30 Crazy Days

Happy November, folks! Halloween has come and gone, and do you know what that means? It's National Novel Writing Month again! (Or NaNoWriMo, for those of you who've heard of this before!)

What is National Novel Writing Month? Well. It's this crazy thing some of us who like to write do. It takes up the whole month of November—all 30 days. And in 30 days, we aim to write 50,000 words. A novel!

It's a lot of fun. It may sound impossible to write so much in a mere 30 days, but I'm here to tell you it IS possible! I'm a NaNo veteran and I've made it to the finish line on more than one occasion!

The idea of National Novel Writing Month is to just write your novel—don't edit, don't think too hard about it. Just let the words come. And come. And come. There's plenty of time to rewrite and change and add and take away in December. Look at it this way—you can't edit anything if you don't write anything to begin with!

Are any of you guys taking on NaNoWriMo this year? I am!

Considered it, but decided against it because you don't have a plan or plot outlined? Reconsider! I don't have a plan or plot outlined, either. And if you'd like a Writing Buddy, feel free to add me over at NaNoWriMo.org!

It's free to sign up, and there is absolutely no penalty if you don't reach 50k. There's no way to LOSE at NaNoWriMo. And even if you only write 5,000 words, that's 5,000 you didn't have before!

Interested? Head over to NaNoWriMo's website and learn more! You can also check them out on Twitter and Facebook! And be sure to stockpile lots of coffee and snacks—there will likely be late nights of writing furiously involved.

NaNoWriMo starts today, but don't worry—there's still plenty of time to get started!

So, who's joining in this year? If you are—do you have a plan? Or are you winging it like me?

Man's Best Friend

There are certain things you learn when you become a dog owner. Not only do you learn a lot more about dogs—the things they eat, the things they chew, how many bottles of Resolve you go through during potty-training—but you also learn a lot about yourself. I know I have.

I wanted to share with you my wisdom. Or, the wisdom I've been granted thanks to my dogs—both past and present.

A few of my lovely dogs.
Top right; Kelsi. Top left; Tucker. Bottom; Cowboy.

• Standing around, repeating, "Need to?" and "Go teedle!" will make you humble. So will stooping over to pick up their...leavings...

• "Doggie Bags" will no longer bring to mind restaurant leftovers.

• You can tell a dog owner by the slobber on the inside of their passenger window.

• You are much more capable of baby talk than you ever imagined.

• Sometimes a comforting lick is just as good as, if not better than, a hug.

• Toys that boast, "Will keep your dog busy for hours!" will probably not live up to that promise.

• When puppies are teething, NOTHING is safe.

• The difference between acceptable behavior and unsocialized behavior is the difference between "your dog" or "their dog."

• Dogs can totally laugh at you. Also, they do totally laugh at you.

• Dogs are way more loyal than people. They always listen, they love to be around you, they don't care what you look like with no make-up on, they'll never stab you in the back, they'll forgive you for anything, and they would lay down their life for you without a second thought.

• Feeding your dog table scraps can backfire. Big time.

• You will become that person who always brings a conversation back to your dog.

• You will find reasons to show everyone pictures of your dog, whether they want to see them or not.

• My dog has made me a much more patient person.

• It is almost impossible to disappoint a dog.

• The entire world obviously smells much more interesting than you will ever know.

• Dog hair gets on EVERYTHING. Even places that your dog has NEVER BEEN.

• Every dog has a different personality.

• My dog is probably smarter than me. That would not surprise me at all.

Painting with a Twist

Last week, I unleashed my inner Van Gogh.

Literally.

It was for a birthday party. Instead of seeing a movie, or going out to dinner, we all met up at this place I'd never heard of—Painting with a Twist.

Painting! With a twist!

It was actually a really cool little place! It was already set up for us when we got there, and we each had our own easel. It was BYOB. I stuck with a bottle of water, but someone brought some wine, and there were a couple of beers cooling in a bucket of ice. There was an artist there to walk us through our painting. We recreated Starry Night. Which just happens to be my favorite painting. So I was pretty thrilled about it.

