Tonight Was a Magical Boston Night

So here's the thing, it's okay if you're a little jealous of my life...

I have the best, best friend ever. (shout out soulmate!) and we just had the amazing night. Titled THE Saturday night, as by me. We needed a reason to get dressed. It had passed 2:00 and neither of us had left the building or our pajamas. We had to have some reason to motivate ourselves towards real people clothes. And we had to have some soulmate bonding time (obviously). So we marched our peacoat adorned selves down to Kenmore and hopped right onto the Green Line towards Government Center. Helloooo Boston's North End!

Tonight was a night of firsts for us both. We went to the much acclaimed Mike's pastries and excitedly stood in line wondering if the reviews were accurate and if the wait was worth the goodies (it was). As we got closer to the front we were looking at the cannoli's in awe and practically pressing our faces against the cupcake display. With the strings tied tightly around our pastry goodies and the boxes firmly in our hands we took off to find some real dinner. Because we're in college, and we're adults and adults eat dinner before dessert obviously. Cue the famous Regina's Pizzeria, and another line. Magic was on our side tonight so the wait was minimal as we skipped past larger groups in front of us and sat down to enjoy one of the best pepperoni pizza's I've had and a pitcher of Coke in the perfect and classic pizza shop atmosphere. As we enjoyed our pizza we watched the action of the waiters and smiled as we listened to them speak in their Boston accents about getting something from their Cah and asking where Mahk went. We soaked up the Boston love while sneaking bites of our Mike's cannoli's. 

At this point, we were pretty content with our lives. We had done all this early to avoid crowds and despite the fact that it had been dark for at least an hour, it was only about 5:30. Luckily for us, I have a weird need to go to Urban Outfitter's like...all the time. So off to Faneuil Hall we went! Chrissy had heard that the Christmas tree was up, so we were excited to see that too. I was a little disappointed by the size of said Christmas tree, but we still enjoyed it and took pictures anyway. We moved on and began walking towards Urban until we were suddenly interrupted by all the lights on the trees suddenly turning off. We had a moment of bewilderment until we saw the ACTUAL Faneuil Hall Christmas tree lighting occur before our eyes. We had no idea it was happening and just by coincidence were right there, at that exact moment, on that exact night, facing that exact direction. The lighting was awe inspiring and we were left completely speechless with what had just occurred right before our eyes. What a treat. 

We continued on with our evening and enjoyed all the shops of Faneuil hall before settling down on a bench to listen to Christmas music, enjoy the lights and finally eat our Cannoli's. It seemed as if we chose a good spot, because various random people seemed to be having their own dance shows around us, which was amusing. Obviously we declared that our lives should be a movie, which was confirmed later in the Government Center T stop, while waiting for Green Line B which was experiencing technical difficulties and taking forever to arrive.

Conveniently enough, while we were waiting for the T there was an amazing band playing wonderful covers. They were attractive, they were wearing classy suits and they were singing. Obviously, I fell in love. Upon immediately googling them at home, I discovered they go to Berklee and are all around Boston Boys. They have an album, they're on iTunes and Spotify...basically, they're legit and we just listened to them for fifteen minutes while waiting for the T. I'm obviously listening to them as I write this and I'm obviously going to find them and marry them/be their groupie. (Check them out at Facebook.com/mevsgravity...Zach and Benjamin are my home boys!)

College is about discovering. Discovering yourself, friends, places. Tonight was a great adventure and a great night for all of those things. 

So...Holy Cannoli (Pun Intended)...What a Night!

Passion is Important

Let me tell you this. I don't care who you are or what you believe; I don't care how close we are or if we agree; I don't care if I just met you or have known you forever: I want to see hear the passion in your voice and watch it light the fire in your eyes.

There's a look that people get when they talk about their passion, there's animation on their face and excitement in their voice. Seeing that inspires me. It's not necessarily about what they are saying but it's how they are saying it. I want to have that animation and excitement too, I get excited about the excitement. I want to shout to the world "Look at this person! They are passionate!". There is nothing more honorable, more necessary, more exciting than a passionate person

Fire is the image my mind conjures when the word passion is whispered. It's intense. It consumes you. It overtakes your life. It spreads. It is difficult to extinguish, painful to suppress, and hypnotizing to watch. Fire provides light and spreads warmth. Fire is powerful, and so is passion.

What am I passionate about? I'm passionate about knowledge and learning; about independence and individuality; and I am passionate about passion. These are all things I always want to talk about, things I'm never want to leave my life, things that excite me and things that define who I am. A passion is a strong and barely controllable emotion. To this definition I say "Good". Why should you want to control the kind of enthusiasm, excitement and spirt that are elements in the fire of passion? Passion is what drives this world and I beg you to remember that and plead you to act on it.

By all means, make goals, keep your dreams in mind and take advice from others. Those are great, but they are secondary. More importantly, follow your passion. Follow it to the end. Let it spread to others, let it rise. Let it consume you and light up your world. Let it heat a world that has turned cold. Your passion is a fire that burns from your soul, and no one can extinguish it. It will not be suppressed. Let it burn.

