Hiking With Ten Children In Brazos Bend State Park | Photo Diary

Over spring break I went hiking with my family and some other peoples! It was a lot of fun and I took a bunch of pictures so I thought I would share a fun little picture diary. :)

I also did a vlog of break which I would love for y'all to check out. :)

We woke up pretty early and I got changed into my hiking clothessss. :) It was kind of chilly so I put on some leggings, a long t-shirt, my purple sweater, and of course a hat. 

About 2 hours later we were there. :) Right when we arrived, the children saw this tree and just ran to it. Then of course the parents had to take pictures. Dealing with big groups of people is an ordeal you guys. 

My friend Lydia

This is the daughter of one of my moms friends and she is pretty much one of the cutest humans ever. She has the voice of a doll or something.

Before we got started, we went out onto this little pier and looked around trying to spot some alligators. 

And then we started actually walking along the trail.

Yay it's meeee

These cute sisters were to adorable not to take a pic of. :)

On our path was this tall little watchtower you could climb up so, of course, we did! The view was really cool. The land was almost kind of like a swamp but it was gorgeous.

Nature reflection pics will always be my fave haha. 

We saw an alligator on the side of the path! It was just sitting there. I think it was asleep but I'm not sure. 

The wild flowers were absolutely gorgeous. The natural colors and just beauty of this world sometimes amazes me. 

We had our mandatory photo shoot with the flowers.

Eden found a caterpillar on one of the flowers.

Then we found this monster cave so duh more pictures haha. I pictured that giant spider thing from Harry Potter living in there. 

After four miles and two or so hours of walking, we were donnne. It was slow but fun. Afterwards I literally came home and passed out on the couch. I never sleep during the day so that actually means something haha.  

Have you ever been to a state park? Have you ever been hiking? Do you enjoy being in nature?

Instagram Story Tips + Ideas | Instagram 101

Super excited because this is the second post in my little Instagram 101 series that I announced last
post! In that post, I shared 21 Instagram caption ideas. Today I thought it would be fun to talk a bit about
Instagram stores. Get ready for some tips and tricks and also why they're really important. :)

Why you should even care:

Instagram stories are super important and so many people don't realize this. It's a time to get personal
with your followers and just share more about yourself that a normal feed post can't do. I'm guessing
you've heard about how Instagram is fake and not authentic. I think it's one hundred percent OK to want
your feed to look perfect. I'm pretty sure most people do. But that means on your story you can show
that other side of you!! Show that you actually have struggles and that your hair isn't actually always
nice and all done up. Plus, if they've seen your story, they're more likely to remember you and comment
on your post.

To recap posting on your story is important because:

-allows you to be more personal with your followers

-can help show that you're a real human

-people are more likely to interact with your posts

OK now let’s actually get started. :)

Insta Story Tips:

Some small tips and things you can add. :)

-Use gifs!! They make a simple old picture so much more fun. You can find gifs in the stickers section. :)

-Change up your text and make them rainbow. I'm sure you've seen this on someone else's story
and thought it was super cool!! It's actually not that hard. You can check out this video to find out how.

-Use hashtags. This is probably an of course for regular feed posts but it's actually really helpful for
stories as well. When you click on a hashtag it will bring you to it's home page. Then you can click on
the little story icon. This will pull up all of the stories that are currently active with that hashtag. That
means that if you put a hashtag on your story you will automatically be added and will be able to be seen
by a bunch of more people.

-Share your location. Of course be careful about it but people love to see where you are and what
you're up to!! Plus, just like hashtags, it adds you to the story for that location.

-You can make background a plain color in the app. Some people actually don't realize this. Go to
adding a story and either pull up a previous image or take one. Then click on the marker button up at
the top and choose one of the colors. After choosing a color simply hold down on the screen and the
whole screen should change to that color.

Insta Story Ideas:

I know so many people who want to post more on their stories but just don't know how. Here are
some ideas!

-Share other accounts you love. It will make there day and help your followers find someone new to
follow.

-Your meal with a little recipe. I know Instagram is notorious for being a place where people just share
their food every day to an audience that doesn't really care but I personally love seeing what people are
eating. Plus if you're not a food account then your story is the perfect place to share all things related to
food. If you want to go above and beyond, share the recipe and how you made it.

-An unboxing of new things you got in the mail. One thing I personally love is actually seeing people's
reactions to things. Set up your phone down in front of you so that we can see your face and you have
both hands to open the package.

-Quotes are something fun you can easily share on your story!! I share positive post quotes on my
story all the time and a lot of times people will reply saying stuff like "I needed this" or "This made my
day" and it just makes me so happy. :)

-Use the questions sticker and answer questions. This is such a great way to connect with your
followers. Use the new questions stickers and tell them to ask you questions/tell you something. You
could mix it up and tell them to send you assumptions about you and you can share them and say if
they're correct or not.

