line a day: "I don't like food that's too carefully arranged; it makes me think that the chef is spending too much time arranging and not enough time cooking. If I wanted a picture I'd buy a painting." ~Andy Rooney ~ I agree, Andy! However, the same does NOT apply to baking...

gratitude: When I was a freckle faced 5year old, I did not sit on my bed painting pictures in my mind of a grown up self teaching, living in an apartment, saving, instead of spending, my money. However, I didn't picture the amazing relationships I have either. Guess things do work out for the best :-)

3.29.11

line a day: "your success is his anxiety." enough said. this is a comment that i don't think i'll ever be able to forget because the blatant truth is so obvious. i need to keep this in my heart and remember that he does not define me, or my success. I DO.

gratitude: today i am thankful for the unlikely friendships i have forged here - i never expected to find family in iowa, and i have found nothing but.

3.28.11

line a day: "paradoxically, we achieve true wholeness only by embracing our fragility and sometimes, our brokenness." literally and emotionally, i have been broken over the past week or so. some has been self-imposed; other parts have been a product of things outside of my control. though i am by no means healed/fixed/recovered, i feel that i have become aware of my brokenness and am making the conscious effort to make a change.

gratitude: today i am thankful for relaxing weekends in the presence of those who love me and who help me heal.

line a day: Snow in March? The best thing about snow in March is that it was melted by 3:00.

gratitude: I'm thankful to have a roof over my head and solid ground below me.

3.23.11

line a day: "when we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained." i might be crazy, but at least there are others who are right there with me.

gratitude: today i am thankful for some much needed perspective. and for sleep, when it comes. i could really use some of that.

line a day: "Rain, rain, go away" The lack of sunshine is making it hard for me to function...

gratitude: I'm thankful to know that I live in a place where it will eventually be summer outside! I'm also thankful for good friends to share things with after work. And finally, for a special someone being born today! Happy Birthday Ash!

line a day: "Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush." ~Doug Larson ~ I know there will still be cold days, but the first official day of spring was yesterday, and I could not be happier!

gratitude: sitting on the couch, checking papers, door wide open, Adam on the chaise watching basketball, sun shinning, knowing good food is being made = happiest moment I've had in a while.

3.20.11

line a day: "School's out for the summer" - Yea, I know I have a couple months still, but that song is stuck in my head!

gratitude: Musicals - I'm glad that people think of me when they decide not to use Civic Center tickets!

3.20.11

line a day: just keep swimming, just keep swimming . .

gratitude: today i am thankful for nice days that remind me of the promise of spring - it can't get here soon enough!

3.?.11

line a day: "promise me you'll always remember: you're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." - christopher robin

gratitude: today i am thankful for a lovely mini-vacation with even lovelier friends (read: family).

line a day: "even after my spiel about yesterday, is it bad that I'm thinking nachos again today?" Not in the least!

gratitude: Good weather, good friends, days off of work, boyfriends who god days off to be with us...chicago!

3.15.11

line a day: i wish i had a witty quote in mind for today, but all i've got right now is gratitude. overwhelming gratitude.

gratitude: today i am thankful that paul has matched. although we don't know where it will be, at least he has succeeded in that stage of the process. i am also thankful today for my friends far away who still know me as well as if they lived in the next room. those are blessings that can't possibly be more powerful.

3.14.11

line a day: de-wallpapering a bathroom is definitely an appropriate and acceptable way to spend the beginning of spring break. as is purchasing this new computer i'm typing on right now!

gratitude: today i am thankful for my second family - i feel welcome and lucky to be here.

line: "A hug is like a boomerang - you get it back right away" ~ Bil Keane ~

gratitude: I'm thankful for a roommate who could have been a stranger, but is so much more.

3.11.11

line a day: SO THEY SAY IT'S YOUR BIRTH-DAY!!! well, it is :) life is good. champagne is good. friends are good. again, life is good.

gratitude: today i am so thankful for LIFE - i was given one to live, and i intend on LIVING it to the fullest!

line: "It ain't no sin if you crack a few laws now and then, just so long as you don't break any." ~ Mae West ~ Funny and true. Happy Birthday Roomie!

gratitude: three words: nine days off.

line: Today, I tried to pick up a paper towel with my foot only to remember I had shoes on and the feat would probably be impossible with my feet...Yea, not the normal quote, but it made me laugh and realize how much I need next week's break!

gratitude: An sincere apology will go a long way with me. A change in action will go even further. Yesterday was a roller coaster, but it ended on a high.

3.9.11

line a day: "when you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." ~Franklin D. Roosevelt . . . well, i'm at the end. hopefully i can manage a big knot today. i just need to get through the next few hours and then the week is on its way to being over.

gratitude: today i am thankful for the fact that i made it to school safely in the snowstorm - i know others may not have been so lucky.

line a day: "Light up your hallway like the 4th of July!" - I had taken this to heart, but started putting it into action last night.

gratitude: I'm thankful for the people in my life who have helped me strengthen my personal faith.

line a day: "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." ~ Winston Churchill ~ My promise this week is to stay positive about the future, my class, and where (literally) life is going to take us.

gratitude: This weekend was filled with weird moments, big hugs, snappy words, laughing, and sighs...but at the end of the weekend when he wrapped his arms around me and whispered, "luckiest guy in the world, love you" I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

3.6.11

line a day: "within you is the divine capacity to manifest and attract all that you need or desire" - i promise to approach this week with a positive attitude - even though i know it will be a busy one at work and at school, i have the power to make it turn out how i want it to.

gratitude: today i am thankful for a calm weekend of love, love, and more love. i am blessed to have found my lobster.

3.4.11

line a day: "weekends don't count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless." ~ Bill Watterson - sounds like good advice to me!!!


gratitude: today i am thankful for another slew of weekdays to check off the calendar - march is a great month and i intend on making it so!

line a day: "Everybody's workin' for the weekend"

gratitude: St. Patrick's decorations, shirts, headbands, necklaces, etc. Can I say excited for the upcoming trip? We even booked a killer hotel which was described as "business apartment living", so I'm pretty excited to see what comes of it.

3.3.11

line a day: there is literally nothing stopping us from living the life we want. i MUST learn to remember that and LIVE and LOVE by those words.

gratitude: today i am thankful for random errands and lovely trips to look forward to with my wonderful friends.

3.3.11

line: "Tell a man there are 300 billion stars in the universe and he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it and he'll have to touch it to be sure." ~Murphy's Law ~ It is amazing how some people function in this world.

gratitude: Extra planning time!

3.2.11

line a day: "The soul is born old but grows young. That is the comedy of life." Oscar Wilde - I was reminded of this while drinking wine with a very stylish and hilarious "young soul" last night.

gratitude: I'm thankful for busy days that keep me on my toes.

3.1.11

line a day: "a blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend, one human soul whom we can trust utterly, who knows the best and worst of us, and who loves us in spite of all our faults."

gratitude: i am SO incredibly thankful for the sunshine today - sometimes a brisk walk is all i need to change my perspective. thanks, roomie.

line a day: "If you see a friend without a smile; give him one of yours" I wish more than anything, this is all it took.

gratitude: cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, grilled cheese, better than sex cake; thank GOD for inventing these things.