Week Recap

this week was a whirlwind!

it was paper week at Loyola..what is paper week you ask?

you know how other colleges have dead week before finals, with no papers/tests, just classes?

well, Loyola has paper week. this is when all those lovely 10-15 page research papers are due. 

and so are all of those group projects.

so my week involved two papers, a dance final, and a poster presentation.

but now it's done! 

and more importantly... THE DALAI LAMA CAME TO LOYOLA!!

he was so inspiring.

too blessed to hear him speak.

one of the things he said that stood out to me was that

 the key to happiness already lies within each of us.

I have had so many wonderful opportunities at Loyola, but this was by far one of the best.

and then the very next day was my last day of classes ever!

so surreal.

it was a busy day with classes, work, and a dance performance that night.

I don't think it has hit me yet that I am really graduating in 2 weeks.

Only four finals stand between me and a college degree! bring.it.on.

dog sitting/visit from my momma/scholarship banquet

 

 things I learned this weekend:

-puppies are great and make everything better....but they will distract you from your final research papers.

-hamburger mary's is an awesome restaurant in Andersonville. they give you your bill in a high heel! talk about fabulous

-I have not done public speaking in a long time. and I shake when I do. 

-frozen custard is awesome. 

-having someone (cough cough my mom) do your laundry and cook/freeze meals for you right before finals week is hands down the best thing ever!

-The Lucky One is super cheesy...but zac efron is still so so beautiful.

but speech went so well! it was definitely a highlight of my college career, no matter how nervous/scared I was to get up there and do it. it felt great to have people tell me how well I did or how they loved the speech.  I even had one guy ask for a copy of it! also, I got to honor my momma in it. this was very important to me, and it was awesome to see her get congratulated as well. 

here's an excerpt from my speech (and also the hardest part for me to get up and say):

"Throughout my childhood, reading has always been a great release for me.  It allowed me to escape to magical places and created a hunger in me to learn more.  As a child growing up with an alcoholic and verbally abusive father, it also allowed me to escape the chaos.  It offered me a place of solace, and through reading, I slowly began to enjoy school and to look forward to my time there. It was the one place where I could be judged solely by my own personal achievements, and not by my father’s behavior. It was my place to shine."

and I got a picture with Loyola's President! #winning

....and now back to writing papers for paper week, and then studying for finals.

 

Puppy Sitting!

this sweet little thing is who I'm spending all ma time with this weekend..what a cutie!

unfortunately, pucho (the puppy's name) is also a major distraction from my two research papers that are due monday. but who can say no to that face?!

a change in mindset

DIY gift for my best frand/family dinner photo/glorious breakfast at home/my 5 dolla chair! thrifting ftw!

international studies honor society/my growing to-do lists/cap and gown-check!/the awkward hole in my sweater. still rocked it!

outfit for grad school visit/surprise package from my momma!/what's inside: new sperrys!/girls night with the theater to ourselves. aw yeah.

life around here has been unusually crazy! I blame it on being a graduating senior.

at this point, I am just trying to make it to graduation without a breakdown.

but of course, lately almost everything has been frustrating and stressful.

and this has put me in the worst of moods, just as my momma or my roommates.

finals, planning graduation, working, not working out, and trying to find time to hang out with friends has been stressing me to the max.

today, I had a change of heart though.

while all those things that are stressing me out aren't going to go away too soon,

 my bad attitude about them could go away.

because who wants to look back on their last two weeks of college, and realize they didn't make the most of them? 

not this girl.

so I'm just going to trust that everything will get done, and enjoy this last couple of weeks.

(plus, getting a new pair of shoes in the mail today might have helped with my 'tude)

words of wisdom

via pinterest

love this quote. #thehungergames

(idk why I always feel the need to hashtag when I'm not on twitter... probably not socially acceptable. oooooh well!)

so sorry for being an absentee blogger! I promise to be back soon with lots of posts (:

happy easter!

I absolutely love Easter! so much family time, church time, and food time. 

what more do you need?!

so while I was busy eating all the sugar in sight, (I hear my running shoes calling already!)

I was able to snap some photos of my weekend at home.

Friday: Pre-Graduation Celebration Dinner at Alberts Bar & Grill

me and my brother. nbd, we're just super cool and matching

and this meet me when I came downstairs to my room...uuuuh what?!  no worries, my brother was just cleaning his guns for hunting/civil war re-enacting. but still, I was confused for a bit.

Saturday: Chipotle/Shopping/Egg Dyeing

Sunday: Church/Grandma's

beautiful beautiful Iowa on the drive

sorority posing on grandma's farm with my momma

easter outfits!

words of wisdom//believe in yourself.

Prom Garters from Marti & Co.

Marti & Co. is my mother's fabulous small business!
She makes cute little things like these prom garters:

and now I'm going to do some shame-less promotion for her Etsy shop....

there is currently free shipping on all prom garters! so if you know someone 

in need of one, please consider directing them to her shop.  if you don't see 

one to match your dress, just let us know, and she can design you a beautiful 

custom one for the same price! 

take action.

"An easy way to begin implementing this practice is to go about your day, and whenever you notice an opportunity where you could be assertive, take the lead, speak, or move, do it. From spreading out on a couch, to complimenting a friend’s shirt, to illustrating a point by diving into a personal story and opening up emotionally, there are a million tiny moments throughout the day when you have the choice between taking action or remaining passive. Start noticing these moments and begin choosing action."


The above passage is from the article, "How to Pick Up a Stranger (or Produce Brilliant Work)" by Emilie Wapnick  ....and no, it's not about pick-up lines. It's actually about how taking small risks in your daily life can make you more productive, and it makes so much sense. By taking these small risks in your daily life, you'll also begin to take risks and be more productive in you professional life (or academic life for me).


This is incredibly relevant for me right now also. I was chosen to be the student speaker at Loyola's Scholarship Banquet, but I have been so scared to sit down and write my speech. The student last year had such an incredible speech and such an amazing story...and I'm not sure I can live up to that. But this article reminded me that everyone is unique, and as long as you are taking a risk for yourself personal, then that's a win. So just by writing this speech and getting up in front of all the big-name donors, that'll be a win for me. 


so take action.
and take a risk. 




ps. you should also read the article, it's wonderful (:

love always

so many good things have been going on in my life.
but yet, I still feel like something is off.

and then it hit me.
i miss my oldest brother jeff.
and i miss my dad.

I have already addressed grief here and here.
I still feel really weird talking about it,
but it's such a big part of who I am.

and I know I'm still running from it.
even talking to my best friend tonight,
and hearing her say I barely talk about it,
and that she knows nothing about it...
really made realize how much I do avoid it.

graduation tickets also got me down.
loyola gives you four tickets total.
and my dad and brother won't be there.
that's rough.

also rough to realize that you'll most likely end up outliving your brother.
i really don't know how to describe it.

beyond the fact that I really miss them,
and just hope that I can live my life in a way that honors theirs.

because they were pretty great.
and right now, that's how I know how to cope with the loss.

jeff on his wedding day.

i was pretty good at ruining photos

love always brother.

jeff and baby me.

weekend of food.

I seriously baked so much this weekend. why? I have not idea, but now I have enough food to feed the neighborhood!

Here's all I made:

Crock-pot Taco Chili with Chicken

so easy to make!

finished product

apple cinnamon muffins 

not really cooking but so good! strawberry/feta cheese spinach salad with raspberry vignette 

and lastly, quinoa mac and cheese. aka bomb.com

and I actually made it out of the kitchen to go church!

church outfit