-Share polls and get insight into your followers! You can ask them what they want you to post or if they
like cats or dogs or pretty much anything. Fun to do and also helpful to you.

-Make or find wallpapers and post themmmm. I love changing up my wallpapers and it makes it so
easy when people share them on your story. Plus if you like graphic design you can make them and
maybe send them as freebies for following. :)

-Share new things like an insta or blog post. It's kind of annoying when this is all you share on your
story, but generally, it's totally ok!! People are a whole lot more likely to look at your stories than your
posts so share that new insta post. And if you have anything else new, share it!!

-Music/show faves. You can from both share from both spotify and netflix super easily!!

-Literally just share what you do in your day! Share what you're up tooooo. Don't share every little
thing about your day cause that's a bit boring but feel free to share little snippets of your day. Fun
events and things. :) If you don't have time during the day you could do a little video recap talking about
you day sometime near when you go to bed.

I hope you loved that and that it was helpful! If you did like it, make sure to check out my other post in the series with 21 Instagram caption ideas. :) If you're not following me on instagram already it would make me super happy if you coulddddd. I post all about my life among other things. :) If you follow me, dm me on there and tell me you're from my blog. I'll follow you back! Comment down below your insta user and what post you want to see next. :)

21 Instagram Captions Ideas For When You're Totally Stumped For What To Post + Announcing New Series!

Instagram captions are so so so important and I see people ignoring this all the time. The picture is of course extremely important. Instagram is a visual platform. The photo is what captures people attention. The caption though? That's what makes them stay and maybe actually follow! I personally though have a hard time knowing what to post. I have the pictures but I have absolutely no idea what to put in the caption. That's where this post comes in! I'm going to be giving you 21 Instagram caption ideas!

Call To Action/Question

After every idea I will also be including a question/call to action which you can put at the end of the post. This is extremely important if you want more engagement and comments on your post. Sometimes it's hard to know what to comment. When you ask people a question though, it makes it super easy! Also just a little pro tip, it's usually better to ask a question that's easy to answer. You might be less likely to get a response if the question is more thought provoking although this can be very good. Depends what the post is about.

Who these ideas are for:

Most of these ideas will work for pretty much any general lifestyle account. It is very important to stick to your niche though. If you usually post workout content it's a bit odd if you suddenly posted a food recipe. Keep that in mind!

The ideas:

1. A little intro with some facts about you

This is an awesome post to do if you're a newer account or if you have just recently gained a bunch of followers. Reintroduce yourself.  Maybe say where you live, what your name is, your hobbies, and a couple of miscellaneous facts.

CTA: what are 3 fun facts about you?
2. Three of your current fave products

People love to know the products you're using! Do a little roundup and share some you've been loving. You could do one or three or five! This could be a perfect opportunity to test out your product photography. This is also a good idea if you have a sponsored post you need to do for a brand.

CTA: what are some of your favorite products?
3. Your go to snack

I love getting new ideas and I'm sure your followers do as well! Share a fun little easy snack you love making. If you want you can share multiple and have a little roundup. :)

CTA: What's your favorite snack?
4. Your fave restaurant 

Went to a restaurant recently? Share it!! People love restaurant recommendations especially if you have a more local audience! You can talk about what kind of food it was, what you got, and also tips and what to and not to get.

CTA: what's one of your favorite restaurants?
5. Tell about your day

I'm telling you, people love just simple day updates. I honestly thought people would get bored hearing about my day every day but they didn't?! Ummm what?! And I promise your life is probably more exciting than mine. Talk about what you were feeling and what you did and what made you sad or happy. Just give a little insight into your mind and life.

CTA: what's something that made you smile today?
6. An event you're excited for

Maybe you have a concert coming up or a performance you're in that you're super excited for. Talk about it! If you're nervous literally say that. People are so so so supportive and will say all of the good lucks. This is also good because when you post about the event people already know it's happening so they will be more interested. They will want to know how it went.

CTA: What's something that you're currently excited about?
7. Recap of event you went to

Aka the after of the above! Share how it went and show all of the picsssss. If it made you super happy USE ALL CAPS. People love to see real emotion and if you seem super happy they will also get excited. It's like people who have a contagious laugh. Except. Well. Online!

CTA: have you been to any fun events lately?
8. Your favorite classes in school 

You can do this one if you're in school or even if you have already graduated. I think a lot of times we totally separate our online and school lives, but you don't have to. I also think knowing what someone likes to do in school can tell a lot about a person and also show your audience some new interests they maybe didn't know you had. For example whenever I tell people I take theater and broadcast journalism they're like, "Oh my gosh. That's so cool!"

