Focus Point

Finally, I'm  home and get to spend some time with the family.  This little break is only possible because going to a Catholic school permits me extra time at home for Easter.  Naturally, this has allowed me to relax, and I've been focusing on a short story that I'm turning in to a competition.  The competition ends Sunday, so I should be back on track with my posts after that. I'll be back soon! Wish me luck! Happy Easter!

Opposites Attract

Walking through the halls of High School in April my senior year, I was all set for summer and going off to college.  I didn't have a care in the world, but little did I know that God would completely change my life in a single night.  Like your typical High School girl, I was ecstatic as prom got closer and closer.  I had to have the perfect dress, the perfect hair, the perfect nails.  It had to be the perfect night, and it ended up being just that.

Two of my best friends and I got ready and took the classic plethora of pictures in front of someone's fireplace.  All dressed up and with our make-up all done up, we drove to our friend's house for dinner-where we took even more pictures.  Once they had exhausted our smiles, we rode off to the dance.  It was senior prom. The decorations were carefully arranged.  The lights set the mood.  The music was blasting.  The people were dancing.  It was truly a night to remember, but not because of the dance. It was most memorable for what happened after.

The Art of Procrastination

My friends, procrastination is the devil's best friend, which is why it plagues those of us trapped in college.  Why, then, do we give in to this fiend? Why would we put off for tomorrow what could get done today? Why do we put ourselves through this constant misery and stress? I'll tell you why. Because some assignments are just miserable, we would rather invest our time in more interesting matters. Yes, yes, I know. It's college. It's work. That's life. You're going to have to do things you don't want to do. This helps teach you life lessons. I know. Believe me. I am just explaining myself and taking a break from writing a paper I would really rather not write. TTFN! Ta-Ta For Now!

Talents

So on my continuous rant about the internet and how amazing technology can be, I just have to comment on these Youtube musicians. Seriously. Talk about beautiful voices. I think I prefer these people to the originals. For example, Sam Tsui and Christina Grimmie's cover of "Just a Dream," has unbelievable harmonies and instrumentals. I don't know anything about producing music except that I can't do it, but I can't imagine that creating a new arrangement and incorporating voice overs and other elements of the song cannot be easy.   After listening to this song, I stumbled on Alex Goot, who has a combination of originals, covers, and collaborates. This is one of my favorite arrangements where he collaborates to cover "Beauty and a Beat." I absolutely love listening to this kind of music. These people are so talented, and I am incredibly jealous. I can play a little piano, but nothing like this. Isn't it amazing the talents God grants people with? What are some of your talents? Some amazing talents you've been able to witness? Comment below!

In other news, I just got back on campus, and I have a ton of reading to do before I get to go home again! Talk to y'all tomorrow :)

A Whole New World

Well yesterday I discussed the influence of technology on the writing world, so today I figured i would explore other aspects of the internet and one of the communities it forms. With Daniel's assistance, I explored a community he is familiar with: gaming, more specifically League of Legends. Basically, League of Legends is an online multiplayer (5 people per team) game that reminds me of laser tag. The two teams each have a base, and they try take down the other team's base. In the process of doing so, they destroy towers that would otherwise prevent them from reaching the base. Additionally, they must fight the other team to protect their own base. That may be a mediocre way of describing it, but if I had to explain it to my little brother, that's how I would phrase it. The birth of this analogy took place when I began playing matches with Daniel against robots, but I never really understood or appreciated the community as a whole. So here's a little shout-out to and opinion of another world created by the technology of the internet.

Who Will Actually READ This?

Because I'm visiting Daniel's college this week, I've been attending classes with him.  One of his classes had a discussion based on an Article by Nicholas Carr that investigated whether or not Google has made us stupid. One of the first issues he addresses is how Google and other internet mediums of information have altered the way that we read and consequently, the way we think.  He uses many examples throughout the history of writing and reading that emphasize how people allow technology to alter the way we absorb information.  After the internet became a household commonality, information was easier to obtain.  While this made writing papers and curious researching easier, it also opened the gates for many distractions from the actual writing on the webpage.  Advertisements, hyperlinks, pictures etc. distract readers from the actual content of the article and more. In fact, he believes that articles longer than four paragraphs go either only partially read or skimmed.  This is likely due to people believing it is excess or unnecessary information, being lazy, or not appreciating the artistry behind the development of an essay, paper, or even blog entry.

