to want to live your life

i have had some pretty insane projects at work lately-- consume every waking moment kind of projects. 

on monday i woke up and i thought, "i can't wait until tuesday and then this project will be over!" i spent the entire day monday waiting for tuesday and then i spent all day tuesday waiting for it to be 6pm. that was freedom. 

sometimes i spend my entire week just wishing it away. living for those two glorious free days at the end of the week when i inevitably watch more TV than i should. on tuesday said project got extended (oh joy.) i was devestated.

i had to have a literal pep talk with myself. alone in the bathroom... locked in a stall. i told myself that i can't spend an ENTIRE 48 hours just wishing for them to be over. 

what. a. waste. 

that is no way to live my life. i am so lucky to be alive and working in my chosen career. i should spend my days working on difficult projects pushing myself to be better.

so i said, "girl get your act together. now. live your life and try and be the best at whatever you do cause if you don't do it now the time is just going to pass by anyway and then what do you have?"

and that my friends is what i have to say.

xoxo-

har.

photo via.

The both of us

My sister texted this to me the other day:

Dear future husband,

I hope you take big bites out of your apples.

And I hope you like whole milk.

I think that proves your manhood.

I've heard it said many times that generally people end up with spouses who have similar qualities as their parents -- you have heard that too, right? My sister and I realized this may be the cause of much discontent in our relationships, because we want the guys we date to share the qualities we love about our dad, which brings us to big bites out of apples and liking whole milk.

We're hoping we don't sabotage ourselves.

The Titanic obsession continues

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Inspired by this lady of Charlotte's Web, I decided it would be only fitting to post about the actual events of the Titanic, not just the film. Here are my favorites my siblings and I have found in our obsessive research.

1. The first lifeboat could hold 65 people, but it left with only 28.

2. The Titanic actually stayed afloat for three hours, more than the predicted 1-2 hours.

3. The ship's main anchor had to be transported by 20 horses.

4. It was 11 stories tall and as long as four city blocks.

5. A first class parlor suite ticket cost the equivalent of $50,000.

6. The Titanic struck the iceberg 37 seconds after spotting it.

7. The voyage only lasted four days and 17 hours. It took two hours and 40 minutes to sink.

8. The ship burned 825 tons of coal per day.

Sources:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Why I Love The Titanic

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Have you ladies watched this recently? There's a good possibility I've seen it two or three times in the last seven days, and I'm so anxious to see it in 3D on Saturday with my sister. I know it's gotten slack for the unrealistic love story, but who cares about the skeptics. I choose to be hopelessly in love with Rose and Jack.
{Spoiler alert...}
Let's discuss the reasons I love and other important parts.
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1. Leo. The heartthrob of fourth grade. My friends and I had black and white posters we xeroxed for each other and smeared with our lipstick kisses. But still, STILL, I want to be the one hand-in-hand with him, running around the Titanic on a grand adventure, energized with passion and excitement of blushing love.
2. The size of that boat blows my mind. I've never been on a cruise, or anything that large actually, and I honestly can only imagine how magical it was.
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3. Her wardrobe. Lacey and Victorian and wonderful. Always regal. Rose is supposedly only 17, by the way. Wowie wow wow.
4. The scene where Jack and Rose meet under less-than-ideal circumstances and he convinces her to come back over the railing with raw, rogue charm.
5. Let's talk about that charm. Sister and I decided one of the reasons he's so desirable and perfect for Rose is because he's street smart. He knows how to hold an axe. He's prepared when the whirlpool of the ship sucks them underwater. He knows they need to stay on the boat as long as they can to decrease the time they're in the water. He knows about how cold the water is, plus or minus a few degrees. Get the idea?
6. This exchange between the lovers:"Where to, Miss?""To the stars."
7. One passenger quotes scripture as the boat is sinking. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death," he says with his face turned upward.And then my eyes tear up once more.
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8. On the spiritual note...the brave orchestra men. They stick around. And their final song is "Nearer My God to Thee." I die a little every time they do that one.
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9. Cora. She's strung here and there throughout the movie, and she and Jack have such a sweet, understated relationship. Cute.
via.10. This scene. Do you need me to explain further?

Love me some sappy quotes.

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you are home.

i think of you.

you are home to me, baby.

{josh kelley}

photo via.

polkadots and peeptoes

I love these little guys. Besides being awfully cute with the puffballs and the peeptoes, they survived a car accident with me last October. They were loose in my trunk and went flying out onto the freeway when I got hit. I found only one of them {among other scattered things} when I got out of my car, and I didn't think I'd ever see the other. When I went back to the car yard later to empty out everything I had in there, the other shoe was sitting on the passenger seat. I was happy to see we both made it okay.

A Thousand Years

This is the sweetest thing I've heard for a long time.
It reminds me of my little sister and her Boy.

I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling, don't be afraid.
I have loved you
For a thousand years,
I'll love you for a thousand more.

My Twilight.

In the spirit of all things spooky {plus the Breaking Dawn trailer was recently released}, I have cast my own version of Twilight. This woman did it too, and I really liked some of her characters, {giving all credit to her, I may use some of her ideas}.

Bella: Emily Browning. I think she was on Stephenie Meyer's original cast wishlist. If I can forget about her psycho role in The Uninvited, I think she would make a sweet little Bella. She has softer features than Kristen Stewart does, which is more how I imagined Bella.

