words to govern by.

as long as war is regarded as wicked,
it will always have its fascination.
when it is looked upon as vulgar,
it will cease to be popular.
Oscar Wilde

AUSTRALIA

so, i am finally living up to my own expectations and traveling! i leave for australia on april 27 for three weeks! three magnificent weeks of traveling around, seeing the sights, swimming the other oceans, and saying g'day mate. i cannot wait! experiencing life outside the box, living the way the other half lives - you know, always in the sun, surfing and sand boarding, seeing koalas and kangaroos like it's no big deal. hahaha! how incredible! a totally different way of living. i will be flying into sydney, going to perth to see the fam, adelaide, kangaroo island (!), back to sydney for monica's 21st birthday extravaganza, then to surf camp (!), brisbane, surfer's paradise, newcastle, and back to sydney to fly home. i'm still in shock that i just booked the flights, that i said screw the money, and am finally doing something i want to do when i want to do it. taking the semester off school was the greatest decision i've ever made. it put my life totally in perspective, allowed me to make some extra money, see countries and continents i maybe never would have seen, and really appreciate school. i will of course be going back in september, then hopefully going abroad myself next spring! then i will be a college graduate, entering this pitiful economy on my own, but at least i'll have some amazing stories!

a little girl.

once upon a time, there was a little girl. her entire world revolved around her family - a big irish family. at the head of that family was her grandmother. nan as she was referred to was the brick, the cornerstone, the foundation. this little girl looked up to her nan as if she were a celebrity walking the red carpet in a dior gown with harry winston jewels. nan told the best stories - whether it was in her living room with the fireplace blazing or on the edge of the sea, all the elements of the world seemed to listen in to her stories; she had the attention of all - even god. her ghost stories kept the little girl awake all night, and her comedies kept her laughing for hours. nan's house always smelled like a fresh bakery. she was constantly piercing pie crusts with forks and molding scones with her wrinkled hands. the little girl and all her cousins would pile into the tiny kitchen in the little white irish cottage and hold out their hands for the best goods. a little piece of heaven went into nan and came out in everything she baked. well, the little girl grew up, and as all things do - nan's life came to an end. her stories are echoing off the east coast of the united states, 3,000 miles away from where they began, on the west coast of ireland. she can be found in the creases in the corners of the little girl's eyes, in her working hands, and in her heart. the bakery is no longer open, but the memory of the smell is something she wakes up to every morning. she knows her nan is telling the same stories and keeping her new audience well fed in the freshest of fields with the ocean roaring out her front window. the little girl, all grown up, can only hope her stories will be as remembered and honored - that little girl, is me.

good morning.

hello dear world,
today is a marvelous day. you ever get that feeling when you wake up that everything is perfect. you put on a pair of crappy old ripped jeans, the perfect stretched sweater, and old converse sneakers and walk outside into the crisp cold wintery air, and everything is perfect. so many days just go by without people noticing them. so do something today - help someone out, do something you've never done, go grocery shopping, volunteer your time, anything. AND most importantly, go green & stay green because our planet is our responsibility and we're taking it for granted. Refuse plastic bags, recycle, reuse plastic water bottles after cleaning them instead of constantly buying new ones, remember all the little things you can do to keep our planet healthy. go and enjoy this great thursday!

free falling.

well, i may not be you and you not me, but between us there are certain similarities. like i believe in love, and the devil will come looking for us, if we wrong someone. freedom, is ours to hold. it's just a struggle in your mind to keep your soul, keep your soul. and it's old, yes it's old. it's just a struggle in your mind to keep your soul. well, how long you're down depends how you rise. and life has a meaning, so open your eyes. the seeds that we speed into life to be trees, will soon become fallen if their roots aren't deep.
- the beautiful girls

don't be afraid of the future. no matter what your age is, you're never too young or too old to start over. don't get caught up in the here and now, let the pieces fall as they may. heartache or heartbreak - it's gonna happen. life keeps going but life's stories begin and end as they may. trust that you are perfect, that everything that is meant to be happening is happening, and that in the end everything truly will be ok. believe in yourself and your inner strength, even if nobody else is willing to accept it. freedom is something people fight for everyday, and it's sitting right on the edge of the sky's horizon. you can almost reach out and touch it - it looks like nothing, but it is everything. so, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and jump.