A Day of Adventure: Reiman Gardens

The first summer living away from home...I'd lie if I said it hasn't been tough but just trucking along.

Today my loving mother came to visit me.

I got a big girl backpack, I'm a real college student now.

Then we went to Reiman Gardens. 

If any of ya'll go to Iowa State, I would highly suggest you check it out!

It's a nice, free (for ISU students) way to unwind, relax a little bit.

Going to the Butterfly room would definitely be a good way to take a break during finals week.

I love this picture. The delicate being of the butterflies. 

The butterfly room is just really special. Butterflies are the one bug I won't run and dodge from. 

Look how vibrant that is!

Now for some self portraits:

Mom's...isn't she so precious? (:

#overlyattachedtomymom

And then she turned into my photographer for the day

"Mom, I want it to be artsy."

Outfit deets:
Dress: Target here
Sandals: Target here
Hat: Forever 21similar
Bag: Betsey Johnson/TJ Maxx

"How does one become a butterfly? You must want to fly so much
you are willing to give up being a caterpillar."- Trina Paulus

Moving on from the butterfly room, we went to the conservatory (? that might not be right) room. 

They had it set up like a cute little garden (gahhhden) party

 And of course, Reiman Gardens, the grounds were beautiful. We didn't actually make it to everything. It was very warm outside, but we made the most of it.

More artsy self portraits follow:

After we left Reiman Gardens, we did some odds and ends. 

And then we went to one of my favorite places in Ames.

It has become that quickly because I've only been there twice. But both within a week.

 A mix between a shop in Diagon Alley, a flee market turned on its head... I don't know, I don't know how to describe it.

But it is the most eclectic greenhouse I have ever encountered.

I wish I had taken more pictures, but someday.

Where I bought two more succulents

One pictured here:

So today was great. A little different post than I used to do.

But I just genuinely feel so lucky to have a mom who accepts me and loves me unconditionally. 

I sometimes question if people are really as much best friends as I am with my mom...

I just don't think it's possible.

Much love to you all.

-Live Love Lan

Greetings From Planet Young and Foolish

Woah...I still know how to write on this thing...

it's been a minute or two.

Life has been in full swing with school, work, work, sleep, recently an occasional workout.

Da blog took da back seat. 

I don't know how people do so many activities in college...I do none besides work, and sometimes it feels like a one way ticket to Haitis. 

I've been wanting to focus a lot more on my beauty blog, but like everything else I want to do, it's a very long process to completion. Right now, it's in the preparation stages in my head. To be honest, it'll probably be there the rest of my life. 

Lately, after I hit that 20 year mark, I am already started to feel that 20s slump.

People say, "Your twenties are the best years of your life."

Other people say, it's a time to realize you have absolutely nothing put together in your life.

I'm sitting pretty at option B. 

You see people settling down, getting serious, getting engaged, having babies. 

I guess I haven't reached that point (also haven't had any prospects to get me to that point).

But to be honest, it terrifies me. Next stop commitment? I'll just keep riding the bus. 

Avoid at all costs. 

This weekend, I visited my sister, and we went to Zombie Burger in Des Moines.

The wait was over an hour, and while we were standing there, a girl walked by.

By "girl", I mean she was maybe 3 years old. 

The look she gave me intimidated me.

Her eyes said, "I have my life more put together than you."

And she's probably right. 

I feel like I make a string of bad choices that all very much resemble each other.

I'm stuck in a repeating cycle that I can't get out of. 

I know what I'm doing will catch up to hurt me, but I can't stop myself in the moment. 

And then six weeks later when I realize, ehhh not such a good idea, it's too late.

One way ticket to an emotional breakdown.

And it's not just that I make bad decisions in the present. It's the fact that people think I can make good decisions for the future. 

"What's your major?"

"What's that?"

"What are you going to do with that?"

"When are you graduating?"

"Are you going to the career fair, interview, presentation...?"

Are you going to shut up? Because I can't even make a logical decision for breakfast.

Your words need to cease.

And yet, I'm not worried about it. 

I'm not worried about my future husband. 

I guess I'm a firm believer in not getting too serious, too young.

We grow and evolve, and I don't know if it's possible with one person.

We live in a completely different world than our grandparents. Our grandmas didn't have to worry about our grandpas having a Tinder profile, Snapchat best friends, texting.

(excuse the profanity.)

Is it possible in this day and age? I don't know yet. 

I make bad decisions when it comes to boys.

Shun me to hell, but I've had my share of taken boys, going back to exes, a combination of the two.

And obviously if I make decisions like that, I wouldn't make the right pick of the "forever one."

People will have their opinions of that, but I just don't care.

I know that life will work out.

I know I don't want to be sitting in Iowa for the rest of my life.

We can only predict and control what happens to a certain extent.

All these actions will make sense someday. Mostly it'll probably me saying, "I thought I was an idiot in the moment, and look, I really was."

I have to sign off on this post though. I haven't typed anything of such massive proportions for a lengthy period of time, and it's literally giving me carpal tunnel. 

I hope you all are making terrible, young life decisions as well.

Later Haters. <3

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Hopefully no more writing droughts of approximately 6 months.

Find me on:

Twitter: @Alannajean2013

Instagram: livelovelan

Snapchat: livelovelan

Classes Are A Pain In Our...

Ah, the end to the first week of school.

One week and 12 thousand lbs of homework. 

They say you should spend 3 hours for every hour you spend in class working on homework or something like that..

If you have that much time to do that many hours of homework, you have too much time and need to enroll in something and anything.

