Livin' Like Aileen ♡

11/13/15

Music, Food, & City Appreciation!

Sweater Weather!

College: First Event + Glow Paint

First Week: High School VS. College

Dorm Tour + Moving Into College! 

Family Time: Cabelas & Barbecue ♡

I feel like I probably only saw a fraction of the store but yeah---there was an aquarium.
We passed through a small town that I can't remember the name of & I saw this cow in the truck next to us. I love animals. 

Camping ♡ 

Pedernales Falls State Park is located in Johnson City near Austin, Texas.

Blue Moon + Family Fun!

I was taking photos of the "blue moon" tonight. It was my first time taking photos of the moon! I only had about 10 minutes to take some quick pics but it was so worth it! 

F/9, ISO 100, @250mm, 1/125 shutter speed

Tonight is special because there's a "blue moon" out. It's the second full moon to occur this month. Although it is not actually blue, it only appears every 2 & 1/2 years. Ever wonder where the phrase "Once in a blue moon" comes from?

F/9, ISO 100, @250mm, 1/125 shutter speed

There wasn't enough light on the trees below the moon from my view. But in person, the moon was just so bright & ah-mmazing!!

Earlier, my family went walking together at my old middle school. (It's always fun to reminisce the torturous days of P.E.) (Haha just kidding.....) It's actually kind of crazy though because I am about to move into college in a few weeks! Omg.

My sisters and I decided to buy Misift Flashes for ourselves (about $30).

My family has been doing night walks as a sort of hobby for the family to do altogether & it feels great! It definitely makes me feel a lot more accomplished after exercising with my family :)

Summer Favorites: What I've Done Differently

As a kid, the Summer felt like forever (And I loved every minute of it). It was usually filled with video games, more video games, TV & more TV. But I'd pretty much spend a lot of days saying "I'm bored!?!"

Photographing Fireworks For The First Time

(Kind of looks like lighting or a video game...weird?!?)

New Things

100 Day Snapchat Streak Fun!

English Tea & Reading!

In Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen, the characters have an English Tea & Reading. My older sister, a big fan, decided that we should try to do one! Today we read My Kid's Dog by Ron Hansen & started the beginning of Dracula.

Fun Facts About Me! Here's 10 Fun Facts About Me

Random Photo Fun! I'll probably look back on these regretting the filters and mirror selfies. But I also took some random photos today at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston with my phone and had an amazing time! They aren't the best quality but sometimes enjoying the moment counts for so much more than some quality photos.

Dyeing My Hair For The First Time! 

How old should you be when you dye your hair? 

How You Don't Want To Organize For College :) 

I looked around my house today thinking of all the things that I wanted to bring with me to my dorm next school year. But what really stood out to me was all the things that I definitely did not want to take. For example, Messes.
I've had this jewelry box since middle school. The top box can come off so that you can store things underneath. Not a good idea. There is no place to put necklaces or bracelets to hang so they end up just being a tangled mess. I don't have a makeup organizer so I just try to put them in random places to find later. You would think that these messes are due to my own laziness which is only partly true. If you have the right organizer, being neat would come easier leading to less messes.
My mom got me this plastic bin from Walmart for the very purpose of organizing my makeup. A month later, it looked like this. Brushes. eyeliners, mascara, and lip products look neater and stay cleaner when put upright. Try to find a makeup organizer with different compartments that can separate the different products.
Tangled Headphones. The worst. Keep your headphones in one place. If you bring them around everywhere, they end up tangled and in knots. Get into the habit of rolling them up or consistently placing them in spots so they'll be ready for use.

Earth Day! 

In honor of Earth Day, I decided to post some excerpts from my favorite poets & authors. The amazing creation of the Earth should be appreciated, and I think these words express the beauty of the world around us.

Spontaneous Trip To Galveston

Galveston is mostly known for its brown water and muddy sand. But it also can be beautiful.

Ultimate TV Show List: The Best

Houston Rodeo Review

I visited the Houston Rodeo yesterday! I actually just got home (12:30 AM) after tons of traffic. Also, if you parked in the yellow lot don't take the shuttle back after the concert because walking will be faster!

