some Harry Potter love

A Harry Potter Challenge

I know it’s supposed to be done over a month and blah blah blah…

Day 1: Your fave book.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban are tied for my very favorite. The Half-Blood Prince is so amazing, and I felt more emotionally connected to the characters than ever before. After Dumbledore died, my dad gave me the grief brochures that he got at the funeral home after his mother died. I was so upset. The Prisoner of Azkaban is just so beautifully written, and I love the suspense of the entire book. The moment Harry first experiences his patronus, Lupin's amazing ability to teach defense against the dark arts, and Harry discovering that Sirius Black is actually on his side. Oh gosh, I just love those books. All of them, really.

Day 2: Your fave movie.

My favorite movie was Prisoner of Azkaban. It was so, so true to the book, and the aesthetics were incredible.

Day 3: Is there any of the films adaptations that have made you angry because they’ve ignored important parts of the book.

I. HATED. OOTP. AND. HBP. Oh my gosh, those movies made me SO angry! I seriously had such hate toward them, and David Yates. I don't think David Yates really understood what an amazing project he was undertaking. I read in some magazine that he didn't read the book, or something along the lines of that. I was in London when I saw OOTP, and was so excited to see it! After seeing it, I got really mad. So much of the stuff was untrue to the book. HBP also made me really angry because they left out SO much, but then added in things that didn't even happen--such as the Burrow burning down. What the heck!

Day 4: Least fave female character and why.

The obvious one: Bellatrix. Or, Lavender Brown... Or, Pansy Parkinson. I hate Bellatrix for reasons that are mostly unnecessary to mention. However, I will say that I hated her the most when she killed Dobby and when she killed Sirius. I wanted to kill her. She's awful! I don't like Lavender Brown purely because she annoys me. And Pansy Parkinson is just a rude and foul girl.

Day 5: Fave male character and why.

I love Dumbledore. Always have, always will. His character is exceptional, and I became depressed when he died. He is so powerful and wise, and, as Kingsley Shacklebolt put it in OOTP, "You may not like him Minister, but you can't deny, Dumbledore's got style."

Day 6: What house would you want to be in.

I want to be in Gryffindor. I'm sort of like Neville--not very brave in the beginning, but I get done what needs to get done.

Day 7: Fave female character and why.

Hermione is perfect in nearly every way. She has a thirst for knowledge that is unmatched, and she grows into her own self at a great pace. I'm so glad that Rowling didn't have her and Ron really get together before the final book. Nothing would ruin Hermione like an unsteady relationship.

Day 8: What do you think would be your fave lesson.

I've always been fascinated by Potions. But Defense Against the Dark Arts would be incredible.

Day 9: Least fave male character.

Fenrir Greyback. HATE him.

Day 10: Horcruxes or Hallows.

Hallows for sure.

Day 11: What character would you say you are most like.

Ahhh, I'm most like Hermione. I don't want to get into trouble, and I'm always striving for the stars. I get a little obnoxious a lot of the time, but my intentions are good.

Day 12: Fave ship.

Lily and Snape, though that never really happened...

Day 13: Least fave movie.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Day 14: Team Voldermort or Team Harry.

Honestly?

Day 15: Who would be your best friends at hogwarts. (three only)

Luna, Hermione, and Harry. Ron is too moody.

Day 16: Fave professor

Lupin, fa shooooo. Or Snape. Both kept things interesting :)

Day 17: Are you excited about The Deathly Hallows movie or scared it won’t do the book justice.

I'm really excited! But feeling so, so somber. After seeing the first installment of the Deathy Hallows, I'm fairly certain that the second part will be spectacular.

Day 18: Least fave book.

I don't have a least favorite! Maybe the Deathly Hallows? There's never been one that is exactly "tough" to read.

Day 19: Do you prefer the books or films.

The books, because before I started watching the films, my imagination was allowed to run wild. I absolutely loved the books because they made my childhood imagination that much more interesting. The movies can't do that for me.

Day 20: If you had to meet one member of the cast, who would it be.

I'd like to meet Richard Harris (original Dumbledore) or Maggie Smith. Oh Oh! Or Hagrid :)

Day 21: Out of all the characters that died, if you could bring one back, who would it be.

Dumbledore. I just miss him a lot.

Day 22: Harry Potter or Twilight

Shut up. Harry Potter.

Day 23: Any part of the books/movies that makes you cry.

