Ugh

Enough said.

Wish me luck tomorrow (obviously we already have a test!)...I'm already freaking out!!!

Weekend preview and Thanks!

Happy weekend everyone.
I cannot believe one week has already gone by. I've been super busy with school, buying books, organizing the room, keeping my bank statement stable, and still living live and enjoying life. Sometimes you have to step back and relax, breathe, or just sit down and not do a thing. That's what I am going to do this weekend. 

Relax, and enjoy life!

I have read half of a book I will not name here because really it was for school and it's not something I want others to read unless they have to or enjoy reading crazy interesting and disturbing ideas. I also have found a way to organize my computer and online school sites so I can actually work on what our prof wants us to do. I am old fashioned. I need paper, and a highlighter. Assingments and stuff online is weird to me and will never get accepted. :) Needless to say I have to print out a lot and mark stuff all funky in all kinds of colors! ;) I also have spent way too much this past week and my credit and debit cards are all hidden because really I don't want to spend money. Most of it anyways was for school and really nothing personal. I wish I had spent my big bucks on something I can be happy about. Granted, I bought Tory Burch sunglasses, and I more than just love them but that was actually last week. Time flew by like crazy. Just wow!!!

So of course, I want to distract myself and watch TV (Big Brother!, True Blood, KTLA morning shows (I'm addicted - nothing changed I still do this!), Pretty Little Liars, Against the Wall, etc), go shopping, go swimming, help friends with whatever's necessary, and well just enjoy life being simply being me walking in flip flops in the sun (with sunscreen of course!!!!). All I want is relaxation and ha, good grades!!! 

I NEED A BREAK.

Ha!

But before I sign off for the weekend I would love to thank the following ladies for helping me out while I was busy before the even more busy parts in my life started...if you haven't checked out their awesome guest blogs for me and their blogs in general you are missing out big time!

Thank you

Sam, Meghan, Krysten, Sierra, and Amy!!!!!

Happy weekend everyone!!

♥ Selma

Fashion inspired

Most of you know I love fashion, and I have to admit I also love certain designers or brands. I never talk about it though. And now I won't really either, but I have to confess that although I wanted to save money while I am back in California again I spoiled myself a little bit. I wanted to be a good girl and save, but easier said than done when your shopping buddy M is into fashion and makes you try on clothes and shoes and whatnot. I just wanted a dress, and what did I end up with? Two dresses, one top (which could be a dress too I assume) and a pair of new sunglasses. The latter inspired me to share with you...and since today is Fashion Friday...here it goes!

Tory Burch!

Thank you for my awesome new sunglasses! I love them.

I got them two days ago. Not that I wanted to buy sunglasses. We actually went shopping to look for a new pair of shoes that I would need this Saturday at a fundraiser party but nope, instead of the shoes I got me a pair of new sunglasses. Oh well. I will just attend the party with blue flip flops. And please don't freak out, it's an outdoor event on the grass and not super dooper formal, so it's okay! Sigh...

Going back to the fashion inspired post...I was browsing through the main website and found the following cute items...the boots are my favorite. Not because I love boots (I love them, but I can't wear them I'm too short and it just looks weird on me!), but because of what they are called. Tory Burch I love you even more!

 Click on the shoe and see what they are called! I just love them because of that! :) 

And to get a bit more fall inspired...here are my favorite shoes and items for this fall season.
Not that I'm gonna get any of these...unless someone else pays for it!

And to formally end my fashion inspired Friday post I thought I'd share an item I'd love to get for my birthday. Oh wait, it was in June. Never mind!

click on the image for source

 And I decided to participate again in 

Have a good Friday!!!

And hello new followers!!

♥  Selma

OMG

Hello my readers...yes it is me!! Remember me?!
Good.

It's been one whole week that a post was written or posted on this little blog of mine and oh wow I am in shock! However, I have good reasons. No, I am not pregnant and dealing with morning sickness, or just had a baby but I decided to go back to school and school and its craziness just started and I am flipping out. YES, you read right. I am back in school and it's the first week of orientation, adding classes, petitioning for classes, finding classrooms, and then going back home doing all kinds of homework or assignments for the next sessions. It's overwhelming now. I will get used to it again but right now I am just very busy, very frustrated and very overwhelmed. I know by the end of this month or even beginning of next month I will slowly get some sort of a routine in that will allow me to stop by more often and to update you on my latest whereabouts.

My latest adventure, besides school and all kinds of brain related stress was Disneyland! Yes, in the middle of the first week of class I decided to go to Disneyland. It was long overdue, so I really enjoyed a day out with a dear friend of mine, enjoying fun rides, and super hot sun! I even got a slight sunburn on my chest which is not what I wanted but I ended up with one. Sunscreen or not, it still happened. Either way that was my latest excitement of the past couple of days. More on that later on, promised!!!