"In each of us there burns a flame of independence that must never be allowed to go out…as long as that exists within us we cannot be destroyed –Bryce Courtenay, Power of One"

That I'm Going to Be Successful.

Disclaimer: I shouldn't be writing this right now. I have a final draft of a paper due tomorrow and I have a midterm tomorrow. I've been meaning to right a blogpost for a while, but never seem to be able to find the time in this busy, hectic, wonderful college life of mine (we'll get to that). So of course, what better time is there than when I'm procrastinating on essay writing and studying? Right, we continue. *Insert: I couldn't be bothered to proofread, because I finally decided I should work on all that homework, so excuse any errors or poor writing. Also, excuse any ego. 

In my three weeks of college, I've learned a lot. I've learned things about education, history, science and writing but most importantly I've learned things about life and about myself. And so, I present to you the things I've been figuring out in college.

Friends Are Nice

Okay. So, you know how it works. The whole college and friend thing, that is. I've only been here for three weeks---WAIT! Back up a minute, is that true? Only three weeks? Because I feel like I've been friends with these people for way longer than that. (Now, here's a moment where I get to take advantage of the fact that I can write whatever I want in my blog and give a little shout out to Chrissy Bentlyewski, Jeff Fox, Rebekah Forsey, Alyssa Sarkis, Rachel Jensen and everybody in the SED and/or Warren 8B families. I love you guys, truly). On that note, these people. They're great. They get me. They like me. They appreciate me. These are people who like Disney, 500 Days of Summer, Crazy Stupid Love, Harry Potter, and Star Wars. People who think I'm funny, smart and worthwhile. People who (brace yourself) still like me after meeting my Monopoly persona and--wait for it--even someone who can beat me at my own game (rematch pending). I told you, these people are GREAT!

So, you get it, I have friends. So what? Here's so what. My friends motivate me and inspire me. Some of them (here's where I get to be a suck up, bare with me) are older and more experienced and "the greatest people you will ever meet" (note the mean girl reference). Yeah, Jeff. That includes you. Don't let it go to your head. Anyway, the point. These people are so successful and impressive. President of the SED Student Gov? Check. President of Dean's Host? Yep. They sound impressive right? Well, they are (and not just because of these titles). And they're MY friends. Not friends in the fake sort of "Oh, hey I know who that person is and they liked my Facebook status once" kind of way. Friends, in the real sense. (As in they have commented on/liked my Facebook status WAY more than once). Not to brag or anything. But by this, I mean they are people who I know can provide me with a laugh, an intellectual discussion, a helping hand or a shoulder to cry on. Besides this, what makes this particular grouping of friends special is that they have done the stuff I'm doing, or that I want to do, and they have excelled. They are daily reminder to me that the impossible is indeed possible. They motivate me to reach for the stars and follow my dreams. They haven't made me do the things I have, but it really is a little less intimidating to take a giant leap of faith in joining a new club or activity when you know real life people who have succeeded, when you know that there are people rooting for you. So yes, friends are nice for inspiration and motivation. 

In another category, there's the people that are in the same boat as me (Whaddup Chrissy?!). They haven't done this either. They don't know how the subway works or what lies outside of Comm Ave (except of course Newbury Street) either. They think it's fun to do bad imitations of Bawwstawwn accents also. They're on my level, and they make wonderful companions for this great adventure we're both embarking on. Discovering things is so much easier when you have someone by your side who is just as clueless or stupidly excited as you. It's fun to be adorable. It's fun to celebrate two week friendaversary's with cupcakes, just because you can. Bottom line, friends are fun, and fun is nice. 

I Actually Like Being Involved

Alright. Flashback to high school. National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Octagon Club, Interact Club, IB, Swim Team...I was involved in it all. But by the end of high school, I was questioning whether I did all of these things because I wanted to or because I wanted to get into college. None of these things made me very happy, and I kept asking myself why I was in them. I never really found an answer to that. I told myself, in college, I didn't have to join every club or organization I encountered. I wasn't trying to get into college anymore so it wasn't necessary for me to be excessively involved. I told myself, I would only do the things that made me happy. 

Here's the catch though, being involved does make me happy. It's something I like, really and truly. Here I am, three weeks in, already having to prioritize activities and limit myself because I want to be a part of it all. SEDSG, pursuance of being a Dean's Host, Intramural sports, Quidditch...I'm not doing it because I think I should, I'm doing it because I want to. I'm so relieved I came to this conclusion because these decisions, to jump in head first and immerse myself with involvement, are what have made my college experience (A.K.A the past three weeks) what it is. So, lesson to myself about myself: being involved is something I like, high school was the part that made me not very happy--not the involvement in activities. Now, all I need to do is find my Time Turner so I can actually be involved in EVERYTHING. Yeah?

