The Wisteria Writer’s Tag!

Hey y’all!!

This is exciting because I have been taaaaagggged! Many thanks to Sunset at The Sunset Sky Blog for the nomination!! As for the tag, here are the

RULES:

• Thank the blogger who nominated you
• Answer the ten questions
• Write ten questions of your own
• Nominate other people for the tag!

*Just a heads up, I don’t really write fiction on a regular basis, but I’ll answer these questions based on what I have written in the past and if I were to write stories!

~

1) What one thing do you struggle to write the most? (Romance scenes, battles etc….)  
 I remember writing a piece in middle school about an undercover spy, and I remember having a ton of trouble with the sneaking past the laserbeams/fighting her assailants… so I’d say battles. However, I love reading romance scenes. Hopeless romantic right here, folks.

2) Favourite character(s) from your current WIP? 
Ahhhhh I don’t have a WIP But I did just write a new article :B

3) Why exactly did you begin writing?
Stories? Because I was inspired by other writers and loved the fact that books and stories could just take you so many places.
This blog? Because I wanted a place to rant and do me and share things I think are interesting (:

4) AHHH! The library is on fire and there is (conveniently) only enough time to save three books. Which ones do you save and why?
What a shame, the idea of burning books hurts my soul so much.
But hmm…Probably
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (because it’s an interesting look at science, dystopia, and alien culture and can be applicable to how we treat others today)
Uglies by Scott Westerfield (dystopian society books FTW)
“Much Ado About Nothing” by Shakespeare (gotta have the classics and hysterical comedy at that)
The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks (because we have to have a mushy gushy book too).
The Help by Kathryn Stockett (historical must read.)

Yes, I know that’s more than 3 books but let’s be real I’m gonna be racing around that flaming library in tears hoping to save all I can, and 3 books is a wimpy amount to escape with (;

5) If you are currently working on a WIP, give a brief synopsis of it below.
Well, this is awkward

6) Which time period do you prefer to write about? 
I’ve always been fascinated with the futuristic vibe, so probably the future.

7) First, second or third person narrative?
Call me narcissistic, but first person. It’s just an immediate path into the character’s head and I love it.

8) What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received? 
Ooh good question. Probably the best piece of advice I’ve received is that you’re never done editing.  There’s always something to look over, something to fix, to elaborate… and something to discover. Taking a step back and re-reading at a later time will open many new doors and perspectives that you can jump off of. Whether it’s fiction or just a blog post, the knowledge that your writing can always evolve is a cool concept.

9) Is diversity an important thing in books for you? Why? How diverse is your own writing?
It is, yes.  It’s a breath of fresh air when I can read different styles, different characters, different syntax.  It just expands my view of the literary world and makes me realize that honestly any kind of writing is possible. My writing, when I do it, I feel is somewhat diverse.  I try to mix it up with personal stories and poetry and rants… In the past, I have shaped characters in the past based on my aspirations and talents I wish I had.

10) What genre do you prefer to write about? When I can, dystopia. Something about constructing disaster rooted in reality is hellishly fun (:<

And now my questions!

1. Do you have a favorite character you can relate to on almost every level?
2. How do you overcome writer’s block?
3. What is your favorite aspect of the writing process?
4. Whatcha workin’ on?
5. Ideal writing conditions (a room, a place, music in the background…)?
6. Where do you get your inspiration?
7. If you could meet any author from the past, who would it be?
8. Pen/pencil or computer screen for drafts?
9. Favorite symbols/similes/metaphors to use?
10. What’s something you’d like to improve in your writing? (This can be anything from skills to work ethic!)

And now for the tagging!

• M
• Noor
• Elizabeth
• Mackenzie Rae
• When she writes
• Arushee

Happy writing and tagging!

xx,

Where I’m From and What I’m Doing Here

Just gonna start by saying this week has been such a whirlwind of events and lack of sleep… but I’ve enjoyed every single minute.

From meeting  new people in the basement of our complex at 2:00am, to exploring campus, to eating like a queen every day, to seeing concerts and a hypnosis show, to getting to know the campus and my classes in depth. 

But one of the things we college newbies have done together as a residence hall sticks out in my mind.

