january, february, & march highlights, ft. a tiny vlog || getting my driver's license, turning 18, + ALSO starting college???

10 Ways to Conquer the January Blues

HAPPY WEDNESDAY, DRAGONS! I hope your week is going splendidly! 😘

I have a confession to make: January + February = my two least favorite months of the year. I mean, in February, there's Valentine's Day (although I prefer to call it Singles Awareness Day), but also in January there's just that sense of BOOM! The holidays are over, work/school's starting back up, get your gold together because you have resolutions to make and all those Christmastime pajamas to wash. *shudders at the thought of laundry*

Like, January + February should be exciting, right??? It's the start of a new year! Nature has basically handed you a pen and provided you a fresh sheet of paper that's just itching to tell a new story.

So when all that post-Christmas, post-New-Year's gloom is upon you, where do you start? Well, never fear, friend! Your Liv is here and ready to share ten of my FAVORITE ways to conquer the January blues.

H A V E   A   G O A L

We all need a little something to strive for. It doesn't even have to be HUGE and GINORMOUS: it can be something as simple as exercising every day, reading more books, adding some words to your novel-in-progress, starting that next semester of college. All you need is an idea: a destination that motivates your inner train to keep going.

S T O P   M A K I N G   T O - D O   L I S T S

No, no, don't run away! I promise it's not as crazy as it sounds. 😉

There are few things as depressing as seeing a to-do list with only one or two tasks marked off. So take this new year opportunity to finally ditch those to-do lists... and replace them with calendar-blocking.

Calendar-blocking is similar to a to-do list -- but instead of having a long list of tasks to check off, you have a schedule, with certain periods of time set aside for each task. Not only will this encourage you to get your work done much more efficiently, but it also provides a more realistic view of just how much you can get done in a single day.

Abbie Emmons (a.k.a. the productivity QUEEN) has an EPIC video all about calendar blocking (and how to use Google Calendar to do it)! Check it out:

L E A R N   T O   H U S T L E

Productivity is not my natural state (is it anyone's?). If left to my own devices, I'd procrastinate until I got everything done last-minute... that is, until I learned how to hustle.

This one comes back to calendar-blocking (which is honestly something I can't recommend enough!). Keep it simple: have goals for what you want to accomplish each day -- and a reward for when you get them all done (🠜 need ideas? See tips #4-10!).

"Hustle" means "hurry." And while you don't want to move through your tasks socrazyfast that you do a rush-job, you do want to be done early, so those tasks can be completed. Finished. Sealed. So you can get on with your life! 😉

One way to be done sooner? Wake up earlier.

We all have a point in the day at which our brain tires and our performance level decreases. Wake up early enough that you beat the sun and the rest of the world. Take this time to eat a hearty breakfast, send the Lord a prayer, and start slaying those tasks. And to make sure you receive plenty of sleep, head to bed a little earlier, too!

P L A N   A N   A D V E N T U R E

Adventures give us something to look forward to. So make plans! It can be later this week, later this month, later this year -- just be sure to treat yourself to an event you'll anticipate.

A R R A N G E   A   C O F F E E   D A T E

I'm an introvert, but I'm also a firm believer in the power of socialization. God gave Adam a companion for a reason: few things lift the spirits quite like being near to good people. So arrange a coffee date with someone or invite a friend over for dinner and a movie! We're all human; we need people and we need community. Take advantage of this to cut a small section out of your week for a fun afternoon, and spend it hanging out with an old friend or new acquaintance!

T A K E   A   C R E A T I V I T Y   C L E A N S E

Just like community, everyone needs a break, too. Set aside a few hours each day to relax, refresh, and recharge. Hop off the internet. Enjoy a shower. Read a book. Brain-dump in a diary. Take a nap. These small moments will not only help you cure and avoid burnout, but also keep your creativity continuously refueled.

