I am happy to say I am done with my semester in school. Now I have a month and a half off before Summer School starts. My dad has already asked me what I am doing with my time off.
1. The most practical answer work more hours at my job aka earn more money.
2. Read more fun more fun books. I am currently reading Catching Fire but I have a few other books I want to get through.
3. Write more. Rather it be this blog or my story The Sister of Pine Haven. I have a few blog post in draft that I am working on and hope to get them published soon.
4. Some family is visiting. My dad and step-mom are coming in May and my mom is coming in June before summer school starts.
My dad and step mom:
From my college graduation
My mom and I:
At the Biltmore Estate
5. My birthday party- I love celebrating my birthday, I love planning my birthday. I am in the works of arranging a party where my friends will hopefully donate money for my trip to Honduras.
(Yep I still need to raise funds so please let me know if you are interested).
Kimberly, from Here's What I think about that is featuring 11 questions about you... I found this lots of fun and thought I would spread it on. Hope you enjoy...
Questions:
1. What is your number 1 goal for next year- Finish my story The Sister's of Pine Haven (even if it is not published) I want to finish a rough draft of it.
2. What is your biggest fear- My biggest fear is that my deepest desire, of becoming a wife and mother will not come true.
3. What is something you wished others knew about you that may not be obvious till they get to know you- I think when people first meet me they see me as this goody two shoes... I don't mind it but then I think they peg me as one type of person and I like to be pushed out of my comfort zone (sometimes). Most of the time when I am pushed out of my comfort zone, I really enjoy it.
4. What is your favorite breakfast- Sweet Potato Pancakes. I had them once at the Trident Book Store here in Boston, and they tasted like heaven in my mouth.
5. What is your favorite workout- Walking around Boston. I have found great little places to walk around. I love getting lost in the city and exploring new places I never knew about. Plus her in Boston I have learned when ever the sun is out...you must take advantage of it.
6. Have you ever gone skydiving- No, because I hate falling from high places. I am okay with heights but I hate jumping from heights.
7. Growing up, what did you do that got you in trouble- I don't remember doing anything over and over again that got me in trouble. But I do remember one of my worst/best punishments. I was about twelve and I was playing with my dad's lab top, something happened and the screen went blank. I lied to my dad three times about not playing with it. When he caught me in my lie, I was sent to my room where I could twiddle my thumbs or read my bible. I decided to read my bible, and through reading scripture, I felt so guilty about my actions I prayed to become a Christian that day.
8. What story about you does your family like to tell and retell- I can't think of any story my family tells over and over again.
9. What was the last TV show, book or movie that made you cry (or made you feel really emotional)-it is not hard to make me cry, but Downton Abbey.
10. What is your favorite time of year- My favorite time of the year is tied between Christmas and my birthday (not because of the gifts). Christmas because I know I will go home and all my family will be there. I have so many fond memories of Christmas growing up and going to my Mema and Grangran's house, and spending the whole day with my family... it was my best gift. My birthday because I get my a big groups of my friends together and it is just fun to celebrate.
My friend and I doing Karaoke
11. What is your favorite song at the moment- Kimberly did a video and I liked that idea, so here it it. Fun - the Gambler
My bit of splendor comes from stepping outside my comfort zone. On Saturday night some of my friends got together to hang out and it turned out to be a night of improve. We have done improv games in the past but I am really hesitant because it pushes me out of my comfort zone. I told my friend earlier that night that I liked structure, I liked order and my little box. Improv is outside that little box, it has very little structure, and you are not always to be logical but crazy and fun. I can be crazy and fun but it is hard for me to do it when it is on demand. While Improv pushes me out of my comfort zone Saturday night was great fun and it was a wonderful moment of splendor.
The poem below is from my friend Sarah, who is an aspiring writer, she has been generous to share her poem with me so I can share it with you guys.
"A Heart Song"
When someday never comes When I've lost the things I won Will I turn to God and say, "How could You let it be this way?”
