My Dear Acquaintance

New Year's is my favorite time of year. As cheesy as it sounds, I like the idea of starting over as soon as the clock chimes midnight, and I love the idea of New Years Resolutions. I make them every year, and while oftentimes I lose track of them after February, there have been a few important ones that I've kept the whole year and into the rest of my life. I don't do New Year's Resolutions like everyone else, though (because I'm a hipster, duh). My resolutions are never "I'm going to lose 10 pounds by Memorial Day" or "I'm going to stop drinking caffeine." My resolutions usually have something to do with expanding my creative base, or updating the way that I view the world, or ceasing to be so afraid all the time.

This year, I have four resolutions: 

1. Cross off four things from The Bucket List

2. Finish editing one of the last two National Novel Writing Month novels I've done. 

3. Keep a book of one wonderful thing happened each day (with a physical reminder) - something to be thankful for. 

4. Keep a 2012 box (This is something I did this year, too. I have a green 'photo box' that I bought from Target at the beginning of the year, and as the year has gone on, I've filled it with ticket stubs and letters and physical reminders of things that have been wonderful in my life. And now I can go back and look through that box and see how my life progressed). 

I'm hoping to cross of some of my Bucket List items while I'm abroad in the fall - I have plans to travel to Florence, Rome, and Venice while I'm in Italy, but I'm also hoping I can visit Greece and Austria, too. I am so excited for my study abroad trip, and I just hope that it works out as I intend for it to work. 

This year I'm also hoping to re-evaluate some of the relationships in my life. While this semester, I felt like I really needed to hold on to a lot of my high school friends, I am starting to wonder whether or not this is the time to start letting them go. We've become very different people, and we've started to want very different things. I'm not saying I want to abandon them entirely - I'm just saying maybe it's time to ease up a bit on the friendships I used to have, and start to look forward. 

Finally, this year I'm hoping to become better friends with the people I've been seeing during Friendsgiving and Friendsmas. I've known most of these guys since high school, but I wasn't friends with most of them, and we definitely weren't close. But now I've started attending these events, and getting to know them better and I think the relationships and friendships they have to offer could be really beneficial. From what I've seen, their friendships are based completely on selflessness and mutual respect. They support one another entirely in their respective endeavors, and they respect the talents each of them owns for themselves. They tease each other and they wrestle each other and they're clearly grateful for one another - to be invited to join in with that group is sort of a small honor. They make me want to better my own friendships and find people who want that kind of friendship with me. The atmosphere they create is very open and very loving. There was never I time I felt like they weren't trying to make me feel more welcome. So if I can be a part of that for even a moment...I'll take it!

I hope your New Year's is wonderful and full of new resolutions and new ideas. Now is the time to re-invent the pieces of our lives that are messy. I plan to embrace it 100%. 

Happy New Year!

December, I Will Carry You Home

December.

Winter, I'm so glad you're back. I've missed you terribly. November was wonderful, of course, as November always is. But nothing beats walking outside in the morning and just smelling the impending snow. It's the greatest.

As for an update, November was National Novel Writing Month, and I successfully completed the challenge with a grand total of 54,311 words. That's a pretty productive November, I'd say. I'm so thrilled to be finished and have a new manuscript to look at and edit and play around with. Did I mention how much I love November?

And now it's December, and yesterday it snowed. I took a walk in the first snow of the season and hung out with some friends on my floor and just in general had a really fantastic day. Today I'll be spending the majority of my time either hunkered down in Panera, studying, or at Kimball Recital Hall because today is our big holiday concert at the university. Hopefully it'll be a great day - who doesn't love Christmas music?

Some things I'm loving this week: 

1. Michael Buble's new Christmas album, particularly this song:

2. My planner. This upcoming week is Dead Week and then I have my first college finals. Somewhere back in mid-November I planned out every single class on every single day so I knew exactly what I needed to get done in order to not fail my finals. So I'm sort of clutching my planner to my chest no matter where I go. 

3. Twitter! I just recently got one and I am sort of addicted. When you follow the Kardashian sisters, you learn all sorts of fun things.

4. This was back from November, but the memories still make me smile. I was invited to "Friendsgiving" this year with some of my friends from high school, and it was just the greatest time. We all got together at one house and ate a meal, and one of the guys wrote a play about the 'origins of Thanksgiving' and we had a ceremony for Mr. and Mrs. Friendsgiving. And then we all went back to Cory's house, where he had built a gigantic fort/'wigwam' in his basement. Then, we all watched this movie: 

Friendsgiving was probably the best part of my November. 

