One of my goals this month was to improve my blog and that I did. I totally re-designed it (with the help of Themxpose) and am really happy with how it looks now. I think it is more visually appealing and balanced. 

It is definitely refreshing to have a new look and new vibes all around. I hope you guys enjoy the new look. I really want to change the way I take photos and write posts, so little by little it will evolve throughout the summer. It's a well needed change and something new to revamp my mood. 

To be honest, lately, I've been in a slump. It's May and that's a very promising month. Yet, I've felt like I've been so focused on other people lately and what other people are doing, that I've honed out of my routine and have been slacking on taking care of myself. I was doing so well doing my own thing, but when I wanted to be more social and "out there," I was so worried about what other people thought of me. 

Since it is the beginning of summer almost, I'm confident that I will eventually get back to my yoga-doing, blogger self. I have many trips planned and places to go or things to do this summer, so I am excited and looking forward to it.  I will be doing an end of freshman year post, but college has gone by incredibly fast. I'm going to be a sophomore in college and it doesn't even feel like I should be in college right now. Time truly flies and I am trying to make the most of it the best I can really. 

This year has been a year to find and reinvent myself. There have been highs and lows, but I would say that overall this year has been an extremely positive adventure. I survived my first year of college and all of you newbie freshman will too. The most important part of college and especially growing up into a mature adult is finding yourself and knowing who you are before anyone or anything else.

The Buddhism class I am currently in has a lot for me to think about. Specifically, the idea of mindfulness. Mindfulness has been the topic of my self-care and reevaluation. In my Caveman, anthropology class, I have also learned that we are all human beings making mistakes and carrying on through struggles. Great classes amirite? It's time for me to focus on myself and I hope this inspires you to do the same. 

It's been one heck of a couple weeks and April is gone as I speak. May is so promising and it's that inch closer towards summer. I can finally wear shorts and get my hammock hung to chill out and enjoy this weather that Chicago finally gets to see. I have a lot of goals for this upcoming month and this I really want to accomplish during my last month of freshman year. I still cannot believe how fast this year has gone by. 

01. I have been planning on a total blog revamp and would like some tips or ideas on how I can make my blog a bit better. I took this past week off for midterms and have realized that my blogging game is not what it used to be. I think I would like to change my template or the aesthetic of my blog a bit, but that'll be a night of finding inspiration and reconfiguration. I think it'll be a fresh start into the summer. 

02. Last time this year it was a month full of events for me: prom, graduation, trips, etc. This month really isn't as packed as it was last year. That said, I need to make more time for myself. I don't know if it is the warmer weather or the spark of the social atmosphere, but I've been feeling very high strung recently and always on edge about things. I'm going to finally start up yoga again and I cannot wait. 

03. Since the school year is coming to a close, I would like to start getting back in touch we people I haven't seen in so long. Everyone leaves for college and it's like you cut off all communication with them because you get so busy with your life. Yes, I've kept in touch with some friends, but not as much as I would have liked to. 

04. I do want to plan a road trip with some of my best friends this summer because college is the time to explore and go on adventures. I want to make plans, but also not make plans and go with the flow this summer. I have hopes of getting out of my comfort zone, too. 

05. I have plans on going to a few more Cubs games this month and possibly this summer. I can always find really cheap tickets and Wrigley Field is literally a stop away from campus. It's always a fun time at Wrigley. I would also like to try and see more bands play around the area. I have been to a comedy club called Annoyance Theater off of Belmont. It's a really fun place to go late at night when you just want to laugh at dumb sketches. 

06. I've been really into astrology lately and reading my daily horoscope to see what my day has in store for me. I don't think I believe everything it tells me, but I've been liking this app called Daily Horoscope a lot. It gives you your daily horoscope, weekly and monthly horoscope, sign meaning, compatibility, and more. It's just something fun I like to do when I wake up every morning.  

I don't like to be too ambitious with my goals for the month because things change, but I am going to try and stick to these for now. The sun is shining and everybody's mood is uplifted this time of the year. What are your plans this month?

It has been almost 8 months since we got this beast and I have to say, he's still growing and growing. I thought it was time to update you all on our not-so-puppy dog. It's been a wild few months having him in our family and we all love him very much. 

There are things that we've noticed in him that remind us of our old dog, Rigly, and he brings us so much joy. When he's not tearing up a shoe or drinking out of our bathroom toilet, he's honestly one of the sweetest pooches out there. 

Cooper is probably 70-80 pounds of mischief and dirty socks. I swear he's gotten into almost all of our laundry baskets and garbage cans. We've also had to puppy proof our home and get him baby gates to keep him in the kitchen when we can't watch him 100% of the time. It's funny because I call it his exhibit because you never know where he's hiding or sleeping: under the table, on the carpet,  or behind the counter. 

He's at that awkward stage in his life where he's still very much a puppy, but his body is growing at an odd rate. His head is still pretty small for his body, as well as, his legs. His torso is probably all fully grown, but he's still very low to the ground. He reminds me of a mini pony. 

He does this really cute thing when you come home, he gets all excited and nose dives into your lap then does some tap-dance sort of thing before it's too late and he's already happy-peed on your foot. In order for us to tame his excitement all the time, we take him to our nearby park and run him on the baseball field until he gets extremely tired and sleeps all day—you know, what a puppy should do. 

He's still a bit teethy or mouthy, so we have been keeping an eye on him when he gets really riled up. Every now and then he will just start attaching to your sleeve and will whip his head back and forth. I know he just wants attention, but sometimes it hurts...a lot. There are other times he wants our attention and he'll go to his water bowl and start kicking the water out of his dish just for someone to notice him, I've never related to something so much. I just wished he had another way of showing it. 

Cooper will remain a mystery until we learn and he learns that not every single item he sees is a chew toy. I guess that's what comes with raising a pup. They're unpredictable but insanely cute, so I guess he's okay. Other than that, he's fitting nicely into our family and I'm excited to bring him on more adventures during the summer.