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!

Courage!

This semester I have been trying to be more bold in living my life! I started pretty small: being more honest, not being afraid to ask questions at my new job, and finding inspiration to be courageous in everyday things.

Then I got a little bigger, and decided that when the Avett Brothers come to do a show in Lincoln in April, I'm going to try to get the article that the Daily Nebraskan will do so I can interview them (even though phone interviews scare me, and phone interviews with fantastic musicians scare me even more).

And then I got even bigger by turning in my study abroad papers even though three of my closest friends would be studying abroad the semester after I do, meaning I wouldn't see them for an entire year. It's kind of intimidating, and it's a lot scary, but I'm excited for what the rest of the year holds!

Here's some of the latest inspiration I've acquired: 

In case you can't read it: "Today is never too late to be brand new."

"Sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage, and I promise you: something great will come out of it." 

Rachel and I posted this quote on the chalkboard we pasted to our door. It's supposed to remind us to do great things!

If the President of the United States (who is pretty much my hero) can stand up in front of the world and sing an Al Greene song at the podium, I think I can muster up a little courage to do the boring, every day things. 

Hope everyone is having a great week! 

A.

Happy New Year!

I've been pretty grateful for my friends and family this week! Here's some pictures from what's been going on. 

On New Year's Eve, I spent the night at Sarah's new house. Here's some of the group, though there were a ton more! From back to front: Beau, Steve, Sam, Sarah, Travis, me, Alli, and Wanufi. (This is Wanufi's idea. She would want credit for this photo if she knew this blog existed - she really wanted to recreate The Sound of Music). 

Me and Bailey!

Here we are standing in Sarah's kitchen - Steve and Sarah's sister Becca are in the background photo-bombing as usual :) From left to right: Daley, Kim, Bailey, me, and Wanufi.

Our beautiful hostess! Sarah, me, Sam, Bailey, and Kim. 

Sarah's house is in the neighborhood where I lived when I was growing up, and a lot of the houses are pretty old. Her basement looks like ours did before we finished it. We all call it the 'frat basement' and have vowed to throw frat parties as often as we can (and by frat parties, I mean small gatherings of nice people). Here I am with The Posse! Me, Sarah, Alli, and Wanufi. 

We had such a great time! The party was hopping, and we ended up staying up really late talking and laughing and finally fell asleep sometime around 5:30. Sarah had a great, comfortable bed where she, Wanufi, Alli, and I all collapsed and fell asleep almost instantly. 

Then, yesterday Wanufi invited The Posse over for dinner at her house. 

She made baked ziti and bruschetta and topped it off with some sparkling grape juice. Such a classy hostess! Her family was adorable too.

Alli got a new camera for Christmas, so Sarah and I have been having a grand time taking funny pictures and leaving them for her to find.

She also has a feature of the camera that takes a series of pictures at a really fast pace so when you look through them, it's like you're looking through a flip book. It makes a little movie! (But by pushing still frames together.) So Sarah and Alli and I danced while Wanufi filmed. This was only one of many funny shots we got out of it.

I am so grateful for my friends and family! I've had such a great break so far, and I'm looking forward to a fabulous last week!

Hope the New Year started off right for everyone! <3