5. My mother, who keeps letting me come home and do my laundry and eat all of her food. I'm just extra thankful for her this week. 

Hope your December has started off as magically as mine has!

November!

Again, sorry that time has gotten away from me so easily! It is now November, the greatest month of the year, and I have so many things to be excited for this month:

First off, it is National Novel Writing Month, the one month of the year where hundreds of thousands of writers gather from around the world to do that one crazy thing everyone always says they want to do: write the Great American Novel. Okay, so it might not always be great. And for many, it isn't American. But it is a great challenge: 50,000 words in 30 days. That breaks down to about 1,667 words each day, for a grand total of one amazing, destructive, all-together wonderful month. Day two is already a success - I'm about 20 words ahead of schedule :)

It is also that time of year where I start signing up for next semester's classes. Next semester I'll be taking Communications in Small Groups, French Grammar and Composition, Problems in International Relations,  History of Contemporary Europe, Contemporary Issues in Music and the Arts, the choir I have been involved with this semester (although I am looking forward to this more next semester because we have a new instructor, and we'll be joining with the men's choir - I cannot tell you how nice it will be to have some deep basses to counteract the warbling sopranos in that choir), and my E.N. Thompson class. It will be a full semester, just like this one! But I will have finished all of my ACE requirements and will be well on my way to finishing my major.

Soon, I should also be able to start filling out the official applications for my study abroad program next year - it's a busy time here at UNL! Just think, by this time next year, I could be preparing for midterms in Milan.

Some things I'm loving this week: 

1. Ally McBeal. Mom and Dad have been watching this show abundantly over the past few weeks, and I absolutely adore it. I want to be almost every woman on this show - Ally, Renee, Georgia. Not Elaine, though. Probably don't need to invent a face bra. 

2. "Within You" - Ray LaMontagne

3. Peppermint Mochas from Starbucks! What a wonderful way to welcome winter  - it even snowed here a little today. Thank goodness!

4. Bethany Joy Galeotti's Blog. This woman is the absolute greatest - smart, funny, classy and put together, and extremely motivated. She is the reason I was looking to get involved with Love146. She has the greatest support system in place for her fans. 

5. Sensual Amber lotion from Bath and Body Works. Yeah, it's the little things. 

Have a great week, everyone!

Gettin' an Education

Wow! It's been almost a month since I've updated - sorry that time has gotten away from me!

Things are going really well in college. I'd be lying if I said I hated it - I'm learning so much, and not just in my classes. Sure, I can now explain to you how to tell if early hominins were capable of bipedal locomotion based on the location of their foramen magnum, and I've learned to analyze world affairs based on liberal and realist perspectives. But I'm learning more than just academic information.

I'm learning how to deal with being lonely, for one thing. I always thought I was such an independent person, and I still believe that. I can spend hours and hours on my own, wandering around campus or walking along the bike trails with my music or sitting in the gardens writing. But some days I feel like I've spent just a few too many minutes on my own and I start to get a little lonely. That's okay - it's important to know how to be by yourself, because at the end of the day you've only got yourself to live with. And I prefer to be by myself most of the time, so that helps. But some days are tougher than others, especially when your friends start pairing themselves off with men, and they start to wonder why you're not with someone. Truth be told, I don't know that I have anyone in my life I want to spend that much time with. Maybe someday.

I'm also learning not to talk to strangers! College kids are extremely friendly, sometimes a little too friendly, and I oftentimes find myself in situations I didn't mean to get into.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I'm learning that not everyone likes the music I like. This is a big deal, because I spend roughly 70% of my day listening to music - I listen while I'm getting ready in the morning, I have my earbuds in when I have time between classes, Pandora is always running in the background. But my roommate hates Dave Matthews Band and doesn't know who Bob Dylan is. My friends don't want to hear about my obsessive love with the Avett Brothers. I just ignore them - if they don't want to hear the music, they can put their headphones in :)

Some stuff I'm really loving this week: 

1. Tuesday nights!! From 7 to 8:30, I sit down, shut my phone off, and take some time to chill by watching:

Glee!

AND

The New Girl, starring Zooey Deschanel. Adorable!

2. Moleskine notebooks. I use them for writing my NaNoWriMo plot ideas, songs I hear on Pandora that I want to remember, and just about anything that passes through my head that I feel is important enough to be documented. 

