Lilli Says

Zip Zip Away!

Everyone always wants to do something adventurous...Well at least I do! For my 23rd birthday last year I decided to go zip lining. I wanted to do something different and something FUN other than going to the club till 4am (~~LOL~~). I never went zip lining before and I wanted to experience an extreme sport. It was either sky diving or zip lining but my boyfriend was too afraid to do sky diving. The zip lining place I went too had great reviews so I wanted to give it a try! I live in Massachusetts right now and the zip lining place was in New Hampshire, which meant a little road trip!

(I went to Alpine Adventures, which is one of the best locations to go zip lining in New England)

I recommend going zip lining on a day that it is not too hot or too cold. We went during June and it was the perfect weather. It was 80 and at first it was cloudy and I was afraid it would rain but it turned out to be a very sunny day! (yay) I would also recommend going in the fall time! The view during the fall season are AMAZING and will NOT disappoint at all. I also recommend going during the summer since I did but towards the beginning when it isn't that scorching hot. I am also sure the winter would be beautiful but scary because of all the snow and ice you know.

Another recommendation would be to invest in a GoPro or rent one from the zip lining site you decide on. Luckily the zip lining place I decided to go to had GoPros and I, of course, rented one for the ride! I decided to get the hand held GoPro which I have mixed feelings about. Even though it had a wristlet I still felt insecure like it was going to fall from 98352 feet. They also had an option of having the GoPro placed on your helmet but I wanted more control. I also wanted to record myself LOL. Nonetheless, the videos I took were amazing and will forever be a great memory to keep and show others.

The zip lining package I got had 5 zip lines and they all required a little bit of physicality. We had to walk through VERY wobbly bridges which was the scariest part of it all. Even though you had a harness it was still scary. Being on top of these big trees and throwing yourself from them was SCARY as well but it gave me an adrenalin rush that I loved.

The instructors were amazing and very helpful along the way and funny! In some of the zip lines I was able to throw myself backwards and also race my boyfriend side by side! On occasions the instructors had to pull me in because I didn't make it all the way LOL!

All in all we went through 5 VERY long zip lines (ranging from 800' to 1600' long), 5 bridges, dual racing zip lines. All of these zip lines were 80' to 200' above the ground! (how crazy) There was actually another package that was more intense and higher above the ground than this one but since this was my first time I went with a more "normal" one.

(This was the dual racing zip lines where you race someone to the finish line)

It was a GREAT time and something very different from what I usually do on my birthday and I would love to go zip lining many more times in the future. I hope this could be a great idea for you and your friends for an upcoming birthday or celebration :)

XOXO, Lilli ♥

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, by Lilli Says

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College Students: Keeping Organized & Motivated

Lets Get Organized!

Many people ask me, "How do you stay so calm and organized throughout grad school?" Well there isnt much to it to be honest. Yes graduate school is full of intense curriculia and intense courses BUT you can achieve all As if you stay organized and plan ahead.

I am doing my graduate degree in Elementary Education and also getting my add-on license in Special Education. I started the program as just a Elementary Education student but then I decided to add the special education license since it is a license that I personally think every teacher-in-training should obtain at some point in thier life. Also many states like to see that you have more than 1 license so I went for it.

I knew from the start that there WILL be more work and added stresses but I went through it and BOY was I right! But now I am fully done with classes and I am just working on my state certification exams now (which you need to get your teachers license aside from having a masters degree - ~~BUMMER~~). Now that I am done with taking college courses forever there is some relief!

But many people want to know how do you do it? How do you stay organized and motivated? Well its pretty simple (at least for me but many people struggle with staying organized) and I will be breaking it down here on my blog!

So here are my tips....

Write it down: Yes its that simple. You dont need a fancy and expensive planner something from the dollar store works just as well or you can always make it yourself or even put things up on your calender white board or up on your walls. Write anything and everything that you might think you will forget. A friendly reminder never hurts! I also tell people to write down positive and motivational quotes that can help them look forward to their goals.

Plan: It is always a good idea to plan a year ahead, a month ahead, a week ahead, whatever floats your boat but it never hurts to PLAN PLAN PLAN! Planning for me takes the stresses away. Especially when everything is done accordingly. While in grad school I would always do work that was due a week ahead so that I had that extra time to work on another class or even have some free time for myself. There were times when I would take a whole weekend and do all of the small homework tasks till I couldnt anymore. Yea it was hard work but the amount of freedom and time I had afterwards was amazing.

Lists: I LOVE to make lists especially on my computer and iPad. When I complete a task I just simply highlight/click it and move on to the next. This keeps me on track and focused. Making lists helps me get things done quicker as well. I would even add things that I knew I wouldnt forget like "wash hair" that feeling of being organized and having your day planned is a great feeling (well at least for me). I usually do lists when tasks are piling up, especially, when professors are inconsiderate and give you 3 assignments all due at the same time. I personally like the Wunderlist app! It is so organized and you can make separate lists for everything. I have a grocery list, school work, personal list and it has helped me immensely. You can set reminders, notes, completed tasks, etc. I recommend everyone to download it!

Set alarms & reminders: I personally never set alarms or reminders to do things like homework or study but I heard this works well for many people who need to be reminded to get up off their bums and start their work! Especially if you live alone it can be very forgetful.

Be consistent with these tips and you will feel less stressed and relief from the college load that is thrown at us on a daily basis. It is so hard to stay motivated when students are busy but it just takes consistency to get the goals that we desire! They are what helped me get by. and yes this might feel like common sense but you would be surprised how many people don't use these methods or use them then stop midway.

Hope you can use these tips and put them to good use! Comment below with what helps you be a more organized and motivated student!

XOXO, Lilli ♥