Thursday, December 27, 2012

a list: peace out 2012.


{south padre island, tx}

as 2013 swiftly approaches, i ask myself the same questions i ask myself every year around this time: what would i change about this year? and what can i do better in the next?

it's common knowledge that we make resolutions that we are bound to break, as well as ones that set us up for undeniable failure.  concrete resolutions, such as exercise more!, spend more time with family!, and save more money!, are teased and tempted by that twinkie on the table (or not?), that nap that looks more appetizing than that coffee date with your aunt, and that new pair of shoes in the store window.  and more abstract resolutions, such as enjoy life!, are unable to be measured (unless i co-open a bakery in nyc with bradley cooper and start a mini pony farm. my smile would be 20 feet long, and my mini pony, 2).

so although i just explained why i believe one shouldn't make resolutions, part of the reason why i started this blog was to savor the small moments, celebrate life's successes, and garner inspiration for those days in which a gossip girl season 6 marathon seems tempting (read: a bad day).

on that note, here's my 22 before 23.  another bucket list to conquer.  in contrast to new year's resolutions, which inherently assume an improvement is necessary, bucket lists are "wants," rather than "needs" - an important distinction, in my opinion.  a few points on my list are pretty petty and random, but i'm saving the whole "stop global warming" thing for my 30th birthday.
  1. remember people's birthdays
  2. try 12 new restaurants
  3. learn how to use my camera (well)
  4. read 12 books (for fun)
  5. make a piece of art i'm proud of
  6. run on the reg - no matter the distance
  7. run my next half marathon under 2 hours (it's in writing. i said it. now i HAVE to do it, right?!)
  8. write more letters
  9. learn how to wear lipstick without looking like a clown 
  10. move into and furnish my first real place
  11. knit an ENTIRE scarf (i have, like, 6 that are half-way done.)
  12. plan, and go on, a backpacking trip through Europe
  13. figure out what i'm doing after graduation 
  14. finish my nashville bucket list (am i allowed to put that here?)
  15. take a vacation to somewhere new
  16. have a full-blown picnic
  17. learn to crochet 
  18. 8 glasses of water/day
  19. do something i've never done before (i know it's vague... but think of the possibilities!!!)
  20. do something that scares me
  21. own a pet (fish and small rodents not included.)
  22. GRADUATE COLLEGE. (i had to give myself at least one.)
now off to atlanta for some new year celebrations!

"the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being." 
- carl jung

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

sounds good to me: christmas edition.


 "it is a miracle if you can find true friends, and it is a miracle if you have enough food to eat, and it is a miracle if you get to spend your days and evenings doing whatever you like to do, and the holiday season - like all the other seasons - is a good time not only to tell stories of miracles, but to think about the miracles in your own life, and to be grateful for them."
- lemony snicket, the lump of coal 

Sunday, December 23, 2012

4 things.

a few things to rejoice about this holiday season:

1. your electric bill is not as high as my neighbor's.....


2. fun with friends (and sangria)....


3. your mom never made you pose like this (sorry megan)....


4. ..... and xmas trees makin' me weak in the knees.



HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

"the passing moment is all we can be sure of; it is only common sense to extract its utmost value from it; the future will one day be the present and will seem as unimportant as the present does now."
- w. somerset maugham 

Thursday, December 20, 2012

things i love lately.


{some ASB-esque inspiration from my morning tea}


{a card from a talented & lovely friend - check out her website here :)}


{our xmas tree's anthropologie-inspired decor - A+, mom}


{birthday giggles from the sister}

a short play for you, entitled "home sweet home":

my mom bangs on my door at 11 am, shouting, "AMY WAKE UPPPP!!! WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING IN BED?!?" after which she continues on with her day. because i have nothing to do all day, i must be up. obviously.

yeeeeepppp. i'm definitely home. 

the end!

"those who love you are not fooled by mistakes you have made or dark images you hold about yourself.  they remember your beauty when you feel ugly; your wholeness when you are broken; your innocence when you feel guilty; and your purpose when you are confused."
- alan cohen 

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

life lately.


{last opryland lights in nashville}


{early birthday love from my suite - yes, that does say "big booty ho"}


{birthday with besties}

this is the first time i have come home during break and felt miserable in the florida heat.  yesterday i got dressed while aiming a blow dryer on the cool setting at my face. instant AC. 

maybe i'm meant for the north? maybe i'm having hot flashes because i'm now ancient and 22? 

despite the current state of my internal cooling system, this fall semester was a doozy.  thank god it's finally finished. from filling out grad school applications (oh wait, still doing those) to my school failing to acknowledge that there were still living, breathing beings on campus at the end of exam week (even quiznos was closed in towers 3, and that shit is ALWAYS open), i'm glad to be home. 

but as i previously implied, this is the time to figure ourselves out - whether it feels good or not.  it's kind of a cool thing to remember: that we're going through the most transformative time of our lives.  i'm so thankful for all of the wonderful people who showed me some lovin' at the start of my 22nd year - here's to another thrivin' three-sixty-five of laughing, learning, and being super cheesy. 

---

while my words feel futile in the face of such devastation, my heart goes out to those who were affected by the connecticut shootings last week.  it's at times like this in which i give thanks for this long winter break with those i love the most.

"i have decided to stick with love.  hate is too big a burden to bear."
- mlk jr.

p.s. - a shout out to suitemate laura, who recently moved out in preparation for her spring semester in argentina - the dorm feels emptier without you already. hope you put those salsa skills to good use ;) 

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