Home Sweet Home

I thought that moving was going to be hard, but its actually been much easier than expected. I'm all settled in and starting in on making plans, an addition to my goal list by the way, is that I wanna get a local library card.  We only moved here last the fall of 2011 and I never got around to it seeing as I was in college at the time. Also I started a new account on Polyvore, a collage site that somewhat specializes in putting together outfits from their data bank of clothing. If you wanna check out mine, just click this link here. Now to be honest these are the high end clothes, and I'd never be able to afford them so I use these as more inspiration to find items like those featured for cheaper...don't tell the brand names, they'll hunt me down. Just kidding but anyway, i'll be posting more soon as things get done!

Schools almost over with

I'm scared as hell for finals week. But than again, who isn't? I'm excited though too. I get to move back home for the summer.A week after I move home, I get to watch my little brother graduate from high school. Then he's moving back from my dad's house and I can't wait to have him home with us, where he belongs. And then the rest of my summer is going to be spent as a historical interpreter intern at Living History Farms in Des Moines, Iowa! I can't wait for summer to get under way,....just have to get through those damn finals....

Evening Walk

It was a beautiful day today and I thought that an evening stroll to take some pictures would be a great way to top off a great day. So I thought I'd share some of my pictures with you!

I hope you enjoy the pics !

Summer Movie List!

Just as with the last list, this is part of my summer goals and I hope to get through about a quarter of these movies over the summer.

• Breakfast at Tiffany's
• The Omen (the original and the remake- for scientific comparative purposes)
• Good Will Hunting
• Downfall
• An Officer and A Gentleman
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
• The Factory
• Cargo
• Break Up
• The Dark Hours
• Jack's Back
• Equus
• Keep Your Distance
• House on Haunted Hill
• Terms of Endearment
• The Grapes of Wrath
• Gardens of the Night

And to be honest, there are way too many to list. but if you think the list is lacking or that I should know something about a particular film, drop me a comment, I always appreciate your comments!

Summer reading list!

Ok as I mentioned in my last post, I have some books I'm dying to read. This Summer I want to accomplish reading about half of these according to my goal.

• The Inn of the Sixth Happiness-Alan Burgess
• The Bridge on the River Kwai- Pierre Boulle
• Emma- Jane Austen
• Persuasion- Jane Austen
• The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Great Expectations- Charles Dickens
• Anne of Green Gables- Lucy Maud Montgomery
• The Scarlet Letter- Nathaniel Hawthorne
• World War Z- Max Brooks
• Animal Farm-George Orwell
• Much Ado about Nothing- William Shakespeare
• The Picture of Dorian Gray- Oscar Wilde
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde- Robert Louis Stevenson
• A Tale of Two Cities- Charles Dickens
• Of Mice and Men- John Steinbeck
• Gone With the Wind- Margaret Mitchell

There are quite a few more but I figured that you should just get a general feeling of what I'm reading. If you've read any of these books, write what you thought of them in the comments! Feel like the list is lacking something? Tell me what to add!

Let's set some goals!

So summer is approaching, (only 3 weeks of the semester left, AAAAAHHH!) And I'd like to set some summer goals so that I can not waste my summer( it wouldn't be anyway but still, time to be uber productive!) So here's my summer goal list:

1. Make the most of my internship at Living History Farms- I'm super excited for this opportunity and want to use it to its fullest, including making friends with other interns, networking with employees and volunteers and doing well in the academic portion of the program.
2. I want to take tons of photos over the summer and post them here for you guys!
3. I'll be posting my summer book list in my next post.  I want to read at least half of those books over the summer.
4. Summer movie list will come after the book list! I'll prolly be working on this list forever but i wanna get through.....lets say a quarter of them over the summer.
5. I want to go to Zombie Burger!!!- I've never been there and hear that it's awesome, so I might just have to treat myself.
6. I should prolly learn how to drive...(don't make fun, I never got around to it)

So those are my goals for the summer! What are yours? leave them in the comments!!

That Moment When...

Okay so I have some terrible habits. I'm willing to admit that. Most of them are under control for the most part, save for singing in public and using the phrase "That Moment When" and following it with either a completely relevant and ridiculous statement or a really obvious statement. For instance, here are a few from the past few days:

• That moment when my mini-fridge with mustaches is sexier then most of the people I've met.
  
  (Pretty sexy, right?)
• That moment when you know you should study but your bed wraps its cuddly sheets around you and says "No!
• Or  the moment when you're 20 years old and act like a 5 year old cause you prefer cuddling stuffed animals and watching cartoons to partying
• That moment when I bought a perfume based off Eve(from the Bible) purely because the first line of the description was "You had one job to do, Eve!" (Original Sin by GeekChic Cosmetics)
• That moment when you're wondering whether or not to point out that the young gentleman who exited the room down the hall from you left his fly open...and unbottoned....barely has his pants on....
• That moment when you feel like a genius for solving today's crossword...on a monday
  
  (Like a boss!)
• That moment when I'm pretty sure you guys get the point of this list

So I guess the point is that....I need to be institutionalized..no but the point is that a little ridiculousness now and the is relished by the wisest men....or women....but I kinda over do it....so tone it down...then its relished.