D O   S O M E   E A R L Y   S P R I N G   C L E A N I N G

Do you ever get home from work, look at your room, and just think, UGH.? I believe that a messy environment makes for an exhausted mind. So, if your room/kitchen/house/apartment is a mess, take some time to clean it up! This can be anything from setting aside ten minutes each day to devoting a weekend to a thorough deep-cleaning. Take care of your spring cleaning early; you'll thank yourself later. 😉

H E A D   O U T S I D E

Fresh air and a little quality time with nature can cure much of mental restlessness. Head outside! Even if it's just a couple minutes. Take this time to soak in the silence and further immerse yourself in God's handiwork. 💗

T R Y   S O M E T H I N G   N E W

Let me begin by saying: trying something new ≠ picking up a new hobby or leaving an old one behind (unless you want/need to, of course!). It can be anything from exploring a new genre of music to listening to a new podcast while you work (I like listening to Motivation2Study when I bullet-journal!). Find a new TV show (I recommend Jonna Jinton, Tina Sosna, and all things green on YouTube!) or discover a new book series (feel free to tweet to me (@livkfisher) and ask for recs!). Try a new style of tea! Take a hike in the woods! Even something as simple as switching up your routine. Embrace the New Year with change, if for no other reason than to humor yourself.

S T A Y   H E A L T H Y :

M E N T A L L Y ,   P H Y S I C A L L Y ,   &   S P I R I T U A L L Y

THIS IS SO IMPORTANT! When I'm eating healthier and exercising more, I notice a huge improvement in my overall attitude -- and not only that, but in how I feel physically, too!

Eat your greens, friends. 😉 Exercise. Read your Bible. Keep up with God. Your body, mind, and soul will be grateful. 💓

Throw those post-holiday feels to the wind! Take it up a notch and give an EPIC, VIKING-STYLE SHRIEK WHILE YOU DO IT! 😉

The truth is, the January blues are hard. They aren't fun. My prayer for you is, if you're suffering, your burden grows lighter and your trust in Yahweh grows greater. 💖 If you ever need someone to talk to, my DMs -- here and on my social media -- are always open!

'Til next time, Dragons, stay awesome and live boldly! 😘

LET'S CHAT!

What's your favorite time of the year? Have you ever gotten the January blues? Do you have any tips for getting over them?

❤,

Hello, 2019 & HELLO, DARLING DRAGONS! 😘

I'M FINALLY WRITING THIS POST.

Something that started as a belated May highlights, then morphed into May/June, and eventually made it all the way to some "May/June/July/August/September/October/November/December Highlights BASICALLY I FAILED AT BLOGGING LAST YEAR" hybrid. So, yeah.

I've been gone for a while, and, to be honest, there are a lot of reasons why (you can read my full post on that here). 2018 was rough. Jam-packed of wonderful new people + amazing experiences + SO MUCH FUN, but rough nonetheless.

My goal and prayer is for 2019 to be better.

Today, I'm going to take a look back at just a few of the blessings 2018 had to offer,* and some dreams + plans I have for this year. 😉

*Fair warning: all the photos might make this post look a little wackadoodle on some phones/tablets/feeds. 😅 I did my best!

Without further ado, let's dive in!

J A N U A R Y

• Returned from my first ever New Year's Meeting
• Stayed up late with my mom on Sunday nights to watch Victoria (PBS) 😊
• Finished my fifth semester of high school + started my sixth

F E B R U A R Y

• Returned to Universal Studios / the Wizarding World of Harry Potter 😍😍😍
• Had my wisdom teeth removed (WHILE AWAKE???)
• Probably did something else significant but it's been almost a year since then so I honestly can't remember rn?? 😅

M A R C H

• Took the SAT for the first time
• Finished my editing job
• Grandparents came to visit 🙂
• Spent spring break hiking + visiting coffee shops / museums / beaches with da bestie and our families 💚

>> January/February/March Highlights <<

A P R I L

• Attended Placerville's Youth Meeting
• Took the SAT for the second (& LAST!) time
• Went to tea with Tasha @ curlycovering
• Realized my smol love for edible floral arrangements 😂😂😂
• Co-hosted a giveaway with Victoria Lynn @ Ruffles & Grace

>> April Highlights <<

M A Y

• Joined Instagram (my handle is @livkfisher, btw 😉)
• Went on a jeep caravan to Borrego Springs
• Traveled to Sacramento for a friend's graduation 😭💞
• Took my first ever AP exam 😏
• Launched The Language of Worlds linkup
• Da bestie came to visit! 😁

J U N E

• Volunteered as a poll clerk on Election Day
• Finished my junior year
• Discovered I was quoted on Introvert Dear, thanks to the lovely Lisa Pickle!
• Attended SoCalCWC (& met THE Nadine Brandes and Hailey Rose! 😱😻😻) (click here to see Hailey's vlog on it!)
• Got my driver's permit 😃

J U L Y

• Passed out flags for a realtor
• Watched fireworks from the driver's seat 😍
• Launched my readers' group (!!!!)
• Spent a day at SeaWorld + watched fireworks from the sky trolley 😍😍
• Camped for a weekend in Julian
• Found a TARDIS-styled little free library

