a thousand words

Music reminds me that I am not the first person to have had their heart broken (or for that matter: to fall in love, break a heart, get angry, be sad, etc.). Which is a good thing in a morbid, schaudenfreude kind of way... but it's also empowering. These artists had their hearts broken & lived to tell the tale.

& The tale is the important part, right?

So for WEEKS I've been searching for my camera cord so I could upload the steadily growing multitude of pictures of past events. Today, I found it. BUT! Lo and behold, my camera is now MIA. Ohhh me oh my, life can be so puzzling.

My unemployed status has left me with countless financial stressors... however! It's also presented me with the opportunity to do so many of the things on my "when I have the time..." list. Huzzah! A silver lining.

I just finished The Help by Kathryn Stockett, and absolutely adored it.

I was honestly quite sad to finish it, it was like saying goodbye to friends I knew I might never see again. But I'd honestly recommend it to anyone, it's light hearted enough to be a beach read, but it's beautifully written and has a heart to keep the reader from feeling as though she's slipping into a fluffy mush of useless literature.

It is birthday season! My brother, cousin and my friend Nina all have birthdays this week & Ekat's is on Monday. Tina and Leme both had birthdays last week, so I've had lots of fun baking. Tina's birthday involved a trip to a family friend's house where we enjoyed cake and ice cream in a room filled with kids running around and adults laughing and smashing cake in each other's faces. My house is going to be that house.

I've been able to sit on sooo many babies lately. Getting paid to do something I love so much-whether it's in the church nursery, teaching sunday school, babysitting or whatever-feels like a crime. My secret: Thanks for the money, I really need it.. but I'd do this for free <3.

I've also been pet-sitting a lot, which I know is God's little way of telling me to cheer up and walk dogs. It's also an expert-level crash course in poop-scooping. But, now that I think about it... so is babysitting.

Additionally, I've spent many a blissful hour on the beach this week. I'm getting pretty tan, too... so I suppose there are definitely upsides to unemployment. Er, rather just quite sporadic employment.

It's been a blessing to be so busy without really doing anything at all. & On that note, I'm off to the Funny Bone.

Good Evening.

[the people in my life] are the harmony to my heartbeat, baby.

"Hey Mom, can you help me remember this phone number: _ _ _-8580"
"Sure! *chants* _ _ _-8150. _ _ _-8050."
"Mom... you realize you're not even close."
"Really? Whoops! *Continues to chant up the stairs* _ _ _-8080. _ _ _-8015."

I tell ya what, I don't think anyone will ever really understand me 'til they meet my momma.

Ah sweet Maymester/Summertime.

Fave new summer artist: Sally Seltman.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126977987&sc=emaf

I got a scholarship yesterday (which came complete with a giant laundry basket of groceries, school supplies, a neat watch & other fun things like soap!) & came home for the ceremony. Since then I've just been blessed with the fabulous opportunity to hang out with my fambam, of whom I'm so terribly fond.

PLUS! I got to see the fabulous and talented EMILY ARNOLDDD! & I got to see Sara and James too, which was awesome. It's been so long. I can't believe that I'm old enough to have married friends..guh. Anyway, Emweee and I watched a lot of SVU and I forced her into becoming a Next to Normal fan. It's a fever, spreading like wildfire.

& Yeah. You are probably next.

Mommy and I DVR'd Grey's Anatomy last night & we watched it together this morning. MAN I love Callie and Arizona together. And OH MY SWEET BABY JESUS that was an INTENSE episode! And beautifully directed, too. My mom and I talked about the superb nature of Bailey's performance when she found out that the elevators were off? Ya with me? I'm trying not to spoil anything for anyone who may not have seen it yet... but watch it. Cause it's AMAZING.
Then we went to the beach with aunt lori-loo and anna banana, which was a good time. I met some cute puppies & I'm looking forward to going to visit my cousin at her new job & being SUPER OBNOXIOUS. Yippeeskips.

& tonight I went to the club to see Jamie Kennedy with my high school best friend/elphie/other half.

Do you ever look at your life and honestly NOT REMEMBER why you stopped talking to someone? I know it happened, and I know I felt strongly about it at the time, but it seems so silly to me now. Especially someone who meant so much to me, someone who knew me as well as you did, elph. I'm really excited to have you as a friend again, and I guess that's all part of growing up. People come in and out of your life when you least expect it, but always just when you need them.

But hey, if the cast of characters were always the same, the sitcom that is my life would've been cancelled long ago,

[Which brings the "Metaphors Used" tally in this blog up to: 1.]

& it's quote time:

Appropriately:

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
-Dr. Seuss

my my, miss american pie.

Ohh my, what a beautiful day for some good ol' fashioned strawberry pickin'. I abide by the same strawberry-picking strategy that I did when I was about four: One for the bucket, one for my mouth. I'm pretty sure I'm made of strawberries right now... and probably a little dirt, too. Whoops. Well, because we did such a good job pickin', the lady gave us stickers too! In combination with the amazing food we ate at Greekfest, today's been a monumental success. I got to spend the day with my best friend and my brothers. I adore my family and friends & I adore my brother's girlfriend. She's a perfect fit & Cameron's really set the bar high when it comes to significant others hangin' around the Granger clan.

That really got me thinking. It's been almost four years since I had that head over heels falling for someone sensation. I want nothing more than to love someone who fits in here. I want to be crazy about someone, doesn't everyone? & All the sudden, I got to wondering if I'd ever feel that way about anyone again.

So I did what every strong, independent woman with a good head on her shoulders does: I whined to my friends.

But see, this is where the whole having friends who rock thing comes into play. When I told a particularly wonderful friend that I worried I'd never find that person, he told me that everyone has these moods and that it's important to remember that these feelings are temporary. He told me I have to trust God that he's got someone special waiting for me.

