The List

Alright, so I have already confessed my obsession with StumbleUpon.  But I promise not to talk about weddings today....but I can't promise they won't be mentioned.

One of my "favorites" while stumbling is something along the lines of self improvement, and recently while reading a list of ways to improve or add excitement to your life I found a really creative idea:

100 things to do this year.

I try to journal daily, so I thought I would just add to my list each night as I write.  & let me tell you it's a heck of a lot harder to come up with 100 things than it might sound.  I'm currently on #91 and have been working on it for 2 weeks.  I'll admit I have accidentally put the same things twice.

So essentially it's a Bucket List for the upcoming year, and one I'm going to try really hard to accomplish.  I thought it might be a cool idea to share some of the tasks if you will, with you.  That way maybe I can inspire someone else to take on this challenge!

You can add anything to the list, it's your year do what you want!  Some of the more broad things I have are,

#1. read the entire bible

#3. finish all 7 Harry Potter books (I'm on 3)

#7. not cut my hair

#14. help a stranger

or #57. start reading the newspaper

But I also have sections of similar things that relate to each other.  For instance, my health,

#33. ride my bike more

#53. run the Indy Mini

#49. stop ordering pop at restaurants

#67. don't gain weight at school next fall

& #73. stop texting and driving

Or school,

#51. join a new club and be passionate about it

#19. get 2 more 4.0's

#64. declare my minor in spanish

#47. plan my study abroad trip

& #68. become a role model for freshman girls that join my house

Then there are the really important things like,

#30. make a german chocolate cake

#37. learn every Taylor Swift song

#59. get asked on a date

#62. become a fan of a team

& #74. make a list of potential wedding songs

See, your list can be whatever you want, whatever makes you happy.  But what I have decided is that you shouldn't limit it to things you think you'll accomplish.  For me, I'm making a point to put some things on my list that I know will be a challenge.  Because then I will subsequently be opening my mind and broadening my horizons.

So, even if there is less of a chance for you to get asked on a date than there is for me, put it on there!  You never know what might happen in the next year, and you might be pleasantly surprised.

The end.

It's been a while since I've written, but today after braving hour after hour of intense storms I have been inspired.

With all the hype of the world supposedly ending on 12/21/12, I have been in a constant state of paranoia, trying to prove people wrong about this devastating idea.  & now that all of these natural disasters are occurring within days of each other I can't help but think that the end really is near.

Being the Christian that I am, I believe that the end of the world will culminate with the coming of Jesus back to Earth.  However, being the avid Bible reader that I (regretfully) am not, I have never been exactly sure about how the Bible says it will happen.

I have heard many things, 

the world will end in destruction.

the world will end after waves of disasters.

the end will be horrible for those who don't get to go back with Jesus.

But what is it?

I want to know what is going to happen & I want to know that I get to leave with Him.

There in lies the problem.

I'm pretty sure that being scared, afraid, and upset about the end of the world is the exact opposite of how God wants me to feel about it.

I should be excited that he could be coming back tomorrow.

Ecstatic that I could go to heaven with him.

Grateful for the time I have gotten to spend on this Earth.

And anything but regretful for the time I have not.

But I'm terrified of leaving Earth.  I am so excited for the life I have left to live.  I am devastated at the thought of never graduating college, getting married, traveling, & starting a family.  

Does that mean I don't get to go to heaven?

Because I like living on Earth?

I know heaven is where it's at.  I absolutely want to go. I want to radiate with God's word in order to earn my spot in heaven.  I want to see my uncle Brian, my grandma Fagan, and my first dog.  I want to live eternal life and have happiness forever.

But is it so bad to be pretty excited for earthly happiness too?

So, while I'm still very stressed about missing out on my living life, and not getting to do all the things I have planned, I would hate to wake up tomorrow morning and read the newspaper headlines that say,

"Jesus Came Last Night."

