My Random Addictions: YouTube Videos

Hello fellow bloggers,

I am going to be starting a new section of my blog called My Random Addictions and writing about whatever I feel is a random addiction hah! This post is all about YouTube videos. Who goes onto YouTube and looks up random videos? I know I do. Who sits there for a good hour watching pointless videos when I should be doing other things? Guilty! I've wasted so many hours watching hilarious, yet pointless videos. Here are some of my favorite channels and my favorite videos they have made!

1. Fred

This guy's old videos are freaking HILARIOUS. If you don't think they're funny, you need to relax. My best friend Gretchen and I used to watch these NON-STOP. Die laughing every time. My favorite videos by him are:

Fred Gets Babysat:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=443Ii2oDO-4
Fred Goes to the Park:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrL-gMFoOrc

2. Jenna Marbles

So incredibly vulgar and inappropriate but she's straight up and totally honest. And its hilarious. If you have never seen any of her videos: watch them. How Guys Watch TV is literally so true.

How Guys Watch TV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32Xc0eECmL0
How Girls Pack a Suitcase:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3qiXZRFmRY

3. PAINT

This dude is talented. For real. He can sing like an angel and is so witty. I wish he had more videos, but instead I just watch all of his old videos over and over and over and over. Seriously Madi got so frustrated with me when I discovered Harry Potter in 99 Seconds because I would watch it like five times in a row lol.

Harry Potter in 99 Seconds:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y57sYHIDP_Y
Ever After Disney Parody:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diU70KshcjA

4. Kingsley

Oh my word. Kingsley. So the first video I ever saw by him was Things I Hate About Driving because my co-worker Shane showed it to me last year. I died laughing so I watched more. They are all hilarious. I try to watch the new ones every couple of weeks. Totally vulgar once again, but so dang true. He's like a ghetto-fab guy version of Jenna Marbles. It's great. He has two main sections of his channel: overexposed, which he makes videos about things that are overexposed, and ask Kingsley, where he answers random questions.

Things I Hate About Driving:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DlBDwSOJn0

Overexposed: Call Me Maybe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYUOpfdVlvs

5. Vevo Lyric Lines

These videos are hilarious because my cousin Latoya and I have done lyric dares before, and they are literally just like this. It is great. All of them are funny, but the best part of these videos are the bloopers and outtakes at the end. The kid is super awkward which makes it even better. Especially since I am pretty sure he is actually like that...

Ed Sheeran Lyrics Pick Up Girls?:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytCwHwTNalI

Justin Bieber Lyrics Pick Up Girls?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMzrxzC7-V4

That's all for now! Hope you like my new series :) Sorry for the long delay in posts. I've been pulling 40+ hour work weeks and finishing up school. We also moved into our new apartmnt (pics will be uploaded once its all together). Now I am currently on the 24 hour journey to Michigan to spend some time with my family and friends, but I plan on doing some DIY cooking projects and other blogposts while I'm there. 

Also check out my brothers gaming marathon which is Monday July 22-Monday, July 29. They are raising money for the Make A Wish foundation and they'll do almost anything to get donations! Go to www.twitch.tv/GameForAReason on Monday for more info!

Thanks for keeping up with me :)

Olivia Aili

DIY Travel Themed Wooden Letters

Hello fellow bloggers!

So today I worked on another project for the room! This one was super easy and only took about half an hour. I bought the letters TRAVEL and some paper that had maps, a compass, and a passport on it. Each letter costed $4 at Michaels, but with a $5 off $25 and 40% off, they all together costed about $18 ($3 per letter). The paper was on sale 6 for $1, so this project costed less than $20.

First I took the letters and traced them on the paper and cut them out.

Next I glued the paper to the wooden letters.
TIP: Use stick glue instead of paste. Paste makes paper get bubbly underneath and the paper won't lay flat on the wooden letter.

And that was it! Seriously super easy. I think they will add a lot to the room. It is all starting to come together nicely!

 Thanks for reading!
-Olivia :)

DIY Cork Board Map

Hello everyone!