I'm Happy

This seems like a simple statement, but it's an important one and it's one that I might not have sincerely said very many times over the past four years. Being happy was one of my New Year's resolutions this year, and let me just tell you, being happy feels great. To wake up and be excited about the things that await me that day? I love it. I've been figuring out a lot of things these past three weeks, and a lot of those are things about myself. I've mentioned how living in the same place with the same people for my whole life causes everyone to see me in a certain light, whether that light is true or not. I think I've been seeing myself under a certain light for all those years too. Now, I finally have room to stretch and look around and really see myself. I get to be who I am and--warning: ego alert--who I am is wonderful. I'm a great person. I truly try to do good, I care about people, I'm smart, I do the best I can in everything I do, and above all I have passion and individuality. I think I can finally say that if I was someone else, I would want to be friends with me (I warned you about the ego). There is nothing wrong with the person I am. I'm also human (although I'll deny it if you ask), so it's okay to have imperfections. They make me who I am and there is nothing wrong with those aspects of me either. 

Here's a nice quote: "Laugh at yourself, but don't ever aim your doubt at yourself. Be bold. When you embark for strange places, don't leave any of yourself safely on shore. Have the nerve to go into unexplored territory."

So I've got friends, I'm involved and I'm happy. I have support, connections and confidence. At this point, I don't think it's possible for me to not be successful (yeah, you should be used to the ego in this post by now). I'm going to shoot for the moon, and even if I miss I'll land among the stars. I'm going to soar, and I'm going to succeed. And it feels great. 

I'm a Terrier!

SED!

Hey! Did you know I go to BU?! Have I mentioned that?! Have I mentioned that I LOVE IT?! I hope you think I'm as funny as I think I am. I'm laughing. Anyway. College. BU. I'm here guys.

My mom and I left Colorado over a week ago. We went to Boston first and went to a Red Sox game (THEY WON, GO SOX!). Then we left Boston and went to New York. Then, the much awaited move in. We came back to Boston and moved into my dorm. Have you ever been to Bed Bath and Beyond in Boston (TONS of College Students!) during move in week? It's insane. Most stressful/scary/thrilling shopping experience of my life. We successfully got all of the things we needed and got my dorm all set up (there are pictures below!). Additionally, I fit all of my clothes and shoes in the closet (so take that everyone who said I would never fit all those giant bags in a dorm room!). I'm pretty pleased with the dorm. It's bigger than I expected it to be. My roommate and I seem to get on well together. So that's good.

Yesterday, we had matriculation. This is basically the opposite of graduation I suppose. It's pretty much the only time that the entire BU Class of 2016 is together in one place until graduation. My favorite part about this whole event was SED (because SED is my favorite part of everything, duh). We all had our matching SED ROX shirts on and so we looked way cooler than all of the other schools (because we are, duh). The shirts were also great because when I was standing around in the crowd alone and didn't have any friends or anybody to talk to I just looked for people with SED shirts on and befriended them. I met a lot of new SED people. I'm pretty sure that every single person in SED is amazing and wonderful and awesome. Have I told you that I like SED?  There was Splash, which is a sign up for all the clubs and activities. I was stoked to sign up for Quidditch but other than that I didn't sign up for anything...can you guess why? Because none of the SED clubs were there! (duh, those are the ones I wanted to join). The other thing that happened yesterday was a floor meeting. This was long and hot (Boston weather is hot and sticky, winter come faster!). BUT this was fun because I ended up meeting all the people on my floor and making some new friends. I learned that there are two more SED girls on my floor besides me and my roommate. So that made me happy (duh). Later on I made my first non SED friend (she's my neighbor). We ate cookies and sat on our laptops, so what's not to love about that?

This morning! I loved this morning of course. You know what I did this morning? SED stuff! (duh). First up was the Amazing Race, which is basically a scavenger hunt throughout campus. We did this with our TM groups (shout out to Jeff and Kristina, who are both awesome!) and other TM groups. This involved a lot of running and sweating in the heat of the day. But, it was worth it when Dumbledore's Army (our awesome team) won second place and free movie tickets! Then we got ice cream! Because SED is great! THEN there was SED get active, which was like splash for all of the SED clubs (I was excited obviously). I signed up for pretty much all of the clubs and all the SED intramurals, because I just want to do everything related to SED all the time (duh). So that was exciting. I had lunch at one of the dining halls with a bunch of other SED students and made some more new friends! Look at me go!

Anyway, you'll have to excuse the randomness and poor writing found in this article, I think the heat is getting to me or something. I hope you're a Terrier too and that you're having as much fun as I am! I also hope for your sake you're in SED! (duh) If you're not a Terrier or in SED, that's a shame for you but I hope you're having a nice time wherever you are too!

Comment about your favorite part of college or how your experience are in the comment section and stay fabulous!

That When Kelly and Tayla Tell Me to Write a Blog Post, I Do (and other lessons about friendship)

One of the first thoughts that I had after graduating high school in May was that it was so wonderful that now that I didn't have to go to school with them everyday, I never had to spend time with people that I didn't want to spend time with. There were a few people that were on the top of this list. There were also people that were on the top of my "I never want to lose touch with them" list. But what about the people in between?