My work space. Appropriately labeled.

We started off by painting those trademark swirls in the sky. I think I got mine a little too big. But...creative license, and all that, right? Anyhow, it was time consuming (especially for a perfectionist like me!) to get the sky where I was happy with it. But it was worth it.

My sky. Minus moon and stars.
I was mostly happy with it at this point.

After that, we worked on some of the hills and ground stuff. We didn't get as complicated as Van Gogh did—we only had a few hours to do this. But we included something our artist called the wheat field. I think. And some rolling hills. That part wasn't so bad. That is to say, it's hard to be picky when you're just painting hillsides.

We'd break periodically and take our canvases to a table in the back where, two at a time, we hit 'em with some hot air via a couple of hair dryers. Then we went back to painting, without the fear of smearing what we'd already painted.

After the wheat and the hills, we moved on to that famous...green thing...in the foreground. I think it's a tree. I've always thought that, but our artist talked about it like it was up for debate. So maybe it is. Either way, I think mine turned out pretty darn good.

Pretty much the last thing we did was add the buildings. I didn't go too crazy with them. I was afraid I'd spoil the painting. The smaller details were already giving me trouble. So I stuck with painting a church. And two little buildings. I probably could have added more without it looking bad, but I decided not to risk it.

My finished product!

All in all, I was really proud of what I turned out! I hadn't painted in quite some time, and honestly I hadn't expected to walk away with anything I'd ever consider hanging. But you know what? I think I'm going to hang this piece. Somewhere. Surely there's room on at least one of my apartment walls. I even went as far as to paint the sides of the canvas, so I don't need to frame it. And I didn't just paint it a solid color—no. I had detail. I continued the painting around to the sides and top. Not as much on the bottom, but really, who's going to see that?

Anyway, it was a lot of fun to tap into some creativity I don't usually work with. I play it safe and stick to writing typically. But this was so much fun. It made me want to branch out and stretch some creative muscles I tend to ignore. I used to love to sketch, paint, what have you. This experience made me take a second look and think, why not now?

Fun is fun. Creativity is creativity. Why limit myself to one form or another? It's all fair game. And hopefully seeing this hanging on my wall will be a daily reminder that just because I think I can't do something, doesn't make it the truth.

Ta-da! Move over, Van Gogh. There's new talent afoot.
;)

They Were Right All Along

I think it must be a cosmic rule, an irrefutable truth, that at some point in your life you'll come to the realization that your parents really were right about everything. All those times they'd say, "One day you'll understand..." Yeah, that's true. And all those times they told me, "Enjoy where you are right now. When you're older, you'll wish you could go back." That's true, too. My scrawny eight year old self scoffed. My twelve year old self scoffed even more. And my fifteen year old self would've straight up committed murder to be sixteen and driving even a week before legally able.

But now, as I'm wrapping up this semester of college and faced with only one more semester after this in the undergraduate season of my life, I finally have had The Epiphany. The "They were RIGHT!" epiphany. The "How did they KNOW?!" epiphany.

Now that I'm that age I used to dream of being, I keep thinking to myself...what was I thinking? Being eight, being ten, being fifteen was awesome. Life was more laid back. When I sit down and compare the stresses in my life now to the stresses in my life then, there's simply no comparison. It's interesting to see how my focus has changed, and what I now consider to be important. Or unimportant, for that matter. Life or deaths situations as a child—do I use the blue crayon or the purple crayon? Or do I use the silver glitter pen?! AH! How do I choose just ONE?!—now seem utterly simplistic and easy to solve (I use the purple crayon, duh.). Things that bothered me or stressed me out in high school—OMG I have to actually present my project to the whole class?!—now aren't monumental at all (Okay, I'm still not thrilled with presentations. But I can totally do them).

It may seem too little too late, having this realization at nearly twenty four years of age. I mean, it's not like I can go back in time and tell my teenage self, "Hey, just shut up and listen; they really do know what they're talking about. They really were young once, too." But it's not just hindsight that The Epiphany affects, oh no.