We went to this auditorium to watch a video presentation all about diversity and how it was so much more than ethnicity and skin tone and nationality. The upperclassmen students spearheading the presentation all introduced themselves with a poem, structured in a basic format, beginning every line/sentence/idea with the words “I’m from”. They were so moving and personal. After the presentation, our group got into a circle discussion about it, and then had the opportunity to write an “I’m From” poem of our own, just to show that diversity encompasses the fact that we’ve all had different experiences, we’ve all come from different walks of life,  that we all have different ideas and personalities and interests. 

Reading them aloud in front of the circle was nerve-wracking, but also so empowering… something about the fact that everybody embraced such a heavy moment of vulnerability really knocked it down to the basics of being human, and it was so nice to appreciate a concentrated, unfiltered version of the people I’m going to be living with for the next year. 

I thought I’d share my poem here:

I’m From

I’m from a tope house built in the 80’s in suburban Virginia. 

I’m from the ever-lingering scent of clean laundry and dog fur.

I’m from a fridge covered in art projects from every year of school because my mother thought they were pretty and worthy of praise.

I’m from a bookshelf of books overflowing, and stacks of wires and filled journals that hold bits of me and my dreams.

I am from a passionate, loving mother who has defied death and popular opinion more times than I can count, and a gentle, intelligent father who instilled within me an insatiable curiosity for all things technological.

I’m from 5 beautiful siblings, with their own gifts and abilities.

I’m from homemade french toast every Christmas morning and a packed-to-the-gills van leaving for the beach every summer for two weeks. 

I’m from “I love you”, “do your best”, and “don’t care what other people think or say”.

I’m from unbreakable familial ties not set in blood. 

I’m from God is good and blessings are many. 

I’m from BBQ chicken and Dad’s gourmet rice (or Chinese food when my mother has had a long day).

I’m from humid as hell and truckfuls of snow.

I’m from dog walking and jogging and the pressure to succeed.

I am from healing.

I’m from love.

~

I can’t wait to explore myself and this campus even further in the coming weeks.

What have y’all been up to?

xx,

Move in Day!! :,D

• 8:00 am •

Gah.

I didn’t get to sleep last night until 2:00am. Bad decision, I know but god it was too hard to fall asleep. The excitement was overflowing. I finally slapped off my alarm and jumped out of bed at 6:30 am… The goal was to leave the house at 7:00am, but LOL that did not happen. But it’s okay. 

I’m blogging from ze app today 1) because I had to pack up my beloved Gertrude (my mini-tower-desktop computer) and 2) cuz I’m on the road TO MY FUTURE. 

…Welllllll that was a bit intense. But it’s true! My life honestly changes today and there are so many feelings swirling around my head and heart right now it’s insane, and the caffeine from my tepid coffee is probably gonna make my heart pound through my chest.  I’m an hour and a half or so away from campus and I’m so excited. This post will mainly consist of random live updates and reports of parental sobbing, so if mushy gushy sentimental things aren’t your thing…. Haha I’m sorry. 

But honestly it really hit me that I’d be away from home for a long time when my mother walked in my almost empty room, and just looked around, reminiscing aloud of the days a crib and a rocking chair once commandeered the room. 

I said goodbye to some of my siblings (my littlest sister and youngest brother came with my parents and me), and proceeded on my journey forward. 

• 2:00 am •

Wow. 

All I can say is wow. 

I got to campus around 10:30am, and unloaded relatively quickly into my dorm room. Everyone was so excited and cheerful and friendly (what I love about my college).  I hugged my roomie immediately upon entering, and my parents got along swimmingly with her parents. Emotions were at an all time high, and I think my mom tried so hard not to lose it completely.
We spent time unpacking and organizing, and then took a break to go pay a chunk of my tuition (ahhh I still need to pay the rest!) and then say goodbye. I almost broke down completely when I hugged everyone goodbye… but my mother’s last words were “we’re so proud. You’re going to have a blast. Enjoy every minute”, so I was determined not to feel too sad for too long.

I hurried to eat because I wanted to get back to my room and my roommate and finish decorating the room. After that period of time, we made our way down to the convocation center where the best male acapella group on campus, president, and vice president of the college gave us a warm, inspiring welcome. He told us to dream big, and pursue everything we were passionate about. And I couldn’t be more thankful to be sitting in that seat, literally acknowledging the fact that I get to spend four years of my life here on this beautiful campus and call it home.