Today I worked on an awesome project while I was at home with my mom who is recovering from surgery. I have ALWAYS wanted a cork board map where you pin the places you've been, but whenever I see them for sale online it costs SO much money. Being a college student, decorating a home gets super expensive. And who has money for that? Not me! So I decided to go onto Pinterest and look up DIY projects on a budget. Almost all of the ones I found costed at least $50-75, which is cheaper than ordering one online, but still not that cheap! So I decided to do some hunting. I found a 24" x 36" map on Target.com via Art.com that was $8.99. Everyone else I know paid at least $14 for their maps. I also have free shipping because I use a Target Red Card which also gives you 5% off too. So pretty much no tax or shipping! Next I went to Michaels to hunt for a frame that didn't look super cheap, but didn't cost me an arm and a leg. This was a few weeks ago when they had not a 40% off coupon but a 50% off. I got a frame that was usually $60 but was 50% off and then had an additional 25% off. The frame ended up costing around $22. The cork board was also at Michaels, and with a 40% off coupon it was only $7. The last thing I needed were the pins which costed around $2 with a coupon also. I did make two trips and brought my mom both times so we could each use a 40% off coupon, but it was worth it since I only spent less than $40 for everything I needed! I already had the glue gun so I had all my supplies! Here they are in a list format:

Glue gun and glue sticks
Craft glue
Paintbrush
Elmer's glue
Cork board
24" x 36" frame
Map
Push pins

First I flattened the cork board, since mine was rolled.

Then I took hot glue and glued the back piece of the frame to the cork. This took a little while since I had to do it in sections and then fill in the areas I missed.

Next I spread the craft glue with a paintbrush on all the edges in a two inch border and carefully rolled the map out placing books on the top to ensure a good stick.

After that I added 2 and 1/4" strips of grey paper across the bottom since my map had flags on it that I wanted covered. I put the whole thing into the frame and stabilized it with the back prongs. Last I added my scrabble letters that spell out "LIFE IS A JOURNEY".

TIP: Make sure you have a place to put the glass from the frame before hand. Like in your trashcan or a dumpster. I, on the other hand, snapped the glass and sliced open my finger. Not my finest moment. Luckily, no stitches were needed. Just a nice big gauze wrap and my hand above my head with ice for half an hour. 

TA-DA! My finished product! I think it turned out great! Even with the setback ;). Once we move I will add pins! One color for places I have been, one color for places Madi has been, and one color for places we have been together!

I hope you all enjoy my map! I am working on a few other projects that I will upload here and to my Pinterest when I finish. And of course once we move and I have the room complete I will be uploading those picture also :). I hope you all try your own map! Give it your own touches like my scrabble letters. Get creative! Check out my new Pinterest button on the right hand side and follow me!

Thanks for reading :)
- Olivia

DIY: Chicken Fried Rice

Hello everyone!

I am super excited to share with you a DIY chicken fried recipe I concocted today! I got a cookbook for Christmas that I LOVE LOVE LOVE. It is the Better Homes New Cook Book 15th Edition. But there are some things in this recipe that I did not follow, so I created my own version! Every chicken fried rice recipe is pretty similar, but I thought I would share mine for those who are on a budget and don't have a lot of random spices and oils sitting around their house.

Here's what you need!

2 cups of dry white rice
2 Tablespoons and 1 teaspoon of soy sauce
1 Tablespoon of canola oil
1/4 of a white onion
4 baby carrots
1/2 of a yellow squash
2 oz. of frozen chicken
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg

Cooking Time: about 30 minutes

First I cooked the white rice in a pot with the cover on for five minutes as the directions on the package are shown.

Next I cut up my vegetables into small, thin pieces.

After that I beat the two eggs and added a teaspoon of soy sauce to the beaten eggs. I then scrambled the eggs in a small frying pan. I used two eggs, but it was WAY too much for my taste and I ended up throwing more than half away, so next time I plan on using one.

TIP: Make sure you use non-stick spray first. This was the first time I had ever made scrambled eggs (not kidding, I'm not a big egg person) and so I forgot that step. Hence why my frying pan looks like something died on it.

Fourth I added one tablespoon of canola oil into a pan and added the cut up vegetables. I stirred them every twenty seconds or so and cooked them for a total of two minutes. I then added my rice into the pan and poured two tablespoons of soy sauce on top. I stirred in the soy sauce, while mixing the vegetables and rice combination together. Next I put the chicken on the side of the pan, where the rice and vegetables were not, and I let it all cook for four minutes. 

TIP: Canola oil can also be substituted with olive oil, but both are a healthy alternative to the usual vegetable oil or butter that many people and restaurants use for chicken fried rice. I couldn't even tell the difference!

Then I added the scrambled egg to the mix and continued to cook it all for two more minutes on low. Last I added the teaspoon of salt over the entire mixture and let it all sit in the hot pan for a minute. Wal-ah! There you have it! It was so simple and took less than 30 minutes in total. There was enough for two full meals, so dinner for two or some for today, some for tomorrow! I hope you try it! If you do, let me know how it turns out. I was shockingly surprised that mine turned out as good as it did, and I look forward to trying more recipes in the future.

Thanks for reading and happy cooking!

- Olivia :)

College Life

Hello all,

When I was home this past weekend my brother was talking about what colleges he is applying to and why he wants to go to them. Many students and parents have asked me lately why I chose USF over other schools like UCF, FSU, or FGCU and so I thought I would share five reasons why I love wearing green and gold!