Dumbledore's death and Fred's death. The graveyard scene where Harry wishes to be in the ground with his parents. Snape's death. Dobby's death. Madeye's death, and when we see Snape say to Dumbledore "Always."

Day 24: Any particular scene you wished would have been put in the movie but it wasn’t.

The memories in the Half-Blood Prince. Dumbledore's funeral (SERIOUSLY). In Order of the Phoenix, when they're throwing out all of the family heirlooms in Grimmauld Place, because that is where you see many of the horcruxes!

Day 25: Nineteen years later. Are you happy how it turned out, or do you wish something was different, ie Neville married Luna.

Very happy.

Day 26: If you could be able to work one spell without a wand what would it be.

Protego, or Petrificus Totalus.

Day 27: Would you rather own The Invisibility Cloak, The Resurrection Stone or The Elder Wand.

The Invisibility Cloak, of course!

Day 28: Do you listen to Wizard Wrock, what do you think about it.

Nooooo.

Day 29: Did you enjoy A Very Potter Musical.

Have not seen.

Day 30: What affect has Harry Potter made on your life and how much does it mean to you

My mom read to me/I learned to read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the first grade--yes, in 1999. I honestly don't think I'd be very interesting without Harry Potter. At 11, I was disappointed not to have received a Hogwarts letter in the mail. My entire family bonded over Harry Potter, and I love watching the ABC Family marathons. Never have I gone to a midnight release of anything besides Harry Potter. In my house, there are two book series that are signed by the author: Harry Potter, and A Series of Unfortunate Events. They are the ones that matter, but Harry Potter obviously matters more. I love you, Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

Hungry?

single-crust plum and apple pie

sweet potatoes with pecans and goat cheese

pizza with bacon, onions, and cream

strawberry summer cake

spring salad with new potatoes

Wow! Don't all of those dishes look amazing? I stumbled upon the blog "smitten kitchen" today and am astounded. My mom and I need to make them very very soon :) Find more recipes (and delicious pictures!) here.

Haverford College

Hi everyone! So, as promised, I am going to review a college. Today's post is centered on Haverford College, a liberal arts college in the lovely town of Haverford Pennsylvania.

Basics:

• Haverford, Pennsylvania
• Co-ed
• Accepts 26% of applicants
• Like Swarthmore & Bryn Mawr, founded by...Quakers.
• Total undergraduates usually hovers around 1200 students

Haverford (the town) is supremely cute. There are bakeries and little shops lining the streets. Houses throughout the area are surrounded by woods, but you're never too far from the highway if you want to get to Philadelphia.

So, as my mother and I tried to find the college, we missed the first few minutes of our tour. Luckily, we caught up with the group pretty quickly, right outside the library. I quickly noticed that Haverford, unlike many other colleges I'd visited, did not boast a beautiful campus. I looked beyond that because my tour guide pretty quickly convinced me what an amazing place Haverford is.

Haverford students commit themselves to an honor code. The honor code is atypical--students not only refuse to cheat, but also are enthusiastic about the prospect of being honorable in their studies.

Students declare a major at the end of their sophomore year. Majors range from Anthropology to Spanish, with Computer Science and Growth & Structure of Cities in between. Concentrations include African Studies and Pre-Med, but that's not all. There are 21 others. Double-majoring is discouraged because there is a thesis requirement.

Okay this will be continued... it is harder than I thought!

Favorite healthy foods

Hi again! I wanted to share with you all some of my favorite healthy snacks. I'm really bad at eating healthy but here goes!

1. Del Monte Fruit Naturals: Red Grapefruit

Since I'm still in high school and I bring a lunch, my food has to be very portable! I love grapefruit and grapefruit juice, so this is perfect for me.

2. Fage greek yogurt with honey

Oh my goodness. Fage yogurt is probably one of my favorite things to eat. I strictly requested the honey kind but recen

tly found out that basically each flavor the company sells is amazing! Still, honey flavor is the best :) Don't f

orget to stir the yogurt before putting in the honey!

3. Hummus

So I have forever found hummus disgusting. Seriously, I hated it! But my friend Annabelle got some great roasted red pepper hummus from Whole Foods and I loved it. Yesterday I was at my best friend Dani's house and she had carrots and Sabra pine nut hummus on the table. I started munching an

d couldn't stop! I guess my rule for hummus is eat it with veggies! The texture of chickpeas is already too dry for me, so pita chips + hummus = not too appetizing. Bell peppers and carrots balance the dryness with their crunchy-ness, smoothness, and sweetness.