Let's do the math..for me, that would be 17x3, so 51, so not happening.

So I was going to make one post but changed my mind on that, toooo controversial maybe, and so I'm going to make a list of why college is literally the worst.

1. That textbook you just bought, you will never be using it.

Professors will say "I know some professors make you buy the textbook and then never use it. This won't be like that, you absolutely need to read the textbook." No, no you do not. Professor when you tell me I need to read the book, and then present slides verbatim for the book, I didn't need to read it cause you're reading it to me. 

2. People stare.

Unfortunately, back to the real world, people have judgmental little holes in their heads. Keep your little holes looking elsewhere than on me. Too harsh?

Just don't look at me just cause you don't know me. 

3. Seats

Seats on the bus, seats in the hub, seats in class, too many places to find seats. Once your eyes have hit it, it's your possession. If someone doesn't understand this rule, you have the right to teach them. Don't worry, they'll learn. Also, what drives me bonkers... I go to class, sit in the same seat every day, you have to know I sit there, so why when I come to class are you sitting in it now? College students are creatures of habit, so don't try to break mine. It's mine. 

4. Outcast Syndrome

You go to a class, everyone knows each other in the class besides you. Awkward..Go to lunch alone, everyone has their bffl, and you have your laptop. Like I don't know, I'm sorry I'm independent and don't need no man/girl/friend/acquaintance to go to lunch with. At least that's what we'll say. 

5. You're tired.

Maybe I'm biased because I have to wake up at 5:30 every day for work, but I'm exhausted. Going and sitting in rooms listening to someone speak is really getting to me. And when I'm tired, it's not exactly easy focusing on the piles of homework I have to do, so I guess I just won't. yep. 

6. Da Haters

When you meet new people, you'll probably get some new haters. They won't like you because of the way you look, talk, walk, raise your hand, smile, nope, you suck. Just embrace it cause if they don't know you and you haven't legitimately done anything to them, they jealous. 

7. It's not summer.

Just the sheer fact it's not summer and you can't do whatever you want anymore, that sucks within itself.

8. Homework

Professor, I do NOT understand this assignment just because I think it's pointless. Enough with the busy work, I'm a big girl and I don't think this shows it. My professor gave us an assignment where he gave us a sheet of paper (questionnaire), we have to copy the format, make it ourselves, and fill it out. Excuse me, but this is pointless. 

9. Seeing things you can't have.

Suddenly, you branch out from constantly being in your bed and you start seeing boys. Boys, boys, boys. I want it. But the guy I just passed, I'll never see him again. Ever. And a lot of times, the cute boys..have girlfriends. Like why. 

10. 9 months until it's over

Just like birthing a child of freedom, this crap is gonna take 9 months.

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But happy first week, and every week thereafter! We can do this!

Like and share, and spread love and happiness. (:

I Have No Idea What's Going On

I'm baaaackkkk.

I went on a little hiatus, I think the blog and I just needed a little break. 

Of course, today was the first day back to classes for Iowa State, and most of the colleges of our great  nation.

(Although, our great nation is also making me pay thousands upon thousands of dollars to get an education...)

I was so rusty on functioning as a productive student that sometimes just the professors speaking words was starting to confuse me. Of course, when the professors were actually speaking. I'm in a sign language class, and the man never spoke one word. Not one. I read the syllabus, and it appears the man may never speak one word. But I like that class. And then there's calculus where...I don't even know what happened in that class today. The man legitimately was trying to teach us things on the first day of class. Like could you not. 

But college can be confusing. High school can be confusing (until you go to college and then you realize high school was no where near confusing in comparison). 

I have decided to make a list of ways to react to the horrendous confusion that can come with sitting in a chair, staring at a human being for 50 minutes.

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1. Play it cool. 

Some people just have the ability to stare their confusion stone cold in the face. Or maybe you're one of the people who actually understand what the foreign professor is talking about calculus. But you're probably not.

2. Facially Express It

You let your professor know that they just spoke utter bullshite with the look of "WTF" all over your face. They probably won't see this, and you'll just look crazy. It's fine, someone out there knows you have no idea what's happening. This is the approach I take, it's fine. 

3. Ignore The Situation

Sometimes once you're too a certain level, there's no helping you. The best course of action for the day is to just ignore you're even in class. Doodle, Snapchat, Tweet...you're done, so don't even try to understand it.

4. Leave

Now I wouldn't put this, but people in my calculus class literally just up and left. I also saw a boy sprinting like Usain Bolt out of a building, so either you placed an explosive device or he was confused. 

5. Let It Flow

Now, save this for a later time. Like don't pull this one out the first day, people will definitely think you're weird. Being confused doesn't give you a pass to cry. It also doesn't give you a reason to throw your prosthetic leg across the lecture hall.

6. Repeatedly Tell Your Neighbor

Ya know, my neighbor in Calc today probably got real sick of me asking him what was happening. Just make sure you let every single person around you know how much you don't understand it, because that will definitely help you to understand it..........

7. Rock It Out

Even if you don't understand it, who cares. Grades are about 1/1000000 of life. C's get degrees, and degrees mean about as much as relationships these days: nada. Zilch. Nothing. 

But when all else fails:

My advice to you is just to remain calm. Calculus/Chemistry/Biology/Whatever is one course in your path of life. College is important, but in four years, who's really going to care. 

And hey ya'll, only 121 days until Christmas, which means less than 121 days 'til we all crawl out of this hell hole we call school for three weeks.

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Thank you, I hope ya'll have a great semester/year/life of learning.