3. ADELE! Particularly this song, "Right As Rain."

Hope everyone is having a great week! Happy Sunday, and happy fall!

Just Another Manic Monday

Labor Day weekend, hurrah!

What a great three day weekend. Friday I got some MUCH needed 'alone time' as my roommate went back to Columbus for Labor Day. So that was great - I ate a pizza, I watched 'Easy A', I saw Bailey, I worked out. Good stuff.

And Saturday was jam packed! It was the first Husker game of the season, so campus was a-buzz with excitement, and for the first time, I got to be apart of that! A good friend of mine has season tickets and ended up having one extra - so she asked me to come along. And it was so fun! After the game we went back to another friend's to celebrate her birthday with burgers, bonfires, and boatloads of fun!

Now I'm back on campus and, after having a great dinner with a new friend from class and a very productive newspaper meeting, I'm am just sitting in one of the lounges finishing some homework and listening to the Bathtub Dogs (for those of you who aren't college students living at UNL, the Bathtub Dogs are an all male a capella group formed on campus. They practice in Neihardt, and it's just great, if you ask me.)

Some great things that I'm really loving this week (in no particular order):

1. "Grace is Gone" - Dave Matthews Band. I love this man. And I love this song. 

2. Hand sanitizer. I got the cold first, and now my roommate has it. Here's to not getting it again!

3. GLEE Guys on Love Songs. Please just listen to Chris speak at the end. He really captures how I've felt all these years about "Toot It and Boot It"

4. The Lincoln Farmer's Market. Good music, good food, good people. I like hanging out there Saturday mornings. 

(This is not a picture of the actual farmer's market, by the way. This is just from the internet.)

5. This website. Just doing some planning, you know ;)

Have a great week, everyone!

All Settled In

Well! I did it. I am an official college student now! Are you proud of me yet?! I'm actually a little proud of myself.

College is great fun. I don't know if anyone has told you otherwise, but they were wrong. It's fantastic here. I can come and go as I please, and I learn responsibility on my own. Already in these first few days, I've been learning to take initiative, speak up when I have something to say, accept the fact that I can't do everything, learn to say no politely, and learn to properly address professors. I've also learned how to study for three and a half hours straight, take a break for dinner, and then study for another two (That's the fun part, let me tell you).

So here's a rundown on my classes:

Intro to International Relations - My professor for this class is very passionate, and loves to hear our opinions, which is something a little new to me. I have only been in a handful of classes where the professor engaged us in conversation in order to hear OUR side of the story. But it's great! So far this week we've watched Obama's Nobel Peace Prize, and done a lot of reading from the textbook.

Intro to Pre-History - Not really sure what to think of this class so far. Our professor told us the first day that our final exam was optional, and then today we had to interview random people around campus about 'the past.' So the jury is still out on this one.

French 202 - I signed up for this class with the knowledge that the professor was going to be the woman in charge of the French department. In fact, it is a fast paced man from the Congo who loves 'get to know you' activities. He is hilarious! It's nice to get back into French again. (Hopefully a Study-Abroad trip will come out of it, too!)

University Chorale - This is the time of day where I get to spend time with the music students, AKA a bunch of kids who love singing and sharing their feelings. It's kind of nice having something familiar.

Intro to Philosophy - My professor is a Japanese woman with a British accent, so a lot of the time I feel like I'm at Hogwarts. Philosophy is going to be TOUGH! I've had a lot of reading so far, and I have to spend a lot of time focusing on it. However, once I finish the reading, I always feel more accomplished and a little smarter, too. So this is going to be a good one.

Art and the Search for Meaning in Life - This is my Honor's Seminar, and on the first day, our professor spent a lot of time talking to us about how this should be a 'sanctuary from the outside world' and we should 'be able to share our feelings without being afraid of judgement.' AKA "Let's share our feelings with each other." But I don't really mind because it's mainly a reading and writing class - and those are my two favorite things!

EN Thompson Forum - This meets once a week at 5 in my residence hall, and it is going to be challenging! It's a mostly conversational class, as we discuss world issues and prepare for upcoming lecturers who will give presentations at UNL. I am not a very vocal person, nor do I enjoy confrontation, so this class could be difficult. I do think, though, that with a mere 11 kids in the class, I will find my voice and share my opinion.

So those are my classes! My residence hall is great, too, and my roommate is very sweet. We get along well and are starting to get into a better routine now that we've been living together for a few days. She stays up later and sleeps later than I do, but I've learned how to use my phone as an alarm clock so as not to wake her up.