We all know how it is. We have our friends and then we have our acquaintances. High school is a place that there a lot of acquaintances. Some times you meet people and you instantly click, you guys become friends. You hang out all the time and you're inseparable. Other people, you want nothing to do with from the moment you meet. Then there are the people that you have always had classes with. You guys get along fine and you share jokes in class but it doesn't go too much further than bonding over how awful your history homework is. There are a lot of these people in high school, so it can be hard to really sift through them at graduation and categorize them as "people I want to see again" and "people I could do without".

It's been almost three months since graduation and I haven't hung out with too many people. Work has held a monopoly on my time and anything left has been reserved for those beloved best friends I rarely get to see these days (shout out Jules and Em!). The fact that I haven't seen very many people this summer hasn't really bothered me, because there aren't too many that I really wanted to see. I realized though, as I thought about the things that I needed to do before leaving and the people that I wanted to see, that some of those people who I categorized as classmates and acquaintances in high school had actually become my friends, I wanted to see them because I missed them and felt like we needed to say goodbye.

Kelly and Tayla were both people who I shared a lot of classes with over the years--probably since sixth grade. I don't remember meeting either of them or what sparked our friendship. We were probably thrown together as partners occasionally and maybe seated together in a seating assignment, I'm not sure. But at some point we became classmates that interacted, as opposed to those that don't. They both always thought it was fun to tease me--probably because it is. We would joke around and act like we disliked each other. The term 'best friend' was often thrown around with a sarcastic tone and a small sneer. But it was always important that through all the jokes they cracked, it was easy to differentiate them from the people that wanted to hurt me. They were never the people that made me run out to my car after school, tears streaming and Taylor Swift blasting. They were my friends.

At some point, in the mess that is high school, we became friends without ever realizing it. It took a little time of not seeing each other to realize that they had fallen into the category of "people I want to see again" while many others had been discarded into the "I could do without" pile and never thought of again. Summer began winding down and I started to realize that I hoped I would run into them so we could hang out. I realized that seeing them was actually important enough to text them and make plans, and so we did and so it was lovely.

As I get ready to go off to college in a new place where I don't know anyone, I've been thinking about the idea of making friends a lot. I've been asking myself how I'm going to do that and trying to think about how I've done it in the past. I reached a conclusion that I had never had to make friends before--because I've lived here forever and just always known everyone--but this conclusion is wrong. I've been making friends the entire time and never realized it, because it's such a natural part of life.

You meet a person and you have something in common. Maybe you have a shared friend, job or class. Things just grow from there. An inside joke arises and suddenly you have a topic of conversation. Obviously you send a friend request and make things Facebook official. When you see each other you smile, wave, say hello. They are no longer a stranger. You guys make plans. Things continue along this path and eventually, you realize that this is someone you want to continue to have in your life. This is a person you want to call your friend.

That thought makes me smile at the friendships I've acquired over the years and feel more confident about the ones that await me in Boston. I've made friends before, so why shouldn't I be able to do it again?

Shout out to my friends Kelly and Tayla, who I never
realized I became friends with. 

The Top Three Things I'm Most Excited About For College

So to follow up my last post about the top three things I'm going to miss most when at college, I thought I'd highlight the three things I am most excited about (because obviously even though I'm going to miss things I'm super excited!). So here it is:

BU and SED

Hey there, Kenmore Square

Have I told you how excited I am about SED? If you answered no to that question then you obviously have not been paying attention.

The People

I've been around the same people my entire life. For the most part, all of the people that I've been around have been the same type of people. There's nothing wrong with this, it's just the way that it is. This is obviously due to the environment. We have all of have grown up in the same place with the same influences for the most part. This makes us all pretty similar, no matter how much we hate to admit that. 

I can't wait to get out and experience new types of people. People who came from different backgrounds and grew up in a different environment. People who see things differently than I do and come from a different place than me. City people and country people. People from around the nation and people from around the world. But mostly...just for some new people. And so many of them!

(Plus, all of the people I've already met are completely splendid and I'm excited to meet many more just as spectacular!)

The Classes

I love learning! I just really do! And college is so cool because there are so many cool classes to take! And I get to take classes that I'm passionate about and that I choose to take! Ones which will help me with my career! And how cool is it that I get to start going to schools for ED100 right away?! So cool, just like SED and BU!

The Activities

Hey SED TM program, I'm looking at you. Besides that, what about all the clubs and sports. And watching hockey games of course!

A New Beginning

As I mentioned, I've been in the same place with the same people for my entire life. My town is about the size of the Freshman class at BU, my county about the size of BU undergrad. There are about five towns that comprise Summit County, totaling a population of about 20,000. There are six elementary schools which feed into one middle school and one high school. This means that I've gone to school with all the same people since I was either five or eleven. This is definitely not something I love. You can never get rid of the person you were when you were five, or what kind of kid you were at eleven. Maybe you talked too much when you were five, or you had a lisp at eleven. So that's the reputation you're stuck with. That mistake you made when you were thirteen? It never goes away and you can never get rid of your baggage. This makes for a really hard and often painful adolescence. When all you want to do is be the person you know that you can be and spread your wings and fly it sucks to be chained to the ground and weighed down by judgmental and mean teenagers who never forgive or forget. 