So this was taking before I left my parents… it’s come a long way decor-wise (we’ve got our xmas lights up now!)  but that’s the basic setup (:

After that, we met up for some lunch and then proceeded to do some icebreakers with the residents in our hall. We sat in a circle on the grass as a building section and went over dorm life and regulations and asked questions about everything. Our FrOGs, first year orientation guides, warned against smoking in the room and power strips with USB ports embedded in them (dammit, that one was expensive ):  )

But the real event of the night came after community time with our hallmates, when practically the entire freshman class of 2020 met on the football field for mass team-building and icebreakers, and ultimately, the most hardcore rock paper scissors championship ever. Imagine. ~5,000 some odd people all facing off in “best two out of three” rock paper scissors matches, with only 1 victor allowed. It was insane. And I met so many new people.

When that was over, my roomie and I opted for some late night dining option that included a hefty two scoops of Edy’s ice cream in a waffle cone (MMMMMMM SO DELICIOUS).

It was then all I could do to trudge back to the dorm and sit down and write and start this post before I passed out around 2:30 am (yes, I’m finishing this post with hindsight goggles on).

All this on 4 hours of sleep.

But oh. My gosh. Was it worth it.
Much love always,
xx

Hard Goodbyes, A College Countdown, and Some Other Thingamabobs

Well…damn.

I have 3 days left of summer.

The last two days were spent driving down to Charlottesville for J’s college drop-off. Running on less than 6 hours of sleep, we left in the early AM and got to his college around 9:30am. We unpacked a fully loaded car and hauled his stuff up and down a hill. His dorm has a gorgeous view because it’s on the top of a hill, but the slope is nasty wicked. His mother, her boyfriend, his father, and his little brother were there, and the tiny dorm room felt crowded. (I almost felt bad for his roommate, who was moving in at the same time and was probably lost in the sea of people in the room.)

I witnessed the joy/sadness of a mother’s goodbye with J there. There were about 20 “one-last-hug”s and many “I want to visit you every day”s.  All at once, I myself felt the tears come as I realized I would probably not see J again until Thanksgiving. But I reminded myself to enjoy the day, and continued unpacking granola bars and too many cables to count.

After we finished unpacking, we explored campus and then took him to lunch. After lunch he had to attend a meeting with his RA and other guys on his floor, so his dad and I took a stroll around town. After his meeting was done, we all went out for ice cream at the local Ben & Jerry’s, which is now what I’d call our last time binging on unhealthy food for a while 😂/😢

The tears came for him, however, when we dropped him off at his dorm for the night.

The next morning I awoke early in a hotel, then went shopping for some last minute stuff J had forgotten/we couldn’t fit into the car on the way down. We brought them to him mid afternoon and took him to lunch for the last time. We came back and we hugged and said our goodbyes, and we told each other we’d visit. I know I posted recently about my friend, Elisa heading off to college. We said our “see you later”s and left it there, because it’s just a temporary goodbye. But with J it was a bit harder.

The hard part was leaving him at the dorm entrance. And the even harder part.. was driving away.

And just like that I’m back home, with almost all of my friends having already left for school. I got some last minute shopping done with my other close friend yesterday. She leaves the 23rd so I don’t feel quite so alone.

Seeing J move in has filled me with so much more excitement, though. I can’t wait to get on campus and meet new people and decorate my room and walk the grounds. In some ways, I’m sad that my time here is limited… but in other ways, I’m too eager to start this new chapter.

Right now my life is a whirlwind of Amazon boxes and clothes, though I’m slowly putting the finishing touches on all of the things I’ve had packed for practically two weeks now (yeah, you can’t tell at all that I’m excited.)

With all that’s happening around me I haven’t gotten to go running in 12 days and I am feeling the effects because I’ve been eating like a voracious cave-woman and sleeping like a cat. I’m trying to change this though– I went for a “run” today (tried to ease myself back into it after 12 days off) and I’m trying to get to bed at a decent time, in an attempt to fix my sleeping schedule (but part of me thinks my attempts are futile because come Tuesday night I know I will not be able to sleep).

