I SURVIVED | BLOGMAS DAY 9

^^^^ ME RN ^^^^

Guys, in the past 24 hours I have written 12.5 papers. I'm almost done with the last paper of my marathon from hell night of homework. My brain is mush. My eyes are bloodshot. My fingers can't even type words properly anymore (this is taking painful concentration to make sure I spell nothing wrong). I almost fell down the RB death stairs because I closed my eyes and got lightheaded and lost my balance. Am I even a human being anymore? I'm not sure. Pray for me. I love Fetty Wap also I ordered the Rap Year Book last night in my drunk-on-caffeine induced haze. It looks frickin hilarious (thanks @blymanwarrior for the recommendation). I can't wait to get it and read all about the moost prominent and influential rap song of each year. I'm pretty typed out at this point, so I'm gonna go finish that last .5 of a paper (it's on saving the whales) and then close my eyes for a half a second before I have class and then work. Don't worry though, I have absolutely no plans tomorrow except for the plans I have made to stay in bed all day. CAN'T WAIT. Criminal Minds.......here I come. 

XOXO,

gabs.

MY WILL | BLOGMAS DAY 8

Hey guys! Taking a quick little break to let you all know that I'm alive and probably will not be alive tomorrow. I got a cute lil email from my TA at 3 today saying that all the assignments that previously thought were due on Friday are actually all due tomorrow which means all nighter for meeeeee! I'm doing mad work tho, cranking out these papers like it's my frickin day job. But just in case I don't make it out of this night alive, here's my will:

My money - there's none of it, so it goes to no one.
My clothes - try to sell them on eBay like the Kardashian's do with all of their old clothes. When that doesn't work, give them to Plato's Closet so I have at least a little bit of money to give to my parents from the grave. My sisters/close friends are allowed to pick 5 items each before this happens.
My shoes - separate from my clothes, for SURE. Bury me with my shoes. THX.
My social media accounts - the passwords are mine & mine alone, but please don't do that lame thing where you report me as dead so my account gets taken down. Leave my social accounts up so people can scroll through & remember me for the hilarious pop culture icon that I am. Also make sure to go back and RT my old tweets at random times. Thanks guys.
My Spotify playlists - once again, don't touch these babies. Make sure to archive them and then go back and listen to them every once in a while in my memory. My ghost will come jam with you.
My signed copy of Selfish by Kim Kardashian - bury me with this also.
My books - give 'em to my mom cause I mark them up like crazy and I think she'd like that.
The pan of fudge on my counter - give it out to people on campus outside of the library because my fudge is frickin' fantastic. Don't give any to my game night friends because they didn't appreciate my fudge while I was alive so they don't get to enjoy it while I'm dead.
The expired gallon of milk in my fridge - mail it to my enemies.
My phone/iPad/laptop/etc.. - destroy them. No one can see the screenshots I have.

K THAT'S LITERALLY ALL THAT I OWN, SO THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR HONORING MY REQUESTS. LOVE YOU GUYS. MAKE SURE TO USE MY BEST SELFIE AS MY OBITUARY PICTURE.

XOXO,

gabs. 

SPOTIFY YEAR IN REVIEW | BLOGMAS DAY 7

I missed yesterday but sometimes bad things happen to good people and it's how we get through those challenges that define us as people. 

Today I got my Spotify Year In Review music analytics, so I thought I'd share with you guys what I learned from that. Some of these will be surprising, some will be not surprising at all. 

The first song I listened to in 2015 was How To Be A Heartbreaker by Marina & The Diamonds. Obviously I learned nothing because all of 2015 was very #single.

My most listened to artists were: (1) Halsey, (2) Kanye West, (3) Big Sean, (4) Rihanna, and (5) Shawn Mendes. Kind of surprised about the Rihanna one, but then again I listened to American Oxygen on repeat for like 3 weeks when it came out, so not really surprised I guess.

My most listened to albums were: (1) Dark Sky Paradise by Big Sean, (2) Handwritten by Shawn Mendes, (3) BADLANDS by Halsey, (4) BEYONCÉ (Platinum Edition) by Beyoncé, and (5) My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West. All of these are phenomenal albums.

