Out with the Old

But I loved the old.

2009 may go down in history as one of the best years of my 21 years of existence.

Being 20 was magical.

_

I ran through the beaches of Rhode Island.

I went surfing on the North Shore.

I slow danced under the stars in New Hampshire with someone I've come to love.

I took a nap in Central Park.

Walked along the Freedom Trail in Boston.

Ate lobster and got stuck in a rainstorm in Maine.

I took a road trip across the country with my little sister, and felt selfish that I got her to myself for four months this summer.

_

I cried more than any other year. but I smiled and laughed even more.

_

Out with the Old, in with the new.

I loved the old,

But the new is waiting, sparkling, taunting, promising.

_

Bring in 2010.

{photo via}

Laur-friend

I loved Laura's wedding.

Maybe I'll even stop blogging about it after this :)

She added the perfect cold-weather touches to keep warm in the snow.

I loved her Ugg moccasins with her dress and vintage peacoat.

The red and gold accents made it appropriate with the season without going overboard.

It was classy and elegant and original,

The way every wedding should be.

Oh and her husband Blake, is darling too.

__

p.s. Kevin and I are having so much fun in CT.

Maybe I won't come back for school at all.

I could get used to sleeping in, cuddling by the fire, and playing scrabble all day.

Getting Married

I have so many friends getting married.

It makes me so happy, because I love them all so much,

And the husbands they are choosing are perfect for them.

And it all reminds me that soulmates really do exist,

They just sometimes take awhile to present themselves.

_

So congratulations to Laura.

And Lauren.

And Kristina.

_

Love is everywhere these days.

Merry Christmas

Kevin is spending Christmas with my family in Connecticut.

So far we have eaten a lot of rocky road and curry.

Oh and we went to Boston yesterday.

My favorite as usual was Little Italy.

Today we are baking.

_

I hope you have the best Christmas friends.

Wherever you are.

xoxo

1.5 Days

Hey Kev-friend,
I like you.
Heat the car up for me?

xoxo

21

It was my birthday yesterday.
Since I am far away from everyone I love, I decided to throw a virtual party for myself.

It was so lovely.

All of my favorite people came.
Her, her, her, her, her, her, her, him, them, them them....
And all of my other friends too.

We ate dinner in the sunshine under the trees,
And had sparkling cupcakes, hot cocoa, and ice cream just the way I like it.
(strawberry shortcake and strawberry ice-cream)

Then we played Scrabble and I won.
(because it was my birthday you guys)
We played croquet.
And I even got my very own pink beach cruiser.

It was the best birthday I have ever had.

Being 20 was magical.
Being 21 will be even better.
I can feel it.

Goodbye

I had a goodbye party to Hawaii yesterday. 

It was kind of a birthday/farewell adventure and I wanted to do it alone.

So I packed my backpack, and walked to town.

I did everything I love to do here.

I bought Green Apple Hi-chews, Subway, and Cream Soda.

Later I got Malasadas from the cute red van. They are my favorite.

Then I walked to Temple Beach,

I called my sisters, and read Victorian poetry.

I stayed there all day not wanting to leave, ever.

It was such a perfect day.

And even though I feel ready to go sometimes,

My heart felt heavy on the walk home.

I think I'll always love you Hawaii.

Thanks for letting me come and play. 

Thoughts

"Oh darling, let your body in.
let it tie you in, in comfort."
- Anne Sexton

Good luck with finals friends.

Favorite Kevin's

All of my favorite Kevin's.
(Just kidding about the Jonas brother)

First and Last

These are the first and last photos of Kevin's visit to Hawaii last week.
Can you guess which commemorates his arrival and farewell? :)
Even though I miss him, I am trying to enjoy my 9 short days left in Hawaii.
Trying being the operative word.

When I get to Utah we are going to:
Go to this little lady's wedding (can't wait!)
Eat here.
See these.
Hug this friend.
And then in less than 24 hours, fly to Connecticut,
Where I will see my family.
Including her.
I cannot wait.
Nine days people.

p.s. congratulations Jalene!
p.p.s. sorry if you are freezing. It was 80 degrees today in Oahu!

p.p.p.s my friend Suzy Lind has a cd release party this Saturday for those in the Boston area.
She has been studying at Berkeley for the past year.
She is so talented!

Birthday/Christmas List

Since it is my Birthday and Christmas this month, I feel I have a little more freedom in making a Christmas/Birthday list. My family and friends are all done with my shopping however, so these items are merely wishes.
(Just click on the picture for more information about the item)

I love this dress from Anthropologie. So feminine and yellow! I love yellow.

These are cupcakes from The Sweet Tooth Fairy. I love the sushi facade. They are so cute.

This cameo ring is from one of my favorite etsy shops: Ben and Oliver. And it is so cheap!

I am a sucker for boots. These modcloth ones are perfect. Flat and tall.

This is the sequel to my favorite poem collection! I must have it.

This camera makes mini polaroids, the size of credit cards.
I really want to try it.

This skirt is also from modcloth. The ruffles are totally my style.

My current purse is filled with sand, having taken it all over Hawaii with me this semester. So this purse from JCrew is looking so good right now. But I may need to find a cheaper version...

I love Christmas! What is on your list?

