"... If any man thirsts, let him come unto ME and drink."

-John 7:37

Rain Rain Don't Go Away- Come Back For Another Day!

Rain and snow may be scarce here in Arizona, but my love for rain boots still runs deep.

There's just something about a rain boot that makes me want to slip some on and stylishly splash my way through puddle after puddle.

Unfortunately due to the fact that I live in the desert, I have yet to own a pair, but I'm determined to do so someday.

Its not like I can just go out and buy the first pair I see... its a process.

After all, you don't choose the rain boots- the rain boots choose you.
In the meantime, here are some of my favorite boots of the season!

I hate hormones.

I feel icky and emotional, I feel fat and overly frustrated, I feel impatient and fed up, but most of all I feel like throwing up my hands and falling to my knees in a puddle of tears and incomprehensible sobs. My hair is unwashed, my face has no make-up, my clothes are dirty and covered in dog hair, my legs are unshaven and in need of serious lotion, my face is covered in breakouts, and my toe nails are disgustingly unpainted.

Yep, I feel icky alright.

Anyone wanna trade lives??

What no takers?!?

I'm hoping tomorrow will somehow be different. I'm hoping that by some chance miracle I will wake up refreshed, radiant, and ready to conquer the world- its definitely unlikely, but a girl can dream right??

Tea and Tents

I want this tent.

What a magical place to escape to right??

I can see it now- spending hours on end sitting in the tent drinking my favorite "London fogs" and reading book after book until I fall asleep surrounded by tiny twinkly Christmas lights and the pure satisfaction from knowing my day was well spent.

Someday... I will have this someday.

P.S. London Fog Recipe:

1. One Earl Grey Tea Bag

2. 8oz of hot water ( preferably in a cute mug of course )

3. 4oz of milk (or my personal favorite- vanilla soy creamer)

4. 3 tbs of vanilla syrup

~Steep the tea bag in the hot water

~Heat the creamer/milk and vanilla syrup together in a separate cup

~Mix the tea with the creamer and syrup

~Voila! London fog for your enjoyment!!

"The silence depressed me. It wasn't the silence of silence. It was my own silence."

~Sylvia Plath (The Bella Jar)

She & Him

Creativity makes me happy.

I love finding new little pieces of art that inspire me or make me stop and say "awww" as I admire its beauty.

It's fun- you should try it sometime.

This afternoon I ran across a new poster for one of my favorite bands "She & Him"

Just had to share it.

Oh and if your a Zooey Deschanel fan (like me) then check out her band "She & Him" here!!

Christmas Reading List

It's official- my Christmas break reading material has been selected!

It's a lofty goal to read and finish all three novels in four short weeks, two of which are over 500 pages, but with my history of book devouring skills combined with my deep love for literature, I have no doubt it will be accomplished in said time.

The books I've chosen:

The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath

The Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison

Yes, it shall be a lovely Christmas vacation indeed!

Vacation

Its over!!

I'm currently basking in the relief of finally ending my dreaded anatomy/physiology class. Just knowing I wont have to return for another 4 weeks is pure bliss!

I'm determined to do NOTHING for4 whole weeks straight....

Ok well maybe not exactly... I will be working after all. But to be relieved of the burden of studying feels like utter freedom to me at the moment.

And to celebrate such an event, I've decided a trip to the book store is in order.

I plan on taking these next 4 weeks to do nothing but submerge myself in a world of literature.

Over the past few weeks I've compiled a running list of novels I've been dying to read. Its a rather long and rambling list, but here are some of the titles to get an idea:

At Heaven's Gate - Robert Penn Warren

The Pursuit of Love (book 1)/ Love in a Cold Climate (book 2)/ Madame de Pompadour - Nancy Mitford

The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath

Doomed Love - Virgil

1984 - George Orwell

Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut (and a few of his short stories as well!)

Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

The Awakening - Kate Chopin

The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter - Katherine Anne Porter

The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

Go Ask Alice - Anonymous

Jane Eyre - Emily Bronte

Catcher in the Rye (re-read it)- JD Salinger

The Stranger - Albert Campus

The Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison

Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

I plan on reading at least 2-3 of these books over break, and of course I'll keep you posted on which ones I choose.

Until then, for those of you looking for a book recommendation- I HIGHLY suggest you read the novel East of Eden by John Steinbeck. It has quickly become one of my favorite books of all time. Steinbeck himself called his final novel "the big book", and was quoted as saying -

"It has everything in it I have ever been able to learn about my craft or profession all these years. I think everything else I have written has been, in a sense, practice for this."

This epic novel of good and evil is well worth exploring.

Final Exams

I hate school finals.

I hate studying and cramming and feeling as if I've not done nearly enough.

I hate the thought that somehow a grade is a kind of determinate for how intelligent, worthy or valuable of a human being I am.

I hate that my best always seems to feel inadequate in my own eyes.

I hate my tendency to be self critical and overly anxious.

So today I embrace ambivalence- determined not to let a simple test denote my worth.

If I've left this semester with a greater knowledge than that which I had before, I consider that a success.

Iron and Wine

Its been almost a month since my last blog post and I think its officially safe to say I am a horrible blogger. Despite the chaos and busyness in my life, I'm all to aware that these are merely excuses to cover up for my lack of commitment to writing.

You see, sometimes words simply fail me. Sometimes my overly self critical mind refuses to let me pour out my heart and soul in fear that it will somehow be rejected or come across as trite and ungenuine. I've found that with every sentence I write, at least ten others had come before it. Maybe its the perfectionist in me, or maybe its my fear of being misunderstood, but whatever the reason- I seem to have run up against a wall I can't penetrate. So as I struggle to find my footing in this overly complicated mixed up head of mine, here is a little something I can offer you.... a song.

I find when words fail to communicate emotion, music has a way of reaching into my soul and pulling out a part of me I never knew existed. I've recently submerged myself in a world of beautiful music- a world I feel I understand far better than I understand myself at times. If you've not heard of the band Iron and Wine it'd be well worth your time to check them out. Their song "Flightless Bird" makes me cry every time I hear it... I have no words or explanation as to why, but I'm content not to know.

Here it is for you to enjoy

"I have a new love for that glittering instrument, the human soul. It is a lovely and unique thing in the universe. It is always attacked and never destroyed."

~ John Steinbeck (East of Eden)