In the Summertime

Summer playlist:

1. Abraham's Daughter - Arcade Fire

2. There Goes the Fear - Doves

3. You Are the Best Thing - Ray LaMontagne

4. American Music - Violent Femmes

5. Cough Syrup - Young the Giant

6. Laundry Room - The Avett Brothers

7. I've Got this Friend - The Civil Wars

8. The Kids Don't Stand a Chance - Vampire Weekend

9. I Shall Be Released - Bob Dylan

10. It'll All Work Out - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

11. Corona and Lime - Shwayze

12. Someday - The Strokes

13. Hannah - Ray LaMontagne

14. Lust for Life - Girls

15. Come Away to the Water - Maroon 5

16. Careful - Guster

17. Ne Me Quitte Pas - Regina Spektor

18. More Than Anyone - Gavin DeGraw

19. Hey Ya - Outkast

20. Wild Ones - Timeflies Tuesday 

Summer has been full of so many fun things: 

-Working! I'm working a pretty fair amount at the music library, and I was planning to work at Red Mango but since they have been so slow, I don't have many hours there. So I've applied for another job in hopes of adding to or replacing the hours I'm missing!

-Seeing all of my friends. Sarah, who has her own house, has been having the posse over pretty often, and holding large gatherings for a lot of our high school friends who have been out of town. We play games and eat a lot of food and have a grand 'ole time. Sometimes that same group of us goes to Trivia Night at Applebee's or we watch movies at Beau's house, but overall we've just missed each other a lot and are having a lot of fun catching up. This week I also got to go to Omaha with Rachel, who was housesitting for her aunt and uncle. We got to sleep in at their big, fancy house, make a great breakfast, do some shopping, go to dinner, and watch movies. I had missed her so much, and I had a wonderful time hanging with her! :) 

-Planning Italy. Working on visa paperwork, learning to speak Italian via Rosetta Stone and busuu.com, and reading up on the culture and cuisine of the region where I'll be. I'm so excited!!

-Working out. I had been doing a REALLY good job of exercising regularly throughout the week while I was at school, but I haven't had much time since Dead Week. Yesterday I decided it was time to get back out there and start running again, and while it was painful and sweaty and disgusting, I'm sure it'll get better, and I'll have a strong, healthy body to show for it!

-Cooking! Here's the recipes I'm looking to try this week:

Penne Rosa with Shrimp - adapted from the Noodles and Co. dish

Orange Creamsicle Cookies

Black Bean and Guacamole Burritos

Hope everyone's been having a good week and a great summer!

<3

Movin' Out, Movin' In

Well, year one of college is done!

Last week I moved all my stuff out of the dorm room, said goodbye to my best friend and roommate, and moved back in to my parents' house. It's been a VERY strange adjustment, particularly because my closest friends have, for the most part, retreated to different states and sometimes it feels pretty lonely when you can't walk down the hall and knock on your friend's door to say hello. 

So here's what I've been doing to take my mind off missing my friends and college and living on campus: 

Finding new music

"The Kids Don't Stand A Chance" - Vampire Weekend

"Hannah" - Ray Lamontagne

"Atlantic City" - The Band

Learning Italian

(It's super exciting!! I'm learning all sorts of fun phrases that will hopefully come in handy while I'm abroad.)

Painting My Nails

(Essie is my new favorite brand. So cute.)

Painting

Using these as inspiration!

Cooking

Brie Croque Monsieur sandwiches and roasted tomato soup. The sandwiches were delish, but the soup did not turn out quite like I intended!

Hope everyone's having a great week - I'm off to bed before getting my wisdom teeth out tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Here's What I've Learned, Folks.

Planning to leave the country under the watchful eye of a university is very difficult. 

It would be one thing if I were just to say, "See ya, U.S. I'm out." 

It's an entirely different thing to try and enroll in a foreign university.

Here are the things that I've been working on: 

1. Getting a visa. AKA "Surprise! You cannot just leave the country for more than 90 days without the permission of our government and yours. To obtain that permission, you'd better take a nice trip down to Chicago and see the Italian consulate." 

2. Housing for when I return. The housing while I am in Milan is going to be VERY cool - all apartments that I share with two or three other roommates. It was just a problem of where I was going to live when I returned home. We didn't want to spend the money canceling and refilling out contracts with UNL's Housing Department, so (as I am extremely excited to report), we will be apartment shopping!

3. Airfare. I love airplanes. I love airports. I love traveling. The only thing I don't love is trying to find a flight that doesn't cost the rest of my college tuition.

So, those are the things that may have not been so fun. But here are the things that I have had so much fun doing: 

1. Planning my classes. 

2. Planning my excursions. 

3. Planning what I'm going to eat and wear and bring and buy.

4. Planning what Mom and I are going to do when she comes to get me at the end of my adventure. 

5. Planning the kind of camera I want to get to take beautiful pictures with.

6. Planning the gifts I'll bring back for my friends. 

7. Planning, planning, planning EVERYTHING. 

I am so grateful. This is the trip of a lifetime. 

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week! 