In other other news… I’ve started a writing gig for a site called OdysseyOnline (if you’ve heard of them). Basically, it’s a platform where passionate teen writers can get together in their area and write content important to them to get published in their internet realm. I’m really excited because I can have another outlet for my writing and meet many who are doing the same. I’m supposed to write an article a week, and I can already feel the looming writer’s block after hitting “submit for revision” on my first article…. But hopefully the experiences I will have in the next week will prompt all sorts of new thoughts on new topics.

Whew.

Suddenly my life is getting busy (well, it kinda already was busy, but it’s a leisurely kind of busy, you know?), but it’s exciting (:

I promised myself I’d get to bed early (heh–“early”) today so I could experience the 64 degree weather tomorrow morning for a run.

Guess I’ll get on that.

Love always,

{u n s e e n}

They look at her, then look at me. “You look just like your mother!” they say. 

Funny.

I saw a TED talk about the human mind and how it will put together what it wants to see, based on its past experiences.

And that’s fine. Let them see what they want to see. It makes it easier on me. It’s preferable than the wide-eyed, jaw opening looks that follow the words “actually, I’m adopted”. 

It’s not something I tell people upon introduction. There’s no need for it. 

There’s no need to delve into a multi-layered story of a woman who longed so long for children she couldn’t have and bypassed every judgmental person on the planet to fly three quarters of the way around the world to pick up a small bundle of tightly swaddled sadness and bring her back to the North American continent.

But somehow, when faced with “where were you born” or “where do you come from”questions, I have a choice to make. 

Past experience tells me that I will be swamped with rapid upward-inflection inquiry when I answer “Russia”. 

So I change my story. And my life. And I answer “Virginia”. This gets a knowing nod, a smile, or a “oh, me too!” and then the conversation is over. 

Whew. Crisis averted. 

But it’s not until recently that I wondered why people are so weird. And why I was bending myself to their whim.

Why do they react so oddly when I say the “A” word?

 No, I don’t speak Russian. No, I don’t remember my birth parents. No, I don’t feel weird around my siblings. No, I’m not a communist. No I don’t feel sad because I was taken from my precious home land (Literally answers to questions I’ve been asked). 
Adoption isn’t new. It’s just a thing people do. 

Now, I’m up front about it, and my perspective has shifted. I no longer care about the reaction at the end of my reply, because I’m too busy cherishing the life I have now. It’s something cool. It’s something uniquely me. And besides.

Your family is your family regardless of their blood ties to you. I see my mother and father as anyone else sees their biological parents. Sure, sometimes I wonder about my birth mother, what caused her to give me up, and I marvel at her dedication to the health of herself and me, born a healthy 8 lbs 5 oz at birth. But it doesn’t stop me from living in a normal family in a normal house in a normal city in a normal state.

And so it lies there. Unseen, under the surface where it’s reluctant to peek out, this fact that seems so oddly, fascinatingly abnormal to many audiences. I don’t whip out this information to any old Joe off the street. There’s no reason to, especially because it doesn’t matter, because I’m still me.

I’m not some exotic animal in a zoo. I’m just like you, loving their family and wanting to feel a part of something bigger. And I would appreciate it if you’d stop making it more than it is. 

xx

A Wander in the Woods with my Blessing

What a gorgeous day (she says as it’s absolutely pouring outside currently).

But even that is gorgeous in its own right.

I awoke in the basement of my good friend, Elisa. We had stayed up late the night before watching the 1990’s Bollywood film “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”.  It was so cheesy yet so cute, but we both started dozing off and speaking gibberish as we entered a half wake-half dream state. We were exhausted.

We greeted the morning with banana peanut butter protein shakes (she’s a goddess health shake maker I will tell you) and a heavy dose of sunscreen.  The plan was to go out to a local park, Scott’s Run, and hike for a while.

We got in the car and navigated there to the soundtracks of Hillsong, a favorite worship band of Elisa’s (Their music is so good and uplifting.  Definitely give them a listen).

A couple of wrong turns/google maps goofs (lol) later, we got there. We were the only car in the parking lot, it was an awesome 78 degrees out, and the sun was shining through the trees.  I had brought Vincent, my crocheted octopus along and set him on the trunk of the car for a picture.

