"May the odds be ever in your favor"

Last week I discussed how I enjoy reading books before they are made into movies. This week, I will continue the theme. The Hunger Games franchise recently came to an end when the final movie came out last week. I grew up reading these books and thoroughly enjoyed all of the movies as well. A few weeks ago I was learning about social media and how people and companies use social media success to contribute to actual success. One young girl in a Frontline interview linked this to The Hunger Games, comparing the two to the fact that in the arena of the games, tributes have to get people to like them in order to gain sponsors and gifts by silver parachute. Although this is way more extreme, social media follows the same guidelines; in order to be successful on social media, content produced has to be liked and valued by others. The young girl spends hours each day tweeting and helping promote the franchise for fun, Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire devotes her life to the rebellion of killing President Snow. Although both different scenarios, the important message is to follow your passion and work towards a goal. The Hunger Games trilogy helps empower young girls to never give up.

Long drives

Audio books are a lifesaver and time killer when it comes to long drives. Since I spend a lot of time driving to Gainesville or Jacksonville from Pensacola, that can be at least five hours of driving at a time. Sometimes I can not always find a driving buddy and it is easy to get sick of the same music. I have found that downloading a good audio book helps the time pass. The first audio book I ever listened to was Gone Girl, and recently The Martian, but currently I am listening to In the Heart of the Sea. Also made into movie that will be hitting theaters in December. I like reading books or rather listening to books that are soon to be movies because it gives me a deadline to finish the book and comparing the two is fun for me. So for this post, I encourage you to consider checking out an audio book next time you need to take a solo road trip!

Not all who wander are lost

However, sometimes they are. On my last travel experience to the Bahamas, my boyfriend and I got lost. In a world of GPS and smart phones that can tell you where to go down to the last foot, when traveling abroad, the luxury of using your cellular data is often accompanied by high roaming fees and extremely slow because of the lack of locating a signal. In all of my travel experiences I have had to rely on a paper map to get by. My dad is a cartographer, meaning he makes maps and uses ariel photography to do so. The point of this post is to urge you to rely less on your smartphone, and learn to live in simplicity. Although phones make our lives so much easier, they need extra sources to provide the power we may need such as a charger and data or wifi. When away from all three things, it is smart to know how to function without the help of a smartphone or the internet.

Fitness Goal

Many people consider fitness a huge part of their life because it adds to their happiness, or well-being. I believe fitness can be beneficial no matter your age or weight. It is never to late to begin practicing a fit lifestyle. Recently I have conducted some research on the Fitbit. This is usually in the form of a bracelet that is worn every day and tracks your fitness, sleep, and food. Starting price is an average of $100. I was trying to figure out if such a price for a little chip is worth it? As a college student, $100 is a lot of money for me, and I worry that I may not like wearing it every day or might forget about it and not get my money's worth. Although I do believe it is great motivation for someone beginning their fitness lifestyle or for someone who has a goal they are reaching. My conclusion is that I live an active lifestyle already. I get antsy if I sit still for too long. So, I think the fitbit may not be a necessary investment for me. However, it is very interesting how it also tracks your sleep. This might be a deciding factor in the future. Also, I usually run with my cellphone for music purposes but never track my progress, sometimes it might be nice knowing how far I have run and my distance. Similarly, I feel like my phone is so bulky to hold on a long run. These considerations may make me decide on investing in a fitbit in the future, especially if I can convince a friend to be my work buddy and together we can track our progress through the app.

Google Maps Jacksonville Pools

Tea time

Jacksonville's Hidden Gem project. Tea Haus is a small restaurant/shop I visited a few times. I learned about it from a friend that lives on the beach. Both of us love coffee and tea, and I have a huge sweet tooth. I bought a full meal the first time I went. A green tea with added extract, a kale quinoa salad and a coconut almond cupcake. Supporting small businesses is always nice too, keeping local traditions alive make Jacksonville so great.

Water Weekend

This weekend, I soaked up some sun and enjoyed the water before the fall weather makes it too cold for my favorite outdoor activity of wake boarding. Above is a picture of my boyfriend, and yes, he landed that. Growing up my dad was and still is a huge surfer, I tried to enjoy it as much as he, but found more of a love in wake boarding about three years ago. However, I enjoy watching the sport of surfing more than actually doing it, for the main reason that there are not always waves to surf and, it can get crowded in certain areas when the surf is up. On times like those, I like to stay on the beach and be the photographer. I could spend all day at the beach if I wanted. Before I started my office job in August, I spent my summers life guarding on the beach and teaching surf camp. Both were two of the most fun, rewarding jobs I have ever experienced. Nowadays, I get excited when it is nice weather on the weekends so that I can enjoy some of my favorite things. This weekend was one of those. It went by too fast, and tomorrow, it is time to sit back at my desk and on the computer getting excited for the weekend to come. What I mean to say is that it's nice to work hard during the week and enjoy your weekends. I know I am going to keep playing on my weekends as long as I get them off!