Hi friends!!! Also known as (mainly) Rebecca and (sometimes) Sarah! Well I have big news. Big news that will make my senior year very busy! I ran uncontested for Student Body President (got it) and was selected to be Editor-in-Chief of my school's newspaper. Ah! I'm in a bit of a frenzy right now, just wrapping my brain around it but soon enough it will actually be senior year and I'll have to take my responsibilities by storm! So, before I get to the actual subject of this post, I want to share a cute video that I spotted on one of my favorite blogs, "tulips & flight suits."

Here it is:

I hope you can actually see the video without having to click on the link. That would be annoying!

Ah, well, here goes. I've decided to do some college blog posts! I've basically got my big list of colleges ready. I'm certainly prepared to start filling out applications. Still need to visit a few more though, so obviously I can't exactly review them.

I'll start in a few days with The College of William and Mary. Others that I'll review are Brown University, Princeton University, University of Virginia, Georgetown University, Davidson College, Columbia University, Harvard University, Swarthmore College, Haverford College, and Bryn Mawr College. Get excited!

Hello lovely bloggers! It's been quite a while since my last blog post. Yesterday I discovered "the neo-traditionalist" blog and I must say it is wonderful. Her post covering a 2005 spread of Gemma Ward in American Vogue has been really inspiring, especially considering that spring is in the air! Though fashion is not exactly the focus of my blog, I wanted to share with you the beautiful photos of my favorite model: Gemma Ward. Isn't she amazing?

Return of the self-image post!

Well, this will be more focused on appreciating one's self. If you watch this little girl here, you'll see that it's important to be excited about yourself! I (like everyone) spend at least some of my time moping around, wishing for my life to be better... But, come on, how much time do we spend actually appreciating everything? That is something that all should consider. At camp in the summer, my counselors asked our "living group" to write down all of the things we appreciate in our lives. If, perhaps, turned into a daily ritual, I know that I would be a lot more content with what I've got. So, watch this little girl in the video on youtube. Let her be an example to us all! For she knows she's got it going on and, as she says, her "whole house is great." And she likes her whole house, her aunt(s), her dad(s), her mom(s), her Allison(s), and even her imagination (you'll have to watch the deleted scenes for that one). Appreciate life!

"That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet."--Emily Dickinson

Lovely questions & well thought-out answers?

I couldn't resist this questionnaire.

1. What did you first want to be when you grew up?

Well, what I did not want to be was an astronaut. I'd nap alongside my daddy and tell him that I was too afraid for that career because I thought I'd fall off the moon.

2. Favorite childhood game?

I was extremely outdoorsy. My favorite childhood game was more like an array of different activities: climbing magnolia trees, learning to ride a bicycle, exploring the woods surrounding my neighborhood, and taking walks with my dad.

3. Most favorite birthday?

Oh gosh, my favorite birthday was probably when I was either three or four. My mom put together an extravaganza at a local playground, complete with pony rides, flower garlands, and all of my friends. It was superb.

4. Something you've always wanted to do and haven't done yet?

I have always wanted to visit Greece! And tonight while making dinner I discussed with my mom the proposition of taking a "senior" trip; she'll be a senior citizen and I'll have just completed my senior year of high school. The idea of going there is so exciting, and the country is certainly the most beautiful one I've ever seen (in pictures). Ah, I hope this happens!

5.Who was your first love?

My first love was Ash from Pokemon. I remember taking a bathroom break during one of the commercials on Saturday morning, and thinking about how I wanted him to be real so we could be together! My second love? Draco Malfoy--the only bad boy I've ever fallen for. And my first boyfriend was my "husband" in pre-k... Tommy and I were quite smitten with each other.

6.First musical idol?

Probably Play. I loved that swedish pop group!

7.Favorite gift?

My sweet little volvo. It's a tannish gold '95 960, recently named Jacques. Don't ask... 'twas a spur of the moment kind of thing.

8.If a theme song played for you everywhere you went, what would it be?

Oh la la, probably something from Amelie. I love Yann Tiersen and everything he writes! So I'd go with J'y Suis Jamais Alle! Or Mozart's Sonata K545, which I love and am currently learning.

9.Favorite city to visit?