My most listened to tracks were: (1) Monster by Kanye West (guys I can rap this like nobody's business), (2) Ugly Heart by G.R.L., (3) The GRAMMY NOMINATED (!!!) Back to Back by Drake, (4) Bad Intentions by Niykee Heaton, (5) Feeling Myself by Nicki Minaj ft. Beyoncé

My top genres were: (1) Pop, (2) Dance Pop, (3) Pop Rap, (4) Indie R&B, (5) Hip Hop. Not many surprises there lol.

My top 3 listened to artists of each season are as follows:

Winter - Kanye West, Halsey, Avril Lavigne (LOL angsty phase maybe??).

Spring - Kanye West, Big Sean, Shawn Mendes.

Summer - Rihanna, Halsey, Big Sean.

Fall - Halsey, Drake, Shawn Mendes.

I listened to 739 different artists. 

I listened to 2,378 different songs.

I listened to 46000 minutes of music. 769 hours of music. 32 STRAIGHT DAYS OF MUSIC. Can't wait to break that record next year. 

XOXO,

gabs.

JUST A LIL QUOTE | BLOGMAS DAY 5

"It is easy to forget how full the world is of people, full to bursting and each of them imaginable and consistently misimagined."

- John Green, Paper Towns

XOXO,

gabs.

WATER | BLOGMAS DAY 4

Once again this is gonna be a quick lil post. I talked about this last year on my blog, I don't like the concept of New Years resolutions, I think it's dumb to wait til the beginning of year to change something about yourself. I am, however, a huge believer in birthday resolutions. You grow a year older, your goals and motivations grow a year wiser. Unfortunately for me, my birthday is December 30th aka right before the new year, so my resolutions are basically new years resolutions. Meh. Still counts as birthday resolutions. ANYWAYS, this year one of my birthday resolutions (cause I plan them far in advance, I take them very seriously) is to drink 2 quarts of water every day, which is a LOT but it's how much you should be drinking you guys!!! In order to accomplish this goal of mine, I bought a quart smart water bottle. This thing is HUGE you guys.

The past few days I've only drank half of one bottle (so basically 1/4 of what my goal is to be drinking) and it's definitely way harder than I was expecting! This will be an interesting goal to accomplish hahaha I'll keep y'all updated on my daily water intake. The purpose of this post is to remind you guys that drinking water is important especially in these winter months when it's so dry and also when everyone is so sick. Drinking more water fixes all yo problems! Let's make it a goal TOGETHER to drink more water. IT'S IMPORTANT.

XOXO,

sorry this sucks I was just really excited about my water bottle that's bigger than my face lol,

gabs.

PONDERIZE | BLOGMAS DAY 3

I am currently sick AF and tired AF and have like 3 papers to write so this is gonna be a really short post :) I considered not posting anything but I made a commitment to myself to write everyday and I'm gonna write everyday, dang it. So here goes. STORY TIME.

Last general conference, we were all introduced to the word Ponderize. This week is the first week that I've actually picked a verse and really tried to study it. It started on Sunday night when I could NOT fall asleep for the life of me. My thoughts were racing and I just couldn't calm down enough to fall asleep. I was getting up really early the next day and had been sick so I knew I needed a good night's sleep. I prayed asking Heavenly Father to help me calm down and fall asleep quickly, and had a really strong feeling that I should read a quick scripture. At first I was like "no way José" cause I have read COUNTLESS articles about the blue lights from your phone being so bad for your eyes and waking you up/making it so you can't fall asleep and how this generation have so many sleep problems because they're on their phones too much too late at night. So I was pretty hesitant to follow that prompting. But, I eventually gave into the feeling I was given and opened up my scriptures app. Now that I'm thinking back, I totally could have grabbed my hard copy of the scriptures hahaha I'm such a millennial you guys this is so embarrassing. In my defense, my lights were already turned off and I didn't want to get out of bed to turn on the light and grab my scriptures. But now I know what to do in the future hahaha  OKAY ANYWAYS, I grabbed my phone, opened up my scriptures app, and remembered there was a verse that I read a while ago and really liked that was in Romans. I couldn't remember the chapter or verse numbers though, so I just started skimming through Romans trying to find the scripture. I never found the one I was looking for, but I did come across a scripture that really stuck out to me. It's Romans 12:21. It says, "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." As soon as I read it, I just kept rereading it. It's short and simple but I love how it says that we need to overcome evil with GOOD. A lot of times I think of temptation and how we're just supposed to just avoid it and not do the thing. But no, we need to not do the evil thing and then do good things instead. Sunday night after I read it, I just kept reciting those words to myself, and I actually fell asleep really quickly afterwards. Promptings are real, guys! I wasn't planning on ponderizing this scripture throughout the week, but all day Monday it kept popping back into my head. That night I did the same thing, I read the scripture right before I went to bed and I was able to fall asleep right away! Which isn't a big deal to most people but I have such a hard time falling asleep, it's been a huge blessing for me. This past week, I've found that I've been more positive and not as anxious as I usually am! By taking temptations and focusing on good things instead, it brightens your whole day and gets your priorities where they need to be.