Because the thing is, now more than ever I realize out of all the people I can ask for advice, my parents are number one on my list. Because now I realize that chances are, the troubles I'm having, the stresses, the issues, they've been there. They understand. I don't know about you, but I find this to be such a relief. Who better to advise you, share their wisdom with you, counsel you, than those who want only the best for you? That's my Mom and Dad. Sure as the sun rises, they just want what's best for me. So I can count on the fact that any advice they give me is truly going to be meant to better me. To help me.

And you know what? That's pretty cool. So cool, in fact, that I'd even tolerate a rowdy bout of "I told you so!"s from Mom and Dad.

My wonderful Mom and Dad!

The Little Things

It feels amazing outside tonight.

I just spent the last half hour or so driving home from a rendezvous with a friend of mine and her boyfriend. We spent several hours chatting at Starbucks before relocating to Macaroni Grill to continue our conversation over dinner.

I'm stuffed beyond reason, just by the way.

On the drive home, I opened my sunroof and rolled down the windows. I hung my arm out the driver's side window for the majority of the trip. I put my new favorite song on repeat (Meyrin Fields, by Broken Bells, if you're interested). I let the wind kick up my hair, I sung at the top of my lungs (even though I didn't know all of the words), and I took the long way home.

It was exhilarating.

Nothing fancy, no speeding, no big deal really. But then again, that's something I've always appreciated.

The little things.

Like moments alone in my car, a cool breeze, great music, and soothing darkness.

Sometimes the little things make the biggest difference.

"Strong and content I travel the open road."

—Walt Whitman

A Road Trip Getaway

Sometimes you just need to get away.

And sometimes you just want to. A think a little combination of the two is what I had been experiencing for quite some time now.

Solution?

Plan a getaway!

This is precisely what myself and my friend Megan did this past weekend. We planned it about a month in advance. I started saving up. And, of course, getting excited. (I mean, really excited.)

Our original plan had been to drive to Austin and just hang out. Grab a bite, see the sights, do some shopping. But then my life took a few turns, I started looking into graduate school, researching good programs. I turned up a good creative writing program at Texas State University in San Marcos.

San Marcos isn't a whole heck of a lot farther away than Austin and I was itching to check out the campus (I'd initially looked into Texas State when I was trying to decide where to transfer to after getting my Associate's) so I suggested that we add San Marcos to our road trip itinerary.

Lucky for me, Megan was all for it! Then the plan became a drive down to San Marcos, a look around the school, then driving back up and stopping through Austin for shopping and general fun on our way back to College Station.

Then I realized something. San Marcos has an outlet mall. A really great outlet mall. We're talkin' Pottery Barn, Neiman Marcus, Juicy Couture, Gucci, Fendi, Coach, Puma, Lacoste, Lucky, Ed Hardy, Calvin Klein, BCBGirls, Guess... Basically, I flipped out.

Since Megan was also up for shopping, our plan changed again. Austin got nixed completely.

Don't worry, Austin. We'll come back to you soon. 

Because you have a California Pizza Kitchen...It's only a matter of time.

New plan? Get an early start, drive down to San Marcos and check out the campus, then head over to the outlets to shop our little hearts out.

Saturday could not come fast enough.

When it did, I was up at six and ready to go at seven forty-five. I picked up Megan at eight, and after a pit stop to fill up the gas tank, we dropped by Starbucks for a morning pick-me-up. Then we were on the road.

The drive was really pleasant. It didn't seem too long, and it only rained on us a bit. By the time we made it to San Marcos, the sun was out and there was a great chill in the air. The perfect day.

We actually spent much more time checking out the campus than I thought we would. Megan was just as curious as I was, and spending two or so hours there gave me plenty of time to get a great first impression of the school. And take a lot of pictures. I mean, a lot.

And here they are! Apologies in advance; there's a ton of 'em.

This is the first building we saw. It's lovely!

Old Main again. We climbed a lot of steps on this campus!

I believe this is the back side of Old Main.

Welcome to Texas State University!

I don't know if it's easy to tell, but it just keeps going down!

Lots of steps and lots of trees!

