Autumn Bucket List Update

It's officially the first day of winter! Can you believe it? Since that's the case, I thought I'd take a look at how I did on my Autumn Bucket List. Here's what was on it:

And here's how I did:

Overall, not too bad, right? I had a lot of fun doing the things on this list and I'm not too disappointed about not making apricot bread, playing ultimate, or going kayaking. There's always winter, right? Well, not for the kayaking, but maybe for the other two things!

Check back next week for my winter bucket list!

Fall 2012 Bucket List

'Tis the season for creating Autumn bucket lists...or so I've gathered from the handful of blogs I read! So, I decided to make one, too. I'm not putting a lot of major things on this list simply because I'm a busy grad student and I already have lots of things to do. But I figure it's a good idea to make a "to-do" list of fun things to do that will bring me joy and satisfaction. So without further ado:

Adventures:
- Take a daytrip to Apple Hill
- Go kayaking
- Go wine tasting in November (Jeremy Wine Co. is releasing a new wine in early November and I can't wait to try it!)
- Take a daytrip to the beach and have a fire to roast s'mores


Delicious Things:
- Make pumpkin bread (I'll probably use the mix from Trader Joe's)
- Make apricot bread
- Eat mashed potatoes (Thanksgiving!)
- Drink apple cider

Social Activities:
- Host a classic movie night
- Go to dinner with friends
- Go to a pick-up ultimate frisbee game
- Go to an open mic night


Miscellaneous:
- Paint toes with Essie's Head Mistress
- Wear pearls casually
- Make painted ornaments
- Decorate my apartment for Christmas

Two Days 'til Autumn!

It will officially be Fall on September 22nd, but I'm already in a very Autumnal mood. This is my very favorite season. Today I thought I'd write down a few things I'm enjoying right now. In no particular order:

1. Starbucks iced coffee with hazelnut syrup. Delicious! And perfect for the pleasantly warm NorCal transition from summer to fall.

2. Essie's Head Mistress nail polish. It looks dark pink here, but it's more of a deep, blue-red with pinkish undertones (kind of a dark cranberry). I love it! I really think it's the perfect shade of red for all year-round. But especially late summer/early fall, and I plan to wear it a lot during the holiday season.

3. Reading for fun. I recently started reading Intellectuals and Society by Thomas Sowell and so far it is excellent! I've ALSO been enjoying all the reading I've done for school so far, so I think I can count it as reading for fun.

4. Wine tasting! I went last Saturday in Lodi with some friends and it was a blast. Lodi, CA has a special Roadtrip Passport to Lodi event that runs from September 1-October 6 and it only costs $15 for the booklet which gives you access to numerous winery events and free tastings at 27 wineries (which works out to to about $0.55 per tasting!). I'm going again on the 29th with some gals from church and I'm sure it will be just as much fun as last Saturday was.

5. Foyle's War. I recently started watching this show on Netflix and it's really good (ok, the first 2 episodes are really good - I haven't watched the rest yet!). Something about Autumn just makes me want to make a cup of tea and delve into all things British.

"Keep Calm" Posters

I've never been a fan of the "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster trend, but ever since I saw one of my best friend's versions of the poster that reads "Lose Hope and Despair," I've been a huge fan of the parody versions! There are a lot of them for sale on Etsy, like this "Freak Out and Throw Stuff" one, for instance.

Anyways, this past weekend has been a rather lazy one for me since I've been recovering from a cold and this afternoon, while I was messing around on my computer, I came across this site that lets you create your own version of the poster. I had so much fun playing around with different versions! Here are a few of the ones I made (feel free to download and print for your personal use):

This translates to "Deeds not words," and is the motto of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

This is, of course, a paraphrase of Lizzy's acceptance of Mr. Darcy's second proposal in the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice.

"Love Conquers All" 

"God and Glory"

A key phrase from Captain Wentworth's letter to Anne in Persuasion.