The day before, I had gotten up early to go hunt down the camera of my recent dreams: a Canon powershot. I got it off craigslist (yeah, yeah I know… but I did my research and was super safe about it) for an AMAZING $50.  This camera goes anywhere from about $300-315, and after I had mentioned to the seller that I was on the hunt for a new camera for college, she docked the price down from the original $64 to $50. How awesome of her.

ANYWAYS.

It was a scenic area and I was dying to try out my snapping skills. So I did.

dewy morning before we left for the park

VINCEEEENNNNNT

We bug sprayed ourselves and set off into the glorious trees.  Not too long after we had been walking, we stumbled upon a mini waterfall.  It was so picturesque, and we squatted around there for a bit taking pictures.

Elisa had brought her GoPro (what an awesome piece of machinery!!!!) so she was able to get it super close to the waterfall itself. It was so cool. Some random bursts of singing Disney songs later, we were off again on the trail.

Twice we crossed little bits of water on stepping stone cylinders. The rest of our walk was filled with life banter, college aspirations, and musings of the woods around us.

But I have to say— the absolute main event was when we reached the actual waterfall of Scott’s run.
It was too gorgeous for words, so I’ll leave you with the glorious hi-def pictures I was able to take with my lovely camera who I lovingly refer to as My Son.

We were slapped in the face with this view. It still hurts so good.

It was like something out of a Disney movie… all these butterflies flying around. So cute.

Just some perspective– these falls were purty tall

I had to stuff my phone and My Son into my bra as I climbed over the rocks and waded even though wading wasn’t allowed ooh I’m a rebel mwahahah  towards the falls. And then I’d stop along the way, stand in a precarious position upon slippery slimy mossy rocks and take pictures, stuff in bra, rinse, repeat.
I’m actually surprised I didn’t send any tech plunging down into cold, clear, rocks-at-bottom water. Especially since we were there for what seemed like forever.  Then again, it’s easy to get lost in time in beautiful spaces 😀

After we had our fill of pictures, we climbed our way back to where we had stashed our stuff and hydrated & refueled.  We then headed back to the car, and drove back. Elisa didn’t want to drop me off so we roamed my neighborhood with a Classic Disney Songs playlist on Spotify blasting through the car stereo.

But, sadly, and very cliche-ed-ly, all good things have to come to an end a temporary pause… and giving her a last hug in my driveway was bittersweet enough to bring a lump to my throat.  She leaves for college the 19th, earlier than I do, and I realized that it would be the last time I would see her for a while. She was right though… it is never really a good bye. Just a super heart-felt “see you later”.

And as it pours outside now, I’m randomly thinking about the “see you later” and its temporary-ness, about how the downpour itself is temporary. Like most things. I’m moving from my temporary home to another, and pursuing a temporary major….

But I also think about how part of its beauty lies in its temporary-ness. Shifting and changing, we’re never really permanent. We’re just moving from one place to another, from park to park, rock to rock, getting better each time.

xx

The ABCs of My Summer as a Student in Limbo

Saw this done on another blog and thought it was a cool way to do a summer recap.

So, without further ado:

A is for adventures. Late night gas station/playground runs, trekking through the canopies of Florida, and road tripping down to Lexington, VA… getting soaked on a beach during a run and then witnessing an incredible rainbow… All full of great memories that will last long after the sun stops staying out later in the day.

B is for bowling! Bowling with my favorite co-workers has definitely been a highlight, even though I quit working with them towards the middle of summer… I’ll miss our Monday all-you-can bowl sessions until late in the evening *sniff, sniff*

C is for credit card! Again, maybe not so much of a big deal, but it has made my life SO SO SO much easier in the past month or so…. And ordering stuff for college online has never been better.

D is for DISNEYYYY (with J!) What an adventure. Got to fly down there with my best friend and experience the magic for the second time this year with him by my side. Despite some bumpy parts, an especially memorable trip.

E is for education (outside the classroom). And I’m talking about getting educated about myself. This summer I think I’ve learned more about myself and what I want and who I am and what I aspire to be than I have in any other summer.

