Looking Forward

Currently Listening To: The Head and The Heart
So Proud: that I know these girls.

Hey guys, it's midterm week and I am tired right now. So tired. The thing is, I've never really been caught up in midterm week much before -- it seems to be the science-y and psychology-y people who have tests like that, whereas us English just have to write papers somteimes. At random times.. And while I only actually have one midterm (...which is a 12-page take home due Friday that I haven't started) I have a bunch of other things (ie. two lessons to teach) that are coincidentally this week (which is why I haven't started).

Let's just be honest: I was not expecting this much work second semester fourth year, especially when I'm taking less credits than ever before. I do not understand how this is happening.

But here's the good part:

One week from today, I will be in Charleston. Five of my housemates and I are going on a roadtrip adventure to Charleston and Hilton Head for spring break next week! (Sounds kind of like last spring break, you say? Well, you are right. Except, with more people. And we'll actually be staying the night in Chucktown.) Can't wait!

And two weeks from today, my BEST FRIEND will be here! I have already figured out which classes I am going to skip and which things we are going to do to have the best Cville weekend possible. Ahhh!

Cannot wait til I get to start enjoying these things.

[image via Pinterest]

Hey, I Just Met You...

I've been mildly obsessed with this song and video for the past 24 hours (just ask my roommate):

It just leaves me with so many questions: who is the mutual friend of Justin, Selena, Ashley and all those other I-guess-they-re-famous-but-I-don't-know-who-they-are people that convinced them all to do this? Who is Carly Rae Jenson? How is it possible that this song is so catchy? Should I be ashamed of liking it so much?

These and other questions have yet to be answered. And until then, this is basically on repeat. (...No shame?)

Hey Girl Hey

Currently Watching: The Prince of Egypt

This weekend, we had our Kaleh Retreat. Recently, I've been really blown away by community -- how important it is, how I'm part of such a wonderful one, how I can love all these people better because of the way they love me -- and Kaleh Retreat is just such a glorious way to be with, learn from and encourage all the girls in Agape.

I mean, just look at all these beautiful people I got to spend my Friday night with:

 

I loved answering their questions, painting my nails with them, and sleeping on a church floor (or chairs, actually) with them. I'm beyond grateful for this community I've been able to be a part of here in college!

P.S. Last year.

Thought Of The Day

Currently Listening To: the Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights soundtrack. At full volume.
Currently Reading: Igniting A Passion for Reading: Successful Strategies for Building Lifetime Readers by Steven L. Layne. (Ed school.)

[image via Pinterest]

Writing State of Mind

Currently Listening To: Born To Die, Lana Del Rey. (these are my faves)

"To sum it all up, if you want to write, if you want to create, you must be the most sublime fool that God ever turned out and sent rambling.

You must write every single day of your life.

You must read dreadful dumb books and glorious books, and let them wrestle in beautiful fights inside your head, vulgar one moment, brilliant the next.

You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads.

I wish you a wrestling match with your Creative Muse that will last a lifetime.

I wish craziness and foolishness and madness upon you.

May you live with hysteria, and out of it make fine stories - science fiction or otherwise.

Which finally means, may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world."

- Ray Bradbury

I didn't have my usual 3-hour practicum (observing and teaching in a high-school English classroom) today, so I've been spending my extra time working on a short story that's due Friday. Y'all, writing is a difficult task, something you just have to sit with and struggle with and always be polishing and tweaking; that brings out about twenty-seven emotions at one time within you. Grateful to our good friend Ray here for letting me know that I'm not crazy for feelings...or, actually, that maybe all writers are crazy.

[image via We Heart It]

SNOW!

Quote Love: "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." - Pablo Picasso

Well, weather, as I sat outside in just a cardigan yesterday, enjoying a vineyard and some friends, discussing the supposed forecast of a winter storm for today, I have to admit I doubted it wholeheartedly.

But you pulled through, despite the way I scoffed even this morning, and you gave us snow -- a consistent downfall since about 3pm, even. And I've been doing intermittent happy dances since then, because I look out the window at streets and trees and cars all doused in white and get excited all over again. (I guess there are some things that never grow old for this Africa MK.)

Oh, Virginia weather. You are just too full of surprises. And now I guess I shouldn't doubt you when you say you'll be back to 68° by Thursday*.


*What the heck, make up your mind already. And if you make up your mind for spring, now that we've had our one good snow, that'd be cool I guess.


[image via Pinterest]

Map Envy

Currently Listening To: Kill Your Heroes by Awolnation

This is what the area around my bed looks like (backwards, thanks to PhotoBooth):

And this is a picture my friend Kate shared with me the other day:

Wow. This wall is about 7658493 times more awesome than my lil $6 Wal-Mart map situation. And I kind of want it.

...Someday, it could happen.

[image source]