Q&A: Ask Caroline!

This post is a little different than all of my other posts because it is more interactive! I have allowed you all to ask me any questions, and I have answered all of them honestly and as good as possible below. I have finally gotten this post up due to it being one of the highest requested posts, and I'm excited to share it with you: enjoy!

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Introvert or extrovert?

Introvert most of the time. I recharge by being alone. However, I do enjoy being around people a lot, it's just not where I draw my energy from.

Is the apple watch worth it?

I say so yes! I even had to put half of the money toward mine and would do it again. I love tracking my workouts, heart rate, and activity. It is also really nice to be able to text back and receive other notifications without having to get my phone out.

How big is your highschool?

My school is a 6A public school, so that means our population is around 2,000 students. My class has about 510 students in it.

How do you keep your life organized?

I always keep a handwritten planner and keep track of to do's, upcoming events, and plan out my weeks ahead of time. My fav planner right now has weekly sections that are 2 pages each. One page has to do, call/email, and notes and the other page has the 7 day week sectioned out. At the beginning of each month it also has a monthly calendar too. That way I can do both styles of planning--weekly and monthly! Having a planner is huge because if you write something down, you are way more likely to remember it (yes, it's proven!) and now you will see whatever it is when you open the planner.

I also share an online calendar with my family in which we can all add our own events to in our own colors. That way we know what we all have going on along with our own schedules. Thanks Google!

Other various things I do:

-Put sticky note reminders on my mirror, in my car, or on the door where I leave the house (example: "Bring tennis shoes for your workout.")

-Keep stuff put away in my room so it is clean and everything has a spot. For instance, when I get clothes from the laundry, I put them away immediately so they don't create clutter.

-If I don't use something, it doesn't bring me joy, or it doesn't fit, I donate or sell it.

-I keep folders and files for things like my work papers, health records, ACT prep items etc... So I know where to find them if necessary.

(I am 50% Enneagram Type 1, can you tell? Lol. I'm reading this and I realize what an organized freak I sound like!)

How do you decide who your true friends are?

I have a lot of friends from all different areas of my life who all offer me their own uniqueness, but the few things they share in common are these:

-That I can trust them

-That they are supportive of me

-That they care about my life and how I am

-That they know me well

-That our relationship is 2 sided in all those aspects above, meaning that I offer those things for them as well

What is the best advice you have ever received?

I have been sitting on this question for a long time, and it is actually really tough! The main pieces I land on would fall toward the religious side of my life, but I will share those in my Religious Q&A post soon. For regular advice, I will share what I live by.

-Mother Theresa, Do it anyway

-The Golden Rule: I use it not only for treating others kindly, but also yourself. If you wouldn't say it to someone else, don't say it to you.

-When one is given much, they are/should be expected to give much.

If money wasn't an issue, what would you like to do after college?

Hands down, be a missionary. Spreading the word of God, being able to give back, getting to speak Spanish, and helping others who truly need it sounds like such a fulfilling and exciting experience.

What inspired you to start this blog?

I have always loved to write and help others. I figured that having a blog was a great outlet to do both of those, and I was right! To this day, I have found my blog as a good source for that, so I am really glad I took the leap of faith to do it. See more about what inspired me to start my blog here!

What college do you plan on going to?

I am not sure yet! This is an example of a waiting period. I have been praying trying to see where God wants me, but at the moment his answer is "wait."

I am applying to 4 colleges: University of Kansas, Kansas State University, University of Arkansas, and Texas Christian University. I should know by later this year where I am meant to be!

What job do you want in the future?

My dream job has always been to be an OBGYN (Obstetrician Gynecologist), but I worry about having that much school to complete and how well that fits in with me wanting to be a mom. I have declared biology as my major on college applications, but I still have an open mind about the law, environment, and ministry fields. Long story short, I don't really know yet!

If you had 24 hours to live, how would you like to spend it?

I would definitely spend it with friends and family to say goodbye. I myself am not scared of death because I believe in the afterlife as a christian, but I do know some of my friends and maybe even family aren't comfortable with that concept of seeing each other again, so I would want them to feel like they got a sufficient goodbye. As far as doing crazy/other things, I don't really know what the afterlife is like, so it is hard for me to say what I would want to make sure to do on Earth before I passed! Probably just eat a lot of really good food (tacos and pizza are where it's AT!).

Tips on learning another language?

-Invest as early as possible! The earlier you learn, the easier it is and the more it will stick with you.

-Push yourself. By going outside of what you think are your limits, you will grow.

-Listen to podcasts and videos in that language. It is important you expose yourself to authentic sources and hear various accents.

-Have a conversation with an authentic speaker (they will LOVE it, granted that you give them the utmost respect and explain you are learning). If you aren't ready for that, just speak with your teacher and friends in that language as much as possible.

-Have a positive mindset and don't give up. Language learning can truly be difficult for some, but if you keep your mind on the end goal of being fluent, it won't allow you to give up.

-Don't forget about the culture too. Language learning is more than just the language: there is a whole culture that comes along with it. By not just focusing on the vocab, it will broaden your excitement for learning and help you understand why their language is the way it is.

-Get past levels/classes 2 & 3. Those tend to be the dryest, hardest, and heaviest grammar & vocab based. Beyond those comes the fun stuff like applying the language and interpreting it!