In the meantime...wish me luck with school and readings....I will be back in full force soon. But I'm glad I quickly found time to say hello and share with you what is going on in my life!!!

Until next time my lovely readers!!
Wish me luck!!

♥  Selma

Welcome Home, However You Define It

Hello there! I'm Amy from Crazy Random Happenstances. I really appreciate Selma letting me write over here in her part of the blog world!

And before you get bored from my intro, let me jump right in to... Love Actually.

I love movies... and the second I saw the opening sequence of Love Actually I was mesmerized. In case you haven't seen it, the movie opens with raw video footage of the arrival gate at Heathrow airport. Hugs and kisses and love are flying around freely as people are reunited with friends and family.

It always makes me a little weepy.

Besides setting up the movie perfectly, it also makes me think of my childhood a little bit. I grew up with a father who travelled a minimum of 30 weeks a year. And we actually travelled some of the time with him. By the time I was in kindergarten, the arrival gate at the airport already had two significant meanings to me. One: the fun was over. Two: I got to sleep in my own bed that night. And let me tell you, the latter always beat out the former.

I just love coming back to something I've been away from. I loved walking into home and just feeling welcome, like there was nowhere else I belonged at that moment.

The "welcome home" sensation goes so far beyond travel. It reaches into our soul. "Welcome home" gives a sense of belonging. A sense of sanity. A sense of familiarity. And that's always something I look forward to.

Source: dana-made-it.com via Debbie on Pinterest

I always feel a bit nervous walking back to my house, luggage in tow, getting ready to settle down again and unpack. Like something's going to change, like I'm not going to find my groove again. But I always have been able to.

I get this same feeling whenever I get a chance to see my 2 year old nephew. His face lights up whenever I tell him hello. He runs towards me, like I'm the best thing he's ever seen. Mimi! Mimi! he cries (since he can't quite say Amy). It's adorable. And it's familiar. I look forward to it every time I go home to visit my family.

The same goes for yearly football games, black eyed peas on New Years, and putting up the Christmas tree.  Making home feel welcoming through traditions is something everyone in the world can relate to.

I love how universal yet unique the "welcome home" sensation can be. Everyone's definition of "home" is different. But the sensation is the same.

In Love Actually the different "welcome home" realizations came in all different forms - one letting go of a love he's held on to too long, a few couples finding love, and an older couple just learning to deal with each other's failings - but the same sensation of l-o-v-e binds them all together. Which is the theme of the movie. "Love actually is all around." It's the love, in whatever form, that is at the base of "welcome home." And that's what I look forward to at any given moment of every day.

Source: shannoneileenblog.typepad.com via lila on Pinterest

What are some of your "welcome home" moments? What makes you feel safe and familiar?


I'd love to know.

Thanks for reading! And thanks to Selma for letting me write a little something over here. I really loved the opportunity!

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Thank you Amy for this wonderful guest post!
I have been busy adjusting to home again, and this post made me almost cry! In a good way of course!! And yes, Love Actually is all around. You have to just open your eyes and let it in...it is around, but sometimes we are too blind to see or feel it! 

Thanks again Amy!!! :D

♥  Selma

Hello!

Hi everyone!

I am back, in almost full force.

Lots has been happening over here and I am thrilled I am blogging from this site of the world and not from Europe anymore. I have to admit I had mixed feelings coming back here, starting from new, learning everything again, and figuring out what life is all about but I have awesome friends who support me, and cheer me up by simply being them and being there for me when I feel down. It's one huge family I sort of moved in with and I love it. I also love the freedom I get from time to time because really, if you come from a huge family you know what I mean. You need your space, you need you-time, and sometimes it is just too darn hard to do that when you are surrounded by so many people. However, I love that all sorts of family members (our age that is) come over for an occasional BBQ, a pool party, a shopping trip or call to say hi or let us know what they think of our current situation - or piss us off. I still love it though.

Moreover, my friends are going through some rough patches at the moment which we all go through at some point in life and I am here for them and willing to help as much as I possibly can. They are helping me out by letting me be part of their life and family and this is really the least I can do.

So, what have I been up to lately?!

Looking mostly at my palm trees. And yes I say "my" palm trees...I am fully aware of the fact that they don't belong to me but they make me feel at home so I allow myself to call them mine. :) 

But other than that...I have been up north to my very missed and loved city of Santa Barbara. I have met old school friends, and I also have met new people, and old friends again. I went to Huntington Beach to chill at the beach and look at some surf competitors, spend some time shopping so I am ready for the next few months while I am here and ready for a summer party this upcoming Saturday! I spent a ton of money (not too much, but enough so I feel broke!).

