Well, it seems like forever since I’ve posted anything. I know how annoying it is to check a blog and not see a post for a month, so for all my (probably about 5) readers, sorry!

I thought it’d be fun to do a list of some of my favorite things I am loving  lately.

I have finally gotten back into my reading groove. If I can’t find books that catch my interest then it is really hard for me to get through them. Recently I have been loving non-fiction which I find interesting because last year I read mostly fiction. I just finished Wild and Strengths Finder 2.0, both of which I loved. I am thinking about doing a book review for each later this week.

These pink and coral colored nail polishes scream spring and I can’t get enough lately.

My red Moleskine. I use it as a journal and write in it nearly everyday. It makes the perfect journal if I do say so myself.

Spring cleaning. Well, maybe more like Spring organizing. Yesterday I switched out all my Fall and Winter clothes for my Spring and Summer clothes. Even though it is still not warm enough to wear shorts and sundresses, just looking at them makes me smile.

Mojitos! It is the ultimate warm weather drink if I do say so myself.

Speaking of  drinks, I have been drinking a lot of iced coffee lately. Once the weather warms up I crave it, and the thought of hot coffee just doesn’t sound appetizing. I think I’ve been to Dunkin Donuts at least five times in the past two weeks. Their iced coffee is my favorite! I like it with just cream and occasionally sugar and vanilla if I am feeling fancy.

I find myself listening to Pandora more than music in my I-Tunes library. I love the variety. Sometimes certain stations are a hit or miss (Coldplay is not John Mayer thank you very much) but my new favorite is the Colin Hay station.

I have been having Say Yes to the Dress marathons on my days nights off. It is available on Amazon Instant Video and free for me because I am a Prime member. It is a good show to have on in the background or watch before I fall asleep. Plus, looking at pretty dresses is just fun.

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite Colin Hay songs. Happy Friday:)

~Hilary

Friday was one of those days where nothing big or out of the ordinary happened, but it was wonderful. Those kind of days are my favorite. When the simple, everyday things matter. A sunny day. Clean laundry. A trip to the Library. Iced coffee. Quality time with John. Beer with our best brew friends. Time spent talking and dreaming about the future. Watching “How I Met Your Mother” at 3am while catching up with my mom. Falling asleep listening to my I-Pod. The kind of day that makes me thankful for my life and the people in it.

I’ve haven’t blogged much lately, as I’ve been busy with school and work. This semester I am taking a Geography and History class. It has definitely been an adjustment being back in school. I’ve had to figure out how to get stuff done in the time I have.

For the first time since I’ve been in college, I have an end-goal. I know what I want to study and I know what I want to do when I graduate; be an Art teacher. I’m not sure if clarity came with maturity or just knowing myself better, but I don’t feel like that aimless 18 year old that I once was. I’m certainly not saying that I have everything figured out, but I know where I’m headed and what I am working towards. 

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately; how we can change and grow so much in a few short years. I thought of this quote from one of my favorite shows, “How I Met Your Mother”. Ted says, “Look we’ve all been searching for the five doppelgangers, right? But eventually, over time, we all become our own doppelgangers, you know, these completely different people who just happen to look like us.”

That’s how I feel sometimes. I  look back to a couple years ago and think, “Who was that girl”? I don’t really know where I’m going with this except to say that I am happy that life forces us to change and grow and evolve. I am happy to be where I am now. Very happy.

Last weekend we made a quick trip to Michigan for a Mass dedicated to my Grandpa, who passed away one year ago. We drove up on Saturday, and came back Sunday afternoon. Since I work nights, I have trouble sleeping at night. I think from Friday to Sunday I got about five hours of sleep combined. I felt like a zombie. Because I was so tired, the emotions I felt surrounding feelings of loss for my Grandpa, didn’t hit me until later. I went in to work on Monday and just felt like I was on the verge of crying all night. This pretty much was me.

I came home that morning and just let the tears flow. I think for the first time since he died, I just let myself miss him. I felt the regret of not going to see him right before he passed. I felt the loss for my Grandma; the loss she must feel everyday he is not there. I let myself feel the loss of never really getting to know him. I felt the loss of time, time that I will never get back.

As I was writing in my journal later that night, a memory from Second Grade came rushing back. It was “Bring Your Grandparents to School Day”. We lived four hours away from my Grandparents and only saw them a handful of times a year. I remember my Grandma coming with me to class for part of the day(I think my Grandpa probably went with my older sister). We ate lunch with them, showed them our classroom, and if I remember right, there was a book fair going on. At the end of the day I remember walking out to recess with my Grandma. I knew it was time to say good-bye, and I was overcome with sadness. I loved spending the day with her, and I knew that I wouldn’t see her again for a few months. I remember hugging her goodbye and hiding my tears as I ran to go play with my friends. I think, even then I felt the loss.

What I’ve realized is that time is always moving forward. We can never go back and change the past, but we can change the future. I’ve realized how important my family is to me, and how I want to value the time we spend together. I know I want to live near my family so my future kids won’t have to know the feeling of lost time.

