Book Review: Delirium

Spoiler Alert!!

They say the cure for love will make me happy and safe forever.

And I have always believed them. Until Now.

Now, everything has changed.

Now, I'd rather be infected with love for the tiniest sliver of a second

than live a hundred years smothered by a lie.

       I am a huge fan of the book series The Hunger Games. I just finished reading through the trilogy for my fourth time. This being said, I love books that take place in a futuristic dystopian society.

       Delirium takes place approximately 63 years in the future. The government has diagnosed Love as a disease, and at the age of eighteen every Amerian has a procedure that eliminates all love and any feelings that go along with it. The story follows a girl named Lena as she nears her procedure. Here's the catch, there are people who resist the "cure" and live in the wilds outside of Portland (where Lena lives). It's quite obvious, but Lena meets a boy who has decided against the cure, and they fall in love. They then must find a way to esape the procedure and live together in the wilds.

      Delirium is like no other futuristic book I've read in that the author takes so much time describing the society and why the people believe love is a disease. The way she writes the story makes me think that if I were to live in this society, I would be just like the rest of the people who have been convinced by the government.

      This book had we screaming, laughing, and crying. (However, I tend to this with many books. Haha!) I absolutely adore this book! It is definitely one that you will pick up and not put back down until you are finished. I found myself wanting to be a part of each of the characters lives. The only thing that frustrated me was the last three pages of the book. Biggest cliff hanger I have ever read!! I guess that just means I will have to go purchase the sequel next time I am in the bookstore. I love Lauren Oliver and her other book Before I Fall. I very much recommend this book to everyone!

      If you have read Delirium before, let me know your thoughts about it in the comments below! And if you have any recommendations for me, let me know those as well!

Colorful Heart Cards

by Alyssa

Who doesn't love to receive a handmade card? I like to make my own cards because they are so much more meaningful to give and fun to make. One problem with making your own cards, however, is that it can take a long time! These pretty little heart cards only take about 20 minutes to make all three, and you probably already have the supplies to make them. Next time one of your friends has a birthday or you want to give a thank you card, consider trying one of these designs, or maybe make all three to have some extras on hand!

All you will need to make these cards is white paper, colorful scraps (construction paper is okay too), scissors, a glue stick, and a sharpie. Ribbon is optional.

Cut your scraps into even squares. This will help you make the hearts the same size. If you want to make a bunch of cards at once, just cut more squares!

Fold all the squares in half.

Cut a heart from each folded square. You could also just freehand cutting the hearts, but I like to do it this way so the heart is even.

Finish cutting out all of the hearts and now get creative with how to arrange them on your card! Here's a couple ideas that I used, but be creative and do whatever you think looks good.

I hope this inspired you to make some handmade cards! Have a great day and thanks for stopping by our blog :)

Gratitude Journal

by Alyssa

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to write five things that I am thankful for each day. The idea of having a gratitude journal was actually recommended to me by one of my professors last semester, and I'm really glad I started doing this. It has been a wonderful reminder for me to stop and count my blessings every single day, even if I'm in a bad mood and don't feel like doing it.

 

I write my list each day in this pretty purple journal that my sister bought me. I love the quote on the front because it reminds me to remember each moment that I am thankful for! I write down anything that comes to mind when I think of what I'm thankful for - sometimes it's people in my life, sometimes it's just some silly little thing that made me smile that day. 

Even though I've only been doing this for a couple of months, it's already fun to look back and see what I was thankful for on certain days. I would highly encourage everyone to start something like this; it really helps remind you how much you have especially when you're having a bad day!

"Gratitude is the heart of contentment. I have never met a truly 

thankful, appreciative person who was not profoundly happy."

 -Neil Clark Warren

Ombre Glitter Nails

by Alyssa

I am obsessed with glitter nail polish! I usually have a bright solid nail color on four fingers and glitter on one accent nail. I was excited to change things up a big and try out some ombre glitter nails. Getting pretty nail polish and creating fun designs is a fabulous way to add style to your look without spending much money. As a college student, that is always something I'm looking for! Here's a tutorial for this super fun and easy manicure.

As always, start with a clear base coat to protect your nails. Add two coats of any solid color polish. I love the clean look of this Essie polish that I used!

Wait for the first two coats to dry all the way, then add a VERY thin coat of glitter polish on the whole nail. Make sure you don't use too much!

Carefully paint a thin coat of glitter polish on the bottom third of your nail, then let it dry completely. Add one more stripe of glitter at the very bottom of your nail, then finish it off with a clear topcoat. And there you are! You have beautiful ombre glitter nails.

The colors I used were Sally Hansen Invisible, Essie Sand Tropez, and Color Club Take the Stage.

Hello Weekend

by Alyssa

Don't you love weeks that are just so relaxing? I only had class 3 days this week and barely any homework, which is very unusual. It was a welcome break from my last few crazy weeks. On Friday, Brianna and I went on a little hike with some friends. The weather was beautiful and we snapped this picture as the sun was just starting to set. See those beautiful colors in the sky? That would be smog...oh the joys of living in SoCal! At least we have gorgeous sunsets here because of it. Here are a few more fun pictures from the week.

 

Some unique necklaces I spotted at a flea market - aren't those owls adorable?!

 

Sorry for the blurry picture, but I thought I'd share this since it made me smile. The barista at Starbucks spelled my name right AND added a smiley face to my iced coffee! It definitely brightened up my Business Law study session.

I hope you had a wonderful week as well! Happy weekend everybody :)

Operation Beautiful

by Alyssa

We hear so many negative messages from the media, our peers, and sometimes even ourselves. It is really easy to get caught up in external beauty and forget that inner beauty and strength is far more important. I came across Operation Beautiful about a year ago and I was so inspired by what I read. Caitlin, the founder of Operation Beautiful, started the blog as a way to end negative self-talk and remind everyone that they are beautiful.

The idea is simple – she encourages readers to post anonymous notes in public places for others to find. These notes will hopefully brighten the day of whoever finds them and remind them that they are beautiful just the way they are. I love this idea, so I decided to post some Operation Beautiful notes around my college campus. Here are a few of them!

On a random mailbox.

In a library book waiting to be found!

Women's bathroom mirror.

On a bathroom door in the coffee shop.

We want to challenge you to post your own Operation Beautiful note today! And remember…you are beautiful!

Kony 2012

by Brianna

I'm sure everyone reading this has either a son, daughter, younger sibling, cousin, niece, nephew, or knows a young child. What I want you to do is picture those children. Now imagine them being abducted in their sleep. The girls being forced into sex slavery and the boys being handed rifles and taught how to kill. Sounds inhuman, right?

In Uganda, Africa, over 30,000 children have been abducted by a man named Joseph Kony. What's his motive? He wants nothing more then the feeling of power. Right now, the US has sent a small group of soldiers to Uganda to aid their army in the capture of Kony. However, since it is not in the interest of the US government, they are threatening to take back the soldiers by the end of 2012 if Kony is not captured and arrested. You can watch a video about this here. 

Here's how you can help arrest Joseph Kony. We want the US government to know that it in the interest of the US citizens to bring justice and save these children. We're doing this by making Kony famous. Spread the word to your family and friends, post it on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Be a part of "Cover the Night" on April 20, 2012.

You have the power to bring justice and save over 30,000 children. Use that power.

Visit the Invisible Children website to learn more about how you can help capture Kony.