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I know I've been a bit neglectful on here.  I'm sorry - I really do miss it.  Due to the pace of the next few weeks, I probably won't be here as much as I'd like.  But I'm determined not to turn this space into a complaint over how much I have to do.  It is a lot.  But I had a good conversation with a colleague about how we may be stressed out, but over things we actually care about.  We chose school over a million other things we could have done.  And we aren't stressing over a bosses concerns.  For the most part, these are our own passions and instead of performing for someone else, our job is simply to make other people care.  So, as I go off and try to be productive, I'm trying to keep that mentality.  I may have a lot to do, but I chose this and I love this.  And for that, I count myself lucky.

Secret:  I only get through fall but not listen to Christmas music by doubling up on 1) instrumentals and 2) choral music.

I do this almost instinctively now.  These are by no means new finds, but I've been returning to them a lot lately:

Here are just a few to help you with Christmas-music-cravings or Fall-chills or just because...

Monday morning win-loss report

It's before 8 on Monday morning. Here's the win-loss round up

Win: woke up to my alarm 

Loss: woke up to my alarm and am exhausted already

Win: make-up

Loss: hair 

Win: great time journaling & chatting with Jesus

Loss: nodded off towards the end, putting me behind schedule

Win: I actually cleaned up from breakfast 

Loss: didn't pack any food

Win: made myself chai at home

Loss: forgot in my car 

Win: caught the bus

Loss: it's the "last ditch effort" bus, and I only caught it because of a pathetic sprint & forgetting my chai in the car 

Win: it's fall

Loss: it's raining = not the right kind of fall 

Win: "I'm going to forgo starting a new book so I can focus on writing today."

Loss: forgot journal at home [first time being without it in months!]

Win: sporting some new clothes

Loss: ...there's no loss to wearing new clothes

Well, here's to the start of another week: first week of fall!

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It may heat up again today - but this morning was a perfectly fall morning.

Crisp.

Clear.

Sweater.

Scarf.

&

Sunglasses.

I dig you, Fall.

Come in and stay a while.



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Finally!!



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sweater weather :)

Tonight I was getting something out from my under bed storage when I came across the autumnal half of my scarf collection and a bunch of pull-over sweaters.

They make me smile.

Just a little bit longer, buddies. =)

This fall I have had so many friends get engaged or start relationships. Its so exciting.

But I can't help wishing for a chance to walk through colored leaves holding hands with my someone special. Someday.

Meet me in the fall...

In my dreams of the future, I will one day have a leather satchel, a vintage bicycle, and I look good in hats =)

At home by myself tonight with some good music, favorite candle and a long assignment for English Honors. Only wishing for some chai...
Gotta <3 fall =)

*Sigh... this has been a very long and very stretching week.

But I can breathe easy for a few hours :)

So, thoughts on this week:

- I may be dropping my communication major and focusing all on English. There's an opportunity that I could take a graduate seminar next quarter. This would be an enormous privilege but would also be very challenging. I can only take it though if I am not pursuing com. I need to know by monday :-/ I'm leaning towards dropping com. It would open up a lot of opportunities. If I dropped com I would be able to apply for Honors English, take more Lit classes (including a grad seminar), take a few more electives, and I could even apply teach a Freshman Interest Group (FIG). It would be pretty incredible. I just need to hear a definitive from the Lord and from my parents.

- I took my first step this week in turning Inception into a topic scholarly study. We had to write a media critique for my com class. In nearly all my classes I've been seeing "Inception links." (If you flip through my copy of Heart of Darkness you will find multiple notes referencing Inception--there are SO many connections between that book and that movie). After bringing the film up a couple of times in my literature class (it DID apply), my professor made a brilliant point: "Inception is your generation's Matrix." It's very, very true. In my dreams of being a professor, I would make my students watch the film and use it as a critical theory. (PS - so excited for it to come out on tuesday, but i have to wait to watch it till my finals are over):

- Because I had to read such a horrible book last weekend for my lit class, I decided to buy some new worship music to play in the background. This was fun, but challenging because 3 of my favorites all came out with albums this month ("Joy" by forerunner music, "Live at the Banks House" by Will Reagan and the United Pursuit Band, and "Come Away" by Jesus Culture--which the title track of is a beautiful cover of two UPB songs :). Well, I bought a couple of songs from each album. But I had to inform you that my favorite, and the one I've had on repeat most of this week, is "One Thing Remains" by Chris Quilala of off "Come Away." Such a good one. [I just have to insert something here that some of you may be helpful... so, more and more songs on iTunes seem to be "album only." Well, I found a way around them. Amazon MP3 sells them as individual songs... sometimes they're 1.99 instead of .99, but if you're like me and not likely to buy the entire album, it's a steal... just an fyi :]

- Ok... random quote I've had in my head today:

"One minute your saving the whole galaxy! And the next minute you find yourself suckin' down darjeeling ... with Marie Antoinette and her little sister."

hahahahaha... :)

Well, the next 12 days are going to be intense. I have a take home final next weekend, an in class that monday, and another one that wednesday. But I also have - sunday the 5th: CCK Christmas Party. monday the 6th: Piano Recital. friday the 10th: Future of Forestry Christmas Worship Concert (I've been waiting all year to go back to this!!!). saturday the 11th: Charlli's concert choir. tuesday the 14th: Beks gets home!!!!!! =)

All that to say, I'm going to be really busy. No movies or TV for me. I'm already off of FB and Tumblr :(

But it'll be ok. On the 15th, I'll be a free woman :)

Cheers!

I am not ready to wave goodbye to summer, but...

I must confess I'm getting very excited for fall! Now that family camp is over...it's all i can think about.

I can't wait to be back at school. This year is going to be

very different and very fun!

I'm so excited to see old friends (julia ;) and make new ones.

I'm excited for more of the Lord.

I'm excited to pursue dreams.

I'm just really excited =)

And I'm excited for fall fashion!

The fashion year kicks off with the September issue of Vogue

and I think I'm actually going to buy it this year.

I'm also really excited to do my back to school shopping.

My friend, Chloe, and I are going to trek down to South-Center

So many fun stores there :)

I love finding fashion inspiration.

Here are just a few:

This one's my fave!

Ah! So excited for this fall! So many new things:

New school year/classes

New job schedule

New focus

New roomie

New car

New Vision

I am so looking forward to it!

Happy fall!