10 Things to do on a Snow Day!

Hello, friends!

Yesterday at around 9 pm AAPS made an announcement that there was no school today! In other words, an excuse to sleep in and catch up on all the school work that I have. Yet, I still have a lot of time to do things that I normally don't have time to.
What does one do with all of this time?
Here's my top 10 guide to figure that out!

1. C o l o r

Coloring is one trend that's making a comeback from our childhood! Lots of "adult coloring books" are for sale at Target, just about any craft store, and even Old Navy. Even if you don't have a coloring book, you can print out coloring pages online and look for cool designs on Pinterest. I also found some from this blog that are free!

2. F i n d  a  n e w  h o b b y!

Hackey-sacks! One from Guatemala, other on from Bahamas.

For me, I just recently bought a hackey-sack from the Bahamas that I want to learn how to actually juggle with my feet. I also have a rubix cube that I could be working on solving quicker. Maybe you want to start journaling or start a blog ;). Here's a guide to start a journal. Or maybe you want to pick up a new instrument. This may be hard for those of you that don't have an instrument at your house,  but learning a new instrument is something that you can return to forever!

3. R e a d

This can be one of the most simplest things to do. We all have books that we haven't read in ages. For me, I have started reading, "Emma," by Jane Austen. Find a book that you are interested in, and not pressured to read. Make it fun! Get hot chocolate and a blanket and read by the window where you can see the snow falling down.

4. T a k e  a  w a l k

Walking is so rewarding. Disconnect for a while and go outside. Take some artsy pics for that perfect Instagram, and then enjoy nature and just observe. Take a minute to close your eyes and listen to the world(not while you're walking, of course!). If you walk for 45 minutes a day for 5 days a week you will improve your brain performance, your health, and it can make you mentally happy. This is one of the best things that you can do for yourself! Or, you can go sledding on a nearby hill.

5. T r y  a  n e w  r e c i p e

I used to do this all the time in the summer when I had lots of time. I would be baking cookies, cooking new pasta dinners for my family, and experimenting with whatever I could find in my cabinets and fridge. I just watched this donut baking video, and I'm inspired to make donuts sometime soon! There are so many recipes availably on Pinterest, check them out!

6. L e a r n  h o w  t o  c o d e

Coded a heart with Google

Coding is being made available and easier for everyone to learn! This is so much fun to do in your spare time, I have learned a lot from coding online. Computer science is growing everyday as a big field, and there are many free websites that you can learn to code from like CodeAcademy, Code.org, and freeCodeCamp.

7. S e n d  s o m e  m a i l

Writing letters and cards to friends is something that is so rarely done, and if you have the free time to create a letter and send it, by all means go ahead! This is one of the easiest ways to love up on friends because unlike a text, this allows them to physically hold what you have given them. This shows that you thought about them enough to spend time making a card or a piece of art. 

8. C l e a n

Really, clean anything. And everything. Clean out your social media, clean out your closet, clean out your bookshelf! Cleaning is good for the heart and mind, and your new neat environment will be able to help you concentrate better on the task at hand instead of on the clutter around you. Spring cleaning is just around the corner,  so why not start now?

9. W a t c h  a  m o v i e

Or two. This is fun to do by yourself(me time!) or with friends! With Netflix, I'm sure that watching tv and movies are what a lot of people spend their days doing. However, while this may be fun, be sure to switch things up and not only watch tv all day. Spend a little bit of time watching your favorite movie, or discover a new one online. This also includes watching Youtube. I like to watch Youtube when I'm eating, and then stop when I get to the end of the meal and move on to something else. This is a super fun and relaxing way to spend a couple of hours.

10. P a m p e r  y o u r s e l f

Mom brought me hot chocolate this morning! <3

Take some time to have bath with a bath bomb from Lush, give your hair a deep condition, and paint your nails. There are loads of easy skin scrubs you can make online and try out. To end the day, get to bed early and feel refreshed that you had fun and productive day off. 

I hope that these helped you and got you inspired to try some of them out.

Have a great day,

Joy :)

Cruisin' in the Bahamas

Hello, friends!