My Obsessions (this week, anyway)

The best thing about college is that trends, culture, and new ideas spread fast - it's easy to find new obsessions in a variety of different places. Here's a couple of things that I've been loving this week: 

1. The Hunger Games movie 

I read the books a while ago and while I wasn't as impressed with the movie as I wanted to be, I am totally infatuated with Jennifer Lawrence, the star of the movie. She is strong, she is capable, and she is entirely herself no matter where she is. I also love that she has a normal shaped body - she isn't stick thin, and she isn't a size 2 deemed "curvy." She's just normal. 

2. M. Ward's "Magic Trick" 

"It's like, now you see her, now you don't. 

You think you're gonna get to know her but oh, now you won't.

She's got one magic trick, just one and that's it

She disappears." 

3. All Italy related things

Two days ago I received an email telling me I had been "placed and confirmed" in Milan to study abroad in the fall. While I'm going to miss my friends and family terribly, I am so excited to get started planning and spend some time in one of the most beautiful cities in the world!

4. Summer, summer, summer

5. One Tree Hill

This week, One Tree Hill ended after 9 successful seasons on the air. One Tree Hill has been one of my favorite shows for many years now, and though it is cheesy and irrelevant to modern day pop culture and sometimes entirely too unrealistic, I love it, and it has taught me more than anyone probably realizes. 

One of my favorite quotes comes from season six: "Sometimes happiness doesn't come from money or fame or power. Sometimes happiness comes from good friends and family and the quiet nobility of leading a good life. Believe that dreams come true every day. Because they do. So take a look in that mirror and remind yourself to be happy because you deserve to be. Believe that." 

Hope everyone's having a great week! 

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today's is my mother's birthday.

I adore birthdays. Not just my own, but really anyone's birthday. Everyone is happy, there's always cake, we get to do fun things...birthdays are my favorite time of the year.

Birthdays of people you love are even better. And I can't really think of anyone I love more than my mom. We fight sometimes, and she tries to make me have curfews when I don't want them, but overall she feeds me and she takes me on trips and she listens to me when I have a crappy day. She's been the best mother I could've ever imagined, and I am so grateful for her everyday, but especially today. 

So, Mom: I hope you have a marvelous birthday full of joy and love and fun things. I hope everyone at the office is treating you extra sweet because you deserve it on today of all days. I hope people are showering you with gifts and cards and free food. I hope that you're not panicking about turning one year older, but instead I hope you're celebrating the chance to change the things you don't like in life and hold on to the things you've come to love. 

You are the best thing in my life and I am so grateful for you everyday. I love you, I love you, I love you!

Happy birthday!

Love, Adrienne

P.S. Mom has been memorizing the book of James this month, and she recited it to me this weekend. I was in awe. There was so much to know. Ask her about it if you get the chance ;)

Food, food, food!

Lately the food in the dining halls has been less than satisfactory. A girl can only eat so many roast beef sandwiches, curly fries, and canned fruit before she starts to wish she had her own little kitchen. 

So today I had a little fun imagining what I would put in my kitchen if I ever get my own place to live. Here's what I came up with: 

Grapefruit halves with sugar

Chicken and cheese quesadillas with a little fresh pico de gallo

Eggs and toasted cheesy bread

Grilled basil, tomato, and mozzarella sandwiches

Grilled PB&J

Pesto with tomatoes and mushrooms

Dark chocolate

Red wine

Frozen yogurt with berries and white chocolate chips

Granola

Fresh fruit, toast with honey, and hard boiled eggs

Salt and Vinegar chips

Key Lime Cheesecake

Toasted tortillas and guacamole

Crepes, strawberry cream cheese, and strawberries

Fresh French bread and sweet butter

It's just fun to think what I'll someday be able to stock in my own kitchen :) I've also been having some fun with Pinterest, a website that features pictures of everything and anything that you can share with your followers. In the theme of 'having my own place,' here's some of my inspirations:

I want a big, pretty garden with little twinkling lights someday. 

Tea lights - a pretty and easy craft

Look at this bathroom. Seriously, I'm in love - that bathtub is so nice.

These are beautiful colors - gold and rose and white. This is how I imagine posh Italian homes to be. 

Sometimes it's just fun to not worry about reality.

Have a great week!

Women of Legend

Bethany Joy Galeotti posted this on her blog today, and I really loved it. It's a poem she wrote herself, and I took to it because I like writing that portrays women as having strength and independence. It reminded me of the Nanci Griffith song "Women of the Phoenix." I've posted them both here so you can read Joy's poem and listen to Nanci's song. 

Women of Legend

O my child, the heart is a perilous thing.
The heart crowns all paradoxes of God;
     made of muscle and steel and fire, but frail as the sparrow's wing.

Women of Legend are not born-- they are grown
     out of spit and dirt and fire and sweat;
     they are not a glamorous flock.

They have grease underneath their fingernails
         and wrinkles around their eyes.
They have bruises from too-hard pounding upon their breasts.
They have lines from laughter and their feet are callused
         from barefooted adventures and sojourns.

Women of Legend are grown out of the spit and dirt and fire and sweat;
their significance is secured in their steadfast response
          to unimaginable pain.

Happy Friday!