to love or not to love...

oh, how i needed to see this today:

"To love anyone is to hope in him always. From the moment at which we begin to judge anyone, to limit our confidence in him, from the moment at which we identify [pigeon-hole] him, and so reduce him to that, we cease to love him, and he ceases to be able to become better. We must dare to love in a world that does not know how to love."
- French priest

the question is: are we up for the challenge? can we love in even the worst of times when everyone and everything tells us not to?

(thank you Christie for putting this up on your blog ages ago!)

happy thoughts.

you don't even want to know how many times i've watched this on my DVR. i am in love.



and we all know how much i love this man. i found a treasure trove of new music on You Tube tonight. so exciting!

things i do when i should be packing.

tomorrow i'm driving back to my beloved home state (okla-HOME-a...you know you love it). i should be packing right now, but i completely and utterly loathe packing (i mean, really dislike it). so instead, i've chosen to fill my time by:

a) reading random blogs, such as this one:
Kitchen Oddity: this girl is quite humorous and has some creative cooking ideas (of which i could always use, considering my lack of skill in the kitchen).

b) pretending i'm Liz Lemon (a new episode of 30 Rock is on tonight--hooray!). come on, who doesn't love a little "Night Cheese"?



c) watching the Travel Channel. people, i'm in serious need of a vacation. random fact: lately, i've had a curious fascination with Asia. i've added Japan, China, India and Thailand to my list of places to visit. but really, send me anywhere!

d) dancing to T. Swift. you will probably laugh at this, but i'm slightly obsessed with her new CD. it's ok if you don't like her. i do. well, except for that song about my dearest John Mayer. i won't hold it against her.



alright, time to go pack! well, maybe...

recipe for a relaxing sunday.

sunday morning: i wake up feeling like someone shoved cotton balls up my nose and then rubbed my throat raw with a brillo pad. not a good way to start off the day. how to remedy this problem?


pajamas and cozy socks +
comfy couch +
cup of hot tea +
fire in the fireplace +
Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations =
---------------------------------------
soothing for a one sickly girl

have i ever mentioned that i love Anthony Bourdain? because i really do. i not only love the man for the silver fox that he is, but i love that he loves writing, traveling and eating. he's smart and a bit (ok, a lot) of a smart ass. he appreciates a good adventure and discovering what other cultures in the world are all about. i don't have the money to drop on an overseas trip whenever i want, but i can watch a little No Reservations and dream about where i want to go on my next journey. Brazil? New Zealand? India? Uzbekistan? (Bourdain can make any country look fascintating).

i think i'm feeling better already!

i can't help it.

i love this song. that's all.



happy listening.

the heart of life.

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."
-Oscar Wilde

yes, it's fun to ponder new year's resolutions, and i, of course, have fulfilled my list-making needs with a slew of things i want to do this year. but in the very depths of my heart what i most want to do this year is live, and truly live. i want to savor every moment and fully embrace everything life has to offer. i want to focus on giving more and loving more and pouring into friends and family. because ultimately, that's where true happiness really lies. so, let's take a journey together this year...will you join me?

why hello there, long lost friends.

so, it's been a while since i blogged. the last couple of months have been crazy, but not in the way that grad school was crazy. even though i'm enjoying my job, i've found that it is particularly draining, physically, mentally and emotionally. at the end of the day, all want to do is come home, put on my pj's and sit and stare. that means i've spent many hours catching up on the entire series of 30 Rock (how can you not love Liz Lemon?), and well, not a whole lot else. sad, i know.

so, i decided to make a list of achievable goals for myself. things that i need to do and things that i want to do. things like writing letters to friends, reading more, journaling more, cooking more, crafting more. basically just doing anything more than what i've been doing. stay tuned for updates on how things are going!