study tools for learning a foreign language

In most high school and colleges, students are required to take a certain amount of hours or number of classes in a foreign language. Personally, I love my foreign language classes and feel that speaking another language is a very useful life/career skill. Today, I wanted to share a few tips and resources with y'all for studying a foreign language and how you can be successful in not only getting a good grade in your class, but actually absorbing the information and being able to use the language. This is gonna be a pretty long post (I got a lot ta say) so grab a drink or snack and get comfy!

Study Resources

It's SO important to have lots of resources to use when studying because you need a lot of variance in the different types of practice you're getting. If you only study vocab, and don't work on verbs, you're going to have a hard time applying all the information to writing or speaking! Here are a few of my favorite resources with everything from vocab, to verbs, to videos, to an awesome dictionary. I take Spanish, so a few of these are specific to that language, but most of them can be applied to any language!!

one // Quizlet
Quizlet has seriously been a LIFESAVER for me. There's so many awesome ways to study vocabulary on this website, and you can print out your word lists so you always have access to a paper copy. They also have an app so you can practice on the go!! Some teachers post the vocab lists in Quizlet themselves, but if not you can make your own set of words from the list your teacher gives, or just put in words you have a hard time with!

two // Word Reference Dictionary
If you've ever taken a foreign language class, you've probably heard this a bazillion times, but GOOGLE TRANSLATE IS NOT RELIABLE. They often have incorrect conjugations and grammar and sometimes get words wrong. I always, always use Word Reference because I know it's accurate. They have every word you could think of (duh, because it's a dictionary) and all the verb conjugations you could ever need. There's an app for this one as well and it's one of the most used apps on my phone if I'm being honest.

three // Conjuegemos
This is a website to practice with grammar stuff and conjugation. I believe it's mainly focused toward Spanish, but they have several other languages as well. This has been one of my favorite tools for practice and is the most helpful resource for conjugation.

four // Senor Jordan Videos
This YouTube channel is only for studying Spanish, but I guarantee you if you look it up on YouTube you can find videos to study any language. My teachers have recommended this guy again and again, and his videos are very informative and helpful. He also includes lots of examples and practice so it's very interactive!

Study Tips

one // Practice ALL THE TIME
If you can say it in your language, say it in your language. Around the house, in your head, IN CLASS. Y'all, I cannot stress enough how important it is to actually participate in speaking activities in your class. A lot of students at my school ignore the teachers' instructions to speak only in Spanish or to speak with a partner and will only talk in English instead. a) This is not beneficial in any way and can only hurt you in the long run b) it's distracting to other students who are trying to stay in the target language. You will improve so much if you just speak all the time - even if you're being silly. Also, practice reading in your language. Try reading news articles to start, and when you feel confident enough, maybe try books or reading a Bible in your language. I haven't done it yet, but I really want to try reading some low level childrens' books and working my way up to more advanced stuff.

two // Watch movies and shows
Try finding some shows or movies you like in the language so you can practice comprehension and hearing different voices! You can start watching with subtitles in your native language, and then move into subtitles in the target language, or no subtitles as you advance.

three // Find music you like
I love to study with music, but it's difficult to do that when you're studying Spanish and listening in English. My teachers have always suggested finding good music in the language because it keeps your brain in one mode. If you don't know where to start, there's like 10 billion playlists on Spotify of music in different languages. I also recently found this Spanish artist and their music is SO PRETTY.

How do you study your foreign language? Tell me all about it in the comments!

Have a great day!

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how to stay optimistic about a new school year

Howdy y'all! School is starting tomorrow for me and I know a ton of my blogger friends have already started, so today I want to talk a little bit about how we view the school year and how we should be viewing the school year.

I struggle so much with negativity - I can always find something to complain about and I get very riled up about it even if it's not all that important. Over the past school year, I was kind of miserable because it seemed like everything was going wrong. I was almost always angry about something and by the end of the year absolutely abhorred coming to school everyday. I found that right when school got out for summer, I was a much, much happier person and since then have been trying to channel that optimism and work on having that all the time.