My absolute favorite city to visit is Florence, Italy. Obviously, frequent trips there are impossible. But the three days I spent there during the summer before eighth grade were glorious. I loved the markets, opportunities for sightseeing, and the quaint cafes and gelaterias.

Spending freeze

I'm putting myself on a spending freeze! Over the past three or so weeks I've spent a lot of money on things that I don't necessarily need... While this isn't a huge issue, it's always good to be conscientious of what one is doing. So, from February 14th until March 14th I will not be buying any unnecessary items. Unless I am thrifting, eating food(preferably healthy & not by my lonesome), or I have found my prom dress. Yahee!

The quintessential self-image post

Body image, self image, self esteem--whatever you want to call it, most people struggle with it at one time or another in their lives. Stereotypically, women are pictured when one imagines someone with this sort of problem. And, despite being a psychological issue, it is obviously deeply rooted in physical and social interactions.

I am no exception to the aforementioned rule. When I had only one year left of elementary school, I began to notice differences between how I appeared and how my friend K did, and I've struggled ever since with similar comparisons.

But I digress. When I started high school, I became much more comfortable with: a) who I am and b) my own skin (figuratively, of course). My next-to-daily ensemble of yoga pants and a t-shirt has become a staple not only embraced by myself but by my peers as well. The carefree, yet lazy, ambience I easily exude is no longer questioned in the way it used to be, and discontinues its reputation as the subject of friends' jokes; mostly because I poke fun at myself.

The dependent clause most previously mentioned is key to self-acceptance, or as Maslow called it self-actualization. I would like to say that I reap the rewards of such a "key," but if I did I would be a liar. Half of my time is spent contemplating what I think of saying before I actually say it. I weigh the possible consequences a little bit too much and, therefore, am unable to live in the moment. And this returns to the reason why I wear yoga pants all the time. I seek comfort (as mentioned in the below post) in everything. But I also seek security. My yoga pants, t-shirts, and favorite black rain jacket/windbreaker are cute and (I hope) flattering enough to make me look remotely attractive.

Long story short? Presentation is everything. So is confidence. If you don't wear confidence along with any outfit, you won't go anywhere. Everyone has skeletons in their closets (or pudgy regions, for that matter). A final message--people who think size matters are wrong. You could have, erm, assets just as perfect as the next girl, but if you present yourself differently or inaccurately from the get-go it's (To Be Continued)...

It is very late. And I will edit this tomorrow so that I can continuer!

Things I find comforting & what I'm currently listening to

I'm currently listening to From the Morning by Nick Drake, Colder Weather by Zac Brown Band and Shostakovich's Waltz II.

Because I'm constantly going going going, it takes mostly simple things to comfort me. Some are peculiar but most aren't.

• Hearing a shower turn off.
• Seeing my own handwriting.
• Watching He's Just Not That Into You.
• Lying down in bed after hours of lacrosse.
• Drinking a glass of water without breathing in between gulps.
• Clipping my nails.

That's all I've got for now. I need some serious comfort at the moment...

Never in my wildest dreams

Today I am home from school. In fact, I haven't been at school for a full day since Tuesday. The reason? I have been feeling a bit under the weather. However, today has been better than most days because sleep has overtaken me since 10:00 this morning. And during my slumber, I did the most unusual thing (for me, anyway); I dreamed. Not a nightmare (which is much more common for me), but a superb & wonderful six hour window of time that I spent dreaming. And now that--I hope--you are on the edge of your seat and want to hear why exactly my dream was so fantastic, I will be happy to comply. Cue the tinkling bells and the faintly blurred edges that come hand and hand with the recounting of a dream.

I can't remember much that happened before the dream-changing event, though I do have a nudge that I was simply driving around our city with two of my friends. We finally said our goodbyes after a few hours of fun, and on my way home I pulled into the parking lot of what I suppose was the CNN center at closing time, but on a much smaller scale. While sitting in my car, I called my friend Kristen and talked to her for a few minutes before opening the passenger door. Still occupied with the phone call, I noticed some of the clutter in my car (mostly practice SAT tests and receipts) fall onto the pavement. Rather than getting out of my seat, walking around the car, and retrieving the items, I chose to unbuckle my seat belt, and reach for the miscellaneous papers (mind you, I was still speaking on the phone). Of course, the latter wasn't working very well and in one final attempt, I sort of bounced out of my seat and in the process catapulted myself out of my tan Volvo straight onto the ground.