Sometimes moving on takes time Sometimes letting go ain't kind When I think I've made it on my own Is when I'm hurtled back before His throne
Take me, broken, as I am Fill me, heal me with your hand Nothing befalls me that You don't allow Help me to trust You even now.
Even now.
My heart is crippled and ripped open as hope is lost How long will I linger and how much will it cost? How long before I truly know it's God who loves me best? How many missed moments til I see it’s me he's blessed?
I know a few of my friends are going through a mid-term crunch as we anxiously await Spring Break. So this song "Be Calm" by Fun is for you guys. Soon it will be over.
Last night I watch the Oscars with some of my friends. I have watched the Oscars almost every year with my mom and step dad, and since moving to Boston I have continued to watch them mostly by myself so it was fun watching them in a group.
We watched the red carpet and I made my friends laugh at how excited I got to see Colin Firth. Sadly they had not seen Pride and Prejudice so they could not understand my love of the best Mr. Darcy.
Through out the night we voted for who we thought was going to win and keep a tally of it. Out of the 5 of us watching only 2 of cared by the end what the score was. It added a little competition to the night. Considering I had only seen "The Help" and "The Artist" of the big nominated films, I really didn't think I was going to do so well in the "competition." My friend was giving me "evil" looks the better I was doing, I couldn't help be happy for every right guess. Over all I thought Billy Crystal did a fine job, brought back years of memories when he hosted them when I was a child. The Metro, a free newspaper in Boston, did not like Billy Crystal "opened with familiar formula bu it felt more tired than true...he barely strayed from tradition with a tone deaf sing-along parody of the nine nominate films -- a gag he and others host have done year after year."-Heidi Patalano. I personally want to see Neil Patrick Harris host the Oscars. After watching him host the Emmy's I think he would do a good job.
The opening of the Emmy's
I am glad that the Academy made fun of its self with having an appearance by Justin Beiber in order to get the 18 to 24 demographic. Billy Crystal joked how good it was to watch millionaires give each other golden statues. Billy Crystal made other jokes, I thought he could get away with. But I thought the bit between Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jr. in presenting best documentary lasted too long. And I thought the Cirque du soleil performance was the best the best part of the Oscars and like nothing I had seen at the Oscars before. Probably my favourite part of the night besides laughing a lot with my friends at little moments.
Winter Song by Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson
I start back to school on Tuesday. It is weird in a good way to be going back to school. I know I have only had a month off but in some ways it feels like it has been longer. I mean I went home for Christmas for a week and got some down time but I also got to see a lot of family. I loved my down time, there was one day I was sitting on the sofa with my lab top in my lap and I was working on my story but I was still in my pajamas and my dad asked me if I was okay. Yeah I was great I wasn't thinking about school or work, I was just having a care free day (it was wonderful). But since coming back to Boston I feel like I have had another month to adjust to real life.
In the month I have had off I have done...
1. A lot of reading...I finished off North and South (a book it took me all semester to read), A Jane Austen Education and started reading The American Heiress.
2. I have written a lot. I started the winter break with only 9 blog post on my blog Sisters of Pine Haven I am now up to 17 blog post. In other words that comes to 66 pages and 28,000+ words. It is not quite the 50,000 words that people had to write for National Novel Writing Month. I know that was in November but I wanted to see how many words I could write in my month off. Oh well maybe one day I will finish the novel.
3. I have spent lots of time with my friends. My friend had a great New Years Eve party, where I felt I danced all night. I am not a good dancer but I do love to dance around. One of my best friends and I have hung out a lot rather watching the Golden globes, episodes of Downton Abbey or going to to go see the movie The Artist.
The movie The Artist owes a blog post of its own it was so good. I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did but I loved it a lot. If you don't know anything about it, it is all silent (minus a few parts) and black and white. But the plot takes place during the end of the 1920s when the film industry switches from silent films to talkies. The main guy, George Valentine, is a big silent film star doesn't embrace the idea of talkies.