So I reach my biggest point of excitement in going to BU: a brand new beginning. The closest person I will know once I move to Boston will be 217 miles away. I never have to tell anyone about those painful memories that I can't stand to have brought up and never again have to hear someone call me that awful nickname my Chemistry teacher called me. I finally have complete control of being exactly who I am and who I want to be without the weight of the past dragging me down. It's finally time to takeoff from the launchpad I've been waiting on for all of these years, so here's to "infinity and beyond!"

The City and Independence

Let's review. My county has 20,000 people in it. BU alone has 20,000 people in it. The most exciting thing there is to do at home is go to Target. At BU I'm going to have an entire city of entertainment at my doorstep. I could not be more excited.

I'm never going to be bored again. There is simply so much to do! And I can do it all! Because I'm going to be on my own and independent and able to do whatever I please! What a great feeling!



Now to finish out this poorly written and scatter brained article, a Dr. Suess quote: "You have brains in your head and feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go."

What are you most excited about for college? Let me know in the comments section! And as always, share this with your friends if you liked it and if you want to!

The Top Three Things I'm Going to Miss in College

My Princesshood

Disclosure: The tone of the following paragraphs on princesshood is largely sarcastic, joking and playful. My parents do not cater to my every whim and my closet isn't really that big.

Let's be honest. All I really want to in life is to be a Princess (well, that and Hermione Granger). College and dorm life isn't getting me any closer to this step. My queen size bed and I share a very special relationship. I find it completely necessary to spread, sprawl and spin over the entire surface. My ten pillows? Completely necessary. I don't think it's possible for me to fit me and my sleeping habits on a twin bed, even if it is extra long. 

And what about my closet? My guess is that the one I'm moving into in Boston is about four feet...max. Mine? It's a walk in. It's probably the favorite part of my house. We have a really great history. I used to play in it when I was a kid. I had a kitchen and a barbie playhouse in there. I just sat in my closet alone for hours. What could be better? But alas, I grew up. My closet stuck with me though. As an angsty middle schooler, my dad would wake me up for school and I would go lie down in my closet and go back to sleep so he would think I was getting dressed. I wasn't. Now as I've grown, so have my collection of shoes, coats, dresses...all the beautiful things in life. And my closet has supported this addiction. It's never been anything but good to me. And now we're being torn apart from each other. 

Next...Private bathroom? Enough said. 

What about the way I'm treated at home? Common phrases I use include, but are not limited to, are "Mommy will you make me some Top Ramen?" "Daddy, there's a bug! Kill it!" "Mom, look how cute these shoes are! (hint, hint)*" "Daaaddddd I'm hungrryyyy". These phrases typically grant my wishes. Because I'm a princess and a witch. Obviously. But...what's going to happen when I'm two thousand miles away from my magical top ramen makers and bug killers? 

*This one rarely works

Summit County

Did I just say that I'm going to miss Summit County? The place that I have done nothing but talk about leaving for as long as I can remember? What happened to "I just can't wait to get out of here"? Okay, that's still completely true. But there are some things I really am going to miss. Admittedly, one of the things I will miss is also one of the things I am dying to get away from. The small, closeness of Summit. Sometimes I actually do like it. Sometimes it's cool when I can go almost anywhere and have an instant connection and also an instant memory. Sometimes I like pretending like I live in Stars Hollow. 

I'm going to miss Soupz on and filling up my card to get a free one. I'm going to miss Target, because the ones in Boston won't be this one. I'm going to miss just driving. You know those nights when you just want to get out, go somewhere? I've had some of the best nights just getting in my car and driving across the county and back. Because I can. Because there isn't traffic or stressful roads. Because it's simple, and beautiful. I'm going to miss the beauty. I'm going to miss that sparkling lake that has been the center of my life for as long as I can remember. And the protective feel of being surrounded by towering mountain ranges. I'm going to miss hiking with my dog through the forest in complete solitude. The solitude in general...how easy it is so feel completely isolated and alone with yourself and your thoughts. I'm going to miss the clean water and the crisp air. The thing I'm going to miss the most is the stars. Sitting on the docks or at Sapphire Point just taking in their beauty, gasping at the clarity of the moon. 

My Privacy

Here's some confessions: I like to blast my music sometimes. Sometimes it's really lame music. Sometimes if I'm home alone I walk around in my batman underwear. I stay up on the internet until the wee hours of the night too often. When I talk on the phone my voice sometimes gets too loud. I make weird faces at myself in the mirror. I talk to myself. Occasionally, I dance across my room to get to the door. Besides embarrassing myself...the point is that those are things that I can't, or shouldn't, do when there's another person present. I guess I'll just have to save singing and dancing poorly to my childhood hits for Christmas break. 

