Hello Kittens! So since it's the day before New Years Eve I thought I would do one of those fun year wrap up posts.

So this year has been such an interesting but good year. In January I was recovering from knee surgery (I even got a handicap hang tag because I was a gimp!). The recovery was honestly rough, tons of physical therapy and lots of ice.

Most of the year for me was spent changing and growing, if you were to tell me my life would be where it is now in January I would have most likely laughed at you, and walked away. I have met so many wonderful people, a lot of my friendships have grown and I am so thankful that I have so many awesome people in my life.

The spring semester for me was spent doing lots of school things, I was at a school where I didn't really fit in, so I didn't really try. I went to a community college (there's nothing wrong with going to a community college). But, it was more or less a stepping stone in my life than a permanent solution for my education.

Talk about an exciting summer I met my best friend Rachael through this blog it all started with talk of an Erin Condren planner and designer brands. The same day that I met my blogging best friend, and real life best friend, I met this guy, this amazing guy who eventually also turned into my best friend *he even wrote a guest post on my blog about bacon*, I met him and honestly every day with him is so fun, I could sit in a room with him and do absolutely nothing and it would still be a fun day for me. I also worked a fabulous internship for a wedding company doing blog posts, got my very first by line, and tons of experience. Then, towards the end of the summer I found out I was accepted to a four year university! It was the biggest relief in my life, I realized I was finally one step closer to my future.

This past fall semester was full of adventures. I had a lot of fun figuring out my limits and I spent a lot of time on school and a lot of time on my social life.While the semester had a few bumps in the road, it was honestly the first semester in my college career where I made lasting friends who I love hanging out with and talking to. I found out so much about myself by moving schools and making new friends. (and of course new friends to come).

Now, was 2013 perfect??? *goodness no* BUT was it exactly what I wanted/needed? *yes*. I am so happy 2013 was a year where I found my self even more and I am really hoping in 2014 I found out more about who I am and where I am going!

What have you learned in 2013??

Keep Calm and Carry On

xoxo 

Melissa

Hey There! 

This if my very first Vlog on my Influenster Jolly VoxBox! Thanks to my best friend Rachael at Pretty In Pink. So Check out some of the awesome products that I was sent! 

Keep Calm and Carry On 

xoxo 

Melissa 

P.S. My email is Melissa.Rubsam@gmail.com 

I had an absolutely wonderful weekend, since my semester is finally over I spent a lot of time relaxing and reading/playing pokemon. I honestly could not have asked for a better weekend. This past weekend has made me beyond thankful for the life that I have, and the friends and family that I have. 

Friday my mom started her winter vacation so we spent the day going shopping and drinking tons of coffee. We recently went out and bought a keurig and let me tell you this machine is my new best friend. I love it very very much and all of the goodness that it provides. I went and got some awesome coffee to brew in it and I am straight up addicted to this magical machine. I have made less trips to starbucks and I am starting to fall in love with travel mugs and tumblers. 

Anyways Saturday was just perfect, the day started out with my boyfriend and I running a quick errand to the mall (hello traffic). I needed to grab a little something at Nordstrom and I did not want to be in that mall very long. So in for my item then out (no romping around the mall that day!). Then we went ice skating, this was David's first time ice skating and I wish I took some actual videos but I just took some quick snapchats when I was able to!! Let me tell you we had so much fun, it was my first time skating since I had my surgery and I was doing it like a champ, and David really took to not falling down when skating (thank goodness!!). We had tons of fun skating around (or I did), David took some time and sat out while I somehow managed to teach two little kids how to skate.  

 Later on Saturday night we attended a holiday cookie exchange, its a party where people bring six dozen cookies and then sit around and drink all the drinks and eat all the food and leave with all the cookies. It's a fun holiday party idea if you are ever in need of one, plus you get all of the leftover cookies that people don't take home....*yum*. We took some fun pictures in front of the tree at my house and both my parents and David look amazing.

And then after the party we came home and David and I romped out to go bowling and I beat him the very first round! (I never beat anyone at bowling, like ever). So needless to say I was a happy camper when I saw that I beat him, though I wasn't a show off about it, because I knew the next round would be rough for team Melissa. 

Sure enough, as you can see it was a sore bowling match the second, and third time around. (Notice how David changed our names!). It's our cute couple nick names that people either love or hate. (hint, we love it!) 

Sunday was spent doing loads of yard work and it was tons of father daughter bonding time...until after the fact we found out that I was highly allergic to pine straw!!! (note to self avoid pine straw at all costs from now on!)

And before I leave I'm giving you a random selfie. 

 What did you do this weekend?

Keep On and Carry On
xoxo
Melissa

As I write this post my room is pretty much in shambles, thanks to a combination of things (finals week, too much clothes *not enough space*, laundry that needs to be done) to be honest most of the mess comes from finals week because it was a week full of lists, lists, oh and more lists (really, it has everything to do with much clothes, not enough space).

Anyways, I started thinking about how I can organize my room again and make it a little different and a little more organized. Which got me thinking about my blog, somehow I was inspired to write a post about organizing my room and how you too can do it and make it fun. This thought got me thinking about how sometimes I don't blog because I lack inspiration at times and I don't want to post about just anything, I want the post to have meaning and thought; not just "look at this! Isn't it cute? You should buy it!" or "did you see this happening in the news?? isn't it cool?". Whenever I post something to my blog it has meaning to me and *I hope* somehow it has meaning to you, or you find it interesting or something or another. 

What I have started realizing is that inspiration comes in all things, it just depends on our outlooks on our days and even our lives. I ended up finding inspiration on my bedroom floor (or my bedroom floor flooded by clothing and magainzes, purses and pillows). 

