Superbowl Sunday.

thank goodness for grandmas
who say stuff like this
during the superbowl:

"was that a re-run?"
"was that for your team?"
"the poor guy underneath!"
{her & i have a lot in common.}

but this--
was the highlight of my superbowl sunday:

{such a romantic i am}

dreams.

sometimes {all the time} i {day} dream.

.......................................

                       i dream of books that line my shelves {pretty} dog-eared {perused} devoured books.

                       i dream of saturday mornings at the farmer's market for cucumbers, strawberries, basil, mostly daisies.

                       i dream of strolls along a neighborhood shore for my sunday afternoon walk.

                       i dream of being familiar with a big, daunting city.

                       i dream of independence and the challenge of beautiful unknowns.

                       i dream of composing words to tell a story, to invoke emotion, to make a difference.

                       i dream of knowledge so complete that i understand the world.

                       i dream of faraway friends who gather for fondue night. book clubs. scrabble.

                       i dream of sending {wrinkled} & {memory infused} postcards from around the world.

                       i dream of being {somebody's} someone.

photo via

my day:

most days i do not think about my wedding.
it seems a distant dream,
within a life that doesn't yet belong to me.
there are so many mysteries
associated with that day.
mysteries that aren't solvable yet.

most days i am satisfied with these mysteries,
i will unfold and understand them as they come.

but today,
after buying a bridesmaid's dress for my best friend's wedding,
and after looking at this blog,
i imagined a wedding that could one day be mine.
someday, my day could look like this:

{photos via}

a friend.

tonight, i am reminded of a most reassuring line from one of my very favorite books:

 

never forget that once upon a time, in an unguarded moment, you recognized yourself as a friend.

{belated new year's resolution: be more gentle to me.

i have the potential to be my own best friend

...you do too!}

{photo via}

if you can forgive me...

for waiting so long to write this post,
then i will share with you
something beautiful i read in response
to the current tragedies found in Haiti:


In the aftermath of disaster, we are reminded that life can be unimaginably cruel. That pain and loss [are] so often meted out without justice or mercy. That 'time and chance' happen to us all. But it is also in these moments, when we are brought face to face with our own fragility, that we rediscover our common humanity. We look into the eyes of another and see ourselves. And so the United States of America will lead the world in this humanitarian endeavor. That has been our history, and that is how we will answer the challenge before us.

-President Obama, Newsweek

sometimes we close our eyes, 

to protect our hearts from feeling the sorrow that these pictures invoke.

but sometimes, all we need to do is open our eyes,

to understand that

we, too, can help.

text "haiti" to 90999 to donate even a mere $10 that could change someone's life.

photo via

21.1

in honor of twentyone,
and my obsessions with lists--

twentyone:songs that never get old.


1. Fast Car: Tracy Chapman
2. Jesus, etc.: Wilco
3. The Only Living Boy in New York: Simon & Garfunkel
4. The Execution of All Things: Rilo Kiley
5. Samson: Regina Spektor
6. Gimme Sympathy (Acoustic): Metric
7. It's Okay: Land of Talk
8. Heartbeats: Jose Gonzalez
9. Foreground: Grizzly Bear
10. Transatlanticism: Death Cab for Cutie
11. Maybe Not: Cat Power
12. All My Friends: Broken Social Scene
13. No One's Gonna Love You: Band of Horses
14. Re: Stacks: Bon Iver
15. See You Soon (Acoustic): Coldplay
16. Strange and Beautiful: Aqualung
17. Here Comes the Sun: George Harrison
18. There's a Reason: A.A. Bondy
19. Maps: Yeah Yeah Yeah's
20. For the Widows in Paradise, for the Fatherless in Ypsilanti: Sufjan Stevens
21. Mary: Noah and the Whale

stay tuned for more lists of twentyone.




{photo via}

I'm Your's.

this, friends, is the cutest thing you'll ever see.

The Weight of My Heart.

He.
Has a rule against matinees.
A mustache.
And green tights from Halloween.


I.
Have a messy car.
A wild imagination.
And never-ending To Do Lists.


We.
Have oceans between us.
Email novellas.
And just enough plans to make it bearable.

Your proximity
will alter entirely
the weight of my heart.

-Tyler Knott Gregson

There's a Reason.

On Wednesday night I enjoyed the delicious sound of A.A. Bondy's sweet songs.

He exceeded all expectations, and gave us a show worth remembering.

His live performance put his album recordings to shame.

Needless to say, I loved every minute of it.

A.A. Bondy's Best Songs (in my opinion):

Lover's Waltz

Black Rain, Black Rain

There's a Reason

World Without End

The Mercy Wheel

American Hearts

Rapture (Sweet Rapture)

Mightiest of Guns

"may tomorrow the land be anew
may every bird sing unto you
and that's the reason"

Secrets.

(Idea by Mandy,
Secrets by Me.)

I avoid talking on the phone at most costs.
Sometimes I still dream about trying out for American Idol.
I sleep with my feet sticking out of my covers.
I find comfort and a bit of freshman nostalgia when I enter a Maverik Country Store.
I cruise control home from work everyday.
I don't understand Twitter.
Audiobooks are my best friends.
Snow sports are my enemies.
I would choose to do a push-up over a sit-up any day.
I often formulate my thoughts into prose.
I haven't instant-messaged this much since the 8th grade.
I'm anxious to see the world,
   and jealous of those who have already seen it.
I am most proud of my handwriting.
I always have an expectation for life,
    reality continues to surprise me.
I am mentally and emotionally stronger today than I have ever been.

{photo via}

confession:

i think my handwriting looks prettier when i write in italian.


i write words like:

formaggio
assomigliare
attraversiamo
bellissimo


{but, maybe, that's because italian words are prettier.}

reason #902374539284920 to move there.

All Inclusively.

Tonight, I was rudely reminded that not everybody is trustworthy. That no matter how much friendship you offer to the world, sometimes all the world can offer back is heart ache and insecurity. Tonight, I felt scared, like I sometimes have before, that humanity is harsh and critical. And people will never cease to be judgmental. Tonight, I worried. I worried that the progress I have made over the past two years means nothing. And that for the rest of my life I will feel defined by what is on my outside.


But thankfully, 




{Due to the immense progress that I have made.}






I was quickly reminded that I am loved. That I have a family, who cannot get enough of my jokes and my loud singing. That I have true friends, who notice my good qualities before anything else. That I have a best friend, who makes everything feel alright even when he's halfway across the world.




...........






There will be people. Many people. Who will be harsh. Who will be cruel.
But there will be those, who will see you inside & out.
And they will love you. All inclusively.

thailand.

has never been a dream destination of mine.

until now.

{photos from brad}

birthday diaries (part three)

today

i am

twentyone.

in

twentyten.

today

i am

sure

of

myself.

today

i am

loved

and

i know

it.

today

i am

ready

for

tomorrow.

p.s. i know it's technically jan. 20 now.

but jan. 19, 2010 made a lovely birthday!

will share more soon!

oh my word!

this is so cute, i can barely stand it!