Wow it's sure been awhile...

The mountains of Charlottesville are so pretty,
especially when the leaves are changing colors.

But I have a reason for it, I promise. I've been super busy with all sorts of stuff. Classwork, as always, takes up a huge chunk of time, but luckily, Thanksgiving break is coming up. That means that CHRISTMAS BREAK is ALMOST HERE! As much as I love the holidays though, I wish fall would go on forever. Or at least fall weather and colors. I can't get enough of the cool, crisp air. Of course, it is still in the 70s here... But the cooler temperatures have to be just around the corner, right? It doesn't seem far for the weather to switch from Virginia's unbearably humid summers to the gray drabness of February without at least a couple weeks of wonderful fall weather. The kind that screams football, and sweaters, and hot apple cider. Where are the blustery days that make me wish that my dorm room had a cozy fireplace? I have cute mittens and scarves saved up for the very occasion. So fall, don't fail me now!

11 Lessons That Dogs Can Teach Humans

1. When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

2. Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

3. Let others know when they’ve invaded your territory.

4. Run, romp, and play daily.

5. Avoid biting, when a simple growl will do.

6. On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

7. When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

8. Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

9. Never pretend to be something you’re not.

10. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
11. When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

Because we all need to laugh a bit more :)

The Pursuit of Happiness: 15 Lessons to Keep in Mind

1. The only person that can ever truly make you happy is yourself. Stop depending on everyone else.

2. People lie, stuff happens. Don’t take it too personally.

3. Want people to think you’re amazing? Start believing you are, and then they will too.

4. Smiling is the ultimate anti-depressant. Smile and laugh out loud, it doesn’t look stupid, I promise.

5. The world is never just black and white, right or wrong, one way or another. Try and see things from as many points of view as possible.

6. Let everything happen to you. Beauty and terror just keep going; no feeling is final.

7. Have empathy.

8. Gossip, problems of the past, events you cannot control, negative thoughts and negative people; time spent on these is time poorly wasted.

9. When you're jealous or find yourself filled with hate for someone/something, stop. The only person its hurting is you.

10. Although the newest, most expensive material things may make you feel as if you’re a better person, they won’t hold you at night or listen to you when you need it. Make sure your priorities make sense.

11. Step outside your comfort zone- it’s when you’ll really feel alive.

12. Don’t be afraid to be yourself, the people who really matter, don’t mind

13. Let your emotions out sometimes, humans have them for a reason.

14. Celebrate the things you have. Think only positively of the things you don’t (but would like to have) and they too will come.

15. Love unconditionally ♥.

Advice From Somewhere

ONE.

Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

TWO.

Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE.

Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

FOUR.

When you say, "I love you," mean it.

FIVE.

When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.

SIX.

Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN.

Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT.

Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.

NINE.

Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.

TEN.

In disagreements, fight fairly. Please No name calling.

ELEVEN.

Don't judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE.

Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN.

When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"

FOURTEEN.

Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

FIFTEEN.

Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN.

When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

SEVENTEEN.

Remember the three R's:
      Respect for self;
      Respect for others;
      Responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN.

Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

NINETEEN.

When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY.

Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

TWENTY-ONE.

Spend some time alone.

The World--According to Doctor Seuss

1. A person’s a person, no matter how small.
2. You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose.
3. Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.
4. From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere.
5. Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.
6. Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So… get on your way.

7. If you never did, you should. These things are fun, and fun is good.

8. I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant’s faithful, one hundred percent.

9. So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.
10. And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed.

11. Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.

12. The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.
13. Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.
14. Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the things you can think up if only you try!
15. Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.

Ten Things I Want Before I Die

1. I want to see the world. I want to travel to exotic places, eat strange food, and meet new people.

2. I want a library, full of books, complete with a ladder like in Beauty and the Beast.
3. I want to have made someone smile, each and every day.
4. I want to sky dive.
5. I want to plant a garden, with flowers I can put in vases in my house, and vegetables I can eat off the vine.
6. I want to be surprised by something completely over the top and amazing.
7. I want to sleep under the stars.
8. I want to have a pillow fight where the feathers all fly out like they do in the movies.

9. I want to bake a cake from scratch, with three different layers and homemade frosting.
10. And I want you to be there.

Girls are like
apples on trees. The best
ones are at the top of the tree.
The boys don't want to reach for
the good ones because they are afraid
of falling and getting hurt. Instead, they
just get the rotten apples from the ground
that aren't as good, but easy. So the apples
at the top think something is wrong with
them, when in reality, they're amazing.
They just have to wait for the right
boy to come along, the one
who's brave enough

to climb
all the way
to the top
of the tree.