Gloomy Day Playlist

So you know those gray, cold, rainy days that always lull you into a haze? Yeah, that's what it''s been like here the past few days, so I figured that a playlist to go along with environment was most certainly needed!

Strange and Beautiful- Aqualung (This just seems to suit the world outside my room these past few days, with a somber, slow feel and lyrics that seem to perfectly describe the way that the gloomy weather and renewed spring plants interact, it's perfect for this playlist.)

Ocean Breathes Salty- Modest Mouse (Now this song is very different from the last one, but at the same time the guitar bridge between verses seem to align well with those times when you're out walking in the gloom.)

Northern Downpour- Panic at the Disco (Back to a more somber mood with this one. This song appears on a lot of my lists, mostly because I love it but also because I feel like the mood and lyrics can be taken into many different context and work perfectly. Just listen to it here, and you'll see what I mean.)

Streetlights- Ludo (Somber, with deep, meaningful lyrics, that seem to speak directly to the atmosphere outside and to how you feel on days like today.)

Drops of Jupiter- Train (An oldie, but goody. Again this is one of go-to playlist songs, because the instrumentation and lyrics lend themselves to different situations. This song is more up beat for this playlist, because I feel like even though the day is gloomy and somber, doesn't mean you have to be.)

Dreaming Out Loud- OneRepublic (So this song starts out kind of like some of our other songs: soft, slow, somber, but then evolves into what I think is a truly inspirational and beautiful piece without really with out changing too much, the tempo stays pretty consistent, but the increase in volume and addition of instrumentation changes the feel of the entire song.)

So this is a shorter playlist than I normally make but I feel like this is the essential basics needed for a playlist around the theme of gloomy days, and the rest is about personal choice. We see a theme of somber, soft songs, with mostly acoustic parts as the lead instrumentation and vocals play key parts in setting the mood of the songs. If you have favorite songs like this, then add them into the list, leave them in the comments, and enjoy your gloomy day :)

Walking after the Rain

So yesterday was a gray, rainy day. But I love how the earth smells when the rain stops, how green the grass , and moss is as it soaks in the moisture. So I took a walk to take in the beauty and my constant companion, my camera came along for the journey.

 The swollen creek after the rain

Mossy tree, love the contrast of the green of the moss and brown of the bark

Budding flowers

Mossy tree

Fairy Circle around a tree( the presence of early growth ad beauty in Spring, attributed to Fairies)

Spring growth

Lovely Buds.

New perspective of Black Engineering. 

New perspective on a campus statue.

New additions

So with 3 weeks til finals and move out, I've realized that I've accumulated a lot of new stuff over this academic year(I had a pretty good job at the college dining service) and to be honest, I'm pretty happy about it. I mean I'm not even groaning over having to figure out where it'll go at home(we might be moving anyways so if it stays packed nbd, but more on that at a later time). I just thought I'd share with you the new additions to the traveling show of my life and let you judge if its money well spent.

1. Owl Bank(for all of my important extra change needs!

2.Alice in Wonderland plushes.(so soft and cute and cuddly and fun)

3. Books!! (Including: Alice in Wonderland, Pride and Prejudice, Maus, etc.)

4. Movies!!(Love expanding my movie collection and the 5 dollar bin at walmart had some great finds this year)

5. Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility(Okay, so I love Harvest Moon to begin with and i'm not going to debate the "It's stupid cuz it's farming" thing because I will never be a good farmer outside of this game and its still a better game than Farmville)

6. An addiction to Geek Chic Cosmetics (I found this company online, they're based out of Oregon and have totally awesome makeup lines based off of fan bases for shows like: My Little Pony, Legend of Zelda, Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, etc.  The pricing is supper reasonable when you take into account that all products are handmade, vegan and cruelty free and in certain cases gluten free. Plus the colors are truly inspired and lovely, I'll prolly be posting about them more but click the company name to get to their site and see for yourself.)

7.  Mustache Magnets(Found these at the University Bookstore and had to have them.....i don't think I need to explain )

So there you have it! comment and let me know what you think!

So,...I need to get on this blog again

So, I've decided that blogging is good for me and that I should work harder to continue it (BTW, Skyping my mom right now, HI MOM!!!). Things in life are going pretty good, and here's why:

• Getting along great with the family
• I'm doing pretty well in school (woot!)
• I got a summer internship at Living History Farms, where I used to volunteer.
• I have bedding...with owls on it! ( (o) v (o) )
• Taking tons of pictures and painting a lot.
• I'm a successful co-social chair of my dorm floor
• and in general, I'm awesome

So seeing as things are becoming pretty stable, I figure might as well try and fit in some fun extras and get my twitter and this blog going again, as the have been neglected for too long. So I'll be back with more playlists, photos and random tangent posts and hopeful this'll be just as fun as I remember, i'm sure it will!

