Summer Vacation Essentials

Hello, friend!

As I was packing to go on vacation, I figured that it would be fun to make a summer vacation essentials list for anyone who wants to see what I consider to be very important items. Let's get started!

1. Your Favorite Tee

This is a given! Something cozy that you love and don't even have to think twice about bringing. For me, it's my Feelin' Good tee from Forever 21. I bought this in the Spring when I went to the mall and it's been one of my favorites ever since!

2. Notebook(s) + Pens

Bringing your notebook, especially when there is a long drive involved in getting to your destination, is always a great idea. Writing down ideas, making lists(bucket lists perhaps? :)), and drawing are all apart of the fun. 

3. Books

Reading books are also a way to disconnect during your vacation and make sure that you're getting some time to just relax because when you're reading you can't really do anything else... unless you can multitask! I always take some time to sit by the pool with my mom and we flip through magazines and books just enjoying summer and living in the moment. In my previous blog post, I mentioned that I ordered 15 books from the library, and as tempting as it is for me to want to bring the 7 left that I want to read, I also have to remember to limit myself and make sure I'm leaving time for other vacation activities!

4. Camera(s)

Another essential that I can't leave without. My parents gifted me a GoPro for my birthday this year, and my brother and I are bringing ours on vacation for sure!  I'll be able to record and snap some fun memories this summer on this small camera. Bringing a big bulky camera can also be a good idea, depending on where you're going and if you want to commit to carrying that around. A GoPro is really convenient because it can fit in a small bag or even a large pocket! 

5. A Hat

Protect your face from the sun, it's the only one you've got! I got this smiley face hat on this app called Depop, and it makes me smile every time I look at it. Hats are especially great if you don't want to put sun screen all over your face and feel icky all day.

6. A Deck of Cards

This is a small item that can make a vacation really fun, you can play so many different games with one deck! And, it's super easy to pack since it's small. My family and I always bring games to play like Bananagrams, Skipbo, and of course, two decks of cards!

7. Headphones + a Good Playlist

Even though vacations can be times to disconnect and spend time with family, sometimes there are times when listening to music would make the day(or night) that much better. I bring my headphones to listen to music during the car rides, and I usually spend the night before creating a playlist that I know my family will also love! Listening to the same music that you played on vacation after it's over can also help bring those good memories back.

And that's it for my list! :) Hope that you found it useful. I also wanted to show you a video and a photo of this super cool lightning storm that happened close to my house a couple of nights ago!

How cool is that?

 Two days after the lightning, I went to this fair at my high school with my friend Reagan and Taryn, and the sky was so pretty, especially with the lights from the carnival that I had to take a picture!

Well, I have to finish packing now! What are some of your summer vacation essentials? Leave a comment down below!

Have a great rest of the week,

Joy :)

It's Finally Summer

Hello friend! 

As some of you have probably seen from my social media, a couple of weekends ago my friends Dhiya, Sarah, and Lars all went to the Peony gardens at Nichol's Arboretum. It was one last hurrah before Dhiya left us to go back to her home in Indonesia(although one could argue that her home is also here in Ann Arbor with us). Lars is going to leave soon as well; all of the exchange students are heading home since the school year is over.

Going to miss this crew!

All the pretty peonies.

I honestly can't believe that this school year has gone by so quickly. Time seemed to speed up during all the testing in the Spring. I literally remember sitting in chemistry in September and saying to my friend Alex, "I can't wait for summer..." (I know, already!) and now it's here. Even though this year has been quite busy and stressful, it has been the most memorable so far of my high school experience. I met wonderful people, Dhiya, Lars, and Sarah for instance, and become close friends with EveryoneAtmyEnglishTable and peers who I had never talked to until this year! 

Sarah, Anna, Bryce, & Kaycee(who are posing the same) and me!
Best English table!

Along with the school year closing, this amazing woman who I admire so much, Keren(pronounced Ker-in not Karen), got married last weekend! Her wedding was on a blazing 93 degree sunny Saturday, but having the wedding outside was definitely the right thing to do. The flowers looked were so colorful and pretty in her wedding(and of course she looked AMAZING)!!

Dad!! 

Yes, they also had a donut cake!! It was SO yummy. I taught some of my friends how to do fancy napkin folds at the table when we were waiting for our turn to get food. We made roses, candles, and fan-like napkins. The rest of the wedding was so cute and I am so happy for Keren and Andrew!

Now that summer is here, there is a lot of reading to do! I have ordered about 15 books from the library in the past week, and I think I'm going to try to always be constantly reading a book during the summer. This is just for fun, and if I feel like I don't want to finish a certain book because it's uninteresting, I can just set it aside and move to a different one. More leisurely reading! Less stressful reading.

Here's a cute vision board I have made of just random things that I enjoy. Vision boards are basically pictures and quotes or words that you find interesting and you paste it all together into a picture! I will be doing more of these in the future, it's a fun way to make art.

Props to you if you know who the girl is.

I'm also going to be doing a lot of traveling this summer, so I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and post them on here and on Facebook! Recently, I got a job at AJ Boggs, and IT(information technology) services company, so I will also be working more and still teaching piano lessons. Getting this job was definitely a gift from God, I am very grateful for the experience I will gain this summer. 

What are some of your summer goals and activities?  Feel free to tell me in the comments.

Joy : )