The Best of Netflix

Summer is coming to a close. Am I mad about it? No. 

I never, ever, ever thought I’d say this, but I want summer to be over. Sure, it’s nice to not have homework or responsibilities or tests or really anything. But you know what? That’s the thing, I’d rather have things to do, people to see, and even tests to study for. I’m my happiest when I’m my busiest. I really enjoy doing. It’s not that I can’t do in the summer time it’s just that I don’t. 

Well, for 8 weeks of the summer I had a job from 8 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon working at a day camp. It was the most exhausting job I could ever imagine. Entertaining kids for nine hours a day is nowhere near as easy as it sounds. Doesn’t sound easy? That’s because it’s not. 

What did I do after work everyday you ask? 

Did I workout? No.

Did I experiment with new recipes? No.

Did I lay on my bed and watch Netflix? DING DING DING, yes. 

Because I spent a good 8 weeks of my summer coming home and watching things on Netflix, you can bet your bottom dollar that I found some super great shows / movies. Guess who’s the best blogger ever and is going to share these insider secrets with you. Me! It’s me!

Here we go:

Movies

Django Unchained
one of the greatest movies I’ve ever seen. It’s about slavery, love, and power roles but so         much more. The cast is amazing, the cinematography is amazing. Honestly, one of my         top five favorite movies of all time. 

Adventureland
a cute summer movie. set in the 80s and oh so relatable. a coming of age movie, kind of.         it’s funny, cute, and sad. is that what they call a “triple threat?”

Philomena
a movie I didn’t expect to be good. it’s about learning how everyone has an interesting         story. inspiring, for sure.  

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
a small town story with a long lasting affect. another inspiring one. I love movies that         leave me feeling emotionally drained, and this is one of them. johnny depp and leonardo         dicaprio are both in it if you weren’t already convinced. 

Moonrise Kingdom
a wes anderson film, so obviously it’s gorgeous. I’m obsessed with the subtle humor, the         awkward (yet relatable) encounters, and the colors. 

Clueless
honestly, if you haven’t already seen clueless this should be the first movie on this list         that you watch. a classic. 

Mr. Nobody
one of those movies that makes you think. it’s long, but so worth it. this one is about         making difference choices and how certain choices can change your whole life path.         definitely a must watch. 

Pulp Fiction
probably my number one favorite movie. so many quotable lines, so many perfect shots,         so much good. please watch it. 

Stuck In Love
a movie about love, but also about family and living in the moment. a cute indie film. 

Can’t Buy Me Love
a classic coming of age 80s movie. not sure why it’s not more talked about. 

The Holiday
when you’re in need of watching a romcom, this is the one for you. sure it’s a christians         movie, but it’s appropriate for anytime of the year. 

V for Vendetta
a movie that makes you think, super important to watch. it’s definitely not a surface level         movie. my mom didn’t like it (she thought it was too weird) but this is one of those         movies that’s about reading between the lines and understanding. 

Short Term 12
a darker movie about the darker parts of life. emotionally draining, but important. one of         the greatest (and most surprising) endings of all time too. 

The Big Short
a movie that everyone in the millennial generation should watch. the 2008 finical crisis         happened when we were alive and this movie helps break it down and make it more         understandable. phenomenally edited. 

Nightcrawler
about the media and how twisted (fake?) it can become. definitely an interesting take on         media in this age. also, jake gyllenhaal isn’t too bad on the eyes. 

Reservoir Dogs
a movie about pulling off a diamond heist. super bloody, just a warning. you’ve definitely     head some quotes from this movie before (ie “My way... or the highway!”). makes you         wonder who you can trust. 

Wayne’s World
a funny movie for sure. on the same level as hot rod (another movie to watch even though     it’s no longer on netflix). 

Sixteen Candles
an 80’s movie that you have to watch. have to. 

Best in Show
one of the most quotable movies I have ever seen. absolutely hilarious. I might relate         even more than the average person because my grandfather is a dog show judge, but         nevertheless, still hilarious. 

TV Shows:

The Office
for comedic relief. for quotable lines. for everything, honestly. 

Prison Break
for an addicting tv show. the first season is the best and then it get’s kind of repetitive. 

Scandal
for a love story. for behind the scenes in the white house. for the fashion. 

How to Get Away with Murder
for understanding how to tell a story. for a good show. first season is the best season. 

Orange is the New Black
for everything. honestly, if you haven’t watched every season by now, why not? 

Stranger Things
THE BEST SHOW ON NETFLIX. it’s a little bit on the scarier side, but so so so good. a         must watch. 

And there you have it, the best of Netflix. The real winners. Please let me know if you have any recommendations for me. I still have a week and a half of summer left so I’m trying to watch everything before the craziness of college comes back into my life.