A U G U S T

• Da bestie came to visit again 😊
• Attended my church's twelfth annual Youth Meeting (ft. sermons by Jonathan @ Pure & Simple Bible)
• Went on a two-week road trip with my family & went on SO MANY ADVENTURES 😍😍😍 camping, exploring, etc... the whole trip felt very lovely + bohemian! 😍😍😍
• Decided to go full-blown vegan 😬 (food-wise, at least 😉)
• Started my senior year
• Attended Livermore's Labor Day Meeting

S E P T E M B E R

• Registered at community college 😱😱😱

O C T O B E R

• Outlined Ignis (formerly titled The Scent of the Stars)
• Had a fun, pizza-filled Halloween with a school friend 🙂

N O V E M B E R

• Started writing Ignis
• Saw The Crimes of Grindelwald (totally noteworthy & honestly probably my new most favorite movie EVER 😍😍😍)
• Had my senior pictures done by the lovely Gina Lee Photography
• Attended Oakdale's Youth Meeting
• Grandparents came to visit for Thanksgiving 🌝

D E C E M B E R

• CHRISTMAS!
• Attended Oklahoma City's New Year's Meeting

chasing shadows by ashley townsend // where trains collide by amber stokes // the moon master's ball by clara diane thompson // an enchantment of ravens by margaret rogerson // scarlet by marissa meyer // fawkes by nadine brandes // waltz into the waves by sarah holman // common by laurie lucking

books: 53/53

writing: started ignis

travel: hollywood, ca // placerville, ca // borrego springs, ca // sacramento, ca // la miranda, ca // seaworld, ca // julian, ca // lost coast, ca // livermore, ca // oakdale, ca // oklahoma city, ok

work: finished editing job // volunteered at polls // delivered realtor flags

education: finished junior year // started senior year // registered for college

books: read 30 // join netgalley // re-read the harry potter series

writing: finish + revise ignis (draft 1) // write fey novella // write two books in medieval fantasy quadrilogy

travel: fullerton, ca // julian, ca

work: complete socalcwc registration job // find + start part-time job

education: finish senior year // graduate high school // start college

soul: spend one hour+ with God every day

health: stay vegan // eat more greens // do 15 min. yoga every morning // walk dogs three times each day // do stretches every evening

art: start + keep + add to bullet journal

HAPPY 2019, DRAGONS!!!! 😘💕 I hope you had an amazing 2018 + your 2019 is completely FANTASTIC & everything and more than you hoped for!

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all the love and support you've given me -- this past year especially. I'm so thankful for each and every one of you, and I pray your new year is absolutely wonderful. 💖

Now...

LET'S CHAT!

How was your 2018? What are your goals for this year?

❤,

April Highlights (SUMMER'S ALMOST HERE!!!!)

📷 cred: Anastasia

WELL, HELLO THERE, MAY. *waggles eyebrows* You're my favorite month bc you mean that SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE!!!! Which means strawberries🍓 and watermelons🍉, picnics🥧 and tents⛺️, art📚 and adventures🌼... I'M JUST SO EXCITED fdgtrb ewbrbfelbr;sdlkvfb

{Source.}

LIFE HAPPENINGS

• Me: *applies for position as poll clerk morning before deadline* // Human: *calls that night to say that I GOT THE JOB* // Me: WOWZA THAT WAS FAST
• Mom: Let's stop by the dmv and get you that driver's handbook. // Me: OH DEAR
• I went to Sac the weekend before last and got SUPER SICK but lol I'm going back again this weekend for my bestie's graduation so 😎
• Bestie: *driving* // Me: Have you ever listened to the Lumineers? // Bestie: OMW YES *blasts the Lumineers all the way home*
• *end of SAT* // Kid next to me: Well I AM SO TAKING THAT AGAIN // Me: lol I remember those days
• MY FIRST AP EXAM IS A WEEK FROM TODAY AND I. AM. FREAKING. OUT.
• I finally figured out how to Instagram and not be just a stalker anymore??!! (My Instagram handle is @oliviakimwrites, btw 😉)
• Lionsgate is making a Robin Hood movie and IT LOOKS SO EPIC, YOU GUYS (trailer below)

