Princesses

We've all grown up with people saying that "every girl is a princess" and "every boy is a prince." When you are little and all you really want is for "The Princess Diaries" to be real and find out that you really are the princess of some random country, this makes you feel pretty good about yourself and very special.

My favorite Disney movie is Aladdin (and by default my favorite princess therefore is Jasmine). Honestly, I can't really tell you why. Maybe it's my favorite story, maybe it's because I feel like Jasmine is capable of something other than being saved, I honestly don't know. I do know that I'm a sucker for romantics and that I love Pride and Prejudice more than a normal person should. But I've also found that the female characters I like are the ones who take control of their own story:

- Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice is one of the only sane people in her story. She and Jane both have their flaws, but they have good heads on their shoulders and they know that they could take care of themselves. Because of that, they settle for nothing less than what is best for them.

- Jasmine from Aladdin knows that there is more to life than being married off to the wealthiest suitor who comes along. She runs away to seek her own adventure. While there are forces surrounding her that cause a lot of trouble for her, she holds her own as best as she knows how.

- Hermione from Harry Potter is just as much a reason that Voldemort was defeated as Harry was. She's the smart one, the logical one, the solid presence in Harry and Ron's lives that keeps them from having full-scale break downs. She endures just as much taunting and belittlement as they do and in many cases actually handles it better. She is smart, courageous, kind, and loyal - everything that you want in a friend.

- Leia from Star Wars is more than a princess, she is a warrior. She, like Hermione, isn't afraid to get her hands dirty for a cause that matters to her. She keeps the guys around her in check and is one steady reason that they don't become more cocky than their characters  already are.

These women, while fictional, are great role-models for girls. They are strong, loyal, kind, adventurous, courageous and when push-comes-to-shove, they can take care of themselves. They need their friends just as much as as people do in real life and they face similar challenges. They show you that having flaws doesn't make you weak - they provide you with another avenue to become strong.

The Last Cookie...

...and sometimes...it's as simple as that...

Silly

Picture faces. Everyone teases about the "duck faces," the "sorority pose," the "kissy faces," etc - Facebook is exploding with them. Some people take pictures that way seriously and others do it because it's entertaining. Me? One of my best friends and I started making faces at each other in the hallway in high school. Simply because we got tired of smiling at each other every time we walked by. We went to separate colleges and I continued doing this with my sorority sisters out of habit. They thought it was odd at first and then sooner-or-later everyone joined in!

Now, I'm not trying to take credit for the making-faces-in-pictures trend, although I have to say, I feel like I may have had a part in this....haha. :) What I am trying to say, is that I agree with Ms Poehler. The ability to be silly: look silly, act silly - and not only not care what others think, but also to be able to laugh at yourself in the process, shows great maturity and self-confidence.

I have come to believe that every single person on this planet has issues with self-confidence. Growing up, my sister was (still is) the loud and outgoing one and I was the quiet, introverted one. The funny thing is, that when we were little, I was the outgoing one and only our mom knew - I didn't even know! Despite all of that, I find myself struggling with self-confidence sometimes - my doubts get the better of me. I think that this is normal and we all have to work through that in our own way and in our own time.

But being the "yes man," being silly, being able to say "why not?" and try something new, can really help your self-confidence. I've always been the first two, which amounts to being a little bit quirky. But I recently went through a bout with self-confidence and have found that when I hit "why not?" I was able to finally feel confident again. Because I've discovered that football is actually fun to play (and tackle is WAY better than flag), and that I'm not quite as bad at basketball as I've been thinking my whole life (although, let's face it, I'm not really any good either). While these are small things, they can be powerful and take you very quickly down the road to self-confidence.

And, let's be real, being silly is just that much more fun. ;P

Challenges

When I first saw this, I believed the first half. I didn't NOT believe the second part, I just had very little but high school to base it off of. Now, I can definitely say that YES - the first part is completely 100% correct. I'm sure there is truth to falling slowly in love, but that is not what has been my truth. For me, the best has been the never expected - stares-you-in-the-face-the-minute-you-round-the-corner type.

But I also now think that the second half is also very true. Challenges are what make us who we are - they require us to take a stand and forever after will define us. Those challenges can be relationship-based, but they don't have to be. They simply put to the test everything we think we believe - and in the end, show you what you truly do. Sometimes you make mistakes, and that's ok, as long as you learn from them. We are all still learning and will continue to do so our entire lives, so mistakes are to be expected and you won't learn anything without making a mistake or two along the way. The wisest people you know haven't necessarily made the most mistakes, but they have learned the most from the ones they have made.

But back to challenges. Some require strength and motivation and a good deal of trust - critical or chronic illnesses are a good example of this. They form who you are or they tear you apart if you can't find solid ground to stand on. Some challenges are relational and challenge what you already know. No matter the kind of challenge you are facing - the thing they all have in common is a way of changing you and making you a stronger person.

If you find someone who does not understand that you are who you are because of your past....be worried. Yes, you move on from your past, and no, you shouldn't dwell there. But it doesn't mean that the challenges you face today aren't in some way an effect of a different challenge last week or 20 years ago. Challenges define us and so, in that way, they will always stay with us.

