On your mark, get set... go!

Go the Distance- from the movie Hercules

Good motivation for the start of new semester. 

Today was my first semester of my spring semester and my first semester being a full time grad student. Now I won't usually post about every day in school... I don't want to bore you guys. But I want to celebrate this small accomplishment of going full time. As much stress as it causes me my grad school is a big BLESSING for me. I have wanted to go to grad school since I was in undergrad but I took a year off so I could claim independent financial status. But then due to personal reasons I had to make a year off a year and a half off. I have also been going to school part time for the last year and working full time so to have the stability now where I can go to school full time feels AWESOME. Last night I was thanking God that he has allowed me to go to grad school and he has kept this door open. I am also lucky/blessed that I get to go to school in a city I love so much. 

Let me start off on a good note. Today with the weather you would not know it was the end of January. If you remember on Sunday I posted pictures of the snow around Boston. Well today the high got up to the 50s. I grabbed an ice coffee after my second class to enjoy while I am doing homework. I even saw people sitting outside during my lunch break... it does not feel like winter. 

Snow mostly melted from Simmons Campus

I also caught up with a friend in the cafeteria, and we had lunch together and I saw my roommate twice in on campus. Last semester I never saw her I guess, not that I will be on campus more I will see more people.  That will be nice not to be running into class after work or running to work after class. But I sadly think that is where the good news ends. 

After my first class I was doing to many things at once and dropped my traveler mug in just the right place where the handle broke off.  It can still hold coffee... but I won't be using it on the T any more. 

Also I did have a Legally Blonde moment today where I was not prepared for my management class. It wasn't as bad for me as it was for Elle Woods because most of the class wasn't prepared... due to a miss-communication about where to find the syllabus. Which means instead of doing one week's assignment I now have to do two weeks.

I don't know if this is good or bad but I am thankful that I don't have a Valentine this year because both my Tuesday classes have assignments due that day and it looks like I will spend the weekend before Valentines Day and probably Valentines Day in the library doing homework. 

My Calendar for Valentines Day 

I know you probably don't need to see a picture of my calendar but I did make a blogging goal to take more pictures of life and I thought it was funny. 

Again I don't think you need a picture of my desk but in my blogging goals to take more pictures of my life I thought I would share that right now my desk is pretty organized but I am sure in a few weeks it will be covered in papers. (I will keep you posted). 

Well now I should hit the books at least until Parenthood tonight. 

Have a good day!

I am no artist

I am not an artist but I have loved to draw (really doodle) since about 6th grade. I have never really pursued it in any way what so ever because I always saw my my mom as the artist in the family. I have also liked fashion so when I was in high school I filled the sides of my notebooks of drawing of cocktail dresses. But I must admit that I also love drawing wedding dresses. I have bought Bride's magazines to find dresses to draw. Bridal magazines photography have models that stand normally, instead of all bent over or twisted around like most fashion magazines, so I find them easier to draw.

Here are examples of my drawings...

I have also tried to add color.... 

I think I have to upgrade from crayons but it was all I had.

This was a drawing I did for my friend before she got married. 

With my love of Downton Abbey and my new love of Edwardian fashion I am trying to draw dresses from that time period.

I am also working on drawing sleeves. 

I think I will use Pinterest to get more fashion ideas to work on my drawing.

Thanks for looking at my drawings. 

Blogging goals

I started this blog post...in earlier January but I never posted it because I realized it sounded like I was whining.  

I am a small time blogger but sometimes I wish I was a big blogger, it might be vanity. I first started this blog thinking I would just share my creative writing the story I was working on at that time. But soon I realized I wasn't writing a lot. Then last spring this this blog just became about my life with inserts of my story. But I guess in someways I thought one day this blog would be explosively big. My dream was a blog like the one Julie Powell had in the movie Julie and Julia.


But I am still a small time blogger dreaming of one day being a big blogger with 100s of followers and lots readers. Right now I sit at 18 followers and a small little Facebook page where I post everything I write. So though small I try to have a presence on the social media front. 