This is a paraphrase of the motto of the Air Force ROTC's Arnold Air Society motto: "The warrior who cultivates his mind, polishes his arms."

This is for my brothers Nano and Jon who are headed to cycling nationals this week. I hope they do well but most importantly, stay safe!

An epic line from the epic movie, Ben-Hur.

I thought it could be cute for someone to use this poster trend to propose.

In Persuasion, there are a couple quotes that talk about Anne having to choose between duty & prudence and romance & risk in breaking off her engagement with Captain Wentworth and in refusing the proposal of Mr. Elliot. I think this is a dichotomy that many people can relate to.

North and South is easily one of my favorite British novels and BBC adaptations. This is a line from Mr. Thornton's ill-fated proposal.

Volunteering = Free Stuff

This past Saturday, I volunteered as a waiter at a fundraiser banquet for my local Young Life chapter. The event was amazing and raised $56,000! It was fun to volunteer since it gave me the opportunity to hang out with other young adults from my church that I normally only see at church or Bible study. One of the best parts, though, was all the free stuff I got to take home. Since I was one of the last volunteers to leave, I was able to bring home 4 steaks, 4 miniature desserts, 1 bottle of chardonnay, a bunch of tulips, and a dozen wine bottles with the labels already removed! Here are photos of some of the goods:

We served a variety of miniature desserts from Ettore's Bakery and oh. my. goodness. They were all amazing! Out-of-this-world, indescribably amazing. The best things I have ever tasted. For real.

These two types of desserts were my favorite - the lemon meringue tarte and the raspberry & chocolate meringue tarts. There was another type of dessert that looked cheesecake-y so I didn't try it, but I did eat some of the chocolate bark that was on top and it even more amazing than the desserts I did eat. Do you know the scene in Ever After when Margeurite eats chocolate for the first time and declares it "positively sinful"? Well, that's how I felt when I tasted that stuff - sans smarmy disgustingness, of course.

These tulips were centerpieces at the banquet. I brought a bunch home and they're currently sitting on our counter, cheering up the apartment.

The vase is from an antique store in West Virginia. My mom bought it for me as a souvenir when we went there a number of years ago.

More photos of the desserts, after my roommate and I ate two of them and I added a dish of almonds to the plate.

Grad School is Bad for Your Health

The picture on the left is from early September, 2011, just after I started grad school. The picture on the right is from a few days ago, about 6 months after starting grad school. Note that in the first picture, there are no bags under my eyes. Note the bags under my eyes in the second picture. Also I have three grey hairs that were non-existent last August.

Alien Eyes

This is the only photo in this entire post where Cora's eyes look normal. Just one eye, actually. She was wiggling too much and her face got cut out of the frame. Her eyes are glowing alien-green in every other photo I took of her today, however, so this one ultimately made the cut :).

I found Cora under our coffee table with her ball so I grabbed it and threw it for her.

She ran and brought it back, flying around the corner.

 

Here she comes!

After retrieving the ball a few times, she was tuckered out.

She quickly moved on to her new favorite toy (a gift from my mom).

Isn't she cute with her head cocked liked that?

This afternoon, as usual, I took her out on a walk. It was supposed to be a quick 30 minute deal around the park, but on our way there we passed an elderly woman standing just outside her garage. Cora started to go up to her to be pet and the lady asked me a few questions and before I knew it, we were deep in a conversation. We ended up talking for an hour! The woman shared a lot of her life story with me and it was so interesting. It's nice to have the opportunity every now and then to listen to people talk and share their life and the wisdom they've gathered over the years. At the end of our conversation, she told me to feel free to knock on her door anytime and I just might take her up on it!

Three Recent Pins

I've decided that every now and again, I'll write a post with just a few of the things I've recently pinned on Pinterest.

I love the idea of using more mason jars to help keep things organized in my bathroom! I hope to recreate this system sometime soon, but I'd use the jars to organize makeup brushes, various tubes, lip gloss, mascara, etc.

I saw this Shakespearean version of the "Hokey Pokey" and cracked up! The person who wrote it is brilliant.

