Favorites

 

(Starting from top left)

1.  P!nk's "Just Give Me a Reason to Love ft. Nate Reuss". It's an awesome pop ballad that features Fun's lead singer Nate Ruess. Loving the lyrics -- "I let you see the parts of me / That weren't all that pretty / And with every touch you fixed them" and "It's been written in the scars on our hearts / That we're just broken not bent / And we can learn to love again". The music video is very creepy, so I'd suggest just sticking with the audio and foregoing the visuals.
2. I first learned of Brain Pickings after it was profiled in the New Yorker. All of the content is written by Maria Popova and is essentially a website filled with curiosity, insight, and creativity, spanning topics of design, philosophy, science, love, literature, and art (among many others). One of her recent posts that I loved (and that can definitely be applied to world of blogging) was her post on "Brand Thinking". The post looks into the ways in which we constantly brand ourselves through a series of interviews -- "A brand is a promise... A promise of what you can expect if you engage in the experience".
3. My friend Ahna just sent me the link to Alternative Apparel after I had admired her backless cotton t-shirt. Fundamentally simple, the designs have a worn-in look and are deliciously comfortable. 
4. Finally my favorite blog -- The Wiegands. Written by Casey Leigh, a mother, artist, wife, and business owner, I am always so inspired after reading her posts. Through my blog I'm definitely striving to reach the same level of honesty and creativity that her blog consistently puts forth.

Whirling Away

at the end of a long day, 

I love to go back through the pictures I've taken of the smallest moments and think back on... 

what made them so special

what made me smile

what made me want to remember

the last 48 hours have been an absolute whirl-wind

1. Trevor got an offer from a dream company, albeit an awful location (Ann Arbor, aka freezing temperatures, very small town)

2. I'm getting flown out to Dallas for 2nd round interviews for an awesome company

3. Realization that Trevor will probably be in Ann Arbor, MI and I'll be in Dallas, TX (1,165 miles away) for at least the next year post-grad before he can relocate

4. We're in the absolute crux of finals (papers, exams, so much coffee)

all of this terrifies me

trevor and i have only been together for 4 months, but it's amazing

and now we're going to be long distance

what good is facetime/skype when you can't hold the hand of the person on the other end, can't curl up beside them or kiss them goodnight?

how do you move beyond fights when your only means of interaction is digital? when there's no one to wipe away tears?

jeez.

too soon to process all of this, so for now I'm just going to focus on the photos...

 

 the essential study snacks -- 

1) supreme pretzel crisps (basically everything bagel crispy pretzels)

2) roasted garlic hummus (no kissing boys)

3) carrots (alternate dipping tool)

4) raspberries + blackberries (gotta have those antioxidants)

5) COFFEE

 spinning class study break

w/ ahna + ellie + some crazy house music

all fitness classes are free this week at our school, so we took advantage

 the tree trevor and i were laying under when i could literally feel my feelings for him double inside of me... butterflies, nervous giggles, nausea... the whole 9 yards

l

trevor.

he hates this picture

but i love it

most genuine smile

most genuine guy

DIBS

 

kayaks lined up along the potomac river on the georgetown side

looking forward to renting one next week as part of pre-grad festivities

 

following a (very) lazy morning, trevor and i decided to walk over to Rosslyn, VA to the food trucks

decided on lemongrass, a vietnamese foodtruck

tacos + banh mi + bubble tea = perfection

 

trevor reading his offer email

so proud of him

7 days to decide

 

distance from Ann Arbor --> Dallas

 1,165 miles

 

when we were over in Rosslyn today there were all of these knitted ornaments hanging from trees in a small central park area

I loved it 

even trees want to wear scarves sometimes

TBT (throw back thursday)

i've actually never done one of these, but love going through old pics so thought this would be a fun way to do it!

xena, stephanie, & me

STORY: the girls of prom -- photos taken before senior prom, May 2009.

i think the best part of prom was always the process of getting ready -- choosing outfits, getting hair and makeup done, having parents take tons of pictures of you and your friends (and dates)

we decided to go with a small, intimate group before pro

i went with a boy named michael f

we had grown up in the same church youth group and as my boyfriend and i had just broken up i wanted to take a boy i was comfortable with

photos took longer than expected and we missed our dinner reservation, so we ended up having our limo take us to in'n'out (a California staple) where we got burgers and milkshakes (the best)

our prom was at the Supper Club in SF which was a really cool venue
suspended rope dancers, pillow fights, a killer DJ, and fire eaters. 