What's your current favorite fashion trend? (@jaysfashionsense)

I actually have a whole blog post up about this right now called Irresistible Summer Trends! I have to say, though, that my fav is probably the platform sandals and shoes. I am only 5'5, so I love a cute addition to an outfit that can bring me some extra inches too!

Tips on taking professional photos? (@avamene)

-Use a good camera. I love the Iphone X portrait mode!

-Take some pictures at different angles, go look at them, and decide your favorite angle for that outfit. Then, take more at that angle with subtle position changes.

-Play with fun and different positions. For example, do a burst of you spinning in a dress or jumping in the air in your fav street style outfit. Get creative!

-Have someone else take your photos. Timer cam and selfies can be okay at times but having someone else take them will look better. For consistency, have the same person take all the photos for your feed too.

-Do a photoshoots too! Having a photographer take your photos on a professional camera in cool places will result in lots of good pics.

-Stand tall/with posture, be confident, wear clothes that you feel good in, and have fun!

-Finally, use a good editing app like VSCO or Lightroom after the photo is taken to adjust lighting and sharpen the picture.

How do you get over a breakup you were blindsided by?

Breakups are tough no matter what, and the key to getting over them is to allow yourself or grieve. Putting off pain and distracting yourself from it will only make it worse in the long run, so let it in and let it hurt, and it will get better with time. This person was a big part of your life, and now all of a sudden, they aren't, so you have to let yourself slowly fill that void, and that starts with letting in the feelings.

Sometimes speaking with the person or their friends can help you move on if they could provide an explanation to you, but in other cases it can make it worse. Know yourself and decide what is best for you. Here are my other tips:

-Surround yourself with your best friends and have family time.

-Know that NO guy or girl defines your worth. You are worthy as you are, they were just not the right person to see it and appreciate it.

-Try calming techniques and self care like yoga, deep breathing, meditation, or even working out. Centering yourself is always important, but it is especially important in times of pain.

-Talk to someone about it. Keeping and bearing it all on your own is difficult and can lead to unhealthy behaviors. Reach out, ask for help, and talk through your situation with someone close to you. Often times, people on the outside of a situation have fresh ideas, help, and opinions to bring. If you don't have someone, my email is always open for you too!

What are your favorite stores or brands? Do you thrift? (@em.croissant)

For splurges and great quality clothes I love Lululemon and Altar'd State. For all things comfy and to support a brand doing awesome things, I love Aerie. Other various shops for good steals include Target, American Eagle, Garage, H&M, and Old Navy. I also love to boutique shop at places like Francesca's! As far as thrifting goes, that is a big yes! I think thrifting is so much fun, and I am all about a good deal. It is also a great way to help decrease the wastefulness of the fashion industry, so I enjoy that aspect as well.

What is your biggest dream in life? (@yourdailykailie)

This really gets me thinking, and makes me feel basic when I think about my answer! I don't have a very original one, but I have always wanted to leave the world better than I found it. I don't know how or in what way, but that has got to be my most prominent dream. Other dreams (these may actually be goals, idk?) include becoming fluent in spanish, being a mom, and becoming the best version of myself as possible. Maybe I need to do some more brainstorming -- haha!

How many siblings do you have?

I have 3. An older brother, older sister, and younger sister. My older sister has special needs and my younger one is adopted, so I do have a sort of original family dynamic!

Favorite color?

Yellow, of course! But I also love purple and pink too.

What is the best part about being in a long distance relationship?

There are surprisingly a lot of great things about being in a long distance relationship! I have my top 2 things that I can't choose between though.

1) I get to be independent. As written earlier, I am an introvert, so having alone time is nice. I am also not very clingy when it comes to relationships, so having my own time is not a bad thing for me.

2) It helps you love each other in different ways. When you are long distance, it is a different relationship than being close, so you learn more about each other that you wouldn't otherwise and you fall for them in other ways because of that.

Favorite TV Shows?

Grey's Anatomy, The Office, and This Is Us at the moment! Guilty pleasure shows include Bachelor in Paradise and the Bachelor/Bachelorette. I used to love Riverdale and The Vampire Diaries too.

What are some things people don't know about you?

I have 3 things.

-That I am so hard on myself. My self expectations are quite often ridiculous. I sometimes get tired of my own standards I put on myself. I have gotten more forgiving toward myself, but when I slip up, it takes me a long time to get over it.

-I am a people pleaser. As much as I try not to worry about what others think, it is something that will always be a part of me. I want people to like me, and if they don't, it occupies my head space and I want to change how they feel.

-I take most things way too seriously. I have to remind myself to lighten up and have fun!

All of those are things I'm constantly working to improve, as I never settle to be anything less than the best I can be (hence the first bullet point)!

Do you and your parents get along?

Yes, I am very fortunate to have a good, loving, and close relationship with both of my parents! The only time we have trouble is if I back talk, oops.

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Thanks for reading all about me and for giving me such great questions to answer! Hopefully you learned a few things and I haven't scared you off yet :). I will be posting the Religious Q&A soon, along with some other special addition Q&A's if this one kicks off. Have an AWESOME rest of your day!

Caroline

#qa #askcaroline #questions