In the coming year, I vow to spend more quality time with my family, and appreciate my time still living at home. 

“I sustain myself with the love of family.”
― Maya Angelou

~Hilary

Instead of making a list of resolutions this year, I decided to do something different; to pick one word. I was inspired by ideas I saw on other blogs last year. I loved the idea of choosing one word that encompasses everything I wish to accomplish and focus on in the coming year. I started thinking about what my word would be for 2013 back in early December. It came to me one night when I was writing in my journal. True. It felt right. To me, it means following my heart. Living my life true to my own unique vision and purpose. Listening to my heart.

In everything I do this coming year, I am asking myself, “Am I being true to myself, to my heart”? I ordered this ring, with my word on it, to wear as a visual reminder.

I am excited for all that this year will bring. I feel like each year gets better and better. I keep reminding myself how thankful I am to be where I am now. I look back on the past and can see how much I’ve grown and learned, especially in the past couple of years.

This year, I do.

Happy New Year’s Eve!! Anyone doing anything special? My sister and brother in law (that is still weird to say!) are having some friends and family over to celebrate. It should be a good time!

I say this every year, but I feel like 2012 just flew by! This year had it’s ups and downs, adventures, beginnings, and losses.

In January, my Grandpa passed away. I was heartbroken, but felt peace knowing that he is in a better place. His passing made me put a lot of things into perspective. I was reminded of the importance and bond of family. I realized how important my family is to me, and how I want to always stay close and connected to them.

February and March were kind of a blur of grief and introspection. I didn’t blog much and turned more toward my personal journal.

In April, I turned 22!

In May I went to Chicago with John, Molly and her bestie! It was a beautiful day to explore the city.

The next weekend we were off to Michigan for Emily’s bridal shower. It was fun to celebrate her and catch up with family.

June was full of wedding activities for my sister. It started off with her bachelorette party.

I stayed busy working on some fun projects for the wedding. Of course I have no pictures (note to self- take more pictures in the coming year!).

July was wedding month! It was bittersweet to watch my older sister move out, but I was so honored to be able to stand next to her as she married the love of her life!

In August, John and I went to the Zoo! I got to see the penguins which are my favorite.

By September, I was ready for Fall. We celebrated my little sis’s 19th birthday.

I ate my weight in candy corn…

and stayed busy with some art projects.

In October I went to Mackinaw, Michigan with my family! It was cold and rainy, but we made the most of it. I felt like a little kid again building rock towers in the sand and trudging through the rain. The trip was the highlight of my year.

The month ended with a trip to the pumpkin patch!

November and December were a blur of work and busyness. I made a big decision to go back to school!

I was happy to relax and stay home on Christmas.

As this year closes, I am feeling very blessed and thankful for the life I have been given. I have a feeling 2013 is going to be even better. Happy New Year!!!

What was the biggest highlight of your year?

One of the goals I had this year was to read 50 books in 2012. It didn’t seem too lofty because I love to read. Well, I ended up falling short of my goal by…a lot. By the end of year I will have read 15 books. I realize that I spend too much of my free-time watching TV or reading blogs. This coming year I might scale back my goal a bit, but overall I think an average of one book a month isn’t too shabby.

The best book I read this year was “The Lost Wife”, by Alyson Richman.

The Goodreads description says, “In pre-war Prague, the dreams of two young lovers are shattered when they are separated by the Nazi invasion. Then, decades later, thousands of miles away in New York, there’s an inescapable glance of recognition between two strangers. Providence is giving Lenka and Josef one more chance. From the glamorous ease of life in Prague before the Occupation, to the horrors of Nazi Europe, The Lost Wife explores the power of first love, the resilience of the human spirit- and the strength of memory.”

I loved everything about this book. The writing and story-line are excellent and the characters are well developed. I honestly couldn’t put it down. I may be a little biased because I love historical fiction, especially WWII novels, and the main character Lenka is an artist.

The one book I wished I would have skipped is “The Lucky One”, by Nicholas Sparks.

I really wanted to like it, but I just didn’t. The writing was bland and boring  and the story was  predictable. I don’t dis-like Nicholas Sparks, but his books are usually hit or miss with me.

I have my Goodreads page linked to the sidebar if you are looking for some book recommendations. If you are not familiar with Goodreads, it is a place to track and rate books you have read, or want to read. I love it!

I currently have these books on my Kindle and am excited to dive into them soon.

What is your favorite genre to read?

Do you have any good books to recommend?

This Christmas was a bit different than I am used to. The main reason being that my older sister is married now, so we were missing a sister. This Christmas I was thinking a lot about how fast the years seem to be going by. We are all growing up and starting new chapters in our lives. It is exciting, but a little sad at the same time.