As some of you guys know, in Michigan the public schools get a week off in February to go skiing(dedication, right?!), and my family and I went on a cruise this past week with my Grandma and Aunt to celebrate my Grandma’s birthday! This was my first cruise on a ship called, “Enchantment of the Seas(EOS).”We drove down to Florida on Saturday, spent the night at my Grandma’s, and then boarded the ship on Monday.

The first day, right away we noticed that there was a HUGE amount of food on the ship. Our first meal was lunch on the cruise, which was buffet style in a place called, “Windjammer,” and it was really crowded! I ate a bunch of pasta, as expected. Then my family and I walked around and explored the ship! 

Departing!

The deck with the pools!

View from our room.

Luke and I were on the top deck when we departed from Port Canaveral, Florida. The horn blasted so loud the first time, Luke and I almost had a heart attack!

That night, I actually got really seasick during dinner. The boat rocked so much and my dad ended up also getting seasick. I ended up going to my room(it was with Grandma and my Aunt),  and Mom brought us apples and helped us feel so much better(shoutout mom!! <3). The next day both my dad and I felt soooo much better. The view on the ocean was really amazing, it made me remember just how small I am compared to the ocean and the waves. 

In the afternoon we went to a towel folding demonstration and learned how to do the cool animals and things that they set on our beds. 

Flower, duck, penguin, dog, rabbit, turtle(l-->r).

Then, we had lunch and as I was practicing making an animal out of a napkin, one of the crew staff came over to our table and made a candle out of the napkin! 

Really delicious dessert for lunch.

Candle!

Luke and I had sort of developed a routine of having basically two lunches (pretty unhealthy, but worth it!!), and we ate near a window towards the front of the boat. 

That night was also formal night for dinner, so my family and I dressed up! My Grandma had a surprise desert, and we sang happy birthday to her that night! :) Our waiters/co-waiters for every evening were Lady and Mirko, from Manilla and Belarus respectively. The staff in general on the cruise were very international, and they put on a show with flags from where they were from. It was really fun!

After that show, we went to another show at their theater, called the Orpheum. It was a successful day at sea!

On the third day, we were abel to stop at Nassau, Bahamas, and go on excursions on shore. We signed up for snorkeling in Nassau, and the day looked to be sort of chilly out, which isn’t the best for snorkeling, but we still went and later on the sun came out and helped dry us off after we were in the cold water for an hour. My brother had his goPro and we filmed a lot of what we saw underwater, and also took some pictures, but they don’t do justice! God is so amazing, he creates really awesome things. We saw some beautiful fish, and my mom bought us coconuts and a shell from a man in a boat! He chopped them open right there in his boat. 

That night we saw Lange Ringnald, an Olympian gymnast perform for us at the Orpheum. He was on the silks, played piano and sang, was in really good shape, and also is a Mnemonist, or someone who has an extraordinary memory. 

Unfortunately, the second day of going off-shore to CocoCay, the ship’s own island, was cancelled because the waves were over 25 knots and that wasn’t safe for little lifeboats to travel in. So we had our last day at sea and just floated around. We went to another show and saw the Orpheum cast put on some Broadway songs, and it was really good!! 

The cruise was a cool new experience that I am so grateful I was able to go on.

Anyways, that’s all that I have to share with you today. Feel free to leave comments below! 

see ya,

Joy

Valentine's Day!

Hello, friends!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Cute little sonic valentines card

 I love holidays like these because they give you a fun reason to hang out with people you love. Back when I lived in Chicago, my dad and I  used to go to a father-daughter dance that our church held. Since we moved we hadn't been to one since, but this year our church, the Detroit Church of Christ, hosted one! All of the girls and dads in my church dressed up and we ate pizza, talked, played bingo, and danced.

Me n Dad

Hanging out with my dad was a blast, and I'm so glad that we got to have a special time. On Friday, the teens from my church decided to exchange some valentines like we used to in elementary school, and I found cute Harry Potter ones but only a couple of people got the references!
Here are some cute Valentine's Day Cards that I found on tumblr: 

NekoAtsume reference, get the app here

Sheldon the Dinosaur, so cute!

Well I hope that you enjoyed these! I'll talk to you guys next weekend!

Lots of love,

Joy :)