Other interesting things I've learned since being at college: 

1. I can kill two birds with one stone if I workout while listening to news podcasts on my iPod. That way, I have a great idea of what is going on in the world without having to click though a lot of worthless links on the newspaper websites. 

2. The food in the dining halls is actually very good here. Surprise, right?! So far Mini-Pizza day has been the best :) 

3. Neihardt (my residence hall) has great study rooms: Two beautiful, big parlors decorated in Victorian-era furniture, a courtyard with iron wrought fences and decorative chairs and a big, expansive lawn, and (my personal favorite), a long hallway that has been dubbed "the Harry Potter hallway" because...well, just because it looks like a Hogwarts hallway. 

Kind of like this! Except instead of those benches on the left, there are desks along the hall.

The second day was the hardest adjustment - my roommate had just moved in and I was sort of mourning the loss of my personal space. However, there were a few things I did to combat that, including: 

1. Plastering this poster along the wall and putting a chair in the back corner under my lofted bed to create a sort of "Adrienne corner" where no one can disturb me. 

2. Taking long walks around our dorm, finding secret hallways and exploring little parlors and rooms. This was what I did oftentimes when I felt homesick at Bard. The scenery there was so pretty! It's pretty nice here too. 

3. Listening to this song. And yes, I realize this isn't a song that really discusses any of the feelings I might have had about going to college, but for some reason, listening to it on repeat was very soothing for me. 

It's probably because Darren Criss is the lead singer. Whatevs.

4. Using Tumblr, a website that one of my close friends Amy recommended to me. It has funny pictures and videos and animations on it - searching "Harry Potter Funny" in the tags gave me lots of amusement. 

5. Calling on the telephone. Cosmo recently came out with this study about how texting people isn't as comforting as calling them on the phone (and no, you may not judge the validity of the article just because it is from Cosmo. Jeez). So I've spent quite a bit of time talking to my parents and my best friend on the phone. Hearing their voices is soothing. 

Overall, college is so great so far! I'm learning a lot about time management, especially since I thought I had great time management skills before - college just fine tunes them, I suppose. I love the people and the atmosphere here, and I am so grateful for this opportunity! 

Have a great night!

<3

Last Day!

Today is my last day at home.

Tomorrow I leave to go live in the big, scary world all by my lonesome. I'm so excited, and a little nervous too, mainly because my roommate doesn't know who Bob Dylan is (if you don't either, shame on you! Go here and have a listen. You'll love it!) Yeah, I know it's a small thing. But I grew up with Bob. He's a legend, an icon. And it's weird to me that not everyone knows (and loves) him.

I'm so excited to move, though. I can't wait for this independence, the chance to live on my own and make my own messes and learn to clean them up, too. I can't wait to meet new friends, and I plan to take this second chance seriously - I want friends with ambition, compassion, intelligence. I don't want to settle.

Tomorrow I leave to go live in the big, scary world all by my lonesome. But really, I won't be alone. I'm taking the love and lessons that my parents gave me, everything from knowledge on how to reset my computer when the Internet won't work to knowledge on how to say, "I'm sorry, I'm busy!" This is the song that will remind me of them the most while I'm away:

"Where You Lead" - Carole King and daughter, Louise Goffin

I'm also taking friends who love me and care for me, and want me to do my best and live my boldest. They have taught me so much, allowed me to grow and change without judging me, and have continued to let me know how much they would do for me, just by being there when I need them. 

Over the years, I've also collected a handful of important movie and TV characters that have taught me lessons in humility, tolerance, and compassion. They've taught me how to love, how to get through disappointment, and how to forgive others. Clearly I can't leave them behind! I'll be taking the following with me to college:

Lorelai and Rory Gilmore (the Gilmore Girls), who have taught me to dream big, travel often, read insatiably, and talk to your mother!

Brooke Davis and the cast of One Tree Hill, who taught me that above all your friends are more important than money and fame, fortune and winnings. Treat them with kindness and respect, and use them as your ultimate source of comfort and love. 

Dr. House, who taught me to question everything and believe that above all, people lie. It is up to us to figure out why they're lying and what or who they are trying to protect.

Harry Potter, Ron, and Hermione, who taught me about love, friendship, loyalty, and doing the right thing even when it is the toughest thing. 