Of course when I left the film I wanted to see Singing in the Rain, Jean Dujardin, has a very Gene Kelly way about him. I was so happy when The Artist won so many Golden Globes and I wish the movie well in the Oscars.
4. I also spent way too much time on social media from Facebook, my blog, to YouTube (mostly looking up Downton Abbey videos), and Pinterest getting lots of great pictures that really helped inspire my story.
5. Most importantly I have left my full time job in order to be a full time student. It is weird to leave a job I have had for a year and a half. It was not in a career I wanted to pursue long term but I did make it a part of me, I guess that is natural to make something you do every day a part of you. But I didn't realize how much it was a part of me until I left.
Over all it has been a good break...nothing too big but lots of time to relax and great time with friends. I loved having dinner on a random Tuesday night at the Cheese Cake Factory. That is probably my favorite thing about breaks having my nights free to do what I wanted.
In my post of My not so New Year Resolution I wrote how this year I wanted to live in the moment. When I told my friend what I wanted to do this year. She liked it because it was big and ideal.
It is big and ideal... so let me think of simpler ways to put it into practice.
Goal #1...Remember the people in my life are a blessing and not to be forgotten. I have a few friends that are no longer in life (mostly due to moving) and if I want them to be in my life I must be active. Even it is as small as texting them.
I wouldn't send a text like this but I thought it was funny.
Goal #2.... Don't watch so much TV. I don't think I watch that much TV just to watch TV. I use it for its noise. When my apartment is quiet I realize more often than not I turn on the TV just to have noise so I don't feel a lone. But maybe I could listen to music or if I feel lonely I could reach out to some one. Or maybe I could go to a coffee shop or the library. (Still thinking this one out).
Goal #3....Make room for the present. Yesterday and today I woke up looking at my room and I was inspired to get rid of things, or at least hide them away, to make room for things that are happening right now.
Sorry not good photo quality taken from phone
For example I have this little bulletin board that has gotten so full I can't even see the flower background. So I had to un-clutter it so I could put things on it that are important to me now... not in the past. I want to keep moving things around so I can make room for my present.
Goal #4... Spend more time with God. A few nights ago during my quiet time I told God I was sorry for not spending more time with him that week, then I wrote (I journal all my prayers) "the reason I tell myself I don't need to pray is because nothing has changed." I realize that is not looking at prayer right. Prayer is not a report or a check-in. So I need help reconstructing my idea of prayer.
Thanks for much for your continuous support as I took a little time away from this blog as I worked on finishing up this semester. But now it is winter break... YEAH!!!
Of course it hasn't actually snowed here.
The number one thing I want to do besides seeing my family is writing. If you don't know I have been attempting to write a story similiar to the plot line of Sense and Sensability. Sadly though with school I haven't had that much time and energy to write. So if you want to catch up on my writing click here for my story The Sister's of Pine Haven. (I only have written 9 post on that blog so it will be easy to catch up.)
I want to write so much that I even started carrying my little notebook around with me and have written a bit on the T (subway for Boston). Which is quite difficult when I am standing and holding my travel mug of coffee. But I must write... or else I will go bonkers.
I also want to read a lot. I have been reading the same book since October. Usually I am a much faster reader but like I said before no time. I have been reading North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. (It is not about the Civil War.) And the only reason I have been able to pick it up and put it down so much is because I watched the minniseries on it a few months ago. I wrote more about the minniseries in my Love some Melodrama? post. I am happy I have a flight home to get some reading and writing in.
I also hope to watch some good Christmas Movies. I have done well on listening to Christmas music thanks to Spotify. (An online service kind of like Pandora but you chose your own music and you can re listen to songs). But I haven't watched many Christmas movies and I want to. (From the classics to the not so classics.)
I am also looking forward to spending unscheduled time with my friends. True, genuine time not just a pass by "hello."
Any way that is my winter break list. I know it will go by too fast and soon I will be in school again, so I want to remember to enjoy the month.