Block of Wood

And if the fire, if the flood

Burns the tree and thins the blood

If your tears don't want to dry

I can help you cry

Through the night

Through the night and day

I can't take your pain away

But I can help you cry

Through the night

Through the night and day

I can't take your pain away

I can try

- Carbon Leaf

If you listen hard enough...

you might just hear my heart breaking.

Alright for Now

Goodnight baby, sleep tight my love.

May God watch over you from above.

Tomorrow I'm workin' what would I do

I'd be lost and lonely if not for you.

So close your eyes

We're alright for now.

I've spent my life travelin'

I've spent my life free

I could not repay all you've done for me.

So sleep tight baby

Unfurrow your brow

And know I love you

We're alright for now.

- Tom Petty

I'd be hard pressed to find a day where I have felt so many different emotions in such a short time.
But this one is the strongest by far.

Well I won't back down

No I won't back down.

You can stand me up at the gates of Hell

But I won't back down.


No I'll stand my ground
Won't be turned around.

And I'll keep this world from dragging me down.

Gonna stand my ground
And I won't back down.


Hey baby, there ain't no easy way out.
Hey yeah, I'll stand my ground
And I won't back down.


Well I know what's right
I got just one life.
In a world that keeps on pushin me around
but I'll stand my ground
And I won't back down.


Hey baby, there ain't no easy way out.
Hey yeah, I'll stand my ground
And I won't back down.
- Tom Petty

I don't know where life will take me. No one ever can. It's a road we walk without knowing where the end is.

But I do know one thing-- I'm willing to fight for what I believe in.

So Life, bring it on. I'm ready for you. I have my ideas and my values and that is enough for now. I know what I want and am willing to work for it.

Just try and stop me.

I have a confession...

I miss the summer.

I miss the sun
my tan

I miss barbeque's
and staying up late

I miss road trips
beaches
sand between my toes

carefree attitudes
the smell of thunderstorms

So on that note... Hurry up Mr. Sunshine! I miss you!

This is What Dreams Are Made Of

Hey now, hey now,
This is what dreams are made of.
I've got somewhere I belong,
I've got someone to love.
This is what dreams are made of.

Ok, I admit it, that's from the Lizzie McGuire Movie, but I have an excuse!

I spent today sick in bed,which is kind of a bummer. But I think I used the time pretty wisely. I bought a roll of chocolate chip cookie dough and a Sesame Street coloring book and turned on a movie about believing in yourself. Granted, it's cheesy, but who says I can't like it?

Somewhere between the peppy music of the movie, the therapeutic coloring, and the fat of the cookies, I began to feel better. And that's something.

So on that note... do what makes you feel good. Who's anyone else to judge?

There's beauty all around us...

we just need to appreciate it when we see it.

In the world of academia...

I've heard horror stories about how inaccessible professors can be. They're busy with research, their other student, or their egos. Even professors that mean well can come across as impersonal when they're teaching a lecture class of three hundred people.

But tonight was a nice change of pace. My economics professor took our class on my first "field trip" since middle school. The course is about the paradoxes of globalization, with a major emphasis on the recent financial crisis. Fortunately for us, a local theater was playing an award-winning documentary that lined up perfectly with the course's subject matter. It is called Inside Job, and it's about the global financial crisis. I highly recommend watching it, but with a grain of salt.

But the movie itself is not what I am so excited about. It's the fact that my professor took the time out of his day and made an effort to get to know his students. After the movie, we all went and got drinks together to mull over the themes and facts it presented us with. He asked where I was from and if I liked being in Williamsburg-- he seemed to legitimately care about his students.

And that's what I think we all need to find more time to do. How often do we sit down and truly get to know people? I know I don't do it nearly enough. It's far to easy to learn someone's name, then say hi and bye and be done with it. I'm sick of being so superficial. I wish I took more time out of my day just to sit and talk to people-- to learn about their views and opinion, their likes and dislikes.

So on that note... strike up a conversation with that guy who sits next to you every day in class, or with the woman at the cash register. Everyone has a story. Learn it.

My Long Overdue New Years Resolution

The view from my window.

Good Day Sunshine

Good Day Sunshine

Good Day Sunshine

I need to laugh and when the sun is out,

I've got something I can laugh about.

I feel good in a special way.

I'm in love and it's a sunny day.