Things may be changing, but Disney Princesses have survived worse, so I will too--with my tiara firmly in place.

So there it is. The things I will miss most when at college. What are you going to miss most at college? Or what did you miss most when you went? Share in the comments!

That Carl and Ellie From "UP" Knew What They Were Doing

I recently came across a quote on Tumblr (yes, my other blog). The script read "Oh darling, let's be adventurers." Other than Tumblr, I'm not sure where this quote originated from but something about it really struck me. The wonderful and beautiful simplicity of it was absolutely perfect. It left me smiling and speechless with a warm feeling in my mind. The tone is beautiful. The period at the end is flawless. It signifies that it's not a crazy or exotic idea--it's just a simple statement and it's one that everyone should pursue.

Let's talk about adventure. Adventure is defined as "a daring and exciting activity calling for enterprise and enthusiasm". An adventurer: "A person willing to take risks". Like the quote, these definitions and their simplicity are beautiful. Why shouldn't we all be adventurers?

Carl and Ellie from Up wanted to be adventurers. For them, that meant that they were going to travel the world and see the wilds of South America. Maybe that's not your idea of an adventure, but we all have one and we all need to pursue it. Me? Just as Ellie dreamed and doodled about South America in her "Adventure Book" I have my own escapade that clouds my mind and occupies all of my thoughts. In just three short weeks, I'm leaving for Boston University. I know, you're all sick of hearing about how much I love Boston, BU and the general idea of College. Sorry, I'm not going to apologize. Ellie couldn't stop talking about her adventure and I can't stop talking about mine. I'm pursuing my adventure and along the way, I'm hoping to find out new things about myself and about the world. For me, this is the most exciting adventure there is. I will be the first to admit that I am a nerd. I truly love school and I love learning. I love gaining and sharing knowledge. I love having intellectual discussions. For these reasons, I can't wait for the adventure that awaits me and the life long friends (like Carl) I will make over cups of coffee and shared passions. The pursuance of both knowledge and passion is my life lasting adventure. 

All of us should have an adventure and all of us should pursue it. We needn't have a connotation of the word "adventure" that makes us think of sky diving and swimming with sharks. The great thing about being independent individuals, as we all are, is that we get to define our own adventure and we get to create our very own pixar movie in the process. So stop worrying. Stop over thinking it. An adventure isn't something unachievable or inconceivable. Your life is an adventure. Pursue your passions, face your fears, take a risk and let's go on an adventure! It can be scary but in the words of our friend Ellie, "Adventure is out there!"

What's the latest and greatest adventure in your life? Tell me in the comments! Share this post with your friends and encourage them to pursue their adventures too!

That I Can't Stop Talking About the Olympics

The following quote is what I said to anyone and everyone who would or would not listen to me today. I just could not stop talking about the London Olympics. 

"And there was James Bond with the Queen jumping out of a helicopter and then they had agrarian and industrial revolution dances and then they celebrated their healthcare and children's british literature and kids danced on hospital beds and J.K. Rowling read Peter Pan and THEN it was a nightmare and there was the Queen of Hearts and Captain Hook AND a hundred foot tall Lord Voldemort with a wand that shot sparks BUT THEN hundreds of Mary Poppins came down from the sky and defeated him and tucked the kids into bed and then there was a modern love story dance sequence and they were at a club and had a house party and there was popular British music and there was fireworks and flying light up winged bicycles and Paul McCartney and and...IT WAS SO GOOD!"


And that's when my coworker asked if I went on an acid trip last night. For those of you who saw the ceremony, you know that I didn't and you understand where my childlike excitement is coming from. For those of you who didn't see it, it's very important that you read this blog post.

The Queen and Bond

Alright. Let's talk about this opening ceremony. It began with the most bad ass entry of the Queen ever. That's right. Queen Elizabeth, bad ass. Daniel Craig (AKA James Bond) entered the castle where he met our lovely Lizzie and her corgis. The two were seen on the big screen movie entering a helicopter and flying over London landmarks. Next, a helicopter entered the arena and the queen was seen jumping out to the Bond theme song under a Union Flag parachute (it wasn't actually her, but we can pretend). SO COOL, right? So after that beginning how can you not love the London 2012 Olympics already? But don't worry, there is SO MUCH MORE.

Voldemort and Poppins

So next, we're going to take a little trip through Great Britain history. We get to see the agrarian era, which is complete with grassy hillsides and lovely scenery. Next, we are transformed into the industrial revolution. We were shown actors depicting the industrial revolution through mining and factory jobs. Additionally, my sources (American announcers on NBC) tell me that sulfur was pumped into the stadium to fully recreate the vision, sound and scent of the revolution. Next we move into what I deem to be the best part of the ceremony, an act called "Second Star to the Right". This title is representative of the British children's story, Peter Pan. This act was created to celebrate the British National Health care System as well as British Children's literature. It begins with children dancing in pajamas on hospital beds as doctors and nurses do the same around them (fun fact: apparently these were real doctors and nurses!). The upbeat music fades and the children fall asleep, drifting in to dreamland. Cue J.K. Rowling reading an excerpt from Peter Pan. Suddenly, the peaceful dreamland shifts into a nightmare. We are shown classic villains from British literature such as The Queen of Hearts, Captain Hook and Lord Voldemort. Don't worry, they are soon defeated by hundreds of Mary Poppins descending from the sky and crushing evil before tucking the children into bed.