A new life

 I haven't posted in forever. A lot has changed, my grandmother died 2 weeks ago, I'm back at school and having to restart my entire friend base. Life is hard but it's got its up moments: I still have a pantheon of people who love me, i'm enjoying my classes and I have a job. My life is different, and though how I approach it is different, I'm still holding strong to me. A new life....I could be anyone I want and I tried for awhile to be honest.

This year.....December to now.....It's been harder then I ever thought life could be.  I'e lost my home, my grandparents, my best friend, and for awhile myself.  I wanted to escape,and  I hurt myself without thinking. I got help, and I don't do that anymore. I'm certified now as depressed and as having an anxiety disorder. Yet, working through it is bringing me more clarity then I ever imagined it could. My life started again...I feel like me, but amplified...I used to hold back, now I'm free. This year.... I've shed more tears, cracked more jokes, lied more about how I feel, and told the truth about it more then I ever had. It's made me question life itself to the core, and I found that,despite everything, I like my life and who I am, that the people who love me, like who i am, and that those who have passed, they never wanted me to be anything but me.

I want to take a second and apologize for how oddly this is written, it's just how its coming out. But to be honest, I'm not extremely sorry. It's how I want this to be said, I'm only sorry if its hard to read.

My new life, is only to be me, the one that the people who matter love, and to not hold back but continue to amplify myself so that those who have gone don't have to search to hard to find me, and so they smile when they see me.

In Arizona!!

So I'm back in Arizona visiting with my mom and having a great time. April was crazy with getting ready for move out and finals. This vacation is well deserved. We're riding bikes and swimming and driving around in mom's Miada. Life doesn't suck. Also been having the opportunity to take photos around the area. Here's a couple:

These are my turtle friends in their fountain in my mom's  neighborhood. I love their coloring and their calm attitude.

These next ones were taken at the local desert botanical center, which me and my mom adore. Very much worth the trip!(link to their website here!)

campus photos: spring edition 2!

So I took another trip around campus with the old camera, and got a couple more good/ interesting shots.

The next two are the inside of some tulips on campus that I thought were just gorgeous with their coloring.

Campus Photos spring edition!

So spring is here and we're having such lovely weather here in Ames, that I felt the need to go out for a pleasant walk. My camera tagged along to document the lovely world I was surrounded by.

Oddities of the day

So today started weird and ended well. I woke up to the balloons above stuck in the tree outside my window. Then me and my friend, Rachel went to the Residence hall carnival outside our dorm. It was super small, but had some Blank Park Zoo animals, including an alligator, a huge rabbit and a screech owl. Then we started filming a movie, its something we've been planning for a little bit. It's sort of a combination of all the different Hallmark movies combined. I was originally just supposed to do the makeup and costuming for it but was thrown in a speaking role when one of the other actresses didn't show up. I play the oldest child with mommy issues, LOL. It went really well and we're filming again next saturday.

Inspiration

So I put a little inspiration board together for the Alice Party. I found some great stuff to use in it including ideas for treats, outside set ups, and pics from the movies.

Flamingos!!

So for the Alice in Wonderland party, we decided to make flamingo decorations to bring in the aspect of the Red Queen's croquet party. Lisa helped me sketch out the outline on the first flamingo, and the second one I did myself. I got to cut, paint and detail them and I'm super proud of them :)

An obsession, or a passion?

So, I love old books. I've read Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, The Wizard of OZ, and both Alice's adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Of these books, my favorites always were The stories of OZ, Wonderland and Looking Glass-land. Modern day fantasy worlds have never held appeal to me, but these one's where everything's strange and nonsensical but still wondrous and magical in a sense, have always had my heart.

As of late, I've been planning a Mad Tea Party, like that featured in all the incantations of Alice in Wonderland.

The original from Alice's Adventures

Disney's Version of Alice in Wonderland

Tim Burton and Disney's Alice in Wonderland

I'm planning on having my tea party in the summer. I know you're thinking, "It's March....like barely...", my response being- I need a distraction. I have already started planning small things like the invites and made a possible menu, as well as starting to pass out parts to the guest list....yes this will be a costume party...it'll be deliciously silly and fun I think. I'll try and keep you updated on how the plans go :)

new look

So I've changed things up alittle here, both with me personally and with the blog.

I changed the layout to a little more mellow, kinda earthy-esque background. I changed where somethings can be found and stuff on my profile. It's just a treasure trove of new-ness.

As for me, I got my hair chopped away, and my nails painted electric blue! So I'm feeling like a brand new and better me!

The loverly picture here was taken by Lisa while out on a tromp through the woods.