Lots of Love.

Today I am doing a guest post over at the wonderful blog Cardigan Empire where I will be joining the Beauty-full Tuesday series.
I feel so lucky because so many amazing women have been apart of this :) 
So check it out!

 ALSO
 Just in case you guys didn't have the chance to see the
series I was apart of called Women Who Love.
I wanted to share what I wrote, here on my blog!
Alycia
Age: 22
Love: History and Traveling

How long have you been studying history?
Technically I have been studying history since I started school right? History has always been one of my favorite classes in school, along with all of the Social Studies courses. This is why I decided to get a Social Science Teaching Major along with a History Teaching Minor. I get to study history, geography, politics, government and anything else you can imagine when it comes to people, places and how those relate to each other.

How has studying history made a positive impact on the rest of your life?
I believe that the more you understand a person’s history and culture, the better you can relate to them. I guess my love for history really comes from a love for people.

How has it given you confidence?
I believe that being informed and educated about the world you live in empowers you. When you know where you came from, you have a better idea of where you are going, and what you want to do.

What's your favorite memory of learning about history?
My favorite memory is probably when I was on a bus traveling through Japan. Our tour guide was amazing and she told us old Japanese tales while we traveled to different places. I learned so much about Japanese culture and the people through those stories.

Your favorite historical story?
Oh there are too many to choose! I think for a long time I was most fascinated with Roman history and their stories. Roman history is straight out of a movie, which is why there are probably so many! When I was in Rome I got to see the coliseum. A lot of people know that they use to have gladiator death fights there, but what most people don’t know is that they also would fill the coliseum up with water, put boats in there and have actual pirate battles! Incredible.

Has learning history impacted your love for traveling and culture?
I would almost say that my love for traveling and culture impacted my love for history. When I was in the 7th grade I won a writing contest and was able to be an exchange student in Japan. At the young age of 13 my eyes were astonished at this culture that was presented to me, it was so different from my world. Being there sparked something inside of me that made me want to learn more about other places and people. I developed a strong desire to see and learn about all the other places out there and to meet people different from me. Since then I have been able to travel many other places. So for I have mostly been around Europe, but I can’t wait to see even more!

This love of history is something I want to share with others, which is why I want to teach. I think it is so important for kids to know about their country, their rights, and their ancestors’ stories. In my opinion, understanding your Government and History are vital elements in helping young students figure out what they really want in their lives and in their futures. It helps them figure out who they are.

Do you have any advice for women interested in learning more about history?
Sometimes people think of history and think “boring.” But there are so many avenues that relate to history that are so exciting. I think it is important for women (and everyone) to learn about their families’ histories and the worlds histories so we can continue to learn and grow. I think it is also important to celebrate our successes and unite with people from different parts of the world. Not everyone can travel the world, not everyone can go back to school and learn more about history. But there are specific things women can do every day to play an active role in their learning and growing and participating in history. I think women should be knowledgeable in politics, and VOTE! We didn’t always use to have this right, and it is such a valuable one that helps shape our nation. Women can also document and put together family histories that can be passed down to generations where we can learn about our ancestors, and the things they did for us and their country. I also think women in America can take advantage of the fact that there are such a variety of cultures here to learn from. Women should gather together and have culture nights where they cook and share stories about where they are from and where they come from. Share traditions, stories, culture, celebrate LIFE.

In one sentence, what are your feelings about the importance of learning about history?
Understanding the history of countries, peoples, and places will help you learn how to understand and relate to others, as well as teaching you lessons that have already been taught, that will hopefully make you a better person.

Hello World!

Boy have I missed blogland! I have been traveling, and then I came right home to moving and I have had NO time to read my favorite blogs, and reply to your guys' comments until this past weekend. Moving has been a drag, which moving tends to be, but I am starting to feel more settled and don't have much left to put away, so that's good! So sorry for all the delay around here! I figured I better kick off this Monday with some Life Should be a Party! &I can't wait to update you on the rest of my travels in the next little bit.

Little to Big things I am celebrating in my life lately...
+having the opportunity to go to SMA camp. It was amazing. I love those kids so much, and was so happy to be apart of it.
+spending lots of time with my adorable nephews. they are a handful, but I cherish the time.
+being able to spend some time with my grandparents. they live in Nanaimo &I never get to see them. It was sooooo much fun :)
+getting to spend time in British Columbia, to me it is one of THE most beautiful places ever.
+having wonderful family &friends helps us move! I don't know what we would have done without them.
+getting to have some girl time with my little sister! living in the same city is going to be a blast!
+trying to get back on track with my health... vacations can mess you up, and I want to eat right and start working out again. I am feeling motivated! I went on a run this morning and everything.
+actually having some time alone all day with Trevor, even if it is packing and cleaning, I still enjoy it :)
+oh and pizza rolls. yes I am going to celebrate pizza rolls, because they are the best little creation of loveliness that you can just pop in your mouth haha

What have you guys been celebrating as of late? 
I am thinking of possibly starting to feature on my blog YOUR submissions of your Life Should be a Party Monday blog posts. Does that make sense? So not just the link up but an entire post on my blog would be your life should be a party post! Maybe a couple times a month? I don't know. What do you guys think? Would you all be down for that?
 

San Diego Playing Tourist :)


So Trevor and his friends decided to go on an overnight deep sea fishing trip! This left one of the other wives in the group and me alone. Since Billie hadn't really seen San Diego before my mother and I decided to give her a quick introduction to some of the fun things you could do downtown! We ate lunch down town at Babycakes and had the best tomato basil soup ever, with the most amazing homemade croutons (&some cupcakes if you remember) We walked around the beautiful Sea Port Village, and showed her some of the great boats around in the harbor. There happened to be a special Navy Sailing Ship from Chile there which got my mother all excited seeing that Alex my little brother is serving in Chile right now! The boat is the second tallest and longest sail boat in the world. Later that day we all went to a great show down town called Mix Tape, a fun musical highlighting the best of the 80's. It was a jam packed day and we were so exhausted when we rolled in around midnight :)

It was a perfect day! :)

Oh & P.S. Today is my HALF birthday! Does anyone else take note of their half birthdays? haha :)

what women love.


Do you all remember when I did this post? You all made lots of guesses as to what I was giving a sneak peek for, some of which were pretty clever. But what I really did was a photo shoot with the lovely lady who shot these beauties to go along with her wonderful new series called Women Who Love. I was so happy to participate in this series because Lissa focuses on all the different things that women love and what women are passionate about.
I of course chose to focus on my love for history, cultures, &travel. 
Check out the full post here!