I'm nervous about going back to school because I think it's very possible I could slip back into old habits of a bad attitude and I'd really like to be more of a light this year. So, I'm writing this post as a reminder to myself, but also as a challenge to all students to be a light in their school community this year - whether at the high school or college student, it's important that we remain optimistic about school.

But how do you do that?

For one thing, quit posting how upset you are about back-to-school all over social media. I'm guilty of this just like everyone else, but first of all, it's disheartening and discouraging to all of the people that see that tweet or Instagram post, second of all, it's encouraging your own 'bad behavior' by making you think negatively about the situation. Instead, try tweeting something that you're excited for this year, or wish others luck with their school starting.

Another thing I try to do is find things to get excited about. For me, this year it's the teaching class where I'll get to intern as a student teacher at an elementary school and the yearbook that I get to start designing and working on. Maybe make a list of all the good things about school to look at or buy yourself a treat every Monday so you have something to look forward to.

Something I'd like to do this year is get someone to keep me accountable. Ask one of your friends to stop you if you start complaining excessively or have a negative attitude about something. You'll be able to regroup and regain a positive mindset.

Lastly, remember that school is a privilege and it's so important to get educated. I know sometimes that's hard when you have a teacher that doesn't teach but if that's the case then you need to figure out a way to educate yourself. I have struggled with that A LOT over the past two years, but I'm not putting up with it anymore. You deserve an education and if that means you have to be your own teacher, then you've got to be your own teacher.

How are you staying optimistic this school year? Let me know in the comments!

Have a great day!

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back to school shopping round up

Howdy y'all! This week I'm participating in Olivia's back-to-school linkup and I'm super excited! I went clothes shopping this past Saturday so I figured I show y'all a little round up of what I purchased for the new school year! (Just a heads up, this post does contain affiliate links, meaning when you click on one or purchase something I earn a small commission at no charge to you.)

Our first stop, naturally, was Target. I only bought one thing, but trust me when I say I wanted to get literally everything in the store. I've been wanting a basic denim button up for a while now, and I found this one at Target for a little over $20! I think I'm going to get a lot of wear out of it so I'm excited!

Next up, we went to Old Navy where I went NUTS. 99% of my wardrobe is Old Navy because they always have such great stuff! I got a striped long-sleeve, a yellow tank with some gorgeous cut-outs, a new pair of jeans, and a super soft black cardigan. 

  

We also stopped in at Francesca's where I found a beautiful black dress that unfortunately I can't find on their website, but I've linked a similar one here. When I tried it on the sweet sales lady put this necklace with it and I just couldn't resist getting it. On the way out I picked up a black bralette - I've really been wanting one to wear under stuff and needed one to go with my new dress so I went ahead and got it!

Last off, my momma ordered me some new Converse and I am obsessed. I've had my old ones forever now and they are not lookin' too hot!

What are y'all shopping for this back-to-school season? Let me know in the comments!

Have a great day!

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i'm trying to figure out how to choose a college (and it's going pretty well)

Howdy y'all! Even though I'm only about to enter my junior year of high school, college has been on my mind a lot lately. Particularly, choosing one. For most of my early years, I wanted to go to Texas A&M, my parents' alma mater. Later, I was pretty set on Oklahoma Christian University. As of late, I'm just not sure. Here's how I'm figuring out where I want to start my future.

I've created a process that's helping me research colleges and so far, it's been really helpful!

The first step is to just make a big list of stuff that you would want in a potential college. I'm a total history nerd, and based off of that passion, I'm planning to major in history so obviously the most important thing I would want in a college is a good history program. I want to minor in Spanish so again, a good Spanish program. I would love to be able to continue my journalism career so a school yearbook is a huge plus. I'm also ideally looking for a small, Christian school but that part is negotiable as a lot of schools with great history programs are a little larger.