Crossroads

Age-old prayer. I've thought this a lot lately, but it's not a new thought - just one that comes up repeatedly when you are at a crossroads in life. Those times when you can only move forward but you have no idea what forward means - all you know for certain is that going back is not an option.

Life would definitely be way easier if God would tell us more than just a general direction to move in. Specifics would definitely be nice :) . I find that a lot of the time I flander around until He actually has to kick me into moving and even then, all I know is that I'm actually moving again, but the direction is still somewhere in the mist.

Everything works out. As Dr Seuss said: "Everything will be alright in the end, if it's not alright, it's not the end." Now, my friends used to laugh and roll their eyes when I would quote this - mostly because I was quoting an overused Dr Seuss quote, not because it wasn't true. Sometimes it also wasn't really what they wanted to hear - they wanted things to be alright right now, not have to wait until later. I completely agree. But sometimes, while the end result is the ultimate goal, the process of getting there can change us - for better or for worse. When that change makes you a better, stronger person who is more comfortable in his/her own skin - then that change is definitely for the better.

So do what you have to do - cry, be sarcastic (which according to my sister and her psychology classes is really pent-up aggression), party and dance on tables, obnoxiously follow your friends around, read a book or watch a movie, go on a date with yourself...whatever it is - but don't forget to pray always and spend time looking at your life and, as hard and impossible as it may seem, find your road. Because God will show you everything in His timing. But His time is not our time nor are His ways our ways, so be patient and pray always.

Just Jump In

I found this on a friend's facebook a few weeks ago and have subsequently stole it, obviously. At the time I just found it motivating and it fit in with the life-mood I was in at the time. Since then it has changed meanings slightly and I realized that maybe I liked it so much to begin with was because that is the mentality I've been in for the last few months. I've been doing tons of stuff that I wouldn't normally have said "yes" to: such as playing intramural flag football.

I've always been a "jump in with both feet" kind of person, but I'm also extremely careful. In the last few months I've tried to take more risks - most of which have definitely paid off! Today, for example, I played full on tackle football...no gear. After the flag football incident, I knew I wouldn't make too big of a fool of myself, but still wasn't completely sure. Turns out, I'm SO glad I did! First of all, the people on both teams were absolutely fantastic and a joy to meet. Second, there is still a foot of snow on the ground, so I was now actually warm. And third, being able to tackle someone is WAY better than trying to grab the stupid flag!

So, if anyone is reading this but me, my advice to you is to jump in - take a chance - because you never know how perfect, or how fun, something could turn out to be.

Alarms

This is me. I enjoy  my sleep even though I don't really need it - I can do a lot on very little. This morning was a completely different story, however - do you know those days where you are so exhausted that you sleep without moving? Well I had one of those nights, and to top it off, my alarm went off this morning and I had absolutely no idea why...Whelp, time to get up anyways! Off to play some football at a horrible hour of the morning on a rainy Saturday...why do I get myself into these things?

iTunes

Shuffle:

It's how I listen to music on my ipod, iphone, itunes, walkman, etc. (When walkmans came out with the "shuffle" option, it might have been the best thing ever invented. The only problem was that you'd listen to CDs and realize that the artists introduced the next song at the end of the previous track. This was fine if you listened all the way through, but if you used the shuffle option because that was cooler, you became very confused about what song you were actually listening too.) Anyways, it's amazing how shuffle can create playlists that consist of:
1. songs you haven't heard in years - how this is possible, considering all the songs are on my computer, I have no idea, and
2. exactly what you wanted to listen to.

It doesn't matter if you are sad, excited, happy, partying...anything...itunes seems to understand....Pandora is the same way...

But then of course there is always the random stretch of songs that makes no sense whatsoever and you sit there hitting "skip" until you find the actual song you wanted to listen to...

Email addresses

So I am a complete Harry Potter nerd. So for anyone who doesn't like Harry Potter - I apologize, but that's me.
Anyways, this is exactly how I feel every time I give my email address or anything at stores for receipts or I can't use my school email...it's a really good thing that everyone has the same problem...and many of them are funnier than mine. :)

Believe

I have been through a lot in my life, including recently . This is not big news - everyone has. What I have found is that to get through everything, you need to believe. Believe in God, believe in yourself, and sometimes have someone believe in you. I have a couple of really good friends who have stood by me in the past year. They believe in me. And that knowledge helped me to believe in myself when my world seemed to be crashing down around me. Sometimes the idea of "fake it till you feel it" helps you to believe that everything is going to be ok in the end.

Why?

Alright, I'm going to be really up-front about this: I have no idea what I'm doing or why. So I'm going to wing this whole blog thing and maybe continue, maybe not. We will see.

I like pictures, I like Pinterest. So I'm thinking of posting various pictures and quotes, etc that mean something to me. I might say why, I might not. We will find out. ****Please note, I do not own all of these photos!**** I have found them at random places on the internet - mainly through Pinterest. I do not mean to take credit for anything!

After all, this is as good an adventure as any...