F is for friends. And Finding Dory! Saying goodbye to the gifts from God I’ve surrounded myself for the past year will definitely be a helluva struggle. Any and all time spent with them has been precious, and I honestly cannot wait until we can reunite during the winter break. And let’s not forget something almost just as awesome as good friends— the movie I’ve been awaiting for like, an untold number of years now, came out and I saw it with awesome people.

G is for graduation and grad party! I ended my high school career (still hasn’t really hit me yet) and then celebrated with some of my closest friends in the most non-conventional way ever. It was pretty sick (and I still think the website J and I made for our event is still up and running…..haha oops).

H is for Harry Potter’s Wizarding World! I know this kinda falls into the Disney category BUT OH MY GOSH what an experience in its own. Trying Butterbeer for the first time was like heaven on earth and made up for the stupid locker/no articles in pockets policy that exists within that theme park. It was just an awesome time.

I is for ice cream. I went to get ice cream on National Ice cream day with one of my best friends, and I also have made probably 10+ trips to my previous place of employment for some kick-ass tasting salted caramel gelato. That being said, I’ve definitely more than satisfied my sweet tooth this summer.

J is for JMU, J, and Jaimie! Talk about three of my favourite things :D. My whole summer has been partially dedicated to getting forms, surveys, and webinar thingies done for college, but my oh my has it been worth it. Especially when I get to move in there in a little less than 2 weeks!! J has basically been here my whole summer… and I’ll be super sad when I have to part with him on his journey to UVA the 19th…. And I just got to spend the past day and a half with his awesome secretly-a-mermaid-off-duty cousin Jaimie 😀

K is for #KURIOS! My first Cirque du Soleil show! Saw them in Tysons on August 11th and it was truly magical. Definitely will try to go to more in the future! It’s like Broadway with all the elements of a circuz thrown in in the most creative of ways.

Nicest portable bathrooms I have literally ever seen.

L is for Lucia’s. Eeeeeven though I quit working at this Italian establishment and watched my bank account slowly dwindle into nothing, I don’t regret it all that much. This has been the only summer where I haven’t had to put painstaking time and effort into dumb summer assignments, where I’ve been able to actually enjoy my vacations, and take time for myself. Sure, the money would have been nice… but I’m just as happy to have taken a vacation from a stressful work environment as well.

M is for music. My goodness. Without music this summer would have been near impossible. Music has filled my ears while I’ve sweat to reach my running goals, has helped me through some ruts of sadness, and has given me hope for how the next couple months will turn out. Honestly it’s such a mood booster and a magical healing potion.

N is for new people. I’ve met some amazing new people this summer, if not directly and in person then online, or through blogs. Just wanna say that meeting new people and forming new bonds is such a beautiful and valuable thing.

O is for Ocean City and Orientation! Ocean City, since I do vacation there every year basically… got annoying at times, but it was still fun. This year I especially cherished early morning runs along the beach under God’s glorious rays of sunlight. And I did get a little closer with my family. So there’s a plus. And then I got to go down to JMU for a one day orientation (feels like a pre-game at this point) which was awesome, and I met new people there (: )

P is for Panic! At the Disco and packing. UGH YES. My go-to playlist *selects “Artists”* *selects “shuffle all songs from this artist* ….annnnnd that’s how I have just reconnected to my PATD addiction. PATD has also been my background music for when I’ve been shoving things in boxes and whatnot… which brings me to packing. My room is literally a warzone right now as I’ve thrown things that I wanna take into multiple packing things… And I feel like I’m still only halfway done…

Q is for quirks. This kinda goes along with education, and how I’ve learned a lot about myself, and others. Specifically quirks of myself and others. Like one person I know refuses to eat orange M&M’s, and I apparently have a habit of scrunching my eyebrows together when reading. (these are just some mild examples of some quirks I’ve observed this summer).

R is for running and reading. How cool is this– I’ve gone from barely being able to run a mile to running 4 in succession…. just shows you what a bit of determination and stamina can do! And I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before… but where I used to go running, they have this cute little outdoor library.. Imagine an over-sized bird house filled with books with a window as one of the side panels that you can open to pull a book out… Well, I borrowed a book from there and it made me think about all the awesome books I’ve gotten a chance to read this summer.

S is for shopping. And geez have I done way too much shopping this summer…Both in person and online…. though some of it consisted of super bargains! (Like the like-new camera I got for only $50 when it goes for anywhere from $200-$300….!)