Someone gave my roommate this lip balm for Christmas and she loved it so much, that our best friend and I decided to buy some, too. It is amazing! The lip balm itself is wonderful (and it smells really minty, which is delightful), but the real kicker is the unique shape. One of the most annoying things about lip balm is that when I'm feeling around in my purse, I frequently mistake it for a pen and vice versa. The unique egg-like shape of the eos lip balm, however, prevents this from ever happening.

Adri's Finish List

The fact that this post is two days later than I said it would be does not bode well for FinishYear (somehow that turned into a compound noun over the weekend), but I'm not going to let that discourage me! Here are some of the things I am going to finish in 2012:

My siblings' band will record at least one EP or an LP album
For the past few years I have managed my siblings' bluegrass band and we have wanted to record an album for several years now, but it hasn't happened. This goal is dependent on a lot of other people, but I'm going to do everything I can to make it a reality. And although as manager, at first glance it seems I wouldn't be very involved in the process, I actually have written the lyrics for most of the songs we have. So I have a very large stake in this project and I am so excited to see it come to fruition!

I will audition for a community band or symphony
It's been many years (more than 5) since I've played the flute seriously. I pick it up every now and then, but my skill level is not anywhere near where it used to be. For a while now, I've wanted to get back into playing the flute, so in 2012 I am going to practice & audition for a community band or symphony. I'm not sure if I'll actually join said music group (assuming I get in...which is a pretty big assumption), but at least I'll be playing my flute again for at least a portion of the year!

I will finish a metric century
This was actually one of my goals for this year, but it didn't happen so I'm moving it to next year :). I will be participating in at least 2 metric centuries (The Zin Spin in Lodi, CA and The Mildflower in Chico, CA), so hopefully I will reach this goal in the Spring. If not, then I'll just have to keep signing up for them until I finish one!

I will finish reading Total Truth by Nancy Pearcey
I first started reading this book as a senior in highschool. I started it again just over a year ago. And although I'm well over halfway through, I haven't picked it up in a few months. What I have read so far is excellent and I need/want to finish it soon! The book is an extremely intelligent explanation of the Christian worldview and I have learned so much from reading it. I highly recommend the first half of the book, at the very least ;).

Thoughts for a Stressful Thursday

Friends, I am finding myself overwhelmed today with so many things to do today. I have fallen woefully behind on any sort of housekeeping this week - it's all I can do to keep on top of my work related commitments. But I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel! I just have to get through the next 48 hours and it will be much better - and will be even better Tuesday morning :) Here are my reminders to myself during this insanely busy season. What would you add to this list?

To make spending time with my favorite person a priority - and to spend some of that time simply relaxing and holding hands.

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To take a moment to catch a breath of fresh air and glance at the clouds while I'm at it.

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To take a relaxing bath to reward myself for accomplishing all I could in a day - even if it wasn't everything on my list.

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To notice the beautiful details around me - especially the gorgeous fall light playing off leaves or grasses

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I hope there are moments of relaxation as you end your week!

My Cute Piano Student

Earlier this week I was teaching one of my 5 year old piano students in her home. She had been playing with this little toy (it's a happy blood drop) and had tied a bathrobe belt to it to use as a leash. Here it is where she tied it up to the piano (I'm assuming so it wouldn't run off during her lesson :)

Not the best picture quality but it's still pretty cute I think :)

Post (Almost) Without Words: Costume Ideas for Halloween

(The costume mood boards in this post were created by Adri using Polyvore)

Singin' in the Rain

Christopher Robin

"My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music

Moving Day!

My new roommate and I are moving today! Since her lease was up later than mine, I've been crashing in her living room for the last couple weeks. We are so excited to finally be moving into our new place!

My family is coming up with the van & horse trailer this afternoon and I'm confident that we will be able to get everything moved in one trip. My roommate and I hardly have any furniture, so it should be pretty easy. The most difficult part of the move will be all the boxes of dishes and books, I think.