The next step is to just look up a ton of colleges and see how many of your requirements they check off and if there are any other pros or cons (do they have study abroad programs? what kind of other school activities? how far will you be from home? do they accept AP/IB credit?) to the school. As I've been doing this, I created a google doc where I'm listing all of this info as well as location and tuition costs.

From your list, decide what colleges you'd really like to visit. I'm still in the research process, but once I'm finished with that I'm going to list what colleges I'd like to see for myself and talk with my parents about visiting them. When you're visiting them, don't just walk around and buy a t-shirt! Go on a guided tour and ask lots of questions. Heck, schedule a meeting with someone from admissions to talk about whether the school is a good fit for you.

From your list, figure out which schools are your in your top three and which ones you can knock out of the running. This can definitely change throughout the process so be open to schools being bumped up or down on the list based on your research.

Finally, decide where you want to apply. It's always a good idea to do early bird application if the school offers it so it's helpful to decide where you're applying even earlier. After this step, all that's left to do is rock the applications and see where you're accepted!

Have a great day!

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story time: the one where i was, like, a real journalist

Howdy y'all! I'm kicking off this week with a little story. It's the one where I was, like, kind of, a real journalist. Pretty neat stuff.

Fall in Texas means one thing: football. My school has been building up our program the last couple of years and made it to playoffs this year (!!! ya go broncos !!!). Since we're in the Dallas area, one of the stadiums they use for playoffs is none other than Jerry World (and/or AT&T Stadium and/or Cowboys' Stadium). We were lucky enough to get a spot there for our first playoff which is pretty frickin' cool in itself. But there' s more.

I'm an editor/designer/photographer for my school's yearbook crew which opens up a lot great opportunities for me to participate in things up close. It just so happens that yearbook got some passes for the. field. of. AT&T. Stadium. And it just so happens that I. got. one.

Not gonna lie, I freaked. I was super excited leading all the way up to the game, and when it finally came time to head to the stadium, I had my level one pass ready, and my favorite lipstick in my camera bag. It was a little stressful to get all situated and checked in, but then I got in the press elevator. The lady pushed the button (F is for Field if you were wondering), and the second those doors closed, I did a happy dance all the way down. It came out in this weird tunnel-y thingy (wow great description words, Alison) and one of the other girls in my crew came to meet me. We screamed and did happy dances all the way through the tunnel and onto the field.

And then I was on the field. And there was a team getting pummeled and lots of security and a really, really, really big jumbo-tron (the second largest in the world, actually). I got to the rest of my crew and we all did happy dances and took selfies for Snapchat and pointed at spots on the field claiming that Tony Romo had probably spat there even if he definitely hadn't.

We all got settled with our camera equipment and started to take pictures as the game began. We scored a touchdown in the first play of the game, and another in the second quarter. Halftime rolled around and we took a quick break from shooting to take more selfies (yearbook kids, man. what can ya' do?). We switched cameras and I got to shoot our large lens, whom we've affectionately named, "Big Dawg". The other team was gaining on us. We were 12-11, at the end of the game when my school ran out the clock and won the first round of playoffs in AT&T Stadium.

This was such a cool experience for me because I stood on the field where Dez caught it (you know he did too). Because I got to run down the end zone while trying to get the perfect shot of our boys singing the alma mater. Mostly, because I felt like a part of something big and exciting. I felt like a real journalist.

Got any neat stories to share with me? Tell me all about it in the comments below!

Have a great day!

p.s. if you didn't catch the Friends reference in the title of this post you aren't a real person.

back to school styles

Howdy y'all! This week was my first week of school so I thought I would show you a few of my back to school outfits.

For the first day, I wore this big button-up from H&M and Old Navy jeans. My shoes are Espadrilles and my necklace is from Charming Charlie's (similar). My bracelets are both from James Avery.

My second outfit includes this flowy top from Ann Taylor Loft as well as some jeans from Old Navy. My flats are from New York and Co. (similar) and my bracelets are both from James Avery. My necklace is a piece my mom got from her Stitch Fix (which is actually such a cool service, especially if you have a hard time finding clothes you like).