I've noticed that inspiration can be found in  something so small like a cup of coffee, a bad day or a good day, a stunningly beautiful song, a life event, a new pair of shoes, a messy bedroom, nail polish, and even something big in your life like getting a new job or graduating college. 

Oh how inspiration flows into our lives daily, however inspiration also has to deal with your attitude and your mindset. A while back someone said to me "you can find beauty in anything, nothing is truly ugly, it just depends on how you look at something or someone". That has stuck with me forever and now I am starting to apply it to other parts of my life (like getting inspiration). I've noticed that a cup of coffee could be a good cup of coffee on the go romping around running errands or it can be a good cup of coffee sitting down reading a good book. Both of these situations seem normal or routine however, they can be times for our minds to wander. (I have no idea if this makes sense to you, but it made very logical and flowing sense in my head).

What I am trying to say is that you can find inspiration in almost anything or anyone if you open your mind and think outside of a box (does any of this make sense?) *partially a rhetorical question*. 

I think everywhere I go, and everything I see, recently, has been inspiring to me and I am not complaining. Being inspired is one of my favorite things. It makes my creativeness just fly out of me like those flying monkeys in the Wizard Of Oz. 

Inspiration comes in all forms, it isn't limited in how much you can have or how little you can have, and that's what makes it so wonderful. You never have to limit inspiration, you don't ever have to stop inspiration, it just comes naturally (and sometimes we force it, and that's okay). But what's important is that inspiration happens at the oddest times and at the most convenient times. Inspiration is spontaneous and everyone should embrace the fact that we all get inspired somehow, some way. 

“You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” 
― Jack London

How do you get inspired?? 

Keep Calm and Carry On

xoxo 

Melissa  

For me it is finals week (or finals week for two weeks *technically*) and I was a bit of a stress muffin until I sat down and organized the next two weeks of the semester (also known as the end of the semester *praise*). Finals week is commonly known for students getting lack of sleep, their social life goes out the window *wave goodbye*, and they most likely run out the house somehow one of the days still in their pajamas as they think #yolo.

And I am thinking to myself what I am doing this year for finals and I am doing a lot of things differently.

Here are some of my survival items.

1. Coffee, it doesnt matter what form it comes in if it smells like coffee and tastes like coffee I will drink *alot* of it.

2. Flannel Mens Shirts, (okay), my friend Kayla is basically a secret hipster (it's a thing), and she tends to find comfty ways to dress while still looking cute. This Black Friday (after I woke up late), we hit the mall and I found a mens flannel shirt at GAP and I honestly think I may live in it for the rest of finals. You can make this shirt super girly too if you wanted to go out in it.

3. Colorful pens, they are so helpful when I am trying to prioritize what I need to get done.

4. Lists and my planner....duh!

5. Post it notes (because they are addicting and I love them). Helpful sticky peices of paper are the absolute best.
6. My iPhone timer, I occasionally get carried away with one subject (or I take too long of a break), so I set timers on my iphone for study times and break times (it's super helpful and the breaks are super rewarding)
7. Candles: they are super relaxing and they make study time smell good.

8. My Camelbak water bottle: I need to make sure I stay hydrated and this buddy is huge and it doesn't leak all over the place *win*


There are so many other things that help me during finals week but this is what's on my finals week radar as of right now. Also a positive attitude never killed anyone either.

"attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference" -Winston Churchill

What do you do during finals week?

Keep Calm and Carry On
xoxo
Melissa

Life is all about taking two steps forward and one step back. Not two steps forward and five steps back (now that's just silly). So, let me tell you I have taken ten steps forward and maybe two steps back. I have figured out who I am becoming, I have realized that I am a person worth knowing, I have the self worth of a million venti Starbucks cups. I am a good person, I am not stupid, dumb, or ditzy. I am smart, intelligent, and kind.

These past two and a half months have tested me, it's thrown possibly ten plus curve balls at me, and real talk, I almost let people bring me down, I almost let people who don't even like me or appreciate me bring me down (come on Mel, get it together), I have second guessed myself, and I started having a little self doubt. But I somehow managed to pull it all together and move on. I feel like maybe, just maybe I was being tested.

Let's all understand for a second  that this is *not* a pity post, this is more or less this is me telling you that I overcame my own self pity.

I kept on concerning myself with if people liked me or if they would want to be my friend. I was afraid people didn't like me. Then, I realized it doesn't matter what others think of me or what others say about me because I love myself, and I personally think I am awesome.

I know that life is not always perfect and that sometimes I must fall down but what I am learning every day is that it's okay to fall down - the most important part about falling down is how you chose to stand back up. I started thinking that it was okay to stay at the bottom but then I had a serious Drake "Started from the bottom now I'm here" moment and I chose to stand up and move on. I realized that I am strong and confident in my own special way.


The best thing about falling down is that you can get back up, it is not impossible, life is all about making mistakes, falling down, then getting back up on your feet again. It doesn't matter who you are, it is completely possible to stand back up confidently on two feet again no matter what you have been through.

I am saying this to you with complete confidence because it has happened to me, I have fallen down many of times (and I have fallen hard, on concrete, with no cushion, and no one to help me up but myself). I have fallen at the worst moments but then I realized that these bad moments, these bad times, they are going to pass.

Think of it this way, it can't stay cloudy forever and it can't rain forever, eventually the sun has to come out. The best part about life, you can choose when you want to get back up on your feet and move on. You can make your cloudy days sunny days.

"Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! With out a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy" - Norman Vincent Peale

How do you deal with falling down in life?

Keep Calm and Carry On
xoxo
Melissa