And finally, there are some pretty influential musicians that I'll be taking with me, too. Musicians whose music has gotten me through some of the greatest and toughest times in my life: Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews Band, Bonnie Raitt, Sonny and Cher, The Avett Brothers, The Band, Paul Simon, Billy Joel...I could go on and on. But I won't, don't worry. 

So somehow, I feel as though I'm not going at this alone. And that, my friends, is a liberating and exciting thought. 

 

"Not Alone" - Darren Criss

Minnesota and Montana 2011

Wow! So it's been a while, and I am STILL on vacation. Lucky girl, right? Yes. Yes indeed. I have had so much fun these past few days, so I thought I'd share a couple pictures (not as many as the last post, I swear!) 

We spent our first night after Chicago in Woodbury, MN with my aunt Annette and her family. No pictures, unfortunately, but we had a great time at a baseball game, eating food from the grill, and playing on the Wii. 

The next day we got up and made the trek up to the Twin Cities for a little trip to Mall of America! 

Here's the three of us on the Log Ride in the Nickelodeon Theme Park. Eliot absolutely loves this ride and makes us go on it every year. Then, every year Elise and I swear we won't go the next year. Aaaaand, repeat. 

We met Grandma at the mall, too - here's the four of us waiting for the park to open. We were right on time!

So after the mall, we drove about an hour and a half to the lake where we stay every year. The first two nights were great! We did some swimming and played cards and went shopping (again). Unfortunately, the third day we were there, it rained heavily and backed up the water systems at the cabin, causing some leakage. So we moved into Grandma and Grandpa's house for the rest of the trip!

Every year we celebrate my brother and uncle's birthdays because they're ten years and one day apart. So here's a picture of our little birthday extravaganza. Aunt Betty and Uncle Loren also came out for the day and it was great to see them!

After a few days at the cabin, we moved on to Montana, somewhere I'd never been before and was anxious to see. And boy, did we do everything. The first day, we got there in the late afternoon, so we mostly got settled and ate a lot.

The second day, we had all sorts of things to do! In the morning, Aunt Lynn took us out on the four-wheeler so I could see a view of the mountains! 

We also took a look at the car Uncle Tommy built - the last day we were there, he took us for a ride. So much fun!

He also taught me how to shoot a rifle! It's hard to see from this picture, but I hit the bullseye. I was so excited to try something new!

On Wednesday, Aunt Lynn and Uncle Tommy took us up to the Rocky Mountains. It was absolutely beautiful! I'd never seen the mountains before (something that Aunt Lynn couldn't believe!) and was so excited to cross this awesome experience off my bucket list. 

Here's Elise and me at the tip-top of the mountain! We're standing on a snow bank and freezing as the wind blows furiously around us - but it was so worth it. What a great trip! Thanks Aunt Lynn and Uncle Tommy for hosting us.

This morning we left Montana and drove through eastern Montana, the corner of Wyoming, through South Dakota, and are now staying the night in Chadron, Nebraska (yeah, super exciting, I know). By tomorrow night, we should be home! I am so excited to get there and see all my friends. I didn't realize how much I missed them until I couldn't see them so often. 

I've had such a great two weeks with my family, and I know I'm going to remember this vacation forever. I am so grateful for parents who love me enough to take me on these great trips and let me see and explore the world for myself. Thank you, Mom and Dad! You have taught me so much and I am grateful for everything you've given me. 

Hope everyone's July has been great so far!

Dave Matthews Band Caravan + Chicago 2011

Just wanted to share some pics/video from Dave Matthews Band Caravan, as well as our adventures in Chicago! The caravan was great - the atmosphere was very edgy and dirty and a lot of fun...I made quite a few "friends" that I probably wouldn't have made anywhere else! 

The first day was definitely the best, music-wise: Amos Lee was fantastic! It was so mellow and I stood close enough to the stage to see him really well, and there weren't a lot of drunken college kids stumbling around. 

Here's Amos Lee on the screen on the right hand side. 

Toward the end of his set, he brought out this guy whose name I didn't catch. He just sang this really funny song about how hot it was outside and how he wanted to shower with his lover and then threw mini bottles of shampoo and conditioner into the audience. Again, not really sure who he was or where he came from, but he was hilarious.  

Next I caught Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Performance? Pretty good! The audience that he draws in? Super sketchy. Definitely not my favorite. 

I did record a smidge of the live version of "Home." If you haven't heard the original, check it out here. 