5. Dorms

While some USF dorms aren't amazing, my freshman dorm, Juniper-Poplar, was super nice. It was only a year old when I moved in, but felt brand new. People came to clean the bathroom (such a nice plus compared to apartment style dorms) and there was a laundry room downstairs that you could walk to in your pajamas. The food in JP was way better than any food on campus (now they have champions which is better and healthier). Also if you are considering USF and wondering which side of campus to live on, pick JP or Magnolia apartments. The other side of campus has more parties, but even if you like to party (which I didn't) it's nice to be able to sleep in peace the nights you don't feel like going out or are sick. The Magnolia apartments I lived in were not worth the money but it was nice having a kitchen and being able to walk on campus for sure. Even though right now it is a rule at USF that all freshman have to spend on year on campus, wherever you choose try to live on campus for a year if you can afford it. It helps you make friends and helps you get to know the campus more and be more involved.

4. Campus

If you haven't been to USF's Tampa campus, go! It is gorgeous. I love the buildings and the grounds. I honestly think USF has the most beautiful campus out of all the Florida schools I have been to ( but clearly I am biased ). The campus is spread out, and so getting from one end to the other on foot takes about fifteen to twenty minutes but it is always a beautiful walk! My favorite spot would the near the fountains outside of MLK plaza. Our student center is the best that I have ever been to. If you get the chance, explore all of the floors. There are study rooms, couches everywhere, computers to use, a food court (Chick-fil-a, Subway, Moes, Papa John's, Panda Express, Jamba Juice, and Einstein's Bagel), and a place where you can print up to 22 pages black and white for free each day! Such a life saver when you forget to print a paper and a money saver if you don't want to buy a printer yourself! There are so many study spots on campus that are quite besides our awesome library. The psychology building has my favorite spot, but there are many more!

3. Sports

Many people pick their college based off their love for the sports team. For obvious reasons, you don't pick USF because their teams rock. But there are a lot of pluses to that also. The Sun Dome is so much fun during basketball season and with the new renovations is a lot better for students! There is a student lounge and better student section now. Many people hate that our football stadium is shared with the Tampa Bay Bucs but I love it. If you want to go to a game yes you have to drive and pay for parking, but ITS FREE for your ticket. It also saves all the traffic jams around campus on game day wheras with schools like UF parking is always ridic on game day and getting anywhere in Gainesville is impossible two hours before until two hours after the game. Our soccer teams are also so much fun to watch! In the fall, soccer is always the first event we go to typically and the atmosphere is awesome. I've heard great things about our baseball team too, but have yet to attend a game.

2. Free Events and Activities

USF hosts so many free events for students, it's crazy. Twice a year they have free concerts. Once for homecoming and once for Bullstock. Homecoming is usually rap and Bullstock is a mix of alternative and rock bands. Since my freshman year I have seen 3oh!3, Jack's Mannequin, Twenty One Pilots, Owl City, Hot Chelle Ray, All American Rejects, Cobra Starship, all For FREE. As a concert lover, it rocks. Literally. They also have Movies on the Lawn, where they show recent movies for free and give free popcorn and free drinks. FREE. I've seen Breaking Dawn, Hunger Games, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 there and its a fun place to go with friends to watch a movie on the big screen. Intramural sports are something that Madison has loved and it is a great way to get to know people. Also free. Oh and our gym (ranked number eight in America I've heard) is AMAZING. It was renovated after my freshman year, and once again is free to every USF student. I love love love our gym. Free fitness classes, brand new equipment, racquetball, basketball, and track. Love it.

1. Academics
Oh duh, the important part. For me, I knew I wanted to go into the medical field and I cannot say enough good things about USF's College of Nursing. Straight from the USF website : "USF’s College of Nursing ranks #1 in Florida and 24th among nursing schools nationwide to receive research funding from National Institutes of Health (NIH) in FY2012." It is so dang cool to be a part of that. They have given me such a good foundation and honestly prepared me to be out in the real world. As far as other colleges within USF, I have heard awesome things about the College of Business and Education. USF is also super involved in research which looks great on any person's resume.

I have had the best experience at USF and I am super sad, but proud, to say that I will be graduating next year. I hope that anyone who chooses USF makes the best of every experience and gets involved with something, because that is the only way to have fun!

Thanks for reading,
- Olivia

DIY: Map Heart Decor

Hello fellow bloggers!

Today I spent my 20th birthday picking up craft supplies for my projects this summer! I figured I would show you what I came up with and how to make it. I am getting ready to move in July, and in our new apartment I want to do the guest room/study room a travel theme! One of the ideas I saw was a map heart decor piece. This project is pretty simple and something I saw on Pinterest, but I gave it my own touch. The whole project costs less than $25.