- The Beatles



I was having a fairly blue day today. Things just didn't seem to be going my way. It was frustrating. But I realized that sitting in my room and moping was not going to improve my mood any. A pint of Ben & Jerry's is only so powerful.

So I took the advice of one of my favorite teachers. I got up, put my big girl pants on, and faced the day. Honestly, I have very little to be upset about. It's February and the sun is shining-- there's a bird singing outside my window for goodness sake! It's not the kind of day that someone should spend inside feeling sorry for herself. So I'm not going to. Some things don't always go exactly how I want, but there are so many amazing things going on in my life that sometimes I forget to appreciate.

I know it's a little late, but I'm going to make my New Years Resolution now. I resolve to be happy. I will have bad days, but I'm going to strive to be grateful for all of the things in my life that help to get me through those days.

So on that note... WISH ME LUCK!

My New Philosophy

Walk in the rain, jump in mud puddles, collect rocks, rainbows and roses, smell flowers, blow bubbles, stop along the way, build sandcastles, say hello to everyone, go barefoot, go on adventures, act silly, fly kites, have a merry heart, talk with animals, sing in the shower, read childrens' books, take bubble baths, get new sneakers, hold hands and hug and kiss, dance, laugh and cry for the health of it, wonder and wander around, feel happy and precious and innocent, feel scared, feel sad, feel mad, give up worry and guilt and shame, say yes, say no, say the magic words, ask lots of questions, ride bicycles, draw and paint, see things differently, fall down and get up again, look at the sky, watch the sun rise and sun set, watch clouds and name their shapes, watch the moon and stars come out, trust the universe, stay up late, climb trees, daydream, do nothing and do it very well, learn new stuff, be excited about everything, be a clown, enjoy having a body, listen to music, find out how things work, make up new rules, tell stories, save the world, make friends with the other kids on the block, and do anything else that brings more happiness, celebration, health, love, joy, creativity, pleasure, abundance, grace, self-esteem, courage, balance, spontaneity, passion, beauty, peace, relaxation, communication and life energy to all living beings on this planet.
- Bruce Williamson

Please Don't Stop the Music

I was searching the Internet today, trying to find ideas for new music to listen to. I googled top-selling albums, because I figured that would be a good measure of what "good" music is. To my horror, the Backstreet Boys were listed right next to the Eagles. What is this madness? My favorite, Elton John, was listed BELOW Mariah Carey. The Spice Girls were listed above my beloved Oasis. How can this be?

Then I realized something. I have no way to judge what constitutes "good" music. Now that I think about it, all of the Oasis songs do sound alike. But it's ok, because I like that sound, as I'm sure other people feel about Linkin Park and ABBA. Who am I to tell people what they should like listening to? When it comes down to it, music enjoyed because how it makes us feel. I have an entire playlist dedicated to songs I listen to when I'm feeling blue. And I will admit, Matchbox Twenty is on there. As is Taylor Swift. And I'm not embarrassed to say that, because they make me feel better. And who is anybody to tell me otherwise?

So on that note... find what you enjoy and pursue it. Anyone important won't think less of you for rocking out to Ke$ha every now and then. Music is meant to be enjoyed. Enjoy it.

Sing us a song tonight...

...well we're all in the mood for a melody, and you've got us feeling alright.

"I think music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we're from, everyone loves music." - Billy Joel

Your Smiling Face

You may be right;

I may be crazy, but it just may be a lunatic you're looking for.

With each step I am more certain,
Everything will turn out fine.
I have confidence the world can all be mine.
They'll have to agree I have confidence in me.
- The Sound of Music

Not only is this one of my favorite movies ever, but the words of this song seem particularly relevant to me right now. Sometimes it's hard to be confident enough to believe in your abilities. I find myself thinking, am I really cut out for this?
Self confidence is something that I have definitely struggled with, as have many other people I am sure. It's been quite a journey from where I've started and I've come a long way. But I am so excited to be growing more comfortable with myself. It's easy to change to try and fit into a mold of what you're supposed to be. But how much fun is that? Be who you are--those who matter don't mind and those who mind don't matter. Dance in the rain; sing in the shower; take the world by storm. You're alive--celebrate it.

So on that note, love yourself. You deserve to.

You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth

And then you took the words right out of my mouth.
Oh-it must have been while you were kissing me.
You took the words right out of my mouth,
And I swear it's true.
I was just about to say I love you.
And then you took the words right out of my mouth.
- Meat Loaf

And it still never ceases to amaze me.