sounds good to me.

{central park, summer 2011}

"the most beautiful people we have known are those who known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. these persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. beautiful people do not just happen."

- elizabeth kubler ros

a letter to my former self.

dear senior year of high school, 18-year-old amy,

don't worry so much about which college you go to in the end. you'll find your way eventually.

but also don't think that florida to maine will be an easy transition. a 24-hour L.L. Bean (sup, freeport, maine!) is not something to mess with.

take advantage of those long college summers - those summers in new york, in philly, in boston. in all the big cities on the east coast that draw you in with the people, the lights, the action. you'll learn more about yourself those summers than you ever thought possible.

don't worry about what major you choose. you'll become insanely passionate about public health, about listening to people and ideas and thoughts, about those in need of more.

don't worry if you're uncomfortable.  you're supposed to feel this way to grow.

come your senior year of college, (still) no one will care that you went to elementary school with mandy moore.

don't stress about keeping in touch with old friends.  the good ones will be there when you need them.

you'll meet people who inspire you, who confuse you, who teach you, who make you question where you stand in this world. and you'll love every second of it.

coffee will soon be your best friend. 

lastly, bring more socks to college than you can fit in your suitcase. you'll thank yourself when the last thing you want to do is laundry at 2 am on sunday night. 

love, amy

"progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything." 

- george bernard shaw

life lately.

{sipping and stroking at sips n' strokes' 1 year anniversary}

{roomie birthday celebrations at urban grub}

{mid-week pick-me-up}

{holiday sweets for some asb janky swappin'}

who came up with the phrase "ducks in a row"? if you asked me last year at this time how i felt about my future job prospects, i'm pretty sure i would've said that i could better relate to phrases such as: "baboons in a level 5 earthquake," "snakes on a plane," or "a rat at a petting zoo."  much more crazed, much more weird, and much more out of place.

(also HOWWW did that movie get a 68% on rotten tomatoes? just wondering.)

this past year has been stressful, and anxiety-ridden, and unpredictable.  but there was a moment, amid the uncertainty and worry, that i felt as if i was finally in a good groove.  i was doing exactly what i wanted to do - through my classes, through the opportunities i made for myself out of school, through random conversations each day.

this morning, i sat amid researchers, state health department officials, farmers, and non-profits at a food policy council here in tennessee.  as mark winne, whose website i had unknowingly stalked a month before, spoke on food advocacy and community organizing, i experienced this feeling once again.

i wish i had realized that i was never going to have that "AHA!" moment where the stars align and a perfect job falls right into your lap. i was going to have to just do what i love, grab whatever opportunity i could that caught my eye, and embrace my inner dweeb.  i know my ducks will still fail to find their place in line time and time again, but it's reassuring to remember that everything has a way of working out. and even though i still don't know what i'm doing next year, that it'll all fall into place.

"let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love.  it will not lead you astray." 

- rumi 

days like these.

it's days like these - when i don't have the brain capacity to put together a deep, well thought-out post (thanks finals!) - that i have to remember the little things: the delicious tom kha soup from thai phooket this weekend, my silly salsa teacher who tells me i look like i'm having a seizure when i attempt a sexy shimmy, and the holiday that is just around the corner.  breathe in, breathe out.

good luck with your week as well :)

"the longer i live, the more i realize the impact of attitude on life.  attitude, to me, is more important than facts.  it is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.  it is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill.  it will make or break a company... a church... a home.  the remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.  we cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act a certain way.  we cannot change the inevitable.  the only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.  i am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how i react to it.  and so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes."
- charles r. swindoll 

dysfunction = love.

it kinda looks the same as the one on the box. am i right? 

kindly ignore the fact that:

1. we used scissors to cut the front and back of our gingerbread house because the cement (frosting) was being temperamental and couldn't hold the roof up
2. our house is not wind/rain/thunder/air/burglar proof
3. there is grass (green stuff) growing on the ground, yet snow on the roof
4. mr. snowman is doing headstands on the front yard. 

in gingerbread house land, rules are for the birds. and anyways, if my house were made of candy, i'd be homeless (and large) in no time.

"maybe christmas doesn't come from a store. maybe christmas perhaps, means a little bit more."

- the grinch 

sounds good to me.

a random smattering of inspiration on a busy busy busy tuesday morning:

+ the above picture = from one of my favorite sites for those tuesday blues, for those winter-it's-starting-to-get-dark-at-4-pm blues.  lisa congdon successfully combines my love for calligraphy with my love for doodles and quotes. A+ girlfriend.

+ now that it's post-thanksgiving time, check out this cheery playlist put together by my one and only roommate :) - perfect for those long hours toiling over your research papers and chemical equations in central lib.

+ this. this project is amazing.

"i wonder how many people i've looked at all my life and never seen." 

- john steinbeck

turkey break travels, part II.

thanksgiving dinner in atlanta was a wonderful dinner indeed. my mom decided to book dinner at a vineyard right outside atlanta called "chateau elan" because my brother only had one day off from work. what is this real person schedule nonsense!?

my brother and i bond the best over buffet dinners - whether it is organizing our plan of attack, comparing our plates, or figuring out the best way to make it as awkward as possible for other diners (this year, we almost took the topping off of every cake on display, surpassing the actual cake itself.) i'm pretty sure that if my brother and i ever got in a fight in which we weren't talking for 10 years, you could put a buffet in front of us and we'd be high-fiving and dancing around in no time. 

i'm finally back in nashville, in a quiet dorm probably full of 3 other kids whose parent's don't love them either (just kidding!).  i can't believe that i'll be back in florida in a mere 2.5 weeks.  until then, i've got a bajillion hours in the library on my planner, listening to jingle bell rock and looking forward to the merriest month of all. 

"never be afraid to fall apart because it is an opportunity to rebuild yourself the way you wish you had been all along." 

- rae smith

giving thanks.

I'M THANKFUL FOR: 

my wonderful parents, who always mean the best. 

my brother, who gave me my sense of humor.

my sister, who is one of the most caring people i know.

my friends at home, who never fail to make me laugh...

....my friends at school, who put up with my 2 am giggle fests (if i'm still awake, that is)...

...and my friends from afar, who remind me that i can find amazing people wherever i go. 

finally, my friends that are boys - this one in particular, who has made me smile more than any other. 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

"feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."

- william arthur ward