I'll be posting pictures of my new space over the next couple weeks. I'm still figuring out how to decorate my bedroom. I think I'm going to just try some different things and see what works!

We decided to go for a Burlesque theme in the living room. Certainly not the easiest decor to pull off with taste & style, so we'll have to see how it goes, but I'll be sure to post pictures of our progress there, as well.

A Sweet Love Story

I thought this was too cute, and had to share :)

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Google+Me: A Love Affair

Once upon a time, there was a young girl who spent a lot of time on computers. She knew how to work them better than anyone else in her family and so she was often called upon by parents, siblings, and even extended relatives to solve their technology-related woes. Sometime during late adolescence, she was introduced to Google; little did she know that this introduction would change her life forever.

It began with her discovery of the Google search engine. She loved how powerful it was, how it could give her anything she wanted with just some simple commands from her and a few strokes of the keyboard. A few years later, her relationship with Google moved to the next level when she became a user of Gmail, Google's intuitive & sensitive email service. She loved the fact that rather than isolating her from her friends, Google instead allowed her to interact with them in a lasting, searching way. She felt that her relationship with Google was healthy & mutually beneficial, engaging them both with each other in interesting ways, but also giving them space to explore their own interests.

The girl still wasn't 100% satisfied with their relationship, but her belief that Google was really the best that was out there caused her to keep coming back to work things out. Google began offering her Blogger, a service that allowed her to express her innermost thoughts without censorship or the fear of rejection. She could be completely open with Google and Google would always welcome her with open arms.

Eventually, things started to get even better between them. Google integrated chat into Gmail, allowing her to experience instant & quick connections, as well as longer lasting ones. Google Reader expanded her world by putting the blogosphere at her fingertips, enabling her to travel the blog world without ever leaving the comfort of Google's familiar arms. The next gift Google gave her was Chrome and she finally felt completely secure. Wherever she roamed in the world, she always had the comfort of feeling that she was home, that she and Google would always be together and never be truly parted, no matter where she went.

But still, something was missing from their relationship.

Despite the gift of Chrome, the girl still felt that she was betraying Google every time she tried to socialize with her friends. The guilt weighed heavily on her heart and though she wasn't entirely sure, she thought she could see sadness in Google's eyes whenever she returned from one of her social visits. Little did she know, though, that Google had another gift for her, the gift of Plus.

At last, Google had become the entire package, everything her heart could possibly desire. No longer would she have to leave Google's side in order to maintain her friendships, instead, they were finally partners in all aspects of her life. As the girl gazed lovingly at Google, she could finally see the wonderful future they would have together and she knew, without a doubt, that they would live happily ever after.

Quote to Ponder

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I have never looked upon ease and happiness as ends in themselves - such an ethical basis I call more proper for a herd of swine. The ideals which have lighted me on my way and time after time given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. ~Albert Einstein, "What I Believe,"Forum and Century, 1930

The Longest Game Ever

OK, so I'm sure it wasn't the longest game ever, but last week my siblings and I got to go to the longest baseball game in the American League so far this year! It was Giants v. Padres and it was awesome! I love baseball but I usually only get the opportunity to attend one or two games per year - not that I could afford many more than that, anyway. Gas, parking, tickets (!), garlic fries, and beer certainly tend to add up!

The game we went to was intense! Both teams were pitching well (or maybe they were batting poorly - I really wouldn't know the diffference!), and by the 7th or so inning it was tied 5-5. They ended up going to extra innings and it was tied until the 14th when the Giants finally scored a run! Being there was so much fun - the fans were so energetic and hopped to their feet and yelled like I've never heard fans yell every time the Giants got a hit or an out. Definitely the best baseball game I've ever been to! Anyways, without further ado, here are some of the photos from that night:

This was a particularly intense moment. You can see the concern in the guys' faces and body language.

Fear the Beard!

Everyone on their feet!

Me and my four younger siblings. We are woefully lacking in the Giants paraphernalia department.