This Week

Has been really hard
For so many different reasons.
But thinking about Christmas cheers me up somehow.
Thinking about reading The Unlikely Romance of Kate Bjorkman by the fire,
With my sister's leg touching mine,
Eating my mom's homemade cinnamon rolls,
And helping my Dad shovel the snow,
Listening to Christmas music while wrapping presents,
and playing Sleigh Ride with Jessica.

Just thinking about these things makes me feel a little better.
I love you Christmas.
And I think you love me too.

So we went

Para sailing.
I loved it.
It made Kevin sick.
It made me smile.
So I kissed his cheek to make him feel better.
(It didn't work)
Oh well.
My favorite part was the four Japanese girls.
We took about 500 pictures of them doing peace signs.
The instructor flirted with them the whole time. Creepy.
I wish you all could have been there.

Valley of the Temples

I liked this part of Kevin's visit.
We saw a giant gold Buddha,
Chased peacocks,
Invented a new language: Gong.
And we rung it 3x each.
We carved our names in a tree.
And had a sword fight.
We played baseball with rocks and bamboo,
Fed the Koi fish.
And held hands everywhere.
And that was the best part of all.

p.s. click here if you want to see what i did this thanksgiving.

All day I've been sitting on trains

Jumping out of planes.
It happened so fast, it felt like cold, soft cement on my face.
When we went through a cloud it was freezing.
And we fell for what seemed like forever before he pulled the parachute.
We looked down at Hawaii and saw all of the beautiful beaches,
But all I could think about was how nauseous I was.
When we landed I was so sick I could barely walk.
Does it sound like fun? :)

It was beautiful, But I will never do it again.
It also made me laugh because we had to sign our lives away.
And before I jumped out I thought that (maybe) I might die.
But I'm alive and breathing friends, and have so many more pictures to share.

(and I miss Kev-friend already)

You Are

My favorite person to play with.

Three hand hugs.
Kitty licks.
Squirrel kiss.
(we're just a little weird)

This Thanksgiving,
I'm grateful for you in my life.
Can you stay in it for awhile?
xoxo

M.I.A

I will be away from the world of blogging this week because He decided to visit me Here for Thanksgiving. Already we have done so many fun things. Like jumping out of planes.

More of that to come.

Happy Thanksgiving friends!
I hope your holidays are lovely.

Secrets

Do not repeat this to anyone.
I dream about flying.
I sing Classical music.
I cheat at cards.
I am afraid of alligators.
I live in paradise,
And spend most of my time in the library.
I would choose clothes over food.
Fishing is unethical.
Blogging is still fun,
Even if no one reads my thoughts.
I believe in peace.
I think I'm in love.
Poetry is more beautiful than anything,
Except for maybe people,
Like my sisters and my mom.

I sometimes feel a little too big,
For such a small world.

p.s. most beautiful post ever i promise.

I Can't Wait

To read my kids Roald Dahl books.
I think he is the reason I am an English major.
I used to wish I could be Matilda and escape with Miss Honey,
And deliver dreams with the BFG,
And trick all of those evil Witches.

I remember crying at the beauty of Danny Champion of the World
at a very young age.
Not knowing that for the rest of my life,
I would feel that same thing.
That beautiful, cathartic, spiritual moment when literature says what you can't.

And I can't wait for my children to feel that way too.
And I won't even tell them to go to bed,
when I see them reading under the covers with a flashlight
(like I used to do).
Instead, I think it will make my heart float like helium.

And I will smile at their saggy eyelids across the breakfast table,
Knowing that they have a major piece of me.

The Peace of Wild Things

This tree sits outside my front door.
I feel pretty lucky, because she is a lovely tree.
And I have a strange little feeling,
that maybe this tree is in love with me.
And she watches me leave for work
and come home tired and lonely.

But she thinks I am pretty,
Even when I never wash my hair
(And should be more tan than I am since I do live in Hawaii)

And when I sit outside beneath her,
She hugs me through the wind.
And her leaves sparkle,
sprinkling pixie dust.
To make me fly.

p.s. Ashley is my bosom friend too.
and she is even nicer than this tree.

Lauren the Bride

Friends, you must meet Lauren.

She is an old friend of mine, who is getting married next Friday.

Isn't her dress beautiful? She designed it herself.

And even though I have never met her fiance Devin, I know he must be cool if he is marrying Lauren.

Because she is just kind of like that.

Really cool.

She tells their story here. 

I promise, such a delightful read.

And I am so happy that God invented love.

Sometime

Sometime it would be neat to live in the same space.
We could wake up in the morning and eat lucky charms in our t-shirts.
You could teach me to play chess and I could teach you the major and minor scales.
I guess we could play croquet on Sundays. I would get two strokes and you get one of course.
You might let me follow you around with my latest novel, and let me read you the parts that make me smile.
Fridays we could make pizza with our sisters.
Double pepperoni on your half.
I could watch you play basketball and hug your sweaty shirt when you win.
And I could make you Chemistry flashcards, and test you all weekend.
We could even share the same shampoo and toothpaste.
And secrets.
But don't get too excited.
I just like you.
A little bit.
Or a lot.
Fine.
A lot.

Listen Up

Guess who went surfing at Castles today and got up four times?!

It starts with an M and it ends with a Y.
Yeah... just a little excited.

Please Look

I really wish I had an excuse to wear this dress.
Any ideas?
I think it might be...
The most beautiful thing I have seen in a long time.