Tag Archives: Alyssa

Mothers Day Away

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My mom is truly one of my best friends but we haven’t always been so close. Just like every kid, I went through my “leave me alone mom” stage; there was constant fighting and eye rolling (on both ends). I like to call this part of my life ‘the dark ages’. Looking back, I can not believe that there was once a time when my mom and I didn’t get along, but because of these hard years, I feel even more blessed to now have such a close relationship her. She is literally the first person I call when anything happens, good or bad. My mom is my shoulder to cry on and my person to adventure with. I can’t even go shopping on my own! I always have to send her a picture and ask for her opinion.

I have not seen my absolute best friend in 100 days. That is 100 days without a mom hug (we all know those are the best kind of hugs), without a kiss on the head telling you everything is going to be ok, and without having the person that makes you feel the safest.

For these reasons, being away from her on mother’s day is so difficult. This year’s mother’s day is the first of many that I won’t get to share with my mom and so far I do not like that.

It breaks my heart that I will not get to be with her on the one day of the year dedicated to showing how much appreciation I have for everything she has done as a mom and given up for me just because I am her daughter. I know that you shouldn’t need a holiday to show how much someone means to you, you should do it every day however, it is hard when everywhere you look is covered in mother’s day adds and gifts, and you can’t even see your mom and give her a hug. I also can’t imagine how hard it is for my mom to see all the Facebook posts from other moms sharing the things that their kids did for them. It is like being the only one that doesn’t get invited to the party and you have reminders of it everywhere you look.

It sucks.

All that I want to do is to make my mom feel like the queen of the world for a day because she deserves to feel like she is on top of the world. She deserves at least one day where everyone puts her first just like she does for all of us every other day of her life.

I cannot wait to drive up to my house and get out of my car in 20 days, and run to give my mom our first hug in 120 days. I know for a fact that I will cry. Living half way across the country from my mom is one of the hardest things I have done and holidays like mother’s day makes it ten times harder. Leaving the nest and flying on your own is scary to begin with, but not being able to fly back to the nest whenever you want makes it so much worse. This part of growing up is so difficult, but I am a true believer that best things come from the hardest times. I know that I had to push myself out of the nest so that I could learn to fly on my own. I hope that I soar higher than my mom ever could have dreamed so that I can make her prouder than she could have ever imagined. I live each day to make her proud so that she feels that her sacrifices were worth it.

College is hard. Being away from the people closest to you is even harder. But thanks to my mom I know that I have the strength to do it all and get through whatever life throws at me.

I wish I could be with her on mother’s day, but I can’t. What I can do is finish my year strong, be the best daughter I can, and show the world that she raised an amazing person because she is an amazing mother.

The Crew’s Resolutions

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Here at Podcast Lost in Space we are a mosh posh group of millennials at different stages in our lives trying to figure out how it all works. One time of the year when nearly everyone is working on themselves is the New Year. So we thought it was only fitting for us to share our resolutions for 2016.

 

Doc’s resolution is  to film and upload 1 youtube video a month. Totaling 12 videos by the end of the year.

Alexander’s resolution is to get in shape and start having adventures. He will even be working on a series of blog posts on his experience doing this called Op Respec.

Alyssa doesn’t make new year resolutions.

Newman’s resolution is to be better with finances.

Seneca’s resolution is to go on more adventures and spend more time with friends.

 

What are your resolutions for 2016?

A Basic Study Guide that is Hopefully in Time for Finals

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As a person who made it through high school not really needing to study, one of the most daunting parts about the transition to college was finding study habits that work best for me. Professors, peers, and parents all told me to make note cards and pair up with someone and quiz each other. Well, this doesn’t work for me because I hate notecards.  So if you are like me, and don’t enjoy the more traditional ways of studying, here’s some tips that I have found work for me!

 

  1. Study in small chunks—this is probably the most important thing I will say— through a period of a week or so. Whatever you do, do NOT start studying 3 days before your test! I just had a huge art history test where I had to know 30 works of art, where they are from, the date they were created, what they were made out of, and who made them. There was no way I could’ve known everything if I had started a couple days before the test. So what I did was everyday, if I was bored or had some free time, I would flip through my notes and review some of the works of art.

 

  1. Make connections. Everyone always says “learn don’t memorize.” But that’s easier said than done. I have found that the more I can relate the content to my own life the better I can understand the idea. Relating to the content can be through your own experiences, or through talking to your fellow classmates to find connections there, or by turning it into a story.

 

  1. Find patterns. Studying becomes so much easier when you can group the information into smaller groups that way it is not so overwhelming. This can also be a great way to stay on top of cumulative classes. You not only learn the information but how it connects to previous information that you have learned in the class. This is especially helpful the more advanced the subject is.

 

  1. Repetition is key. If you have to know a certain order of something, it helps to just go over it again and again in your head or saying it out loud. Even if you are going over your notes and you feel that you kinda know it all, keep going over it until you don’t even need to look at your notes to say it.

 

  1. Talk about it with someone. If you have a boyfriend/girlfriend, or just a person that you can talk about random things with, enlighten them on the topic that you are studying. Be like “Hey, did you know…” this allows you to recall the information and “study” in a very informal way. Informal teaching, or explaining, is also a great way for you to understand and retain said knowledge. And hey, you can make your friend smarter!

 

  1. Find a buddy. It does help to have a classmate in which you can bounce concepts off of or ask questions to. You don’t necessarily need to study with them all the time, but maybe once during your study time meet up with them and just discuss what you are studying. Another option could be simply talking to them about a specific topic that you were having issues wrapping your head around right before or after class. Save this for smaller ideas though, in case your or your classmate has to run off to another class, or work, or if class is about to start. If more topics arise it may be time for a formal study session together. Ireally does help to say things out loud.

 

  1. Take breaks! Studying can be extremely exhausting. Try to study for 45 min – 2 hours depending on how you are feeling, and then go eat, go to the gym or go to the mall with friends. That way, you can come back with a refreshed brain!

 

  1. Mix and Match. Study by using a combination of methods and by using your notes as well as the book. Don’t feel as if you have to stick to one method of studying.

 

 

Studying shouldn’t be a daunting thing, take it one step at a time. If these things work for you, then great! If not, that’s ok too, we are all very different, and learn in all different ways. These are just some things that I’ve found help me succeed! If you were curious (or not, I’m still going to brag, hehe), I got a 96%  on my art history test!!