Birthdays, Mother's Day, and Tulips!

Hello, friend!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!! :)

Love you, Mom!

I just got home from Holland, Michigan, home of the Tulip Festival. This weekend, my Grandma and Aunt were in town to celebrate my mom's birthday(May 7) and Mother's Day(May 8) with all of us! To start my mom's birthday off, we had a birthday breakfast and opened some cards and presents.

Mom drinking out of her Happy Birthday mug.

Then, it was on the road to the Tulip Festival, a two and a half hour drive. First, we walked to this place called "Centennial Park," and we watched Dutch dancers. Then we headed into the park to look at the tulips and do a little bit of shopping. Going to the festival at eleven o'clock was a great time to go, it wasn't overly crowded yet.

In Centennial Park looking at the fountain and tulips!

Mom and I in front of the tulips.

After mom found her souvenir necklace and we ate some lunch from one of the vendors, we walked to "Window on the Waterfront" to see more tulips. This is where I found out that I was 100% allergic to the tulips; my allergies were so bad when I walked into the fields! *tip: take lots of allergy meds before going to visit tulips!

Rows and rows and rows!

At around four o'clock, we went on a trolley tour of Holland. It was very interesting and I learned a lot! If you live on Tulip Lane, you get tulips for free to plant in your yard.

The streets were decorated beautifully.

After the trolley ride we found dinner, went to a barbershop choir concert, and then had a cupcake party in our Grandma's room. Then we crashed on our beds and refueled for more tulips tomorrow! The next morning we went to the "De Klomp Shoe Factory," where they make the classic Dutch wooden shoes, and right next door was another tulip garden with five million tulips! *tip: go early in the morning because there is crazy traffic after twelve.

Cute little welcome area.

Some of the beautiful tulips. 

One of the very cool windmills.

Tulips for days

And many more!

 This is also where I found out that I was also 100% allergic to Holland! (Just kidding) The tulips were beautiful, but it was horrible there for my nose. We then went to a Mother's Day brunch which had great food. We decided that we wanted to go to one of the beaches because that is what people do in Holland, and it was great weather outside. We saw the classic Holland lighthouse, but all of my photos of it were pretty bad with the lighting and such. I climbed this structure thingymabob and Luke joined me!

Spiderman, spiderman

And we're up!

Picture of the beach!

Me enjoying my Mexican blanket.

Photo creds to mom!

All in all, the trip was beautiful and so colorful! My whole family enjoyed it, and we highly recommend it for anyone who wants to getaway. Now, it is time to do some homework!

Have a great rest of the week,

Joy :)

Little Things

Hello friend,
I hope that you had a good weekend!

Here is a list of little things that you can do throughout your day that make a big difference:

make your bed in the morning

start your day off right! and then maybe take a couple minutes to stretch

drink infused water 

add some fruit or veggies into your drink! it's great for clearing up your skin, and so much healthier for the body than soda or juice. here is a picture of some fun recipes to try.

listen to happy tunes

songs with positive messages, or even instrumentals from movies that you love. one of my all-time favorites is, "Dawn," from Pride and Prejudice. you can listen and read the rest of my blog :)

go for walks

exercise = vital. i'm trying to get back into running, and walks are great too! especially since it's getting warmer outside. bring a hammock ;)

unplug

be present. limit your time on social media.

I saw this on tumblr and it made me laugh!

 follow people/things on social media that encourage you, not discourage you

this can help you be more positive. so many times we get grumpy after scrolling through snapchat stories, our facebook feed, and our instagram. unfollow negative influences.

"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called "Today," so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." Hebrews 3:13

eat fresh fruit

go to a farmer's market! my family is subscribed to a fruit of the month club and we just got two pineapples in the mail; they are delicious.

my family and I stopped at a peach place in Dexter last summer

hold the door open for others

just bein' polite :)

make eye contact with others and smile at them

let others know you care about them and what they have to say

call up a friend
talk to someone(even if it's only for 10 minutes) who you normally don't see.

I'm trying to work on these things, and I just wanted to share them with you. Hopefully you found something new that you want to try and incorporate into your daily routine. :) Oh and if you have any little things that you do that you would like to share, feel free to leave a comment. Have a great week!!

Joy :) 

ps. text "follow @simplyjoy_ful" to 40404 to get text notifications about my blog every time i post!

Tests, Tea, and Hammocks!

Hello, Friends!

Recently, I underwent loads of testing.  I took the

ACT(American College Testing)

SAT(Scholastic Aptitude Test)

ACT Work keys(a test that asks you if you know how to read an analog clock)

and M-Step(Michigan Student Test of Educational Process)

all within a week of each other :(.

This is why junior year is stressful! I'm going to enjoy senior year a lot more.

Studying for those tests(particularly the ACT a lot more than the SAT), was a long, time-consuming brain workout. 

And now I have less than 20 days until my AP tests. It's a lottle(combination of a little and a lot) stressful, but I know that God will help me through every step of the way! 

In between those tests, I've been doing things to stay social :).

This past Tuesday after the SAT, it was my friend Minsu's birthday! We got free Ben and Jerry's and then went to Panera.

I wish I could travel back in time to get more! The weather in Ann Arbor has turned 180 again and gone from freezing rain and hail/snow to 80 degree days, only God can do that hahaha!

On Thursday night, my mom and I saw Guys and Dolls at the Powercenter put on by the UoM students.  What a great production!! I was blown away, the dancing was so in sync, the singing was perfect, and the accents were very legit.

Total perks of living in a college town! 

Yesterday, Minsu and I got to hang out again and go to our church's Women's friendship tea. It was so cute as all of the ladies from our church dressed up and wore beautiful hats. 

Minsu, Danielle and Me!:)

 After the friendship tea, we decided to go hammocking and use my new hammock that I bought off of Amazon. It was a perfect day yesterday, 70 degrees and with a little warm wind. The link to the hammock I bought - hammock .

Minsu and I just chillin'

Almost falling out!

This little kitty, Leo came and visited us.

This past week was really exciting even with all of the testing. I now have to study for my AP tests, so I will write later!
Have a great week!!
Joy :)

Spring Break

Hello, friends!

Spring break has just started for the Ann Arbor schools in Michigan, and I have been enjoying it already. My family isn't going anywhere this week, and I actually have a lot of studying for AP exams and SAT and ACT tests(fun spring break- I know!!!). Transition back to Easter!

On Easter my Grandma drove in from Chicago, and she stayed the whole week with us which was so much fun, even though my whole family was really busy before spring break. Saturday, before she left, she really wanted to go to a Native American powwow at Skyline High School, so we went and it was a whole new experience!

My friend Dhiya was there, too!

They came in doing this awesome dance to loud drums.

Amazing dresses!

More dancing :)

Another thing that we did yesterday after the powwow was make pasta from scratch with our Italian friends who live across the street. Since I am a pasta luvr, it was a dream come true! 

In action. Yeah!

Ya mom! 

Mom and Grandma Betty

Strips of Pasta!

Ready to boil!

2 hours later it's ready to eat! Yum!

The pasta was DELICIOUS, and now my mom and I are looking at pasta makers on Amazon :). I've had a great start to the week, did you do anything fun over spring break/are you doing anything fun this week? Leave a comment below, I'd love to know!

Joy :)

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 :)