By mid-week, I thought it was about time for a "lazy day" outift. I'm wearing a long sleeve from my church camp (read about my camp here), Old Navy jeans (again), and my Converse. To dress it up a little, I added a sparkly headband from Francesca's (similar) and bracelets from James Avery, Trrtlz (here's a list of retailers), and Lokai.

I hope y'all enjoyed this post! What cute outfits did you style for your first week back? Let me know in the comments below!

Have a great day!

standardized testing - a pep talk

As spring approaches, it brings one of the most dreaded events by students with it. Standardized testing. I wrote a post about how much I hate standardized testing last year. You can find it here. Unfortunately, that post didn't spark anything within my state to rid itself of the testing so this year, I wanted to give students who are victim of said paper packet a pep talk.

This test does not define your academic ability.

That long, awful packet says nothing about you as a person or how smart you are. The test itself doesn't even make sense. It is horribly written, and written to confuse you. They love to play tricks on you which is absolutely, in every possible way, wrong. 

You are capable.

You can do it. If you keep a positive attitude and remain calm, you will be able to pass this test. Tell yourself you can do it, and you'll do it. Pray about it and He will lead you through it. Ask others to pray for you, and ask for encouraging verses. 

This test says nothing about your future.

Whatever happens, you can still do whatever you want to do. In 10 years, the only time anyone will mention testing to you is to reminisce about how awful it was. Whether or not you do well on this test, you can still be a rocket scientist or an artist or anything else you want to be. Nobody is going to look at you and say "Oh, he/she failed her test,". It will be okay. 


I'm confident that each and every one of my readers can get through whatever test may be coming up in their life whether it be standardized or personal.  If you need prayers, don't hesitate to comment down below and let me know what I can do for you. Do y'all have any tips to get through testing? Tell me about them!

Have a great day!

washington, dc: my experience + a travel guide

Howdy y'all! As you might have read in my most recent post, I just went on a trip to Washington, D.C. for a journalism conference (I'm in yearbook if you didn't already know). I thought that this week I could share with you my do's and don'ts and a few pictures along the way!

One of the first things we did was go the the Newseum (duh cause we're journalism kids). Even though it is news based, it's still a great stop for anyone. They had a bunch of super cool artifacts such as a guard tower and pieces from the Berlin wall, historical newspapers (dating to pre-Revelutionary War era), and a printing press with the Declaration of Independence on it. Here are a couple pictures I got there.

Pieces of the Berlin Wall

Berlin Wall Guard Tower

Declaration of Independence Printing Press

South Carolina Becomes an Independent State (i.e. Battle of Fort Sumter; beginning of Civil War)

The Titanic sinks

D-Day

President Kennedy assassinated

One of our next stops was the Pentagon. While it was super cool to see, the tour was mostly basic military history. I personally didn't find it that interesting with the exception of the 9/11 memorial which was a very powerful stop.

We also made a trip to Chinatown. I really wished I could have explored it more, but we did eat at a REALLY good restaurant. Also, I went into a 3-story Walgreens so that was pretty neat. :)

Most of my group did a segway tour of the monuments, but I was to weenie to get on. They all said it was really cool though, so if you aren't a chicken like me, you should check it out! 

One of my favorite stops was the Smithsonian museums which are right next to the Washington Monument. I was only able to go to the Natural History Museum and the American History Museum, and got to spend minimal time in there, but I will be revisiting them someday. Here are some of my pictures from there!

Smithsonian Castle

Elephant exhibit in Natural History Museum (yes that is the one from Night of the Museum; we asked the guard)

Nasty tarantula (?) in Natural History

Jackie Kennedy's inaugural gown in American History 

Mamie Eisenhower's inaugural gown in American History

Laura Bush's inaugural gown in American History

Pat Nixon's inaugural gown in American History (this one is my favorite)

Sarah Polk's china (my favorite set)

President Jefferson's polygraph

White House Easter Egg Hunt eggs from several presidency's

Here are several other pictures from the monuments!