Brief Contact

Folks, we've all been through it. That super awkward moment when you're on the bus/train/plane/just hanging around in a public place, and someone will not stop talking.  Today, this happened to me, but before I give you too many prejudgment judgments, let me give you this guy's story. Despite his continuous chattering, he actually had a pretty cool story.

When You Can't Sleep

I don't know how many of you have this problem, but I have a lot of trouble sleeping. I've tried the therapeutic exercises, the warm milk, the meditating. The whole shebang. Recently, I've been writing in a journal to help clear my mind, so far it's worked pretty well to get my concerns written down. After everything that happened yesterday, I figured writing would do the trick as it has for the past week. But this time, it didn't help.  Rather, it made things worse.

Thunder Storm

We were reading Julius Caesar today and began analyzing how the weather foretold the death of Caesar, a great leader.  Today, the weather was incredibly dreary with awful thunder and lightning, and it didn't make much sense to me because I turned 19 today. Should've been beautiful weather! Right? No. Today, one of my best friends left college, and I hadn't known ahead of time she would be leaving. The weather was a nice way of God acknowledging our grief in a time like this.  Like girl friends, an amazing family, and a wonderful boyfriend can do though, the night still found a way to turn around.  We ended with IHOP and heart to hearts. Gotta love the little graces God puts into our stormy days. <3

True Colors

My three friends and I took a "color" test that defines our personality, and guess what, we're all four different options! It's amazing how God places people together who compliment each other in this way. I look around the room at these friends, and I thank God for our differences.  It's ironic how four people can be so different, yet be able to relate to each other. I think no matter what environment God places us in, we find ourselves in groups like this. The trick is finding ways to communicate and work together for God's will rather than being unable to work together.  I love these girls, and I wouldn't trade them for the world. What's even funnier is looking at how the wedding dresses on pintrest reflect the same temperaments ;)

*Finally found the link for the Color Personality Test from Drexel! I'm Blue what're you?

YOLO

This morning I experienced one of the most luxurious moments of my life.  For the first time in an extremely long time, I slept in without waking up to an alarm. The birds were chirping, the room was warm, and I had never felt more rested. Everyone deserves a glorious morning like that. The rest of the day held wonderful and peaceful experience after another. We played soccer out in the fields, went to an Italian dinner, and went shopping. A stunning pink dress is now in my possession thanks to my amazing friends :) Now onto a black light dance! The right kind of YOLO!

Ides of March

Yes my friends it is that day of the year - the Ides of March (my little sister's birthday).  Naturally, we discussed the assassination of Julius Caesar in Shakespeare's Play Julius Caesar in my English class. For those who are not familiar with the play, Julius is murdered by his best friend and some cronies. At his moment of death, it was not the end of his life that concerned Caesar, but the betrayal of such a friend. This got me thinking about my friends.  Although we've talked a lot about friendship in the past two semesters, it's a key concern among young people (especially women). Friendship eases the stress of self-discovery and growing up. Friends help us get through the rough patches and rejoice through triumphs. Having friends lends us security, serenity and many other gifts. I don't think people place enough value on friendship and what that means, but I suppose that's part of self-discovery and life in general. We all have our highs, our lows, our mistakes, our joys, and it takes time to figure everything out. But that's why a support system through faith, family, and especially friends is imperative as we strive to understand what life is all about. Keep smiling!

Courage

In my philosophy class, we've been reading Machiavelli, Hobbes, Bacon, and now Marx.  Talk about having a pessimistic view of mankind.  Each of these writers had a different take on our motivations, which apparently are materialistic and petty.  When looking at modern society though, especially politicians, it can be hard not to agree with them on some of their views. Money, power, glory, these are all common themes in the motivations of the people we highlight in American society as the "dream life."  The American dream has shifted into the nicest "stuff," the most renowned job, the most control/influence, but what about the old American dream?

