Essential oils + School + Latin

Howdy folks. This post will be somewhat of a mash-up. But all the topics lead to the subject of school--so that seems like a good place to start!

As most of y'all probably know, I am a college student. I am taking microbiology and anatomy and physiology 2 this semester, and if you know anything about those classes, you know you're not supposed to take them at the same time. Oh well, some have called me crazy but those are the only two classes left that I need.

Point is, I have been having to study like crazy...like 5-7 hours a day just to keep up. I was getting AWFUL head aches where I couldn't stay awake and had no energy.

Now I HATE taking medicine. I just prefer to let my body work off whatever is going on instead of putting synthetic material in my body. My head aches, however, were getting so bad I had to take way more ibuprofen than I was comfortable with.

My friend April let me try her essential oil called Past Tense by doTerra, and oh my goodness, my headache went away almost immediately! So this week I bought my own bottle and it has been doing wonders. It has a mint/cilantro aroma and can be rolled directly onto the forehead and base of the neck.

Now I can't tell you what is happening on a cellular level (I have been trying to find a Pub Med study to no avail) but I do know my head aches have been much better since using Past Tense. Myles HATES the smell (it is strong) but most people have told me they like it.

Now to completely change the subject, let's talk about Latin!

So for my microbiology class we have a quiz every week on vocab. This week we had 85 words to know (we only get tested on 10). It's a pain--but it's good for us to be doing it. Many of the words, however, have Latin roots or prefixes.

My mom taught us Latin for about 3 years in middle/high school. My 9th grade Biology teacher also made us learn Latin as part of the class. Now let me tell you, folks, I may have hated it back then, but I am SO glad I got that Latin back ground! Even though that was 6 years ago, the Latin I learned then is definitely helping me with some of my microbiology vocab. It also helped my with learning all the bones and muscles in the body last semester and when I took Spanish 1 and 2.

I would DEFINITELY recommend teaching your kids Latin, if you have the chance. It's just one of those things I don't think you could ever regret doing. So many words in the English language and any language for that matter have some Latin ties. So yeah, Latin for the win.


I hope you all have a great day! Ciao.

7 Steps to Keep from Falling into the Expensive Wedding Trap

How to Plan an Inexpensive Wedding...

We all have dreams of planning a grand, huge, Pinterest-worthy wedding.But after the sparkles settle and you go back to reality, having a huge, wedding-induced debt is not a great start to a new marriage. The average spent on weddings in America today is between 25 and 30 thousand dollars....oy! I believe you can have an amazing wedding with a few tricks here and there, and this is my advice on how to do so! 

Step 1: Size

If you have food at your wedding, the average price per plate can range anywhere from 7 to 20 dollars (based on what I saw). Basically, each person counts. Those 5 friends from college who you barely speak to anyways could be an extra $100 that you could use on your honeymoon for a fancy dinner! Don't let people bully you into getting an invitation.

Step 2: Friends Love to Help

My mother and I asked a close friend to design our wedding programs. We asked family to help with food serving instead of hiring people to do it. Seriously, people LOVE to be asked to help at weddings. Just ask them!

Step 3: Bargain Hunt

My mom is a super bargain hunting machine (a trait/curse which she passed on to me). She bought tablecloths wholesale online, I made little decorations for the tables, I got my flowers at HEB (a local grocery store), my mom made my veil, I chose a cheaper alternative for invitations, etc. All these little things add up to you saving a LOT! We thought we were going to have to spend over $100 just for rose petals for people to throw on us but a sweet man at Costco gave us an older bag for free! 

Take home note: if you are patient and search for deals you can find some good stuff!

Step 4: Pick the Important Things

What is most important to you? The dress? The venue? What ever you know is the biggest deal to you is what you can allow yourself to spend more money on. However, if you do that you are going to have to make sacrifices in other areas. For me I wanted to have great pictures, but I just got a little cake for Myles and me and got pies from Costco for the guests. This in turn saved a bucket load of money!

Step 5: Ask Venues about Furnishings

When you visit venues, ask them if they have their own tables, decorations, lights, etc. Myles and I got married at a rustic, ranch-style house, so we needed very little decor as it was already very ready-to-go, if you will. Some churches we looked at would have required a lot of decorating to get the vibe I was looking for--so see if you can find a pre-made environment and it will save you work and money! 

Step 6: Makeup much?

Unless there is a specific look you want or you just want to make sure your makeup is ultra super mega perfect, then I would just recommend doing it yourself. Personally, I think makeup artists charge WAY too much. If you like the way you do your makeup, just do it! Or ask a friend or family member. Boom, $100 just saved. 

Step 7: Reuse

I just used some of my old, favorite jewelry for my wedding. My sisters wore their cowboy boots instead of buying new shoes. If you have the mentality that you have to buy all-new, special things for you wedding, you're wrong! Borrow or just use your favorites if they work! An old, loved necklace is more precious than a brand new one.