okay but what is this post even about

Today, my econ class was supposed to meet in a different classroom. I was walking around campus aimlessly because I had to clue where this building was, and I ended up missing class which I was obviously so sad about. This is really irrelevant to the story, but anyways while I was walking around I called Dj. (Have you noticed I use his name more than 'Handsome' now? Its so much quicker to type) He answered and sounded so happy. We talked about random shiz and I had the biggest smile on my face the whole time. Then I just had this huge realization. I was looking around at this beautiful campus, drinking the best iced soy chai latte ever, talking to my best friend on the phone. I realized how lucky I am and that I've been taking it for granted.

I've been a little down lately and I didn't even realize it until today, if that makes sense. I just had this overwhelming realization that I have it so good right now. Sure, I'm away from the one person who I really want to be with, but other than that, life is really perfect. I have someone who makes me the happiest girl in the world even though he's so far away, I have the best roommates, I have a Starbucks gold card (oops I'm addicted I had to throw that in there) and I go to a beautiful school…for free.

I don't know what my future holds, but I know it can only get better from here. I'm so young and I have so much of my life ahead of me. I can literally do anything, right? That's such a scary though. But its so exciting and comforting because I literally have no clue what I want to do. Right now I'm thinking I'll get my MBA, but last week I was going to get my PhD in Neuropsychology so we'll see how I feel next week. Maybe I'll want to be an astronaut or something. This year I'll graduate in December (fingers crossed), move in with my handsome boyfriend, GET A PUPPY, and drink a ton of Starbucks. How exciting is that?! I just have so much to look forward to and I'm so excited about it.

Where is this post even going? I literally have no clue. I've just been so out of it lately when it comes to blogging, and I felt like I needed to give you an update on where I'm at in my little scatterbrained head. I feel like I haven't even posted a decent post in like two weeks. I've been so busy and I haven't been motivated at all. But today I just felt better about everything. Including the blog. I've worked really hard to get it where it's at today. I've become so dedicated, and I can't stop that now. I'm so glad I have some time this week to settle down and get excited about blogging again. But just a warning, that might mean  a new design. Yolo. I think it'll help me get motivated to blog.

I only have about two weeks until I get to see Dj and I seriously can't wait. I've been in a funk the past couple of days. It always happens about a month and a half into us not seeing each other. I get so sad and I just want to jump on a plane and see him ASAP. But seriously, two weeks is nothing. I'm done feeling sorry for myself. My roommate has this new boyfriend (who's also in the Air Force) and they're so cute and perfect so I'm just living vicariously through them for the next two weeks. We want to go on a double date so I'm trying to get a life-size cardboard cutout of Dj or something so he can be there. Creepy? Probably.

So basically, you're welcome for a post about nothing except a big dump of my feelings. I'll get better at finding things to blog about, I promise. And if anyone knows where I can get that cutout let me know ;) Happy hump day!

meet my rival, Carissa

Well hello there lovelies! Today I am introducing you to one of my lovely sponsors, Carissa, from T is for Townsend. Homegirl is also from AZ and she's the literal shit (thats a good thing). She's funny and cute and awesome and I love insta-stalking her. So here we are for another round of sponsor madlibs and a quick intro from Carissa!

Hello Endlessly Beloved readers! My name is Carissa and I blog over at T is for Townsend. I write all my posts using only words that start with the letter T. ...Just kidding. That'd be crazy. Impossible actually. Kim Possible. Call me, beep me if you wanna reach me. Hopefully all you Disney kids got that or else no one will think it's funny except for me. So now that I've just wasted an entire paragraph's worth of a guest post let me be for real now. Brianna and I 

both hail from the sunny state of Arizona where she attends the University of Arizona (boooooo) and I'm an Arizona State alum (ASU!!). We make it work though. We're like, frenemies. I forgive her for being a wildcat and she puts up with my sundevil-ness, all in the name of the blogging community. All together now: "awwwwww." In fact, just for Brianna I found this lovely gem in my photo archives of when I went to a UofA football game with a friend.