my dress: betsy johnson (haven't worn it since...)

shoes: aldo

BARRE

Looking rejuvenated/exhausted/sweaty following the class!

i went to my first Barre class with my roomie Ahna today @Fuel Pilates in Georgetown

...it KICKED MY BUTT!

so much pulsing

too many 'get lower's
huge droplets of sweat
fear of ensuing soreness

Barre is basically a stand-up Pilates class that takes place using the ballet barre
it's aggressively expensive, but they did a student discount which i took advantage of (so close to no more student discounts....)

i grew up dancing (modern, ballet, etc.) so i naively thought i would be fine, but  it quickly became (very) evident that it's been way too long

i miss working out, i miss pushing my body to the limit that it was designed to meet

i've always been able to get by, but i'm about to start on the next stage of my life and i really want to be able to give it all that i've got

approach each day feeling my best, looking my best

time to finally make up for all of those lost New Year's Resolutions

Finding a Job, Finding Faith

17 days until graduation

30+ job applied to

3 interviews

0 job offers

1 God

 

 this is a ramble, so be forewarned...

 

finding employment has been really hard for me

especially since i'm VERY confused about which industry i want to enter -- confused about what will make me feel like i'm on the right path towards completing my purpose

the constant dropping of resumes and cover letters into the black hole that is online applications becomes exhausting

the doubt about what will happen once i walk down the graduation aisle becomes overwhelming

the idea that i might have to move home until i find a quality job/enough money to pay rent becomes increasingly acceptable

i used to want to be a movie star

i imagined myself on red carpets, draped in borrowed jewelry, smiling on the covers of magazines

BUT that didn't feel true for me, i realized i also wanted to be a mother, a wife - i wanted stability and a livelihood that still excited and pushed me, but would also support the part of me that longed for a family

sometimes i get (very) impatient with God:

i want an answer right now! i want to know if i'm making the right decisions! why aren't you helping me??

 

i have to force myself to take a deep breath and remind myself that God works in ways that i cannot always understand

He takes His time, forces us to sometimes make our own mistakes so we can truly trust in Him and his guidance

lately i have found myself wrapped up in the game of employment -- the jealousy of friends who already have jobs, the fear of failure, the desire to succeed

i forget that the game is not the point

that the game will end but faith will remain

LA Mission Trip, Summer 2013

i have exciting news!!

i have been waiting to finalize... but last week i was contacted by my former youth leader from my church at home (westminister presbyterian) and she asked if i would be interested in being an adult leader on the high school mission trip this summer to Los Angeles

and after finalizing my other summer plans (graduation, road trip)... i said yes!

i LOVED the summer mission trips when i was in high school -- through them i was able to travel to New Orleans (following Hurricaine Katrina), Chicago (to help with the Southeast District), and Tijuana (to help with an orphanage)

through those trips i was able to give back to communities in need through both sharing the Lord's message and also using my hands and my heart on the ground -- working with kids, rebuilding houses, feeding the hungry. 

when i was on those trips i felt SO close to God, felt Him guiding me whenever I was uncomfortable/scared/unsure (which was pretty often)

on this trip we will be leaving june 16, returning june 22

we will be working for "All People's Community Center" in South-Central LA and helping with all of their programs (day care, tutoring, food pantry)

with a group of 25 high school students i'm a little nervous, but believe that God will guide me through and help me connect with them :)

reminiscing about my high school mission trips....

A Week in Phone Pics

i'm sorry i've been so MIA -- caught up with end of the semester festivities

but i wanted to share with you now some of the pictures i've taken to document this last week :)

My Grandmother (Nana) -- Arlington National Cemetery

Trevor (Boyfriend, Best Friend), Me, My Grandfather (Retired Navy Admiral, Role Model)

Julia + Ahna + Me on Georgetown Day, best of friends since 2009

Me at close friend Caroline's 22nd birthday dinner

Trevor with Capital Bikeshare bikes pre-adventure