CTA: what was/is your favorite class in school?
9. Your favorite songs

Sharing every single song you listen to on your story can be a bit annoying. I think an actual post is a good place to share music though! Round up five of your absolute favorite songs and share them!! I personally am always looking for new music recommendations and I'm sure your followers are as well.

CTA: What's your current favorite song? I always want recommendations!
10. Tips for school

If you have an audience that is mainly in school share your tips! It's really helpful. You don't even have to be graduated or a senior to share your tips. I was helping my siblings start school when I was like in third grade. It's not like they said thank you but I'm sure I was very helpful.

CTA: what grade are you in?
11. Movie/book review

If you like movies or books and are always giving reviews to your friends who maybe don't care put that hobby to good use! Share your fave new movie with your followers. Scream about the adorable ships. Fandoms are powerful. Use that to your advantage.

CTA: what is one of your favorite movies/books?
12. Talk about where you/your family is originally from 

I personally think this is really interesting. Especially in the US there are people from everywhere. And you might not know it just from looking at them. If your family has cool traditions share them!! Maybe you eat different food than a lot or your friends. Share itttt.

CTA: where are you from?
13. Fun things to do in your city

Like the restaurant one, this is good if you have a more local audience. Share your fave things to do and just fun places in your city from a local.

CTA: where do you live?
14. Tips on being productive

This is always helpful. To literally everyone. Everyone wants to be productive. And like the one about school, you don't have to be an expert. You can just the share your personal things that you do to help you be productive and maybe help someone along the way.

CTA: what is your top tip for being productive?
15. Instagram tips

If someone is on instagram they probably want grow there instagram which means reading tips would be very helpful. I have multiple insta friends who have done whole little series on instagram tips and like how to grow and they seem to do really well.

CTA: favorite app?
16. Talk about your new blog post/youtube video/any new project 

This is probably an of course but I thought I would still list it!! If you have any other social medias besides instagram, then they should all be connected!! Share your new stuff across all platforms.

CTA: have you checked out my new post?
17. Talk about some of your fave Instagram accounts

Just talk and scream about your faves and tag them. People love following suggestions! Plus you could make this a collab with someone and y'all could both give each other shoutouts. Or maybe the person you tag might see the post and like. That is always so cool. And you can get people to tag there faves which brings even more people to the post.

CTA: what are some of your favorite instagram accounts? Tag them!
18. Art 

If you are an artist first of all shoutout to you because I have no art skill, second the world needs to see that talent. If you have more of a lifestyle/ascetic feed it might be hard to incorporate art but if you don't want to make a whole other accounts it's totally possible. Play around with it!


CTA: would you call yourself an artist? Should I post more art?
20. DIY instructions/show of a cute DIY 

If you are into being creative and making cute DIYs off of Pinterest, totally show them off on the gram. I am personally very bad at making things look cute so I could never haha. If you have that talent though, use ittttttttt. I love the fun little DIY videos on instagram.

CTA: what DIY should I do next?
21. Answer questions people usually ask you/ask for questions on your story

If you've been online long enough you probably have gotten people asking questions. If you've been online super long, then you've probably gotten repeat questions. Take a moment to answer them!! Plus then, if someone asks you again, you can just refer to the post. If you don't get a lot of questions, use the questions feature on your story. This is a great way for you to help your audience and produce content they actually want/share more about yourself.

CTA: What is something you have always wanted to ask me?
22. Share a fun/inspiring quote

Quotes do weirdly well on instagram!! Plus there are numerous ways to do them. You could edit one onto a pic you're already planning on posting, make a separate graphic, or just put it in the caption. One thing about quote posts is that they're more likely to get shared.

CTA: tag someone who inspires you!

I hope you liked that post because I'm officially announcing a new series on my blog!! I get so many questions about instagram so now I'm going to be doing a bunch of posts on it. :) I have at least 3 posts in my little Instagram 101 series planned out but I would love to do more. Comment down below any insta questions you have/things you want me to write about! I want to do posts that are actually helpful to you lovely people. :)

slow down

breathe
just breathe
sit down
and maybe close your eyes
or don't that's cool too
but just let your mind be opened
to how amazing
and privileged
you really are

breathe in
and out
let those other worries flow away
they matter
but not right now

we all know you probably need a break
i originally wrote this during thanksgiving season
everyone is talking about thankfulness
i've heard this a lot lately
how for a couple of times a day
we should stop