Washington Monument from the Natural History Museum

Texas Pillar at the WWII Memorial

WWII Memorial

Washington Monument

Vietnam Memorial

National Academy of Sciences

Albert Einstein Memorial at National Academy of Sciences 

White House

A have a few other tips for y'all! First off, depending on how long you're staying, invest in a day or week long subway pass. You'll probably have to use the subway a lot, and its cheaper to get a pass then to pay every single time you go through. Also, most of D.C. is pretty sketchy. You wouldn't think it based on the pictures, but with the exception of downtown, the poverty rate is really high. Based on that information, most stores and restaurants look sketchy as well, but most of them are actually really good! If you're going at anytime from September-May (I'm just guesstimating here), pack for cold weather, I didn't and I payed for it big time. It was FREEZING!!! 

Thank you guys so much for reading! Recently, I've noticed my stats getting a lot higher, and I'm so grateful for the support! I've got some great ideas for future posts, and hopefully, a new Beauties post coming your way. Also, if any of y'all have ever been to D.C., post your tips below, I'd love to hear them!

Love y'all!

Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with any of the previously listed associations and all pictures were taken by me on location. 

homecoming 2014: my outfit & makeup

Howdy y'all! Last week my school had our homecoming which, if you didn't already know, is kind of a big deal in Texas. On Friday, everyone wore their gigantic mums (if you don't know what a mum is, check it out here) and went to the football game that night (we won! our school is now 6-0, which hasn't happened for our football team since 1987). On Saturday night, we all dressed up to go out to dinner, and then headed to the dance. In this post, I'm going to show y'all what I wore to the dance, and my makeup look. I would post my outfit and mum for that Friday, but it has my school's name on it, so I'm not going to this year.

This is my outfit! My dress was from Deb, as were my shoes. My bracelet is from James Avery (I'm not sure if they sell this style anymore). My necklace is from Charming Charlie. I got my hair blown out at the salon, and left it down.

I don't actually have a close-up of my makeup, but it was a pretty simple look. Here's how I did it. All of the products are linked to a website/store where you can buy them. (Side-Note: I took these pictures outside and suffered at least 20 mosquito bites, so be appreciative!)

I started of with my favorite foundation, Covergirl's Outlast Stay Fabulous in shade number 805:Ivory. I applied this with my Stila foundation brush. 

Next, I applied an Elf concealer underneath my eyes with my fingers.

Then I set my face makeup with my Covergirl Clean powder in shade number 125:Buff Beige.

Next up was my NYC bronzer in "Sunny". I applied this with a Stila angled contour brush.

I used Benefit's Coralista blush on the apples of my cheeks. I applied this with a Stila angled blush brush. 

To highlight my cheekbones, I used Benefit's High Beam. I brushed some right on the bone, and then blended with my fingers.

I then primed my eyelids with Elf's Eyelid Primer. I applied this with my fingers.

My eye look consisted of 4 shadows from Urban Decay's Naked palette. I used Sidecar as a base, then Smog in the outer-corner and crease. In my inner-corner I applied Sin, and finally I applied Virgin on my brow-bone. 

For eyeliner, I used Rimmel London's Scandaleyes in number 005:Nude on my water-line (just underneath your eye). On my lash-line, I used NYC's Liquid Eyeliner in number 887 Black.

To finish off my eyes, I curled my lashes, and first applied Tarte's Lights, Camera, Lashes!. Then to accentuate my lashes even more, I used Urban Decay's Perversion.

To complete my look, I applied Covergirl's Flame as a base, and Milani's Rose Hip on top of that. 

That's the complete post! I know there were a lot of pictures, and I didn't go it to too much detail on the products, but if you want more, let me know what you want a review on! I've got a super huge, awesome post coming in the next few weeks, so get ready!

Hope y'all enjoyed this post!

Disclaimer : I am not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned in the above post, and all opinions expressed are my own. Also, all of the pictures in the above post were originally taken by me.