Thanks for reading! 
xox
chloe

feminism

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I mentioned this a few posts back, but I’ve been having a lot of boy complications lately. It’s mostly because I realized that they’re being jerks and I’ve been standing up for myself and it’s been leading to arguments and misunderstandings. I think boys are just so shocked whenever a girl actually stands up for themselves that they don’t know how to respond and they ultimately end up saying things that they hopefully don’t mean. 

Even though boys are stupid, I’m so thankful to be surrounded by awesome girl friends who have been so supportive and helpful. We’ve been joking around saying that, by standing up for myself, I’m becoming the ultimate feminist. And that got me thinking, what even is a feminist? I feel like,especially lately, there has been kind of a stigma around the word. 

So here’s an outline between what I believe an actual feminist is vs. the stigma surrounded feminist 

ACTUAL
-stands up for herself
-believes men and women are equal in every way
-let’s gentlemen be gentlemen if she wants to (open doors, pay for meals, etc.)
-doesn’t have anything against the color pink 
-wears a bra because she wants to not because she has to
-you, me, and every other girl out there (because what girl doesn’t think that women are equal to men??)

STIGMA
-hairy arm pits 
-smells like patchouli oil
-only homosexual 
-doesn’t believe in wearing bras 

Just because some people don’t really know the definition of “feminist” doesn’t mean that you should shy away from your beliefs or apologize for thinking men and women are equal. Both genders have a right to say what they think, be paid fairly for their job (not according to their gender), and have equal rights. The stigma surrounding feminism is dumb, untrue, and totally worth making fun of because it’s highly entertaining. 

Are you a feminist?
Do you stick up for yourself when a boy is being a cotton headed ninny muggins?

Thanks for reading! 
xox
chloe

an open letter to the male species

Let’s talk about boys for a second. I love them, and hate them, they’re annoying, they're flirtatious, they’re good, and they’re bad. Lately, I’ve been having some boy issues. Well, I guess issues isn’t necessarily the right word, but "inconvenience" is more like it. I decided that I should write an open letter to the male species. I figure if just one guy reads this and learns something from this letter, then maybe, just maybe, we can have less of the bad guys (bad being the opposite of a gentleman; a f*ck boy if you will) and more of the good guys, the gentlemen. 

image via

So here it goes. 

Dear the male species,

Girls, however seemingly “complicated” are actually super simple. In fact, in order to woo a lady, one must follow the simple steps outlined below. They aren’t difficult, they’re fairly cheap (and often free), and are almost 100% guaranteed to sweep a girl off her feet, and into your loving arms. So please read the list carefully, bookmark it in your preferred browser, print it and hang it on the mirror you probably so often stare longingly into, or just, simply, read and understand what I’m saying. Please, I beg of you. 

1. If you like a girl, tell her or at least let her know. Don’t ever just expect a girl to make the first move. If you really want her in your life, you’ll put in the effort to make her part of it. You can text to make the first move or whatever, but this doesn’t mean that you don’t have to talk to her in real life. A text is just an introduction, a real conversation is where you really make the magic happen, so to speak. Nothing compares to a real life “hello” or, you know, an actual conversation. 
2. When you pick her up to go on a date, walk to her door, ring the bell or knock on the door, and talk to her parents (shake their hands, make small talk about the weather/sports/whatever, ask what time she needs to be home, etc.), and then laugh about how awkward it was afterwards while driving to your date destination. Parents aren’t scary, they just want to get to know the person that is taking their daughter out on a date. Don’t be nervous, just be yourself. 
3. Plan the date yourself. Don’t ask a girl to come up with the idea. She’ll most likely be happy with anything you plan, girls like it when the guy is in charge. She might be a feminist, but that doesn’t mean that you still can’t plan a date. The movies are great, dinner is great too, but it’s nice to come up with something creative sometimes too. Make her think you put some thought and originality into your plans. Go play glow in the dark putt putt, attend a local farmer’s market, go rock climbing or hiking, or just have a picnic in the park. Creativity = extra points, trust me on that one.  
4. Always tell her how your feel. If you think about her right when you wake up, shoot her a good morning text. If you think she’s prettier than the entire milky way, please, please, tell her that. On the flip side, if you feel like your relationship isn’t really working out, let her know, preferably not over text. More times that not, I’ve seen guys just stop talking to their girl instead of telling them how they feel. Don’t ever let a girl wonder where you stand with her. It might be hard for you to tell her, but it’s easier than having her mad at you or leaving her upset and sad. 
5. Be yourself, be honest, and be kind. These don’t really need elaborating… at least I don’t think they do. Just treat your girl with the respect that she so deserves. 