Next, Britain celebrates the newest era, the technology era. This includes a modern love story of a boy and a girl set in a club to a slew of popular British songs from the last fifty or so years. The inventor of the world wide web, Sir Timothy Berners Lee, is there to assist in the celebration. Personally, I had never heard of the man and didn't know he was British so kudos to Danny Boyle for giving him his moment in the spotlight. These various acts of the opening brought together generations. Me? I loved it because it included Harry Potter, Peter Pan and Mary Poppins (hey there childhood!). It also included the soundtrack to another generation, the songs my parents grew up with through the 60's to the present day. From James Bond, Queen Elizabeth, and Paul McCartney to clubbing, J.K. Rowling and the world wide web the London 2012 Opening Ceremony united countries around the world and generations of time.


Cue the Parade of Nations. Some will say that this takes far too long and they wish the United States wasn't so far in. Personally, I love to watch it all. I love to see every country acknowledged and given their moment to shine. You get to hear of countries you have never heard of, you learn interesting facts about each nation and it's interesting to compare the number of athletes from each country. Great Britain has 557 and the United States has 534. Many nations only have two. My favorite part of the Parade of Nations though is watching the athletes. Every athlete, no matter their home nation looks excited and proud. Many of them are walking with their cameras, filming the arena and the entire thing. Think about it. Thousands of people are filming them saying "Wow, look at these amazing athletes" but these athletes are just normal people who are filming this event thinking "Wow, I can't believe I get to be here doing this." It's very cool to see. On another note, the Americans did not look American. They wore Ralph Lauren outfits (which were made in China) that included blue blazers, berets, scarves and pleated white skirts/pants. It was definitely a new look for Americans. The Brits, of course, looked awesome and they knew it. Good for them!

Now, let's talk about David Bekham. We saw the ever handsome, well dressed, man (who I MAY have to seduce away from Victoria and his children) riding down the Thames looking more attractive than ever. Bekham gave the torch to a past Olympic athlete, who carried it off before giving it off to the next generation of British Olympic athletes. This was great and very symbolic. These young athletes lit the cauldron, which then rose in a very cool manner. Fireworks were ignited. I love fireworks (plus, I didn't get any for the fourth of July this year). Paul McCartney sings "Hey Jude", encouraging the entire arena to join in. The athletes are seen singing, smiling, laughing. The curtain drops, welcome to the London Olympics 2012. 

Just look at him. That smile, the face, the suit. Swoon.

Note: I'm watching the Olympics as I write this post, which is very distracting. Lochte just DOMINATED. 

So now we've learned that London and all things British will always have my heart and that the Olympics are badass. Let's go a little bit further.

The Olympics originated from Greece, as an ancient tradition. It is said that Hercules and Zeus were the creators. These games involved fighting, chariot racing and athletic events. This ancient tale inspired the creation of the modern Olympics. The first games were held in 1896 in none other than their home city of Athens. London had the honor this year of becoming the first city to host three Olympics. They hosted in 1908 and in 1948. 1948 was an important year as it was the first Olympics held after World War II. London had won the Olympics in 1944 but the events were canceled due to World War II. In 1948, Germany and Japan were not invited because of the trouble they had caused during the war. Is this fair? I say, it's not. The Olympics are historically a time for all the nations of the world to join together to compete and demonstrate their talents. Apparently, not everyone agrees with me. Besides the exclusions of Germany and Japan after World War II, South Africa was never allowed to participate in the Olympics while they were under an apartheid. Presently, countries all seem to be able to participate but that doesn't mean we're going to recognize them. As someone who was fully attentive as the announcers discussed each nation, I noticed when they didn't. The American broadcaster of the Olympics, NBC, blatantly did not acknowledge Palestine. As Palestine appeared on my TV screen, the announcers continued to talk about the previous nation and then skipped straight to the following one, completely denying Palestine any acknowledgement. I know that there are politics behind this but personally, I feel that it was wrong. The Olympics isn't about politics, it's about sport and sportsmanship. No matter what their nation, these athletes are athletes. Palestinian athletes are doing the same thing as American, British and Australian athletes. They are playing a sport and they deserve the same respect as the others. History has shown us how cruel of a place the world can be but the Olympics are a time of pride, respect and excitement. Let's remember that the Olympics is a time for cheering for and supporting your team, your athletes and your country--not for demeaning and breaking down others.