• My friend Anastasia (who has just recently started #hairstagram-ing and YOU SHOULD TOTALLY GO GIVE HER A FOLLOW) and I went out to tea (pics above) after I took the SAT for the last time & it was such a wonderful, peaceful, relaxing decision 💖
• Me: Are you going to eat your garnish flower? // Anastasia: No, go ahead // Me: *slowly eats it* // Me: That was really sweet... and then REALLY GROSS // Anastasia: Now the waitress is going to return and be like, "Oh no, what happened to the garnish flowers?!" And I'll let her know that the vegan ate them. // 😂😂😂
• Me: *should be doing homework* // Also me: *compiles a list of 100 titles she wants to read this summer, but probably won't*
• I discovered the joy that is the Oh Hellos' album Notos
• THE FROZEN ON BROADWAY SOUNDTRACK RELEASES IN JUUUUUUUNE
• I FINALLY saw The Greatest Showman and it was SO BEAUTIFUL but THEY TOTALLY BUTCHERED THE LEGACY OF JENNY LIND, THOUGH
• Fan: *goes kaput* // Mom: *buys a new fan that is basically an oscillating rectangle of Antarctica* // Me: *is way too excited*
• Yesterday Stephanie Garber announced that Caraval is getting ANOTHER sequel and I AM ALL KINDS OF HAPPY, RN
• Current mood bc SUMMER IS SO CLOSE:

{Source.}

• Also, here's a summer countdown because qwoifre gebgb b gbfrb I CAN'T WAIT ⮛⮛⮛

READING CORNER

1. Sinking by Sarah Armstrong-Garner [4/5]. Mermaids, Ireland, pirates, unwanted suitors... um, YESH. I was a little slow getting into it, but the more the heroine's character developed, the more I enjoyed her story!

2. Where Trains Collide (ARC) by Amber Stokes [5/5]. I LOVED IT; IT WAS PHENOMENAL. Let's start there. Keep an eye out for my full review as a part of the blog tour, coming June 8th!

3. How a Star Falls by Amber Stokes [3/5]. Not nearly as lovely as Where Trains Collide, but still a fun little read! I so enjoyed seeing little snapshots of Humboldt County (I didn't realize there were so many places I didn't know existed!).

4. Word & Deed by Rachel Rossano [4/5]. A very different sort of story, but interesting. I was quite pleased with who-got-who, in the end! 🙂

5. The Moon Master's Ball by Clara Diane Thompson [5,000,000,000,000/5]. I ADORED IT. And yah see that five-trillion out of five? That means that THIS IS BASICALLY RIGHT UP THERE WITH HARRY POTTER. It was THAT GOOD. 💕

6. The Spinner & the Slipper by Camryn Lockhart [4/5]. It took me an insane amount of time to get into this, but I'm pretty sure that was all me. And as soon as I met the green-eyed man, I knew it was love! 😍😉

7. The Prince & the Dressmaker by Jen Wang [1/5]. No. Just no. It takes me waaaay to long to explain why, but you're welcome to read my Goodreads review with my reasons. 🙃

8. An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson [4.5/5]. I AM STILL ON A HIGH FROM THIS BOOK!!!! The romance, the worldbuilding, THE CHARACTERS... Oh my word, I adored it! 💖

WRITING DESK

You know how I said I'd be doing Camp NaNoWriMo?

Hahahahaha-- UM. Anywhozens.

The Scent of the Stars didn't get written. I... got a little distracted. Because, shortly into Camp, I learned about Spring Song Press's new writing contest and MY BRAIN FELL IN LOVE. Thus, my WIP for the next month-and-a-half is called Fjord Phantom, and it's a Nordic, gender-swapped retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice. Here's the Pinterest board:

APRIL BLOG ROLL

ELSEWHERE IN THE BLOGOSPHERE

• Cait @ Paper Fury and Sky @ Further Up & Further In released the last Beautiful People challenge 😭😭😭
• Spring Song Press is hosting a writing contest! 🌟
• Savannah @ Inspiring Writes (formerly known as Scattered Scribblings) and Madeline @ Short & Snappy redesigned their blogs!
• Abbiee @ Abbiee and Sarah @ The Introverted Extrovert returned from hiatus!
• Ivie @ Ivie Writes reveals the cover for her debut novel (Uprising) on May 19th!
• Rebekah @ Rebekah's Remarks releases her poetry book on Sunday! (And she's offering some pretty neat swag to anyone who joins her in celebrating the release, this weekend! 😉)

What's new with you, me'Dragons? Any fun plans for May? Are you excited for summer?

❤,