2016 is coming to an end, which means there is a lot I can blog about. I could do the stereotypical resolutions post, a post about how my year has been, or a post about how thankful I am for this year. I don't really want to do any of those, so I am going to talk about how I've grown. I'm going to talk about how 2016 has changed me.

This year was full of so many firsts, good and bad. The first time I went on a spring break trip with friends and the first time flying first class. The first time I went to prom and graduated from high school. The first time I ran a 5k and the first time I went to college. I also got my first jeep and got in my first accident (3 days after getting it lol). I got my first gun and shot it for the first time. I met some of my baby cousins for the first time. The first time I had a serious allergic reaction and the first time I had to get allergy tested. The first time I turned 19, and the last. The first time, in a while, that I can say I am truly happy with myself. How many firsts did you have this year?

I have also grown so much in this past year. I have grown so much in my relationship with Jesus. I am reading daily devotionals and diving more into His word. I have been making more time to talk to God and I have been putting a lot more of my life in his hands.

I have also grown as a person. I have been taking more risks. I have been caring less about being embarrassing. I have been doing everything for myself and for God. I have been trying to please people less and to please God more. I am very happy with the growth I have experienced.

I hope you have all had a great year and I hope that you have a Happy New Year! Take some time to reflect and remember all the good that has happened this year. Think about how you have grown and be thankful for that! See you in 2017! (Also shoutout to my brother for taking these photos of me)

xoxo, Aubrey

getting back to my roots

Hello children! I am currently eating blueberries that I bought almost 2 weeks ago, and yes they are still perfect. Shout out to Trader Joe's for their great organic produce! Okay, but what if Trader Joe's sponsored my blog, do you know how great that would be? I'd probably cry or die, or both.

Anyways, this post has nothing to do with Trader Joe's and everything to do with fashion! Remember when that's what my blog was? Well I am going back to my roots, featuring my Roots beanie (lol I hate myself and the stupid puns I come up with) (Amanda is probably going to end me because of this post, it's fine!).

Paired with: aerie leggings, chunky socks, hippe laundry flannel

Was that a successful fashion post? I think it was, I mean I haven't done one in ages so I wouldn't know. Anyways, hope you enjoyed my Roots beanie and think about buying yourself one (do it)! Love you all very much.

xoxo, Aubs

excerpt from my journal no. 37

It's Christmas Eve Eve, which means it's Journal excerpt time: The Christmas edition! I'm not going to say anything else, so here is my journal excerpt and a great gif from Friends, because I love Friends.

12/20/16

There is so much we get wrong about Christmas. It's not about cute mugs and hot cocoa, Christmas trees covered in elaborate ornaments, or millions of materialistic gifts. It is about love. Jesus' birth was exactly that. God sent himself down in the form of a baby, the most vulnerable form. He felt all the pain and suffering we felt. He healed the sick and raised the dead to life. Jesus came down to save us. He bled for our sins because he loves us. Christmas is about love. Are we showing Jesus our love this Christmas? Are we sharing his love? 

Well there you have it! I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully!

xoxo, Aubrey

we were on a break!

Friends! Hi! Oh how I have missed you all very much! It is officially break, well it has been for a week now, but you know what that means! This meme can be used, yet again! 

So let's have a talk about what a break is meant to be. My break has been very busy and not very relaxing, which is the exact opposite of what it should be. I have had time to paint, write, and binge watch Supergirl (11/10 would recommend), but that is really all. Breaks are supposed to be times where you have no plans, you just relax and go with the flow. But I really haven't had a day where I had absolutely nothing to do, except for today. 

I woke up this morning, made myself a cup of coffee, read my Youversion devotionals (Highly recommend: Waiting Here For You by Louie Giglio, Evangelize, Don't Fossilize!, and She Reads Truth: 5 Favorites), and wrote a super short poem about God's reasons. It was really soothing to know that I could shower whenever I felt like it and eat lunch whenever I got hungry. I love not having a schedule or a plan for the day. (Here's a selfie of Amanda and me in Canada.)

It's only 12:30 in the afternoon and I have so much I could do with the rest of my day. I could head to Trader Joe's for the third time in a week (I mean they are summoning me with their Spotify commercials), I could go to the Plymouth Coffee Bean since I haven't been since before school started, or I could find recipes that I'd love to adapt and create over break. That's the thing about a break, you don't have to decide what you're going to do, you just do it. 