Then came Ray LaMontagne, who was both extremely loud, but really great. I always think it's so funny to see what kind of people come to hear which artists. Ray's audience was definitely extra chilled-out, so chill that it almost seemed like they didn't care - until, that is, he started singing "Trouble" and then they all freaked out. 

Super blurry, yes, but there's Ray on the screen. Every time I tried to take a picture or video of him, my phone completely shut down, so apparently it has some sort of aversion to his music. 

After a nice break, I came back for the main event: DAVE MATTHEWS! I was so in awe of the whole performance that I really didn't take any pictures or videos, I just stood and danced and loved my life. It was a great experience overall, and for once, I felt like everyone was there just to be in the moment and have a great time dancing and singing - no one was judging, no one cared if you could dance or  you couldn't, no one even cared if you were dirty and grimy and smelly from the day. Everyone just loved the experience. 

Some of my favorites of that first night: 

Squirm

Rapunzel 

(this is actually a video someone else took of the Chicago concert that night)

Big Eyed Fish

So that was day one. Day two was a little different. Because it is so hard to get into the concert site (it's in Southside Chicago, which, if you didn't know, is an extremely dangerous part of Chicago and not one that you should spend a lot of time wandering around in), I skipped day two. I know, I know, I could've seen Ben Folds live (!!!) and another fabulous show by Dave, but I knew I had Sunday to look forward to, and frankly, I was exhausted from Friday. 

So instead...we went to Navy Pier! 

Mom took these pictures of the ferris wheel that we rode on - this is looking up!

A view of Navy Pier

And a view of the lake!

We had such a fun time, and it was nice to take a break and see some Chicago sites before heading back to the DMB Caravan site on Sunday! 

I went back on the 10th so excited to see Michael Franti & Spearhead perform. I had been anticipating it since I'd seen the lineup, and I couldn't wait to get there. And they were great, musically. Michael Franti has a really strong voice and a great presence. But the thing that made it less than perfect was the location, I think. I walked away a little disappointed and it took me a while to figure out why: he is such a Caribbean, beachy crooner, that to put him on stage on a big gray stage in front of an audience sitting on woodchips kind of ruins the magic of his music. Nevertheless though, I loved him. I want to see him perform in California or something, though. I feel like he's incredible when the location matches the genre. 

Here's him performing - he's the one in the white hat with his arms outstretched. All he really wanted us to do was jump and sing with him.

I also got a video of one of my favorite songs of his: "Sound of Sunshine." But then I really wanted to dance and groove, so I shut the camera off about a minute in. 

After Michael, I went and found a place to sit for DMB, and I ended up meeting some really nice people in their early 30s from Ohio/Florida - they were brothers and sisters. One of them was a real purist, had been listening to Dave for over 15 years and had been to 60+ shows. He was excited to hear that this was my first! They made it a really great experience and it was a nice end to the event. 

Here's a view of the Caravan site. The sun was just starting to go down, and it cast a really great shadow of everything. 

There's Dave on the screen! Just ignore the weird people I was standing behind. 

Once it got really dark, the lights cast a gorgeous hue over everyone. The second photo gives you an idea of just how many people were there. Not only were there this many in front of me, but they extended behind me a good 30-40 yards, and there were just as many on either side of the stage. 

Here's a final view of the Caravan site. Obviously it was much bigger than this, but this gives a little context. Beyond the ferris wheel was one of the minor stages (Lakeside) and to the right was the Slip stage, where Michael Franti played. Way far over to the right was the major stage (Southworks), where I saw Amos, Ray, Edward Sharpe, and Dave every night. 

It was such a great experience, and I'm so grateful that my parents made it possible for me to go by providing housing and transportation (not just to Chicago, but all over Southside Chicago too) for free. I love you guys! 

Drivin' and drivin' and drivin' some more.

Tomorrow is the big day. The day in which we drive 8.5 hours and then I get to spend 6 hours with my favorite men in the world: Amos Lee, Ray LaMontagne, Edward Sharpe, and of course, Dave Matthews.

I spent all of today packing and shopping and making playlists, which is my absolute favorite thing to do. So, here's a little bit of my playlist!

Bryan J. I think he's so funny, and this song is just ridiculous. 

Nickel Creek has slowly become one of my favorite bands. A guy I went to school with/sang in choir with introduced me to the band, and I've been hooked ever since!

I found Jamestown Revival through Rolling Stone magazine, and even though they didn't win the cover contest, I still think they should've. They're very mellow, and they use a banjo sometimes...all of my favorite things.