This is the library, which we did go inside. It's lovely!
And on the 7th floor, they have some exhibits. Very fun!

Arial view of campus from the library!

The Bobcat. Texas State's mascot.

The Stallions. Just beautiful!

One more angle on The Stallions, because I love them!

LBJ.

One of my favorite buildings. Love the architecture style!

View #2 of the building I love!

My favorite huge tree!

I. Love. Trees.

Um, HOW cute are these little guys?

I seriously love this campus.

Look at this little guy! The only one who didn't flop into the water when I approached.

THIS is their theater! For plays and such! In the middle of the pond! Awesome.

So, again, obviously I went a little camera happy. And honestly, that's not even half the pictures. But I've already flooded you guys with plenty.

All in all, I really loved this campus. It's gorgeous, lots of trees, lots of shade. And very hilly! (My TOMS held up amazingly well, and we seriously did a ton of walking!)

We went on a Saturday, which is why there aren't any people in my pictures. It was really nice to be able to get a feel for the campus without being overrun. But I'm already planning on dragging my parents down to look again, and get more information, so I look forward to seeing how the place feels during the week when classes are going on.

After we finished checking out the campus, we were positively famished. We'd passed this adorable Saltgrass Steakhouse on the way in, so we decided to run back out to that. It's such a cool building! Apparently it used to be an old mill. And the view is great—you can see the river! I didn't get a great picture inside, but I got one of the outside.

When we left here, we were stuffed. Delicious!

Historical marker, hoorah!

We really enjoyed the break from walking, and the food was fantastic. We really took our time and enjoyed ourselves.

And after eating, we were more than ready to hit up the shops!

I only got a couple of pictures at the outlet mall. I'd intended to get more, but I got a little carried away with the whole shopping thing. But we walked all around the shopping center—it's outdoors, and the weather was lovely. It was absolutely a blast.

Our first stop. I was in hog heaven!

We went in to a ton of the stores, but mostly window shopped. It was just really fun to see what all they had. Though I won't lie, I found several things I want. I may be making a trip back soon!

After we finished shopping, we stopped by the Starbucks in the outlet mall to grab something to drink before the drive back home. I didn't get too many pictures because we were in a hurry to get back—we both had pups waiting at home for us!

Starbucks. A constant in my life. Delicious all over the world.

The drive back felt longer than the drive there. Probably because there's way more excitement involved in actually driving toward the destination as opposed to away from it. Still, it wasn't bad. And it wasn't too long.

And I slept like a baby.

It was a fantastic trip. A great way to let go of some stress, take some time to just enjoy ourselves. The perfect day-trip getaway. I can't wait to start planning the next one! Austin? Houston? San Antonio? Who knows!

Look at this! Look at what I'm doing!

I don't know about you, but 2011 is shaping up to be an amazing year for me. A few plans have changed. There have been a few bumps in the road. But so far, I am having a fantastic year. I've got a lot of really exciting things happening for me in the coming months. So exciting that I just can't resist sharing.

New York City

First up, Spring Break. Destination? New York City!

I fly out on March 11. I'm there for seven whole days. I leave a week later, on the 18th. I'm so excited I can't even explain. Not only will this be my first trip to The Big Apple, but I'm also going up to visit my friend, Matt. It is going to be awesome, epic, fantastic, amazing, and every other word for "best ever" you can come up with.

Our itinerary is pretty extensive. But more than being interested in the landmarks (though there are a few I simply MUST see), I'm the most excited about hanging out in the big city with my friend. A couple of other mutual friends will be there at the same time, and we have an evening of karaoke planned with them.

Some things on the agenda are Ground Zero, The Met, Rockefeller Center, the New York Public Library, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, the Empire State Building, Wall Street, SoHo, and Tiffany & Co. Be prepared for an over abundance of pictures when I get back.

I'm also excited about this trip because I'll get to play the part of an bona fide foodie when I go. We've already got reservations to Mesa Grill, where I plan to try the Spiced Rubbed Bison Filet, with corn, ancho chile sauces, and crispy red onion. My mouth is watering right this second. I'm also going to get to try authentic New York style pizza. Which I already know I'll love. Because let's face it, pizza is my favorite food. I'll also have another go at sushi, and indulge in some fabulous desserts.