T is for that time I thought I had tuberculosis. *shudder*

U is for Universal Studios! …and the Island of Adventure! Woooooooo so much fun packed into that park, even though we had to wait in line for like 2 hours for a ride that didn’t feel worth the wait. But there was also that interesting burger/sushi dining experience too!

V is for VBS! And Vincent! Ahhhhh I’ve been meaning to put up a post about Vacation Bible School this year and my adventures of leading a crew of eight 5-6 year olds through our under-sea themed church activities… perhaps I’ll finish it and schedule it. But it was a blast, my group was so cute, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like I could handle anything they threw at me, (including my cute, HAND CROCHETED (!!!) little purple octopus whom I lovingly call Vincent. He appears on my Instagram and Snapchat feeds a lot…. ha. My friend made a ton of crocheted animals for her friends as grad gifts, and she is so talented. She made a Squirtle for J and it’s absolutely adorable.

Vincent casually hanging in a bush thing at Disney

W is for waking up whenever. Damn. This is gonna be a hard habit to kick. The past month or so has honestly been a fall-asleep-whenever-and-wake-up-anywhere-between-7am-and-2pm fest. And with college basically 10 days away, I should start fixing my sleep habits now. Ha.

X is for X-rated. Because what’s summer without some extreme sunburns, horror films, and risky business? (;

Y is for yearning. You could say that this has been a part of my whole summer, and even part of my life for the months leading up to summer. The voice saying I want to leave, I’m done here, I want to move on and get out and explore and try new things has been at the forefront of my mind and I honestly am so excited to leave in 10 days.

Z is for zeal and plenty of zzz’s. Honestly one thing has been a blessing and (only a minor) curse this summer… and that’s my ability to say “yes” and dive into new experiences and try everything without much thinking or feel but with plenty of zeal (what a neat little rhyme there eh?). However some of these experiences have taught me about myself, and I’ve made mental notes about my behavior and what I hope to accomplish from it in the coming months. So yes, have the zeal. But also have the patience and the caution to follow it up with. And also have the rest needed to constantly whip out that “go for it” attitude every day. Sleep has been so important to me this summer… not only has it allowed me to push my physical limits, but also my mental ones. And I know that I have, pretty much, complete control of my sleep and want to use it as a tool in the coming months.

What’re the ABCs of your summer?

I tag anyone reading to try this fun recap (:

xx

A Blogging Olympics Tag for ya

Hey all! So with the Olympics in full swing, I thought I’d do a bit of a fun blogging tag that I found over at Noor’s “blogeon” (A Little Bit of Sunshine).  (She’s great, go give that link some love!)

Shall we?

RULES:
-Use the Blogging Olympics image (or make your own)
-Thank the person who tagged you and list the rules
-Answer the Olympics themed questions (feel free to add your own)
-Tag others!

QUESTIONS:

Team? 
Team USA *hears frat boys chanting U-S-A obnoxiously in background*

If you could compete in an event, what would it be? 
Gymnastics, hands down. Just being able to fly and bend gravity in practically every event would be so electrifying.  I used to do it, but stopped when my coach had to move to Hawaii for her husband’s work.

Favorite event to watch? 
Gymnastics and swimming.  Gymnastics because the teams are so gorgeous, so talented, and everything is so precise, and the pressure is so high.. it just keeps you on the edge of your seat.  The same goes with swimming– a second is such a huge unit of time in that sport, and seeing competitors glide expertly through the water (even in more thrashy strokes like butterfly) is just so awe inspiring.  Also, cuz swimmer bodies and Michael Phelps’ stare-downs, amirite?

Olympian you most admire? 
This is tough. But I’m honestly torn between Simone Biles and Laurie Hernandez… Both because they’re incredible gymnasts with incredible drives… Simone has expectations of herself through the roof and the passion to race past them, and Laurie is just so enchanting.  If you’ve ever seen her do a floor routine… it’s both so graceful and playful and full of spunky personality… she might be only 16 but she’s got so much talent and poise.

What sports do you currently play?
LOL um
None
I mean, I try to run daily?
However I do wanna see if I can try to join a club/intramural gymnastics team when I get to college… I really do miss it.