Oh and yes I bought a laptop, went to school (ugh, but I wanted it), watched a ton of movies, played some fun card games, listened to what people had to say because clearly I am not used to speaking English anymore. Seriously. If you don't speak any language for over one month or more it is not easy to get back into the language game. Besides that, badminton has become my new August passion! We play it every evening, and let me just tell you it's a fantastic workout!

I can't believe it's mid-August already. Where did the time go? Seriously.
Though mid-August means school is going to start for me soon, AND I am going to see THIS lady pretty soon too!!! Wohoo! :) And hopefully after that I am back in the blogger world...on a more regular basis!! 

Have a fantastic day everyone!

♥  Selma

Live With Soulfulness

While my fabulous best friend is still getting adjusted to our sunny California, I (aka Sierra from Ocean Dreams blog) am happy to be here guest posting for you all again!

Today I'm supposed to be writing and working, but I got a little caught up in a film called Soul Surfer. Have you seen it? It's SO amazing! I admit, I was a bit hesitant about watching it at first. I have a hard time watching someone go through pain, especially a limb being severed from your body. I most definitely cried when Bethany was attacked in the film and by the end of the movie, I was crying due to her perseverance and strength.

It made me really think about people who have come out of tragedy stronger than ever before. Sometimes I wonder why things have to happen a certain way, but I feel there is always a greater plan. Wonderful things can come out of a tragic accident. In Bethany's case, she allowed wonderful things to come her way by not backing down or ever surrendering. In fact - I was in awe of how calm she was through her accident and how eager she was to get back into the waves after her accident.

I've always had a secret fear of the ocean water and what lurks beneath the waves. This fear doesn't prevent me from going out into the waters, but I do most often wonder what is lurking beneath the shore. When I was in Maui about three years I was playing in the water near our time share. The water was murky. All of a sudden I felt an incredible amount of pain on my leg.

Well, it turns out I had been stung by a jelly fish! I know my encounter in no way compares to Bethany's accident, but it did scare me. My jelly fish sting healed, but I was in a lot of pain limping around for the next few days while I was in Maui. I would say my sting was at least 3-4 inches long. And yes, I admit I had to "pee on my wound" as they tell you to do. Believe me - it helps when your are in that much pain. It really made me thankful though that it wasn't something else that attacked me.

Through Bethany's story I've been inspired to live with soulfulness. Instead of letting her accident destroy her, she did quite the opposite! She currently is a professional surfer who gives to others and inspires everyone to never give up. I think there is so much conviction in this film that we can apply into our own lives.

I'm proud of Selma for taking the leap and following her dreams! Don't forget to follow your dreams too. Oh, and watch Soul Surfer! It's incredible!

Bloggy Friends

Hi all!  My name is Krysten and I blog over at After 'I Do'.

When Selma asked me to do a guest post for her I sat and really thought about what I wanted to write.  I tend to take guest posts far more seriously than the post I put on my own blog because, well, I don't like letting my blog friends down!

And then I started thinking about friends in general.  Over the last few years I've gone through some major transitions with friends and when I really started getting into blogging it was because I was feeling lonely.  And very quickly I started meeting people from all over the world that I began to call my friends.

{via}

When I talk to people that are not part of the blog world I feel like they don't quite understand how I can call people I've never met friends.  It's something that can't be explained, you just have to experience it.  In the year and a half that I've really buckled down with blogging I've met some amazing people that I love and adore.  Blog friends that maybe I've never met but nonetheless aren't any less important that the friends that I see from day to day.

{via}

I've seen some really amazing things happen because of the blog world.  And I've met some really amazing people.  I know I'm thankful to have made the friends that I have through this internet world.  I of course count Selma in that!  This blog world is all sorts of wonderful.  And the people I've met through it are some of my very favorite.

Who have you met through blogging?  Do you think you're a better person because of them?

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Thank you Krysten for this terrific blog post!!
The blog world also changed my world and my view on blogs in general. I never thought I would say this but it is true. Blog friendships cannot be explained they need to be experienced! I so agree!!!!
I am so thankful Krysten helped me out while I am re-organizing my life these days....

...see? That's also what blog friends are for! :D

Thanks again girl!!! :D

Now go say hi to Krysten and have a blast while browsing through her blog. You won't be disappointed.

Man Candy Monday - Finally again!

Hey everyone!

It has been a while I know, and I have to say I missed MCM...however, I am back and I thought I'd give it a try again. I asked friends if they had any idea or wishes and really...lame...they didn't. So I had to come up with hot guys (not that I don't know any!!!). Either way, I am digressing. Please blame it on the hovering jet lag. Yes, it's still around; not as heavy anymore but still annoying. :D

So, happy Monday!!!
Enjoy the eye candy of today!

S

click on picture for source

Ryan Gosling!

Wohooooooooo!!!

Enough said.




Hope you're having an awesome day.
I know I am, although it's Monday!

And stay tuned for some more upcoming guest posts...I am still not settled in yet. But soon, I promise!!

