@sarah_thebella on Instagram: Back to School

Lounging with Forever 21 Sunnies (last seen here), coconut water, and Life of Pi

Jessica always knows what I want. A bit of weight taken off and a few curls added on makes a world of difference!

I’m not sure if anything can beat homemade dumplings.

Attempting a mean face at the essential Texas road trip rest stop: Buc-ee’s

Must-try fudge flavors from Buc-ee’s: Chocolate Pecan and Red Velvet…mmm!

Basically I have talented friends who make the coolest designs ever! (The Neighbourhood fans, anyone?)

Flipping it out on 1000 Steps Beach

New fun-colored Five Star school supplies that will easily brighten up my day

Back-to-school decorating…working hard or hardly working?!

Scrolling through my Instagram, there is no doubt that I had another amazing summer this year…but school officially starts again this Monday. It still dawns on me that this will be my last “first day” of grade school, especially because of the overwhelming, even contradicting mix of emotions I’m feeling: excitement, stress, relief, joy, nervousness, you name it.
I walked through my elementary/primary school yesterday and all I thought about was my young self wanting to grow up. Maybe some of you were similar. Maybe some of you already planned your whole lives ahead of yourselves thinking that you were ready to get the heck out of town attending that perfect college and later, living in that perfect house, working that perfect job, and driving that perfect car. I sure know I did. But life brings many surprises and things go unplanned.
Maybe some of you started small and made personal or academic goals for the school year. Again, I sure know I did. But for some reason or another, we’ve given up saying, “I’ll do better next year.”
Maybe some of you didn’t do either and you’re thinking to yourself, “What the heck is she talking about?” In all seriousness, maybe some of you haven’t really thought about or decided what you want to do, where you’re gonna go, or what the point of any of it is.
Whether you’ve planned out your life already or you’re still deciding on what you want to do, I encourage you to make the most out of the school year ahead. For myself, I want to…
– appreciate and make the most out of my last days living at home.
– continue to stay motivated and inspired.
– cherish the days I have left with my friends from young.
– learn how to handle stress better.
– have the faith to let go and let God lead me wherever I’m supposed to go.

Wherever you are and wherever you’re going, I wish you the best for this year! Have a wonderful weekend. For Instagram photo updates, follow me @sarah_thebella. XO,