♫ + ☼ = ♥

(^music plus sunshine equals love)

I've been listening to music lately, which isn't something I've done in about 4-6 years. Yes, I listen to music but I haven't loved music since sobbing into the great Chris Dudley's arms as he stood in the St. Louis cold after playing a fantastic show with his band UnderOath. That was when I was 15. I'm 21 now and I can't remember the last concert I went to.

I've found music I like again. And I've unearthed some of my old favorites. At the very least, listen to this first one (it's my favorite right now):

Elysian Fields by Casey Frazier Read the lyrics here




The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel Read the lyrics here



Heartbreak World by Matt Nathanson Read the lyrics here




Control Freak by Copeland (RIP) Read the lyrics here



Best of Me- The Starting Line Read the lyrics here



View From Heaven- Yellowcard Read the lyrics



Some Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape- UnderOath Read the lyrics here



and finally the gateway drug, the catalyst, to all the music I've ever been interested in since 7th grade started with one band: Dashboard Confessional .

Stolen by Dashboard Confessional (but everything Dashboard is good). Read the lyrics here





♫ + ☼ = ♥

The Lily

THE LILY
William Blake


The modest Rose puts forth a thorn,
The humble sheep a threat'ning horn:
While the Lily white shall in love delight,
Nor a thorn nor a threat stain her beauty bright.

The Latest.

I just got back from one of the best trips I've ever been on with some people who make me feel pretty sparkley and sunshiney, just like the places we visited. We drove from St.Louis to Cape Canaveral, Florida (18 hours) and boarded the Norwegian Sun, which took us to Cozumel and Key West. Cozumel was amazing, as were the ancient Mayan ruins we visited. Key West was fun and colorful. The ocean was beautiful, the (totally free) food was great, and so was the beading, which was what this entire trip was really about.

Cozumel, Mexico

A good friend of mine, Abbi, works as an instructor at her mom and aunt's bead store, The Bead Place. She was invited on this cruise to instruct a group of women in the art of jewelry making. I tagged along and learned some fun stuff. The first was "Viking Knit" which is like knitting with wire to make a Pandora style bracelet. The next was "Russian Spiral" which is a really simple technique that creates a not so simple, but super cute bracelet. I loved both of them and can't decide which one I love more. I'll definitely be making more. Abbi also taught a few ladies how to make starfish with beads, but I was immersed in my second Russian Spiral bracelet and didn't get the chance to learn.

Here are my new bracelets:

Soft Greens Russian Spiral bracelet

Soft Pinks Russian Spiral bracelet

Viking Knit front with Pandora style beads

Viking Knit back

New Year's Resolutions

Writing it down makes it official.

1. Be more silly. I have a new friend who is the silliest person I've ever met. It's contagious.
2. Write more. I'm taking a creative writing class that leads to publishing opportunities at the end.
3. Get healthier. I won't say lose weight because at some point I will lose whatever weight I want and after I do that I'll start hating on myself for something else. Instead I'd rather just be healthier..mentally, physically, and spiritually.
4. Read more books. I read 2 or 3 books this year which is terrible considering I used to read 15 to 20.

That's it.

My First Chunky Book Page

I just made my first ever chunky book page for a "dark" themed chunky book. Basically, we make one page a month. This first go around I participated in the "Nightmare Before Christmas" themed page. I drew Sally and colored her with colored pencils. The background is scrapbook paper. The quote from Sally's song was printed on a label maker. The buttons are...buttons :) Each page in this chunky book will be 6x6 inches. We bind the pages once we receive them, so my partner will bind this one (not me).

 

It says " I sense there's something in the wind..."

 "...that feels like tragedy's at hand."

"Sally"

Overall, I really like it. I think it's well-done for my first page.

Willow Smith

please shut up.

I will not kill the dog.

The new dog, who I can't bring myself to call a "puppy" at the moment, just chewed the corner off of the platform of my very expensive Asian inspired bed. Lily has never heard me scream so loudly. I've never heard me scream so loudly and with such ferocity. My head hurts from my shrieks. Charlie will now enjoy specific parameters of the house limited to the kitchen, livingroom, and upstairs hallway.

What did Lily do after the sonic boom? Pretended to chew on the other corner of my very expensive Asian inspired bed. Funny guy, she thinks she is.

Charlie picked the wrong exhausting-the-Post-Office-doesn't-do-Passport-applications-after-2PM (it's 3 minutes after 2)-pulled-an-all-nighter-for-a-group-project sort of day.

I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog. I will not kill the dog.

5 AM: Time to watch Shrek and eat Popcorn.

It's nearly 5 AM on a Tuesday morning and Lily has insisted we get up, eat popcorn, and watch the best movie in the world, Shrek. From 2AM to about 4AM I ignored her as she whined and thrashed about in bed, talking to herself and singing. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. The new dog was downstairs shrieking and barking to be let out so I succumbed to them both and took Lily down stairs. I let Charlie out where he promptly peed and ran inside to poop on the living room carpet. Thanks a lot, Charlie. Then Lily and I made popcorn with which I lured her back upstairs with. I also promised we'd watch Shrek, which is what I usually turn on when I want to sleep and Lily wants to be up. Shrek is a fantastic babysitter and it's even better that we have 3 of the 4 movies. He comes in handy late at night when I have a full day of class in the morning, like now!

Obviously, instead of going back to sleep I'm clacking away at my keyboard. I can't sleep either to be honest. Lily and I slept too late today and I drank too much caffeineted iced tea throughout the day. So instead of going back to bed I rearranged my classes for next semester.

I've opted out of Photo 2. The only reason I was signed up for the class was because I wanted to print my own pictures. I wanted next semester to be fairly stress free so I'm only taking classes I'm excited about. So now on the roster is Creative Writing, First Aid Medical Self-Help, Abnormal Psychology, and Photoshop. The only downside to dropping Photo 2 is that I now have only 11 credits rather than the full 12. With 12 credits I get ALL of my financial aid, but with 11 credits I only get part of my financial aid. Because of that, if I drop photoshop (which I'm not so excited about) I will only have 8 hours, which still counts as part time. I will get the same amount from financial aid if I took 11 hours. Not that anyone cares but it's my current predicament.

I'm most excited about Creative writing and First Aid. I love both of those things and I think I'm going to have fun writing and really like getting CPR certified. I have to be certified for my degree anyway so I may as well do it now while I have extra time.

I can't believe this semester has 2.5 weeks left.. I don't know how I've survived it.

Charlie Kelly.

Last Friday I adopted a puppy from Animal Rescue of Southern Illinois (ARSI, they call themsevles). He was listed as a Chihuahua Terrier mix, but I think they are mistaken. Nothing about this boy is chihuahua. His siblings looked like a mix between Yorkies and beagles, some long-haired and some short-haired like Charlie. Originally Charlie's name was Boo but I wanted to name him after one of my favorite characters, Charlie Kelly.

Charlie Kelly is the janitor goof from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. He is played by Charlie Day, who I wrote about here, in "The Truth Pt. 2".

Charlie is 10 pounds and about 13 weeks old. I don't know his official birthday or his exact age.

Painting

"While we try to teach our 
children all about life,
Our children teach us what life is all about."