Just for the record, this was before I ever stepped foot on an Arizona State campus so it can't be held against me ;) .  Anyway, you won't find anything in particular on my blog - no recipes (I hate cooking, and cleaning up...but I like the eating part), no workout tips, no fabulous outfits with perfectly coordinated accessories. But you will find pictures of my labs (the dog lab, not the science lab. I don't have any science labs), my husband might make an appearance every now and then, and other general commentary of the like. Come visit me would you?! It's not as boring as it sounds I promise.

Thanks Brianna for having me! ...Good night and Go Devils ;) oops:)

PS I had a completely different MadLibs story planned until I read that she was talking crap about my school, so now I present: Sponsor MadLibs, Bear Down Edition! I even used our colors ;) Blue is what Carissa filled in!

Oops, sorry Carissa, but you asked for it;) 

Anyway, she's the best so make sure you check out her blog and stalk her on every possible social media site!

Hello loves! My name is Brianna and I blog over at Endlessly Beloved. Over in my little corner of Blogland, you'll find a little bit of everything. I blog about my long distance relationship with a man in the Air Force, my life as a college student, and all of the other randomness that is my life.

I began my blog in August of 2013, and it has grown more than I've ever imagined, so when Faith asked me to be a  part of this series, I couldn't be any more excited! Today, I wanted to share with you some tips on growing and maintaining readership.

We blog so we can share our stories with others, right? So clearly readership is important. I get a lot of emails asking for advice on this topic because it's so important for blogging but its also one of the most challenging aspects.

When it comes to growing your readership, the most important thing is to have good content. You can sponsor all of the blogs you want, be a part of giveaways, or promote yourself as much as possible, but if the content isn't there, people aren't going to stick around. It's important to stay true to yourself and post things you care about, but present them in a way that is intriguing and interesting for your readers. Along with this, I believe that your blog's design is also very important. First impressions are important, and if someone stumbles across your blog, and it looks messy and disorganized, it can be a real turnoff. 

Networking is also a huge way to gain readership. Reading and commenting on other blogs, communicating through social media, and any other way of forming relationships can really go a long way. If you regularly comment on someone's blog, they're likely to stop by and read yours, too! Making friends in the blogging community is really one of the most helpful ways to become a better blogger.

In my opinion, the most efficient way to grow your readership is through sponsorships. If you're ready to invest money into your blog (which I believe that it's never too early to do), sponsoring other blogs can really help. There's nothing wrong with having someone help promote you. I love sponsorships that include social media shout outs and "blog takeover" type posts, because you really get a lot of exposure, and people can see what you're all about!

But once you have the readers, how do you keep them coming back? This can be tricky. But I think that the only real tip here is quality and consistency. Post regularly so people can come read something (almost) every day. I try not to post too many giveaways, linked posts, or sponsored posts. It's best to space those things out. You want a majority of your content to be actual content, not just fluff in between your "real" posts. People generally won't come back every day if they know that a majority of your posts are giveaways and sponsorships! Write helpful, honest, inspiring posts that you know your readers will love. If you stay true to your voice and write honestly, the readers will come, and they will stay! 

I hope this was helpful to you all! I would love if you stopped by my blog and if you have any questions on this topic or anything at all, feel free to email me- I love meeting new people!

confessions

Happy Monday loves! I'm taking today to catch up on homework and get some blog stuff figured out. I've been a little disconnected the past week because I've been so busy, but this week I can finally relax and focus a little more on the blog! I hope you had a good weekend! Let's start off the week with some confessions...

I put soda in water cups at restaurants. It started when I worked at In-N-Out, and I realized that you're really paying for the cup, not the actual drink, and getting soda for free is much better than paying $3 for it.

I don't really enjoy reading blogs every day. There, I said it. This is something I think about a lot because I know it makes me the worst blogger in the world. Once and a while when I'm bored, I'll read through my Bloglovin' feed, but I honestly don't have the patience/attention span to sit and read everyone's blog post every day. I've been afraid to say it because I don't want to get a bad reaction, and I'm sorry, but there you go.

I get my feelings hurt so easily. The dumbest things hurt my feelings and I hate it.

I get jealous...a lot. In Blogland, I'm jealous of blogs with cuter designs, better content, more readers. In real life, I get jealous of my friends that get to see their boyfriends every day, girls that are prettier, skinner, or have things I want. I get jealous when handsome does fun things and I can't be there to di them with him. I know everyone gets jealous, but I just get really jealous all the time.