Naturally, I started to laugh. I try not to take myself seriously, and in this case, I couldn't. While laying on the ground amidst the papers, which had by now fluttered in every direction, I started to describe to the girl with whom I was speaking what had just happened. It was in that very instance that I noticed a man whom some call the Silver Fox. That's right; Anderson Cooper, anchor of CNN's Anderson Cooper 36o° , was getting into his car. He seemed to be in quite the hurry, so I chose not to bother him. But as I gathered my belongings, he walked over and offered to help. Only then did I notice that my phone was shattered--we're talking keypad ripped off, SIM card bent up, and flippable mechanism ruined. "Guess I won't be needing this anymore," I said, only slightly embarrassed that I'd tried to talk on it in front of him. In response, he guffawed. Yes, Anderson Cooper was laughing quite heartily at something I had said.

The reason for which we started walking into the building was unbeknownst to me, but we ended up standing at the counter of one of those little convenience stores you might see in the airport. As we stood in line, I took a slight risk in telling him of my aspiration to be a journalist, saying "You know, I hope to be a journalist some day" and telling him of my internship with a local newspaper. Cooper handled this in an extremely nonchalant manner, and for some reason I began to take a much larger risk in my conversation with him. "We were learning about Vanderbilt in my A.P. U.S. History class the other day, and it was brought up that you're a descendant of him," I said, but my anecdote was cut short by his almost immediate grimace. That didn't stop me. "I'm just so impressed that you've accomplished so much on your own. You've really made a name for yourself," I concluded.

Then, I woke up. It was 10:45, and I didn't even realize I'd had a dream. Despite the pressure washing that was pounding my bedroom windows and the foundation of my house, I dozed off again.

He handed me my new cell phone, which strangely looked like one of the first-ever models--a ridiculously large, black box with little antenna sticking out from the top. Then I did the forbidden; I asked him to sign the bag. By no uncertain terms, I instantly knew I'd lost any hope to create a bond with this inspiring fellow because he signed and proceeded to walk away in quite the brisk fashion. I followed him back to the parking lot as far as our cars were parked. As I climbed into the driver's seat, I glanced back and noticed a troop of autograph book-bearing Girl Scouts pointing fingers at him and whispering. The uneasiness of Cooper was evident, so I slowly approached him. He was much friendlier this time, and seemed to feel comforted by the fact that I myself was no longer asking for an autograph.

That is when the dream became slightly peculiar. We're talking Maid in Manhattan-esque, but rather than playing Jennifer Lopez to his Ralph Fiennes, I was her son who struggled with public speaking and needed a little mentoring. And hey--no complaints here! He invited me to a concert he was conducting (this idea was probably created because one of the girl scouts asked him to sign and commented on how nice his hands were [creepy] since he was a "famous conductor") and said he'd call me beforehand.

The next day, I received a phone call from Anderson Cooper's assistant and was told I needed to get down to the Woodruff Arts Center for hair & makeup. I rushed down there and was immediately pushed onto the stage to play piano. Apparently I'd written the songs we were performing... Like I said, the dream was becoming increasingly strange.

After the concert--which was a hit, by the way--Cooper put on a bomb suit and climbed into a private car destined for Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport (he was flying to Iraq to do some coverage of the war). I thanked him profusely for all he'd done, wished him luck, and returned inside to share the story of the best two days ever with a few friends in what was now the Rialto Center for the Arts. First, I told Ben & Court and following that I enlightened Sarah & Dani. After the movie, we went outside and were now standing on the lawn of the High Museum. Now joining us were Clarice and Adnan, and we were told that we were being offered special defense training.

With that, I woke up at around 2:15. It's always disappointing to find out that a most fanciful dream is not reality. However, I maintain the hope that some day I will have the good fortune to meet and be mentored by Anderson Cooper. He is my main inspiration as a journalist, and that is why this dream was so incredible. The most spectacular thing he has done, in my view, was that he entered Burma with a forged press pass to interview students revolting against the government. And, to spend a few unreal (forgive the pun) days getting to know someone who I would very much love to emulate was indescribably special to me. If he ever sees this, I hope he appreciates it and is not too "weirded out."

My mostly irrational fears

If you were to ask any one of my friends who held the most fears among the people they know, it'd be me. Most are irrational. Therefore, 99% of them I'm unable to explain.

• Zombies
• the dark
• death/severe injury of my family members (especially my mom)
• having my limbs chopped off
• not getting into Brown
• parking decks
• extreme heights

I'm a scared-y cat. Basically.