So there you have it. Five, relatively easy, ways to become (or remain) a gentleman. Please try them out and see what happens. 

If you’re a girl who’s reading this, feel free to share it with, you know, every single boy you’ve ever met. Or just one, I’ll settle for it just getting into the hands of one guy. 

Let me know if you have any more things to add to the list, there are probably infinite ways to woo a girl… am I right ladies??

Thanks for reading! 
xox
Chloe

addicted to change

image via

I’m addicted to change. I’m addicted to the idea of “new.” I’m addicted to seeing new things, trying new things, doing new things, and meeting new people. I like the idea of different. Different makes me uncomfortable, because it’s, well, different, but it also makes me excited. I like learning new things, and understanding new things. I think it’s mostly because when life is too consistent, life gets boring. Consistency equals boredom and being bored is something I strive to stay away from. 

I could blame this craving for the new on the fact that I’ve lived in six different cities and seven different houses. Or the fact that I attended three different high schools, in five years, in two cities. But I don’t want to “blame” anything on my love of the idea of newness. As a matter of fact, I don’t think “blame” is the right word, I think “thank” is a better word. I feel lucky to have had these experiences that have allowed me to embrace change. In fact, I embrace change so much that I crave it. I constantly crave something new. I am, in fact, addicted to it. 

Do you prefer consistency or newness? I’d love to know! 
xox
chloe

senior year reflection

Caroline from Citrus and Style just wrote a great blog post on her junior year reflection. In fact, it was such a great post that I decided that I should write a reflection of my senior year. Senior year was honestly my most favorite year of high school. I don’t know if it’s because I was finally back in “real school” after two long agonizing years of online school, but whatever the reason, it truly was the most amazing year yet. While it was amazing and great and fun, I did learn a few things in the process. 

So here’s what I learned…

+Be friends with everyone. Each person at your school, however seemingly weird, has something so cool about themselves and something you can most definitely learn from them. Whether it’s the band geek, the math prodigy, or the super poplar and supposedly stuck up girl, they are all cool in their own individual ways. Don’t get caught up in trying to surround yourself with a certain “type” of friend group, because in the end, everyone is actually really cool.
+Grades matter, but don’t stress ‘till your breaking point over them. Don’t waste your time away studying for something ridiculous. Obviously,  try your best and do your best, but don’t put so much pressure on yourself. If you don’t get an A+ on a math test, don’t beat yourself up. Just go to some extra tutoring sessions or try harder next time. I spent the first three years of high school absolutely paranoid over my grades, and this year I didn’t, but everything still worked out perfectly. 
+Don’t get caught up in having to have a boyfriend or a significant other. If it happens, it happens, but don’t harp on it. Boys are dumb. Well, most boys. Go on a few dates, kiss a few boys, just have fun with it. 
+Stop caring what other people think. This is clearly easier said than done, but if you enjoy reading alone at coffee shops, playing a weird sport, or posting dumb videos of yourself on your Snap Story, just do it. Who cares what everyone thinks? You do you, flawlessly. 
+Spend time with your family. Of course they annoy you, but next year, in college, you won’t be able to just chill on the couch and watch a dumb movie with your dad, go shopping with your mom, or go on fun random adventures with your brother. Don’t take family time for granted! 

So there you have it. A list of five things to remember for your senior year, or just life in general I guess.
What’s something you learned from your senior year of high school? Any advice for me for college next year?

Thanks for reading! 
xox
Chloe

Summer Blogging

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, and I sincerely apologize for that. Ever since I started back in “real school” blogging took the back burner. I think it’s mostly because I was trying to focus more on in person relationships and trying to catch up for missed things that I just physically couldn’t do when I was sick. So for that, I apologize. But at the same time, I think being selfish every once in a while is ok. I think it’s ok that I made new friends and hung out with them when maybe I should’ve stayed home and written a blog post. I think it’s ok that I maybe focused on school work instead of taking pictures for an outfit post. It’s ok. I’m not going to stress over it. But now I’m back and better than ever. 

    Summer is officially in full swing. The weather is perfect. The sun in shining. The pool is calling my name. My bike is being ridden again. Ice cream tastes better than it ever has. Oh how I’ve missed the three best months of the year. I also will be working this summer at a local golf course. I’m going to be a counselor helping teach younger kids golf, and I’m so excited. I think it’s going to be the perfect summer job because I get to be outside, I get to be around fun kids, and I get payed for doing what I love. However, since I only work four to five hours a day I’m going to try to focus a lot on blogging. If you have any post recommendations feel free to let me know and I’ll try my hardest to write the most interesting version of that idea possible. 

Thanks for reading! 
xox
Chloe