The one I call mom

Well since it's Mother's Day, what better thing to write about than my magnificent mom?  I was initially going to make this post a picture montage of my mother and my through the years...but then as I was going through our family photos I simultaneously relived those awkward/fat/crooked teeth/bad hair stages of my life and decided to just use words.

Then I also encountered the ridiculosity of the Internet in Themiddleofnowhere, USA so uploading would have taken hours anyway.

Back to my mom!

My mom and I have been best friends forever.  When I was younger we lived alone, just her and I, & when I was 9 she got re-married and we re-located.

Those years together were the best.  We were two peas in a pod, doing everything together.  Some of my fondest memories of my mom and I are from that time. 

Like the time we visited my uncle in Daytona and couldn't swim on the beach because it had been taken over by jellyfish.

Or the the time(s) my birthday parties got snowed out and we played around the house eating my birthday cake.

Or the evening walks we would take in our neighborhood in the summertime.

Don't get me wrong, I love my life now.  But I will admit it was devastating trying to adjust to a new life where I had to share my best friend.  There have been rocky times along the way, especially through my high school years.  But now that I have spent 9 months away from her, I know that my mom will always be my closest gal pal.

I can tell her everything and I know she won't judge me.

She is great at proofreading papers.

She thinks all my jokes are funny.

She will stay up late on Saturday nights to watch SNL with me.

She is honest with me (even if I'd rather she not be).

She is a great role model.

She is a great friend.

These are just a few of the great things about her, and I appreciate every other little thing I didn't have time to mention.  I do not know where I would be without her, and I'm so lucky to have gotten to spend so much time & make so many memories with her.

So, to all moms, 

near or far, 

here or there,

alive or passed,

Happy Mother's Day!

We love you and appreciate you more than you could ever know!

The things I love about love

When I asked Emily what I should blog about tonight, and finally decided on love her response was a sarcastic look and the comment,

"But that's what you're entire blog is about."

Exactly!

And after spending this "reading day" (day Butler calls the day before finals actually start) stumbling weddings and quotes, I have found myself once again deep in my addiction to other people's romantic happiness. 

So, I have compiled a small list of things that I think are lovely.  You know like when you see a picture of 2 people in love, hear a set of tender song lyrics, or read something that just melts your heart?  I find myself in these moments all the time, so I'm going to share a few with you.

1.

I find it incredibly, passionately, adorable when a man puts his hand on his woman's face, cheek, neck...when going in for the kiss. 

  I found this picture on StumbleUpon, follow this link to see the entire engagement shoot.

Again, found on StumbleUpon. Honestly what is not beautiful about a soft pillow island?

2.

Songs get me every time.  Sometimes the smallest lyrics get me tearing up thinking,

"If anyone ever said that to me I swear I would die."
Here are a few examples:

"The silence isn't so bad, til I look at my hands and feel sad; cuz the spaces between my fingers are right where yours fit perfectly."

-Owl City, Vanilla Twilight

"Her lips won't touch the demon wine, but her eyes are full of pure moonshine, & I get drunk just holding her hand."

-Rascal Flatts, Dry County Girl

"But we're gonna start by drinking on cheap bottles of wine, sit talking up all night, saying things we haven't for a while."
-The Script, For the First Time

So, let's recap:
-Can you think of a more creatively romantic way to ask someone to hold your hand?
-Can you imagine someone feeling so engrossed in you just by holding your hand?
-Does it not just sound blissfully, hopelessly wonderful to just sit and reminisce in each others presence?

3.
Again found while stumbling, these are some regular quotes that just make me think about love.  As if I wasn't enough already.

Okay, I know this wedding/love/romance kick is getting a little excessive but I can't help myself!  & yes I know movies aren't the real thing, wedding photos are staged, and songs are written by paid songwriters, but a girl can dream right?

That's what I'll do right now.  Off to bed before another long day of procrastination.

The year in faces and memories

5:05 today signaled the end of my freshman year of classes at Butler.  I know you probably hear this all the time, but I honestly cannot believe how fast it has gone by.  I can only hope that my next 3 years here hold just as fantastic memories as this past year has.