Edward: Henry Cavill. I haven't seen much of him in other films, but he's 100% Edward in this picture. Smouldering, over the shoulder gaze? Check. Troubled eyes? Check. Chiseled face of the gods? Check. Oh baby.

Alice: Samaire Armstrong. She was in Stay Alive and Just My Luck, and both times all I could think was how perfect she would be as Alice. She's such a pixie already, and she's got this husky, sexy voice.

Jasper: Penn Badgley. He's serious. He's pretty. He's slim and trim. Also, he doesn't look like he wants to shoot razor blades at everyone. What a nicer looking Jasper he would be. Also...he doesn't use dollar store gel to fix his hair.

Rosalie: Blake Lively. Tell me that's not Rosalie. Stunningly gorgeous, tall, naturally blonde, intimidating.

Emmett: Chace Crawford. {Unfortunately, three of my Cullens are from Gossip Girl, but I promise I picked that out before I even started watching Gossip Girl.} He's rugged and has that laid-back, likes-to-tease attitude.

Jacob: Steven Strait. Oh hey baby. Did you see him in The Covenant? What a beaut.Esme: Leslie Mann. The pretty mama in 17 Again? She's lovely. I don't know who I would choose for Carlisle...any suggestions?


So there you have it. Who would you choose?

getting lost for a day.

I read this beautiful article on Hello Giggles a while ago, and I think I'll take her advice:

"If I could beg every young woman (without sounding like I’m giving a valedictorian speech) to do one thing, it would be to go somewhere alone. It doesn’t have to be South America or a kibbutz in Israel or the Peace Corps. Buy a bus ticket, hop in the car, jump on the train and get off at a place that is at least an hour from where you live. Talk to a stranger, take them for coffee, wander around and buy yourself a souvenir. Get lost for a day. Please don’t take a self-portrait picture of yourself to later put on Facebook so that you can show people how adventurous you are, if you can help it. This precious moment is yours and yours alone and for once something belongs to no one else but you."

I'm planning a secret trip -- hopefully soon before it gets cold. Doesn't it sound wonderful? Escape to a lovely place with only the unfamiliar as a companion...

mmm yes.

joy-triggers

Sometimes I wake up in the darkness of the early morning and feel the weight of the world sitting on my chest. I pull my quilt up to my chin and squeeze my eyes shut, trying to escape the heavy feelings of loneliness that hover over me. Unfortunately, it's usually not until the sun rises and I'm walking and talking and surrounded by cheerful students that the cloud dissipates.

It doesn't happen often, and still I don't know what triggers the darkness I feel. I'm sure I'm not the only one though, and thinking about it, I remembered an article I read.

A week or two ago, Meg posted this on her blog. It may possibly change my life.

She writes about joy-triggers -- the tiny things in life that bring a smile to her face. I like the idea of focusing on small things that really matter, instead of letting the weight of the world pull me down on those hard days.

"It's not enough to be productive, it's not enough to be successful, I need my joy triggers. Joy triggers are not rational. Bring them into your daily life, because I really believe that ... it's all a part of how we can bring balance into our life... getting joy from simple (but beautiful) things -- scents and sights and tastes." Arianna Huffington

Mine?

The sweet juice from honeysuckle. My mom's baguettes. Recognizing a constellation in the night sky. Vanilla frappachinos from Starbucks. My car's seat warmers {or as my little sister calls them, "heat seaters"}. Acorns. Woodsmoke. Perfume. Feathers. Sending a letter through the post. Waking up with my hair looking tamely tousled enough to not get out the hot tools. Reruns of The Office. Good eyelash days. Zumba.

Now tell me...

What are yours?

Meg said it.

it feels like it's all getting a bit closer. the space between the now and all that i've ever dreamed of.

the gap is closing. and i'm simply along for the ride. and as long as i live fearlessly, it will arrive.

From Meg.

Happy-ness

These things all came from here.
And all of these things made me very extremely happy to be alive.

Summer Lovin'

I feel like everything is more magical during the summer. 

There is a sense of adventure. 

The thrill of freedom. 

And the joy that you wish for all year long just turns up. 

Unexpectedly. 

When you're at the park. 

On a blanket. 

Basking in the sun. 

Talking about your ideas, hopes, & dreams. 

And you think, 

"This is it. This is definitely it."

Have we mentioned I'm a bit of a romantic?

I'd love to kill you with a kiss.

Katie Melua

If I could be an animal.

If I were an animal, I'd be this little calico babe...

Chalka, my prima donna kitty.

She spends her days prancing through summer-bronzed fields

and chasing birds, dogs and string.

But often I find her lying in patches of sunlight on the warm deck,

soaking up the day's last rays and

mischievously flicking her tail...

planning her next move, I suspect.

xoxo

jane.

I dream life away.

The closer I get to graduating {a year really isn't long}, the more I'm intimidated by the mystery that's up ahead. I've planned my life up to this point, but now what?

My degree will be in communications. I love to write. If I'm not writing, I'm usually thinking about what I want to write next. My journal is always tucked into my Mary Poppins purse or backpack; it goes with me everywhere, along with a favorite pen.

While I love the written word and contributing to it with my own swirl of thoughts, there's one more thing I can't get out of my head.

I can't stop thinking about opening up one of these...

Via.

A little bakery and sweet shop,

so I can make things like this for people

every. day.

Via.

Photos from Emma's blog.

Remember the quote I posted from the other day? If not, here it is again.

"When you want something, all the world conspires in helping you achieve it."

Paulo Coelho

And then Elsie posted this.

I'm now enrolled.