But who wants to read a blog of some one just whining. I have read lots of lots of bloggers I follow that give hints on how to grow them my favorite come from one of my favorite bloggers Desirous of Everything in her post What I have learned about blogging this year so far. Maybe I like it so much because she mentions my blog. But was reading her blog that I was inspired to put my blog under construction in August to boost its appearance. But I also found a new blogger I like A Law Student's Journey.  She blogs a lot about crafts. While I am not a crafter (but if you are... I really recommend it). But she has a post called Tips to Grow your Blog. I feel in some ways I want my blog to grow but I also want it to be a place where I stick to my statement on top. 

I am the kind of person that believes in love, believes in sappiness, believes that God has a grand plan for it all, and I am enjoying the journey of figuring it out.

But there are more things I would like to do...

1. Include more music. In my post Music of my life  I said "I like music but I am not a music expert. I can not play a note of music because I never learned how to read music and I can't sing but that doesn't stop me from singing in my shower or at church. I also can't tell the difference between a melody and harmony. But I still love music all kind of music too.." So to be true to my music loving self I am going to post more songs. I will post them near the top of my post so you can listen to them as you read


Here is one of my new favorites...

Love is Waiting- Brooke Fraser

2. I will try to take more photos of my life. While I do love pinterest and will continue to use it. I want to take more of my own pics to share with you my lovely readers. Of course I only have the camera on my phone... I will try to take more pictures to share my life. 

Like this picture, I took at my Dad and Step-mom's house, 

it inspired my post In want of Womanhood 

and part of my story A Blooming Flower

I am setting those two goals now and when I think of others I will share with you.

Things that will continue...

1. I will post about my story. I started this blog primarily to show off the story I was writing. But now it has turned into a blog about my life, faith, and dreams. But one of my major dreams in life is to be an author so I will of course be posting more about my story. If you want to read it in it's entirety (up to date) I have set up a blog just for my story you can find it here. Of course on the right hand side are all the links to it. 

2. I will write about my life. Rather it be about my faith, my love for Jane Austen, Downton Abbey, Gilmore girls or books. It might also be about what events/struggles are going on in my life. I have loved people reading these and either making comments/suggestions or giving me virtual hugs. I have always used this blog as kind of a diary and I will continue to do so.

3. I will keep celebrating my little and big triumphs like when I reached 100 post or 100 followers. Or when I write pages in my story. Or when I finish a semester in school, or when I finally school (that will be a big triumph).

 Hope you enjoy the journey too.

Snowy Days in Boston

"Snowfall (kind of love)"-Ingrid Michaelson

Good song for this kind of weather

Hello lovely readers,

Here in New England we can't say winter really starts till January. I think it is so we can convince ourselves that winter won't last forever. But I think I can say winter has come to Boston. Last Sunday when I checked the weather before going to church I checked the weather on my phone and it said 6 felt like -12. By the time I left church it was 12 and felt like -6. Even though I have lived in Boston for 6 years I still don't know how to dress for that weather (maybe you just can't). Over the week we have had flurries of snow but nothing that stuck. But yesterday we had our first snow. Now it wasn't much but I took some pics of it.

Right now I like the snow, when I was home watching it come down it was nice and quiet. I made myself a cup of hot spice tea and watched a movie. Even when I went outside it seemed like the world was quiet. It was very nice to have an excuse for a quiet day.

Now it wasn't much snow but I took some pics of it on my walk home.  

The Fens under snow

I love seeing paths of people who ventured away from the sidewalk 

I was trying to capture a couple walking through the snow

Icicles from a car. Also the thing I don't like about the snow... when it turns to brown.  

I don't have a great view from my window but here is the park across the street from me. 

The little sparrow on the top of the tree... very brave birds to brave the cold. 

I liked seeing the red berries on this bush. 

The fence of the park...I liked the contrast between the black and white