Kay, hope you enjoyed my little story time! This is the scripture I'm focusing on for the rest of this week, I'll let you guys know what scripture I choose for next week. Message me or comment if you have a favorite scripture, and why it means so much to you! I love hearing from y'all. 

XOXO,

gabs. 

A MN GIRL'S GUIDE TO SURVIVING WINTER | BLOGMAS DAY 2

Okay guys I just have to write this because guess what's been happening recently? Snow. And everyone and their MOM has been complaining about it. And I'm just confused because like.... it's winter..... this is what happens in the winter.......... why is this causing such an uproar?! I love winter. I THRIVE in the winter months. This is my best time of year. The sun is only out for like 6 hours a day, it's acceptable to wear blankets as clothing, and people don't judge you if you stay inside all the time. Because of this, I decided that for #GabbyDoesBlogmas day 2, I will share with you all my top tips n tricks to surviving the winter season. Because it really is the best time of year, and anyone that doesn't think so is weak and natural selection will come for them soon.

TIP #1: BUILD UP YOUR IMMUNITY TO THE COLD

Don't you DARE pull out your warmest jacket as soon as it hits 40 degrees. That is potentially the dumbest thing you could ever do. You gotta build up your immunity to cold!! I, personally, have 3 different levels of cold and a different jacket/coat for each level. You may want to add more levels if you're from like California and think 50 degrees is cold (lol), but personally I have found that 3 different coats gets me through the winter season comfortably. You can always add layers/sweaters/sweatshirts underneath. 

I start with limiting myself in the fall when it first starts getting cold. If it's above 35 degrees then I won't wear a "winter coat". I wear windbreakers, Columbia fleece jackets, or thick sweaters + a denim jacket. ~extra special tip~ I buy my Columbia's in a children's XL because children's sizes run $20-30 cheaper than adult sizes. I understand that not everyone can get away with that, but if you're small definitely make sure to benefit from that! 

My next level of cold is 5-35 degree weather. My jacket for this one is a fur-lined parka. Very warm, very comfy, very fashionable. Your middle level jacket is one that you should splurge on to make sure it's cute, because it's the one you'll be wearing most often through winter. I recommend longer jackets because nothing is worse than a cold bum. It's super comfy, super warm, and there's cheetah print on the inside which is my absolute fav. I got my jacket at Forever 21, and they no longer sell it but they sell similar ones. American Eagle also sells really cute, warm nice ones. Any kind of parka, faux fur coats, or cute ski jackets work great! Just make sure that they keep you warm in addition to being adorable. Also, make SURE they have a hood because nothing is worse than walking around while it's snowing and having your neck/head be exposed. 

Third level, fashion goes to crap. This is the 5 degrees or below weather, where you literally only care about staying warm. Down puffy jackets are the only way to go, my friends. These can get a big pricey, but a good coat will last you a long time! Stick with a solid, basic color, and once again make sure there's a hood on this jacket. I got my down coat at J.C.Penny's on Black Friday on mad sale, and it's lasted me 3 winters. Quality is important here. Also the heat-reflecting coats are bomb & highly recommended.

TIP #2: GET CUTE DURABLE WATER-RESISTANT BOOTS

I'm not talking about the combat boots from target that everyone and their mom owns. No, you need to get waterproof leather boots that are hardcore punk rock weather resistant. I bought a pair of Dr.Martens my junior year of high school and I still wear them all the time. Sorel boots are really awesome for winter boots as well. Please - don't get boots that have a fur lining that puffs out the top because as soon as you wear them in the snow, the fur will start pilling and getting nasty and you will hate your life. Also, UGGS are awesome but same deal, as soon as they get wet they lose their shape and look low quality. Buy some nice leather/rubber boots, and you'll be set for life! These are the docs that I have, and I love the burgundy color. It matches absolutely everything! Also, when you wear docs you are instantly a punk rock diva from the 90s. It's the best.