It's going to be one of those experiences I'll never forget. I absolutely cannot wait.

My Birthday

I know, I know. I have one of these every year. And I'm turning 24—possibly one of the most anticlimactic ages I've turned so far. But this year is the year I finally have to renew my driver's license. So not only will I get a whole new picture (Exciting!), but I'll also finally have the big-kid license. Yes folks, though I'm a couple of years past twenty-one, I still have the "under eighteen" driver's license.

I'm taking that final step, that last rite of passage from vertical to horizontal.

It will be very strange.

So, odd as it sounds, I'm marking this years' birthday as one of my Big Events of 2011.

New Orleans

Next up, summer vacation! What better time to take a road trip than over the summer? Again I'll be teaming up with Matt, and this time we're hitting the road. Destination? New Orleans!

We're hoping to drop by Shreveport as well.

I'm so excited to actually see New Orleans. I've gotten really intrigued by the South lately, particularly the deep South. And places like New Orleans. And a piece I'm working on, one I'm hoping to turn into a novel, is set in the South. It's a horror/thriller (I hope!) set on a plantation. I've never been to a plantation. That is going to change this summer. One of our stops is going to be at a plantation. We aren't 100% sure which one, but I'm really hoping to visit Oak Alley Plantation. (Google it. It's gorgeous.)

And then, of course, Bourbon Street. And I am already excited just thinking about all of the amazing pictures I'm going to take.


Both New York and Louisiana are going to provide some excellent opportunities to not only get my creative writing juices flowing, but also to expand my horizons as far as photography goes. I'm so thrilled at the chance to photograph things that aren't exactly in my neck of the woods, if you know what I mean.

Ring Day

This one belongs to my friend. MINE will say '11. :)

And then, in...probably November—I can't say for sure yet—I'll finally be getting my Aggie ring! I don't know about you guys; I'm not sure if college rings were a huge deal for you or not, but it's massive to me. There are a couple of reasons for this.

First, I've been working on my undergraduate work for about six years. I started off slow, unsure of what I wanted to do, so I'm not angry that it's taken so much time. But to me, my Aggie ring means more than just credit hours and attendance. It means I finally found a school I'm proud to graduate from. I'm proud to be a student here and I'll be proud when I'm an Alumni, and I'll be proud every day to wear my Aggie ring so the whole world will know—I'm an Aggie. I did it. I graduated.

But also, the Aggie ring is a huge deal down here in Aggieland. We have Ring Day, and ring dunks, and countless other traditions that go along with getting the coveted Aggie ring. Needless to say, I can't wait.

Graduation

Next, in December, I'll be graduating! I had originally planned to graduate in May, but there were a few kinks in that plan. But honestly, with the way this year is panning out, I'm fine with graduating in December. It gives me more time to visit the career center, plan for what I want to do after I graduate, research graduate schools (which is a total headache, by the way).


I think it's so convenient the way all of my big events are spread out over the course of the year. I've got something to look forward to the entire time. No one big event, no one big thing that comes and goes and leaves me wanting more. At the end of everything is the prospect of something more; something exciting and new on the horizon.

2011 is my year, and I plan to live it UP.

I can't wait to bring you guys along for the ride.

Arts and Crafts and Coffee

Yesterday I was struck with a sincere and severe urge to be crafty.

Trouble is, though I have high aspirations for my craftiness, I'm not all that proficient in many crafting areas. I don't know how to knit, but I wish I did. I don't know how to crochet, but I wish I did. I've never scrap-booked, but I'd like to try. You get the idea—A lot of would if I could.

So as I was thinking about what in the world I could do to sooth my crafting itch, my eyes fell upon my massive stack of Starbucks cards. If you haven't noticed, I'm a Starbucks fanatic of sorts. So I keep every Starbucks card I get, and I have a bunch. I supposed you could say I'm collecting them, but I can't rightly say I know what I'm doing with my collection so much as letting them sit quietly in a chronological stack behind my iPod speakers dock to be occasionally thumbed through.