It was a wonderful day none the less. John and I have spent 5 Christmas’s together now, and we usually go to his Grandma’s house on Christmas day, and then eat dinner with my family. This year though, I felt completely beat from work and just wanted to stay in my pajamas all day, so that’s what I did. I have a feeling this is going to be my last Christmas at home before I am married, so I really wanted to spend it at home with my family.

We got a good laugh at Emily’s lonely stocking.

I think this picture is one of the only ones we have where we all look-alike.

I got spoiled by my family with lots of amazing gifts. I am not going to lie, I like getting presents almost as much as I like giving them. This year even though I got everything I could ask and more, my favorite part of the holidays was spending time with my family. I love all our yearly traditions and rituals. Those are the things I will remember for years to come and hope to one day pass on to my future kids.

I hope everyone reading had a wonderful day too. I am a little sad it’s over, but I am looking forward the the New Year. I have a feeling it’s going to be a good one.

I realize that I haven’t posted in over a month, but life has been busy! I have let this little blog go, because the truth is, there is only so much time in a day. I really do love writing in this space, but even more than that I love reading all the great blogs out there. I am not making any promises to myself that I can’t keep, but after the holidays are over I will have more time and energy to write.

Life has been busy with work. I have been working crazy 55 hour weeks, but seeing my check today made it all worth it. Honestly I am feeling blessed. I have complained and whined about my job, but I am so grateful for it. This year I have proved to myself that perspective is everything, and that by changing my mind, it changes everything.

Now that I have made some final decisions, and talked to John and my family, I can say that I have made a big decision….I am going back to school!! My entire journey with work and school could take up an entire post so I will leave that for sometime soon. I will say that I am finally, after years of struggle and indecision, listening to my heart and following my dreams. 

I am majoring in Art Education at the Herron School of Art and Design at IUPUI. I start classes January 7th. Ah, that is soon! I am still working full-time and only taking two classes this semester that work with my schedule.

So why Art Education? Well, I have wanted to be a teacher since I was about 5 or 6. I loooved school, and even more than that, loved to come home from school and play school. I admired my teachers and always thought that is what I wanted to be when I grew up. Well, after years of junior high and high school (aka -miserable years for me) I wanted nothing to do with school. I was burnt out and unsure about the future. The short version is, that after the past five years of soul searching, I have not only rediscovered my dream of being a teacher, but also my desire to be in artist. I want to work with kids (preferably at an Elementary school), teach community classes, workshops, and private lessons. I love the broadness of the art world, meaning I can use my artistic abilities and education in many different ways, while still fulfilling my desire to be both a teacher and an artist.

I have a lot of dreams; to write and illustrate a children’s book, become a mom, vacation in Santorini and Tuscany, marry the love of my life, buy our dream house, and travel to all 50 states just to name a few (and not in that order, obviously). Where I am right now, and my decision to go back to school, is the beginning. It feels like what I should have been doing all along;  what I would have been doing had I known all along. If I’ve learned anything so far in my life, it is that we are always doing the best we can with what we know. I wouldn’t go back and change any of my decisions or experiences because they have not only taught me what I needed to know, but have brought me here. I am ready for this next chapter of my life. I will be back after Christmas with more details. After the 23rd I am off for 6 glorious days. Happy Holidays!

It feels like so long since I have posted anything! Recently Instagram has replaced my way of documenting life, but I have missed writing. I still want to do a recap of my vacation to Mackinac Island, but tonight I have other things on my mind…

I’ve been dealing with some anxiety lately. I always get this way when I can feel that change is on the way. The last time I had major life anxiety was when I graduated high school over four years ago. I was so ready and excited to be done, but also so unsure of what the future held. I’ve spent the last four years working different jobs, going to school, moving along until I knew what to do next. I have spent a lot of time worrying about the future. This year has been a turning point of sorts. Maybe even like a graduation if you will. I promised myself that when I took my current job, I wasn’t leaving until I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I guess what I am trying to say is that I am ready for the next step. In my career, relationship, and life in general. The thing is I know what I want, but I am not sure how it is all going to come about. In my heart, I know what is right and true. I know that there is a higher purpose and plan. The problem is, is that I am having a hard time trusting. Instead of joyfully anticipating the next steps, I am worrying and driving myself crazy. Does anyone else do this? Please tell me it’s not just me. I feel like right now I am just being asked to trust. To trust that everything is being taken care of and it will come about in Divine timing. I know it is easier said than done, but I am doing the best I can.

Tomorrow I am giving myself a day of pure nurturing and enjoyment. I plan on watching Christmas movies, baking pumpkin bread, drawing, and curling up with my Kindle. I also want to make a new vision board. I like having a visual reminder of my goals, dreams, and hopes. I know it is not the New Year yet, but at this time of year I start to feel fresh optimism and excitement for new beginnings.

Even though my life is a lot less busy than it was a year ago, I still always seem to be doing something, instead of just relaxing. Tomorrow I vow to change that.

I will leave you with this video. This song was on the episode of How I Met Your Mother that I watched tonight. The lyric, “It’s always darkest before the dawn”, speaks to me. Plus, it’s just a good song.