Monthly Archives

April 2017

Relationships

First Date Ideas

April 25, 2017

Hi guys!  Thanks for visiting Allison in Wonderland today!  This post is going to be about just what the title says – ideas for your first date!  Although I’ve been in a relationship for a couple years now, a lot of my friends have been going on first dates recently and I wanted to compile some ideas for those of you who might be trying to think of something fun!  Let’s get started.

Outdoor Arboretum/Park  My boyfriend and I’s first date was actually right here on campus at James Madison University.  It was our freshman year so I wasn’t allowed to have my car on campus so we had to make do with what we had.  Luckily, I lived in a section of campus that was right across from JMU’s arboretum, which is a beautiful, outdoor garden type place that has a walking path through the woods and a pond.  At this point in my freshman year, I hadn’t been to the arboretum yet so it was the perfect first date!  He planned it all out and it was so fun!

Amusement Park  Something I’ve wanted to do for years with my boyfriend is go to Hershey Park, our nearest amusement park.  We’re finally getting to go this summer and I can’t wait!  Amusement parks are a really great first date location because there’s so much to do!  You can ride the rides, eat cotton candy, people watch, and you’ll never run out of things to talk about.  It’s also a good environment to be in if you decide you’re not that into him because it’s still a fun thing to do even if you end up just being friends!

Boardwalk  If you live in or near a beach town, this one’s a given.  Boardwalks provide so many fun things to do!  You can play arcade games, ride the ferris wheel (ferris wheels are my favorite), browse in the souvenir shops, and even take a walk along the beach!  I live relatively close to the beach and at our boardwalk, they sometimes have bonfires on the beach at night.  It would be so cute to grab dinner, walk along the boardwalk, and then watch the sunset by the fireside!

Those are all the first date ideas I have to share today!  Which one was your favorite?  Let me know in the comments.  See you next Tuesday!

Relationships

Long-Distance Relationship Survival Guide

April 18, 2017

Hi everyone!  Welcome back to my blog.  In this post, I’m going to be diving into the topic of long-distance relationships!  I’ve been in a long-distance relationship since my freshman year of college so I’m here to tell you a few key tips that have helped us make it this far.  Let’s jump into it!

Have a good foundation.

In any relationship, you need to have a lot of trust for one another.  But in long-distance relationships, that importance is even more apparent because chances are, you’re only seeing each other about once or twice a month (if you’re lucky).  You need to really know the person you’re dating and know that they respect and love you enough to treat your relationship with confidence and respect.

Make your time together count.

Making your time together count doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to be out-and-about every time you see each other, it just means that when you’re with them, really make sure you’re with them.  Try not to be on your phone or doing other work when you get to see them.  I know I’m definitely guilty of loving social media, but I try to keep my scrolling to a minimum when I’m with him.

Plan the next time you’re going to see each other when you’re together.

Something that’s really helped me throughout the past couple years is planning the next time I’ll see my boyfriend when we’re actually with each other.  That way, when one of us has to go back to school when the weekend is done, it’s easier because I know that it won’t be long until I see him again.  If you don’t plan for the next time, it makes the weeks seem so much longer and you’re schedule is left up in the air because no concrete plans have been made.

Utilize social media.

My last bit of advice is to utilize social media and other apps.  My boyfriend and I really like to use Snapchat because it makes texting feel so much more personable!  You’re still asking how the other’s day was and sharing what you’re doing, but you get to see their face and their surroundings.  Another thing we like to do is FaceTime!  We like to use FaceTime for the same reasons we like to use Snapchat, but it’s just a little better because it’s real time and you feel like you’re in the room with them!

That’s all for my long-distance relationship tips; I hope it helped you!  Let me know what other posts you’d like to see from me in the comments.  Talk to you next week!

 

College

College Tips & Tricks

April 11, 2017

Hi everyone!  Welcome back to Allison in Wonderland!  Today, I’m bringing you some of my best tips and tricks for college.  Over the last three years that I’ve been in college, I’ve learned a thing or two and I wanted to share it with you!  Let’s get started.

  • Join clubs and organizations.  During my first semester at James Madison University, I must have joined at least eight clubs.  I wanted to try everything and it ended up being a little bit too much, but I’m so glad I put myself out there from the start!  By the end of that first semester, I had found a really wonderful fellowship on campus that helped me secure my place at JMU and I’m so grateful that I was able to be surrounded by great people so early on.
  • Get an internship!  At some schools, it’s a requirement that you do an internship before you graduate, and I’m 100% supportive of that!  I got my first internship the summer before my junior year and it was incredible.  Not only did it affirm the industry I want to work in when I graduate, but I got to work with so many terrific professionals who were more than happy to talk about my future career!
  • Move off campus.  This is a big one for me!  I lived on campus my first and second years and now I’m living off for my third and fourth.  My college experience really changed when I switched from living in a dorm to living in an apartment.  It allows you to feel so much more independent and it gave me the separation between school and home that I was looking for.
  • Live with people you know.  It’s really important in college to live with people who you know and trust.  Bad living situations can affect every aspect of your college life and it can so easily be avoided!  If you have to live with people you don’t know, be sure to ask around about them and see what kind of people they are before you commit.
  • Have fun!  Don’t get me wrong, academics have to come first but it’s also important to not let yourself get too stressed out.  At JMU, we have a really great gym that does all different types of workout classes and they’re such a great stress relief.  Once you find a couple hobbies, you’ll be good to go!

I hope you enjoyed these college tips and tricks!  Let me know if you’d like to see another post like this closer to my graduation.  Have a great week!

Things I'm Loving Right Now

Top 2 Starbucks Drinks for Lactose-Intolerants

April 4, 2017

Hey everyone and thanks for coming back to my blog today!  As you can tell from the title, this post will be all about my favorite drinks to get at Starbucks if you’re lactose-intolerant (or lactose-sensitive like me).  I’ve known that I am very sensitive to lactose since the beginning of high school so I’ve had a good amount of time to find my go-to drinks.  Let’s get into it!

My favorite Starbucks drink year-round is the classic chai.  I’m not a big coffee person, so teas are what I go for a lot of the time.  Sometimes I order the regular chai, but most of the time I order an iced vanilla chai latte with soy milk. Usually, it’s just what I need to get my day going!  Adding the vanilla syrup to the normal mix makes the drink just a bit sweeter and you don’t taste as much of that spicy kick.  In addition to the vanilla being added, I think what makes me like it so much is that it’s iced.  I’m not much of a fan of warm drinks, so the fact that I can get it iced makes all the difference!

My next Starbucks favorite is their hot chocolate.  I go to college in the Virginia mountains, so it gets pretty cold and windy here during the wintertime and sometimes you need something warm to drink to keep your hands from freezing off while you’re walking to class!  Typically, I don’t do anything crazy to it so I just stick with a hot chocolate with soy milk.  If I’m feeling like I need something a little bit extra, I’ll add 2 pumps of peppermint syrup.  Starbucks also has a hazelnut syrup that I’ve been dying to try!

Since I’m already talking about Starbucks, I thought I’d mention another favorite of mine… their pumpkin bread!  I’ve been getting Starbucks’ pumpkin bread for years and I absolutely love it!  I’d definitely recommend it if you’re in the market for a quick treat.

Those are my top 2 Starbucks drinks to get if you can’t have milk!  Let me know your favorites by commenting below.  Have a great week!