♥ Selma

Quick Hello

Hi my lovely readers,

How have you all been?
How's life, and how has this week been for ya?!

My life's a big mess right now but a good big mess.
For all of you that don't know it yet, I moved to southern California one week ago and am trying to adjust, sleep, soak up the sun (or shall I say heat?!), swim, walk, and just have fun. Thankfully I am not completely alone and I have amazing friends helping me out. Without them I'd be horribly lost and alone. I, more or less, walked into one huge family and it's been fun so far. Best thing ever so far?! We BBQ every single night by the pool (with real BBQ sauce, just FYI!)! I love that because it gives us a chance to sit back and relax. 

 

Unfortunately, my blog's a bit neglected lately...but I am still trying to check in from time to time, catching up on all of you and your whereabouts. And, speaking of friends that are helping me out these days, I have a few awesome blog friends that are helping me out, too. I sure feel blessed and happy now!!!

Happy Friday everyone!!!!
WOW, I cannot believe one week has already passed by.
I am amazed, and in shock. Just wow!

♥  Selma  ♥

Top 5 Travel Trips

Hi everyone!  My name is Meghan, and I blog over at The Perfect Compilation Tape.  I was really excited when Selma asked me to guest post, because I think we can all agree that she is one amazing lady.  She is such a thoughtful woman, and I just love reading about her many travels, so I figured that perhaps a post on traveling was appropriate!


One of the many things you can usually find on my blog is my weekly "Top 5 Thursdays".  Therefore, I thought I'd share with you my Top 5 Travel Tips!  I am certainly no expert, but have been fortunate to travel around the U.S. and spent two weeks in Europe last summer, so this is what has worked for me.


5.)  Cash in your change!

via

I am a firm believer in paying for vacations upfront.  I never want to be in debt when I return from a getaway.  One thing that my husband and I do before every trip is save all of our loose change in a jar/bucket/etc.  We cash it in right before we leave, and use that money to have nice meals when we're traveling.  Before we left for Boston last March, we cashed in our change, and it paid for all of our meals for three days!


4.) Pack wisely.

I'm definitely one who is known for pushing the 50 pound limit with my luggage when flying, but when I had to cram everything into one backpack for two weeks last summer in Europe, I certainly refined my packing skills.  One item I found extremely helpful were packing cubes.  I purchased them here, and they were a great way to "decrease" the size of my clothes and keep them organized at the same time.




3.)  Stay active.

(Biking the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.  Ignore the crazy hair.  It was a windy day.  The wild hair is also representative of the day.  I was later hit by a tour bus and knocked off my bike.)

I love to run, and my husband loves to sleep in, so when we travel, I try to wake up early and go for a run throughout the city.  It's a great way to explore when things are quiet and when the streets are less crowded.  I know many cities also offer "running tours", which I would love to take advantage of someday.  We're heading to New York City in a few days, and my running shoes are already packed for a jog or two through Central Park!


2.)  Talk to the locals.

(The Artessa Winery in Napa Valley)

Locals are a great resource for finding the hidden gems within a city.  My friend Joel introduced my husband and I to the most incredible jazz club in Austin.  When we were in San Francisco, a restaurant owner went so far as to give us his cell phone number in case we ran into any trouble as we continued on into Napa Valley.  He also recommended the most incredible winery, which was off the beaten path.  I'm glad we took him up on it, because it turned out to be one of the most beautiful places in the world!


1.) Take lots of pictures!

(Arc de Triomphe, Paris)

And then share them on your blog so we can all live vicariously through you!


These may not be the most revolutionary travel tips in the world, but they've made for some amazing and enjoyable trips.  Happy Travels!

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Thank you Meghan for this amazing guest post! :) Traveling certainly is one of my favorite things - love that you went for this topic!! ♥

I don't have much time to travel now, but I'm sure the second I book a flight again or even go on a quick road trip I'm going to share my thoughts on my adventures with you all. Promised!

Thanks again lady!!! :)

And yes my readers...if you haven't checked out Meghan's blog you're missing out big time!!

720 Years

Although I am not over there in my home country, don't think I am ignoring the fact that it actually is turning 720 years today. Yes, August 1 is the "our 4th of July" and yes it is obviously today. Normally I'd spend it with friends, drinking some wine or beer (ha, there I said it), eat a ton of meat, salad, and whatnot. This year? No idea. I'm just posting this now and then I'll see where it leads to...

So, happy Birthday Switzerland.
You are one small old lady!!

via

For all of you who didn't know how the Swiss flag looked like, here we go!! Just look at the picture!! It is red and has a white cross in the middle. Not to confuse it with the red cross, okay?!!!? To top it all, the size of the actual flag or its dimensions are different to other flags. :D

So yes, happy August 1st!!
I already miss being there!!!

♥   Selma