Stop trying to figure out what to do with your break and just live your life. Oscar Wilde once said, "to live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all." Stop just existing and start living. 

xoxo, Aubs

P.S. I'm usually not this inspiring, so don't get used to it :P

tis the season of giving

I strongly believe the only gift anyone really needs this Christmas is the gift of King Jesus, but because people wanted a gift guide, I am going to make one. And because I am broke and I assume many of you also don't have more than $10 to spend on people, this guide will all be under $10. (just an fyi, if you want to get me anything, I will gladly accept a dog that I can hide in my dorm room, or my own personal Trader Joe's that I can shop at all the time.)

For your faithful friends (about $7): These people probably won't ask for anything from you because they want everything for you, so instead you could get them The Message. The Message is Eugene Peterson's translation of the Bible into contemporary language. It's not much different than other versions of the Bible, it just makes more sense, I guess.

For your coffee loving friends (about $10): 3 words: Coffee Care Package! I literally just came up with this idea, seriously! All you need is a cute mug (that you probably found on the sale rack or took from your own personal collection), some coffee (Trader Joe's wake-up blend!), and maybe some cream and sugar? I personally think it's adorable and cheap so it's automatically amazing, right?

For your earthy friends (about $9): Do you have that one friend who is into earthing (me) or essential oils (also me)? Then this is seriously going to be perfect for them! Get them a car diffuser! I personally love diffusing some peppermint and wild orange during the winter because it always lightens my spirit, tell them I said that!

For your artsy friends (about $10): Seriously just get them some crayons and call it a day. Since you can't sense sarcasm on the internet, I'll just tell you that I am being sarcastic! Put some effort in this, go to Michael's and pick out some cool watercolors and some brushes. Artsy friends are cool because they love art supplies and never have enough, so just get them some more!

For your athletic friends (about $10-$15): My athletic friends are cool and all, but really stop showing off (I'm being sarcastic again)! Probably just get them a gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods and go with them because quality time. I seriously don't know what athletic people want for Christmas, other than to make you more athletic. (ex: Chris Traeger and Ann Perkins)

For your foodie friends (about $10): Have you ever been to Trader Joe's or TJmaxx and seen some food that was super weird, but somehow seemed good? Okay now go and grab all of those foods, put them in a gift basket, and deliver it to your foodie friends! Merry Christmas Foodies, you're welcome!

Okay I hope these helped a little bit! I hope you also enjoyed my sarcasm, it is my middle name (Aubrey Sarcasm Sochacki)!

Feel free to scratch all my ideas and come up with your own because I have to admit, some of these are terrible. Anyways, happy gift giving! That's what this season is all about!

"Love is generous!" 

xoxo, Aubrey

excerpt from my journal no. 36

hello sweet little elves! I go home for break tomorrow and I could not be more excited! I miss demon dog. I miss my bed. I miss my church. But most of all, I miss my family!

Okay, here's that journal excerpt you've been waiting for!

11/29/16

my thoughts on soulmates

soulmates! AHHH!!! do they exist? do you have more than one? i don't actually know, but here is what i think. i think they exist and i think we have more than one. i think we have a soulmate in everything we do. like i say that angela and amanda are a couple of my soulmates because we just know exactly what the other needs. i believe that we all have one romantic soulmate who we are meant to spend the rest of our lives with (have you found them? who knows. have i found them? lol). i believe we have many friend soulmates who just understand us and are "our person/people" (i have these people, do you?). i believe we have those soulmates who are the ones who just make our lives better, like your parents or people who don't fit in the other two categories. soulmates are a beautiful thing, knowing that there are people on this earth who were made to do life with you, it’s truly an amazing thing.

when i get worried that i’ll be single forever, i just remember this idea of soulmates. i remember that i have one romantic soulmate who i am meant to be with and i get less worried. i don’t know who are they are, if i’ve met them, or when i’ll realize who they are. all i know is that they’re out there. in the meantime, i have my other soulmates.

Okay 11 days until Christmas! As KB would say, "get turnt, get lit sideways" for Christmas! See ya over the holiday season!

xoxo, Aubs

excerpt from my journal no. 35

hello friends! I hope this cold weather isn't getting you down, even though it sucks. Just remember that maybe God will call you someplace warm in the near future!

Anyways, here is a great journal excerpt that I wrote a day ago!

12/08/16

this is why i stopped asking God to show me signs

it took me so many years of my life to realize that God showed me signs all the time, that i never needed to ask. i didn’t need Him to show me  a sign that he wasn’t the one for me, i didn’t need Him to show me a sign that i was in the right place, i didn’t need a sign that i was at the right church, or that i had the right major. i just needed to pay attention, He was already showing me signs.