Also, swimming is one of my favorite sports to watch and the men are some of the most attractive and after watching their Call Me Maybe dance video, I'm even more obsessed. So everyone needs to see this video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPIA7mpm1wU

Shout out to Mr. Hayden van Andel for suggesting History Education Major Me incorporate historical context into my posts, which I am testing out with this one! And for putting up with me talking about the Olympics ALL DAY. 

That Being An Adult Isn't Always Fun

When I was in tenth grade, I was in both Journalism and Yearbook. I was ecstatic to be in both of these classes. However, they both required that I sell ads in order to get a good grade. This, I was not so thrilled about. Talking on the phone with people--strangers--was not something I was good at. Formal, business like things? I was fifteen! I avoided it for as long as I could but then I had to get started if I wanted to get a good grade, which if you know me, you know I did. I decided to make my first ad phone call at 9:00 at night, figuring that businesses close at 5:00 and I could leave a message. Fifteen year old me deemed this to be a good plan and was shocked when the man answered the phone--I had not been expecting that. So I hung up. I didn't say a word and just pressed a shaky finger to the 'end call' button out of pure terror.

In the years since then, I've done a lot of growing up. I got my license and a car. I could drive wherever I want. I entered the wonderful of the workforce which meant a full bank account and a debit card at my disposal. I could buy junk food, new shoes and movie tickets whenever I wanted! This year, I turned eighteen and like every person ever, I proudly stated that I was an adult! I made a list of all the things I could do now that I couldn't do before. I obnoxiously vocalized the idea that I could do whatever I wanted now that I was eighteen (not true by the way), and as a birthday hoorah I went clubbing for the first time. What fun it was to be an adult!

But alas, being an adult isn't all fun and games. This summer I have started to see that there is more to being an adult than working, driving and going clubbing. Today I went to the post office. I put my health forms in the mail on their way to BU. I had to go to the doctor to get those health forms filled out, which is something I hate and therefore deem very adult like. After putting those in the mail, I got in line and waited patiently for my turn. I finally reached the front of the line and told the worker that I needed to renew my passport only to learn that my local post office no longer does passports and that I will have to spend one of my rare days off driving an hour to the closest place that does. Cue the big adult sigh here. But wait! But this is only the beginning...(of both my day and my adult life)

I get home and I make myself lunch. I have a smoothie and a sandwich with sprouts AND tomatoes because well, I'm an adult and adults eat healthy (haha, as if I eat healthy--hello cookies, carbs and coca-cola!). I take a moment to check my Financial Account on the BU student link only to see that *sigh* yet another day has gone by and the amount remains the same. I've been checking everyday for a week to see if my local scholarships have credited to my account and they have not. This can only mean one thing. That I have to call the Office of Financial Aid. Flash back to my tenth grade self having to make phone calls I don't want to make. I will say that this is something I've gotten better at since then. I'm an adult and that means I do things like go to the bank and the doctor and don't hang up on people when I make phone calls. However, it still isn't a task I ever look forward to. I realize that this is an activity that I can't avoid. I have to sort the situation out because I can't afford not to. So I call. and the line is busy. So I keep calling until I don't get a busy signal (hooray!) but then I get placed on hold (boo). I suck it up and wait on hold. Thirty minutes later, I'm still on hold and I have to go to work, forcing me to hang up the phone and lose any progress I made in the last thirty minutes. I didn't let this deter me though. I was going to get through to these people if it killed me. My bill is due in a week and a half and I can't let this wait any longer. I have the determination of an olympic athlete and my sport is patiently waiting on hold to make a phone call I don't want to make. I know, you're impressed. Just go ahead and give me the gold medal now.

Guys, I'm the Ryan Lochte of phone calls.
I've come so far since 10th grade!

So I spend my break at work constantly redialing until I get put through onto the line. I'm starting to lose hope when...GASP....I get a ring! I'm being put through! I'm going to make it! I'm...on hold. Hold is as far as I've gotten on this mission since this morning so I'll take what I can get. Fifteen minutes later and a man picks up. A human voice! I did it! Victory! Alright, so the process was painful and long. I detested it before I did it and I detested it while I was doing it. Not only is the actual phone call and getting through the busy line something I hate, I hate having to be an adult and figure out things like my finances. When did I get finances?! Luckily for me, everyone at BU is very nice when you finally get ahold of somebody. I explained my situation and got the answers to the questions I had. They weren't the answers I was hoping for and they made my life a little bit more difficult but it was a step in the right direction. It now means changing some plans, rearranging some things and making even more phone calls. But as I've learned, these are all parts of being an adult. If I want to drive a car, work, and go to college I have business to take care of. I don't think things such as phone calls, bank deposits and doctors visits are things that anybody really wants to do but we do them anyway, because we're adults and adults have to do things that they don't want to sometimes. For me, I just keep in mind the great parts of growing up  so that I can get through the not-so-great parts. My greatest motivator right now is of course BU and college in general. I'll trade a few phone calls and post office trips for the most exciting experience of a lifetime any day.