My Dog Seigfried: A Real Life Stitch

After being severely abused in an apartment complex that was to be demolished, a friend of my sister had saved two dogs abandoned there. According to the friend, they were forced to put down one of the dogs because it was severely aggressive and violent. Seigfried, the other dog, was kept in the family until they decided he needed a new home after getting into fights with the dog they already had. My older sister has a long history of bringing home stray cats and dogs. At our old home, we sort of gained a reputation for taking in animals. One time our door bell rang and there in the front door was a pot of kittens (literally inside a flower pot).

Anyways, about a year ago my older sister brought home Seigfried. Immediately after opening his kennel, he took off around the house. He's about the size of a chihuahua with light brown fur. So we pretty much had a little bullet filled with energy. Although he came from a bad home, you wouldn't be able to tell from his eccentric personality. He did have a respiratory infection, and he had to take medicine for a cough that started whenever he got too excited. At night time, we would put him away into his kennel where he could sleep. I remember I would often walk past his kennel, and I could hear growling. I assumed he was just growling at the people walking down the street because his kennel was placed near the door. Later when he was potty trained we let him sleep on the bed and play with us at night. That's when things got weird. One day, I was petting him at night and I looked at his face. He expression looked distressed and tired. Seigfried put his head down. Suddenly, he perked up and snarled at me with all his teeth. His whole face was distorted, and his eyes were frowning. It lasted about six seconds. Then, he looked up at me. It might seem crazy, but I could see in his eyes pain and confusion. I let it go thinking that he was just tired, and it was one of those things that happened out of nowhere. By the way, it totally wasn't. The same thing happens. A lot. Especially at night, I can hear him growl at the door when I know there's no one out there. We call them "mental breaks" or "psychotic attacks". I could be petting him, playing with him, or just sitting next to him when he turns to me and starts snarling. Every single time, it lasts for seconds, and I can see the sadness in his eyes afterwards. Once, I was alone with him, and he had a "psychotic attack". Usually, I can tell he is about to have one because he starts to look down more and make no noises.

But this time, I was thrown off guard. I screamed, and I remembered I looked back at him with complete fear. After seeing my expression, I could tell he had sensed my fear. He began to look at me and walk around the room. He would get closer to me, look at me, and then walk farther away. So I bent down and held out my hand hand. He then slowly came toward me, and I started to pet him softly. I could tell that he wanted help, and he didn't know what was happening to him. But then I saw him put his face down again. He began snarling. After a few seconds, his face was filled with sadness and confusion. This time I was expecting it, and I bent down to him saying "It's okay Seigfried". Instead of coming to me, he walked out of the room and began walking around the house seemingly trying to distract himself. If you've ever watched Lilo and Stitch, you know it's about a girl and an alien creation that are best friends. Stitch, Lilo's dog, is always making mischief and is full of energy. In Lilo and Stitch 2, Stitch has a glitch that makes him go back to his old ways of destruction and chaos. In the movie, Stitch "glitches" for a few seconds that cause him to destroy the things around him. Throughout the movie, he tries to stop the glitches, but they keep happening more often. Lilo tries to help Stitch get better, but she is constantly hurt when Stitch starts to destroy things. Stitch doesn't know what's wrong with him or why these glitches happen. And he tries to get better. In the end, Lilo holds Stitch in her arms after being healed by some special technology. My dog, Seigfried, is so full of happiness and joy. He loves to be in the arms of people, go on walks, and play with toys like any other dog. He's also super intelligent. He even knows when we spell out "W-A-L-K" that we're talking about going on a walk. He begins to jump up and down while running to the door. Seigfried, like Stitch, doesn't understand what happens to him when he has these "glitches".

When I think of the mischievous and playful characterisitcs of Seigfried, I think of Stitch. Although Stitch was able to fix his glitch, Seigfried's glitch probably stems from more than just a glitch that he was created with. When thinking of what's happening to Seigfried, it's obvious he has trauma or night terrors from the abuse he experienced. All I can say is that no matter what, Seigfried needs and deserves all the love and care in the world.

Peek Into UH

The Student Center has an arcade and some fast food places which is pretty satisfactory. I wish there was some better food options but it seems like a great place to get a quick bite and talk with friends. I just peeked into the arcade but it definitely looked fun! From what I saw, there was bowling, arcade games, ping pong, and pool! There's probably a lot more that I need to see so that's something I'll look forward to!