Gomez is one of the bands that will be performing at DMBCaravan this weekend, and I got this song on the Caravan sampler. I love their sound!

Hope that's given you a little music for your weekend. I'll post some pictures once we get to the caravan!

Writing

Hello all!

As some of you may know, every November I like to participate in National Novel Writing Month, a contest that encourages writers to write 50,000 words in 30 days. The magic number, to save you some math, is 1667 words a day, which is more than you might think. It's easy to get behind if you don't write faithfully every day!

NaNoWriMo is something I love to do because it forces me to be very focused in my writing for at least a month. It isn't a program that is meant to churn out a work of genius, nor are the participants expected to write great prose every day. That's what I love about it. It's about making a mess, getting creative, and seeing what your brain will churn out if you give it enough freedom.

This summer, one of my goals was to write a novel in 30 days, so as of yesterday, I've begun. It's all very messy, but I started a Moleskine for the book in early June, and I've got a lot of notes and excerpts that give me some much needed fuel when I can't get through a paragraph without hating my writing. I'm excited to get writing, but I wanted to let you all know what I've been doing with my summer: National Novel Writing Month in July! 30 days of nonstop writing. And yes, I know July has 31 days. Close enough.

In the meantime, here's one of my favorite songs to write to. I actually love listening to the whole Harry Potter soundtrack, but this is one of my favorites. Gets me focused! 

Happy writing, and happy July!
<3 Adrienne

Eye Candy

I know, I know, a little fluffy today. But I just got my new computer, and I've been having fun uploading pictures of my favorite men as my wallpaper.

Here's a couple of my favorites:

Ryan Gosling. Yes.

John Krasinski. I found this picture of him with the scarf and I couldn't help but sigh contentedly. It makes me happy knowing somewhere out there is a guy who can wear a scarf and not look ridiculous.

Johnny Depp. 

Alright, so not really eye candy. But I do love Flight of the Conchords. And Bret (right) is adorable in a geek-chic sort of way, right?

Who is that, you ask? Why, it's Paul McCartney, of course! I love this picture. Clearly he didn't realize anyone was taking his picture, which makes it all the more enchanting.

And now, for the man who truly steals the show, Robert Buckley. A former economist turned TV actor, he currently stares on One Tree Hill, which, as some of you may know, is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. Look at that second picture. Glasses? An economics book? It's like a dream come true. 

Hope that brightens up your Friday a little! <3

Zumba!

This is my favorite song to "Zumba" to. Seriously, I know you all think I'm kidding, but I'm not - there's nothing like bumping and grinding to Pitbull/T.O.K. with a bunch of college girls and middle aged women. Just let this song play and read the rest of the blog entry. It'll put you in such a great mood.

I think I've mentioned Zumba once or twice before, but I went again tonight and was reminded of how much I love it. 

First off, if you've never heard of Zumba, you can check it out here. It's basically a Latin-dancing cardio class that encourages extreme booty shaking in the name of fitness. Now, I was never the girl who was dancing and jiving around the room. I dropped out of dance when I was roughly eight years old. In chorus as a middle-schooler, my best friend had to teach me the dance moves in my bedroom over the weekend. Throughout my high school career, I avoided dance parties like the plague for fear that I would be forced to display my severely lacking dance skills. 

But then I discovered Zumba. It was sort of an off-the-wall decision to try it; I'd merely heard good reviews from some acquaintances and thought it would be fun to try. Thank goodness I did! Zumba has given me so much confidence in my body, in myself, and in my dancing ability. I've learned things like salsa and mambo and cumbia, but I've also just learned how to shake my hips and be excited about it.

The first time I came to Zumba, I met Heather, our fabulous instructor, and she instantly gave off the aura that everything was going to be just fine. She opened the class with the magic words: "It's your body - do what you want with it!" and then proceeded to dance and shake and yell 'aye aye aye' with such abandon that I had no choice but to join in. And I loved it! Zumba has completely changed my outlook on dancing. Anyone can do it, you just have to be brave enough to try. Heather would then close her class by yelling, "What are you thinking about right now?" and we were all instructed to yell back "How awesome we are!" She wanted us to love ourselves, and she wanted us to love Zumba. For that, I just want to say thank you, Heather.

And for the rest of you - give Zumba a try! They teach it everywhere, for goodness sake. Not just the YMCA, but all sorts of fitness clubs. You won't regret it!

It's Time.

Time to turn over a new leaf - in fashion.