TIP #3: FUZZY SOCKS ARE NOT YOUR BEST FRIEND

Everyone always gets so excited for winter because fuzzy socks and cozy blankets etc etc and I have to admit, I love me some nice fuzzy articles of clothing BUT, wearing fuzzy socks out of your house is dumb AF and here's why. When you wear fuzzy socks with nice warm boots, your feet are warm at first and it's awesome but then soon you'll start to realize that your feet are sweating and BAM for the rest of the day you're stuck with sweaty-but-still-kinda-chilly feet. Fuzzy socks trap heat and absorb the sweat and cold also so it's basically your feet's own personal hell. What you need to do instead is wear either wool socks (not super thick ones, cause that causes the same problems as fuzzy socks), or just thicker normal socks. Target has some really nice thin wool socks that I recommend stocking up on. Also, Nike elites are absolute bomb for wearing with boots. Perfect amount of warmth. And by all means, wear fuzzy socks around your house 24/7! But if you're serious about staying warm outside, don't wear them with your boots. Trust me on this.

There you have it, my top 3 tricks on staying warm in winter! Hope you enjoyed, and I hope you all can stay warm this winter. And honestly, the biggest tip/trick/winter life hack is just to stay inside. Cozy up by the fire with your favorite book or netflix series on the TV and enjoy the laziness of winter! 

Love y'all, talk to you tomorrow!

XOXO,

gabs. 

CHRISTMAS SONG OF THE DAY: 

Jingle Bell Rock / George Strait

My mom LOOOOVES George Straight, so his Christmas album was a staple in our house during the holiday season. Jingle Bell Rock was my favorite, my sisters & I would choreograph dances to it and put on shows for our parents. You can't beat that, folks. Country twang with a Christmas song. What a tune.

TOP 10 BEST CHRISTMAS SONGS aka BLOGMAS DAY 1

Hi friends. Merry almost Christmas! As a way to keep my holiday cheer strong and my brain away from the depths of despair aka school pressures & the upcoming doom of finals week, I decided I'm going to blog every single day this glorious month of December. HAPPY BLOGMAS!

(new header for this blog cause we festive AF here)

Each day of blogmas I'll be covering a different topic. Whether it's a gift guide for your friends, a list of my favorite (fill in the blank here), a book/movie/album review, or just a stream of consciousness, I am dedicated to writing on this cute lil blog of mine everyday all month! And hopefully this will kickstart my new years resolution of actually paying attention to this site and writing more often than once every couple months.

If there is any specific topic you guys want me to dedicate a post to, let me know!! You can either contact me through my email (gabby.heroux@gmail.com), or message me on one of my social media profiles (twitter, insta, FB)! I want this to be a fun month full of content that everyone enjoys, so your input is definitely welcome. Especially since 31 days of posts is kind of daunting and I'm not sure I have enough ideas on my own hahahaha.

Since everyone is trying to get into the Christmas spirit now that it's officially ~DECEMBER~ (best month ever), this post is dedicated to The Greatest Christmas Songs To Ever Be Released, Probably. Like all my other posts, this is a list based on my opinions, and please don't be mad if this isn't how you see it. THX.

10. LAST CHRISTMAS

Not gonna pick a single artist, because this has been covered by everyone and their MOM. It's basically the Hallelujah of Christmas songs. This song is on the list because it's iconic. EVERYONE HAS RECORDED A VERSION FOR A REASON. Some of the most notable covers are (in no particular order): Ariana Grande (very pop synth vibe), Carly Rae Jepsen (also pop synth vibe), Hilary Duff, Glee cast, Taylor Swift, JIMMY EAT WORLD?!, and most importantly, Cascada (recorded for a Dutch children's Christmas album HOW GREAT IS THAT). This song is an absolute Christmas necessity and I have many different versions on my Christmas playlist.

9. Drummer Boy - Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber's entire Mistletoe album instantly becomes the soundtrack to my life once Thanksgiving is over, and for good reason. The album is filled with classics and gems like Drummer Boy. Featuring Busta Rhymes, this isn't your average cover. This song features (maybe sacrilegious) raps, including "I only spit hit cause I'm playin' for the Son/Playin' for the King/playin' for the Title/I'm surprised you didn't hear this in the Bible." Need I say more?

8. Christmas In Harlem - Kanye West

How is this not being played on the radio constantly!? Yeezy's calming voice rapping about egg nog and last minute Christmas shopping is absolutely legendary. Despite Kanye's reputation, it is completely appropriate and will add a nice hip hop vibe to your Christmas playlist this season. The hook by Teyana Taylor will get stuck in your head in the best kind of way. ICONIC.

7. DC Christmas Medley - Destiny's Child

Who doesn't want Beyoncé (and a couple back up singers I guess lol sorry Kelly & Michelle) singing a mashup of every iconic Christmas song?! This one really sets the holiday mood and gets you feeling extra festive. The early 2000 hip hop vibe really adds to the production of the song and makes it a medley to remember.

6. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays - *NSYNC

OKAY but this song is seriously the happiest of all of the Christmas songs. Who doesn't love boybands, specifically a cute baby Justin Timberlake in a boyband singing about Christmas and the feeling it brings?! HAPPY HOLIDAYS, EVERYONE. MERRY CHRISTMAS.

5. Sleigh Ride - Pentatonix

This song is my personal favorite ~traditional~ Christmas song, and Pentatonix's version is so well done. I love all of the songs on Pentatonix's Christmas album, but this one really stands out as one of the best.

5 (AGAIN). Carol of the Bells - Pentatonix

This one is tied with Sleigh Ride mostly because they're both Pentatonix arrangements and Carol of the Bells goes OFF. Once again, Pentatonix's version is well above average. A little classier than the other songs on this list (lol JB), it gets you into a slightly fancier Christmas spirit than the other songs do.

4. Baby It's Cold Outside - Idina Menzel & Michael Bublé

This song is a classic, despite the fact that it may or may not be about a boy pressuring a girl to stay the night when she obviously does not feel comfortable with the situation (lol love it). I added it to this list mostly to give props to both Idina Menzel and Michael Bublé for being the queen & king of classy Christmas music. The other songs in this playlist may not be acceptable to play at your family's Christmas dinner, but Idina & Michael's Christmas albums are definitely classy Christmas approved. And both of them singing together on this song is an iconic piece of art that will be loved and cherished for years to come.

3. All I Want for Christmas is You - Mariah Carey

OF COURSE THIS SONG IS ON THE LIST. This is the definition of getting into the Christmas spirit. If you don't dance around to this song in your room singing at the top of your lungs trying to hit all the riffs & high notes then you are a GRINCH. Mariah is the QUEEN of Christmas music (Sorry, Idina. You can be the princess of Christmas music instead) and she KNOWS it. I greatly enjoy the version of this song with Justin Bieber, but there's just something about the classic that makes me want to hang up my stocking and bake cookies for Santa.

2. All I Want for Christmas is You (Extra Festive) - Mariah Carey

This ranks higher because it's extra festive....need I say more? Although I can't really tell a huge difference between the two versions, I'm pretty sure the extra festive version has more sleigh bells jingling and a stronger drumline. Either way, it's extra festive and that's all that you need to know.

1. Where Are You Christmas - Faith Hill

Is this even a question?! It is a fact that this song is the greatest Christmas song of all time and I will fight anyone on that. I even wrote a full blogpost about this song last year, because sometimes analyzing a song from a popular children's movie is what you need to do to get through finals week. Read it HERE. But guys I'm not kidding, this song makes me cry every dang time I hear it. An iconic song that we do not appreciate enough.

Hope you enjoyed this list of the 10 best Christmas songs, and please keep in mind that there are many many other songs that I love and enjoy but did not include. That does not mean that I don't like them. Please don't attack me for my opinions kthx! Love you all and hope you have a very festive and happy December!

XOXO,

gabs.

P.S. If you need help getting into the Christmas spirit, here are my two Christmas Spotify playlists. Feel free to follow and message me if you think a song should be added! Turnt Christmas for when you're just tryna ~dance~ and Classy Christmas for when you want to be a normal festive human being. And yes, the first song on both playlists is Where Are You Christmas. IT'S A GREAT SONG OK.

ENJOY!