Encomium for Fall

This was assignment from the fall, and I thought I'd share it with y'all :)

The Beauty of Fall

At the edge of summer, a time for bliss, lies the season of fall with its chilly kiss. When the kiss's fresh fall breeze touches bare cheeks, it signals a change in weather and time. One of the breeze's subtle signals of change can be sensed by the nose. Fall's breeze carries its crisp scent to countless creatures just as bees distribute pollen from rose to rose. Following the breeze, changes in appearance soon arise. First, the leaves transform from luscious green to a collage of yellows, oranges and reds that surpasses the beauty and complexity of a bird's feather or a butterfly's wing. As the leaves shift colors and the breeze brings chills, people pack on layers, so even to humans fall's change spills. Although fall brings these beautiful transformations, its power over people's hearts is my greatest fascination.

The Little Things

I've been writing to my middle sister, Marissa, for a while now, and she and I have a similar problem.  Both of us forget to find the good in little things. I told her to start writing a journal to write down the good things that happen to her day to day.  Sometimes I forget to take my own advice, so here's just a little shpeel of thanks to God and the people that love me for making my day great with little things: Writing to Marissa, Getting to be a part of Al's birthday, Talking to my parents and siblings even if for a moment, Joking around with my roommate, Talking to Daniel longer than we say we will because we have so much to say, Finishing my homework for tomorrow...and the next day...before 6:00, Running out on the trail, Enjoying the beautiful weather, and all the other things I left out. Thanks for making my day everyone!

God's Sense of Humor

Today we talked about Mary's Seven Sorrows at Bible Study, and the conversation quickly turned to finding joy in suffering.  It reminded me of many conversations I've recently had with my friends at school.  Additionally, I think it is incredibly important when considering a Christian life of faith. We focus so much on suffering and how to deal with that that sometimes I feel we forget the importance of the joy we get from God's unfailing mercy. God is so good to me, and that's where the joy is in my life. It's funny how God communicates with us. Keep smiling! :)

Second Glance

The ride back to the Abbey is always a long one, but interesting things always seem to happen.  Six of us crammed into this tiny car and left at 8 in the morning to make the long drive back.  We rotated drivers, and something happened when I was driving that I will never forget. It happened as I took an exit and had to wait at a light. The car filled with chatter because there was a homeless man sitting on the corner by the light, which just so happened to be right next to our car. From my time in New York, DC, and Richmond, I had always avoided interacting with the homeless or approached them with caution. Stranger danger right? It's not smart to just roll down your window and invite a stranger to approach your car - especially if you're a teenage girl. I set my eyes on the light, waiting for it to change as the others in the car read his sign aloud.

I Can Go the Distance

My boyfriend, Daniel, two of my sisters, Meg and Al, and I watched "The Phantom of the Opera" (my favorite movie) and "Hercules." Talk about people struggling to figure out their place in the world.  All the people in "The Phantom of the Opera" struggle with their passions and talents - especially Christine and the Phantom. Can you imagine finding out your mentor is some creepy stalker? That would suck, but imagine being the Phantom. Always alone. Always shunned.  Although he had an unfortunate situation, he perpetuated his own condition. It made me think about how we tend to do that to ourselves. I know when I'm down I tend to look at the world pessimistically including the way I've been viewing my situation at college.

Last Day of Spring Break

It's the last day home for break, and I gotta say that I don't want to leave.  This is the life I want to live. Baking cookies, belting Disney songs, and swing dancing with my sisters are all things I wish I could bring to college with me.  Even though I can't pack them in my suitcase, at least I can take the memories back to school with me.  Thank you God for blessing me with such a wonderful crew back home! As Rascal Flatts reminded us all while we were baking: "Life's like a road that you travel on/When there's one day here and the next day gone/Sometimes you bend, sometimes you stand/Sometimes you turn your back to the wind." Guess you just gotta take life as it comes and enjoy each moment you get!
 L O V E lots!

Today

Every day we wake up and decide who we will be for the next 24 hours, for the week, the month, and our lifetime.  Will I be insecure and sensitive like Eugene Fitzherbert?  Or will I be like the suave and confident Flynn Rider?  Through our whole lives we try to figure out who we are.  So travel with me.  Be prepared for countless references to movies, music and God as I offer my humble thoughts on life and who I am going to be.  Eugene?  Flynn?  Or some sort of combination? Let's find out!