God shows us things and speaks to us everyday. most of the time, were just too busy to notice.

take for instance, a new person in your life. did you even think twice about why they’re here? why they’re in your life? i usually don’t think about it. the reality is that God put them there for a reason, they have a purpose in your life. God doesn’t just put people in your life for empty reasons, He does everything with a purpose. He does everything because He loves you.

open up your eyes, listen for his voice. He is all around you. He is trying to get your attention, so please let him.

Hope that helps you get through your day, week, month, year, and life.

with love, Aubrey

a small update

Hello beautiful humans! I just wanted to update you on my life and let you in on a little secret.

Okay first of all, life is stressful. School is stressful. Everything is stressful. That is why I am making this post. To tell you that it is okay to be stressed out, short term stress is actually very good for you, psychologically speaking (Thanks AP Psych)! 

2nd, Some of you know this, others don't. In September, I had a severe, almost anaphylactic, reaction to something. We thought it was a mango allergy, so I got allergy tested. Long story short, I just found out I'm not allergic to mangoes. So now we're back at square one and I have not received any closure about this allergic reaction, so I am just asking for some prayers. 

3rd, exam week is next week. This week is stress week. Therefore, I will only be posting journal excerpts this week and next. I will be blogging tons over break, so be ready my friends! 

4th, I am writing another book. I am almost finished. I have 8 more poems, a dedication page, and an introduction to write. I am currently deciding on a release date. How fun!

5th, secrets are no fun, unless you share with everyone! So I am thinking about starting a Bible study/weekly devotional thing on my blog. I really want to post a Bible verse every week, with some inspiring message and maybe some takeaway questions on it. I am thinking about having guest bloggers for this as well. If anyone is interested in being a guest or helping out with this, please contact me! My professional email is asochack@gmail.com. If you happen to know me personally, contact me in anyway you see fit.

6th, have a great rest of your week and be on the look out for a journal excerpt tomorrow!

xoxo, Aubs

excerpt from my journal no. 34

Hello ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my blog! I am currently lying in bed watching my best friend's hockey game on a live-stream and blowing my nose like a mad woman. Also, Happy December! It's officially Christmas, pretty much!

I am also brainstorming my dedication page (I'm dedicating it to my dog because he loves me lol) for my book and trying to figure out what I want Angela to say in the introduction. For any of you that don't know, Angela actually wrote the intro for Take Me With You. Fun fact of the day: Angela's intro makes me cry every time I read it! Okay back to what this post is actually about, journal excerpts. I am dumb and I have horrifyingly awful writer's block, so I am going to do my best.

11/21/16

Letter To My Grandmas In Heaven

Hi there!

It's that time of year again, where I miss you most. It's been a while since I've heard either of your voices. I miss the sporadic phone calls and sweet birthday cards. I miss family dinners. I miss breakfast at the Dearborn Inn. I miss escargot flying at the ceiling on Christmas. I miss beet soup. I miss "Weggie Tales" and your laughs. I miss not hating December 2nd and January 2nd, two of the worst days of my life.

Grammy, it's been 8 years since I last saw you. I still can't believe it. Sometimes I listen to your life story, just so I can hear your voice again. Sometimes I drive by your old home because maybe I'll feel your presence. Thank you for being such a faithful figure in my childhood. Hope you're happy in heaven, I'm so happy you're no longer paralyzed on one side of your body, happy you can walk again. I love you.

Nonni, were approaching 3 years this January and it still stings. I'm still in so much pain, but I'm glad you're not anymore. I'm sorry this family fell apart, I know it isn't what you wanted, but you were the glue. I used to listen to your old voicemails, but they somehow got deleted. I always hear your voice in my head, I play it over and over again. I never want to forget how you said, "I love you Aubrey." Sometimes I think I see you at the mall or the grocery store, sometimes I imagine it's actually you. I imagine that you kiss my forehead and tell me you love me. I wish cancer wasn't so cruel to you and I'm sorry it was. I always imagine you as your younger self, like in that picture of you in that pink dress. I imagine you have glittery pink angel wings. I hope you're cooking some good food for Jesus and I hope you met Elvis finally. I hope you're doing great. I love you.

I love you both with all my heart. Give my twin a hug for me. Tell him/her that I think about them all the time and that I love them. I'm so happy that you're both no longer sick and that you can both walk again. Tell Jesus "hey" for me. :) Also I'm living my dream, I hope I'm making you both proud! I love you. 

love, your granddaughter