and say a little thank you

maybe to your mom
or your best friend
for the food
or the weather

i want you to do that right now
i know you didn't click on this post to work
but i promise
it's helpful

think of three things
that just make you happy
they could be super random
it's actually better if they're more specific

maybe you've had a bad day
and you're not exactly in the thankful mood
that happens         
but i promise
you can think of three things you're thankful for
look around the room
at your clothes
at whatever you're reading this on

fun fact
they found a neurological link
between being generous
and being happy

maybe generosity goes along with thankfulness for you 

maybe help your parents with dinner 

or just do a gesture that shows them really how much you care 

once again maybe you've had a bad day
but tomorrow?
that's a new day
with new ideas
and themes
and events

i want you to do two things tomorrow

number one
at least three times throughout the day
take a tiny moment
and say thank you
be truly thankful for something

maybe it's the fork that's helping you put your delicious salad in your mouth
or your coworker that smiled at you when you were tired   

number two
do 3 acts of kindness or generosity
and just make someone smile
tell your friend truly how great you think they are
you think they know
but they don't
or maybe how much you love your classmates hair
or just say yes when someone asks for a hair tie
i promise
that's lifesaving sometimes

those both take maybe 5 minutes out of your day max
and guess what 
i'm almost certain you will have a better day 

That's been sitting in my journal for a while so I really hope y'all like it! It's a bit different then some of my normal content but hey, I like mixing things up every once in a while. 

If you liked this post I would recommend checking out:

-You're Never Truly Alone

-Music

-Things I Need To Learn

-Disconnected 

Comment down below one thing you're thankful for!

houston staycation | spring break 2019

I had my spring break recently where I got a needed whole week off from school and I took lots of pictures so I thought it would be fun to do a little photo diary and show you guys what I did! I also did a YouTube video which is coming out next week so make sure to be on the lookout for that as well. :) 

saturday - march 9

I had smoothies pretty much every day for breakfast because they're healthy and make me happy so if I have the time, why not?

sunday - march 10

We went to the rodeo on Sunday!! It was my second time going to the rodeo and my first time seeing a show there so I was so excited! I did a whole other vlog on that which you can check out here. 

We saw this cool tejano band Los Tigres Del Norte and they were cool! We got to go because one of my friends had extra tickets. 

After the show we went to the carnival part. I went on this crazy ride where we went up in the air and spun in circles and it was cool but also insane haha. 

monday - march 11

I got to hang out with this girly the next day and we had a little photoshoot. You can see the full photos on my photography/side insta. 

tuesday - march 12

On Tuesday we got to see captain marvel and I absolutely lovvvvvved it! There were so many little things about the avengers and I am obsessed with the character. Plus I saw it with Lydia and the whole time we were looking at each other because we noticed things and ahhh it was great. I would recommend. 

Lydia's sister got these light up things I think for Christmas and so they put them on and they looked soooo cool! I was like woah. That's really awesome. 

wednesday - march 13

We went to this awesome sushi place for lunch with my grandparents and it was delicious. The fish was so fresh. 

After that my grandparents needed some new furniture (we both moved recently) so we went to high fashion home. They had the best photo backgrounds haha. 

thursday - march 14 

We wanted to go to a museum because we haven't gone to any of the museums in a while and on Thursday some are free but sadly it was to busy. Instead we went and walked around rice village which has a bunch of shops. I found this cute book when we were walking around urban outfitters. By the way I've been learning a lot more about sustainability and fast fashion and it's really made me think about buying from big brands (not that I have the money to anyway). I would love to hear y'alls thoughts. :)

Spotted this at half price books! I thought it was awesome. It was a collection of photos and things from the women's march. I love looking at photos especially in physical form. That's why I like magazines. It gives me inspiration. 

friday - march 15 

On Friday, along with a couple of other of other families, we went hiking at Brazos Bend State Park! 

It's basically a swamp. 

There were these gorgeous wild flowers along the path which made me really happy. 

It was really pretty, I walked a lot, and just generally had a lot of fun. 

saturday - march 16 

I went thrifting! I got this super cute shirt for only a dollar which I'm actually wearing as I'm writing this haha. 

sunday - march 17

The last day of break sadly. It turned out really good though!! Isabel and Lydia came over. Isabel gave me the earrings I'm wearing in the above pic and I just love them. Super cute. :) 

We ended up going to the park and joining a birthday party which we were kind of last minute invited to. 

There were cupcakes and confetti eggs and adorable children and new friends and it was great. 

My gorgeous friends!! It was also Saint Patrick's Day so of course green. It was cool cause at the park you would just look around and pretty much everyone was wearing green. 

And then we had to go back to school because break was over. Comment down below if you have had your spring break yet and if so what you did!