they don't fit on here, so sorry about that. I hope you guys enjoyed this post.

                                  Much love,

                                                 Daniela.