Summer or Winter Olympics?
Summer, probably because all my favorite events are during the summer and I can watch it more since I don’t have school. (^Couldn’t have said it better Noor!) But I also love figure skating so….?!?

Ever been to see the Olympics in person?
Alas, I have not.  One day though! Next time around I’ll be a senior in college, and I might be more able to travel to wherever they’re holding them (:

A sport that should be in the Olympics? 
Yeesh, I dunno… there are already so many sports already…! Hmmmm what about juggling?

What do you think would be going through your head right before you were about to compete in the Olympics?
I would be low-key freaking out, but also super excited, but also freaked out because of all the pressure… but in the end I’d just try to reassure myself that I’d worked so hard to get there.. and that all I need to do is relax, savor every moment, and stay focused.

ANNNND I TAG:
Everyone who has made it through this post (:

xx
Steph

Playing grounds

I honestly can’t remember the last time I went to a playground. 

My little sister Boo has been asking me for the longest time to go scootering, bike riding, running… Anything, as long as I was involved in it. And with the chaos that has been “get ready for college” / “see all the people you want to before you leave” related, I’ve said no to her way too many times. 

So I said yes to her today, and I took my 10 year old razor scooter and rode with her down to the playground in our neighborhood. There wasn’t a soul around, so we had all of it to ourselves. I found a bench, leaned our scooters against it, and laid my sunglasses and phone down. 

I’m only about 5 feet tall, so it felt incredibly weird to me to be too big for some of the attractions on the mulch. 

Boo insisted we swing, so we swung. 

She then wanted to do the little glider thing, where you hold on to a handle and you glide across a beam to another platform… Like a zip line but without a line, replaced by a beam of metal. 

And then she absolutely killed it on the monkey bars. She went across what must have been 15 rungs 5 times in a row. 

She challenged me and halfway through I had to quit… My hands got sore immediately and I thought to myself “wow. I really have no upper body strength”. 

But it was when we started playing “don’t step on the lava” that things got intense. 

The mulch, according to Boo’s imagination, had been transformed into boiling lava pits, and we were supposed to make our way around the jungle gym components without touching the groun– I mean– lava. (;

We battled the lava for a good 20 minutes or so of, and by the end of it all my arms and legs felt dead. 

But my aching body wasn’t all I had on the brain. I thought about all the times I I had loved playgrounds when I was younger, and even imagined myself taking kids of my own to play on structures like Boo and I had just played on. And it got me thinking. What if everybody just put down the screens for a bit and played like a child (with a child!) for 30 minutes at a time?

My excuses to Boo over the past weeks we’re “I’m too busy”, or “I’m leaving to go out with friends”. But honestly, after an hour or so on that playground, and aeeing her face light up when she successfully conquered the monkey bars, it made me realize that she had only wanted one thing, one person to play with, some time away from everything. And in the fast-paced world we live in, I think we can more than afford an hour of escape to a playground. We just have to say yes. 

xx,

Steph

We will. Have. Order!

It hit me today on a failed attempt at going for a run

That I do not really have any sense of order in my life. 

And I know it’s probably because it’s summer, and things are free and go with the flow and spontaneous and meant to be enjoyed… But sometimes I miss having a regimen. 

Maybe the reason I’ve started to like running is because it’s basically become a daily habit… (Well, minus this past week  because I’ve been in FL getting fat off of awesome food, lol) and, despite my spontaneous moods and random ambitions, I like order. Like the inner OCD in me is protruding from my mind and wants to fit everything neatly into a box, a schedule, a logical string of feeling. 

Maybe it’s because I feel like I’ve been hanging lost in midair recently– I’m in non-student limbo, even though that’ll be over soon. 

Tonight I did something I haven’t in a long time– I just sat in my bed and listened to old country music that brings me back to my middle school years (albeit awkward, were very music-oriented.) and it surprised me how much I remember, lyrics that have been stored away for years because I’ve been in a bubble where country music isn’t cool, where I’ve been thrust into new music, where I’ve tried to bury old aspects from that time in my life. 

So basically, I am just strolling down memory lane right now, and figuring out how I can get back into a manageable groove, all while figuring out what’s missing and what I can do to put it back where it belongs. 

xx

Steph