I was reading a couple of old blog posts on Bethany Joy's blog, one of which being a guest editorial on fashion choices. The author wrote about her love of fashion, how she found joy in picking out new outfits and putting together pieces that she wouldn't have normally chosen to put together. And she talked about how that came to be - how she used to "dress like I was in my 50s (my usual outfit was boot cut jeans and a solid colored top sometimes with a scarf for “flare”)." Upon reading this, I realized that my favorite outfit is a pair of skinny jeans with a tank top, cardigan, and scarf. And it is time to mix things up!

I love this! It's from a blog called Kendi Everyday and she writes about this outfit, "I'm not a particularly loud person. But when I put this outfit on I immediately felt like the combo was yelling, 'Can you see me? I'm over here!! Pass the ball!!' (Okay, not 'pass the ball.' Sorry, that was left over from my past life as a 7th grade basketball star.)" 

I mean, if I don't do it now, when am I going to? When I turn 50, it's not like I'm going to want to wear crop tops and tiny leather skirts and oversized sweaters. It's now! I'm about to go to college, and I vowed to myself that I would do a few things differently than I did in high school. I'm not going to be so scared, for instance, to have a voice in large groups. I'm not going to stay in my safe little bubble of safe, crazy friends. It's time to branch out, and what better way to do it than revamp my wardrobe!

This is one of the outfits Joy put together on her blog, and I think it's so classy!

So I'm doing some research to try and figure out exactly what I want, but I'll keep you updated. In the meantime, if you need some fashion blogs, let me know. I've found about a million!

Summer Travels

July promises to be a month of adventures!

There are so many things I am looking forward to, the first of which being...

THE DAVE MATTHEWS BAND CARAVAN!

I am so excited for this event. All my men are going to be there. Not just Dave Matthews himself, but also Michael Franti, Amos Lee, Ray LaMontagne...I cannot wait. This is also a momentous occasion because it's my first official, real-live concert. Ever. And I can't think of a better way to do it than going to a three day festival in Chicago by myself. 

Now, some people have questioned why I'm going by myself. But music is sort of like going to the movie theatre for me - I don't like going to the movies with people because I need time to take in everything for myself, form my own opinion, and then go out into the world with the information fully processed. It's the same way with music. I don't want other peoples' opinions until my own is fully formed. 

Besides DMB Caravan, we're also taking our annual trip to Minnesota.

This is the view from our cabin. We've gone here every year since I was a baby, and it is my second home. I can't imagine not coming here every year. I recently did an oil painting (see this picture - it's on the desk!) of the view from the balcony of the cabin with a quote that reads "Somebody once told me that this is the place where everything is better, and everything is safe." I can't sum up how I feel about it any better than that. 

We're also taking a trip to Montana - who knew I could rough it in the mountains? I can't wait for the long road trip and the beautiful scenery - plus, I've never been further west than Lincoln, so it should be an adventure. 

In honor of all the travel, here's one of my favorite roadtrip songs. Hope your summer is going wonderfully!

Summer Reading

One of my summer goals was to read a book week, and though I got started a little late, I've followed through the last two weeks!

The first book I picked up was "Reviving Ophelia" by Mary Pipher, a therapist from Nebraska. The book was all about Pipher's experiences with adolescent girls and how they deal with pressure - the pressure the date, have sex, do drugs, drink, live, learn, have a plan, and succeed. I thought it was really interesting how she discussed these issues without sounding preachy or condescending. I worried, when I picked it up, that it was going to merely be her thoughts on why these girls were so messed up. But the majority of the book was her finding the strength in each of the girls she studied. And that made me proud.

Then, last week, I read "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers. It is the story of a Muslim family living in New Orleans pre-Hurricane Katrina. Midway through the book, the hurricane hits and the family is split up as Kathy and her children leave her husband, Zeitoun, to relocate temporarily in Baton Rouge. Zeitoun and Kathy continue to keep in contact in hopes that he will soon join them, but before they can make a plan, Zeitoun is arrested and taken to a FEMA-run prison, beaten, tortured, and left without contact. The book progresses and provides a lot of great insight on how President Bush managed to handle (or, not handle, in this case) the disaster that was Hurricane Katrina. I was so surprised that Bush couldn't even send in the National Guard effectively, and only managed to make a bad situation a hundred times worse.

These were both great books, so if you're looking for a good read, there's a couple!

This week I picked up a couple new titles:

Cutting for Stone

and Jamrach's Menagerie

Hope everyone's June is going really well!