I really don't know how I ended up surrounded by such wonderful people who are twenty going on eighty, but I sure am thankful.

So anyway, I'm gonna go count my blessings and eat my berries.

Bonne soir, mes amis!

Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion!

It's summer & I'm thrilled.

My skeleton was sick of winter. Now it's ALL SUNSHINE ALL THE TIME.. with the occasional thunderstorm which is also okay by me.

I went to Myrtle Beach earlier this week with Student Ambassadors & it was pretty flippin' amazing. I just wish I could have stayed longer! But Ah, c'est la vie. I need to get on this employment thing. Hopefully some of these applications I put in will come to fruition, cause I actually enjoy eating & I'd prefer to keep doing it throughout maymester.

I'm watching Steel Magnolias & falling in love with it again and again as I do every time I watch it. "Honey, there's so much static cling in this room, I'm pickin' up everything except boys and money." Ahh yes, I loves me some sassy, strong southern women.

Ah, sweet summertime. In addition to windows down, music blasting, half-price frappucinos & lunch al fresco, summertime also means that my heart can keep beating cause it's time for the return of So You Think You Can Dance!

Some favorites from summers past:

This one.
This one.
And this one.

AHHHH I can't wait to see what Mia, Nappy Tabs, Tyce, & Travis have in store for us this summaahhhh HEYYOOOO!

What a curious sensation. I have this week to putter around in Virginia Beach & then back to Hburggg for what I anticipate to be the best maymester JMaddy's ever seen.



It's nice to have my sanity back, at least to a certain degree. Just a sidenote: If you really meant it, it's a compliment to be your only regret. But I'd have settled just to be your only.

But hey, that's life. And now the world's our oyster, kittens!

"Birds & bees and songs like these cause we want what we want and it's natural baby."

i'm very much aware

& I'll try not to rely, try not to rely on the perfect line.
And I see no boundaries except for the ones I'm in.
& I don't expect you to overcome them, for that's my job description.

Look at this and try not to smile.

Life's dandy. I'm gonna work my butt off for finals, gonna get me some baller grades AND THEN answer the ocean that's been callin' my name since last summer. I can't wait. I'm currently restraining myself from spouting out a few paragraphs of cliche prose inspired by the ocean, suffice it to say that I neeeeddd the beach, mmkayy?

I wish everyone were open-minded. Believe in something. Yes, believe. But please let's live and let live. Let's make this world a better place for our having lived in it. Study everything. Form educated opinions and share them respectfully with each other. Don't use your beliefs as weapons with which to injure other people. Just don't. Try a smile instead.

You're on my list. Don't cross that line.

Alrightyroo. Time to get down & dirty on this paper.

TALLYYYHOOOOO!

been there, done that.

La Roux - Bullet Proof from serkan söğüt on Vimeo.

I've been on a pretty constant Laroux binge for three days now. Thank you sooooo much to my not-so-secret secret french drawer buddy for leaving me that cd.

I just got home from Relay for Life. Man there are some really strong people on this green earth. I have never been so empowered as to see people who have BEAT CANCER successfully complete that survivor's lap.

Some day, some where, someone is going to find the cure. & The sooner, the better.

Also, MAN I have missed Glee. "I would have gotten you one, but... I don't like you." Haha, it's like being reunited with friends I haven't seen in a few months. Lea Michele is so gorgeous... SO GORGEOUS.



Additionally, Leme-my best friend from high school-has been here this weekend. In this constantly spinning, ever-changing world, it's awesome to know that some things never change <3

I love being a college student, I really do. I want to take advantage of every opportunity, because it'll never happen again.

this time baby, i'll be bullet proof.

"I want that can't eat, can't sleep, reach for the stars, over the fence, world series kind of thing."

But in the mean time, I dig my life. I'm so wonderfully content with these incredible people around. Like really, I don't know what I'd do without a Spike to come home to. Or a best friend to listen while I obsess over the same situation a thousand times, and to act like it's not the thousandth time she's given me the same advice. Or even just a classmate/person waiting in line for poptarts/person that tripped & laughed with me about it, everyone has an impact. Different people now all fill different roles in my life, it feels so much more secure that way. I'm not carrying my happiness eggs all in one basket anymore because, collectively, they make me whole.

Ha, happiness eggs.



In other news, I'm excited to be dancing again. In fact, next semester shows a lot of promise in terms creativity. Ya know, come to think of it, so does this semester...

Being a SMAD major is a lot of fun. I definitely don't regret these classes/skills I'm learning, despite the fact that they won't be uber necessary for my teaching career, it's still really cool to be able to learn them. I'm going to have the sweetest "End of the Year" videos in the whole 4th grade, heyoooo.

So Springfest was this weekend... & if you haven't heard, you've been living under a rock. What actually stinks is that from what I hear, most of the people causing the riots were NOT JMU students. It's just really unfortunate, because it makes us look bad. Of the 35 arrests made, apparently only 5 were students here... but it still makes fielding tour questions SUPER TENSE. How do you explain a party that ends in the swat team, police dogs and tear gas to prospective students and their parents?

Other than calling it a giant success, of course...

JUSSTTTTT KIDDINNGGGG!

Ahh. I'm so strangely content right at this moment, which is weird considering I've been a self-proclaimed whiner all day long. The birds outside my window began tweeting at 2am... I did not sleep well. Haha, instead I watched Buffy and tried my darndest to study for the test & quiz that I had today... whompp.

Anywho, tomorrow looks brighter. Tomorrow always does!


Snails see the benefits, the beauty in every inch of life...

I am in no rush, life goes by quickly enough as it is. I'm just enjoying everything & constantly learning.