First what you need are maps of the states which are special to you. You can find these on Google. Then I inserted them into Word and put a heart shape around the part of the state which I liked most.

TIP: Make sure that the hearts are the same size. Use the copy and paste feature to ensure the hearts turn out the same.

Second I printed out the pictures on white cardstock paper, which costs about $0.69/page but is on sale now at Michael's 6/$1,  and cut out the heart shapes. I used about 2 pages. I chose to do four states at first, but it didn't fill the frame I had so I choose two more so there would be three in each frame. I chose to do North Carolina, Michigan, Tennesee/Georgia, New York, Illinois, and of course Florida.

Last I put them in see through frames. These frames are 8x10 and cost around $10 each. On Pinterest I saw them in a frame with a solid white background which looked good, but I really liked the way this turned out with the double glass. What do you think? Not too shabby for a rainy afternoon project! All together the project would cost around $22. Luckily I already had the frames and paper. But if you go to http://weeklyad.michaels.com/coupons/ they usually have 40-50% off coupons and sometimes an extra 25% off all sale and regular priced! I plan on doing more DIY blog posts once I start working on the room some more. I ordered a map today to make my own cork board map with pins. Hopefully the room comes together nicely and I will post pictures once we get it all together in the fall. If you decide to do the project I would love to see how yours turns out!

That's all for now! Thanks for reading!

-Olivia

Updates: Puppies, Work, and Upcoming Events!

Hello everyone!

It has been a little while since I posted an update on things in my life. First of all I wanted to write about how we are doing now that our puppy girl Nike is home with us! We got her on May 10th and she turned 12 weeks old on Friday, so we have had her for about three weeks! She has been doing fantastic and we love her but she definitely is a lot of work. If anyone out there is considering getting a puppy, read this post with caution before you do. As many of you know the original plan was to wait until I graduated next summer before we got a dog, but as our roommate moved out of our apartment Madi and I felt like it was a good time to jump in and get her since we had more time with less classes (that and hardwood flooring until July ;) ). We do not regret our decision AT ALL. She is the perfect dog for us and we love her! But there is so much more work that goes into a dog than what we thought. We knew that we would be getting no sleep. Getting up every two hours is exhausting, but was what we expected. Cleaning up pee and poop on the floor (again thank God for hardwood floors) was also in our plan. We also even considered how much we would be spending on vet bills, food, toys, treats, etc. But we didn't think about how much time you actually spend with the dog. Before we picked Nike out, we sat down and made a schedule of how often she would eat and go out on walks. We assumed it would be every two hours or so: WRONG. Try about every hour then sometimes a three hour break then sometimes thirty minutes. You can't schedule a puppy. I know that I never really considered what she would be doing while we did homework. I figured puppies sleep a lot and so she would lay relaxed by my feet. Which that actually is true sometimes, but other times she is running around barking, biting at our toes, chewing on furniture, and there is no way work can get done. It's like a toddler that can't speak, you have no idea what they need and every one is different. Literally from 6AM until 11PM you spend the whole day with her. When she wants to play, you play. When she has to go out, you take her out. You get good a multi-tasking, but you also get good at doing as much work while she sleeps as possible! It seriously is like having a baby. I give props to single parents (of children or puppies) because I have no idea how I would do it without Madi. So if you consider getting a dog, really think about when is the best time. I think we got so lucky and picked a great time because we don't have school as often and we get into a routine with her now, but there is no way I could have done this in the fall!

Next of course I wanted to talk about where I'm at other than the puppy. I luckily got offered a great position at Moffitt Cancer center earlier this year. Today I found out that I am going to be promoted to become a technician which will be great for my resume and my bank account because I'll be making more per hour! It's so awesome to hear that your work is appreciated and that you're doing a good job, but sometimes when you don't get recognition it makes you feel like you let people down. That is how I felt last week. Not that I always feel I need to be recognized, but that things at the hospital did not go as planned and situations occurred where I had to do things that wouldn't please everyone. It is nice to know that with this promotion they recognize my ability to make good choices and that I am a hard worker. Other news on the work front: my book is coming along great! With the free time I have because of less summer classes I have been able to meet up with my illustrator to get jump started on the pictures for my picture book, as well as get ahead on the sequel to The Portrait Pathway. I am so excited to see what happens with my author life this year, and look forward to getting involved with a few schools in the fall!

Up and coming events? Well Sunday I turn 20! Woohoo! No big trips this month, but Madi and I will be going to Universal and Busch Gardens a few times. In July we will take our normal trip to Michigan and our friends from Chattanooga are coming to spend some time with us here in Tampa for a week around the fourth!

That's all I have for now. Thanks for keeping up with me!

<3 Olivia