A couple of weeks ago I was so excited to come home for the summer, but as the end is drawing nearer I am beginning to have a change of heart.  I know next year will be a blast, living in the sorority house and whatnot, but I'm going to miss my room in Schwitz and my roommate/best friend.  So, what better way to culminate the end of a great year than with pictures from my favorite memories and of my favorite people?

Here we go, we'll start at the beginning, naturally.

One of the first weekends on campus, SGA put on a movie night on the mall.  Emily and I went out with a bunch of new friends to watch Iron Man 2.  Dang I miss that tan.

It's a Butler tradition to have your picture taken on the bulldog statue each year...we accomplished this the night before classes began.

Toogie (my dancin' fool of a neighbor) was the first of our group of friends to celebrate her birthday at BU.  A big group of us went out to Buca di Beppo and ended the night with Step Brothers and Flying Cupcake.

HALLOWEEN!  Emily, Ali, and I got all dolled up to go to SNU's Voodoo party...while we got cold waiting outside and never actually made it in, our costumes were great, right?!

Perhaps the most exciting memory I have from this year was living out my lifetime dream of going to NYC.  While I have probably blogged about this a million times, it was one memory that I couldn't leave out.

Recruitment was a week filled with laughter, tears, stress, and the most fun I have probably ever had.  They say it's the week you never want to relive, but that you'll never forget.  100% true.  The humor behind this photo is that Toogie, Micaelina and I didn't know which hand we were supposed to use for the DG salute, so we took one picture with each and deleted the wrong one at the end of the day.

Secret Crush, & my twin!  DG has a traditional formal where if you choose, an older sister picks a date for you, and on the night of the dance all the guys line up with paper bags on their heads and your date is revealed!  My date wasn't a secret, but it was still fun to get to watch the other girls be surprised.  Katie (the beautiful specimen in the purple dress) is my twin, this means we share the same big sis in the house.  I couldn't have asked for a better gal!

Spring Break was the perfect week of sun filled skies and relaxation.  Emily and I stayed with my grandparents in Naples, FL and had an amazing time!  We laid out, shopped, and even paddle boarded (which I was extremely skeptical about, but ended up loving!)  We have since began planning the rest of our spring breaks for our remaining years at Butler!

Houston we have Bulldogs.  I had the opportunity to make the voyage to Houston and watch the Dawgs represent Indiana Basketball in the Final Four tournament this spring.  What an awesome experience!  We spent the weekend traveling, game watching, and even singing along to a free Kenny Chesney concert.  Did I mention we got floor seats for the National Championship?

Little 500 was one of the most fun times I have had this year at Butler, and we weren't even on campus!  Emily, a great friend & sister Allison, and I made the trip to IU to stay with a few of their friends from home.  We attended a paint party (obviously) and spent upwards of 2 hours getting the paint out of our hair that night and the next day.  Olive oil was our best friend that day!

Our second formal of the semester was Royal Wedding themed, and took place this past Friday night in honor of....The Royal Wedding.  I had Allison find me the perfect date and we had such a great time!  How great to get to go out with a bang!

So, this year has definitely been filled with its share of tests and trials, but all in all I grew as a person, made some of the best memories of my life, and met friends that I know will be in my life forever.  

Emily

the perfect roommate, great friend, role model, and comedic relief at all hours of the night.

Ali

my newfound cousin, my other half, perfect work-out buddy, has tons of cute clothes to borrow, and always there.

Toogie

the hilarious, beautiful, dedicated, and fun-loving dancer that I get to continue to live with at DG.

Allison

one of Emily's best friends from home who is one of the nicest people I have ever met.

Katie

the most perfect, cutest, and possibly smallest twin I will ever have.

And so so so many more that I simply don't have the time to name.  I owe all of these wonderful memories, countless sleepless nights, and endless hours of laughter to you.

Thank you.