I'm extremely self conscious. I definitely care what others think. I'm self conscious about my body. I'm afraid of others judging me. Most of the time I'm not happy with my appearance, but I'm also too lazy to do anything about it.

What about you? What're your confessions?

these boots are made for dancing!

My roommates mom has a picture of herself on Facebook wearing some sassy boots and that's the caption. I can't get enough of it. I love a good pair of boots. I have like six pairs because that's all I wear in the winter. I mean everyone loves boots, right? So today I wanted to share with you some of the most unique boots I've ever seen. Let me introduce you to a pretty little shop called Gipsy Dharma.

Gipsy Dharma has a huge colletion of really unique, handmade boots and clothing. The boots are awesome because they're made to feel like you're walking barefoot! How cool is that?

There are tons of giveaways on the site, and the boots themselves are a good investment!
The boots come in so many pretty colors and styles, so I definitely encourage you to check them out here!
What do you think? What're you favorites?

i really love arizona so much…..

Happy Friday! I seriously cannot believe that there's only one week left in February. I know I say that every month, but this one really flew by. Probably because its a short month. Or maybe because I've been so busy. But either way, its over and its almost March which means I get to see my handsome boyfriend soon! Yay!

Anyway, a new month means a new Ten Favorite Things! If you're not familiar with it, basically I choose a topic every month and you can come on by the first Monday of the month and share your ten favorite things about that topic!

So, Monday March 3 stop on by and share your ten favorite things about….drumroll please…..
the place you call 'home.' This one is open for interpretation. It can be your country, your state, city, or your actual home. '

Well, I'm from Arizona. I complain about it 99% of the time, but its really not all that bad.

the weather
It is hot as hell in Arizona in the summer. It literally sucks. And no, you never get used to it. But you can get a good tan all year long, and while everyone's stuck in five feet of snow during the winter I can wear shorts and a tank top.

location
I live six hours from the beach, two hours from snow in the winter, and just a few hours away from a Mexican vacation. So its really not that bad.

hiking
There are some really pretty places to hike around here. And when I say pretty, I mean not really that pretty at all but its still fun to hike.

it's big
I'm from Phoenix and there's like 5 million people and like 10 suburbs so there's a lot of fun stuff to do and lots of places to go. Oh, and lots of good concerts come here too.

you don't have to pay for heat in the winter
I'm grasping at straws here- I can't think of anything better

when you have to choose your state from a drop down menu, it's right there
It's really so convenient.

the sunsets
They're so very pretty!

good food
We have the best Mexican food and we have In-N-Out, so what more do you need?

sports
We have three major universities, and we have pro hockey, football, basketball, and baseball. That makes for some good sports! Oh, and the Superbowl is going to be here next year!

if California magically breaks away, we'll be on the beach.

Obviously, I really don't like it here because I couldn't even come up with ten legitimate things that I like about it. But I thought it would be a good topic, so come share your ten favorite things about the place you call home so I can get some suggestions on places to move ;)

the boy behind my blog

I had mentioned in my blogging goals post that I was going to focus on the quality of my posts. One thing for me is that I want to write more actual content, so I'm not going to participate in many link up posts. Not that I did too many before, but the only one I think I will be participating in on a regular basis is The Boys Behind the Blog with Mallory and Stephanie. You know I love talking about my man, so I can't resist this one! It's such a fun link up. So Handsome, take it away!

1. If you could live anywhere, where would you live? Either somewhere where I could snowboard a lot but isn't too cold, or anywhere by a beach! 2. Sand or snow? He had no clue this was the next question when he answered that first one! If I had to choose I'd probably say sand. I like dirt bikes. 3. What Winter Olympic sport would you rock at? Haha probably none. But I'd say snowboarding. The obstacle one. 4. You're cooking a romantic dinner- what is your go-to dish? I have no idea. Maybe steak and baked potato. Oh! And crab legs. 5. Fill in the blank: This year, I gave (your wife/girlfriend/fiance's name) a ____________________ for Valentine's Day? We originally filled this out before Valentine's Day but I asked him this one anyway. He just said "nice try!" He got me lots of candy, homemade brownies, and he wrote in the journal that we pass back and forth! :)