And this stack isn't even ALL of them.

Some I want to keep in pristine condition. You know, just in case? But others—some duplicates, and some that I just love so much I know I'll never want to sell/get rid of/whatever—I'm not so stuck on keeping perfect for some sort of collection.

And so that got me thinking, what could I do with these cards that would really let me enjoy them, show them off?

Epiphany!

Magnets!

The last time my Mom came to visit me, she commented on how I don't have very many. (At my house, our fridge is affectionally littered with them, of all shapes and sizes.) And this was the perfect solution for both my crafting urge and my Starbucks cards dilemma.

This is the ultimate fun, cheap, and easy way to make magnets if you're like me and have a ton of Starbucks cards lying around. Though obviously you don't have to use Starbucks cards to make magnets. But, since I did, and since I had such a fun time doing it, I'm going to tell you exactly how I did it! You know, just in case reading this inspires you to embrace your crafty side in a similar manner.

First, I had to make a quick trip to Michael's. Any craft supply store will do, though, I'd imagine! As long as they sell some form of magnet. I hadn't realized I'd have so many options, but what I ended up leaving with was just a basic peel-and-stick rectangle of magnets. They came in one piece, but broke off easily into strips, which I then cut to fit the card.

I figured these would be pretty much impossible to mess up (I was right), but I still started off with a card I had multiples of. Nevertheless, it's one of my favorites. I cut one of the magnet strips in half, peeled the backing off, and stuck it on the back of the card.

Worked like a charm.

It's a first edition of sorts. ;)

I was so pleased with the result that I instantly made more. Since I was still in the process of figuring out the best way to put magnets on the back, I tried it a couple of different ways. For some, I used two smaller strips, vertical on each side of the card. For others, one long strip in the middle. For one, I just used a little strip. Aesthetically, it doesn't make much of a difference either way since this all goes on the back. The only difference is how much the magnet can hold. Menus, photos, shopping lists, etc. I think my favorite way is the two vertical strips.

All in all, I ended up making seven different Starbucks card magnets. I love them! They really brighten up my fridge—as you can see, it's black—and I'm excited that I've finally found a use for some of my favorite Starbucks cards.

Plus, if you run out of room on your own fridge, they would make great gifts! And I'm already planning on switching mine out. Some of them, anyway. I have several Christmas themed Starbucks cards—Guess when those are going up! They can be seasonal!

Anyway, these are the results of my creative urges (and my Starbucks mania). They were a ton of fun, and so easy I can't even explain it. And, would you believe it, while I was sifting through cards to use, I found an old favorite of mine from 2006—summer, I believe—that still had a balance on it! $1.49! Score!

This is the infamous card with a nearly six year old balance!

First Class

The kind people at First Class Award have done me the honor of choosing me as one of their First Class Blogger Award recipients! Pretty cool, huh?

It may sound cliché, but I am genuinely honored. When I started this blog back in 2008, I had no idea it would reach so far. Or even that I would keep it up for so long.

I started it to work on my voice as a writer, to develop my non-fiction prose. I've loved writing as long as I can remember, but I had only really written fiction; I had a diary, of course—I still journal a lot. But as far a sitting down and putting pencil to paper, it was always to create. To imagine. I wanted to stretch my legs and nurture the other side of my writing aspirations; I wanted to work on learning to use the written word to better express myself, my emotions and opinions, experiences, my fears. And I wanted to learn how to write in a way that is easy and open; a way that would give others a sense of connection, familiarity, conviviality.

It's been truly amazing to watch the community here on my blog grow so much in the past year. What started out as a small cluster of readers has become a much larger following. Yet the conversations that come from comments have continued to feel very friendly and intimate. That is always what I wanted for this blog. I have met so many wonderful, kind-hearted, and talented people here. I consider myself very lucky to have such great and fun-loving people continue to visit, read, and comment.

Thank you all for dropping by and sticking around. I'm excited to see what's in store. I look forward to what lies ahead and I can't wait to continue sharing it with you guys.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad