Summer. Summer. Summer.

It's totally official.
I handed in my last final, and it's all done. My freshman year of college is over. Wow. I still can't get over that this year is done, it flew by in the blink of an eye. I am now on summer vacation and I am ready to take out some time to see old friends, spend time to myself, work crazy hours but most importantly, have the most fun I can.

I am looking forward to having all my friends come home from college, and catching up and spending time with them. I also know that I will be picking up extra hours at work, which always gets ten times more fun in the summer. All the summer staff comes back and we just have a ball working like crazies together. I am just really hoping that summer 2013 brings me lots of happy memories, good times, great friendships and lots of laughs.

I am currently in the process of making a bucket list for the summer. I will be consulting with a few of my friends and making some lists together so that we can do somethings as a group. I can't wait until the real summer weather kicks in so we can have sunny days on the beach and warm nights at the drive-in.

What are you guys looking forward to this summer?!

My blog wears deodorant, I swear!

I have come to the realization that I just must be a stinky blogger, because as hard as I try, nothing really becomes successful of it. The fact of the matter is, I usually want to stay far away from my blog as possible, too! 

Sometimes I just feel this exorbitant amount of pressure to make this million dollar posts, have thousands of followers, hundreds of comments and be an all around Internet supah-stah. (There's my Rhode Island accent coming out there) But, I have come to realize that I really just need to blog for myself, to get my thoughts, ideas, rambles and all the other nonsense that clutters my brain down on some space. And hey, if other people decide to agree with my silliness and want to hop along the crazy train and follow me, then so be it! 

While that's all easy to say, and that's well and good, it's hard to really think like that. As I sit in my room, staring at a blank screen, wanting to post something of worth I get put back into these ruts where I just want to quit all over again. Now, I know quitting is not the answer. Quitters never win, and I like winning, so that's just out of the question. It is probably just hard for me because I am different than all the other amazing people who blog in the world, and that I follow on the daily. I don't have this really exciting life. I don't wear yoga pants to work, or run around having all kinds of shenanigans; I lead a pretty normal life. I am trying to embrace that for all it's worth and really try and get out there and be the blogger that I know I can be, gosh-darn-it. I am settling into what I want to be, and that will be a work in progress, but hopefully I can get where I am going, whether it be by plane, train or automobile. 

Then there is all these extra things that bloggers do that I don't want to conform to. Bloggers usually make their blogs their lives, which I don't want to do. Most people that I love to read have their Twitter and Instagram linked hand-in-hand with their blogs. I am not about changing my Twitter username to @lovealwaysmarissa and posting all these blog updates. That's just not me. I don't have time for it, and I literally would be so ADHD with it, I wouldn't even know what the heck I was doing. I don't want people to be following my blog, but be following me, as a person, if they like me - really like me. I am not going to be making a Twitter or Instagram for my blog, but my followers are more than welcome to follow my personal accounts that I make for the use of my friends and family. I am who I am, and I am not afraid for anyone to see it. My family and friends know I blog sometimes, and they even read it. Heck, even kids I went to high school with told me that they ever catch up with me every now and again, and I think that's totally awesome. I am not into hiding what I am saying or keeping my online life a secret, because I am just a very open person. I am who I am, Sam I am! I know I am taking this whole blogging approach differently than most people do, but I am just doing this the best way I see fit for me. 

So, just keep on trucking with me as I am getting this all together.

Oh, hello there.

Allow me to re-introduce myself to all of my wonderful followers.

Hello, I am Marissa and you are now reading Love Always, Marissa.

I guess you could say that I am doing a lot of changing lately, which I feel like I say on a constant basis, and I am kind of sorry about that. I do change a lot, honestly, I change every minute of the day. I believe in always feeling fresh and being the best version of yourself, and I think that change is a great way to do that. I have been changing, changing, changing, and please just bear with me as I am going all crazy bananas over here. 

I was beginning to get into a slump with life, and with blogging. I didn't know what I was doing, what I should be doing and where I want to go. Not that all of a sudden I got answers to all of those questions, because I didn't. But, I did get a clearer picture of what I want to do (at least for now) and where I would like to go (at the moment). 

Starting fresh with a clean new slate of a blog is very exciting to me! I can't wait to share all of my ideas, my adventures and just crazy antics with all of you guys who join me here on the daily, or on the occasions I actually post. Yes, I am going to try and get better and posting more frequently, sorry sorry!

In conclusion of this whole introduction, (jeepers, what kind of English major am I, saying stuff like this?!) thanks for sticking with me and I hope that you can enjoy the blog and it's new direction. 

Weekend Shenanigans: Fries, Baptisms & Cake.

Happy Monday!
Wait. Should "happy" and "Monday" really be used in the same sentence?
Probably not, but I am going to do it anyway.

This weekend has been...enlightening, to say the least. I learned some lessons, heard some things I didn't want to hear, experience somethings that I will never forget and rekindled friendships. I mean, it's not all bad things, right?

Photo One // I got an e-mail on Friday telling me that I made the cast of a play I auditioned for this past week. I made the show along with one of my good friends, so I am just really excited to be back in the theater game and doing what I absolutely love. The show rehearsals will be this summer and we will perform in September. I am so excited to be working with such a prestigious theater company and talented cast members.

Photo Two // I hung out with some long lost friends on Saturday night and we went out and got icecream, then we had a quick McDonald's craving, so we went and satisfied that. We spent the rest of the night just sitting in my car talking and laughing about the silliest things. It was great to spend a care-free night with them.

Photo Three // I got water baptized on Sunday morning at my church. It was probably one of the best things that I have ever experienced. I literally feel so amazing and I feel like such a different person. I am so blessed to have been able to experience it and be surrounded by all the loving and amazing people in my church and my family.

Photo Four // In honor of my baptism my mom made me her world famous carrot cake, that I probably haven't had since I was 10. Needless to say, I attacked that thing as soon as she pulled it out of the fridge. 

Sorry I haven't been on here a whole bunch.

I really stink at this whole internet-blog thingamajig. 

But, I have some really great material coming up in the future.

I promise!

Tales from a Cougar.

Rawr. 

Hello my friends! Sorry I have been super MIA lately. I have been getting busy with the end of semester jazz and getting ready for exams. But, I have had some time this weekend to go back to my old high school and see some of my old friends in their Spring production. It was so great to be back at my high school and walk through the halls and see all the little baby faces that I love and missed. It was just nice to be back home, I guess. Especially in the auditorium. 

Now, being back at high school, this got me thinking of all the crazy and silly things I was like or did back when I was in high school. Which, *cue the post title* Tales of a Cougar comes in. The mascot for my high school was, indeed, a cougar. So, I thought it all fit.

So, let's go with the embarrassing moments, shall we?!

I didn't wear make-up my Freshman and a good part of my Sophomore year. I honestly don't even know what I was thinking when I was going into high school. I mean, I wouldn't really question it. I wanted to marry a Jonas Brothers and also attend Camp Rock. As you can see, I made questionable life choices.

I had my first real crush as a Freshman. He was a senior, I was a little Freshman. I tried everything to get his attention, he took every chance he could to ignore me. I was in love love love with this kid, no joke. My friends and I even had a special nickname for him and everything. I did a play with him and for some strange reason I just really, really, really liked him. I eventually got over it when he graduated. And I sent him a Facebook message telling him I liked him.  I was moderately heartbroken. Don't worry, there is a plus side - he turned out to not like girls. Cool, right?

I used hot rollers to curl my hair. Don't ask me why, but I did. I woke up early every morning to turn them on to heat up, and then I would go back to bed for a half hour, I would wake up again and go and roll my hair, and then I would go out to school. 

When I didn't curl my hair, I flat ironed it until there was no hair left. I needed to have pin straight hair. I needed, needed, needed it! It was the thing back then, and I just wanted to fit in. Little did my baby Freshman self know that I almost always missed a section in the back that turned out to be wavy and my chubby-baby-fat face looked huge when I straightened my hair.

Well, that's where I am going to end today. 

Maybe you will get a part two some day.

Yeah, someday.