Just realized...

that I only have one semester left of grades and AP scores before I apply to college. This is terrifying, but definitely incentive to work harder than ever. I'm determined to exceed all expectations.

leigh

Country Strong, hard to break

I saw the movie Country Strong this evening. It was wonderful! What was possibly more wonderful was walking to the movie theatre in only 19 minutes. I didn't fall in the ice either! Also beat my friend (who drove there, mind you) even after shoveling half of my driveway for half an hour. Back to Country Strong--talk about surprise endings. I refuse to spoil anything (unless Rebecca G. convinces me to), but I was noooot expecting what happened. It made me, as my friend Will F. put it, Country Sad. The performances (theatrical and vocal) from Gwyneth Paltrow, Garrett Hedlund, Leighton Meester, and Tim McGraw were spectacular. It's always nice to see a wonderful actress (or two, or three) have nice voices and vice versa; Tim McGraw is proving to be a great actor. I recommend this movie to anyone. To the right you will see the beautiful Garrett Hedlund, who played Bo.

Past, future, and present reads

One of my {unofficial} New Year's Resolutions for this year is to read more. Although I was once an avid reader, that passion faded when I got to high school and was required to read books on the

teacher's time, not mine. I just finished/sparknoted The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for AP Lang, one of the few Literature classes I've enjoyed ever. Loooooved it. The next book I plan on reading is certainly a toss-up. I'm considering Breakfast at Tiffany's (which, and please don't judge me!, I didn't even know was a book until last

week until my fellow intern told me she was reading it). I'd also like to read Great Expectations or something by

Jane Austen. I've started Emma, Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice but haven't held enough of an interest to complete them. Currently, I'm reading A Farewell to Arms. It's the first thing I've ever read of Hemingway's and so far I love it. I was certainly surprised to find how easily Henry snatched up Catherine Barkley from his friend, who didn't even seem affected by it! These books will almost certainly be accompanied by my other reads: study books for AP exams, The Guardian, The New York Times, and various other books which all focus on saving money and finding scholarships for college.

Leigh

Let it snow! And let that snow cancel school for nearly a week

The Atlanta metro area was ever so rudely bombarded by ice and snow on Sunday night, ~10 PM. It was so exciting at the start! It was even exciting into Monday... Then Monday became Tuesday. I was still excited! Then Tuesday became today, and I haven't been outside of my house all day. I think I'm becoming slightly perturbed by the very presence of this awesome white stuff, but only because that white stuff subsequently became ice. On the roads which I, being sixteen and with vehicle, would like to drive. I told my mom that I have "cabin fever" and she suggested that I clean my room. Yeeeeee, what a great solution... Anyway, I love snow and all. Really, I do! Six inches! 1/2 an inch of ice! Four days- 4!!!- away from school. I love not having school, because school really bothers me sometimes. However, as aforementioned I would loooooooove to escape my humble abode to, say, Starbucks.

Highlights of the week (in no particular order):

• Seeking refuge in CVS with Sarah on Monday for an hour, just eating snacks
• Sledding in my front yard
• Sledding on a HUGE hill on the side of the road
• Videochatting with my favorite freshman, Alex L., every night
• Asking her to do hilarious things for my amusement
• Sleeping in
• Watching Amélie and, in turn, finding out I love foreign films
• Running into Lauren & Lina on my way to Dani's/CVS!

Lowlights (?) of the week (in no particular order):

• Getting blisters on my heels
• Losing a glove :(
• Being hungry
• Neglecting my homework, laundry, etc.
• Watching A Very Long Engagement and being disappointed, mostly because it was a bit too--for lack of a better term--gore-y in the beginning.
• Having this darn ol' Cabin Fever
• Knowing I'll eventually have to return to school
• Falling in the CVS parking lot

Leigh

Babies

If you've ever had the pleasure of hearing me discuss babies, then you must know that I'm not exactly their biggest fan. In August, my sister (Summer, 27) had a baby of her very own--Hazel Rose. Now this niece of mine hasn't completely changed my mind about infants, but I'm pretty smitten with her :) Though I can't describe the frustration I feel when she cries, when she smiles I feel quite flattered. Babies just have a way about them that makes you smile (at least when they are happy)! Anyway, I've yet to change a diaper and hope that that fact doesn't change itself.

Leigh